In a Card-making mood...

I got alot accomplished today... it was busy... but I got alot accomplished. I worked in my new studio all day and loved it! I would work a little on the computer then go and work a little at my table, load my cricut and go back to my computer. The hum of my big cricut is in the background even as I type this post. I got alot accomplished today and I feel good.

I am in the card-making mood now. Thinking about all the holiday cards I want to make for the upcoming retreats. I started making tons of scalloped cuts today for cards. I like this cute little 'Homemade Memories' stamp... what do you think?



I made this card for my mom... she's in Spain and I miss her.




Shhh... this one is for my neice Sara! Her birthday is one week from today!

Scrap Pink 2008!

Me... Marianne... Deeann...

We had a great time yesterday! I think that I had more fun socializing than scrapping yesterday! Can you believe it?! I have gotten to know several of the ladies that have become my 'regulars' for Ladybug retreats and they are more than just customers... they are friends. Several ladies that attended Scrap Pink were regulars and we had two groups of newbies who just fit right in!! You know who you are Deborah!! LOL!

Cheri...


Kristin... Vicki... Deborah...


Heather... Kim... Teresa...


Angela and Linda did a great job giving away door prizes and the pink goodies at everyone's tables were wonderful. I made everyone nametags with the pink ribbon for breast cancer on them... thanks to the great Sizzix ribbon diecut that my mom bought for me! Oh and the pink goodness that was at the refreshment table was yummy! Did you know that you could mix red food coloring with ranch dip and it turns it PINK! Looks like you are dipping your chips in pink frosting, but tastes just like ranch. Hehehee



I have many more pictures to post, but they are all on Angela's camera... so I am posting what I have now and will post more later. I got a picture of the big door prize for the evening.... it was this cool pink tool box for your embellishments. We also had a raffle for two other pink bags and a pink cutting mat. The rules were... you didn't have to be present to win... we had the drawing at 10pm and guess what! She had already left for the evening, but Mary Powers won BOTH!!! It was so funny because when she bought her raffle tickets, she said that she never won anything and then got called for one of the hourly door prizes... then to later win not one, but both the big prizes... it's gotta be that fella named Murphy intervening again! LOL! Of course, my new friend Deborah had other plans for those tote bags... hehehe...



But don't worry Mary! Angela had to wrestle her to the ground and save those bags for you! What fun we had!

Scrapbook Calendar Pages

I got to meet some really nice scrappers tonight at a local scrapbooking meetup called SHOTS. Cheryl was our gracious hostess and everyone brought a dish (Kandie's cookies ROCK!) and I probably talked more than I cropped tonight. But it was great, I really enjoyed the social side for a change tonight. I was given homework for tonight though... so, this is for Kandie, Nikki, Nina & Claudia! LOL!

CALENDAR PAGES: Every year, I organize my family albums with Calendar Pages. It takes at least four albums for a year's worth of Skinner Family Photos, so I put three months in each one. I make the calendars ahead of time and journal on the days as the month goes by. The photos that correspond to that month go on the pages behind the calendar. I have never had the luxury of alot of crop time because of work... but this system keeps me organized so that while I am far from 'caught up', I know right where every photo goes. I label photo boxes to correspond with each album... ex: Family Album 2006, Volume One (holds Jan, Feb & Mar of 2006). That makes it easy for me to just grab that album and the photo box that goes with it and I can work on those pages. Here's some samples from the past couple of years, each year has a different theme for the calendar pages... but the photo pages between the calendars do not reflect the 'theme'.

The title page for my family album 2006 volume 1...



January info page is on the left and the calendar is on the right. The theme for 2006 was Seven Gypsies, they were a popular company that year and very trendy. The tags show birthdays for that month and current info and my favorite photo of that month.





Here's my November calendar pages...





I really liked how the December calendars turned out...





Here's my 2005 December Calendar page... I used Anna Griffin papers and ribbons as my theme for my 2005 calendar albums.





Last year's 2007 Family Album was made with all black & white papers & photos. I collaged favorite photos from that month onto a Making Memories large chipboard letter. So, here is January's with the photos on the large J (for january...lol!)...





and February's...





Well, I've got a busy day tomorrow with SCRAP PINK! So, I better go to bed now. Send me an email or leave a comment if you have any questions about my calendar pages. I will be doing a retreat the very first weekend of January (FOUR DAYS LONG! YAHOO!) and will be teaching classes on how to do these. More info will be posted on the website (www.cropallday.com) or you can sign up for the email announcements there too. Goodnight All!

Tammy

New Scrapbook Studio

Well... I started moving into my new studio last Saturday. I am STILL not done! But it is looking really really good! My studio is originally designed to be the upstairs gameroom of our house. But, it has been a 'dorm' room for my daughter and our last two foreign exchange students (Katta from Germany & Julia from Taiwan). It was cute too... done in a pink & black Paris theme.

Well... we painted the room lime green. I like it! Here's my sewing center:



The white cubes are from Crop-in-Style.



The glasstop of my computer desk was a birthday present from Glenn and the kids last year. It has ladybugs in the design! They got it from IKEA... I love it.



My inspiration... a rug from Target:




My workspace... the tables are from IKEA too, the pink cutting mats are from JoAnns.







The cabinets are also from IKEA... they rock! Well, still more organizing to do! So more pictures later!

My Nephew Elijah arrived today!

I just had to post one more message before going to bed...

