Some American Crafts Projects

Today is the first real day of summer for the kids as this was the first morning they woke up without having some appointment (or school) to prepare for. Boredom has, naturally, already set it; and we are doing our best to combat the summertime blues. I think a planning session is in order.

I am working today so that probably doesn't help, but I wanted to pump out some projects before the end of the month.

The first is this layout about being bored (seemed appropriate) using a bunch of American Crafts goodies. You can find the supplies here at 2Peas:

The second layout is about my niece and I just wanted something bold and graphic. You can find the supplies for this layout here:

Now I'm off to figure out something to do with the hooligans. :)

Yes, It's Still Raining!

And I think it might be time to start building the ark. Good grief. I didn't know the heavens could hold this much water. The kids' school swimming party is cancelled once again. This seems to happen every year so they postpone it until the fall. James is handling the news fairly well.

I have a share for you today from the Silhouette blog. I really love my die cutting machines and the Silhouette is definitely crushed upon in this household. I love the ease of the software and how I can download one shape at a time for such an inexpensive price.

The first share is a little card. The card is a word bubble shape, and I just loved it. I added some stamping and some "Puffies" from KI Memories to finish it off. You can read the instructions and find the complete supply list here:

If you're considering purchasing a Silhouette, be sure to follow their blog as they have amazing instructions for using the software and machine.  They are really helpful tutorials.

I Need Some Sunshine

The sun was out this morning. Only for about an hour, but I did get a peek of it. Really needing some sunshine right now. And there doesn't look like there will much of that until Thursday around these parts.

So I thought I'd blind you with a really BRIGHT layout to compensate (shield your eyes). LOL! I love, love, love the "Margarita" line from American Crafts. Just an really fun summer line. You can find the supplies for creating the page here.

So if you have some sunshine in your area of the world, could you please send some over this way? Thanks!

Katelyn's Class

When 2Peas informed us as Garden Girls, that they would be hosting a "Connecting with Creativity" event I was super excited. When Jamie asked if I would like to do a "Collaboration" class with my daughter, I knew what I wanted to do. So with Jamie's permission, Katelyn taught part of this class; and I taught the other part.

You have to know that Katelyn is one of the most talented artists that I know. The girl can draw, doodle, sketch, digitally create, craft, and the list goes on. So I KNEW she was capable of filming a video. She was a little nervous, but once we turned on the camera she's a pro. Yep. I knew it. So be sure to check out the event here. Our class is here!

Here's the video (listen closely and Kate is my voice twin):

Am I the Only One Freaking Out?

I did the math this morning. If my daughter follows my history, she will be married in SIX YEARS. What? How can that be possible? Is it inappropriate to want to ground her to her room for the rest of her life? I told my son at his second grade program today that he's not allowed to keep growing up. Why does the end of school year make me so sad? I think it's because it dawns on me that time moves so quickly and they really are growing up and that someday they will move away. That just makes me sad. :(

Kids should stay kids and live with their parents. Of course, that would have killed me as a teenager so I do get it. But I can't believe how quickly the time flies. Joey would have been a Senior this fall and 17 on his birthday this past April. Where has all that time gone?

On a more positive and certainly more calm note, I do have a new class at 2Peas that went live this morning. It's my May "Stretch Your Sketch" class. Here's the layout I created based on the sketch. You can find all the supplies to create the layout here:

Keep reading to watch the video for this layout!

Over the River, and Through the Woods

So we're still watching the river closely. Apparently we still have over 200 percent of the snowpack still to melt. Thankfully it's still quite chilly here (only in the mid 50's here), which is helping keep the river low, but the rain is NOT helping.

Here's a photo of our typically docile river (that jutty of dirt that sticks out is typically not even close to having water near it:

And this is a photo of how the river has covered the walking path under the bridge (as of today the river is actually flowing right over the top of it rather than spilling over the top):

We'll see how it goes. Being prepared for an emergency always make me less anxious, but there are still some things I'd like better organized in case we see a huge increase in the flow. Today, I'm not worried. It's when the weather around here heats up, which it almost always does quickly and almost without warning. It's never dull around here, is it?

Long Time, No See

I've discovered that playing catch-up with anything is not necessarily my favorite thing. Laundry in significant piles gives me stress. Dishes undone cause me sorrow. And work incomplete drives me crazy. So I will blame my absence on those items and beg your forgiveness. ;)

So what have I been up to? I visited my gorgeous new nephew in Las Vegas (just three days old). I filmed segments for Northridge Publishing. I met weekly with Echo Park. I designed two classes for 2Peas. Lots and lots of stuff. And me, the writer, just didn't have enough energy for a blog post. That is quite unlike me, but it goes to show where my  mind has been lately.

Here is one of the projects I created for the Create blog "Work It Out Wednesdays" using wooden bobbins for butterfly bodies:

This week is the week before school gets out for my kids so we're loading up on last-minute projects, homework, school parties, and the last of the lunches being packed. I'm looking forward to having my kids all to myself this summer! What fun things do you have planned? I'd love some ideas!

Flood Watch

Perhaps you'll laugh, but it never occured to me to be concerned about living four blocks from a river. But our river is typically about 2' high. Not so this Spring. We've received almost 200% of the snow that we typically receive and it's all got to come out of the mountains. Yesterday when we passed by the river it was raging and HIGH. In fact it's currently around 7' high. And the snowpack hasn't even begun to get serious about melting yet. Let's just say I'm more than a little concerned. Thankfully we've purchased flood insurance through FEMA, but there are some things that won't be covered and I need to plan to evacuate if necessary as we are in a flood plain.

Life is never dull around here. That's for sure.

I've been thinking long and hard about what we'll take and where we'll go if the waters reach our home. Hopefully we won't be facing quite the same challenges that homes along the Missouri and Mississippi River will face--it should never reach those depths. But talk about a stressor!

I thought this layout was somewhat appropriate today (featured in Scrapbook Trend's April 2011 issue). Life is about tough stuff sometimes. We've been through much worse and we will get through whatever this new challenge brings, but it doesn't mean it won't come with frustration, sadness, stress, and even a little fear. My heart goes out to all who have been touched through natural disasters around the world. I constantly think about those in the tornado region who were hit so hard this year, and the people in Japan still trying to recover. And the earthquakes in Haiti. I could go on and on. We're really not excempt from the trials of life, are we?

Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts and we'll keep watching the river!

Happy Mother's Day!

What a busy month it's been. I had the pleasure of visiting Vegas to meet my newest nephew, Zachary. He's just a few days old and simply gorgeous. While I was there I got to attend dance class with his big sister, Amelia, visit the local library's reading class, spend some time at the park, and hold and kiss on Zach. I came home yesterday to a spotless house and happy children. What more could a Mom ask for, right?

I love these kids!

Just a Quick Update

All is well. I am in one piece. I've just been crazy busy trying to get everything done, including a video class for 2Peas with this beautiful girl. Wait until you hear her on camera. We're voice twins! (Poor thing. It must be so "uncool" to sound like your mama. LOL!)

Will post more later!