DSD Blog Train!

Welcome to the ScrapMatters DSD Blog Train! You've just arrived from Maria's blog to pick up another great goodie from our "Slice of Life" Collab kit. I've got a cluster I've created just for you from this HUGE kit. (Link is expired)

Next stop is my good friend Denise's blog! Happy DSD!!

ScrapMatters A Perfect Picnic Blog Train!!

Welcome to the next stop! You should have arrived here from Maria (scrapmuss)'s blog. If not, you can start the train at Andrea's site. Either way, welcome! I've got a great freebie for you made from the super-adorable picnic-themed collab kit. But first, this summer's favorite memory has to be firefly-hunting. We took our boys to the field behind our neighborhood and went crazy chasing the glowing bugs. I'll always remember how excited they all were. To end the evening we sat down on the grass and just watched what the boys called "the firefly show". The field was filled with hundreds of fireflies and we just sat and were together as a family. Don't you love summer? So on to the freebie:

I hope you enjoy the cluster! On to the next stop, Natasha's blog. Happy Summer!

A Litte Catch Up

First off, there's a Speed Scrap tomorrow! I'm going to try to make it, but it's right when the kids get home, so we'll see. It's at 1pm MST and hosted by Christine.

This has been a crazy scrapping month!! Wow! The Queen of Scrap competition was in full force over at SM. It was fun to watch Erica compete and I'm so glad she stuck it out and made the top ten! She finished 140 layouts! I worked not-so-hard and finished a measly 38. Here's a few of my faves from this month:

So now let's see if I can make more than 38 layouts this month too!

Ziggle CT Blog Train!

How cute are these Sprocket Quickpages? I can't wait to ride this train to collect them myself! You should have arrived here via Tami's blog. And here's my contribution. I hope you enjoy it! Image is linked.

Next stop is Sandy!

[i]NSD Blog Train

Welcome! You've arrived at the next stop in the ScrapMatters blog train! You should be arrive here from Kim's blog. If you missed the start, begin at Andilynn's blog.

My idea of paradise is a day all to myself! Last year for my birthday, DH gave me an entire day to myself. I spent the night at a friend's home and watched my favorite movie. With the house to myself, I slept in, did some yoga, and headed to breakfast. After enjoying a delicious hot cross bun, I had a pedicure and spent the day shopping. My remember the utter relaxation I felt with no responsibilities or demands on my time. I took time to be silent, to relax, and rejuvenate. By the end of the day, I was ready to head back to the hustle and bustle of daily life and I can't wait until my next 'day off'!!

Hopefully my QP will remind you of paradise! Here it is! Image is linked to 4shared.

The next stop on the blog train is Kim!

Happy Birthday!

Can you believe that sale? Seriously, it's so easy to spend $10 in Kim's shop! Here's a few LO's I've done recently with her kits:

Sugarplum Forest


Reach for the Stars

Take me to the Orient

So head to the store and check it out!

Attention Scrappers!!

Speed Scrap time again!!!! Andrea's hosting the SS this week and the participation prize is so awesome! Be there or you will be sorry.

Twice as Nice!

Seriously, you do not want to miss these kits! They are just adorable! So make sure to stop by Scrapmatters on Friday!!

Are you ready for a speed scrap?

I'm hosting another speed scrap this week! Let me just say, it will be awesome and you should be there.

Here's the great prize provided by MickeyB Designs:

My First Speed Scrap Ever!

I'm hosting my first-ever Speed Scrap over at ScrapMatters. Don't you want to come and play along? I'll try to be easy on you! And check out the beautiful participation prize...all you have to do is finish your LO in time and I'll send you the link to this:


Hope to see you there!

P.S. SM has invited the current CT to stay on until August!! I can't tell you how excited I am to stay! So this won't be the last SS from me...

I'm still here!

