I've been a crafting fool!

These past few days have been very busy for me. I have been working on some paper craft projects to submit as samples for an upcoming holiday fair I want to participate in. I submitted photos of my projects, and...I was accepted! I'm super excited about this fair. It's one of the most prestigious ones held in my area, and my other crafting friends say that they always have a good time at this one. It's a large fair on Bainbridge Island, and from what I understand, they advertise over in Seattle, so business should be good! If you're in the area and want more information, here's the link.

Here's a slide show of what I've been working on these past few days. Please tell me what you think as I would love any input (good or bad) on these items. Thanks!!

CKMB Rocks!

Today, I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow CKMBer - Tiffany! We met at our local Starbucks and talked for over four hours about everything under the sun! We even brought our favorite scrapbooks to share with each other.

I think the new CKMB motto should be: CKMB - Bringing scrappers together one page at a time!

Silent Auction for Ava Grace begins today!

A very special auction begins today for a very special little girl. Ava Grace was born with Pfeiffer Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. She's only seven months old and has undergone many surgeries and will continue to do so for a long time to come. In order to help her family with all the costs associated with her surgeries, some very kind artisians have banded together and donated items for a silent auction. All proceeds will go to Ava Grace's cause. Please click here to view the auction. Thank you.

Scrapping some Sunshine

Ah, the weekend is finally here. Time to unwind and slow down, right? Not for me! Weekends seem to be the busiest time for me. If Travis and I aren't taking the biggest girl out for walks, then I'm off teaching a class or I'm sitting in front of the computer updating my website or blogging! I spent all day yesterday participating in an on-line crop hosted by a couple of the members of the Creating Keepsakes Message Board. The goal of this crop is to make as many "sunshine albums" as possible for kids with cancer. I had a blast copping, painting, and binding!! Here are a few pictures:

I hope to continue scrapping some sunshine well into the rest of the weekend!!

Another Sunny Day

I can't believe that today is our fifth day in a row of sunny weather! Us former desert-dwellers cheerish every single ray of sunlight that reaches us up here in the gloomy state. I swear, I've never been so pasty-white in my life! I hope we're blessed with more good weather through the weekend.

Since the sun was out shinning, I took Sedona to Evergeen Park, a small little sanctuary at the edge of the Sound. It's a very lovely park.


Sedona had a blast down by the water's edge. She loves to just walk right in. I don't know how she doesn't hurt her feet on all those barnicles! Here are a few pics of her today:

I wish I was able to be in some of the pictures with her, but as most moms know - always behind the camera and never in front!

My Creation Stations - Then and Now

Ever since my $5 dresser find, I have been agonizing over where to put it. You see, I live in the cutest little craftsman style house that was built in 1924 (yup, she's 83 years old!). The operative word here is "little." As much as I love this house seeing as it is our first home, it is rather small. Don't get me wrong - we've made due with our limited space. You can call our house "cozy!" However, since we did move from a 2000 sq. ft. home in Las Vegas, I am used to being spoiled, and part of that spacious floor plan included my very own craft room. Take a peek:

I was one lucky girl to have so much room! Travis built my work table to my specifications and hooked up our mini TV to the cable so I could craft and watch HGTV. I also connected my wireless laptop and spare photo printer in the room. I even had a huge armoire that held tons of crafting supplies, and let's not forget the closet that was also jammed-packed with stuff.

Now, things are a little different. I don't have my own craft room. I barely have any space at all! However, I did manage to put my antique secretary desk to good use as my "jewelry-making station." Ever since I rolled the new dresser next to it, I've been able to do small project like card-making on the desk. Here's my new creation-station:

It's not as grand as my old room, but it serves it's purpose, and you can't say it doesn't have charm!

What an AWESOME day!!

