Two more layouts

Hi my friends!

I have been a very busy bee, as things at work have been quite hectic... but hey, I am NOT complaining...

Here are a couple more layouts I made using the May Cocoa Daisy kit. I just love this kit!




Here's a photo I haven't shared yet. For Father's Day, we took my father-in-law, Pepe, and my step dad, Jorge, to The Rustic Inn in Ft. Lauderdale for some delicious crab. We had a great time. Here's a picture of me and Jorge.



Tomorrow I am off to Puerto Rico on vacation. Whoohoo! I am so very excited to visit my island. This is where I was born and raised and it still pulls at my heart strings. I cannot wait to tour the whole island, go to the beach, snorkel, eat yummy Puerto Rican food, visit family and sightsee.

I'll try to blog from the road!!! Good night...

Peace and happy scrapping!
Vanessa

I won!

I'm so excited because I was one of the two winners of the Cocoa Daisy Diva Styles challenge. My Nature layout below was selected as a favorite! Cool.

On a separate note, I was at urgent care today with my hubby. My poor honey got a really bad allergic reaction to something he consumed (we're not sure if it was a medicine he was prescribed or the seafood we ate last night) and he broke out in hives. After three Benadryls and lots of Caladryl, he wasn't getting better so I took him in for something stronger. He seems to be a little better, but it will take a few days for this to subside.

Meanwhile, I will be heading to La Isla del Encanto (AKA Puerto Rico) on Tuesday for work. I have a presentation to do... It will be a quick one nighter, but then I'll be headed back there with my honey in just a few days for vacation. Whoohoo! And this is where we will stay for the first few nights...



Have a great week! I'll post some more layouts soon...

Peace and happy scrapping,
Vanessa

Two new layouts

I was inspired by the "Diva Styles" challenge over at Cocoa Daisy and I created these two layouts today. They are very similar to ones created by Christine, one of their DT members... I used my Heidi Swapp masks and new Invisibles paper, as well as three different colored inks for the Nature layout. I also used Glimmer Mist on the lace paper at the bottom of the Sisterly Love layout. Plus, did you notice I am using up my Prima flowers? Whoohoo!




Thanks for stopping by...

Peace and happy scrapping!
Vanessa

I'm actually scrapping!

Hi my friends,

I have been a busy bee spending time with my family, selling scrappy goodies at the Scrapbooks 'n Stuff garage sale, shopping and scrapping... yes, I did say scrapping!

But first things first... My angel of a step dad, Jorge, is doing well. His spirits are good and we are all very optimistic. On Friday, he was at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he had an outpatient surgical procedure done to insert a port into his chest. This is where he will receive his chemotherapy treatments, which will start next week. The form of cancer he has is very rare. Apparently there are only about 15,000 cases of this type of lymphoma in the country. The good news is that they are saying it's likely stage 2 at the worst, and we believe most (if not all) he had was taken out when he had surgery to remove the affected lymph nodes inside his thigh. I love him so much and I appreciate all your thoughts and prayers! Please keep praying for Jorge. I am currently working on a layout about him, which I will share soon.

On a much lighter note, my BFF (AKA Ady Abreu) is featured in the Scrapbooks 'n Stuff blog as a DT member, so check her out and send her some lovin'... CONGRATS girlie. I am so happy for you! :-)

Finally, this is the kit (and patterned paper add-on) that I have been playing with: the Cocoa Daisy May kit, Strawberry Lemonade (there are still some left in the store).




I am also happy to report that I completed my Florida Keys album that I started last night. This is the weekend we spent in Marathon back in April to celebrate Richard's birthday. I love the result! It's bright, cheerful and oh-so-fun! I'll share more and BETTER photos soon because my hubby killed the camera batteries. These sneak peeks were taken with my iPhone in poor lighting.




Have a great week!

xoxo,
Vanessa

Summer Soirée

Hi my friends,

Join us on the Cocoa Daisy website for a fun Summer Soirée... Here's the scoop:

Where: www.cocoadaisy.com

When: Sunday, June 14, noon-4pm EDT

What: Join us for an afternoon of challenges, creation, chat and of course, giveaways!

