santa cruz

hi everyone!
we're back from vacation.
had a great time.
been busy getting
the kids ready for school.
been enjoying the last
few weeks of summer.
hope you are too!!

posted more pix from the
trip here.

we're off on
an adventure
for a few days.
lots to talk
about when
i get back :)

embroidery anyone?

you need to run...i mean run...over to Red Velvet Art Kit Club and order this kit. The girls put together all the goodies you need to make this fabulous design board and fabric covered push pins. so cute and lots of fun to play with. and now i have this fun little board to hang in my scrapbook corner. makes me happy :)

happy sunday.

ok...so i joined this journal swap over at SIStv. the rules were you could make a journal or send your buddy materials to make a journal. so being as busy as i have been i figured i would just send all the goodies. well then i found out my swap buddy was someone who totally inspires me on a daily basis...kerry lynn. i love how she adds vintage items to her pages and her style is just amazing. if you haven't seen her stuff...check her out. anyways...when i found out i had kerry lynn i knew i HAD to make her a journal. so here is a peek of the journal i made her. i used old book covers and bound them with wool fabric and vintage feedsack material. i mailed her package already...when she gets it i will post the whole thing. i absolutely love how it turned out. hope she does too :)

finally able to take a breath

coming up for air.
literally and figuratively.

this last week has really
been crazy. been working
on deadlines, and watching
kids :) but today is finally
a down day. a day off to just
lounge and play with the kids.
my asthma has really been
bugging me this past week too.
getting harder and harder to
breath...had to go for a breathing treatment last night. finally able to take
a deep breath without coughing.
feels really good.

here's a pix of drew from last week...showing me his beautiful leaf he found :)

happy wednesday.

its gonna be a hot one.
109 degrees today.
definitely a pool day.

so excited.
got an email from Rachel
at Red Velvet Art Kit Club
asking me to be the guest
designer for their JULY project!
love their kits.
and you guys are gonna love
THIS kit!!! so fun.

stay cool.
happy friday.

it's all about my love for fabric! In fact, i've issued a challenge this week over on the streetWERX blog to use some sort of fabric or stitching in your art. I've been wanting to make a fabric book for a while now and took this opportunity to do so. I just love the digital collage images from LazarStudioWERX. I picked one of my favorites and printed it on muslin to use on the cover. Used a variety of different stitches, some stamping, and lots of my favorite ribbons and trims. Added a few eucalyptus leaves and some other ephemera and its complete. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!!

last week on the studiowerx street team blog, Lu challenged us to play in our art journals. Her journals are amazing and definately inspiring. so as soon as i had a free minute i pulled out the paint, dye, ink and stamps, and made this page. i found that quote a while ago and have really been thinking about it. i've always been a "glass is half empty" kinda person, but i want to change that. i've been realizing how much we can affect outcomes based on our attitude. positive thinking goes a long way. i just need to keep reminding myself of that. happy monday :)

wow! can't believe its been almost a week since i posted. i was on a roll there for a while. was busy all last week working on fathers day gifts and my mom's birthday gift, played in my art journal a little bit...and got a little scrapbooking done. yesterday afternoon was spent watching two lovely little girlies that i have known since they were wee ones :) all the kids played wonderfully together and couldn't have been happier to see one another. it's been a long time...way too long. and then i got to catch up with my dear friend...always laughs and tears. we are truely saps :P here's some pictures of some of the things i've been working on lately.
have a great tuesday!

this was the scene yesterday afternoon at our house :)
11 kids and 6 adults.
lots of fun...
staying cool...
eating good food...
hanging out with good friends...
laughing...
screaming...
eating ice cream...
smiling...
racing...
splashing...
jumping...
plans on this becoming a regular tuesday afternoon get-together.

this past week has just flown by. I was busily making teachers gifts since it was the last week of school. yeah!! the kids are all really excited for summer to finally be here. we've been using the pool tons and they've been loving it. their little bodies are as tan as can be...already. This week we have lots of playdates set up with friends, but i'm hoping to fit in some quality art time :) maybe start on that quilt.

hope you have a great week!

so here it is...my first project for lazar. we had to come up with something using their awesome digital products and a manila folder. i think i went through a whole pack of manila folders trying to get the pattern right :) really like how it turned out. has all of my favorite elements. the old photos, some paint, ink and some stitching. be sure to check out the rest of the girls' projects here. they seriously are cool!
shannon is feeling better after a little bit of rest. we took the kids to see shrek the third this weekend. so funny. and i laughed even more when drew kept asking, " is it over yet?" and i had no idea that popcorn costs about $10 a bucket. when did that happen?? :)
i will be baking banana bread all day. the last day of school is tomorrow and i always make bread for all the teachers :) gotta go warm up the oven.

happy monday!!

it's funny how a trip to the fabric store can lift your spirits and make you feel so inspired. from the moment i walked in....the smells..the colors...the feel of the fabric. so many possibilities. love that feeling :) left with a little bundle to start a new quilt. also got the latest edition of quilting arts magazine. this is my new favorite magazine. lots of great information and full of inspiring art quilts. take a peek if you get a chance :)

got a sick one today. shannon woke up with a sore throat and running a fever. bummer being sick when the weather is so nice.

i finished my first challenge for the lazar street team and i love how it turned out. i will post it later.

hope you have a great thursday :)

pulled out the paints today and have been playing in my friend libby's circle journal. her topic was "what makes you smile". i just had the best time making this page. just playing around...stamping...painting...inking. makes me happy :)

if you're up for a little challenge...the lazar street team is working on our first. let's see what you can come up with...use some digi and manila. check out the challenge here. i can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

tagged

i got tagged by lisa...so thought it would be fun to play along :)

The rules:
Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves.
People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things,
as well as these rules.
At the end of your blog,
you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names.
Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

so here we go....

