Hero Arts Blog - Photo Challenge

This week challenge at Hero Arts is making a card using a photo. Hm mm..... Never did that before, this might be a little difficult. Then I remember the picture I took of the day Lilly's in my front yard and Lady's and Gentlemen we have a bingo the card just flew together on it's own. The little bunny card I did just for fun. Seems weird to say that since the last few cards I've made were for challenges. Hope you enjoy!

Big Blog Give Away

Have you seen this on Lisa Falduto blog? There is a great give away on it that you should check out. Please check it out here

JACK POT!!!!!

I need help to pick up my jaw off the floor! I just got off the phone with my sister-in-law and you will never guest what she said to me???????? Give up? Well she said she is down sizing her craft room and she thinking about giving me her cricut die cutting machine and her cuddle bug!!!! HELLO did I hear you correctly, you're giving me them? YUP!!!!!!! Along with all the accessories. My jaw just dropped when I heard those words come out of her mouth. Carrie has hit the jack pot today people!!!!! I can't wait to get them!!!!! I am so excited I think I will have to do my HAPPY DANCE.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

So much to say ...

This week has been a busy but fun week. I said good-bye to my out-of-town guest,my daughter started her summer soccer camp,my son had a sleep over, getting ready for our Texas vacation and just playing around in my craft room. My poor house is being neglected, and it doesn't look like it will get much attention today either. My daughter's soccer camp has a tradition that on the last day of camp the kids get to challenge the parents in a soccer game. Since the weather here has been so hot (I think the coolest day this week was 90 degrees) I'm sure I will be beat after participating in the game. I am so sad to see her camp come to a end. It has been so much fun watching her do something she enjoys so much. Her coaches are the best I ever seen. They come from London and they hold two camp session each year. There are four coaches and they are so much fun and the kids really learn a lot from them. They are so good with the kids. I am going to try to get Erin into the next session too. This summer I have gotten so many great pictures of the kids and I just can't wait to scrap them, however, I am so far behind in my scrap booking it isn't even funny. Here are a few pics of her at camp. See ya later peeps!!!

Hereo Arts Blog Challenge this week

I am having so much fun with the challenge over on Hero Arts blog this week. The challenge this week is complementary colors. Each day there is a new color combination that you must use. I am learning so much from this group and I can't say enough how much I love this site. There are so many talented card markers there, you should check them out on Flickr (it's Hero Arts Group) They have been giving me so much great advice and a lot of support. Here is a few of the cards I submitted for this challenge.

Experiments ... ??? ...

Well I've been trying my hand at some of Jennifer McQuires techniques this week. I'm not happy with any of the results so I will not be posting them. I really find it hard as a beginner to pick one technique and master it. I want to try everything, right now. The results are not always what I want. I guess that just means PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

Feeling creative today

Well I just said goodbye to my overnight guest and finished reading up on all my blogs. I feel so creative today I want to get into my work room! First I want to try some of the technique's Jennifer McQuire taught on her Thinking and Inking videos. Also, I want to go run out and get my hands on some Copic markers after watching the Video on HA blog today but first I must clean up the house. I can't think if the house is messy. I will post my experiments later. I just loving learning new techniques don't you???? Here are the links for the two video's I mentioned.
http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/
http://jennifermcguireink.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Great Week

Well this has been a crazy wonderful week, from my aunt and uncle coming into town, a very productive and creative week for me with the cards I have made, to the wonderful inspiration and prizes on my two favorite blogs Hero Arts and Quickutz, to a wonderful day out with my daughter and a great BBQ with family and friends today! A girl can not ask for more!!!!!










Can't wait to see what next week!

Off We GO ....

I had such a great time yesterday! Me and my dd slipped away for a few hours and went to the Mortem Arboretum with a friend and her kids.
my daughter had such a great time trying to catch tadpoles.

What a great day we picked to go too. The weather was so nice. It's been on and off rain for the past couple of days, so my friend and I were kind of worried it wouldn't be such a great day but look how sunny it was. The kids really got a kick out of the tadpole pond. They were all over it luckily none of the kids new found friends came home with us. After spending time in the Children's garden we took off to see the new exibit they have set up called Animal homes. The kids had a great time investigating how animals lived. My daughter wants to go back again, maybe I'll take her again next week. I can't wait to sit down and scrap some of these pictures. Over at the Quickutz site they have a few animal die cuts I think I could download for this project.

A few more cards

Just a few cards I've made.

Few things on my mind

I have a couple of visitors at my door step these last few days. Aren't they cute. Who would of ever thought a chipmunk and a robin would be hanging out together?????

My 7 year old daughter has officially named both of them. The chipmunks name is of course Chippy and the robin's name is Jumper cause it keeps hopping around. How stinking cute is that!!!

Well I've been so busy lately running around, picking up my Aunt and Uncle from Union Station(downtown Chicago) to taking them back to my house and then out to my mother's house in Rockford, Il. That's a lot of driving my friends. So today I have been trying to catch up on all my blogs I read. I think I have to stop reading them, because they keep leading me to more blogs that I enjoy reading any ways I am getting off the subject. I'm so sad that I wasn't able to participate in all the contests that were going on at Hero Arts and Quickutz blogs. They have some incrediable prizes to win. Maybe next time.

Last night,however, I entered one of my cards into the Hero Arts contest they are running for diecuts. Wish me luck because I looked at some of the entries and there is some amazing cards being entered. I probably don't have a chance but I keep trying to tell myself it's my first time entering into a contest what do you really expect... then I come back down to reality.

I made another card for my DD teacher and I thought I would give you a looksie at it. . I am really starting to enjoy card making more and more. Now that I am getting more involved into some of these websites, I have really been learning alot.

I thought I would post a couple of pictures of my Aunt and Uncle who came in from California. This will probably be the last time the come to visit. Since my Uncle is coming down with some medical issues. This is my Uncle Dan and my dd isn't he stinking cute.


Here is a picture of my Aunt and her friend Mary Lou and my DD. I just loving hanging with these people, they are full of funny stories of the past. It's just a shame that I don't have more time to spend with them.

Well since summer has offically started in our house this last Monday (that was the last day of school out here). I better get going because I promised my dd that we would actually do something fun together today. Do you think I can get her to do something in the craftroom? I haven't been in it for a few days, but no I'll be a good mom and take her out some place fun. See ya

Blog, Blog, Blog.....

Well today I have a super duper headache so I decided to sit in front of the computer to catch up on reading some of my blogs I love to read and guess what I found a few new ones that are funny, inspirational and full of great ideas. I have so many ideas floating around in my head that if it wasn't for this darn headache I would be in my craft room right now.

I thought I would pass on some of the new blogs that I enjoyed today. Donna Downey's blog she is so funny. She had such a great idea that I'm going to steal .. I mean borrow. She is training for a marathon and she is posting her training on her web. Funny thing is I just started running so I'm in training too and we both use nike+ipod to keep track. Here is Donna's blog address http://donnadowney.typepad.com/simply_me/

On Jennifer McQuire's blog I checked out Ali Edward's blog. Great give away going on there today, go check it out.

I loved http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/ Becky higgins blog's she shares great tips on taking some great portraits.

Well I had a great time catching up on my Blog reading now I think I will try to hunt down two aspirin and try to get rid of this darn headache. Have a great day!!!

Family picnic

Well it was the 14th annual family picnic yesterday and what a great day. The weather was perfect, the food was great. It seems every year that more and more kids are popping up. Can't wait to scrap some of these pictures.