View of Life.

How can this be?

2011-07-21T13:52:00.002-05:00

I have confession to make. I am a picky person, about everything actually. Clothes, food, and men. My dream man would be someone who is tall, athletic, and good looking. I admit, I set my standards high, however, all of these tall, handsome guys usually are the ones who tend to turn out to be a big ol' jerk! Lately, I have been so down about men, that I was just about to give up. Then something happened.

I met someone in an odd way, from a site I am on and I saw his photos and it just hit me like, wow, I know him from somewhere else? He looked familiar to me, and well, I went on the dating sites that I am on and looked for him. I actually spent quite some time going through all of these profiles just trying to figure out if I was right or not. I came across his profile finally, and well, I read through it, and saw that we had so many things in common and so many things that we both want out of life. I however, being the shy person I am didn't do anything about contacting him, and to be honest, I am not sure why, but I just didn't.

I think it was a day later, and guess what? He obviously figured out that I looked at his profile, and he figured out where he knew me from as well, and I got an email from HIM! I was totally surprised, but the thing that really surprised me - he made the first move, and I am realizing that in the short time that we've been talking that I have grown to like him, a lot. I find him to be sweet, supportive, and good looking. He has listened to me more than I can say thanks to him for, and he has been there to support me daily (as many have!) in reaching my goals for both becoming healthier and making it through my first 1/2 marathon. I really like him, and I would really like to see where things could lead to.

I haven't had much luck in the whole dating game, and quite honestly, I feel like I suck at it, but you know what....I take that one day at a time. It's really nice when someone comes into your life and is accepting you for who you are and what you are about. It's nice to hear someone tell me what he finds attractive about me, and makes me smile, laugh and even blush for certain things. It's such a nice feeling. If he sees this (which I don't know how he would, but if he does) - I want him to know that I am grateful and so happy that he has entered my life and that I hope that things go well for us. I want to get to know him better, and be able to be there for him as much as he has been there for me.

It's all about patience (which for me people is ALWAYS hard for me!) and taking it one day at a time. After all, that is all we can do...and if it works out great, if not, then at least I have made a good friend. Thanks J. for being there for me - I truly appreciate and am so happy that you've entered my life.

Reflections

2011-07-13T23:45:00.000-05:00

Well, things in my life are looking up a little bit. I had an interview this past Monday and was offered the job. It's nice because I worked there before, and I know the residents and most of the staff that I will be working with. I have had the chance this past week to reflect on so many things, as far as being a nurse, what it means to me, and also, is it a good thing to go back to an employer that you once worked for.

So many things to think about, and so many great answers that I came up with. I know that I am in the right field, because I am so passionate about being a nurse. I love helping people, I love being able to do whatever it is to either save a life or make someone's last minutes worth it. It's hard when I lose my patients/residents, but I know that everything happens for a reason, and I know that we all have our time on earth and also the time when God calls us home. Even if we feel that it's not the time for that person to go, you know that some how - you were able to make a difference in the their lives whether it was their last days, months or hours, you can make it special either for them or for their loved ones. To me, being a nurse has brought so many experiences, opportunities and memories that will last me for a lifetime. There have been so many families and patients who have touched my life in one way or another. I am a nurse because I wanted to make a difference in someone's life, and I feel that I have done that many, many times.

Being a nurse is a hard job though, especially in this day and age. We have many responsibilities and many things that we need to make sure that are done correctly in order to prevent harm to our patients, and to build strong relationships with the people we work with and the people we take care of. I try my hardest, and yes, even I make mistakes. However, the mistakes I have made, I have learned from, and take those experiences with me, and those make me a stronger, more dedicated nurse.

This brings me to the next thought...is it a good thing to go back to my past employer. I do believe that it is for so many reasons. When I walked through the door on Monday to have my interview with the Director of Nursing, it was fantastic to have family members come up to me and give me a big hug and tell me how happy they were to see me and when I told them I might be coming back, they told me how happy they were that I was coming back. I made a difference in their lives, and to me, that is what it's all about. This is the best reason to be happy with the decision I made to call my previous employer and ask if there were any openings available for me. It was also such a great feeling when many of my past co-workers came up to me and smiled and said to me "Welcome back." That shows me that I made some kind of impact in their life as well. It's going to be a change for me, because I am used to working day shift, and in this new position I am going to be on the night shift. I will however make it work out for me, and I will adapt to these new hours.

It was kind of a miracle in the making, because when I originally called to speak with the director of nursing, I was told by the office that there were no openings for nurses available. I asked to have the director of nursing call me anyway, and when she did the next day, she told me that I was lucky because there was an opening that had just become available the day before as someone had turned in their 2 week notice. God was watching out for me, and He obviously has a reason for me to go back to this facility. I have no reason to question this.

I am looking forward to the opportunity of making a difference in some of the new patients I will be taking care of, and welcoming back into my life the residents I took care of when I was originally there, as some of them, I have already said hello to, and they remember me. That is a good feeling. It's a warm feeling and one that makes me realize that I made the right choice. When you go into a place with an open mind, you can make it how you want to, and can accomplish anything that you want to. I believe in karma, and I feel that this opportunity that opened for me wasn't a mistake, but just another door that opened for me.

One of those days.

2011-07-10T22:42:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had one of those days where you just wish things in life could be a lot easier than they are at times. I do....and today is one of those days. I have been thinking about how long I have been alone and how lonely I am really becoming without having a significant other in my life. Sure, I have been lucky enough to be able to date a few people here and there and have talked to many guys online, however, it never and I mean never goes anywhere. It's hitting me today as things in my life have become, well, complicated to say the least. Here is how this whole day began....

I lost my job in June, and have been unemployed now for a little over 3 weeks. I decided to let my pride go and called my previous employer and now have an interview with them on Monday (tomorrow actually). The hours that would be available, should I be offered my old job back, would be night shift - 10pm - 6:30am. Now this wouldn't normally be an issue, because Gavin normally stayed by his dad when I worked first shift for these past 4 years, however, if I were to be offered this new shift - it also means different days, different weekends from what I was working and the worst part, what do I do with Gavin on Sunday nights when I would have to work? I asked Jeremy - because I know that he has previous commitments, however, I can NEVER keep his schedule straight when it comes to the weekends. Turns out my worst fear has come true...he is out of town on the Sunday night shift and that means, now what? I need this job more than anything right now.

So, this brought me to the next realization, I am alone, and becoming more increasingly lonely and depressed that I have been alone and no relationship really since breaking up with Scott back in 2008. Now, as I mentioned, yes, I have talked with other men, but no serious dating and somehow, when I started going through my divorce, never in a million years did I think I would still be alone at this point in my life. It's been since 2007.....I am someone who has never been alone for more than maybe a month after a break-up of some sort with a significant other. I never imagined going through a divorce either, always thought I would be with my "soul mate" forever. Only, my forever ended as we all know, in January 2007.

So, here I am alone, struggling to deal with life at times because of all of the crap I seem to have that hits me, and really wishing I was married again, so that I would be able to lean on my spouse in times like this. Do you know how hard it is to deal with all of these friggin' emotions on your own all the time? It's hard, sometimes too hard. Sure, I call my sister and my dad, sometimes I break down and cry hard with my friends, but I hate to always have to be such a downer for every one - and I hate to make it an "oh whoa is Deanna" moment. But truly, tonight and these past few weeks really shows me how much I miss having someone to talk to, to have a big hug and kiss when I need it, and someone who is there to hold me and take care of me when I need it.

I have made so many changes in my life recently to try to help me cope with all of this. I really became proactive in networking, I started to work out again daily in order to help me feel better and stronger about myself, and now, I just want to become more proactive in the terms of finding a man to date and see where perhaps things would lead to.

I know that God doesn't hand us more than he feels that we can handle, but I really feel like I am at the end of my rope, and honestly don't know how much more I can put on my plate without losing it, seriously. :(

Well, before I feel like all I am doing is babbling on, I am going to say goodnight for now, and hopefully as I figure things out and get my shit together, I will be on this blog more often - just spilling it out as needed. After all, I started this many years ago as a way to get things out and share my art with others, and so many of you have been there for me so many times....so it's time that I stop ignoring my feelings and find ways to once again cope. Thanks for whoever is reading this - thanks for making it through all of this tonight.

It's been a long time

2011-05-13T16:14:00.001-05:00

It sure has been a long time since I have even been to my blog and so once again, this poor blog has been highly neglected. Life has been and will be very busy for me for quite some time ahead however. I went back to school last fall, after my design team commitments ended, as I felt it was the right time to go ahead and fulfill the dream of obtaining my master's degree in nursing. However with the career path I am going - it will actually be a Doctorate for Nurse Practitioner. I know, crazy, but it's something that I have wanted to do and will do. I may actually even obtain my masters degree in nursing education, still to be debated. However, before I can actually start those programs, I needed to get my bachelor's in nursing, which is almost done now, thankfully. It's been quite the crazy time for sure.

In this time, I have also watch Gavin grow up very quickly. He just turned 7 this April, and he is getting BIG! I will eventually start to post more I promise.

In the meantime, I decided that after a long hiatus of scrap booking, I wanted to do a layout for my cousin, whose wedding I shot back in October. The photos were AWESOME! I was very proud of myself, as this was the first wedding I have ever done. I am so happy that she and her husband liked what I did for them as well. That makes it that much more fulfilling, you know?

Anyway, here is a layout that I did, which is digital and so very happy with it considering how long it's been since I scrapped anything what so ever. Enjoy!

Talk to you all soon.
-Deanna

Creative Gift Ideas

2010-08-06T20:22:00.001-05:00

I have a fun and easy project for you all to make. I did this project for the Pebbles blog, and it's such an easy and fun project to do. This is nice because you can use the oil reed jars, candle jars, or anything else that is made out of glass that is a decorative piece, like vases or even glasses.

First you will need to gather your supplies:

Rub Ons (I used the Tree House Rub Ons)
Popsicle stick or tool to adhere your rub ons
Glass jar (reed diffuser jar, candle holder jar, vase, etc)

I decided to use a reed diffuser jar that I have from Party Lite candles. I just hate to throw away the used jars as they can be recycled nicely after the oils run out.

The first thing I did with this jar is decorate the wooden bottle neck. It's really a fun and easy way to add some personalization and the Pebbles Rub Ons go on very nicely and are easy to adhere. I started out by measuring the rub ons to see how well they would fit around the bottle neck. I had to use 2 different patterns for this. I cut them apart as shown in the photo in order to create a nice border around the bottle neck.

Next, line up your rub ons how you want them to appear on the bottle neck and hold them down with one hand as you adhere them to your object of choice as you can see I did here in this next photo.

As you are transferring the rub ons onto the wood with your popsicle stick or tool, make sure to slowly peel the plastic off to see if all the rub on has adhere. If not, gently place it back on the material (while still holding onto it with your fingers so that it doesn't come off completely and you lose your placement) and continue to rub until you have the rub ons transferred to the wood.

Next you'll want to start the glass jar. This is the fun part because you can lay out the rub ons the way you want them to appear right onto the glass and see their placement. The rub ons lay out nicely on the jar and stick very easily. Once I lay everything out I leave them in place as I rub each of the individual rub ons until I am done.

As you see, it's an easy placement on your glassware. Transfer your rub ons onto the jar by rubbing them with your popsicle stick or rub on transfer tool and, again, slowly peel back the plastic to see if the rub ons transferred. If not, slowly lay the plastic back down on the jar and keep rubbing until you have the rub ons completely transferred.

That is all there is to it! A very quick and easy project that can take you less than 30 minutes to create. THe only thing left to do is fill up your reed diffuser jar or, if this is a gift,just include the oil and reeds for your gift recipient to add to the jar when they are ready to do so.

This is a great craft to make for gifts and a really nice way to personalize something for the person you are giving this to. As you see below, you can even add extra items to give to the recipient to make it complete.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Deanna

Projects, projects!

2010-07-23T21:29:00.000-05:00

I am a little behind on posting my projects, but really want to share a lot of the things that I have created lately. I have created a lot of Pebbles projects, which I am really proud to show...love this first one, which was a little canvas that I made (which will be going to a friend in the future) and measures a mere 4 inches x 4 inches. It's really cute.

Pebbles supplies used:
Tree House 3x3 Cards (751024)
Tree House Chips (744114)
Tree House Stickers (732011)
Tree House Word Stickers (732010)

Other supplies used:
Pens (American Crafts, ZIG)
Buttons (Autumn Leaves)
Ink (Tsukineko)

Paint (Shimmerz)

I also used Shimmerz Samrock for the background color to give it some extra shine....love the colors on this one. The Shimmerz worked well with the Pebbles greens, and actually brought out those colors.

I also created a new layout using the stickers from Pebbles to make up my journaling and enhance the layout as embellishments. Love these photos of Gavin!

Here is a close ups of the journaling.

Pebbles supplies used:
Twitterpated Cute (751009)
Twitterpated Giddy (751005)
Twitterpated 3x3 Cards (751000)
Twitterpated Word Stickers (732002)
Twitterpated Sweet Thing Duplicate Rub Ons (760237)
Baby Pink Pebbles Chips (744105)

Other supplies used:
Alphabet (American Crafts)
Pens (ZIG, Creative Memories)
Ink (Tsukineko)

If you are like me, and like using a lot of photos on your layout, here is a layout just for you then. I created a summer layout for the Pebbles blog, and wanted to show what summer means to me and to Gavin. Lots of fun and a great way to get a lot of photos on the page without it being "cluttered".

Pebbles supplies used:
May Bouquet Front Porch (751014)
May Bouquet Daisy (751020)
May Bouquet Courtyard (751019)
Tree House Bliss (751033)
Tree House Sunset (751029)
Tree House 3x3 Cards (751024)
Tree House Chips (744114)
Chirpy ABC Stickers (732009)
Glitter Candy Dots Green (744215)
Glitter Candy Dots Peacock (744229)
Pebbles Chips Navy Blue (44109)
Pebbles Chips Orange (44106)
Pebbles Chips Spring Green (44108)
Pebbles Chips Sun Yellow (44107)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Letter Stickers (My Little Shoebox)
Pens (American Crafts, Creative Memories)
Ink (Tsukineko)

Again some close up photos of some of the elements on the page. First, the journaling block, love the cute little dragonfly!.

Here are close ups of the clusters:

For the sun, I used one of my punches, and just cut the clouds right out of the pattern paper. I love the new chipboard that is in the newer lines of the Pebbles products, as you see the dragonfly. They are really cute! The old and new product from Pebbles mixes rather nicely, as seen in the chipboard that is from the first generation in the first close up photo.

Finally, some things I made up with the newest digital kits from Marks Paper Company - you can purchase Stacy's newest kits over at 2Peas - they are awesome! I suggest you all check them out, because they are really versatile for both digital and hybrid scrapping!

This first one is a digital layout.

This second layout is a hybrid.

And finally a card I made up for my nephew using the digital and traditional elements.

Well, that is it for now, but thanks for stopping by my blog, and until next time! I promise to get better about posting things again, really I will. ;o)

-Deanna

Projects to share.

2010-06-14T07:19:00.002-05:00

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Pebble's products? I have been fascinated with this company since at least 2005 (or perhaps even a little earlier than this!) I love the fun, whimsical designs that this company has in their lines of papers and embellishments! I also am so happy that I have been able to be a part of this great team for the past year. We were asked last week to create a layout/project in less than 30 minutes. For me, this is a challenge because usually my layouts are more than an hour or more to make, well, actually any project that I make takes this long, LOL. I did set the challenge for myself and I am so happy with what I came up with...so without further ado, here is a cute layout about no other than Gavin.

Pebbles supplies Used:
May Bouquet Flower Bed (751022)
May Bouquet Daisy (751020)
Downtown Central Park (50922)
Pebbles With Love Duplicate Stickers (761000)
Pebbles May Bouquet Word Stickers (732006)
Pebbles May Bouquet Chips (744113)
Pebbles Orange Ribbon (44032)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (Bazzill Basics)
Thickers (American Crafts)
Pens (Creative Memories)
Staples (Swingline)

Another layout that I did recently was a digital layout which was just talking about my house here and now....I used various digital kits for this project and love how it turned out.

Thanks for coming by my blog today, and I hope you like the projects I have posted today. Come by again this week - and I will have more layouts and projects to share for your viewing pleasure.

~Deanna

2010-05-30T07:18:00.000-05:00

I love the newest colors in the Shimmerz Pearlz family, and Emerald Isle is one of those colors that just jumps of your pages and projects! For this project I had fun using it on the cardboard and painting my cardboard to just make this cover shine on this mini album I am working on.

For the flowers I went ahead and used the new Shimmerz Pearlz in the colors Samrock, Carrot Top, Sunny Side Up and Papa Purple. I love the way these colors just jump out at you and the shimmer and colors are just so intense! These are totally a must have for anyone who loves to have your pages and projects stand out!

Here is a close up view of the flowers and just how wonderfully these colors shimmer and jump out at you!

Beautiful isn't it?

~Deanna

Cards for fun

2010-05-28T19:29:00.001-05:00

I really love my product from Pebbles Inc, and I really love the new lines that were released this past CHA! If you haven't gotten your hands on any of the new lines, you really should - they ROCK! I recently some cards using the old lines and mixing the new and also just using the newer lines for the Pebbles blog. For this first card, I used my tag maker to make some tags which became the base/background of the card, and then I layered my embellishments and sentiment on top of the card. I really love the new chipboard pieces available with these new lines, they are just too adorable! The bird really added to the card, and I am very happy with how this turned out.

Pebbles supplies used:

Tree House Bliss (751033)
Tree House Fun (751035)
Tree House View (751027)
Tree House Melody (751030)
Tree House 3 x 3 Cards (751024)
Tree House Chips (744114)
Tree House Paper Flowers (741002)
Red Pebbles Chips (44103)
Yellow Glitter Candy Dots (744221)

Other supplies used:
Cards (K&Company)
Tag Maker (Creative Memories)

With this second card, I used the Linnie Bell collection for my papers and Pebbles Chips, and added the sentiment from one of the newer lines that just came out. I love the elegant but fun look of this card, and feel that all of the elements work very well together to make a pleasing card to send out to someone.

Pebbles supplies used:

Linnie Bell Eyelet (50934)
Linnie Bell Patchwork (50931)
Linnie Bell Vignette (50933)
Linnie Bell Pearl (50932)
Red Pebbles Chips (44103)
White Pebbles Chips (44102)
Twitterpated Borders Duplicate Rub Ons (760239)

Other supplies used:
Cards (K&Company)
Tag Maker (Creative Memories)

For other fun ideas and creations, please be sure to stop over at the Pebbles blog and see what other design team members have been up to - we have a lot of great creations to share with you!

Thanks for stopping by today - happy creating!

-Deanna

New Twitterpatted line from Pebbles Inc!

