About Me

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DFW, Texas, United States
I'm the luckiest woman out there. I'm blessed to be married to my best friend. I have two amazing children, one son-in-law and the most adorable grandson ever with grandson number two due February 2013!!! My passion is people and preserving their memories for generations to come.
Questions, Comments or Concerns:

Email me at craf_t_scrapper@yahoo.com

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Monday, April 27, 2009

I'm baaaaaack!!!

Have ya missed me? Wow, so much has gone on since my last post and I don't know where to start. Get ready for a novel of a post - you've been warned..........LOL!!!

I arrived home on Sunday, 4/19 to no internet due to the storms we had after my vacation to Tennessee - which is what this post is primarily about so get ready!!!!

On 4/12 I left Texas heading to Nashville, TN to spend a few days with my darling friends Cristal and Aymee before heading off to the mountains with 9 other ladies for a scrap happy weekend retreat:

This pic was driving from Ft Worth towards Dallas about 6'sh in the morning

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It was a LONG but nice drive from Texas to Tennessee. Knowing that Cristal was headed to Alabama to pick up Aymee that day and wouldn't be home til later in the evening I made plans to stop in Memphis to visit Archiver's - man I miss that store!!! When we lived in Austin there was one about 15 mins from me and I went about once a week (yeah I'm pathetic) so I hadn't been since August of last year!!! It was a great to walk in and feel the rush of yummy new product!!! I have to admit though, it was great to revisit the store and especially see the Hot Spot stuff (all items in that area are $1.98 and they had the chip chatter letters that sell for $6 to $8 elsewhere) but there is an LSS by my Mom's house (The Crafty Scrapper) that is, dare I say it, that is just as good or better than A's because Carolyn keeps it totally stocked with new yummy goodies!!! Anywho, I did pick up a few things that I hadn't seen and I def hit the hot spot and grabbed some of the chip chatter letters and some of the gems they had over there. Nothing spectacular though just enjoyed browsing and relaxing after driving a bit.

After I left Memphis I headed on to Nashville then into Murfreesboro to meet up with Cristal, her husband Andrew and her 3 boys as well as Aymee and it was amazing to finally meet these beautiful ladies!!! That first night we didn't stay up too late as we were all whipped from the driving but we did get to chit chat and visit a bit and it was so much fun. On Sunday we made a little video wishing everyone a Happy Easter and took this pic:

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Now tell me, have you seen 3 more gorgeous chics? OK, don't answer that but I think we are pretty saucy!!!

Sunday Cristal fixed a delicious ham dinner for our Easter meal. We got to watch the boys hide and hunt eggs and play with their Easter goodies. It was great being around little ones again!!! After dinner Andrew, Cristal's husband, was such a doll and drove us to Nashville to take a few pics. I wish I had just a week to spend in Nashville alone and to visit all the stores, The Grand Ol' Opry and all that jazz. Here is a pic of downtown Nashville:

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I snapped these two pics of murals while we were driving around as well:

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We spent Monday and Tuesday visiting and running errands and working on things for the getaway. It was a blast as we did visit the LSS that is in Cristal's neighborhood and OMG it was a fabulous scrappy store - I bought some great My Little Shoebox papers that I hadn't been able to find anywhere in person (I prefer to touch my papers before I buy....LOL). We also got the aprons made - Aymee and I ironed them to make it quicker for Cristal to get them sewn together and 10 aprons later we were done! It was so much fun and they were really so easy that I came home and made 2 of them - 1 for Cait because she loved my apron and the other one for me as a back up to use in the kitchen.

My apron from Cristal:

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The aprons I made (don't look close because you can see the crooked seams and such...LOL):

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Don't be too harsh on my aprons, it has been over 10 years since I've tried sewing anything other than a card or layout.........LOL. I don't think I did too bad but there is definitely room for improvement. I thank Cristal tons for letting me help with making the ones she gave as gifts because it gave me a renewed feeling to sew!!! I am planning a tote next so keep your eyes open!!! Oh, and the craziest part??? Remember that little Pixie sewing machine by Singer that my Mom traded me for last year so she could start quilting again? Well, I used the Pixie to make the aprons!!! I def don't see the Pixie making clothing or doing heavy duty sewing but simple stuff that doesn't have a lot of layers like the aprons is easily doable on that little machine so if you have still been unsure of investing in it - I still recommend it!!!

