I.LUV.CRATE

Crate Paper that is ;)

There is so much I want to do with this kit from My Scrapbook Nook!!!

I'm obsessed.

I've been working on adding more journaling to my layouts....it's sad when I look back and they say nothing.  I'm working on getting back into the reason I started this in the first place, to document stuff ;)

I love these little pictures of Samantha......learning how to throw a football from her grammy ;)

My kids have the best grandparents!!!  We are so lucky.

They are always doing for them. 

The gray pinwheel came in our kit, and I made the other two to go along with it. 

Love the pinwheels but they sure make my hands go numb making them ;)

I've been hanging on to these pictures of Samantha from kindergarten for a long time!

I love them so.  Happy to say I actually journaled a nice long bit about that day.

I'm so proud of myself ;)

 

I've got a few more pics from this day on my table working themselves into another layout ;)

I'll be sure to share when they are done ;)

Happy Tuesday, ya'll!

For real this time.

we went camping ladies and gentlemen 

(who am I kidding, there are no gentlemen here ;)

after our time in Yellowstone in August,

we spent a night in the Rocky Mountains of Utah.

It was gorgeous!

these two......commonly known as sworn enemies, are, on rare occasions, the best of buds ;)

set up the 2 man tent together.

Kristen helped her dad and then offered up her expertise opinion on tent building.

They got it put together just fine.

Boy Scouts is good for something ;)

I loved these little pod thingies....not sure what they are called, but I thought they were cool.

Nathan took my camera for sometime, and photographed just about everything he saw!

 Including us ;)

 I got a few of him as well.

This is what I was doing when NOT chasing children in the woods.

Reading a good book ;)

Nathan took about 100 pictures of Jack enjoying his dinner.

It is a funny process to watch, and most definitely scrap worthy.

After roasting marshmallows and making smores, we crawled into our comfy tents and went to sleep.

This picture taken a bit earlier in the evening should have been our first clue.

 

It rained, and thundered, and lightninged, and rained and lightninged and thundered some more.

I thought we might die.....all night long.

We lived.

And amazingly were quite dry in our tents.

Except for Nathans pillow which was soaking wet??!!??!

We ditched that wet campground at sun up.

Maybe now, they will beg to go camping a little less often.

;)

Get Picky Sketch & Best Creations!

 Our new sketch is up over at Get Picky!

We were so lucky to be sponsored by Best Creations this month.

I got a huge package of their kitchen line to play with ;)

My layout along with a few other team members made it on their blog as well ;)

 

 

 I had fun playing with these pictures of my sweet little Kristen digging for worms in her grandma's garden and then pretending to eat one!!!  This sketch was fun and so easy to work with!

Come play along for your chance to win a prize pack!!!

 

                       We are so very excited to announce our sponsor for September is Best Creation.

 

Best Creation is a scrapbooking, cardmaking and paper crafting company out of El Monte, California. Famous for our no-mess glitter papers, Best Creation has thrived for over 5 years producing the latest in double-sided patterned papers, cardstocks, basics, and embellishments. We hope our products inspire you to create and share memories of the past and present.

Best Creation has been ever so generous by not only sponsoring our sketch challenge with an incredible prize pack, but they have also sponsored our design team with a brand new 'just released' CHA collection for each of our dt girls, as well as our guest designer this month!  

                                                           THANK YOU Best Creation! 

Fun Times!

We've just gone through another design team call over at My Scrapbook Nook

I'm so excited to say........I get to stay.....and work with an amazing group of girls!!!

New DT Members:

Deanna Misner- USA

Gina Rodgers-Australia

Jaz Lee- Singapore

Kim Moreno

Lilith Eeckles- Belgium

Lisa Kisch- Canada
Marinette LEFEVRE- France
Nicole Nowosad- Canada
Pamella Brown-USA
Shelleye McDaniel-USA

Returning DT members:

Anna Sigga- Iceland
Carol Monson- USA
Danni Reid-USA

Hilde L Aaslund- Norway

Jessy Christopher-Malaysia
Katarina Damm-Blomberg- Finland

Leah Killian-USA
LG Belamarino-Phillipines
Stacey Michaud- USA

We have a huge team this time around and will be splitting the responsibilities on a every other month basis.  So there will be a fantastic variety of inspiration and talent every single month!  I'm lucky enough to be one of the leads for both teams so I'll still be creating every month...I'm SO excited ;)

********************

Still having fun with our September kit....in fact I created this layout using the Random Collection based on the color challenge over at the Crate Blog.

