New Sketch!

I am having so much fun with sketches lately! I can't believe how they were such a mystery to me when I first started trying to create sketches and now I can whiz through them in about 5 minutes. I really think part of the reason I can move more quickly with them now is all my digital play in photoshop. Here is a two page sketch and a layout I created using the December 2008 Sugar Kit at Scrapdango. Have fun with it!



Watch for a new sketch and layout to celebrate 2009 on New Years Day!

December Sketch

I created two layouts using the same sketch and I was amazed at how each turned out quite different. Here's the sketch...


And here are two designs I created using this sketch and the December Spice Kit at Scrapdango. This was so completely "my" kit! It is my style and I had such fun with it. I do have a couple of kits left that I will be adding to the store under Past Kits very soon.

"Uniquely You" Design by Carrie Leavitt (and photography too!)

"You Are A Hoot" Design by Carrie Leavitt

If you create a layout using this sketch, please send it to me at info@scrapdango.com and I will upload it here.

Grid Paper Too!!!!

I have been having fun creating my own digital papers! I finished this grid paper also today! Here it is...

Textured Background Paper

I have been dabbling again! I followed a tutorial on making your own textured background paper. I don't exactly know why I have been dabbling in this digital stuff because I will be the last paper scrapbooker standing and would never convert to digital! I think I have been playing with this because I love learning - a lifelong learner! So, here is my latest creation...textured background paper!

Kreativ Blogger Award!

Lucy tagged me with this honorable Kreativ Blogger award...


Here are the rules:
1. The winner may put the logo on their blog.
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Provide links to their blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

I nominate the following people in no particular order - they all have phenomenal scrapping blogs that I highly recommend:

Shelley's Place
Ginni - My Scrappy World
Lisa - Picture2Pages
Kerryn - Harry's Scrappinmum
Jana - Just Jana

A Little Glimpse Into My Life...

Here is a link to a newspaper article in the Portland Tribune today that is about the use of Restraints and Seclusion with children with special needs. It is a wonderful thing to have a reporter interested and pay attention to the needs of special children and youth and this article forwards the movement into more collaborative methods of managing challenging behaviors. Here is a little glimpse into my life and the life of my special child...

Restraint, seclusion of kids now tracked

Ready-Set-Create! Publication

I just received the December 2008/January 2009 download of Ready-Set-Create and they published my New Years Resolution mini-album using the January 2008 Scrapdango Sugar Kit featuring Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar. That was very exciting to see my work in print. My other publication will come out during the Summer in Scrapbooking & Beyond. As a contributor, I can share the download link with 5 people so if you would like to view this wonderful issue jam-packed with some serious motivation then let me know.

Playing around...

I have been wanting to play around with digital designing and learn more about Photoshop. I found a good tutorial on creating your own overlay and so I gave it a try. I know it is not anything great but here is what I came up with...

I actually turned it into a patterned paper rather than just an overlay for a patterned paper so I could learn more about fill color and blending modes. Well, maybe I will try to tackle a new tutorial each week and see what I can come up with.

Disappointed...

We attended the Washington CK Scrapbook Convention this last weekend and we had a sales table at the evening crops on Friday and Saturday. Everything went very well, Jose and I had a fun time together and stayed in a really nice hotel for a really great rate - only $87.00 per night thanks to Expedia.com. But I have to tell you how disappointed I am...I had a woman take me for $250 worth of product. I wish I had trusted my gut instinct about her. Another one of those times where you kick yourself for not listening to your instincts. She kept asking how much something was and saying "I'll take all of them!" It was as if she was on a shopping spree. I just had this weird feeling that her credit card was not going to go through and I was going to be sorry. I asked to see her driver's license and I remember the look on her face, like she was thinking really fast. She said it was at her crop table and she would bring it back to me. If I had been smart I would have told her I would hold her things for her until she came back, but I tend to think that all people are good people unless they prove otherwise. Unfortunately, I am proven over and over again that I shouldn't make this assumption.

She did come back but I was at the bathroom. She left a piece of paper with Jose with her what was supposed to be her drivers license number. I thought that since she did come back that maybe she might be for real so I let my worries go. On the drive home the next day, I found myself thinking about her and that charge quite a bit. I had prepared myself to not be surprised when her charge card didn't go through. Sure enough, out of about 30 charges over the weekend, her charge card was the only one that didn't go through. I tried the phone number she left me and sure enough..."we're sorry, the number you have tried to reach is not in service".

