Live 2 CREATE!

Just wanted to share a couple of pictures from Halloween.

Memphis was a Mummy and I have to say we will probably not ever make that costume again! lol

Not that it didn’t look cute in the end, but making it wasn’t quite as easy as I thought. I used ripped up sheets and wrapped them around his body and pinned them to the thermal underwear…which was all good all though a little time consuming. However, I didn’t think about having to take it off and put it back on and as soon as we took it off it kinda fell apart. So we had to re-do it again right before trick or treating. Yes, I know, a mummy would not really have any blood left, but he seemed to really think it would be cool and was so excited about it.

Charlie was a Flower Fairy this year and she was so cute!! She had a beautiful set of wings, lots of glitter, and her Jasmine Princess shoes which just seemed to complete the outfit!

I got these at the Disney Store when I went to Minnesota and she adores them.

Well, I have been working on our Family’s Thanksgiving menu since it will be here before we know it! This year we will be having Thanksgiving at my aunt’s house and it’s usually me, my mother, and my two aunts who spend all day in the kitchen cooking up a storm. I am certainly not complaining though…I actually look forward to Thanksgiving day and I love love love cooking that Turkey!

Here’s a list of what we have on our menu and if anyone is interested in any of the recipes just let me know.

Family Thanksgiving Menu

* Turkey
* Green Bean Casserole
* Sweet Potato Casserole
* Homeade Mac n Cheese
* Portabello Lasagna
* Cranberry Sauce
* Giblet Gravy
* My mom’s fabulous Homeade rolls (these are actually easy and oooohhhh so good)
* Garlic Mashed Potatoes
* Pea Salad
* Deviled Eggs
* Aunt Reba’s Dressing
* Ham
* My mother’s awesome Broccoli/cheese casserole - this is amazing too!

Dessert
(this sometimes changes and we have yet to really decide on everything for this year yet, but there a few that we always make)

* Pecan Pies
* Chocolate Pies
* Coconut Creme Pie ( I am going to attempt these this year I think)
* Bannana Pudding ( I make the Not Yo Mamma’s version with Pepperidge farm cookies and it is in my opinion is the best out there! )
* Pumpkin Pie

So I have been gathering my recipes and preparing to make the grocery list. Does anyone have any fantastic recipes that you just have to make or it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving with out them?

Peace, Love, & Happy Creating!
April

I know I have been a horrible blogger lately and it seems as though I have fallen behind on everything…projects, layouts, housework, laundry, bills, - you name it and I am behind…

But for once I feel kinda okay about it. Don’t get me wrong…I will be extremely happy when I am all caught up and finally back on track, but for now I am focusing on the blessing that we have been given.

I was sick for almost the entire month of October and I couldn’t figure out why the cold just wasn’t going away…or why it had brought so much nausea with it! Well it turns out I am pregnant again and we are all thrilled.

None of my pregnancies have really ever been easy or lets say fun…but after my last miscarriage and losing Cash almost 2 years ago…I am trying to remain extremely positive and we are very hopeful right now. There are many unique reasons I feel like this was meant to happen and why I feel like this baby is meant to be born…but whatever the reason I am feeling blessed. …blessed and nauseas that is!

I took the picture above last week on my way home from Little Rock one day. I was totally enthralled with the sky that day and almost cried after I looked at this picture later. Sometimes amidst crazy days and stressful times - beautiful things seem to appear, and for me this was one of them.

Peace, Love, & Happy Creating!
April

P.S. okay so this is a little off the subject, but I have to share another bit of extreme happiness with you - MemoryVilla just got in all the new STICKLES from Ranger!!!!!!!!! WHOHOO!!!!!

You know how sometimes you start out making a layout with really no plan in mind in then after you finish it you sit back and just smile because it ended up being way more than you ever imagined??

Of course all of the layouts we create are special to us because they tell a little piece of our story…but occasionally there are just those layouts that we fall in love with and want to share with our friends and family. Well for me, this is one of those layouts. I have been waiting for months to share it because it was requested by Somerset Memories and now that it is finally out I can post it on the blog.

A Work in Progress
* Published in Somerset Memories Oct/Nov 2008

Supplies:
- Cardboard
- Metallic paint - Lumiere
- Patterned Papers - Creative Imaginations & Jenni Bowlin
- Screen Overlay - Hambly
- Paper Die Cuts - Scenic Route & Daisy D’s
- Rubber Band - 7gypsies
- Button - Autumn Leaves
- Brad - Making Memories
- Dimensional Paint - Ranger Dimensional Pearls
- Kraft Label stickers - Making Memories
- Pens - American Crafts, and Sakura Gelly Roll
- Chipboard - Scenic Route

Inspiration/Story:
We were visiting family during the holidays and we decided to walk around one of the downtown areas of Ft. Worth, Texas. We found this brick alley that was beautiful, so we decided to take some quick pictures. I was busy taking pictures of family members and turned around to check on my son Memphis….only to find him standing against the wall reading a newspaper. He is only six and can not quite read yet…so I thought it was hilarious that he was staring at it so intently and not paying attention to any of us. When I started taking pictures of him I was trying to figure out what he must be thinking. Even though he has his quirks, I am so proud of him for being so inquisitive and call him my little work in progress.

