HAPPY iNSD! I've got a quickpage freebie to give away! :D

So, Jennifer Labre Designs has an adorable new kit out, appropriately titled Happy Scrapper!  It's full of elements and word strips that paint the picture of one of our favorite hobbies!  And this kit specifically targets DIGITAL!  You'll love the kit!  Right now she's got her 40% off sale going on for iNSD, and you'll find Happy Scrapper and its coordinating add-on in her store at OScraps. 

I've created this coordinating quickpage to go along with Happy Scrapper.  Of course, you don't need to buy the kit to enjoy this quickpage.  Just drop your favorite retreat or scrappy picture into the spot and you're finished!  If you'd like to grab this quickpage, you'll find it at 4Shared here.  I'd love if you'd leave me a comment and let me know how you found my blog!  :D  Have fun and HAPPY SCRAPPING!

iNSD is coming up!

interNational Scrapbook Day is coming up this weekend and there is tons of FUN to be had in the digital world as a result!  Sales, games, challenges, give-aways, and freebies are just a few things you can look forward to! 

Jennifer Labre Designs has got an amazing kit coming out, featuring everything we love about digital scrapbooking!  And I've got a coordinating freebie to give away! 

Just wanted my blog readers to have a heads up!  Find your favorite stores, fill up your wish lists, and get ready to shop and scrap this weekend!  :D

Time flies...

YIKES! It seems like it was just yesterday that I last posted.  I see it was April 8, western Easter!  We were running around like chickens with our heads cut off during the week of eastern Easter, with tons of special church services and visits and preparation!  It was a lovely week!  We even managed to get out and see the parade full of Palestinian scouts and more Easter fun!  I've been scrapping in these last few weeks, too, of course!  What is life without scrapbooking, right?  teeheehee.  Just kidding!  Here are a few layouts I have to share!

Just did this one this morning using Indigo Nights, the gorgeous new kit by Jennifer Labre Designs and Flergs.  A picture of me that I actually kind of like from my sister's wedding.

A new favorite layout?  This one, featuring my amazing Na-na celebrating her 90th birthday!  Unbelievable!  This kit is Pure Happiness by Jennifer Labre Designs.

And this one features a few pictures of Scot and I just days before Thomas' arrive in 1999!  I used the kit Only You and I by Faith True Originals and a template, Fuss Free: Tag, You're It 3 by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs.

These are a few pictures of Scoty's first lost tooth.  I used the kit, Toofless, by Faith True Originals and the template Fuss Free: Ornately Framed by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs.

A fun 4th of July layout I created using Jennifer Labre Designs' Glory kit and Fuss Free: Vegas Strips by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs' template!  I made it a double-pager!

Another adorable kit by Faith True Originals on this layout from our time in Disney World!  The kid is Chomp, Romp, and Stomp:

Finally, I used  Just Chillin' by Jennifer Labre Designs for this layout featuring Thomas and his silly antics!

Lots happening in our lives!  We had a great Easter and are looking forward to the last few weeks of school and our family's transition to the US for a one year home assignment!  Which means I'm going to be crazy busy in the coming weeks doing all the things I've waited until the last minute to do!  UGH!  Packing, planning, giving away, and possibly moving out of our apartment into storage if we can't find renters to take our place!  Not a fun prospect.  We're still praying that someone will come along who would like to live in our home for a year.  Or most of a year!

In any event, hopefully I will keep scrapping and keep up with my ministry and life. Hope all of my faithful readers are well!

Until next time...

What a week!

Phew!  The week has ended.  To say this was a busy week for our family is an understatement!  We had visitors here from our denomination around the world.  They were here specifically to see the work and ministry we do and to make some evaluations and recommendations.  There were days when we were with them from early morning until late at night.  We traveled with them, sat in long meetings, and showed them what we do, all the while maintaining, as best we could, our regular work schedule!  The final meeting took place yesterday followed by supper at McDonalds.

It's been crazy busy, but it's been good.  I am glad that it's over, but I enjoyed most of the process.  Praise God, we were affirmed in much of what we are doing here!  Thankful for that!

I managed to squeak out a double page layout in the middle of the week on a less busy day.  :)  Maggie's 11th birthday inspired me!  This gorgeous kit is A Walk in the Park by Elise's Pieces and Sugarplum Paperie. This awesome set of templates is Fuss Free: Vegas Strips by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs.  I love how many pictures these templates include!

