Its been a while...

Hi everyone!
Its been a while since I posted last. I haven't forgotten about all of you. Between Christmas preparations and working on things that are suppose to remain a secret, I thought it best to give up big update at once.

I can't share with much of the artwork I've done because they are Christmas gifts for my family, and since they frequent my blog a lot, I thought it would be best to wait till after the holidays to post and share with you they things I have done. Besides the gifts, all the preparations for Christmas seem to be moving along quite smoothly. Last week I spent a good portion of it baking everyone's favorite cookies. I made "Walnut Cresents", "Chocolate Chip Cookies", "Oatmeal Raisin", "Peanut Blossoms", "Peanut Blossoms with Reese Peanut Butter Cups", "Haystacks", and "Peanut Haystacks." Yum Yum...

I even was able to get the layouts complete for my next workshop. We're using CTMH's Jingle "Workshop on the Go" kit. I did make some minor adjustments to the layout. I'll explain a bit later on.

The weather has been quite nasty. Its been raining and the wind just seems to be blowing awfully hard. Its a perfect time to just stay indoors and snuggle up with someone to stay warm. With the weather as bad as it is outside, I had to photograph my layouts inside. I don't always get good crisp photos of my layouts when I do try indoors, but I wanted to get these posted.

Now I followed all the instructions, but made some minor changes. I used "Merry Pursuits" stamp set in place of the stamp set that came with the kit. I decided to take the title and continue with the scalloped theme and cut the circles and scallop circle with my Wishblade. The journaling block I used on my Wishblade as well and I just gave the who and when. These photos were taken last year of my grandchildren, Deborah and Matthew. I also cut out a little ornament on my Wishblade and placed it on the right page to tie in both the stamp set and the papers.

Now that Deborah's Christmas 2008 layouts are done...I'll need to get started and do Matthew's and then the twin's pages. A scrapbooker's work is never done! LOL

I am working on my list for my New Year's resolutions, one being trying post more here on my blog. Hopefully with the coming New Year, I'll won't fall short. Are you working on any resolutions? Post a comment and tell me what your resolutions will be for next year.
Thanks for stopping by. I wish for you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!!
Leanne

Another Heritage Layout

I seem to be on some sort of "heritage" kick at the moment. Now, I am not saying there is anything wrong with that...its just it seems like I go through phases where doing heritage pages is all I want to do.

Let me give you a bit a history behind these pictures. The picture on the left, is the only picture my mother had of herself as a baby. The woman sitting in the tree is my grandmother, Anna Stingel Watson. She is holding a baby in her arms, who is my mother, Hazel Margaret Watson Archer. Then a few years ago, my cousin, Mary Lou sent me another photo (bottom photo on the right), which is of my mother as a baby and my grandmother and my great grandmother, Mary Ellen Gilbert Watson Thomas. Then Mary Lou sent me some more photos, which are the upper two photos on the right. It was thrilling to be able to put all of these photos together and realize, that this family spent a day at a park and took pictures to commemorate the day. I believe my grandfather, Harrison Thomas Watson, took the majority of the pictures. Look how creative he is! To be able to look through the lens of a camera and snap something that will last a lifetime. Or many many lifetimes!

I did these layouts, using Close To My Heart's "Workshop on the Go" kit. I did change it some, but kept the basic design the same. All the materials are from CTMH, with the exception of using some of my flower punches, and my Nestabilities for the 3" scallop circle.

Thanks for stopping by. If you would like to be part of my monthly workshop, send an email to Kit20296@aol.com, and I send you the details.

Until next time,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Leanne

Ride

What do you do with the scrapbooking and stamping magazines you purchase? Do you read them and then pitch them? Or do you save them? If you save them...do you save the whole magazine or tear the magazine apart and pull just what you want?

I use to save all the magazines. I had them all set up in order according to the month and year. Very rarely did I ever pull them out to read them or to get inspired. In the last few months, I've been doing some reorganization here in the rubber room. And I thought holding on to all these magazines was using up precious space. So, I started going through each one and pulling out things that interest me.

So now, all these pages I've pulled from the magazine, are all sitting in a pile on my table. I will now have to go through each one and determine which file to put it in. I started doing just that at the beginning of the week. Then I came across this layout, which reminded me of pictures I have, and a Jolees embellishment. So I took this torn out magazine page and "scraplifted" it.


This is what I did:

The magazine is Scrapbook, etc, October 2008. The layout is on page 102. The original artist did a 8.5"x11" layout, I convert mine to a 12"x12. Papers I used is some old retired Heavenly Blue B&T paper from CTMH and some Bamboo cardstock. The red scalloped cardstock I picked up at my LSS last February and the Polka Dot paper in the center is Jillibean Soup, Minestone, Chopped Tomatoes. I painted some chipboard letter with MM scrapbook paint. I also used Martha Stewart's Lace Doily punch on the Bamboo cardstock. I also punch out circles and glued them to the centers of the red scalloped cardstock. Then I glued some blue "Dew drops" to the center of each circle. I got the dew drops from my good friend Jenn from Just4funcrafts.

I have some other projects, I am hoping to complete this next week and I am also hoping to be finish with this house. DH and I FINALLY moved the wall unit from the wall and DH is now finishing up the painting as I type this. YAY!! So now, I can get everything put back into place. And have this place sparkling!! I'll try to get some pictures posted when all is complete.

So, until next time, thanks so much for letting me share. If you like what I've done, don't forget to leave me some lovin'.

Take care and happy scrappin'!!

Leanne

Under Construction

I am so trying to get back into the swing of scrappin' again. Its a long steady road, but I'm managing to move right along. This is another kit I pulled from my cropper hopper last week. My DH loves to put things together and he loves working with wood as well. He inherited a lauve (I know I spelled that wrong!!) from his father and he wanted a place to set it up and be able to work with it. So, he decided he wanted his own little workshop. So as he's measuring and cutting the wood and putting it all, I am behind the camera snapping pictures.
I used a combination of papers and embellishments. The layout comes from CTMH's How to book "Cherish, 'Visual Textures" sketch. Papers are Sticker Studio, K & Company and Close To My Heart. Embellishments are from Karen Foster, Little Extras, Stickopotamus, and Eyelet Outlet. Thanks for stopping by. Until next time. Happy Scrapping! Leanne

Then and Now

Happy Thursday!

