Stay Tuned!

for a giveaway later this weekend from my followers. 

Why you ask?  Because today is my birthday and I want you all to celebrate with me!!! 

and what is this prize you ask?  How about a $10 gift certificate to Color Me Daisy?!?! 

On Family Life

(random photos from our "treasure hunt" for conversations heart are interspersed throughout this post to add to the cuteness level.)

Lately God has been teaching me (yet again) about priorities, about time management, about things with eternal value.  As I weighed my time and the ways I was spending it it became obvious to me that I was spending too much time on the internet (message boards, blogging, reading blogs, a wee bit o' facebook, apply of things, submitting DT work, and on...and on...and on...)  So I decided to resign from Scrap-Tastic.  I thought I'd just have one DT, one message board, it would all be great...but apparently God thought I need even less "outside" commitment.  My children need me.  They need all of me.  So after some struggling, some soul searching, and some meditation and prayer over these questions, (look for a post on them soon!) I've decided that now is a time to say no to some good things.  No to design teams for now.  No to much submitting.

But I'm not thinking of it as saying no.  I'm thinking of it as saying yes.  Yes to BEING with my children (mentally too!)  Yes to serving God in the roles he has so blessed me with (wife and mommy.)  Yes to more time read and study and meditate so that I can be real with my children.  Be honest with them.  Let them see me and all my struggles and all my dependence on God. 

However, as I refocus my mind, my life, and maybe even my blog, to reflect where I am right now (parenting three tiny children), my friend Jessica had some very timely words of wisdom on not making an idol of parenting.  

On a side note, I have been crafty lately...however it was with fabric not paper!  Hoping to share that later this week. 

oh, and just so you don't think I forgot about her...

Just for the Fun of it...

Take the Quiz here!

Which Austen Heroine are you?  

Your Word is Truth

It was 3:48...AM.  I started awake, not sure what I had heard...as I listened I heard little feet...and soon right next to my head a little voice said, "My pooin' mom."  So we head to the bathroom where I discover a pull up that already weights about as much as a full grown man and jammies that are soaked through.  The little dude goes potty, I get his clothes changed and we head back to bed...but wait!  The sheets are soaked through too!  (and I just bought TWO packs of these silly apparently cheapo pull ups!  Grrr...)  So I get the sheets taken care of, put him back to bed and groggily crawl back into my now cold bed.  Forty-five minutes later as I'm slowly drifting off to dreamland the soft patter of little feet reaches into my sleepy haze and yanks me out.  "I needa go potty mom."  So we do it again...this time as I'm putting him back to bed I hear moanings from the crib next to him.  Praying it's just baby dreams I quietly slip out and head to bed again.  As the moanings turn to yells, grunts, and the occasional cry (far earlier than she is normally fed) my tiredness turns to resentment.  Finally in frustration I give up.  Sleep is over for me for the day.  With a bit of anger and indignation I get Grace up to feed her (I can't believe I'm confessing so much of my sinful attitude to all blogland!)  

If you've made it this far...PROPS!!!  Now for the meat of the story...the important part...the part I need to learn so frequently.

As I was feeding Baby Grace I pulled out the Bible study I'm currently doing and started reading.  I came to Romans 13.  Then I came to Romans 13:14

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify it's desires."

Ouch.  That's exactly what I was doing.  I was making EVERY provision for the flesh.  Feeling like I had some RIGHT to be grouchy or complain because my flesh didn't get it's desire (sleep) gratified last night.  

John 17:17 sure is true isn't it?  "Sanctify us by your word.  Your word is truth."  I praise God that He is continually changing us to be more like Him...even when it's through lack of sleep.  

What Do You Think? (fabric choices)

 

ETA - Ok, so I KNOW the bottom one is too girly, I just really love the damask print!  Anyway, how about throwing this one in with the top batch, makes it more "masculine" right?

So I'm making all the kids white duevet covers and I'm going to put ruffles on the girls and just a straight trim on Zeke's.  Since they're all sharing a room I wanted them to have stuff that coordinated but was still different....and not TOO girly.  Anyway, from this stack I was thinking the bottom one for Zeke's, the turquoise with red flowers for Grace's and the turquoise with white polka dots for Kessa's...and then maybe make them all pillows out of a red, or a white trimmed with red or something.  They'll probably all have the same pillows though.

Or...

The middle three here.  The pink and white polka dots, turquoise and white polka dots, and pink damask.

So, what do you think?  I know what I'm leaning towards but I'm always open to new ideas!  (or if you know of some other ideas I'd love to hear them too!)

Love Is...

One of Becky's challenges during our Organize Your Heart crop was to do  a LO with a title that started "Love is."  I still had that in the back of my mind when I started on this LO for the American Crafts challenge to make a Valentine's LO or card...and then when I saw these pictures it all just fell into place. 

Love is...

I also used my American Crafts Precision Pen, and some of my favorite Thickers!
Oh, and the punch I'm going to have to look for on-line.  I threw the box away and can't remember what it's called (its a Martha punch though!)
and aren't these cupcakes just yummy?!??!  I fussy cut them from the AC Romance Papers (all the PP's are from this collection.) I added embossing powder for the "frosting" and on one of them I sprinkled glitter over it for some extra glitz.

 

My "Origins"

Heheheh..I'm a big dork.  My papercrafting "origins" are with cardmaking...but I'm a self-proclaimed scrapper...and haven't been very good at making cards for a few years.  However, latetly I've been having fun playing around with more cards when I want to make something but don't have time to do a LO. 