2010-05-10T07:36:00.000-05:00

This past week, the Pebbles Inc design team highlighted the new line of papers that Pebbles is offering called Twitterpatted. This line is not only fun, but it has a lot of new items to play with. It includes rubons, journaling spots, papers flowers, oh yeah! This is an AWESOME line everyone! It is a lot of fun and very easy to use. I love how all of the new products work so well together. I also love that this line can work with scrapping memories of family, friends, spouses – even nature and pets. It’s a very versatile line, and I know that other people will agree once they start to work with the Twitterpated line! One of the things I also really love about all of the pattern papers from Pebbles is the fact that you can use the bottom where the collection name is printed and use it for a border because of the pattern on the other side of the page. Here is a simple layout I created about Gavin using this new line.

Pebbles supplies used:
Twitterpated Cute (751009)
Twitterpated Delight (751001
Twitterpated 3x3 Cards (751000)
Twitterpated Love You Duplicate Rub Ons (760238)
Twitterpated Chips (744112)
Twitterpated Paper Flowers (741000)
Twitterpated Journaling Stickers (732003)
Glitter Candy Dots Green (744215)
Glitter Candy Dots Peacock (744229)
Charming Glitter ABC Stickers (732000)
Front Porch Cardstock ABC Stickers (732005)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Brads (American Crafts)
Corner Rounder (Creative Memories)
Alphabet (Making Memories)
Pen (ZIG)

If you'd like to see more samples of work with this line, please be sure to stop over at the Pebbles Inc blog where you can find a lot of great work from other design team member's showcasing this line from the past week. Be sure to stop often over at the Pebbles blog, because we're giving away great things, sharing a lot of great work from the design team, and if you post your work to online galleries or participate in our challeges, you may find your work highlighted on the blog - you never know what we may be up to!

Thanks for stopping by today - and have a blessed day!

-Deanna

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T22:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's day to all of my friends, fellow scrappers and family. Today was a happy but sad day for me all in one. I was sad because I had to work today - which meant that I didn't get to spend the entire day with my son nor my family. However, after work, I picked Gavin up from his dad's house, and we spent time with my parents and my sisters family. It was a good night overall and I have to look at the fact that I am blessed in so may ways.

I am overjoyed to think that I have been blessed to be a mother for the past 6 years. Gavin has really filled my life in so many ways. He has shown me many times what unconditional love is all about. He comes to me each and every day that he is with me and tells me over and over how much he loves me and then gives me the sweetest hugs and kisses. He is such an amazing child in so many ways. His heart is bigger than I could ever have asked for, for both me and for his father, which shows me that through everything that my son has gone through - that Jeremy and I are raising him quite well, despite the fact that we are doing it in separate homes. He has learned what it means to love someone with your whole heart, how to be kind, patient and understanding. It's amazing to see a six year old with so much compassion for people and for life.

Looking back over the past six years of having Gavin in my life, I just love how much he has grown and how much he has taught me. He has taught me to be more patient and the most important thing he has taught me is that I have to learn to forgive and forget for things that may seem bad at the time, but in the end are quite trivial. He has taught me that family comes first no matter what and so much more. So today it makes me proud that I am a mother and I am proud that Gavin is in my life. I look forward to the many years to come - where my life will be enriched daily by this handsome and beautiful soul.

God bless all the mother's out there - I hope you've enjoyed your special day!

Shimmerz and Petaloo

2010-04-30T21:45:00.000-05:00

This week on the Shimmerz blog, we worked with Petaloo Color Me Crazy flowers along with our Shimmerz Paints. These petals are so much fun to work and so versatile to use! So many great projects were created from the Shimmerz design team, if you want to see what other people came up with, please go to the Shimmerz blog to see the fun projects that the design team came up with.

I love to color my flowers, and I found it really easy to mix colors on the Petaloo flowers. I first sprayed with my Shimmerz Spritz and Shimmerz Vibez allowed them to dry and then dabbed other coats of Shimmerz and Shimmerz Blingz to give the colors a multi color feel to them. I love the colors that these created and the Shimmerz paints work so well with the Petaloo flowers to make some shimmery fun! Here is my project for you to view.

Here are some close up views of the flowers being colored:

I really am very happy with how this project turned out, and love that the flowers really work well to highlight the page. Thanks for coming by - and come back during May when I will have a lot more projects from Shimmerz, Pebbles and Marks Paper Company to share with you!

Earth Day

2010-04-22T06:59:00.003-05:00

I made a few special projects for Earth day. I feel that with all the changes that the Earth has been going through with global warming, the earth quake's, volcano's exploding and everything else that is really causing the Earth to be imbalanced, that it's really important that everyone concentrate on doing something good for the Earth. Gavin was born on Earth day - six years ago today, and for that reason, I want to see him enjoy Earth and all of it's natural beauty as much as I and past generations have been able to. To honor Earth day, I made this beautiful layout, using a recycled cardboard for my background and then by using up some of my scraps of pattern paper. The theme today is Earth, and this layout "Save the Earth" talks about what I pray for when it comes to making the Earth a little better for my son and for future generations.

I added some of my Shimmerz paint in Blueberry Cobbler to the upper corner that is torn on the cardboard...look at how beautifully it shines!

I also sprayed the edges with my Shimmerz Spritz in Truffle to give this layout a little extra sheen. Again, just look at how beautifully the colors shine and how subtle this color is with the cardboard.

I really love how the cluster of flowers an also the title turned out, this layout was just too fun to make!

Such a fun layout and while promoting Mother Earth and her importance!

In this next layout, I created this one for the Pebble's blog. I love how once again, this turned out to be a fun and not "drab" layout. I think of course I may be a little biased due to the subject matter, but what can I say? This is such a cute kid, wouldn't you agree??

Here are some close ups of the layout for you to enjoy. The titl4e was created by using a die cut sticker from the So Tweet line and also using Pebbles Chips and American Crafts thickers alphabet stickers.

The bottom part of this layout was created to give an effect of hills and trees and then just some free flowing flowers. All of these colors work so well together, don't you just love it?

For more great Earth day projects, please stop by the Pebble's blog and see what other design team members came up with this week...you'll love what they created!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy creating!
-Deanna

Easy to Love

2010-04-20T07:03:00.000-05:00

I recently did a photo shoot with my son in our front and back yard, and of course had to start scrapping the photos right away. I love the way these turned out, and love the fact that my Shimmerz helps bring out the true beauty of these photos.

I wanted to create a fun and whimsical feel to this layout, and I decided to have some fun with coloring my flowers on the page. This is an easy and fun tip to do to color your own flowers when you want to. What I did was used some plastic wrap, poured some colors onto the plastic wrap from my Shimmerz paints, for the first set of colors I used Shimmerz in Marigold, Sunny, and Fire Engine Red. For the second set of color I used my Shimmerz Tickle-Me-Turquoise, Vintage Wine, and Sugar Plum. I then I took a toothpic and swirled the colors together, just to get the colors together versus being seperate colors. Then I took the flowers and just placed them on top of the colors, lifted them up and the colors were right there on the flowers. Some white was showing through, so I just used my finger as a paintbrush and added some extra color in the areas that were still white. For the more pastel looking flowers, I used my Shimmerz Spritz in Rock-a-Fella Blue and Cotton Candy and with the second flower, Shimmerz Spriz in Tuscan Sun and Bed of Roses, as these made a very pretty combination. I sprayed half and half of the flowers with 2 colors. I wanted a little extra shine on these two, so once they were completely dry, I used my Shimmerz in Angel Wings and painted on top of the flowers. Seeing as this is more translucent the original colors still show through, just with more shimmer.

On the chipboard piece, it was originally white as well, and I wanted it to match my color palette a lot better, so I went ahead and used my Shimmerz Spritz in Eucalyptus and sprayed two coats onto the chipboard. With the second coat, while it was still wet, I added some clear embossing powder and then went ahead and heat set it. It lets the color show through, but in person gives such a nice little texture to the chipboard piece.

The thing I love about this layout is that even though I am using a lot of "girly" elements, the pages still kept it's masculinity and really shows off my son and my Shimmerz paints! Thanks for coming by today!

-Deanna

Recent projects

2010-04-19T11:26:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Today I bring you a lot of my recent projects that I have created for this month. First up, my projects from Scrap for a Cure. This month's kit was so much fun to use and I really love how my layouts turned out this month! Here they are:

Here is a close up of the cute dress form. I went ahead and colored on the fabric with my Shimmerz Pearlz and Shimmerz paint, and it really added to this dress form.

This next layout is based off of a sketch by Jana Eubank that we did for this month.

These last two layouts were done for the recent crop that we had at Scrap for a Cure. This first layout, was done for a a challenge I made up that we had to use more than 3 pattern papers in the layout.

This second layout was a lift of a layout by fellow DT member Erin. Thanks again Erin for the inspiration!

Next up is a layout that I did for the Pebble's blog, based off of a sketch by fellow DT member Liz Qualman, here sketches are always so much fun to use! I used a lot of Pebbles chipboard with this layout, and I love, love how it turned out!

"Style"
Pebbles supplies used:
Lil’ Buddy Bundle (50944); Lil’ Buddy Bots (50945); Lil’ Buddy Bubba (50943); Lil’ Buddy Bubbles (50946); Lil’ Buddy Stickers Toddler (50949); Pebbles Chips Red (44103); Pebbles Chips Navy Blue (44109); Pebbles Chips Spring Green (44108); Pebbles Chips Orange (44106); Pebbles Chips Baby Blue (44111); Pebbles Chips Sun Yellow (44107)

Other supplies used:
Alphabet Stickers (Making Memories); Thickers, Chipboard (American Crafts); Pen (ZIG)
Ribbon (Craft Supply); Punches (Fiskars); Adhesive (EK Success; KI Memories)

Finally, I did some projects for the Mark's Paper Company blog for this month as well. These are digital layouts I made, and using 2 of the new kits by Stacy Marks. She now designs for 2Peas as a digital designer, and her kits are great! If you are a digital designer, you should to and check out the digital kits she offers, they are a lot of fun to use! This one is using the "Birds, Blooms and Bikes" kit.

This is using the "Text Me" kit. I love this kit a alot because the colors work so well for both boys and girls. It's really a versatile kit!

Well, thanks for stopping by my blog today and I hope you've enjoyed the projects I shared with you! More to come this week, so keep stopping by!

-Deanna

Scrap for a Cure Spring Crop.....

2010-04-08T22:30:00.002-05:00

Do you love to join in on crop's and love the challenges, games and prizes that come along with them? Well, if you answered yes to any of the questions, you are in luck! Over at Scrap for a Cure, we are going to have a Spring Fling Crop, full of a lot of games, challenges, lots of prizes and sketches to play with too! You will love it and get a lot of motivation to scrap if you need it! So, if you've ever participated at a crop at Scrap For A Cure, you already know how much fun they are and if you haven't, well, now's your chance to come and join us! The fun starts on Friday at 5pm PST and goes throughout the weekend. I will be posting two challenges myself on Saturday, and I promise they will motivate you to get scrapping, along with all of the other great challenges that will be posted!

In addition to the great crop we are having over at Scrap for a Cure, tomorrow is also going to be the official release date for the April kit, and let me tell you, it's full of some AWESOME goodies!!!! Here is a peek for you to give a little bit of hint of what is to come with this month's main kit.

I can't wait to share the rest of this layout with you and the other layouts/projects that I made with this month's kit, talk about a fun kit to use!

So, I hope you'll come and join us for some scrappy fun! Hope to see you there!!!
-Deanna

Elizabeth Kartchner the Newest Face of Shimmerz Paints

2010-03-31T18:28:00.001-05:00

Wow, what some Exciting News to share......

Liz Kartchner is one of the newest Faces of Shimmerz!!!

She is totally excited to become a Shimmerz Endorsed Instructor and will be using Shimmerz Products in her upcoming classes! Ok, now mixing American Crafts with Shimmerz just ROCKS!

In case you are not familiar with who Liz is, she writes a monthly column for Creating Keepsakes Magazine called "Dear Lizzy", she wrote the book "52 more Scrapbooking Challenges" and has a fun Craft Line called "Dear Lizzy" from American Crafts. Ok, now mixing American Crafts with Shimmerz just ROCKS!

To learn more about Liz you can check out her inspiring Blog Here!

Altered Easter Project

2010-03-30T12:10:00.004-05:00

For the Pebbles Blog, I was assigned to create an Easter project. I have to admit, I am not good about photos when it comes to Easter. The last real photos I have taken is when I was still married and I got the last time we were all a family and made Easter eggs. I don't know why I don't take photos of this holiday, but this assignment was a little bit of a challenge at first for me to come up with something to make or to do. I went through my local Hobby Lobby trying to see what I could find to alter and I kept my fingers crossed as I went through the aisles of Easter items they had. I found this really cute sign, and I knew exactly what I wanted to make for my Pebbles assignment, and it also gave me an excuse to have something that would be a very cute home decor item for me at my house during the Easter season.

“Altered Easter Bunny”

Downtown Broadway (50924)

Downtown Central Park (50922)

Skipping Along The Garden (50916)

Skipping Along Holding Hands (50912)

Skipping Along Merrily (50915)

Candy Dots Yellow (44207)

Candy Dots Spring Green (44208)

Pebbles Chips Red (44103)

Pebbles Chips Baby Pink (44105)

Pebbles Chips White (44102)

Pebbles Chips Orange (44106)

Pebbles Chips Baby Blue (44111)

Pebbles Chips Sun Yellow (44107)

Spring Green Spool Ribbon (44034)

Other Supplies:

Buttons : Foof- a-La

Black Ribbon: Unknown

Punches: Fiskars, EK Success

3D-Dots: EK Success

Mod Podge

Glues: Deacon, KI Memories

Glitter Alphabet: American Crafts Thickers

Paint: Theresa Collins Shimmerz Paints (Pink Nose)

Look at this bunny, isn't he just the cutest? I used a lot of Pebbles product on this little guy and it took me a long time to make (almost a week between drying times with my Mod Podge and trying to get the papers aligned on him just right), but I think it was so worth it! My son thought he was just adorable and was so happy to find out that I made it for our house, as opposed to giving it away.

Well, I hope you like my newest project, and I would love your comments to see what you think about him. Thanks for stopping by!
-Deanna

Wonderful Surprises

2010-03-29T05:02:00.001-05:00

I decided to have some fun with some projects that had a lot of great colors added to them thanks to my Shimmerz paints! The first thing that I want to share with you today is a layout I made using the March kit from Scrap for a Cure. I went ahead and used a felt flower from the Dollar Store as a mask and sprayed onto the paper with my Shimmerz Spritz in Bed of Roses. I also went ahead and with the felt sticker from American Crafts, I first sprayed it with my Shimmerz Spritz in Tuscan Sun, waited for it to dry and then painted the center first with Theresa Collins Shimmerz Pearlz in Pearl, let it dry and then gave it a final coat with Shimmerz Blingz in Poinsettia Pink. I sprayed the title letters both Shimmerz Spritz Olive Branch and then Shimmerz Vibez in Rolling in the Hay. Here is the layout I created:

I have found that I really like mixing colors together with my Shimmerz and the results are always fun and fresh. Here are some close ups for your viewing pleasure. Here you can see the Shimmerz Pearlz mixed with the Shimmerz Blingz. You can also see the subtleness of the Shimmerz Spritz on the yellow felt flower.

I loved the look of what some of our other design team members did with the bigger spots on their paper, and so I created this effect with the mask I sprayed onto the paper. It is really a great way to add some extra texture to your projects!

In this next project, I bought a paper mache mask probably a good two years ago, but never really knew what to do with it. As I was going through some of the things in my scrap room recently, I came across this mask again, and I KNEW what I wanted to do with it. I wanted to make it and color it with my Shimmerz Paints. This took a little longer to do, but I LOVE the shimmery results I got from it.

Now, as you can see the color of this turned out to be a beautiful purple. What I had to do in order to create this color was first spray with my Shimmerz Spritz in Bed of Roses. I let it dry and then sprayed with Shimmerz Spritz in Cotton Candy. The next coat of color was Shimmerz Spritz in Baby's Breath. I then went ahead and sprayed Shimmerz Vibez in Red-Y or Not, Shimmerz Spritz Bed of Roses and Shimmerz Spritz Sapphire and with my fingers I mixed all of the colors together and I got this gorgeous purple color. I let it dry and repeated this step one more time. Just look at how wonderful this shimmerz!

For the flower on the side of the mask, I sprayed it with three colors. The first coat of color was Shimmerz Spritz Olive Branch, followed by Shimmerz Spritz Baby's Breath and the final coat of color was a light spray of Shimmerz Spritz Sapphire. Simply beautiful!

To give the mask a little more playfulness to it, I used some Utee and created the eyelids and then coated the top of the mask with it as well. I also had this playful feathered boa that I have wanted to use for quite some time and mixed it with this to give the mask a little of a eccentric look. Finally, I used some rhinestones to add a little more texture and playfulness to this project. For a first time of making a mask, although it's simple, I think it's a fun and cute project!

So, next time you want to create something a little different, don't be afraid to bring out your Shimmerz paints and mix your colors and have a fun with them! You never know what your results may turn out to be like.
-Deanna

Pebbles Projects

2010-03-14T07:58:00.000-05:00

This month over at the Pebble's Inc blog, we've really turned things up! We have a new DT Coordinator, Lynn Ghahary. She has been posting almost daily with new projects from the team, new inspirations, give-a-ways (yes! I said give-a-ways!) and also some great contests for our Pebble's consumers. So, if you haven't been over the blog lately, please check it out by clicking on the link in the post. You'll love the projects everyone has been coming up with!

For my first project this month, I was to create a card displaying Pebble's Inc products. I went ahead and made two cards because I just love how fun the product is, versatile and so much fun to use! For the first card, I made a "Welcome to the Neighborhood" for some people who will be moving into the area...and just to welcome them. I used the Pebble's Downtown collection for this card. Here is what I came up with:

Pebbles supplies used:
Downtown Central Park (50922)
Downtown Stickers (50927)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (Bazzill)
Thickers (American Crafts)
Letter Stickers (AdornIt)
Pen (ZIG Writer)

With the other card, I just wanted to make a cute little "Thank You" card. My inspiration for this card was a card sketch from Becky Fleck over at PageMaps. I used a September 2009 sketch for this card. Here is what it turned out to look like:

Pebbles supplies used:

Skipping Along Carefree (50913)
So Tweet Nesting (50901)
Thanks Rub Ons - Brown (760208)
Candy Dots Red (44203)
Candy Dots Yellow (44207)
Candy Dots Spring Green (44208)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (Paper Studio)
Pens (Creative Memories)
Punches (Martha Stewart and Creative Memories)
Ink (Tsukineko)
Staples (Swingline)
Foam Adhesive Squares (EK Success)

I just want to thank you for stopping by my blog today and I hope you liked these cute little cards I made. I also hope that you'll stop over at the Pebble's blog and see what the other members of the team are coming up with these days! You won't be disappointed!

Have a great day!

