The Joyful Cropper

For Mom

2010-02-11T22:17:00.009-05:00

Sometimes inspiration comes at the strangest times. Like at 3 am after not sleeping for about 5 hours, I came across and old issue of Memory Makers (July 09). I saw a layout and knew right away I wanted to get something together like it for my Mom. Here is my take on what I saw. Her birthday was this week. Hopefully she won't see this until it get to Germany!

Finding my mojo...Easel Card

2010-01-16T21:39:00.007-05:00

Its been months but I finally sat down to bang something out. Working crazy hours can put a serious dent in your mojo. I want to say it was forced but I would have to thank SplitCoastStampers for the project Easel Card Project. CS Ivory Elegance cardstock, patterned papers and Pima flowers from my stash, a little bling, Baby Wheel from SU, scallop punch from SU...viola! A baby card for....I can't say yet.. ;o)

Flippin Mothers Day Gift

2009-05-10T21:36:00.008-04:00

Slip-n-slide

2009-05-01T16:18:00.001-04:00

This is what came out of my latest hybrid scrapbooking project. Fun day with son and my nieces on the slip and slide. Cherleen is older (3) and Sophia is 2. Cherleen is not is these pics since she cant stay still. I have tons of pics of her only from behind or in a blur.

Andrew (my DS) let me take tons of great pics. His layouts will be coming next.

Sophia would not slide down the slip and slide, just walk. She would make me hold her hand all the way down so I ended up soaked. Best day of my life! The journaling reads:

We spent the day
playing in the slip-n-slide.
The phrase that filled my heart:
"Titi, peas hole my han."

Super quick digi layout

2009-04-30T21:23:00.004-04:00

Nothing spectacular creativity wise about this layout but the amazing pic of Sophia and Cherleene. The page is a quick drop by Jessica Sprague. Part of the free download for her mini class freebie. Gotta love a freebie!

Love the two blessings God gave me more. My nieces can make any bad day unforgettably wonderful.

Domino Swap

2009-04-23T14:35:00.002-04:00

Bling cards -

2009-04-16T17:11:00.003-04:00

Most of the supplies are SU, used some pigment sprays, glassy effects and dazzling diamonds.. Much better looking in real life. Hot pink and mandarin colors.

Bling ATCs

2009-04-16T16:50:00.002-04:00

Day of cards..

2009-03-12T14:31:00.005-04:00

Bottoms up!

2009-03-06T12:50:00.002-05:00

Stencils and Stickels Baby! Here are some more martini stencil cards from the After 5 kit. I put it on a POP from Academy and the G2G from Farmers Market..LOVE IT!

Spring yet?

2009-03-06T10:35:00.003-05:00

Its raining and miserable here. Sunday is supposed to be 65 but more rain. At least its not snow. I made this card from a CS stencil from May 06, Farmers Market papers and a stamp from Wings.

My Food!

2009-03-05T20:19:00.002-05:00

This is a layout of Sophia. We set the table and for some reason she was really excited when we put her plate down.. She yelled "my food!" As if it were her long lost friend..

Fun with stencils

2009-03-05T13:41:00.007-05:00

Here are some cards I made today. I use more techniques than I can list but it was fun.

Pizza Making 101

2009-03-03T20:09:00.001-05:00

Nothing better than this. Ok, if Andrew were home it would have been perfect. 1) they kneaded the dough, 2) they ate all the cheese they could get their little hands on. 3) they chowed down...No better day to be a titi.

Hybrid Scrapping - Digi and Traditional

2009-02-25T15:06:00.002-05:00

I love this one already because its my first hybrid layout. Its all about the pictures here. I lightened the pictures so they were almost black and white but not quite, (ok, one of my really smart friends just told me its called desaturating) I added some crowns, flowers and some text to the actual pictures but the rest is on regular paper. Hope you like it!

Ms. Puff

2009-02-24T13:18:00.004-05:00

I have to thank my Mom for these layouts. We took some pictures on her birthday and right after she looked at them she said 'I look like Ms. Puff!' She turned on the DVR and put on an episode of Sponge Bob. Low and behold.. Ms. Puff. I took a few shots of the TV and here is the layout. Anything good or funny about me comes from my Mom. She can even laugh at her own expense.

