TOOT TOOOOOOOT!!!

WHOOHOOO!!!! Check out my new blinkie over there on the right!!! YAHOO!!! I'm one of the newest Hawt Mama's on Traci Reed's Creative Team!!! EEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still can't believe it!!!

LOOK LOOK LOOK! THAT'S ME ON THERE!!!

Can you tell I'm just a liiiiiiittle bit excited?? LOL! I only recently discovered Tracy (beginning of Nov) when she joined Sweet Shoppe Designs, but holy mackeralfish is the woman amazing! She VERY quickly became one of my absolute favorite designers, and I feel so amazingly blessed to be a part of her team for the first half of 2008!! I'm still working on getting set up in the team forums and such, but I will be doing a lot of hybrid work for the team and posting my hybrid creations as tutorials on the team blog. Merry Christmas to me!! Lol!!

We had a long but good holiday with Jordan's family. It was very strange to not be home for Christmas, but it had to happen sometime. We're going home to NY on friday to spend time with my family and exchange gifts and such.

I'm tired, and I don't want to be here at work, but such is life. Next year we're definitely taking more time off, lol. If I had more vacation time we would've, but being sick a few times this year didn't help me out much. I'm also rather sad that we didn't have a white christmas at all. No snow. :-( I miss snow. We're scheduled for rain rain rain rain rain. Boo hiss!

On another fun front, my best friend Jesse has moved home to NY from TX! I'm SO excited to go home this weekend and get to hang out with him. It'll be WAY easier to hang out now that he's so much closer.

I think I'll go scrap for a while, then attempt some work. :-) I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday!

*Hugs*
~Col

Exhausted

I'm beat. Being out in the cold all day really zaps you. It was a stretch to get things done this week, but last night I wrapped the presents for Jordan's side of the family, and finished off 2 of the 3 things I need to send out today. I have 1 more to finish here at work, or at Jordan's house. I feel bad that the people won't get them til after christmas, but such is life. I wasn't planning on being out of the office all week and getting nothing accomplished. It's sometimes a hard lesson, but really, it's the thought that counts. Which is probably why, according to this little quiz, my stress level is nice and low this holiday.

Your Holiday Stress Level Is Low

You take it easy over the holidays, and you only take on what you can handle. You know the holidays are about celebrating and fun - not standing in line at the mall!

What's Your Holiday Stress Level?

I have some WONDERFUL news today!! Well I have 2 bits of news but I can only share one for now. Our family friends are having a baby!!! WHOOHOOOO!!!! They called and told my mom last night. I didn't realize the friend had had 2 miscarriages already, so the couple was waiting til she made it to the 3rd trimester before they told everyone. What a wonderful Christmas present for them! I'm so excited!! MORE BABIES TO SPOIL!!! WHOOHOO!! Lol. I really love making baby related things. Of course this means I have to bust my butt to get little Claire's blanket knitted. Can't very well make one for the new baby without finishing hers! LOL!

Thank goodness today should be nice and short. We're leaving at 2 to head to Jordan's parents house so we can skip some traffic. The car is jam packed, Tiger is here at the office in an unused room with her crate and a big ole bone to chew on, and there's pretty much nothing to be done. Next week will be even better cuz almost NO ONE works between christmas and new years. I'll spend the whole week scrapbooking I'm sure :-)

I'm really hoping that this weekend will be more relaxing than it sounds, lol. We're driving all over the place to see Jordan's family. I'm hoping to catch some of those old christmas movies on tv. I love the claymation ones, they make me laugh. Nothing like a silly little Rudolph stumbling through Christmas and saving the day at the last minute! LOL!

Now for something fun, were you naughty or nice this year?? :o)

You Were Nice This Year

You Were 25% Naughty, 75% Nice Okay, so you weren't *entirely* nice this year But Santa doesn't expect a modern girl to be perfect You were good enough - and you'll be rewarded for it

Were You a Naughty Girl or Nice Girl this Year?

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful long weekend.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night (I wish, I could use a nap!)

~Col

On the subject of wind burn

So wind burn isn't usually fun. But if you've been out on a boat all day, or out on jet skiis, or skiing or snowboarding down a mountain, it's really not so bad. Pretty much worth it to enjoy yourself and have fun.

Wind burn because you were on a "barge" on a river, inspecting a bridge in 35 degree weather really, just isn't worth it. It's been a long week, and it's only Tuesday night, lol. I'll be out there again tomorrow, and probably thursday too from the look of it. If I'm out there friday I might cry. I had on thermal pants and jeans, thick snowboard socks that went up to my knees, a second pair of socks, my work boots, a tank top, thermal shirt, t-shirt, fleece long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, scarf, hat, hard hat, gloves. And I still froze my ass off. If I put any more layers on I can't climb up and down the scaffolding on the "barge", which is really just a wooden raft. It's so shabby looking, but it's really pretty stable.

Soooooooooooo anyway. I'm wearing like 3 layers now to get warm again, lol. Even after a long hot shower I'm still a bit chilled.

