Brrr...I Wish I Had Fur...

OK...we are just too used to the heat. I'm sure it's not as cold here as it is in other places. I know others have already had snow and such, but I'm cold!!! Also the pilot in our central heat is acting up so we need to have someone come and look at it. I spent quite a while yesterday trying to get it to stay on and Steve did too very early this morning before he left for work...but no go. We had to get up to a cold house...not fun:(

In other news...my birthday weekend was fun. I got to sleep in a bit on Saturday morning. Steve took the day off. I woke up and Steve brought me my birthday cards (cute) and my gift (a jacket I had been wanting).

A pic of all the goodies I accumulated over the course of the day:) More new Crate papers (LOVING these:), finally got some of the Doodlebug Paper Frills and some of the Jenni Bowlin crepe paper ribbons. Lots of new goodies. I can't wait to play with:)

Oh...a new Fancy Pants 12x12 stamp set I just got:)

We went out to breakfast then dropped the kids off with my MIL. We did some shopping around town. Went to the new Joann's store, Scrapbook 911, M's, SB Heaven. We went out to lunch at Sea Island. I had the coconut shrimp. I LOVE coconut shrimp:) We were going to do a movie, but Steve's parents had a rosary to go to; one of their customers. So we cut our day kind of short.

We came home and did the cake. A yummy Black Forest that Steve ordered from Luby's. It's my fave:P

I've got quite a few LOs done this past week too. Using up that yummy Crate paper. This has to be some of my favorite lines so far; the new Crate-Prudence, Lemongrass and Mia:)

Those yummy Crate papers; Lemongrass on this one along with the glitter diecuts. I used one of my MS border punches and a Fiskars corner border punch on two of the papers here. Also used a dimensional tree sticker I got in the T's dollar post. Chatterbox chipboard letters, MM tiny alphas and a Sandylion dimensional owl sticker.

For this one, I used the Page Maps sketch that Jennie posted on the 911 blog:) Crate papers and glitter diecuts again. I made my own lollipop embellies using the tutorial. Bazzill Just the Edge and I cut some leaves out of some Queen & Co. felt.

This one is a lift off the Crate site. Crate paper again. This time the Prudence line as well as the diecuts. Also used an AL flourish stamp.

Another lift from the Crate site. Lemongrass papers and diecuts again, some buttons and some borders I made using my Threading Water punch.

Only two more days to Halloween. The kids are really excited:) We made goodie bags for V's class. We put a bag of mini oreos, a bag of Teddy Grahams, a bag of mini Ritz Bits, a Halloween pencil and a coupon for a free treat from McDonald's.

We also have conference at V's school on Friday morning; first report card of the year. Steve it taking the day off so let's see what else we plan for the day. Have a good one:)

A Little Tutorial and Some Birthday Wishes for Tomorrow...

I just love those new Prima Lollipop flowers. I've seen them and similars used a lot on LOs lately. I attempted to make one out of some denim fabric the other night. I'll post a pic of that later.

Just a bit ago, I found this really cool tutorial on Scrapbook & Cards Today blog:

Supplies Needed to make the distressed paper circle flowers:Patterned Paper (I used Sonoma from Scenic Route)3 different sized circle punches (EK Success)Paper distresser (Heidi Swapp)FlossNeedle
This technique is so simple, but it adds a big punch to a layout or card when you group the flowers in multiples. Here is what you do:
1. Punch the circles out of coordinating patterned papers.

2. Distress the edge of the paper with the distresser.

3. Crumple the circles and slightly smooth out.

4. Layer the circles and hand stitch together with embroidery floss.

5. Adhere to card or layout.

You really should check out this blog...http://www.scrapbookandcardstodaymag.typepad.com/. There were some other really cool tutorials on there including the how to use the infamous Threading Water punch to go around corners. Can anyone REALLY do this???

Some pumpkin patch pics to share from last weekend...

Some pics I took of V the other afternoon in her Halloween costume. I still need to do Mattie's but I need to do his outdoors since his costume is primarily black. I can't do it against this "backdrop":( Hopefully this weekend.

