With a Sad Heart ....

In April of this year, I mentioned on my blog post that my dear brother-in-law, Robert, had developed rapid growth melanoma cancer. It is with a sad heart that I let you know that Robert lost his battle last Sunday evening, July 13. We are so going to miss his bright smile, generous and giving spirit plus his big booming voice. It has been a struggle this week to do much of anything but we know Robert would want us to go on so I am making an effort to at least get back to normal.

Robert had always been very supportive of my scrapbooking and even made sure on gift giving occasions to purchase expensive scrapbook magazine subscriptions or special tools I wanted to aid me in my scrappy efforts. He always wanted to see what I had been working on and was very complimentary of my work. That is really saying something about Robert since even being a single guy he took the time to support and enjoy the efforts of his extended family.

I wanted to post one of his favorite layouts I did recently that he really liked since not only did he love the photos of his grand-niece Bianca but he even noticed that I had altered the American Crafts Pink Thickers I used for the title "Precious". I had used a pen cap and indented the foam thickers with dots and then filled the dots with a white sharpie pen ink. Robert thought that was a stroke of genious. Plus he was intrigued that I had used a tiny hole punch in the scalloped border along the bottom edge. He was such a great guy and really went out of his way to make others feel special.

Dear Robert, know that you were loved and appreciated for everything you brought to our lives.

Ever Sit Around and Wonder?

The other day a few scrap friends of mine were wondering just what types of materials the cuttlebug and various dies would cut through. Since I was restless last night, I decided to hunt down various materials I had lying around do my own experiment to find the anwer to that question.

Here are my results : If you use the regular size (thick) Sizzix/Ellison dies it cuts through everything listed below "like butter", clean edges on all of it:

Thick chipboard 1/8"
Thin Chipboard - like shirt box thickness
Transparencies Acetate - like those clear report covers
ACRYLIC - yes, 1/8" acrylic --- no problems at all !!
Thick felt with the adhesive backing
Thin felt with NO adhesive backing
Glitter Cardstock Paper -- like Doodlebug Sugar Coated paper or DCWV Glitter stack
Craft Foam - Kids colored project foam sheets
DCWV pre-colored chipboard sheets
Mulberry Paper - I know...old hat but I had some in my stash and wanted to try it :)

Pics below of some of the thicker stuff t show you how nice and clean the cuts were.



I have various dies -- sizzix thick, sizzlets, quick kutz, cuttlebug, etc. All the thin dies could only cut things as thick as cardstock...nothing thicker than that.Here is pic of my results to prove the experiment. Gosh I feel like I am in School again doing a science project :)

This weekend I want to play with some new Glimmer mist colors I bought and the new Glimmer Screens from Tattered Angels. What have you experimented with lately?

Gosh....Finally time to Wind Down !!

It has been a wild and crazy busy time of year around here!

4th of July we woke up early and went to march in the 4th of July Parade in our neighborhood. Loads of cute photos of all the kids decked out in their 4th of July gear.



Bianca won for "Most Enthusiastic Parade Girl"....she walked the whole route waving TWO FLAGS and singing at the top of her lungs....just too cute!!



Fireworks .... at our friends house!



Have you ever seen such a PATRIOTIC DOG ?!?!



I made a nifty necklace on sea glass to wear for 4th of July.....check it out. A pearly wax you melt and then can stamp before it cools off.

It is Finally Here....Scrap-A-Ganza!!

Today is the big day -- The Scrap-A-Ganza Expo in Houston opens today. I know the three ladies running it are probably going crazy this morning as they kick off the show in a just a few hours. What started out as a burning desire to bring a modest scrapbook show (atleast the first year) to the Houston area, has turned in to a much larger endeavor. There are over 20 classes being offered being offered by local and celebrity instructors, the all day crop on Saturday was so popular and sold out so quickly they added another crop day on Sunday! There are quite a few vendors offering various scrapbooking, stamping and other wares in the expo side.....I can hardly wait to get there this morning.

And yours truly is teaching a SUMMER WORD BLOOM MINI ALBUM class there this morning and it is SOLD OUT !!! I am so excited. Now granted, I did think the project was rather cute and am so thankful that others thought so as well! We are going to have a lot of fun in the class and everyone is going home with an adorable mini album to keep their special Summer Photos in.

Well, I better get my stuff in the car and head over there. I hope to see some old scrapbook buddies and make some new ones this weekend :) Have a Happy Scrappy Day !!!

