a few announcements...

exciting news for many.....

I'm now Scrap for Hire friendly!

All of my personal use items have new S4H Terms of Use attached to them.

You can view my terms HERE


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Only a couple more days remaining to grab my marvelous goodies for 29% off!

Hurry Hurry Hurry!!!!

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my newest Word Up Challenge at Gotta Pixel ~ LIFE

Life is such a precious gift and you have to treasure everything about it. At no time can you take it for granted.

Two weeks ago today Phil Williams left us unexpectedly. He was a man full of life and loved to experience many things. He was only 41 yo and most likely had a heart attack. Phil was my ex-husband and the father to my oldest son, Cooper (17). (more details about this unfortunate circumstancebelow in my previous blogpost)

This challenge will be a tribute to him.

*You must use life as the theme and the word "life" must be prominent on your LO.
*must use at least three hearts (one for Phil, his wife Sarah, and Cooper)
*must use some beads (he loved a good party and Mardi Gras beads were part of his funeral)
*must use blue as the main color (both Phil and Cooper are die-hard St Louis Blues hockey fans)

Participation prizes are also available.

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Are you looking for a great alternative for Valentine's Day layouts, cards and crafts that are not of the frilly and girly variety? Or how about a new, fun and funky way to scrap your loved ones? Look no further! Introducing Playful Heart, a collaboration by A.S. It Is Designs. (A.S. It is Designs is the collaborative team of Amy Sumrall and Sara Ellis)

his playful kit include:
10 textured patterned papers
6 textured solid papers
1 bright
felt/cardboard alpha (A-Z, 0-9, and symbols)
5 varieties of stitching
4 frames
2 word art
2 swirls
2 paint strokes
1 notepad journaling tag
3 painted cardboard circles
1 plain cardboard circle
2 felt embellishments
2 cardboard talk bubbles with painted text
1 plain cardboard talk bubble
1 embellished cardboard heart
1 "XO" sticker
1 S.W.A.K envelope
1 ribbon
1 string bow




with bonus Valentines (yes, it is after Valentines Day...but, hey, they are an extra added bonus)




and available separately to make your scrapping life more simple ....
8 4x6 PNG brag book pages


grab Playful Heart HERE

life.....

I have new previews from over two weeks ago... but that is the last on my priority list right now.....

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LIFE.....

enjoy it, live it, love it........and be prepared for life's unexpected bumps

I have been away from the digiworld for most of the last two weeks because of a very unfortunate situation.....
on the 11th, my ex-husband suddenly passed away...he was the father to my oldest son (Cooper, 17)..... Coop came home from school and found him on the kitchen floor...he had already been gone for about 2 hours, most likely due to a heart attack.................
he worked out that morning, went home for a conference call (he was in outside sales), told his boss he was freezing (so not him) and was going to lay down, shortly afterwards he went to the kitchen and passed before he made it to the ground

I am very grateful that Phil, Cooper, and Sarah (Phil's wife/Coop's step-mom) had a nice family day together the day before (the first one in a very long time...they went to a boat show & out to dinner, then Phil took Coop to school the next morning and the last thing he said was that he loved him

everything has been one very surreal rollercoaster

it has also been a lesson for so many of our friends and family........
*please never lose touch with your friends... call your friends now if you haven't talked with them in a while
*have an estate plan ... please make a will and pick the guardian(s) for your children
*make sure you have a nice life insurance policy
*make sure that at least your spouse and/or other trusted family member knows about important papers
*don't take life for granted....live it to the fullest........... that is one thing that Phil definitely did
*give hugs freely ... brighten people's days

The Cooper Williams Scholarship Fund

c/o The 1st National Bank

12230 Manchester Road

St Louis, MO 63131

314-862-8300

this is labeled a scholarship fund on the account name only... it is a full trust fund for him............ there are two golf tournaments in the works, as well as another fundraiser in St Louis

for those of you that don't know... Cooper's dad stepped up to become a full-time dad when I moved to Phoenix a few years ago...... he only has 2.5 months left in high school before he graduates...... there was no way on earth I could have pulled him from his friends, hockey, and life there to come back with me....... it's the hardest thing in the world to not be with him every day..so much more so than ever before... at least I have the comfort of know that he has a huge support system there with his family and friends and his step-mom (she's only been his step-mom for 2.5 years) wants to continue with him ....... we all have a very good relationship, just the distance is difficult.....but I have 2 little boys here that I have to take care of too

also...... Cooper and Sarah have already started seeing a special trauma therapist

more funny antics....and then exciting news

yesterday morning Hudson went to the bathroom to go poopie and he was in there just a little too long...when I knocked on the door he came out with a bit smile and TONS of liquid soap all over his shirt and legs AND a ton all over the counter..an old soap dispenser was on the floor with the lid off...and a spray bottle of lysol was also on the counter.....I should add that he learned how to open the cabinets with the child safety locks a couple days ago (TROUBLE brewing)

Mr Independent 3yo that he is, decided to clean himself apparently......all just 30 minutes before we had to leave for preschool........