-Deanna

March Scrap for a Cure projects

2010-03-13T11:57:00.000-06:00

This month over at Scrap for a Cure, I was able to play with a lot of the new goodies from the winter CHA. New American Crafts (Dear Lizzie line), My Mind's Eye, Cosmo Cricket, Jenni Bowlin and so much more. Here is a look at this fab kit!

I decided to have fun with this kit and made an altered item that will be able to hold "free" floating photos when I want to just display one for fun. Once I got the papers adhered to the block...I used my handy Mod Podge to set the papers on the block. I added a flower from Prima, which I used 3 colors of my Shimmerz Spritz and Shimmerz Vibez on. I love how you are able to layer the colors to achieve a new color and I absolutely LOVE how much color is on this flower! Here is the full project:

And this is a close up of the block...just check out how that flower shines! Yummy!

Last month was my birthday and so with this kit, I also went ahead and made a "36" page (yes, I just admitted my age, and I am proud of it, lol!). The papers I used were American Crafts and Cosmo Cricket. The chipboard alphabet is from My Little Shoebox.

I absolutely LOVE the cute little felt stickers that were in this month's kit, which is a part of the American Crafts "Dear Lizzie" line...just look at this close up of how they are!

I also made a cute card with this month's kit, such a "happy" little card, don't you think?

With this card, I stitched some ebrodery floss behind the bee, which originally had "stitching" from the paper it's self. I also used the cute doily that was a part of this month's kit, but I wanted it to have a more "neutral" color, so I sprayed it with my Shimmerz Vibez in Penny Pincher. I then inked the edges to help it stand out more. For the Jenni Bowlin pattern paper, I "stitched" the edges with one of my Creative Memories pens. I am really happy with this card, and will be sending it off to a friend of mine who I miss and now lives in Arizona (well, she's been there since 2001, but I really do miss her a lot!).

Finally with this month's kit, I made a layout about Gavin. Just this week, Gavin had to have some major dental work done, and I was so proud of how he handled all that had to be done to him. I felt this kit really worked well with this "theme" and also with the photos that I took of Gavin. Here is the layout:

The papers from My Mind's Eye and the butterflies from Jenni Bowlin are just fantastic. I love this layout a lot and am so happy with how this one turned out. :) Just check out how big my little man is getting. Sigh....in a month he will be six years old.

This is what I have made so far with this month's March kit from Scrap for a Cure, and I have a lot more of the kit left, which I have other idea's for this month to make things with, so stay tuned for more exciting projects using this fabulous kit! Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous weekend!
-Deanna

Pop Quiz Answers....

2010-03-13T11:17:00.000-06:00

Did you get the answers right??? Keep watching for more ways to combine Shimmerz Products together to get some Fantastic Results!! Bethany Kartchner uses Pearlz together with Vibez for a Fun technique on the Vlog, so if you haven't seen it yet, you've got to check it out !

Shimmerz Pop Quiz for you all!

2010-03-06T09:26:00.002-06:00

It's Shimmerz Pop Quiz Time ladies! Let's see how well you know the product that we all love. :)
Just for fun.....can you match the 5 flowers to the 5 Shimmerz Products that were used? :) (be sure to click on the photo to enlarge, so you can see the detail) All of Shimmerz Paint Products work so beautifully together, and we thought it would be fun to see each product used side by side to see the differences.......do you know which is which??? ;) Check back in a couple days to see if you were right!

Feel the Vibez with Shimmerz

2010-02-09T09:00:00.002-06:00

Ok, I am telling you ladies, this new Shimmerz Vibez is the ultimate when it comes to some kickin' color! I decided to have some fun and do some experimenting with the newest product offered by Shimmerz, and I just have to say - WOW! I am really happy with how much color and shimmer I am able to get with this new colors!

In my first project, a layout that is using a lot of product from GCD studios, Prima and Shimmerz, I decided to do a layout with one of my best friends.

I also have always wanted to try different materials for making flowers, so in this layout, I used fabric softner sheets to make the centers of the flowers in the upper cluster of the layout. First, I went ahead and sprayed the sheets with my new Shimmerz Vibez in Red-y or Not. I let it dry and then sprayed with Shimmerz Vibez Snow Storm, let it dry and did a final spray with the Vibez Red-y or Not again. After it was dry enough, I cut a large circle (2 times) out of the fabric softner sheet, and cut that into a spiral, rolled it up and then glued it down on a little base that I left from the spiral. I sprayed the white Prima flowers in both Vibez Red-y or Not and then Vibez Penny Pincher to give both of them some different coloration. Loving the results of these flowers! The colors are just beautiful!

I also colored the flowers in the second cluster with the Vibez Red-y or Not and then also used the Vibez in Rolling in the Hay. The colors are wonderful and so shimmery. These colors are just amazing, especially in person.

Finally, I went ahead and sprayed the chipboard element in Vibez Red-y or Not and a little of the Vibez Before Dawn. The shimmer on this chipboard rocks! For the border, I used my Shimmerz VIbez in Rolling in the Hay, the color is very nice and compliments the other colors in the layout. The color just absorbed wonderfully in the chipboard...here are the results:

The final project that I made was a mini album. It's just the start of the album, but I love the feel of what is started with this. I used the colors Red-y Or Not, Rolling in the Hay, Before Dawn, and Penny Pincher for the cover. I used a piece of chipboard to create a mask and have the outline of the chipboard flourish on the cover. I also had some American Crafts Thickers on the cover and sprayed over them to create an outline as well. The stickers did start to come up but I love the little painterly effect that is going on with the title "You".

For the heart, this was a ghost shape by Heidi Swapp. I went ahead and sanded it a little at first and then sprayed it with both Vibez Snowstorm and Vibez Red-y or Not. I then added clear embossing powder to it, heated it up really well. After it was cooled down, I sprayed some more of the two colors, and reheated the heart and the colors were absorbed nicely into the embossing powder. I let this dry and then cool down again, and did a final spray down with the Vibez Snowstorm, and the results were a very pretty and subtle mixture of the two colors used. I also liked this effect because it gives the heart a little bit of a distressed look and a little bit of a crackle effect as well. As you can see in this close up photo, it is quite shimmery as well!

And just a close up shot of the flower cluster I made on the cover as well, in the background you can see how shimmery the album cover really is. Just stunning!

These were some really fun projects to make, and I hope I have inspired you to go out and buy some of the new Vibez and try them for yourself!

Thanks for stopping by today!
~ Deanna

Scrap for the Cure February projects

2010-02-08T10:46:00.000-06:00

I have been loving the new February kit over at Scrap for a Cure! The colors, elements - everything was just perfect to make some really fun projects and some really fun layouts! I am going to share with you two layouts and one card today that I made using the kit.

The layouts feature Gavin of course, but I just love how these turned out!

I love how all of the elements used fit so well together here. The canvas tag by Prima and the rubons from Pink Paislee are just too cute! The photo of Gavin works very well with this layout.

In this next layout, "Thank you for loving me" - I decided to give the layout an angle and I am again, very happy with the results of this layout. My son and that smile, such a ham!

I used my Shimmerz Spritz in Ruby to spray onto the tag to give it some extra fun and extra color to it. I added rub-ons from Pink Paislee on the layout in several places as they fit so well with this layout. I really love how everything in this kit work so well together!

Finally, I made a card with this month's kit as well. Just a simple "Thanks" card. The only thing added to this card outside of the kit was the stamp, the blue and brown ink and then the pen. Everything else, is a part of this month's kit over at Scrap for Cure.

I made the circles with a circle punch and then distressed them with my Tim Holtz sand block and my Heidi Swapp distresser. The little circles with the edges are from the kit. I really think this is a fun card.

If you want to see more of the projects made with this month's kits - come over and check out what the design team did in the gallery, and if you aren't already a member over on the boards, come and join us! We'd love to have you with us.

Happy Creating!
-Deanna

Introducing - NEW SHIMMERZ VIBEZ!

2010-02-02T21:03:00.000-06:00

Introducing VIBEZ....16 Vibrant Colors with intense Shimmer and Shine!!! Watch our announcemnet below and share it with your friends!

I am telling you ladies - THESE ROCK!

Blending and Painting with Shimmerz Pearlz

2010-01-18T12:18:00.001-06:00

Do you know what is so great about using Shimmerz Pearlz and Shimmerz Paints??? They blend so well together and the final look is flawless and beautiful. For today's layout, I went ahead and used my new Teresa Collins Shimmerz Pearlz to color my chipboard, flowers and some of the open spaces in my stamping. I really love being able to recolor the plain white flowers that Prima offers, and in this case, I used my Grey Flannel, Crafty, Morni ng Mist Pearlz and Olive Branch and Terra Cotta Shimmerz Spritz for the main colors on the flowers.

With the flowers colored with the color Crafty Pearlz, I went ahead and smeared on some of my Pearl Pearlz on top to give a little bit of a distressed look.

With the chipboard, I had previously used this piece as a mask for other projects, and therefore it was originally spritzed with my Shimmerz Spritz in Concrete, Mango Madness and Rock-a-Fella Blue. I wanted to add some more dimension to the colors and therefore went ahead and added to it my Shimmerz Pearlz in Pearl, Crafty and Morning Mist. The results were just beautiful!
There are just so many things you can do with your Teresa Collins Pearlz Shimmerz and with other Shimmerz products that you could just keep on creating over and over and over. I hope you'll try these fun products because I just know you'll love 'em!
-Deanna

SHIMMERZ ROCKS the PEARLZ and SPRITZ!

2010-01-15T17:20:00.003-06:00

When creating this layout with the Teresa Collins Shimmerz Pearlz collection colors, I decided to try a new technique. I love the look and the feel of texture paint, which you can find in any hobby or craft store in the paints section. It's really fun to play with, all you need to do is have a stencil on hand that you want to use, fill in the stencil with the texture paint and then let it set for several hours before coming back to it. I decided to let mine sit over night and then come back to it, because I knew immediately that I wanted to paint over the top of the textures I created with my Pearlz! I love how each swirl has different textures, because it really adds to the Pearlz and creates such unique and fun look to the page! I also went ahead and colored some chipboard with the Pearlz which really gives such a rich and creamy look to the chipboard. Finally, I painted in some open spaces on the journal spot made by Prima, because I just couldn't resist to continue to play with my new goodies! I am telling you ladies, these Pearlz are AWESOME and the colors are just so gorgeous in person!

Here are some close up shots which show in better detail how yummy these colors are:

The new Teresa Collins Shimmerz Pearlz are so beautiful, so pearlescent, creamy and much more opaque than the normal Shimmerz - and they are so much fun to play with! I guarantee that you'll love them too! Make sure to check back often for more work revealed by our design team members which will show you more inspirational and creative ways to work with this new line!!

I have one other project to share with you today.... and I hope you'll enjoy it!

There is one thing I really have come to love lately, and that is stamping with paints, which also means that opens up so many possibilities of "stamps" you can come up with household objects. For this most recent layout I made, using the Scrap for a Cure January Mini kit, I wanted to give some more texture to the already beautiful Kaiser pattern paper which is my background. I grabbed my bottle of Shimmerz Spritz, and spritzed my Shimmerz directly onto the bubble wrap I used and really got it saturated with color. I then went ahead and "stamped" my paper with the bubble wrap. One thing that really is great about using paints on the bubble wrap is that you can "stamp" multiple times and create a lighter version of the first and so forth but really still packs a punch on your page. For the upper left corner of the page, this was my original stamp and then the lower right corner was my third and fourth time "stamping" on the page, but you can see, I still got a lot of great color on the page from this effect.

Next, I went ahead and decided to grab a rubber stamp of mine, which I love to use quite often. It's actually a coffee stain stamp that I got from Club Scrap many years ago, but it's "messy" enough to work on boy pages. I went ahead and grabbed my Shimmerz Paints and a paint brush and I "painted" the color onto the stamp. I then went ahead and stamped on the page and again, used it multiples with the same dose of paint. I did "repaint" my stamp one extra time, because I needed to get a little bit darker spot on the brown pattern paper, and in order to have it show up, I needed to know that I would have a lot of color on the stamp.

Stamping onto your page with paints really adds a lot of great texture to a page, and I love texture, therefore, it really packs a punch to my layout. I really love the way this turned out, and I think I would be safe to say that this is my favorite layout thus far for the new year.

So next time you want to stamp on your page, try stamping with paint and a "found" object. You can really get creative with this. Some things you may want to use as your "stamp" could be an empty roll from toilet paper or paper towels. Saran wrap, bubble wrap, sponges, the bottom of a shoe for the pattern, or even a flower. The possibilities are endless!

Have fun creating!
-Deanna

BIG SHIMMERZ NEWZ!!!

2010-01-13T11:22:00.002-06:00

Today is the DAY Shimmerz announces our super Fun News and one of our New Product Releases! Please check out the video below....and Scroll down to find out how YOU can win BIG today!

All of us are SO crazy excited today that we are going to GIVE AWAY One Complete Set of Shimmerz Pearlz EVERY HOUR for the next 12 hours!!!! (10am - 10pm MST)
How can you play?? Well grab the blinkie below and put it on your blog/facebook or even favorite message board! Then email Shimmerz at shimmerzpaints@live.com with your contact information and tell us where you put the blinkie! Every hour we will update the Shimmerz Blog with the name of the person who won that hour!

Thanks for sharing in our excitement with us, we are all loving this new product and can't wait to hear what you think!!

Big Shimmerz Reveal! Today at 10 a.m. MST

2010-01-13T06:07:00.002-06:00

Are you all ready for a BIG Announcement at Shimmerz today???

Well, if you are saying "YES!!!" then you need to go to our blog today over at Shimmerz, grab this blinkie of course, and you'll see the BIG and I mean BIG things we all have planned for you Shimmerz fans!!!

I am SO dang excited!!! I can't wait until we can share it with you!! Go see our blog ladies!!! Just click on the link and you'll be happy you did!

Shimmery Art

2010-01-12T17:00:00.000-06:00

I was looking through some art for my house while online at Target one day and I saw this one piece of art that totally inspired me to do my own design. I had these chipboard tiles sitting around from Technique Tuesday for longer than I can even remember, and I thought that would be the perfect thing to use for this art work I was going to create. I used almost every one of my colors of Spritz and blended colors and also layered colors to create new colors. I masked objects as well to create some interesting looks on the tiles. After all the colors were dried - I added rub-ons onto the solid tiles and used alphabet stickers to create my words. For the background, I got some suggestions from my fellow team members on what I could use as my "canvas" and decided to go with a foam board for the background. I wanted it to have some Shimmerz to it as well...and I went ahead and spritzed the foam board until it was saturated with my Shimmerz Spritz in Baby's Breath and then I took some wax paper and just ran across the entire board to create a marble effect - a very subtle look because I didn't want to add any othernoticeable colors to the background. It's kind of hard to see this in the photos, but in person - it just shines beautifully in the light! This was such a fun project to create!

Here is what the finished piece looks like along with some close ups for your viewing pleasure:
In the close ups you'll see how vibrant the colors are and how well they blended!

I hope I have been able to inspire you to create your own piece of art for your home as well!
-Deanna

Scrap for a Cure Projects

2010-01-11T20:39:00.005-06:00

This month's mini kit at Scrap for a Cure are just wonderful and everything in the kit was so much fun to play with! The main kit is to die for as well....so if you haven't seen them you can still get them over at Scrap for a Cure! Here are the projects which I created using this month's mini kit (which wasn't so mini after all this month, lol)

With this first layout, I went ahead and made the flowers by punching circles out of my circle punches, distressing them, and then spraying them with some Shimmerz Spritz in the colors Baby's Breath and Treasured Hymn. I also splattered some color to the layout as well again by using my Shimmerz paints...such a fun layout to make with such a cute smile on Gavin's face!
With this next layout, I decided to mask some numbers and spray the year 2010 to the page. I love the way this turned out. I mixed and matched my patterned paper that came with the kit and then cut out the cute little monsters from one of the patterns as well. The "5" signifies the 5 goals I set for my
I really enjoy working with the kits from Scrap for a Cure - and I really think you would too! Stop by and check us out if you haven't already!
-Deanna

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T22:21:00.004-06:00

I want to start this post out by saying Happy New Year to everyone...I hope that this year will bring you lots of love, happiness and success.

This year I have a lot of things which I want to accomplish, and I will set small goals for myself this year instead of doing a lot of resolutions....because I have learned I never keep my resolutions, but can achieve small goals, so I choose that route.

I did some layouts using the January Scrap for a Cure kit which will highlight some of my goals for this year, however, I am only going to show you a part of the layout and will do a full reveal this coming Sunday when the new kits are released over at Scrap for Cure. I got to use the January Mini kit (which wasn't so mini after all, lol) Let me tell you this kit is GORGEOUS! I love everything about this kit, and I have to say that the main kit this month just rocks as well! You can see other peeks from our other design team members, if you just follow the links to the left of my blog. In the mean time, enjoy the peeks with this months mini kit!

Traditions

2009-12-17T21:51:00.004-06:00

Every year Gavin and I take his annual photos....and usually I get him to wear the Santa hat that I bought when he was just a mere one year old. This year was no different and I got photos of him in the hat - which were of course totally adorable, some ended up being blurry which disappointed me, but I am still going to use them, so oh well. ;)

And then of course, my over ambitious 5 year old decided that he wanted to go ahead and take a photo of me...so, I let him use my Canon 20D and believe it or not, he did a good job, which amazed me. I have a budding photographer on my hands I guess, makes me so proud. I did a layout with the December Scrap for a Cure kit with the photo...which has of course been altered, because, well, orange and red don't go well together so I made the photo black and white and added a filter to it, here is the layout:

Pretty good photo hey? (Even though I hate photos of me, but ah well. LOL) My sweet little boy, so proud of him in so many ways. :)

Well, off to bed for now, but have a wonderful night, and I will be back again tomorrow with another post.
-Deanna

The reason for the season.....

2009-12-16T18:54:00.005-06:00

It's funny, today as I was reading all of the latest on my Yahoo home page, I noticed an article called "Christian Group Launches New Attack on Christmas Commercialism", and of course I was intrigued enough to read the article. In one of the opening paragraphs it stated: There's a war on Christmas, O'Reilly recently reminded viewers, driven by those who "loathe the baby Jesus." This season, a holiday-dÉcor company is marketing the CHRIST-mas Tree, a bushy artificial tree with a giant cross where the trunk should be. And the Colorado-based Focus on the Family is continuing its Stand for Christmas campaign to highlight the offenses of Christmas-denying retailers. The campaign was launched, according to its website, because "citizens across the nation were growing dissatisfied with the tendency of corporations to omit references to Christmas from holiday promotions." I found this quite interesting, and read on. I have to say that it really made me think about my own practices with the Christmas season, and I realized that I have gotten quite caught up in the whole "I need to buy a lot of gifts or that person isn't going to think I love them." mode. When it comes down to it though, what has happened to the whole thought of we celebrate Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus, not to celebrate Santa and the elves. I made a decision that at my Christmas celebration with my family this year, there is going to be an important story told, so that my nieces and nephew, my son and my family start to remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas, because we are Christians, who are celebrating the birth of our lord, our savior. In this article, it also states that with some of the congregations they urged congregants to spend less on presents for friends and family, and to consider donating some of the money they saved as a result. Well, I am proud to say that this year, my son and I have been donating to those who are less fortunate then ourselves. I have given my spare change to my son and allowed him to add the money to the bins that the bell ringers stand at for the Salvation Army, we've donated to St. Judes hospital this Christmas season, and just recently, when our fire department held their annual "food and toy" drive - we donated 2 bags full of items for food pantries in our area. It is a great feeling knowing that we are helping families other than ourselves this holiday season. It is an interesting article, and it really makes you think. If you want to read it for yourself, here is the link to the article....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20091215/us_time/08599194759000

Well, thanks for letting me share my thoughts on this - and have a Merry Christmas and remember, Christ is the reason for the season that we celebrate Christmas. I hope that you'll all have a Merry Christmas, and celebrate the birth of our lord Jesus Christ with your families this year as well. God bless.

