World Record Inspirational Blog Hop!

Welcome everyone! I am so excited to be part of Unity's World Record Inspirational Blog Hop. What an amazing idea Angela came up with and I couldn't be happier to join in on all the fun. Today I am keeping it short and sweet since there are A LOT of blogs to hop thru so I'm gonna get right to my project.


I created this sweet little layout for today's blog hop of my two boys getting all cuddly with each other at bedtime. They can behave like wild animals at times (most of the time! LOL) but they love to snuggle up and get cozy with one another when it comes time to get ready to sleep.


I used the ADORABLE rainbow image from the March Kit of the Month on this layout. If you have not signed up for Unity's Kit of the Month, or if you are new to Unity in general, now is a great time to see what it's all about. Click on the image below to see all the specials for first time buyers!



Before I go I want to leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Confucious ...

"Wherever you go, go with all your heart."

Now go with all your heart and visit your next stop on this amazing journey with Jess! Click here to see her blog!

Hip Hop Thursday!

Hello everyone! Welcome to another round of Hip Hop Thursday. Be sure to start with Angela on the Unity blog and follow along from there. Before I share my project I also just want to remind everyone about our super huge Inspirational Blog Hop this Saturday, March 28th. Are you playing along? Find out more information and all the details here.

Today's release Floral Friends (UK-400A) is just one of the cutest stamps sets. I love that there are little sayings on the stems of the flowers - ADORABLE!



I created this simple layout of my oldest son Darian and his two "first" friends, Mary and Jacob. We met these cuties and their moms, Kristen and Corey (my two friends) at a baby Gymboree class when these little ones were just 4 months old! We have all been friends ever since and see each other weekly for playdates and outings. We have all had second babies so now there are six little ones total in our group. It has been such a joy to see these guys grow up and experience so many "firsts" together.

Now it's time to move along to the wonderful Jen E. and see what she's got up her crafty little sleeve.

This face ...

... melts my heart. Seriously. Tell me he's not the cutest. Even when he's being all pouty and mad. I love it! LOL I created this layout for a challenge over on the Scrapbooks Etc blog. It was a scraplift of a layout by the super talented Mary MacAskill.


And here's the journaling: Yep. That's you Brandon. Mr. Pouty Face. You certainly know how to get your pout on when you need it. I usually see this face when I am telling you "no" and setting some limits. As in "No Brandon, you cannot have marshmallows and Jello for dinner." Pouty face. Or "No Brandon, we cannot watch 'Go, Diego, Go' for the 100th time in a row." Pouty face. You have such a way with words at just 2.5 years old, but it doesn't really matter because all you have to do is put on your pouty face and I get the message loud and clear, no talking necessary. And while I don't like to see you with that pouty face because it means you're unhappy, I must admit that I do think it's pretty darn cute to look at!

Sneak Peeks ...

I was thrilled to pieces when Pam at Kraft Girl Kits asked me to be the Guest Designer for the month of April. I received my goodies last week and could not wait to dive right in - this kit is GORGEOUS! I had so much fun with it! Here are a few sneak peeks for you. Be sure to stop by on April 1st for the full reveal. :)

Hip Hop Thursday!

Hey everyone! Welcome to another Unity Hip Hop! I hope you are all enjoying your journey and getting lots of inspiration. Remember to start on the Unity blog with Angela and then just follow along from there.

Since today's Hip Hop theme is Easter/Spring I decided to break out an old photo of my niece and nephew from Easter a few years ago for my layout this week. Aren't they the cutest? I EGG-specially love the spring colors of their clothing and went a bit wild with the pink, yellow, and green on this one. All sorts of yummy colors and EGG-cellent patterns here!


I used the doodled bracket image from the March Kit of the Month for my journaling - love this stamp! I also used the swirl image from the January Kit of the Month Love, Etc to create a fun border under my title. And here are a few detail photos ...



Now hop along and visit the sweet and lovely Miss Renee and see what she's got in store for you today!

Jillibean Soup!

