It's been a long, long time....

It's hard to believe that it's been two years since I've updated this blog!

I've had lots of changes in my life since my last post. I am no longer a single mama. I met a wonderful man almost two years ago. Chris complements my personality perfectly and sometimes I wonder how I managed to live life without him by my side. The boys and I moved in with him almost a year ago. Then, I started back to school last August. Needless to say, I've been extremely busy.

Things are settling down now and I'm working crafting back into my life. I hope to be able to post at least once or twice a week.

Now, on to the scrappy stuff! Mommysavers is having it's monthly crop and I've been busy completing challenges. My friend, Janie, is hosting the crop and the theme is all about using up your stash.

I received this cute little boy and the sentiment as part of a card kit swap at SCS.

Again, I received the image in a card kit swap at SCS. This card was for a challenge to use four different patterned papers. This was a fun card for me because I dug out my chalks to color the bunny.

Except for the card base, everything was received in a card kit from the swap at SCS. I love 3x3 cards and this kit seemed perfect for it!

 

This was a really fun kit! Again, everything but the card base came from the swap. I don't remember who put the kit together but she did an awesome job!

This was a lot of fun to make. Chris's sister is due anytime so I decided I wanted to make her some birth announcements. I used SU's Berry Bliss DSP. Apparently, my friend, Jenn, and I really liked that paper! We each bought five or six packs and both still have some of it. The edges of the teddy bear are smudged with pink ink.

That is what I've completed for the MS crop challenges so far. Hopefully, I'll get more completed this weekend. Thanks for looking!

JDRF blog hop winner

The winner of my challenge (chosen randomly) is Delia!

You can view her completed project here:
http://scrappingwithfriends.blogspot.com/2011/02/sofias-notebook-and-candle.html

Thank you to everyone who participated in the blog hop!

Hop for A Cure....

Receiving a diagnosis of juvenile diabetes drastically alters childhood. The child must learn to live with blood sugar checks several times a day, fluctuating glucose levels, insulin injections...a strict diet which requires learning different components of nearly every food item at a young age. Often, the child will also have to endure several emergency room visits while getting their blood sugar under control.

Since the children diagnosed with juvenile diabetes must alter their lives so thoroughly, I want you to show me an altered item. Our host, Sara Fink, has a daughter who lives with juvenile diabetes and she once showed me a cute little project in which she altered her daughter's empty test strip containers.

It doesn't have to be big; it doesn't have to be small. Just alter something and let us see what you come up with!

The winner of this challenge will win a $25 gift certificate to Peachy Keen Stamps!


Here's your next stop on the blog hop: http://blog.psiloveyouscrapbooking.com/

HOP FOR A CURE BLOG HOP ROLL

http://cropoutdiabetes.blogspot.com/

http://www.snugasabugdesigns.blogspot.com/

http://thinkingwithink.blogspot.com

http://blog.psiloveyouscrapbooking.com/

http://sweetsassydiva-gspot.blogspot.com/

http://thecozycraftcloset.blogspot.com/

http://cricutcraftyclare.blogspot.com/

http://through-my-is.blogspot.com/

http://amychomas.blogspot.com/

http://paperprettiesblog.blogspot.com/

http://www.scrapality.com/

Back to the beginning (remember to tell us you completed all of the challenges!):

http://cropoutdiabetes.blogspot.com/

Crop Out Diabetes!

Hello and welcome to the 2011 Hop for a Cure blog hop. We are running this fun crop and hop to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, the most severe form of a disease that annually accounts for more than $100 billion in health care costs in the U.S. alone. Usually striking before the age of 30, type 1 diabetes takes a harsh toll on people. Not only will they be insulin-dependent for life, but devastating life-limiting and life-shortening complications such as blindness, amputation, heart disease and stroke, and kidney failure are an ever-present threat. Insulin is not a cure for the disease—it is merely life support.

