spill it...

Have you seen this?!? Yay! Oh, happy day! I'm beyond thrilled to be selected for this team. I mean, have you checked out all their new goods? Yummy, glittery Artsylicious embellies. Flocked and foiled papers. What's not to love? Plus, I get to work withLisa...one of my all-time favorite crafters (congrats Lisa!) Can't wait to jump in, and get my feet wet with this new team! And, now that I'm free to share my submissions, here they are:

I disassembled a mini-album, and made it into a wall hanging of our family tree. I was trying to drum up an idea that was an "outside the box" use of their product. I love how it turned out, it was super fun to make. I know you can't see all of the details here, so you can check it out up close and personal here. All of the finalists had their own challenge to complete. Mine was to use their Botanico product to create a LO.

I wanted to introduce myself, so to speak, to the panel of judges, and this was the perfect LO design to incorporate a bit of ALL the papers from the Botanico line. Those were my two required projects. The gals from Chatterbox were so generous with the amount of goodies they sent, I could have created a ton of stuff. But, time and other commitments didn't allow me to complete as much as I would have liked. I did use up some odds and ends to decorate this little papier mache box I had been hanging on to forever.


Anyway, this has been a totally fabulous week so far! I also won the latest challenge at OLW. Until this, I have yet to win any challenge that I have participated in. Truth be told, it has been a long while since I have even submitted to a challenge site. So glad I did...might have to make it more of a regular thing again.

How about some more paper pretties? Here's a peek at my final LO for my Guest DT spot at Lotus Paperie. I just want to thank Vanessa for inviting me to play along this month! I really enjoyed all of the challenges.

And, now that I've posted that, I realize that I forgot to post last week's LO:

Well, I'll leave you with a really cool link: Vanilla Joy. This whole week, she is hosting some really generous crafting/scrapbooking giveaways. You have to check it out! Yesterday's prize was a Cricut!

Be sure to check out her blog for a chance to win! Bestest of luck! And, hope your week is off to as good of a start as my own. :0)

BTW...none of the aforementioned tidbits of excitement were regarding the good news referenced in the previous post. I'll leave you on the edge of your seats for a few more weeks on that one. Tee hee!

takin' a look

I haven't done one of these posts in a while, so I thought it was a good time to do a little window shopping. Most of these finds were stumbled upon while I was looking through the new decor8 blog. Have you checked out the new format over there? It's fabulous...definitely worth a looksie.

I must have this. I mean, seriously, skulls...on a coffee mug!!! And, it's so bright and colorful! I don't drink coffee, but I would certainly love to fill that little guy up with some killer hot chocolate or apple cider. There are lots more designs (even different colored skull mugs) available at Lollipop Pottery. It's all so gorgeous...betcha' can't pick just one!

John W Golden. 'Nuf said. I love his poster prints. This one in particular because Hazel has gotten to the scared of monsters phase of childhood. Every night before bedtime, we have to do a "moster check" in her room. Funny, because I seem to remember having some crazy similar, neurotically elaborate bedtime routine before I went to bed. So, I'm sure my mom is getting a kick out of the fact that I have passed on the neurosis to my little lady. That said, I think she needs this sign. Although, there are several other signs that are part of his "By Order of the Management" collection that are must-haves on my list, including "Pick Up Your Dirty Clothes," (BRYAN...*cough, cough* *ahem*), "Put Your Dishes in the Sink," and the saying most often being bellowed from my mouth on the daily: "Share Your Toys!" He has a "Pick Your Mix" set of 4 prints where you can choose any 4 of the posters to make your own collection. I just might have to look into that the next time I come across an extra $70.

Ever heard of Paloma's Nest? No? Well, now you have. ;0) Their whole site is amazing, but I am particularly interested in these adorable little ceramic tags. Perfect for scrapbooking, right? Their designs make me wish I knew someone that is getting married soon. Their personalized platters would make such a unique wedding gift!

Something else for my littlest of lovelies. The illustrations are simply amazing! Might be in the works for a Christmas gift. Pick yours up here.
That's enough drooling over things I can't have for right now. This weekend has been filled with...

*Yard work, yard work, and more yard work. My garden had been a little neglected for the last few weeks. There were lots of weeds to pull.

*Porch painting. I'm almost done with the front porch. I hope to finish the back porch before my mother-in-law comes on Friday.

*A new hairstyle. Finally got rid of the red. It was fun for a year, but way too much maintenance. I'm glad to be back to a nice chocolate brown with a shaggy bob. Short hair to keep cool for the end of this hot summer, but long enough to get a head-start on growing it back out over the winter.