I called information and tried to see if there was a Nikki Johnston in the Mt Vernon area which is where she said her address was and they didn't have anything. So, either it was a credit card that was cancelled or it was not her credit card.

I am going to try to do some research and see what I can find out but chances are it won't lead to anything. It is so sad that there are such awful people out there who are willing to take from others for their own satisfaction. Jose told me that we need to learn from what happened and make changes to avoid it happening again and he also said that when people do things like that, it comes back to them in different ways. As much as I hate to feel revengeful, I actually hope that is true for this woman.

Another "Jovanna-ism"

I really don't want to forget this exchange I had with Jovanna tonight so I am recording it here. Jovanna had a meltdown tonight and decided that she was going leave (runaway) so she grabbed her pillow and blanket and a block of Tillamook cheese. Jose told her, "oh no...leave the cheese" (LOL). So she went out the door and I stayed far enough away that I could see her but she saw me so then she knew I was keeping an eye out for her and then she started walking further away. I finally got close enough to her to talk and told her it was time to come back inside. She told me that she was going to go and live somewhere else with someone who loves her. I asked her where she was going to go and she thought for a moment and then said, "I'm going to live with Grandma and Grandpa!". I asked her how long she thought that would last and she said it would last as long as she wanted it to. I said, "O.K., let's go call Grandma and see what she says." Jovanna thought for a moment and said, "Well, Grandpa will make Grandma let me stay, he loves me!" I asked her who would take care of her and she said "Grandpa will!". I reminded her that Grandpa was sick and she said "Grandma will take care of me then!" and I told her that Grandma is taking care of Grandpa, who is sick. She said that Grandpa will make Grandma take care of her. Again, I told her that if she thought that was going to work then let's go call. I asked her how long she thought she would stay there and she told me she would stay as long as she wanted until she was ready to come home. I told her to really think about that and how long Grandma would tolerate that. She spent a few minutes thinking and then she began walking back towards the house and said, "I'm going to think about this for a couple of hours and I will let you know what my decision is."

Oh my!!!!!

Toot!

About a month ago I decided that I wanted to work towards having one of my layouts published. I have been trying to submit my creations to the magazines consistently and I am so excited that my dream and goal of getting published is coming true! You may notice that my layout in my post below has been removed! Ironically, my "Bucket List" layout will be published in an upcoming magazine and one of the items on my Bucket List is to "get published". Guess I better make my bucket list longer so I don't end up crossing off all of my items on my list!

Bucket List

I finally finished my bucket list layout. This was a fun lo to make but very serious too because it definitely made me put some thought into what I want on my bucket list. If you haven't made a Bucket List lo, you should!

I know you can't read the journaling and my bucket list so here it is:
Bucket List
Travel across the country and see something special in every state.
Demonstrate self-control
Get published
Win a photography award for an amazing shot
Write a book about something important - my life experience
Leave something inspiring behind that will continue on to help others

Journaling Quote on the right side:
so many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable and then, when we summon the will, they become inevitable. Christopher Reeves

Who do I wish I had stayed in contact with over the years?

Scrapdango has a blog challenge to blog about who is the one person we wish we had stayed in contact with through the years. I knew exactly who this is for me as soon as I read this challenge. I made a friend when I was in college. Her name was Balinda. She was the most real and genuine person I think I have ever met. She was a great support for me while I was in college and we continued to stay in touch for several years after college but after having a disagreement about whether my X (notice that I say X because she was definitely RIGHT!) was right for me or not, we lost touch with each other and it wasn't until many years, maybe 8 years later that I tried to track her down. I did find her but when we talked briefly on the phone, it wasn't the same. So much had happened in both our lives during those years. She had finished her education and had become an eye doctor. She got married and had a brand new baby when we spoke. I spent 10 years in a miserable relationship with that same X and had a child with special needs. We just didn't have that connection and spark in our conversation that we had years before. I am sure that had I not been so stubborn and had listened to her years earlier that we would have stayed in contact over the years and would have been able to maintain our connection to each other. I often think about her and wish I hadn't lost her friendship but I do cherish the years that we were a support and friend to each other.

Cosmic Bowling with Friends

We had such a busy, busy weekend. I took Jovanna to her Shine Team Cheerleading on Friday evening and then from there we headed to Game Night which is this awesome group that holds this great family fun event once a month for kids with Aspergers or who are on the Autism Spectrum. We had a really good time! Then on Saturday we spent sometime with my new friend, Kris and her two wonderful kids. We went to the library and out to eat and then to Cosmic Bowling. The bowling was a fundraiser for Jo's Cheerleading group and we just had a blast! Here's a few pic's...