Late Tuesday another friend, Cee, arrived at Cristals from Missouri. I've been waiting just as long to meet this woman and I wasn't disappointed. She is such a beautiful person and another great friend!!!

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We didn't do much on Tuesday night because there were some seriously tired girls but Wednesday morning we started out day off by picking up Denise from Florida:

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I am just so glad I finally got to meet Denise in person. I have to admit that over the last year or so that I've "known" her online I didn't really know her. There were preconceived ideals that were so NOT true due to some riff raff that I thought she was associated with closely (total scrap whore drama that doesn't need to be delved into here) but I am so happy to find out that I honeslty DIDN'T have a clue!! Denise is a hoot! She is a beautiful woman and lord she cracks me up! She is always on the move too, man I tried keeping up with that woman and even ventured on a morning walk with her and told her if she didn't watch out she might have to go get the car and take me back to the cabin..........ROFL.........yep, I'm out of shape something serious but in my defense there were a couple "hills" we had to walk up and I don't think that woman even changed her breathing pattern from it as I gasped to make it back up the drive way (it was a steep drive way mind you) to get to the cabin!

Wednesday for lunch Cee was such a doll and treated us to a fabulous BBQ dinner in Nashville at a place Cristal totally recommended and it was so worth it!!!!

Denise had the waitress take a picture of us as a group:

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In this pic from the left side back and then around the table to the right is: Cristal, Gage (Cristals darling son), Denise, Aymee, Cee and me

And a pic of Cee and I:

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On Wednesday evening Melissa aka Ziggy and Karen D aka Kray arrived at Cristals so we could all head out on Thursday to the mountains to meet the rest of the girls. This is Zigs and Kray - I had to edit a pic to get one of the two of them, I didn't get but one of Zigs before we headed to the mountains and none of Kray and the one of Zigs was her laying on the bed so I figured she didn't want me sharing that one :)

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Thursday morning we all got up and headed towards Pigeon Forge, TN - the great Smokey Mountains!!! Here is a pic of us girls at a rest stop on the way up into the mountains:

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In this pic, starting from the back we have Karen D (Kray), Denise, Karen B (me), Cee, Melissa (Ziggy), and in the front Aymee and Cristal.

This was our cabin:

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And a couple views from the cabin:

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On Thursday as we arrived at the cabin we got to meet Janelle and Ashley. I didn't manage to get a single pic of Janelle so I borrowed this pic from one of the other girls:

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And of course Ashley:

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On Friday Carol arrived and our group was now complete!!! Ten ladies ready to have a fabulous weekend developing and strengthening friendships that will last a lifetime!!!

And here is the gorgeous Carol (she is Aymee's Mom):

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There were so many gifts about too. Cristal put together a kit for everyone, I gave out image holders full of stamped images, Cee had totes made for us that were embroidered with Just Scrappin', Aymee and Carol put together little goodie bags full of embellies, Melissa brought us each a set of Cosmo Cricket papers, just so much that I know I probably left someone out and I am sorry if I did!!! The biggest surprise was from Rebecca at Fiskars though!!! She sent over an entire set of Cloud 9 products from papers to paperclips to stickers and paper ribbons - so much stuff. She also included in our package some awesome cowboy hats and toy gun sets for our "shoot out" at the High Noon Lodge!!!

Here is me with my cowboy hat and hat pins she sent us:

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A lot went on while we were at the cabin - tons of fun and shopping. We hit the local scrapbook clearance store and boy, was it worth it! I got packages of some older Sass paper for $5 that had over 50 pieces of paper, die cuts and letters. I know Cait loves those papers so I couldn't resist getting them to split up with her (I love me some Sass too). Lots of transparencies really cheap, some thickers for less than $2 a pack, cute Karen Foster buttons I hadn't seen before, tags, etc. I got a lot of cute stuff for really good prices. I was also introduced to Yellow Box shoes by Carol and Aymee. Wow, is all I can say!!! These shoes, or flip flops, are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn!! I swear, with my bad back it is hard to find shoes that at the end of the day I don't feel extra fatigue in my back but these shoes do just that!!! I never thought I would pay $20 for a pair of flip flops but I will buy more of these!!! I will have to get a pic of them on my feet when I get my toenails repainted!!!

