Last Call!!!!

Today's the last day of my retirement sale, sniff, sniff!!!!! I'm so sad! But I really want to thank all of you have emailed me over the past week! I'm just amazed by all the support and all your kind words! :) And I'll still be around at RAKScraps and you'll find my designs in the RAKScraps mega kit add on each month at Scrapdish!

Ok just noticed that the % in that font is a question mark. It's supposed to be 10%!!!!!

Serving up some whine

Warning this is going to be a whiney post but I need to vent!

So last night I was driving home from work and there was a funny smell in my car - like melting plastic - so I opened up the windows. Then when I parked the car - I couldn't get the windows to close! They were stuck. The rear windows wouldn't move at all either. Tried restarting the car a few times. Seems that the power to the windows burned out or something. UGH!
I moved the car to a closer, but not legal, parking spot closer to the house. (Remember I live in a city, so we park on the street.) I had to empty out all the crap in my car - and I have a LOT of stuff in there - and cover the windows in plastic and tape. I was freaking out all night about it. Mom took it in to work this morning (she works at the dealership) and I'm dreading calling to find out what the damage is. So there goes a nice chunk of my laptop fund. Blah!!!!!!

On top of that, I've had this weird feeling in my chest that I think is turning into a cold.
And I also couldn't sleep because of clowns (long story) and spiders. (That's because of Lost. Spiders are creepy, but any episode that can work in Boone and a Billy Dee Williams cameo is cool!)

I have a bunch of errands I need to run and need to get to work early, but I really just want to stay in bed!

Today's rant over. Thanks for listening!

New Sketch Challenge

I totally forgot about my new sketch challenge at RAKScraps! :) I've got sketches up for square and rectangle scrappers and free sketch templates. And there's a freebie in it for everyone who joins in too!
Here's my take on the sketch! I've been wanting to scrap using Deb Fisher's That's My Life kit from Pickle Berry Pop! (Randi loves these colors!) The kit is part of Deb's That's My Collection, which I just love! (Love Deb too!) You can see the rest of the credits here.

Enabling alert!

I am usually a pretty fast scrapper - I blame it on my job designing for a newspaper. We have to crank out those pages pretty quickly on deadline! But this LO took me forever because there was so much stuff to play with in this kit!!! Two of my favorite people - Krista Metter and Jessica Bolton - teamed up for this kit called Bohemian Peddler. You can get it at Scrapbook Graphics or DigiScrapz!

Full credits here

And you can check Krista and Jess's blogs - they're giving out coordinating freebies and they're having a contest too! And there's a coupon! I really can't say enough about this kit or these gals! They just rock!

How about a freebie?

I made this as a freebie for the Night Owls Chat a few weeks ago! I'm giving out a matching kit at tonight's Night Owls chat at RAKScraps at 12:30 am (that's early Monday) Eastern/ 9:30 pm Pacific time.
You can download the kit here! Please to not redistribute this - and please say hi on the blog here if you download too! :)

And don't forget about my big retirement sale going on at Scrapdish! Everything is 35-50% off and as an extra treat for my blog readers, here's a 10% off coupon: rcgoodbye . I'm retiring at the end of the month, so these kits will no longer be available!
(Donuts, $1 bin and group kits not part of sale or coupon.)

Looking for some new chefs

Scrapdish is holding it's first designer call!!! I can't wait to see who will be joining the team. Even though I'm leaving, I love all the gals and it's a great place to be!!!

A delightful challenge

There's another new Eclectic Team challenge up on Jessica Bolton's Blog! This time Robin Foreman challenged us to do a page about something that delighted us. Here's my LO...

This Chick's Life: The Book! (or one more reason why I love Shutterfly!)

So here it is! My brand new book from Shutterfly! I had been wanting to print out all of the pages from my Chick's Life book (there are 53 of them!) but I thought a book that was just for me would be much nicer! So I took all the pages I had done already, reduced them a bit from 8x8 so I would have a white border around them, and just uploaded them all to Shutterfly. Then the site walks you through the steps of putting together a book. They even have guides you can download for your pages too. It was a piece of cake and it got here so fast! I think I ordered on Monday and got it on Thursday! Here's a look inside! I love the quality of the pages and the colors are perfect! ...



And here's the back. The thing that took me the longest was coming up with a cover since that was the only think I hadn't done! LOL!
Cover credits: Jessica Bolton's Not Quite Men paper, word tag and year tag from Delight in Photographs 2 add on, and frame from Sweet Cakes at Scrapbook Graphics. Flower brushes by Jackie Eckles at Designer Digitals)

Shutterfly has put together an amazing digital advisory team - pretty much all of my fave designers - so I can't wait to see what else they're going to offer!

