Monday Challenges

I have tons to share this time, but today I am just gonna share some challenges from Scrapbook Challenges! There are 3 new additions to the Design Team, and there are going to be some challenge changes starting in May! I am very excited and look forward to another term of being on this team! I am just gonna get straight to business...

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Sketch 140

I used Bazzill cs, Cosmo Cricket Hello Sunshine pp, Cuttlebug Flower dies, Stickles, and Technique Tuesday alphabet stamps.

Sketch 139

I used Bazzill cs, SU Good Morning Sunshine pp, Thickers, and a silk flower with a brad for the center (compliments of tigardlilly as a birthday present decoration).

Make Your Own Shaped Paper

I tried a different technique for making my own shaped paper-free hand cutting. I am not liking how this particular design worked out, but it will have to do. First I cut the green which I liked. Then I mounted it all on the pink DCWV cs, started embellishing, and forgot about the actual challenge, so I cut the square paper to match the green. The pp is Scenic Route Sonoma, then there are some Thickers, and a tag I got as a RAK.

Black And White
The challenge was to use a B&W photo or all B&W paper/embellies. I don't have any B&W photos, so I went with everything else B&W! I used DCWV cs, Black Market Paper Society pp, Bo Bunny ribbon, Thickers, Bazzill flowers, 7-Gypsies stamp, a brad, and dotted the edge with my white Signo pen.
Hand Made Flowers
I used the last of my Prima pp scraps to make these flowers, then some Bazzill cs, Dream Street pp (x2), Pink Paislee pp, Sassafras Lass pp, Thickers, and some buttons.
Scrap The Not So Great
So, what is not so great about this photo? Just look at it! Not to mention the dump the motel was, lol! I used DCWV (I think) glitter cs, Scenic Route letters, Bazzill flower, a button, Prima flowers, and some Kaiser Craft pearls.

Alter This
So, what do I alter? I am never very good at this stuff, plus I don't have a lot of alterable things around, but I did find these coasters I got at the dollar store a while back and they have just been sitting in my drawer.

Rather than making the typical mini book with them, I made a wall hanging for my mom for Mother's Day. I used Cloud 9 pp, some ribbon, and some Prima flowers with more pearls.

Tomorrow, I will share some ATCs I have made, and some swaps I got back, and a card from a special friend!!

A Slow Week

I haven't been doing too much creating lately, but I have done a little bit!

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This is for The Story Matters, What did we want to be when we grew up? I wanted to be a teacher and a mother. The teacher idea faded around 4th grade, the mother hasn't faded one bit-I still want that! I used plain white cardstock (gasp!), Stampin' Up Delicate Dots pp, MM ribbon, Prima flowers, handcut flowers, CuttleKid alpha dies, and a couple buttons.

This is Sketch 138 for Scrapbook Challenges.
This week wasn't my week to offer a challenge (it is next week), but one of the gals is on vacation so I volunteered to fill in. I decided to concentrate on tags. I used Bazzill cs, Prima pp scraps (another great way to use up those scraps), ribbon, eyelets, Thickers, MM letter stickers, and a while gel pen.
This was an ATC I made for a Scrap Chat Hour on AMR. The theme was home/house. The chat turned out to be more about cleaning, but who wants to do an ATC about cleaning, lol!! I used Bazzill cs, October Afternoon pp, Prima flowers, and Distress Stickles.

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That is all I have to share for now. I anticipate getting more stuff done this weekend, plus Monday will bring another sketch and a challenge!
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Help Needed

OK, faithful blog readers of mine, I am in a bit of a pickle. I am doing a Food Alphabet swap, and I chose F for French Fries. Here is what I have done so far... I am not liking it, as far as the layout design. I am loving the fries and fry carton and the fonts for the F's, but I am not sure if I should use the Glaze pen over them, or keep them the yellow that matches the fries. I also don't know if I like how I stamped French Fries. Not sure if I like the brown background. I still feel like I need something else. I could change the brown for something else and emboss it with a Cuttlebug Folder, maybe Swiss Dots or Textile, that would at least add more depth and character to the ATC. Any suggestions??

