Sketch This #60

I have always wanted a Jeep Wrangler. Ever since high school it was the car I coveted. LOL! One day on Willow Traders there was a thread asking what car you would have if money or practicality weren't an issue . . . a ton of us were saying that we would love a Jeep Wrangler. It made me giggle that so many of us thought these cars would be fun.

At the time, Kevin was trying to decide which car he should get next. If you know my husband's work schedule, you know that he drives back-and-forth to work twice and sometimes three times a day; therefore, we put miles on cars fairly quickly. We are constantly rotating them out, so that they hold their value and we can keep them under warranty in case of any issues, and so that the new buyer will feel comfortable in buying the car. ANYWAY, he was in the middle of trying to decide which car to get next. I was casually telling him about the thread on Willow Traders, and we laughed about it becuase he said that he had always wanted a Jeep, too!

Then the light bulb clicked . . . he said "Why not?! Let's get one for the summer!" LOL! We get teased by our friends that we think we are in high school again, and that we are going through a mid-life crisis. But we don't care! :D We are having a blast in it! We go out in the driveway at night and listen to music and look up at the stars. I LOVE IT! I hope we keep it longer! It makes me feel like we're driving a giant four-wheeler around town! :D

So that's what this layout for Sketch This #60 is about . . . the purchase of a Jeep . . . all because of Willow Traders! I'll have to say that it is the biggest "enabling" yet! Thanks, Willow Girls! ;)



P.S. I should also tell you that this is a Sneak Peek at my work with the August Work In Progress kit. (I LOVED this kit!) I'll be back with more in a few days when the gallery is revealed! ;)

See you then!

I'm IT! I'm IT, again! I'm IT again, again! ;)

I've been tagged three times in the last week or so and I have been really bad about keeping it going. :( Sorry, to all my cute friends who keep tagging me. I'll try and make up for it and do all my tagging duties together here on this one post. :)

Soooooo, if you're into reading random things about random people, read on! Heeheee! If not, . . . well, I'll see you next time! ;)

Tag #1 from Jamie

Visit Jamie's Blog HERE

Jamie is such a sweet gal that I know through Willow Traders. A message board all about kits!!!! Kits!!!! and More kits!!!! I love the thought-provoking threads Jamie starts over there and I'm flattered she would tag me! Thanks, Jamie!

What was I doing Ten Years Ago?...
1998: I was 8 months pregnant with my first child. Totally afraid of having to face childbirth. :D

Five Things On Today's "To Do" List ...
1) Do some weeding in the yard
2) Have shower
3) Hit Dollar Tree and find baskets for Maryn's birthday party
4) Scrap!
5) Drive over to the new house and check things out.

I'm addicted to:
Chocolate, scrapbooking, the internet

Things I would do if I were a millionaire:
Make sure my kids' futures were set up. Take my family to amazing places all over the world. Buy sheets/quilts/dishes for every holiday and season . . . just like in the Pottery Barn catalogs! :) Buy fun things for random people just to make them happy, just like in that one commercial. (You'd think I'd remember who did it! Sheesh!)

Places I have lived:
Bountiful, Utah and North Salt Lake, Utah (Yep, a pretty sheltered life here. LOL!)


Tag #2 from Jenn
Visit Jenn's Blog HERE

Jenn and I worked together at Sugardumplin' Jenn is the kind of person who is your immediate friend. She makes you feel like you've known each other forever! I LOVE that about her! She is so much fun to chatmail with! I hope we get to meet in person someday!

