Fun with Photoshop

Just messing around with some photo fx in photoshop. Took it easy, nothing too out there....I think the ones I did on Mara and Micah are like charcoal and chalks or something like that. The one of McKenna is just simply b&w. No, I didn't know how to change photos to b&w, so this was an accomplishment for me! Now, photoshoppers...is it possible to change a photo to sepia? I can't figure that one out. I don't suppose they make a Photoshop for Dummies book, do they?

Until next time,

Wishing You the Best

A card I did several months ago, but I don't think I posted on here. If I did, and you remember it, so sorry. Just enjoy it again! LOL! I did this card based on a sketch by Lucy Chesna from her sketch blog (link on the side of my blog under "It's All About the Sketches!") and I used what little leftovers of pattern paper I had from the December 2007 BYOM kit and some leftover embellies I had from a Scrap-Tastic kit and a SU stamp in the corner! TFL!

Oh, and if you haven't noticed, I'm trying to post to my blog at least once a day this month! Nicole introduced me to a way to post on my blog without having to log in everyday! GENIUS! I'll try to post something scrappy everyday, but I just don't think that's going to be possible. But, I like pictures, so hopefully, I'll have at least a photo to accompany my posts! Wish me luck!

Make a Wish!

Here's the other card front I'm making to swap at convention! Told ya I like Ruby Red and Cameo Coral together! ;) I used the 5 petal flower, ticket corner and 2 sizes of star punches that SU has + 2 different stamp sets....Independence Day and ?? (it's the birthday set that has a candle in it....where's Tiffany when I need her?! Oh, yeah...Florida!! Must be nice!)

Missin' my Kenna Wee this week. She's staying several days with Kasara and Asher. I know she's having fun playing with Asher and hanging out and helping Aunt Kasara, but I miss her when she's gone! I'll be picking her up Thursday after I get off of work. Oh, geesh, you should've seen the fits Mara and Micah were throwing because McKenna got to stay with Kasara. Horrible. I made it up to them with a Taco drink and choco chip cookies. :)

Dare to be FABULOUS!

Here's one of the card fronts I'm making to swap at convention at the end of the month...I'm stuck on the Ruby Red and Cameo Coral together. My other card front uses the same colors!


Just spent the last two days back home in Mt. Carmel helping Kristi edit the wedding video we took last month. Wow, what a lot of work and we still have a ton of editing left to do. But, it's kind of fun when we get going on it. Confusing, but fun.


Chatterbox design team finalists were announced. Not that I thought I had a chance in hell, but still, a girl can dream. Big surprise, though, all the normal names in the industry were on there. Bitter, party of one, please! LOL!! I can't help it, though. It just reminds me of why I haven't tried submitting anything in a long, long, long time. When I start to submit to things like that, I always seem to lose sight of why I really scrapbook...for me, for my girls', for future family. It's really easy to get wrapped up in trying to make a name for yourself. Ok, rant over. :)

Tiffany, I hope you're having fun in Florida! Say "HI" to Mickey for me! Nicole, hope your having a fun, relaxing time with family! I miss my BFF's!


Time to go pick Mara up from volleyball camp! Later!

Isn't this pretty?!

I had a Girl's Night Out with Tiffany and Nicole a couple weeks ago...we ate at Los Bravos and went to see Sex in the City. Good times. Well, everyone knows that Tiffany goes nowhere without her camera! She took some pics of our gno and made me and Nicole a frame with her favorite picture taken that evening. Isn't it pretty?! This pic and frame was sitting at our scrap space when Nicole and I got to the scrap-filled weekend (June 27-29). Tiffany is always so thoughtful!! Love her! ;)

Oh, and I need to wish my cousin, Josh, a Happy Birthday! I don't normally remember most of my cousin's birthdays, but his is just too easy not to forget....7/7/77! How cool is that?!

Pretty in Pink!

Some birth announcements I whipped up during the scrap-filled weekend for my neice, Jenna! Actually, "whipped up" is really not the phrase I should use. For some reason, I struggled like you wouldn't believe with these. It even reduced me to tears for a minute! I was ready to pull my hair out. They just weren't coming together for me. In the end, thanks to input from Nicole and Tiffany, this is what I ended up with. They have grown on me.

