My organized CHAOS...: March 2008

I'm Baaaa-aack...

Sorry for the absence...we had a series of power outages here. Well, I thought, "Cool"...my new laptop has a battery. I can use it during the power outage.

Dumb me

My modem doesn't run on a battery! So no computer for me!

Okay, I finished that "loud" layout with all the bright colors. I didn't photograph it well and I already gave it to Scrapbook Central...so there's no redoing it. Sorry.

Here's the before and after:

I really didn't add very much. I added centers and bling to the flowers. And I distressed the journaling and added a little bling. The layout was already so busy, that honestly, I couldn't add anything else without "taking away" from the picture.

Here are close-ups of the flowers:

And

Here's the journaling before and after

Remember that layout I did waaaay back when, using Mary Jo's thickers?

Well I'm stuck.

Here's what I have so far:

Okay, what I'm stuck on...

the word "You"

What color should it be?

The two skinny strips of kraft paper (bottom right) will be my journaling area...
no worries there. Right now they're just "place markers."

And the sticker to the left of "then came" isn't stuck down yet...just haven't gotten around to it...no worries there either.

So,
in exchange for your help

I am doing ANOTHER RAK

I happen to have an extra

Threading Water Punch

And for leaving a comment/suggestion here about my

"I thought I knew love, then came You" layout,

I'll enter your name in the drawing.

On Friday morning,

I'll pick a winner.

I'll ship internationally as well!

I am so OVER this layout

and just need to

PUT IT TO REST!

so
please
please
please

leave your suggestions!

10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (32) | TrackBack (0)

This is silly, but

What's your true color? If you're reading my blog today, you're bored and need something to do.

So follow this link and take the test: color test

Here are my results:

La Verne, your true color is Yellow!

You're yellow, the color of joy and energy — two things you definitely bring to everyone around you. It's hard for anyone to be sad or lonely in your presence; your sunny disposition and cheery outlook just won't allow it. The warmth of your personality shines through in the kindness you show friends and family (and strangers, too). Always ready with a lighthearted joke or heartfelt compliment, you know how to make people feel good about themselves, so they can't get enough of you. Yellow is a warm and inviting color for a warm and inviting person — you!

Post your color results!

Before I go, here's a little eye candy from Christine Middlecamp, an awesome Studio Calico designer. These layouts are from the gallery at Studio Calico, but you can also find her on my sidebar (Retrospection):

look at the details and the flowers!

And this layout

Aren't the details just yummy!

Well, hopefully you're motivated to go create something. I gotta get moving so I can post some of my own eye candy!

Happy Friday!!!!!!!!!!!

08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

I was good...

and only purchased the main kit.

kinda on the funky side...

and yet, still quite groovy.

I can't wait to get it!

A few of you have asked me about Pink Paislee and where to get it.
I purchased mine at the Scrappy Gourmet.

They are taking preorders here.

Okay, I really need to sleep.

I have to wrestle with some giraffe paper tomorrow...

01:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

I'll be here at midnight...

Studio Calico's Reveal Night!

I love this kit club!

Such cool stuff:
These are only sneak peeks. At midnight, the contents of the entire main kit are revealed, as well as the contents of all of the add-on kits!

Tonight I'm trying to be good. I'm already a subscriber for the main kit...so I'm guaranteed that. In addition, I think I'm only getting one add-on...

Dandelion.

I'm really diggin' that stamp...not quite sure what it is exactly...hee hee. Anyway, I must have it.

My point is, if you happen to be awake at midnight, or even an hour or two before...go by and check out their site.

I love kits where there are a variety of manufacturers!

Their Design Team totally rocks! Check out Retrospection and Pictures and Words by Caroline Ikeji. They're just a few of the talented gals that design for Studio Calico. Their stuff is such awesome eye candy!

Well,

like I said.

I'll be at Studio Calico tonight...

trying to suck in some of their

creative

mojo-jojo.

07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

This is Alexander (when he was 2)

Okay, I was supposed to post the layout using Mary Jo's yummy thickers. I still needed to photograph it. But unfortunately, I failed to glue the whole thing down...

duh...

and now, part of it is missing...

wah!!!

But no worries, it's not ike I don't have anything else I'm working on! Here's what's on my scrap table right now:

It's the little things that make you smile

I know, it's a little

LOUD!

And right now, it's missing some details...and sadly, no brown...

but honestly, it's almost finished...gotta add a few things here and there...and change the journaling.

But I figured I'd post it as a "Work in Progress". The paper line is Tinkering Ink and the giant chipboard letters are CLOUD9's foil-trimmed alphas. I bought everything from Scrapbook Central. They just got the letters in...I bought brown, white, orange, green, and teal!

