I try to make a conscious effort to see things outside the box. I must admit, I march to the beat of my own drummer, I don't follow trends, I do what I love. The layout below (forgive the colour my scanner hates pink and I'm having problems with photoshop, so I can't fix the colours right now) was created using garbage! Huh, you say? Well, let me explain!
(Click for better view)
The strip of patterned paper on the left, the border at the bottom and the adore word, are all from the packaging of the MME Adore patterened paper! What a way to stretch the Scrapping dollars, don't you think? The adore word actually covers "My Mind's Eye" and the ric rac, I love you phrase and scalloped edge are strategically placed to cover the bar code!
I am very happy with how this layout turned out! Lots of goodies going on here...obviously a lot off MME, but I also broke out two different scallop edge scissors!
Really. You know when you think things just don't get any worse?? Well they do, or they can. Jamie has been working hard at looking for a new job, he's had 2 interviews. The one dealership he walked right into an interview! Basically, he just went to drop off his resume, and apparantley 2 hours previous they had just made a posting on the human resources job bank. It seems like it was a great interview and it's always interesting to hear about them. Being in this business you always know someone that knows someone and vice versa...even better if the guy you worked for (and continue to have a good relationship with) is good friends with a potential employer. Does this all make sense? Anyways, this is the same way that Jamie got hired at Acura...walking into an interview. Acura wasn't his last job though, he left Acura to broaden... So, I'm not trying to get excited, but they did call him for a second interview and tell him they were really interested. I mean, it could still go either way, so I don't want to get my hopes up about this particular job...HOWEVER it gives me something positive, and hope...
Now the realization part.....before I started rambling. Well, things could always be worse...and no better lesson could I get than the one I got this weekend.
Jamie was walking down the stairs holding Alexander, my 3 month old, and they fell down the whole flight of stairs. I was still atop the first set, so I just heard the horrible rolling, and feeling terrified rushing down to see them both at the bottom of the stairs. Jamie still holding Alex tight. I don't know how he managed to do it, but Alexander came out completely unharmed. He had a look of confusion and fear, but he cried briefly only because I must have scared him from yelling....
Jamie escaped with some carpet burns and a sore back. It could have been bad for him as well, he has severe scoliosis and has about 14 vertebrae fused.
I feel very forunate that my boys are ok, it was truly the scariest thing that has ever happened to me as a mother. The job situation, can be changed....losing someone you love, can't.
Why is life unfair? And yeh, maybe I should suck it up because I'm not the only one who's had bad thing after bad thing happen in their life...but hey it's my life and I can feel sorry for myself, right?
Jamie lost his job, and I am on maternity leave with a 3 month old baby that cries all the time and I have to have surgery to remove my gall bladder on March 4, the day before my birthday.
Go back to work early you say? Well, I just might have to consider that 2 weeks post surgery. I can't do heavy lifting...and I work at a nursing home, so there are plenty of heavy residents. It's sad because we just finished talking about me staying home for another year. What's worse, is that Jamie made more in 2 weeks than I do in a whole bloody month.
I would go get a pail of icecream and a spoon, but icecream seems like a luxury right now. I don't have any girlfriends to talk to, yup...not one.
How sadly pathetic is my life? I think I'm entitled to feel sorry for myself.
Well, I never win anything, I don't get any raks, often I'm forgotten on holidays/birthdays...so it was really nice to win not one but two prizes from Love Is In The Details from the Valentine's online crop. The mm embellishments were drawn from all the layouts I created, there were 5 really great prizes, including the new 2 scoops paper pack and 2 scoops stamps! The Bo Bunny chipboard letters (and images on flip side) and the doodlebug sugar coated brads were a prize for being a top 4 poster! :o EGAD!
So, I had more to post today...goodies, cause they're fun to look at, but blogger is being a big fat jerk and isn't letting me upload pics at the moment, so I'll leave you with this. I have also spent the last 30 minutes playing with the colours of my blog, and nothing thrilled me....yet. It's sooo time consuming, and I'd rather be doing something fun!
Time for bed, ni ni!
I don't even want to think about what I've spent this month on scrapping goodies!! :o Aside from things I've picked up at the LSS, Michael's, Walmart etc... this is what I've got coming:
5 of the mm runway wristlets for raks and stuff.
http://www.loveisinthedetails.ca/ february kit
http://www.justcre8.com/ february kit. I signed up for the year...and if you sign up for 12 months starting with the March kit, you get July 2007 kit for free!!! 2 kits for 59 bucks!!! (plus shipping and taxes...just a tiny amount!) WOOO FREAKING WHOO! :)
I've got a stack of about 150 sheets of pp plus rubons and a few extras coming from a sale board.
4 Autumn Leaves Rhonna Fahrer stamp set from sale board
A tonic trimmer (guillotine style)
3 new additions of the rail system (paint holder, cup and above rail shelf)
cute little owl stamps from sassafrass
owl diecuts from sassafrass
Sugar Coating Glitter - Ladybug
Collection Pack - MME - Adore
Rhinestones - Red
Rhinestones - Dark Purple
Rhinestones - Dark Blue
Spiral Journaling Notebook MM Noteworthy
Alphabets - DB - Loopy Lou - Swimming Pool
Alphabets - DB - Loopy Lou - Limeade
Basic Grey - Mellow
Acrylic Album - Scalloped 6x6
Rub Ons - FP - Splendor
Patterned Paper - SR - Savannah Scrap Strip 3
Rub Ons - Hearts - Black
Alphabet Cardstock Stickers Remarks JFK Colorset 3 & 4
It's going to feel like a jackpot coming here!! I'll have to tone it down for march...just my March kits. I'll be good. ;)
Anyways, that's my birthday present to me, because I'll be having surgery the day before... so I'll spoil myself now!
