Fancy Pants Designs DT!

I am so super excited to report that I received an e-mail on Tuesday night from Jodi at Fancy Pants Designs asking me to join their design team!
From what I understand, they had quite a few entries, so I am honored to have been chosen. I love their products and can't wait to start creating with them! I tried out for their team about 2 or so years ago, but did not make it then. I did receive an honorable mention which was great. So, for those of you who have tried out for design teams and were not selected, keep trying. If you really like a certain manufacturer, don't give up. You never know what might happen!

You can see the announcement of all the awesome new members on the Fancy Pants blog! Off from school today, so hoping to get some scrapping done! Enjoy your day!

Woot Woot...Starting Points!

So, my first days of school were very busy. As expected, lots of technical difficulties with moving to a new room and beginning a new attendance/grading system. The bugs are not all worked out, but it will be awesome once they are. I enjoyed the day with the kids, but again....very busy. It does make the day go by really fast. This week will be mostly getting to know you stuff and paperwork. So far, so good!

Now, that I got all of my school news out of my system, I can move on to some fun stuff. I am excited to report that I received my copy of Linda Harrison's Starting Points book in the mail on Monday. I wish I could say that I had a chance to sit down and enjoy it, but I did not. I am looking forward to it, though. I did glance through it, and what I did see was awesome. I'd like to share one of the layouts that I contributed to the book. The "starting point" for this particular page was the song "My Everything" by Barry White. I have loved the song since my college days and since Ally McBeal (loved that show).

It was the perfect way to start this page about Ryan. He really is my everything. I don't often do 2 page layouts. I'm not too sure why because I really like them. This one has various pics of Ryan from different times and events. I wanted to use a lot of pictures, so I created three 5x7 collages in FotoFusion instead of only using three 5x7 pictures. I love the way it turned out.

Starting Points is a wonderful book to give you lots of ideas for how to start your pages, and there are some very talented contributors besides myself and Linda, of course. Look for it in your favorite LSS or online...you won't be disappointed!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. Thanks for stopping by. I am off to spend some time with Ryan. Mom's been so busy lately that I think he might actually be missing me!

Congrats to my Arctic Frog Buddies & Off to School

I just have to say a sincere and well-deserved congrats to three awesome designers who had the honor this past week of being named Memory Makers Masters 2009: Kim Frantz, Summer Fullerton, and Jaime Warren! I had the pleasure of being on the Arctic Frog design team with these three girls along with many other talented ladies. Being on the team was a wonderful experience. I think that they would all agree with that. Alannah was absolutely the best to work for, and she really knew how to spot talent! I also know that we were all very saddened when Alannah decided to close the doors at AF to pursue other ventures. I miss those days, but am thrilled to say that many of us still keep in touch and even design for other manufacturers together. So, if you have a moment, stop by their galleries or blogs to say a huge congrats! They are wonderful women who will be sure to knock your socks off with MM in the upcoming year! Congrats girls!

Summer Fullerton-gallery
Summer Fullerton-blog
Jaime Warren-gallery
Jaime Warren-blog

And in honor of Arctic Frog, I leave you with this layout that I did for them about a year or so ago. It is still one of my favorites! I loved the colors in this line, and my pictures did, too!
I am off to school this rainy Monday morning (no kids, but lots of room preparation)! How fast did that summer go by? Enjoy your day and thank you to everyone who left me birthday greetings yesterday. I will be sure to share pics once I get them off my camera....maybe even a layout for tomorrow (if I have time).

Happy Birthday to me & Rick Springfield!

Yes, I was always thrilled as a girl growing up that I shared my birthday with Rick. I was so in love with him! I still love him and his music. Nothing like jamming to Jessie's Girl! Happy Birthday, Rick!

I am not a big birthday person. Not that I don't like them, but I was just never raised to make a big deal out of my birthday. Unlike, my friend, Candy, who celebrates her birthday for the entire month of February, I usually allow mine to slip by basically unnoticed.