What a week this is turning out to be! Sometimes I feel its just a continuation from the previous week and there will be no end in sight. I guess this is what is called "Life!" LOL My son in law was finally able to find a job. We're so proud of him! Unfortunately, the job takes him away from his family. My daughter is feeling his absence as well as the children. So, to keep from feeling that anxiety of being separated, she and the children are finding lots a various things to do to occupy their time. I do my best to step in where I am needed. Sometimes, though, I do manage to drop the ball.

I started a few weeks ago with a bunch of gals from Spark People, an online crop. I was so deep into this remodel, that I couldn't think of doing any kind of crafting. We met last Friday, and I decided I wanted to scrapbook. I have so many unfinished layouts or layouts waiting to be done...that I just stuck my hand in my Cropper Hopper and pulled out a project. The papers and embellishments I pulled were for the pictures I took of when my DH bought his new truck.

I used CTMH's how to book, "Imagine, 'Grand Finale." Papers are from Sticker Studio. The other little embellishments I've had for a while and took them from my stash.

So, there is two more pages complete. I am now working on when DH built his workshop out in the backyard. I'll be posting that in the next few days.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time...

Happy Scrappin'!

Leanne

The Lakehouse in 1920

It seems like I will never be done with this house. I do have to say though the house is looking better every day. The back part of the house, the bedrooms and bathrooms have been scoured from top to bottom. Walls were washed, carpeting shampooed, furniture oiled, windows washed, curtains cleaned. Its a great feeling to have this portion of the house completed. There is one remaining wall in the living room that has not been completed. Its the wall where the wall unit sits. Its big and bulky, and very heavy to move. I need to remove everything off of it to be able to move it. But to do that I need to clear some room on the tables that is holding other miscellaneous items that need to be put in their proper place or packed up and put in storage.

Meanwhile, while I am existing in this vast wasteland I call home; I still have to prepare for my workshop coming up this next Tuesday. I am featuring Close To My Heart's "Sweet Home Workshop on the Go" scrapbook kit. I basically liked the layout, but I found I needed to make some changes. I call that the "Leanne's Touch."

I used the Sweet Home Scrapbooking Kit, along with CTMH's Baroque Alphabet stamp set. I used Garnet ink along with Heavenly Blue and Blush markers on the title. I also used Garnet ink for the flourishes on each page. The stamp scallop edge was stamped in Cocoa and blue dew drops in the center of each stamped image came from my good friend, Jennifer.

The journaling is hidden behind the large picture on the right side. It says: "Paw Paw Lake
My grandmother’s parents owned a summer cottage up on Paw Paw Lake, Michigan. Every summer, they would go to the lake for the summer. The tradition continued after my grandparents got married. It was a family time. Not only my grandparents and great grandparents, but my grandmother’s brother, Roy and his wife Lillian would join in the family time.
Pictured in the photos:
On the left side layout is two photos. The first photo is of E.Bradford Mosher holding onto Bradford and Donald (my father)Archer. The photo was taken in 1920. The next photo is of Roy Mosher and Lillian Jennings. Don’t you just love the swimming costumes?
On the right side layout is another two photos. The top photo is the summer cottage. From the looks of it, quite a few people could stay there comfortably. The largest photo of all is of my grandparents, Wilken and Leona Archer. The photo was taken about 1920. "

I am really itchin' to get back into my rubber room and start doing more layouts. So, not more with this "Susy Homemaker" garbage. As Douglas MacArthur said, "I shall return!" I too will return with more layouts and more cards and anything else that will get the creative juices flowing.

So, until next time.

Happy Scrapping everyone!!

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

Twitterpated at 65

Hey there Friends and Neighbors!

After a few complaints from my sister (Hi there Jo!!) and a good friend (who will remain nameless) about me not posting, I thought I would let you all know, everything here is a ok! DH and I have been so busy working and painting the front part of the house (which is almost complete)...there just hasn't been enough hours in the day to get everything done I want to do. My plate sure runneth over!

But I have also been working on the back part of the house as well. Yes, I know I said, DH and I have been painting the front part...but I had the chance (so I took it) to get an early start in my day, this past weekend. Usually I can't because DH works nights, and by the time he gets up and is out the door to work...its like 2:30pm. This past Saturday, he was up early and off onto his own little adventure, and I got started in the back bathroom and master bedroom. I usually do my spring cleaning in March...but didn't do it this year, till now. So scrubbing walls, and moving furniture is something I don't recommend for a weight loss regime...but it sure burns the calories!

But it also leaves time for little else! I sure wish I could afford for someone to come in and do this for me. But that's an easy cop out isn't it? Besides, no one cleans as well as you do. So, instead of adding to a list of complaints I already have...I do it myself and be happy with the results. Does that make sense?

In all this chaos, I was able to get the layouts completed for my workshop. We used CTMH's Twitterpated WOTG Kit, which comes with their own instructions. Now, I tweeked it a bit and made it my own.

I converted the black and white photos to sepia. The pictures are from the post war era, I'd say around 1947. There was no date attached to these photos, so I am guessing it was a Sunday afternoon, with everyone in their "Sunday" best. The layout on the left, is the group shot of the whole family. Starting from left to right are: My mother holding my sister Joella, my father behind her, Aunt Gladys holding my oldest brother Don, Uncle Otto behind her, and Aunt Ellen and her son, Bobby standing in front of her, Uncle Kenny who is behind Aunt Ellen and Grandma Thomas is on the far right.