I was super excited today to see this on the Jillibean Soup blog ...


All I can say is WOO HOO! This company has AMAZING products filled with yummy colors, gorgeous patterns, and fun embellishments. You need to check them out if you haven't already. The fact that they have lines filled with kraft paper goodness ... well they had me at hello! I am so excited to be named as a guest designer. YAY!

GCD Studios has a giveaway ...

... on their BRAND NEW BLOG! You can check it all out here. And while you're there be sure to check out all the goodies they have to offer. They released a bunch of new paper lines with coordinating embellishments at this past Winter CHA. I really love their stuff and can't wait to get my hands on the Canta collection in particular. The colors in this collection - black, white, yellow, spring green, and sky blue - are just FABULOUS! I mean tell me this paper doesn't just make you HAPPY! I know it makes me smile that's for sure!

So be sure to head on over to their new blog and see what it's all about! :)

Hip Hop Thursday!

Welcome everyone to another round of Hip Hop Thursday with Unity! You should have started your Hip Hop fun at the Unity blog so be sure to visit there first and then just follow along.

I am so excited to be using an image from the NEW Kit of the Month called "simple life" - there are such sweet images in this kit. You can see them all below.


And here's the layout I created using this kit - love these pictures of my son that I took at a park near our house last summer.


I used the quote image from the Kit of the Month on my layout. I love using quotes sometimes on my layouts either in place of a title and/or journaling. Why try to say something again that someone else has already said perfectly, ya know? LOL


And check out the "flowers" I made using one of the images from the Amazing Me! kit (the circle of small dots) plus some of my handy dandy punches, nestabilities, and some old-school Making Memories brads. I tried to mimic the flowers in my patterned paper with the same colors, etc. I love the way these turned out!


Well that's all I've got for today. Thanks for stopping by. Now hop on over to AJ's amazing blog to see what she's got in store for you today!

Got Sketch 76

Whew! Feels like a long time since I've posted something for Got Sketch? blog. Well that's because we were on a short little break while Got Sketch 103 was live. Class has ended as of last week *sniff sniff* but no need to fret if you did not get a chance to participate. You can still sign up for Got Sketch 103 and get access to all of the sketches, tips, VIDEOS (yes that's right - I said VIDEOS!) and amazing gallery by visiting this page here.

So on to my layout for Sketch 76. This was a really FUN sketch to work with because it had lots of smaller photos on it with one focal photo. I use the continuous mode on my camera A LOT when photographing my boys because you just never know what they are going to do and what picture you may get at any given moment. These are some pictures of my little guy Brandon going a bit nutso eating a yummy cupcake. Not too long ago I did another layout about him and cupcakes ... well that's because he eats them a lot! LOL They are his absolute FAVORITE dessert! Hmmm .... I wonder who he takes after. ;)

Hip Hop Thursday!

Happy Hip Hop everyone! Thursdays are always happy days for me since it's all about Unity but today is an especially HAPPY Hip Hop since we are celebrating Unity's new release "You & Me = Happy" and sharing what makes us happy. Be sure to start with Angela at the Unity blog and follow along from there.

Well just take a look at my layout below and you'll see what makes me happy - my two boys! These two crazy kids are the sunshine in my life and I feel so blessed every day to be able to call myself their mom. LOVE these boys!


I used the super fun kit "Let's Get Scrappy" (UK-357A) on this layout of my two boys. This is a great kit for scrapbookers and card makers alike!


This next layout uses the adorable deer image from the February Kit of the Month. LOVE this sweet little stamp! If you haven't checked out Unity's Kit of the Month click here to read all about it and see the kit that is available for March.


And a close-up of that sweet little deer ...


CONGRATULATIONS! You've made it to the end of your Hip Hop journey! Leave a comment on this post and you will be entered into a random drawing to win the "Let's Get Scrappy" kit that I used on my "Happy" layout above. The winner will be announced in the Unity forum on SCS so be sure to check in later to see if you're the lucky winner!