Stamp sets used were I'm Here (retired), Amazing, and another set I'm blanking on (but it's retired as well); cardstock colors are Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, and Natural White; ink colors are Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, and Blush Blossom; eyelets, ribbon, circle, ticket corner and scallop punch; and used the Cricut (Alphalicious font) for the "J". Everything is SU products except for the "J". TFL!

Swap pages for convention

Ok, as most of you know, Tiffany and I are headed to Salt Lake City, UT at the end of the month for the Stampin' Up convention! Yay! Anyway, there is major swapping going on ala SplitCoastStampers.com. Tiffany and I are in 4 different swaps and that doesn't even include the card front swap that EVERYONE does!! One of the swaps we're in is doing a double layout of 6x6 so that we have finished pages to put our awesome convention pics in! Tiffany and I are both signed up for this swap...twice! LOL! Anyway, here's one set I got done during the scrap-filled weekend. Everything is SU stuff, of course. Pattern paper is Ginger Blossom; cardstock is Natural Ivory, River Rock, Blush Blossom, and Cameo Coral; jewel brads in Fire; ink is River Rock; punches used are photo corners, 5 petal flower, and boho blossom; stamp set used is Office Accoutrement. TFL!

P.S. Evidently the window I took this photo in front of is in desperate need of cleaning...hence the shadows on it! How embarrassing! ROFL!!! So, just know that there really aren't random smudges all over the layout IRL.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Not too sure of what our plans are today...spending time with family & probably watching the fireworks in Huntingburg after the Dragons game. Pretty low key stuff. I hope everyone enjoys the holiday & stay safe!!

This was a make-n-take I made for one of Tiffany's parties a couple weeks ago. I was borrowing this stamp set to make some of my card front swaps for convention, but she wanted to use the set at one of her workshops. Well, I forgot to bring it to her in time for her to whip up a m-n-t for her workshop, so I made one really quickly for her! I can't remember the name of the set (shame on me!!), but I used every single stamp in the set! Cardstock colors are Real Red, Night of Navy and Natural White; ink colors are Real Red and Night of Navy; hemp string was used on the firecrackers and 2 different sized circle punches. TFL!

Circles galore!

A 6x6 double layout for a convention swap at the end of the month! This swap is for finished pages to put our convention pictures in when we get back. There really aren't smudges all over the layout, so try to imagine it without them. I used Cutie Pie pattern paper; Simply Circles stamp set (retired), Make it Count stamp set (hostess set, soon to be retired), and So Much stamp set (soon to be retired); cardstock used is Certainly Celery, Rose Red, and Natural White; ink colors are Certainly Celery and Rose Red; and all 4 different sized circle punches (the big white circle is cut from the Cricut). TFL!

I've been tagged...

I've been tagged by Tiffany and Nicole! Well, guess what...scroll down to find out who I've tagged (don'tcha just love these?! LOL!)

Ok, here are 7 random weird things about myself:

1. I'm deathly afraid of spiders...like so bad that I literally get sick to my stomach to just look at them.

2. I was refused a job at Shoe Carnival because I came back as "high risk" for shoplifting after taking a personality test!

3. I could eat ice cream for dessert 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

4. I never wanted to have kids! I had to agree to have at least one or Steve said he wouldn't marry me!

5. Speaking of kids....I was sooooo sick during my first pregnancy that I lost 20 lbs, was hospitalized 3 times, at home with IV's, PICC lines attempted 3 times and had a Hickman catheter in my chest to "feed" me 24/7 and I still continued to get sick until the day Mara was born!

6. I learned how to barefoot waterski when I was 13 years old. I'd been skiing (on one ski and 2 ski's) and kneeboarding (doing 360's!) since I was 9 years old.

7. I had gout in my big toe (talk about PAINFUL!!!) on me and Steve's very first date. My Mom didn't want me to go out because I was in so much pain and could barely walk, but I was not going to miss my date with him!! (Good thing, eh?)

There. Good enough? Totally embarrassing.

Now, here's who I'm tagging!! (Maybe this will be the kick in the bootay that some of these people need to update their blog!)