I've done two more LOs in the last few days that I need to upload. One if finished, but I'm debating whether the second one is. I'm thinking of adding a title and maybe a few flower embellies. Ooo, maybe I'll make some of these "lollipop" ones;) I used the sketch Jennie posted on the 911 blog for my second LO. I LOVE the sketch.

Tomorrow is our birthday. I say OUR cause of course it's mine and Lal's:) So a Happy Birthday shout out to my sistah. Holla!!! ;) Have a happy happy birthday!!!

Not So Secret Santa Swap...

So I joined this swap over at 2Peas. I'm gonna try my luck out somewhere else. I've never had much luck doing swaps on SB.com. I usually end up with the short end of the stick:( I always see all these amazing packages people send each other over on 2Peas, so I thought I'd give it a shot over there and hope I don't get burned...again:(

The swap has a whole little "schedule" we need to follow of when we need to send certain things to our pal before the actual "big" gift package. Over the course of the weeks working up to Christmas we need to be sending our pal cards along with little "gifts" such as their favorite candy, their favorite scented candle, a holiday themed scrap goodie, etc.

I wanted to start working on my cards today, but then I had a really cool idea. I thought of making her tags instead. She could then use the tags on LOs or projects. The cards wouldn't really serve any kind of purpose so I thought this would be WAY better;)

These are the two I came up with today. I got the inspiration from another peas' gallery except hers were Halloween cards:)

I used my Cricut Storybook cart to cut the shapes. Then I used last years MM Christmas paper pack I got at T's. I love the vintage look of it. The poinsettias are also from that same line. I love how they turned out:)

That's all for today:)

Chill Day...

So it's just me and V here today. I dropped Mattie off at my mom's yesterday afternoon and Steve is at work. After work he's taking Stevie and a couple of friend to Nightmare on Greyson or Terror Mansion.

So I took V to Chuck E. Cheese's earlier. We shared a little pizza, played some games and she won herself a cotton candy. She LOVES cotton candy;)

Afterwards, we crossed over to Target. Didn't buy anything though. I debated driving to M's at the Rim, but we just came back home instead.

Yesterday me and Lal spent the day together. We met up at Crossroads. I had to meet Steve there too to give him a new checkbook and he got there first so we went over to Denny's and had breakfast.

Met Lal up at Target and we went from there. We were jean shopping, but we couldn't find anything we liked at Target. All the jeans are super low rise. I think we are well beyond that:( Went and washed my truck that needed it so badly. Nice and shiny now...for now.

We wanted to drive out to SB Heaven and check out the new location and stuff. So we drove over and it was closed!!! They were supposed to reopen last Monday and they are still not open. There was stuff all over the place and noone was even there getting things ready. The store was closed and empty and nowhere near opening. Don't know what's up there, but the least they can do is update the store website.

So we went to Big Lots and $ Tree, then Walmart. Found some really cute, great priced jeans at Walmart. Yay!!! I picked up 2 pairs. So happy cause I had none that fit:(

Lal and I also exchanged our birthday gifts yesterday. Here is what I got:

LOVE the CI papers!!! I can't wait to use them...or just admire them;) And all that Magic Mesh. Ooo.

I can't remember if I posted a pic of my project, but this is something I made for Lal and one for myself:

So I made Lal one of these as part of her birthday gift. I also got her the McGill ticket punch that she'd really been wanting and one of the new Studio G clear stamps (the Faith one) and an Imaginisce little bird stamp. WAY cute. Maybe Lal will post a pic of her goodies later:) I also went by M's last night and got these goodies for her too:) Can you feel the birthday love??? ;)

I also picked up some MM Fa La La paper at M's last night. I'd already picked some up at 911 a while back, but I didn't have the artisan one:) So I picked up 2 sheets.

I got this really cool DS game at Best Buy last night. It's kind of a Clue type game. Really fun, so I'm gonna go lie on the couch and play for a while:) Have a great evening everyone:)

ABC's of Me...

