Tweaked my dedication page.. I think this is better.. it has better balance

ALL about me book challenge #2

I had some time this evening and went ahead and did challenge #2 - which is "humble beginnings".. it's supposed to be a page about your birth, your stats and any stories you may have of that day. I did my journaling on a hidden tag and I did not put a title on this page. I photo copied my birth certificate and birth announcement (blurred for obvious reasons)...

I caved... I got a GYPSY!!!!!

I said I wasn't going to do it, I said I don't need it, and what do you know.. I went to Michaels on my lunch hour today and when I got home.... look what I had with me!?!??! WOOOHOO... how fun. I just got my Cricut updated and updated the Gypsy, I haven't synced cartridges yet, but will do that tonight while watching Grey's Anatomy. It's really fun, super easy.. very user friendly. I know, I know.. I'm WEAK! :)

A funny story.. you all know how I am about my furbabies...!

Well this was 2 years or so ago. We had a cat named Milo.. and Milo was a wonderful kitten, but totally had the wild spirit and would often go spend the weekend at the neighbors house (the fresh tuna cans they put out for him helped)... but anywho... Milo.. well eventually little Milo just quit coming home, I asked the neighbors and they hadn't seen him either. I came to terms with the fact that he'd probably gotten hit or something, (I live on a busy road). Jump forward about 8 months... I'm walking in PetSmart.. and it's kitty day.. so of course I have to go look.. and OMG! There's MILO! he's in the case, he sees me.. he's pawing at the glass... I'm freaking OUT! I go get the manager and I say.. where did you get this cat, I'm sure this is my cat Milo! So he goes and looks and says it's through Pet Refuge and gives me the name of the foster mom. So I ask to hold the cat.. oh.. did I forget to mention that Milo now only had 3 legs?!?! HE HAD FOUR WHEN HE WENT MISSING!.. but that's later in the story... so I go in the little room and hold Milo.. and he's head butting me like he always did and purring like crazy his missing leg makes me feel so bad for him.. it's his front right leg (it's just a stub)... poor thing.. what could have possible happened to him.. so I call my daughter who if possible loves animals even more than I do.. and tell her.. I FOUND MILO...! HE'S AT PETSMART, I'm holding him right now.. come down here (It's about 1.5 miles from my house). So she hops in the car and comes right away with her boyfriend. She's freaked out that he's now missing a leg.. and I tell her.. "he's been through something terrible.. it's still Milo.. so she reluctantly takes him.. and he purrs like crazy. Well I tell the manager my name and number and tell him I will contact the owner as soon as I get home and see what to do. So I go home and call the owner/foster mom.. ok.. this cat has been in her custody since it was a couple weeks old.. the leg was amputated when it was a couple months old.. it's NOT MILO!!!! LOL So now I have to tell my daughter I made her cuddle a 3 legged cat that wasn't MILO! and... now I feel bad because this cat loved us and we did him. So I go to Petsmart and tell the manager it turns out it's not my cat, but I'd be interested in adopting him.. he said he was $100. I asked how much are the other cats, he said $100 and I said "But he's only got 3 legs, he should be $75! Of course my daughter is mortified by this point... so end of story.. I didn't take my fake Milo... and I don't go to Petsmart anymore! I'm sure they all thought I lost my marbles!

My All About Me Book - Dedication Page

Here's my dedication page. This is so not my style. I don't know where my cover page or my dedication page are coming from.. it looks nothing like my scrap style.. but I figured... it is what it is.. go with it! :)

All about me book challenge

Over on the Cricut Messageboard, there's a challenge to make an All About Me Book. As a woman in her 40's having already lost both of my parents (father passed away when I was 4, mother at 39), I understand the importance of documenting and recording "who you are" for the future. I don't know the little things about my parents.. favorite colors, favorite foods, the funny stories of their childhood... so when I saw this challenge I knew I wanted to do this. Here's my cover page which is this week's challenge.

These are a few of my favorite things

I saw a post on another blog where the writer just listed a few of her favorite things... I tried to find it to link it, but I can't remember which blog it was.. so I apologize... but I thought how interesting it is to read and how it tells the reader a bit about the author... so here's my list of a few of my random favorite things.. (I'm not listing the obvious.. like being a mom to my kids and crafting.. )

1. My favorite movies: Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, Steel Magnolias, Jerry McGuire, You've Got Mail

2. I love Fettucini Alfredo with Shrimp and I'm like a kid with cheese dips of any kind lol

3. My favorite holiday is Christmas. I just love the music, the ambience in the air, family, and decorating the tree

4. My favorite color is Blue

5. My favorite number is 5

6. My favorite scent is vanilla

7. My favorite season is Fall

8. Favorite All - Time musical artist are: Eric Clapton, Jim Croche, James Taylor, Stevie Nicks, Jimmy Buffet - Current artists... Taylor Swift, Lady Anabellum, Darius Rucker

Well I don't know if all that reveals much about me... but those are my random thoughts for tonight.

