Sunday, August 22, 2010

Oasis

I love being by or near the water; doesn't matter what time of year it is and I don't need a special reason to visit. The ocean calms me and settles my mind. If you can relate then check out this beautiful showcase at Pictory Mag and be prepared to lose yourself in a virtual oasis...

Thursday, August 12, 2010

My friend Melanie shared a really cool link with me tonight. This has to be the most creative blog I have ever seen. It's one woman's quest to do something creative while on maternity leave. You'll love it...


Photo copyright ©Adele Enersen

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The More Things Change...

Summer is coming along beautifully. Mandy has finished Driver's Ed and is now working on her college "short list". Allie has spent most of the summer in the pool and has declared that she is ready to go back to school now. Good grief!

We haven't been as active as we usually are; the house remodel has us grounded for a few weeks, but we're making every attempt to enjoy the comforts, as they are, of home as much as possible. It's back to school in a few weeks, but not before we make one last trip to Maine...ahhhh beautiful Maine! definitely looking forward to a fun road trip.

I want to quickly share a layout I just completed. I snapped this with my iPhone a few minutes after Mandy woke up (Allie would never let me get away with this!). I just love this photo of her holding her cute stuffed animals. The one on the the right is Spike, her dinosaur who has been her buddy since she was 4 years old! She adores Spike - and still takes him everywhere. As a matter of fact he'll be joining us next week and I have no doubt he may find his way into her college dorm bag as well. I just love this little hint of innocence in my big baby girl and pray that she will always find comfort and companionship in her animal toys!

You’ve had Spike since you were 3 years old and he
has never left your side. In this photo you are 16
years old and just woke up for school. As usual Spike
is there to greet you. Some things never change!
I know you love him just as much now as you did
back then. I love seeing you with your stuffed animals!


Thursday, August 5, 2010

We interrupt this program...

To say that this blog will be updated as soon as Cris finds the USB cord for her camera, or retakes the photos with her iPhone...whichever comes first.

Now I'm off to my work out with Patrick, the trainer, run a few errands in preparation for our vacation next week, and will hopefully return in a couple of hours with an update...or in a very bad mood! LOL

Hope your Wednesday is coming along a little more smoothly than mine.

xoxo
Cris

Friday, July 30, 2010

AAAACHOOO!!! (and a little Pebbles for good luck!)

I've been wanting to blog all week...really, I have; but life got in the way and knocked me down with a serious summer cold. Sneezing, coughing, headache, fever...you name it, I've got it. At least I can breathe today - my sinus infection is better but I'm still a little out of it, (as my kids can attest to). So, until I can gather my thoughts and get my mojo going again thought I would share some layouts I did a few days ago with these super fun papers from Pebbles, Inc. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post these, but I am so in love with these products I can't help myself. This is the Treehouse Collection, and let me tell you girlfriends, this line is FUN, FUN, FUN!!! I love the bold colors and how well they all mix up together. Every single paper in this line is gorgeous -- No matter what happens with this call, I'm officially a junkie.

I used Melinda's sketch #1 from The Scrap Farm Sketches site for this first layout...

Love this photo of my big baby girl!
Journaling is all about Amanda at age 17 and reads:
- is learning to drive
- hates scary movies
- has a very active social calendar
- loves her Droid
- can do laundry like a pro
- loves to go to the mall
- still sleeps with her stuffed animals
- lives on chocolate, Starbucks and Burger King
- has a big heart and a very proud Mom

My now 14 yr-old a few years back at her 5th grade end-of-the-year party. Their teacher bought the whole class some silly string to play with and they went crazy! This layout is also meaningful to me because my daughter suffered a very bad seizure just one week before this was taken and had to be heavily medicated. Sh's fine now and is off her meds, but this represents a scary time in her sweet life.

This photo always makes me laugh, Mandy during "Spirit Week" at school this past May. She was supposed to dress in her class colors, which were black and red, so I'm not sure how the brown leggings fit in, but she wore them anyway...and check out the sneakers! So funny....


aaaaahhhh...CHOOO! Ok, I'm done...back to my regularly scheduled cold.

(enjoy your weekend!)
xoxo
Cris

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Crop Weekend

Ok, so seriously..these weekends are just waaaaay too much fun! Oh my gosh! I have never laughed (and cried) so much in my life. Just love hanging with all the girls during these weekend retreats. Barb and Julie are fabulous hostesses.

