lovin the lil rinser

About a week or two ago I purchased the "lil rinser" on clearance at Target. I've looked at it a few times, but never grabbed it until it was on sale since I'm a bargain bunny.

Well... I love this thing!

I don't have little squabbles during bath time anymore. My boys aren't worried about getting bubbles in their eyes. They totally cooperate with getting their hair washed. It's oh so fabulous!

My guys love holding it up by themselves (unlike the man hand in this pic I grabbed from Amazon)

I guess they didn't sell too well at my Target since they were on clearance. That's too bad for all of my friends and neighbors. According to their website it is at other Targets still, just not close. It's a good thing I don't need to get another one.
I did find it on Amazon too.


ok.... I am so sorry if you are seeing the yellow pic 3 or 4 times. I only see it once in my "edit" mode, but I see it a bunch of times in my blog. ... not so sure what is up with that


and now my writing is showing up on my ribbon divider and my siggie is gone ... crazy blogpost

a HATE and a LOVE :)

A couple weeks ago was picture day at school for my crazy guys.
They have so much personality and can take fabulous pictures with their fun happy faces. I pinned a note to Hudson that said
"Please do not comb and feather my hair. Please ask me to laugh."
If both of these instructions were to have been followed,
it would've truly captured the real Hudson.
(A couple years ago, the photographer's asst feathered his hair and turned him into someone else's child. He definitely wasn't our crazy surfer hippie hair boy.) Also, if he is asked to laugh - he shines.
No note was needed for Griffin.
(well, I didn't think I needed one then.. HA!!)

Here's how they looked the morning before pictures -




Well.... today the proofs were in.
I'll just say now that I really really HATE these school photographers.
For some odd reason, I think we've had 3 different studios in 3 years.
I sooooooooo wish I could show you what the proofs looked like.
We get to choose our favorite pose out of four options.
Griffin looked like he was mad in three of them.
At least he had a little tiny glimpse of a smile in one. Hudson had his normal hair, they didn't feather it so that's a plus... BUT..... three pictures looked EXACTLY the same and the fourth looked very similar.
All had just little cracks of smiles & no spark in his eyes either. HELLO!!!!!!!!
Why can't they bring personality out of kids that definitely have it???
It really doesn't take much for it to happen.
I'm just so thankful that it's only preschool.
We're only ordering the class pic for both of them and that's it.
Next year I will definitely volunteer on picture day for
Hudson's Kindergarten class and Griff's Preschool.

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It's a Speed Scrap again!!!!!! Aren't you excited?

I'm changing it up by offering this at another time.

I will be hosting another Speed Scrap
at 1am Eastern on Wednesday, October 7th.
Please join us in the Scrappin' Table forum at Gotta Pixel.
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.

1am Eastern
midnight Central
11pm Mountain
10pm Pacific (that's my time zone)

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don't forget to grab the ongoing blog train goodies below :)
FREEBIES are always nice, don't ya think?

Amazing Etsy Monday...... and much more to make you smile

Last Monday I started my first of a now weekly blogging, Amazing Etsy Monday.
I feature undiscovered treasures just waiting for someone to love and adore them.
As of the moment I search through Etsy, none of these shop owners have had any sales in their stores. There are so many amazing Etsy items available,
these just need a little extra attention because they really really deserve it.

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...
(all images are linked so you can easily shop)

Camouflage

Strawberry Buttercream Tasty Cupcake

Lucille - 3-Strand Czech Glass and Gunmetal (Limited Edition)

Green and Gold Dragonfly Hip Bag with Vintage Button Enclosure

Fashion Collage Magazine Clutch

Reversible Half Apron - Love You to Death

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Hi All!!
Can you believe it's another Blog Train???
So what do you think of the fabulous Enchanted Fall-O-Ween Blog Train
hosted by the EnchantedStudioScraps Designers so far??
Believe me.. if you like your goodies so far..you are in for a ton more!!
Here is my part for you:
I went with more of the fall-ish theme rather than Halloween..hope you enjoy!!

Download HERE

And now.. if you got lost or are just finding you way.. here is the complete list of designers blog links:

Color With Caryn: http://blog.colorwithcaryn.com
Robyn Pali Designs: http://robynpalidesigns.blogspot.com/
Dani Moy Designs: http://daniscrap.blogspot.com/
Jewel Scraps: http://jewelscraps.blogspot.com
Sara Ellis: http://scrapsillysara.blogspot.com/
By Becca: http://cherishandcreate.blogspot.com/
Starry Eyed Designs: http://starryeyeddesignsbyamy.blogspot.com
Design By Tina: http://www.digiscraptina.blogspot.com/
My4PrincessesDesigns: http://my4princessesdesigns.blogspot.com/
Designs By Helly: http://designsbyhelly.blogspot.com/
Twin Mom Scraps: http://twinmomscraps.blogspot.com/
Trish H. Designs: http://trishhdesigns.blogspot.com/
Chaos Lounge: http://jen-at-chaos-lounge.blogspot.com/
Eva Marina Scraps: http://emarinascraps.blogspot.com/
Scrapper’s Delights: http://scrappersdelights.blogspot.com/
A+ Designs: http://aplusdesigns.blogspot.com/
Captivated Visions: http://blog.captivatedvisions.co.uk/
Karyn Robinson: http://designsbykaryn.blogspot.com/
Flutter Expressions: http://flutterexpressions.blogspot.com/

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dont forget..... our huge storewide sale is going on now!!

(images are clickable)

Most of my goodies are even cheaper!

Be sure to scroll down to find more freebies from me ... or just search the word "freebie" in my handy dandy google search bar on the sidebar.

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If you haven't noticed, my blog is almost done with it's re-design. If you like what you see so far, please click on the IndieChick Designs button on the left sidebar and check out more of Emma's wonderful work. Feel free to snag my Sara Ellis Designs button and sport it with pride too. :)

new adventures...

Today I learned more about Twitter.
Friday is #ff or #followfriday day.
That means nice tweets pimp all the interesting tweeters they follow, which means more people start following you. I pimped all of these lovely ones: @GapOfficial @GAP_StoreNews @Gap_CasaPaloma @mutigersdotcom, @mizzoufootball, @AlphaPhiIntl @TheEllenShow @chelsealately @eonline @EWPopWatch @peoplemag @TheOnion @aplusk @connieprince00 @jenreed @HeatherM74 @nicoleseitler @digiscrapaddict @GottaPixel @_sarah_b_ @scrappinmichele @ccmentor @justsimplysarah @starxlr8
.. and a huge thank you to @connieprince00 @digidesigns @marcelgadget @_sarah_b_ for mentioning me (@SaraEisMe)
Now the difference between the @ and the # - @ means you are talking directly about or two the person named. The # means you are referencing a subject.
Soooooo... would you like me to follow you or can you refer someone to me who might be pretty interesting?

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How would you like your own brag book with hardly doing any work?

If you are interested, I will provide you with a brag book sized kit that coordinates with my Lucyboo available in my store. That means each page is only 4x6 and all elements are sized to fit the pages.



It's my October Blender Challenge!... woo-hoo!!!!!!

For more information & to sign-up... see HERE


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Now... don't go away yet.......... would you like a freebie mini kit? It's part of a very very large weekend blog train. Every contribution coordinates to make one super ginormous collaboration kit. You can find it HERE. Enjoy and Scrap Sassy Silly!!!!

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.

*******

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 :)



*******

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.

**********

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 :)

*********

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


***************

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.