I'm so super duper excited that it got featured over at Crate!!!!!  Such an honor to have them recognize it ;)

You can see it here along with a bunch of other gorgeous creations ;)

How Could I Forget????

Sometimes I go searching through my photo files....looking for something I have vague memories of.....when I stumble across gems like these.

Gems I tell ya.....GEMS.

I about died when I saw them!!!!
Completely forgotten.
A friend had brought over a face painting kit and I had painted the girls faces and apparently Jack's as well!
3 1/2 years old.

Jack + facepaint = priceless.

September Nook Kit is in Da House!

and I looooooooove it ;)

I can't put it down!

it is filled with the newest collection from Crate....Random ;)

I just got this thing yesterday and I've finished 3 layouts.  This first one is for my inspiration class over at The Nook...you can find it here

 I love these pictures of the girls on there way to their daddy daughter date.....Samantha just started posing like a rockstar and all Kristen could do was laugh!

 Here are a few of Samantha from a few years ago......found the story on the ol' blog of what happened during this little photo shoot and use that as my journaling.  I am making an effort to tell more stories on my layouts.  Thanks to the journaling class that I am taking at The Nook.

One more here......another journaling prompt.....I took a conversation from FB between Doug and I about our status ;)

If you don't want to miss out on this fab kit hop on over real quick like and snag one for yourself!!!

If You Were Wondering....

Where I was last week.....I was in the car.

Fetching the children to and fro....3 different schools, 3 different schedules ;)

I believe Jack looks excited and ready for his first day of kindergarten....don'tcha think????

They wouldn't let us parents through the gate (scrooges) so we had to wave to them from behind the chain link fence.  I felt like the one in prison!  Later that night when I asked him if he was excited to go to kindergarten again in the morning he said "I have to go again???? but I already went!!!"

Ya...sorry bud, it's a long term deal ;)  He definitely enjoys it and gets  himself dressed and ready every morning but wonders why i ask him everyday if he had a good time!!!  He says " you ask me that everyday mom!!!"

 Samantha is happy....mainly because she has new clothes to wear! Shirt, converse and rolled up jeggings ;)  Lets just say she tolerates school.  But I know she loves her class this year and her new teacher ;)  She normally goes for a pretty fussy hair do on the first day, but she surprised me by just putting it in a pony. 

This girl couldn't get out the house fast enough!!!  She came home saying middle school was the best!!!!  I think she loves all the paperwork and organizing and that many more teaches to looooove!!!  That back pack is so full of stuff she doesn't even know if she needs....I think it's weighing her down!

Now Nathan......no pics of him.....he was gone before my eyes ever opened!  Thanks dad ;)

He liked his first day of high school too....I think he surprised himself ;)

Here's to hoping for a gooooood year and my 2 1/2 hour block of no kids ;)

Get Picky Inspiration

The August inspiration challenge is up over at Get Picky!
I was instantly drawn to the yellow and green combo ;)

Pulled out some of Crate's yummy Emma's Shoppe line and played with that.  Here's what I came up with.  These are some old pictures of my cute little Kristen ;)  I've totally been inspired by my friend Lilith with the thread cluster and have been having some fun trying out that technique ;)

Hop on over to Get Picky and play along.....we have a prize in store for you....here are all the details ;)

The winner of this challenge will be invited to guest design for our next inspiration challenge in September.

And this month we are offering another random prize.  Everyone who participates in this challenge will go into a RANDOM draw to win a selection of gorgeous products from My Little Shoebox!

All you have to do to be in the running to win is enter our challenge - it's that simple! Everyone who enters automatically goes into the draw for the prize!

Here is a photo of exactly what you will WIN...

 Prize includes:
My Little Shoebox Imaginery Friends Collection (3 x sheets of double sided paper, 2 x diecut papers, 1 x 12x12 sheet cardstock die cuts, 1 x 6x12 transparent overlay)
My Little Shoebox Lil' Critter Collection (3 x sheets of double sided paper, 2 x diecut papers, 1 x 12x12 sheet cardstock die cuts, 1 x 6x12 transparent overlay)
My Little Shoebox Sprinkle Glaze Alphabet Stickers (Lagoon)
My Little Shoebox Sprinkle Glaze Alphabet Stickers (Goldfish)