Are we there yet??

Just a few more days and the school year is officially over - I can't wait!!! I dream of just one day that we don't have to stick to a time table. Of course by the end of summer you know I won't be able to wait till the kids go back to school but right now I am looking forward to the break. I worked last Thurs - Sat and was at school all day today so haven't gotten much crafting done but I did make 2 of these cards to put the soccer coaches gift certificates in


Red and black is our favorite of the 2 uniforms the girls wear (the other is the yellow) so I just made it match the uniform and used a retired SU set.

I also received yet another RAK


This one is from Nancy and I had to keep it from my youngest DD at least long enough to scan it. Now she has it in her possession and she is busy thinking of creative ways to recycle the cat image. I was checking out Nancy's blog and she has a lot of good ideas for using patterned paper - great ideas! I plan on CASEing them for a card class I am teaching later this summer at the store - so thanks Nancy!
Lastly our diva group met last week and we received our plates back that we painted last month. I was so happy with how my plate turned out - the colors came out so bright and happy.

Right now it is sitting by my front door collecting my keys, sunglasses and spare change and it makes me smile every morning as I walk out the door :o)
And lastly my challenge piece

I knew even before I had left Cheri's house that it was going to be some sort of book - I wasn't quite sure how it was going to come together.... but I ended up modgepodging the napkin onto some chipboard and spraying some Glimmer Mist on it and then spraying some antiquing ink on just about everything else to give it that aged look. It was fun! I am enjoying making these pieces for no other reason other than just making it. You can see all the other pieces over on the blog

Okay that's it for now. I'll try to write again soon!

Busy, busy, busy

Phew - I feel like a gerbil in a running wheel desperately trying just not to fall flat on my face! This week we are consumed by my older DD dance performances - 2 nights of dress rehearsals and then 3 nights of performances. It's keeping me on my toes that's for sure. She loves it though and I tear up every time I see her on stage - I'm just so proud! Once we get through that she's done (until summer classes....) and we can breathe a little easier. Of course there's only 9 more days left of school - how crazy is that???? Where on earth has this year gone? I will be looking forward to our week on the beach - sitting, relaxing, not going anywhere if I don't want to........ of course the thought of wearing a swim suit makes me want to throw up but we won't dwell on that will we :o)

I was happily surprised by another RAK in my mailbox yesterday.


This one from Leanne who is another SCS blogger. Go check out her pretty Mother's Day cards. She has lots of really nice cards on her blog.

RAK'd

I got a lovely surprise in my mailbox yesterday.


It's always so nice to get a card in the mail smiling at you out from the midst of bills and junk mail. This pretty card was from Lynn who (like me) is in the SCS Blogger's RAK club. I joined the club last year and for a while I was sending out RAKS right and left but unfortunately I haven't done a very good job lately. Anyway go check out Lynn's beautiful blog. She has lots of pretty cards on there. And thanks Lynn for reminding me that I need to go RAK someone :o)

You Make me smile

Well I have been so wrapped up in my going's on that I hadn't had a chance to catch up on all my favorite blogs lately and so today when I finally did I found that Kathy had given me the

WOW!! That sure gave me the warm fuzzies - thanks Kathy!!! So now I need to pass on this illustrious award I tag

Melissa B - even though our lives have been so crazy busy I know she's still out there and one day we'll actually be able to have a conversation again! (I hope....)

Flossie - who always has lovely cards on her blog and leaves me such nice comments on my blog - she really does make me smile

Jana - I love her German quote for the day and she always has amazing cards

Melissa G - a fellow Aussie and crafter who has scrapboooks, sewing, cooking and just about everything else on her blog - my kind of crafter!

Heather - a fellow SU demo who always has the cutest projects on her blog - love the snowman ornament.

Thanks for making me smile ladies :o)

More RAK's

Yesterday was blah Monday! I don't know why I struggle with Monday's so much but I do. Maybe it's the piles of laundry I tackle, maybe it's having to venture into my younger daughter's room to try and find her bed and exchange dirty sheets for clean ones, maybe it's having to run to the grocery store while doing all this because we're out of milk and fruit AGAIN! I don't know. I need to overcome this trend though because it affects my family too - I'm always much crabbier on Monday's. Happily I received 2 more great RAK's in the mail so I thought I'd share those with you since I haven't done anything since the last scrap pages....

The first is from my online blogging buddy and Diva Jana

She just had to undergo gallstone surgery... in Germany! Now it's one thing to have to undergo surgery.... it's quite another to have to have to be in hospital it in a different country from your mom! (believe me - I've done it!) So go over there and give her a bunch of love.

The second one is another from my Diva sister Sher

I just love the color combo of the new in colors on this and of course the new flower punch.

