Thank you...

Thanking all the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live in a country with the freedoms we have. Thinking of all the men and women who still do. God bless our Military and our great Country.

Vacation!!!

I am officially on vacation! It was also Bre's last day of school. You know what that means...no more 6:00am mornings for the next two and half months! WooHoo! It will be so nice to not have to rush in the mornings!
I think I have decided that I am just going to stay home and enjoy! I am so ready for no schedules, just getting up and doing whatever. I have some things to accomplish, but it seems that sometimes life is so busy, that we don't really get to enjoy our home. So, Bre and I might go to a movie or have a lunch date...but mostly we are just going to stay at home and chill! I have some things that I want to do in my Scraproom, fun things. I want to play with paper and ink and paint and get lost in the creative zone again. That's our big plan.
I have been changing things around on the old blog this week and think I really like the new look. Thank goodness Blogger has much more to choose from then when I first started blogging. There are a ton of new templates and layout features...even new fonts. What do you think? I love the handwritten look. The new banner is one I downloaded from Shabbyblogs.com. I love this site! They have some really cute stuff and the best part-it's free. If you haven't checked them out go on over. They also have lots tutorials and fun free downloads.
Bre just came in and said I should write something about her and Wesley because they are so cute together. SO Congrats to them...they are now officially a Junior and Senior! They have also been dating for a year and a half. They are really best friends and I love the fact that they have found a sense of safety with each other! Thanks for being such great kids!
I am off to find something else to blog about...TTFN.

Notations Album Kit...

I wanted to share with you "My Story". I used Teresa Collins Notations Album Kit to make this album. I love this kit because it is so diverse, elegant, and totally inkable. I love to be able to alter things, to make it my own and this was the perfect kit to do that. I inked all the pages with Worn Lipstick, Brushed Corduroy and Antique Linen Distress Inks. I allowed me to throw in pops of my own color choices. After I inked all the pages, I then went back and started embellishing. The kit comes with a ton of die cuts and tags. The Blingage line was the perfect way to add a little sparkle and bling here and there. Love that! If you noticed the texture on the cover, it is done by adding gel medium with a foam brush in a circular motion. I absolutely love the texture that this adds as well as the instant protective coating on the cover of the book.

This book is also a total work in progress. It is meant to tell my story. I think as scrapbookers we are so busy telling everyone else's story and so intent on making those perfect layouts, that we forget to tell about us. We are after all our families story tellers, but in the process we have lost the importance of telling out stories. So this book is dedicated to my story, my life, my thoughts, my dreams, my goals and any other things I want my family to know. My Story was shared in the Teresa Collins newsletter today along with some of the other albums created by the design team. If you haven't gotten the newsletter or signed up for it you can go here to do that. There is a TON of inspiration in there. I loved seeing what each DT member did with their album. I hope that it has inspired you to think about telling your story. It will be part of your families history one day!

Oh and make sure to stop by Teresa's blog today...there is a Core'dinations blog hop going on...lots of fun and inspiration and even a really nice give-a-way!

Some Distress Ink fun...

Here is a fun layout I did using Distress Inks. I started with the 12 x 12 Manilla cardstock from Ranger, and just layered the Distress Inks. I used Tea Dye and Faded Jeans inks and I think a little Brushed Corduroy. I also used some of Tim's Idea-ology line...his game piece spinners, lavish trimmings and timepiece watch faces. Oh and we cannot forget the stamps from Stamper's Anonymous. Also thrown in was some dictionary book pages and a shipping tag. I loved that I created this whole background from just a plain piece of cardstock and customized it to look the way I wanted it to. I tried to get in close enough for you to see that I smeared some Rock candy Distress stickles to give it a little shine. The Lavish trimming was dyed with Distress stain! Almost forgot to mention that...and yes Distress stains are my newest ink addiction. I cannot wait for them to release more colors! I am keeping my fingers crossed for that one!

Update...

Where have I been for the last 12 days? I have been trying to get back into the swing of regular life. Ranger U left me completely on overload. I also really missed the people that I had spent all that time with learning, having light bulb moments, and laughing with. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I made life-long friends who I will see again. I look forward to that day.
I also came home to getting ready for National Scrapbook day at the store, Bre's Dance recital, deadlines, and a plethora of other things. It's not that I haven't wanted to blog, just haven't found the time. I have really been wanting to share a few things too.

First, I wish I could share what I have been up to with Teresa Collins Designs, but it's still under wraps. So be watching for the TC newsletter, her blog as well as the DT blog. Some pretty fun stuff is soon to come!
Second, I have been trying to reorganize my scraproom a bit. Had to make room for all the new Ranger goodies. That is still a work in progress, but I will share pictures as soon as I can. I do however want to share with you the way I organize my Distress Inks. It is really working for me and oh so easy to get at. This is just the first of sharing the organizing process so I hope you enjoy.

Did you know that you can print out color charts for all kinds of Ranger products? Just go to their website and click on tips and techniques and then print labels. It's that easy. I keep an inventory of what I have that way. As you see I have a lot of Distress Ink...love Distress Ink! The bin is one I found at Target. It was $4.99 and fits all the Distress Inks as well as the ink blending tools and foamies. I store all my used foamies in a ziplock that stays in this bin. It makes it nice and easy to find it all in one spot! I also use the color chart to match the inks to the project I am working on. It really works well when trying to match a specific color! I will be posting some more Distress Ink goodness in a bit!

Ranger U...

Here is the Ranger Class 2010. I spent last weekend getting to know them, learning with them, and growing friendships. It truly was an honor to be included with these very special men and women...yes, we had two men at Ranger U.

I really fell down on the job the last day as photos go...the group shot was borrowed from Ranger's blog. I do however have a few things to share.
The last day of Ranger was taught by Tim...all Adirondack...so much information...my brain is still trying to absorb everything I learned. I am dreaming about inks, paints and all things grunge, lol. It was an experience I will remember forever. I am working on coming up with a weekly blog something that would involve techniques-challenges-inspiration using the information I learned while at Ranger U. I am hoping to get this going in the next couple of weeks so keep a look out. In the meantime I have to take the time to talk about a very special group that took a little piece of my heart with them. They are my Ranger sisters...or the "airport girls"...
I would like to introduce you to Cheryl...this was my roomie for Ranger U and I feel so lucky that she came into my life. It is a rare thing when you meet someone and just know that this person will forever be your friend. She is an amazingly talented woman who I am very proud to call my friend. Pictured above are the "airport girls" (this is what we named ourselves). These girls...each and every one of them has touched my heart. (Hels Sheridan, Cheryl Grigsby, Me, Candy Colwell, and Linda Ledbetter) After many travel woes, including cancelled flights, rerouted flights, delays (texting through it all) we all met at the airport and finally made it too our hotel 1:30 am Friday morning. I think sitting in the airport waiting for our fellow Ranger sisters it allowed us to bond. Like I said each of these women took a little piece of my heart with them. Without a doubt, I know we will stay in touch. We will remain each others cheerleaders!
This is Linda Ledbetter...she was my table mate the entire event(also one of the airport girls!). She is a total doll and does some very fun things on her blog. Check it out and you will see what I mean!
This is Sarah and Cheryl. Sarah was the youngest at Ranger U and had many of us mothers watching out for her. She is such a sweet young woman and has a very good head on her shoulders. I wish I had been as on top of things at that age. Such a sweetie.

I also want to send a HUGE thank you to Ranger, the Ranger Family, Tim, Mario, Claudine, Patty, and everyone who helped put Ranger U together. Every detail was thought out, every little thing was taken care of. This weekend was filled with so much fun and inspiration...I feel like a gushing school girl, wink.