Kim has a gorgeous new kit out called "Purple Christmas"! It's super versatile and can be used for all sorts of things! Here's a LO I made with it. The picture is of some new decorations that I got for the house for Christmas that I'm way excited about. Not purple, but that's what hue/saturdation/sepia are for! LOL!


I just LOVE that dove bird element. SO cute!! Kim really knows how to put a kit together :o) AND it's on sale @ 25% off right now! So hurry and go get it already!!

I'm chilly and tired, I think it's time for bed.
Have a great day tomorrow everyone!!
*Hugs* n Love
~Col

I can't believe I didn't post about this!!

We have a wedding date!! And a place for the reception! And we're having a chocolate fountain!!!
While we were home in NY for Thanksgiving, we spent 2 days running around looking at various reception halls. We were blown away by one and none of the others could touch it. So we called back the next day and booked it. We shall be married on October 11th, 2009! Hooray! It's the sunday of a long weekend (Columbus Day is that monday), so people can take their time coming
in, and Jordan's aunts and cousins can spend Saturday shopping at the outlet mall :oP It's so awesome to finally have that decided. It's nice to get the big stuff out of the way, you know? So YAY!

Kim has yet ANOTHER awesome kit hitting stores tomorrow. It's called Party On and it's fun and festive and bright and cheerful, just like Kim!! Perfect for all those holiday party Layouts!! Here's one that I whipped up, and I gotta say, I like it a lot. All the reds and oranges are so much fun!! Plus I used a template from my guest ct spot, Bree Clarkson! They're awesome, so check out the credits and see them too! Click for credits!


I'm working on another LO right now and I'm hoping to get it whipped up for Kim as a QP. So stay tuned.

MNF is on and I REALLY hope the Patriots snap out of it and crush the Ravens. I'll cry if I have to listen to the morons at work tomorrow. Although I'm sure they'll complain if they lose too. Looks like a lose lose situation for me! LOL!

So this is fun. Not totally accurate, but you know, whatevs :p

What Your Handwriting Says About You

You are a fairly energetic person. You know how do pace yourself, and you deal well with stress. You are reserved and not very outgoing. You are deeply thoughtful and introspective. You have a lot of control over your actions and emotions. You are extravagant, over the top, and indulgent. You set trends and influence people. You need a bit of space in your life, but you're not a recluse. You expect people to give you a small amount of privacy, and you respect their privacy as well. You are somewhat traditional, but you are also open to change. You listen to your head and your heart. You are a decent communicator. You eventually get your point across, but sometimes you leave things a bit ambiguous.

What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

Ok. Time to finish my LO then work on the clutch I'm knitting. I'm sad it won't be finished in time for wednesday's holiday party, but I'm hoping I'll get it done in time for Dover's party next week. BTW, who decided that Company Parties on week nights was a good idea? Weak sauce.

Later lovers! Have a great night!
~Col

Funny stuff and a TOOT TOOT or 3 :)

Hellooooooo everyone! How was your thanksgiving? Do the pants fit again? I think mine finally do :oP

So I was going through the list of SSD challenges, and came across these two blog quizzes. I usually do the quiz and then don't post cuz I'm lazy like that (I mean it entertains me for a good 5 minutes so it's not totally useless, but it isn't exactly earth shattering news either), but these 2 made me laugh, so I'm posting. Plus, I want the sweet rewards points. I want a 40% off coupon dangit! LOL! I'm so close, but getting these calendars done is taking up all my challenge time!

So this is my Pilgrim Name. I don't even know how to take that, lol.

Your Pilgrim Name Is

Desire Mullins

What's Your Pilgrim Name?

And this is what part of Thanksgiving I am. I find this one hysterical, yet appropriate (or at least I hope so :oP)

You Are The Stuffing

You're complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together. People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Funnyyyyyyyyyyyy.

So I have some kick ass news too. As I posted a lil while ago, I'm trying to get on some different CT. Whether as guests or permanents or whatever. Kristine was amazing enough to extend me an invite (love ya wench!!), but I want to branch out and spread my wings a bit. I sent in several apps, and got back several rejections, lol. BUT! I also got a guest gig! Whoohoo!! For December I'll be guesting wtih Bree Clarkson at SSD!!! Her templates rock my socks.

Then the other day at DST, someone posted a thread about wanting to be on a CT or get a guest spot, and I mentioned that I was in the same boat that she was. Well I'll be darned if I didn't get 2 more messages from designers asking me to guest for them! So in January I'll be guesting with Kim Hill, and in February I'll be with Mikkel Paige! I'm so excited!!

I still love Kim the best though, don't forget that! :oD

Sooo that's wonderful and exciting. I've gotten a LOT done on my christmas shopping, which is spectacular and ahead of schedule for me, so I'm quite proud. I'm doing a lot of hybrid stuff, and a lot of homemade crafty things to try and save money. Jordan's resigned himself to knowing that I'll spend money for Christmas (like he said, it's what I do) but I do still want to try and save SOME and not go overboard like I always do, lol. So we'll see. That's my mission this month.

Ok, time to eat, and get a whole bunch of digi stuff done. :o)
Have a great day!!

~Col

There's always something to be thankful for.....