I'll wrap up the novel now as I am sure you are tired of reading - I warned you in the beginning though, this is what happens when I go two weeks or longer without posting!!!

I'll leave you with some pics:


The High Noon Girls - Me, Karen D (Kray) and Aymee

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The jacuzzi tub in mine and Cee's room - check out that shapely and sexy leg there.......ROFL

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Our very own High Noon Lady, Melissa (Zigs):

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The hot tub girls Ashley, Aymee, Cristal and me:

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Me and Aymee with our matching Aprons:

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Cee, me and Karen D:

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All the girls:

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My life has been forever changed by meeting these beautiful women. I value each one of them for their uniqueness and individuality. I can honestly say that this group of ten ladies (yep, including me) are some of the most amazing women when it comes to the sincerity and love we have developed for each other. I know that I will walk with a different purpose in life thanks to them all!!!

Now, to finish catching up on school work, my scrappy boards and the house!!!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy yourself and my pictures. Happy Scrappin'!!!!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Scrap Happy Mail Day

Well, it is down to the last minute things of packing before I head off to Tennessee!!! I'm so excited I can't stand myself right now!!! I will be leaving in the morning so there won't be much posting, if any, on my blog of work or anything til I get back but I promise to share pics of our fun when I get home!!!

I did want to share this cute little bracelet I threw together last night:

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And didn't I mention something about scrap happy mail??? Why YES, yes I did!!!

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This was my prize from winning at The Cuttlebug Spot a couple weeks ago was a $15 gift certificate from The Craft Barn in Surrey, England. When I saw that they carried Stampavie I knew which Sarah Kay- Rose's Garden - stamp I was gonna get but little did I know I was gonna be able to get 2, yes 2 stamps!!! It was then my challenge to find another stamp from their fabulous selection of stamps!!! I decided to go with a Rachelle Anne Miller Design Lily, Magic Fairy - isn't she adorable!!!

Here are my stamps I got today!!! I'm so thrilled!!!

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I wanted to say a special thanks to The Cuttlebug Spot for the fabulous challenge they hosted along with the prize they, and The Craft Barn provided the winner - lil ol' me!!!

I'll show my winning card from The Cuttlebug Spot one more time - just because it is the first time in a long long time that I've won anything AND because I just really really really love the technique challenge and result with this card!!!

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Thanks for stopping by and happy scrappin'!!!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Blog Lurv!!!

Well Ms Amy was such a sweetie for giving me some blog lurv!! Make sure you check out what she is up to - she is a sweetheart and creative scrapper!!!!


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Here are the rules to continue sharing the blog luv:


1. The winner may put the logo on their blog.
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3. Nominate 10 blogs.
4. Put links to their blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.


This was hard for me! There are so many blogs out there that I love to visit even though I don't always leave comments. These 10 are not in any particular order and are by no means the only blogs that I feel are deserving!!!

Greta Adams - I freaking love this chic!!!
Caitlin - She's my daughter and I love that she has been by the scrappy bug. I just wish she'd scrap more but hey, she's a teenager right?
Ali - I just love popping over to her blog and seeing all the work she gets done. This woman is truly inspiring!
Michelle - Totally inspiring to me!!! I love all her work, her pics and her stories!!!
Cristal - Well, I know she was also nominated by Amy but I couldn't NOT include her. Her will and kind heart make me love her. She is an amazing friend and is always there to listen and not judge. Not to mention she is letting me invade her home and her family for like a whole week!!! LOL
Niki - Her work is amazing. She is a beautiful and very strong woman. Her daughter is the little girl we have scrapped for and talked about in the last year. Unfortunately, precious Ellie has gone to be with the big man upstairs. My heart aches for Niki and her family with all they have endured this past year. Regardless of that, I have always admired her work.
Jen - I recently met Jen at a Copics workshop. She opened my eyes to a whole new world with my Copics. In addition her creativity and rockin' cards have brought me to a whole new level of inspiration! Now, to find the time to create with all the mojo flowing!!!
Suzanne - Talk about inspiring - this woman knocks my socks off with her work! I love all her cards and how she can go from soft and subtle to wild and crazy and still make it all pull together!
Marianne - Another blog I just lurv to stalk! She is the product specialist for Copic Markers and always has amazing tutorials on her blog! I've not only used her tutorials to help me more with the Copics, I've used some of the tips with watercolors as well! Love love checking out this blog for updated tutorials!
Lauren - Fabulous work! Her cards are always a home run in my opinion! Inspiring woman!
Becky - Another fab card maker! I love looking at all the different styles of images she chooses - I love how she can go from one to the other, totally my stamping kind of girl!!!