Layouts

2009-12-15T19:27:00.001-06:00

I am sharing with you two layouts that I did recently using my Pebbles products and of course they are of the most inspirational person in my life, Gavin. I love the way these layouts turned out, especially the one with the circles. That one was so much fun to make! Anyway - just some fun layouts to share with you today.

"Grow and Explore"

"The Big 5"

For this final layout, I covered the edges of the paper with Pebbles Metallic Chalks to give a "snowy" effect. I then added embossing ink to the page and then covered with the chalk. Notice the "ornaments" made out of the circle chipboard shapes. Such a fun holiday layout!

Thanks for stopping by!

Warm Holiday Wishes

2009-12-14T07:00:00.001-06:00

I made a special project for my most recent project with the new digital kit, which is called Winter Wrap digital kit, from Marks Paper Company. I am in love with this line. The papers are so rich and so gorgeous! If you haven't seen this kit, I really recommend you go and check it out and purchase it! Even if you are a traditional scrapper, this is an amazing kit, and you could go hybrid!

Anyway....what I wanted to do was make like a little canvas and so what I did is took a photo frame that I knew I wouldn't be using for photos (a dollar store purchase so it only cost a dollar to buy the frame). First, I printed out the papers I wanted to use to cover the frame up and then I went ahead and first in Photoshop, I made my "canvas" and then printed out all of the elements separately, cut them out and then put them together to create the little scene I did. Behind the blue 4x6 paper, in what used to be the space where the photo would go, I put bubble wrap in the space and the covered with my creation so that it acts like a little quilt square. It's pretty cool in person. I went ahead and then added my little phrase, my snowflakes (which I made shimmer more by using some Shimmerz Blingz in Gold Glimmer) and then added the little gem stones to the tree for ornaments. This is the final result of my project:Gorgeous don't you think? Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check back this week for more fun projects I will be sharing that I have made. :)

Holiday Happiness

2009-12-13T14:04:00.001-06:00

I love the holidays but what I love most is to create for the holidays. Ever since my first altered project, I have learned to love to create art with my scrap supplies. Recently, I just finished up a holiday house I made with scrapbooking products and my Shimmerz paints. This was such a fun little project to do! (if you want to see closer photos of the images in this post, just click on the photo itself)I experimented quite a bit with this little house. The first thing I experimented with was the roof. I wanted to give it that old "tin roof" look and I thought to myself what a better way to do this than with my Shimmerz Paints. This is what the roof looked like originally:In order for the paint to "stick" to the roof, I had to first sand it down to give it some roughness where the paint would be able to go into the grooves and stick. You can see the roughness in the photo, and that is what is what helped the paint stick. I ended up putting on 2 coats of the paint. In my first layer of paint, I used my Shimmerz in Coffee. I laid it down nice and thick (yes, you'll use a lot of your Shimmerz this way - but it's a great excuse just to buy more for yourself ;) !)With the first coat, what I did is it painted on the paint in a "stippling" effect, and this was the result. Looks a little strange this first coat, but just wait until you see the second coat. Note - give your paint time to dry! You are not going to be able to put that second layer on right away. I gave it like an hour to make sure it was dry all the way before beginning the second coat.

For this second coat, I used my Shimmerz in Coal, and again, I laid it on nice and thick. I did the same thing with this coat, I didn't just "paint" on the paint, I stippled it again. I love that in certain areas that the glitter built up, it gave it a nice texture to the roof, and gave it more of a realistic effect. Once again, give it time to dry - which with this coat of Shimmerz, I waited an entire day before coming back to the project.

The next step I took was to do the front and back of the house. This was easy for the back, as all I had to do was to measure my scrapbook paper and adhere the paper. The front was a little more work, and is what really made me decide on how to do the sides of the house. ;) For the front, I laid down a coat of acrylic paint, which in this case I used Olive Green acrylic paint. Then I measured out where my windows and the door were in relation to the paper, and laid this all out on the paper and cut out the openings. With this house, the windows were not exactly straight, which made this task slightly harder, but I worked with it. Once I got the paper down, I went ahead and painted the windows with my Shimmerz Fire Engine Red and the door with Shimmerz Coffee. Love the results of the shimmering windows!
See how beautiful the colors turned out? (Just a note, the ribbon, tree, and other embellishments were all added after all of the painting was complete)

Next came the sides of the house. Now - originally these were just plain wood sides. What I did was give the sides a base coat before I painted them completely. I got some card stock held on the complete front and back to protect them, and then coated the sides with my Shimmerz Spritz in Treasured Hymn, subtle but effective for the first coat of paint, as you'll see:I let this dry, which actually dried quite quickly with the help of me using my heat gun to help speed up this process. Once dried, I went ahead and started to stipple the sides of the house using my Shimmerz Mossy Stone, and let me tell you, I LOVE this color!!!After the first coat was done - I highlighted the sides a little bit more by adding some of my Shimmerz Blingz in Hi Ho Silver, which gave the sides a much higher sheen to the sides and a lot more depth than just having one color. When the sides were completely done, I painted the windows again in Shimmerz Fire Engine Red. Perfect touch!

Finally, for the roof, I went ahead wanted to give some "snow" on the roof, so what I did was sprayed over the roof with my Shimmerz Spritz in Licorice (to keep with the neutral color) and then added some white embossing powder right on top of the spritz. I used my heat gun to set the embossing powder on top and even though some of the paint bubbled from the heat, I think it added a little more character to the roof. Once I was done with the heat setting, I sprayed a little of my Shimmerz Spritz in Truffle, to tone down the white embossing powder, but did it very lightly. To complete the house, I added some little touches like the gold cord to the roof, the little wreath button, the snowflake buttons, 'believe" button word, the ribbon border and the chipboard tree. I really love the way this turned out and it's now displayed in my living room along with all of the other Christmas decorations I have up!
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope I have inspired you to use your Shimmerz Paints in more ways than you originally thought imaginable. :)
-Deanna

More projects

2009-12-02T23:46:00.008-06:00

I have some more fun projects to share with you from the Scrap for a Cure December kit. I have to tell you - I have always seen the cute Tussy Mussies that people have created and I really wanted to do one once I saw this kit. I admit, I struggled with making one and ALMOST gave up. Finally, I said to myself, "I can do this!" and I gave it a final whirl, and let me tell you, I am glad that I did. I love the way this turned out. and although it is a smaller one, measuring only a mere 9 inches long, I am proud I accomplished making one! Here is the final product (you can click on the photo to enlarge it):And a close up of the little plane:
I also finally got around to scrapping some photos of my son's 2nd Christmas from 2005. I love Christmas and what is all about, however, for some reason, I just can't seem to get around to scrapping the photos I get from the holidays. With this kit, I felt it was a perfect way to try to catch up on those old Christmas photos - and get a little closer to getting them done!

And here is a closet up of the flower I cut out from the Webster's pattern paper that was in the kit. I added a brad to the center of the flower and I accented it with some gold metallic marker from American Crafts and then some pearls from Prima Marketing, all of which are included in this month's kit from Scrap for a Cure!

This has been such a fun kit to play with - and I will be sharing more as the week goes on!

-Deanna

Scrap for a Cure projects

2009-12-01T18:09:00.004-06:00

I love Christmas time, and I really love being able to make holiday projects and layouts. This month at Scrap for a Cure, the kit is just out of this world and I knew immediately what I wanted to do with the chipboard that came in the kit. I made a count down to Christmas calendar - it was perfect!And here is a close up shot of that flower cluster:I also made a layout showing Gavin's change in his wish list, and how he has grown up in the past year...love this layout and I love the elements and papers from the kit that just made it perfect!

I will be showing other layouts/projects that I have completed in the next week so stop by everyday to get some new eye candy! Also, check out the other design team members designs... you can find their blogs to the left linked up.

Thanks for stopping by!
-Deanna

Shimmery projects

2009-11-30T10:35:00.002-06:00

I have been a busy little girl getting ready for the holidays and making new projects and layouts using my Shimmerz Paints. For your viewing pleasure today, I am sharing with you a layout and an altered frame.

I love altering things, and this frame was no exception. Originally this was meant to be used with photos, however, I dropped it, and the glass broke into a million pieces, which was a blessing in disguise. I decided to make a decorative piece with this for Christmas instead. I covered the inside of the frame with papers from Scrap Works and ribbon from Making memories. I then covered chipboard and put in on the "windows" I had to find a way to make the background work - and so what I did is used my Shimmerz Spritz in Baby's Breath and sprayed the background 3 times to create the "shimmery" background. The spritz absorbed into the wood quite well, and with the extra coats, it really makes it shine and adds a very unique background. I also went ahead and used my Shimmerz Golden Wheat and Celery to color the star and the trunk on the chipboard piece. For the chipboard ornaments, I edged them in Shimmerz Tickle-me-turquoise and Jilted Jade. For my flower, which was a fabric flower, I originally spritzed the whole thing with Shimmerz Spritz in Baby's Breath, and once that was dried, I went ahead and colored the bottom layer of petals in Jilted Jade to give it some extra dimension and an extra layer of color. Finally, I decided to add the beautiful gold leaves with berries to make this piece a little more festive, and I decided to change the color of the brown stems, which I thought were a little boring. I went ahead and colored the stems with Shimmerz in Tickle-me-turqouise. I had t give it 3 layers, but the results are just beautiful. This is going to be a fantastic piece to display in my house for Christmas!
A closet up of the background with the Shimmerz added to it:

Some close up shots for you to see the detail in the flower and the gold leaves branches:

I am very grateful this year for the many things that I accomplished in my life. I wanted to be able to share how grateful I am through a layout which will go into my "family" album. I had a lot of fun with this layout, and really made the layout shine. I used my November kit from Scrap for A Cure, and my Shimmerz Paints. I added a mask to the bottom of the page which would become my title area and then I sprayed the rest of the page with my Shimmerz Spritz in Treasured Hymn, Truffles, Rock-a-Fella Blue, and some Licorice. I also sprayed my circles with some Shimmerz Spritz in Treasured Hymn and Licorice. Some other fun things that I am really loving using is that I went ahead and I stamped images onto the page by using my rubber and acrylic stamps with the Shimmerz Paints.

For the butterfly, I edged the acrylic shape with my Shimmerz Hi Ho Silver Blingz, let it dry, and coated it twice. It really give some nice definition to the shape.

For this particular stamped image, before I stamped my image, I created a "wash" with my Shimmerz Vintage Wine by stamping on it and then "rubbing" the image into the paper. It gives such a pretty coloring behind the stamped image. Once that dried, I went ahead and stamped my image onto the circle.

And finally, just a nice close up shot of the stamped images that I spread throughout the page. I did what is known as a "kiss" stamping technique with this because I stamped my first image and then went ahead and kept stamping with the same paint until it was too light to notice. I repeated this twice throughout the layout.

Thanks for stopping by today, and hope you'll have a great Monday! If you're looking for more inspiration and great projects, don't forget to stop by the Shimmerz Blog and come and join us over at Scrap for a Cure for great inspiration and challenges from our team!
-Deanna

Shimmerz is looking for designers!

2009-11-20T18:46:00.002-06:00

Do you love working with paints and all things that shimmer and give your pages, projects and cards a beautiful sheen to them? Well, if you answered YES to that - you NEED to try out for the Shimmerz design team! I am telling you ladies, this is some FANTASTIC stuff and you would be on a team of fantastic ladies, who really know how to work this product! Give it a try!!! Here are the details:

ATTENTION!!! Shimmerz Paints is having a Design Team Call! Shimmerz is a cutting edge manufacturer, and looking for individuals who are not afraid to think outside of the box. Get Messy! Shimmerz is looking for artists and designers who can create a variety of projects such as layouts, cards, altered art, and whatever else you can do!
Design Team Responsibilities:
3 required projects each month, posted on your personal blog and the Shimmerz blog. More is great! One must be Shimmerz specific.
1 tutorial with photos during your Design Team tenure.
Willing to promote Shimmerz on blogs, forums, Facebook, and anywhere else possible.
We are looking for Team Players!
Benefits:
Name and blog link added to the Shimmerz blog.
A Design Team kit to start creating Amazing projects.
Publication Incentives.
A Design Team Discount
New Product Releases!
Chance to be part of a Wonderful Design Team!
What To Send:
Submit 2-3 projects (Does not have to feature Shimmerz, but we want to see the sparkle and shine); Good Photography is a MUST!
Name and Contact Information.
Blog Address.
Previous Design Team Experience and/or Publications.
A few sentences on why you want to be a part of Shimmerz.
If interested in being a part of Shimmerz, please apply by emailing photos of your projects, and other information to mcelyea@q.com by December 28, 2009. The new Design Team will be announced on January 1, 2010.
Blog: shimmerzpaints.blogspot.com
Website: shimmerzpaints.com
Email: mcelyea@q.com

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!!

Scrap for a Cure Design Team Call....

2009-10-22T00:22:00.001-05:00

Just thought I would post and let you all know about the design team call over at Scrap for a Cure. Here are the details:

It’s that time again…
Scrap for a Cure is hosting a Design Team call! We are open to submissions from new and experienced designers*. Some of the things we will be looking for are consistency, professionalism, creativity, and quality of work.
As a Design Team member, you will be a critical asset in promoting our kits and projects, posting on the message board and blog and representing the company wherever you can. We will be looking for individuals who are motivated, fun and passionate about Scrap for a Cure, what we stand for and our philosophy of giving back and “paying it forward”. We are looking for individuals that will work well as a team. The Design Team position will be a 7-month commitment (due to shipment schedules) beginning with the January 2010 kit and ending June 15th (after kit launch and promotions).

SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Dates:
The Design Team Call will run from September 30 to October 30,2009.
All submissions will be reviewed at the end of the submission deadline and winners will be contacted and announced by November 10th.

Who can apply:
Anyone living within the US with a passion for crafting and scrapping. Don’t hesitate to apply if you haven’t been on a design team before! You need to have an active blog and be active on at least 2 industry- related message boards. You must also be active on our message board during our Design Team Call. This is the best way for us to get to know you.
We are unable to accept International applications at this time.

What we require for our DT Call:
You will need to submit a total of 5 items; 4 layouts, 2 of which are new (not previously posted or published) original layouts, and one altered item. The layouts can be 8.5×11 or 12×12. Altered items are considered anything that is not a page or a card.

If you are selected as a Design Team member you will:
·Promote Scrap for a Cure whenever possible. Example, if you have a blog, there should be a link to Scrap for a Cure. A picture of our latest monthly kit should also be on your blog.
·Offer consistent and frequent participation on our message board.
·Be required to create and post at least 4 items per kit, using at least 75% of the ship product shipped to you– one layout will be featured in our kit mailings on our idea insert page.
·Actively participate in our monthly newsletter and blog posts. Each DT member will be required to submit 2 newsletter articles and 4 to 6 separate weeks to post on the blog and forum “question of the day”.
·Actively participate in challenges & organizing contests.

Submission Process:
You need to register on our message board.

Complete the following and email along with your layouts (resized to 600×600) to scrapforacure@yahoo.com
• Name, mailing address, phone number

• Links to other online galleries that show your work, be sure to include your screen name

• Link to your blog.

• A bio of yourself

Include the answers to the following questions in your email:

1. Why are you interested in a DT position with Scrap for a Cure?
2. Have you ever designed for another website/company? If so, who?
3. Are you currently designing for another website/Company? If so, who?
4. Are you active on any message boards? Which ones? (please provide your screen name)
5. How long have you been scrapbooking?
6. Who are your favorite manufacturers? (top 5)
7. What are your 3 must-have scrapbooking items?
8. Where does your inspiration come from?

WHAT DO OUR DESIGNERS RECEIVE?
*A kit every other month containing the industry’s latest and greatest products (more details in the SFAC DT contract)
*Product discounts (more detail will be provided to those who are selected for the team).
*Headshot & Bio on the Scrap for a Cure Design Team Tab, including personal gallery and blog link.
*Layouts and projects featured on the Scrap for a Cure home page.
*Other perks – free passes to CHA, opportunity to design with our kits, etc. We are continually promoting Scrap for a Cure and take pride in our Design Team. We WILL brag about you!!

For questions, please email scrapforacure@yahoo.com
We can’t wait to see your work!
Diana & Patti ~Owners: Scrap for a Cure
http://www.scrapforacure.com
**Additional comments and responses to questions will be posted on the Scrap for a Cure forum**

Pebbles Projects....

2009-10-18T10:28:00.010-05:00

I am posting some of my Pebble's projects that I have done in recent months for the Pebble's blog. I wanted to share some of these layouts with you as I really love what I have done, and also because they have all been posted over at the Pebble's blog. If you haven't been over to the blog, you should stop by every week...as on Monday's we have our design team challenges, Wednesday's are the days for inspiration and on Friday's - the team points out "tips" to use in your scrapping, card making or even projects that you make! Come on and stop by!!

First layout is called "Initiation". This is a layout of when I became a member of the sorority Zeta Tau Alpha at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. I was one of the founding mother's of our chapter, so this is one of the very proud moments in my life (and the girl holding out the drink is my one of my best friends):Next up is a layout about me and my sister (my big sister - which you'd never think of by the photo!!) :And finally, just some fun little cards I made for the blog... one for making your own flowers and one for using your Pebble's stencils. (See how I got the Shimmerz paints in both of the cards, told you I have become addicted to these paints!)And in other news - it seems as though winter sure is on it's way here in Wisconsin. Oh how I miss the days that I was able to NOT have to wear a jacket. It's been in the highs of only 40's to mid 50's the past week. Brr.....sure is cold out there! I still need to get me a winter jacket, and one that is going to fit and one that I like. It seems that once fall actually hits, the stores out there believe that winter jackets shouldn't be sold and that they need to start bringing out the WRONG season of clothing. Please, someone, explain that theory to me? Why in the heck would I want to worry about spring attire when it's getting colder out? I just don't get it. LOL.

