Project 2011Scrap Our Stash - The First Month

     On the first of January my friend Denise from Lala's World encouraged many of her scrapping friends to sign up for Project 2011 Scrap Our Stash.  So basically you would sign up one month at a time and you would try to only use your scrapping stash. Then on the first of each month we would visit each of the participants blogs to see how they did and give encouragement to all. You can then decide whether you want to sign up for February.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it but thought I would give the first month a try anyway.
     When I signed up I never thought about all the great after Christmas sales that would be going on. So my first shopping trip of 2011 brought me two doors down from my local scrapbook store.  There was a sign in the store letting everyone know that everything in the store was 25% off.  I've got to tell you it was so hard not to pop in to see what great deals I could get. But I was good and turned and walked the other way.
     The next store I went to was the dollar store and there right inside their door was all their Christmas paper, stickers etc. on sale at 50% off.  I even picked up a couple of items but decided to put them back.
     My next stop was Walmart, and again just inside the store along with all their Christmas decorations they had their Christmas stickers, album kits, ribbons etc all at 75% off. It was like the scrapping gods were daring me to break the New Years resolution of only scrapping our stash.  I thought real hard about the fact that I wasn't going to get a better deal then 75% off but I also knew if I gave in at that store I would end up going back to the others. So I turned tail and RAN.  I didn't even stick around long enough to buy what I went into he store for LOL
     For the rest of the month I worked really hard on scrapping my stash and I even broke out some of the tools and things I have bought in the past and had never even used. So I'm pretty proud of myself for making it through the month without buying any scrapping goodies.  When I ran out of my favorite adhesive I even pulled out some old stuff I had and used it up. It wasn't until a couple of days ago while corresponding with Denise that I found out that things like adhesive, blades, cardstock etc. weren't counted so I could have bought some of those items.  It's probably a good thing that I didn't know because I'm afraid if I had gone into the store to buy any of them I might have been tempted to buy other things too. The only thing that I spent money on was having pictures developed. I even was careful to only develop what I knew I would use rather then all the pictures I took. I find with digital camera's I tend to take many more shots then I will need just to be sure I get just the right picture.
     So I have decided that I will sign back up for February. It may be difficult because I'm hosting a Close To My Heart party at my home next weekend.  I'm hoping to have enough sales to get a few free items but I will also have a chance to get some 50% off items also.  So I'll just have to see how it goes.
     If you would like to join in on the fun then head on over to Denise's blog, Lala's World and sign up.  I would love to have some of my friends join in.

Our Most Prized Possessions Are Our Family Memories

If your looking for my Let's Scrap Blog Hop Post you can find it here.

Kristie, a friend I met through Let's Scrap, is on the design team of Cookbookin. I joined their blog quite a while ago but hadn't had a chance to make a layout for them yet.  Then in December, Cheri O'Neill, from Let's Scrap made a fantastic sketch for them.  If you follow my blog you know that I just love Cheri's sketches.  So I decided that I would enter their sketch challenge.  
Here is Cheri's sketch

and here is my layout

     The lady in the picture is my mother.  As far back as I can remember my mother made chocolate candy at Christmas.  It was like a very sugary and sweet fudge.  After all six children grew up and had children of our own my Mother found that she really couldn't afford to buy gifts for everyone.  So each year she would make up batches of her candy and each family would get a little box filled with it.   I can't say it was the best candy/fudge I have ever tasted but biting into that sweet treat always brought back fond memories for me.
     My Mother passed away 8 years ago this month.  Just before Christmas I got thinking about her and her candy.   I thought that the recipe was long gone and I would never get the chance to ever taste it again.  But I started to make some phone calls to my sisters and learned that my youngest sister Cathy actually had my Mothers original recipe. So during our family Christmas get together she brought it down to me.  The paper was well worn with add notes on it in different color pen, but it was my Mother's handwriting.
     My Mother was an old fashioned cook and many of her recipes didn't have measurements.  Often they would say a pinch of this or a dash of that or even at times a handful of this.  In this recipe one of the ingredients was a hunk of butter. How big is a HUNK of butter?? She then had drawn an arrow from the butter down to the bottom of the page and it said - a dessert spoon heaped like an egg. Ohhh so that's a hunk of butter, then in different pen and obviously added later on it said - 2 tablespoons of butter.  Geesh she couldn't have said that in the first place. LOL
     I ended up making a batch of the candy a couple of days before Christmas.  I made some with the cocoa in it and also some without it.  I can't even explain how happy I was when I took that first bite and was whisked back to my childhood and sitting in our old kitchen watching my Mother make it.  It was just pure joy. 

