CHOO-CHOO... hop on the train

blog train time!

This massively-huge Blogtrain is called “thankful” and is full with autumn/fall-ish colors....

with approximately 100 designers participating!!!!!!

Here’s my part -

.: Download HERE:.

I hope you’ll have fun with this oh so fabulous Train!!

Your next stop is at …

SuzyQ Scraps: http://suzyqscraps.com/blog

please reference the Blog Train Blog for the entire listing of contributions

(and.... be sure to check out my quickpage blog freebie from a couple days ago)

chirp chirp chirp

I'm Twittering. I finally decided to dive into Twitterland. It's fun being able to connect with all sorts of people - my friends and some people that have no idea who I am, but it's fun to see what they are up to ... like Ellen (@TheEllenShow), Ashton (@aplusk), Dr. Drew (@drdrew), People Magazine (@peoplemag), and so many more.

One thing that I think is super cool - Tweetdeck. I can sync together different social media outlets and just update in one place. So... I have my Twitter, Facebook profile, and my Facebook Fan page all hooked together. I can post one message via Tweetdeck and choose if I want it to post on all three, any two, or just one place. Isn't that so cool?

I even adjusted my sidebar with my Twitter follower stuff. Aren't you so proud?

I also found out that I can beautify my Tweet page by changing the background. Hopefully I'll be able to read it in the next day or two so I can make it more me.

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Speaking of making something look more me - my blog redesign should be complete by the end of the week. YAY!!!! Emma from Indiechick Designs, is using my Owl Adore You page kit and it is looking so cute so far :)



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Also... did you visit my blog yesterday? If not, I'm sure you missed my Quickpage gift for you. Just scroll down a smidge to yesterday's blogging and you can still grab it.

Enjoy!

It's a Dolleewopseedoo day :)

It looks like you all really loved my Amazing Etsy Monday. I think I'll have to make this a weekly feature. It's really fun searching through Etsy and seeking out brand new stores. Some of the stores I was looking at have been around for a while, but all the hidden gems I looked at had not had any sales in their stores at all. I think it's more special to help them out when there are some super incredible items available from them.

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Don't you think this kit is just as fun as it's name, Dolleewopseedoo?? It just puts a smile on your face. It's only $1 all day Tuesday. You can also find lots and lots of other fab $1 Tuesday finds at Gotta Pixel HERE.






and... the Dolleewopseedoo full alphas in 5 different colors (all in 5 full sheets)......... also only $1





and....
how would you like a little gift from me?
how about a Dolleewopseedoo quickpage? I actually have two versions available for you in this download. One with "dazzle" and one without .

grab it HERE and please let me know what you think of all of Dolleewopseedoo
... enjoy! and have a Scrap Sassy Silly day! :)

Amazing Etsy Monday

Before the Baby Wakes (blog) features an Etsy day once a week and I totally love that idea. The one day I saw last week featured a few very funky things. I thought I would do a very similar thing too, but feature undiscovered treasures just waiting for someone to love and adore them.

If you aren't familiar with Etsy, you have been missing out. It's a super fabulous web home to crafters & artists of all types. You can find something for just a couple bucks to something a few hundred dollars. Who knows, maybe even in the thousands. I know there are some one of a kind large paintings and sculptures available.

Hopefully you like some of these awesome finds...

Serengeti Earrings - On The Horizon

Little Pumpkin Knit Hat

the heart

One Custom Embroidery Sock Monkey

Vintage 60's Floral Bohemian Halter Dress Size Small

The Earth Laughs in Flowers

Paisley Medley Pink and Turquoise Custom Decorated Treasure Trinket Jewelry Box...FREE SHIPPING...

(all the pictures are linked for your shopping enjoyment)

smiles!!!

once or twice?

please please reply and let me know your honest thoughts.....

I've been blogging more often than I used to lately. I've been wondering should I just keep one blog or should I split things and start a 2nd one?

To blog once or twice???? That is the question. Well, not like there would be many days when I would blog on both at the same time, but it could happen.

If I start a second one - it would be more for my fun stuff, pics, and misc whatever happenings. My original one would be just for my digital scrapbooking design stuff (along with any random scrapping I might surprise myself with).

And.......... if I start this separate one of whatever stuff....... I need to think of a new blog name. Right? soooooo... throw some names at me... give me some ideas if you are creative that way.

ok.... so your reply homework........
*one blog or two???
*if two, a name please

thanks so much!



***********btw... did you see that I added a new widget for "linked within"? A bunch of the SITS girls have this on their blogs and I soooooo love this feature. Please take advantage of it. If you see an old blog post that interests you, please take a gander. :)

I also added my Fan Page widget for my designs over on the right side bar. Feel free to become one of my buddies too :)

do I have a deal or two for you???

Go see my fabulous Zoomsters kit in the store ... then scroll down ...... and use the "Buy Together" feature and grab both Zoomsters and Jungle Boogie for only $6.59. That means Jungle Boogie is only 10 cents. You can mix and match both kits easily.