Anyway, soon it will be Halloween and Gavin and I last night decorated the outside of the house with good ol' fashioned cob web's and the windows with some easy window gel clings. Finally, I bought us a cute little scarecrow wood sign that says Fall is here. I will have to get photos of the work we did. Gavin loves what we did, and that is all that matters to me!

Well, that is all for now, but have a great rest of the weekend! Oh, and GO PACK GO!!!!

-Deanna

October such a busy but fun month ahead!

2009-10-05T20:56:00.012-05:00

This month marks many things that are happening and such a busy time indeed! This month, over at Scrap for a Cure, the kits are just rocking and are full of such fun things to play with!!! I made some pretty fun projects with this months kit and also used some of the challenges from the boards from other DT members. This first layout, I made without a photo...it was a challenge the fellow dt member Erin had last month with "scrapping without a photo on your page". This page is very dear to me, because what it talks about is how one day I hope to have someone special in my life again, and also, if time permits, to have one more child. I long for the day that I am able to share love with someone again, and also have that person be a part of my son's life as well. I added to the kit, my Shimmerz Spritz in the color Licorice, and used it by making a mask with chipboard (and now have the chipboard colored to use at a later point). I really love the look of this layout.Here is a close up of the butterfly, which to me represents me opening myself up to the new possibilities in life.
For this next layout, I did a layout that was about Gavin and my friends daughter, Elizabeth. The two of them are only one month apart in age, and really do get along quite well. They are pretty good friends and I hope that they will stay that way for a long time to come. Oh, and notice the Shimmerz I sprayed on the layout? I am telling you, I am addicted to this stuff!!! ;)Here are close views of this layout with button detail and the cluster close up. The bird I colored with my Shimmerz in the new colors Wed Wagon and Mossy Stone.And a fun layout which is about Isaac and my adopting him back in February. I love the way this one turned out with the dimension that it has added to it by using foam adhesive.

Just look at the detail of this layout. I really love the papers that I was able to use with this kit, because they really added to this layout quite well.And of course, I couldn't go without using my Shimmerz paints on this layout right? I painted the chipboard letters at first with Marigold and then to give them some extra shine I sprayed them with my Shimmerz Spritz in the color Baby's Breath. It gives a different type of look to the title by bringing out both colors, but just love the effect!The final project that I made with this month's October kit was an altered coaster. I made myself a little 4x4 plaque that is for some added fall decor in my house. I found the phrase online and then went ahead and made this little decorative piece. I added the paper flower, tag and the leaf stickers to the kit.For the chipboard letters I added the Shimmerz Mossy Stone to color it and to the paper flower, I first spritzed the flower with my Shimmerz Spritz in Rock-a-fella-blue and then once it was dried, I also went ahead and spritz it with Shimmerz Spritz in Baby's Breath. It made such an impact on this plaque, don't you agree???

And finally, just a fun layout that I did last month at Scrap for a Cure. As most of you know, I am also a digital scrapper as well, and I LOVE the look of the layouts that are full of white space, and seem so flawless. Well, I went to Oscraps.com for some inspiration, and looked through the galleries of Taylor Made Designs and Paiselee Press and found the inspiration that I was looking for. The layout I made is a traditional paper layout, which has the feel of a digital layout. Just fantastic! I used my Shimmerz Spritz in Licorice and Treasured Hymn to add some texture to the layout and just spritzed on the upper and lower corner of the layout. I used rubons for the "typed" text (which is actually very close to what these two digital designers offer with their designs!) so I was excited to be able to replicate that in this layout. Finally, I hand cut out some flowers from the pattern paper in the September main kit, and here is the result:
Awesome, don't you agree???

Speaking of Shimmerz!!! Ok ladies, you just have to keep an eye on the Shimmerz blog this month! We are going to be making Pink Projects...in honor of this being Breast Cancer Awareness month. Now, many of you know that this is something that is near and dear to me, and I have been and avid supporter since my college ZETA TAU ALPHA days. I support the SUSAN G. KOMAN foundation 100%!! I believe in what they do and what they are for. Shimmerz has linked up the site for anyone who wants to make a donation to the cause. So please, go to the blog, because we're having a contest - if you post your projects to the Shimmerz Flickr group - at the end of the month, we'll be drawing winners who will win some PINK SHIMMERZ goodies!!! I am telling you - this is going to be such a great month, and full of some amazing and inspirational projects! As fellow dt member Danielle stated "Let's not just create, but inspire and spread the word. Post it on your blog, and let others know! Let your light Shimmer!" Make sure to come by and check us out all month long and join in with the fun ok???

Have a great day! I will be back soon - as I have more projects to share with you all! Good night.

-Deanna

Brr.... it cold out here!

2009-09-28T23:36:00.004-05:00

Oh my goodness! I can't believe how cold it got here in Wisconsin today! Right now, I am freezing in my scrap room as I write this! Yesterday it was like 74 - and today it's been rainy and only in the 50's. Yuck! I got out my and Gavin's jackets in order to stay warm today! Tomorrow is supposed to bring the same cold weather, ick! I am not ready for this yet! I guess though, it is fall, so it was going to come sooner or later right!?

Speaking of fall...I got my Scrap for a Cure kit just this past Thursday, and oh my! I am in love with this kit! Yes, I know I have said that with every kit I have worked with so far, but this one has the richest colors in it, and the papers are so much fun! I know if you'd get this kit you'd love it!

Here are a few sneaks to tease you with - and then I will reveal the whole layouts for you on the first of October, so only 2 days before you'll see the rest. I hope I have enabled you with these sneaks!Well, enjoy the next few days, and if it's cold out by you - stay warm!

-Deanna

Shimmery Fun!!!

2009-09-21T01:02:00.013-05:00

There are so many great things happening with Shimmerz Paints and it's such an exciting time to be on the team!! Shimmerz has gone under some redesigning, in many aspects. It has a new logo, a FANTASTIC new website for ordering product, seeing tutorials, and checking out other cool things as well, there are also some great new ladies who have joined the team and brought some smokin' talent with them to boot! Plus, Shimmerz has a new education team, which will be bringing you video tutorials, classes, online classes, how to's....everything you need to know about Shimmerz. Right now they are having a video blog hop, and you could win a set of the new 5 colors that have been released if you play along! It is such a fantastic Shimmery time right now!!!

And now for the best news! Today marks the day that Shimmerz has new color releases! Can you say VINTAGE and Miniz!?!? Oh my - I am really loving the new colors!

With fall being right around the corner here, getting the new line of Shimmerz Vintage colors and new mini Spritz colors was just perfect timing! I decided that I could finally make my friend a frame that I have had in my mind for a while now and with using Crate papers and the new Shimmerz colors, it was a match made in heaven. I went ahead and colored my Prima flowers with Shimmerz Spritz Miniz in Treasured Hymn and then the new Vintage Shimmerz in Antique Lace and Vintage Wine for the other two flowers. The colors work really well with the shabby papers that I used to cover up the frame I used.

Also, for the little tag at the bottom of the frame, I decided to use the Vintage Shimmerz in Mossy Stone with my rubber stamps. I first went ahead and put some paint down on the tag, and wiped it off while it was still wet in order to just give a hint of the green color in the background. I then went ahead and with a paint brush, painted on the color to the rubber stamp I wanted to use – just on the word “True Friends” and did a step repeat in order to get a vanishing look and have the shimmery color with the word. I then let it dry and went over the middle word with Staz On ink and have a “shadow” effect thanks to the Shimmerz Mossy Stone, as you can see in this close up photo:

In the end what you have here is a classy gift item, which was very easy to make and has that extra shimmery effect which I have come to love with the projects I create! I hope you enjoy this project and really recommend the new colors to you all, as they are just PERFECT!!!!

Be sure to stop by the Shimmerz Blog to check out the new projects that are posted with the new colors and also the new education team and see all of the other amazing projects that one can create using Shimmerz!!

Supplies Used: Pattern Papers: Crate Papers; Paints: Shimmerz Vintage Mossy Stone, Antique Lace, Vintage Wine, Shimmerz Miniz Treasured Hymn; Ribbon: May Arts; Buttons: Buttons Galore; Rub-ons: American Crafts; Stamp: Stampabilities; Ink: Staz On

-Deanna

The Welcome Sign

2009-09-08T09:34:00.003-05:00

I used to alter items a lot back when I first started to scrap and I got into the many aspects of the hobby. I somehow got away from it, but have found that lately, I am back into altering items and also making more paper crafting items again. I love that I can use my love of scrapbooking and now mix it with my love for my Shimmerz Paints! With this project, which I made for Marks Paper Company, I incorporated into it my Shimmerz Eucalyptus Spritz on the titles. I love how well it goes with the line that I used and how nicely it adds some extra shine to it.

As you can see in the close up - it really gives it kind of a metallic look to the lettering and a discreet way to get in that little "bling" I love to add to my items.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
-Deanna

Scrap for a Cure September kit and Gavin news

2009-09-06T12:47:00.009-05:00

Well, it's September, which means that fall will be upon us soon. How time sure has flown this year! With this month, it brought another great kit for me to use from Scrap for a Cure, and this month I got to work with the mini kit, which has an album from BoBunny and great papers, embellishments and tags to work with. I really love how this turned out and the theme was great for me to finally get some photos from a final "family" trip with me, Gavin and Jeremy. Yes, I actually scrapped them and it feels great! Be sure to stop by the forum at Scrap for a Cure and check out the other designers blogs (or check out the links on my blog to the right) as they were working with the main kit this month, and it's AWESOME (I know because I bought it myself!!!) Here are the photos of the album I made with the kit this month:

And now for my proud mommy moment with Gavin, because we should always save the best for last right? Gavin started Kindergarten this past week and I couldn't be prouder! He was up in time for school and was ready and rearing to go by the time his dad came to our house in the morning. Gavin wanted both Jeremy and me to drop him off in the morning and pick him up on his first day of school, which honestly, I was perfectly fine with. It gave Jeremy the opportunity to see how the "routine" was supposed to go, seeing as he will be dropping off and picking up more than I will thanks to my work hours. Gavin was doing so well, and then we got to the playground, with the many, many kids on it, and Gavin had a moment of being a little timid - but he did ok and went onto the playground with his friend Lily. He was so proud by the end of his day, because he told me he made a friend, which is always nice, seeing as his two other daycare friends are in the other kindergarten room. He made me and Jeremy laugh though because the very FIRST thing he said to us was "Man, I am so pooped out! It was a really long day! I think I need a nap." Yup, I expected that would happen. This week was a great one for him and we're ready to take on the second week after Labor day! Here is a layout I made with some of the photos that I took from that morning. Thanks for letting me share!
Have a great Labor Day everyone!!!
-Deanna

Triple the Sketch fun!

2009-08-28T22:56:00.004-05:00

This week, Shimmerz Paints and Triple the sketch are teaming up! Patter Cross is an amazing scrapper and also sketch artist, and very dear person. Her sketches are amazing - so if you've never been to her site, I highly recommend it if you love sketches! With her sketch for this week, I decided to make a layout. The sketch was super fun to work with, and really worked out with this recent photo of my niece and my son. With this sketch, I decided to recycle a label from some Prima packaging and spritzed it with my Baby's Breath Spritz to give it some extra shimmer. Next I went ahead and colored my flowers with Tickle me Turquoise Shimmerz and again using my Baby's Breath Spritz. Once again, you just have to love that shimmery effect that all of the colors add to you layout!!

This is the layout that I made using the sketch. I was really loving being able to incorporate the circle!

And a fun close up of those amazing flowers!!!

Thanks for letting me share my layout with this super fun sketch!

Keep an eye on my blog ladies, as in the next few days I will be sharing some sneaks with the AWESOME kits from Scrap for a Cure for September, and let me tell you - I am in LOVE with this month's kit and I know you'll like it too!!!

~Deanna

Feeling kind of down....

2009-08-26T21:16:00.002-05:00

By no means do I want this to turn into a "Oh whoa is me" type of post, but I am feeling down right now. I passed my state boards last week, and officially became an RN - so that is really exciting and also makes me very happy that I passed this time around. However, I am down, because I just don't understand why it is that places don't take the chance on hiring new RN's for jobs right now. I may not have 2 years under my belt yet, but you know what? I am a good nurse! I don't say that just because I feel that I am good nurse, but because I truly believe it and have been told it by many people. I can't get even get a job on a normal medical/surgical unit, which is what 3/4 of my clinicals were! Sure, I am only an ADN for my nursing degree but dang it - I have had a lot of hands on experience, and I have been working as a nurse for the past year and a half now, so I almost have 2 years of nursing experience under my belt. Ok, so with saying that, again I ask myself and also the corporations out there...why not take a chance with someone who just got their license? Just because I am a newly registered nurse does not mean that I will come to you without experience. I have been doing all sorts of things in the nursing home in which I work at. I start IV's, I hang IV's, I have worked with TPN's, PICC lines, Central Lines, chemo patients, rehabilitation patients, surgical patients, you name it, I have dealt with it. And most recently I have been dealing with mental health patients and also alcoholic/drug addicted patients who are either just coming out of the withdrawal and not handling it well to those who have been alcohol/drug free for more than a month and have that "craving" that really drives a person crazy, quite literally. So....just because I work in a skilled nursing facility does not mean I come without experience...and I just wish that the hospitals would see that. I don't know, just a bad night overall. And the funny part, the jobs that I have been applying would have been supplemental to my current job - which means I would have been working 2 jobs and getting bills caught up. I really need to find something, I need it for many, many reasons. :(

Then another thing that is really getting me down is my dog. I feel so bad for Isaac. He has been having bowel issues now for over a month a half. Just when I get him to the point that he is back to normal cycles - I start to re-introduce his food back to him and then we are right back to having explosive diarrhea issues and he is back to having to NOT eat his normal dog food. He has been diagnosed basically with either a food sensitivity which just developed or IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). I now have to have him eat this special bland food which is a GI food for the next week, and once I reintroduce his food to him, can only start out with like a tablespoon, and do that for about a week, then add a little more of the normal food and gradually get him back into eating a full bowl of the normal food (or so I hope that he'll be able to do) If for some reason his stomach cannot get back into eating normal dog food again, fully, then he will be on this bland GI diet for the rest of his life. That would mean no treats for him, because treats = not bland and therefore will upset his gut. UGH! Poor baby. I pray that he will get well again, because I want to be able to give him NORMAL foods so that he can be spoiled once in a while with treats.

Finally, it's starting to hit me that my little man, my baby is growing up too quickly and will begin kindergarten next Tuesday and I am so sad about this. Happy for him, but sad at the same time. I am not ready for this next chapter in our lives, although he is really happy and showing signs of readiness for starting school. Go figure. :(

Well, with all of this - it's really hurting tonight, and I feel so depressed. I really need to get out of this funk, otherwise I may find myself back on my depression pills, which quite honestly, I don't want to have to start using again, as I kicked in the butt once before, and damn it, I will do it again.

So...with that, I just want to thank you for listening and also for reading this if you have gotten this far. Next post I promise to make a happier one, but let's face it, life is not always a bowl of cherries, right???

Have a great night everyone!
-Deanna

Scrap for a Cure August kit.....

2009-08-03T11:50:00.015-05:00

Ok ladies and gents, I am going to admit..this kit was a challenge for me. Why? Because I have a boy, and with the papers I had, I was so afraid that I wasn't going to be able to create "manly" pages. LOL. I was wrong and I put myself up to the challenge, and really, really love what I created this month. I got to play with papers from Webster pages, Prima, Hambly, Luxe Designs, and one of my favorites, Basic Grey! The first layout, was based off a challenge we were put up to using a sketch from 52 sketches.....52 weeks. This is from sketch #22:
With this layout, I took the white ribbon, and colored it with my Distress Inks (soot color) and made it more subtle and more muted like the rest of the layout. I used my own letter stickers from my own stash for the title. Here is the original sketch:
Here are the rest of the layouts and one card that I created using the August kit, along with some detailed photos as well for your viewing pleasure:
Notice the pink color on this title? I just HAD to use my Shimmerz spritz in Cotton Candy - it was perfect for the layout. Not only did it add the extra shimmery fun to the page, but the color worked really well with the rest of the page as well. It created a whimsical fun to the page. :)

Some shots of the flower clusters:

This next layout I called Nature Boy, because of Gavin's love of being outside all the time and playing in the grass, or whatever he can when he is out there. No fear from this one! ;)

And a detail shot of the bird with the little pearl eye:

This layout is of my sister and my nephew, circa 1990:

Close up view of the flower cluster that I cut out from the Webster Pages pattern paper. It made such a nice little frame for the photo:
I love, love this layout! Not only because it's a fun design, but because it has JOHNNY DEPP!!!! I was very lucky to be able to see the filming of "Public Enemy" because it was being filmed right where I live. It was AWESOME! Just look at how freakin' cute that man is. Yummy! The kit helped me FINALLY get some of these photos scrapped, and it's about time to be able to show of my photos of him, hehe.

Close up shot of the flowers I made with ribbon for this page:
Aren't they just the cutest little flowers??? This is something new for me to do, as I don't usually experiment with ribbon like this. See, I am trying new things, and getting good results from it! It's a good thing to play around with the supplies you have, you never know what you'll be able to create!

Finally, a little card I made, which was just a fun little thing to do. I really love the pages we were sent from children's books, because this made for quite the nostalgia card, simple, easy to make but yet quite effective:

The buttons I gave some dimension to by using some pop dots. These were card stock stickers from Webster pages, and the pearls are Basic Grey.

Overall, I am so happy with the creations I made with this first kit I used from Scrap for a Cure, and I still have papers and embellishments left over to be able to create more. This was such a fun kit to use! If you love what you see and are not a part of the club, and want to get your hands on this kit, go over to the site! You are going to love it too!!!

Until next time - happy creating!!!

Thoughts and Prayers

2009-07-30T21:23:00.005-05:00

I made a card for a very good friend of mine, who is going through a real rough time right now, as she recieved very sad news which will affect her and her husband. I wanted to let her know that I am thinking of them and that they are in my thoughts and prayers. When I made this card, I wanted it to be extra special and with the Shimmerz Spritz, in Bubble Gum, it really added the right touch I was looking for with the chipboard bird. It gave it the extra shine, which to me was to represent the shine from the angels above who are watching over this family at this time.

Symbolism, in the subtlest of ways. And with the close up shot, you can see just how nice the shine really is:

Beatifully done, don't you agree?

I have also gone ahead and made a fun altered project using my Pebbles products. This used the line Lil' Miss, which was just recently released and debuted. LOVE these papers! You can see the full line here.

Finally......I leave you with a final sneak peek of the upcoming Scrap for a Cure kit - telling you ladies, you really need to check it out and get this kit!!!!!!!!!!

The prima flowers are not part of the kit, however, the pearls in the center of the blue flower are, as is the paper that the butterflies are and my circular artsy flower with the button. Wait until you see the whole layout for this one! I am dying to show it to you. :)

Have a great night everyone!

Blog Hopping...