Type 1 diabetes is destructive both to children and to childhood. Controlling the disease requires 24/7/365 vigilance and imposes a grueling regimen. It includes eating a carefully calculated diet, checking blood glucose levels several times each day (by lancing a finger) and insulin injections—as many as six per day—or delivery of insulin through a pump just to stay alive. It means children and families living by the clock, day and night, for the rest of their lives—lives that turn out to average about 15 years less than normal.

You can't outgrow type 1 diabetes. As JDRF International Chairman Mary Tyler Moore has said, "Diabetes is an all too personal time bomb which can go off today, tomorrow, next year, or ten years from now—a time bomb affecting millions...one which must be defused." The only solution is a cure. That's why JDRF has a singular mission: to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research as soon as possible.
Taken from: http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=101307

We want to thank you for joining us in the fight to find a cure!!!

Now...onto the fun stuff:

What: Hop for a Cure blog hop

When: Hop starts Friday,February 28th at 8:00AM and ends on Saturday,February 5th at midnight.

Where:The hop starts here at www.cropoutdiabetes.blogspot.com. Follow along the hop to visit the particpating blogs and join in on the challenges.

How it works:
1. Donate to JDRF using our donate button which can be found on all participating blogs. (A minimum donation of $5 is required to be eligible for prizes)

2. Start at www.cropoutdiabetes.blogspot.com and follow along the hop. If you get lost each blog will have a list of the participating blogs so that you can get right back in on all the fun!

3. Complete the challenges and take a photo of your completed project.

4. Link a photo of your completed project to the linking tool at the bottom of each corresponding blog hop post by February 5th at midnight.

5. Winners will be chosen randomly using random.org and be posted by February 12th, 2011.

And more...

More projects from the November crop over at MommySavers.

The challenge for the decade of the 70's was to do a layout with white space. Easter pages are always difficult for me and I finally got my hands on the Easter Cricut cartridge, so, that makes things a bit easier. A couple simple cuts from that cartridge and I was finished!

I wanted to see pages honoring my friends tattoos and/or piercings. This is a page I've been meaning to redo for awhile because I didn't like my original attempt. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of my tattoo to put on here yet. The layout is about the tattoo I have on my left shoulder; it's a custom fairy sitting in a tiger lily. I didn't want a traditional tribute tattoo for my younger sister so I came up with my own. This challenge was for the decade of the 2000's since piercings and tattoos became much more commonplace during that time.

 For the 40's, I asked people to honor a vet or to do a layout about why they're thankful for their freedom. Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of any of the vets I know. But, I wanted to scrap these pics. The journaling says  "Ian is free to throw a fit - and I'm free to WALK AWAY!"

November crop projects

 I'm hosting the November crop over at MommySavers. Unable to sleep at 2AM, I decided on the theme of Decades of Inspiration. Each challenge reflected something from each decade ranging from the 1920's to the 2020's, with a few bonus challenges thrown in. Feel free to come check out my challenges!

This first layout was a letter to my boys about why I chose to be a working mother. The challenge was from the 80's - when Murphy Brown first hit television as a working, single mother.



This layout was for the challenge of the 1930's when The Great Depression was in full force. The challenge was to use a household item on a LO or to use up some unloved embellishments. I HAD to have these corduroy buttons and then...they just sat there for ages.

The 1960's challenge was to scrap a page about a life changing event for yourself. I chose to do a LO regarding the people who've come and gone from my life in the last year.

Stuff Your Stocking Swap

 I'm hosting a Stuff Your Stocking swap over at MommySavers. As a single mama, it's hard to explain why moms stocking is empty after Santa visits our house. What better way to get stocking stuffers? We have groups of five and I joined two. I played with my Tags, Bags, Boxe & More Cricut cartridge tonight and found these cuts for a flower box (which I made to look a bit like a present) and a tree box (which I decorated like a Christmas Tree). I'd tell you what's inside but that would ruin the surprise for my friends over at MommySavers!