There really is. Always. If you're alive and reading this, you have something to be thankful for. Sometimes it really is that simple! It's been a WEEK, but I'm still alive and kickin, so it's all good. :o)

So the freebie today is a card template. Something different. It started last week because both Kristine and Bunny had some VERY rude people contact them about their blogs. How many times does it need to be said that you (meaning people in general, not YOU specifically dear sweet reader :oP) get freebies because people are kind and generous. You aren't owed them. And you for damn sure have no right to dictate to someone what they put on their own blog. Let's get real here. There was a thread over in DST recently, that Australian was going to ban Santa's from saying "Ho, Ho, Ho". Seriously? PC terms are running rampant. Just because you take offense to something, doesn't give you the right to spout off on it, or demand that Santa no longer say Ho ho ho, get a life! If you don't like what someone says on a blog, LEAVE! Or go buy a sense of humor. Sheesh!

Ok, that was a hell of a ramble. But the audacity that people have sometimes really amazes me.

Now, back to being thankful :o) What are you thankful for? I'm going to whip up a LO today about some of the things that I'm thankful for, hopefully anyway. Might get pushed off til next week. So what am I thankful for? Here's a quick list (in no particular order):
To the troops over seas who give up so much to do their duty and protect all of us here at home in the good ole US of A :o) (you know I had to send to love to all my west point buddies!)
Amazing friends who stand by me through thick and thin
A wonderful loving family
My amazing and sweet fiancee
My ridiculously comical dog, who is also a top notch cuddler
KimB! For giving such an amazing opportunity
All the people I've met online,through blogs/digi-scrap forums who inspire me constantly

I could go on, I'd be here all day and don't want to bore you. So here is the card I whipped up for people out there like Kim and Bunny and Kristine, who take a lickin and keep on tickin :o)


And here's the template. Use it today to thank a designer who's freebies you just LOVE. :o)


Have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving everyone!

~Col

Lots to read and see here

So you've been sufficiently warned. :o)

Clearly, I survived this weekend. Unfortunately, my voice did not. :oP I'm a loud person, I know this, I don't try to hide this. But pair me with 15 other people who are also loud, who I haven't seen in a while/never met before, and add a LOT of alcohol and you've got a recipe for disaster on your hands! LOL! By about 2am on saturday I was all raspy, not even sexy deep voice. More like 90 year old who smoked 2 packs a day for 30 years. Gross. Hopefully it'll come back soon. I like my voice! Lol! Saturday was SO much fun. This picture sums up just how drunk and fun we all are. That's me and my girl Tara.

You'll be seeing some LO's in the coming weeks of our get together. I worked on one today at lunch but didn't get it finished.

So it's November. I don't know when that happened, but it feels like it happened to quickly. I'm DYING to get some christmas kits, but am waiting for Shabby Princess to reveal one that I think might be coming out soon before I buy any. Although Penny Springmann put out a GORGEOUS one this week at SSD that I'm DYING to get. Anyway, new month means new Songbird Ave charity kit. This one is called "Sugar Plums" and all proceeds go to Toys for Tots! You can't lose!! Check it out, and then go buy it ;o)


On Nov 3, Digital Scrapbooking Day, Sweet Shoppe Designs debuted a whole slew of new designers and products (over 100 products if I remember correctly). Well I snagged this one called "Winter Thrill" by Dani Mogstad (one of my absolute FAVORITE designers) and am LOVING IT! It's what I used to create my "Winter Laughs" LO that I posted last week. SO fun and versatile. I love the papers and the elements, and the alpha is stunning and perfect for christmas LO's too. Definitely my favorite thing I picked up that, although Penny's 2008 calendar toppers are a close 3rd. :o)



I want to thank all of you who left such sweet comments last week during Kim's huge birthday celebration. We all had so much fun, and I'm so glad that so many of you enjoyed the brag book that we all created. I kinda want to do that for every kit of Kim's! LOL! Just love that woman, but you know that. Oh and I'm glad that those of you who don't normal purchase grab bags, did and were so happy! This kit here is definitely my favorite part of teh personal use bag. It's in the store later today and is 25% off! GO GET IT if you haven't already!!


Heather is a big giant sweetie and passed this along to me today.

Thanks so much hon! I love Heather's blog and her designs are fantastic. Check out her post for today, it showcases her awesome commercial use/scrap for hire products. So if you're a budding designer or a scrapper for hire, you should definitely check her out. Plus her little girl is covered in spaghetti and sure to make you smile :o)

I'm saving a serious post for tomorrow because I don't want it to get buried. But you can go to Kristine's blog or Kim's or Bunny's and scroll back to last week and see a good preview. People really need to think before they speak. Not doing so is becoming a bit of an epidemic in this country. I just got inspired for a LO while thinking of this. If you're lucky I'll work it into a template tonight and post it for you tomorrow. But you're gonna have to go read one of the 3 blogs I just mentioned and linked AND leave a comment there AND here tomorrow after my post if you want it. You'll understand why if you actually go read those blog entries.

I think that's all for today, now that I wrote a small novel. :o) Have a great day/night everyone!

