My Joy List

Well there is a highly secretive group of digiscrappers that have formed what is called "The Eggers". Basically they present challenges that encourage digiscrappers to honor themselves and build up their fellow scrappers. I love what they are all about and I think that the timing couldn't be better since for me 2006 is all about remembering to love myself (even when I feel like a dead weight like I do right about now) - When I read thier latest challenge: To create a "Joy List" it sounded like just what the doctor ordered for my little worn down soul.

As I thought about it, I thought the best way to really enjoy creating my joy list would be to CREATE it, so out came the cardstock and the papercutter, and embellishments gallore. It felt liberating really to put so much time and so many little cherished dodads that involved NO pictures, no journaling or important events, and instead just simple tribute to the simple things that make me smile. I so wish all of you could see it in person, there are very few words, and SO many great little details. It is rich (and a bit bulky, so the scan is sort of blurry). I just felt like a kid just pouring hours in to filling each little square with something that made me smile.... i could fill hundreds of squares with things that bring me smiles... but I love it just how it is, perfectly filled with my joys.

Make me Laugh

Credits: Jessica Bolton at Eclectic Scraps. Notbook paper, phot anchors, staples, and Brad are all Dani Mogstad, Paper Clip from Manda Bean.

Okay so I confess, I did a page about Gareth watching TV. But the guy just LOVES to watch funny shows, and I love to see him laugh his little heart out.

How did I miss this one!

I have no idea how this one didn't end up on my blog, but I'm sure you will all love it!

Credits: Everything by Jen Wilson

A glimpse at what wrestle time looks like with 3 little guys and one big guy! The boys REALLY had to twist daddy's arm to get him to wrestle, but clearly they all had fun :)

I will survive

Driven by 1 part desire to use my new stamps, and 4 parts the need to for some self affirmation. I just threw this page together with a picture I have from a while ago from a "sad" page that I was planning and wussed out on.

Credits: Jen Wilson "Highland Mountain" paper pack. My own "Inspire Stapms." Font: Type Wrong for "I Will" and my own handwriting for the rest. Serious Virtual Photographer filtering on the photo (ofcourse!).

I know my problems totally pale in comparison to the people that have real life threatening illnesses real struggles for survival - but still, those brave inspiring people (like our dear Erin) inspire and remind me, that I'm going to get through this.

Inspire

I have a DEAR DEAR e-friend that I met at my wonderful digi-scrap home Scrap Kitchen and who I am fortunate enough to work with on Dani's Design Team. She is someone that is SO WONDERFUL, SO fun and so amazing. Everyday she makes me smile, and if you haven't experienced her kindness and humor over in the kitchen, you have NO idea what you are missing.

Well this amazing gal inspires me in more ways than one, and yesterday she shared the MOST AMAZING news with us at the kitchen. And after crying my eyes out with joy, the only thing i could think to do is make so "Stapms" to celebrate.

Dearest Erin - This one is for you!

Click here to download these Special edition "Stapms" by Shawna: INSPIRE

Erin, I know I'm not the only one celebrating your victory! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Secret

Credits: Eternal Hope Mega Kit by Dani Mogstad, Anita Stergiou, Theresa Hernandez, and Kim Hill (All the proceeds from this kit go to a wonderful cause, to support a foundation called Alex's Lemonade Stand (www.alexslemonade.org), to help fight Childhood Cancer.) Also, Teresa Hernandez Eternal Hope Word Art and Overlay/Brushes add ons, Dani Mogstad's Little Flowers. Font: Copperplate Gothic (used as a template for cutting out text). Handwriting is tablet work by me.

"Owen and I play this game, 'Hey Owen, I have a secret for you,' then I wisper in his ear, 'I love you.' Owen smiles and looks at me sweetly, then he wispers back, ' I love you too.'

Okay, I know this page is really pretty sweetsy and girly for a boy, but, in all fairness, I made if for me more so than for him. This is a little ritual Owen and I have had special just between the two of us since really before he could even talk really (at which point he would just wisper gibberish back with me). One of those things that I want to cherish and remember forever - although, i'm hoping that when he turns 18 we'll still be telling eachother this particular secret.
Owen is such a stong personality, an individual in every way - yet still we share such precious moments together that just move me to the bone. What a gift he is to me.