1. Ten Years Ago... (see above) 8 months pregnant and trying to stay off my swollen feet. :D

2. 5 things on today (tomorrow's ) to do list... (Hmmmm. I'll do tomorrow's checklist for this one)
1) Email Allison
2) Clean the house YET AGAIN for another showing (PLEEEEEEEASE, whoever you are, will you please buy my house so I can stop cleaning it every other day? Pretty please! :) )
3) Figure out something to do to keep the kids from being inside my clean house and somewhere to go during the showing
4) Scrap! :)
5) Take some pictures of the progress at the new house

3. Snacks I enjoy (at the moment)...
Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies, Burger King French Fries, Captain Crunch
(okay, these are the things I was snacking on last week, now I feel guilty and I'm trying to diet this week . . . WISHING I could keep snacking on those things) *blush, blush*

4. Places I've lived...
Bountiful, Utah
North Salt Lake, Utah
(Technically these were the same zip code until like 10 years ago, so basically, I've lived in the same town my entire life. LOL!)


Tag #3 from Michelle
Visit Michelle's blog HERE



Michelle and I have worked together on several design teams and can I just say HER WORK IS AMAZING!!! I love checking out her blog . . . I have her link listed on the left of my blog, so feel free to go visit her anytime. Everything she does is so fun, bright, and full of life. I'm THRILLED that whe would even think to give little ol' me a "Billiante Webblog Award"!!!

Who gets the “Brilliante Webblog Award“?

Websites and blogs of your choice for their designs that are especially noteworthy.

Here are the Award Rules:

1. The winner can take the logo

2. Place a link to the person that sent you the award

3. Give the Award to at least 7 other Scrapbooking-Blogs, which by its currency,the issues of choice and for their designs are especially noteworthy

4. Put a link to these sites on your Blog.

5. Write a comment on their Blogs that they’ve won an Award.

So now I get to pass the torch to a few of my bloggin' friends! YAY!

Georgana, Melanie, Danielle, Allison, Deanna, and whoever else wants to play along! HUGS!

Pictures and A Couple More Memory Lane LOs

This has been a great weekend, but WOW! did it fly by too fast! Thankfully, we made great use of it and got a lot accomplished! Ahhhh! Love the feeling!

I always wait until the last second to get school shopping for the kids done. So this year, I am bound and determined to get it done early! On Saturday, Kevin and I loaded up the kids and headed for the mall. We were able to get Owen and Maryn DONE!!! YES! I also picked up a few things for Jensyn, but she is proving to be harder to shop for. She's now into Jr. Girls clothes and everything just seems a little too revealing for my taste. So we will be heading out again tomorrow to try our luck again!

As promised here are a bunch of photos from the 24th of July celebration here in Utah.

Jensyn sporting her pinwheel headband and waiting for the parade to start with an ice cold Peach Fresca. Ahhhhh!
Owen and his cousin, Raymond
My Mom and Me

Camryn getting into the Parade excitement!

The next day we always get together with Gramma and Grampa and head for the Handcart Days Carnival in the Park

Maryn and her cousin, Hannah
Jensyn and Owen with their cousin, Josie
My mom and my brother
Everyone enjoying lunch and goodies under the trees
Maryn and her long-awaited cotton candy!
Camryn looking as indifferent and unexcited as a two-year-old can. I mean, she wouldn't want us to think she was actually having fun! LOL!
And the "classic" Fishing Pond. A must-visit each year . . . atleast three times! :)

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This week begins with a new challenge at Noel Mignon. Check it out! This one will really get your thinking cap on. Here is my take on the challenge using the gorgeous Memory Lane Kit.

Here's another layout using the Memory Lane Kit of our dog, Kiki, and her mystical Puppy Powers! LOL! I cut the butterflies from the Hambly transparency using my Cuttlebug and then used the Stickles to outline the edges for a little bling!


Well, it's 11:00 p.m. -- and I'm off to clean bathrooms and dust! We have a showing on our house tomorrow morning. (It's so much easier to clean when the kids are asleep! LOL!) Wish us luck!

Jana

Memory Lane Kit by Noel Mignon

Be still my beating heart! . . . Have you seen the latest kit by Noel Mignon? The Memory Lane kit is available now, but I have a feeling that this little gem isn't going to last for long! Seriously! Get over there and get you one! You'll love it!