~Col

Fantastical Friday

I am SO excited it's friday. This week went surprisingly fast and I'm SO glad. A bunch of people I met online are coming into town and we're having a big huge get together and I'm SO excited. I'll have lots of new pictures to scrap, lol. One friend is flying in tonight, and then we're all heading down to VA tomorrow to party the night away and play endless hours of Guitar Hero (which btw I am WAY excited to get for Christmas, lol). I caught the South Park episode where they spoofed GH last night and I could not stop laughing! Absolutely hysterical, lol.

So, I'm pretty proud of this LO. It's the one I completed for week #6 of the SUAS contest, and the challenge was to scrap about what you're going to do to make an impact on the world. So I scrapped about a bunch of the things we're already doing in our home. Jordan and I car pool to work almost every day of the week, all the light bulbs in the house are compact fluorescents (and they REALLY make an impact on teh electricity bill, I HIGHLY recommend them), and our appliances are all Energy star rated. If the county didn't make it such a PITA to recycle, we'd already be doing that. I want to start though, I just need to look into it more. So anyway, here it is, click for credits.

Now I MUST remind you to go to Kim's store one last time. The sale ends sunday (at midnight I'm assuming) and after that the glorious contents of her grab bags will go back into the store at full price. And when you see what's inside, you'll kick yourself for not buying them (AND getting a giant brag book for free).

Here is the LO for today's template. Personally, it's my favorite of the 5 so I'm glad Kim saved it for today :o) Click for credits.

And here is the template. Enjoy! And don't forget, no hot linking, send ppl here, and if you use this template send me a copy of your LO and I'll post it here on the blog!


I hope you all have a glorious weekend! I know I will!!
~Col

Template Day 4

Where did the week go?!?! I swear, the worst part about getting older is losing all sense of time. I can't believe it's NOVEMBER! Where did the year go?!

So I think I have a new favorite layout on my hands, making that 3 favorites, lol! I did this one for the Sweet Shoppe Designs Treat of the Month feature. I was looking for a LO to spin and lift, but I found this one and didn't want to spin it, LOL! Click for Credits.


I just really love how that one came out. I don't usually cluster elements and things like that, but I'm really proud of that one.

Quick shout out to Tink! I'm glad SOMEONE enjoys my rambles! LOL! I'm really going to try and keep up with the blog more now. It's just fun!

Here's the LO I created for today's template. I was inspired by Hillary Heidelberg's "Got Game?" on page 28 of the 10/07 edition of Memory Makers, and had to lift it. I came up with this:

And here is your template (no word art today, sorry). But tune in tomorrow for a surprise :o) I've got something special planned for those of you who've played along and gotten my templates this week.


I would be a bad CT member if I didn't remind you again about Kim's goodies!!

Personal Use Grab Bag comes with the fantastic Christmas Kit I've been creating these templates with. Commercial use grab bag has more of Kim's amazing goodies. If you've ever bought something from Kim, and enjoyed it, then snag BOTH bags because at these prices it's a STEAL! PLUS when you buy both bags, you get a 21 page brag book that all of us on her CT created! It's a win win! AND her whole store is 40% off, and all of DSO is 30% off for their first birthday celebration!! What are you waiting for???GO NOW!

I hope you're all having a great week! See you tomorrow, TGIF!!
~Col

Wacky Wednesday

Hellooooooo everyone! I know, I know, I'm late! Sorry! I posted twice yesterday, so I'll be short and sweet today :o)

Here's the LO (click for credits):


And here's the template and wordart! Enjoy!


Ok have a good one!
~Col

Feeling chatty

I'm feeling chatty today, so I'm posting twice. SSD does a "from our blog to yours" bit every week, and last weeks was interesting, so I'm posting. :oP The post was about your absolute favorite LO. Well, I have 2 so take that ;o) It's my blog and I'll cheat if I want! LOL!

This is a LO I did for SUAS, week #3. The challenge was to use lyrics. I'd heard this song a few times in the days before the challenge was posted, and I knew I had to use them, even though it would be hard. That song reminds me of my best friend who passed away 5.5 years ago. I heard it for the first time very soon after I was told she had passed (bad car accident, though no cause was ever determined), and it's stuck with me ever since. It's a gorgeous song, and I'm sure other people take something different from the lyrics, but for me it will always be bittersweet. I don't often talk about Jaclyn, so this page was a little like therapy. Click for credits.



And this is a recent LO but has quickly become a favorite. I love the grungy-ness and the colors and the textures. Absolutely love this page. :o) Click for credits


I hope you all enjoyed my little extra share, and have enjoyed the templates too!
Have a good night!
~Col

Music soothes the soul

I love music (as you can probably tell from the blog header). There's nothing better to me, than "re-discovering" a great cd. The way that music can transport you through space and time never ceases to astound me. Just a few weeks ago I found a cd I thought I had lost, and boy did it bring back some summer memories. :o) I just love that. I've been rockin out to John Mayer for 2 days (all the cd's, the live stuff, the stuff you can't get on cd's - I love that man's voice and style) and I am still sitting here diddy-bopping in my chair. Reminds me of dinners at home when we were younger. We always play music at dinner, and inevitably mom would start "diddy-bopping" and then me or my sister would too, and dad would say in his "serious but not really so you can't actually take him seriously" voice "No diddy-bopping at the table!!" And mom would pretend to hang her head in shame, and the rest of us would just giggle and continue to at least bop our heads in time to the music. Ooooh good times.