2009-07-27T18:51:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone... this is the first time I get to share some reveals of the August kit over at Scrap for a Cure. This kit is so much fun! I really love that I am able to share and create with this great group of gals, because this is such a fun site and also a great kit club. If you haven't seen the kits...check them out ladies! And while you are at it, try to grab one of the August kits on the first if you are not a subscriber, you'll love it! Also, come join us at the forum, and check out the other gals designs!

Without further ado....here are some of my sneaks for your viewing pleasure:

You can check out the other design team members blogs with the links to the left - thanks for stopping by! Have a great day everyone!

Where does time go?

2009-07-25T10:15:00.010-05:00

Wow, where does the time go? This month, no, this year, has just been flying by! I can't believe that we're already coming up on August. Whoa! Well, this coming month will be super busy for me, as I will be getting Gavin ready for kindergarten and I will be preparing myself for him to be going as well. I am so sad to see my little man start already. Sigh...he is growing up way too quickly!

Speaking of being busy, I have been busy with creating projects, layouts and such for my scrapping. I am so happy with my recent work. I was going to try out for the American Crafts design team call, but at the last minute decided to chicken out from that one. Here are the layouts I made for the call:

This first layout, I used a line of papers that were in a pack at Hobby Lobby. I really love how well they worked with my photos and I really love all of the space I created with this layout. With this second layout, I wanted it to have more of a playful feel to it. I think I accomplished that quite well in my opinion. I made the chipboard flower using my Shimmerz Paint for the purple (Periwinkle if you want to go and buy it!) and then made the stem using Doodlebug Designs Flocked velvet, first time I used that to be honest. We might have to repeat that!

Another project that I have created lately is a mini photo album with my favorite photos of 2009. Obviously it is an ongoing album as I have 5 more months left, but I at least started it and have some of my favorites so far. :)

Yes, this has got to be one of my favorite smaller albums that I have made to date. I used so many different products in this project. I used mainly papers from 7 Gypsies, but also have Little Yellow Bicycle, EK Success, and Rusty Pickle. I have embellishements from We R Mememory Keepers, Pebbles, Making Memories, Prima, Heidi Swapp, and many others. I even used my Shimmerz Paints again, as you can see. I LOVE this album! I am really glad to be able to share it with you as well.

I have other projects as well, but cannot share them quite yet, but soon. They should be revealed over at the Pebbles blog and on August 1st the other projects will be revealed at Scrap for a Cure....cannot wait to share with you all!

Well, enjoy your weekend, and I will talk with you soon. Hugs!

New reveal......

2009-07-17T19:51:00.006-05:00

I love it when CHA comes around. I love all of the new sneaks we get to see from all of the different manufacturers. What is even more exciting is when we as design team members get to share with you all the cool reveals that are coming up! Shimmerz is also joining in the excitement of new things happening...there are NEW colors being released soon... and Stacey and the design team are so excited to announce the newest products that will be available very soon!!!

Introducing to you -
4 of Shimmerz Newest Colors!
Don't they just "scream" Summer to you!?

The newest colors that join the family of Shimmerz are:
Caribbean Sunset Spritz
Tickle Me Turquoise Shimmerz
Jilted Jade Shimmerz
Island Salsa Blingz

Be watching for projects from the design team that will be popping up very shortly over at the Shimmerz Blog and you will just want to get your hands on these colors as well!

Second Toot revealed.....

2009-07-16T12:39:00.004-05:00

Ok! So I can finally share my second toot with you all that I mentioned in some post ago! I am SO excited to say that I am one of the newest members of the Scrap for a Cure design team.

I am stoked about being on this team for several reasons. One, I get to work with my friend Melanie and I am working with Leslie Ashe again, which it's been a long time! Danielle Calhoun is also a friend of mine, who is the design team coordinator over there, and really excited to be working with her! The designers are all fantastic! Second reason I am stoked, this is a kit club, which I haven't worked with in a while, and the kits the site puts together are so much fun! If you've never seen what Scrap for a Cure has to offer - click on the photo and it will take you to the site. Check them out! You won't be disappointed..which brings me into the final, and most important reason that I am really excited to be working with this team. Scrap for a Cure is a different kind of kit club. This is a kit club that gives back. Ok, so what do I mean by that? Well, here is what they have to say about their site:

"WE ARE
Passionate about giving back. We feel very blessed with the lives we have. We are surrounded by family and friends at any given moment and truly believe that one person can, will and does make a difference in the lives of others.
Everyone will have at least one turning point in their lifetime. They are thrown into a path against their will or charge through it with a purpose. Whichever path our lives take us upon, we all share a common thread. We can all name someone close to us affected by disease or illness.
What better way to share what we love with others than to offer exciting scrapbook kits and projects and donate 5% of our total sales to the causes we hold dear. Founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Nancy G. Brinker, asked herself 25 years ago, “Could one person really make a difference?” We intend to do just that.
Will you join us?"

So come join us and be a part of this kit club....they rock for all the right reasons! Thanks for letting me share with you the latest news!

Life

2009-07-11T21:03:00.007-05:00

Hi everyone! Today I am sharing with you a layout which I have entitled "Life", which basically just talks about things in my life that matter most to me today. I did this layout for the Shimmerz blog, and I really love the way this turned out! If you haven't seen what the Shimmerz team has done with these paint, I have to totally recommend you visit the blog!

With this layout, I used a lot of Shimmerz on it. I used my Shimmerz, Blingz and Spritz's to showcase and make my layout shine. Here is the layout to share....and you'll be able to see just how much fun the Shimmerz lines added to my creation:
In this close up, you'll be able to see the chipboard flowers better and see the actual shine that the Shimmerz and Blingz did to them. I used my Aqua Marine Shimmerz on the stems of the chipboard and for the tops, I used on the one, Royal Red Shimmerz and on the other one, for the first coat, I used Under the Sea Blingz and for the second coat, I used my December Sky Blinz. On the pattern paper on the leaves, I also went ahead and gave them a little extra bling, by using my Angel Wings Shimmerz. Love the colors - and how vibrant they are on the chipboard!
For the title, I went ahead and used my Truffle Spritz, which gave a nice sheen to the chipboard letters. Again, don't you just love that shine??? This stuff is so addicting!

Thank you for letting me share my newest creation and have a wonderful day!

Supplies Used:
Pattern Papers: Pebbles Inc.; Cardstock: Bazzill Basics; Chipboard: Fancy Pants Designs, Making Memories, Pebble's Inc; Flowers: Prima; Letter Stickers, ribbon: American Crafts; Tags: 7 Gypsies; Label Maker: DYMO, Punch: EK Success; Candy Dots: Pebbles Inc.; Paints, Spritz: Shimmerz; Word Art: Vinnie Pearce (Today I freebie kit); Computer Software: Adobe CS3; Pens: ZIG, Sakura

First toot revealed......

2009-07-08T15:29:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone. I hope that this posting finds you all having a great week and one that has been without too many worries. I have been having a good week, considering that I have been bored completely for the last three days. That is OK though, I don't mind, it's nice having relaxing days you know?

Anyway....I said in my previous post that I had 2 toots to share, and one, can finally be revealed. I have been a follower of Pebbles Inc. since 2005, when I went to my first (and so far only) CHA show. I loved all the cute little embellishments that they had to offer and even went as far as to try to promote myself to them and introduce myself. Back in the day, Pebbles worked with freelance designers. This year, they had their very first design team call, and I was all over that one! I created some layouts and projects and posted them to my galleries, and also took the chance at submitting an entry to the call. I am proud to say that I did get an email from Lindsay from Pebbles congratulating me on being chosen for the team - and I could not be happier to be quite honest! I am so proud to be on this team and I really hope that I will be able to do them proud with my designs! The team that is together is over the top, and I am so happy to be designing with some of my friends, and other's who I am on other teams with right now as well. So...please check out the Pebble's blog either tomorrow or by the end of the week, and the new team members will all be introduced to the world! Stop by and congratulate these ladies, it's an awesome team! I promise!!

A card and some more on life....

2009-07-02T20:39:00.005-05:00

Well, today has been a very busy, but peaceful day for the most part. I have been home all day, and have been enjoying being able to scrap some and get some projects done for Mark's Paper Company, which I will be able to share once they are up on the Mark's Blog. I also did some projects that are going to be for Shimmerz, however, they are not done quite yet, but once they are, I will be able to share those with you as well. I can't wait to let you see them! However, I did make a card using the Linnie line of papers from Pebble's Inc, a flower from Prima, and ribbon that has wire in the edges. That ribbon is so much fun because once you "curl" the edges of your ribbon, it stays put like you want it to, which is great in this case. :) Here is that card:

I also really love the way this card turned out because if you see on the butterfly some "shimmery" effect, I used my Shimmerz Spritz Baby's Breath to give it some sparkle, and was quite happy with the effect I got from the spritz. It really added to the butterfly and helped it look more 3 dimensional. Yummy! Other goodies that I used with this card are my Martha Stewart punch (lace punch), Pebbles chipboard, Cherry Arte chipboard letters, Making Memories Rub-ons, and finally Bazzill card stock.

Finally - I have something to share with you...I have not one, but 2 TOOTS! I can't reveal them quite yet, but let me just tell you, I am so super excited and very happy and cannot wait to share with you what my news is. Hopefully soon! Hehe, I know, what a teaser!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, and here is to the coming days!

Wow! Talk about creative!

2009-06-30T11:25:00.002-05:00

As I was starting up my internet this morning, and my yahoo page loaded up, there was a little blurb about "Girl makes prom dress from duct tape." and I just had to check it out. I was thinking to myself, well, that is a little weird - why would you want to dress in duct tape for your prom?! Well, when I watched the news clip, I dropped my jaw. HOLY SMOKES! Talk about some very creative thinking! And who knew that duct tape came in so many colors! Ok, so tel me, have I intrigued you just a little bit yet? If so, check out this link -it was a contest held by Duck brand tapes (ahh...love my Duck brand adhesive for my scrapping, so of course I would love this too, hehe). The page I am linking you to is the top 10 finalists from this year's contest....cast your vote for one of these ladies, because they have a future ahead of them in fashion design, that is for certain! http://www.ducktapeclub.com/contests/prom/entries_finalist.asp

Have a great day, I am off to scrap some photos of the puppy that I have been experimenting with!

Summer is here.....

2009-06-27T01:17:00.012-05:00

Ahh....let me tell you, I DO NOT, I repeat, I DO NOT like HOT, MUGGY weather. I don't get along with it, because I swear I inherited my dad's genes for perspiring easily. It gets muggy, I sweat really bad. Gross, I know. That is why I am so happy that my sister and brother in law were nice enough this week to come and put in my air conditioners (I can't lift one of them because it's BIG, which equates to being too heavy for me to carry.) With it being so hot - it also meant that I wasn't able to scrap until later in the week, because my scrap room was like 85+ degrees. ICK! I finally have been able to sit down the past few days and created however, and here are some of the projects I was able to create:

This first layout is done using two great lines from Pebbles Inc. I used their "So Tweet" and "Downtown" collections for this one. I love how they are able to be mixed together, and still work together without clashing. Throw in a little Basic Grey (title letters), We R Memory Keepers (circle chipboard) and Pink Paislee (stamps) and we have a cute little layout. I really love the design of this, and am really happy how cute those little trees from the So Tweet collection look and helped enhance this layout.

And just a few close up shots to share as well. Look at how nice the stamp looks on the blue pattern paper from the Downtown line. Fantastic! And if you haven't tried the chips from Pebbles Inc, I highly recommend them! They are just too fun not to use. :)

This next layout talks about my love of being a nurse and how much it means to me to do what I do. The rose was from Nurses Week, and I thought it would be a good symbolic way to scrap this layout.

And of course I had to add some "bling" to the page, so I went ahead and used my Shimmerz Spritz on this, because the colors matched so well, it just enhances the chipboard from Pebbles.

I also went ahead and made a little "vine" with flowers from Prima (using up the old stash, which I have many, many of, lol). The glittery chipboard from Pebbles was just the perfect touch for this accent to my page:

Here is a layout I just did last night - which I wanted to make a layout which celebrated Gavin's smile, because that smile of his is just contagious:

Here are other layouts I have made in the past few weeks.....like I said, I was busy! :)

I have more to share as well...but that will be the start of my post over the weekend. I will be sharing some of the layouts I have recently made with the new English Garden Kit from Mark's Paper company (digital layouts). I have to say that Stacy is AWESOME!!! I got in the mail from her a little while ago the traditional products for English Garden, oh my - to die for! It's so beautiful in person, as I really, really love the covered buttons! I will be making a hybrid project soon with the digital kit and elements from the traditional product she sent me...so keep your eyes open for that one - because it's going to be a great project, I promise!

Well, time for this lady to head to bed, I am off tomorrow from work, and will be taking Gavin to see the new Transformers movie - his first REAL theater movie - please pray for me that he keeps still for 2 hours! I know how hard it is for a 5 year old to sit still, much less for a 2 hour movie. LOL. He really wants to see it though (as do I believe it or not) and so I thought it would be a special treat to take him to the theater. :)

Oh, one final thing....for those of you who know me, know that I grew up in the 80's - along with Michael Jackson. It saddens me that he died yesterday. I feel that we lost a great music icon - someone who was the first musician to go out on a limb and make some really cool videos and get some really iconic things happening in the music industry. Examples that come to mind include Thriller (what a video that was! I will never forget watching that on MTV~ lol.), Captain Eo at Disney world, it was a fun 3-D movie, which, I had the privilege of seeing when my parents took us to Epcot one year, the collaboration "We are the World" which Michael co-wrote with Lionel Richie. Ah there are more, but just knowing that Michael made such an impact in the music industry...he will be missed. (For the other craziness that he had happening in his life over the years, that I hope people will forget about - because I think as time went on, Michael Jackson did have issues, but again, forgive and forget!)

Ok, on that note, really, I am heading to bed....but have a wonderful weekend, and a new blog update should be happening soon!!!

Good night.

Happy Birthday to Shimmerz!!!

2009-06-16T08:11:00.012-05:00

If you have arrived here from Danielle's blog, then you are on your way. If you haven't, then you will want to go back and start at the Shimmerz blog to go in the correct order. We hope you are enjoying celebrating, and here are some of the projects I made using Shimmerz products...

This first one is a birthday card. I used Shimmerz paints on the chipboard circles and then also on the leather flower. For the smaller circle, I used my Shimmerz Spritz. I love the shine and shimmer that it gives the card, and yet keeps the masculinity of the card.

Here are some close up views of the card, just to give you more of an idea of the shimmer that Shimmerz Products produce.....

With this next project, I made a layout and used the Shimmerz Spritz on the flowers to give them some extra shine - just look at how much it added to this layout! Love my Shimmerz!!

Here are some close-up shots of the Shimmerz Spritz at it's best.

Okay, so your secret word from me is BIRTHDAY, and now I am going to send you over to Heather's Blog. Remember to be eligible for the grand prize you need to leave a comment at every blog on the hop.

Have fun and Good luck!!!!

Projects, projects!

2009-05-13T12:28:00.004-05:00

I have been happily creating this past week, and have been so happy that I have been able to actually get in some scrapping. It's such a nice feeling and I love being able to do it because it really does relax me! Here are a few layouts I did this past week:

And a close up of the cluster:

And a project that I made for my sister's Mother in Law for Mother's Day (and yes, she loved it thank goodness!)

I have been working on a very special project which I had planned on giving to my sister for her belated birthday present, but now I love it so much, that I don't know that she is actually going to get it or not now. ;) This project has A LOT of Shimmerz incorporated into it. I used the Ana plaques from Creative Imaginations Bare Essentials line as my "base" for the project. This is also a hybrid project, which really allowed my creative juices to flow. I used the pattern papers from a kit from Randi Oh (at http://www.acherryontop.com/). I have to warn you..there are going to be a lot of photos with this post, because I really want to show off how the Shimmerz paints that I used made this project as awesome as it is!

Here is the project as a whole:

This is the "Live" by iteself:

The "Laugh" by itself:

"Love" by itself:

I used a lot of my Shimmerz and Blingz colors in this project...here is the list: (first Shimmerz colors) Angel Wings, Butter Cream, Candle Light, Celery, Iced Lavender, Marigold, Mint, Opal, Periwinkle, (now the Blingz) December Sky, Pixie Dust, Blueberry Cobbler, and finally, Under the Sea.

Here are the many close-ups for you to see the amazing shine that my Shimmerz and Blingz brought into this project.

These next few photos are close-ups of the flowers on the "LIVE" plaque. For the leaves, I cut them out of Bazzill cardstock, painted them with the Celery Shimmerz, then distress the leaves and inked them to give them some depth. For the flower in the cluster just below, I used the Blueberry Cobbler Blingz to recolor it. It was originally just a white Prima (just check out that shine!) On the center of the one flower, I used my Angel Wings Shimmerz just to give it a nice little sparkle (and I did this on the single flower like it with the leaves as well)

On the "Laugh" plaque, I recolored the one foam bird, which originally was a canary yellow. It was too bright for the project, but I still really wanted to use it, so I went ahead and used my Marigold and painted on top of it. Not only did it change the bird to a really nice color, but it also gave it some extra shine as well.

And finally with the "LOVE" plaque. I wanted my butterflies to have a whimsical feel to them, and so I first went ahead and chose some colors of cardstock/pattern paper to use, and then painted on top of the papers with my colors of Shimmerz and Blingz. I set it aside and let it dry. Once I knew it was dry (which really didn't take long to begin with), I used my Martha Stewart Butterfly punch and punched out my butterfly shapes, and adhered them to the plaque. For the chipboard butterfly, first I painted it with Opal. I didn't like how light it was, so then I went on top with my Poinsettia Pink Blingz and my final layer was my Pixie Dust Blingz. I was finally happy with the color that I created with my chipboard.

Other supplies Used: Pattern Papers: Little Yellow Bicycle, Marks Paper Company (August digital kit), Fancy Pants Designs, Randi Oh Designs (Garden Delights Kit); Carstock: Bazzill Basics; Diecuts/journal spots: Fancy Pants Designs, Little Yellow Bicycle, Amy Teets (Lovebirds Kit); Brads: Making Memories; Stickers: Making Memories, Little Yellow Bicycle, American Crafts; Chipboard: Best Occasions; Flowers: Prima Marketing; Rub-ons: Cherry Arte, Daisy D's, Little Yellow Bicycle, BoBunny; Punches: Martha Stewart, Creative Memories, Fiskars; Paints: Shimmerz, Inks: StazOn, Versa Magic; Pens: ZIG, Creative Memories; Adhesives: 3L foam squares, Creative Memories Tape Runner, Diamond Glaze (Ranger Industries), Elmer's, K & Company, 3M; Ribbon: May Arts, RibbonFX (Hobby Lobby); Lace: Making Memories

In the end, I have a project that really shines and that I fell in love with! Thanks for letting me share!