I feel so lucky to have met Kris and her family. I enjoy talking to her and spending time with her and I look forward to developing a great friendship with her and her family.

I was blog surfing the other day and came across Karen's blog and gave this a try...
(I used to be a lot faster but as with everything as I get older, seems to get slower)

57 words

Speed test

My First Toot!

I recently began submitting some of my work for publication. This is the first time in my creative life that I have really been trying to submit my work and see if I can get something published. I learned recently that the online publication - Ready, Set, Create will publish one of my projects in the December/January issue. This was exciting! I will continue to submit my layouts and projects in hopes that a print magazine will pick-up one of my creations.

Photoshoot!!!

I took Jovanna over to our senior portrait studio on Sunday and had a blast doing a photoshoot with her. I think this is really the first time I have done this with her. She had a great time being the center of attention and got to wear fun things. I got some AWESOME pictures of her...layouts coming soon! I will give you a bit of a tease though - here is my favorite...o.k. I lied, I have several favorites LOL!

She looks so grown up and mature. We have to work with her a lot on her smile because she is at that age that smiling for pictures seems to be such hard work and they give you that funny fake over-smile, you know what I mean? We got her to smile though. I had her repeat funny sayings to me like, "Grandpa's got stinky feet!" and she would laugh so hard. We had fun!

Reflections on 9/11

Every year we all reflect back on 9/11 and somehow we all tend to remember what we were doing and where we were on that awful morning. I was getting ready for work and turned on the local news as I always do while getting ready and there it was, on every station - the images of the first plane making contact and as I was watching, the second plane. I didn't even care that I was supposed to be at work or even think to make a phone call that I was running late. I continued watching the television and watched in horror as the towers fell. I couldn't speak, I couldn't move. I didn't have any ties to anyone I loved in the areas that were attacked but somehow I had feelings of deep sadness, fear and so many other feelings that I am not sure there are words to describe them. When I finally was able to peel myself from the television and head to work, it felt like such an inconsequential thing to have to do - to go to work. The office was in complete silence, everyone was speechless, unable to find words to say. We had meetings on that day and no one was in a space to be able to talk about things that now seemed so unimportant.

Sketch #3

I created a new sketch! I am really enjoying learning this new skill and practicing new things in Photoshop that I have never done before. This is the first time I was successful at using a brush! Here's the sketch and a layout to accompany the sketch!




















I have really been enjoying the featured Spice Kit this month. This layout, "Cherish all your happy moments" was created using the September Scrapdango Spice Kit.

I'm an Auntie...again!

Last night, my new nephew was born! Wyatt was born around 4:30am and was almost 8 lbs. He appears to be a healthy little Bickler boy! I hope I can see him tomorrow and get more pictures!

Been Dabbling in Sketches again...

I've been dabbling again in sketching! I really want to learn how to do sketches in PS and feel like I really understand what I am doing. This is my latest sketch and I was happy that it only took me about 10 minutes whereas the other sketches I have done in the past took me about an hour. So, it must be getting easier for me! Here it is! Hope it inspires you to create a layout or try sketching for yourself!

I created this additional sketch today also! On a roll! And a sample layout using the sketch and the upcoming September Scrapdango Sugar Kit featuring Piggytales Itsy Bitsy Spider line!

Where does life go?

I visited my blog recently only to realize that is has been since June that I added anything! I was dumbfounded by that! I thought there must be something wrong because I was sure that I had been on my blog since June! Life just seems to be whirling by at tornado speeds. Wish I could find a way to slow time and have more of it to relax and enjoy life. I've lost my mojo amidst the tornado also. I think about scrapping and I get this "Blah" feeling come over me. I am thinking that if I spend some time organizing and cleaning up my scrap mess which is a complete cluster all over my kitchen table that maybe I will want to dig in and find my MIA mojo once again.

YITL...My Free Card

Unfortunately, the word for this week wasn't "betrayal" because I could have told you a little something about that. However, Suzanne did pick a very good YITL word for week #25...Free. Here is my Free card.

It's my Birthday...and I'll cry if I want to!

