Counterfeit Kit Challenge

Last month I found an awesome blog called the Counterfeit Kit Challenge. I had so much fun last month putting my kit together and playing with it that I decided to play again this month. February's inspiration kit is from the Scraps of Darkness February 2011 Kit Club kit. I wasn't totally digging the colors but I was into the elegant, romantic style so I looked through my paper and I came up with this...

counterfeit kit challenge feb 2011 paper
by Northernmemories
Scrapbook.com

Next came the embellishments for the kit...

counterfeit kit challenge feb 2011 embellies
by Northernmemories
Scrapbook.com

Lastly I pulled some inks to use while I create...

counterfeit kit challenge feb 2011 color add on
by Northernmemories
Scrapbook.com

I cant wait to share what I create this month and I hope to have time to post what I did last month too!

Happy New Year

So far it has been a happy new year in our household. Our focus has been on de-cluttering and purging things we don't need. I mailed 10 books out to members of paperback swap. I love knowing that books I no longer need or want are going to a good home, and I get credit for "new to me" books that I can redeem at anytime I want a new book. Don't even get me started on the pile of stuff for Goodwill. I already made one trip and I have to plan another one very soon. For someone who is a hoarder such as myself it has been hard work to get rid of stuff but I am making room for the things that are important to me. For too long I have had a feeling of "CHAOS", you know the cant have anyone over syndrome. My goal for the week is to finally have dinner as a family at the dinning room table.

ONE LITTLE WORD:
I have decided to follow Ali Edwards in her one little word project this year. I needed some focus in my life. I had a roller coaster year in 2010 and I found that focusing on one specific thing at a time helped me get from one day to the next. So I guess you are wondering what my word is...

SIMPLE

I need to keep things simple in my life. I came up with this word while sitting on the couch. A commercial came on and I heard the quote "live simply so that others may simply live." It was such a touching thought and as I pondered it, it warped in to "live simply so that you may simply live." Depression and physical weakness have been the most recent plague in my life and there for I need to get back to basics. I need to take care of myself. It's that simple...

I took the challenge

I was hopping around some of my favorite blogs and found Francine Clouden's September Challenge

I thought hey why not I should be in more pictures so I have made it a goal for the month and here is what I came up with...

are some of these out of focus and not composed very well, YES but that's ok! The point is I am in them.
Get out from behind your camera and have some fun.

New project

I am excited to announce my latest project that I hope will keep us all inspired and creating. It's a new blog called Blue Velvet Muse. The launch date is October 1st but there are some prizes up for grabs starting NOW!!! Head on over and check it out, become a "Muse" and get ready for some fun. I can't wait to share the projects I have created for this new blog and I hope you will join me on this amazing adventure.

Sprinkels from Stacy Julian

Today I checked out the sprinkle section of Stacy Julian's Blog. Her suggestion was to buy local." Well this was a quite timely post I must say! Monday we went in search of wild black berries we found some but by next weekend we should be able to get buckets full. I just pulled green beans off our plants yesterday, the tomato, yes only one, is ready and I have lettuce to pick too! For a grand total of FREE! Got to love free fresh food. Hey that would make a great page title...ok the brain is now spinning.Speaking of scrapbooking I have been on a roll I tell you. It started with these cute doily's!I have been following Christine Middlecamp's doily project and I got these 4 done so far. She just started the Savvy Window tutorial and so far I love it.
This weekend included playing over at the Fiskars lift-a-teer crop (oh yeah I am a fiskateer now!) anyways I won 2 challenges and should be getting some sweet prizes coming my way soon :)
here are some of the lo's I created for that...
What do you think? I will be back later to share some more lo's I have gotten done thanks to Big Picture Scrapbooking's Big Idea Festival. Oh and the inspiration class I signed up for over there starts tomorrow too so I should have plenty to share!

New creations and some pictures

Hi to all my readers! Although I have a suspicion that many of you have given up on me. I don't blame you I had neglected the blog for a while. But I am here to update you all on some of the things I have been doing. First, I have been checking out the cool site Cartwheels In My Mind and I was featured on there reader submission post here. My quilt is the second image. I was then inspired by Amy's Free For All post. Amy made this cool memory jar and I just had to do it too.
I got the jar at Pier 1 for $10. The bling swirls were a pack from Michaels Recollections line that I cut up to fit on the jar. The ribbon is from a pack I got at Targets dollar section in July. I made the flower out of old tissue paper and glimmer mist. I then added the bling to the middle that I got in a 100 pack from the dollar store and used glitter glue to keep it in place. It was fun, quick and easy to make.
This has been a great summer for pictures of Jessica. We have done so much and traveled so much that I was bound to get some good pictures :) Here are a few of my favorites...



Thanks for hanging in there I have more in store for you soon.

My Horoscope...

My August horoscope has really got my butt in gear. For those of you who know me on Facebook you already saw it but for the rest of you here it is ‎"indulge your artistic side. It needs to come out!" I guess it hit home because I have been lacking in the creativity department as of late. But no more. I am taking the call to heart and am working hard to get out and stretch my wings yet again. I have signed up for 3 classes at Big Picture Scrapbooking, and one at Paper Studio tomorrow. I also found a journaling class on Elle's Studio Blog.
Last week, I decided to take a chance and post some pictures to a blog I found while blog hopping on vacation and they posted one of my quilt pictures here. Check it out! They have great ideas and post beautiful pictures. I am also trying to get on there DT cross your fingers.
Hope to be back tomorrow with pictures of my Beach book.
Till then happy crafting!