$1 Inspiration that is "Priceless"

Ever wonder what to do with all that cute $1 stuff you see at the store? I recently was inspired by a fun "golf" pen I found at the local discount store. I needed a quicky gift card for Father's Day and decided the "golf' pen was a perfect base to create a one of a kind card for Dad. I took 2 of the $1 pens, punched holes in the cardboard backing, tied a little ribbon through each hole to create a "card".

I added some AC Vinyl Thicker letters to the front for the title and covered the inside of the "card" (which was the back of the cardboard holder of the "golf pen", added a Father's Day missive....and wallaaaaah!!!! Trust me when I say I will be looking for more fun $1 items to create with in the future. Let me know if any of you have ever "altered" a $1 item to create something inspired.

Family Reunions are FUN!!

Who would have thought it would have taken me this long in life to learn more about my mother's KEPKA side of the family? And that I would have enjoyed it so much ? Since the late 1950's, the KEPKA's who are of czech descent have had a family reunion in Kansas around or in the town of Wilson where our first KEPKA relatives from Bohemia in the 1876. This is the first time I have ever gone...frankly, I just found out about it a year ago and promised to go. I was able to meet my Great Uncle Don and he had a treasure trove of old pictures of my mother and uncles as little children on the family farm in Wilson. I don't have any old photos of my mother, a farm or anything like that so getting these was so exciting!!! My cousin Randy, my great uncle's son, had put over 50 pictures on a cd and brought them for me. Can you imagine my delight? These pictures are from the 1940's so cool to see the clothing, hairstyles, cars, buildings, etc from that period of time.


There were around 150 KEPKA's at the reunion, most of them all living in and around the town of Wilson. And I was so surprised they all brought pictures to the reunion to share....many from the late 1800's......WOW!!!


I was able to hear many stories from some of the older generation of relatives about my great grandfather and great grandmother, grandfather and my mother as a child ...it was so rewarding to hear these stories. I will be able to add many more stories of my family history scrapbook.


I encourage any of you who get a chance to attend a family reunion to take a leap of faith and go....even if it is three states away and they are people you have never met :)

You must be wondering ....What's She Up to Next?!?!?!

I hope all of you enjoyed a wonderful Mother's Day. I think my family must have thought I had won MOM OF THE YEAR or something because they really went all out! My oldest daughter sent me a really fun gift in the mail....A PAJAMA GRAM ! Yes, you read that right....PAJAMAS by MAIL !! The PJ's are really adorable and came in a lovely box with a little scented sache and a hang tag for the door that reads "RELAXING" . Such an original gift! I just love them. My youngest daughter, not to be topped by her big sis, gave me a beautiful amethyst and diamond ring! I just about fell off the chair when I opened that gift - definitely something to treasure. My dear granddaughter made me a one-of-a-kind scrapbook page to display in my scrap room that I will enjoy seeing every day to remind me of her smiling face. Hubby took me to my favorite place for brunch and later we enjoyed a nice meal with my mother-in-law. All in all a very memorable Mother's Day for me.

I taught the Sweet Memories Album Class today. It was so fun. The ladies in the class were fun, worked hard and loved their albums when they left. That made for a great Sunday afternoon for me!

Now, on to the next thing....I am teaching a kids class for a Father's Day gift project which includes a wood clip, photo mount, a card and a gift bag. I am expecting up to 30 kids in this class so wish me luck! I just love working with the kiddos on art projects and seeing them make something to share with their loved ones. Here is a peak at the project they will be doing.

I am working on some more adult classes for the summer so you need to check back to what's up next !

On a final note, Thanks to all who have said prayers and sent well wishes for my brother-in-law. He is still doing poorly and we are all pulling for him to get some relief from his pain and deteriorating health. It is hard on all of us but we are trying to keep our daily routines as normal as possible. I try to blog whenever I can and my spirit is lifted by everyone's kind words.

Happy Scrappin' Everyone ! Keep the creative juices flowing!

Sweet Memories....ahhhhhhhh!

I just finished the acrylic album that I am going to be teaching at A Scrap Affair later this month on Sunday, May 18th. I fell in love with the Vagabond paper line from Kaiser Scrapbooks and knew it would be perfect to create an adorable mini album. I think it will be great for all kinds of subjects...since the title is "Sweet Memories". This album is loaded with acrylic, chipboard, transparencies, a large variety of techniques, hidden journaling, custom made tags, inking, stamping, flowers and bling! Here is a sneak pic of the cover of the album. Space is limited for this class so if you are in the Houston area I would recommend you call the store soon to reserve your seat.