Unwinding

So it's Friday night, and I'm sort of out of work early, but I went in around 1:30 and worked until 11:30, so it's been a long day! I made myself some cranberry-orange juice and rum and I just listened to the girls on on Dishing Digi Coast to Coast while I caught up on about 2 days of emails. All I can say is I'm beat!!!!

At work this week, we had election night Tuesday and launched a redesign of the web site. We now have to put photos up online so that's one of the things that have made our shifts a little longer. And then the company bought some new papers that are going to be using our printing press, and that moved up our deadlines so I have to be there an half hour earlier on most days. Lots of changes all at once!

I also had little miss Taylor here with me all day on Wednesday. She was sick again. And even when she's sick, that kid has sooooooooooooo much energy. And I have to play with her all day long! She won't have it any other way LOL! I also can't get the Wonder Pets song out of my head. "The phone, the phone is rininging." But my favorite thing to watch with Taylor is Micky Mouse Clubhouse because we get up and dance like crazies at the end. :)

And I have to take some pictures to show off my brand new shutterfly book!!!! It got here yesterday and I am soooooooooooooooo excited! :)

I got nothing planned for the weekend. I want to do some scrapping!!!! I haven't done much of it lately at all! And I'd like to finish ACDSeeing my Jen Wilson folder. My JW stash is so huge it's taking me forever! The one good thing about ACDSee is that organizing all my stuffs is keeping me from buying anything new! I dread having to organize even more kits! LOL! And it's a shame too since there's so much cool stuff coming out it seems almost every day! Let's see how long I can resist!

Big close out sale at Scrapdish

I've been putting off this announcement for awhile because it's been a hard decision, but I'm going to be taking a break from designing and closing down shop at Scrapdish at the end of March.



So I'm having a big close out sale and I'm offering a freebie with purchase of $10 or more. You can find my designs here.

I'm still going to be working on the RAKScraps Mega Kit Add Ons with Jeanine, Rachel and Correen, and I'll still be doing some freebies for RAKScraps too! But with my job, my duties at RAKScraps and some other things I've been dealing with, I just don't have time or energy to keep up with designing and all that goes in to it.

I want to send out a big hug to all of you who have been so supportive, to everyone who's been a customer and used my creations and to the fabulous gals on my creative team!!!! Thanks so much!

Snow and St. Patrick's Day

Well another weekend's gone! Didn't do much celebrating for St. Pat's Day. I went by Grandma's for dinner, but didn't eat because I don't like corned beef and cabbage. I mostly just went hang out and see my nieces. My uncle and aunt who live in Mass. surprised everyone by showing up.

We had snow on Friday and it was not fun driving to or from work or trying to get out of my parking space. I had to dig my car out on Saturday while some kids laughed at me. I wanted to hit them with my little shovel! (I am mean!) And then yesterday, I moved the car closer to the house and had to climb out the passenger side because the snow was piled up so high on the sidewalk.

Got some scrappy stuff done: Chatted on Hello, shopped a bit, scrapped a little, got the next sketch challenge ready and ordered a new book from Shutterfly! I am sooooooo excited about that! This one is going to be just for me!

So here's a page I got this weekend. I can't show off the others I did just yet. ...

Here are the here.

And I vegged a lot this weekend. I am caught up with 6 Feet Under through season 4. I also watched Click this weekend. It was OK - not Adam Sandler's funniest, but watchable. Rome's series finale is next weekend - I'm so bummed because it has been really good! Maybe I'll see if Randi wants to have another party for it.

March Mega Kit, newsletter and contests!

It's the middle of the month so that means it's time for a new free mega kit at RAKScraps! Check out how to get the latest kit here. And here's a preview of add on created by the admins! I love the springy colors in this one. You can grab it at Scrapdish (on sale for just $4 through March) where you'll also find the mega kit on CD!

And you can also check out the latest RAKScraps newsletter here. It's filled with layouts, a great article by Melinda on using fonts, sponsor reviews and some great freebies!


And, this month at RAKScraps we're giving away lots of great prizes - from ACDSee Photo Manager to a year's membership at Digital Scrapbook Previews. We're having a contest for designers - Share Your RAKs - in which we'll do a random drawing for the DSP membership. And we're having a RAK It Up Contest where you can earn points by joining in our challenges or posting new threads!

Another Eclectic Challenge!

I really love the fun challenges we've had on Jess's team! Our latest one was to mix it up using different bits from different kits that you wouldn't think went together! So here's what I came up with!

And here are my credits ... I have been stalking Jess for a long time so I have a stash of her stuff!
Orange circle paper - Not Quite Men
Orange paper, staples, stars, buttons - Regiftable
Rope, blue, off white and aqua papers - Make Me Ecclectic
Binder clip - Signature collection
Tag - Unamused boy
Stitching, yellow and tan papers - Lives of Boys
Slide, alpha - Ordinary People
Arrow - Painted Arrows
Orange square paper - Lily’s Lakeside Dream

You can check out the challenge on Jess's blog! You'll find a cool freebie there today too!

