I have scrappy layout posting withdrawal...

I have been gone from blog world all week and I have missed you all like crazy... I've been pretty sick so I've been trying to get some rest and still get work done (not easy to balance that with the amount of stress at work). I'm feeling a little better now and I hope to continue to feel better so that I can be back to my old self in no time.

I will post some new layouts this coming week... Trust me, I'm suffering from scrappy layout posting withdrawal! LOL!

BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS...

I've lost almost 10 pounds this year (even with the lack of exercise from being sick this past week) and I found some eye candy to share from the CHA peeks that are popping up all over the place. Here are a couple of things that I love:

American Crafts corduroy albums and spring papers (I just love butterflies):





Heidi Swapp:



Making Memories:







I'll share more of the stuff I love as I come across more sneak peeks!

On another note, I'm still trying to get my scrap room in order. I just have so much stuff and I'm on a mission to continue to organize everything better. So, I'm going to check out this bookshelf at our new IKEA store with organizational cubes and I'm also thinking of getting this Making Memories desktop carousel to keep my tools handy. Do you have any cool organization ideas for me???

Peace and happy scrapping!

What's inspiring me lately?

Hi my friends!

This is what's inspiring me this week:

1- A clean scrap room
2- Ali Edwards
3- Dwell magazine
4- Experimenta magazine (Spain)
5- Work in Progress October kit (I'm catching up Trish!)
6- Collage Press patterned papers
7- My scrappy friends (so full of talent)

CROP NIGHT
Last night, I got to scrap with my sweet, sweet friends and we had a blast! THANK YOU Barb, Lou, Anilu and Esther for your wonderful friendship. It really means so much to me! :-) I can't wait to see you again soon...

Of course, with my Friday crop night came some enabling. Anilu and Barb showed me the awesome Nestibilities cutting system and it rocks. I learned how to cut these beautiful scalloped circles (and other shapes, too).



I have been wanting the new Collage Press Grayson Hall papers for a while now and last night I got to see them at Barb's house. I have a real weakness for Collage Press patterned papers. :-) I have also loved the Seeds collection since it came out last year, but I got to see even more papers from the collection that I had never seen before so I caved! Hurry, there are still some Grayson Hall kits left (Seeds is out of stock already) at Scrapgal.com. I placed my order like at 3 am!

Lou, did you get yours? If not, Stop and Scrap has them both so click here!




OFF TO A GOOD START IN 2008
Other than that, I've been pretty good at not spending money this month. My focus has been on using up what I already own from my stash, getting rid of what I won't be using (my local scrapbook store has garage sales from time to time so I have my pile ready to go!), staying on track with my diet and exercise plan (6 pounds lost! Whoohoo! Lots more to go!), and enjoying life, family and friends.

What's inspiring you this week? Peace and happy scrappin!

New Year's Resolutions

Resolution #1: Get in shape
OK, I'm on week one of my diet and exercise plan and I've lost 4 pounds. Yippee! I have lots more to go, but I'm very proud of myself. I have resisted lots of temptations and I have even exercised a bit. I've gotta make my health a No. 1 priority. My DH has also lost a couple of pounds... we're making some important lifestyle changes. I want to create a life change journal to track our progress. Just gotta find the time to do it.

Resolution #2: Clean and organize (not to mention get rid of stuff)
I've been cleaning, organizing and making my "don't want" piles. It feels good to get rid of excess and simplify my living space and scrap room, but boy is it a lot of work! I'll be doing a little bit here and there for a while, but it's so worth it.

Resolution #3: Stop stressing and worrying so much
I worry about EVERYTHING and I also have a lot of stress in my life as a result of my career, my family, myself, etc. I need to find some balance and take it one day at a time.

My new friend, Epson
Another tidbit I want to share with you today: I love my new printer!!! My wonderful DH bought me TWO printers for Christmas. Aren't I a lucky girl? LOL! Well, this little Epson is my fave ever. It's portable and easy to use and the quality is outstanding. I can print wallets, 4x6, 3x3, proof sheets and much more. It even burns images onto a CD/DVD with ease. I just can't get enough of it...



A good mail day
I received my January Cocoa Daisy kit and it's gorgeous! I love the subtle colors and the vintage feel. I can just see my Paris photos or even some wedding pics on these papers...



Well, that's all for now... What are some of your New Year's resolutions? Please share!

Good night my friends!

A week in my life...

I've been MIA (missing in action). Sorry about that, but it was a busy week!