Love

Credits: This paper, alpha, ribbon and frame are from Jessica Bolton at www.eclecticscraps.com Flower stamp is from Theresa Hernandez (eternal hope add on). Staple is Manda Bean and Stitching is Dani Mogstad.

Well look at these two! Irresistable, really don't you think? :) I love these guys. They certainly know how to make me smile.

A page about my sweet boys, and how lucky they are to have eachother to love.

Still feeling pretty sick, so not a whole lot to share. I'm getting VERY anxious for Sweet Shoppe to open! I've put together so many pages with the fabulous treats I've gotten there and I really can't wait to share! February 1st! Don't miss the big opening!

Discover

Embarrassingly enough, we just took down our Christmas tree last night. We left it up for G's parents, and then I really haven't been feeling well, so getting it down just wasn't happening (the fact that it happened last night was even a feat). Well as I lined up the ornaments on the couch to box them back up, Reece realized how many neat things we had had hanging up there and was obsessed with investigating it all. I'm glad he waited until now to become obsessed or we would have been introuble (just with last night I had to perform a glue gun operation on a teddy bear, a picture of daddy as a little guy and another doodad due to Reece's "interest" in the ornaments.
I do love the picture I came away from it all with. And I had some new goodies from eclectic scrap (that is having a MEGA sale, GO CHECK IT OUT!!! You will NOT be disappointed!) So I piddled away at this pretty page in memory of my sweet little "conquistador."

Credits: Julie Howard (www.eclecticscraps.com) "Ordinary People." Michelle Coleman Acrylic Stamp, Jessica Bolton Messy Frame. Fonts: Incognitype, HammerKeys, and VNI-Thufap2.

Great Kit for a Great Cause!

Okay GO GET THIS KIT! Dani Mogstad worked together with some other really talented designers: Anita Stergiou, Theresa Hernandez, and Kim Hill, to create this MASSIVE kit to help bring hope to children suffering from cancer. Alex’s Lemonade Stand is an organization set up to help fight childhood cancers, and all the proceeds from this beautiful kit are set aside for this organization. As an added incentive, if you buy this kit at Design by Dani THIS WEEK (1-17 through 1-22) she will send you a a $5.00 Gift Card to spend at her store, so take advantage this offer while you can!!!

Get it now and suppor this cause, honoring the memory of these beautiful children!

Thought I would share for you too, the page I put together with this great kit

Credits: Eternal Hope Mega Kit for Sale at Design By Dani all Proceeds go to Alex's Lemonade Stand to help fight Childhood cancer.

There is this really great Van Morrison song, that says "I'm in Heaven when you smile" it is such a fun cute song, and this picture just kept bringing that song to my mind. How fortunate I feel to be scrapping this page of my happy healthy little boy... My thoughts, my heart, my prayers go out to the parents that have to face the heartache of a sick child. God bless them.

I'm Scrappin'' Girls!

For some of my Design Team work, I had some kits to work with that were really soft and some were definitively girly. Well rather than dress the boys in frilly pink (which George made me promise NEVER to do when I accepted my design team positions) I asked some of my e-friends to help a scrapper out and send me some pretty frilly pictures, since God has decided NOT to help me out with this particular issue. Well!!! Look at how sweet my friends have been to me!

Credits: Dani Mogstad Blushing Bride paper pack, and White Wedding embellishments at www.DesignByDani.com.

This paper pack is called "Bliss" and when I saw this adorable picture of my friend Marci's Daughter I knew that there was no better title for this page! Everytime I put together a page with this paper pack it basically creates itself! I love the soft feel, and it really makes photos shine.

Credits: Dani Mogstad Blushing Bride paper pack, and White Wedding embellishments at www.DesignByDani.com. Nancie Rowe Janitz Schmootzie Frames, at www.ScrapBookBytes.com.

Yes you guessed it, this cutie patotie's name is Caroline.... I absolutely couldn't resist the title :). Hopefully my friend Jen doesn't mind the cliche.

Credits: Dani Mogstad Blushing Bride paper pack, White Wedding embellishments and little flowers at www.DesignByDani.com. Michelle Coleman Acrylic brush, and Nancie Rowe Janitz Schmootzie Frames, both at www.ScrapBookBytes.com.

