reflecting on 2009

Just a quick layout I got done after work - I had the pic printed and all the mats laid out yesterday just didn't have the ooommmpphhhhh to get it finished! This is based off a sketch challenge over at Scrapbooking Deals 4 U! I am so digging their kits that I am starting my sub in January but have enjoyed playing along with the challenges this week and feeling a little mojo flowing!!



Thanks for stoppin' by and happy scrappin'!!! Not sure if I'll have anything else to show this week but I do plan on making a post on New Year's Eve so make sure you stop back by!!!

Christmas Joy

Wow, 2 posts so close together! LOL I am delirious at this point and sick as a dog but I managed to get a layout done today!! It is a very simple layout and a scraplift challenge over at Scrapbook Deals 4 U but it was good to get the old mojo flowing again! The picture was taken on Christmas day by Cait using my new camera and since pics of Rob and I together with him NOT making faces are rare I figured I should take advantage of this! Again, this is a very simple layout but I like how the focus remains on the picture of us. I did journal around the edges which is a little mushy but basically tells him how as we begin each new year together I can not imagine loving him more but throughout the year my loves grows stronger and stronger - he is my Christmas Joy!



Thanks for stoppin' by - I think this is it for me today as my body is yearning for the recliner to watch my Dallas Cowboys play tonite and eat a hearty pork chop dinner which Rob is cooking right now!!

Happy Scrappin' all!!

Merry Day After Christmas and All That Jazz!!!

Well, here it is the day after Christmas - actually, almost 2 days after Christmas according to the time I am posting. I made it through the holiday rush in my first ever role as a retail manager!! I'm quite proud of myself as I did not have the desire to kill anyone - that includes staff and customers - and, I have made some new friends. With the obstacles of long hours and grouchy shoppers out of the way I am truly looking forward to the beginning of 2010 in my role as retail management and hope I can continue to affect people positively - staff and customers - considering 2 of 3 government contracts have fallen through and the third I am not sure if I am interested in as of now as the pay is quite a bit less than what I am making and the hours are just about the same so why lose money when I am actually enjoying what I am doing right??? Only time will tell though for sure!!!

Christmas here at the Brooks house proved uneventful although my in-laws in Texas had a white Christmas - meh! I could SEE snow so I guess that counts but they had snow in their front yard, on their porch, blah blah blah!!! My husband says he will never hear the end of it - we went home the one year from Corpus for them to get snow for the first time in like 80+ years on Christmas day and we move from Texas altogether and bam, they get snow on Christmas day and it wasn't ice this time, it was powdery snow.

Regardless, we had a great Christmas. We all received more than we probably deserved and it was nice to get spoiled by our kids this year since they have jobs and money of their own. A few weeks before Christmas I upgraded Rob's cell phone to an Iphone because he wasn't getting half his messages or calls and it was past the point of irritating so that was part of his gift along with a case/belt holster to protect it and some clothes. The kids got new coats, clothes and gift cards for the most part. Me, I was spoiled :) Dylan got me a sweater, purse, scarf and necklace/earring set while Cait got me slippers, earrings, necklace and ring (I think I am forgetting something but can't figure it out for sure). Rob spoiled me - I've been wanting a new camera so he bought me a new Canon Rebel Digi SLR - yeah, jaw dropping huh?? He got a really good price on it and I am so proud of him for getting me something I've wanted for a really long time - he really does listen to me sometimes!!! LOL

Anywho, here are a few pics from Christmas day taken withe my new camera:


















I am loving these pics and my camera! A lot to learn about it but one step at a time is my motto right now!!

On to scrappy stuff - not much! LOL I have lots of ideas just haven't had the time or health to do anything. I have been sick with a head cold and am still fighting it. Right now I am at the point of the annoying, hacking, pain in the butt cough and still a bit stuffy. I just don't like being sick at all so this is not working well with me LOL!!!

The one scrappy thing I did get done was this card:



Which was based off a sketch challenge over at Scrapbooking Deals 4U - a new site I found and am stumbling around a bit at.

Copics used:



That is all for tonite. I have great aspirations to get a layout done tomorrow but we shall see what happens - when I plan I usually don't follow through so right now I am going to leave it up in the air a bit. Might just spend the day veggin' with the family since I'm still sick.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas with a safe and Happy upcoming New Year!!!

