Christmas Creativity

Been busy with creating for Christmas, so I've not spent much time on anything else. BUT, here are two things that I've done:
The first is a water bottle with drink mix for my daughter's teachers/care givers. I hope it is something they will actually use. They were simple, quick & inexpensive.

Then, the other thing I've done is create Nametags/Ornaments for my co-workers & family. OK, I hope my FL family doesn't see this before Christmas, but if so, no problem. Their's are a little different!!

Can't take credit for the water bottle idea (the credit goes to Stephanie!!) but I did alter it a little from the original idea. The CD's I did myself... :-)

Have a Merry Christmas, and remember Christ at Christmas!!

My little Knit Wit

Well, that's what I called my layout. I wanted to capture the first time that Madison knitted. She wanted to learn so bad, and I don't know how to knit, so the ladies knit club at church taught her...my little knit wit!!

Celebrating 10 years!

Well, I finally got to do a layout celebrating 10 years of marriage. I can't believe we made it!! Yes, I know it's November, and our actual anniversary was in February...but hey, it's done, right?? I think this is my favorite layout right now...I just love the colors & the design. Thanks for looking!

Layout Share

Since I don't think I'm going to get the Stamp Something challenge done this week (well, at least posted) I wanted to post a layout that I did almost 2 weeks ago. My DD doesn't care for her naturally wavy/curly hair (I didn't either until I got older!!), so when she got a haircut, she wanted it be straight. Our hairdresser dried it straight, & Madison loved it. This is the layout I created about it. The letters, flower & patterned paper have glitter on them, but you can't see it...it sure does sparkle. The flower is made from centers from the chipboard letters. Mmmm, that smile - love it!!

One Layer Stamped Card

This week's challenge at Stamp Something was to "stamp something" with only one layer...that was harder than I thought. I've been working on my layering because I think it really makes a card look good, so to drop back was challenging. But I took out my light box & embossed my card - I had never used it before. I'm not sure who will get this card, but I'm thinking someone that I really want to thank, and that I am truly grateful for!!
(**updated 11/17 - I found my recipient & they appreciated it!!)

Halloween Picture

Wanted to add a picture of my daughter for all to see - isn't she cute??? :-) She was a Halloween Bride - it was a little much for my husband to bear!!

Halloween Card

The challenge this week at the Stamp Something blog was to create a Halloween something...I had a little trouble doing it because the challenge came out the day of Halloween, and I actually created my card the day after. And, I only have ONE Halloween stamp...all those stamps, and only one Halloween one...might have to work on that!! :-) Anyway, here is my version this week!!

Hi!!!

Hi to my relatives in Florida - love you all!!!!!! :-)

So Glad Card

Our challenge this week was to follow a sketch & create something from it. Well, that is right up my alley, so I did this card for my friend who is back to work. All scraps - love doing that! Plus, the patterned paper is Basic Grey, one of my favorite manufacturers. Enjoy! And check out the Stamp Something Challenge Blog, and you too could actually use your stamps!!

Friendship Card

OK - the challenge this week was to Stamp Something for a friend. I used the layout from a card that I saw that I REALLY liked, but I am sorry, I don't know who to credit. Anyway, I adapted my own patterned paper, ribbon & stuff, and that is glitter on the flowers...kinda looks like sugar granules, don't you think? Mmmm, who is going to get this card?? Enjoy!!

Candlelight Dinner #2

What a great night!! I started out saying that I was only going to take pictures of my favorite tables...but I ended up taking pictures of all of the tables...ALL 79 of them!! Each one a piece of art in its own right. All the love and care that is put into each one, and the details, just come alive for me, and tickle my senses like nothing has in a long time. I don't get it - it was the same reaction last year, and I thought for sure this year wouldn't be as exciting. Not true. I am still mesmorized by the pictures as I was with Candlelight Dinner #1.
My table (#26) was just as I would have it. Last year, I liked my table, but I felt it was too crowded. I didn't mind the mismatched china, but if I'd had my preference, of course they would have matched. And in the end, I didn't like my placemats...too big. This year, I pre-staged everything, and was really pleased with the placement, the color coordination, and the little details. We didn't feel crowded. The table really reflected me & my personality - casual, comfortable, yet detailed. I admit my favorite part was the shell swizzlers & matching shell glass jewelry. LOVED THAT!
Although designing & setting up my table is one of my favorite parts, the rest of the evening was great too.We had a good group at my table, and we laughed a lot. The meal was impeccable! (Ceasar salad, Chicken Breast marinated in raspberry dressing, the most awesome green beans (& I am not a green bean person!), scalloped potatoes, and the most fabulous dessert - chocolate cake drizzled with strawberry sauce, a fresh strawberry & 2 little wafer pencils covered in chocolate sticking out of the top!) The speaker was funny & motivating, and the entertainment was hilarious. The men are the servers, and they clean up as well. That's a great part too!
A part of me would love to come & just be surprized by it all, but a bigger part of me wants to do it all over again. I'm thinking those clearance set of Christmas dishes that I've never used would be a challenge next year...

