Paper Issues: A Pocket Full of Sunshine!

I just wanted to start off by saying, I enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts on scrapbook classes!
I am thinking I am going to take the Art class by Wilna because it will challenge me to get a little messy and use those gelatos!

And I know I haven't mentioned Craft Your Nest in a while. It seems that all of us at the Nest needed a bit of a break for personal reasons, but now we are getting back to posting. One of my new goals for my weekly posts at the blog there is to create "Use Your Stash" challenges. I will probably throw in a few sketches here and there as well, since I find them to be helpful when I need some inspiration. But instead of taking a class on using your stash, I am going to try and kick start myself and hopefully encourage others to join in.

Now on to Paper Issues!
The new issue is starting today and the theme is "A Pocket Full of Sunshine!"
Martha Bonneau, design team member and owner of Panda Eight Designs
created this fun flair exclusively for the issue...

 

I am using mine on a layout I am currently working on. It is so super cute!

So Panda Eight Designs is our sponsor for the current issue and the prize is your choice of five sets of flair from her shop which you can find *Here* 

Plus, while this issue is running (March 31st - April 13th) she is offering 20% off in her shop if you use this code SUNSHINE20.

I am hoping to finish my layout this week to link up.

But if you have a project that you have created or been wanting to create that would fit this issue, make sure to link up on the Paper Issues blog for a chance to win some fabulous flair by Martha.

Since I haven't finished my new project yet, here is a layout I am planning on linking up that I have probably shared here before...

This one just says "sunshine to me" in so many ways. :)
I could probably also link up this one...

I have never shared this project on the blog, but it was a feelings chart I had made for Evan a few years back. There were several photos in the pocket, each representing a different feeling. And each matted photo had velcro on the back so he could switch it out depending on how he felt that day. I had it hanging in his room for a while.

I may also link up this one...

See the little sun up there in the top right with the "sweet sunshine" polaroid frame. :)

So that is what I am going to start with and then we will see what I am able to come up with in the next two weeks.

I will be back on Thursday with a list or two. I have some catching up to do for my "Lists With Friends" group. :)
See you then. 

It's Thursday...

my house is clean. Spent a lot of time cleaning yesterday.

One of the things I actually like about cleaning is the fun little surprises that make me smile. Such as this little Lego sniper guy perched up in a window in the family room in the basement. He is looking towards the rebel base Evan had on the floor by the wall :)

This sight also made me smile. I am so ready for Spring! And I promise you, I will not be one of those people who complain when it is hot this summer. We just head to the pool or somewhere with air conditioning on those days :)

For my scrapbook friends, I have been considering signing up for a few on-line classes. Just not all at once of course.

I have enjoyed one or two classes (and one or two not so much) from Big Picture Scrapbooking and I especially love that they do free events and classes like this one. I don't have any illusions that I will actually scrapbook on National Scrapbook Day. But just in case, I am signing up so I will have access to the private on line classroom. You never know I may be able to sneak up to my room and get a layout or two done between dance and dinner. :)
I know Julie is planning on participating. Anyone else?

I have also been looking at *This class*

being taught by Ally Dosdall at Big Picture Scrapbooking as well. Maybe to get me scrapbooking again and use up stuff I have on hand. I really like assignments and challenges to get me going, so this may be a good one. Have any of you taken it before?

Over at Two Peas in a Bucket,
I am still thinking of giving *This class* a try.

I think it would definitely be a challenge, and I would love to learn some new techniques as well. Especially ones using gelatos and watercolors! She has a second art class as well, but I think this one would be good to start with.

And I would also love to take *This class* with Jill Sprott.

It is only $12 and I am always so inspired with her projects! She is such a great storyteller and one of the things I love most about scrapbooking is getting our stories told. 

So if you have taken any of these classes, would love to hear a review. Was it worth it? 

Hope you have a great weekend!

Around Here...

still not scrapbooking a whole lot
and not feeling very bloggy either.

But Evan is finally, finally back to his normal self. When they said 7-10 days for tonsil surgery recovery, they weren't kidding. This past Saturday is the day when I would say, he felt 99% better.
And that is 10 days exactly.

This photo is from on Thursday last week. We walked up to the fountain in the park. It was the first time he had left the house since surgery the previous Wednesday. It's about a 7-10  minute walk from our house. And I think the exercise and fresh air was good for him, but it definitely wore him out. So glad he feels ready and excited to go back to school tomorrow.

On Tuesday last week, Erin and I actually ran a few errands to get out of the house. We went to the bank, Target and to get Panera for lunch. And let me tell you it takes a bit to get out the door due to this...

she likes to bring her baby along. And baby's car seat sits rear facing in the car. That is her baby carrier and some books in the other hand. She literally wore her baby in the carrier while we were in Target :)

Something else we have been doing a lot of. Playing Uno together as a family at meal times. This was breakfast on Thursday. When Mike is home, he likes to play with us, too. It's a great way to spend time together and lots of fun!