So, life gets back to normal, or as normal as it ever is here!  We're looking forward to the upcoming celebration of the Easter season with our friends in the land!  Have a great Sunday!  Until next time...

Feeling Scrappy Once Again! :D

So, I did get to scrapbook!  I did not, however, get to Maggie's birthday pictures yet.  They're next on the list.  These are some memory lane kind of pages!  I don't have many of my pictures from pre-2004 digitally.  Back then, to get them digitally I had to scan each picture in one by one. And the quality was dubious at best. But, the few pictures I did scan in were precious to me, so I started to wonder why I wasn't scrapping more of them!  I pulled out some of Thomas' yearly studio pictures and some of Maggie when she was just a baby, and I came up with these 2 layouts.  It was super fun to look back on these photos, but it made me think about how quickly time moves on.  I can remember when they were all this small, and how I found out when I first had Thomas that, in spite of my lack of baby experience, I simply adore babies!

This first layout is a double pager using Elise's Pieces lastest release: Well Read.  Love this kit!   These are pictures of Thomas, beginning with his first birthday in the year 2000 and continuing through until 2011. It's it amazing to see the progression in just 11 years?  WOW!

The second uses Faith True Originals and mle card's latest collaboration, Daddy's Girl.  Appropriate, seeing as how Maggie is her Daddy's girl!  :D  Both layouts used Fuss Free: Third Time Is the Charm templates by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs.  These are pictures of Maggie when she was just a few months old, from the summer of 2001.  Love her precious smile!

Finally, a layout featuring my cat, Jesse, and a kit by Elise's Pieces called Lucky Me.

Well, that's all for today!  I'm supposed to finishing a monthly financial report which is already more than 10 days late.  I will get it done soon.  Today.  Right.  Until next time!

Scrap Theray. Or how much I miss Davy Jones. :(

I scrapped wto Monkees and Davy Jones related pages over the last few days.  It helps to remember.  Because of all the fun memories, while talking with Mara last evening, I laughed as much as I cried.  These two layouts are only the beginning.  I need to get more of my memories digitally so I can scrap my Monkee life.  But for now, these will have to do.

The kit is Love Is All Around by Elise's Pieces and the template is Fuss Free: Yesterday Once More by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs.

And this kit is Snap and Scrap by Faith True Originals.

This page is not related to The Monkees. :D  The kit is Family Rules by Jennifer Labre Designs.  The pictures were taken and designed by my friend, Babs.

My heart is still sad and likely will remain so for a long time.  I have lost my first love, the crush of my childhood...the entertainer I loved more than any other in the entire world.  I'm forever grateful for the joy he's brought me..for the music, the laughter and the childlike innocence and love.  Missing Davy. 

Things that make me LAUGH!

It is no secret that I spend a significant amount of time laughing!  I laugh at silly things and often I laugh at inappropriate times.  It's my way to ease the tension and I don't apologize for it!  I have people tell me I laugh to loudly or that my laugh is obnoxious.  Maybe I should be embarrassed, but I am not.  I am me.  And I love to guffaw!  So, yesterday I discovered a blog via a friend's facebook post.  This blog made me laugh.  Laugh until my sides hurt!  I couldn't stop laughing!  The blog?  Food on my Dog.  The premise? A guy sticks food items on his dog's head and takes pictures.  No funny quips, so witty captions.  Just pictures of a sweet, adorably pathetic dog with food on her head.

I roared with laughter!  Perhaps this means that I need a break!  The stress is getting to me?  Maybe.  But this blog is FUNNY!  You must check it out!

http://foodonmydog.tumblr.com/

Next, I've got a layout that makes me smile!  This kit is so full of cuteness!  I just love it!  These are some pictures from Georgia Kate's 6th birthday back in October.  The kit is Hello Birthday and Hello Birthday Bits by Faith True Originals, and the templates are Fuss Free: Like Totally 2 and Fuss Free: Square Pegs, both by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs.  This was a fun 2 page layout to create!



So, if you want to laugh, I'm your gal!  Even if others accuse us of being obnoxious or immature and just plain stupid, I am not afraid to enjoy a laugh.  Wild, uproarous laughter is one of the most fun things in life!  If you haven't let loose and just laughed as loudly and as long as you can, then you're missing out!  Laughter really is the best medicine.  Now I'm going to look at some more pictures of Tiger with food on her head.  ;)

Slow scrapper!

I've been AWOL this past week, and for that I'm sorry!  I know so many of you just can't sleep without at least a weekly blog post from me.  I'm sorry to have put you through that agony!  :P  I don't know why I didn't post last week.  We were busy.  I was lazy.  Take your pick!

