October LOAD

So far I only have 5 done, and 1 is telephone SL. Here they are:

Title/journaling challenge - use punctuation in the title.

Sketch challenge (turned sideways)

Last month's scraplift challenge (the words to the song "Proud" were posted previously)

Back to school LOs for the kids' books - used up some old embellies made in a swap looong ago!

More LOAD

I like this except for the last "s" - I thought I would like it, but I think I will go over it with gold stickles! Love Thickers and love Daisy Ds! Thanks, Kylie for the Thickers! :)

Used a paren template on SU! paper for background piece, Duo Daubers for the dots, alphas from Geri (brown) and an old SG kit, (blue) and several pieces of swap kits that were on my desk. Blue Stickles on the word "Twinkle." This shirt was my dad's. the twinkle in Peter's eye is from my Poppa - whom Peter is named for.

I have one more LO I did, but it is for the telephone scraplift challenge, so I can't post it yet. I will let you read the journaling, though - one of my current favorite songs on Christian radio right now:

Proud

Steven Curtis Chapman

Strike three, bottom of the ninth

And you were battin’ back the tears

Feelin’ like you let the whole world

Down, down, down

You and me, drivin’ home in silence

I was searchin’ through my words

Tryin’ to say the perfect ones

To say out load

Well, I don’t remember

What it was I said to you

But I remember what it was

I wanted you to hear

Proud, I’m just so proud

I don’t know how to say it any better

Proud, you make me proud

Win or lose, well it really doesn’t matter

‘Cause you step up to the plate

Swingin’ for the fence

You’re gonna change the world around you

I’m convinced

Just look how you’re changin’ me

We both know that sometime

You make me crazy

And we both know that sometimes

We let each other down

But I want you to know whatever you do

Just because you are you

You will always be makin’ me proud

I don’t know how to say it any better

Proud, you make me proud

Win or lose, well it really doesn’t matter

‘Cause you step up to the plate

Swingin’ for the fence

You’re gonna change the world around you

I’m convinced

Just look how you’re changin’ me

You’re makin’ me proud

You’re makin’ me proud

I’m so proud

LOAD

I signed up to do the LOAD challenge (Lay Out A Day) over at OSU. I signed up on the 6th, starting date of the 8th. I've kept up so far. I am posting what I've done here, and any other challenges that may be part of them!

OSU's Color Challenge and Ad Challenge:

(Color)

(Ad)

Combined:

OSU's Sketch Challenge:

Mine:

1 More of my "26 Things" LOs from a previous challenge - see previous posts. This is "Silence" (The last name of my friends!)

Lacy and I hosted a 09/09/09 scrapbooking party. (I'll never live to see that date again . . . how about you?) Here are 3 of the 4 challenges I did:

Challenge #1:

1-9 Challenge: Use a minimum of the following, all on 1 LO (can be 2 pg)

1 Photo
2 Cardstock
3 Chipboard
4 Patterned Papers
5 Alpha Stickers
6 Sequins or Beads
7 Flowers
8 Stitches

9 Brads or Eyelets

Challenge #2

Scraplift Challenge:

Mine:

and an Altering Challenge:
Decorate your can to reflect the theme of “Christmas.”

(This didn't get done until the next day.)

Then a few more that have gotten done:

(This was using a scrapbooking club's kit- The Storyteller's Club)

This one I used many Thickers "Xs" that Amy sent me:

I saw a monochromatic challenge on Scrapbooks, etc. website that was to be balanced with black and white. My scanner washed it out pretty badly, but here it is:

The first 3 LO's . . .

Another 26 Things . . .

A few months ago, I posted a challenge that I found on another site. My way of thinking of it is that it's a "practice in photo journalism" challenge. They give a list of words and you are supposed to take 1 picture of each. As a scrapbooker, I make an additional challenge of using the photo and the word for a LO. This time around, I am using more than 1 photo on a LO to show my complete idea. That wouldn't qualify for the "one word" challenge on the site, but on a LO, think of the main photo as the "one photo" challenge, and any other pics as "supporting" photos. This weekend is OSU's weekend crop, and this is one of the challenges I am hostessing. I am posting my photos here, with my journaling ideas, in the hopes that these will all become LOs someday soon!

