A shocking win!

As I blogged about a couple posts ago, I participated in the blog launch activities for Scraptivity. There were a few technology issues that I had, and I was unable to post my submissions on the page in time. Scraptivity has been so awesome in all of this. They were able to fi the issue that I had, and then even had my submissions put into the contests. To top it off, I won!!! My layout that you can see below - Cause Every Girl Is Crazy 'Bout A Sharp Dressed Man - was the winner! I was absolutely shocked. I had so much fun doing the project. I was ecited to at least get them up on my blog, but what Scraptivity did about submitting me to the contest was totally unepected. I am incredably greatful to all the wonderful ladies over there. This is just another proof that people in the scrapbook community are amazing! Thank you so much Scraptivity! I love the site over there and can't wait to participate in the future.....

Dakota's home from Iraq *VACATION**

Hey all,
It's Tuesday night, and I should actually be sleeping right now. I know, it's really early in the night, but I have to wake up later and drive for a long time! I am leaving tonight to drive to Texas. Google says that it is a 12 hour drive. It will probably be more like 14 because I have a bladder the size of a pea and a psycho puppy too! Why am I going that ar, you ask? I get to see my Dakota!!!! Hooray! Dakota is coming home from Iraq! It's about time! So, I don't know how good the "free wi-fi" is going to be at the hotel, but I may or may not be on blogger for a bit. Oh so sad....I'm going to go through withdrawls from 2Peas if I can't get on!!! HAHAHA! I'm so addicted 24/7. So, um, just wanted to let you all know that I am super excited, wish me luck on the road, and thank God, Dakota will be home soon!!

My Forever Mark

For the All About Me Challenge, we needed to scrap about our mark. It could be a scar, a tattoo, a beauty mark, or even a non-physical mark that you have left for someone or something. I immediately knew that I had to scrap about my cherry blossom tree tattoo. It takes up my entire right side and part of my back too. I love it, and would never regret getting it. The meaning behind the tattoo is so important to me. I journaled about it on the LO.

Weekend Scrap Challenges over the weekend

Over the weekend I have worked on several Challenges using old and "newer" pictures. As you'll see, I used song lyrics or a couple of the journaling spots. I really love music and I think that it can really tell the eelings and events going on. The first Layout, entititled "I'm Leavin'" is about the last night that Dakota and I spent together before he had to leave for Iraq. Everyone has heard the lyrics to leavin' on a jet plane...I took some of them out that didn't quite apply, but most of them are there. The lyrics are so true to our situation! For the Layout I used a sketch from Sketchy Thursdays. I have been hoarding the white paper with the little hearts and envelopes on it for Years!!!

This was based on a sketch rom 52 sketches 52 weeks.
The journaling reads,"You've never really been one to let your sadness show. After spending 15 days together, it came time for you to return to Iraq and finish your 1 year tour. As we spent our last hours together, you didn't want me to cry so instead, you made me laugh!" I used a few different collections here the basic grey june bug paper, fancy pants kraft kuts, and the heart strip and journal spots are sassarass lass!

This next layout is based on Let's Capture These Sketches #18. I followed the sketch pretty closely. I love my little puppy, Kaye! She is so sweet. I used a little Love Bandit product here. I just can't get enough of it! I also did some stamping on my thickers. Altered embellishment - part of a challenge from Cheryl.

I have decided that we need to bring hats (headwear, haedbands, cute littel barrets, and such...) back!!!! I ust love how women used to wear hats all the time no matter what. I absolutely love hats. I have over 20 of them!! this layout tells just that, and shows me at work {working of course!} while wearing a hat!! Love it!

Scrap and Stamp Challenge

The following two layouts were for Scraptivity's blog launch today. They had a lot going on over there today! It was pretty exciting. Something was wrong with the webmaster, so I was unable to submit my layouts for the contests, but I had a lot of fun doing them so I still wanted to post them tonight. This first one is Dakota. While in Iraq he had the chance to have some suits custom made. He sent me these pictues from Iraq when he picked them up! I love love love them!!! After all, every girl is crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man!! I also used a little side challenge from Cheryl : using song lyrics for your title!

