My Poor, Neglected Blog!

While I knew it'd been awhile since my last post, I didn't realize that it'd been over 2 1/2 months...yikes!  I'm going to have to get better at that!  So, since my last post I've completed another semester of nursing school---3 down, 2 to go!  I finished up this summer with a 90, so I was pretty pleased about that (especially since the class on my campus that just graduated lost TEN students last summer and we ended up losing TWO this summer!!).  I've got a little over two weeks off of school, and I'm looking forward to just spending time with the family and working...trying to live a somewhat normal life before the chaos of class and clinicals kicks back off.

I have been able to scrap quite a bit, despite being in school.  It's my little escape from the books and studying.  I'll have to get some pics taken and share some of my recent scrappy creations.

Until then, thanks for stopping by!

2 Down, 3 To Go!!

That's right...two semesters of nursing school down, and 3 more to go!!  Woo Hoo!!  Finished up yesterday with spring semester...have managed to pull Bs in all of my nursing classes and that's been such a relief...I've never been one to celebrate a B (I'm an A kinda girl), but after busting my butt 1st semester and getting a 90 (that would have been an A if we used a 10 point scale), I decided that I wasn't going to kill myself to try to get an A.  So, Bs it is!! :)

It was a great weekend here...with NSD on Saturday, I worked at Sandy's Scrapbook Corner  and then did some of the challenges over at 3 Scrappy Boys.  It was nice to get some scrappin' done!  For Mother's Day, I fixed lunch for my Mom and we all just enjoyed some family time before I hit the books for a little bit.

Before I go, I'll share two more of the challenges that I did over at the 3SB NSD crop:

<-------- This was for Heather's challenge to use some circles.  I wasn't a big fan of this paper...kinda on the cutesy side for me, but it worked PERFECTLY with these pictures of Cole in the monster towel my sister, Shannon, gave him for Christmas.  This actually ended up being my favorite layout that I did for the crop!!







This card was made for Heather's other challenge, which was to use some product packaging on a project.  I needed a card for my Mom for Mother's Day and this was so perfect  for it!!!  The card itself is made from the packaging sheet that came in a collection pack of Echo Park paper.  It was a little flimsy, but I just put some cardstock inside and it worked great!!  On the inside, I used some of the little alpha stickers from the collection and spelled out "YOU ARE THE BEST" and then stamped "Happy Mother's Day."  Great challenge, Heather!!


Thanks for stoppin' by!!

Layouts WITH Pictures...A New Concept! :)

In honor of National Scrapbook Day, I did something I haven't done in FOREVER....I scrapbooked AND put pictures on my layouts!!  lol  I know, sounds odd...but I do several pages a month for classes or when I just want to follow a sketch, but I have a PILE of pages with no pics.  I'm sure one of these days I'll get around to adding them!!

Anyway, I did these next two layouts for challenges over at 3 Scrappy Boys .  The first was for Jennie's sketch challenge using a die cut paper and the second was for Heather's raw chipboard challenge. 

And, seeing as how it's 4 a.m. and I can't get back to sleep, I'm seriously considering trying to hammer out a few more challenge layouts!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mama's out there!!  

National Scrapbook Day Over at 3 Scrappy Boys

Wow, so it's been a little while since I last blogged, but now is the PERFECT time to get back on it!!  Heather over at 3 Scrappy Boys  asked me if I'd like to do a little tutorial for NSD....of course I wanted to!!  There will be lots of great stuff going on on the 3 Scrappy Boys forums, so head over and do a few challenges or check out some other tutorials!

I decided to focus on the Sew Easy Piercer for 2 reasons...1-I've used it and think it's a cool little tool....2-I know that some people have had reservations about using it and getting it to go straight. 

First, it really does work better if you have a piercing mat like the one put out by We R Memory Keepers.  The holes will be ready for you to stitch, whereas you'll have to poke through little indentions if you're not on a mat (and they're hardly visible).  If you don't use a mat like this, please make sure that you are careful, as rolling it on a hard surface can break off the little "hole makers."

Next, it really isn't difficult to make this tool roll straight when that's the look you're going for.  Simply put your paper on the mat, line a ruler up and follow the ruler with the Sew Easy tool.  It might take a little bit of experimenting with to figure out where the holes are going when you use the ruler, but it gives such a great look to layouts that it's worth playing with a little until you get the hang of it!

I used this method, along with the Basic Grey papers from Life of the Party (which can be found in the New Products section at 3SB) to create this layout------------------->

I wanted to make my own embellishment and add a little extra to it with the Sew Easy Piercer tool, so I cut out this rose with a Lifestyle Crafts die (if you don't have the die, no worries....simply draw a pinwheel and cut it out by hand!).  I then slowly rolled the tool around the edge of the paper flower.

Then stitch on the flower using the holes made with the Sew Easy Piercer.  I used a backstitch (ok, so I think that's what I used...I'm not much of a seamstress!), but you can do whatever design you choose.