Looking at life a little differently

2009-05-08T21:10:00.006-05:00

Well, I took my NCLEX RN nursing boards on Tuesday this week, and when I left I felt horrible just knowing something wasn't quite right. Well, I waited for my results and my sister (who works with me as an LPN) told me that my hours were being given away. I couldn't understand it, so I just decided to call my director of nursing to ask her why they were just giving away my hours, as I still didn't get my test results back yet. Well, she explained to me that she looked at the Wisconsin Licensing and Regulations site and it said that I was not eligible to practice. I couldn't believe it! They got my results before I did? WTH! So, I went ahead and looked up my application when I got home, and sure enough, I failed. :( So, I bawled, but that was to be expected. I had some twinge of hope in my mind that I somehow managed to pass the boards. I knew it though on Tuesday that when I had 265 questions and tested for 5 hours that it was not a good sign. So, where does this leave me? Well, I renewed my LPN license so that I am able to continue to work. Granted, I have the weekend off, but in a way it's a blessing because it's giving me a much needed break from the world of nursing. I am burnt out. I have been studying hard for almost 2 months, working and trying to be a single mother. It takes it's toll on you, let me tell you. I feel that I am not giving up however. I will be retaking my boards in about 45 days IF I am ready. If not, well, I will take them when I am ready. In the mean time, I will continue to practice taking my NCLEX practice questions, re familiarizing myself with areas that I know I am weak in, and really work on getting my skills and critical thinking down pat. It may be a blessing in disguise, as God does work in mysterious ways right? This does not make me a bad nurse, it just means I suck at taking tests. I have been complemented by my peers, my supervisors and my resident's and their families on being a great nurse. I have the skills, and I am taking this as a reason to really bump everything up a notch. I am determined, I am strong willed and I know I will be successful this next time around! :)

On another note, I have been busy making Mother's day projects, and having fun just being able to create layouts for me - which I haven't been doing in such a long time. I want to share with you some of the latest things I have been making. This first one, is a Mother's day hand print plaque that Gavin and I made. He helped out by choosing the papers he wanted to use, printing his hand print and also painting the leave on the "flower". I love how this turned out and I know my mom (his Grandma) will love it just as much as we do!

Next up is a digital layout I did. I have been trying to get more involved in the challenges over at A Cherry On Top, as the community there is really nice, and the challenges they do every month really help me to get the creative juices moving. :) With this layout, I used several different digital designers work, and this was based off of a template that was part of one of the many challenges over there this month.

Finally, another layout I did was using digital elements made by Taylor Made Designs. She has her kits and digital items over at OScraps and this month is over at Cat Scraps as well. I am in LOVE with her digital elements, and really, really love how this layout turned out! (Yes, I used that same photo again that I have been using lately, but cannot help it, I LOVE this photo of Gavin!)

Well, that is all I have to share for now, but I will have more to share tomorrow, because I have a project that I am doing for my sister's Mother in Law, a card for my mom from Gavin and finally, I have a new project that I have been working on using my paints from Shimmerz, and I am really excited that it's almost done and ready to share with you all! I hope when you see it, you'll love it as much as I do!

Well, enjoy your weekend, and I will talk with you all soon!

Marks Paper Company Projects

2009-04-29T09:06:00.007-05:00

I can finally share my projects with you from Marks Paper Company, as they have been added to the gallery and blog there. If you haven't seen what the design team has done with the projects, be sure to check out the Marks blog and also the Gallery for some awesome work done by the design team!

I am just in love with these Marks Paper Company Digital kits. They are so versatile and fun to use. I don't know about you, but before I start out any layout of mine, I usually begin with a sketch, or at least an idea in my mind, whether I sketch it out on paper, or get inspiration from sketches online, or from other's work. I like to have a "base" for my layout. For this layout "Expression", I made this as a 100% digital layout, but did alter some of the sizes and colors of the elements in the kit. As you'll see, I decreased the sizes of some of my flower embellishments and made the leaves green (by doing a color overlay), which were originally white. I then went ahead and embossed the leaves along with my quote, to give it a little extra depth, and then added a small drop shadow to it as well. I really love the look of this, and of course, it was all based off of my sketch, which I am sharing with you all to spark your own creations with.

I would love to see what you all create with the sketch! If you do make something based off this sketch, link up to this blog and I might just RAK something to a random name drawn! ;)

This next project, is a 6x6 hybrid project. I cut out a chipboard background first, as the base. Then I went ahead and re-sized the digital elements in the "Old Fashion Courtship" digital kit by Marks Paper Company, and cut out the pieces I wanted and inked them and distressed them some. I am going to either frame this or add a "hanger" to it and display this in my home somewhere.

Supplies Used:Old Fashion Courtship kit: Marks Paper Company; Buttons: Buttons Galore; Flowers: Prima Marketing; Rubons: Kaiser Crafts; Ink: Versa Magic, StazOn; Pens: ZIG WRITERS; Brads, Mini Letter Stickers: Making Memories; Chipboard letters: American Crafts; Pop Dots: 3L Adhesives, EK Success

I also went ahead and made 2 cards using my digital kits from Marks paper company. I re-sized and printed out components and papers from the digital "August" line. For the "Thinking of You" card, I used my Martha Stewart border punch to create the "lace" and for the flower, I used dimension glaze to create a "button" in the center. On the "Thank You" card, the butterfly was made by stamping on top of the Clear Sky paper from the digital kit.

Supplies Used: Pattern Papers, die cuts: Marks Paper Company (August Digital Kit); Cardstock: Bazzill, K & Co. (Tall card); Paper frill, Rhinestone: Doodlebug Designs; Rubons: Making Memories, Heidi Grace Designs, Doodlebug Designs; Letter stickers: American Crafts; Stamp (butterfly): Pink Paislee; Border Punch: Martha Stewart; Inks: StazOn, Versa Magic; Pens: Creative Memories, ZIG; Dimensional Glaze: Ranger Ink; Adhesives: Creative Memories (Tape Runner)

And finally, if you are a subscriber to the newsletters with Marks Paper Company, you may have already seen the "sneak" of a new line that is coming out this spring. If not, I thought I would share with you what Marks Paper Company is coming out with next, it's awesome!!! So here you go, this is a sneak of the new paper line coming out this spring!!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

~Deanna

NSD

2009-04-28T19:05:00.003-05:00

National Scrapbooking Day is coming up and with it come many people, scrapping sites and companies celebrate this fun day, which usually turns into a weekend or sometimes even for a whole week. This year is going to be fun for me, because I do plan on scrapping on Saturday and joining in on some of the fun that will happening around different sites. One place that you'll want to make sure to stop at is over at the Shimmerz blog, because we're celebrating there as well! All that will be needed is using a little Shimmerz on your scrapbooking projects this coming week....and if you don't have any Shimmerz, stop by our blog and look at the great selection of colors that we have to offer. Stacey is great at getting your orders out quickly as well! When you use Shimmerz on your scrapping projects, post it to your blog, and just link back to us over on the Shimmerz Blog, using Mr. Linky on this post over at the Shimmerz Blog. Pretty easy right? So now you may be asking yourself, what is in it for you if you link up to the blog? Well, there'll be 3 - that's right 3 people whose names will be drawn to win FIVE jars of Shimmerz paints, handpicked from Stacey! And…we don’t even mind if you double-dip! Yep, you can enter your project in the NSD Shimmerz™ celebration AND in the Shimmerz™ Linkz program!! What are you waiting for????

If you love Shimmerz as much as I do, here is a great fan blinkie for you to you put on your blogs or in your signature lines....thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out the Shimmerz blog often for some great work being done by our fantastic design team!

~Deanna

Do you love blog candy???

2009-04-27T21:31:00.005-05:00

I know I do! I love it when there are people who are posting give aways and always love to share the news with other people.

One of my favorite blogs to visit is Much Ado Nothing written by Steph - and she has great give aways and also projects that she posts on her blog. This week, she reached 50,000 hits on her blog, and she is celebrating in a MAJOR way! Check out this eye candy she is giving to one lucky person:All you need to do is stop by her blog and leave a comment, oh, and if you have a blog....link her up and spread the word!

Another blog to check out for some great blog candy is over at Passion for Crafts...she is celebrating ONE YEAR of blogging, and 65,000 hits to her blog. Just stop by her blog and link her up from your blog for a chance to win this beauty of a prize as well! Here is what she is giving away:

Good luck everyone!

~Deanna

A Birthday today and 2 happy projects!

2009-04-22T22:21:00.010-05:00

Today my baby turns 5. Gavin is no longer a baby or a toddler for that matter, but now a little boy. Oh how the adventure is just beginning for him (and for me!) We celebrated his birthday on Sunday, with my family, his dad and about 12 of his friends from the daycare. We had a fantastic time, something he will never forget! I didn't give him any of his presents there however, because I really wanted to give them to him today. So that is exactly what I did. I wrapped them up last night, and set them on the cocktail table in our living room, for him to see as he walked out of his bedroom. He was excited and he woke up EARLY! He was up even before 6 a.m., however I made him go back to bed, because Mommy was a tired lady. LOL. We were up again at like 7:45 a.m.. and I let him open up his presents. He was so happy with what he got! I bought him a Transformer, 3 DVD's (Transformers), 2 tee-shirts, and what he really, really wanted, a Wolverine claw glove thing. I didn't want to get that for him at first, but now that it's been opened and he has been playing with it in the house, it hasn't been all that bad. I will post a photo of this at a later date. Anyway....so I was also originally planning on taking him to a Timber Rattler baseball game today, but I left it up to him to do it today or to do it on a nicer May day. He chose the latter. I still let him stay home today, and we had a lot of fun. Just me and my boy (and of course the pup). Later in the day, around supper time, Gavin's dad took him to Chuck E Cheese's. I was invited to go, but I decided to stay behind. Gavin came home tired, but said he had such a great time. I am happy that he did. So my little guy...happy Birthday, and here is to many more year's ahead, and so much more for you to learn, experience and enjoy. I love you Gavin!

Now to share some of my recent work with you all. I have been a busy little lady, working with things for my design teams with Creative Memories, Shimmerz and Marks Paper Company. right now however, I can only share with you the work I did using my Shimmerz paints. The other's will be able to be posted at another date....hopefully soon!

So, first up, is the layout I created. My son had gotten me a birthday present back in February, which he picked out all on his own. I felt that the story behind the gift was quite nice and I really wanted to remember the gifts I received and then of course the reasons behind his gifts. I went ahead and added to the layout some of the new Prima flowers, which I decided really needed to have a shimmery touch to them, and therefore, I added my Angel Wings Shimmerz to the white flower and then Candle Light Shimmerz to the antiqued paper flower. For my title work, I at first painted the chipboard white, but felt it really needed a little more punch to it. I decided to give my new Under the Sea Blingz from Shimmerz a try, and I REALLY love the color of this! I think that you will to! Here is the layout, shown at the right.

Other product that I used for this layout was Making Memories (Pattern Paper, chipboard letters, journal spot and letter stickers), KI Memories and Fancy Pants Designs (Pattern Paper), Bazzill Basics card stock, Fontwerks (Stamp and sticker tab), Kaiser Crafts (rub-ons), ZIG and American Craft Pens, and finally StazOn inks. I love the delicate look this layouts brings and the elegance of it as well.

Here are the close up shots of the title and the flowers. Just check out that shimmer that my Shimmerz Paints bring to these areas! Love it!

Next, I created a fun little project, which is this altered plaque that I am going to hang up in my scrap room. It's a hybrid project, in which I printed out the pattern papers from different digital kits, and then used traditional elements as well. I brought out a lot of old supplies, and brought them to life by adding my Shimmerz paints to them. As you'll see, there is a sheen to the little labels near the clock and then shimmer on the butterfly, leaves and swirl close to the title. I love the extra bling that the Shimmerz added.

Here is a close up view of the Ghost Clock, rub-on and other little fun details:

A close-up of shot of the butterfly, leaves, flower and swirl:

This project just has so many fun little details to it! Some other products that I used on this altered plaque were American Crafts (Thickers, letter sticker, ribbon), Rhonna Farrer (Label Brushes), Rub-ons (Heidi Grace, Cherry Arte, Basic Grey), Heidi Swapp (Ghost Clock), Making Memories (Foam Stamp, Paint, Felt Word), Club Scrap (Rubber Stamps), StazOn/Versa Magic (Ink), Fiskars (Water Border Punch), Prima (Flower), Bazzill (Card stock), and digital kit papers (Designs by Shelle, Bella Gyspy, and Kate Tegue).

Well, that seems to be it for now, but thanks for letting me share my work, and my joy of my little man turning five! Until the next time.......

~Deanna

Marks Paper Company and other news

2009-04-01T07:31:00.004-05:00

I am a bad blogger who hasn't been on my blog in a bit, but today, I just had to come and update with great news!!! I don't know how many of you have heard of Marks Paper Company, but they have some great papers, which have very fun papers. They had a call out for a digital/hybrid team, and I thought to myself that would be right up my alley, seeing as I love digital as much as I love my traditional scrapping. I kept pondering about whether to try out for the team or not, as I was afraid that I would never get chosen, but I decided to put an entry together anyway. I waited till the last day to submit my entry, but I sent it off, and didn't really worry about it much after that. I received an email from "Marks Paper Company" in my inbox, thinking it was just an email thanking me for my submission, but when I read it, I let out a squeak! They were asking me to join the team! WOW!!!! I am so excited, let me tell you!!! So, I am proud to announce that I am on of the newest members of the Marks Paper Company team, so keep an eye on my blog, and I will be sharing some creations with you soon!

In other news today, I had a card of mine picked up for publication from Scrapbook News and Review for their April issue, which is exciting as well! So, if you see my "out for publication" sign underneath this post, that is why. :)

Finally, this week I am going to be signing up for the date I take my NCLEX (my RN state licensing boards), and I pray that I will be passing my test the first time around, because I really enjoy working as a nurse. Since the beginning of January, I have been what you consider a GN which is a graduate nurse. I have been still working under my LPN license, until my temporary RN license was received, which I just got about 2 weeks ago finally, and now I am working as temporary RN until my boards are taken. Such an exciting time!

Well, on this final note, I would like to leave you with a recent hybrid layout that I did, using papers from Sande Krieger, word art by Vinnie Pearce and other hybrid elements by Shannon Freeman and Bella Gypsy Designs.

Have a wonderful day!

-Deanna

Sick day....

2009-03-12T22:09:00.008-05:00

Well, for the past 2 days I have been running a slight temperature (like 101 and 100. 6) so today I stayed home from work, and slept most of my day away. Later in the evening, with a temp of 99.2, I was feeling a little better, and began to do some projects. There are some great challenges over at A Cherry On Top this month, and I am trying to see how many of them I can accomplish. It's been such a great motivator for me to get some work done that is for sure. I made 2 cards today for one challenge, which is to use the same pattern paper but one on a black background and one on a white background, and well, this is what I came up with:

This is a Mother's Day card that I made that I will give to my mom this year. I think it's really cute. I used KI Memories and Pink Paislee pattern papers, and then a Snag 'em Stamp from Imaginisce, and some older supplies which were the Doodlebug flowers and the "Happy Mother's Day" sticker from Me and My Big Ideas....I "popped" the bird with foam squares and colored the bird with Shimmerz Paints in Periwinkle and Royal Red. The Shimmerz paints really added to the little happy bird!

Here is a close up of the little bird:

The second card, is just a Hello card. With this, I used my old 7 Gypsies rub-ons, Pink Paislee Pattern Paper (again), May Art Ribbon, Prima flower and rhinestone and some Lil' Davis Designs Chipboard letters. I have been cleaning up my scrap space and putting away supplies that have been in boxes since I moved into my house from June of 2007, so a lot of my supplies are reappearing, which is fine, because I will never grow tired of some of the supplies I still have on hand. Here is how the Hello card turned out:

And finally, the two cards together. I am really happy with how these turned out!

I also made a layout as well for the March contest over at A Cherry On Top. The theme this month is pets...and well, what perfect timing as I wanted to make the first layout for Isaac anyway. This was a fun layout to make, I used pattern papers from Rusty Pickle and distressed them, crumpled and inked them as well. I haven't done that technique in a while, but it was so fun to do! I even used my sanding block for the first time in a long time. LOL. Other supplies I used with this layout were my 7 Gypsies tags, Heidi Swap ghost clock and chipboard heart (which I used foam squares to give it some dimension), American Craft Thickers and a bookplate from Junkitz. Without further ado....here is the layout I created:

And a close up of the title work and embellishments:

I am really enjoying my creations lately, and really am happy to be back into a scrapping mood and card making mood. It's such a wonderful outlet for me!

Well, time to get to bed, have to be up early tomorrow morning. I am heading to Milwaukee with my sister to go with her as she takes her state boards to become an LPN. Wish her luck! Have a great night!!

A cool blog give away....

2009-03-09T20:55:00.002-05:00

I just thought I would share with you all about a free blog give away for 3 sets of these cool markers...here is the link...go check it out! I know we all love getting goodies, and this would be a cool chance for you!

ProMarker Give away!

Here is a photo of what Steph is giving away:

Projects I made

2009-03-03T11:57:00.003-06:00

Well, today has been a really good day, thus far. LOL. I have been able to relax and I have been able to work on some cards and also a layout, which I tried to do some creative fun with. I have been trying to increase the amount of "friendship" cards that I have made, and I decided to give some of my older cards some more "punch". I loved the original designs on these, but just felt that they were lacking something, so I decided to add some Shimmerz to them. On this first card, I added the Marigold Shimmerz to the Fleur de Lis and then outlined it with a ZIG writer. I also added some Wintergreen Blingz to my Heidi Swapp ghost heart, which was nice because it still allows for the pattern to show throug which is underneath. Finally, I gave my little birdie rub-on some extra color by using the Marigold Shimmerz for his head and the Wintergreen Blingz for his body. That was all the extra punch it needed. Here is the finished card:

Here are some close ups of the Shimmerz and Blingz in detail:

Beautiful shine to it - don't you agree?

For my second card, I used the Marigold Shimmerz once again. I painted my white Prima flower and the Marigold stands out really well on the flower. I also added some sparkle to my ribbon, which originally was shades of green/orange/brown, and with the Marigold being added to it, it made some really nice oranges to the ribbon, including the nice sparkle. Here is this finished card:

And the close up views of the flower and the ribbon:

Such beautiful accents!

With the layout I made today, it has a funny story behind it. Every time I turn around, Gavin is either asking me to buy him glasses or to let him wear mine. I pray that he will never really have to wear any glasses, because for those of you have them, know how annoying they can be sometimes! LOL. So anyway, one day, while at Wal-mart, I knew that they were taking photos of people who wanted to try on glasses (because I had been at work there earlier that day). I took Gavin over there after I picked him up from daycare, and he tried these SpongeBob glasses on, and REALLY wanted them. It was really cute, so the girls I worked with took his picture, and I told him, there, now you have something to show what you look like in glasses. I thought it would help him to see what he looked like, because I thought that maybe it would deter him from actually wanting them, but nope, never changed his mind. To this day, almost one year later, he STILL wishes for glasses. Silly boy!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!
~ Deanna

I'm tired

2009-03-02T19:31:00.002-06:00

What a long weekend. I have been sick all weekend long, and today was the first time I really felt like I wanted to do anything. I worked all weekend on top of it, which is fine, but I just hate to go into work when I am sick. I am always so afraid of getting my residents sick as well (although I am sure I got sick from them anyway).