Yes, it's true...it's my birthday. I am now 38. My friends and family know how difficult my birthdays are for me. Ever since my 25th birthday, I have really suffered through each and every one of my birthdays. When I turned 25 I went through a horrible depression because I felt like 30 was just around the corner and then 40 would be shortly after that. And you know what? That is exactly what has happened! If I had my way, I would stay 25 forever. But one quick glance in the mirror and I know that is not reality.

My birthdays are now just a reminder to me that I am getting older. Time just goes so fast that I feel like I don't get to enjoy the time that is rushing by at the speed of light. Well, unfortunately now I can't say I am 37 any longer. Now I have to say that I am 38! Gosh darnit!

I'll never forget...

Suzanne on her O'Scrappy Day blog has some great weekly blog challenges and this week the challenge was to choose a topic. (Weather, children, school, work, etc.) Write three sentences that begin with the words 'I'll never forget...' Then use one of your sentences in a paragraph, poem, or longer descriptive piece. So, let me tell you...Suzanne has a tendency to be a trouble-maker! Quite mischievous is that lady! And then there is her partner in crime... Colleen! I posted on the Scrapdango Forum the following:

I'll never forget the day Suzanne showed up at Scrapdango!
I'll never forget the day Colleen showed up at Scrapdango!
I'll never forget the day I lost all control over their mischief at Scrapdango!

And here is how they finished the challenge:

"I'll never forget the day Suzanne showed up at Scrapdango! She was so shy and quiet, it took quite a bit of doing to get her to come out of her shell. The other members pick on her for no darned good reason, and she often gets blamed for doing mischievious things on the board. But "I" know she's an angel."

Mmmmhhhh...don't think I would have finished the challenge that way!

Believe Card

And the last YITL card for me tonight is my Believe Card.
Now I am going to watch a movie with my DBF!

Care and Time Cards

I'm on a roll on my YITL cards. Here is my Time and Care cards! I used my new arrow stamps from my Scrapdango Secret Sister on my Time card!

My Wish Card

When Suzanne posted the word "Wish" a few weeks back for YITL, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for mine. Here it is...

I know the edge got cut off a bit but what it says is "It is my wish to one day own my own home again". When I had to leave employment in 2005 to care for my daughter and also decided to end the relationship with her father at the same time, I had to sell my home. Because of his court antics, the proceeds from the home ended up going to pay for my attorney bill. I started Scrapdango and it still costs me money each month to keep it going but I still have the dream and deep wish and desire to one day be able to walk into the doors of my own home and know and feel and be able to say..."this is mine".

Slideshow of Scotty

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Scotty Graduates!!!

This was one of the most special days of my life today! I knew it would be a special moment but I didn't know just how much until I actually experienced it. I got to watch my son accept his High School diploma dressed in a crimson and black with a 2008 tassel. You really can't describe what that feels like until you actually experience it. He made it! And...there were times that I and others who cared about him wondered whether he would make it or not. But he did it and I couldn't be more proud. I worked the last two days on making a DVD slideshow movie of his life. I just keep watching it over and over again because it causes me such joy to watch his growth from the day I brought him home from the hospital to where he is now. I love that kid and I am so proud of him. By the way, I held it together until it was my turn to give him a hug and then I couldn't hold it in any longer and we both cried, just like the day he was born.

I've got the blues!

I don't mean to bum any of you out, but right now I am feeling so down and blue. It might have something to do with spending the last week (including my whole three day weekend) non-stop, day and night preparing for the kit shipment and then packing and shipping our monthly kits. And I find myself tonight still packing up the last 10 or so. Just so much work and I am struggling to make ends meet. I think what I am most down about is the economy. Gas is over $4.00 a gallon - never thought I would see the day!!!! And that is now affecting every aspect of our lives from food prices to money we have to spend on extra's - like scrapbooking. I am also so disappointed in some of the scrapbooking manufacturers and other major players in the industry, like Creating Keepsakes and Prima. Having worked in Workforce Development for 4 years, I have a basic understanding of how industries thrive and grow and the kind of things that as an industry you just don't do if you want that industry to continue to thrive and grow. I am not sure what it is about the scrapbooking industry, but it seems to think that the scrapbooking industry is immune to the industrial laws and principles. I am watching major players make tremendous mistakes driven by greed that are leading the scrapbooking industry down a dangerous path. In most strong and thriving industries, everyone has a certain place and contributes to the industry in a particular way - but every part of the whole is critically important. In other industries you would never see the industry magazine venture outside of its role into manufacturing its own products, distributing Kits of the Month because it then shifts the industry equilibrium and enters into a competitive role with the companies that pay huge amounts of money to advertise in the magazine. Which I will tell you that I will not pay for advertising in CK, however, I have advertised in Simple Scrapbooks which is also owned by CK so I guess I am kind of guilty in that respect.