I wasn't feeling very well on Monday and then on Tuesday I had both a wedding and a funeral after a long workday. Richard and I were the official photographers at my cousin Millie's wedding. It was actually a renewal of vows, but they went all out and decorated the pool/terrace area beautifully and had a gorgeous, yummy cake. They even had Mr. Paella come over and cook under the chickee hut. Very cool. If you're wondering why it was on a Tuesday, that's because it's their anniversary date. It was a perfect evening and their three sons were there, including David, who is just 7 months old and simply adorable. Here are a couple of pics of my beautiful cousin and her husband Carlos.





Afterward, we went to a funeral to pay our respects to Richard's best friend, Jorge, and his family. His grandfather passed away. He had been ill for a while and was well into his 80's so at least he lived a long life. The funeral home was filled with tons of floral arrangements and many people came to celebrate his life.

Last night, I was supposed to go to Barb's house after work to see my scrappy pals, but I got home late and was too exhausted. I miss all of them since I haven't seen them in a while. I hope we can plan another get together soon.

Today, I decided to finish some holiday layouts and make a mess in my scrappy room (mission accomplished!). I created a few layouts... here's a peek at a couple of them:

This is Richard's favorite. I bought this kit a long time ago at a convention and I never used it. The design is a bit different from what I normally create, but I love how it turned out. That Santa was a pain to piece together, but he's so darn cute!!! Love it.





And here's a layout of us with our BFF's. I should have used a different color for the letters because it blends into the design, but oh well!



And finally, I'm working on a very simple little 6x6 album for my mother-in-law. I used some of my stash to embellish the cover and I cut some holiday papers to create pages. Now I'm just waiting for the photos and it will be complete. I think she'll be very happy to have these photos of the family...



Well, I'm off to bed now. I'll clean up the mess I made in my scrap room tomorrow! Peace to all and happy scrappin!

December Daily Album

Hi friends!

I've finally completed and taken pictures of my December Daily Album, which was inspired by the one-and-only Ali Edwards. I love it! It was lots of fun to create and it was not a lot of work because it all came together easily. I didn't work on it every day in December, but I kept a journal and made notes in it so I could refer back to it for my journaling. Every now and then, I would sit down and work on 4 or 5 pages at once and voila! :-) I really hope I can do this again next Christmas.

I used a 6x6 D. Reeves acrylic album (my favorite) and lots of goodies from Hambly, Paper Source, Basic Grey, Every Jot and Tittle Etsy shop, Jenny Bowlin, K&Company, Heidi Swapp, Anna Griffin, Love Elsie, Scenic Route, and much more! Here's a photo of the front cover, but click here so you can see the entire album on Scrap in Style TV.



Also, I've added a Flickr photo feature on my blog to showcase some of my layouts so check it out!

Thanks for stopping by! Peace and happy scrapping!

Out with the old... In with the new

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my wonderful friends who visit my blog. Thank you so much for your friendship and for your comments that make me smile. I hope that 2008 brings you health, love, peace and joy!

As you can see, my blog has a new look for 2008. I really like the more neutral colors and the simplicity of it all. I hope you like it just as much...

I am multitasking in a BIG way today. I'm finishing up my December Daily Album (I'm on day 21 of 25... yippee!), which I hope to complete later on tonight. I'm also washing, cleaning out my closet, organizing, going through photos, getting rid of clutter and more! I want to try and make a fresh start in the New Year. I will also work on an exercise and meal plan for both Richard and I because we both want to lose weight this year. I must do it!

After reading Ali's blog yesterday, I decided that my word for 2008 is energy. Energy can be defined as 1 a: dynamic quality b: the capacity of acting or being active c: a usually positive spiritual force .

I hope to have more energy and be able to energize those around me. I want to be stronger and more active, enjoy my life more, be free of so many worries, and focus on what's important and that includes starting a family one day soon. Here's to more physical and spiritual energy in 2008!

Before I go "energize" myself, I want to share some holiday layouts that I made last week. Enjoy!

These LO's were created with the December kit from Work in Progress. I have loved playing with that kit so much! Also, I copied Nancy's technique of using floss and pins on the painted chipboard star (thanks, Nancy!).




These were created with an Anna Griffin kit I bought at Michael's. That red and cream toile really caught my eye!






And finally, I used some of my new Love, Elsie papers and embellies that I got for Christmas from my BFF to create this funky layout. I also used some of the Dabber paint on this one.




Stay tuned for my completed December Daily Album! I can't wait to share! xoxo