Living My Dream

Are you a TEEN with TALENT???

Creating Keepsakes is having a Teen Talent Search! Here is some information about it: Teens definitely have their unique styles in music, fashion, and scrapbooking. Do you know any creative teens who are telling their stories through scrapbooks, blogs, videos, or photo collages? If so, send them our way! Creating Keepsakes is searching for talented teens to enter the 2010 Teen Talent Search! They could win all kinds of fun prizes, including a laptop, an electronic die-cutting machine, a screen-printing machine, Photoshop Elements, a DSLR lens, and more! Spread the word to help us find the next generation of scrapbookers to celebrate their unique style. If you want to create some hip scrapbook pages and accents for the teens you're... Read more →

Sweet Summertime!!!

SPEAKING OF SUMMER... I have fallen in love with a new line from Echo Park called Sweet Summertime. Why you ask? Because it is a) my favorite colors and b) is so happy and c) is all about summer. You can't ask for more than that. I just picked up the entire line at Scrapbook Oasis - thank goodness they always have the latest and greatest supplies. Here are the three layouts I made with it this weekend. Don't you love it when a line goes together so well that you can make pages with it in no time at all? AND, as I said yesterday and I will be saying for the next three months: HAPPY SUMMER!!! Suzy Read more →

Tiptoeing Into Summer...

It is here. Three more days of school. I'm excited and nervous. Nervous because I won't be getting much done. Excited because my days will be filled with sweet girls and sunny pleasures. Nervous because I don't have my bathing beauty body back from the winter yet. Excited because I don't have to get up early every day and deal with home work!!! Nervous because I don't have ANY plans and I'm not sure what to do to entertain two and sometimes four little girls. Excited because summer is always my favorite time of the year! This weekend, to get myself leaning towards the excited end of the spectrum, I decided to scrap some of my favorite summer memories from... Read more →

A Pop Crop

For the Creating Keepsakes Tips and Tricks Organization issue, I was given the assignment of making some items to use for a scrapbooking crop. I decided to call it a Pop Crop and came up with the following ideas. And NO, I didn't actually ever have the crop - but hey, if anyone wants to host one, here are some ideas for you! All of these items were made with the Season Collection by Crate Paper which is such a happy line. This was the invitation. The center pulls out so you could put details on it for each individual (of what you want them to bring or just a personalized note): This was an idea journal you would give... Read more →

Layouts Anyone?

I know, I know ... I haven't posted layouts forever! And it seems whenever I scrap lately, it is for an assignment, so I can't post it. I vow to scrap a page just for fun tomorrow (or the next day or the day after that, but sometime soon anyway)... So for now, I will post OLD pages that have recently been published. And keep in mind, old in this industry is about six months - ha! This layout was seen in the May/June 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine. (Copyright Creative Crafts Group. Posted with prior permission from the publisher). It was featured in the tips and tricks column showing how you can use the edges of decorative paper... Read more →

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURA VEGAS!!!

Today my friend Laura Vegas is turning 40!!! Wooohooohooo Laura - welcome to old age! I'm seven years ahead of you, so I'm allowed to say that!!! And just to warn you of some impending changes you are going to experience - get ready for hot flashes, hair loss, nose hair, bigger ears, aches and pains over your entire body, growing hips, sagging where you would prefer to be upright, teeth loss, hearing loss, and loss of bladder control. But nothing too serious - you will be JUST fine!!! I'm SO happy I have gotten to know you this year through the CK Dream Team experience. I had a great time hanging with you at CHA! You are a sweet,... Read more →

is this NORMAL?!?!?!

MY DAY: Get up. Get kids ready. Make lunches. Run kids to school. Kids late AGAIN. Run home. Take shower. Rush back to school in time for play. Take 250 pics at play. Run to bagel store (days like this require sustenance). Shove bagel in face while driving and talking on phone. Pick up friend. Hit Michaels. Try to find 40 rocks for church activity. Spend way too much on supplies for activity. Bill registers shock. Friend pulls me out door before I scream. Left with lots of junk but no rocks. Go to Lowe's. Find rocks. Bag very heavy. Hurt back carrying bag while 10 husky guys watch. Oh to be young and hot again. Ouch. Drop bag on... Read more →

Wedding Reception Photographs

I finally got a chance to edit some of the photos I took at my niece's wedding reception. Here are a few collages of some of them (all taken with my 50mm 1.4 lens which was perfect due to the low light and all framed using Picnik): This is my sister and her husband - the parents of the bride and the ones that threw the reception at their house - they did such a great job! Thanks for visiting!!! Suzy Read more →

My Anniversary TRIP!

Thank you for the happy anniversary's last week. We actually got away as a COUPLE for three nights - oh my! It was sooooo awesome! I felt like we were on our Honeymoon again with just the two of us. I think all couples need to do this now and then! Tom was on a business trip in Seattle, so I flew up to join him. We spent two nights in Seattle and one night in Portland as he had meetings in both places. I LOVED PORTLAND! There was this cute little neighborhood called The Alphabet District that I fell in love with - it was so eclectic and had such funky stores (although I never got out to LOOK... Read more →

The Wedding Photographer Team!!!

I was asked to be the photographer for my niece's wedding on Friday and it was SO much fun!!! I invited Lisa Vanderveen to come shoot with me and we were a great team!!! She had the 70-200 and I had the 24-70, so between us all ranges were covered. Here are a few of our shots: I posted many more photos on facebook if you want to check them out. I still have to edit the reception and I'll post some of those - they were my favorites. Thank you again to Lisa for all her photography help! And big congratulations to Kurt and Candice!!! Suzy Read more →