Make sure you check all the ladies out - they are all some very amazing women!!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrappin'!!!

So behind................

I have been a horrible blogger and even worst, a horrible scrapper!!! I am going to a retreat this next weekend so I've been trying to lots done around the house, my school work and a few little surprises that I wanted to give the girls at the retreat!! So, I can show nothing, nada, zilch right now because those girls are a little snoopy and will be over here trying to get a sneak peek!!! I also made an Easter card for Rob and the kids - again, can't show that because I know my nosey daughter will be right here trying to sneak a peek!!! So, what can I tell you about??? I can tell you about a new blog I found that is offering up some awesome blog candy prior to the launch of their new stamp line!!! So, go over to Charmed Delectable Stamps and check out the super cute images she is going to be offering up - they have a few sneak peeks going on right now - as well as the blog candy being offered!!!

I'll be back to blogging hopefully around the 20th with some stuff I can show!! Til then, up to my ears in school work and need to pack all my stuff!!!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrappin'!!!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Blog Candy!!!

OK, thank you to Aymee, my dear friend, who knows about my love affair with Copic markers!!! She told me about the blog candy over at Crafty Goings On and knew I couldn't resist trying for a prize of 72, yeah you read that right, 72 Copic markers!!! I'm crossing my fingers and wishing on shooting stars right now as this would be the uber prize to get!!!

Thanks again Aymee for the heads up!!!

Hopefully I'll have a little something scrappy going on later today or maybe tomorrow. I've been kind of bleh the last few days to top it off with school overload this term so I'm trying to get out of the blehness by just vegging a bit!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrappin'!!!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

April Fool's Day

So, do you play pranks today? Are you the "fool" or "fooler"? I remember when I was younger I had a blast trying to prank people but as I got older I grew out of it - guess I'm a fuddy duddy now you could say. I am sure my son will give it his best shot today at pranking us - not like it will be anything new from our day to day norm around here..........LOL. The boy always has a joke to share or try to pull - he def keeps our lives interesting and me on the ball most days!! Whatever you do, be safe and keep it all in good fun!!!


On to scrappy stuff then..................today is the reveal for my DT work at Am I A Scrap Addict - Sketches. I have to admit, this sketch really threw me. It isn't a hard sketch - which could be one of the reasons it threw me - but the circles on the sketch had me on a one way track of thinking and I couldn't get past it. It probably doesn't help that I waited til last week to do my card during the time frame of having my migraine either. I don't know what it was about the circles on this sketch but I had the hardest time convincing myself they didn't HAVE to be circles - I have never had a problem working with a sketch so you can see why I beat myself up over it! Anywho, here's the sketch by De and my card. I think it turned out rather well considering the darn circles had me going in..............oh yeah, I'm gonna be corny...............CIRCLES!!! Bahahahahahahaha


De's Sketch:


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And my interpretation of the sketch:


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Remember if you are ever looking for sketches to work with you can use them from Am I A Scrap Addict - Sketches and if you link your creations back to De's blog she will enter your name into the hat for a scrappy prize at the end of each quarter. April 1st starts the new quarter so you have from now til the end of June to use a sketch posted between those dates in order for a chance to win a scrappy prize!

I have class tonite so I need to read my chapter and work on discussion questions today but I hope to have a little time for a couple challenges I want to get done!!!

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

Followers

Just to cover all bases...................

I am not the best scrapper out there. I don't claim to be totally original, I lift from many places and in many forms from color combinations, to product usage, to technique and so forth. I try to be fair to all scrappers out there and mention them when I lift from them - now keep in mind, there are so many people out there scrapping, card making and altering items that naturally more than one person will have similar ideas. When I mention lifting, or casing as some call it, I mean when you intentionally take a design you see and duplicate it exactly or only change up the coloring........KWIM???

With that said..........

All content, including text, photographs, and concept design elements are © Karen Brooks unless otherwise noted. Content within this blog is shared for personal, non-commercial use and inspiration only and shall not be used for personal gain or entry into contests or for publication. That wouldn’t be very nice now would it???

Thanks and happy scrappin'!!!!