Actually, as a kid, I do not ever remember having a birthday party. I know it sounds sad, but it didn't seem to have too adverse of an affect on me....LOL! I only mention my birthday this year because I am thrilled and excited to be spending it with 3 of my college roommates. We are all meeting up at a small restaurant that is equal distance between each of us. We'll have some lunch and chat and stuff. I am so looking forward to it as it has been years since I have seen a couple of them. I think it is a great way to spend my birthday. I plan on having a wonderful and relaxing day...and that's my birthday present to myself.

I'll be back tomorrow with a new layout to share! Enjoy your day!

Hello Mojo & I've been tagged!

Well, thanks to everyone who sent mojo my way or told me where to find it at Target (Miss Summer)! I chose some pics that I took at the airport before our Disney vacation and just ran with them. I made it easy on myself by creating a photo collage in FotoFusion. Doing that gave me more time and energy to think about designing the actual page instead of worrying about photo placement. I wanted happy colors, so I chose some green, orange, yellow, and blue. I am surprised how easily it all came together once I got started. Does that happen to anyone else? It seems once I get going, I don't want to stop. It is just the "getting going" part that I struggle with. So, here is my latest creation:

The really cool thing on my layout is the letter stickers. They have been in my stash for 6 years! Imagine that! I was searching for letters for my title when I came across them. They are from 2002 and were made by My Minds Eye. Does anyone remember when they had their "Frame-Ups" line? They had coordinating frames and the little people called "Frame-Up Friends". I was thrilled to have found them! So there you have it!

I was the lucky recipient of a blog tag by the truly awesome Lisa Dorsey.

So here are the rules:

(1) The winner can put the logo on their blog.<--- Isn't it cute! :)

(2) Link the person you received your award from.

(3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

(4) Put links of those on yours.

(5) Leave a message on the blogs of the girls or boys you’ve nominated.

Here are the 7 I am tagging:

1. Suzy-She is super sweet and so so so talented!

2. Kelly-One of my fave scrappers ever!

3. Stayce-She's an awesome friend and scrapper & I love her!

4. Cindy-I stalk her work, but shhhhh...don't tell her!

5. Linda-Nobody does digi like her...amazing!

6. Jess-Because she rocks & she's not busy enough these days, so this will give her something to do! LOL!

7. Shawna-I love her, but she doesn't blog enough! Now she has to! Hee Hee!

I hope everyone has a super wonderful day. I must get off to bed as I will be doing some furniture moving in the morning...fun, fun, fun! Thanks for stopping by!

Oh Mojo...please come back!

I have no idea what is wrong with me, but I have lost my scrapping mojo once again. I looked everywhere...under the bed, in the car, behind the couch...nothing. I have been using every excuse not to scrap, and it really is making me mad! I am guessing that it has a lot to do with everything that I have going on with my home improvement project, getting ready for school, getting Ryan ready for school, and the usual everyday stuff that needs to get done!

So, I am going to sit down tomorrow and browse through this baby for some inspiration:

It came in the mail on Saturday, and I am dying to check it out. I have to say that I am not a stamper, but everything in these catalogs is awesome. I do have some SU goodies, and I have to make it a point to use them more. I love the stamps, but I also love all of the other goodies that they have to offer. They have some awesome punches that are "must haves". They also have rub ons, paper, and tons of other embellishments. When I get one of the books, I make a huge wishlist and then have to narrow it sown to fit the budget.

I also love the ideas that come along in the book. There are some talented artists who design for SU. I am not a big cardmakers, either, but I often find myself seeing little techniques that I can try on my scrapbook pages.

So, hopefully, this will help to bring the old mojo back. Please, please wish me luck in finding it!

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead. The last week of summer for us! Thanks for stopping by!

