Getting things done..

Hi, everyone!!
I am not posting much right now because, while I am getting lots done, most of it I can't show you because it is DT/contest work that I am trying to get done for the next 2 months just in case I go into labor.

I do have a couple of things to share though...

This first item is an altered folder that I made from the cover of a hardback sketchbook. A couple of years ago, I bought several really cheap sketchbooks. Well, they were cheap for a reason...the pages fell out of them, but they still had nice covers so I have been saving them, hoping that someday I would find a use for them. And over the weekend I had an idea and this is the result:

The book cover was originally the black that you can see showing around the edges so it was the perfect basis for decorating. I lined the inside and decorated the front cover. I then cut gussets for the sides. Punched holes in the top and strung my string and I now have a hanging file folder to keep track of all my print-outs about the current challenges that I am doing that tend to normally get lost in the shuffle of papers on my work area.

This second project is simply an altered spiral journal that I turned into an address book. As we get closer to Kat's birth, I realize that my address books are an absolute mess so this is my solution to that problem. I created alphabet tabs for the inside so everything is nice and orderly. Now to just get all my info transferred into there.


And speaking of Kat's birth, I had contractions again last night for a couple of hours. This is so different from when I was pregnant with Jacob. I never had false labor/braxton hicks with him except for the one day that DH and I went out 4 wheeling in his truck when I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and you know, I am quite honestly surprised that didn't put me into total labor! LOL! We have another ultrasound on Wednesday so maybe we will know more about when she might make her arrival although I do still have 4 1/2 weeks til my due date and my Mom will NOT be happy if I have her before she arrives on the 13th so hopefully, I still have a couple more weeks.
smiles,
Christi

Circle Journal Catch-Up

Over at the Cropper's Cottage, we have been doing a DT circle journal. Unfortunately some of the journals got caught up in the circle and I hadn't seen one in months. That changed this week! YAY!

Here are the 2 that I have done this week. This first one is Rita's and her theme was "I did that!" So I did my page about doing the high ropes course in England. I am not at all an adventurer, but we did this right before we moved and it was FANTASTIC!!! So much fun and NOT scary in the slightest. If I had the chance, I would definitely do it again (just maybe not in the next month)!!!


This second journal was Scott's. His theme was quotes so I have all my quotes in the pocket. I have them listed after the journal so you can see some of my favorite quotes.


We must teach our children
to dream with their eyes open.
-Harry Edwards

Birthdays are good for you-
the more you have,
the longer you live.

It’s the life in your years,
not the years in your life
that count.
-Abraham Lincoln

When life gives you rain,
it’s time to play in the mud.

There are many things in life
that will catch your eye,
but only a few will catch
your heart…Pursue Those!
-Michael Nolan

Take time everyday
to do something SILLY!

Remember that happiness
is a way of travel,
not a destination..
-Ray Goodman

Happy Wednesday!
smiles,
christi

Gorgeous Weekend!!!

Wow! The weather this weekend was absolutely perfect!!! Better yet, I think that it is supposed to pretty much stay that way all through the week. So, Junior the cat and I took advantage of it by opening the windows wide in the scrap room and while he sat there and dreamed about catching the squirrels and birds that ran by, I scrapped. There is something so extremely peaceful about scrapping while listening to the outside noises.

The layouts that I did this weekend were all done as a result of various challenges that have been posed. This first one was from a fairly new blog called Scrapjacked. They take an art piece from various scrapbookers and you are supposed to lift or scrapjack it. This week's is a gorgeous piece by Heidi Swapp.

This is my version of the layout which features all Chatterbox papers, Heidi Swapp letters and bling. The photo is from our vacation in the Carolina mtns from last summer.

This second layout was done in respnse to an ad challenge that Linda Peterson posted over on Cropper's Cottage.

I used Linda's ad challenge as inspiration for the frame around the ultrasound scan. There is tons of stamping, sanding, and a bit of paint on it. This is Kat's 4D scan from when she was 31 weeks in utero...just a glimpse of what she looks like.
Supplies used:
*crate Paper Samantha line
*Crate Paper Samantha chipboard
*stamps by Technique Tuesday, Rhonna Farrer, and Anna Griffen
*Punches (for the notebook paper look and tab) by Stampin Up
*Bazzill Cardstock

My final layout was done using the April sketch from the Basic Grey newsletter.

Supplies used: Basic Grey Phoebe, Daisy D's Rub-on, stamp, lettering template, Bazzill, and Stampin Up Notebook punch.