Techniques:
For the background piece, I ripped off the top layer of cardboard and painted the leftover corrugated with a metallic paint. I edited the colors of my photos in photoshop, and also added journaling directly on the photos with a pen. I used dimensional pearl drops beside the kraft stickers and also to fill the holes in the button.

*Unfortunately I am still under the weather, but I do hope to share an awesome surprise with you very soon!

Peace, Love, and Happy Creating!
April

I started feeling bad about two weeks ago and whatever it is that I have has really taken me for a loop! I have been totally exhausted and felt so bad the couch has become my best friend. Of course then that just stressed me out even more because I have fallen behind on everything and you know it’s bad when your kids are looking for clean socks and there isn’t any so you quickly hand them the least dirtiest one out of the dirty laundry basket so you can get back to the couch as soon as possible. I don’t think I even cooked a single meal last week and I might have touched the computer twice but only when it was completely necessary.

So I am finally starting to see the sun a little and trying to accomplish things again…but still exhausted. Yesterday was the first time I made myself attempt something scrappy and here is one of the layouts I completed for the ScrapFriends review of Cosmo Cricket’s new Haunted Collection!

Spooktacular Ghouls

Products used:
Patterned Paper (Cosmo Cricket Haunted Collection: Ominous, Gothic, Nevermore, Haunted Strip Tease)
Stickers (Cosmo Cricket: Haunted Adhesive Die Cuts)
Journaling Cards (Cosmo Cricket: Haunted Journal Cards)
Glitter Glue (Ranger Stickles)
Brads (7gypsies)
Pen (Sanford Uniball)
Edge Distresser (Tonic Studios: Tim Holtz)
Ink (Ranger Distress Ink)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

There was a car in the background of the picture and some really bright green grass, so I scratched up the surface of the photo with my Tim Holtz tool and then used a blending tool to add a mixture of black and purple distress ink around Memphis and I.

(Since I have been tagged at least 3 times in the last month from various friends - I am hoping that this will count for all three..lol)

4 THINGS I WAS DOING 10 YEARS AGO:
- Well since I was 21 then, I would have to say going out a lot with friends and to parties and possibly partaking more in the act of drinking alcohol
- I was president of my sorority so I was planning sorority events, fundraisers, meetings, parties, etc…
- Staying up with friends all night long, sleeping for about an hour and half - then attending class at 9 in the morning and starting the process all over again!
- Driving from Russellville to Little Rock almost everyday to work at Earth Home in the Park Plaza Mall

4 THINGS ON MY TO-DO LIST FOR TODAY:
- Catch up on ScrapFriends stuff
- Catch up on Flair stuff
- Catch up on Laundry
- Catch up on my blog….see a theme here….

4 RANDOM THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY HUSBAND:
- That he is taller than me and can actually pick me up!
- That I always feel safe around him
- He is a wonderful father
- He makes me feel beautiful…even when I have been sick for two weeks and maybe still wearing the same pajamas and my hair is not looking so fresh…lol

4 JOBS I HAVE HAD:
- My first job - Herbs Plus- I helped take care of the garden and store at an Herb Farm
- Rally’s Cashier
- Nursing Home Hostess
- Field Interviewer for a national research company

4 MOVIES I HAVE WATCHED MORE THAN ONCE:
- National Lampoons Christmas Vacation - (I watch this every December!)
- The Lord of the Rings
- Steel Magnolias
- Star Wars

4 PLACES I HAVE BEEN:
- London
- Las Vegas
- Washington D.C.
- Canada

4 PLACES I WANT TO VISIT:
- Italy
- Germany
- Egypt
- New Zealand

4 TV SHOWS I WATCH:
- Grey’s Anatomy
- The Mentalist (just started and I really like it!)
- My Name is Earl
- Big Bang Theory

4 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME:
- I do not like cold calling or talking on the phone with strangers….lol okay so some of my friends are aware of this now…
- I like eating popcorn and dark chocolate together…as in all in the same bite!
- I have hunted with my husband and shot a deer before
- I am actually pretty darn good at cooking a thanksgiving turkey

Well I’m off to sleep again - have a wonderful day!
Peace, Love, & Happy Scrapping,
April

Last week I reviewed Marvy Uchida’s new Deco Acrylic Paint Markers and I thought they were pretty darn cool! Here’s the project I created for the ScrapFriends review *

What?

Products used:
Acrylic Paint (Marvy Uchida DecoColor Chisel Tip Markers: Light Green, Light Blue, & Black)
Cardboard (MemoryVilla Packaging)
Chipboard (Jenni Bowlin, & Scenic Route)
Metal Clips (7gypsies)
Grungeboard (Tim Holtz)
Brads (Making Memories)
Stickers (Jenni Bowlin, & Making Memories)
Rub Ons (Fancy Pants, & K&Company)
Pens (Sakura, American Crafts, & Sanford Uniball)
Rhinestone (Wal Mart Cell Phone Bling)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I loved the way the corrugated cardboard looked after coloring it with the paint marker!

I wanted to cover up the dirty car in the background of my first picture so I used the light blue acrylic marker to paint over it! I sort of went over it several times though so it ended up looking distressed and thick ..which was actually what I was going for..lol

If you would like to read the entire review just click on the link at the top of this post!

So today I did something new…something I have never done before. I helped make CHICKEN CACCIATORE for 180 people! It’s really quite unreal when you have to make a dish to serve that many people…but I did it and I am proud of myself…lol

Have a wonderful Weekend!
April