My favorite thing about the Memory Lane kit is the way it makes me feel! I know. That sounds totally goofy . . . but honestly I love the way I feel all artsy and sophisticated while playing with it. ;) I mean! Just look at those colors and all the trinkets and treasures! I feel like I've spent the day perusing cool little boutiques and antique stores full of soulful discoveries. For this layout I stamped the dress form diecut with a polka dot background stamp by PaperTrey Ink. (LOVE this stamp set! Thanks to my friend, Allison Cope for enabling me through her blog! ;) LOVE IT!!!) I really like the way it adds a bit of "fashion-forwardness" to this layout . . . especially because I am the furthest thing from being fashion-forward! LOL! You don't need lots of pink and red to make a Valentine's day layout! A few little framed hearts does the trick on this page! I cut the hearts from the photocorners in the Making Memories Felt Alpha set included in the kit.

It's very rare that I do a page about myself, so this one was a bit of a struggle for me. Why is that? I mean, don't we need to include ourselves in our books, too! ;)

I honestly think that my family sometimes feels like I am their Papparazzi . . . I just won't leave them alone!!! Well, too bad! It's what I love to do. Hehehe!

We had a blast attending the parade and fireworks with my family yesterday. Today we're heading out to the carnival in the park . . . so I should have some pictures for you within the next few days! Enjoy your Thursday . . . we're almost to the weekend! YAY!

XOXOXOX

Jana

August Sweet Pea Scraps = YUMMMMM!!!

Whew! The Realtor's Tour Open House is DONE! Here's hoping it gives us some leads and we can get this baby sold! :D

We decided to take the kids to a local hotel so we wouldn't have to wake them up ultra-early/try to keep the house pristine/vacuum last minute/etc. The kids had a blast swimming and running in between our two connected rooms, but I don't think we'll be doing that again. Camryn wouldn't sleep, . . . it was all too fascinating! LOL! BUT, she did sleep more than I did. Four hours. That's alright. I do it in the name of scrapbooking all the time. Hehehe!

Tomorrow is July 24th which is Utah's Statehood celebration. Our town has a big parade/fireworks/carnival tonight, and then in the morning we watch the Days of '47 parade in Salt Lake on TV and then head off to the carnival again. Should be fun! I just hope I get a second wind and can make it through it all! LOL!

On the scrappy-front, I have some new layouts to post. These are my projects for the August Sweet Pea Scraps kit. Normally I would post these at the end of the month, but you are in luck! I am focused on trying to get all my projects done as soon as I get the kits so I am ahead of the game . . . you know, since I'll be packing boxes soon! ;)

The August kit features papers by Sassafras Lass and October Afternoon . . . OKAY! Like two of my FAVORITES!!! I had a blast working this kit down to the bones! So many fun doodads to play with, too!

















I'll be back with more tomorrow!
See you then!
Jana

Long Time No Blog!

Yikes! Ever since last Thursday, my life has been going whirlwind speed! So I am so sorry that I haven't posted anything since then.

Friday, the painters at the house did a sample swatch with the color we had picked. One word . . . YUCK!!! It DID NOT look like anything we had expected! Part of the surprise came from the glaze on top of it. The paint itself was fine, but once you added the glaze (to bring out the texture in the walls) it went to the poopy-green side. Yeah. BAD!

Sooooo, Kevin and I spent all of Friday and part of Saturday getting new paint samples, painting and glazing patches and holding up cabinet and flooring samples that are already made/ordered and waiting to be installed once the paint is on. You could say I was in a little bit of a panic. BUT, I'm happy to report that we found a new color that is not poopy-green and we LOVE it. Whew! So glad that fiasco is overwith!!!

On top of that, my hubby decided to move around the computer screens this weekend, so that limited my computer time as well! And now, tomorrow morning we are having a big Realtor's Open House to try and get our current home SOLD and so I'm running around cleaning and pulling weeds.