Busy Week & a layout

As summer comes to a close, I find that we are getting busier every day. Soccer has started for Ryan and Summer Camp has ended. I am in the process of some home improvement, and my new carpet was installed yesterday. I love it! The smell of new carpet just makes me so happy. I will be sure to get some pics of my new rooms once they are complete. Which, of course, is a project in itself...moving furniture and all of our stuff from one part of the house to another. It will not happen overnight, and because school is starting, I think it will end up being a long, drawn out process over many weeks. No biggie. I am off to school today to take my new classroom supplies to my new classroom! Yippee! I'm looking forward to teaching 8th grade Civics, although I am not quite ready yet. I am a procrastinator...big time! I work best under pressure. I just know I can pull it off...actually, I guess I don't have a choice.

Thanks to all of you PA gals who chimed in to let me know that you are out there. Some of you are not in PA, but pretty close. Very cool! Love that you guys stop by.

I have not gotten much done in the way of scrapping with all of the other stuff going on. I do have some layouts to do for a project that I was asked to work on by a new friend of mine. Very exciting. I will share more when I know that I can. You guys will like it. Truth is that I have not even had a chance to sit down and look at my Disney pictures! So, I do have lots of pics to work with...just no time. So, since no post is complete without some sort of eye candy, I will share this layout that I did a few months back. It was another one that did not get picked up for a call.

These pictures are of Ryan and Emily from almost one year ago. They were taken the very last day before school started last year. Boy, does time fly! I used some of my favorite colors here, printed out some digital patterned paper and brushes, and made the title with my Silhouette. I like how it turned out even if it didn't get picked up!

Well, off to start the day! I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Present & Pennsylvania People?

My dear friend, Denise's, birthday was yesterday, and I was glad to have a chance to make a little something to celebrate the occasion. A few weeks ago, I made this little frame for her daughter, Deanna, and Denise really seemed to like it. That, of course, was good for me since it took away the issue of exactly what to get her for her big day. I grabbed a frame from Michael's and went to town. I really like how it turned out. The picture in it is a few years old, but she can change the picture to a more recent one if she wants.

All papers, buttons, and the chipboard accent are from BasicGrey and the letter stickers are from American Crafts. The hearts are made from pipe cleaners. I also used some embroidery floss, mini brads, and wire. I have been enjoying making things other than scrapbook layouts lately. It's nice to mix things up a bit. I think I might make another trip to Michael's tomorrow to find something else to alter. It is just so much fun.

I see that I have quite a few visitors from Pennsylvania. I was just wondering if you PA people are scrapbookers or not? Do you guys blog? Or both? Or neither? Just curious. I often feel like I am the only person in PA (or at least Northeast PA) who scraps. I'd love to get to know more people in my area who enjoy this wonderful hobby, too. If you are from Northeast PA, drop me a comment and let me know.

I hope everyone is enjoying their week. I know many of you are sending your kiddos back to school soon. We have two weeks left. The summer really flew by, didn't it? I'm off to enjoy the rest while I can. Have a good one and thanks for stopping by!

September CK, New Ride & a Winner!

I opened my mailbox yesterday to find the September issue of CK! I was so excited to see my new friend, Cindy Tobey's, layout on the cover. Congrats to her! Cindy is a truly talented girl with a refreshing and creative style.

I haven't had a chance to read the issue yet, but I did flip through to see a layout of mine in it. The 2008 HOF gals each contributed a layout from their winning entries for articles in the August and September issues. Mine appears in the September issue, so look for me in there if you get CK. The layout they chose was one of my faves from my entry, so I was pretty excited. I can't wait for some free time to sit down and enjoy the rest of the issue.

In non-scrapbook related news, I had a burst of spontaneity on Thursday evening. I went to the dealer where I bought my Explorer 6 years ago to get a brake light bulb replaced. Well, instead of leaving with a new bulb on Thursday night, I drove off the lot with a new Explorer Friday afternoon. So spur of the moment and so fun! Sometimes, the best things are the unexpected ones. Didn't really need a new car, but why not? I'll miss my old one...it served me well. I think I'll look a bit more classy now, don't you?