1. Shan

2. Liz

3. Monica

4. Laura

5. Krystn

6. Carmen

7. Susan

Too stinkin' cool!

Look what Nicole did! Click on the pic to make your own! Thanks, Nicole!

Blog candy alert!

My friend, Nicole, is giving away blog candy in celebration of getting 10,000 hits! Simply comment on her blog and you're automatically entered into the drawing!! WooHoo!

Ok, next up from the scrap-filled weekend is the personalized notecards I made for my step BIL, Paul (an order put in to me by my lovely step MIL again! Love her!). Stamp set used is Stitched Exotics and a Stamp Rite stamper you can personalize (not by Stampin' Up); cardstock colors used are Going Gray, Basic Gray, Sahara Sand, Natural White, and Basic Black; ink colors used are Basic Black, Basic Gray and Going Gray; I used 3 different sized circle punches as well. All products by Stampin' Up (except where I noted). TFL!

More from BYOM....

....using sketches from So Sketchy! Great sketches on this site for 12x12, 8.5x11 and cards!! Check it!

It's July, so that means...

...scrappy goodness from the July BYOM kit (Cosmo Cricket "Hello Sunshine" line)!!! This kit is so BRIGHT & FUN!! And, not one, but 2 alphabets in this kit...YAY!! Some of the extras included flocking by Doodlebug Designs. This stuff is way cool. Fun stuff, I tell ya! Love the border of circles, too....stinkin' cute! Just an all around awesome kit to work with this month! But, then again, I've yet to be disappointed. You have got to snatch up one of these kits....or better yet, sign up for a subscription! ;)

Scrap-filled weekend!

Wow. That's all I can say. One weekend. Locked in. 3 great friends. No kids. No responsibilities. 14 movies. Snacking. Drinking. Scrapping...all freaking weekend long. Now, that's my kind of weekend! I got 3 layouts done for the July BYOM kit, 2 sets of 11 2-pg 6x6 layouts for swaps at convention next month, 2 sets of 24 personalized notecards (+ 1 extra for my own stash), and 20 birth announcements (+ 1 extra for me). And, I was bummed because I still had more on my list to get done!! So, for the next several days, I'll be posting things I got accomplished this past weekend.

First up is the personalized notecards I made for my step BIL's girlfriend for her birthday (an order put in to me by my step MIL). Stamp set is Winds of Grace; cardstock colors are Sage Shadow, Blush Blossom, Close to Cocoa, and Natural Ivory; ink colors are Sage Shadow, Blush Blossom and Close to Cocoa; medium width twill and hemp string...all products by Stampin' Up.

My new camera bag!!

Yay! Look what I finally got in the mail today...my new totally custom made camera bag! Well, technically, it's a purse, but I customized it with my beloved digi Rebel in mind! :) Now all I need is a new camera strap and I'll be happy...well, for a little while, at least! ;) I ordered my bag at a party, where a demonstrator comes and talks about the different styles and patterns and such. You choose your style and then everything else is custom made to order....extra pockets, how it opens and closes, whether you want ribbon on it and how it's tied, the fabric choices, etc. It was really fun! I even got to choose the length of the strap! The company is called a la mode and because they are made to order, it takes about 8 weeks to get your bag. But, I'd say it's worth the wait! Check it out!

sick...morbid....whack job....gullible

...yes, these are seriously names that I've been called in the last day or so by my own family. Why, you ask? Because I'd like to talk to a "medium". Why would I like to talk to a medium? Why not? No, I'm not into devil worship. Yes, I believe in God. I'm kind of a skeptical believer (does that make sense?! LOL!) in all of this. If I could experience this up close and personal, I'll either be a skeptic or a believer. And, if it is for real, then added bonus that I get to "hear" from some loved ones. I've always been fascinated in this sort of stuff. Recently two friends and fellow co-workers met with a local medium and had such a positive experience. So much so that family members of both of those friends are going to meet with this medium for themselves. When am I going to do this? Who knows. I'm not in a rush, but yes, one of these days I'm going to do this.

Weekend shift change at work!

