Happy October

I know it's been almost three months since I last posted but I've been super busy since then. I finally got a job the end of July. I work all kinds of weird hours and the job I have is a physically exhausting one because there are never enough people working. I work with the public and that has it's ups and downs. It can be degrading at times. I hate having people talk down to me or treat me like I'm not working hard enough. I work with mostly a bunch of high school kids and young adults in their 20's and find it quite degrading that I get grouped in with them when they are talking loudly or goofing off and the manager gets upset with them.  I'm too old for this sh*t. I did make it to Top 25 cashiers for ring tender score in our whole DISTRICT within my first 60 days on the job, and I was pretty proud of myself for that. Figures that I would be good at a job I hate. lol! So when I come home, I'm quite tired at times. I come home with my back, shoulders and feet hurting. We only get two 15 minute breaks during an 8 hour shift.  I think I need to slow down a little. They pay us the bare minimum that they can get away with and work us to the bone. I do have my resume in to various places hoping for a better job and I have had a couple of job interviews since the last time I posted. But until something better comes along, I am stuck with this "part-time" minimum wage job. It sucks, but at least it's something. The good thing is that they have been pretty flexible with my schedule when I need certain times of the day or certain entire days off and although my paychecks really aren't much, it is nice having "some" money that we didn't have before coming into the household.  In the meantime, the job that I got on the sub list for way back in January finally called me earlier this week. They want to train me for three days next week. It is also a minimum wage job and I will only work it when someone calls off work and they need someone to fill in. Again, but at least it's something, right? The "good" jobs just aren't here. Plus the fact that I'm middle-aged and have been a SAHM for the past 12-1/2 years probably has something to do with it.

Anyway....I've done some scrapbooking these past few months as well. Here are some of the layouts that I've done. I can't remember all the ones I've done, but I'll post a few starting with my most recent ones....

I did these first three layouts using sketches from the Scrapbook Generation 6x6 paper pad downloadable class....

I used my 6x12 Cuttlebug dots embossing folder that I posted about a long time ago for the layout above plus papers from Echo Park, MME, and KI Memories 6x6 paper pads (all cut down to 4x4). The flourishes were made with a Sizzix die that I tend to use quite often. The dimensional flowers are "American Girl" and I bought a bunch of packs of them at Gabes for $1 earlier this year. The doily was made with one of the Cheery Lynn doily dies I got back in May for my birthday. And I added Glam Pink Stickles to the flourishes and "13" flat pink stickers in the title.

For this layout (above), I used 6x6 papers cut down to 2x2 squares that came from a DCWV value pack called "Girl Frille" that I got at JoAnn's.

For the above layout, I used full 6x6 sheets of paper from the KI Memories "Argyle" paper pad, an EK Success punch for the flower border going across the page (that I got on clearance awhile ago), and some buttons which I sewed on with baker's twine.

I used WRMK patterned papers for the above layout. The snowflakes and chipboard letters are flocked. I used a variety of snowflake punches.

For this one, I used patterned papers from DCWV, rub-ons, satin ribbon (skulls), bling, a Sizzix die for the two bigger ghosts, and the smaller ghost and bat were made with a Marvy punch. I found the Thicker letters at Big Lots a long time ago. They were perfect for this layout.

I also used WRMK papers for this layout as well. The heart paper and the Thicker letters are both flocked. The hearts were made with the Tim Holtz movers 'n shapers dies. I included some ephemera on the layout as well (movie tickets).

Other than being busy working (and obviously scrapbooking, ha!), we've been busy with the school band lately. My husband and I are officially "band boosters" and I've been trying to work the home games when I can to earn money for B.'s band account (which is only $10 per football game worked). Last Friday was "All Band Night" and B. got to play her drums for the very first time at a football game along with the high school band. It was pretty exciting and they did a fabulous job. I love the band. The next day, Saturday, we tagged by the main entrance to the mall for four hours (we did a double shift). They put all the money together from all the students who tagged last Saturday at various places and divided it up. So we earned $24 for each shift we did ($48 total). Every little bit will help. Band camp is expensive.

Well it is late and I am tired. So that is all for now....

A Bitterly Cold January

I just spent a lot of time typing a whole blog post and just when I was almost ready to post it. Poof! It disappeared. This happens to me all the time. It's very frustrating and it keeps me from wanting to blog as much as I used to. I think it's the laptop I'm on. I'll just be typing along and then in the middle of typing EVERYTHING just deletes to a blank page. So I will try one more time. Grrrr...