Speaking of blogs, check out what my very crafty friend Melinda has been up to on the Girl Talk blog. And, she's also in the spotlight on the Scrapartist's Hub blog. :)

What happened???

Where did this weekend go? I feel like I got nothing done (again) and it was over all too fast! Not a good idea to go out drinking on Daylight Savings weekend. Losing an hour of sleep and an hangover do not go well together. I hung out with Randi and some of her friends in Hoboken on Saturday night and I'm still exhausted.

We did have a blast at the circus though! It was a pretty fun show. There was a clown that kept jumping in on all the stunts and that made it more amusing. We also got there early so we could go down on the floor and see some of the acts up close. Taylor had fun but she does not sit still! It was like having a circus act right next to me - until she passed out close to the end.

Here's my favorite photo of the day. This is what T did when a clown asked to take a photo with her.

Time for some good news

Since I've been so down lately, I thought I'd share some good news! :) Starting today and for the next few weeks, I'm going to be working a midshift at work. So that means I can be home by 10 and maybe even hang out on a Friday night! Of course, I don't know what I'm in for yet, so it could be a crazy night. I think the change of pace will be good though!

And tomorrow, Randi and I are taking Taylor to the circus!

And did you read Krista's big announcement on her blog???? She's going to be a STUDIO GIRL!!!! I am so freakin' excited for her! You can check out Studio Krista here. She's having a big sale too. Krista, you're a rock star!

Ok, now I need to get going since I have some errands to run before heading to work. :) Hope you have a great Friday!

A rough day

I couldn't sleep this morning, so I was up early and on the computer when Randi called me to go to her friend's funeral with her. I've always had this weird thing where I can feel when my sister needs me, so maybe that's why I couldn't sleep.

We got to the church late (I really need coffee and then we got a little lost and there was no parking) and the chuch was just packed. The service was really beautiful, but so sad. His father was a principal in town so there were so many of my old teachers and friends who are teachers now. Plus, he was a teacher so his school had canceled classes and there were many students there as well. It was a nice service - they always make me think and miss all the people who I have lost.

The father talked at the end to thank everyone for the support they've shown the family and said some very touching things. The thing that made me sad was that he said he got to know his son better in the last two days then he had in 29 years.

We also got lost on the way to the cemetery. We were following other cars and some of them got detoured. So I just stuck behind one car who seemed to know where he was going - ended up being my former health teacher.

It was so hard to see my sister upset and to see her ex-boyfriend break down (this was one of his best friends). And it was just so sad to think of how such a nice, young guy with so much going for him could just be gone.

I know some friends of mine are dealing with some rough stuff today as well - and I only wish I could be there for them too. It's all you can do really. Sending you all some big hugs today.

Getting there and some pages ...

Well my arm is feeling a little better. I've been getting much better at using my tablet since I've been using it at work. I'm still trying to stay off the computer a bit. Did a little ACDSeeing and backing up today, but that's about it. I did finish a page yesterday for the next Eclectic challenge, but you'll have to wait to see that. Here are some pages I did last week for the Sweet Shoppe Challenges. :)

I HATE these plastic/rubbery princess dolls and their clothes. The only good things about them are when they get lost or when Taylor does really funny things with them. They include:
- Dressing up the prince in drag (see above)
- Having them fight soap opera style (How can you do this to me?)
- And this conversation we had last week. Taylor was Snow White, I was Aurora. And Snow White asked Sleeping Beauty: "Can you fix my computer?" Hee, she knows me so well! LOL!
Anyway, you can see the credits for this one here. It's a template by Jen Caputo (did you see she's moving to SBG? How cool!) and some stuffs by Amanda Rockwell, who is on my new addiction list.

This one is a scraplift of a Gina Miller page. And here are the credits. :) Sausan Designs = another new addiction. Gotta get ready for work! Smell ya later!

Pals!

I have totally forgotten about my latest kits Pals! It's now available at Scrapdish and on sale for 35% off!
And here are some layouts by my fabulous CT using Pals. I just love how they've used it!!!

LO by Kelly - Credits

LO by Stacey - Credits

LO by Mary - Credits

LO by me ... Here are Taylor and Rocky not sharing goldfish crackers. :)

And speaking of pals, I asked a good friend of mine to join my team.... Tracy Blankenship!
Here's a page she did using The Chase (which is now up at Scrapdish too!). Credits here.
You may know Tracy as my2boys in the digi boards. She's also a fabulous designer and she gives out loads of yummy freebies on her blog Scrappin' Digi Style. You can find her kits at Scrappin' Digi Kreations, too. And check out her gallery here. Love ya Tracy! So glad to have you on the team!!!!!!