Next, using a pencil or the end of your paper piercer, roll the edge of the flower from the outside in until you reach the center.  Then you can unroll it and hand roll it tighter---do this a few times until the rose has a look you like.  You can really manipulate it as much as you'd like at this point....roll out the edges some if you'd like, squish it down...possibilities are endless...PLAY!!  Once you have a shape you like, put a few glue dots down on that base in the middle and adhere your rose together.

Now you're ready to add it to a layout, card or altered project!!

The last little thing I did with the Sew Easy tool was to use it on some chipboard letters.  You start by rolling the tool over your letters.

Because the letters are thicker, you can't just poke a needle through.  I used my paper piercer to make the holes go all the way through

 the chipboard letters.

Finally, I  sprayed my letters with Maya Mist, allowed them to dry and then stitched on them using the holes I made.

The Sew Easy Piercer is a fun and EASY tool to use to add that special touch to your projects.  The handle comes with a straight stitch head, but you can also get interchangable heads with different stitch patterns.  The tool comes with a needle and the handle has storage in it to hold that needle!!  Be sure to check them out over at 3 Scrappy Boys...Heather has the tool and heads on sale for National Scrapbook Day!!

Enjoy National Scrapbook Day!!  I hope you're able to spends lots of time gettin' your scrap on!!!



Happy Halloween!!

It's Halloween weekend and we're gearing up to go Trick-or-Treating in town tonight.  Cole is being Spongebob Squarepants, again.  This is actually his 3rd year as Spongebob.  The first year, it was kinda last minute and EVERYONE loved his costume when we went Trick-or-Treating.  I received so many compliments on it and it really made a mama proud!  lol  Because I had made his costume last minute, we didn't get to show off his costume at the Halloween Festival.  I was told over and over that he would've won first prize, so when he said that he wanted to be Spongebob again last year, I thought that was our chance.  I had to re-make his costume b/c he'd grown too tall for the box from the previous year, but we were ready for the Halloween Festival and the costume judging/parade.  Well, it rained last year.....so it was a no go. 

When it came time to talk costumes this year, Cole had already decided...he was going to be Spongebob...again.  So, I fixed what needed fixed (paper in the rain doesn't hold up too well, so I had to replace all of the paper) and we headed to the Halloween Festival yesterday.  There were TONS of people there and we took a spot in the 'Homemade Costume' line for judging.  I sized up the competetion in our line and felt pretty good about it.  There was a really well made costume behind us...it was some weird, green doll, but it was a good costume.  There was also this kid dressed as an old man and the kid's dad had made this HUGE paper mache head...that was pretty cool, too.  They give ribbons for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize, so I thought we probably had a good chance.  Well, when it came time for the judging, these teenage girls walked up and down our line and I could tell who they were picking.  They liked the kid dressed as an old guy...good call.  But then they went to this little girl in a felt Mrs. Potatoe Head costume...it was cute, but not THAT cute...but whatever.  So then, they went to a kid in a frickin' Indian costume.  I mean, seriously??  Did they not see my super cute kid dressed as Spongebob???  UGGHHH.  So, I was kinda, ummm, ticked...but whatever...it was rigged or something...what happened to voting...for the people, by the people and all of that??

Anyway, after the judging, we ate lunch and then let Cole Trick-or-Treat uptown at the local stores.  Just like the past two years, EVERYONE commented on his costume...several asked what place he'd won...and I just soaked it in!  lol  As we walked down the sidewalk we heard over and over, "Oh, look, it's Spongebob!!  How cool!!"  I never, not once, heard anyone say "Oh look at that Indian.........."

So, Happy Halloween everyone!!  Stay safe and enjoy it!

A Few Layouts to Share

School has been busy, busy, busy...but I've still found a little scrappy time here and there--it is a must in order to stay sane these days!!  :)

This first LO was based on a sketch from Let's Scrap.  I used some of the October Afternoon Seaside papers and some Coredinations cardstock.

These next two layouts are lacking photos, but that is a common occurence for me.  I often do layouts and then add pics later.  The first uses Basic Grey's new Pyrus line.  I wasn't a fan of that line until I used it...it really grew on me!  The flower on the LO was made using the Tim Holtz rosette die (think that's what it's called LOL). 

The second LO is also using Basic Grey, but it's the new Jovial line.  LOVE that paper!!  I somewhat scraplifted this one from a LO that Kelly posted over at 3SB (click her name and see what I'm talking about).  I just loved those blocks that she used and decided to use them on this LO:



Thanks for checkin' in and I hope that you have a great weekend!  I'm running errands, studying and hoping to get some good leaf pics taken before they all fall!