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After a week of talking about AMR, have you joined up yet??? It really is an awesome place with friendly people, lots of inspiration and support. Don't forget about the challenges, swaps, weekly themed chats, online crops; there is even a non scrapbook forum with a section for prayers needed, there is a digi forum, heck there is even an ongoing Pay It Forward RAK!! If you haven't checked it out, what are you waiting for??? Don't forget to put scrapbooking somewhere on your profile and tell 'em I sent ya! Let me know you signed up, so I can be sure to say hi!!

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I hope you have a blessed Easter. Love your families, be sure to tell them how much you love them, and remember what Easter is all about!

Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for our sins, and then raising from the dead on the third day to give us new life!

That reminds me, I really need to get back to church, it has been so long. And while today would be the perfect day, I have to spend the entire morning cleaning the house for my dad's aunt (recently widowed) and it must be spotless, lol! OH, and cook the ham, boil the eggs, and everything else that goes into cooking a holiday dinner!

Happy Easter!

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ATCs and RAKs!!

Here are a couple more ATCs I have made for Split Coast Stampers. I am loving the swaps here, there are so many to chose from and it is sure to keep me busy!! I am limiting myself to 5 swaps at a time. The ones just below are #2-3, so once I get these sent off on Monday, I can sign up for 2 more!!

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This one is for the "All About The Paper" swap. I used lots of paper elements from Basic Grey Urban Prairie, SU Kiwi Kiss cs, Studio G stamps, turquoise Stickles, and a rhinestone flower.

This is for the "Birds, Bees, Frogs & Flies" swap, flies being dragonfly, butterfly, fly, etc. I used Bazzill cs, Sassafras Lass pp, We R Memory Keepers stamp, Nestabilities scalloped oval, 5 colors of Stickles, and some threaded buttons.
I was over at tigardlilly's house yesterday for our weekly Scrap Night, and she made me this ATC just for fun! Everything on it is fun foam, except for the buttons! I thought it was funny and very thoughtful!
I got this package of scrappy goodness today, it is from Lisa for a comment I left on her blog, Oh Happy Day! It is chalk full of all kinds of stuff! Thanks Lisa!

As if that wasn't good enough, I also got this package from Anne Marie from AMR for hosting a game at our last online crop! Look at all that scrappy yumminess! I can not wait to dig into all this!! Thanks Anne Marie!!!

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You know, that is one thing I love about All Moments Remembered, there is always someone sending someone else RAKs! Everyone is so nice and caring, we are like a family! It really is a great place! Speaking of online crops at AMR, we are not having one this month, instead we are having a 2-day National Scrapbook Day crop!! The final details are still being worked out, but mark your calendars for May 1-2. It is sure to be a blast!! There will be challenges, games, and lots of chatting!! You do need to be registered to be part of the fun, but it is free and super easy, just go here, and register. Be sure to put scrapbooking somewhere in your profile, so Stacey knows you are not a spammer, and tell her I sent ya!! Hope to see around!!

Let's Go Shopping!!

I really wish I had some money to spend, because Stacey at All Moments Remembered has TONS of stuff in the online store! She carries all of my favorite products...Basic Grey, October Afternoon, Pink Paislee, Stickles, Cuttlebug Folders, Kaiser Craft Pearls, Making Memories, Bazzill, Jenni Bowlin, Adirondack Alcohol Inks, and the list just goes on and on! If she doesn't carry something you want, she takes requests and can often order it for you, how cool is that? She even has a brick and morter store in Prineville Oregon, so if you leave near there, you gotta check it out too! You don't even need to be a member of the message board to shop with her, but would you not want to register for the MB? When (not if) you sign up for the MB, be sure to put scrapbooking somewhere in your profile, as she tries to keep out spammers, and tell her I sent ya!! Let me know if you sign up too, I would love to say hi!

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I am going to our Scrap Night today, so I should have some ATCs to share tomorrow!!

Cards are Yummilicious!

I don't have any of my creations to share today, but I did get a number of really cute Easter cards today from the AMR Easter Card swap!! You know I always share my scrappy mail here, it has sort of become tradition, lol! So, without further ado, here they are, in no particular order!!