Merry Christmas! I just thought I'd pass on a little Christmas budget saver: Andilynn Designs is offering 30% off of all orders over $5.00 until Christmas! That is a sweet deal! She's also offering some of her kits 50% off and giving away gift certificates on her blog every day! While in her shop, you should definitely buy her Winter Whites kit. It is beautiful! I used it in a speed scrap last week and came up with this: Also, have I told you how much I love Speed Scraps? For some reason they push me beyond my normal scrapping limits and I usually rise to the challenge. FYI: the next one is Dec 18th at 6:30 Pacific. Here's a couple of my latest SS's:

Off to scrap!

Merry Christmas!!

Welcome to Northern Virginia! Hope you've had a great ride so far, only a few more stops on this amazing train of Christmas goodies! You should have come from Monica's blog. If you missed hers, click here. How much do you love this Christmas collab? Remember, it's free with a $10 purchase at the ScrapMatters store. And everything is 40% off today, so think of how much you can get for $10!!

I've got more a tip than a tradition for you if you don't mind. Don't you hate it on Christmas morning when the little ones have opened a present and then you struggle to really open the present? You know what I'm talking about, the millions of twist-ties, plastic layers, and seemingly indestructible rubber bands that keep all those toys in the box! DH and I were so tired of dealing with crying kids as we fought with their presents so they could actually play with them. So last year, we started a new tradition. Before we wrapped anything, we took it out of all the packaging! Okay, maybe you already do this or maybe your kids are extra patient, but it made last Christmas awesome!! The kids could unwrap the presents and get right to playing instead of waiting for us to do battle with the zip ties. So that's my advice to you for a smoother Christmas morning: remove from packaging!! And here's something else to make your season easier:

Download Here

Easy Christmas gift tags! Just print and attach, then give! The one on the left is meant to go with a bag of M&M's, and the one on the right is for a bottle of sparkling cider. Hope you enjoy them! Your next stop on the train is Christy (click here).

Who doesn't love a sale?

And ScrapMatter's Black Friday Sale is HUGE! Start your shopping in the store where most everything is 40% off! If you spend $10 or more, you get a great collab kit for FREE. There will also be a ton of fabulous grab bags chock full of great deals! And don't forget to ride the blog train to over thirty stops (including here!!) of freebies! Also, a new daily download is beginning in the forum that day. Be there!

Come on ride the train..

Welcome to Northern Virginia! Hopefully, it's your second stop on the Andilynn Designs Thanksgiving Blog Train! If you missed the first stop, click here to start at Andilynn's Blog.

Little known fact about us: We hit McDonald's on Turkey Day...no, not for our Thanksgiving feast, but sort of a precursor. When we first moved to Virginia, we didn't have family nearby and it was just my husband and I. We thought it would be hilarious to start our day at the most unlikely destination...McDonald's. We were surprised to see quite a crowd there! Since then it just became a funny yearly tradition. And actually, now that we have kids, we love it! We hit the big McD around 10 am, order breakfast, and let the kids run wild in the play place. By the time we leave, the kids have had a break from the house (too cold to play outside), and we've had a late breakfast that wears off just in time for Thanksgiving dinner! Okay, enough blah-blah, I know you're here for a freebie and here it is!

Download Here

I made place cards for your Thanksgiving dinner. Just print, fold in half and fill in the guests' name! Happy Turkey Day!! Next stop on the train is Krista! Click here.

Ta da!!

I made the Simply Sweet CT!! Yeah!! Kim's designs are too cute and I'm so excited she picked me to join her first creative team. Check out the official announcement on her blog. Here's a few of my favorite kits from Kim:

All Sorts of Excitement

Dear two readers,

My scrapping life is awesome! I was invited to join Andilynn Designs' CT out of the blue!! Andilynn, aka Andrea, is the co-owner of ScrapMatters and also designs adorable kits.

Of course, I was totally honored and said yes! She also offered me a guest CT spot with Scrapmatters for the month of November. It has been so much fun! I've been able to scrap a ton of pages and love the 'behind-the-scenes' forums. I'll be sad when my month is over! Here's a few contributions to the 100 decent page count:

And, Grouch is up for Layout of the Week at Snap and Scrap! How awesome!

So anyway, life is good and I love scrapping. And keep an eye on this blog for an announcement on Friday a couple other exciting things!