Thanks for stoppin' by and happy scrappin'!!!!

Ain't No Stoppin' It

Christmas that is! Wow, time is flying so fast that I can not even dream about keeping up! I am working just one job now but it is management in retail while I wait til after the first of the year for the government contract with Lockheed Martin to be finalized so wow, it is crazy out there! I've been putting in 10 to 15 hour days with very few days off so no time for family much less crafting. I am not looking forward to the holidays being the blur they are becoming but at least when they are over it will slow down for me!

Tonite has proved to be one of my bad nights. My fibromyalgia and MPS is acting up so no sleep for me - even though I have to work early in the morning. So I decided to put that time to use and make a card for a sketch challenge over at Scrap Fit. It isn't much of a card or anything near my norm but it was all I had in me at midnight being exhausted but not able to sleep.



Thanks for stoppin' by and happy scrappin' - I am on the search for Neenah paper here in Albuquerque so I can get to stampin' again, it is horrible being out without any scrap stores around that carry it. I am hoping one of the local printers carries it otherwise I will resort to buying it online and hoping it makes it here (our mailman is horrible and half the time I don't get things that have been sent to me with them being returned to the senders and other times they just don't show).

It's Wacky Wednesday Time!!!

Are you thinking I'm wacky? Well, yeah some days but seriously, it is Wacky Wednesday over at Robyn's Fetish today and I must say, my wacky image was just too cute for "ewe" not to love...........bahahahahahahahaha, or should that be baaaaabaaaaabaaaaa I crack me up! Sorry, I digress - I really swear I am ADD or ADHD or something like that because my focal points bounce around all over the place no matter what I am doing!!!

Anywho - back to WW at Robyn's Fetish!!! This week we are using Sally da Sheep as our image and guess what, she is FREE - yep, you read that right! Sally da Sheep is totally free to you for one week only so pop over and grab her while she is still available and, if you create with her we would totally love to see!!!

Here's my WW Sally da Sheep card which was based off the sketch at Friday Sketchers (I just love their sketches):



and Copics used:



For those that know me, I hoard paper. I have more paper than any sane scrapper should probably have - I know there are those out there that know what I am talking about, just look around you! Anywho, I used My Minds Eye Coastal Laundry Line papers that I got at Archiver's when we lived in Austin - see the connection, that has been a year and a half and I just opened the darn pack!! LOL The image of course is from Robyn's Fetish and the sentiment I typed in Word using Kristen ITC Font that I got from one of the free font sites. Copics used to color and the stick pin is from my stash - I truly don't know where I got it! I made the flowers using a couple round embellishments from the paper pack and then punched a couple different flowers and layered them. The "how many? how much? what number?" also came from the paper pack and I thought it worked so well with the "I love ewe".

OK, now don't forget to link up your creations to our WW post at Robyn's Fetish and look out for Saturday when I'll have another card using one of her cah-yute Christmas images - I can't tell you which one but just think that in some parts of the world it is a little "frosty" out there!!! Boy, I crack me up!!!

Thanks for stoppin' by, happy scrappin' and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

PS I have stepped down from the Charisma Cardz design team as I was not able to keep up with the challenges due to my hectic schedule and I also took a short hiatus at The Cuttlebug Spot but the New Year should bring about some amazing challenges and work from all the sistah's over there so hang in there, the year is almost over with new adventures for us all!!!

Robyn's Fetish Blog Hop

Welcome to the Robyn’s Fetish Blog Hop!! If you arrived here from Kym’s blog you are on the right track, if not you will definitely want to go back to Robyn’s Fetish Challenge Blog to start and hop along with all of us!!! If you are here by accident or because you are a follower of mine - THANK YOU!!! Either way, you are in for a real treat so please check out the Challenge Blog for the full hop list!!!

Now, if you haven't seen Robyn's digi stamps yet you are really missing out!! I've been a somewhat "silent" follower downloading the free images she has once a week on Wacky Wednesdays but very soon I'll be designing using her images (would have had one completed for this week if my printer hadn't gone kaput!)!!!!