I'd also like to wave "Hi" to a hometown friend here in PA....Stacy! "Hi Stacy!" I hear Stacy has been reading my little blog, and I am glad that she is enjoying it. I'm not sure if Stacy knows this or not, but she is the reason why I am named Denine. You see, my Mom and Stacy's Mom were friends from High School. I guess they both got pregnant at about the same time, and I guess they both had the name Stacy in mind. Well, for whatever reason, once it was revealed that they both chose the same name, my Mom decided that it would be best for her to chose a different name...that's where the name Denine came in. Not exactly sure where she got Denine from, but she liked it. So, if it wasn't for Miss Stacy being conceived about the same time as me, you guys would be reading "Stacy Zielinski's" blog today! Pretty neat!

And, I am glad that some of you were interested in the 2 punches from my previous post. I do want them to go to a good home. I wish I had one for everyone who was interested. I loved everyone's happy and upbeat attitudes. Remember...happiness is contageous!

Ok, so Ryan picked a name out of a hat (so to speak) and the winner is:

briTT and joNNy said...
I have been a regular blog visitor of your for awhile now :) You do some awesome work, girl! I would adore to have that scallop punch... so fun and funky!
8/9/08 11:36 PM

So, Britt, drop me an e-mail at Denine2@aol.com with your addy. Then, I can get your punches out in the mail. I am off to get some stuff done on this gorgeous Sunday...maybe even some scrapping! Thanks for stopping by my little blog, and I hope you all have a great day!

Just a corny "Thank You" post

Life is good. Actually, Life is great. I thank God every day that I am alive, and I never want this wonderful journey to end. Some days, though, things can get you down and mean people can take the wind out of your sails. I am usually pretty good at getting past that stuff. I try to concentrate on the good things and the good people. So, I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has stopped by here and left me such sweet and kind comments...about my layouts, my pictures, my stories, and all of the other stuff I fill my blog with. Sure, they are just comments, but they do mean a lot. You have to capture the good things in life...no matter how little they may seem. All of those little good things add up to one big good thing! So, thank you!

I also have a couple of things that I would like to give away to a good home. Sometimes, I make a boo boo and buy something that I already have. I know, crazy, huh? It happens. No biggie. In organizing my shelves the other day, I found 2 punches that I have duplicates of. Obviously, they have both been used by me, but they are both in working condition. I tested them out and found no problems with them.

One is a scallop circle punch by Stampin' Up and the other is a cute little decorative corner punch by Fiskars. If anyone is interested in these (you will get both), just mention it to me in a comment on this post. If multiple people show interest, I'll just pick a name on Sunday. I hate to see these tools sit and not be used. Sound good?

Okay, so off to start the day. I'm doing something really fun and totally spur of the moment today. I'm so excited! Have a great one!

You ought to be in pictures....

or, should I say, caricatures! While down at Disney, there was a caricaturist (is that a word?) drawing people outside the food court at our hotel. Every time we would walk in or out, we would all stop and marvel at his talent. Everything he drew just seemed to turn out so perfectly. As with mostly everything in Disney, the waiting line was usually long, so I worried that Ryan wouldn't be able to be patient in the line. On top of that, how would I ever get my little dynamo to sit still. So, we passed the stand everyday and kept on going. By the next to last day of our trip, I decided to bite the bullet and go for it. After all, we may never get the chance again. Sure, I felt bad making Ryan wait, but he managed to occupy himself running around with Emily and taking all of my spare change for the pressed penny machines. Turns out, the artist did not need the kids to sit still, but only for one moment to capture their smile. Otherwise, movement was not an issue. I am so thankful that I did this. He could not have captured Ryan more perfectly.