Similarly, Prima - a large industry manufacturer of scrapbooking products, recently announced that they were going to launch their own monthly kits. Now, this is not only monthly kits. It will be based on becoming a "monthly kit member" with duration options just like a Monthly Kit Club. Now, Prima not only has an awful customer service reputation and is completely unreliable on their shipments to vendors, but they too seem to be driven by greed and will now venture out beyond their important role in the industry and continue to move the scrapbooking industry towards collapse. The immediate affect of all these things is it makes it impossible for companies who sell the products to compete with the companies who make the products. This is how the industry begins to collapse.

It is hard watching all this happening and not sure...what are these people thinking? Do they think they are different and immune to the principles of business and industry? Do they care? Do they even know what the principles of business and industry are? I am starting to think that they either don't know the mistakes being made or they are just merely driven by greed and have no concern for what that does to the scrapbooking industry. Because it's not as if these two companies don't make enough money already.

O.K. That felt better to get that off my chest.

When I was most afraid...

Suzanne challenged us to write about when in our lives we have been most afraid. This happened for me back in the Spring of 2005. My daughter, who has significant developmental disabilities, was not able to attend public school, we had lost our 13th childcare provider in the same week that the public school would not allow her to attend any longer and here I was with a full-time, demanding and well-paying job. I spent 6 months total on a partial leave of absence from my job that was originally supposed to last only about a month trying to straighten out our situation and get my daughter stabilized. It became very clear to me in the Spring of 2005 that this was not a quick process, my daughter's needs were very complicated and there was no way I would be able to hang on to my job. Since everything was falling apart, I decided...heck! Why not? I would also take the plunge and free myself from my horrible life with my daughters father. It had been 12 years of awful emotional abuse and somehow I found the strength within me that I didn't think I had to finally free myself and live a life free from abuse.

When I handed in my resignation at my job and began to prepare my house for sale and began the court proceedings to end the domestic partnership with my daughters father, all at the same time...I would say that I had fear pulsating through my body. I had no idea what was in store for me and my children. I wondered if we might be living on the streets soon, if I could provide food for my children. And, of course, my daughters father found every possible way to punish me and tarnish me that he could conjure up. He always left me thinking...what is coming next? You can't describe what that kind of fear feels like. I lived in constant fear for a long period of time with fears of safety and meeting basic needs.

Three years later, I feel like I am still climbing my way back up out of that deep dark pit...but I can see the light ahead. I find ways to protect and shelter myself from my x's ongoing resent and punishment. I can meet my families basic needs each month. My daughter is progressing and maturing. I have a part-time job working in the field of children's mental health, moving forward very important family principles to make the lives of families with children who suffer from developmental and behavior disabilities better. I have Scrapdango, although it is a tremendous amount of work it provides me with a therapeutic outlet and friendships and support. And I have a wonderful man in my life who loves me dearly and doesn't abuse me.

I have dreams and wishes and plans and I will continue to move toward the light I see ahead so I can reach these.

Pink and Friend YITL

I am so happy that I made some progress on my YITL cards this weekend! I am not as far behind as I was when the weekend started! I still need to do my FUN, BELIEVE and TIME cards. Here are my Pink and Friend cards...

Spring!

I am a little behind on my YITL cards because it is clearly Summer now (99 degrees here in the Portland area the last two days) but I finally got my Spring Card done!

Is it Passion or is it ... Obsession?

Interesting concept...is it passion or is it obsession?
Passion is feeling very strongly about something and obsession is becoming consumed by something.
Passion is something you have in your heart, obsession is of the mind. Passion is something you care about and love, obsession is something you think about all the time.
It appears there is a thin line between passion and obsession. Yeah, I guess I have to admit it...I think I fall into the obsession category when it comes to scrapbooking.

My passion card for YITL Challenge.

Scotty's Senior Prom!

Where did the years go? I can remember when he lost his first tooth, learned to ride without training wheels, and played in his first t-ball game. I can't believe my son is graduating from high school, and from the same high school I graduated from 20 years ago this year. I am proud of this kid. He is handsome and has a kind soul and good heart. Scotty and Kelcie were a cute couple and so excited about the prom. He wasn't very happy about having to take the Scrapdango Van to the prom...but we took care of that issue now. He has his own new car so he can have more independence and not have to feel embarrassed driving the Scrapdango Van around town. Aren't they cute?