9. Favorite

Use your cartridge challenge #8 & 9

For this one I chose to use the Going Places Cartridge and the Platin School Book. I'm a very simple scrapper, as you can see. This actually completes one book for my son, though it's totally not chronological.

for my Friend

I made this for my friend who's helped me stay strong and helped me through a personal situation. Thank you, Robyn.. you know I love ya!

Back to the Cartridge Challenge (#7) - Mickey and Friends

Bought this cartridge from a fellow messageboarder.. not sure why, but everyone said it was great... so I had to have it. Quite honestly I hardly even looked at it until today and it really does have a lot of great things on it. I found these pictures of my son wearing a Mickey outfit, so here's what I came up with.

My new Blog Name and Design

A fellow Cricut Messageboard member (she won't let me mention her name)... designed this awesome blog for me... she's uber talented and I so wish I could mention her name.. but I wanted to acknowledge her just the same... thank you... (You know who you are).. it's awesome and super sweet of you to do this for me!

Witches Bling

Here's a card I made today.. I got the Slice.. and the Halloween Cartridge.. I just had to use those shoes and the hat.... so I made this card. I've got to get back to my cartridge challenge... I think I've got enough cards made now to send everyone I know.. and their friends Halloween cards!

Halloween Card again

Here's just a quick Halloween Card

My Sleepy Boy

Made this layout today. Magoo was teaching me a bit about text paths and sent me some to try out. How FUN is this?!?!!? The swirl journaling is just one of the samples she sent me.

All things grow with love

Here's a card I thought of last night when I should've been sleeping! lol I had to get up this morning and see if the burlap would work....

Tweaked my earlier card

Well I tweaked the earlier card... I think it looks better... or maybe I overdid it?!?!

Met a messageboarder today

I went to JoAnns today and I was standing there looking at the stamps... and a saleslady asked me if she could help me and I replied.. no I'm just browsing... spending money I shouldn't be... and she asked... do you have any of the machines? I said the Cricut.. she said, we've got the new cartridges, I said, I've already got them, I'm an online junkie.. and she said.. "Are you, Lorrie by any chance?" She recognized my avatar! How fun! I met Patty K, right there at my J's.... what a lucky lady she is to see all those fun things everyday. You just never know who you're going to meet!

Good News, Bad News

Well, the bad new is I've not crafted at all in the last several days, the good new is my washer is fixed, the carpets are all steam cleaned, the garden has been weeded, the grill is clean, the yard is mowed, the patio all cleaned up and all other things I've been neglecting. Today, I thought I'm going to craft and I sat down intending to scrapbook, but decided pretty quickly I was too tired to do that, so I whipped up a couple of cards. Hopefully I'll get back to my Cricut Cartridge challenge in the next couple of days.

Challenge #6 - Life's a Beach

This cartridge has tons of things I like on it, but I wanted to do this card idea and it's the only cartridge I could think of with a chair. I may do this another time and come up with one of the more adorable cuts, but I needed the chair! We don't have a comfy chair or sofa on any cartridges, do we?!?!

Challenge #5 - Indie Art

OK, this is really one of those cartridges I bought just because it was there and a deal, there's really nothing on this cartridge that appeals to me. So, I picked the bandaid. This is a very, very, very simple cart, certainly not up there in my favs.

Challenge #4 - Sweethearts

Found this umbrella on Sweethearts cart. I got the idea for the rain from a card Okieladybug did using Glossy Accents (I should've practiced first, some of my raindrops got away from me! LOL)... Cardstock is SU Bermuda Bay and Patterned Paper is SU Designer Paper in Melon Mambo. Branch is from Home Decor and bird is a Sandy Lion Acrylic Stamp. It's really a lot cuter in person, the picture looks over blinged (is that a word?!?!).. it's really not as flashy as it looks in the photo.

Challenge #3 - Lyrical Letters

Yet another cartridge I bought because of the Hype and I think I may have used it for the letters once on a layout. There's a lot of really cute sayings and images on this one. Really, check it out! The Penguin is from LL and the mat is a stamp I used VersaMark and glitter heat embossed. The sentiment is computer generated.

Just trying out a new stamp

This is an acrylic stamp set I picked up a while back, but hadn't opened, (I am determined to start to USE the stuff I buy). Paper, Ink and Ribbon are Stampin' Up.

Challenge #2 - Home Decor

Since I had the Home Decor cartridge in (for the butterfly on the bag below), I decided this would be my next challenge. I bought this cartridge for the cute bird (not the one I used, but the other one). Both the Branch and the Bird are from Home Decor as well as the "Beautiful" sentiment.