Sketch Challenge

Janine Says was a really fun game over there as well. Every 20 minutes, she posted up commands. We had to do the ones that were started with Janine says.... I had so much fun with it. I did have one issue for not following directions! Originally I had the brown paper with all the big circles on it, as the background. When I realized that a lot of it was going to be covered, I switched it to the paper framing the picture. I forgot that it was not double sided! Oooops! When we cut it into strips and started curling, I realized my mistake. I had to use another paper and adhere it to the back, then cut the strips on it to match the previously cut strips. That was tough! When I curled it, it looked pretty good though. Then I realized that once again, not much of that brown paper was going to show. I decided not to curl it up completely, so that way you could still see some of it. I was hoping that I would still get to put it on the page in another place too! Our next step was using three strips of paper. Hooray! I would get to use the paper I loved so much on the layout after all! Then I realized that I didn't have the right sizes for it except to make one strip. I actually like it this way though. I think that because of the aboriginal picture, maybe any more of the special "aboriginal-like" paper would distract too much from the picture that I was trying to highlight on the LO. So anyhow....I loved the game, and here is my LO:

Mini-Album First Attempt!

Woot Woot!!! I am so excited! I got three mini chipboard albums last night in the mail. I jumped righrt into them, too! Now, if you have read my previous post, you might ask, why three? They are all going to be one album....not so mini I guess, but it is a big deal that I will be scrapping about. Dakota has been in Iraq for a year and his return is very important. I will be in Texas for a week so see him in and spend some much needed time with him. I did a search in the 2Peas gallery for mini-albums....did you know that there are over 6,000? Holy cow!! Every single one of them is so beautiful and so unique. So far though, I have not found a single one that is like the idea I have in my head. I am using different size and shaped pages in my album....almost every page is different. I want this album to be FULL of all kinds of stuff. Normally I am not a big journalor, so I am making sure to put plenty of journaling areas in the album to force myself into it. I have about 10 pages done so far. Well, I wouldn't say done! I obviously have no pictures in them, and of course that means, that I don't have all the embelishments either. I want to do lots of layers and fun stuff with embelishments to add tons of demension and fun to the album. I can't put in all the embelishments of course, at this time, because I want them to layer over the pictures too! I just hope that when it is all said and done, it doesn't look like one big mess.
I think this is one of the hardest projects I have done yet. I see other albums full of embelishments, or with see-through pages, tags here and there, or little elements that hang from the album. I want all of that....it may prove to be a little crazy for my first attempt! I suppose there is nothing like jumping in for the full affect. I just have this vision of amazing, wonderfulness, and I am getting scared that I won't be able to live up to it! Yikes, scary! Wish me luck, please! ANY IDEAS ARE MORE THAN WELCOME!!!! tHIS JUST HAS GOT TO BE THE BEST!!!

I did a bad {good} thing!