Guess what I came across today...since I am grieving that my son is all grown-up, I have to show you what I found today - Scotty's 1st Birthday pictures...

Patience...

Ain't that the truth?
Finally catching up a bit on my YITL Challenge cards!

We have a new addition...

We have a new addition here at our home! We have squeezed in a 2001 Hyundai Accent in the driveway! I no longer have to share the Scrapdango Van with my 18 year old! Scotty will make the payments on his new car which are only $85 ~ very, very affordable and we got a good deal on it! I was amazed that it was a 2001 and only had 64,000 miles on it! I am pretty sure I come pretty close to putting that many miles on my van each year! I am so happy for Scotty. He deserves to have something go right for him and bring him some joy and independence. He's a good kid. I don't know how I am going to break it to him though...I have plans to steal it from him for the 40mph gas mileage!

Where did the years go?

I keep saying "I'll get to this or that once things calm down" but that never seems to happen. Sometimes it feels like life is just passing me by and I don't have time to enjoy it. My 20th High School reunion is next month and I am really asking myself "where did the years go?" I still feel like I am about 25 years old in someone else's body. I have wrinkles developing, bags under my eyes, I am putting on weight and for the first time in my life it is a struggle to keep my weight down even with exercise and I am starting to have aches and pains all over my body. I will also have my 38th birthday next month too. I dread my approaching birthday every year. I don't want to get older. I think it is because I spent so many years of my life in a miserable relationship that I feel like I lost out on some of the best years of my life. I wish I could have those years back and "live" them. I am not sure what the secret is to living and enjoying life but I wish I could figure that secret out.

I feel lucky!

Here is my Lucky Card for Suzanne's YITL Challenge. I have felt like the most unluckiest of unluckiest people and when I got the call recently from OFSN that I got the job...well, it really feels like that luck is changing. I don't know if it is luck or if God finally said, "O.K. I am going to pay attention to Carrie here for a little bit...". I just know that I feel very lucky!

LIFE, BLOOM and FUN!!!!!

I got a bit behind on my Year In the Life Cards but today I made great progress and got three done! Here are my Life, Bloom and Fun cards...

Where you can find me...

Besides at home, you can find me at three places. If you were trying to find me, the first place to look would be at Fred Meyers - one stop shopping! Usually I can take care of my caffeine addiction and my shopping needs all at one place. The people who work at my local Fred Meyers know me by name and would tell you that I practically live there, in and out at least three times a day. So, if you want to find me...try here.

The second place to look if you were trying to find me would be at Starbucks getting a Tall Mocha with two pumps chocolate, 1 pump white chocolate, 200 degrees with whip and pumpkin spice sprinkles. One of my New Years Resolutions this year was to drop down to only 1 mocha a day. But I am very sad to report that I have not made progress on that goal, and in fact, I am averaging about three a day right now. My favorite Starbucks can be found within my Fred Meyers but you know Starbucks can be found about every two blocks and in fact there is one just off to the left of the above image. Here it is. Make sure you check at Starbucks if you are trying to find me...

The third place I frequent would be my LA Fitness. I love to take Step Classes and lately you can find me there several times a week. Coincidentally, my Fred Meyers and Starbucks and LA Fitness are located right across from each other so I never have to go very far to get my needs met.


It is pretty easy to find me if you want to track me down. I will be at one of these places!

Catch Spring Dango Fever!

Please join us at the Scrapdango Forum on April 19th and 20th for Spring Dango Fever online crop! We are kicking things off at 9am EST on Saturday, April 19th. Lots of fun and lots of prizes!

How does my Garden Grow?

My life is finally settling down a bit so I can spend some time catching up on my Year in the Life Card Challenge by Suzanne. I finished my Garden card. I enjoyed doing this one because it really made me think about the things that "make my garden grow". Love, friendship, health, art, strength, support and me time are a few that make my garden grow.

Sure Signs of Spring!

I love Spring! It is the time of year that you can see, feel and smell that renewal is coming. The flower and tree buds blooming, the warming weather, the allergies (LOL) all let me know that summer is approaching. My favorite time of year is the summer. I love to explore the great outdoors and when I can feel Spring approaching then I know my most favorite time of year is approaching. I snapped a few sure signs of spring today~the signs that always catch my eye and let me know it is spring!