Happy 2010 Giveaway!

Wow, on to another year! It will probably take me about a month to stop writing "2009" on everything! I know I'm not the only one with that problem! Right?!?!

Anyway, I had a lot to be thankful for in 2009, especially in my scrapping world...being published, joining design teams, and starting this blog! In honor of the New Year, I've decided to have a little blog giveaway of the Basic Grey Cupcake Collection Pack! It's a cute one, for sure!

All you have to do is:
1) Become a follower (if you're not one already).
2) Leave me a comment of your number one, most important, what you wish for the most, resolution for 2010! That'll get you an automatic entry into the drawing!
3) If you happen to refer a friend and they do #1 and #2, I'll put you in for the drawing again!

It'll be a random drawing on 1/15! Easy peasy, right? If all goes well, I plan on having more giveaways of random stuff throughout the year!

Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

'Tis the Season For Giving

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is looking forward to the upcoming New Year. Those who know me well know that I just adore animals. I've been a volunteer for Heart of Texas Lab Rescue for years, and when they put out a call to foster a dog for Christmas, I just couldn't say no. After all, who wouldn't want to be "home" for Christmas? So, here is my temporary foster fur-kid to join my already 2 fur-kids. Enjoy the pics.

Bow down to your all mighty pack leader. LOL!!

Labradors of each flavor.

In other news, the latest DT challenge for A True Friend challenge blog is to create a layout or gift idea for the pet lovers in your life! Here's my take on the challenge!

Last but certainly not least, get ready for Scrap For A Cure's January Kits coming out on January 3rd! They have a "Main" kit and a "Mini" kit (which isn't mini at all!) and both are loaded with the latest beautiful papers and embellishments! You won't want to miss it! Here are some sneaky peeks so you can look forward to the real stuff! Go check us out and come join the forum, too! We'll be sure to give you a warm welcome!

2010 is almost here---let's make it a good one and remember to count your blessings! Happy Holidays!!

A Challenge & A Giveaway

Have I told anyone that I love sketches? Nothing beats a sketch to get my creative juices flowing! Anyway, My Mind's Eye is having a blog challenge and the winner will receive one of everything from three MME collections of their choice! Deadline is Dec. 17th at midnight, so hurry! Here's my challenge entry!

Here's the sketch (awesome, isn't it?!):

And here's my take:

Gotta love those lollipop flowers, right? I got the idea from Helen Croft's blog and they're super easy! Just cut 3-4 circles of different sizes & they don't need to be perfect. You can ink them, glimmer mist them, stickle them, paint them...you get the idea...then put a pretty little somethin' in the middle, like a brad, and you're done!

In other important news...I just found out about this great giveaway by GCD Studios and thought I'd share with all of you. They are giving away 10...yes, TEN...of their new collections! All you have to do is sign up to be a GCD Studios follower and leave a comment on their blog by January 1st! Easy peasy, right? Here's the linky and the blinkie! Good luck, everyone!

Tickled!

...that my blog was chosen for this week's "Inspiration Alley" over at Pocket Full of Papers! Isn't that the coolest?! They've got a really great bunch of designers over there, so go check out their fascinating work! And a big thanks to Tammy for taking the time to check out my blog and choosing me! I'm truly honored!!

Happy Dance!

All of you like to follow blogs, right? Well, I have been lurking around (OK, just short of stalking, LOL) one particular blog for quite some time. Who in the world am I talking about, you ask? Well, it's Helen Croft's blog called Scrap A Little. It is always filled with fun tips, tutorials, sketches, giveaways, and just all-around pure scrappy inspiration. You NEED to check out this blog! So, anyway, when I heard she was starting her very own design team, I just had to apply!

Well, I am excited to announce that she chose me for her DT! Thanks so much, Helen!! You won't be sorry! =) Here are my layouts that I submitted to try and get my foot in the door! They are based on two of her very own fabulous sketches!

Here's the first sketch and my take on it:

And the second sketch & my take:

Thanks again for stopping by! Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

'Tis the Season

...to be jolly! Well, for my 2 pooches, they're not exactly thrilled. It's that time of the year when I pull out those dreaded antlers and ask them to smile for the camera. Well, not really. Anyway, here's my DT layout for "A True Friend" blog. Our challenge is to show our pets preparing for Christmas.

