i did it.

oh.my.gosh.

do you know what i did?

if you took a gander and guessed that i won the last scrapper standing challenge over at CMK, you guessed correctly!

holy cow.

can you believe that?

do you know what that means?

it means, i am on their design team for the next 6 months!

i'm still in awe.

here is my layout for the final entry...

the circle swings up and reveals the journaling underneath it.

okay, so yah.

i'm still in shock.

it just feels crazy to have won something with my scrapbooking.

i mean, i started scrapbooking to document my families "stuff."

and it's turned into so much more than that for me...and personally i am so proud of what it's turned into.

i look forward to my moments when i can just sit down and let my creative mind loose on something THAT also is preserving my family's memories.

it's such a great feeling.

anyways...tangent.

i am super excited to be working with the team.

they actually picked 3 new girls, so i know there are a few other ladies out there feeling this same excitement!

gosh.darn.

i'm just happy :)

etsy overload.

3 of my best friends are all expecting babies by the end of this year (jami, hannah and marietta).

so, naturally, i'm keeping my eye out for cute baby gifts.

i was browsing etsy this morning, and found all of these super cute items...plus about a million more.

ahhhh...i just looooooove shopping for my friends when they are having babies...it's so much fun!

all right...off to church.

have a great day!

work in progress kit.

here are a few more projects i made using the WIP july kit.

just a fabulous kit, i might add :)

here is a wedding card i made...keith and his co-workers needed a card for a girl at their work...and i thought these papers were really classy...

and another layout using all the fabulous goodies (plus some prism card stock!)

last time i was with my sister, i took some fabulous pictures of her...here is one...and i used more on my final layout for the CMK contest. she's just beautiful.

anyways, i'm gonna run...not much to say...except that so you think you can dance is on.

if you want to know my opinion on whom i love...click here.

have a fabulous night!

thanks for stopping by!

i made it...

...to the final round of last scrapper standing over at CMK!!

i'm so excited!

here was my entry for the round...they narrowed it down from 20 to 10!

and the next challenge is to make a layout using circles...which i'm working on right now (taking a blogging break).

this is the final round...after this, they will pick one person for their design team and one person to guest design in july.

exciting!

this is the mini i made...i used a cheerios box, and cut it up into 4 pieces...punched some holes...glued some card stock and felt down....did some stapling...some sewing.

and voila.

here ya go!

a fun little mini.

i can't show the inside, cause it's a gift for someone...and they will see the pictures :P

soooooo fun.

i really do {love} this mini.

ohhhhh, friends. i must run.

right when i sit down to type, the baby wakes up.

life.

it's fun, right?

inspired.

over at taif this week, the prompt is using magazines.

i saw this picture in the anthropologie catalog a while back (yes, i get the catalog. no, i don't ever spend money there---i can't stomach spending $50++ dollars on a shirt--neither can my husband...)

aaaaannnnyyyyways.

so, i loved this picture.

this girl.

just walking and reading.

i mean, i know it's fake, but it just reminded me how much i need to get caught up in a book.

one of those "i can't put this book down, so i'm gonna walk around and read it" kind of books.

yah.

those are good books.

so, i pulled out my WIP kit (cause ya know, i am the guest designer for july over there!!)

sorry--tooting my horn.

anyways, the kit is awesome.

and this has to be one of my favorite layouts i've done in a while.

and...i found out it made layout of the day over at SIS!

woot and a toot--again!

so, yah, i'm gonna hang this one up in my scrap area...cause i love to look at it...and it reminds me i need to find a good book to read.

any suggestions?

i want a good story...not "how to be a better mom/wife/christian/woman."

a good, get lost in the story, kind of story.

all right friends...

we'll chat soon.

and oh yah!

i almost forgot...

christine asked me if i actually sew on my layouts...and the answer is yes!

i just recently learned how to do it...and it took a lot of tweaking of the sewing machine (cause yah, at first, i was totally ripping the paper).

practice on some card stock first, and get the settings just right before you actually sew onto your layout.

but still, i've messed up many a times, and i always like how it turns out.

i like messy though.

hope that helps christine! (and anyone else who may have been wondering!)

round 2.

i found out over at CMK that i made it to round 2 of last scrapper standing!

here's my layout that got me there.

the journaling is hidden in that altered envelope...

i really LOVE this layout...and of course, it looks sooo much better in person.

don't they always?

anyways, to top things off...yesterday, i got my WIP kit in the mail! woot!

so, i definitely got to make some goods during nap time yesterday...

and...i won over at OLW!

my "make life fun" layout was picked by Gigi...so excited!

and i got more happy mail!

yah, it was a good day.

all right friends...thanks for always leaving such kind words over here...they are ALWAYS appreciated!

you all rock!

have a great day :)

excited!

i'm so excited...i've been asked to be the july guest designer for work in progress kits!

so, that means, i get this fabulously awesome scrapbooking kit (stole the pic from trish's blog--thanks trish!) and i get to create yummy stuff with it!

i'm anxiously awaiting for the kit to arrive...woot woot!

look at all the yummy goodies in here...nothing's better than free goodies...unless you've been asked to design with those free goodies!

anyways, i can't wait to get the goods and start creating!

and here is a quick layout i did this weekend for SIS...

they had this amazing SISiversary event this weekend...it was their 1 year anniversary since beginning the site, so they had this huge event in TN. but the unfortunate people who did not get to go (a.k.a me and a few others) got to participate in it via the web.

anyways, there were a bunch of challenges, and i managed to find time to create 1.

yes, 1.

that's all.

and here it is.

you were supposed to create a layout about your age and how it makes you feel.

anyways, so here ya go.

all right girls...have a fabulous day.

peace,

em

i hope.

over at CMK, they are having a "last scrapper standing" contest.

the winner will get a spot on their design team.

so, i decided to try for it...why not.

the first challenge was to lift a layout from one of their designers.

i chose the lovely kate.

her simplistic style is beautiful.

i love how she can evoke so much emotion from such simple pages.

anyways, here is my take on her layout.

the next challenge is to scrap your weakness...

i know what i want to do with it, i just need to find some time!

not much else to write over here...i need to head over to my family blog and post over there!

have a good night friends...

one life.

my layout for one little word this week!

the word was 'one.'

i so needed these words today...make life fun.

yah, i needed to hear that.

supplies:

cardstock-prism (white prismatic)

fabric-repro depot

letters-american crafts

oh let's see...where do i begin today?

i've had a really good mail week! the past couple of days, i've gotten-

1.my delicious fabric i ordered from repro depot...yummy polka dots, stripes and strawberries!