So, here I am on Monday, and was full of motivation to achieve getting a lot done today, however, I didn't really get all that much done anyway. LOL. I did manage to get to Planet Fitness today, and worked out for 30 minutes on the elliptical and did 10 minutes on the stair machine. I feel great! I am ready to go and work out more tomorrow now as well. I have to say that since I started to work out in January, I have achieved quite a few things in my weight loss journey. One thing I am really proud of is my blood pressure. Although my blood pressure has never really been high, it's really improved now! The last time I went to the doctor's my blood pressure was 95/54 - holy smokes! It went down a lot! LOL. I have noticed that I am also able to run better now as well, for example, this weekend I had to run after one of my residents who has dementia and got out of the facility. I didn't even get out of breath, where as 2 months ago, I would be panting like crazy! So, the exercise has been pretty effective, and I am thankful for that.

Today was also nice because I was able to spend time with my son and our puppy. We played that little dog pretty hard today. I bought him new toys, because I need to find a better chew outlet than buying raw hides for him everyday, so today, I spent $35 on a chew ring, rubber ball and a pink (Gavin picked it out) bone for our puppy. With Isaac being 6 months old already, he has quite the grip with his mouth, so finding toys to last with him, is well, hard. If you don't get hard rubber, he is through it rather quickly, so everything purchased today is for "large" dogs and the hard rubber. He LOVES the new toys, and well, Isaac was running around the house all night with Gavin. It was too cute.

Tonight was also fun because Gavin and I made spaghetti for dinner. Yum, I LOVE spaghetti. I was really glad when Gavin asked if we could make it for dinner. I might be weird, but with trying to be healthy, I buy all of my pasta now in whole wheat and buy the ones that have a good fiber source. I am surprised, but Gavin loves wheat pasta, and so that makes eating healthy that much easier. So, we had our spaghetti and after dinner, we played with Isaac some more. As matter of fact, as I sit here and write this entry for tonight, the puppy and Gavin are still playing. LOL. Yup, it's a good night that is for sure.

Well, tomorrow I hope to post some cards that I was working on today and also a few layouts - so stayed tuned and I should be able to share some more fun work that I have been doing.

Good night!

New project

2009-02-27T13:43:00.005-06:00

Hello everyone. I finally got the chance to make my "birthday" layout. I like to make a layout every year in order to reflect on either how my life has gone or how the past year of my life went. This year, I chose to reflect on how the past 35 years of my life have taught me to stand up for myself and that the lessons learned have molded me into the person that I am today. I am proud of my life and any mistakes I have made have only taught me to be that much better. With this layout, I mixed up quite the manufacturers! I used mainly paper from Creative Memories (it's the Hannah Montanna line - which is really cool! I love it!) and then papers from Kelly Panacci, American Crafts and Creative Imaginations. I also gave my chipboard flowers a little extra bling, by adding Shimmerz paint (Angel Wings) and some gems from Doodlebug Designs and Kaiser Craft. I wish you could see this in person, because it is much prettier in the real light. :) This is the completed layout, which like I said, much prettier in person, but you get the general idea.

This is a close up of the elements on the left side of the page:

And finally, a close up of the Shimmer paint added to the chipboard element:

It's really pretty - love that shimmery shine that it adds.

Well, not a lot to talk about today, because I have been home not feeling well. I stayed home from work today, and just thought I would take this opportunity to share with you some of the work I am creating. Thanks again for looking and for stopping by!

Wonderful morning...

2009-02-18T09:48:00.002-06:00

Thank you to each and every one of you who have wished me a happy birthday either through Facebook, email or myspace. I am truly blessed to have you all as my friends, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Today has been a good day so far. I had to go and drop off some clothes at Jeremy's house for Gavin, because, well, last night I celebrated a little early and a little hard. ;) So, needless to say, I wasn't able to drive to get Gavin. Back to this morning, I go into Jeremy's house, and Gavin runs up to me and starts to sing Happy Birthday to me (it was really cute) and gives me a beautiful black and white gift bag, and says "Mommy Happy Birthday! Open your presents I got you!!" and he was so excited. His dad says, "First, let me tell you what 3 things Gavin really wanted to get you first." I said ok, and Jeremy says, "He wanted to get you a new cell phone, but well, you had your cell phone with you, and it would be kind of hard to pull that one off. Next Gavin wanted to get you new TV service, but well, no way we could pull that off in one day. Finally, Gavin thought he should buy you a new car, but again, well, we decided that Gavin wouldn't be able to afford that one." How sweet is that little boy of mine. :) So, I opened up my present, and what Gavin did get me was Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, a little flower pot that will start a sunflower in the spring, and finally, the one that made me giggle, he bought me a 12 pack of Minute Maid Light Lemonade. LOL. Here were his reasons, "Mommy, I knew you liked Johnny Depp and we didn't have this movie, and well, daddy and I watched it and I liked that movie, so I knew you would too. The drink is because I knew you like lemonade and finally, I think we need more flowers in the house." LOL, how cute is he. I love that boy!!!

As I reflect on the last 35 years of my life, I realize even with all the crud I have gone through, I am such a lucky person. I have a son who loves me and that I love. I was a happy person throughout the 12 years Jeremy and I were together and the 7 - 8 years of marriage we shared. I am lucky that we are still friends, and happy to say, at peace with one another now, which I feel blessed about. Life has treated me well. I love that I graduated with my second degree and am now a nurse, and will hopefully have my license in 3 weeks. I have a job that is fulfilling, and also one that I will hopefully be able to look forward to (I am going to be having an interview at Children's Hospital when I get my license and hopefully will be working in the NICU) I can't complain about what life has given me, because quite honestly life has been good. It may not always be full of roses, but I have to be thanksful for what God has given me and for what lies ahead in my future.

Oh! And one final note for the day....I am happy to announce that I am now a part of the Shimmerz DT!!! I am so stoked! I am proud to be a new DT member for this company and I look forward to working with their product! :) Thanks for letting share.

What a weekend!

2009-02-15T21:53:00.013-06:00

Ok, let's just say it's been one long weekend. Friday was full of walking Isaac 2 times to get out some much needed pent up puppy energy. It was so cute because Isaac and I got home from our first walk, and he fell asleep for over an hour and a half. He looked so peaceful! I went to get Gavin a little later, and well, he and I took Isaac for another walk, and once again, little puppy got tired out quite quickly. It was good though, because once Gavin's dad came to get him for his daddy weekend, Isaac went to sleep right away, and that meant I got to go to sleep too.

Saturday morning meant that I had to work, and I had to get up an extra 45 minutes early in order to be able to take Isaac outside and also to let him eat his morning meal. I felt so bad leaving him in his kennel when I left because I knew it meant that he would have a 8 hour day in it. I made sure to get out right on time in order to get back home for Isaac.

Later that night, my parents and sister came over and gave me early birthday presents, which was nice, as my mom got me a new and much needed DVD rack, and my sister gave me some money. Always good. Then we all went out to eat, and my parents paid for me. So sweet. However, this meant the whole time I was out to eat that Isaac was at home, in his kennel, sleeping. By the time I got home, he was no longer tired and it was time for me and for him to sleep for the night. I didn't get to sleep right away, to say the least. I had like 4 hours of sleep before having to push myself to get up this Sunday morning. Ick....

So began a day of me being really tired, and sore. (I feel on the ice Saturday morning on my way to work, yeah, smart I know) I felt bad because I did wake up late and that meant puppy didn't get enough time outside of his kennel before I had to leave again and have him be in the kennel for another 8 hours. :( I broke out at work with a rash of some sort, which was all over my body, it itched let me tell you! By the time I got home, I was tired, but it was a fulfilling day. I got a family member to come to me and hug me and thank me for saving his wife's life about 2 weeks ago. It was my pleasure, as first, it's my job and secondly, I live to save lives.

When I got home, I took care of Isaac and even got in some nice scrapping time. I finished up two projects (well, one was done a couple of days ago, but I just posted it tonight) and made a card. Now, I came across a site talking about paints from the company "Shimmerz". The paints are glittery and fun! I saw them and just had to buy them, so my package with all the cool colors I bought came about Monday I believe. Perfect for the project I was working on and also great for the projects I want to work on.

So with this first layout...called Heart, it's about how I feel about being a nurse, and wanted to make it fun, to say the least. I wanted to use these cool new colors of shimmerz on the chipboard I was going to have on my layout and also wanted to try a cool effect of painting Prima flowers and other flowers to give them an iridescent or shiny effect. I loved how they turned out! The chipboard, well, it was a little more challenging, as I tried to put down the color right away, however, it was well, not working as I had hoped. So, seeing as I tried to do this with only one letter to see the effect, I ended up painting the chipboard with a base color first and then painted with the shimmerz. It worked out fantastic! I love how much shimmer my chipboard now has, as you can see in this sneak here:

As you can see, the flower here also has a nice sheen to it as well. I painted over the flower with a color that is called Angel Wings. It has a transparent quality to it, and allows the original colors to come through, but still giving quite the sheen to the flowers. I really like the look of that!

On the chipboard, I primed with Delta acrylic paint first, and then covered the swirls in Royal Red on the title and Pink on the swirls. On the title, I did also add a little bit of pink glitter, but didn't like the way it looked, so tried to wipe off as much as I could, which in the end, well, love the effect!

Here are the other flowers I painted with the paint, some Prima and some old Doodlebug one's I had. The Doodlebug flower was cloth, and I was quite happy with how it turned out with the shimmer. In this photo you can also see the shimmer on the swirl as well. This was such a fun layout for me to work on, as I used a lot of new techniques, and as mentioned, these fun paints!

So, here is the end result of my layout:

The next fun little project I worked on tonight was a card. For Christmas, from Creative Memories, I got this fantastic set of cards that I could make. It came with epoxy stickers, die cuts with 3dimensional square dots, phrases and cards that have to die for designs! I wanted to make a fun thank card for my mom for my birthday present she gave me, and this is what design I came up with:

On this card, I added some great flowers and gems from K & Company and Bazzill cardstock trimmed with my Fiskars Water thread punch. To the flowers and the cardstock, I once again played with the Shimmerz paints. I was amazed at the effect it gave my cardstock. LOVE it!!! It's so sparkly and has a beautiful sheen to it!

And the flowers, I added some paint and it turned out like this:

The glitter was already on the flowers, but the gold color is what I added and look at that shimmer, just beautiful. I love how everything went so well with the Creative Memories - because it just beautified an already gorgeous card!

It's been a long weekend, so I am about to head to bed, but I just wanted to give you all an update of my long, but amazing weekend!

There is a new addition....

2009-02-07T18:23:00.003-06:00

to mine and Gavin's family. Would you like to see him? He is very cute, and very sweet, and I am picking him up on Thursday....so without further ado, let me introduce you to Isaac.

Isn't he just adorable? He is a 6 month old Black Lab and he is our's, as of this morning I got the approval for adoption, and I am so happy! Gavin and I went out and bought all of his toys, treats, food and bowls, and only thing left to get is the crate for house training, so there won't be any puddles or poop messes in my house. I am so happy to finally have a happy little dog in my house again. :) Thanks for letting me share.

Hello

2009-01-23T19:15:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone. Well, it's been a very long week, well, almost 2 weeks. LOL. I picked up a lot of hours at work, which were mostly 3rd shift hours. Let me tell you, I am NOT a night worker. It's been good though, because at least it's not been too bad, meaning that nothing major has happened. Knock on wood, right? Oh well, it's work, and it's money, which are two things I need right now. I figured that with the check from this past 2 weeks, I should have enough to apply for my temporary license and also to take my state boards. Once I get my license, I am hoping it will help me to get a job a little better, because then I won't be just a "graduate" nurse, but an actual RN.

I am in a really good mood. Did I mention that Memory Makers picked up my layout that I did using the Pink Paiselee papers? Oh, I am really psyched about that one. :) That means that I have been published 2 times this year so far, and yes, I will be working on getting more of my work published this year. :) Granted, I do have 3 layouts being published in the Creative Memories magazine, and that I am also very proud of this! So happy. Now, what would really make my year is if I get on one of the other manufacturer teams I applied for, and the one would be a dream come true! I won't mention who I applied for, because I don't want to really jinx myself. LOL.

Anyway, I just wanted to say hi, and let you all know that I am still alive, and doing well. Have a great weekend everyone!

Where in the world is the heat?

2009-01-14T13:13:00.002-06:00

Oh my goodness, it is really cold out today! The weather outside is quite frightful, snowing and temperatures below zero. It's times like these that make me wonder if I really want to stay in Wisconsin. Of course, as the weather gets a little warmer, I will know that I would never leave Wisconsin, but wow, this has really been a hard winter for us.

Weather like this winter takes me back to my childhood. I have to admit, Wisconsin has been spoiled (or at least where I am at), because we've been having some pretty mild winters, and some where we wondered if we would even have any snow for Christmas. Well, back when I was a child, I remember the days in Milwaukee when we would have snow day upon snow day because so much snow fell. There was one winter in particular I remember, because we woke up to get ready for school (my sister and me) and my dad was still home, which usually he would already have been gone by the time we woke up. Well, we knew right there it was a snow day! WOO HOO!! We looked out our window, and WOW!!! The snow was really, really high! I remember that when we finally got outside, the snow was up to my chest. Now, I don't remember how old I was, but it was delightful! When my dad snow shoveled all the snow, and used the snow blower to get rid of the snow, our piles came up to the windows in his old Chevy van. Nothing like the mini van of today. LOL. My sister and I played outside with our friends a long time that day, but it was fun, and along with the snow it was cold out. We didn't care though, because we just loved that we had a day off of school.

Ahh... the memories, I love being able to remember those days and reflect on them. I just wish that my mom and dad would have been more of a photographer back then and took photos of those memories. It would be so fun to be able to go and scrap those days, with the photos to remember the full moment. I know that when my parents are gone from this earth, I will take the albums they have and hopefully be able to remember who everyone is and also to get them out of the non-friendly safe photo protectors. (Can you tell I am a scrapper, hehe)

Anyway....going off on a tangent here, but it's just so good to remember those days, when we never complained about how snowy or cold it was, because it was something that happened often. Nothing like our past 10 years perhaps of winters?!

So....if you're having terribly cold and snowy weather, think back to your childhood and remember how it was then for you. Of course, today, try to stay warm and snuggle up on the couch with a warm blanket, hot cocoa, and enjoy a good book, or a nice movie. For those of you who have warm weather right now, enjoy it, but remember those of us who are freezing in our states. ;)

Have a great day everyone!

Feeling great

2009-01-12T23:19:00.003-06:00

Losing weight and keeping it off has got to be one of the hardest things that anyone can do in their life! Especially when you've gotten yourself so used to just running to some place like McDonald's for a quick meal after class or work. Well, it's been a challenging two weeks for me since the new year rang in, but darn it, I am going to lose my weight once and for all! I have had many successes this past 2 weeks. I am working out, and have made it all but 2 days.....and I started to strength train which for me has got to be one of my biggest weaknesses. I am also proud to say, eating has actually been easy to fall into that "life style" change. I thought it would be hard, but you know what, it is all will power. That's right...just as an example, for Gavin, he wanted me to buy him a box of cookies when we went to the store this weekend. Saturday, Sunday and now Monday, the temptation has been there - just sitting in my kitchen begging me to eat them. I on the other hand, have not given into temptation and Gavin has actually gotten to enjoy some of his mint Oreo cookies each day so far. Really, when I think back on it, I really have not been too tempted. Sure I look at it, but then I just walk away, not even giving it a second thought. I think to myself, very good and just keep thinking about the benefits of not eating those cookies is going to give me! I feel good about changing this year, and I feel good about the fact I finally feel like I am going to lose this weight and will hopefully finally keep it off for good! For those who struggle with your weight, I am sure you can relate to this post...and if you are trying to lose weight this year, good luck with your goals!

So, I thought I would share something I scrapped lately, as it seems like forever since I have shared any of my work on this blog. After all, it's supposed to be used for personal and scrapping use. LOL. So with that, I share with you a layout I did using a lot of Little Yellow Bicycle product and Prima Marketing - I am in love with how this layout turned out. I hope you'll enjoy the little creation I made as well.

Interview update...

2009-01-09T21:05:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I have had a lot of people ask me about how the interview went, and if I got my second call back. I personally feel the interview went well. I was confident in my answers, and I thought I answered the questions asked well. My job shadow was very cool, as I was able to witness a surgery that was going on, and to watch the circulating nurse in action. Well, I LOVED what I saw! Now, if they could have interviewed me AFTER the shadow, wow, the excitement that they would have seen. :) So....today, I waited and waited to hear back for my second interview. Well, finally at like 4:30 a call came through on my cell phone, and it was the surgery manager at Berlin Hospital, and she told me that they were still going through applicants and that, alas, I will have to wait until perhaps NEXT week Friday to hear from them about what their decision was or will be. Ugh...the wait is going to kill me folks! I am happy though because that means that I am not out of the running yet, which makes me feel good. :)

In the meantime, I have gone and picked up extra hours at my current job at Omro Care Center, and will be putting in a few double shifts and also picking up some noc hours (which is from 10pm until 6:30am.) So...I should be able to get caught up with bills and get the money to pay for my temporary state license and also my NCLEX state board exam then. Things are happening for me, slowly but surely!

Well, so I have to ask for you all to continue your thoughts for me and prayers, because once again, I need this job to help support myself and Gavin. It would be great for the hours, as it's day hours anyway from a start time of 8am and ending at 7:30pm, plus it's 40 hours a week, and benefits, which I really need for me and my boy.

Thanks for all your good thoughts and thanks for all the inquiries on how my interview and/or second call went.

Hello...

2009-01-07T19:18:00.002-06:00

I had my interview today, and well, I thought it went well, and I really liked the job shadow...as I was able to see a surgery which was quite awesome! However, as well as I felt with the interview, my interviewee said to me on the way out..."We don't usually hire new graduates, however, you never know, there is a possibility." Well, give me the chance! Let me show you what I can do, and let me show you how quickly I learn! I am confident that I can do this job...I WANT this job! So, please pray that I get the second interview, I want this job, and I need it!

On the other hand, I just have to tell you how stinking proud of myself! I have been exercising everyday since the 2nd now, and I have also been really sticking to the Weight Watchers Plan. I joined up in a Biggest Losers 2009 contest with some of my scrapping friends and friends of theirs, and well, we have a goal to reach by April...and I want to lose the weight that I put on last year after my final semester as a nursing student. I need to lose that weight because I no longer fit into the clothes that I was beginning of last year. So, if you can cheer me on, as I will be posting about this adventure this year as well. It's time to get it done, and I know that I can do it, as I am DETERMINED!

Have a great night everyone!