Work schedule stuff is too long and complicated to get into, but to make a long story short....I currently work 6a-2:30p every 4th weekend. Not bad, really. Well, the new change is that I will work (along with several other co-workers) 6a-6:30p every 6th weekend. I'm still trying to get used to the sound of that. When I worked weekend option I worked the 12 hour shifts and they totally sucked. Completely blows your weekend. But, the upside is I'm working every 6th weekend, which will be nice. I think the pros and cons are the same on this one. Man, I just wish I didn't have to work at all!!! ;)

Wanna see what Steve brought home?

This is what Steve inadvertantly brought home with him from white water rafting in Gatlinburg, TN (yes, we now know that parts of Tennessee have scorpions!). Last week, I was getting the girls' swim bags ready and threw the bags on the kitchen counter. After packing their towels, suits, etc., I pulled the bags off the counter and this is what I saw!!! Holy crap!!! I was stunned! I've never seen one up close and personal. Gave me the major heebie jeebies. I'm DEATHLY afraid of spiders, we're talkin' major arachnophobe, here. Evidently, my arachnophobia extends into this species of arachnids as well! I thought I was going to throw up. And the thought that it could've stung one of the girls made me even more sick. I keep praying that he didn't bring any little buddies along with him! LOL!

Ok, you all are asking what the heck I did when I saw this....to answer your question, I dropped the swim bags and backed away from the counter and just stared at it, thinking OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG until Steve got home (he had ran to the gas station to get a gallon of milk). As soon as he walked in the door I said "What the hell is that?" He told me what I already knew, but I just wanted a second opinion! ROFL! Anyway, he took a flyswatter and pushed at it and it still had some life in it and then he beat it with the flyswatter. Then, he put it in a baggie to take to work to show someone he works with to ask him about it. As far as I know, I think it's still in Steve's computer bag!!

What a rush!!

My cousin, Kristi, and I just got done video'ing our first wedding/reception today! I had so much fun! Now, the really "fun" part starts....video editing and putting the thing together. Kristi's going to start teaching me the computer aspect of it....I hope she has infinite patience as I'm not real computer savvy! LOL! Well, back to your regular blog surfing....just had to share my excitement!

An MRI for McKenna *update* {w/results}

On Memorial Day, just a little over a week ago, McKenna had her second "migraine" (first episode was back in February). I have no idea what to call it, so migraine it is, for lack of a better word and the lack of MD behind my name! I made a doctor's appt for her, which she had today. Her pediatrician seems to think she's having pediatric migraines, but just to make sure nothing else is going on inside that extremely intelligent little head of hers, she's scheduled for an MRI next Monday. So, wish us luck and a quick little prayer, if you get a chance.

*****update***** {sort of}

She did wonderful! Although at first she was pretty scared. I held her hands thru the whole thing and she about clawed the skin off my hands until about half way thru, when she realized what a piece of cake it was, and getting to listen to her Miley Cyrus cd helped, too. We didn't have to do any pictures over again, so she was done in like 20 minutes. We already had a trip to WalMart bargained (for a drink and wet Strawberry Shortcake doll) and I ended up having to negotiate a trip to Dairy Queen, as well. Yeah, that was a rough deal to make! ;) I had to work today (Tuesday) and while I was working, the doctor's office called the house to tell me the results. By the time I got home and checked messages and called the office back, they were already closed. So, I have to wait until tomorrow to call and get results. I'll post tomorrow.....

***update*** {w/results}

Results are in....McKenna is just fine and dandy. Nothing wrong with her brain at all, thank goodness. Actually, the report read "unremarkable" and when I told Steve that, he replied "I tend to disagree with that...there's nothing unremarkable about McKenna!" LOL! It did show some incidental sinus mucosal thickening. The doctor said to get some Claritin OTC and give that to her everyday. Well, I have to disagree with that....she shows no signs of sinus problems, so we're going to skip giving her medicine everyday for no reason. So, anyway, bad part about this is that it is just pediatric migraines. Totally sucks that she's going to have to learn at such an early age how to deal with migraines. Thank you everyone who kept McKenna in their thoughts and prayers!!!

It's June, so that means.....

it's time to show off scrappy stuff done with the June Bring Your Own Memories kit!! And, it's GORGEOUS! I loved the kit when I saw it online, but in person...whoa! Run, don't walk, and get this kit! If it's not sold out, that is....