Jacob's Hat's

If your looking for my Let's Scrap Blog Hop Post you can find it here.

     Sorry I haven't updated for a bit, I have been really busy greeting new members to Let's scrap, commenting on all the fantastic layouts and cards being posted for the blog hop, taking part in discussions and voting on the new Design Team. I am so thrilled at how well the hop is going. When I decided back in November to organize it I had no idea how well it would be received.  Way to go Let's Scrap members (old and new) and the members of the Design team who are helping to make it such a success.  If you haven't yet joined us you still have lots of time because it doesn't end until February 14th. So hop on over to Let's Scrap and check it out.
     I thought I would share with you a layout I did a couple of weeks ago using a Let's Scrap sketch.  The pictures are of my Grandson and all the hats he loves playing with.  I had picked up a couple of hats at the dollar store and he had such fun with them that I started watching for them at garage sales, on sale at store or any where else I could find different ones that I thought he would like. He has such a great time trying them all on when ever he comes to visit and you never know which one he will decide is his favorite of the day.  So I thought I would try to capture him in a variety of the hats for a layout and here it is.

     I'm working on a couple of layouts for the blog hop and hopefully I'll get a chance to share them with you soon.  I hope all of you have a fantastic weekend and Happy Scrapping.

Yeah, It's Let's Scrap Blog Hop Time

       I'm so happy that you have decided to join us for the Let's Scrap Happy New Year Blog Hop!  For those of you who are new to the site, Let's Scrap is a wonderful group of scrapbookers who encourage and motivate each other in our love for scrapping!   New sketches are posted every Wednesday, with sample layouts done by the Design Team to provide inspiration. Members have one week to complete and post their interpretation of the sketch, and one random winner is then selected to win that week's prize provided by many different sponsors.

In addition to the weekly sketch, one of the Design Team members posts a challenge every Friday, and there are often special monthly challenges, with chances to win a prize for each challenge entered.  Our forum contains tutorials, a place to "toot your horn", hosts a 'Question of the Week' and much, much more.   We believe we have one of the friendliest communities of scrappers on the web, and are so glad that you have decided to check us out during our blog hop!

And now, a little bit about this blog hop:

The Let’s Scrap Hoppy New Year Blog Hop starts Friday, Jan. 14, 2011 and runs until 11:59 pm central time on Monday, Feb. 14, 2011.  That’s right it runs for a whole month. Because it is the New Year we thought it would be fun to name the challenges Resolutions rather then Challenge #1, Challenge #2 etc.

There are 15 Design team, Contributing Design Team members and Administrators from Let’s Scrap hosting the blog hop. They will each have a Resolution (challenge) for you to do and a prize that you can win. Also one of the members of the group who doesn’t have a blog is posting a couple of great challenges in the Let’s Scrap Forum and there will be in depth rules and other important information posted in the forum also so make sure to check it all out.  

Not only do you have a chance to win a prize for each challenge you enter but if you complete and post an entry for EVERY challenge along the blog hop, by February 14, 2011 you're name will be entered into a random drawing for a wonderful prize supplied by Cosmo Cricket

On every blog in the hop you must become a follower and leave a little love (a comment) for the host.

Okay, are you ready to start the Let's Scrap ...hop?  Here is the first Resolution (challenge.)

Resolution #1- 

They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery, so my challenge to you is to pick one of your favorite layouts in the Let’s Scrap Photo Gallery and scraplift it.  It can be any layout posted in the gallery in 2009 or 2010.  When scraplifting someone else's layout, you don’t do your page exactly like theirs. Pick some design elements that you like, and use the Let’s Scrap Sketch they used to make the layout your own!