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On another note, I have been busy getting used to my new day job as an HR Manager, helping out with my brother-in-law who is receiving treatment for Cancer, Mother's Day planning, creating a cookbook of 180 plus recipes for a family reunion in June and last but not least, preparing for all the upcoming scrapbook classes I will be teaching soon....Acrylic circle album, Kids's Father's Day class, 4th of July Home Decor class using a Barn Star and mantel piece, Summer Word Bloom book, etc. Whew...makes me tired just writing all this much less doing everything.

So forgive me for not blogging much lately...life has a way of getting in the way of posting, doesn't it !?!?!?! LOL Happy Happy Mother's Day everyone! Enjoy this special day with the woman you love.

What are you doing for National Scrapbook Day?

I can't believe it is time again for National Scrapbook Day! I just love having a whole day dedicated to my favorite hobby, don't you? This year I will be spending the entire day at the "A Scrap Affair" NSD crop since I am on the design team. We have so much fun stuff planned it is really going to be an exciting day of cropping and pampering. I wish I could tell you about the make n takes but they are top secret --- let's just say that everyone will be ecstatic about the 4 Make N Takes. I am teaching one where everyone will learn a new technique they can begin to use on all their paper crafts.

And the best part of any NSD is the goodie bag - I just love it when they include a "special surprise gift" to make you feel pampered. I am already dreaming of the wonderful lunch and dinner and snacks we will be having that day. The new restaurant next door to the store is doing the meals and their food is so YUMMY!

I just can't wait for NSD!!! 50 crazy, happy, scrapping gals all in one place is my kind of day!

So what are you doing for National Scrapbook Day? Inquiring minds want to know!!!

Scrap-A-Ganza...Coming Soon !

Have you heard about Scrap-A-Ganza ? It is a new scrapbook expo being organized by some local Houston gals. They have put together two full days of classes, a bunch of vendors to host an expo and an all day crop. It is June 28 & June 29 at the Stafford Center.

A Scrap Affair decided to participate and we will not only have a booth at the expo but we are teaching two of the classes. I am teaching one on Saturday....it is an adorable SUMMER Fun Word Bloom Book ! I had so much fun putting it together. And Alicia Merrifield is teaching a really cute tabbed flip album on Sunday that is great for boys or girls pictures..

This event is sure to be loads of fun and I encourage everyone to try and attend. Wouldn't it be great to have our own Scrapbook Expo in Houston EVERY YEAR....help support this one so there will be another one next year. Here is a link to Scrap-A-Ganza website: http://www.scrap-a-ganza-expo.com/ Class registration has started and it is sure to sell out fast so be sure and sign up for classes soon.

Here is a peak at the SUMMER Fun Word Bloom Book class that I will be teaching...there are some really fun surprises inside the album too. Sure hope to see a few familiar faces in the class.....YOU !!!

Finally - A Great Day All Around !

As you can tell from previous posts, my life has been a little hectic lately to say the least. I am glad to report that today was a really nice change of pace and I wanted to share with you all. Today started off earlier than usual since I had to drop hubby off at 6:00 am this morning so he could ride in the MS150 to Austin. So that meant getting up at 4:30 am...ugh, yes to those of you wondering-there really is a 4:30 am, I thought it was a myth ! LOL So while my day started off a little groggy I slowly warmed up to the idea of being up that early. It was really great to see all those dedicated bikers ready to ride to raise money for charity. I am so proud of my DH for doing this! Maybe one of these days I will work up the courage to ride myself....who am I kidding? All the training for the ride would cut into way too much scrap time :)

After getting back home I had about two hours before I had to be at A Scrap Affair to teach my first class at the store. So I had a leisurely breakfast thanks to Mickie D's and then I was off to the store. I had 3 amazingly talented ladies take the Eggstra Special Easter Mini Album class today - we had so much fun working on the project and sharing stories with each other. A few others want to buy kits of the class so that was nice to hear as well.

I spent the afternoon desigining and shopping for my Acrylic and Chipboard Circle Album that I am teaching in May. That was loads of fun -- I can hardly wait to get all the stuff in my hands to create the sample project. I promise to post some sneak peaks soon.

When I got back home, my Scarlet Lime kit was on the door step -- so jazzed about this months kit. Awesome cheerful colors and very fun embellies....I hope to work on something fun to post later this week.

To end my great day - my bff and I went and had Ritas and Tex Mex - just the two of us! That has not happened in a Veeeeeerrrrrry long time. Usually we are surrounded with hubbies and kids and other friends. It was so nice to have a night all to ourselves. Don't you just love your BF -- seriously, I don't think I would have made it this far in life with her!