Now over on the right layout, there is a big open space down at the bottom. I apologize for that, my printer ran out of ink before I could finish printing all the pictures. But this is the picture that will go right next to it. Its not in sepia yet...but this will give you an idea. Wasn't Donnie, Jo and Bobby the cutest set of kids?

So speaking of my brother, Don....I would like to take a moment and wish him a belated happy birthday. I did manage to get a card made for him. I even got it in the mail in plenty of time to get there on his birthday. Would you like to see the card I made him? OK, you've twisted my arm...here is it. Can you guess how old Don is? I'll give you three guesses! LOL This card was a lot of fun to make. The digital image came from Louby Lou. The B&T papers and cardstock are from CTMH's Emporium. I did a lot of paper piecing and used my mounting tape to give the card some dimension. I also used my circle and scalloped circle Nestabilities for the background and also Cuddlebug's Swiss Dots embossing folder. The bookplate at the bottom is from Sizzix. The happy birthday is from CTMH's Birthday Script stamp set. The "65" candles I cut on my Wishblade. I am unsure where I got that file, I've had it for quite a long time. I used Liquid Applique for the frosting and heat set it with my embossing gun. The brads and buttons and the ribbon, all came from my good friend, Jennifer over at Just4funcrafts.

So, Happy Birthday Don!! I'd tell ya not to spend all your social security all in one place, but with prices these days, you just may have to!!

Thanks everyone for stopping by. If you like what I've done, leave me some lovin'! I love to read all your comments.

Until next time,

Happy Scrappin'!

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

Happy Monday everyone!

Hope your Monday is going along better than mine! LOL Our home has gone from bad to worse in just a matter of days. We're still in the painting stage. DH managed to take everything down off the walls and nothing has gone back up. Now granted, I am suppose to be cleaning everything before it goes up...but where do you start? Where do you work? We have decided not to put all that was up on the walls back up...so that means I have the grand pleasure of finding boxes and packing it all up. Sooner or later...we'll get our house back. Can you even imagine going through a major renovation? OMG!!! No way! Not even thinking of going there.

Well, I should try to get back to it. Oh, BTW, not only is the front part of the house a disaster area...but the rubber room is too. I can't even find any kind of solace anywhere except in the bathroom! Maybe that's why I've taken stock in Calgon!! LOL This room will be done alot faster, simply because my order from CTMH will be here Wednesday and I have GOT to get to work on this month's workshop. I'll give you a sneak peak of the pictures I am going to be using.

This picture is of my parents, my mom is on the far left and my dad behind her. She's holding my sister, Joella and the lady next to her is Aunt Gladys, holding my brother Don. The picture was taken about 1947/48.

I have more pictures to use on the layouts, so you'll have to wait till I get the layouts completed. It won't be long.

Wish me luck, I get something accomplished today, besides the 4 loads of laundry.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by...

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

Help me clear the clutter!

Hey everyone!
This past week, as we've been busy painting and reorganizing the livingroom and diningroom, I have also been back in the Rubber Room, trying to make some sense out of this disaster area. I am trying to clear the clutter and reorganize the room AGAIN! It always gets my creative juices going when I do something like this. So, in an effort to declutterize (is that such a word?) I am selling some of my stamp sets. Here is the list of stamps and if you look to your right there is a slideshow of all the stamp sets. More information is at the bottom of this post. Thanks for stopping by.

B1031 Sweet Dreams $8
B1033 Blossom Blocks $8
B1185 Bottle Caps $8
B1208 Birthday Script $8
B1211 Reminders $8
B1256 Alfredo $8
C1196 My Mom $10
C1226 Floral Charms $10
C1243 A Friend Is $10
C1252 Abundance Borders $10
D1087 Elegant Floral $14
D1038 Childhood Boy $14
D1140 Miracle $14
W326 Friendship Garden $14
D1339 Moment in Time $14
D1342 World’s Greatest Dad $14

I prefer paypal, but will also accept checks and money orders. Shipping is for actual weight of the package. Please include your zip code so I can give accurate shipping cost.
You can email me at Kit20296@aol.com.


Until next time...

Leanne

Momma Mia...what have I done?

In my small little world, things have a designated place. I am sure its that way with most of you. But when it comes to decorating, in this household, there is no such thing as baby steps. Nope, not at all. Its all or nothing! LOL

What started out as a small purchase of a tapestry to hang on the window in our bedroom, turned out to be one major endeavor. We couldn't agree on just one tapestry. I liked one tapestry whereas, my DH liked another. So as in all good marriages, we compromised. We bought both. One to put on our bedroom window and the other to hang on the wall in the livingroom. I knew the tapestry wouldn't go with the color on the walls and we've been wanting to replace the livingroom furniture. So, we both started surfing the internet to find the furniture WE wanted. I wanted a small print or design, but he wanted oversize overstuff leather furniture. At this point, we were not the normal happy couple who knew after 29 years of marriage, that compromise is the best way to solve anything. But I gave in to his overstuffed, oversized leather furniture. Although I did have a few words to say about it. I explained that this home of ours was just too masculine, there was nothing feminine about it. Where he came back, jokingly saying..."This is a manly man's house!!" I was really waiting for him to start pounding his chest and start with the Tarzan scream. Instead, I just simply replied, that this house is so full of testosterone, that I am drowning here! He didn't have a quick comeback at that! I really shouldn't complain...we both want a change in our environment, afterall, when we painted the last time...we wanted a simple soft peach colored walls, but instead they turned out PINK!! OMG...they were so pink. And they have been this way for the past 8 years. No wonder the man wants a "man cave!!" LOL

So now that the furniture has been ordered and we're waiting for it to be delivered...we decided to paint over the pink walls. I thought a nice neutral color on the walls would be nice. You see it alot on home improvement shows on HGTV. DH thought the same, but we didn't go together to select the exact wall color we wanted. DH said he had errands to run and said he would be back. Never in my wildest imagination, did I think he would stop and pick up paint. But he did! This was all over the matter of days that we talk about wall color and him actually picking up the paint.