From Kaydrenth

From Scrappy Girl

From Ibeanana

From Cheeky

Then I also got the final Easter ATC for the swap at AMR that I am hosting. Scrappin{jewlz} sent me this pretty lacy ribbon as a hostess RAK, isn't Scraptastic??? Thanks!!

And here is the pile of packages that I got sent off today!! I had tons of fun hosting this swap!!
I am gonna be starting up a couple more swaps over at All Moments Remembered, you should come on over, sign up, and check it out! The swaps are always tons of fun, and such a variety of talented ladies! They even accept men, just ask my hubby, aka Scrubby4life!!! Seriously, what are you waiting for??? When you register, be sure to put scrapbooking in your profile somewhere, so Stacey knows you are not a spammer, and tell her I sent ya!!.

Ahhhh, A Scrappy Mail Day!

And a couple more ATC creations!! I took 2 spots in a SCS Twilighters swap...so I could get more back, lol!! They are 2 of my favorite frames from the movie, and all the paper is Bazzill. All the stamps are Technique Tuesday Williamsburg alphabets. I used either rhinestones or hand dyed "skittles". What do you think, are they worthy?

Another AMR challenge, this one is Monday's Color Challenge, 4/6: B/W or Sepia Photo with White Space, of course white space doesn't have to be white, just empty. I kept it really simple, a sepia photo of my dad, Dreamstreet pp, Bazzill cs, and American Crafts Thickers.
You know what else I love about AMR, THE SWAPS!! There is always something going on in the swaps forum, and the results are awesome! All the women there make great and awesome ATCs, I cherish each and everyone of them! Besides the organized swaps, there is usually a weekly one on one swap, based on the Scrap Chat Hour theme! I got these ATCs, from grettasgranddaughter, aka Julia.
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This first one is one where we agreed to swap from one of those SCH swaps, favorite product/technique.

These last ones are extras that Julia sent me, just because!

Her tropical ATC

Her favorite book ATC

Her wedding ATC

Her birthday ATC

And if that wasn't good enough, she sent me this card and Studio G stamp!!!

I got this card today from Gaybow, with her Easter ATCs she sent for the Easter swap I am hosting.

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Do you need any more reasons to join All Moments Remembered? I tell ya, it is an awesome place with awesome people-who I do consider my friends! What are you waiting for? Go here to register for the message board, I promise you will not regret it! Remember to put scrapbooking in your profile/interests so she knows you aren't a spammer, and tell her I sent ya!

AMR Challenges

You know how I love doing challenges, and there are lots of layouts on my blog that are done for AMR. I thought I could take a minute and talk a little more about All Moments Remembered and the challenges there!
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I think the best way to describe it is straight from Stacey's blog, in her words!
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We have daily challenges where you can reign "Queen Supreme"!!!
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Monday-Color Challenge
Tuesday-Font/Title Challenge
Wednesday-Product Challenge
Thursday-Scraplift Challenge
Friday-Individual Challenge Team Challenges
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Winners, aka princesses, will be chosen each week for the M-Th challenges by the Challenge team. The layout will be judged based on how you nail the challenge. You will be crowned princess for that week. The person crowned princess most weeks in the year for each of the four challenges will be crowned QUEEN of that challenge at next year’s anniversary crop! We will end up with 4 queens!
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Princess honors:
Your layout will be placed in the flickr royal gallery, you will receive kudos in the winner's thread.
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Queen honors:
You will be crowned during opening ceremonies at next year’s anniversary crop, you will receive a prize and a crown from AMR, you will receive a Queen blinky and carry the title of queen through the next year where you will attempt to reign supreme!
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Friday’s challenges will be posted by the Challenge team on a rotating basis. The winners will be randomly drawn at random.org and will receive prizes from AMR weekly! Each winner will be announced on the following Friday. These challenges will sometimes include little mini tutorials that will make participating in the challenge a little easier.
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Personally, I have won 3 times, and all in different categories. I really enjoy this, and the variety of challenges from the different team members is awesome! Everyone has thier own style, and I get to incorporate that into my pages because of the great challenges!! I don't think I will be queen, but I am still enjoying every minute of these challenges!
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One of the things I love about AMR is that it is still a small message board, this allows for more personal attention and building relationships! It isn't so big that you don't recognise anyone. I never feel lost there, and I was welcomed from the moment I signed up! Another thing I love, is my scrapping style has improved so much since I started there! It isn't just me either, most people have noticed this about themselves and each other! AMR is a great place, you really should check it out sometime! Remember to put scrapbooking in your profile somewhere, to help weed out spammers, then come on in and just start chatting! Be sure to tell 'em I sent ya, and let me know if you do sign up so I can say hi!!
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Sorry I don't have any scrappy stuff to share, I have been working on some Twilight ATCs, and just can't get them to work, I hope to have some stuff to share tomorrow!!