So. Have you gone to DSO yet? Have you been to Kim's store and discovered that HER whole store is 40% off because it's her birthday and she's so awesome she's passing the goodness on to everyone else?

No? Well what are you waiting for?!?!?! :oD


The personal use grab bag has a GORGEOUS Christmas kit in it, and the commercial use bag is just full of awesome goodies too!! Seriously, if I wasn't on her creative team I'd be going nuts in the store! She has such amazing products, and at 40% off, you can't go wrong!!

Ok ok, you're probably looking for a template with some word art included in it right? Right. Here's the LO that inspired the template (click for credits):


Aaaaaaand here's the template. "Season's Greetings" word art included!!


I hope everyone has a wonderful day! And don't forget, not hot linking, send people here, and if you use a template, show me what you did with it!

*Hugs* n Love
~Col

Kim's Big Birthday Bonanza!!!

How fun is that word, Bonanza. Makes me smile just thinking of it :oP

SO! Hooray for Kim's birthday!! Can you believe her WHOLE STORE is 40% OFF at DSO!!! The woman is nuts!! Now if you like Kim's kits and creations, you are DEFINITELY going to want to pick up both her commercial and personal use grab bags. Not only do you get 2 amazing bags FULL of awesome goodness, but if you buy both you get a 21 page brag book that all of us on her CT put together!! 21 PAGES!! That's huuuuuuuuge!!!

Ok so you're all probably here cuz you want my template with freebie word art. I see how it is ;o)

Today's LO using Kim's stuff is "Joy", and inside the template you get the word art for free! Click for credits.


And here's the template! Click to download.


Don't forget, Kim's WHOLE STORE is 40% off @ DSO this week! What are you waiting for!?!?! GO SHOP!!

~Col

Well it looks like....

The cat is out of the bag! KimB included info on her awesome surprise in her freebie for today!! You guys have no idea how fun next week is going to be! All of us on her CT have put together some seriously awesome stuff for you guys. She's got grab bag's, she's got kits, she's got extra goodies to give away. You do NOT want to miss it. :)

So I was all excited to go home last night and work on some of ideas for Kim. I get home and I've got the house all to myself cuz Jordan went home with Tiger to go to the Penn State game this weekend with his Dad. I have a TON of stuff I want to get done so I'm not behind for the holidays, so I decided to sit this trip out. So I get home and get into jammies and set up the tv and start dinner. I go turn on Jordan's desktop (my poor old lappy can't handle PS CS2, lol)......"drive not found. please insert system disk and press enter". Um....what? So I call him, and he can tell that I'm disappointed, so he has me turn it off, unplug it, and let it sit for a while before I turn it on again. So I do that.....same thing. So now he's telling to unscrew this, go check that....yea, no thanks. I was too disappointed to deal with it. Then of course 2 hours later I was bored and wanted to call again! LOL! I'm gonna try and figure it out tonight with him on the phone. It could be as simple as a cable coming loose inside the tower and that's why it's not reading his hard drive. If it's something more serious I'll cry because then I won't be able to make all kinds of goodies this weekend. I wanted to start our christmas cards, I have presents to make, etc etc. PLUS, it's Digital Scrapbooking Day! So there will be oodles of fun things going on, and dang it! I want to play!!!

So I put my name out there a few times recently to try out for more creative teams, with no luck. But to be honest, it's not all that disappointing. I still consider myself a newbie in the digi-scrap world, I know I've got lots more to learn. I got the nicest rejection letter last night, I couldn't even be upset that I wasn't chosen! Lol! But she did say that she's holding onto my app for consideration in case a spot opens up, so that made me feel awesome. The Stand Up and Scrap contest really pushed me and challenged me, and I'm all about self improvement. I've really loved some of the pages I've made lately and that's such a great feeling.

Here's a fun one I did for the Slogan Challenge over at Sweet Shoppe Designs. I have some of the best friends, we have such a blast when we're together! Click to see it in my DST gallery.
Not too much else to report. Work has slowed down CONSIDERABLY for me in the last week or so. Some of the projects I'm on just can't move forward until we get more information or get the go-ahead from the state. I love what I do, but that can be frustrating sometimes, even my boss complains about it occasionally, lol. My company is doing really well, and we keep winning contracts. We've got tons of jobs waiting for us in the wings. I like being busy and learning new things and I get to do both at this company, it's really awesome.

It's so wrong of me, but I can't WAIT to start decorating the house for Christmas! Lol! All the craft ads in the paper are for sales on Christmas decorations and I'm just dying to get in the attic and pull our stuff out, lol. I've got a bunch of stuff I want to do in the house this year, I can't wait to get started. I'm especially excited to decorate the outside with lights. I want 2 little trees wtih lights on either side of the door, and lights all on the banister on the steps, lights around the garage doors.....Jordan's gonna hate me! LOL!

Ok, I think I've rambled on enough for today. :o) Everyone have a glorious weekend, I'll see you on Monday for the fun festivities!!