1. i am deathly afraid of the dentist. just the smell along can raise the anxiety level and only laughing gas makes it bareable.

2. i am always early to everything, in fact, my motto is " if you're on time... you're late." i know...totally neurotic.

3. i always wanted to be a teacher growing up. i always played school with my brother and sisters...and of course, i was always the teacher.

4. i am a rock hound. love collecting rocks from different places. afterall, i did major in geology.

5. my first job was at baskin robbins. ice cream anyone??

6. my favorite movie of all time is harold and maude. gotta rent that again soon.

7. i'm allergic to animals. well, anything with hair or feathers :)

and i'm going to tag all my new friends from the studiowerx street team.

found this fun little thing on her blog.

GREEN

You are a very calm and contemplative person. Others are drawn to your peaceful, nurturing nature.

Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!

what color are you?

xxr

so excited to tell you that i have been asked to be part of the LazarStudioWERX design team!!!!
i can't believe it!! i truely adore all their lovely stamps and papers. so yummy. and this team is insanely talented. i can't wait to get started. lots of fun things are in store.

finally...

finally the backyard is put back together :)
yeah.
can't believe it.
we had the trees put in last friday
and what a change.
doesn't even look like the same place.
take a peek.
we still have more work to do.
still have to work on sprinklers.
and add more plants...
alot of color :)
but for the most part
we are open for business :)
everyone is invited over to swim.

ohh.
got my hair cut last night.
3 1/2 inches off.
feels good.
pix later.

xxr

so... this past saturday was National Scrapbooking DAy. I was so excited
to spend the day scrapbooking with shannon :) But i also popped in over
at 2p's in a bucket to check out all the festitivities. I was so excited because
emily falconbridge contacted me a couple weeks ago and asked if they could
highlight my gallery. i was extremely honored. so when i actually saw my
page with all the other talented girls...i was speechless. such amazing work
and for me to be a part of that...i was beyond excited. then to read the sweet
words that emily had written about my work...wow! i was in tears. thank you
so much emily for those kind words :) here's the page if you want to peek:
NSD User Gallery and in other scrappy news...april was a big month for me. i had three of my pages published. the one above was in Somerset memories (formally legacy). gotta love mom in her
communion dress. circa 1954. the other was a page in Scrapbook trends and then i had
a card published in Cards Magazine. so very excited.

in other news....i know i haven't updated in a really long time...and i'm sorry.
things have been outrageously busy. seems like everyone has something
going on, and we are trying to get the backyard finished so we can finally
enjoy our backyard. the waterfall was finished this weekend, and next weekend
the plants and trees will be arriving. :) can't wait until its finished.

the school year is almost finished and i for one, can't wait. this has been a really
long year for some reason. :P ryne finished his STAR testing, which is the state testing
here in CA, and he did great. well, i actually dont have the results yet...but he said he had
a great time, and that it was easy. he made a few new friends and enjoyed himself.
he also has decided that he would like to try public school. which is great and scary for ME all at the same time. i'm glad he wants to go our public school, but unsure if they will be able to
accommodate him. Rich and I will be making an appointment with the principal to
discuss all this, and hopefully we will be able to get a better feel for what it will be like.
we've been having lots of friends over to play and drew started t-ball a few weeks ago. he is loving it and i think Rich is too. :)this was drew's expression after hitting his first ball. SO excited :)
and here they are in the outfield...ready to catch the ball.
gotta run...promise to update more.

happy easter.

watch out project runway...shannon is on her way.
this girl got a janome sewing machine for her birthday...and she is going to town.
she has made 10 coin purses...an over-the-shoulder purse.
a quilt...and now she is working on new clothes for her barbie.

just went to the my mind's eye website to peek at all the new goodies, and i saw this.
in other news....i got my march kit from One Page At A Time.
this kit is fantastic. loved playing with it...in fact, i still am. i have made a ton of stuff.
can't wait to share :)

gettin' ready

gettin' ready to start a new circle journal group with the gals from pocketful of treasures. so excited. this is my journal, and my theme is "this place called home". i asked that everyone do a collage page with things that remind them of their home, or what their home symbolizes. i can't wait to get this book back full of awesome artwork. and can't wait to get to know these gals better :)

ps. my class got cancelled, not enough people. so i'm gonna enjoy the rainy day and catch up on some needed scrapping time and organizing.

have a great day :)

happy birthday princess.

she is 6.
she's been around the sun
6 times.
can't believe it.
it's scary how time flies.
seems like its all been a blur.
my little chubby-cheeked baby girl
has grown up.
grown up into a wonderful,
special, shy, happy, smiling, and smart
girl.
happy birthday.



in other news. my first class is coming up this sat.
i'm nervous. :)

is it spring yet?

sure feels like it around here. we've had 70 degree weather for most of this past week. its been really nice, and the kids have enjoyed playing outside as much as they can. well today is going to be spring cleaning day!!! feeling the need to get organized and clear out some stuff.

here's a few more pages of the new my mind's eye stuff. its from the signature life line.

gotta go clean out some closets :) have a good weekend!!!