Wow Cow layout

This was a fun layout...I didn't go into it with any preconceived notions, just stuff that I wanted to use with my picture. And this is what I ended up with - what a fun layout!! I started with the black, white, red inspiration from this weeks Stamp Something challenge. Then, I found this PP that looked like cherries, well, sort of...as "cherry" as I get... I knew I had to include stamping, so I stamped my chipboard after painting it, imitated some journal blocks I had with masking it, stamping it, and then cutting it out in an oval shape, and then added a tab on my picture with stamping. Now pulling all that together WAS FUN!! Plus scrapping the picture was fun, and using all my tools was fun. And the handmade bird button was something that I bought that day with my friend Tena, so I had to include it. And the handmade doily gave it a "homey" feel - I really enjoyed that layout!!

My friend...

I wonder how you are doing. I wonder if you've cried a lot. I wonder if you are identifying with the people you are meeting. I wonder if you've hit bottom yet. I wonder how your family is doing. I wonder if, since we've worked so closely together these past 4 years, if I've contributed to anything. I wonder if some days I should be right there with you. My friend, I miss you, a lot.

Stamp Something Fall????

Are you kidding me? When I saw this week's stamp challenge on the Stamp Something blog, I cringed. Are you kidding me...Fall?? I am just getting into summer! School just started (OK - 3 weeks ago, but it feels like yesterday). I am not ready for Fall - once Fall hits, I know I am going to be cold for the next 6 months. Good thing it is in God's hands, and not mine, or otherwise we would be in summer mode for 9 months out of the year.

School Days card

I went through all of my stamps, and this was IT as far as something that reminded me of school days. This is for the latest stamp challenge over at the Stamp Something Blog - stamping something for Back-To-School. But I have always liked this stamp because if I try real hard, I can make it look like a bunch of kids are holding hands. Also, I like this card because there is just something I like about the colors of yellow & grey together...it is so unexpected, I think. Again, I have plans for this card to go to someone who is not expecting it, and that has been sick lately, so say a quick prayer for this recipient!!

Reminder of Summer card

The challenge this week over at the Stamp Something blog was to stamp something, anything, that reminds me of summer. Since school has already started here, it does kind of make me feel like summer is coming to an end, although I refuse to let it go gracefully. So, knowing that I wanted to make a card for someone that has been on my mind lately, I made this one. The chair, flowers, straw hat...they all remind me of summer - as do the brown-eyed susan flowers on the ribbon (I LOVE those flowers!). Thanks for looking, and say a quick prayer for the recipient of this card - who doesn't know that I know they are going through hard times right now, but I am praying for them anyway!

40% Trouble

Here is my latest layout for the Summer of Scraplovin' Challenge #5 over at www.scraplove.com. The title is 40% Trouble!! I really like how it turned out - it was fun...no pressure on this one. The challenge was polka dots & a picture inspiration. My inspiration was the "ground" on the original picture, but I put mine on the side, and I included the swirls & funky dots on it. I was also inspired by the leaf "poofs" on the original picture, and tried to recreate it with wire. I loved the original colors & used pink, lime green & brown from it. Finally I added some traditional polka dots using paint & the end of a paint brush (one of my favorite things to do...). The title comes from my DD's shirt which says 60% Angel, 40% Trouble. It was actually her first day of 2nd grade (although this layout isn't about that, I'll do a different one on that later). The smilie face on the exclamation points was inspired by my DD - she likes to do that when she is creating. TFL!!

Blue, Pink & Green Card

I needed to make another card for my secret sister for the month of August, so I decided to use this week's challenge at Stamp Something as my inspiration. The challenge was to use the colors of blue, pink & green. I love these shades of all 3 colors, especially together. So bright & cheery. And oh, here's hoping my secret sister DOESN'T look at my blog!

Altered Music Canvas

Have not been here lately as I haven't had much to say, but for the last two nights I have busy stressing away making this altered canvas project. It is for Challenge #4 of the Summer of Scraplovin' Challenge series at scraplove.com. I have wanted to make an altered canvas for a long time...not stressful. I LOVED putting the paint on the canvas...not stressful. But from there on out...stressful!! I think I like how it turned out, although that is not how it looked in my mind. Now that it is done...not stressful. Thanks for looking!