*Hugs*
~Col

I'm back

And this time I SWEAR it's for good, lol. I had a really busy couple of weeks there. Plus I got into a bit of a funk. One of those moods where you don't know where it comes from, or when it's going away, and all you can do is ride it out. Well the ride is over thank goodness! LOL!

Good thing too, KimB has some awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwesome stuff coming up next week and a big surprise that I can't reveal quite yet. ;o) It's going to be really awesome and everyone is going to want to play along. All of us on her CT have a few tricks up our sleeves too! Lol! It's gonna be a BLAST, but you have to wait til next week to find out, so stay tuned!

Since I've been MIA, I thought I'd post some of the LO's I've done this month. Clicking on any of them will take you to my DST gallery where you can see credits.

This is my first month for my shutterfly calendar. I won 1 free from one of their contests!


This one I did for a challenge at SSD. I took those pictures last fall on a walk with Tiger. I wish the leaves were that pretty this year.


This one started out as a submission for the SUAS contest, but I ended up submitting something else instead. It still feels a little unfinished, but nothing I was adding clicked, so it stayed as is. :o)


And last but not least. This is the LO I did for KimB's last release, "Bug-ing". Super cute kit, I hope lots of you bought it. And if you didn't, I suggest you wait a week before buying it :oP


I think that's all for now. I've got some freebie's in the works (I think I say that every time I post, lol), so stick around. :o) Have a great monday everyone!!

*Hugs*
~Col

Is there anything

more gut wrenching than a friend who's in a bad emotional place and not being able to help them in any way? It breaks my heart to see one of my closest friends in such a bad place. He's so hurt, and so many people expect so much of him. He can't heal, he can't escape his own head. He's so far away I feel totally helpless. I know he needs more time to deal with everything, I just wish everyone else saw that too. Thank goodness he's moving back home soon. That might be just the medicine he needs. Hopefully he'll get to stop here on his drive to NY and visit and see the new place. That would be the best thing ever.

On another sad note, I finished my LO for Stand Up And Scrap challenge #3. The challenge was to use song lyrics and interesting typography. Lately I've had one song stuck in my head, so I decided to go wtih that one. Except the topic it pertains to is really hard for me. To talk about, scrap about, even think about. The song is "Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eat World, and it reminds me of my best friend Jaclyn. Jaclyn passed away 5.5 years ago in a car accident. We never found out what caused it though. I miss her so much sometimes. I still can't bring myself to go to her grave. I don't know what I'd say. Sometimes when I'm sitting peacefully, just relaxing, I say a prayer to her and make sure she knows I miss her. Scrapping that song was so hard for me. I wanted the page to come out perfect. I'm very satisfied with the page though. Whenever I get it printed I'll have to add a tag or journal on the back of it or something. I didn't include anything other than the song lyrics. I'd share it, but that's not allowed until the contest is over.

I also finished my desktop for October. It came out awesome and I'm working on a template to give away. So stay tuned!

In other, happier news, Jordan has decided that he hates all of the churches in our area and now wants to get married in NY. And at West Point even! It's not what I really want, but it's his wedding too. I won't make him get married somewhere he doesn't want to. It's our wedding, not just mine. He's got too many opinions to just ignore anyway, lol. So we're going to have to go to NY sometime soon and get that ball rolling.

I spent the weekend driving around the east coast and had a GREAT time. A friend flew in from OK as a big surprise and it was so fantastic. We played guitar hero for a zillion hours and I'm now totally addicted, lol. Jordan won't let me buy it yet though, so I might have to wait til Christmas. But I'm mildly obsessed with it now and can't wait to visit someone who has it, lol. I have no shame ;o)

I think that's about all for now. Kim has a new kit coming out and I've got a LO almost done with it, so I'll post that tomorrow. Til then....
*Hugs* n love

~Col :o)

Hurry! Time is running out!

Kim has another AMAZING commercial use grab bag! But hurryyyyyyyy cuz it's not going to be up for too much longer!! $8 for 6 brand new products which will total $35 when released individually!!! I've got 2 LO's here to give you some sneak peaks on what's inside. :o)

So here's one. Jordan took this picture of my parents (while I took it using mom's camera, lol) last weekend at the party we had for my mom. They've been together 29 years now. Apparently they fought when they were engaged, like Jordan and I do now. So that gives me hope :oP


This one I did as an 8.5x11 for a friend. A while back I did one of her female Rottie, so it was time for handsome Murphy to get his page!

Click on both pictures to see credits.

I also FINALLY finished the cover for my EOL album. It sat there for about 3 weeks, patiently waiting for pictures, lol. I love how it came out and I'm excited to get some more pictures taken for the subjects of the pages. I've settled on a 2 page spread per letter, and using 3 topics. So one page gets 1 topic, the main focus for that letter, and the other page gets the other 2 topics. I absolutely LOVE the Stand Up and Scrap kit, I think I'm going to use that one a LOT.


Let's see, what else. I'm working on a new desktop for October. Hopefully I'll finish it today and I can show you guys tomorrow. I think that I'm going to make it into a template to give away, that could be fun.

