I can't WAIT!

I can't wait for the Cricut magazine's special issue called Home Decor! I have 2 projects in there under the "baby" category. I made these 2 framed creations as baby gifts so I guess I'll have to give them to my friends when Cricut magazine returns them.

I can't wait to see the magazine in the stores. I've been looking! But so far this special issue can be pre-ordered from the Northridge Publishing website: www.northridgepublishing.com. I will definitely download ther online version when it comes out so I can see my 2 framed pieces.

We had such a busy weekend! Noelle, our daughter (freshman at North Greenville University in Greenville, SC) came home on Friday. It's always a busy time when she's around. It was so good to see her. I miss her so much but I know she is loving the college life and her new-found independence. At least soccer is taking a break right now so I AM HOPING and PRAYING she's studying more... right. Her soccer team was 1 point away from making it to the conference play-offs. BUT, it's a young team with 10 or so freshman (including my daughter) so they can only improve. (The only direction they can go is UP... yes, it was that bad). Noelle has been playing since she was 4 years old. And at a very high level. So this team has been a definite learning experience, not only for Noelle, but for Dad and I. Whew. Sometimes it was so painful to see how bad the team played. Really. Well, on to more uplifting news.

Cade is now playing Middle School Basketball. He will have 2-3 games a week through February. So, the busy-ness never ends. But he is so enjoying the comraderie with the boys and enjoys the coach. Eric and I are just glad he is playing and CARES about playing. I will take some pictures of his first game soon.

Well, I'll post some "rejects" of layouts that didn't make the Cricut or Scrapbook Trends Magazine next time.

Having so much Fun!

I just found out last week that I'm going to be published in Cricut Magazine again. April 2012 issue. 2 layouts exactly - about my role as a mom - and ALSO a framed piece. I really love how the framed piece turned out - I have it sitting on my foyer table. It says "Welcome" and the colors were perfect for our home.

I'm HUMBLED and SO EXCITED that I will be published again.

I guess I'd call these 'rejected' layouts`

The first two layouts I submitted to Cricut Magazine. I thought they were cute...Oh well. They weren't chosen so I am now posting them on my blog.


I created the "Dark Time" layout when our family was going through a rough time. To journal about it was really therapeutic for me. I watercolored on the paper; I felt like it looked a little like tears.

I submitted a few layouts to Cricut magazine and Scrapbook Trends magazine.

This layout reminded me of the mountain stream when I stuck my toesies in the cool water. It was truly a refeshing experience!

The October 2011 issue of Cricut Magazine is OUT!

I saw my layout in the issue.... page 77. I love how Northridge Publishing "staged" my layout of me and my 2 cats. Yes, I'm an avid cat lover. When I was growing up, my mom, brother and sister were SO allergic to cats and dogs - we had neither.

When Eric and I got married, I longed for a pet. Especially when we were going through infertility. Our first cat, Sorry, filled a real need in me to love on something (other than Eric). When we decided to adopt Christian from the Philippines (our first child), we had Sorry, the cat, adopted by a very nice woman and her son. About 8 years and 2 more children AND a new home later, a cat chose us. Navy, as we called this big cat, came to the back door and hit his head repeatedly on the window. Eric said we could NOT feed him. I put the kids to bed AND GUESS who gave the cat some MILK. Yeah, Eric. Well, Navy was ours from then on. One day, Navy went outside and never came back. I grieved for months. Literally. I was very attached to him.

Then a friend, Deborah, had a stray cat come to their door and since she already had a cat and a dog, she asked if we wanted her. So, Sophie became ours. She is a stub-tail cat, honey-colored, and so sweet. She loves to sit in my lap whenever I sit down and she's very verbal, always meowing up a storm.

How did we end up with two cats? Eric and I saw this beautiful white kitten with blue/green eyes in a pet store window while we were vacationing in Boone, NC. The store was closed but Eric wanted the cat. I figured that was the end of it. Well, the next day he suggested we go find out how much the cat cost. After picking myself up from the floor, I was all in. At the pet store, Q-tip because our second cat. She is playful, sweet and mischievous. Sophie didn't like her for about six months but now they are constant companions. Q-tip ACTS like Sophie is Alpha Cat - but we ALL know that Q-tip really is. Oh, the joys of animals. Actually, cats. I love cats!

I say all this because my layout is based on my cats. I have loads of pictures of my kids, my hubby, MYSELF, and this is the first layout ever published and it is about my cats. Go figure.

(but I am thrilled and humbled beyond belief!!)

OFFICIALLY published in Cricut Magazine, October 2011

Well, I have finally been published. I haven't really tried that hard... I saw that Cricut was looking for some layouts, cards, etc. about pets. And I remembered this layout I had scrapped about 1 year ago using the Cindy Loo cartridge. I emailed it in to the magazine and was contacted about 3 weeks later that Cricut wanted to publish it. I am MORE than excited and happy about it.

So all of you - RUN and get YOUR copy of the Cricut magazine, October 2011 and look for MY creation on page 77. YAY!

The desire to be published has been on my bucket list for years. I am so thrilled and humbled to be in print.

If you see my layout - give me a holla!

Posting some older layouts

I have been under the weather over the weekend but I'm feeling up to sharing some "older" layouts... not real old, just not real new (hee, hee).

The first layout is: the cover to a mini-album about our trip to Arizona. I really loved the paper shaped like a road sign and used it for the front and back of the album.

One of the pages in the album is the next layout. I love to cluster all kinds of embellishments and that's what I did for this layout with a picture of my daughter dwarfed by Montezuma's Castle in the background. We were in Arizona and really liked this picture.

Layouts!

Top layout is about my dear husband, Eric. The picture was taken on our 23rd wedding anniversary - and we just celebrated our 26th Anniversary. Oh well, I'm a little behind but I adore this picture of him. I journaled about: "Anywhere you are is home to me. And it's been that way for 26 years." I saw this Cosmo Cricket line of papers and fell in love with this line.

The purple and yellow layout (what a description) is first. I cut purple (and yellow) circles into flowers to make the flowers and added gems to the centers. I journaled about my daughter leaving for college. So that's all my posting of my most recent creations.

Thanks for dropping by!