2.happy mail--again! melissa has outdone herself! she sent me tons of colorful felt to work with, and a bunch of other fun goodies today! i was happy.

3.i was featured in the CMK newsletter with my "why i love this man" page! so, they give you a a $10 gift certificate to their boutique for that...so i shopped. and got some yummy sassafrass lass papers! woot! they arrived today as well!

so, yah, i'm off to scrap. all my kids are laying down.

it's raining outside.

i've got launrdry going.

so, i'll pass the time by scrapping.

and oh yah, can i just say that i've fallen in love with google reader. anyone tried that? i'm sure you have...i'm like the last person on earth to use it.

but seriously, last night i got all the blogs i read, and put them on there...and now, i just have to go to one page, and it shows me who has updated their blog.

it's fabulous.

no more blog hopping! woot!

that's where i waste my time anyways.

so, i got my few, favorite gals in my google reader now.

i'm so excited!

it's like saving me sooo much time in my life now :)

now i won't waste my time going to dumb blogs that i hate going to anyways, but i find myself going there, because i blog hop.

yuck.

why do we go to peoples blogs that we don't want to anyways?

it's such a waste of time.

so, YEAH for google reader!

i'm off!

envelopes.

i had these great 6 x 6 chocolate brown envelopes laying around...the came with some stampin' up cards i got a while back, but i never used the actual envelopes.

so, i thought they'd be great for TAIF prompt, to use envelopes!

i had the idea running through my head last night, so during nap/movie time this afternoon, i put my mini together.

and it was so easy.

kate's mini originally inspired my idea (she was the guest designer over there this time around), i just went from there with it.

in each pocket, i'll put random magazine pictures, quotes, things printed from the internet...all that inspire me in different areas.

this first one is just random things that inspire.

this one is home decor that i see that inspires.

see that button...found it at the crusade give-a-way a couple months back!

this ones hard to read, but it's my fashion inspo pocket.

this one is my life pocket.

this is where i'll put scripture quotes.

things that inspire me to be a better mom/wife/person.

things of that nature.

here's an up close of that button!

well, i've already started filling it up.

i think it will be neat for my kids to look through this one day as well...and see what their mama liked back in the day.

all right friends...

head on over to the art is found and make an envelope project too!

so very fun.

this layout is so very fun.

and so very not me.

i mean the colors and all. it's very rare that i bring out the bright colors anymore.

well, maybe sometimes i do, but i dunno.

i just look at this layout and think it's different from all the other ones i've done.

maybe not.

i did this for the scrapjacked blog.

i was so excited to get a "happy mail" package the other day.

over at SIS, i signed up for a happy mail group, and you get a partner and for a couple months you just randomly start sending goodies off to each other.

and let me tell you that when i received my goodies...it put a huge smile on my face!

they don't call it happy mail for nothing.

and then today...i got a random happy mail from somebody else in the group...i got a sewing kit...that was definitely on my wish list! i use my sewing machine all the time, but i wanted to just hand stitch every once in a while, so i was so excited to find that in my mailbox today!!

anyways...the point of my happy mail story was to tell you that, that ribbon on my layout is from my partner! she sent me gobs of good-a-licious ribbon. i think i just made up a word.

so, yah.

i'm happy for my happy mail.

and i'm also soooo happy for this girl.

mandi is this "super talented at everything" girl, and the type of girl who i would totally hang out with...if we lived by each other.

instead. we are friends only through the online world.

which isn't bad...but anyways...

i'm excited for her cause she's been added to the TAIF group of gals!

what a fun blog.

and what a fun group of girls.

and she gave the blog a complete make over which completely blows my mind.

seriously girl...it's rad.

so excited to see what they come up with.

their prompt right now is to do something magnificent with envelopes, so i'd like to work on that sometime soon.

maybe i'll do something cool.

maybe not.

all right friends.

i'm off to bed.

it's late.

and now i'm rambling.

wow, i wrote a lot tonight over here!

peace!

26 things i love...

...at the ripe old age of 26.

i'm going to be turning 27 soon (holy moley) so i wanted to start documenting some things from life this past year.

a lot has happened this past year, but i wanted to start off with something easy, so i made a list of random things that i'm loving right now.

and it's very random.

after i had it printed and on my page i had realized i forgot some important things...like, my family and taking pictures.

apparently cheeseburgers and cheetos were more important and on my mind when i wrote this.

i must have been hungry.

so, i must say sorry to my family and my camera.

i do love you all too.

sorry from the crappy picture...the lighting was bad when i took it, so it's not very clear.

i'm still working hard on trying to find the perfect spot and lighting to take pictures of my pages.

it's so hard cause i want all the detail to show, but it just never happens that way.

any suggestions?

well, i must run as the kids are fighting with each other downstairs and milo is screaming upstairs.

quietness...please.

supplies:

card stock-prism (chocolate, white prismatic)

alphabets-american crafts

random fonts.

random ribbons.

:)