See you there!

xoxo,
Vanessa

P.S. Thank you so much for all your prayers! I'll update everyone regarding my step dad in the coming days!

My petals...

There's a lot going on in my head these days...

I'm definitely feeling MUCH better. I still have to take it easy, but I am definitely well on my road to recovery... Here's a layout I created on Sunday called, "On the Mend." It includes a photo of the beautiful yellow flowers my friends at work sent me after surgery; it also has a photo of the lovely plant that my sweet friend and editor, Rosa, sent me; and a vintage milk glass rooster that my awesome step dad brought me when he visited. My BFF also brought me a little Scrapbooks 'n Stuff goodie bag filled with some scrappy goodies, some of which I used on this layout. Thanks so much -- you guys are all awesome!



Here's a close up of the gorgeous milk glass that Jorge surprised me with... it sits on my counter in front of a photo of my Mami. Love it!



If you're wondering why I named this post "my petals" -- well, did you see Ali Edwards's Weekend Creative project last week? She posted a cool downloadable flower template to print out and write in what you're feeling right now, what your favorite things are, etc. It's just a way to document your thoughts and get a peek into your life right now. I was inspired and I gave it a shot. Here's my layout:



Now comes the sad, shocking part of my post and I need everyone's help with this. I need your prayers!!! My sweet, caring, loving, attentive, angel of a step dad (the only "parent" I have left) was diagnosed with a very rare form of lymphoma, or cancer, yesterday. He had an outpatient procedure last week, where they removed a lump on the inside of his leg and we are all praying that they caught everything and that it was early enough. We are hopeful and very optimistic about his prognosis, but we won't really know much till he meets with an oncologist next week. He is truly an angel in disguise. Jorge took very good care of my Mom for many years when she was ill, and he never left her side in the fifteen or so years they spent together. He has also taken care of my Mami and me, and others in my family. He is a blessing in my life and he is only 55 years old, so I NEED him to be here with me for a long time! I want him to be a part of my life and to be a grandpa to my future child (or children). Please pray for him.




xoxo,
Vanessa

Thank you...

I have the best friends in the world! :-) Thank you all for the well wishes as I recover from my surgery. It's taking a little longer than I anticipated, and I am bored because I'm unable to do much of anything this week... oh, how I wish I could scrapbook! Yesterday was a bad day. I was very sick to my stomach, bloated, gassy, dizzy, nauseous, the works. I stayed in bed for a long time and I barely ate anything except Jello, Italian Ice and some mashed potatoes. (YUM! - yes, I'm being sarcastic). I think I got sick because I actually ate meat the day before that my sweet MIL made me. Not a good idea. I think I need to stay away from most foods for a while. The good thing is that I don't have much of an appetite anyway.

Today I felt much better. I got up and showered. I was a little weak, but better. Then I decided to open up some windows! Geez. Who knew that I could hurt myself by opening up windows?! Well, I did! I used too many of my muscles to pry open my windows and it really hurt my stomach. It even hurt to breathe afterward. Now it's raining and one of the windows is still open because I don't have the strength to close it. Oh well.

Just taking it one day at a time...

My step dad, Jorge, is having surgery tomorrow morning to remove some lumps near his lymph nodes. It doesn't appear to be anything bad, but please keep him in your prayers because we all need him to be healthy and strong. He is such a good, caring, loving man. He has come to see me twice since my surgery five days ago and I love it when he visits me!

So, on the scrappy front... Five days at home with no escape and a lot of pain to boot... I think I deserve some retail therapy, don't you? I caved in and ordered the June Studio Calico kit. Look at this beauty. I just loved it.



I think it may be perfect to scrap my summer vacation to Puerto Rico. Yes, I am attending my Godparents 50th wedding anniversary in July and visiting some family as well. I will even get to stay with my half-sister for a couple of nights. I can't wait!

One more thing: Please send some love my friend's way! Damaris's father-in-law passed away recently and it was shocking and very sad for her family. She can use a big 'ol hug! We love you, girl!

Well, I gotta rest now... be back soon!

Peace and happy scrappin,
Vanessa