Sweet Card

Over at the Stamp Something blog, this week's challenge was to stamp something sweet. So, I wanted to give a gift to thank someone, and this is what I came up with. The center is actually raised, but that's hard to tell by the photo. Thank you again for the challenge - gotta love them!!

3 for 3 Challenge/Secret Sister Card

Here's a card I did for my secret sister (hope she doesn't read this blog!). We were supposed to mail our gift before our next monthly crop meeting, which is THIS Saturday. I've been so busy, and didn't get it done in time to mail. So here is my card. I also tried to make it fit the 3 for 3 Challenge at the Scrap Something blog - 3 colors (black, white & green), 3 layers, and 3 embellishments (ric rac, staples, & eyelets). Secret Sister: if you see this, I will try better next month!!

The Look

I wanted to post one of my latest layouts...this is what we are going through at home!!! But we love her dearly!!

Candy Bar anyone?

This was so fun to make - I had the idea brewing all week long, and then I finally had a chance to make it last night. I realized recently that I have 41 Stampin Up sets, and that I really need to use them more. So, I found a couple of really good stamping blogs & challenge sites. One of them is the Stamp Something blog, where this week they challenged you to stamp something red, white & blue and for it to be anything BUT a card. Here is my take on it - a candy bar wrapper. I am going to give it to my husband tomorrow on July 4th. Hope he likes it!

Allergy Testing-Part #4

This post will be about my reactions afterwards...my thoughts, my feelings. When the allergy testing was all over, and we were leaving the building, I definitely had mixed emotions. I really knew that all I wanted to do was cry, but couldn't because of Madison. Only one gentle tear escaped before I got it under control, and Madison was none the wiser. First & foremost, I was happy that the testing was over, and I felt that we had been held in God's hands throughout the process. It was good to have a medical opinion about the food allergy in writing, and that what we had been doing to prevent a reaction were the right things. But, I was also sad. I felt a sense of guilt that I had done this to my child, or that I had passed it on, or that I could have prevented it, or even more crazy things that a parent thinks when their child is diagnosed with anything. I know it's not true, but it was what I was feeling. Then, a heavy sense of burden, wondering if I, as a Mom, could handle the severity of having a child with a nut allergy. I also felt helpless in the times that my child is not with me - that is so out of my control. So, it was with mixed emotions that I continued through the day. Today, as I have processed through some of that emotion, I do feel better about the sad things. Not so blown out of proportion, I guess. I feel empowered (I already emailed both of our senators about food allergy legislation!!) I feel a little more capable, and I feel a sense of completion of something that has been a long time coming.

Allergy Testing-Part #3

To continue, the nurses take out the test vials from the refrigerator. They are already pre-dabbed. Madison puts her arms out, underside up, on top of a pillow, which is on top of a mobile desk that can be adjusted to proper height. They take the **8** 8-pronged vials and one by one dab them on her arms. Dab is probably not a good word, more like gently push the "caterpillars" on her arms so that they only break the 1st layer of her skin. It caused no pain to Madison. Some of the dots were darker than others (the darkest was mushroom, no problems there!) All of Madison's vials were foods - none of the grasses, molds, etc. Then of the 64 dots, one dot is left off, and a positive reactor placed there separately. This will show what a positive reaction should look like, as well as indicate that the test is working. They do the first 32 her right arm, and then the other 32 on her left arm. Within 30 seconds, Madison starts saying that her left arm is hurting. They have warned her that a positive reaction might feel like a mosquito bite. Pretty soon, all but one of the nut "caterpillar" dabs are reacting. The area is turning red, stinging, and all we can do is blow on it to make it cooler. The entire test is 15 minutes, and before 4 minutes hit, the nurse is wiping off the peanut dab, and adding a benedryl-type cream to take away the sting. Madison cries just a little as the rest of the nut dabs react, and strangely enough...one other dab reacted...the orange. (Madison eats a lot of mandarin oranges from the can, but not so many fresh ones, and she has never had a reaction that I know of. However, this would explain the V8 smoothie problem.) They clean off the nut area right before the full 15 minutes are over, and then the rest of the dabs when the test is done. They measure the positive reaction area for size, and then measure the other food reactions to compare them. (There is also a small reaction to lima beans - darn the luck - a medical reason NOT to eat lima beans!) Once all this was done, the doctor came back to check the chart and discuss food allergies. There was so much info given to list here, and all my questions were answered, but I so thankful that God worked it out the way He did. In the course of conversation, I mentioned that we went to Crossroads Christian Church, and the doctor said she did too. And in fact, she is the one that helped get our daycare and nursery staff educated and trained about food allergies. Again, I can see where God is protecting us!

Allergy Testing-Part #2

OK - now to yesterday. Madison had literally been watching the date, counting down to her appointment. She KNEW too what the day & time was of her appointment!! She took her binkie with her (her favorite blanket) and her DS video game machine, and we actually arrived early (I really didn't want anything to get either of us hysterical!) They called us back into the exam room about 15 minutes later, got her vital info, and had the doctor come in just a little later. The doctor is a "woman", as Madison requested, and she was very personable and knowledgeable (more on that later!) Now the reason that a "woman" doctor is important is because Madison told her pediatrician that she wanted a woman doctor; then, they ended up referring her to a male doctor, so I had to call & correct that. I told Madison upfront that I would tell her everything I knew about the whole process if she acted like she could handle it. She did very well & I actually think for her, treating her "like an adult" in this case, helped take away the unknowns that scare her so much. So, we start talking to the doctor and she listens to everything. (I love a doctor that listens!) So, she tells Madison about the "caterpillar" that will actually have the food samples on it. It was an 8-prong little white square thing with jagged ends on the prongs. They will put liquid dots of different foods on the ends and then push them on the undersides of her arms. No needles, no piercing of the skin, nothing scary. I think this is what made it all go well for Madison, and she even let Madison push it down on her arms to see what it would feel like. No pain!! (Praise God!) So, we headed back to a "prep" type room, where several other people were getting either allergy shots or allergy testing. (In the middle of all this, they asked Madison to participate in a laptop questionnaire about asthma, where they are conducting a study to help underpriviledged children get diagnosed with asthma more efficiently-no, we're not the underpriviledged, we're the test group!) They sit her down, take out the food samples, and we begin the testing.

Allergy Testing-Part #1

(Although I use this blog primarily for my scrapping adventures, I wanted to get into writing what happened yesterday...from my point of view...in hopes to one day put on a scrapbook page.) We have been putting off official allergy testing for our daughter, Madison, for years. We have suspected since her first birthday that she has a food allergy, and specifically a peanut allergy. On her first birthday, we had the typical little cake (which was homemade in this case) that you set in front of the 1 year old and let them dig in. She did, and suddenly hives starting appearing everywhere that the cake had touched. As soon as we washed the cake off, the hives starting going away. Several months later, we were having chili, and it's a midwestern custom to serve peanut butter sandwiches with it. So, we gave Madison a bite of the sandwich, and she almost immediately began vomiting and got hives all over her body. The third instance, she was at church in Sunday School, and they were doing crafts, where they put peanut butter on pinecones and add birdseed. Well, the helpers had peanut butter on their hands and had washed it off - but because Madison was crying about something, they picked her up. Where they had touched her under her arms immediately broke out in the biggest hives. The last instance we've had was from a bottled V-8 smoothie. I had read the label to make sure it was clear, and it looked OK. But Madison drank it, and again, got hives all over her body and had a little trouble breathing, but just when I was going to whip her up & take her to the emergency room, she started to get better. All of these instances pointed to Madison having some kind of food allergy. And she is petrified of needles, so we had put off the allergy testing - until this summer, it became apparent that it was time to do it. Her school wouldn't acknowledge her allergy until we had it in writing from a doctor, and the chances we were taking just were not worth putting her life in jeopardy. So, yesterday, she went for allergy testing.

New Challenges for me!

I've been hanging out at Scraplove.com some, and I have committed to a "Summer of Scraplovin" 6 week challenge. It starts July 13th. I am excited about it, but hope that I can finish all 6 weeks. Also, starting that same week is our Arts Smarts Camp - a camp devoted to encouraging students to use their creative talents for Jesus. I love this camp. This is my 4th year to teach a scrapbooking class to 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade students. The project this year is a calendar, whereas other years we've done scrapbooks. I am looking forward to doing something different, however, I really need to get my sample started!! Finally, I have a Disney vacation album that I need to get started on, but it will all happen in it's own time!!

Latest altered item

OK - anyone that knows me "scrapbooking"ly knows that I am not much of an alterer. I would rather just do my pages. But I got this idea from a magazine, and took it from there. We made these for M's teacher, bus driver & after-school care person. There were so easy & a lot of fun!

SISF Blog

Started a new blog recently for our local scrapbook club, Southern Indiana Scrapbook Friends. I hope that people will contribute to make it successful for all of us. I'm excited about how it's looking. Here's a link to the SISF blog.