Vanessas book

2009-02-23T13:28:00.003-05:00

Here is what I did for Vanessa's book. I hope she loves it.

Scraplift a card?

2009-02-16T18:37:00.007-05:00

This is a scrap lift of a card I got at least a year ago. I loved it so much I hung on to it and decided to try and reproduce with a twist. I used an old stamp from CS, not sure what kit its from.. scripty hieroglyphics from 2005 (Written Word or Science)? Anyway, that is stamped on some mustard colored card stock from Bridges. The daisy stamp is from Rhapsody, stamped first in dark yellow and then outlined in dark brown. I attached gold embellishment to the center and stamped another daisy with Staz-On, then inked the edges with some ink from the same kit. I attached a bunch of brown ribbons I had in my stash and attached them with some staples I had inked with alcohol inks so they were brown too. I mounted it on some brown POPS then on some blue from Farmers Market.

Hilda on a Rainy Day

2009-02-12T20:51:00.004-05:00

Im not sure if I like how this went. I did a lot of work on the background paper but you cant see it so much thru the image. I printed it out on vellum and used draft mode but still you cant see the rain in the back.. Anyway, watercolor, guesso, glimmer mists, pigment dye, some bead and fibers from Refresh and a whole lotta patience.. I would have gone in a whole other direction if I knew I could apply my not so clean version..

Mask cards

2009-02-12T08:40:00.002-05:00

I made these for the Monthly card swap I am host. This months theme is masks. I used pigment sprays, masks, stickels and some water coloring.

Just Be Happy

2009-02-10T22:59:00.001-05:00

365 layouts - first three weeks

2009-02-10T17:33:00.003-05:00

My beautiful Mother, my best friend

2009-02-09T16:21:00.003-05:00

Bubble Madness!

2009-02-05T21:15:00.002-05:00

Today was indeed their day! I put their bubble machine in the living room and they danced around for over an hour!

More fun with Digi

2009-02-01T15:10:00.005-05:00

I did this layout last night at my sisters house while showing her how to work with PSE. I should have added some drop shadows but as soon as I realized it, I had accidentally saved it as a jpg instead of psd....oopsie! Anyway, Cherleene is clearly our princess.
This one I just finished. I took the picture last night at my sisters. My son Andrew is in the middle of his two cousins Cherleen and Sophia (munchin on her favorite snack 'bokli'). He sez they are 'too cute'. Appropriately titled 'can you feel the love'. I know I do.

365 project

2009-01-16T18:35:00.003-05:00

I have the actual photos on the 365 blog.. www.joyfulcropper365.blogspot.com but these are some of the pics in a photo book

Thinking of you cards

2009-01-07T14:04:00.002-05:00

For the swap on the CS board. Rhapsody themed so rhapsody stamps, rhapsody white background paper I used a swirl mask on with some copper Glimmer mists. The actual card is from a CS pack I bought at retreat, not sure what kit..Love these..

Card I made for friends birthday.

2009-01-07T14:02:00.003-05:00

This is a super funky card I made for a friends birthday. I used one of the backgrounds from the Bernie Berlin book (watercolor babywipes) and stamped and cut it out. My background is sprayed with glimmer mists. Too fun!

Me VS PSE6 round 3

2008-12-23T18:34:00.001-05:00

I think I won this one... This is the cover for a calender for my mother in law.

PSE6 take two

2008-12-08T19:56:00.005-05:00

Ok, so I am determined to master this program. Intimidated? Who me? Nevahhh! Bleary eyed and tired...heck yeah. Background paper is CS Digi Demo as is matte for photo.. Image is a freebie from the internet and the tag is also from a free kit.

Digi round 1

2008-12-05T21:48:00.003-05:00

Ok so now that I have no job I figured I would try and master Photoshop Elements 6.. After about 2 hours this is what I came up with. The image is borrowed from the internet and the papers are from a freebie site.

Vintage Christmas tags

2008-11-28T18:16:00.002-05:00

Vintage images, distressed inks, stickels and chipboard letters and shapes.

Christmas ATCs

2008-11-28T11:44:00.005-05:00

I made these last week but just got around to dressing them. Crackle paint background, Tim Holtz fragments, vintage images underneath, stickles, acrylic paints and some misc stamps.

Christmas Tags

2008-11-23T20:19:00.008-05:00

I made some tags today for Christmas. Yeah I said Christmas.. Vintage images I downloaded a while back, distressed inks, embossing, stamping.. Fun had by all. Off to see if my crackle backgrounds for my Vintage ATCs are dry yet....

Water ATC

2008-11-17T10:31:00.002-05:00

Ok, this was fun. I used light blue, aqua and white paint and brushed thru them across the ATC. After it dried, I went over it with gel medium and presto....Water! Used a Tim Holtz fragments and a white perm marker to add agua..

Pages for Heidi

2008-11-17T10:23:00.002-05:00

Here are some pages I made for Heidi's book. Here theme was education. I used a SU abc wheel, journaling card, overlay quotes, vellum stickers, the paper is CS but not sure which kit since it came in a 'brown pack' I bought during the PSL.

Card for Bobbie

2008-11-17T10:14:00.003-05:00

Here is a card I made last month for Bobbie who is my OCAM person. Used Serengeti papers and a spin art square from retreat. Stamped the cute guy there and called it a day...

Meet Draco

2008-11-16T15:10:00.004-05:00

Delicioso no? A lot of people have been asking me about the music on my blog and I wanted to share... Draco Rosa aka Robi Rosa is who I am hooked on right now. Most of the stuff I listen to is strange and slightly off center but his music is almost exactly always what I am in the mood for.. Got it? No? EXACTLY! "Music is meant to be felt and not understood."..

Tags galore!

2008-11-16T13:13:00.008-05:00

My friend Misha is hosting an even and I am unable to attend. In honor of the fantastic weekend I am missing out out I decided to get back into things. Get out of my funk and get back to what makes me happy.

I started making some tags and couldn't stop. Once the paints, ink, tags and gesso came out, it was on. The unstoppable force that is the creative process..

Here is the first batch..

The first is really textured. Gesso, green acrylic paint, then a few of my SU leave stamps. Layered on to of that is an acrylic overlay that sez leaves are falling, colors are changing, fall is in the air.

The second is one that I may keep...lol a stamp from SU, I added some UTEE and then Stickels. Love the Life stamp (also SU).

Third is a my birdie...love him.. use him a bunch. Stamped him in white craft ink then white embossing powder, embossed a copper tree branch and one of my fav saying from CS. First one is red/orange background, stamped flowers (poppys I think) from SU. Asian coin embossed in red.

Second one is an old Asian SU set but I love it.. Mega textured IRL.Ok, here are the last few...

The first one is another one SU stamp, paired with a CS stamp from Refresh on an ultra textured blue and white background of acrylic paint.

The second is a funky paper towel background leftover if you follow, then some cardboard squares, painted, sprayed with Copper pigment dye and then stamped and embossed...

They still all need fibers but I was having so much fun last night, I didnt stop to dress them. TFL

GOT JOB? Day 1 as one of the Unemployed Masses

2008-11-04T08:08:00.003-05:00

Scared, worried, hopeful, faithful, positive and unsure. Only the first few emotions that entered my mind.
NEXT: Will I be able to keep a roof over my head? How do I tell my 8 year old step son Mommy no longer is a wage earner? Should we still go see Madagascar 2 at the Imax theater next weekend? Do I tell my Mom or is she already too stressed out with my sisters chemo and my brothers unemployement? Can I still help my Mom with her groceries? How long with the money I have last? What if I get sick? Is the car payment up to date? When was the last time I visited the dentist? How soon will I have to go to the grocery store or gas station?
9:01 am yesterday was when the phone rang and I was E-MAILED my furlough letter. By 10:am my unemployement benefits were applied for, resume updated and forward to any and everyone who would look.
Where does one go next? How does one begin the next day or even sleep that night? Lord knows I understand there are much more serious things that could be happening but NOW, WITH NO NOTICE? NO SEVERANCE? OUCH!
Back to school? Recruiting is definately not a field tht needs me right now? Nursing? I love people, why not? Mom was a nurse at a nursing home before she was ill. WIll I cut it? Am I smart enough to go back to school. 40 is only months away. or should I believe the fine words of George Elliot -

Its never too late to be the person you might have been...

Mia - talent, beauty and a soul that sings

2008-07-30T21:44:00.002-04:00

If ya dont know, FIND OUT!

Favorite Movie ATC

2008-07-19T11:56:00.002-04:00

Ahh, here they are in all their disturbing glory. You didnt really think I would do any movie other than this one? Not very complicated but I am definately keeping one of these for me. A pic of the move, inked in stazon and bloodied prints around the parimiter to match the chainsaw...Yep, LOVE IT! ahaha

Patterned Papers

2008-07-16T19:32:00.002-04:00

Ok so I never stick to just one thing and most people either love or hate patterned paper. I think they have a place but it depends on the project or the person. Made some tea cards last week and am just getting around to posting them. CRAZY WEEK! Anyway, made with CS blue from Academy, brown from CS Serengeti, the swirl stamp from..uhhh...I dont remember but I know its CS. Anyway, the UM are also from CS. TFL!

Card for Barbara

2008-07-09T18:50:00.004-04:00

Made this with some acrylic paints, ultra thick embossing powder, CS Avant Gard papers, refresh stamp image and some fibers from my stash. Image was stamped on to some vellum after it was crumpled up for that faux silk look.

Like a bird tag

2008-07-07T20:27:00.002-04:00

Yep, this goes with the pages. Lots of work on this one too. Used a serendipity square and build around it. Used acrylic paint daubers in Pool and Gold, then used a sponge brush and just pulled the colors thru..yep, loved it. Cut part of my titles from a mag, used some random embellies like an extra coin I had made for my Bridges ATCs, a leafy thing from th eyard, a feather from my stash, a plastic lace heart that I have had forever but just never used. The bird again is from SU embossed in gold. Paper is from Club Scrap Ivory Elegance.

Like a bird - Nelly Furtado

2008-06-29T17:29:00.003-04:00

Next challenge was for Alison about my favorite song. It took while to figure out but once I asked Andrew 'what song does Mom sing the most' his answer was this one. Had lots of fun with it. Feathers, brown cardstock, blue cardstock, tree branch stamps from my stash, covered in vellum, printed the word over and then again counted on Andrew to get me cool branch or two out of the yard and painted them gold, letter 'a' from wooden letters stash, embossed bird in gold on the blue paper, cut her out and popped her off the page lastly, some lace from my stash dyed with some of my morning espresso and sprayed with glimmer mists.

Pages are going in a different direction than the rest of the book but then again, since when do I fit in..haha

Yep, still the cell phone taking the pictures...

My Favorite pages - My scrapbooking style

2008-06-28T21:06:00.008-04:00

MY scrapbooking STYLE? I knew I had one, just had no idea what it was called. Yeah we all dabble in other things especially if we belong to a specific group or club but we all have a 'standard' of what we do.

I know what mine is! Finally! Whoohooooooo! A long time ago I posted asking for help in how to discover what my style is. Well I just read "Find Your Groove" and I know what mine is. It is Shabby Chic/Old World in this book. I am sure it goes by other names but I am so glad to know I do have a direction that it started me wondering what everyone elses was. So I figured I would post some of my favorite pages since know I know why they just 'worked' for me.

Got Java?

2008-06-21T17:27:00.003-04:00

Here are my pages for Carol. A lot going on there but you give me a theme like coffee...forgettaboutit! Here is how it went down: I stamped some Mocha Java remix paper with the MJ unmounteds and some stamps from my stash, then went over the rings with Sephia Accents, painted java in brown, reinked the edges in bronze, glazed with glassy accents, embossed coffee mug and spoon in cooper and silver then mounted on cardboard, chipboard numbers covered in copper acrylic paints, stamped the mugs on some brown cardstock and went over with Matt Modge, printed coffee break title from the internet, mounted on cardboard and covered with glossy Modge..the wonderful was from my stash and just jumped on the page.

Again, forgive the pic quality as its still my cell phone!

I sure hope she likey!

Pink number 1

2008-06-21T09:43:00.005-04:00

So here is the pink #1 I did about 2 weeks ago. I have not posted in a while since my mom/best bud had a small stroke. She is on the mend (THANK GOD) and now I am back to posting.

A 4 X 4 one color theme. Wooden #1 covered in latex, chipboard star inked with SU Purely Pomegranite then sprayed with bronze glimmer mists, pink button filled with Cotton Candy Stickels, wheeled over with boho wheel in Cameo Coral, Pink One stamped in Pixie Pink with Club Scrap unmounteds and corner stamp from CS Generations mounted stamp in Pomegranite again.

TFL!

Debs Tuscany pages

2008-06-10T22:33:00.003-04:00

Here is what I did for Deb...her theme is Italy and my dream vacation is TUSCANY.. I have travel guides, maps, books galore.. So easy to get some beautiful images.. then the CS friggin kit came with the fleur de lis stamps and I was off! The paper is a mocha remix beige, stamped with the fleur, then I crickled some refresh white translucent paper and modged over it..so the image was barely visible thru the paper. When it dried I did the water color brush technique and then embelished .I used a stamp from Italy colored and enlarged, a grungeboard key that I painted with crackel paint and then sprayed with bronze glimmer mists, a poster from la boeme printed on glossy paper, the front page of an Italian newspaper printed on vellum then curled and distressed to age, flowers and a button from Simply Beautiful and lastly the border stamp that just looked like it belonged..the paper came out soo cool I tried not to cover too much of it up. Here they are.. hope she likes them..

Meet the Girls

2008-06-10T17:26:00.004-04:00

Here are my art dolls..Jewel and Flora. Diamond is still drying and I dont want to move her yet. They are on their way around the US tomorrow am.

No Words

2008-05-19T10:53:00.003-04:00

Here they are, made with glimmer mist, a stamp from my stash, a Refresh kit POP, white cardstock, some glassy accents and glimmer powder. It was a rainy and dreary day so I decided to make something springy and festive. You cant tell much from this scan but the butterfly comes off the page. I restamped the butterfly, covered with glassy accents, sprinkled with glimmer powder and attached over the stamped butterfly with pop dots.

Fate ATC

2008-05-04T16:14:00.002-04:00

I made this with a specific theme in mind and then it went by the wayside.. Still messy and messy means fun so off they go. Fantasical creature ATC swap. Alcohol inks, ATC papers from one of the kits, embossing powders, some jewel accents from my stash, stamps from Great Outdoors and a stamp I bought just for this swap.

STP BABY!

2008-05-02T15:41:00.001-04:00

Did you know STP is reuniting and going on tour starting in May on the 17th in OH? I didn't, I just found out and almost wet myself!!

WOHHOOOWW

Stone Temple Pilots baby!

Put your left foot in

2008-04-29T08:40:00.003-04:00

Here are my fav quotes ATC..I chose this one cause its childish like me. My fav quote would have been too complicated to get on an atc since it is in latin...lol Tim Holtz distressed inks, a technique he has with a craft mat.. love the mess, some hunter green embossing powder, all CS paper except for the watercolor paper, a Steppin Out embellie and some stickels.

Super Fun Got Java ATCs from last night

2008-04-24T07:58:00.002-04:00

I dont know why I love these but they are really fun.. Made with Sepia ink, Memory Mists, copper embossing powders adn some CS stamps.

Avant Garde ATCs

2008-04-23T18:35:00.002-04:00

Fun with alcohol inks! Someone warned me to use in a ventilated room but ahhhh...its all good. Anyway, they are made with AG glossy paper, crystal effects, aqua embossing powder and some beads. Image is a little blurred cause it wouldnt sit flat on the scanner.

wall o fame?

2008-04-22T13:04:00.004-04:00

Love this, too a pic of my cute little serendipity squares, my buddy and a tag made of my new obsession: cardboard!

3 X 3 Card

2008-04-20T19:32:00.003-04:00

I made these and took forever to come up with some ideas but I loved making these little things. So fun and quick and didnt have to make a million of the same things. I made 8 total and some are duplicates so I didnt scan them all. The colors are close but not perfect.

Cheery Cherry Card

2008-04-20T10:47:00.002-04:00

Cool paper from Luanne, white Staz-On, stickels and some random stamps. Fun but not exactly my style.

Tags for CS Swap

2008-04-20T09:49:00.006-04:00

They are all off color wise due to me taking the photos with a camera phone and then trying to manipulate them and make them closer to real life. You can certainly tell by the color of the table. LOL

Acetate!