One thing that many of you probably do not know about me is that I absolutely cannot stand my job. Now, I really try hard not to be negative, but I just have to point that out before my story. So, I am currently in a huge rut. I absolutely dread going to work every single day, and really, I don't like any of the undermotivated people that I work with except for maybe 2 or 3. Every single day, I think to myself, "I can fix this!" I can get out of this rut because I am better than this! I guess the main thing that is keeping me here is bills. We all have to pay bills. In the last two weeks I have been so good. I have not bought anything that I have not actually needed. This does include scrapbooking stuff. I mean, my goodness, I am really starting to collect a stash. I just need to use my stash! I am trying very hard to use my paychecks to pay off the bills that I have collected....mostly medical bills by the way. Next week Dakota comes home from Iraq, so I have to drive to Texas for a week to see him. I absolutely hate when anyone pays for me (to include Dakota who I have been with for so long - and who also happens to be the man I am going to marry) so I am also paying for the hotel to stay in. It will be pushing it if I pay too much over the minimum this month on any bills because of all that. Well, I just have to have a mini album to scrap the wonderful reunion in, and I have a ten dollar gift certificate to 2peas, and I looked at my bank account....I bought some stuff today on 2peas! I know I should not have, but I did. now, mind you, I did not get too much. Just a few important things that I did not have such as an actual mini-album! So, I am super excited for it to come in, but I'm also a little mad at myself for falling into my own trap. I keep saying that I can get all these bills paid off by May if I try hard and make that effort. At that point, I plan to go back to school for design. I am prior military, so I have what is called the post 9/11 GI bill that will pay for my tuition and give me a monthly income for housing arrangements. I will be able to make it just fine, but I will need to have all these bills paid off. So, anyhow, now that I have gone on and on about the same thing that many people find trying right now, I will end with this: Scrp your Stash, Renay!!!! Ha!. I'm sorry that I ranted, but I just needed to get that off my chest right now.
My current project that I am fighting with is printing pictures for more layouts. My prointer is printing in all these crazy wild colors, and it is upsetting. I cannot figure out how to fix it. It's like one or two will print fine and then a bunch will print funny. Then it prints a few more juzt fine. so bare with me that I have not posted up much lately. I don't have too many pictures left to scrap without my printer working right! That is actually where I got the mini-album idea from. I started to collect stashed stuff last night into opne place so that I can work on a mini-album. I can do the whole album without having any pictures. Instead of uploading the pictures to my computer and printing them, I will take them to the store and have them printed out so I can use them! Good idea? I'm trying to find ways to keep my creative energies flowwing right now so that the time passes quickly. I feel like a little child the week before Christmas. I just can't wait to see Dakota. I miss him so much!!!

Super awesome and generous giveaway!!!!

Scrapbooking from the Inside Out
November 10th, 2009 Ana
Scrapbooking from the Inside Out has launched their November kit Generosity, perfect for this time of year. This kit is so graceful and stylish – full of rich, deep color and elegant design, with coins, copper accents, shimmery self-adhesive mosaic tiles, and pretty Prima.

This month they’ll help you explore how you give of your time and money, inspiring a generous spirit in yourself and your family, positive self care vs. selfishness, and the big and small gestures that create connection in your life.
Here are two GENEROSITY-themed LOs from SFTIO’s DT Coordinator, Nancy Doren, that were created using the kit:


Scrapbooking from the Inside Out’s industry-exclusive content will help you explore your inner world with a music playlist, journaling prompts, moving photos, inspiring quotes, and meaningful monthly challenges.
To enter to win one of these great kits, repost this post on your blog and link it back to Scrapbook Trends, then give us a link to your blog post in the comment section of this post, and you could be exploring what GENEROSITY means to you!