*Driving in traffic. Lots of traffic. And, stop lights. Lots of stop lights. Yay for almost mastering the stick shift!

*Halloween banner-making. I'll share soon. It's coming out very cute!

*Nachos. I'm addicted to nachos lately. I can tell you the 3 best place for nachos in a 50 mile radius. In case you're interested... #1-Monterrey (local Mexican restaurant), #2-Smokey Bones (the BBQ chicken nachos are the bomb!), and #3-the BBQ'd chicken nachos that I have nearly duplicated in my own kitchen. ;0) Order up in about 10 mintues!

*Some very exciting news that I can't share just yet. I can't believe I have to hold this in until at least the end of September. It's killing me!

*And last, but not least, I was given this fabulous award by the insanely talented Lisa Garay:

Here are the rules:
(1) The winner can put the logo on their blog.
(2) Link the person you received your award from.
(3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
(4) Put links of those on yours.
(5) Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated.

Here are the chicas I nominate:
*Khris Winthrop: Not only is she fabulously talented, but about one of the sweetest gals I've met in a long time. I only wish we didn't live so far away.
*Miss Gigi: I adore everything about this girl, and she has always been so encouraging toward my work.
*Jessica Summers: This girl slings the color like nobody's business, and I'm a wee bit jealous that she lives where I wish that Bryan would get stationed some day.
*Jill Scripps: She takes a mean photo, and I'm convinced our children were somehow separated at birth.
*Michelle Jacquemet: I'm convinced that if we lived any closer, we would be fast friends!
*Mama of Mugsy Boo: Seriously...is there anything this woman creates that isn't totally amazing?!?
*The Fabulous Zoe: Even though she hasn't been around much in bloggy land lately, she always makes me laugh. I miss you, Zoe!

That's it. So, anyone else have any grand adventures this weekend?

Loss of a legend...

(or at least in my mind).

LeRoi Moore, the saxophonist of The Dave Matthews Band, passed away today. So sad. They are my all-time favorite band. Their music is amazing. Simply amazing. Such a sudden, tragic loss of such a talented man. God bless.

On to a little bit sunnier of subjects. My exciting news... Remember this photograph?

It won honorable mention, and will be published in the national gardening magazine: Gardening How-To. Plus, I won about $75 in gardening supplies. Yay! Yes, I'm into gardening. Rather old-lady-ish, huh? That's okay. You can think that. I find it incredibly relaxing, though. Plus, there's something quite satisfying about nurturing something from seed to sprout through the dirt.

So, a run-down of the week so far:

*My envelope tag mini-book, "What We Did On Summer Vacation," got picked for The Catwalk over at SIStv! Woot!
*Our freezer broke. The wall on the inside cracked wide open. How, exactly, does that happen? The thing is only 2 years old.
* On Saturday, we had a fairly successful multi-family yard sale to raise money for Hazel's cheerleading squad.
* I FINALLY got my elliptical machine, and I've been using it every day. I'm so proud of myself. And, it feels good to be getting healthy again...even if it's taking forever to get to where I want to be. Slowly, but surely, I'm getting there. And, I won't give up.
*Speaking of not giving up, I drove Hazel to/from cheerleading yesterday all by myself in the stick-shift! Yay me! I only stalled out twice, but I'm getting better. Such a great feeling to finally be getting the hang of it. I didn't think that would ever happen.

That's about it for excitement. Thank you all so much for the sweet comments on my last post. I truly cherish all of them. Hope everyone is having a great week!

Ummmm...

I've put off posting for the last couple of days. Not just because we've been insanely busy, but also because it has been a rough couple of days. Bryan's dad passed away a year ago Friday. Why would I write that on my calendar? I suppose in some attempt to keep his memory alive. A day to reflect. Remember. Bryan, always being the one to totally ignore schedules with a refusal to plan ahead (unless it's about work), never looks at that calendar. He didn't know. And, I didn't have the heart to tell him. Meanwhile, those words on that page stared sadly back at me all day. Bryan was reminded later that night when his step-mom called. I knew who it was...what it was about...the second I glanced at the caller ID. Much like that very same day a year earlier.

It was a typically insane, yet at the same time, completely mundane morning of a deployed soldier's wife. Then the phone rang, and it was Bryan's step-mom's number flashing on the call screen. 8 am her time. Before I even clicked the talk button, I knew what was coming. Before I even heard the sobbing on the other end of the line, I knew. Nobody from that side of the family called that early in the morning unless something was wrong. Very wrong.