Now, paint has been bought, the furniture has been ordered, and tapestries have arrive. Meanwhile, we started a project a while ago in the kitchen. I thought we need to finish this project before starting another. BUT (as usual) DH had other things in mind. He said he wanted to get this one wall painted and the tapestry hung, before the new furniture arrived. So, we moved the old furniture out and off he goes and started painting the one wall. Now the wall color looks almost yellow in the picture you see here. But its not, its very close to CTMH's Brown Bag color, but lighter. Its a little darker than what I was imagining, but it gives the room a warm feel to it. OK, OK...I like it! He made a good choice without me! LOL

In our adventures of redecorating and painting our home, we have the wonderful issue of the CAT! Now, Bella loves to be in the middle of whatever is going on. So as DH is rolling paint on the wall, Bella is chasing the roller. He's manage to catch it a couple of times and then goes running off with paint on his feet, leaving little paw prints in his wake. He thinks this is a game just for him! LOL So, as DH is painting the walls and fighting with the cat for the roller, I am down on the ground with my scrub rag and vinegar water cleaning up little paw prints.

Of course, Auggie (the dog) has to be in the middle of things as well. Luckily for us, she hasn't learned to climb the ladder. But she is still where she isn't suppose to be. (Under foot!!) Isn't life grand when you have pets? I'll leave you to ponder that question on your own. I think you all know my answer!

So, my nice orderly world, where everything belongs in its place, is turned upside down. And with my house in such disarray, how can I possibly go back to the rubber room and concentrate on doing any kind of artwork. I know I have a few cards to make. But to get my creative juices flowing again, I am in dire need of a massive "Calgon" moment. AND getting everything put in its proper place.

I hope you all enjoy your Sunday and what is left of the weekend. Today is DH and mine 29th wedding anniversary. We plan on going out to dinner to Outback. I hope it doesn't blow my diet to much out of whack.

Yes, on top of all the disarray of my household, I have started a diet. Its more like a lifestyle change than a diet, but I am tired of carrying around this excess baggage. I signed up with Sparkpeople, to help track my calories and all that good stuff that comes when dieting. And I've started another blog to journal about my progress. I'm not sure if I will post daily or weekly yet. I'm just beginning, so I won't post a link till it get it completely up to where I want it.

Thanks for stopping by and listening (or should I say reading) to me ramble. This too will pass, and then my world will be totally wonderful and back to normal.

Until next time,

Lots of *Wet Paint* Hugs,

Leanne

who is smiling because things can only get better from here!

Giving Credit

When I posted the other day, my photo cube, I did not give credit where credit is due. A sister consultant, Rose-Marie Huneault came up with the layouts for each side of the cube for a workshop she conducted. She did such a wonderful job and it was my mistake not giving her proper credit.

I also want to give credit to my good friend, Jenn from www.just4funcrafts.com for supplying my workshop with the pink brads and opaque gel pen. The use of the gel pen is what really gives the embellishments the "wowie" factor for this project.

This was totally unintentional to forgot these two. I truly appreciate all the help that other consultants are so willing to give to each other. That is one of the things that makes Close To My Heart so special to me.

Thank you everyone, who read and comment here on my blog. I truly appreciate you all too.
So, until next time.

Lots of special hugs,
Leanne

Blog Candy

Check this out! Bev is celebrating, and giving away some awesome products. Here's the link to her blog. http://bevscrafts.blogspot.com/2009/08/thank-you-collab-blog-candy.html She's a dynamite artist and I wish her luck in her future endeavors.

Well, I'm off to remove kitchen cabinet doors so I can sand them and then get them painted.

Till next time, thanks for stopping by.

Lots of Inky Hugs,
Leanne

Sisterly Love

Hi all!!
I sure hope this works! I haven't had much time to spend in the Rubber Room lately. We are in the midst of remodeling the front portion of the house. I don't know what I was thinking 19 years ago, when I painted my livingroom and diningroom in a color that we thought was going to be a light peach color. It turned out to be more pink than peach. So, for the past 10 years I have lived with a pink livingroom and diningroom. Now, we've decided to paint the walls a cross between Bamboo and Brown Bag. Its the prettiest tan. I bought a tapestry to hang on the wall behind the couch which reminds me so much of our garden when we lived in England. I'll be sure to share with all of you once the projects get completed. I really don't want to do a before picture because I hate showing my life being so upheavel. We all go through it, I can accept that, I just don't want pictures of it! LOL

Anyhow, this slide show I am sharing today is what we will be doing at my next monthly workshop. I used CTMH's Mt Reflections Bella papers and the embellishments I made myself with the help of my Sizzix Big Shot and dies and my QuiKut dies. I even took my Hollyhock reinker and dyed the satin flowers. I believe I got the flowers from Debbie at http://www.reasonableribbon.com/. (Hi Debbie ) I made this photo cube for my sister. She knows something is up but she doesn't know what. But she frequents my blog, pretty soon, it won't be a surprise. So, SURPRISE Jo!!! I'll be getting this in the mail to you after the first of the month. Love ya Sis!!

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've just seen, leave me some lovin'! Hope you all have a terrific weekend!!

Inky Hugs,
Leanne

Circle of Friends

What a nice surprise this morning! My CTMH sister, Haley (http://www.inkyscrapper.blogspot.com/) nominated me for "The Circle of Friends" Award! Thank you, Haley!!!

Here are the rules: Nominate 5 other bloggers you feel have become part of your circle of friends. Link to your nominees within your blog post. Include these instructions on how to pick up the award in your blog post. Link back to the person who gave you the award in your blog post, to show your appreciation. Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.

How fun is this? I have been so blessed to "meet" so many people online!