Faith Sisters *My Lifetime Story*

As the year is coming to an end we are busy planning for next year. In 2010 we are going back to the basics of leaving a legacy of faith. This years challenges are all focused on YOU and your lifetime story. When you join us in this challenge you will be creating a mini-autobiography. We are counting down the days till January 6th because we are so stinkin' excited about the My Lifetime Story challenges!!! Wouldn't you to know what your grandma's favorite toy was as a child, how she felt when she met your grandpa, her favorite scripture and the song that expressed her heart? Your children and grandchildren will have that treasure when you join us in this challenge! We will start out with your family roots in January and move into your childhood in February. We will continue throughout the year with your teen and adult years as well. The last challenge of the year will be a letter to your future generations or anyone who reads your book. Each of our stories is important. This is a book that everyone should create about themselves. It will be the most treasured album of your family. As you create this album about your lifetime story you will be leaving YOUR LEGACY OF FAITH. This is an album that can make an impact in your life as you create it, but it will also create a major impact in the lives of your family both now and in future generations. As your children read your story in this scrapbook that YOU created, they will take your stories to heart. Your stories may have more impact on them than even Bible stories, because they are personal and from someone they know and . When friends and neighbors pick up your storybook and look through it you will be witnessing without even saying a word. They will read your lifetime history and discover your of Jesus, and His forgiveness and faithfulness in your life! The My Lifetime story challenges will begin the first Wednesday in January. A new challenge will be posted each Wednesday all throughout 2010. The last challenge will be posted the last Wednesday of December. Just because the challenge series ends at the end of 2010 doesn't mean your lifetime story album is finished. We will continue to offer periodic challenges to continue your autobiography and keep it current. Please join us in this year long challenge! Some of these challenges may be layouts you have already completed. That is ok! We need to get these all compiled in your lifetime storybook. Everyone deserves to be the star of their own book, including and most importantly YOU! If you don't put some time aside to create your My Lifetime Story album now, you may never find the time. If something were to happen to you, would your legacy of faith be lost forever? Take action now, join us as we create our lifetime storybooks for the next generation to see the glorious work the Lord can do in the life of a woman that loves God! Begin thinking about what size album you would like to use for your My Lifetime Story challenge. started hers in an 8x8 but now has decided that she needs more space so is moving up to a 12x12. is doing hers 12x12 also because she knew she had a lot she wanted to fit into this album. What size do you prefer? Start gathering your supplies now so you will be ready to start when we kick off the first challenge January 6th!

Write Love on Her Arm Day 11/13/2009

Friday, November 13th is To Write Love On Her Arm Day! Below is an explaination taken from the fan page on facebook. Please, please, please participate! Very close to my heart. Here are some pictures

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.*****To Write Love On Her Arms Day is a day where anyone can write the words love on their arms, to support those who are fighting against depression and those who are trying to recovering. On this day, just write love on your arms, and show it off, other people will ask why you have love written on your arms, and you tell them you are supporting to write love on her arms day, and how its benefiting a non profit organization helping stop depression, and make love the movement ♥ ****** upload pictures of love written on your arms on November 13th!"what will this acheive?". It will achieve the goal of people knowing that there are other people out there with the same problem, and/or people who are supporting them with love. become a fan!http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=180283055427#/pages/TWLOHA-To-Write-Love-On-Her-Arms/207297905122?ref=tsJoin this group!http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=36235764583there were over 500,000 people who attended to write love on her arms day last year, lets aim for over 1 million people

Another Lucky Day

Oh my goodness, I am so overwhelmed! This week has really been a very lucky one for me. I have never really been the lucky person before, so you can only imagine how greatful I am right now to have found out that I am the lucky winner of funky Halloween rubons and a few other things from Tina. I am so blessed. I am so excited, really! Thank you Tina so very much.
You all should go check out her blog. She is a member of a couple design teams, and I absolutely LOVELOVELOVE her creativity. Tina's use of fun and simple embellishments is simply amazing!

Big Calender Mistake! Please help me!

I was so excited last week when I picked up an adorable little date book calender. It has month view and day view sections. When I got home, I filled in all the dates(it was an empty calender that you make to fit the year) and when I got to December 13th - My birthday - I realized that it was on the same day as this year. "Well, that's not right." I thought. So I went back to check each month and try to figure out where my mistake was made. Oh, my goodness! I made the mistake on January 1st! I started the calender on the wrong day and every single day from then on is incorrect! I can't believe I made such a huge mistake. Does anyone have any ideas for fixing this by altering it or adding some kind of embelishment over all of the dates so that I can fix them? I am so OCD that I want to make it look like the covers I put over my mistakes were actually meant to be! Help?

I played over the weekend!