Many of the layouts in my favorites list are made by Kathy.  I really like her style and all the added little touches she does on her layouts.  When I saw her Dorney Park Spins & Twirls layout I loved it right away.  I loved how her it looked so bright and cheery and fun. It also used papers I had in my stash that I just couldn’t figure out what to do with. So I used the paper the same way she did but then added different little embellishments to make the layout my own.

Here’s the fantastic layout Kathy made with Let’s Scrap sketch 9-1-10

And here is the one I made 

Specific Resolution#1 Rules: 
1.  Be sure that the layout you choose to scraplift is based on a Let's Scrap sketch: the tag line will have either  the date of the sketch, like 2-12-10, or a number preceded by LS, like LS120, or a name, like letsscrap#4.  If there is nothing in the tag line, it is probably not a Let's Scrap Sketch!
2.  When you post your layout in the gallery, describe in the comment section why the layout is your favorite and what you scraplifted from it.
3.  Provide a link to the member's original layout in the comment section. To do this go to the layout you scraplifted, highlight the information in the URL bar (or you may call it location bar or address bar) Make sure you highlight all of it.  Then right click and hit copy.   Go to where you are doing your write up for your photo, click where you want it in the comment section. Right click and hit paste.  It should put the link to the other page in your comments. If you need help just send me a message in Let’s Scrap..
4.  You must tag your layout correctly in order for it to be entered into the challenge. For my challenge, I scraplifted a layout using the sketch 9-1-10.  So my tag would be:  Resolution#1, 9-1-10.   NO space between Resolution and #1, separated by a comma and then the sketch name/number with no space either.

5.  On Feb. 15th, I will randomly select one person who completed Resolution #1 to receive this great prize

Ok now its time to hop on over to the next stop – Kristin’s blog

Lots of Scrapping Going On

     I'm busily putting the finishing touches on the Let's Scrap Hoppy New Year Blog Hop starting this Friday, Jan. 14th.  There are lots of great challenges and prizes and I'm am so excited to get it started.  But I thought I would take a moment to share my layout from this weeks sketch.
    Let's Scrap had a special contest going on.  Members were asked to send in their favorite layout or card that they didn't use a Let's Scrap sketch for. Then the design team picked their favorties and Cheri made a sketch for the winners layout and that is what we will be using for our sketch challenges over the next few weeks.
    The first place winner was my good friend Michelle from Homespun Scrapbooking.  Here was her prize winning layout.

Isn't it amazing.  Here is the sketch Cheri made for it.

     This is my take on the sketch.  The title is from the Celine Dion song, "Because You Loved Me" that Jason and Amy danced their first dance to.

     I have some other layouts I did this week but they will have to wait until my next post because I have to get back to finishing my layout for my challenge at the blog hop.  I hope you are having a fantastic weekend and Happy Scrapping.

2011 Seasons of Change Blog Hop

I just recently joined the group Scrapbook Challenges and had a chance to take part in on their blog hop this weekend. It ends tonight t midnight but you still have time to get your name in on some great prizes. The blog hop starts out on Pamela's blog and she will give you a link to the next blog on the tour.  If you leave a comment on each of the blogs you have a chance to win a great prize. Many of the blogs along the hop also have prizes to be won and if thats not enough if you go to the Hop On Board you will get links to members blogs who have participated by doing a layout and some of them even have little give aways.  So what are you waiting for.

Here is the great blog hop sketch they gave us to make a layout from

I decided to do the left side of the layout.  I have been working on Jason and Amy's wedding album and had some supplies left over from layout I just did for it so I thought I might as well make one for my album.  I had to move some things around on the layout to accommodate the vellum tags I wanted to use but I think it still looks very close to their wonderful sketch. Sorry the picture is so dark, I couldn't take the picture outside due to bad weather and my flash kept causing problems so I had to take it without the flash. 