Today, during naptime was one of those days.  I NEEDED to do something crafty, so I pulled out my Basic Grey Origins paper and some new punches I got yesterday and started playing.

 

My dad's birthday is Monday, so I made him a little card...I used Distress EP for the cake and the punches are by MS.

 

and another simple card playing with my new MS punches (plus another one here...do you see it?)

I sprayed Coffee Shop glimmer mist on the card first then added the BG stickers, the label I punched with my Stampin' Up Modern Label punch and then I sprayed the Belle Blvd. letters with Helmer Spray adhesive and added glitter.  I also added glitter to my butterflies.  

We're Croppin'!!!

We're having a crop over at Color Me Daisy...it's one last fond fairwell to our beloved site.  Come play with us!!!  Check out the challenges that go with this card -

 

 

and this LO:

 

(if you click to enlarge this one you can read the slightly amusing and all too true to life journaling.)

(I think I'm becoming addicted to those banners...)

We Will...

The kids and I have been learning a lot about love lately
.  We've been reading 1 Corinthians 13 a lot before bed.    It's more for me than them I'm sure, but it's also great to have scripture to point them to when training them in how to treat others.  Anyway, I wanted to make a new wreath for Valentine's day (you can see one I made last summer here.)

I used the "Change of Heart" kit (which is on sale right now!!)

The wreath was like $3 at Wal-Mart.

I used my SU Heart Punch and Martha Stewart Butterfly one too (umm...yea, I'm totally addicted to those!) For all the words in my handwriting I used my VersaMark pen and then sprinkled EP over it and heat set it.  I also used spray adhesive on the "love" and coated it with red glitter...nothing says love like glitter!  ;)

 

 
Love that Blackmagic Coredinations cardstock!!!  I used my glue pen to trace over the designs on the MME paper and added glitter to it too.

Imagination

How about a LO with the fabulous "Change of Heart" kit from Color Me Daisy?

 

I've been holding onto this picture of Zeke for a few months...every time I started to scrap it it just wasn't working for me...but I do like how it turned out this time!

 

for some added texture and interest I pulled out my houndstooth stamp (October Afternoon) and my black embossing powder and did some tone on tone embossing on my black cardstock.  I love the way it turned out!

 

This Maya Road chipboard in the kit was begging for some glimmer mist and I was more than happy to oblige!  I used some red glimmer mist on it, then stamped with VersaMark and embossed with clear embossing powder (houndstooth stamp again) and THEN I rubbed it all with brown ink.  Where the clear EP is the ink doesn't adhere.  This is the resist technique...but then you already knew how to do that did you?  It's pretty old hat!  :)

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to stop by CMD on the 10th as we're having an "Organize Your Heart" crop to say farewell in style!

Creative Outlet

I'm sorry the last post sounded like a *bit* of a downer.  ok, maybe it was a BIG downer. ahem.  Anyway, I've loved working both places but I'm also looking forward to see what the future holds...and I'm throwing myself into creating....for the fun of it!  lol...and I AM having fun...and I'm remembering that before I was a scrapbooker I was a cardmaker.  So I thought I'd share a couple cards I've done.  

 

I used the Basic Grey Origins line for this one, along with some of my "go to" supplies, the Modern Label punch and the "grateful" stamp are both Stampin' Up.  Then just to add a little something I outlined the flower with some glitter and used a contrasting green thread to stitch a boarder around the yellow paper.  The rhinestones are Kaiser.

and I had such fun with this card.  The photos don't do it justice.

I'm totally addicted to my Stampin' Up triple heart punch.  I used pink embossing powder on one of the hearts, and Walnut Distress Powder on the "cherish" and the sentiment on the heart as well.  The papers are from the Pink Paislee Cupid line and for a sweet and slightly whimsical touch I made this a tri-fold card and used the Stampin' Up Eyelet boarder punch on the edge.

a slightly better picture of the glittered heart...I'll have to take some good ones tomorrow when it's not dark!  :)

Homeless and Unemployed

That's how I feel right now.  And that's what I'll be effective Feb. 28th.  See... I have been thinking over time commitments for a long time and the beginning of last month I finally bit the bullet and sent in my resignation to Scrap-Tastic.  It's been a FANTASTIC place to be, Becky is so amazing to work for, but it just felt like the right time.  

THEN two other sites I'm pretty fond of had DT calls and I convinced myself not to try out.  I just wanted to stick with my beloved CMD for a while and work on other things.  And then....then this happened.  

Michelle is being VERY wise and she is choosing the BEST thing she could...but it means an end to the Color Me Daisy DT which has grown to be a big part of my life and I'm really going to miss it!

That said, this month's kit (and add ons!!) is amazing!!!!  Here's the kit:  

and I'll be back tomorrow with some of my LOs.

Someday

This is a "just for fun" layout.  (which I will be doing a  lot of in the near future apparently, but more on that later.)

Pretty much everything is from the Pink Paislee Cupid line.  I just love these pictures of Grace.  They're soo...babyish, and I know she won't be like this for long.  The journaling on this page was really special to me too (hence so many journaling spots! lol) (if you click on the photo it will enlarge so you can read it if you have that desire.)

The top boarder was made with the Stampin' Up Eyelet boarder punch.

 

Thanks for stopping by!