I, of course, took a few pics....but I haven't u/l them yet

well, he hopped in the shower and rinsed himself off...got dressed and we went to school........my dh came home for lunch in the middle of all this....
while we were doing the preschool run, he cleaned the counter to the bathroom

wellllll... I originally thought that maybe I left some soap in the old soap dispenser....... HA! ..... when I got home I noticed the huge jug of refill soap empty and upside down in the trash can.... I just bought it last week and it was almost completely full

nice, huh??

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I'm so psyched that I know half of the girls - a couple are former OAKS girls (Beth and Carla), one is a former CTM (Amy), and Randi and I became buddies after both of us resigned from another site a few months ago.

I already have a collab in the works with one of these gals. Sorry, no hint yet. LOL.... We're hoping to have it in the store by Friday. I am soooo loving it already!

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Sooooo.. if you want to stay clued in about my next collab or anything else to do with me and Gotta Pixel....please sign up for my GP newsletter over on the sidebar........ I will be sending out 1-2 newsletters a week........you never know if I'll be featuring your LO or not, or giving you a coupon, or sharing my newest products.

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last, but not least.....don't forget about my very first commercial use grab bag......*NO Credit Required*.......my Survival Bag will be released on Friday so grab it while you can...
hint - two brush sets inside and one are some super fun flourishes.... plus three more surprises

it's survival time

Do you need a little bit of tender loving care survival bag goodness?

If you love commercial products, S4H, or just regular personal products, this grab bag is the perfect stop for you.

5 files (5 zips) included...all in 300 ppi

**** sneaky little hints for my beautiful blog friends... I had a BLAST making my first ever brushes ...especially the swirly ones :) .......oh, one bit has some valentine inspired goodiness****

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ya know something else survival related?..........me working at The Gap....... oh my....I have grabbed more bargain this week.....gosh, it can be a bit dangerous there at times...........last night I bought some of our boot cut style jeans...they were only $7.99 each....so with my discount, i grabbed both for right at $11 .........they are a lighter wash, but I don't care...hello...what a steal...........

oh......... and..... a grocery store down the street is going out of business (a big Sports Authority is moving in) and closing on Wed so everything is 75% off...it's really empty and picked through, but a few of us went there after work and stocked up on candy and a few other things.........only 17 cents for a big candy bar..you just can't pass that up

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as always.....
please sign up for my Gotta Pixel newsletter over on the sidebar.........and scroll down to find some coupons and a freebie :)

contest time

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That's right, a chance to show off your talent and submit a layout of a special baby in your life. We will not be judging the cuteness of the baby, as that would simply be impossible to choose!! We will be voting instead on the cutest layout in one of two categories.

You can enter a layout with a picture of your baby, grand child, niece, nephew, etc---OR, you can submit a layout with a baby of the pet or animal variety!! You can use any kit, as long as the layout is showing off a baby.

The winner in each category will win four $10.00 gifts to the Gotta Pixel store. The first runner up will get two $10.00 gifts to the Gotta Pixel store, and the 2nd runner up gets one $10.00 gift to the Gotta Pixel store.

All who submit a layout will get this adorable mini kit made by two of our awesome designers, Ann Cobb and Kristmess.




Please upload your layout for this contest here. The mini kit will be given out after the contest ends. Layouts will be accepted through February 14th, and voting will take place on the 15th. Winners will be announced shortly after.

Come on everyone--lets see those cute layouts!!

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well, sadness today.....
OAKS is now closed :(
I'd like to thank Faith True and Victoria Feemster for taking me in over there about 11 months ago
I truly enjoyed my time on the design team and will greatly miss it......
I am also very grateful for the friends that I have made there too
...so long OAKS

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please don't forget to scroll down my blog.... there's a freebie and a couple coupons available :)