The look on his face is "his look." It's Ryan all the way around. He captured his eyes, his ears, his hair, his nose, and that signature "no teeth" smile that is pure Ryan all the way. I was in amazement as I saw the whole thing come together. He even added our cat, Skippy, to the picture!

This is an 11 x 14 picture, so it is a decent size. I cannot wait to go out and get a frame for this masterpiece! I simply love it.

The caricature stands were all over Disney, not just at the hotel. So, if you happen to get to Disney, this is one thing that I highly recommend. It cost $30. It was so fun, and it was yet another way to capture the memories and the magic of Disney!

PS...thank you to everyone who sent good scrapping vibes my way yesterday. I am happy to report that I completed my assignment with time to spare. It was a bit tough, but once I got going, it was smooth sailing all the way! I think my mojo is back, baybee!

We're Home & I'm Procrastinating!

We arrived home safe and sound at about 11:30 last night....exhausted. After a full day of travel, it was good to be home. I do have to say that I love to fly, though. Just look at this view as we flew away from Orlando:

We took quick showers, made sure the animals were okay, and off to bed we went only to rise at 7:30 this morning to wait for the plumber to come. I spent the day unpacking and getting ready to do 6 loads of laundry (ewe)! I had to wait for the plumber to finish up before I began to wash and then wait for my new dryer to be delivered before I could dry (my 11 year old refurbished $100 dryer finally kicked the bucket the day before we left for Disney). The rest of the day consisted of opening mail, balancing the checkbook, making appointments, cleaning, washing dishes, checking e-mail, etc. Not too much fun to say the least. But, there is no place like home (said in my best Glenda the good witch voice).

Now, I sit at my computer procrastinating over a scrapbook assignment that is due on Thursday at 9 a.m. EEEK! I feel like I have no mojo at all! So, I blog. Just another excuse not to start scrapping! Please, someone, send some good vibes my way!

In other scrappy news, the August CK HOF Product Challenge is up on the CK website. I actually finished this layout before vacation. You remember...the one with pipe cleaners? Well, here it is:

The manufacturer this month is Making Memories, and they were so very generous. I had a lot of fun and used almost all Making Memories products on this layout. I am loving doing multi-photo one page layouts these days. These are some pics from my Mom's birthday. Not the best lighting in her house, but the memories are there. You can see some of the other HOFers work in the CK Gallery. Join in to win a CK book of your choice!

And, last but not least, my RAK winner from the Chip & Dale trivia is

simply susan said...
Chip has the dark (brown) nose like a chocolate "chip." Dale has the red nose. Now here is some trivia for you: Which window above Main Street has a lantern that burns eternally?And Why?
8/3/08 12:00 PM

Not only did Susan point out that their noses are different, but she knew why! And she hit the nail right on the head. You go, girl! Plus, she came back at me with a little trivia of her own. Without consulting the Internet for the answer, I am guessing the eternal lantern has something to do with Walt Disney. I think I heard that somewhere, but I am not sure 1. if it is correct, 2. exactly why it never goes out, and 3. what window it is. Hopefully, Susan can enlighten me. E-mail me at Denine2@aol.com with your address, Susan!

Okay, so I am thinking it is now time to stop blogging and start scrapping. Have a good one!

So,how do you tell Chip & Dale apart?

We ate dinner tonight with Chip & Dale. They are so cute! Does anyone know how to tell them apart? Just a bit of Disney trivia that I learned today. First person to get it right gets a RAK!



Tomorrow is the last full day of our vacation, and I have mixed feelings about that. I am loving it and don't want it to end, but I really can use a break since we have been going non-stop! We will spend Monday traveling almost all day and will arrive back in good old Pennsylvania late Monday night. Definitely a memorable trip...the camera managed to hold up, and I took over 700 pictures. I can't wait to share and scrap!

Thanks so much for stopping by and for all of your comments. I need some rest now. See you all on Tuesday!

Oh, and PS...it is the nose, but the question is who has what nose and why?