This time around I discovered Trader Joe's fabulous Pink Lemonade. No sugar and tastes FABULOUS! You have to try it. I bought some to the crop and we finished it within an hour. Yes, we were a bit thirsty; unloading our cars is a very exhausting experience, especially in the oppressive heat!. Another great discovery was the wonderful "Cucumber-Orange" water the hotel made for us. They served about 3 gallons of water in a beautiful glass urn filled with cucumber and orange slices and plenty of ice; very easy and refreshing. I'm going to make a batch at home when I have a chance.

As usual, I met some new friends and reconnected with dear old ones. We all laughed, ate, and occasionally we actually worked on our scrapbooks. You can meet some of my cropping buddies through my Facebook page...come on over and introduce yourself; better yet, come join us for a weekend - we'd love to see you!

Here are a couple of layouts I managed to actually finish. This first one is of my little Cody, our very energetic Westie. He is a real handful; very fiesty and a bit crazy, but that zaniness makes him all the more lovable.

Products used: K&Co. Poppyseed collection,
American Crafts Cardstock

This is a photo of my dear, sweet Mandy. She just turned 17 when this was taken and I wanted to capture her in "everyday" mode.
Products used:
Cardstock: American Crafts
Patterned Paper: K&Co, Poppyseed Collection,
American Crafts Thickers : Glass Slipper (awesome alphas!)
Rhinestones: Michael's

This is a photo of my Allie with her cousin Kelly the morning after their first summer sleepover. They are the same age and rarely see each other during the school year so it was a treat to to have Kelly spend the weekend with us.

Products used:
Cardstock: Bazzill expresso
Patterned Paper: Bella Blvd. "Estate Sale", Girl's Paperie "Paper Doll"
Alphas: American Crafts Thickers: Delight

Ok...not bad. Three layouts completed and about ten in progress (but who's counting, LOL)...

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend as well. See you soon.

xoxo
Cris



Thursday, July 15, 2010

Be Back Soon!

Just popping in to let you know I'm heading out to Connecticut for a weekend full of friends, fun and plenty of food! It's my annual summer cropping weekend with my girlfriends at Lasting Memories (hi Julie and Barb!). I'll be posting next week, that is if I get any scrapping done...I usually talk more than I crop! LOL...

See you on Monday!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Dog Days of Summer...

Hi everyone. Hope you had a great Fourth and are settling nicely into your summer routine. It has been very hot here in NY. Thank Goodness for air conditioning and a refreshing pool!


I wanted to share two layouts with you, as they reflect a new style that I am having fun with lately. I was roaming around aimlessly in Michael's looking for something to use my 40% coupon on and came across this fab page kit from American Crafts, one of my favorite manufacturers. I immediately fell in love with the colors and decided to use it quickly, instead of hoarding it; part of my new 5-day rule. I have 5 days to use any new product I purchase or I have to return it...tough love, but it keeps the money in my bank account...lol

Here's the first layout...notice the large amount of negative space. I'm really having fun with this style! Products used were AC white cardstock and the 12x12 Page kit

This photo was taken 3 years ago
when we brought home our new Yukon.
We love taking this baby out on road trips!

And here's the second layout. There is a lot of product left in the kit so I will probably make another layout or delve into creating a few cards. Added AC Black cardstock to the page kit...

February 2009: Allie's 7th grade class is preparing to leave
for their 10-day adventure to Costa Rica and I'm trying to tame
the butterflies in my stomach. I was a nervous wreck but she
was well looked after and the entire experience was amazing.

That's all I have to share for now. Enjoy your day and stay cool!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Getting Ready for the Fourth

So glad to be blogging again. I have really missed this place and will be spending the next few days sweeping away the cobwebs and redecorating a bit. It's been a long time so be warned this is a looooong post! LOL

Allie's surgery went well. The first week was pretty rough but she's doing amazingly well now. Her voice is pretty much back to normal and she can once again eat her favorite sandwiches at California Pizza Kitchen, which makes for one very happy 14 year-old.

I haven't had the opportunity to focus on creating anything lately, but I did apply for a DT position at Citrus Tree Studio a few days ago. I didn't make the team but Cindy honored me with a Guest Design appointment, which to this scrapping newbie is quite an honor. I am so excited and am looking forward to working with her beautiful kits. Speaking of which, here is a layout I made with one of the "Men's Department" June kit.