Time to head off to bed, gotta get up early tomorrow and drive to Austin to pick up DH. Weather should be gorgeous and a nice day for a drive. Have a great day ...no matter where life takes you tomorrow!

Crazy, cRazY, CRAZY !!!

C-R-A-Z-Y...that is what life has been like for me this past week. After my last blog post, I got a call from a company that offered me a dream job - well, maybe not a dream job but pretty darn close if you have to go back to work. The catch was I had to report to work on April 1..yes, for those math wizards out there, that was only about 5 days notice! It totally threw me into a whirlwind of activity...what to wear, get the nails done, get the hair done...try to remember what going to work was like. YIKES! The company is great and so are the people. The best part is that it is only 30 hours a week and I have EVERY Friday off! That still leaves me loads of time for my scrapbook business, teaching scrapbook classes and of course my design team work. I am so jazzed about the job!! So far so good.

But every time you think things are going great, something has to come along to make you re-think, right? We just found out my brother-in-law has the big "C". It is in a very difficult spot to operate and it is very fast growing. He already has limited mobility in both arms because of where it is located on his neck and he is in terrible pain. They are trying to keep the pain down with medication and he just started aggressive chemo and radiation treatments to try and stop the growth. He is my husband's only sibling and is a really great guy - it is hurting us so much to see him in this condition. Please help pray a miracle occurs and they can erradicate this evil disease.

However, life does go on and my BIL wants us to keep doing what we love. I am teaching the Easter Album class at A Scrap Affair this coming Saturday morning if anyone is interested in taking the class...there are a couple of spots left. Call the store to sign up (see the store link to the right).

Well, I need to get back to finalizing preparations for the class. Hope to see some of you there.

EGGstra-Special News!

As most of my scrap friends know, I love to make and teach mini albums. I am very EGGcited to be teaching an adorable EGG shaped mini album at "A Scrap Affair" LSS in a couple of weeks.
This album was so much fun to make and I used loads of ribbon, ink, stickles, bling and special custom embellishments to make this one EGGstra-Special album. {So sorry for the pun...I couldn't help myself :) }.

To my Houston area scrap friends, we just posted the class at the store so if you are interested, call today to sign up. Because this is such a custom album, we have a very limited amount of seats available for this class. It is on Saturday, April 12th from 10:00 am to NOON. As usual my classes will be packed full of info and FUN!!! Hope to see some familar and new faces in the class!
Here is a sneak peak of the album to tempt you......



Okay, I better get back to finalizing my May class - it is going to be an adorable acrylic and chipboard mixed album that is going to be knock your socks off when you see it. I promise to post a tease of it on my blog when I have it ready. Happy Scrappin' this week!

YUMMY YUMMY MM 5th Avenue

WOW! I just opened my March kit from Scarlet Lime and all this wonderful MM 5th Avenue stuff came pouring out! I can't wait to play with it later. Too bad I have a dr appt this afternoon or I would be scrapping away right now with it!

I just wanted to show all of you who haven't laid eyes on it yet how gorgeous this line is.....love the colors, love the textured, glittery, cutout papers! And the embellies are gorgeous too!

I promise to post picks of projects I do with all this...my creative wheels are already turning with fun ideas :)

Happy Hump Day !

More Spring Break Fun!

As you may have guessed by my last post, I kept my 5 year old dgd this past week during Spring Break and we had a blast. She is a scrapper too and wanted to spend 1 day just scrapping - don't you just love it! We even went to a kids scrapbook class at "A Scrap Affair" LSS on another day so she could make a mini album all her own. She loved all the folding and gluing and drawing and was excited to see so many kids there scrapping too...19 in all!

We also spent some time this week preparing for Easter and made some adorable bunny pins out of fun foam to give all the ladies at Easter Brunch. So adorable! And now dgd is hooked on Stickles too ! LOL

And Easter would not have been complete without my dad's Bunny Cake he makes each year. Bianca just had to have a piece with the red mouth jelly beans on it.

We hope each of you had a wonderful Easter and enjoy your Spring Break wherever you are and fit in some time to scrap too !

Go Texan!!

We spent the day at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo today. It was so much fun! Cows and horses, chicks and pigs....what more could you want? It was great learning all about the animals. Here are a couple of really cute pictures from our day.

A Pirate can't be a Princess without a little BLING!