But Monday was my birthday, and anyone who knows me knows I love my birthday! So, I thought I'd post a few pictures from the festivities!

Also, last week The True Team created a lovely layout for the Rumble in the Orchard.  It wasn't an easy layout for me to create for some reason.  As a result, I didn't get any other scrapbooking done last week!  But I'm on a roll this week!  I'll have some layouts to share this weekend, for sure!

But here is the layout from The True Team.  The challenge was to create 4 layouts all about the designer we create for, so this layout is all about the lovely Faith True!





A short post for today!  But more to come soon. Promise.

What's Brewing and some pesky little critters

So, Scot came home last Friday.  That was awesome!  Then, just a few days later, I discovered a louse on Georgia Kate's head.  Yes, just one louse.  No evidence of any other critters on anyone in the family, but we chose to treat it as an infestation.  No sense taking a chance on having a really big problem. So, we washed and washed and washed.  Found nothing else, but in the battle with this insidious little creatures, I feel power when I wash.  And wash some more.  Hopefully we have seen the last of them.  Gah.

On to more pleasant topics!  Jennifer Labre Designs has got a kit out this week that made me swoon.  Seriously.  When I saw it, I hit the floor.  And she took Scot's suggestion for the title, which made me even happier!  :D  If you love coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, you MUST have this kit!  What's Brewing is new today at OScraps.  RUN!  Run, I tell you!  You will love what you find!  Here's a layout I created using the kit:

Elise's Pieces gave us an adorable kit this week, too!  We Are In Love is full of pretty, rich colors and lovely elements as sweet as Elise can make them!  I added this kit to Fiddle Dee Dee Designs' latest template offering, Fuss Free: A Meaningful Life.  Add to it a super sweet picture of Maggie from 2003 and you have this:

And in a final digital moment for the day, I have been hard at work with the True Team, battling it out in the Rumble in the Orchard at Scrap Orchard!  This week's challenge was Yin and Yang.  We went with it!  This is our team layout with all 4 of our parts together:

And these are two versions of my portion, one with the scallop and one without. I kind of preferred it without, but with went better in the group shot! You be the judge! :D

Everything you see here is from Faith True Originals' store at Scrap Orchard!

I suppose that is all.  It is cold and rainy.  And foggy!  I can't see but a few feet out my living room window!  Praise God because we are desperate for rain in this dry land!  And I'm thanking him for this tiny little gas heater which is keeping at least half of my body warm right now!  :D
 

Until next time, my faithful readers...

One Day More!

So, who is now singing Les Mis with me????  :D  Scot comes home tomorrow.  In just over 24 hours he'll be back with us and all will be right in our world.  I can NOT wait!

There is a Rumble in the Orchard and it's super FUN!  It's a Creative Team contest for the designers who sell in the Scrap Orchard store.  We're 4 member teams and we have to create a layout or series of layouts following certain requirements.  The layouts have to fit together somehow to create a whole.  Round 1 results are due today and have started trickling in.  You can see the layouts here!  I'm part of The True Team for Faith True Originals.  Here's my part of our team layout!  We went in a little different direction than the majority of other teams.  We've created a single layout using one of Faith's templates.  To create the kit we used Faith's A Mother's Joy kit.  It's pretty cool to see the completed layout, which should be posted in our thread sometime later today!

I have no idea how this all works, but it's just fun to play along!

I worked on this layout a few weeks ago, using Faith True Originals and mle Card's Made Anew kit and Fiddle Dee Dee Designs Fuss Free: Shake It 2 templates!  Here's my sweet Georgia Kate and all her personality!

I hope to get more scrapping done today...after I get some real work done, that is!  :D


Until next time, my dear readers...

Alone? Never!

Well, I'm doing the single parent thing for about 2 weeks (give or take a day!).  Props to all of your ladies (and gents) who say goodbye to your spouses for long periods of time!  I couldn't survive it.  Honestly.  I miss Scot, my constant companion, conversation partner, and rock.  But the kids and I are surviving.  2 have been a little under the weather.  But we're trying to do fun things like try out a new shwarma place and play some games together.  It helps the time to go faster and I love family bonding.  I.E. Family LAUGHING!  :D

There's a RUMBLE going on at Scrap Orchard!  It's a battle of the creative teams, and it's proving to be tons of fun!  Even if you aren't part of the rumble, you can check out the fun here!