Thanks ladies for brightening an otherwise blah day!

Diva swap

My online Diva swap sister for this month is Sher and she sent me this super cute card




I just love those little birds from Zoofari - well I like the whole set! - but the little birds are just so cute! I also like the way she stamped the flower in between the print pattern. I am afraid that is one stamp that has sunk to the bottom of my stack - I need to go revive it again.


Thanks for the inspiration and the card Sher!

Teacher Appreciation Day

Today is teacher appreciation luncheon and gift giving day so I will be spending the day at school to do first my younger DD class and then my older one, and then tonight is the first night of my daughter's dance performance - so it's going to be one of those "crazy chicken" days. I did finish my second scrapbook for the 3rd grade teacher and I am very pleased with the way both scrapbooks turned out. I just hope the teachers like them.

These are the gift bags the girls are giving to the teachers.

I found those too cute totes at the Dollar Tree and then filled them with everything you need for a day at the beach - sunscreen, bottled water, M&M's, gum, lip balm and then this little box

has gift certificates to a bookstore and of course Starbucks - I so wish someone would give one of these to me! I am SO ready for a day on the beach doing nothing but reading :o)

In the mail yesterday I got yet another RAK this time from Nancy.

She thinks she doesn't do well with the Doodle This set but I think her cards are great! I don't know if you can see it in the scan but the doodle on the side of this card is glittered and it looks so delicate and pretty! Go check out her blog and tell her yourself how great her cards look.

Okay before I am off on my crazy day I will leave you one last photo from my DD's dress rehearsal last night.

They are dancing to Cirque du Soliel music and the dance is called "Splash" and it is such a cute dance - you can see they are wearing shower curtain skirts - LOVE it!!! (Not that I'm biased or anything ......) I can't wait to see the whole show tonight.

RAK'ed again!

It was so nice to come home and find 3 RAK's in the pile of unopened mail that my hubby left for me. It was not so nice to come home to all the stuff strewn around the hallways, kitchen, dining room and ... well EVERYWHERE!!! Sheesh! Seems like the only thing my family missed while I was away was the maid service I usually provide.... Anyway, we won't talk about that anymore and instead look at these beautiful cards :o)

The first one was from Kathy - you can check out her blog here. I can't believe she only just made this card and I already have it! I love the color combo and the DP she used. Thanks Kathy!!!

Then was a R-RAK (return RAK) from Kitty for the RAK I sent her to thank her for the one she sent me... I see a pattern beginning to emerge - I think I need to send her another one :o) It's actually the little pink section on the front that opens as a mini card - great idea!

Then last but not least was this one from Marji - I loved this SAB set and it was one of the ones I am definitely keeping. Thanks Marji!

And one last note - my friend Melissa made a trip to IKEA and sent me a new clock to replace the one I broke during my creative process and so now my pretty clock is on my wall and actually tells the time :o) I have been doing the happy dance all day - thank's chick!!

One more thing and then I'm gone...

Tomorrow my friends Jeanna, Yvonne and I am off to the CK convention in Nashville until Sunday - WOOHOO!!!! No kids, no husbands, no housework, no cooking, no cleaning, no whining....of course that will all be waiting for me when I get back home but I'm not going to think about that right now - instead I'll concentrate on the scrapping, shopping, and all out fun we will be having!!! I can't wait! Of course there are all those last minute things to take care of - my younger DD has a birthday party tomorrow afternoon so I quickly made this tin today.



It's filled with glitters and glues and stickers and all those fun arts and crafts kind of stuff. My daughter was impressed so I hope her friend will be too.

I got this absolutley gorgeous RAK from stampinvicki on SCS today too

This kind of mail really makes my day :o) Don't you just love it!

It's a busy weekend for my family this weekend - my mum took off today for the first leg of her round the world trip - first stop Holland to see my dad's sister and my mum's aunt. She'll be stopping here later on in the month (bringing me lots of goodies from Holland I hope!) My sister is attending the first SU convention in Sydney this weekend! I made sure to tell her to say hi to Shelli from me - after all I am SURE that Shelli remembers me out of all the other thousands of demonstrators she meets - right???



Well I better go pack - we are going to 2 nights of crops so I guess that means I should have something to crop.... like photos...... better get on it. I'll let you know how it was on Sunday - till then have a GREAT weekend!

I've been RAK'ed

I only just joined the SCS RAK group and already have received 2 RAKS!! How fun is that?? The first one was from Kitty Anderson

Love it! You know I used those DP and stamp set a lot when they first came out and now they are sitting gathering dust - I need to dig them back out again.

The second was a birthday RAK from Lynn Black

How cute is that?? My DD wanted to have it because she liked the picture so much.

I guess now it's my turn to send some out - check your mailbox - it might be you :o)