2008-04-18T21:46:00.002-04:00

Made a card tonight and a few tags which I will post tomorrow. Anyway, this is white staz on stamped onto acetate. Much better in person. Sending it to a co-workers wife who is having a baby. YEAH Benites Family!

Sometimes love is just not enough

2008-04-17T21:55:00.002-04:00

No matter what you say, how hard you love or how long you have tried. Sometimes is it just not enough. No matter how long you talk about it, how bad you want it to work, how many ways you look at it. Sometimes it is just not enough. No matter how much forgiveness is in your heart, how willing you are to fix whats broken, how many years you have put into it. Sometimes its just not enough. No matter what how many steps to you take to keep if from falling to pieces, no matter how far you are willing to go to get it right, no matter how bad you want to keep it together for the kids, the family or simply for the dreams you have for your own heart for the future. Sometimes it is just not enough.

Sometimes you run out of faith that love will be enough.

Look what Luanne Made me do!

2008-04-16T22:21:00.009-04:00

Ok so have I told you I have a friend who is a talented friggin genius? Well, I do. Or at least I tell myself she is my friend.. So Luanne posted this kick ass tag tutorial. After being sick for about 2 weeks and dying for the last 4 I am out of my funk and ready to make something. So I went to her blog and decided tonight would be the night I try it out...pretty balsy right? Anyway, I grab a bunch of crap and just jump in. This is what I came up with....pretty sure I mentioned the part where she is a talented friggin genius...

Luv ya Luanne! Te quiero mucho

My submission to Kristen

2008-04-07T19:26:00.004-04:00

Here is the card I made for Kristen. I sent similar supplies to her with some added goodies. Lets see what she comes up with.

Outside the box and into an ATC

2008-04-07T18:15:00.002-04:00

I made this with some groovy supplies someone in FL sent me. I thinks its Vanessa but not sure since its all secret like. Anyway, I made an ATC with my supplies and I love the colors she sent. The papers that arrived were all 5 1/2 X 5 1/2 so too small for a card but perfect for an ATC. I hope she likes it...On the way to her, I made one just like it for myself to keep...groovy.

Ode to Refresh

2008-04-06T12:56:00.001-04:00

I had to come up with a technique to share for a card swap and used the wrinkle free distress I learned in a Tim Holtz class.

Fun in the Sun ATCs

2008-04-06T10:46:00.002-04:00

These I made for another SPS swap. The flip-flops are raised with pop dots for added dimension, sprayed with pigment ink in yellow and the entire background is sprayed with Pearl Glimmer mist for a sun-shiney feel.

Black and White cards

2008-03-20T21:20:00.002-04:00

Here they are, quick challenge for CS. Not a lot of work on this...more bang less art..

Sew a card? Hell yeah!

2008-03-12T00:21:00.002-04:00

This is a card I made from my Club Scrap Avant Garde kit. There is a sequin star in the middle that I then sewed into the seam of the card, added beads and then sewed again. Fun stuff, took about 2 hours and I forgot to take a picture of it. This is a pic of a pic so the colors are really dull. Its a brilliant blue and orange. I loved it but wont do it again.

It's all about the cupcake!

2008-03-11T19:05:00.002-04:00

I made these for a swap on SPS. A forum I just joined after some gentle prodding from friends. Thanks Sharon!

Peter's Birthday

2008-02-29T22:19:00.007-05:00

Here is my brother on his birthday, we had a blast.. the journaling reads:

June 8th, 2007

My brother Peter’s birthday. The grins you see here are because we can never seem to keep a straight face when we are all together. Laughter always is contagious but in our family it is like the Bird Flu. One giggle and its all over. Peter’s birthday is a big deal because both his and Andrews favorite place to eat is Red Lobster. Not that fancy but it makes them both very happy. A quick laugh and before you know it, we are all in tears. Just before this, they had spent the afternoon at Chuck E Cheese. Yep, Peter and Andrew’s favorite place to hang out so I had to find something else to do. Maybe I am slightly biased but; Is my moms smile the prettiest thing you have ever seen? What a great day it was for us all to spend together.

The white stamp on the Together card reads: Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they will never cease to be amused!