Challenge #1 - Tags, Bags, Boxes and More

Started this challenge with the Cartridge I HAD TO HAVE and have NEVER used. TBBM, still not sure if I will get a lot of use out of this one, but I did make this little bag. I was going to make one Halloween theme and decorate it for those special Trick-or-Treaters, but changed my mind. The butterfly is Home Decor

A Challenge to myself

Ok, I am making a challenge to myself. I am going to systematically use everyone one of my Cricut Cartridges. I've bought so many cartridges for just one single image and have maybe used that image (or not) and then put it on the shelf and there it has sat (some are still in plastic!) Beginning today I am going to work through my cartridges one by one and create something. I'll be posting my creations on my blog, so stay tuned. I'm looking forward to rediscovering the cartridges.

Halloween Layout

This was a lot of fun. My daughter and I started this layout this morning and finished just a little bit ago. Used Cricut Cartridges Stretch you Imagination, Paper Dolls Dress Up and George and the Basic Shapes and A Child's Year. Thanks for looking/

The Right Shoes

I love this saying... "You can do anything with the right shoes!".. and I love the Wedding Cartridge shoe, so here's my card with both.

Hello Card

This card was the SU Melon Mambo cardstock, designer PP, ribbon and ink. I love this color.

Halloween is baaaackkkk

LOL I just love making Halloween cards. I keep telling myself, no more.. and then I sit down and what do I make?!?!?! LOL Made this one with my loot I won from Christina. The cat was a chipboard piece I Xyron'd and glittered, the bat was a K & CO stick-on, the stamp was a dollar wood mounted stamp I picked up at M's, and the paper is from one of the K & CO matstack Christina included in the blog candy.

Thank you Card

I made this thank you card, it's a bit out of the box for me, but I like the way it turned out. Used my new SU In-Color stuff, paper, ink, the patterned paper is Pocket Full of Posies by DCWV and the stamped image is a $1 imaginise stamp I picked up at Meijers, I stickled her top and glittered her skirt. Cuttlebugged the bottom of the card and used the ScorPal to put the lines around it. The tag is SU punch. I thought it was kind of a fun card.

Breast Cancer Card

Made this for a friend who is going through a really bad round of chemo. Inside just says, "You are truly inspirational". I never know what to say in cards like this.

I Like Your Style Award from Brenda

Here's an award I got from Brenda at Brenda's Joy! Thank you so much for thinking of me and asking me to pick this up. I like your style, too! There's no rules on this one, so just post it and pass it out as you like.

I'd like to give it to:

1. Snowmanlover/Barb

2. Bridget's World/Bridget

3. BugJunkie/Lisa

4. Dottie Mae's/Dot

A couple of cards for challenges

The two cards below are for Nilda's Challenges over on the Cricut Board.

The one above was to use a punch and a cricut cartridge... the punch is the oval and the cartridge was Storybook scallop oval

This card was a cartridge (A Child's year) and a dollar stamp (A Mother's Love)

My Sunday Crop

I had a crop at my house today and for once I actually got a few things done. Thought I'd share. I've been working on my son's book in no particular order (as you can see), but he's a Senior this year and I want to have a nice book done for him for his Senior Party.

Challenge Complete

Snowmanlover challenged me to make a treat bag with the window cut out so.. challenge complete.. I did it! I love challenges, it gets me back in my craft room!!

Another Award by Chatterbox

Here's an award I received from Creations by a Chatterbox. Thank you Chatterbox for taking the time to stop by my blog. I appreciate you thinking of me.

Here are the rules:

1. Insert blog award logo.
2. Thank and post a link to the bogger who sent you the award.
3. Assign at least 7 blogger awards.
4. Add links to those blogs.

Here's my nominees:

1. Snowmanlover

2. Bridget

3. French Lily Studio's

4. Tinkering with Ink

5. Buggin at the Seams

Be Fruitful

This card was inspired by a card by Snowmanlover with a pear. I made this with a new paper pack I got from K & CO.. it's got such CUTE papers in it. This apple paper I used twice, once to cut the shadow, (I used the flip side of the paper) and another time to cut the image (on the apple side of the paper). I used Home Accents cartridge for the apple, SU top note die, certainly celery card stock and certainly celery decorative paper. Ribbon was from my stash. Stamp by Papertrey Ink, stamped in Certainly Celery and embossed. I traced the topnote notches with Certainly Celery marker.

Card Set 2

The patterned paper in this set is the flip side of the paper in the set down below. It

s by K & Co. Stamps are Papertrey Ink. Ribbon is SU in the first two and the bottom one is just some random ribbon I have in my stash.

Here's another set I did.