Don't forget that I'm organizing a blog hop over at Let's Scrap starting Jan. 14th and ending Feb. 14th. Thats right it lasts a whole month and there are lots of prizes to be won.  Hopefully it will be as much fun as this one has been.

I'm Am So Excited To Share This New's With You

  
    If you have been a follower you know that my absolute favorite scrapbook place on the web is Let's Scrap.  Joining this group last April was the best thing I ever could have done.  Cheri's 2 page layout sketches are amazing and I because of using them I feel I have really grown as a scrapper. When I started with the group I had made about 4 layouts in early 2010.  After joining them in April I went on to make 109 more.  Never could have done it without Cheri's sketches. I'm not a big card maker but the fantastic sketches Kim gives us for cards have me even starting to enjoy making them. The other reason I love the group so much is all the great members that are there.  The ladies are all so encouraging and wonderful and I have made some amazing friendships there. 
    In August last year I took on a Design Team postition with the group and really enjoyed being able to provide challenges for the group and thinking up special questions for the question of the week.  When my term was over I decided to continue on as a Contributing Design Team member. 
     Cheri has been running the group for a couple of years and is very busy with her work and family.  It bothered her that she wasn't able to keep up with everything that goes on it the group so she was considering giving the group up.  She asked my good friend Debby and I to take over running the group.  Isn't that totally AMAZING.  But rather then just taking over we have all decided that it would even better if all three of us Cheri, Debby and I worked together to run it.  That way Cheri can still stay involved in this wonderful site she has created, but will have help with it so she won't feel so overwhelmed.  I am so thrilled that I will get a chance to work with these two wonderful ladies.  Also my good friends Bev and Pat are going to be helping us out to.  What a great group. 
     We are excitedly thinking about all the great challenges and fun we can bring to the group and hope it will become an even more exciting and amazing place to visit and create.  So if you don't already belong to the group then why not drop over to visit us.  You won't be sorry you did.  Also don't forget about the Let's Scrap Hoppy New Year Blog Hop that is starting Jan. 14th.
Hope you are having a fantastic week and Happy Scrapping.

Last Challenge of the Year and Giveaway!

My dear friend Carolina is giving away this fantastic Rak on her blog The Scrapping Nomad.  She not only has a challenge going on over at Let's Scrap where you can win this great Rak but she is also offering her followers a chance to win a duplicate set of the papers. To read all about it pop over and see her.

LET'S SCRAP HOPPY NEW YEAR BLOG HOP

 I am organizing a Let's Scrap Hoppy New Year Blog Hop with the help of the design team.  In order to give everyone a chance to get over the Christmas and New Years rush I decided to start it on Jan. 14th and it will end at midnight on Feb. 14th.  There are 15 blogs participating, each with a challenge for you and a prize you can win.  For anyone who finishes all of the challenges their name will go in a draw for a prize from Cosmo Cricket.  There will also be a couple of extra prizes up for grabs.  So make sure to mark the date on your calendar and join in.
My good friend Debby was kind enough to make me a button for the hop. Isn't it wonderful!!

http://letsscrap.ning.com/

Exciting News and The Winner Of My Blog Candy

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

OK I have two big announcements today.  First  I wanted to let everyone know that I am organizing a Blog Hop for Let's Scrap.  There will be 15 blogs participating and each of them will have a challenge for you to do and a prize you can win.  Then for anyone who finishes all 15 challenges their name will go in for the grand prize from Cosmo Cricket.  I want everyone to have time to finish all the challenges so the blog hop will run from Jan. 14th and end at midnight Feb. 14th.  So you will have a whole month to work on them.  So make sure to watch for announcements over at Let's Scrap telling you more about it.  

Now the second big announcement is the winner of my Special Friends Blog Candy.  I am so thrilled that so many people entered.  I used a Random Number Generator to pick the winner and that winner is 

#17 TRACY -( http://gracescraps.blogspot.com/) 

Congratulations Tracy please send me a message in Let's Scrap giving me your snail mail address and I will get your prize out to you as soon as the post office opens on Tuesday.  Thank you to everyone who entered.