Since I don't have a printer this week I am going to share one of Robyn's new images with you - it is definitely a cah-yutie pie of an image! My son works at McDonald's and all I could think of to go with this image was "Do You Want Fries With That" as the sentiment! My son found it a little amusing but not totally.........LOL.

So, here is the adorable Doug with his burger and Fries (the old Charley Pride song popped in my head to, you know "Burgers and Fries and Cherry Pies"......la la la la la la la la). Sorry I got carried away with the singing!!!

Anywho, check out this image and then head on over to the next stop in our blog hop:






Didn't I tell you he was too stinkin' cah-yute!!!!

Now, your next stop is to see the lovely and talented Jeanette!!! Thanks for

Disappearing Act

Yes, I did master the disappearing act for the last couple weeks! It is amazing how time flies! A lot has gone on including me working 2 jobs for a short period of time and now I am down to one job again for a short period of time but working double hours because of the holidays. I was supposed to start with a company this week but things got put on hold - it's government so contracts and stuff weren't in order to start us as planned.

I've missed a couple weeks of scrapping which hasn't made me happy but with the holidays, working and school I had to give somewhere and unfortunately my scrappy work was the only area I could afford to cut back on but...........I am hoping to be back full force now and I have some cute stuff planned for the next few weeks with the holidays in mind!!!

This week at The Cuttlebug Spot we are kicking off the holidays with the theme "Winter Wonderland." I couldn't resist my Pink Cat Studio stamp w/Lily and the Snowman - I've used this image over and over for holiday cards the last two years! I paired Lily with these adorable papers from My Mind's Eye and the sketch from Friday Sketchers.

So, here's my card:





That is all I have today - I am heading to my recliner for some rest and relaxation and quality time tonite. I do work tomorrow but hope to have some free time tomorrow evening or Tuesday morning since I don't work til Tuesday afternoon!

As always, thanks for stoppin' by and happy scrappin'!!!!

Gobble Gobble!!

The holidays are closing in really quick and I haven't even started thinking about what we'll do!!! Thanksgiving will be spent with some new friends here in Albuquerque as both Rob and my family will not be able to come out and we won't be able to go home. I am getting excited though!!

This week at The Cuttlebug Spot we are celebrating Thanksgiving by including those adorable little turkeys on our projects - plus we will be off next week for the holiday! This week I am happy to report my card was finished and ready to go in plenty of time - I'm still feeling horrible about missing out last week. My cute little turkey is boycotting Thanksgiving by wanting us to eat anything (preferably one of those cute little piggies by the looks of his sign) but him!!! I found this the perfect opportunity to use my googlie eyes again - we all know how much I adore putting googlie eyes on everything I can!!! I used the Diamond Plate (one of my favs I do believe) and Argyle plate to emboss the designer papers behind the little guy and my DP's are from the DCWV Indian Summer Fallstack that I got on clearance at Jo's for $3!!!! I love a great bargain! I also used the sketch over at The Pixie Cottage this week as inspiration and kept it really simple - you gotta check out the prize this week, so totally adorable!!! I hope you like my little guy as much as I do!

My card - front:



inside:



and Copics used:



That is all for today (actually Sunday when I'm scheduling this....LOL) as I have school work to get done and I must clean up my disaster area from the last couple weeks of non-stop holiday crafting!!

Thanks for stoppin' by and happy scrappin'!!!

A Few Recent Things

With all that has been going on I haven't gotten much done for challenges but I have been busy preparing for my show tomorrow. Here are just a few things I've done - I am hoping (if I remember) to take a picture as I get set up for my first show in New Mexico - I can't wait to see the turn out!!!

Holiday Planners - I made some regular size ones and then some mini ones:






(this is the mini one, only made 2 and they were exactly the same)



Some mini cards - these come in a set of 6 and there are a few other versions but didn't feel like taking them all out of the bags tonite as I packed things:



Another 5 card, regular size set:




And all the holiday cards in my recent posts are going as well.


Now for my earrings - I didn't get as many pair made as I wanted (and this isn't all of them but again, I got lazy and didn't feel like taking them all out to photograph) but I took 2 nights off this week as I was just flat out exhausted. Tomorrow after the show I am coming home and taking a long nap!!!