Aren't they funny? Notice how my chocolate lab is still clinging to his filthy, stuffed Halloween ghost. Sorry, buddy, that holiday is long past...Christmas time is near!

In other news, here are my layouts published in Scrapbook News and Review's November issue.

Thanks for taking a moment from shopping to come and visit my blog! 'Til next time!

Published LOs for November

Here are my published layouts from the November issue of Scrapstreet e-magazine. For those of you who are looking for some inspiration, this is a great place to go, and the best part is that it's FREE! I was truly inspired by the Cuttlebug challenge in this issue. It is so full of die cut and embossing techniques in both layouts and cards- truly awesome!

'Til next time!!

Thankful

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend and made it through Black Friday! I have much to be thankful for and I feel truly blessed! I have to give a special thanks to my scrap buddy, Zandra. I've worked with her for years, but have had the wonderful opportunity of getting to know her as a person! She is one of the most kind, selfless people I've ever known, and last week, she brought me this big bag of Making Memories stash. Now, this is some major scrappy eye candy, don't you agree?! Thanks, Z!!

Here's a layout I made using just a tiny morsel of this stash! It's based on a sketch over at 52 Sketches, 52 Weeks...

Hope everyone has a great week...it will be Christmas before we know it!

Dedicated to My Doggies

Exciting news! My first DT layout for "A True Friend" Challenge Blog was featured today, along with the works of my awesome fellow DT members! This is a great challenge blog to help you scrap your favorite animal friends, so go check it out! The current challenge is to scrap how your animal friends deal with cold, winter nights. My two favorite fur friends choose their spots carefully on the bed! And...here they are!

Hope everyone has a super Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Don't forget to count your blessings...but definitely don't count your calories (hee hee)!!

Super Stoked!

I recently applied for 2 design team (DT) positions and this week, I found out that I was chosen for both! I cannot believe that my scrap journey has taken me this far and I'm humbled and SOOOO very excited! So, without further ado, I introduce the two sites where I will be designing!

Check out the DT announcement here! Just scroll down a little and you'll find it...My DT term will start January, 2010. I love what SFAC stands for- They offer exciting scrapbook kits and projects and donate 5% of the total sales to the causes we hold dear. I think that is absolutely fantastic!

And the second DT I was picked for is:

This cool challenge blog will allow me to scrap my two fur-kids, and hopefully inspire others to scrap their favorite animal friends too! Check out the DT announcement here!

I want to thank everyone (a special shout out to Z- you know who you are!!) for all of the words of encouragement! Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Scrappin' Frenzy

I participated in my first online crop with Scrap For a Cure. It was a fun-filled weekend of games, layout challenges and I got to meet a great group of gals too! FYI, this kit club donates some of their earnings to charity--this quarter's recipient is Feeding America. Pretty cool, huh?! Anyway, I managed to crank out the most layouts I've ever done in three days and here they are!

Thanks for taking a peek at my latest work! Hope everyone has a wonderful week! 'Til next time!

Sketch Take #44 @ 52 Sketches

I've always been intrigued at how scrappers take simple sketches and create such beautiful interpretations of them! This is Sketch #44 at 52 Sketches, 52 Weeks.

Here is my layout based on this awesome sketch. Go try it yourself! There will be a random drawing from all entries for a huge, yummy kit prize!

Thanks for stopping by and hope everyone is having a wonderful start to November!

ScrapStreet Pubs

Hello everybody! Hope your Halloween was full of tricks and treats! Unfortunately, I had to work, but no fear, the candy still found me on the job...

Last month, I was lucky enough to have two layouts chosen for the October issue of ScrapStreet, an awesome scrapbook e-zine. Here they are!

Now that the November issue of Scrapstreet is out, go check it out! It's free, so no excuses! It's chock full of layouts, sketches and cool tutorials! I've got a couple of layouts in this issue as well, so I hope you head over there- you'll love what you see! 'Til next time...