Well this is such a GREAT girlie picture don't you think!!! This is my friend Mandi's little princess, and I just love these pictures! This is in an essence what I think I miss out on having no little ladies in my life... Now I am SO happy as a girlie momma to three boys - BUT there is pretty much no dancing around in flowery little dresses at my house! :)

There are more pictures too!!! Now I'm anxious for more girl kits to play with!!!

MY {SWEET} NEWS!!!

Okay so here is what has been keeping me busy!!! On Monday I got some FABULOUS news, I was added to a REALLY exciting creative team called the SUGAR BABES .
8 really great designers previously designing for The Digi Chick: Robin Carlton, Christy Lyle, Andrea Victoria, MandaBean, Sara Carling, Mindy Terasawa, Paula Duncan & Sandra Boddington are joing together to Start one FABULOUS new site called SWEET SHOPPE DESIGNS I'm really exciting about the look and the feel of this great new site, and SO thrilled with all of the great kits I've been able to work with... BUT you have to hold your horses, nothing debuts until Feb 1st so sit tight!

Here are two pages I CAN to share though that I put together with Kits from the Sweet Shoppe Designs Designers.

Credits: Andy 2.0 by Robin Carlton, brush by Michelle Coleman Font: LB Plain Stamp

Isn't this picture priceless! Reecey and Pappy cuddling up! I just love it.

Credits: Sweet Ashlyn by Mindy Terasawa, Shmootzy Alpha by Nancie Rowe Janitz Font: LB Ratty Ribbon

This is Dani's sweet little daughter. Isn't she a litte beauty! I just love this sweet little pouty face!

There's more! I can't wait to show all of you The Sweet Shoppe! I've also been plugging away at my new blog. I promise it is getting there! Turns out I'm not exactly an HTML wiz! But I'll have it done soon I promise!

OKAY never fear! I AM HERE!

I am SO sorry it's been so very quiet around here!!! Life has been busy! This past week and a half we had G's Parents and Sister here visiting. It was so nice to have them around, and it really did give me a nice break from the day in day out of cleaning, feeding and monotoring the little buggers! And I'll tell you one thing the kids had a blast with their own little cheering section to oooh and ahhh over everything they do.

You should see them now that Mee-Maw, Pappy, and Aunt Becky are gone. They spent pretty much all of Saturday wandering around the house aimlessly, and Reecey just keeps going through his little gammit of "talents", he looks at me charmingly every few minutes and says in his best cute voice "UH OH" then he gives a classic little fake cough that him and Pappy perfected during the visit, then it is a few tongue clicks, some blown kisses, and then we start the whole routine over. These kids definately appreciated the full time attention.
Here are a few pics from the 580 pictures that Aunt Becky took while they were here.
MeeMaw playing playdough with the guys. Owen made sure that the playdough was always flowing. It was like HEAVEN for the boys to have people to play playdough with all the live long day!

Aunt Becky and Reecey, these two really bonded! And let me tell you Becky is like a DREAM with kids, you should have seen her - I swear, she is like Mary Poppins, when she is around the boys they clean up thier toys, they cooperate, they listen to no.... I swear she probably secretly has an umbrella that she flys around with. :) I loved having her here, and I wish I could move her in so the kids would be on Becky behavior all the time. Unfortunatly, G and I just couldn't make her an competitve enough offer ;)
Pappy and Owen. They became best buddies during this visit. Owen followed Pappy around and spent every second he could cuddled up in his arms. Here is one of MANY Pictures of them hanging out.

We enjoyed having our PA family out here so much! We are missing them already (Owen made sure to let me know this morning, and last night and Gareth told me the day before)! We love you guys!

It's a GOOD day

I'm feeling happy today :)

Look Who's Walking Now!!!

Credits: this is a freebie from Shabby Princess called "Sweet Fall." The Brush strokes are Michelle Coleman and the Grungy frames are Nacie Rowe Janitz. Fonts: Happy Daze, and Problem Secretary.

Well he's FINALLY DOING IT!!! Mr. Reece has decided to start walking around, and you should see him, just in a few days he has gone from walking slowly from one piece of furniture to the next to practically racing from one end of the house to the other! Of course, like with everything this little man does, he is getting into trouble along the way, and still looking oh so cute doing it!

I'm sure this is the begining of the end of any semblance of peace and quiet around here, so wish me luck everyone! Trouble is on the move.