We had a nice Christmas and I participated in my very first Christmas card exchange online. It was supposed to be handmade cards but you could send store-bought ones instead if you chose to. I did handmade ones and enjoyed receiving all the different cards from all over during the holidays. Mind you now that I am not a big cardmaker. So coming up with a design that I could duplicate 30-some times took me awhile...

I was running out of room to display all the cards I was getting in the mail from this exchange, so I picked up this Martha Stewart card holder on clearance at Penney's....

It worked perfectly....

I also participated in an ornament exchange during the holidays. This is the one I sent....

And this is the one I received....

I also made a card for B.'s best friend for her birthday last month. She loves hedgehogs  and this one turned out super cute...

There hasn't been a full week of school since before Christmas break. It's been a frigidly cold winter with temps as low as -40 degrees below zero at times. School was cancelled again today and yesterday and now all the snow days have been used up. They get five "free" snow days and three Blizzard Bag days where they do their schoolwork on the computer for the State. All of those days have been used up and tomorrow will be #10 this year. Yep, they just cancelled school early this evening for tomorrow. Three days in a row just like the week of Jan.6th. It's been a bad winter so far. I guess the Farmer's Almanac was right when they said we would have a rough winter this year.

On Monday, January 13th, poor B. slammed her finger in a big heavy door at school on the HINGE side. The teachers keep their doors closed and she was trying to get in the door with her books and her big, heavy bell kit for band and her finger got caught in the door. I got a call from the school and I went to pick her up but didn't realize that her finger was broken. Just for peace of mind, I took her to the Med Express and they did an x-ray which showed that it is definitely broken and gave her a finger splint to wear which wasn't the greatest. No doctors in our area would even see her because it's her finger and the nearest finger/hand specialist is up in Pittsburgh. They told us we'd have to go to Children's Hospital so we were up there in the ER for three hours. They didn't do much besides confirm that it was broken and referred us to a hand specialist up there in Pittsburgh. In the meantime, I got B. a better finger splint with velcro straps on it for the first week until her doctor's appointment with the hand/finger specialist. The one from Med Express had no straps and it kept falling off and she had to keep adjusting it. We went to the hand specialist last week and B. had a custom hand splint made for her that she'll have to wear at least a couple more weeks along with gauze between her index and middle fingers and medical tape at the tips to help straighten out the broken finger. We are really hoping this works. She broke it just right past that first knuckle and it's a tad bit crooked now. :(

This is the third time B. has broken something on her left arm..... In 2nd grade she broke her left wrist when a girl pulled her down by her coat on the playground, then back in May she broke both bones in her lower left arm when she bounced out of one of those stupid blow-up water slides over at the neighbors a week after school let out for the summer. She spent six weeks in a full-arm cast and it took 12 weeks to completely heal. And now... her left index finger. Poor kid. :(

Our poor little dog hasn't been feeling well and has been sick with vomiting and diarrhea since Friday evening. I took him to the vet yesterday afternoon and he's on a couple different meds now. I hope he starts feeling better real soon and I wish I knew what it was that made him so sick. :(   I've been giving him boiled chicken and rice for his tummy. If he doesn't start doing better in the next day or two, we'll have to take him back to the vet. Hopefully he'll get better though. We were concerned that maybe it's the food he's been eating - Pedigree Small Breed because he started getting really sick not long after we opened this new bag. We started reading up online this evening about any complaints and the one recent one where someone's dog died ate food from the same dog food and the number on their bag was just one digit off from ours which is 343F1KKM04  (the one we read about online started with 342 but everything else was the same). We are not taking any chances and so we are done with Pedigree dog food. DH is out now buying new dog food in a different brand.

I am doing Project Life this year for the first time. I enjoy doing a Dec Daily so much, that I figure it would be cool to document the whole year like that. It's just a different way of scrapbooking that involves pocket pages. It will help me to document some of the everyday stuff that wouldn't make it into a scrapbook album otherwise. I'm not worried about taking pictures everyday though. I got this "honey" core kit during the holidays from my DH from a somewhat local craft store....

I am also participating in a 50 Week Layout Challenge. There's over 30 of us doing the challenge and we each put in $15 to participate. We have to post a layout every week until the end of the year and then there will be a drawing for all the money that was put in. It gives me an incentive to create at least one layout a week plus it keeps my scrappy mojo going throughout the year. Plus there will be drawings for prizes during some of the weeks throughout the year. I will be providing the prize during one of the weeks this summer. We are on Week 2 and it's been fun so far.

I also participated in my very first online crop ever this past week. I entered quite a few different challenges and made SIX layouts this past week, plus a card. That's really good for me considering I usually never scrapbook that much in a short period of time.....