These words are from this site:

http://sh1ft.org/projects/

The words were updated from when I last checked, as was the whole site. The list we are working with is from last month, I suppose. Kind of a bummer, but still, a fun challenge!

sound - James makes a good one on his horn, as well as my "support photos" showing the rest of the group - a good sound together!

press - Nathanael's face to mine - Baby Kisses!

turn - the crank to change the tire - the kids' first time "helping" change a tire! They now have more experience than I do with this!

label - gotta love that Starbuck's label!

wheels -both kids got new bikes for Christmas and are learning to ride.

silence - Jerry and Shawna Silence - some new friends who are helping me with my new business.

new - baby, life, family member

old - the shirt my dad wore as a kid. Isaiah and now Peter have both worn it.

list - my Mother's Day list: Breakfast in Bed, Ayla's Sunday School Program, Dinner I didn't have to make, Ice Cream Cake

creep (still looking for this picture)

stand off - Ayla playing against another soccer team this season

admiration - my mom and dad and their new grandbaby

mess - this is a baby shower game we played - 5 diapers with different candy bars melted in each one, you guess the candy bars. Looks pretty realistic, huh? But the bad thing is, you really want to taste the candy to figure out what kind it is. No, I didn't! LOL!

always - someone is ALWAYS making a face or not looking in family portraits . . . ! (try clicking on the picture to see close ups, these are fabulous!)

half (thinking about this one.)

strings - bass and piano in the band DH is in "Four Old Friends"

hallway - Peter helpin' Daddy finish the floors in the front hallway closet.

grand - at Ayla's birthday party they made these "Grand Masks" - well, they thought they were grand!

graffiti - I guess I was thinking more of "tag" - the "mark" someone leaves. This is a mural I just finished in the kids' playroom. It's something that identifies me - my artistry, what I love doing, and adding a sense of "play" to a room.

juicy instrument - seriously. have you ever sat near a trombone player during rehearsal? tell me that this isn't the "juiciest" instrument - right after they clear the spit valve near your foot!!! Ewww!

logo - Moxie Java - love that logo!

on the horizon - something new is definitely on the horizon for my sister's life! I'm excited to see what!

yawn - just the beginning of one, but oh, so cute! :D

bump - really, need I explain? lol!

macro (this is most challenging)

LO's 7/31

Here are some LO's I've worked on in the last week or two. :)

Birthday, Baby, Boys, the 4th, and a Bunch of LOs!

So I haven't posted in FOREVER . . .between Ayla's birthday, the end of school, having a new baby, and keeping my head above water, it seems I've run out of time for blogging lately!!!

Ayla turned 9! We had a butterfly themed party, had dinner at Applebee's, and had Ayla's first sleepover that she hosted. Here are a few pictures:

On the last day of school the kids get to do a "Field Day" - here are a few pictures of that. I didn't get to stay the whole time - I'd been to the Dr. that morning and my blood pressure was up so I

didn't want to sit in the heat. (But how nice that it was warm - last year for Field Day, Ayla was still wearing her winter coat!)

Due to the high blood pressure thing, the Dr. decided I needed to be induced. The very next day! So Nathanael is the only of my 4 kids who was not only NOT overdue, but so early he still had vernix on him! 9 days early! What a difference those days make! He was actually my smallest baby, at 7 lbs 7 oz, and he was born (from induction to birth) in 3 hours 15 minutes. He was face up, so there was a lot of back labor, but he turned just in time for delivery to make his appearance! He is a beautiful baby, and sleeps and eats really well. He is growing SO fast, too!

Now, a few random pictures of my boys:

This is the first Independence Day we have spent in Idaho since Ayla was 1! We had a "time to establish some new traditions" kind of 4th. We went to the Town of Marsing for their parade. It was smaller than Sonoma's, and no band, but it was still pretty good! I missed the Hometown Band. James said that next year he has some ideas for the parade . . . After the parade, we came home and had a huge family BBQ. It was wonderful! I enjoyed playing hostess at my house. That night, we were going to go to Caldwell for their fireworks. I was too tired to go, and was disappointed with myself for not going. They have it at Simplot Stadium and it is set to music. But this year there was quite an uproar in the community. The show lasted 9 minutes. That's it! There was an article in the paper about how upset everyone was. James took Ayla and Isaiah up on the roof and they watched Marsing's display from there. Here are a few 4th pics:

Last, but not least . . . well, the least exciting of these things, I suppose . . . some LO's I've managed to do in the last few months: (There are several that I haven't had time to scan and stitch still!)

And a card I made for this month's OSU card challenge:

I was wrong . . . !

I just finished scanning and stitching 15 LO's! Hooray! If that's all I do the rest of the year, I think it will be more than I finished in the last 6 months! LOL!

This one I LOVE the colors on, and yes, that IS Basic Gray - quiet to the Peanut Gallery! :P

Old Chatterbox paper I had tons of - I think this was actually the last sheet of that and I'm actually kind of sad to see it go! lol! But, as my dear friend Martha always says, "Now I can enjoy seeing it in my books instead!"

We did a Swap Challenge months and months ago, and I wasn't able to play due to . . . well, life! . . . so I finally got to use the pretty paper that I had in my stash.