I hope to find some time to create some more today, but first I have to pay some attention to the mountains of laundry. Yuk! Have a happy Monday everyone!!!
smiles,
christi

Nesting....

Once again, I need to apologize for my absense from my blog, but the fact of the matter is, that with a baby arriving shortly, that trend will probably get worse before it gets better. But I do think about blogging at least once a day...does that count for anything???

So what have I been up to this week, you ask? Serious nesting going on around my household. I don't remember doing this with Jacob, but that may be because I didn't fully appreciate the impact that having a baby in the house was going to impact my ability to get anything done. Now I know and am in panic mode about everything that needs to get done before Kat is born (6 weeks til due date!)

I don't know if I have mentioned it before, but this entire family can be classified as bookhounds. One of us one day will be killed by a falling pile of books...I can almost guarantee it. But this week I was struck with a need to conquer (at least temporarily) the teetering piles of books. The rest of us can defend ourselves against the piles, but it just wouldn't do to have a pile fall over on poor wee Katherine. So new bookshelves and storage systems were bought and put into place and I feel MUCH better for it.

The other big news is that Kat's side of my scraproom is put together. Six months ago, I wasn't sure how I was ever going to fit a baby bed in there. And here it is:

The final piece, the bed, was bought and put in there last night. I love how girly and fun it all is.



Everything on the walls (except for the hanging clothes...one of these will be her take-home outfit) has been made by me. I have been having a blast doing that. I just made the peg board a couple of days ago and it ended up much more distressed and beachy-looking than I had planned, but I think that the swirly stamping glams it back up.

The Kat wall art is something that I made this week. The Cottage is hosting an Altered Idol competition with an awesome prize provided by Junkitz. I am not eligible to compete, but I love a challenge so I did the challenge part of it.

I created the K off my computer and transferred it onto chipboard. All of the papers on the piece (except for the blue) and the flowers are from Junkitz. The buttons and the blue paper are Rhonna Farrer and the "at" are from Basic Greys undressed chipboard line. Go take a look at the contest over at the Cottage. It looks to be a really fun one.

The other item that I finished this week was the mobile. You can see it in its beginning stages down in the crochet post and this is the final product. I really like the way that it turned out and it was MUCH cheaper than buying one...much more satisifying too.

The rings are simple metal rings that you can buy at any craft store although the only place that I have seen the flower shaped ones has been at JoAnn's. I simply crocheted colored yarns over the top of them. The butterflies are from an Easter garland (only $7) from Target and then everything is simply put together with ribbon and the little Making Memories flower shaped brads. Super easy!!

Finally, one last photo. Because Kat will be sharing a room with my scrapbook supplies, I have had to completely reorganize them to make it all fit. This was the final step this week...organizing my cardstock by color. It looks so pretty this way!


I hope that you all have had a really creative week. I am missing my scrapbooking so I am off to that side of the room today.
smiles,
christi

DT Creations....

This week was my upload for the Cropper's Cottage DT. Our sponsor this month was Junkitz with their gorgeous Salsa Celebration papers. These papers are beautiful, but I just didn't have any photos that fit them. They are birthday papers with a lot of really bright pink so they look a bit feminine. So when we went to Busch Gardens, I had Jacob wear a really bright shirt so that he would coordinate with the papers. The best thing about this is that he was super-easy to spot on rides for photo-taking!!! So here are my layouts...





In other news, I had my ob appt. with my midwife today. They said a couple of weeks ago at my ultrasound that Kat is big (then she weighed 4.1 lbs.) Well, my midwife is now estimating that she is at least 7 lbs. Aaackkkk!!! I still have 7 weeks to go until my due date which is more than a little scary. I am going to give birth to a full grown toddler!?! We'll see what they say at the next ultrasound which is May 2nd...

And here is my layout for my 31 week photo that DS took while we were up in Virginia Beach...

After the brights of the Junkitz papers, I felt the need to work with something soft and feminine and these K-Ology products were perfect. BTW, for that title, I printed it off the computer and then traced it onto my layout so that I could then paint it.

I hit the bookstore and found some fabulous new idea books so I am buzzing with inspiration for upcoming projects...

smiles,
christi

Virginia Beach Cuteness...

Just sharing a quick layout with you...


This is the layout that I did for Angie's Junkitz April Challenge over at the Cottage. The photo was taken on the beach in VA last week.
Supplies Used:
*Junkitz Extreme Boy Stars paper
*Junkitz Extreme Boy Flames paper
*Junkitz Extreme Boy Tilez
*Bazzill Red Cardstock
*Heidi Swapp Addict Chipboard
*Making Memories alpha stickers
(this fabulous Junkitz line is available in the Cottage store)

I'll have more to share later today or tomorrow...
smiles,
christi

Some new layouts...