I've started a new novel the other night:  Mornings in Jenin, by Susan Abulhawa.  I can't put it down.  It's not a light read, but does give some perspective to the way Palestinians see the world, the things that they have suffered, and gives the Palestinian refugees a voice.  It's moving and sad and funny.  An extremely well-written book, I highly recommend it.  But it is not for the faint of heart.  I've have wept while reading it.

And I've been trying to scrapbook some, too.  I created another Facebook Timeline coverphoto using Fiddle Dee Dee's awesome template sat, Fuss Free: So Timely.  This time I used Elise's Pieces newest kit, Affirmation.  I love these templates and how they look at the top of my FB wall!

I'm offering my services to anyone who would like me to create one of these awesome pictures for your FB wall!  Just comment here or send me an e-mail.  The templates use anywhere from this many pictures to just 3.  You send me the pictures and give me an idea of color scheme and I create something using the kits I've got.  Honestly, I love doing it, so just let me know!

I plan to scrapbook more today.  I've got some kits to use for the designers I create for as well as the RUMBLE at Scrap Orchard!  I also have to get my workout in.  And maybe a mad game of charades!  And cooking some Palestinian rice that we all love.  And today I begin my official countdown until Scot comes home.  It's down to just a week today.  Before today the time felt waaaay too long for me to start counting, so I just ambiguously thought that he'll be home soon.  Let the countdown begin!

Been reading through the book of Matthew in my devotions.  That Sermon on the Mount is radical stuff!  I love following Jesus!  And he's the reason why I am never, ever alone.  What an awesome feeling!

Okay, blog readers, maybe I'll be back later today with some scrapbooking goodness!  Until next time...bye!  :D

Scrapbooking goodness!

Like I said yesterday, I've been busy...busy scrapbooking! :D No, seriously, we've been insanely busy, but I have managed to squeak out more than a few pages in the last few weeks! Enjoy!

First up? A gorgeous collab by Designs by Kat and Faith True Originals, Glad Tidings. I combined it with a template by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs, Fuss Free: You Spin Me (tell me you aren't singing the song right now!)

Next up is another Faith True Originals/Fiddle Dee Dee combo, this time using Faiths newest kit, Winter Folly and Snow Wordart and Cheryl's template pack, Fuss Free: Like, Totally!

Nowe we're jumped to this adorable kit by Elise's Pieces, The Merriest Collection (linked to just the papers...but all parts of the kit are there!). Tell me those cheeks don't make you giggle! My sweet GK!

And here's GK all grown up and with no front teeth! This stunningly beautiful MUST HAVE Christmas kit is Holly Jolly by Jennifer Labre Designs. I can not sing the praises of this kit enough! WOW!
And this kit is just full of Christmas Cookie sweetness! Another winner by Jennifer Labre Designs, Sugar and Spice is perfect for all of your holiday (and everyday) baking! These elements are so yummy!
Last but definitely NOT least, a combination of Jennifer Labre Designs' gorgeous Christmas kit from last year, Joyful (still availalbe at OScraps!) and a stunning template by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs for Cheryl's feature at the Daily Digi:
I hope that you feel inspired to create when you see some of my layouts! Digital scrapbooking has been such a joy in my life over the last 2 years! I'm so thankful I discovered it and all it's flexibility and FUN! I've got a few more layouts, but those will have to wait for another day! Merry Christmas to all my blog reading friends...all 2 or 3 of you! :D

Another Creative Team???

I'm so excited! I just got invited to join Faith True Originals Creative Team! She sells at Scrap Orchard and you just have to see her stuff to see how amazing her creations are! I can't wait to play! Stay tuned for some digital yumminess from Faith True Originals! :D

This Barn Tells a Story

I wanted to use this gorgeous kit, Harvest, by Jennifer Labre Designs. I pulled out some Thanksgiving pictures, but it just wasn't grabbing me. I started searching through my unscrapped photos and I found this picture of Papa Joe and Na-na's barn. I think it was taken in the mid-80s or so. And the colors of fall made it perfect for this kit. But what do I do with a picture of the barn? Journal from the heart, of course!

The barn might not survive another season. All have acknowledged that the barn will need to come down sooner rather than later. And it makes me sad. This barn tells a story. It's been there for so very long and has seen so much. It stands as a symbol of the Stoschack farm. When it finally comes down, my heart will feel sad.

The kit is available at ScrapMatters. Trust me...if you need a fall/harvest kit, you want this one! It's STUNNING! I just had to scrap with it!