This last one was for a challenge to scrapbook about a favorite "thing". It couldn't be a person or pet. I probably would have never thought to scrapbook about my phone if it weren't for this challenge. It ended up being a fun layout to create and I enjoyed the online crop and the camaderie amoungst the members on the forum.

Here's my journaling for my last layout:

For the longest time, I had a simple flip phone and thought there

was no need for all the features that a smartphone offers.  I mean,

who needs a camera on their phone?? My way of thinking changed

when my husband decided it was time to get me a nicer phone.
 It arrived on Sept. 12, 2012 and I have loved it ever since.

 It is with me wherever I go. I’m able to stay in touch with my family

through texting and pictures  throughout the day. I love getting

 pictures of my nephews and of other family members. I take it to the

 gym and use the music app for when I’m on the elliptical or other

cardio machines.  It has replaced my alarm clock. I use the calendar

 feature for reminders for appointments or things I need to do. It helps

me to pass the time at the doctor’s or while waiting for B. to get out

of school. That’s when I’ll often play Words With Friends with my 
husband or play Bejeweled Blitz or get on Pinterest or the internet to
read stuff. And one of the most used features of my iPhone is my camera. 
I use it all. the. time.  And I’m so glad that I’ve had it with me to take 
pictures that I otherwise would have missed out on. Needless to say, 
there’s no way I’d ever go back to a basic flip phone again. LOL!  

Journaling: Monday, January 27, 2014.

 Well this should bring my blog pretty much up-to-date.  Thanks for stopping by and try to keep warm. brrrrr!!!!

Tutorial - How to use the new 5.5" x 12" Cuttlebug Embossing Folders in the Big Shot

As promised, I am back with pictures of the cool new 5.5" wide x 12" long Cuttlebug embossing folders that I bought on sale yesterday at JoAnn's. I am excited about these new embossing folders and how they can emboss the entire 12" length of a scrapbook page and really hoping that they'll come out with more designs like swirls, snowflakes, hearts, etc. etc.. And while I'm posting pics for you all anyway, I decided to do a little tutorial on how to use them in the Big Shot. I always appreciate when other paper crafters take the time to do a tutorial either on their blog or on YouTube, so here you go.....

Here's what they look like in the packaging (click to make photos larger).....

Out of the package....

To use them in the Big Shot, you need the Sizzix Essentials Platform and two of the extended cutting plates....

These can be a little pricey. I bought mine a couple of years ago (thank goodness). The Essentials Platform was like $25 and the extended cutting plates were $20. I "think" you could probably get the plates at a big box store on sale though. I may have gotten mine for $12. It's been so long ago that I don't remember though.

Anyway, the "sandwich" goes like this from bottom to top: Essentials Platform, cutting plate, embossing folder with paper inside, and another cutting plate on top....

Roll it through your machine and you end up with this.....

This is the "Polka Dot Page" and the next couple of photos show the "Damask Brocade".....

Absolutely beautiful and imagine all the possibilities.

'til next time....

Heritage Layout #7

Good Morning! The sun's trying to come out from behind all those clouds. It's supposed to be only 75 today, so a bit cooler then what it's been the past several days. It's only 63 out there now and a bit breezy, but a good morning to have all the windows open.

I just wanted to show you real quickly another heritage layout I made last night for my mother-in-law's album. This is a picture of my husband's Great Aunt Liz, his mom and his uncle taken back in the mid-1940's.

Supplies Used:

Patterned Papers - from DCWV Tattered Time stack

Cardstock - DCWV, Worldwin (borders, title)

Cricut Cartridge - Heritage (for the title) - cut at 2" and embossed with the Textile Textures Cuttlebug embossing folder and my Big Shot, then Glimmer Misted with Pearl Glimmer Mist

Prima flower - cut in half, then folded in half, inked with antique linen and vintage photo distress inks and then Glimmer Misted with Pearl Glimmer Mist.

button and perle cotton to sew the button on

Stamped journaling spot from The Paper Company, distressed with antique linen and vintage photo distress inks

Jenni Bowlin Brown Sugar dye ink

Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes steel rule die & chipboard for flourish. Inked with Vintage Photo and Glimmer Misted with Pearl

Glossy Accents (to glue the chipboard flourish on the layout)

1-1/2" circle punch for borders (circles are cut in half)

Scotch ATG, Zig glue pen, Scotch Scrapbooker's Glue, foam adhesive (to pop up the journaling spot)

Sketch: Page Maps

Thanks for lookin' and I hope you all have a great day! :)