I would celebrate with a rak, but I don't think there is enough people who read my blog to play a game. :(
There's nothing like a good old sketch to get you creating!! This sketch is from http://justcre8.com/forum/. I originally had this photo on a different layout, and was sooo unhappy with it. I am SO pleased with this now... the only thing that bugs me, is that it really does look MUCH better in person!! Don't you just love the big Scenic Route arrow? :D I especially love the American Crafts paper!!
You see that little "you" on the bottom? I got these awesome chipboard letters at Dollarama! They come glittered like the doodlebug ones... I have them in like 5 or 6 differnt colours... but for my purposes, I covered them with some bazzill, outlined with the thick side of my zig, and added...yup more Dollarama bling! :D
Make your own journalling cards! I wanted to share mine, with you. They are uber cute, and easy to make! The following 3 were made using Basic Grey paper.
#1: I made a stencil with my quickutz for the quotaions...and inked it, then added some lines with a ruler and a Heidi Swapp pencil crayon..the colours matched perfectly!
#2: I added a cute little fleur de lis rubon.
#3: I used an Autumn Leaves acrylic stamp.
The fun thing is, you can do this in portrait, or landscape...you can use lines, or no lines... you can use anything, bling, stickers, stamps, rubons... they are so quick and easy to make! A quick journalling card for your layouts!
Just in case you happen to stumble on my little blog, and would like to see the images closer, please, click on them. :)
First of all, I just wanted to share what an excellent experience I had at http://www.sweetpearingslings.com! The slings she has are VERY well priced, under $50 with shipping...and she has some awesome fabrics!! I had a really hard time choosing which one I wanted but, I finally decided on chocolate brown and electric blue....some of my fave colours! :D If you've never "worn" your baby before, try a sling out from someone, or a store that allows you to try them, and you will be hooked!! It's great for the cranky baby that needs to be held all the time, much like my own!! I only WISH I knew about ring slings before my 4th child!
Now, here are a few little things that I have accomplished this weekend...sweet and simple, and in the spirit of St. Valentine's Day! I feel so inspired by red/white/pink! :D
Aren't these little love tiles adorable? Put them on chipboard, distress them and instant embellishment! I used an MM Love Story rubon to journal a quick 5 things I love about this man!
When I had this photo printed of my boys, I immediately thought of the Apprentice, hence the title, "It's nothing personal, it's just business." It cracks me up, and I love these boys so much!! :D There is a whole slew of rubons here...she the very first "Its?" Well, those are from the dollar store, and they SUCK. the clear rubbing stuff came off on my page, but the letter did not!!! No matter how hard I rubbed, it just wouldn't budge! Luckily, it left enough of the "impression" of the letter that I could just draw it in with my zig pen... that was stressful! The "personal" and "just" rubons, also from Dollarama...but look how great they look....and not to mention they went on like butter! You win some you lose some, better a dollar than a fiver!
The next one is actually a card of sorts. The "card" pulls out where the flower is. The pocket is two transparencies stuck together with TTT!! Love that stuff, don't you? :D Thanks to Nicole for this idea, it's a good one! Loving that sparkly Heidi Grace flower. Notice the bling? Another dollar store find! :)
This stinking adorable square jar I found at Dollarama. They came in 2 sizes, this the large one, and a smaller one about 1/3 of it's size... it would be perfect for storing embellies like ribbons and buttons! A cute project for around $2-3 bucks...? Doesn't get any better than that!! Plus, look how YUMMY those glittery marshmallow hearts look in there... I almost wish they weren't real, so I wouldn't eat them all! LOL
I've been trying to scrap as much as possible these days, just soo busy with the baby though!! I am in the middle of an online crop, so I will have some fun stuff to post...
Plus I made some ATC's for a swap, so I'd like to post those too...stay tuned!
Well, here it is... I was so not in the Christmas mood, so I rushed to get this done... *sigh* I am going to redo the little arrows, with one large curliecue type arrow. Anyways, here it is as promised for now. Only 325 days till Christmas.. I think 324 now... ! hah!
What am I still doing up? Well...late at night is when I get time to scrap/create/craft! I know it sounds ridiculous...but with a 3 month old and a 4 year old...when else would I find time?
You won't believe what I just finished....a countdown to Christmas plaque. Oh man, I started this sometime shortly after my son was born, with good intention to get it done... I quickly learned, that he is a very high needs baby, and I can't do a THING while he's awake.
So, in celebration of actually finding this project, and completing it, I will post a picture tomorrow! For now, I am off to bed!
Also, I'll have to do some digging around and change the datestamp on my blog, it's waaaay off.
Well, here is the card that I worked on tonight based on the sketch at A Walk on the Mild Side:
I've been whipping up a card storm!!! Well, as much of one as I could with my cranky little guy. I'll upload some soon. But first, I came across a very nice blog:
A Walk On the Mild Side
She's having a sketch challenge, so I'll be working on that tonight. It's fun to be challenged! Here is the sketch:
