Another digital page

I just want to motivate those who has Photoshop or other editing software out there to get it crackin'.
I know some of you have the program and is too intimidated by it.
Please don't be!



I love doing both digital and traditional scrapbooking.
Both have +s and -s.

I will share with you some of the pluses of digital scrapbooking.

1). everything matches - takes one click to get the color that you want instead of browsing through your own stash of thousand sheets of paper.
2). save $$$ - so you can buy more scrapbooking supplies. LOL No really there are tons of free brushes/stamps out there.
3). easy to share with friends & family
4). digital archive - it's nice not to have to scan each page
5). no mess - I don't know about you but cleaning isn't my favorite chore. My scrap room has small pieces of scrap paper everywhere. Oh and you don't have to mess with which kind of adhesive to use. I swear that alone saved me tons of time.
6). save time - you don't need to go through so many steps; i.e. printing out pictures, gather all of your supplies, try to coordinate elements, and etc.

I can come up with more advantages but It's almost midnight and my brain isn't functioning.

So get crankin' on those pages!
If you have the program, open it up and use it!
Trust me it's way fun and addicting once you dive into it.

If you want me to show you how to do certain things in Photoshop leave me a comment.

Have a wonderful night
and Happy early Thanksgiving!

Be safe!

A thankful heart...

What an interesting week for me! Ups and downs and the roller coaster just never seem to want to stop for me to get off. So many things has happened in my life and in the lives that are really close to me and my family. Thanksgiving is around the corner and I'm grateful for this holiday. I get to reflects on the blessings in my life and what I'm grateful for. After writing down the lists of what I'm grateful for in my journal it sure make losing my engagement ring seems so small and less important.

It's hard to believe that it is more of an emotional loss for me. All of the memories when we were dating keep flooding my mind. The cloud 9 moments every single seconds of the day. That kind of happy memories!

I'm so grateful for loving God, husband, kids, parents, extended family, health, and the list goes on. My cup is runneth and I am at peace. I must admit it was a hard week but for some reason I feel perfectly OK right now. Sometimes you have to work really hard for what you really want -- and that my friend I am trying to find joy in everyday small miracles.


I took this picture this morning of a fountain. I added some magic to the picture in Photoshop using Rhonna's brushes. I'm going to print it out and frame it.
It's a great reminder.
We all need it.


Be. Grateful.

Christmas Décor

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I know Thanksgiving comes next but I couldn't help but to work on the paper mache cones. I've been staring at them for weeks. I got the cones from Michaels but I believe other craft stores sell them too.

The bases are just regular wood circles from craft stores. The stands are the wooden candle holders from Hobby Lobby.

Here's a really quick and simple wreath I made last night. The wire wreath I got from Michaels. I think it was $3. I wrapped burlap around the wreath then I added ribbons, bow, picture frame, and feathers for finishing touches.



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Journal with a twist

One thing that I am not good at is journal keeping. I will be the first one to admit that I have never complete the entire journal.
Sad? Yes!
My husband on the other hand is so stinkin' good at it. It's fun to read what he wrote during our courtship and etc. I guess staring at blank pages with lines aren't that exciting to me.

I need prompts!!!

My husband brought to my attention that I always say

"When I die..."

I guess having children change me tremendously. No doubt about it. I often think of their needs and wants before mine. I am obsessed about them. They are my everything. I am here to protect and love them. They are so much a part of me. I get to relive a part of my childhood through them (sort of.)
It's simply amazing!

Like.. playing in the rain, get all wet. Yeah totally brought back childhood memories.


So when I brought up to my husband
"When I die..."

i.e. ... I want you to find a wife
(the kids need a mother especially when they are young - if I die at 75 and he got a wife... hmm I think I might come and haunt him.)
... make sure you feed them some Thai food
(yes I'm dead serious about this.)
... teach them about Thai culture
... make sure to keep family traditions going
(Halloween, Christmas, birthdays, and etc.)

and the list goes on.

I mean I can tell my husband all I want but in reality he probably only retained 1/4 of the info I passed on to him. I've made a commitment to myself that I am going to do better at keeping journals. Even if it's one line a day. I'm doing this for my children. It's not about me. It's all about them and their children and their children' children. This way it is written and recorded. They can find out a lot about me by reading my journals, scrapbook pages, mini albums, smash books, and etc.