I am so close to being done with my closet project. And as soon as that is done, I will feel like I can scrapbook again. I have lots of projects in the planning stages or half done (like the summer PL album I am working on).

I know I haven't been visiting blogs much, but I have just been occupied and just plain exhausted.
I will be by today and tomorrow though to see what you all have been up to.
Have a great Monday!

Paper Issues: Count Your Lucky Stars!

Hey, Everyone! I am back and counting my lucky stars that Evan had such a successful surgery and recovery is going better.

Today the new issue (theme) is up over at Paper Issues, and it is "Count Your Lucky Stars."
I love this one! So much potential for project ideas such as stars, St. Patrick's Day, being lucky, movie or rock stars, astronomy, numbers, and more.

Lori Whitlock  is the sponsor for this issue and she is donating a $25 gift card to her shop. She has some amazing cutting files available there and at the Silhouette store if you have a die cut machine. And she also allowed the design team members on the issue to pick out a few files.

I am one of the design team members who created a layout specifically for this issue, but I don't have a die cut machine. After I chose the die cuts I thought would work for me, fellow dt member Kathy, kindly cut my files and mailed them to me.

I was so excited when they arrived! And here is what I made...

The two "project life" die cuts to the left and right of my photo are sprayed with gold Studio Calico mist. So they have a light shimmer which doesn't show up in the photo well. But it helps them pop out a bit more from the white.
And that Shamrock border, well that was fun but not easy :) I ended up finally pulling out my regular old glue stick to adhere the papers underneath. The first, third and fifth are just patterned paper. But I used gelatos and water to create a watercolor shamrock on the second. The fourth uses more of the Studio Calico gold mist to create a visual triangle from the two project life cards to the shamrock.
After adhering each piece of paper, I tried to neatly trim around and then attached the whole border loosely to my page.
I also used a few bits and pieces from the

 

March Swag bag. The green star card is behind one of my shamrocks in the border. And the little green felt shamrock is in one of my embellishment clusters as is a smaller chipboard star. I also used the "Lucky" flair by the fabulous Martha Bonneau. She sells great pieces of flair out of her Etsy shop which you can find *Here*. Love her flair! The other piece of flair at the bottom of my page is from 

this set which I bought from her several weeks ago. Thought it was super cute.

So basically this layout is about how I "count my lucky stars" that I was able to go to Ireland with Mike a few years back. It was the trip of a lifetime for us and I am so grateful that we could go!

Now it's your turn! How would you interpret the theme? Do you have any projects that would fit already? Or something you have been thinking about creating but haven't had time yet? If you do, come join us on the Paper Issues blog *Here* to link up your projects and have a chance to win!

I will be sharing a project on the Paper Issues blog next week, and will be looking for familiar faces in the link ups. Hope to see you there!! :)

And Happy St. Patrick's Day from our home to yours!

Just a Quick Post

to tell you that Evan's surgery for his tonsils and adenoids went well.
I am so proud of him! He handled everything so calmly.
He is in quite a bit of pain off and on, but that is to be expected.
Frozen fruit bars and jello seem to be his favorite and easiest to eat right now.
Although he was starving yesterday at lunch and ate five pancakes and scrambled eggs!
Don't think that is happening today though.
My sweet mother-in-law brought made pudding and grape jello for him.
Our neighbors and good friends Kate and Sam brought down a balloon and book for him last night and it made him so happy :)
Another neighbor gave him a card.
Plus my parents are coming by today later for a bit to cheer him up.

So we are getting by and doing well.
It's just hard to see him in pain, and I am happy to do what I can to help and take care of him.
Lots of Battle Nation matches on the ipads together to distract him!

And I will say, so glad Mike was able to get the day off yesterday and be in town for the surgery and just to be here in general. When Erin had surgery on her foot, he was out of the country in Canada which wasn't easy. He is able to be here in town until next Monday, and that is a huge help!

Hope all is well with you and I know I won't be checking back in until next Monday.
Just too busy being a mom and nurse.
Thanks for stopping by today though and I hope you have a great weekend!

The Words of Wisdom List

Sorry. Still no Summer Project Life photos. Will get there :)
Facing a tough week coming up and trying to prepare myself.
More on that in a bit.

Today for "Lists With Friends" I am sharing a few of the newest pins to one of my favorite boards on Pinterest.
My "Words of Wisdom" board.

1.

I saw this one, stopped and thought hard about it. I think there is a lot of truth to this for me. I spend to much time focusing negatively on how I perceive myself whether it be looks, personality, ability as a wife, mom, friend or whatever role I am filling at the moment. But I think at times that I don't give myself enough credit. I am so quick to be critical of myself, and ultimately I am being unfair to myself.

2.

I always tell myself things happen for a reason. Whatever crap I/we are going through has a purpose. And ultimately I find that things usually work out somehow. So trying to remember this whenever times are tough.

3.

So true. I shared this one with Evan tonight. He worries like me, and I am trying to help him find peace sooner than I did in life.

4.

Something I have learned since dealing with difficult people and situations is that this is 100% true. And I share this thought with my children often. The only one you can control is you, and it is up to you to decide how you are going to deal with life.

5.

Dishes, laundry, packing lunches, bills, phone calls, help with homework, cooking dinner...I could go on and on. Disciplining my children also falls under this as well. So many situations where I have just felt like just going back to bed or not facing the millions of tasks that are waiting for my attention. Trying to really just get things done and not procrastinate as much.

6.

As someone who likes plans, this idea is refreshing to me.

7.

And this one isn't from Pinterest. It was something I saw on Facebook, but I love it. 

So as I look at these, I know what is really on my mind is my son is having surgery next week. Just a routine surgery to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. But surgery nonetheless. I have complete faith all will be well, but your thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated. It's been a long time coming and I feel that this will truly help him. 

That said, I know my blogging has been a little spotty lately and I am not sure how much I will post over the next week and a half or so if at all. I will try to post to let you know how things went though.

I know I will be back on the 17th (St. Patrick's Day) for sure though because I have an assignment for Paper Issues and the issue (challenge) being shared that day.

Thanks for coming by today. :)

Paper Issues: Tiptoe Through the Tulips!

So glad the new challenge at Paper Issues (Tiptoe Through the Tulips) can be considered Spring related!
I am ready for warm days, flowers blooming and light or no jackets required. :)
Welcome, March!

Here are a few pages I will probably link up...

This layout is the first one I thought of  when I heard this was going to be the theme. I made this a few years back for a design team assignment for ScrapGal with a tutorial on how to make those little pinwheels.

Another page I did around that time about these pretty flowers one of my neighbors had planted.

This one is actually a scraplift I had done using a layout from a member at ScrapGal.

I love doing pages about our local Botanical Gardens. Plus this one uses flower print paper.

And the last one for today...

I thought this was kind of fun also from a few years back. I was on the swing in the backyard when I snapped this photo, and feeling pretty happy about my new shoes. I actually used a tag from my shoes for this page.

So here is the story - visit this post *Here* and link up your pages using one or more of the following items...anything Spring related (especially flowers whether it be just in photos or product). Also going with Tip toe, you could use feet, anything quiet related, sleep, etc...
We are pretty open and flexible to interpretation :)
One lucky person will win a $20 gift card to the store just for linking up a project.
And there is a lot of great new product coming in which you can see in the "All New" section *Here*.
Don't forget to use code MARYJO to get 20% off your total order!

As for my Scrapbook Weekend Getaway...it was so much fun! We did have a huge winter storm watch Saturday night into Sunday, but we didn't let that stop us. :) And my friend Mary and I made it home just fine on Sunday.
Here is the one photo my friend Sue took of Becky, myself and Mary...

Looking a little tired, but I was pretty good going to bed by 12:30 both nights. Some of the ladies stayed up until 2 and 3 in the morning!



The only thing I worked on during the crop was my 2013 Summer Project life. I shared the title page back last June in this post *Here*. We didn't arrive until around 6:30 pm on Friday night. And after eating dinner and checking into our room, we really didn't settle down to our scrap space until around 8pm.
I spent most of the next 4 hours or so organizing my photos and journaling. Matching words with photos and weeks.
The next day I was ready to go and managed to get through the first four weeks. Since I do Project Life my own way, the first week has several pages including a few smaller inserts. But then the next three weeks were two to four pages each.
I am going to try and get a few photos of some of my pages to share here soon.
I have to say that I like the PL format, but wouldn't want to do it all year long. Summer is just long enough for me. And now Evan is saying he wants me to do it again for the family this upcoming summer! We will see. I want to get Summer of 2013 done first before jumping in again. :)
But I did feel like I accomplished a lot this weekend.

And just because one of my favorite shows in the world is The Golden Girls...

My friend Becky shared that with me at the crop this weekend. I thought it was hilarious. Looks just like them. :)

So lots of happiness here the past few days. And since the weather was so bad on Sunday night, Mike did not drive down to Joplin. I had an extra day with him! He did have to work here from home, but I felt pretty happy just having him here with me all day while we each did our thing. I am not used to having him here on Mondays. It really is the little things that make me happy. :)

Back soon with some Project Life pages.