I finally had time this past week to complete a Pirate Princess Album I wanted to make to showcase my granddaugther's Halloween Pirate Princess Pictures. I combined a few pages of the new Rusty Pickle scalloped chipboard and acrylic albums plus their wonderful black and pink girl pirate paper.

Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of how it turned out...too many pics to put here. I showed my granddaughter her album yesterday nd she was so excited and just loved it - her exclaims of "fantastic", "wonderful", "so cute", "awesome" really touched my heart!

I was inspired to create little 1/2 page mini acrylic scalloped pieces to use as an overlay and journaling for a few of the pages. It really added some interest. Of course, a "Girl Pirate" couldn't be a "Pirate Princess" without a little BLING! Loads of pink and white rhinestones on this little album. I used my cropadile to punch holes in the scallops and white souffle pen to add loads of little dots on the acrylic.

I hope this inspires you to create a little something fun for someone you love! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Our Beloved Rockets Win #22 !!!

Wowee WOW WOW....Our beloved Houston Rockets Basketball team won their 22nd straight game today! That is the second longest winning streak in NBA history. It is so exciting to see how much longer they can keep the streak going. Hubby and I did our part cheering them on this afternoon.

It was a great finish to a nice weekend for us. I went to my first crop at "A Scrap Affair" on Friday night -- it was really hopping and I met lots of new people. Had so much fun! I did get the base of a new album done and finished it up today. I can't wait to show it to you....I will post pics tomorrow - it is so darn cute, even if I do say so myself! Hubby and his buddies rode in the Houston Bike Tour on Saturday and had a wonderful time - we had perfect weather for it! We had dinner with some friends Saturday night and today we have just hung out at home except for the game. I sure hope all my blog friends had a wonderful weekend as well!

I can't leave you without posting a picture or two to inspire you to get out there and play with your cameras ! I had so much fun a couple of weekends ago just walking around and taking pictures of whatever caught my eye. Here are two of my favorites. I just loved the texture of the wall of bamboo and how the light seemed to dance across it! The other picture has a wonderful play of a dark shadowed branch framing amazing architecture of one of the oldest churches in town against a bright blue sky.

And remember...stop and take a moment to appreciate the beauty and inspiration all around you!

Join Me in a Happy Dance !

I am so EXCITED and DANCING around! I made the Design Team at the new scrapbook store in our area, "A Scrap Affair". Plus I am going to be teaching classes at the store starting in April! I have really missed teaching since the store by me closed last year. And I just LOVE the store name .... "A Scrap Affair"! Isn't that precious? I totally feel like I am having an affair with scrapping, don't you? See the store link to the right if you want to drop by and see all the great new stuff they have to offer. Plus Meredith the store owner is a total sweetie and has really made a very welcoming store for us scrappers, card makers and paper crafts fans! I know where you will find me the 2nd & 4th Friday nights - cropping at "A Scrap Affair"! It is really convenient for those people that live on the west side of town (Sugarland and Katy).

I have already made a few things for display at the store but wanted to share something special I just made with the new American Crafts Kids Collection. Instead of just using it to only make a layout, I thought this line would be great to make a birthday gift bag and card which can be used for kids or adults! I just love this line - it was super easy to work with. I used two different AC Kids Collection pp, some matching AC ribbon and a smattering of AC square buttons, AC Thickers and Studio G stamps to complete the look of these.

During the month of March, A Scrap Affair is having adorable Make N Takes every Saturday from 10 a - Noon. Plus if you mention my blog and that you are a new customer, you get 10% off your first purchase! Isn't that cool! Hope to see you there soon soaking up all the inspiration.

SPRING Inspiration !

WOW - I can't believe it is MARCH already, can you? The trees and flowers are already starting to bud and after a few very cold days for our area, it is gorgeous outside. Bright sunshine and about 70 degrees -- you can't beat that! Hubby and I went to the museum district and strolled around the sculpture garden. Across the way there is a contemporary art museum and they had the coolest piece of art hanging ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING! This is a massive building and as you can see the art work is HUGE!! It was so beautiful and inspiring and so reminded me of scrapbooking that I couldn't resist taking a few pictures. Can you guess what the art is made out of......

Well...did you take a guess of what the flowers are made from...you aren't going to believe this - they are plastic placemats and plastic flowers. So cool and yummy to look at and so very inspiring ! I can't wait to use this inspiration to create a cool LO soon. Here is an upclose look at the flowers so you can tell they are just round placemats. What do you think of this?

Oh...don't forget to set your clock forward tonight....I am so EXCITED it is SPRING!!! Hope whatever you are doing today, you are enjoying yourself and finding inspiration around you.