I had one of the BEST days I've had up here in a long time. It started this morning when I woke up and saw that my neighbor was having a yard sale. Not one to pass up a potential good deal, I threw my clothes on and went to have a looksie, and I'm so glad I did! I picked up a GORGEOUS area rug and its companion runner for only $25!! It's practically brand new, and I know it's from JC Penny because they still have the order tags on them. All of the animals just love the new addition, which we placed in front of the couch. Sedona has already claimed the area her own. Just take a look for yourself.



As if the $25 rugs weren't enough, I also scored a great six drawer dresser perfect for my ever-growing scrapbook stash. Guess how much I paid for this beauty?



Did I hear you say $20? Nope! Got it for only $5!! You heard me right. It's even on casters so I can move it easily. If that isn't a great deal, then I don't know what is!

After the yard sale, we packed up the car and took Sedona over to Illahee State Park. I was so excited to take pictures of all the cool trees and the scenery. I pulled out my camera at the Yew Tree trail, and wouldn't you know it, I left the memory card in the printer!! I was so bummed. Travis assured me that we would be back, but I was a little upset. I chippered up, though, when we got to the beach, took off our shoes, and had a blast in the water. Sure, it was a wee-bit cold, but how often do we get to the beach? After our romp in the sea, we found a trail head and did a bit of hiking. We ended up at a small park that had swings! I never pass up an opportunity to feel like a kid again, so I jumped on the swing set and had fun. Sedona watched me from a distance wagging her tail. We were soon joined by a family of five whose kids were in love with Sedona. They were giving her kisses and hugs, and Sedona was loving every minute of it!

We were exhausted when we got home, but Travis managed to make the yummiest dinner for us - BBQ salmon, rice pilaf, and corn. He sure knows how to spoil me sometimes. It was such a beautiful day that we ate outside on the patio. Now, we're getting ready to relax and watch a movie. I rented "The Ex" with Zach Braff and Jason Bateman. I hope it's good for a laugh.

Beads, beads, and more beads!

Most of my friends know me as an avid scrapbooker, but many of you may not know that I am a jewelry artist as well. I am a self-taught beader, and I have been sharing my love of beading for almost two years now. My classes range in skill level from beginner to intermediate. I absolutely love teaching wire-work classes because wire is such a versatile medium. You can bend it, shape it, coil it, twist it, hammer it...the list goes on and on! Beading rocks!

The above picture shows some of my Swarovski crystal collection. Swarovski is a world-renowed name in the beading industry. Their crystals are unsurpassed in quality and beauty.

Besides Swarovski crystals, I love to play with other types of glass beads. I also enjoy throwing some gemstones in the mix. Here is just a small sample of my favorite boxes of beads:

Pink and green as a color combination seems to be all the rage this season. Try this awesome color combo on your next jewelry project or scrapbooking layout!

Another gloomy day

Today was a rather gloomy one, so I didn't get out of the house. Whenever it's grey outside, I tend to clean as if I'm expecting the Queen to drop by! I think I went a little overboard since my back really hurts, but hey, at least I have a clean house!

I also spent some time messing around on the computer. Here's a slide show of some recent scrapbook layouts:

Enjoy!!

The dog-days of summer

The arrival of Labor Day unofficially herralds the end of summer and the beginning of a new season. Are the lazy dog-days of summer over? Although the long summer days may be drawing to a close, those lazy days will linger well into the new year, at least for me and my furry family. I asked Sedona what she thought of the upcoming shorter days, and this is what she had to say: Noooooooooooooooooooo!!

Well, there you have it! The DANE has spoken.

Picture Perfect!

Today was a rather busy one. We ran errands all over town trying our hardest to soak up the last remaining rays of the summer sun in between darting from store to store. When we got home, I asked my hubby if he wouldn't mind snapping some pics of me reading the last Harry Potter book so that I could scrap them later. He willingly obliged, and here's what we got:

I thought he did a pretty good job! I can't wait to put these pics onto a cool Harry Potter layout. I'll have to post it when I'm done, and who knows when that will be!

WARNING - DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS UNLESS YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW BOOK 7 ENDS!!