The ones I've chosen are people I have alot of admiration for. It I could bottle half their creativity...(you fill in the blank). I just love you guys!! Here we go, in no particular order:

Jenn - http://just4funcrafts.blogspot.com/

Kathi - http://kathiscreativecorner.blogspot.com/

Kathy - http://katsscrapping.blogspot.com/

Rachele - http://theinkboutique.blogspot.com/

Teresa - http://fabulouslyartsy.blogspot.com/

Random Stamp Memo Board

Here we are again...beginning of a new post. LOL A while back I shared with you a sheet of White Daisy cardstock that I randomed stamp using some pastel colors. In my precious posts, you can see some of the artwork, using this randomed stamp cardstock. Well, I did stop with just one. I pulled out my "Friendship Blessings" stamp set and did the same thing. It was right around the same time, that Jeanette Lynton, http://www.jeanettelynton.com/ posted a color challenge. So, I took the colors Jeanette posted, and the stamp set and made my own patterned paper. It seemed like it took me forever to finish it, but eventually I did. And just in time for a good friend's birthday. So, this is what I did with it.

Instead of drilling holes in the top and running a ribbon through it, I took a notebook clip and some E6000 (industrial stength craft adhesive) and attached it to the top. I made three little flowers with B&T paper or cardstock, magnets and my sizzix dies. The colors within Jeanette's challenge was Hollyhock, Blush, Creme Brulee, and Juniper.

I gave my friend her gift yesterday at lunch and she was jst trilled. She said the colors were perfect.

Well ladies, that's about all I have to share at the moment. But I am still in the rubber room and thinking of all the things I would like to do and create. So, if you like what you've seen, don't forget to leave me some lovin'!

Until next time.

Happy Stamping!

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

Cards, Cards, Cards Continue...

So, now I'm into this card making phase. I needed a break from scrapbooking, but still had that need to create. Just about the same time, I made this decision, a friend of mine came to me and asked me if you would be interested in making cards for her. Isn't it alway the way, that when one door closes (not quite closed, but left open ajar) another one opens. I told her I would be happy to teach her how, but she said, she didn't really have the time or the inclination. She would much more prefer to pay someone to make them. So, I said OK! These are the cards I've made for her so far.

Then my twin cousin was having a birthday, so I needed to get a card sent off to her. Since making that quilt card with the pastel colors, I thought I would try making the same card, but using Life's Delight papers. This is my twin cousin's card...
And this is the card I thought I would try using Life's Delight paper pack.

So, this is what has been keeping me busy. I am one more thing to finish up and post. I'll do that later on this afternoon. But now, the laundry is screaming at me, so I need to go change out the loads.

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen here today, please leave me some lovin'.

Until the next time...

Happy Stamping!

Leanne

Cards Cards, Cards....

You know, I have just the hardest time, starting off my blog. You wouldn't know it, if you spoke to me over the telephone or in person. The Lord gave me the gift of gab, but it sure doesn't show it here on my blog or for my scrapbook pages either. Funny thing too is...I love to write. But its the initial beginnings of journaling, or blogging or even letter writing that I have such a difficult time with. Do any of you have the same problem as I do? Please tell me I am not alone in this! LOL

OK...now my initial introduction to my blog is out of the way, LOL, I can share what I've been up to the last couple of weeks. My brother just celebrated his 50th birthday. As like the good sister I am, I love to pour salt in the wound. LOL My sister and I were going to send him a dozen long stem black roses, but no one around knew how to that. So then we thought we would send a dozen black balloons, but that would have brought back some bad memories for when he turned 40. So, my sister found this site... http://www.cookiesbydesign.com/ and we sent him this...

He got a big old chuckle out of it. I believe my sister had it sent to his job site. But I'm not positive on that fact. But this is the card I sent him.

He got the biggest chuckle out of it!

So to tell you a little bit about the card. I took one of Mojo Monday's card sketches and used that as a template. I also used my Nestabilities for the oval, oval frame and scalloped edge. The stamped image is from the retired set "Raccoons and Friends." I still really like that stamp set. And the papers are from the Silhouette paper pack and the Silhouette Basic Creations pack.

I still have some more cards to share...but chores are calling my name.

Talk to you soon.

Happy Stampin'!

Leanne

Wild and Crazy Life

What a time its been since my last posting. I can't believe its been over 2 weeks since I posted anything. My deepest apologies to al of you. I do have alot to share today, so lets get to it shall we?

My monthly workshop is next Tuesday. We are doing CTMH's Workshop on the Go, but with a few minor changes. We're using "Animal Cookies" along with the Creative Basic Paper pack.

The original instructions calls for a plain white background. Well, we all know how I feel about plain white backgrounds, so I used one of the sheets from the Creative Basics pack and used that as a background. I think the two go very well together.

Kelli went on the field trip with Deborah and took all the pictures. She did a fantastic job! Which made my job a little bit more difficult when it came to the journaling. So the best solution I came up with was for Kelli to do the journaling. I love it when we all work together on a layout. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I get all warm and fuzzy inside. LOL

The journaling (not pictured here) is done on a big 6"x8" tag and will slip in behind the picture on the left side of the page.

I have more to share, but right now, I need to run. I'll get back a bit later and share some more.

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you see, leave me some lovin' and let me know.

Until later...

Happy Scrappin'!!!

Leanne

Blog Award

I am so excited to receive a blog award! This is my first blog award ever! Thank you Mary (http://mbryt1.blogspot.com/) for chosing me!

I would love to pass along this award to the following talented bloggers:

Jenn - http://just4funcrafts.blogspot.com/
Helen - http://www.hookedonstamping.com/
Kathi - http://kathiscreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Krista - http://kristaritskes-simplycreating.blogspot.com/
Elaine - http://timescapturedbyelaine.blogspot.com/
Kathy - http://katsscrapping.blogspot.com/
Haley - http://inkyscrapper.blogspot.com/

Thanks again.

Hopefully, later today I'll some artwork to post.

Thanks for stopping by.