*Coupon below in my previous post....... it will make this even cheaper :)

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and now over at ESS.....

Owl Adore You brag book is only $2.....

and it coordinates with Owl Adore You page kit


and.. Owl Love You mini kit


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wanna laugh? be sure to scroll down to my previous post.. cute toddler story and pictures too :)

the cutest thing

ok...
I have a little somethin' for all of my blogging fans today - cute stuff about my boys and a goodie for my scrapping friends :)

Yesterday Griffin (almost 4yo) put some change under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy. I reminded him that the Tooth Fairy is supposed to visit and pay him if he loses his teeth. Well, this morning he said that his money was still there and that the Tooth Fairy didn't come. Wait - let me back up a bit - a few months ago he had to have two teeth extracted, so he received a visit them and was paid a few quarters. Now... I asked him if he thought he would get new teeth to fill those holes if he paid the Tooth Fairy. Isn't that so cute? I think it's pretty great reasoning from him. Too bad there's no way to make it come true.

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Today our weather was sooooooooo nice. It was just in the 90s. No triple digit temperature for us the rest of the week. YAY! Griff & Hudson decided they wanted to play in the sprinkler in our backyard this afternoon. In Phoenix we change out the grass a couple times a year (different types for different weather). Right now ours is dying off or we have big dirt patches. Guess what the dirt patches turned into with two boys and a sprinkler. Oh yea - you know it - MUD!
They had sooooo much fun! My husband wasn't too happy when he came home, but oh well, he's killing the grass off anyway and that mud patch is probably back to very dry dirt right now too.



















As you can tell, they were in heaven. I obviously hosed them down outside and then they hopped in the shower to get the rest off.

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now for my neglected scrapping friends....
I have a super oh-so-fabulous coupon for you.

Add at least $10 of goodies in your shopping cart (only my items at Gotta Pixel) and you will receive 60% off by using coupon code se_blogginlove, expires Sept 29th. That means you can get $10 of goodies for only $4... what a deal!

hello.. it's me :)

An Alpha Phi alumna friend sent me (and other friends) this e-mail today. She had a very scary night last night.

"I was taken to emergency room via ambulance last night after my son had a seizure due to a high fever. This could have been avoided with the correct amount of medication, not directed on the bottle. If you have young children, please read the attached article, and/or forward it to anyone with young children so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.


http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-20544-East-Valley-New-Moms-Examiner~y2009m9d22-911-call-baby-having-seizure-due-to-high-fever

___________


I'm sorry I wasn't able to finish my dolleewopseedoo kit yet. Hopefully I'll have more time Wed and/or Thursday. Please stay tuned. It's kind of similar to my loopdeeloo kit, whimsical but brighter :)

it's a scrappy day...

It's a Speed Scrap again!!!!!! Aren't you excited? I will be hosting another Speed Scrap at noon Eastern on Tuesday, September 22nd. Please join us in the Scrappin' Table forum. If you aren't familiar with a Speed Scrap, don't fret. This is the perfect place for beginning scrappers to ones who have been doing it for a few years. It's the perfect inspirational challenge to get you scrapping a great layout. I will give you 5-6 steps of directions for you to end up with your newest masterpiece. And....a little participation prize will be awarded to all participants.

To give you a better idea - here's the instructions for my Speed Scrap from last week:
step one: grab a patterned paper and a picture of you... Yes, this is all about you this time. Don't worry. It doesn't have to be a stellar portrait. You will be focusing on one physical part of you that you LOVE (your eyes, bottom, feet, smile, hair, etc)

step two: Place the paper as a background. Crop your photo to emphasize your favorite part of you and place this in the center of your page (or very close to the center).

step three: grab 6 solid papers, a couple strings, and 5 patterned papers

step four: crop one solid paper so that it is just a bit larger than your photo & use that as a mat. Then crop all the other papers into rounded edge squares and rectangles .. all 1-3 inches wide (feel free to use the shape tool and use as clipping mask)

step five: place all the squares and rectangles either in a vertical column or horizontal row with your picture. You should have 10 to work with.

step six: now journal on all of the solid paper shapes. Why is your body part so special? (make one long sentence between all of them, write 5 different adjectives on them) Be funny, be serious... whatever suits you.

step seven: now add your strings (border your center column or layer on top of everything.. or surprise us by adding them somewhere else).. shadow and post in the gallery and link back up in here

and a few of the layouts from this chat/challenge:



Tuesday is also $1 day at Gotta Pixel.... I'm really trying to finish up a kit and get it in the store sometime during the day for this. Keep checking HERE to grab the steal of a deal.
... for now... here's a small sneak peek of dolleewopseedoo (dontcha just love that name?) :)


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and... I am so anxiously awaiting my blog makeover .......... hopefully it will be done at the end of the week :) .... it's been sooooooo plain for so long, but now that I hired someone to do this, I am like a kid waiting for their big piece of cake with mounds of frosting and ice cream

In Style

ok... you know I love my bargains.... and I love a good magazine too ..... sooooooooo. I just had to share this super fab deal with you... enjoy!