Bryan was gone to Afghanistan. How do you tell your spouse, over the phone, half a world away, that their father just died? I don't remember what I said. I spent most of the day praying that The Red Cross would get the message to him before he called home that day. No such luck. I had to tell him, and all that I do remember is that it was a feeling that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

I've never had someone close to me pass away suddenly. Sure, I've had grandparents die. But they were old, and quite ill before the passed on. Rick was so young and full of life. He was one of the funniest people I had ever met. You never think that someone can be taken from you so suddenly. You never think that someone you know would be completely paralyzed after such a tragic accident. You. really. never. think. it. could. happen. to. you. But, it does. And, it was the biggest kick-in-the-butt reminder of how very precious life is, and how it can all be over in the blink of an eye.
I made this LO with the August Label Tulip kit.

I took that picture on the day of Rick's funeral. While everyone was arriving at the church, I slipped outside. I don't deal well with raw emotion. Unless you are an extremely close friend, my husband, one of my kids...the tears, the all-consuming sadness...it makes me uncomfortable. Even when it comes from another family member. I had to get outside for some fresh air. I took pictures of the church. A beautiful cross they had built in a stream with flowers flowing every which way. Then, I looked down at the ground, snapped that photo, collected myself and went back inside. That photo will forever remind me of that day. I still miss Rick...every day. I will always remember him fondly.

In case you were interested, here are the rest of my LO's for August. I'm not particularly jazzed about them. In fact, I feel like they are some of my most unimpressive creations to date. I've just been really lacking the mojo lately.



You can view the rest of the mini-book here.

Here's my LO for this week's sketch challenge at Lotus Paperie.

And, here's the sketch we worked from:

Be sure to check it out, and post your own creation to win some cool goodies!

And, my first LO for the Say It In Scrap gig. Our challenge was to create something inspired by the catch-phrase, "Oh no she didn't!"


Well, since this has turned into just about the longest post in the history of my blog, I will cut it short without a weekend run-down. We'll do that tomorrow because I have some exciting news to share. ;0) TTFN!

Sneak-A-Boo

Some Label Tulip sneaks...



And, a sneak from the new challenge at Lotus Paperie...

I've been having a real dry-run with the mojo lately. But, it is what it is. We all have those spells. I'll be back tomorrow with all of the LO's in full detail. Everything goes live on the 15th, so there will be lots to share.

The driving lessons are going quite well. I actually made it about 20 miles around town yesterday, and only majorly freaked out once or twice. I get performance anxiety at stop lights, and seem to always stall out. It's getting better, though. Well, I had better get going. I need to round up something for dinner, and get to work on boxing up everything for the fundraiser yard sale at Hazel's cheerleading gym this weekend. Ugh.

It's a love/hate thing

How did this happen? How did I go out yesterday morning to run to Home Depot and Target, and come home with this?

True. We have been having tons of problems with that Jeep Cherokee we bought a couple of months back. (Note to hubs: No more buying cars from friends, k?) Anyway, problems with the Jeep. Pretty to look at, but that thing was a piece. Not to mention, it was not friends with the gas pump. It cost a fortune to fill up, and the tank ran dry so quickly. We wanted something new. We wanted a Prius. Yeah. Seen the waiting list for one of those? We'd be waiting until next year. And, we couldn't have that. So, what was the next best thing? A Yaris or a Matrix. The Matrix was prettier, and a little roomier. But, Toyota can't keep these freakin' cars on the lot. Not with gas prices the way they are. There were only 4 left on the lot. One 2009 that didn't qualify for any incentives, and 3 new 2008's. Only one of those was an automatic. And, of course, the automatic came with every other option known to man. WAY out of our price range. Bryan convinced me to get the stick-shift.

Do I know how to drive a stick? Negative. Bryan insists that he can teach me. "So simple," he tells me. Of the 3 driving lessons I have had so far, 2 have ended with me in a pile of nerves, crying. The 3rd lesson, I kicked Bryan out of the car (it's okay...we were in our cul-de-sac), and drove around our neighborhood. That was much better. I'm still not comfortable, and nowhere near ready to get on the highway. I swear that if someone tried to teach me how to first drive a car on a stick, I never would have gotten my license. So, here I am with this pretty new car and I can't drive it. Boo. But, I'm not a quitter. I'll get it...if it kills me.