Leanne

Topsy Twirlie Delight

I wanted to share the layouts I completed for this month's workshop. The workshop is tomorrow and I am the sure the girls are all excited to complete these two pages. I have alot of fun putting these two pages together. These pages are not my norm, but I'd rather have the pictures to all the talking. The pictures are of my grandson Matthew. He's about 9 months old and very unsure of this toy that goes round and round when he grabbed it.

I used CTMH's workshop on the go guide and made a few changes. I used Clover Meadow cardstock as my base. The I trimmed the striped B&T paper and used the reverse side which was done in Sunflower. I stamped the ring of dots from Gear Up stamp set in Twilight. Then with Clover Meadow ink, I stamped another smaller double ring of dotts from Dream Wishes stamp set inside the Twilight color stamp images. The row of buttons were made from my extended cuts die and my Big Shot. I cut a few from some chipboard to give some dimension to the layout.

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time...

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

Just Wanna Stamp!

Have you ever wanted to just pull out your stamps...doesn't matter which one...just a stamp set and just stamp and stamp and stamp? Not thinking about what you're gonna do with it once you're through stamping?

There are so many challenges, and sketches, and artwork out there, that I couldn't decide what to do. All I wanted to do was stamp and stamp and then stamp some more! So last evening, I sat at my worktable, with Bella in the middle of it and Auggie right behind me, and that is all I did.

I went to my boxes of stamps, closed my eyes and pulled out a stamp set. What I pulled out was Cottage Floral. I was just so pleased with myself that I picked this one. I had seen on the corp BB a card done by Krista Ritskes (kristaritskes-simplycreating.blogspot.com) using this stamp set. But, I didn't want to use the same colors as Krista did, nor did I want to copy from the Boom Di Ada paper pack. I was in a more mellow mood, so I pulled out some pastel colors. (Lilac Mist, Blush, Buttercup, Baby Pink, Amethyst, and Sweet Leaf) And I stamped and stamped and stamped. OK, a better word to use is I random stamped on a full sheet of White Daisy Cardstock. But I felt that with flowers you need stems right? So, I pulled the stem stamp out of the Tickle Pink promo stamp set and used that as well. We just can't have those leaves just hanging out there now can we?

So, after I was done stamping all over the sheet of cardstock. Remember...I have a thing about white spaces! I really thought it needed something else. So I glance back at Krista's card and I saw she used "Spot On Backgrounds" stamp set and stamped over everything. So I thought....what color do I want to with this polka dot stamp on this sheet of cardstock. First I thought of Bamboo, but that would have been too dark. Then I thought of a color I hadn't used from the Spring color line. But then I had so many colors going on now...so that thought was vetoed. So, I went to back to the Neutral inks and gave the color Parchment a try. OOOoooo eeeee! That did it! Made my night!! Using this parchment ink was very forgiving. Now I don't know about you...but I have dickens of a time trying to line up this stamp when I am working on a large area. Even if it is acrylic! So that's the case here, but you can hardly tell. And.....using this ink and stamping it with the polka dots...really toned down all the colors.

I am so pleased how it turned out, that I may never cut into it!

Wanna see? Ok...here it is!

Now, I am not sure what to do with it...but I am sure I'll think of something. Meanwhile, it'll sit on my work table till I think of something.

Thanks for stopping by.....till next time...

Happy Stamping!

Leanne

Enjoy Your Journey

I think that is about the only current thing I have on this card. Everything else are made from the scraps I had in my stash. Its my grandson's 5th birthday, and as much as he enjoys trains, I made him this card. I also thought I would do the Mojo Monday's challenge for the week. The papers are from CTMH's Blue Confetti B&T paper, CTMH's Pride and from DCWV's Nana's Kids striped paper. The stamp image is D1293 Enjoy Your Journey. I used CTMH Summer markers to color in the engine. The tag at the bottom of the card was cut and embossed with my Nestabilities oval die. The font is 2Peas Mister Giggles. The ribbon I think I bought at Michaels many many moons ago, and the brads are from http://www.just4funcrafts.com/. The size of the card is 5"x7. But perhaps an 8"x3.5" card might be more appropriate. I'll try to do another this evening and post tomorrow.

So what's happening in your neck of the woods? I hope you all have a Terrific Tuesday! Thanks for letting me share with all of you. If you like what I've done...don't forget to leave me some lovin'!!

Until next time....

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

Kitty Update

Happy Monday Morning to you all!

Its been a while since I've updated you on our new littlest addition here in our household. Well, to start off with, since my granddaughter Deborah wanted to name the cat, Isabella (from the movie, Twilight) Elizabeth (her middle name) I thought the name Izzy Lizzy would be cute, but then Deborah tells me, they Isabella (from the movie) "Bella" so we started calling the cat, Bella. All this time we were thinking the cat was a girl cat, but because the cat was so young, we really couldn't tell. TILL NOW!! LOL Turns out our little baby kitten, is not a she but a he cat. So, we thought and we thought, what do we name HIM now? We didn't, we decided to stick with Bella. If Bella LaGosse (I hope I spelled that right) can use the name, so can we. So, the cat's name is now, Bella Linguine.

So the first few weeks, of having Bella with us, I was so afraid of Auggie (the dog) getting really to rough with this poor baby kitten, so I kept him confine to the kitchen and in his carrier (an extra large one) in the beginning. But as most cats do, Bella learned to climb over the cardboard gate I had put across the opening into the kitchen. He wanted to be where the action was. He wanted to come and play with the rest of us.

And so our fun time as a whole family begins. The cat has turned out to be a holy terror. Jumping out from under the furniture attacking your feet. Climbing on the back of your recliner and playing with your hair. He tried to eat my pendant that is around my neck on chain. He gets under the covers at night and if you happen to move, he is attacking your feet, legs, etc. But the real fun is when both Auggie and Bella decide to rough house in the middle of my bed in the middle of the night. Now this isn't a constant occurrence every night, its sporatic.