Something cute I found on a friend's blog:


♥A is for age: I'll be 37 on the 25th of this month
♥B is for beverage of choice: water
♥C is for career right now: SAHM which translates to chauffer, maid, cook, etc. etc.
♥D is for your dog's name: no dog
♥E is for essential item you use everyday: computer
♥F is for favorite TV show: The Hills
♥G is for favorite game to watch: not much of a sports fan
♥H is for Home town: SA, TX
♥I is for instruments you play:the keyboard...computer keyboard that is;)
♥J is for favorite juice: can't drink it anymore:(
♥K is for a favorite keepsake: scrapbooks
♥L is for last place you ate at: Bill Miller's
♥M is for marriage: 8 years
♥N is for your name: Esmeralda
♥O is for overnight hospital stay: giving birth
♥P is for people you were with today: just the kids
♥Q is for what's your best quality: my sense of humor;)
♥R is for what are you currently reading: still in the process of reading Eat, Pray, Love
♥S is for relationship status: married
♥U is for the type of underwear you have on: grey boy brief undies
♥V is for vegetable you love: zucchini
♥W is for worst habits: letting my fears get the best of me
♥X is for x-rays you've had recently: none
♥Y is for something candy: Snickers
♥Z is for favorite zoo animal: lions

Hump Day LO;)

I got all my daily chores done WAY early today as opposed to my usual procrastination;) So afterwards I got in a little scrap time and did another LO:

I basically used the same sketch I used for the LO of Mattie's report card. The sketch was from Creative Scrappers, I think. I got the link from Lal. Papers are MME on plain Kraft paper. Prima Dude journaling card, 7 Gypsies stickers and AC foam Thickers. I used my SU scallop border punch to make my little strip:)

I was going to run by SB Heaven today to check out their new location, but I saw someone posted on 2Peas that they weren't open on Monday like they were supposed to me and the phone was disconnected yesterday. So not sure what's going on there, but I put off my trip. Maybe I'll call first and head out tomorrow. I'm really just trying to stay away from shopping cause I'm planning on a little road trip to the Archiver's in Austin on the 25th for my birthday and I really want to save up;)

That's all I got for now:)

Is That Quiet I Hear???...:)

The kids were off yesterday for Columbus Day. I did my house cleaning and ran to M's and HL. I found this one stamp at M's that I'd seen a while back on clearance and passed on it. Then when I decided I wanted it, I went back and it was gone. But today I found it in a clearance bin. Woo hoo!!! It's a crossword puzzle stamp. I saw someone use something similar on a LO and I thought it was a really cool idea.

Anyway, there was alot of noise around here yesterday; constant bickering and arguing...the kids, that is, but they went back today and I got some peace and quiet. I managed to get a LO done too:)

This was a lift from 2Peas; muffyvan:) I used Daisy D's paper with the exception of the one piece of MM flocked Chelsea's Place paper in the bottom right hand corner. The frame is Marcella by Kay. Someone sent that to me ages ago. Finally found a use for it. Prima daisies, 7 Gypsies stickers, Bazzill Pom Poms, AL journaling stamp and buttons.i

I got one done Sunday night too. During my "down time":

This is a lift off a woman on sb.com; Scrappy Daisy. Papers are MM Noteworthy and a little strip of Scenic Route, I used my Threading Water punch to make my own "paper frill"; the pink one:) I cut the little butterflies out of a sheet of the BG Ambrosia. Heart paper doilie, Primas, buttons, 7 Gypsies stickers.

I think I am at 104 LOs now:)

There is a Scrapbook/Stamp Expo coming to SA this Saturday/Sunday and I am debating going. Not sure if it's worth the trip. Is it mainly stamps??? What type of vendors will be there, etc. Has anyone been to one of these and what can I expect. I don't want to miss it if it's gonna be good;)

In other news, I gassed up yesterday at $2.72 at Walmart. I talked to my friend Jav today though and he told me gas was $2.69 by his house. $2.72 is the cheapest I've seen it on my side of town though so I'm pretty happy about it:)

That's all I got right now. So have a good night:)

I Reached My Goal...101 LOs:)

So me and Lal had a little scrapping soire yesterday:) I got 3 LOs done and I have now reached my scrapping goal for the year!!! Woo hoo!!!