L = Loves to Laugh

Yes, I do love to laugh. Laughing, for me, is a much better option than crying or being depressed. And sometimes I take life just way too serious. So, I laugh. I don't think I have an overbearing laugh, or a laugh that sounds awful - just a nice comfortable laugh. I do think laughter is a medicine that we need to take more doses of daily!! Sometimes a good comedy movie, or a clever joke is all I need to lift my spirits and have a good day! Join me in having a good belly laugh - 1, 2, 3...

K = Kidding

All joking aside, I like to "kid". I like to laugh. (My favorite quote being "Live, Laugh, Love"!) In the sad things of like, I like to relieve the stress with a little bit of laughter. I like to be flirty by joking around. I think it keeps life from getting too serious, which I have a habit of doing. So the kidding around is my feeable attempt to keep life on the lighter side.

J = Just Julia

Maybe this is a copout on my alphabet, but really, it fits what I want to say. I try to be "just" me. Now {me} is composed of many people around me - you will find a little bit of this person here and little bit of that person there, but overall - I try to be "just" me. That doesn't limit me to what I think I am today, but me is constantly changing.

Live, Laugh, Love

This is one of my favorite sayings, and when I found this digital template, I HAD to use it! The journaling says "Madison, every age is a “great” age to be with you, but right now is especially great. You love to live, and you love to learn. You love to laugh at the funny things in life, and best of all, you love to love on your mommy & daddy!!
You truly do live, laugh, and love! picture taken: Nov. 2007 {7 years old}"

Dear Blog...

Well, I've been gone from you for over a month, but I hope to be a better blogger again!! My life activities are changing, and so, this is one of them. Blog, please forgive me!

PageMaps - Feb. 08

Today, I got a layout published in a newsletter. OK, not a contest, but my name was put into a hat & pulled out randomly, and I was given a sketch to use. Today the newsletter came out. Here's the link to the newsletter...PageMaps - Feb. 08, and here is my actual layout that was published. I love Becky Fleck and her sketches, and she is one awesome lady!! Anyway, the picture is from when I visited my mom in FL in Nov. The journaling says "There's nothing like saying "Smile" to make a good photo go bad." That explains the second photo!! Really now!! Loved the blues & browns on this layout. I used the end of a foam paint brush to create the dots (which is one of my favorite techniques right now) and I painted on the back of a transparency for the title. My DH and DD both thought it looked like wood. I don't know about that, but I love how the layout turned out!! Enjoy!

I'm so happy!!

I know what I want for Valentine's Day (yes, with my DH, it's appropriate to give big "hints" about what would make me happy!!) I see that Casting Crowns is coming to town again!! That's what I want...two tickets to see them in concert, and $$ to buy a concert t-shirt!! YAYYYYYY!!!

I = Introvert

I...that's easy. I am definitely am an introvert!! I love scrapping by myself (well, I love scrapping with friends too), but I am my most creative by myself. If I don't get "me" time daily, I get really grouchy. So, my family knows that when I'm grouchy, it's time for me to scrap!! I love reading books, listening to music, watching movies - all by myself. I can handle a few bursts of extroverted-ness, but by the time it's over, I am worn out! Yep - definitely an introvert!

H = Helpful

Well, I couldn't think of an "H" word, so I enlisted the help of 3 friends. They all decided on "helpful". They say that I am helpful. Hmmmm, well, I guess I am. I like to help people at work & all...like teaching people how to do things...but helpful, like in a humanitarian way...I don't know. The jury is still out I guess. Maybe it should be "heart". Since getting on blood pressure medicine & realizing that it runs in my family, I've been getting more into heart health. Anyway...on to the letter "I".

New Blog!

My friend, Janie (a fellow CT member over at Susan's Scrapbook Shack) has a new blog, showcasing a NEW scrapbooker's blog EVERYDAY!! What fun, check it out!!

G = Grateful

I am grateful to God for all of life's blessings...my daughter, my husband, a great job, good health, a comfortable house, a good car...sometimes I don't act like it, but I am grateful!! I recently saw a quote that said something like "You are not grateful if you cannot say thank you." So I have been trying to say thank you a little bit more lately. Thank you God!

My fondest childhood memory:

Mine is a Christmas story...my dad was ill with cancer at the time - I didn't know how sick he was...well, we opened all the presents & I was happy with everything, but I turned around & saw a big present with a bow on top. I remember saying "Ohhhhh, who is this one for? Ohhhhhh, It's me!!!!!!" It was from my dad, just for me. It was a bird cage with a little green parakeet in it. I loved it, I named him Donner, after the reindeer. Then, that year, our dog died, my dad died, & my parakeet died, in that order. It was a rough year, but getting the parakeet was a wonderful memory.