Here are a few close ups:

I used little letters to complete the title:

And popped up the flowers:

And layered the chipboard letters:

I'll post it again when I'm finished.

Oh, I almost forgot!!!

I got my COOL MOM JEANS car!!!!

I just need to get someone to take pictures of "us" together! I'll post them as soon as I can!

06:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)

Thank you Mary JO...

for my wonderful Easter Swap package! I received it well before Easter...even before St. Patty's day, but couldn't post pictures.

Take a peek...

She made me a card:

How embarrassing for me...She MADE me a card!

Now did I make her a card????

Come on ladies....you don't have to think too hard....

Am I "Card making girl"?

NO!

Okay, I $uck!

I BOUGHT her a card!

But,

I "journaled" in it!

You all know how I feel about hand-written journaling!...

I'm sorry Mary Jo. I loved your card. I haven't acquired those crafty card making skills just yet. If you've taken a peek at my "cards" in the sidebar of this blog,

not so impressive...

And now you know why I DID NOT MAKE her a card...

because I

uck-Say

(yes, that is pig latin)

Okay, on to the rest of my goodies!!!!

She sent me tons and tons of paper:

In colors and patterns that I love, love, love! Yummy, huh?

And went waaaaaaaay OVER budget on embellies alone:

Mary Jo loves alphabet stickers...and now, I do too! The cost in Thickers alone....wow!

Let me give you some background info on this swap.

Okay, the minimum amount we could spend was $30.

Mary Jo, did you go to Kindergarten? I mean, you seriously went well beyond the number 30 here!

And I'm so glad you did! I love all my goodies.

So thank you,

thank you

thank you!

It's so funny. In her blog, she thought she didn't do my Easter package "justice"...really?... Now if you're feeling sorry for me Mary Jo, you can always send me more, hee hee!

Just kidding...I feel like I should send some of your stuff back...

goodness!

I hope you didn't raid your son's piggy bank to pay for all these goodies, hee hee!

My poor son's piggy bank has been "frisked" every now and then...

my poor child has no idea that all his dollar bills are missing, hee hee!

He thinks all the quarters are the "BIG MONIES" since you can use them to buy stuff from the gumball machines.

He thinks all the bills are worthless!

As long as he hears "jingling" when he shakes his little piggy bank...all is good in his little world...

and in mine as well, hee hee!

No worries, I'm not "evil mom"!

I hook him up...

I buy him the occasional Pokemon card pack or two...

I think that pretty much makes us Even Stevens, right?

I'm so happy my youngest son is only 5.

ignorance is bliss...

HIS ignorance is MY bliss...hee hee!

Now, my 9 year old's piggy bank is FULL. I think he has some sort of alarm on it.

Yeah, he's onto me.

There's no "frisking" of his piggy bank. His has little motion detector sensors around it...

I'm not kidding!

Dumb mom,

that's me,

bought them for Christmas

because I wanted him to be cool, "SPY KID guy". You know that movie SPY KIDS, right? I think the latest version is in 3D.

Yeah, I hate that movie, grrr...

It ruined me!

So moms reading this....

MAKE A MENTAL NOTE TO SELF...

NO SPY EQUIPMENT!!!!

EVER!

Buy your kids books and movies about sharing with their parents...and especially how they should share any "BIG MONIES" given to them by their grandparents!

Hey, it's rightfully yours anyway, right?

I don't know about your parents, but mine suddenly have this endless supply of dollar bills now that they have grandchildren!

My dad's wallet keeps spitting out money...

But NONE FOR ME!

When I was growing up, they were always broke. I had to earn all my money...report cards, washing the car, etc. My dad never had that "money spitting wallet".

Someone must have given it to him for Christmas AFTER my sister and I moved out of the house...

My dad gives my boys money just for "breathing"...can you believe that?!

My son exhales, and he gets $5.00!

What about all my "breathing"!

I'm a mom!

I breathe pretty gosh, darn hard!

I should be getting all sorts of "BIG MONIES"!

No, but seriously, I love my parents!

If it weren't for them,

I wouldn't have anything to steal from my 5 year-old's piggy bank!

So then, how could I possibly pay for all my scrapbook goodies?

Okay, enough about stealing, I mean "sharing" money with my kids...

I finally finished the layout where I used Thickers from Mary Jo's Easter stash. I'll post it when I get home!

07:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Yes, I'm awake!

I know, I know, it's noon...

I should be awake!

I slept in...but not for long.

My 5 year old played hooky with me, so I put him to work!