Love of my Live

2008-02-24T15:09:00.007-05:00

Andrew of course, yes love of my life. A picture taken in PR and altered with water colors. I stamped wings on his back. Text reads:

My Son,

Never a doubt in my mind from the moment your dad introduced you, I knew you would be the one great love of my life. S ince you were two years old, you have been number one in my life. For you I want things I never dared to dream for myself. I pray you know that God is always with you to protect you. That you can find joy in the simple things in life and share that same joy you bring to me with others. That when you are old enough to learn we are all human, you never forget the love we gave you will never leave you. That you learn from our mistakes and never feel the pain that fills others lives. That you know you were always my son.

Super Sticker Girl

2008-02-24T15:08:00.003-05:00

Here is a picture of Cheleen who for some reason just loves to cover herself in stickers.

Loving Words.. right

2008-02-21T21:43:00.003-05:00

Anyway, part of the BOM this month is I had to come up with Loving Words. This one is worth reading. hee hee

Grand Central Station

2008-02-21T21:41:00.002-05:00

One more for the challenge. Grand Central is amazing. Click on the pictures to read the text if you really care. LOl

Brooklyn Bridge

2008-02-21T21:36:00.004-05:00

I love this bridge. Close up, far away, sunny afternoon or the midlde of the night it is magnificent. This one picture of the bridge taken at night is one of my favorites.

Central Park

2008-02-21T21:34:00.005-05:00

Park of the challenges going on in my group is to create layouts of our home turf so to speak. I made this one on Central Park. We have gone there as a family a lot but never enough. Here are some picutures not of us since this is for a contest but I tried to capture the things I loved about it the most.

I am - a look at my personality

2008-02-20T22:25:00.003-05:00

Ok so I have decided to work on a Book of Me or as we call it BOM. This is the first set of pages for that challenge and the are a look at my personality as I see it. The pictures really reflect who I am as I am many things at many different times and I love me! LOL

TIO TIME

2008-02-20T22:21:00.002-05:00

This is special to me since Andrew helped me make it for his Uncle Peter. He had to pick 4 things to describe him and here is what he came up with. The pictures are from Young Authors night and a day at home.

Andrew in Puerto Rico

2008-02-20T22:19:00.002-05:00

Here is my little one again. This time ankle deep in some mush. He is a water lover but something about sand between his toes makes him cringe. Isla Verde beach.

SPLASH DOWN!

2008-02-20T22:17:00.003-05:00

Yeah so its the rat pack again. Me, Andrew, my brother Peter and my nephew Brandon. This time we went to Splash Down Beach right here in Fishkill NY. It is always fun, super close, rarely crowded. Read the text, Ihad the scare of my life there.

Hike Mohonk Trail - Get lost, its fun!

2008-02-20T22:12:00.005-05:00

So my brother Peter, Andrew, Brandon and I went hiking on Mohonk Trail and had a friggin blast. We almost got a little lost but Andrew (of course) put us on the right trail. We saw and heard some amazing things. I cant wait to do it again this year.

Bonsai!

2008-02-20T22:09:00.005-05:00

I took some pictures at a home show. Honestly I thought I would be bored to tears but ended up having a ball with some of the colors in the place. It was a good way to play with some of the lighting on these bad boys.. OH, I printed them on Matte paper and painted some. Messy and fun!

Finally, PSE arrives

2008-02-20T22:03:00.005-05:00

So here are my new postings of what I have been up to this week. This on is of my son at the Fall Talent show. I just remebered and have to change my title on the other board..damn.. anyway.. He sang "wake me up when September ends' Greenday. Broke my heart and filled it with joy all at the same time. He is a blessing.

Waiting for my Photoshop via Snail Mail!!!!

2008-02-19T18:53:00.004-05:00

Ok so as you may know last week I downloaded a trial version of Elements..LOVED! I have no real photo editing software so I got a great deal on ebay and its on its way. That is how I have been posting my layouts to my blog, free trial. It rocks! WELL, a few days later we got a wicked ice storm and my usual obsession with the weather prompted me to download the weather bug.. FXOX... it messed my laptop up so bad I had to do a recovery. The recovery automatically invalidated my Photoshop free trial! I called them and they said there is nothing they can do.. Am I pissed, you bet your ass. So, here I sit, 12 almost 14 new layouts to post and no way to do it. Yes, waiting for Photoshop to come via snail mail.. waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting..I tracked it, maybe tomorrow.