Over the weekend, I had so much fun scrapbooking. I scrapped about the past mostly. I miss my friends so much. I participated in the challenge over at Lets Capture These Sketches. Here is some of the stuff that I worked on over the weekend. I hope you find some inspiration!! Oh, and the last LO is a scraplift from the talented lory bucaria in the Two Peas Gallery!! Try to have a splendid week. Happy scrapping!!

Such a lucky day!

Oh my goodness, I am so excited right now! I'm talking to Dakota in Iraq right now over the computer and I decided to check out the AAM blog hop....I won two of the giveaways! To win one of them would be amazing I thought, but then I won two! For the last 5 minutes I have been singing, "I won! I won! I won!" to Dakota and I think he gets the picture! He can't believe it either. Thank you soooooo much to Kim and to Melisa for participating in the blog hop and giving away some very exciting prizes! I love so much! You guys totally rock! Thank sooooo much again and again and again!
Everybody else, you really need to check out their blogs and the rest of the Design Team blogs over at AAM! They all rock so much and are very inspiring!

I can't live without...

I can't live without Dakota much longer. He has been in Iraq since December and I miss him so much! This was an AAM challenge that I just had to do. (I also participated in the blog hop that they sponsered!!) It seemed just perfect timing considering that they are getting ready to come home right now. I should finally get to see him again at the end of the month! Hooray! I cannot wait much longer. I am really excited about how well this turned out. I think I looked at every single item in my scrapbooking collection before I finally decided on these supplies. I just had to make this layout perfect! I looked at a ton of different pictures that I have of Dakota trying to figure out which one was the best for this layout. Sometimes I am able to just make it up as I go, but this Loayout ws very well thought of. I thought out each element that I used, and I am so proud. I used hand cutting which Ihave been doing a lot of lately. I love these little clocks that I found at Target...especially the clear ones because overlays have become a bt of an obsession of mine lately. The thickers are pretty great too. Two Peas just had a big sale on them and I really stocked up!!!! Can't get enough of them. Oh, and the fact that the stiching was already done, made it perfect for me because I don't have a sewing machine and sewing by hand for me seems to take hours and I truely mean hours! So, I hope that you enjoy all the fabulous elements of this layout that really touches deep in my heart.

Target makes scrapbooking cheep!

Hey all, I had to drive 2 1/2 hours to Memphis today for a doctor's appointment. Yucky! I hate that long drive, but I made some good use out of it. We do not have a target where I am at. The closest one is an hour away. Sadly, Walmart (a very unstocked one) is the only place that sells anything crafty around here. So, anyways, while I was in Memphis, I decided to take advantage of being there, and I stopped into Target. I just had to peek down the scrapbook aisle. Holy cow! I found a ton of super cool stuff for 99 cents! Yeah, you read that right! They have a sign up and everything about how we should be able to do our hobbie without spending tons of money. So anyhow, I picked up some great items that could have easily gone for 4 or 5 dollars by other companies! I was just so excited. I hope you might check it out too

I was doing some

sorting of pictures today. I had "lost" my external hardrive and was oh, so sad. Good news is that I finally found it!! So anyhow...I was sorting pictures and came across some that I absolutely love! I have been working on uploading them to my Kodak gallary so that I can send them out to get printed. I cannot wait until they come back to me so that I can get scrapping them! I thought that I would share the pictures though. They show a little fraction of my fun life. I love the people in my life. I love the adventures I have had. I love my life! Sometimes while I sti here all alone in this little town that I moved to for the job, I get so sad and lonely. I miss the people that mean the most to me. I miss my friends and my family. I miss everything we used to do and all the fun we used to have. I look back on the memories (the photos especially) and smile, but sometimes I cry too. I smile because they were such good times. I cry because I miss those times and I miss those people and I hate to admit it really, but I feel sorry for myself. I know that is the last thing that I should be doing...feeling sorry for myself....but sometimes I jsut can't help it. So, I am posting up these pictures as a reminder that I have had good times and there are good times ahead for me. Sometimes life just throws a hardball at us and we have to learn to let the bruises heal.