Freebie Paper Pack

Just wanted to stop by real quick before the weekend gets away from me, lol. We're headed up to NY to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday. Here's a lo I did with a picture I scanned:


I was out all day at a seminar that I forgot about, lol. Oops! But it was cool to walk around a steel fabricators plant. Brought back memories of Penn State and the steel bridge team.

Once again, this month got away from me and I haven't gotten many challenges done. First thing monday morning I need to bust out a LO for Kim's new releases, and then tuesday I have to do my second Stand Up lo. But at least next week will be easier and I won't be running around out of the office (which takes away from the photoshop time!). I'd been meaning to get to making some elements to make this a full kit for DSO's color challenge, but again, no time. So I decided to just post the paper pack. You get 4 patterned papers (one folded and one embossed), and 6 solids with various textures and distressing. Click on the pic, hope you enjoy!

If you want to get more kits and packs in the same color scheme, come play along at DSO! The link is on the side bar.

On another note, I've been meaning to post about this. Out CT leader for Kim's team, Jazzy, fell ill a few weeks ago and was in ICU. She's since gotten a great deal better, but is still in the hospital. So please try and add her to your prayers, she still needs them. Thanks so much.

I think that's everything for now. Gotta go pick up my sister at the airport in a few hours, then it's home to NY in the morning! Have a great weekend everyone!

*Hugs* n love

~Col

Hello! I'm alive, with a freebie!!

Holy cow. It's been an insane few weeks folks, so sorry to go missing! I totally didn't mean to!
Lots of work, lots of crazy (and not in a good way) personal stuff, plus working on the new house, etc etc. No time to think! Lol!

So while I've got you here, I've got 2 great LO's to show you with some of my templates (cuz I just LOVE seeing them used!!).

This gorgeous LO was made by Amy using my template #1! Go leave her some love!!


And this one was done by Beth using template #2! Leave her some love too!


Thank you SO much ladies!!
Don't forget, all my templates are still available, just scroll on back to get them!

And for being so patient, and so wonderful during my september 11th post, here's a freebie! Template #9, bringing us up to date and back on track with all 10 templates posted now. I promise to work on some rectangle ones this week to get posted up soon.



Well, there's lots to tell and kinda get off my chest, but that's all I can spare for right now. Tomorrow I HAVE to do my LO for the Stand Up and Scrap competition. I know what I want to do, I just need to find the right picture, and then "git 'er done"!! LOL!! I've also got my LO for the DSO Sketch challenge almost complete, and the cover page for my Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life project. Lots of stuff in progress, time to bang them out and get them finished! Lol! Poor Kim hasn't seen much from me lately and I'm bound and determined to change that ASAP!!

Ok loves, maybe I'll see ya more tonight. If not, hopefully tomorrow!

*Hugs* n Love
~Col

9-11: Never Forget

September 11th. The day the world changed. The day we were thrust into a new era of fear and paranoia.

Sure, some of that has diminshed in the 6 years since the tragedy. But should it have? We shouldn't live in fear, but shouldn't we respect where that fear came from in the first place? Is it a pain in the rear to have to take our shoes off when going through the security checkpoint at an airport? Sure. But in the grand scheme of things, isn't continued awareness and prevention the only way to ensure safety? If it means that a bomb won't go off on my flight (or any others), I'm perfectly ok with being inconvenienced a few times a year.

Not all areas of the country have lost the sense of urgency and need for vigilence. NYC will never be the same. Just weeks ago when the steam pipe burst, it was hysteria. A huge loud noise, smoke (or what appeared to be since it was just steam) rising into the air. Was it happening again? My own father was spared from such terror on both accounts. He decided to work from home on September 11th, and when the steam pipe burst he had taken an earlier train home out of the city. But on both occasions, he worked within a block or so of each incident.

I still remember how it was afterwards. Being at school, which was a possible target itself (there's a nuclear reactor on campus - research and such), hearing planes and instinctively looking up in fear. Wondering if there would be another attack soon, where would it happen. Endless candle light vigils, and singing of hymns. Thousands of people wandering around campus asking "Did you hear?", "Did you know anyone?", "Are you ok?", "What happens now?".

I don't think I left my dorm room once that day. Not even to go to the bathroom. I woke up as my roommate came back from her 8am class, and she'd something on the big screen in the common building. She turned on our tv and my heart and blood turned to ice. I spent then next few hours trying to call home, but not being able to get through on my cell. My mom had the presence (I don't know how) to email me and let me know that they were all ok. I was transfixed to the tv for days, tears ever present on my face. That eerie silence that followed for the next few days/weeks, will never leave my mind. No parties, no loud music, no planes over head, even street traffic declined as people stayed home, attached to their tv's.

This is a day that we should never forget. When we forget, we doom ourselves to repeat history.

Please take a minute or two today, to have a moment of silence. Think of those who were lost, and the families they left behind, due to senseless violence. Remain aware of yourself and the world you live in.

But most importantly, make sure you send love to those you hold dearest in your hearts.

OMG have you HEARD?!?!

About STAND UP AND SCRAP?!?!

Sweet Shoppe Designs, Little Dreamer Designs, and DiscTalkRadio have teamed up to create an amaaaaaaaaaazing collaboration kit. AND it's a contest too!! A 6 week long contest, open to anyone (over 18) with absolutely amazing prizes (a years worth of designs from all 3 sponsors?!?! Are they SERIOUS?!?!). It is organized fantastically (from what I can tell so far) in a way that makes it totally fair to everyone who enters. There are 2 level options, Beginner/Intermediate and Advanced. So those insanely talented ladies aren't competing against me, lol. PHEW!! (I went Beginner/Intermediate) The kit itself is effing 700MB! 700!!!! Plus it's only $10, and all proceeds go to the Alliance for Climate Protection.

SSD has a Q&A thread up in their forum if you want to check it out some more before joining. And if you decide you don't want to join but still want the kit, it goes on sale on monday at Little Dreamer Designs for $12. Still an absolute STEAL!!

So as if I didn't already have a bazillion challenges to do, now I've got more! But it's only 1 LO per challenge per week, so I think that's totally do-able. The challenges run from Sept 19th to Oct 30th, with all 6 winners to be announced (and revealed since it's all being done anonymously by order number) on November 4th. I'm not going to get too hopeful, but then again, ya never know right?! :oD And it's always fun to dream of getting an entire year's worth of designs from the sweet shoppe! Lol!!

So aside from that, I've been pretty busy today, lol. I got a lot of cleaning and unpacking and organizing done, so the house looks pretty darn good for my friends to see tomorrow. I'm so excited for them to come down, we're gonna have SO much fun! We went and looked at more couches today, and still haven't bought anything. And dining room chairs are proving problematic too, lol. The table is so retro, and most chairs I find are so traditional and boring and blegh. And god forbid we go to Ikea, that's practically a curse word around Jordan, lol. The smallish living room and giant TV are causing problems with couches and seating and such. Oh and since we have totally opposite tastes, agreeing on a style is a bit hard too, lol. I think we found a pretty good compromise in a sectional with a chaise, but unfortunately we didn't ask if it would be flipped. So that one might not work out after all. Who new shopping for couches was such a pain in the a$$?!?! Lol!

And now it's late and I've got more to do. I have a paper craftin project that I would really love to get done. Except most of that stuff is still in a mild state of disarray. So we'll see, lol.

Have a good night and rest of the weekend!
~Col