Easter Disaster

2008-02-16T16:24:00.003-05:00

Ok, so finally I came up with my Easter card for the swap. I will never again make an Easter card only because all the stamps are cheesy and the colors are NOT ME! So after 4 different card styles and colors I settled on this one, yes settled. Disliked it so much I 'accidentally' did not sign the back..LOL

Milestone: First ATC

2008-02-15T22:34:00.005-05:00

Ok, technically not the first if you count the 10 before this I did and threw in the trash! So this is not my thing but I am gonna own it! As anyone who knows me can attest, I go all in..so here it is in all its glory, my first ATC and I called it Hope...hope I get better at this shit. I love the concept but have to figure out how to make the ideas in my head smaller. There are rules and such and I still dont fully have an understanding but expect I will get a little patience from my 'group'.. Also, still racking my brain trying to figure out how to incorporate my beads. This will take more time but I will do it..

Torn - not as bad as it sounds

2008-02-12T17:45:00.000-05:00

I did this late last night. Just heard a song I used to love and well, just read the journaling and you will understand. I lost my N and had to repaint, did not match the colors perfectly but who's perfect. nah me!

Ladies in Red

2008-02-12T17:39:00.001-05:00

Here is something I was working at about 5 am. My chronic insomnia struck again and rather than laying around hoping to doze off I worked on a red page. Mostly because I am in a 'contest' and have not contributed much since my digital camera took a huge crap on me.

Oldies but goodies

2008-02-11T22:02:00.000-05:00

Cherleen and Sophia on picture day this past summer.

Desiree and my girls, Sophia Cherleen and Gabriella

Endy my nephew and Desiree my sissy

More of my new favorites

2008-02-11T20:49:00.001-05:00

Happy Familiy is my brother Steven and his wife Joy and my niece Nani

Andrew, Felix and Lourdes obviously and much happier times.

Joy - Me and my son

Great Moments - Steven mom and I at his graduation from Army Basic Training.

I just need pictures of my other brother Peter and his family. LOL

My favorite thing to scrap...my son

2008-02-11T20:12:00.000-05:00

Here his 2 summers ago when he was 6 and playing tee ball. He was a joy to watch concentrating so hard on hitting that ball and the look of pure surprise when he actually connected. Then there was how much time he spent talking to Sky and the other girls instead of actually paying attention. Oh, or how many times he would loose his hat and glove. My little bugger!

A dream, a family, a future

2008-02-10T22:26:00.000-05:00

Ever have one of those days you just hope will be the beginning of your happily ever after? You know, one day that feels like it could be a defining moment on where the long path of life is going to take you next. A day with no real event to speak of but just a few moments in time where you feel your future hangs in the balance. Where one wrong move could push your freshly loaded tractor trailer of dreams and hopes crashing over the cliff into the abyss that is "what if" or "regret" or worse 'time wasted'.

Yesterday was one of those days. A day where I could see a future, a baby, our family, our home. Was it a dream, is it always a dream, had it always been just all a dream? Will we move on, will we take our finger off the pause button of our lives and see how it plays out? Will old habits get the best of us? How do we heal? Can we heal or better yet should we even try?

Pride, forgiveness, acceptance, hope, love, pain, doubt

words unspoken

steps not taken

wasted time

Injured list

2008-02-07T21:31:00.000-05:00

Ok, so another episode of you might be a Crespo if; Running around doing my errands and bags in one hand, more bags in the another, swing forward to gain some momentum to make it thru the open yet quickly closing door and BAM! Bags swing forward, I swing forward, bags in right hand catch on door handle...F!!K ME! Instant searing pain in my shoulder. No clue what I did but it hurts like hell. I am guessing it will be an early night for me and an earlier trip to the dr in the am.

Bit O this N that

2008-02-06T22:39:00.001-05:00

Ok, so after some gentle prodding by a persistent friend (you know who you are) I joined a swap and made some 'inchies' and 'serendipity squares'. The inchies I made 8 of and have 136 to go. The Serendipity are done 36. Not too painful. Cute little buggers.. not sure how they rate but here they are.. Did I mention that when I got to scanning them I was on my 3rd glass o vino?