I hope they can find it entertaining and educational. Hopefully they can flip through the pages and learn a thing or two about life and be able to apply to theirs.

Sorry I didn't plan on blogging my life away...


So here are 3 journals/diaries that I've found that I absolutely adore to pieces.
These aren't just ugly blank pages.

They have prompts!

And I must add they are addictive and fun!

1). Q & A - 365 questions * 5 years * 1,825 answers
2). Keel's Simple Diary - Vol. one
3). Memorandom journal


Here are some pretty pages to look at.

I hope you are inspired.
Now get to it.
If you don't want to do it for you then do it for someone you love in your life.

Words are powerful - use it wisely.

***

Here's a text from my husband.

Z to his pumpkin in a box.
"now you have a new home."
He puts blanket around the pumpkin.
"good night pumpkin"
Z then proceeds to lay down and make snoring sounds.


It only takes 5 lines to know a bit more about this kid.



I am trying to do better.

I'm excited to look back at what I wrote a year from now.

1 more thing to stamp on

OK I got one for ya...
How about coffee filter?!



They are so cheap even dollar store has them!



This is my gratitude journal for this year.



Have fun and stamp away!

Just curious

Maybe you can help me.
Pretty please?!


Do you know what kind of bug this is?


Is it going to hurt my rose bush?


Please only bring me good news.
I've been battling the rose ordeal since forever and a half.


Thank you for all of your help!

P.S. Isn't this fella kinda cool lookin'?
P.S.S. He looks like a half shrimp half bug.

Walmart 97¢ Scrapbooking Supplies

You know how much I love Walmart.
NOT!

So when I have to go there I try to make it worthwhile.

I stopped by the scrapbooking section and I found Studio G and Colorbok stuff.

Check it out.

Storyboard in a layout

Storyboard is another fun way to add pictures to the layouts. Storyboard is simply just a fancy name for collage. I love to group pictures from the same event to tell a story.

This is the story I wanted to tell...

1). Z was making 'Arizonan snowman.'
2). He thought one particular rock was so neat and couldn't wait to show it to me. (of course I snapped the picture as he was showing it to me... with little children you have to be ready to snap that magical moment. Wear the camera around your neck -- do not set it down!)
3). He kept challenging himself to see how high he could stack the rocks. It doesn't take long for Z to learn the law of gravity. He's definitely a 'learning by doing' kind of kid.


You do not need Photoshop to do this. You can use Picasa, Microsoft Word, and other programs.

So switch it up and give storyboard a try. This is another way to freshened up the look of your layouts.

Since this layout is picture heavy. I decided to journal around the outside perimeter. Yes you can still get some journaling in even though there are so many pictures. My new goal is to add journaling in every page. So far so good!

iphone4 case

I just wanted to share with you a very awesome company called UNCOMMON for custom made iphone case. FYI I'm not being paid to promote their products. I'm just a very satisfied/happy customer. They are very professional.

By professional I mean...

1). Easy to navigate site
2). Easy user interface program
3). Proofs of your case before you check out
4). Quality - durable, sleek, glossy top coat
5). Packaging - very important. It's like the first couple of seconds when you meet your blind date. *wink*

Seriously it's one of a kind. I don't know about you but sometimes it's nice to have customized goodness in your life. I think it's fun to showcase your personality on your iphone case! Don't you?!

I designed this case in Photoshop. If you don't have Photoshop you can upload any pictures you have.

I used amazing Photoshop brushes designed by Rhonna.
Ch ch ch check her out!

And I do have ONE $5 off code to give away.
If you want it say "I WANT IT" in the comment.
First person to say "I WANT IT" in the comment below this post gets it!

My momma's fries are better than yours

Want to impress a picky eater?
Need a quick and easy recipe? (if you call this a recipe... hmmm)
Want to involve the little ones in the kitchen?


Well I got great news for you!

Ladies and gents,
Introducing
.
.
.


My Momma's Fries Are Better Than Yours
(and healthier)

I wish I could claim this recipe as mine. Why didn't I think of that?

So are you ready?
Here are the 3 must have ingredients.