This is a photo of Allie taken at our local beach. I'm not sure what it is that she is looking at but whatever it is, she wasn't too thrilled about it.

All items are from Citrus Tree Studio's June kit featuring Bella Blvd.'s "Man of the house"

The photos in the next layout aren't that great but I don't care. They were taken 4 years ago when Mandy was 13 and had her first sleepover with her best friend at the time. Sean took them for a walk to the stables and the girls were so excited to see the horses roaming around.

All items, except blue alphas (Thickers "Poolside") and corner adornments (MME "So Sophie") are from the Citrus Tree Studio April kit "Butterfly Skies" featuring American Crafts Letterbox papers.

I also made a layout based on the June CTS Sketch provided by the very talented Julie Bonner. Here's the sketch:


Isn't it fab? Love the tags; I'm seeing all kinds of possibilities for those. I'll be using this one again, for sure! ...and here's my layout:

Patterned papers, journaling spots and sticker embellies: Sass Lass "Cherry Delicious"...Ticket stubs: MME "So Sophie" die cut sheet..."Fun" banner and alphas: Jenni Bowlin

I love these photos, although they are blurry. One summer day, on a whim, we piled into the car and headed out east. We came upon this farm stand in the middle of nowhere selling all kinds of homemade goodies, one of which was this incredibly delicious roasted corn. It was so yummy that I still get hungry every time I think about it! There was also a small band playing classic rock music, and lots of rides and a petting zoo. We were not prepared for this adventure but we loved it and go back every year!

Finally, (warned you this was a long post!) I made a couple of cards with the same fully-loaded kit:

These two were for Father's Day...
and these were just little 4x4 notecards. I felt like making something small and cute and these little guys fit the bill.

Wow, this really was a long-winded post! If you're still here thanks for sticking with me. Hope everyone has a fabulous holiday weekend!


Sunday, June 6, 2010

Today is Allie's 14th birthday! Happy Birthday sweet angel! Here she is at 3 months old and today as she turned 14 (with her best friend Eliana)





















She invited a few close friends to a birthday luncheon at the California Pizza Kitchen. What a great place! The menu is like a catalog! The girls had a blast and then went shopping in the mall afterwards.

Allie's surgery is a week away so I will not be blogging again this month. Although tonsillectomies are pretty routine procedures, the fact that she's older will mean a longer, and possibly more painful recovery. So we're preparing to lay low with lots of Italian ices and a big comfy couch for a few weeks. In the meantime feel free to look me up on Facebook. I'd love to connect with you!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Memorial Day 2010

And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
~ Lee Greenwood

Saturday, May 22, 2010

I'm a Making Memories Guest Designer!

Thought I would pop in a share some really cool news....The cards I created a couple of weeks ago with the April Citrus Tree Studio kit were featured on the Making Memories blog and Facebook page today. What an honor. Thank you Jenny! If you want to purchase the same items I used then hop on over and get your "Butterfly Skies" kit from CTS before the are all sold out.


CTS April kit "Butterfly Skies"

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Today is my oldest teen's 17th Birthday. Happy Birthday my sweet Amanda! Here are photos of when she 6 months old and today as she turned 17...
























She enjoyed a fun dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with a few friends and Grandma and Grandpa. I can hardly believe she will soon be a high school senior. Where does the time go? And why does it have to move so quickly. Now I know why scrapbook!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Finally...

Such a long time since I last posted. This is a busy time of year for my family. We've had 2 school performances, a huge Social Studies project (Allie received "Honorable Mention" for her diorama!), Mandy has been sick but still sat for a 5-hour SAT test Saturday, and I've had 2 papers due for grad school.
I'm also honored to be on a committee that is planning a farewell part for two faculty members at my daughters' school who are leaving after 20+ years of service. The party is the day before Mother's Day, and we're expecting over 200 guests! On top of that we're in the midst of preparing for a huge remodeling project. Needless to say I've had little time to play with my craft supplies, which is why I am grateful for this April kit from Citrus Tree Studio featuring the 8x8 Making Memories Flutter collection. Here's the kit:

This is a beautifully coordinated line - all the papers work flawlessly together. I decided to use it to make a few quick cards...(poor lighting alert! - a few of these pics reflect the bad weather we've been having. Will retake when the sun decides to come out of hiding...)


The trim and stamps are from my stash but the kit comes with all sorts of pretty doo-dahs and coordinating alphas.