This is a lift off Sasha F. My sis lifted this one too:) Paper are Scrapworks and Paper Studio. Bazzill Edge. Sizzix cut chipboard stars, Jenni Bowlin ticket, HS block alpha stickers and damask sticker, Paper Studio polka dot button, other buttons and AL journaling stamp on some Doodlebug scraps (thank you Lal;)

Another lift from someone on sb.com Scrappy Daisy:) MM Passport stamp edge paper, MME papers. 7 Gypsies stickers, Doodlebug Paper Frills, scalloped circle punchie, foam alpha stickers.This LO is really special. For those of you who don't know, Mattie is ADD. He struggles to keep up with the rest of his classmates, but he always tries REALLY hard. He is in 8th grade now and for the first 6 weeks of school, he brought home straight A's!!! This is a really big deal cause this is his first time ever!!! He's made the A/B honor roll before; once or twice, but never all A's. We are SO very proud:)

Jenni Bowlin papers, Rusty Pickle and Scenic Route, 7 Gypsies journaling card. AC foam Thickers and Paper Studio cardstock alpha stickers. Lasting Impression chipboard stars.

I went by 911 last night and got all sorts of goodies. Except for the Paper Frills I really wanted:(

I am SO loving this new Crate paper and the glitter diecuts!!! And the diecut papers are SO yummy!!! I also got one of the BG Bitty Stamp sets. I really wanted the Urban Prairie with the two little birds, but they didn't have that one:(

What else???...What else???...Can't think of anything else right now. I'm headed outside to put out some of our Halloween decorations. We're just chilling at home today. I just made a quick run to M's cause I had some 50% off coupons, but I didn't find much. Except a new MS border punch, but those were already 30% off:)

I'm Almost There!!!

I've almost reached my goal of 100 LOs for this year. These two bring me to 98!!! Only two more to go:)

Today we had our ARD meeting for Mattie. It went really well and he is making very good progress. Getting good grades in all of his classes. Hopefully he will be able to pass the TAKS when the time comes.

Steve took the rest of the day off after the meeting. We went out to breakfast then did some shopping:) I went to M's to look for something that I need for a little project I am working on. Thankfully I was able to find it cause none of the other stores had any more:( I'm going to work on this tomorrow, so I'll post a pic soon;)

We also went by Garden Ridge. Hadn't been there in like forever, but Steve was looking for some Halloween stuff...as always:) We found all those little Halloween village thingies;) He had already picked up a few at M's on sale, but they were 75% off at Garden Ridge so he got quite a few. He set it all up as soon as we got home. I cleared up the space on the coffee table so he could put it all out. I know how much he loves that stuff.

I also set up a couple of Fall decorations in our entry way. I got the cute little scarecrows at Garden Ridge too and they were 1/2 off, so even better:)

These two smaller scarecrows I've had for a while. I can't remember where I got them. The "basket" they are in, I just got at J's a few weeks back:)

It's late and I gotta hit the hay, so I'll finish updating this post tomorrow. Good night:)

The Well's Run Dry

So I got two more LOs done. Well, one still needs a title, but I have run out of ink so I won't be scrapping until I get around to buying new carts:) Here they are:

This is the one that still needs a title. I got this from an idea sheet at M's. The papers are MAMBI Cornicopia Specialty paper pack. Both papers are flocked. All the little felt flowers are from T's $ Spot from last year...or the year before. Can't recall. The bigger glittery ones are Scrapworks Shimmer Shapes. Diecut tag is Daisy D's and I added some adhesive gems in the centers of some of the leaves. Anyone got any ideas for a title??? The LO on the sheet was titled "Thankful" and the little "tag" said..."I am thankful for...". I think I need a Autumn/Fall related title since I went that way:)

This next one is a lift off of 2Peas. I've had this in my BOS for a while and ran across it while browsing my BOS. Papers are Cosmo Cricket Dutch Girl, MM Noteworthy journaling sheet, Lil' Davis chipboard alphas, HS chandalier stamp, HG flower/stem stamp, AL flourish stamp and button. Cricut cut "you" and "up my" using Plantin Schoolbook and "LIGHT" using Storybook. The big black flower/stem is also cut using the Storybook cart. I still need to do my journaling on this one:)

Lal and I are working on mini books. She started hers first and when I saw hers, I decided to take a crack at it myself too. I've never done one before and I'm liking it:) I'll update with pics later:)

Heading off to bed. Have a great night:)