I love this pair - I swear if they don't sell I'm putting them on as I drive off!! LOL



And this pair, my attempt was to create the image of an angel - I think it worked??













OK, I think that is all for tonite to show ya!! I am off to pick up Cait from work in a few minutes, stop by WalMart and get the cat some food, I swear you think she is starving even though she has been eating the dogs food all day, pick up litter cuz she just flat out stinks (ugh), business card holders and a small something or another to put the mini cards in so they don't have to dig for them.

Thanks for stoppin' by and happy scrappin'!!!

Merry & Bright w/Your Next Stamp Company

Hi all! It has been an extremely hectic and stressful week since my last post. I feel absolutely horrible that I missed my card for this week at The Cuttlebug Spot but there were a few pressing things that just made it necessary - I'll recap it at the end of my post as I want to get to my project for this week at Charisma!!!!

Vee has challenged us to "Merry & Bright" and we are generously being sponsored by Your Next Stamp. We got a few free digi images to play with this week from Your Next Stamp and they are just flippin' adorable! Both the snowman and the sentiment are from Your Next Stamp - how awesome huh? The only bummer is my printer went kaput a few weeks ago so I had to save them to a zip drive and hop over to Staples and have them printed. The cardstock was much thinner than I typically use so when I tried to color in a couple of the other images I ruined them and the poor little snowman was the only one to survive!

My project this week is not the typical card. I tried last year to make a purse planner/notepad but as I typically do, I made it more difficult than it should be and gave up. I was perusing over at Suzanne Dean's blog recently and she had just what I was wanting to make done!!! I was so tickled that I had to just make myself one and I thought the images from Your Next Stamp fit perfect for what I was looking for!!

Anywho, enough flapping my yap, here is my project for "Merry & Bright":



And the inside w/pocket:



So, a recap:

Cait has been having serious headaches and dizzy spells for a while. We had hoped it was just anemia because she only eats a poptart for breakfast/lunch and then whatever I fix for dinner. I just figured she wasn't getting the right things to eat - you know how teenagers are right? Well, all the blood work came back showing that she is not anemic nor is she hypoglycemic which was our second guess. Basically the blood work shows everything is fine so our next step is an MRI of the brain to look for lesions - ugh, this has had me a tad upset and preoccupied.

Then, my Mom let me know that she has a kidney that has collapsed (but the other looks fine) and they found a spot on her bladder. They have decided not to put her through any surgeries quite yet. They are gonna monitor both the kidney and the spot on her bladder for a few months then decide what to do if the spot grows.

Me, I go to the doctor on Wednesday (writing this on Tuesday night...lol) to see if he is going to officially diagnose me with Fibromyalgia. My family doctor said he is pretty sure that is what is causing the additional pain for me on top of the degenerative disc disease.

Still no idea on what has been causing the chest pains with the hubby. The cardiologist is focusing on his cholesterol because all other tests come out just fine.

So, as you see I've been a little preoccupied.

As always, thanks for stopping by and happy scrappin'!

Oh Goodness it is Thursday!!

Oh my! I knew what day of the week it was yesterday (my day off) and I knew I needed to get my Thursday post scheduled but did I do it? Heck no!!!

So, it is Thursday and with every Thursday it is Charisma Cardz reveal day. This week Leanne was our hostess with the mostest and she provided us with the cah-yutest sketch evah to work with! I totally dug this sketch so much that I have it planned to use on a dozen or more cards for the holiday season!!!

Anywho, enough of my yapping here is my card and if you wanna see that yummy sketch hop on over to Charisma and play along with us!!!

My card:



and Copics used:



The image stamp is of course a Bella girl but the sentiment came with a quote pack by Amuse that I bought in April or May right before we moved and the local stamp store in Fort Worth was closing - they are the same quotes that I used on Merry Chris-moose cards the other day!!!

Now for some more cards just for fun - this is another set of 5 I have completed for the show on the 14th - I'm getting the sets done a few at a time but def not as many as I wanted done by now............ugh, laziness!!! LOL Anywho, Cait and I have been using and showing a few cards lately using stamps by The Cats Pajamas and this set is another example - I have 5 sets of the TCP stamps and they are spread across my table getting well used for the holiday season as they are just so darn cute and easy to use!!!