Oh, were you waiting for me to announce something? I suppose that I could go ahead and let you know that the trusty random integer generator came up with (drumroll, please):

Here are your random numbers:
17
Timestamp: 2008-08-13 20:30:08 UTC

somebody's nobody said...
Yay for blogiversarys!!! From a loyal reader in South Dakota!

Yay! E-mail me your address at charmedgirlnc@gmail.com, and I'll mail out your goodies on the 15th. I have to wait until then because that's when the Label Tulip kits go live. I can't be giving any kit goodies away ahead of their time. ;0)

So, the car about sums up my excitement for the week. I have a to-do list a mile long of everything from cleaning to scrapping to cheerleader uniform fitting to fundraising yard sale to get on top of. And, I have not an ounce of motivation to do any of it. But, I had better get my rear in gear because nothing on that list is going to do itself. Check back tomorrow for some more Label Tulip sneaks, a peek at my first LO for the Say It In Scrap DT, and a glimpse of this week's challenge at Lotus Paperie. Until then, my friends...

Hello Sunday.

Usually you are not my favorite day of the week, but I don't mind so much right now. Bryan has tomorrow off from work, so this time, you feel more like a Saturday. Plus, this has been a fabulous weekend. Every day has been nice and relaxing, yet I've gotten so much accomplished at the same time.

We cleaned the house. Not much fun, but it had to be done. The in-laws are coming for a visit at the end of the month, and I want everything to be just so. I'm still working through a few piles of laundry (my most dreaded of chores). But, I have The Olympics to keep me entertained while I work. I love, love, love the summer olympics, and I'm having so much fun watching them with Hazel. She really gets into it, and has so many questions. She is truly in awe of those fabulous athletes. I think she has changed her mind about what sport she wants to compete in about 5 times in the last 2 days of competition (and we have 15 days left). Too bad cheerleading isn't an olympic sport! LOL!

I finished up my Chatterbox entries. It was a relief to have it completed and turned it. It was also a little bit bittersweet. There are so many talented and well-known ladies in that group of finalists. I'm about 95% sure I won't make the team, but it was an honor just to have made it this far. I enjoyed playing with all of their fabulous new product, and I'm proud of what I created with it. Unfortunately, I can't share that with you yet. I'll let you know when/if they post my projects to the Chatterblog blog. They're supposed to, but if not, I'll share when I can.

In the meantime, I can share a sneak of something I've been working on with the August Label Tulip.

What could that be? Could it be the makings of a mini-book? Perhaps. I guess you'll just have to wait until the 15th to find out. *wink* *wink*

I can show you this LO that I completed for the recent challenge at Lotus Paperie.

And, here is the visual prompt:

We could interpret it any way we chose. I picked up on the electric bright colors, and something about those images just screamed "BUSY CITY!" to me. It was fun to play with such bright colors...it has been a while since I've had the opportunity.

Well, women's gymnastics is on (my fave), so I'm going to sign off for now. Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

Wednesday randomness...

* Luka just learned how to do a somersault all by himself. Hazel "teaches" him gymnastics every night.
* I got pulled over yesterday for going 61 in a 55. Please, Mr. State Trooper...find something better to do with your time than pull someone over and give them a warning for 6 miles over. Say, perhaps, pull over the people that were FLYING past me at my 61 mph instead. Seriously.
* Hazel is about to start competition season for cheerleading. I had no idea this would make me nearly $1000 poorer.
* I made some of THE BEST scallop and bacon pizza the other night. Sound gross? Trust me. It's not. Even my pizza-loathing children (yes, my kids hate pizza) and extremely picky husband inhaled it.
*I've been having so much fun planning our Halloween party. Yeah, I plan ahead like that. The menu is almost done, and I started a little mini-book for the fiesta. Will share that later.
* Watched Music Within. What a fabulous movie. I thought it would be on the tear-jerker side, but it was surprisingly rather funny. I recommend.
* We have found our favorite summer treat around here. Frozen green grapes. The kids love 'em, and they're pretty darn refreshing.

That's about it. I have nothing visual to share. No scraps. I'm finishing up my Chatterbox stuffs, but I can't share those. So, I'll leave you with a peek from the Label Tulip site of the add-on kit that the RAK winner will be receiving. It doesn't even show half of the goodies you will receive, but you get an idea. *wink* Again, you have through the 12th to leave a comment here for an entry into the RAK drawing.