ATC's on no sleep...

Well, I've been up since around 7am yesterday with a brief 2 hour nap this morning. I don't mind my double shifts but this is the part that kills me. Hopefully, I'll be able to work a more normalized schedule in the near future.

Tonight, I decided to work on a set of ATC's for a swap over at Mommysavers. It's been quite some time since I've made an ATC and I had forgotten what a small area it is to work with. I like how these turned out for the most part, though.

The theme was snowmen. I love snowmen. I *USED* to be the proud owner of several Stampin' UP! snowman themed stamp sets. I looked for them this evening and they have vanished into thin air. I know I did a major overhaul of my craft room back in January but WHO LET ME SELL MY SNOWMAN STAMPS??????

Well, anyways, I obviously found a snowman. This little guy is a cut from the Doodlecharms Cricut cartridge. That is one of my all-time favorite cartridges, BTW. So, this little guy with a black shadow behind him on a base of Rich Razzelberry, Brushed Silver and Brilliant Blue cardstock from Stampin' UP!...some stickles in strategic places to spruce him up and a skittle in the corner and I felt I was finished. 

I hope you enjoy my ramblings. And, the ATC's! Thanks for looking at my creations!

Hop for a Cure

Did y'all see that new widget over there? >>>>>> The one that says "Crop Out For A Cure because Insulin Is NOT A Cure"? That is here for my friend Sara, who's daughter, Madison, has juvenile diabetes. Sara hosts a physical and online crop every year to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. This year, instead of the online crop, Sara is hosting a blog hop. There will be challenges and prizes. And, Sara always ends up having some awesome prizes available! Last year, I won over 20 different colors of cricut vinyl. Anyone can complete the challenges; but to be eligible for the prizes, a minimum $5 donation is necessary. So, by donating $5 for a great cause you get a chance to win some fabulous prizes while paper crafting with some nice people who live in your computer.

Hope to see you there!!!

WCMD mini crop cards

I just finished hosting a mini crop over at MommySavers for World Card Making Day. Several ladies submitted a challenge for everyone to do. That pesky job thing interfered with my card making time; so, I didn't have a chance to play until today. I managed to complete five challenges, though.

This first card was for ChickyHip's challenge. She wanted us to use a recipe: 1 stamp, 2 circle, 3 different patterned papers, stitching (faux or real) and a piece of hardware with a bonus entry for using kraft paper. Well, this challenge was HARD! I knew what stamps I wanted; I adore the Little Boys retired set from Stampin' UP! and had some boy themed patterned paper that all matched. I'm really pleased with how this card turned out.

LeeMP22's challenge was to make a card for a friend and actually SEND it to them. I have a friend from the MS boards who was looking for the Gina K. hippo butt image...so, Sammie, this card will be on its way to you shortly!

I made this card with this years In-Colors from SU. I am really into the Concord Crush and the Pear Pizazz but I don't think I'll ever find a niche in my papercrafting for that Blushing Bride; it's just too washed out to me. I'll stick with my Pretty In Pink and Pink Pirouette!

And, speaking of Sammie - IcStarrs' challenge was to use at least three circles/dots on your card. This girl borders on obsessive with her love for polka dots! The image is from Darling Dragons, a retired SU set that I am absolutely in love with. I looked for it for ages on ebay before I could get my hands on it.

MXD's challenge was to use a die cut on your card. Tomsgem sent me this cute little owl with my crop prizes from last month. I'm not real happy with this card but it's cute enough; think I'll stick with my cricut, though.

Angelkizz loves her bling so she wanted to see how we could use it. This card didn't come out quite like it looked in my head but I still like it! The corners were supposed to be coated and a bit rounded with black chunky glitter. The ribbon is sparkly and there's a line of gemstones underneath the ribbon.

The ladies over at MS have become quite good friends over the years and I'm glad to have friends who share my love of papercrafting - even if they do all live in my computer.

Thanks for looking!