I do have a few things to share, though! YAY! Among the paint store stops this past weekend, we took the kids to the Dollar Store as a little reward. Guess what I found?! Check out these 6" felt flowers (there were also hearts and snowflake-type flowers) and the foam mounting squares (2 sheets in each package). WOOHOOOOO! I love little finds like that!

I already wrote about this on the WIP blog, but another dollar store find that I LOVE are the desk calendars that come out each year in the school section. Every fall I stock up on them, because I love to flip the calendar pages over and use the plain backside as a worksurface while I scrap.

I can test stamps, sketch layouts ideas, write notes to myself, etc. right there in front of me. Infact, I keep a running list of all my DT assignments along the side. I am so visual and it really helps me keep track of the things I want to remember. When the paper gets too grungey . . . I just take it off and have a fresh sheet waiting for me underneath. LOVE IT!

Alright, now here are a few of my latest layouts for ya! This one was made using the Work In Progress July Main Kit. My husband has given Owen the nickname of "Brother Bear" and I wanted to make a layout documenting that.
And this one is for the lastest sketch over at So Sketchy! This layout is of my cute niece Samantha. The red looks a little more bright here than it does in real life. I promise it isn't so blaring. :D

Supplies Used:

Patterned Papers: Bo Bunny, Chatterbox, Sassafras Lass; Cardstock: Bazzill, Fabric Flowers: Scarlet Lime; Crystal Brads, Making Memories; Crystal Accent: Prima, Label Stickers: Scenic Route; Letter Stickers: American Crafts, GCD Studios; Letter Stamps: Stampin' Up, Hampton Art; Other/Unknown: ribbon, tag, lace paper

Thanks for coming by! I promise I won't take so long next time to update! ;)

Hugs!

Jana

So Sketchy #23

My first So Sketchy layout is up on the site! And I am completely blown away by the talent going on with that team! Seriously! Go check out what the other gals did!

Here is mine!

Supplies Used: Patterned Papers: Crate Paper Blue Hill, Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie; Green Polka Ribbon & Vinyl Thickers: American Crafts; Accent Stickers, Edge Strip & Letter Stickers: Sassafras Lass; White Flower: Heidi Swapp; Felt flowers & Yellow RicRack: Making Memories; Label Stickers: Jenni Bowlin; Letter Stamps: Hampton Art Studio G Dollar Stamps; Other: Tan Thread and Various Unknown Buttons from my stash

Have a great day!

Sketch This 58

I created this layout for Sketch This 58 using the PB Add-On kit from Noel Mignon. Love the way this kit has a little bit of shabbiness mixed with the bright, funky colors! Super fun!

Have a great day!

Did you know?

Did you know that Noel Mignon.com has THREE amazing blogs? I KNOW! THREE! Three blogs for constant inspiration!!! You gotta LOVE that!

First, there is a Layouts and Projects Blog that is posted on EVERY SINGLE DAY by a member of the Design Team. It's a great way to get a little inspiration on your morning blog-hopping round!

Here is a layout I recently did using a past kit by Noel Mignon called the TreeHouse Kit. This kit is sold out but some of the items that were in the kit are still available in the store. They these great Melissa Frances Date Prompt stickers, the Scrapworks Magpie Chipboard, and the SEI Dill Blossom paper.



Second, there is the Challenge Blog. Every other week a new challenge is posted. Right now is the Christmas in July Challenge. I LOVED this challenge, because it motivated me to scrap all my 2007 stuff! I don't know why, but I always seem too pooped from the holiday festivities to get them scrapped right away! It's like I need a little break before I can face them . . . and this challenge was the perfect thing to inspire me to get them done!

Here are the layouts I did using the Noel Mignon Little St. Nick Kit.





Last (but definitely not least) is the Tips and Techniques blog. Every Monday a member of the Design Team puts up a little tidbit. Today was my turn. I posted about creating your own sketches using magazines. You can read about it and see all of the sketches HERE. Below is a layout I created from one of my sketches using the Picnic Basket kit.





See you soon!