Monday, Monday

Mondays don't have much meaning for me anymore, now that I am not working, but for some reason I still dislike them, lol!

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One good thing about Mondays is the reveal of the new sketch challenge at Scrapbook Challenges!

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Sketch 137

All paper is Crate Paper Crush Collection, then I used some American Crafts Thickers, Bazzill flower, some buttons, and a hand cut stem/leaves.

This is a challenge for Dreamgirls challenge #25, my first time doing one of thier blog challenges. The challenge was to use lyrics from Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper, there must be a clock visible on the layout and there had to be some kind of stitching. I used Bazzill cs, Sassafras Lass Fawnd Of You Too pp, American Crafts Thickers, My Little Shoebox letters, Scrapworks chipboard brackets and stars, the other chipboard pieces are unknown, there are some brads (also unknown), and a Heidi Swap Acetate clock. The picture was taken 6 years ago (yikes!) and with a 3 mg digi camera, so the quality is very poor, sorry for that!
AMR Friday Team Challenge-4/3: Lift one of Ali Edwards' digi layouts
There were 2 layouts given to us to lift, I chose to do this one. I used Pink Paislee Fetching pp, Stampin' Up scallop border punch, Cricut letters on SU Tangerine Tango cs, and a little acrylic flower with a brad for the center.I got this card in the mail today, from Cyndi56 from AMR. She isn't in the swap, but I sent her one and she returned the favor! It is so cute too!

Speaking of AMR, All Moments Remembered, have I ever mentioned how much I love it there? It is a very kind and inspirational place. There are daily challenges, online crops, weekly chats, swaps, digi forum, classes,fun games, and lots of friendships to be made! I have made many friendships through AMR, and I don't think I could find myself at home anywhere else on the web! Stacey, the owner, is so sweet and caring. She really does put her entire self into the company and message board. She recently opened up a brick and morter store in Prineville Oregon! If you like to chat with other scrappers, and maybe even do a little bit of shopping, you GOTTA check out AMR! You do need to register, just be sure to put scrapbooking in your profile, to ensure a faster acceptance, and tell 'em I sent ya! I would love to see ya around there, it really is a great place to hang out!

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6 Hour Scrappy Reorg

Yep, I finally got to redo my tiny scrapspace! It was not by choice though! See the shelf in the photo below?

It fell!!! I was standing right below it, put a package of Thickers on it, and KABAM!! My nose took the brunt of the fall, but it is ok! It turns out one of the wall anchors snapped in half!! Everything fell down, embellishment containers spilled, stamps fell out of thier binders, Cricut cartridges opened up and went everywhere, and my Cricut and Silhouette fell 6 feet to the floor! This is what it looked like after I picked everything up...

I had to fix my desk, it has been coming apart in the middle for a while, so everything came off!! I fixed the desk, reassembled the computer, readjusted the brackets on the shelf and put it into studs this time! Moved some things around, added a couple plastic shelves, and I have more space and I think it will be a lot more useful! Now, the lights on the bottom of my shelf are actually over my work, rather than off to the right casting a constant shadow!! I even found a way to have my Cricut and Silhouette pluged in all the time, just pull it out, set it on a TV tray and use it! That wasn't possible before!! I really like it!