Thanks for stoppin' by and happy scrappin'!!!

So Thankful at The Cuttlebug Spot

Hi all!!! This week at The Cuttlebug Spot we are giving thanks with our projects. I kicked around this one for a few days trying to come up with something catchy and cute - yeah, well I ended up with just another card. Some days the mojo is flowing, others it isn't. I had my card ALMOST finished when my daughter asked what I had used the CB on!! DOH!! I had to restructure the card and include something from the CB which is embossing on the flower and I used my Nestabilities to cut out the scalloped shapes to make the flower. Some days I am so scatterbrained I know!!! I think I have a lot on my mind awaiting the doctor appointment on the 11th so I will blame all of my forgetfulness lately on that!!!

So, on to my card:



And Copics used (you can see from this pic that I changed the mat for the image too - I loved that mat but didn't do my measurements quite right as it was too big for the card when I went to assemble......ugh):



I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I wish you a happy week! We are closing in on the holidays and being so far from home is getting to me. I miss my friends and family - I love Albuquerque don't get me wrong but with no one here to hang out with at all, no decent scrappy stores and still trying to recover from our being out of work for almost a year and then the move it is pretty depressing at times. Sorry, I try to keep the negative and not so fun stuff from the blog but as I am typing this on Sunday evening (love auto post) I am experiencing a mix of emotions and sometimes it is best to just get them out!!!

Stay tuned for more work this week (hopefully) and my Charisma reveal come Thursday!!!

Sheetload of Cards

This first card I made using October's Sheetload of Cards which can be found here - I have to admit, I look at the file every month and think how cute the designs are but I've never sat down and utilized the format they have until now (with a few tweaks of my own...LOL)!!! I flew through making this card in an unbelievable amount of time, heck, it took me longer to choose my image and papers than to make the cards!!!

Anywho, here's my card:




So seriously, if you are looking for a way to make quick holiday cards I totally recommend going to Sheetload of Cards and check out each months project sheets - you will be amazed at how quick you can pop together some absolutely adorable cards while utilizing your papers to their fullest extent! I am definitely using this again for the rest of my holiday cards!!!

This next pic is my 2nd set of 5 cards that I've made for my show on the 14th of November - I am hoping to get 48 more sets made by then!!! I am also still working on single cards, jewelry and maybe some sewn things!!!

My cards:



Thanks for stoppin' by and happy scrappin' - I am off to make some more card sets (I'm thinking my ice skating Changito is gonna be a 5 card set since I used the sheetload of cards desgin)!!!

Something A Little Different......................

.............in my attempt to NOT make another easel card!!! LOL Seriously though, I was so flippin' close to hammering out another easel card then I remembered my promise - I'd "TRY" not to make another for a while at least not any that I show and well, I love to show everything I make so........................no easel card for me tonite!!!

I am not sure how I am liking this one as it is extremely simple for me other than all the flaps and flippin' but it is kinda of cool I guess...........you tell me!!!

My card (sorry the first pic is blurry, not sure what is up with that):



as it unfolds the 1st time:



and the third time to reveal the gift card:



and Copics used:



The little silver circles you see on the first and third flap are little magnets - I just love how they hold the card closed til it is ready to be opened!!!

Thanks for stoppin' by, let me know what you think and happy scrappin'!!!

A Quick Card

I got this image as part of a prize pack from a challenge blog a while back and haven't really gone through the images to see what was there til yesterday. I found this gorgeous WoJ image and knew I had to use her - isn't she just gorgeous!!!

Anywho, this card is for the Caardvarks challenge asking for a tall card - well, it isn't really really tall but it is definitely more tall than wide than my usual cards!!

My card:



and Copics used:



A very simple card but I think I like how it turned out!!!

Thanks for stoppin' by and happy scrappin'!!

More Snow!!!

Wow oh wowzers!!! We got more snow today!!! Today's snow wasn't quite as exciting as my trek with Daisy up the mountain yesterday but for it to snow at my house this early in the season it was very thrilling!! Here are a few pics of the little we got this afternoon!!!









Thanks for stoppin' by and happy scrappin!!!!