New Eclectic Team Challenge!

Remember that LO I did of my messy desk (scroll down....), well I keep forgetting to post that there's a new Eclectic Team challenge going on at Jessica's blog! You can scrap your work space for a chance to win a $5 GC to Studio Jessica! :)

Digi Craft Chat at RAKScraps

Join Melinda in the RAKScraps chatroom to learn how to make this cute treat bag from any digital kit! The chat starts at 9 pm EST/ 6 pm EST on Tuesday, March 6. You can find out more here.

Just an update

Hi everyone. Thanks to all of you have been sending good vibes and thoughts my way. I'm not feeling much better though and I'm feeling really depressed. I've been in bed watching TV and some Netflix movies. I had a really hard time falling asleep last night. I usually sleep on my right side or my stomach, but couldn't do that. But I ended up rolling over anyway and my arm was completely numb when I woke up. I'm not sure if going to the doctor would be any good - since I'd have to go to the ER and sit there all day uncomfortable. I will see how I feel tomorrow.

But in the mean time, I'm really sorry if I haven't gotten back to anyone. I have almost 200 emails I haven't read right now, but I can't really sit here and type right now. Thanks again for your good wishes.

From bad to ouch

So I had a little accident at Mike's house. I fell down the stairs. I don't know how it happened. Randi was on the phone at the top of the steps with Taylor sitting next to her. Kylie was a the bottom. I was heading down and all of a sudden I got twisty and slid down the rest of the way head first. I hit the bottom on my right wrist. Next thing I know, Vesna is screaming. I felt a little numb - probably a bit of shock. From her reaction I thought I was dead or severly disfigured or bleeding! I sat for a while before I got up. Then it started to hurt. My knees are pretty banged up. There's a big cut on one of them. My right shoulder and wrist are pretty bad too. I took a lot of advil - so that's helping me right now. And for once I'm finding my tablet useful. (I'm left handed but I'm a right mouser.) Check out my arm - gross!
It's all swollen and bruised too. I don't know how much time I can stand at the computer. All that stuff I wanted to get done isn't going to now for sure. I'm going to try some retail therapy at least - see if that makes me feel better!!!

So sad!

I got the saddest news today. I found out a good friend of another friend died last night. This man - who was one of my former teachers - had held off on retirement for a long time because his brother died right after he retired. Then at his retirement party last night, his son, who was not even 30, died. I don't even know what happened but it's just so awful and sad. This was a really nice kid, too. I had hung out with him several times because he was a friend of a friend. And I haven't really talked to this other friend for a long time because of other things - this must sound so confusing - so I'm not sure if I should call or what.

I slept so late today - I was knocked out until 2 pm after everything yesterday. Betty, Fernando and Lucia stopped by for a visit. They just left so now this is kind of hitting me. I didn't even really know him, but I just feel terrible.

Mike invited us over for some Chinese food tonight. He's really good with a wok. I was going to pass since I've been with the girls all week, but now I do want to be around my family. I was going to spend some time getting some work done, but I think it can wait.

Just a quick post to say ....

I am going crazy!!! I got about 3 hours of sleep and Taylor is here. (It's her turn to be sick now) I thought I would try letting her watch TV in my room so I could get some work done, but she's touching everything I told her not to and calling me every two minutes to come play with her. :( Fridays are our craziest night at work so I don't expect to be home until 2:30 am. I can't blame Taylor - she just wants to play and she's being prety good, but I'm really stressing out! I am not cut out for this. Oh man, I think she just locked herself in there. UGH!!!!!

Update: She didn't lock the door. But she just annouced "I think it's time to go downstairs. I think we've been up here a really long time." So much for trying to so some work.

Another Double Feature Friday at RAKScraps!!!!!

We have two awesome chats planned for Friday, March 2 at RAKScraps! That means lots of chances to win PRIZES!!!!

First up: Chat with Nick Romer of QVC and Scrapwow!

Nick Romer, the longest running craft personality on QVC®, is guest-hosting a chat this at 8:30pm EST/5:30 PM EST at RAKScraps! First, you can watch him between the hours of 3-4 pm EST that day during the Quick and Easy Crafts segment on the QVC® channel, then come chat with him that night!

Nick will be giving away three annual memberships (retail value of over $300 each) to SCRAPWOW.COM! You can see the review of ScrapWow in this month’s RAKScraps newsletter here. (Alll entries are due by 6 pm EST and you need to be at the chat to win!)

You'll need to answer some trivia questions that you can find here to win prizes!

Second Feature: RAKScraps Gallery Mixer!
We'll be giving away lots of prizes from our awesome sponsors Amy Teets and Colleen Shibley!
To be eligible for prizes, you'll need to join in our Treasure Hunt! And there'll be freebies for everyone who comes!