Just this minute, as I am typing this, Bella was chasing a fly through the house and ended up here in the rubber room in the front window. He jumped and climbed up my curtains (lace ones at that) till the fly got away and curtains came tumbling down. I guess perhaps, Bella is telling me my curtains need a good washing. LOL Just something else to add to my to do list.

We'll find Bella in the most strangest places. We once found him lying in the middle of the bathtub. No water of course, but he was just lounging there like there was water. Another time, he dragged all the trash (luckily I had just emptied it, so there was only a few pieces of trash and the bag) from the trash bin and decided to sleep in there. When I saw him in there, I thought to myself, "Who threw the cat away?" LOL I got a picture of that!

So, there you have it, Life with Bella!! It seems though since Bella arrived on the scene, Auggie has calmed down a bit. Just a bit, but I'll take any little bit I can get!

Thanks for letting me share the antics of Bella and Auggie. Life is so exciting around here these days. Its hard to keep up.

So until next time,

Leanne

Wednesday's "W"

From the title, I bet you're say..."What is she talking about?" Well, last week we were asked when did you start stamping? This week's question of the week is, "Where do you find inspiraton for your creations?" That is a hard question to answer. Since I started stamping, way back during the dinosaur age, I have found inspiration almost everywhere. I remember doing a card once with the wall paper my parents had in their kitchen when I was growing up. But nowadays, I find inspiration everywhere. I love looking at other individual's creations. I'll see something I like and I'll make a mental note, then on another, I'll see something else. I do this till I think my head is going to burst, and then I get creative.

But where do I go to find this inspiration? I have so many different avenues to explore, that is hard to pinpoint just one or two. As you can see over on the left, the column of blogs I visit, well that's one source of inspiration. I also visit Close To My Heart's corporate message board for artwork. We sure do have a great group of talents ladies! Another source I have, when I have lots of different things I want to try but no foundation, I'll check out Becky's page maps. (www.pagemaps.com). Not only does she have sketches for layouts but also for cards. In the beginning, I started out purchasing magazines to find inspiration. I'd even purchase a subscription or two. But it seems in the magazines are turning to the internet and blogging. Then there is always other message boards on the web, to bring some inspiration. I love this craft, because so many want to share. And then, last but by no means, least the books I love the most. They are from Close To My Heart and its Jeanette's "how to" books. There is 5 of them now, and the best source of inspiration. The 5 books include, Cherish, Imagine, Reflections, Originals, and Wishes.

As I explained yesterday, unfortunately, I don't have any artwork to share today. I am up to my neck in laundry. I've didn't finish it last week, so this week, I have almost twice as much. This is one chore I could really do without. But, we can't go around in dirty underwear now can we?

So, until the next time.....
Happy Stamping!


Leanne

You and Me Card Kit

A while back, (maybe 18 months or so), CTMH offered a card kit in celebration of National Scrapbooking Month. I believe that was in September 08...some correct me if I'm wrong. Anyhow, they offered this adorable card kit. Its everything you would need to create some adorable cards. Well, I bought one of those kits and its been sitting on my desk ever since. Now since I am in the card making mood, I thought I would pull out this kit and put the cards together. Only problem, is like my scrapbooking pages, I don't like alot of blank white space on my cards. So, I rifled through my scraps, and found some coordinating B&T paper to go with these cards. Otherwise, I did manage to follow the instructions, somewhat. LOL I worked on these over the weekend. Its been so windy here, that I haven't been able to get outside to photograph them. Today isn't so windy, so I was able to get them out and photographed.

I've seem on so many other blogs, where they photographed their art by placing it in a bush or a tree. I thought that was so cool and really compliments the artwork. Well, I thought I would give it a try. Only thing around here (in the desert) is my Oleander bushes out in the back of the property.

Perhaps next time I'll try placing my artwork in the Flowering Plum Tree in the front yard.

This next card I want to share with you is done with CTMH's Treasure Life and Silhouette Paper Pack. I got the inspiration from Kathi Carlson's blog(http://kathiscreativecorner.blogspot.com/) and some others. I am quite pleased how this turned out. I think I may have to make some more, just to have them on hand.

Today is laundry day. I haven't done laundry in who knows how long. So, I probably won't get to my rubber room today,

unless its to clean it. So hopefully, by Thursday, I'll have more to share.

So, until next time...

Happy Stamping!!!

Inky Hugs,

Leanne

Blog Candy from Melissa!!!

You've got to go check out the amazing blog candy that Melissa is giving away! WOWZERS!!!! Good luck. ;)

Happy Birthday!

Happy Saturday!

What a week this past one has been! My daughter moved into a new apartment, and we spent the week moving things from one apartment to another. I can't believe the amount of stuff she had to move. My back knows now! LOL

But now she's all moved over. She has the wonderful chore of unpacking and finding places for all her stuff. I can't even imagine moving at this point. We've lived in this house since 1997 and for us to pick up and move...well it just wears me out just thinking about it!

Anyhow, yesterday was my DH's birthday and today is my granddaughter's 7th birthday. I was unable to make a card for DH, I will this next couple of days, he'll understand, but its quite difficult for a 7 year old to understand why...even though she knows we've been busy moving her family to a new apartment.

So bright and early this morning, I got to my work table and made this card for her. I used the BoBunny papers I still had on my table. I also used CTMH's Cranberry and Buttercup cardstock. I also used the Cuddlebug Happy Birthday embossing folder and the Swiss Dots embossing folder. The big brads came from www.just4funcrafts.com and the ribbon came from www.reasonableribbon.com. The lady bug came from Wal-Mart about 6 years ago and its been sitting in my stash since.

I apologize for the card looking so lopsided. I couldn't get it in the scanner properly. Its just too crowded in here when the twins are here.

Thanks for letting me share and don't forget to leave me some lovin' if you like the card.

Till next time...

Happy Stamping!

Leanne

Remember when?