Happy Blogiversary (and a RAK)! ***updated w/RAK pics**

1. Colorful Rainbow Balloons 114/365, 2. Happy 365, 3. Confetti, 4. 42-16986790
So, I've been hanging around these parts for a year now. That's a little hard for me to believe, but it must be so because the first post was made here on August 4th, 2007. Actually, it seems like it has been quite a bit longer. I have really enjoyed having this as a creative outlet, and I love all of the wonderful people I have met along the way. So, in honor of my fabulous blog readers, and the fact that it has been one year so far on this creative journey, I am going to be giving away a generous RAK.

Here's the deal...I can't show you a picture of the goods. Not just yet. That's because I am giving away one of the brand new add-on kits from Label Tulip's August collections. I promise that it won't disappoint...lots of brand new CHA goodies. PLUS, I am going to throw in a few little extras. After all, I can't give away a bunch of scrapbooking product without, say, a mini-book to put it all in. In the meantime, I have already ordered the add-on kit from LT with the rest of MY goods to play with. That means, that I will have it in my hot little hands (along with some other fun things) ready to mail out to you on the day that the kits go live for August (the 15th). The sneak peeks go up tomorrow, so you'll have a little hint as to what yumminess is in store for you. So, while I'm shopping around for some fun little extras, just leave me a comment. I'll leave the contest open until August 12th at 11:59 pm EST. I'll draw a winner on the 13th, and post the lucky name back up here that day. That way, if you are already a subscriber to LT and you win, you will know ahead of time so that you don't order the add-on.

***UPDATE***
Here are the items that I have added to the kit. I assure that they will match perfectly with all of the LT goodies. Don't forget to check back tomorrow (Aug 5th) for a sneak of the kit.

October Afternoon Chipboard Album

Doodlebug Sugar Coating in Limeade

Doodlebug Loopy Lou Adhesive Letters (to put that pretty glitter on)

And, some of the YUMMY Chatterbox Artsylicous Splendid Treasures in Ruby

Oh, and how about I make some more of these flowers to send to you that match the kit? I needed an excuse to make some more of them. *wink*

Simple as that...leave a comment here...you have through August 12th...I'll pick a winner on the 13th. Happy blogiversary to me, happy blogiversary to me...

August?

Already? Where the heck did July go? Wow. How does that happen? How do you just lose a whole month in the blink of an eye? I suppose it could be that July was just insanely busy. Actually, August looks to be shaping up the same way. I'll be guest DT'ing at this blog once a week for the entire month of July: Lotus Paperie. Be sure to check out the new challenge posted today, and participate...there are fun prizes to be won! Here is my take on the sketch:

Not my favorite LO, but you win some, you lose some, right? My mojo and I have been having real relationship issues lately. It seems to just have better things to do than spend time with me these days. I think part of it was caused by the forced introspection from this challenge at So Tell Me Your Story. We had to create a project about what our goals were for the next 5-10 years. I thought long and hard about that. What did I want to accomplish in that time? Where did I want to be a decade from now? What did I want to be doing? All of those thoughts lead me to the startling conclusion that I have no goals. Somewhere along the way, I totally lost myself. My life became about my husband and kids. "My goals" were actually goals that I wanted to see the rest of my family accomplish. I know that when you have kids, they become the first priority, and I wouldn't change that for the world. I love them to bits. But, I still think it important that every mother not completely lose herself somewhere in the mix. We still have to take some time for ourselves. I've ignored myself for quite a while now. So, this LO really just explored those feelings.

I still don't have any goals, per say, set for myself. To be honest, for a military wife who never really knows where the army will send her in 10 years (let alone 10 months), long-term goals are a little difficult to set at times. So, I guess the main "goal" would be to just take time for myself every once in a while.

In other news, Label Tulip is having another stamp sale! Go here to get your fix of some fab LT stamps!

Well, my DT commitments are all complete at the moment. The projects I mentioned previously are traveling on their way to the publisher. Bryan is done with work for the week. The kids have all of their activities planned for this weekend. And, I have a HUGE box of goodies from Chatterbox to play with for the next step in their DT audition. This stuff is drool-worthy! I spent about 10 minutes just fondling it. Bryan had to pry my hands out of the box just to get me out to the grocery store earlier. So, mojo, if you're reading this, I would love it if you could come back to me...just for the week. Please? I need you.

In the meantime, I am off to build a fort in our living room for my girls' "camp out" with Hazel tonight. Should be fun! Oh, and thanks for the kind comments on the flower tutorial. I'm glad you all enjoyed it!

Wait! How could I possibly forget? Monday is my 1-year blogiversary! And, in honor of that special occasion, I will be having a very generous RAK. *wink* *wink* So, don't forget to check back here on Monday, Aug 4th!