"It's July What!?"

Wow, what an unbelievably busy couple of weeks! Seriously, I blinked and half of the Month of July was over!

On the family front, the 4th of July holiday weekend was just perfect! The entire family was together at my dad's brand spankin' new house that he deserves more than anyone I know. He's worked so hard supporting and raising kids his whole life, and I'm so excited he finally has a nice place all his own (where we can come and visit whenever we feel the need for a little Vegas Vacation).

Even this little guy made the trip, and was diggin' all the attention. He was a perfect gentleman the entire weekend, even during the two (yep, two!) "safe and sane" fireworks we lit in the backyard.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate our country's independence and honor those that fought for our freedoms than by shoving food in my mouth the entire day without stopping to breathe. Talk about a major food fest! We had BBQ chicken, bratwerst, corn on the cob, home made coleslaw and potato salad, beans, fresh fruit...literally food for days, and all of it extremely delish! Thank gawd that calories eaten with family and friends don't count, or I'm pretty sure I would have gained a pound or two. Look, it even says so on this chocolate bar:


No sooner did I step foot through the door from my little trip, and it was time to design a make & take for The Scrapbook Garden's 1-Year Anniversary Party!! I can't believe how far this store has come in just one year, and all the wonderful friends I've made there including these rascals:

Ly and Alice are two of the most creative people I know...I am constantly wondering if their heads hurt from all the creativity that runs rampant in there all day long. On Saturday the three of us hosted make-n-takes for the Anniversary and wow, what a huge turnout! Thanks to everyone who came down and supported the store and even it's teachers!


On a side note, this chick has worked her booty off and she and her hubby deserve every ounce of success they gain from this fabulous store:


Happy Anniversary Melissa and The Scrapbook Garden!

On the scrappy front, most of you know I've been jumping thru hoops to get a boatload of projects done for Creative Imaginations before the big CHA Show in Chicago this weekend. All in all I think I submitted 20 projects for the catalog and the booth! And while I'll admit it gets a little hairy with the deadlines and stuff, I really do love every late-night sleep-deprived marathon minute of it. It's always exciting when I finally get a copy of the catalog and open it up to see my work in there, my family's faces starting back at me. Like this one:

It's a Bare Elements Jana Ribbon Frame dressed in a taste of some of the newest stuff in the antique and cream Narratives collection by Karen Russell. But Ms. Russell can't take credit for that little cutie pie in the photos...that's ALL me baybee, and some of my most spectacular work if I do say so myself! That black heart in the upper right corner was torn out of a heart shaped journaler's notebook...too cute, huh?

Here's another one that went in the catalog:

It's the Bare Elements Carey Music Box covered with the Baby Bella Collection by Renae Lindgren...isn't it just precious? It has that same little twirling ballerina that the jewelry boxes had when we were kids...

I have a bunch more projects to share, but I am already getting carpal tunnel syndrome, so I think I'll save them for the next post. Back in a day or two...I promise. Thanks for stopping by!