ScrapFit Color Challenge

So, Kelly over at ScrapFit  put out a challenge to use orange, purple, lime green and black and I decided to take her up on it!  I honestly usually don't use traditional Halloween colors when scrapping my Halloween photos, but I had this great pile of Pink Paislee Halloween-themed scrappy stuff from their warehouse sale that I needed to use and just worked perfectly with the theme. 

The wording at the bottom is difficult to read b/c it is a pretty bright lime green, but it says "your first time trick or treating." 

Thanks for looking!

A Few Layouts and An Update on Life!

First, I'm excited to say that I have received another scholarship to go towards nursing school!!  I found out earlier this week that I will be receiving $750 per semester...that includes summer semester which is AWESOME b/c I didn't have any $$ to go towards that session.  In addition to that, I had already been awarded a scholarship through the Nurse Scholar's Program for $3000 a year!!  These scholarships are a huge help to me and my family...it's really taking the bite out of nursing school. 

My scrap room still looks like a complete disaster, but I have been able to use my tables and get a little scrappy recently.  Here are a few of my most recent LOs (there have been several others, but they are awaiting pictures to make them complete!  lol):

Ok, so maybe "hate" is a strong word, but I am really not a pink girl.  It's just not me!!

The feet pictured belong to me and my youngest son (he was 2 at the time).  I've had this pic laying around forever and finally decided to get it scrapped.

We had such an awesome time at Folly Beach this past August.  We literally had the beach to ourselves and I just sat back and took it all in!

Well, dinner is about done and I've got some scrappin' to do for class next week!  Thanks for stoppin' by!

I'm in LOVE....with IKEA!!!! My IKEA experience

Yesterday was my first trip ever to IKEA.  I thought I was ready...I mean I watched a video on their site showing the process and I had researched and knew what I wanted....but holy moly!!!!  First, I highly recommend checking your kid into the play area or not bringing them at all!  I love my Cole but that turkey wouldn't go in the playroom before we went upstairs.  So, he was climbing on all the chairs and beds...falling off the rolly chairs....I managed to find everything I needed upstairs and thankfully, Cole agreed to go into the playroom before we started our downstairs adventure.  Oh how I loved that place!!!  I ended up with the two tables that I wanted and I also got this bookcase:

I found this on the display floor and they had it laying horizontal and I thought...hmmmm, love it!!  So, we got one on the 1st floor and were pushing it to the checkouts (along with all my other goodies) and I saw the sale section.  My friend Alicia had told me about it and said to be sure to check it out....I went over there and found this piece, already put together and in perfect condition for $20 off!!!  It'd been a floor model and they'd literally just put it in the clearance section 10 minutes earlier...YAY for me!!!! 

So, my IKEA experience ROCKED!!  I will have to go back again and hopefully it will be in the somewhat near future (the closest one is 2.5 hours away, so it's not something I can do often if I'm not in need of something big).

OH and on the way to IKEA we stopped at a huge yard sale.  I'm now the proud owner of an old Singer sewing machine.  No, I won't be sewing...not my thing...I just wanted it for a decoration piece.  I know several people that have them in their homes and they are so pretty.  I couldn't pass it up for $10 (and all I looked at when I bought it was the wood casing...I later noticed that the actual sewing machine in there was quite pretty too!!).  Hubby and I felt like we were Pickers from that American Pickers show!!  lol  He found this apple press that he thought was cool and since he was being a fairly good sport about taking me to IKEA, I said it was his if he wanted it.  They wanted $25 and I offered $20 and they took it....true Picker style!!!  lol

We made it home close to midnight and left everything in the truck so we could come in and crash.  We woke up this morning and ate some of the cinnamon rolls I got at IKEA....highly recommend!! YUMMMMM.  Now, off to put a table together and STUDY!

Here we go!!

So, I guess this is my first, official blog post!!  I decided to set this up for a few reasons...1-I wanted to be able to post some of my scrappy creations 2-I wanted a place to vent about things that need to be vented!  Thus came Livin' Laughin' Lovin...Scrappy Style!

In scrappy news, I'm going to IKEA tomorrow to get some tables for my scrap room...I am so flippin' excited!!  My scrap room is in the basement...I have 1/2 of a quite large room (if we didn't have so much crap I'd have the whole room!  lol).  Currently I have my stuff stored on an old baker's rack (which is pretty cool and I plan to keep) and several black wire shelves.  My storage area isn't so much the problem--it's my workspace.  I have a round table...have you ever tried scrappin' at a round table??!!  UGH!!  It is AWFUL!!  So, to remedy my little problem, I'll be picking up TWO of these babies tomorrow: 

Isn't it beautiful??!!  I think it will offer me PLENTY of room to spread out and scrap...as well as STUDY.  Yes, I said study...nursing school requires A LOT of that and while the couch is great at times, sometimes I need a nice, quiet place to flood my brain with all sorts of nursey things.

Well, I think I'll leave the venting for another time...I'm floating on IKEA excitement right now, so there's no need to ruin that high!  lol

More next time...........