Heart Pancakes

Credits: Dani Mogstad's "Candy Hearts," File Tab is in the "Feels Like Home" kit by Robin Carlton. I used a grungy overlay by Nancie Rowe Janitz recolored to white.

Here are the older two on Valentines Day eating some pretty heart pancakes I made them. My two little valentines LOVED their pancakes.

Love You My Boy

Credits: This is Dani Mogstad's "Vintage Valentine" kit at DesignByDani. Overlay by Nancie Rowe Janitz (freebie at ScrapbookBytes, recolored). Font is mystral.

Owen and I last year. I just love this guy! Thank goodness for Virtual Photographer though, because I was in my jammies and looking pretty gross in this picture before I worked some photoshop magic on it!

Christmas Photo

This is an actual paper page that I made yesterday. It was so fun to use my goodies that sit around my desk and stare at me looking fabulous. :)

Me

Credits: Robin Carlton's "It Girl" available at TheDigiChick. Nancie Rowe Janitz alpha and frame stamps. Font is Clunk. (and my very own "me" doodle ofcourse!)

Journaling around the edges says:

I am determined: To be proud of my accomplishments, to celebrate who I am. To learn and grow and change not out of guilt or shame but out of pride in all I am and in all that I can be. I am determined to look myself in the mirror honestly and to love what I see because I am simply me, and no one else can be... me.

A spur of the moment AAM (all about me) page when I saw a quote on Thersas blog. I've really been determined lately to love who I am, and I when I saw this quote it all just came together.

Yummy Pudding

Credits: I got this paper a while ago from Miranda Reinhardt it is called "Little Prince." Ribbon is from Angie Briggs. Notebook Paper is by Dani Mogstad at DesignByDani, and Paper Clip alpha is From Robin Carlton at TheDigiChick. "Pudding" is Chery font, and everything else is scribled by yours truly.

I've been digging through folders of photos on my computer from last year, and I ran into this set... This is a little boy BEGGING to be scrapped if you ask me. I did a lot of my own Doodling (more like scribling) with my beloved tablet (aka, my new BEST friend!). My little Owen, just so wonderfully himself.

Change is in the wind...

Well, I know it seems like I've been neglecting my sweet little bloggy, but really I've been spending MUCH more time than you would know on it... Recently G bought me the domain name www.MyLittleScraps.com, and we are working on setting up a new site with so many exciting things.... You'll just have to wait and see! Soon I am hoping to be moved over completely and I know everyone will love it there.

Until then here are a few little goodies to keep you going:
Credits: This is a kit from Modscraps called "Mod Christmas," The little flowers and rickrack are from none other than Miss Dani Mogstad at DesignByDani, Brushes and Alpha stamp from Nancie Rowe Janitz. Font is Mistral (and some of my very own tablet work again).
I love this picture of my parents with my boys on christmas eve. They are so happy and they all just love eachother so much.

Everything is from Jen Wilson's "Funny Little One" Fonts are faded Movie Star and High Strung.

This page is about Owen and Reece being so close in age. I saw these pictures recently and it just hit me how much of a baby Owen still was when I brought Reecey home. I love these pics, you can see little Owen's excitement, and I like to think you can see how much I treasure both of them. People often ask me if I think Owen gets lost in the middle, not the first born, not the baby... But Owen is just OWEN, magnificently himself in everyway.... I love him just as dearly (if not more) than if he were my only Child.... anyways that doesn't really have anything to do with this page other that to say I treasure both of these guys tremendously.

My Great 2005

I've been so touched reading everyone's amazing accomplishments for 2005, thank you for taking the time to share and to appreciate yourself.
A few people have asked me where my list is, I did put a bit in there, but you are right, I should share the full list too :).

• I am really proud of myself for growing in my "art" and really making a hobby of my beloved scrapbooking. Not only did I start paper Scrapping and really grow in that area, I started digi scrapping too, and was accepted on two design teams.
• I am proud that I have survived turning 25, and I think in many ways made peace with the "life track" I'm on. And made peace with not always feeling how I think I "should".
• I've made it through depression. I think what I am most proud of myself is that I've really learned to "Just let myself be" I am learning to stop beating myself up for everything I'm not. Maybe, just maybe, I'm starting to like who it is that I am.
  
• This year, I've also had so many great friendship blossom and that in it self was worth a million years.

2005 was a really great year for me. I'm so excited about what is coming in 06.