I also used the Painted Prairie April kit to make this quick layout:

Allie worked so hard on her Social Studies diorama. She put in over 20 hours of work and rarely did she ask for help. The finished project won an Honorable Mention at the Humanities Fair. So proud of her effort!

The layout below was actually completed a couple of years ago during a class, but I was excited to have the perfect alphas finally arrive in the Citrus Tree kit for the title - these are fromPrima - love how they accent the photos...I don't have journaling on the front of my layouts, it's usually on the back...don't know why, that's just the way it works out sometimes!

I'm a lucky mom - my two girls love to cook! I really adore Allie's apron...she looks so cute, and wears it all the time!

Thanks for visiting! I appreciate all your kind thoughts and comments. You lift me up and make my day. Hope you are all well. xoxo

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

These cool pics made me smile today:


Photo courtesy of Ben Heine


Thursday, April 15, 2010

A Week in the Life

Mandy with our dog, Cody, enjoying the weekend sunshine in our back yard. Notice the teen and her laptop - a common scene around here and an example of the moments I love to capture and record...By the way, Cody had his doggy sunglasses on moments before this pic was taken, but he lost them when he chased a squirrel out of our yard...

One of the reasons I started scrapbooking is to capture the everyday, routine (and not-so-routine) moments that are easily forgotten. I'm not very good with words so keeping a diary or written journal can be a bit of a chore for me, whereas capturing these fleeting moments with a camera and documenting them in a creative way really makes my heart sing. So I think I'm going to give this idea from Ali Edwards a go - "A Week in the Life" next week. I thought I would post the link here so you can have a peek if you don't know about it yet. What do you think? It will take a little effort and planning, but I have a feeling it will be worth it...

xoxo
Cris
Hey Guys,

It's been a busy week. My friend's mom passed away unexpectedly last weekend and I've been wanting to spend lots of girlfriend time with her. They were so close and if there is any beauty to be seen in this situation, it's her attempt to extend the bond they shared even after her mom's death. I'm also working on a term paper that's due tomorrow night; this ought to be interesting...I'm not quite suer how that's going to happen but - oh well...I guess I'll just go with the flow...Hope you're all doing well.

I'll leave you with a few things I've been dabbling with.

These layouts are from the February Citrus Tree Studio kit. Here's a photo of the kit:
and here's my 2 layouts. Very simple and clean...I'm starting to dig that style right now.
I know it's weird taking a picture of someone eating, but I couldn't resist this shot. My girls and I stopped by the tea room for a quick lunch. My 16 year-old ordered a wrap not realizing how big it was. When they put this big sandwich in front of her she wasn't sure if she should use a knife and fork or just cave in and eat it with her hands. In the end she ditched her utensils and even though she was starving, she refused to snarf it all down (which is what I would have done!). She was perfectly proper and very neat. Yep, that's my Mandy, always the lady regardless of the circumstances; one of the many things I love about her!
Title Alphas are from my stash.

Our Westie is a bit spoiled (but we love him anyway!)..he really knows how to ham it up when the girls give him even the slightest bit of attention.

and this will be a gift for my sweet friend who just lost her mom:
and lastly this is a decorated tin with a little mini inside to remind me of how beautiful nature is this time of year (I'm studying Wordsworth in school so I'm kinda on a nature kick right now). I'll post more pics when I've decorated the enclosed mini.
That's it for now. By the way, I want to thank you all for your sweet comments. I love hearing from you and I've enjoyed visiting your blogs as well. You guys are so creative and fun to visit. See you in a few days!

xoxo
Cris

PS. Prima is having a DT call...so all you Prima lovers out there...start your engines!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Was playing with my new Prima stash today. These new papers are amazing! I'm trying my best NOT to hoard this stuff but resistance is futile....right? I used a bit of the Strawberry Kisses, Raspberry Tea and Shabby Chic lines on the layout below, and I ordered them from HERE

This photo was taken on my birthday in 2008. I love it because it was rather impromptu (the waitress just grabbed my camera from the table and said "hey, why don't I take a picture of all you guys?") and celebrates our mixed family heritage.

Here a a few close-ups:
I'm completely in love with my Prima papers!

Hope you all are enjoying a few days of warm weather wherever you are. We reached 80 degrees on Long Island today. WOO-HOO!! My kind of weather - loved it...Thanks for stopping by! xoxo