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