I still need to give away some scrappin' goodness, so I told him to pick a number 1-4...
yes, I had quite the "major" turnout for this Easter giveaway...

NOT!

But doesn't it make the odds better for those of you that played?

Anway, he picked the lucky #1

So the first person to comment on my blog yesterday was Terrie!

Congratulations Terrie!!!!

Here's a picture of your goodies:

Hope you like them. It's stuff from my Studio Calico kit (which I love, love, love) and two things I have duplicates of...the felt fusion and maya road office sheers.

It came from the March kit "Fly a Kite":

I know there's stuff missing, but I already opened/cut into that stuff...

And was sooo not going to give you stuff with pieces missing...

BIG YUCK!

Anyway, the rest of the stuff isn't

REJECTED...

Hey, it's Studio Calico stuff and really hard for me to part with!

And I'm not into giving away

JUNK!

This is stuff that I like and wanted to use...but, quickly discovered...

I am just swamped in DT stuff...Kim, I know you're feeling my pain, "Dance Girl".

Today I am "one with my Giraffe paper..."

And then, there's the mom stuff...

and wife stuff...

and preschool teacher stuff...

so,

before my supplies got old and crusty,

I thought I'd let someone else be creative with them.

And Terrie, no panicking...

I know at first, these don't seem like your colors...

but never fear, Young Skywalker...

check out the Studio Calico DT gallery. You can sooooooo work this stuff!

Well, I have to cut this entry short.

I have to shoot out the door to Spanish class with Christopher.

See you later!

Oh, and P.S. I can finally post pictures. When I get home, I can finally post my Easter Swap package from Mary Jo!

12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Hoppy Easter

I know you've all seen that Easter cartoon, but it is by far, my favorite!

Anyway, I'm still having problems loading stuff and I am STUCK on a few layouts, so no new layout pictures today...and no pictures of my Easter Swap package from Mary Jo yet!

But, I do have a surprise for you. I am doing an Easter RAK...no, not Easter themed scrapbooking supplies...but scrapbooking supplies given away on Easter, sillies!

I can't post pictures of it right now (computer problems), hee hee, so it will truly be a Surprise and you'll just have to hope you like it.

Hey, it's free scrapbooking supplies...So it can't be all that bad, right?!

This might be tough for all you silent blog stalkers, but here goes:

Helloooooooo?

Yes, I'm still here. Okay, I have issues:

1. My blankety, blank computer won't recognize my camera...so I can't post any pictures.

and

2. My printer is NOT working!!!!!

Grrrrrr

Mary Jo, I promise I have taken pictures of my Easter goodies...but only I can appreciate their goodness right now :(

Since I can't post anything, let me just take the time to say

thank you

Thank you for reading my silly little blog. Thanks for looking at my layouts and giving me praise.

Thanks for leaving comments so I don't feel like a

And to my "silent blog stalkers"....I'm not a HATER...I heart you "silent blog stalkers" as well!

And thanks for all the wonderful emails you've sent in response to my blog. I know I haven't commented and written everyone back.

I'm pretty much a crazy person when I shoot by my computer...
I usually only have a few minutes to read something, then we're out the door...

my life is pretty chaotic...my boys are crazy...and my schedule is hectic.

I have an hour of peace every morning.

But somehow, I will start writing everyone back, even if it IS just a quick "thanks".

So please, keep the comments and emails coming.

They truly are appreciated.

Okay, all my mushiness is out...I think I've said it all!

And now, for my apology....

If I offended anyone with my last post (St Patrick's Day),

I'm sorry

My husband didn't like it very much and advised me not to create any more posts like that, so I figure if he didn't like it, chances are some of you thought it was a little yucky as well.

Okay, so no more HUNG-OVER mom posts...I promise!

I'm hoping to get this computer-camera-printer thing resolved this weekend. Wish me luck!

I'll be at Scrapbook Central sometime this weekend...they have new paper in!!! Yea!

And if I have any Queen Bee "silent stalkers" out there, you better make yourself known and LEAVE A COMMENT!

Okay, see you soon!

08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

The Day After...Can you say Ms. La Verne is SSSSTTRUGGLIIING, boys and girls?

Okay, remember that lovely picture of Guinness beer with the groovy little shamrock? Well, I had waaaaay tooo many of those yesterday and I'm not feelin' so 'happy-joy' this morning. This is actually how I look sitting at my computer...

Ever had one of these mornings?

I'm not quite sure what happened yesterday...I think for a few hours, I pretty much lost my mind and thought I was Irish. The owners of our local pub are Irish and they were drinking green beer like it was green koolaid. Remember green koolaid? Mmmmm...