OH! Head over to Shutterfly and play their fall game! I won a consolation prize of a free calendar! Now I just have to sign up another email or two and see what else I can get :oP

I think that's all for now. I promise I'm cooking up some templates to give away, and I've started the mini kit for the color challenge at DSO. So there's stuff coming I promise! :o)

*Hugs* n love!
~Col

PS~I'm headed to NJ on friday and RI on saturday and I can't wait to hang out with some of my friends!!!

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

Whoops!!

Ok so first off, it was brought to my attention that template #8 was inspired by one of Becky Flecks sketches from pagemaps. So she gets inspiration credit for that! Let me explain, lol. Since I've started digi-scrappin a few months ago, I've used post it notes for everything. Drawing up sketches, listing LO credits, lists of wants on store sites, etc etc. I THOUGHT I had kept it all organized and transferred a lot of it over to a small journal that I keep in my purse. Buuuuut everyone makes mistakes and somehow along the way, the inspiration for that sketch never go written down on the post it, and I hven't been over there in quite some time. So I'm trying to be better, but at least a friendly reader brought it to my attention! No harm no foul and no hard feelings hon!

Ok so on to more fun things.
For one, I've decided that DigiShopTalk is the greatest place ever. They have ZERO restrictions on what goes into their gallery, and ZERO limitations on the number of LO's or files or amount you put up there. Amazing! So I'm working on uploading all of my lo's to my gallery over there. Take a peek if you're interested in seeing more of my work!
The other reason I'm loving it, is that there's a super fun "challenge" going on that is really an amazing idea. I'm all about scrapping more about ourselves, and leaving thigns behind so others can see who we are from our own perspective (kids, grandkids, etc). So the challenge is called "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life" and while it sounds like just another "Book of Me" type thing, it's a lot more. You can take it any direction you want, any style you want, etc etc. It's going to start next week I think (maybe the week after) with 2 groups. One for fast scrappers and one for slower scrappers, and anyone can join in at any time. There are so many amazing ideas coming out in the forum, it's so much fun to think of all the different ways you can put your own stamp on this project. So even though I have about 15 million things on my "to do list", I've decided to jump right in. Right now it's in the beginning stages, and people are working on coming up with their list and writing paragraphs, organizing photos, etc. It's going to be a lot of fun, come and play!!

Since today is the 31st, that means it's the last day to get "Dreamsicle" from Songbird Ave and donate to the Make a Wish foundation! The kit is STUNNING. I haven't had a chance to use it yet this month since I haven't scrapped all that much, but it's really a great looking kit. Plus Robin Carlton was part of the collaboration and she's another one of my favorite designers. So go snag it!!

Let's see...what else....I'm sad that I won't be getting the fairy kit from DSO this month. I never got all my challenges done this week. Which stinks cuz it was really pretty. Oh well, I'll have to try again for next month! Lol! I didn't get many of the challenges done over at Sweet Shoppe either. I think that between both forums I have about 25 or 30 challenges I want to do every month, lol! I'm NUTS!!

Well, I think that's about it for today. No freebie, just a nice big ramble. We're going shopping for couches today (yay) and might get some dining room chairs too (fingers crossed!!). We've got a whole bunch of people coming on sunday to party and I'm anxious to get some stuff finished off in the house to show off, lol.

Have wonderful holiday weekends everyone! Enjoy the GLORIOUS return of College Football!! I know I will!!

Break out the bubbly!!

Cuz it's tiiiime to celebrate!! I'm engaged!! WEEEEE!!!



Jordan proposed to me on the 19th while we were on our vacation in Florida and it was magical and romantic and perfect. :o) And I finally have my ring! Lol! He's had it since APRIL! But I'm ecstatic, and so happy and so is he, and both our families. A new house, a ring on my finger, life doesn't get much better!

Or does it? Thank you SO MUCH for all those who voted at GDS last week, because I WON the people's choice award for best layering!! How cool!!! WHOOHOO!! Props to Kim for pimping my LO to get votes too, lol.

And WELCOME to Beth, Kim's newest CT member!! Hooray!! Kim's got a rockin CT if I do say so myself ;o) Speaking of Kim, she's got a fantabulous "Buddy Bag" out over at DSO! She and Bunny teamed up to create yet ANOTHER wonderful grab bag full of designers tools! A $60 value for just $10!! You DEFINITELY should go check it out!!

Since it's been soooooo long, I'm gonna go ahead and post a freebie for everyone to toast to my successes! WHOOHOO! Here's template #8. I'm excited to get a LO done with it, so keep your eyes peeled. And as always, PLEASE, if you use my templates then send me a copy of your LO! I'd love to show more people some love on here!!



You know the drill. No hot linking - send people to my blog, if you download leave a comment and let me know why (what you like about it, etc). The comments I receive are always a big boost in confidence and esteem, so keep em comin! Lol!!

Also, don't forget that the august challenges at DSO are QUICKLY drawing to a close, and this months fairy kit is AWESOME! I've got about 8 LO's to bust out in the next 2 days, lol. But MAYBE I can get some done with all my great vacation pictures :o)

Much love to everyone, it's good to be back. I hope to get back into the template groove and share lots more with you all over the coming months :o) Who knows, if I ever figure out how to stop time I might even get a chance to play with all these fun designers tools I keep buying! Lol!