Crisp Days of Fall

I know it's snowing in some parts, but it just doesn't do that here in South Texas! Do some people actually have to 'trick- or-treat' in the snow? I can't even begin to fathom that! Our last real recorded snowfall was in January, 1985 and we received 13 inches! Talk about a total fluke of nature. I've basically resigned myself to going to Colorado each year to see some real snowfall. Anyway...enough of the white stuff...

It's been quite cool these last few days...mid 70's with a beautiful, crisp breeze. Puts me in the mood for some pumpkin pie, caramel apples, and some fall layouts...so here's one in honor of the new season:

Take care everyone...be grateful for all of your blessings, and don't sweat the small stuff! 'Til next time!

Scrap Heaven

A little birdie on a scrapbook forum told me that Scenic Route is going out of business (Boo!). I love their stuff! Well, to keep from drowning in my sorrow, I went to their website and dove head first into their clearance section! Nine days later, sitting on my front porch, was a box bursting with 13 pounds of pure scrappy goodness. Here's a peek at part of my new stash!

And I must give a shout out to the best scrappy buddy ever, who always manages to find the best deals and includes me in them...my supporter and enabler, otherwise known as txzrock (Zandra). Thanks for my goodies. The occasion? Just 'cuz she has the biggest heart ever! You're the best!

To add to all of my excitement, my first ever layouts were published this month. And, I found out this past week that I had more acceptances for publication in Scrapstreet.com and Scrap N' Art magazines.

Wow, I am basking in scrap heaven! Thanks for everyone's support!!

Christmas in September?!

Whoops, the layout got picked up for publication, but here's a little sneaky peek! It will be available in the late November issue of Scrapbook News & Review!

Baby, it's cold outside! Well, it's 59 degrees in Texas right now! And if you're not familiar with Texas, this usually doesn't happen 'til...December! So, to celebrate the cool weather which has (temporarily) blown in, here are a couple of new creations! And then the forecast goes back to a balmy 90 degrees next week! Thanks for visiting!

More Pub News!

One last check of my e-mail tonight and thank goodness I checked my spam mail too! Hidden in there was a publication request from the awesome Scrapbook News & Review! THREE of my submitted layouts were accepted for publication! They have a special double-issue coming out at the end of September, though I'm not sure if my layouts will be in there or a future issue. I feel so honored to be chosen for their magazine! And they sent me their honorary blinkie to add to my blog! Yay!! Well, have a great night everyone...I know I will!

Pubbed for the very first time!

One of the reasons that I decided to start blogging is to showcase my work and update everyone on my scrap happenin's! Back in July, I started (with much hesitation) to submit my work to scrap magazines for publishing. I consider myself a decent scrapper, but with much to learn and improve on! I would not have been surprised if I didn't hear anything back.
Well, in August, I got TWO requests for publication from the online scrap mag "Scrapstreet.com." Those layouts will be published in October 2009. Then to boot, I got TWO more requests for publication from the same magazine. Those will appear in their November 2009 issue. Talk about stoked! I'm gonna be famous (heh heh!) Well, at present, I can't link the layouts here due to publication restrictions, but I will certainly post them once they're out in the mags, so stay tuned! Oh, and thanks for stopping in!

Pub Nudge

Back in June, I posted a layout from my recent family mini-reunion in Pensacola Beach, FL. I entered it in a Scrapbook.com challenge called "Scrap Your Vacations." First, the scrappers who entered layouts voted for their 8 favorites. Once the top entries were narrowed down, the Scrapbook.com community got to vote too. Well, out of 83 total layouts, my "Beach Bummed" layout won! Oh, how I love this hobby! (Or shall I say, addiction?) Ahhh, the publishing bug is trying to bite me!

Addendum:
Well, I did have the layout posted here...but more good news! It was picked up for publication, so I had to remove it! I will be allowed to re-post it one month after it is published, so check back later!

Rookie Blog Debut!

So, here it is! After months of tolling over whether I should start a blog...or not, this is the final product! Well, not exactly final, because I'm sure I'll make many more changes over time! After all, I am a rookie blogger. Thanks for peeking in and joining me on my walk of scrap adventures!