It's MY week at Scrapping Shoebox!

I am proud to be the newest member of the Scrapping Shoebox design team and I am totally psyched because it is MY WEEK! Yep, I get to post anything scrap-related so today I posted a very summer-y layout.

You can read about the materials I used and check out other coolness over at Scrapping Shoebox. Come back this week for more goodies from me!

June Challenge #1 @ BLTS

The first of the June challenges is up over at Better Living Through Scrapbooking. I loved this challenge because I got to do a layout about one of my favorite activities: sleeping!

The prize for this month is fantastic! The winner of this month's challenge contest gets $25 to spend at the Basically Bare store.... What? You don't know Basically Bare? You're going to love them! 

Basically Bare is a new company that specializes in making "alterable items for paper artisans" (that's their tagline... cute huh?). These alterable items are wonderful embellishments and albums that are designed for you to make them your very own. The products come "plain" and are made of corrugated cardboard, felt, acrylic, chipboard, or canvas. Then you can paint them, dye them, ink them, sand them, or do whatever you want to them! The bird in my layout is a Basically Bare felt bird that I inked with regular chalk ink. Below is an example of the felt birds as they come. 

 

(In full disclosure mode, I did receive free samples from Basically Bare to use in my DT projects. However, I was under no obligation to write about them here on my blog. I just am because I really like the products! I also like the fact that all of Basically Bare's products are made in the USA.)

So head on over to Better Living Through Scrapbooking and see what you can do with the challenge. We would love to see your work!

Exciting "official" news!

Back in April, I told you that I was going to be the guest designer for the month over at Scrapping Shoebox. For my tutorial, I showed you how to make a cute little mini-album using just one sheet of 12"X12" paper (which I still think is one of the coolest things ever!).

Well, I am happy to announce that the owner of the site liked it so much that I was asked to join the design team full-time! I've known for a while but wanted to wait until it was "official". I am so honored to be part of this site and to be representing the US (the site is based in Australia).

If you haven't visited Scrapping Shoebox, what are you waiting for? Every week, there will be Tuesday Tips and a new project from each DT member. It's a great little site that I am sure you will love.

Another exciting piece of news is that I have been asked to stay on as a DT member at Better Living Through Scrapbooking. This is great for me because I love the site and I love my fellow DT members. Beth and Jamie are so talented and make such wonderful projects. So stop by BLTS and participate in our monthly challenges. There are great prizes each month; this month's prize is a $25 gift certificate to Basically Bare (they make really cool alterable items from cardboard, felt, etc.). 

Finally I send out a big "thank you" to each and every one of you reading this. You have all been so great in supporting me as I pursue my dream of working in the crafting industry. Your comments and cheers have meant so much to me. Sometimes it is hard to "toot my own horn",so to speak, when it comes to accomplishments; however, I have learned that it really is OK to be proud of yourself when you do something well. Thank you for allowing me to do that here on this blog (and in your Twitter feeds, and in your Facebook feeds, and your emails....)!

Hot fun in the summertime

I don't know about where you are, but here in Georgia, it is crazy hot! Nothing but 90+ degree days for the last couple of weeks makes it hard to do anything but sit inside & enjoy the air conditioning. However, I have ventured out for some fun lately.

In May, I went to an Atlanta Braves double-header....

... the NHRA Southern Nationals (and got my picture made with my favorite driver, Tony Schumacher)...

... and a Native American Pow Wow!

Isn't she so stinkin' adorable?

What have you been up to lately?

No mojo + weeklong migraine = no blogging!

This month has been tough. I have had no desire to be crafty. Absolutely none. Is it the weather (around here it's at least 90 degrees every day)? Is it my terrible ADHD kicking into overdrive? Whatever the case, I have done nothing!

Add to that the fact that I have had a migraine for a WEEK and you've got one lazy blogger!

June will be better! I have made a promise to myself that I will get my mojo back this month!

New mini-album tutorial

The wonderful website Scrapping Shoebox has posted my tutorial today. In it, I show you how to make a mini-album with just one sheet of 12"X12" paper! I think the project is really cute and it is sooooo easy (and it would make a great brag book for moms or grandmas for Mother's Day -- hint, hint!).

So head on over to Scrapping Shoebox for the full step-by-step project instructions. If you like it, leave a comment!

YEE HAW! It's the April Roundup!

I was inspired the other day by a visit to Katie the Scrapbook Lady. Her site has all sorts of great ideas and I loved this one. It's "The Monthly Roundup" where you "roundup" the memories of your month! This makes it much easier to go back to do journaling for your pages later; it's also cool to see just what you did all month!

1. What books and/or magazines did I read this month?   I read issues of Scrapbooks Etc., Creating Keepsakes, All You, and the AAA travel magazine. I read lots of books including Bossypants by Tina Fey, The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith, and Left Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson.
2. What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month? The most memorable things I watched were Michael Scott's goodbye in The Office, the Royal Wedding (of course!), and lots of baseball.
3. What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends? Went to Opening Day for the Atlanta Braves, eating lunch w/my friend Kerry and dinner w/my friend Twhyla, helping my friend Lauren unpack all of her craft crap after a move, going to an all-day crop, having my niece Ashley visiting, a Spring Fling Party (on one of the coldest days of the month!)
4. What gifts did I give and/or receive? Lauren gave me sooooo much craft stuff like a Yudu machine, paper, TONS of adhesive, and more clear acrylic than I can use in a lifetime! Twhyla gave me a cool t-shirt that says "Scrappers are acid-free"
5. What special or unusual purchases did I make? A UTEE melting pot!
6. What illnesses or health concerns did I have? A few days of sniffles due to pollen
7. What were my accomplishments this month?  See my April 7th post! I also got some more cool news that I can't share quite yet.....
8. What were my disappointments this month? Not being chosen as a DT member on a site
9. How did I do on my goals for the month? (Or any current short or long term goals) Very well (again see my April 7th post!)
10. Anything else noteworthy to include? Some of the deadliest storms ever hit the South on April 27. Numerous tornadoes hit places all over MS, AL, and GA (including my hometown).

April is my month!

All sorts of exciting things are happening to me this month!

• I am now a published scrapbooker! I have a layout in this quarter's issue of "Stamping, Stationery, and Scrapbooking." You can find the issue at all Hobby Lobby stores now.
• I am the guest designer of the month at "Scrapping Shoebox", an Australian website. Right now, my bio and a little Q&A are posted on the site; a tutorial will come later in the month.
• I am also the guest designer of the month on a Greek website called "Scrapbooking in Greece." I have a folded flower tutorial posted there that is so cute! There is a "translate" widget on the site so you can read it in English (however, the translation sounds wonky, of course!)

I hope everyone is having a great week!