*Hugs* n Love!

~Col

Blog Break!

Hey everyone! It's wednesday night and I haven't packed a single thing. And Jordan still has 2 loads of laundry to do! LOL! Looks like it's gonna be a late night or a rush job in the morning, lol. We fly outta Philly at 2 and I can't WAIT to get to sunny sunny FL. I'm so ready for a vacation, we haven't been on one since last SEPTEMBER! We went to Vegas (and it was def awesome), but that's a really long time to go without a real vacation (3 day weekends don't count for me).

Anyway, I don't have any new freebies to post, just gonna ramble for a bit :-)

KimB has another fantastical designers tool kit up at DSO called "Age It Quick". It's a set of paper folds and tears and holes and it's awesome! AND it's personal AND commercial use ok!!!! I used it on this LO here which is for the Book of Me chalenge over at DSO (and that fun font is part of the font challenge too!)

Click on the link to go to my DSO gallery and see the credits.
Kim's stuff is always awesome and well worth the purchase so go snag it up now before it's back at regular price!

In other news, my "Penn State Old Main" lo (shown in my previous post) has be nominated as a "Best Layering" LO over at GDS! TOOT TOO!!So if you are reading this blog and it's between 8/19 and 8/25, GO HERE AND VOTE FOR ME!!! That would be really super of you!! :-D

When I get back I'm sure Kim will have lots more glorious things for me to play with, hooray! I gotta tell ya, it's pretty awesome being on your favorite designer's CT. My fingers are crossed that I come back from this vacation with oodles of pics to scrap and some BIG news. :-D Keep those fingers crossed for me!

It looks like I might also be a guest CT for Heather Manning in September. See how things go for a trial period and whatnot. She's trying to steal all of Kim's CT ;o) But that's just a testament to how AWESOME we are! WHOOHOO!!
But I do enjoy Heather's stuff, and since she expressed interest (and Kim said she would share :oP) I figured I'd give it a shot. It's always good to get your name out there right? :o)

So. I think. I should pack. :o( I don't really like packing because I am one of those people who packs approximately 15 times too much :oP So this should be interesting considering we're gonna share a suitcase. How am I ever gonna whittle down the giant pile of clothes on my bed! LOL! Better get started!

I hope you all have fabulous weeks and weekends and that I return to find you well.

*Big Hugs*
~Col

Crazy monday!

Helloooooooo everyone and happy monday! Did you all have wonderful weekends? I had a nice relaxing one thanks to being the DD on saturday night. But it made sunday morning much more tolerable and we had a great time, so I can't complain. :o)

So first, I've two TOOTs to share! First off, I'm Layout of the Week @ DSO AGAIN! WHOOHOO!! I won it for my "Who Says" LO posted on thursday! How cool!!

And my second TOOT, is that KimB says I'm a Rockin Girl Blogger! Whoohoo!


I know not many people read my blog (most see my template from Ikea and just snag it and move on I'm sure), but a few of you are wonderful enough to stop by and comment on all that goes and leave me love, and for that I am so grateful! So since I've been nominated, I get to pick 5 new rockin girl blogs! Whoohoo!

#1) Kirsty Wiseman aka Limegreenboogiegirl! I first started reading her blog for her glorious overlays, but I've stayed thanks to her wit and amazing photography. It's VERY inspiring for me.

#2) Shandy Vogt! Her use of Swass astounds me and she's a truly genuine and wonderful woman. She's always been very supportive (although she might not even realize it, lol) to me and my work, and is always so pleased to see what I've done using her products. I just love seeing myself on her shines lists, lol!

#3) Misty Cato! Her tutorials have helped me SO much since I first started in the digiscrap world! And her designs are pretty darn awesome too! Plus I love seeing her own work when she posts it. There's always something new I can learn from it!

#4)The Legacy Lady! Since I discovered her blog some 2 months ago, I've stopped by every day to see what new inspiring piece of advise/photo/tutorial she's put up. She writes from the heart and I love hearing what she has to say (and looking at her incredible photographs).

#5) Ikea Goddess of course!! Without whom I probably never would have even started in digital! It's so much easier to start in this medium when you've got so many FREE options out there! I've spent plenty now, but in the beginning, it was all about the freebies, and to be honest, I think it always will! LOL!

There are honestly about 25 blogs I stop by everyday to gain inspiration from but I could only pick 5! So difficult! Lol!

So if you've read this far, then you deserve a gift! A freebie gift of course! So here is template #7 (I promise to get more rectangle templates up and ready soon, I really do!)


Here is the LO I drew inspiration from: Splash!
And here is my own LO for it using KimB's "Bygone Gents" kit of course!


Phew, this is a long post! I think I better quit while I'm ahead ;o) I hope you all enjoy your freebie! I may be able to post another on wednesday (hopefully). We leave for vacation on thursday and won't be back until the 27th pretty late. But I'll have lots of pics to scrap and lots of inspiration to draw from and create new templates for everyone!

Have a great week in case I don't post again!
Lots of love!
*Hugs*

~Col