My sister Tracy had her baby boy this afternoon in Spain!! Welcome to Julian Elijah! He weighed 9lbs13oz and was 21" long. Basically, she gave birth to a toddler! LOL! My youngest, Matt, weighed the exact same thing and was the same length! Big babies must run in our family. Mom got to co-coach with Jules and helped with the labor & birth... so cool! She is having a blast and is sooo excited!

I'm an aunt again! Luv it!

Halloween Vase

I went to the Scrapbook Barn in Dallas on Friday night with Marianne and the SASSY gals. I was pretty pleased that I was able to finish two home decor projects that I wanted for my dining room. The vase above was an unfinished wine bottle box. I took the strap handle off and painted the inside and edges black. I then decoupaged with Mod Podge Daisy D's scrapbook papers on each side. Painted the lid and put it on the bottom as a base and... voila!... my vase is done!

The vase below was an unfinished wood container. It too had a lid that I decided to not use at all. I got it at Hobby Lobby for only $1.99! I wrapped polka dot paper by Paper Studio around the base and cut the skull and crossbones with the Indie Art cricut cartridge. I added Trick or Treat ribbon around the top and bottom and decoupaged the whole thing. I painted some wooden balls green and glued them to the bottom for feet. The roses are the final touch. This is gonna look great with my other Halloween decorations on the buffet in my dining room!

Scrapbook Studio - Moving in!

The room is ready... ready for me to move into it! I've been busy painting and preparing it for some time now. So Friday morning I disconnected my computer (sad... i know) and started moving my desk and stuff upstairs to my new Scrapbook Studio... I'm calling it (you guessed it!)... Ladybug Land! LOL! My walls are a beautiful lime green... scrubby said, "wow, did you mean to pick that color?!"... LOL! I love it though because all my furniture is either black or white, so the green walls look great! I will post pictures tomorrow night, but right now I am going to go put ice on my sore ankle and go to bed! I'm exhausted! It is probably going to take me all week to completely move in and clean up the mess I will leave behind, but at the end of the week... voila!... I will be in scrapbook heaven! LOL! So, leave me a comment and tell me where YOU scrapbook? What color is it?

Mom Leaves for Spain

Well... I put my mother on the plane yesterday for Spain. A 16 hour flight into another country... I can only pray that she doesn't end up in Africa instead! She has been so nervous about this flight, I had help her pack! Once she was packed though she got excited! She's going to spend 2 1/2 months with my sister who is about to deliver her third child. Mom has never been out of the country, hence the anxiety over the travel.



Marianne, Sammers and Sara all went with us to mom's favorite restaurant, MiMi's in Lewisville. Our favorite waiter wasn't there :-( and our service was crappy... but we still had a good time being together.



Marianne and I got mom to the airport in time... checked her in... gave her instructions like she was 5yo the whole way and regretted not sewing labels with her name and my contact info into her clothing! I did type up a page with her info... my info and my sisters info on it and attached it to copies of her itinerary and put one in each suitcase! Hey! I'm not paranoid! Tracy has problems with them losing her luggage ALL the time!



We said goodbye at security and watched her go through the process. We lucked out though and got to meet the pilot (we was behind her in security) that was going to fly her to Philadelphia... he was sweet and even posed for a picture with mom. LOL! He leaned over and asked us if she was going to be trouble while she was cutting up with the security people about the metal knees she has... the alarms went off and she got to get real intimate with a female TSA agent! Of course we lied and said "No"! She's completely harmless!




I'm gonna leave you with this last photo... it's blurry... but it says it all! LOL! Love you Mom!

Home Safely!

Wow! What a great weekend! It started out a little bumpy, we actually showed Hurricane Ike how to get to Tennessee and was just ahead of it the whole way there! The drive home last night was much better though and I got us home at 3:30am this morning! Safe & sound. Don't worry... I love night driving... i think up some of my best projects while I drive!



Mom and I had gotten some coupons from Archivers in the mail... so mom convinced me to go scrapbooking at the new Archivers in Memphis on Saturday night! It was so much fun and we met a bunch of new friends! Before the night was over, they had all taken a vote and decided that we were moving back to Memphis! LOL! Shhh... haven't told my scrubby yet... do ya think he will mind?! hehehee



We met so many new friends, but there were two ladies, Ruby & Karen, who were so fun! Girls... you are gonna have to make a roadtrip to Dallas and come crop with us sometime! Anyway, they loved the way I have organized my cricut cartridges (thanks Tonya!) so much that they left the store to go to the Bass Pro Shop (it was only a few miles away... imagine that!) and proceeded to buy the last 5 flip boxes that were there! The sales clerk told them that those boxes are now on backorder... so sorry, my Memphis friends... you will have to wait to get yours! I need to email Bass Pro Shop my address so they can send me a commission check! LOL! Not!

Ruby... Pam... Karen...


Ruby shows off the Flip Box for the cricut cartridges...


Samantha came with us and worked on the title page for her Wedding Planner Scrapbook... yep, she will have a scrapbook on 'planning' the wedding (btw... it's 08/16/2009!) and then a separate one just for the wedding day. She's so organized and I'm so proud!


I worked on a little going away gift for my favorite cousin, Jes! She just graduated from college with a BS in history and is now traveling to Scotland for a whole year for a history masters program... wow! So, I made her a special Travel Journal to keep notes of this year... talk about making history! I love you Jes!




Anyway... we had such a great time meeting everyone and hope to see some of my new Tennessee scrapping friends at a future Texas Ladybug event!