In Style Magazine only $5 (90% Savings!)

Here’s a weekly deal at Amazon that is a steal! Get InStyle (1-year) magazine for only $5 (normally priced at $51.87). That is a savings of 90%! Use your swagbucks for a $5 Amazon gift card and you could get it FREE!

This is a great deal- but it is only this week!

Visit Saving Cents with Sense for the full story.

guilty little pleasures...

ok... I have a new guilty pleasure on Thursday mornings....

Thursday is $1 day at Goodwill.... oh yea, that's right!
I love it!
I drive past to and from preschool so that's my place to wander
and bargain hunt on Thursday mornings before I pick the boys up.

one color tag and a certain # week are $1 for the whole day

I don't go as crazy as some people with cart-fulls of things.
I'm not sure if it's all for them or if they Ebay it.
Who cares. We are all having fun. Aren't we?

I do end up with at least a couple shirts. Last week I snagged a couple of great Polo tees for Hudson and Griffin in really great condition. In the past I have bought a Diesel tee, other Polo tees, Gap basketball shorts from last season....... and a destructed denim mini skirt from Old Navy. The same day I snagged the $1 mini, we received new destructed ones in at The Gap which were very similar for $49.50.

A couple days ago today I went to my usual consignment store since they are having their huge end of summer clearance sale.
Every green tag is only $2.
Well, I found a brand new with tags Calvin Klein slip dress
originally from Macy's for $150 for ONLY $2. I also grabbed a Trina Turk dress and a Tag denim skirt (both usually retail well over $100, sometimes over $200) for only $2 each.
I need to have both of the dresses altered a bit, but I don't care.


my other guilty pleasure was also on Wednesday....
Hudson and Griffin spent Tuesday night at my MIL's
and she didn't bring them back until late Wed . afternoon ..........
a day all by myself is heaven sometimes

soooooooooo.... what's your big guilty pleasure?

I'm lovin' me some Etsy

ok.... I so love SITS (Secret Is in The Sauce).......... I'm finding so many interesting blogs because of this place.

I found a great blog designer who has pretty reasonable prices and very cute portfolio too. She will finally be giving my blog a much-needed facelift. YAY! I'll spill more of those beans in a couple weeks when it's done. You better stay tuned.

Because of SITS, I also found a super cute Etsy sock monkey designer. You have to check out her cuteness HERE. I ordered an argyle sock monkey for a baby shower gift and I soooo can't wait to receive it.


Isn't he soooooo absolutely adorable????

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Fabulous Give-a-way!

I was visiting my friend Cheryl over at TidyMom and she is having a wonderful give-a-way that I would love to win. All I can say is look at this stuff...So go on over and visit TidyMom and also go visit Jessie's store...FABULOUS!

{Pictures are from TidyMom and Designs by Jessie.}

7%

I found this in my Scrappin' Table forum at Gotta Pixel today.. and I absolutely love it!

enjoy!!!!!


Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio ...

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12.. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26.. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles..

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."


Its estimated 93% won't forward this. If you are one of the
7% who will, forward this with the title '7%'.

I'm in the 7%.

Remember, friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.

heyyyyyyy Lucy!

It's time to add Template Tools Lucy to your template collection! It's ok for CU/S4H/ and PU.... and it's only $1 Monday and Tuesday



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It's a Speed Scrap again!!!!!! Aren't you excited? Sara Ellis will be hosting another Speed Scrap at noon Eastern on Tuesday, September 15th. Please join us in the Scrappin' Table forum. If you aren't familiar with a Speed Scrap, don't fret. This is the perfect place for beginning scrappers to ones who have been doing it for a few years. It's the perfect inspirational challenge to get you scrapping a great layout. Sara will give you 5-6 steps of directions for you to end up with your newest masterpiece. And....a little participation prize will be awarded to all participants.

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look at all this fabulous goodness you can get for only $1 each.....

Owl Adore You Brag Book




Owl Adore You perfectly coordinates with our blog train from Labor Day weekend (with a few added colors)... especially cute addition to my contribution, Owl Love You

If you missed it in on the train, it's now in my store for super cheap.

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don't forget.......
Tuesday is also the last day for Gotta Grab It.......
lucyloo - papers and flair for some fabulous whimsical fun .............
....
for Gotta Pixel's Gotta Grab It's September event ...mix and match over 50 items for your ultimate mega collaboration.... each item is only $1 each all from the same color swatch

you-hoo........it's lucyboo

Introducing loopdeeloo's cousin, lucyloo - papers and flair for some fabulous whimsical fun .............
....
for Gotta Pixel's Gotta Grab It's September event ...mix and match over 50 items for your ultimate mega collaboration.... each item is only $1 each all from the same color swatch