* Red potatoes
* Olive oil
* The Gourmet Collection Roast Vegetables & Fries Sprinkle Spice Blend


I got the spice blend at T.J. Maxx.

Now are you ready for some technical terms? Throw everything together and bake.

ENJOY

Halloween Banner

As soon as the "witches teeth" are out on the table it's Halloween decoration time at our house. I personally don't care for them but my family loooooves them! Mister "No.1" can't get enough as you can see. He found official home for his hand apparently.


First Halloween décor I put up was the banner. It was simple and fun to make! Throw some blood on the mirror and add bows and blings for finishing touches!

Halloween Chandelier is next!
Stay tuned!

Random Thoughts

I just realized that I've been taking pictures of Jack pretty much every single day since he was born. Crazy I know! Z + J don't know any better, they grew up with the camera's shutter sound...

It's the only way (photography/scrapbooking) I know how to tell a story... If you want to know what I'm thinking or how I feel about things you can definitely tell by looking at my photo library. I love to capture everyday moments.


This post is dedicated to my camera(s.) Thank you for taking my abuse. Seriously. I use y'all sooo soooo much! But most importantly, thank you for still working.
Whatever I can grab I grab whether it's an iphone, Canon Rebel XTi, Photo Booth, or Sony cyber-shot. I think I go overboard sometimes.
WHY?
Because I don't really have much of my childhood pictures.
(about a dozen.)

Sad. I. Know.

Overcompensating? Hmmm maybe.
Therefore, I take a lot of pictures of my kids!

Therefore, I don't print all of the pictures I took.

Therefore, I consistently have to clear room on my lap top.

Therefore, I archive/back up.
(both on and off site - very important!!! I can go on and on about this topic. Just to paint you a picture, what if your house burn down or your kid spills juice on your computer or drop them? Yeah you want to make sure your pictures are stored somewhere else too. Please please if you aren't already doing this please do so. You spent so much effort in preserving your family memories and you don't want to risk it.)


Thank you cameras! You keep me sane!

Cricut + Ikea Frame = Magical Home Decor

I love this Ikea frame. I want a dozen more to paint in all different colors. It would be fun to switch it up to match the holidays colors and such. Fab right?! Yeah I know!


So this is what I made last night. I had so. much. fun. OMG!
I used SCAL and Cricut expression to cut the letters and embellished with fabulous goodies I have in my scrap room!

This is one of my 2 most favorite quotes of all time. "Whatever you are be a good one." The other is my life's motto "Dream big."
Why? You know how I loooove free stuff! Well dreams are free! Why not dream big?!

Next project is "dream big" quote home decor.
Stay tuned.

Creative Escape with Vicki Boutin

Creative Escape is over! *tears*

OK since I took gazillion pictures from Creative Escape I will try to break it down and show you pictures in somewhat organized manner. We took layout class taught by Vicki Boutin. She is amazing!!! She's very talented obviously. She is not afraid of colors! Colors are her friends and I love that. There are so many things that I love about her but what stood out to me the most was her personality. She's so fun and fUnNy!!! We were laughing pretty much the whole entire time.

We were using white crayons and paper as resists. Also we went to town with glimmer mist. Boy oh boy did we sprayed until the cows come home. It was so much fun!

The take away message from this class for me was "COLOOOOOOORS" and "LAYEEEEEEEERS."


(and I thought I was using plenty of colors and layering... nope - not until you take her class!)

Stay tuned... more to come!

Pre-CE

I had fun shopping with Teresa yesterday. We are getting ready to go to Creative Escape Bazaar and Yudu class teach by Heidi Swapp. More pictures and projects to come. Check back soon!




Bye!
(We are literally running out of the door)

$1 wanna be printer trays

With a baby who knows how long it will take me to finish these trays. Don't you just love how I throw my baby under the bus? Sorry Jack, momma does love you! So I just wanted to jump on here real quick and let you know to run to your Dollar Tree before they are all gone! They have 3 different types. Of course I got one of each.

These will go on my craft room wall. I can't wait! I was so excited when I saw these!!! Have fun and please share some pictures with me when you are done.

Please email me the link so I can "linky link" it to your blog / youtube.