I was asked when did you start stamping? Well, pull up a chair, grab yourself a cuppa and let me tell you a story! You might have heard this one before, but for those of you who haven't...let me continue. I've always been involved in some sort of layout and design. I was in the military for 8.5 years as a Graphic Specialist. Then I worked in advertising for a few years and then went to work for a newspaper as a cut and paste associate. I continued with the marketing idea with MWR (Morale, Wellness, Recreation) at Norton AFB. I would write, design copy for this particular division for almost 3 years. I knew there was something better out there, but just didn't know what. Meanwhile, my love for genealogy, and photography continued to grow. Everything has to be documented. Then we moved to the UK. Oh the photo opportunities were unbelieveable. And every time you turned around, one of my kids had some sort of field trip, which meant, more photos. And if the photos were not permitted, there was always postcards. Now, remember, this was before the digital camera was available.

Then in December 1998, my mother passed away. I took it kinda hard and the best way I found to cope with the lost, was to throw myself right back into my genealogy. We were just introduced just a few months earlier to the wide wonderful world of the internet. I wasn't having much luck in finding those long lost dead relatives, so I started calling aunts and uncles and asking questions. I found out alot about my parents, those early years. Then my aunts and uncles started sending me pictures. My one uncle, Uncle Fred, he had gobbles and gobbles of pictures, that he sent me. I felt somewhat selfish in hoarding all of these pictures, so I decided I would make a scrapbook for each of my brothers and sister and share with them all these pictures and our heritage.

So in my quest began. Every time we would go into town, I had to go to Michaels, and see what new things for scrapbooking they had. I'd buy a bit of this or a bit of that. Then I was introduced to ebay. WOW, I didn't even have to leave the house, I could order right there from home and have it delivered. This went on for a few years...the collection portion of my journey. I kept saying, one more thing and I'll be ready. Just one more thing.

Then in January of 2002, my best friend asked me for some help. She and her husband were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. They rented a local hall and she and I made up the invitations to their party. Then Janet wanted to put out on display, a few pictures of their wedding so share with everyone. She asked for my help and instead of using just a few pictures, I ended up sorting through her tub of pictures and getting them organized. Instead of just showing them getting married, I took them on the long road of how they started out getting married and their journey of 25 years. I took all those papers and stickers and did 30 pages in 5 days time. Then, with the help of my children, we attached those layouts to butcher paper and that night, it was on display for all to share in their journey.

That is when, the bug really hit me. I had done this for Janet, so why not do it for myself. But I still didn't know where to start. I still didn't know what to do. It was so overwhelming for me. Then one day, I picked up a magazine, "Simply Scrapbooks". It was their premier edition. In leafing through the magazine, I came across an advertisement. I was so enthralled with the artwork in this ad. I said to myself...this is what I want my pages to look like. There was a website listed and I went to the site and just drolled over the artwork I saw there. I knew then, I had to have more. Little did I know, that this company was not a scrapbooking company, but a rubber stamp company. But they had papers and I thought I could learn to use both the rubber stamps and papers and create the pages I was so desperately trying to create. There was a toll free number I could call for find a consultant in my area. This wonderful pleasant sounding individual was so kind and courteous, that I knew I was at the right place. This gal gave me the number of a consultant in my area and I called her that evening. She came right out and we spent hours talking about scrapbooking and stamping. When she left that evening, my head was a spinning. This is what I wanted. I wanted to be a Close To My Heart consultant. But I had done other home parties and they didn't end up so pleasant. I was so afraid to take that plunge. Well, my soon to be upline and I discussed and talk about it and finally I sent off the paper work to become a CTMH consultant.

So in March 2002, I had my jumpstart party. I invited a few friends and what a time we had that afternoon. My upline showed us how to create cards, and a scrapbook page with just stamps. I was just so excited. Then right in the middle of my party, the man in brown arrived with my package from corporate. The box was full of papers and catalogs and a stamp set that had a strawberry in it. I knew right then and there I had made a good choice. Meanwhile, my husband who is my biggest supporter and who was as addicted to ebay as I was...found a gal selling her rubber stamps. They were all from CTMH. She was leaving CTMH and selling her stamps. He surprised me with this big box full of stamps. I was thrilled. So I set up a table in the closet of the spare bedroom and stated to play. I didn't know what I wanted to do. I had never made a card in my life. I knew my graphic design was going to help me with my scrapbooking, but what about the cards? So, I sat and watch the video that came in my kit. I kept saying, I can do that...I can do that. So, two weeks after my jump start party, I had my first gathering. I used that strawberry stamp and made the cards I thought people would enjoy seeing. The night before my first party, my DH came home from work and saw all the cards I had created and he said to me. "If I didn't know better, I would have thought you bought these at a store." What better compliment could anyone ever ask for?

So, for the past several years, as Close To My Heart has grown and changed and improved, I like to think, that I do have grown and changed and improved. I am sure I still have alot to learn, but for now, I am a happy camper, just sitting and stamping and scrapbooking. My rubber room was once a closet, now its expanded to the whole room, and this is my happy space.

I don't seem to have any of the original layouts I started doing, but these layouts were from the early years. I use to do 8.5"x11" layouts, but since 2004, I started doing 12"x12" layouts.

Well, that's my story. Thanks for letting me share.

Until next time,

Happy Stamping!!

Leanne

Miss Daisy

My sweet darling husband bought several of Elizabeth Bell's stamps from her sweet ebony line for me last December. With all the excitement of Christmas then cleaning up after Christmas, well, sorry its taken me this long to pull out these adorable stamps. Well today I did pulled out Elizabeth's "Daisy" stamp and made this card. I took this week's sketch from this week's MojoMonday.blogspot.com. The patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye and BoBunny, cardstock is Cranberry, Buttercup, and Garden Green from CTMH. Inks are the same colors as cardstock with Indian Corn Blue and Blush included.

I really did have a fun time putting this card together. I had forgotten how much fun it can be just to play with stamps and not have a purpose. I think I will have to do this more often. LOL

I hope you like what I've done, if so please leave me some lovin'.

Till next time,

Happy Stamping!!

Leanne