Hi, all!
I am thrilled to say that I finished a couple of layouts yesterday...

This was my first. The photos are from the gardens at Colonial Willimsburg. Ever since I found out that we were having a girl, I have been allowing myself to buy scrapbook papers that are very pink and girly. I was thrilled to be able to use some of them on this layout. The papers are Fancy Pants and the stamps are Rhonna Farrer's.


Every month over at the Cottage, Angie posts a series of challenges. The product challenge for this month was to use: 2 patterned papers, ghost letters, chipboard, bling, and a transparency. Linda took it up a notch by challenging us to do one of Angie's challenges using the word "look" somewhere on this page. When I thought about this photo from Busch Gardens, I knew that it would be perfect. I was going for a freestyle, messy look on this, but I am not too sure I did anything but the messy part.

The journaling says: "I saw this saying and knew that I needed Jacob to pose. I told him to look tortured- I think that he nailed it. LOL!"

It is still very early on Saturday morning and I feel my creative muse buzzing so I am off to go play in my scraproom. Today is the day that I finish Kat's mobile. There was a glimpse of its beginning in my crochet post so hopefully tomorrow I will be able to show you its finishing. I am also halfway done making DS an old-time haversack (like was part of his costume from Colonial Williamsburg), but we need to make a quick jaunt to town before we can finish it up so that is on the agenda too. Not too sure what else will be created but I am sure that it will involve patterned papers. :)
Happy Saturday!
smiles,
christi

Memorial...

This is a layout that I finished up late last night.


The journaling says:"When my Grandmother died in 1999, I was devastated. But I love that her memory lives on through this welcome sign on the way into Hooker, Okla. The rocks and the wagon wheel are from her ranch in Colorado. It's a wonderful legacy!"

Supplies used:
*MME papers
*Tres Jolie journaling card
*7 gypsies gaffer tape
*Junkitz newspaper flowerz
*Prima flowers
*ribbon
*brads

I hope that you have big creative plans for the weekend!! I know that I do!

smiles,
Christi

We're back!!!

Warning: This post is going to be very heavy on the pictures!!

Well, Jacob and I are back from our four day mini-break to the Williamsburg area. We stayed on a military base up in the area where we were literally about an 1/8 of a mile from the beach. Unfortunately, I was too darn tired at the end of each day to spend much time out there so we only really got to visit it the last morning that we were there. I think that we both had a really good time even with the very modified schedule with me being so pregnant. I can only walk so much! LOL!

The first day that we were in the area, we went to Colonial Williamsburg. This was really the whole point of us going. Jacob is a huge history fan and has been wanting to make this trip for years. So when we got there and saw that they had costume rentals for kids...well, he was definitely in his element!


We hit the area at just the right time so that the flowers were all blooming gorgeously. This allowed for some great photo opportunities!!! Which means that I was a happy camper too!


This is just one of the many garden areas in the park. I loved this little vignette!!


Our second day in the area was spent at Busch Gardens. Jacob, at 12 years old, has led a very sad life. Until this day, he had never been to an amusement park so this was high on the priority list too. Unfortunately, DH was not able to make the trip at the last moment so that meant that Jacob had to ride all the rides by himself, but he loved it. Luckily as an only child (at least until now) he is used to being pretty independent. I am not posting any of the photos from the rides, but you will see them soon as I have already printed them out to scrapbook.

Again, at Busch Gardens the flowers were absolutely fantastic!!


One of the things that I did when we were in England was take tons of photos of the gorgeous doors so when we saw these at the park, we had to take another photo. Notice how wet Jacob is...he spent almost the entire day on the water rides. Luckily, it was an absolutely gorgeous day!


When I saw the saying on this, I knew that I had to get Jacob to pose. I told him to look miserable...I think that he has got that look perfect! LOL!


Finally the last morning as we were leaving, we got to head down to the beach for a bit. It's really a shame that we didn't get to spend more time here as it was simply gorgeous.


Finally, here is a shot of me pregnant at 31 weeks. Thankfully, Jacob cut the shot so that you can't see my extremely swollen feet. I don't think that they are ever going to return to normal after this trip until the baby is born. LOL! He's a pretty good photographer, isn't he?


So now we are back and I have 145 new photos to scrapbook so I am sure that you will be seeing a whole lot more of our trip in the near future.
smiles,
christi