I got this "Celebrate" overlay sometime in December, I think. I had no idea how to use it or what I'd use it with, but I always feel the need to challenge myself with knew products. I kinda like how it turned out, although I was picturing something more dramatic . . .

Here's another LO I can thank Martha for . . . she sent me a bunch of her old kits and parts of kits and I've been hoarding it and stretching it and making as many LOs from them as possible (as though I don't have *any* other paper to use, right? O.o) The buttons are Daisy D's - I think from Barbara (thanks!) and the felt by Queen & Co is from Betsie as a RAK (thanks!) Love, love, love the Artsy.liscious chipboard letters! (Got those at Archiver's for a really good price! :) )

I know I got this background paper as a RAK - I'm pretty sure from Barbara (thanks!) - and *finally* scrapped this 5x7 I've had on my table for eons! I tore Core'dinations for the mats.

Got this paper from the add-on to SG's last kit. The stitching is done with red glittery thread and I used the template my holiday secret sister got for me. (thank you!!!) The title I was disappointed with - I used these awesome letters from Doodlebug and then some silver foil from a different company - the foil wouldn't come off the sheet and left the letters looking somewhat unfinished. Going to have to play more with that and see if I can do something about it. I used an old SG template for the parens - love that template!!!

Sister and I at Disneyland for my birthday last year. Our feet were screaming at us! This is SU! paper that I've been hoarding and MADE myself use for the LO. Scalloped circle from SG template. Center of flower is Artsy, I think, and the flower is Prima - thanks to Martha, again, for donating me a can of those to hoard! :)

This LO was fun to put together. I used a bunch of things that I wouldn't typically use together, but when I was putting page kits together for NSD, this is what I threw in the bag, and I really like the results. The scallop is, again, from an SG template. The blue paper I have no idea where I got - maybe Holly? - but it has silver foil flecks in it and I, of course, kept it and kept it and kept it because it was too fancy and pretty to use! lol! The brown is from an old swap, I think Maria did, of Imaginese (sp?) and looked like coffee steam swirls to me. The journaling block is from Geri - thanks for your recent box! - and the chipboard letter is from the last SG kit we got, I think. Oh, and Martha, thanks, again, for the Q&Co flannel stuff.

LO's I did of the kids' BBall season this year - got this paper while in SA.

Sister gave me a lot of this black patterned paper. Love how these turned out. I was a little hesitant about using the black with the sepia, but I like how it looks. SG template for scallop, ticket corner for journaling box from SU!, a few other bits from Geri and an old kit I bought years ago.

Used Core'dinations CS for this LO - black magic with the brightest blue underside I had. I used an SG template for the top left corner and sanded, then scratched the doodling and title into the rest. I added some white accents with my Siglo and journaling.

More patterned paper from Sister, added a CM heart punch that I tried out at the NSD I went to, and really LOVED how it turned out after!

These last 3 are Design Team submissions I used to try out for the Core'dinations DT last month. I was notified today that I didn't make it, so I figured I can post them now! The first one I used sanding, peeling, rolling, scratching, die cutting, and folding with Core'dinations paper to make a LO showing "what I can do creatively" with cardstock.

This is the second project I did. I wanted to show the versitality of the paper. I used their CS for the gable box - but I cut a window to make it more like a shadow box - and then freehand cut the leaves, bird, and punched the flowers (from a mini heart punch Martha gave me - man, after all this, what would I do without Martha supporting my habit so much!?! lol! Love ya, Girl!) and sanded the edges so they were defined. I tore brown paper into strips and rolled them to make the branches. The only thing not their paper here is the ribbon, eyelet, and adhesive! (Oh, and the font - LOL!)

This is the last project I did. I wanted to do something really unique. All of the pieces are dry embossed with a SU! template of polka dots. The purse is basically a copy of a little purse jewelry box I have, the shoe was my actual shoe, but I made it a high heel with help from my Dad, and the invitation was . . . just made up. I used black grosgrain ribbon to trim it all out. I feel bad I didn't take a good picture of that heel after all the difficulty it gave me! lol! The chocolates were just for visual to show how this could be used for a center piece.

Phew, time for bed! (Oh, and that was WAY more than 20 minutes to get posted, but it was worth it! I have 1 more LO that I want to post, but I realized when I went to scan it that I didn't journal yet!!!

12 more LO's

So I have done 12 more LOs in the last 2 weeks - which is amazing for me these days! - and once I have 20 minutes to scan and stitch them all, I will be posting them here!!! :D

Baby Belly

Sister took pictures of my 30 + week belly today. These are some of my very favorite ones - including the one with Peter's silly face at the end! This pregnancy has not been without the typical discomforts, but overall I have felt good and this is just one more way to show that, "I am truly blessed!"