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!