Monday, December 30, 2013

Chickaniddy Crafts - Twirly Girl

OMG......just talk about girly girl!!!!  For this country gal I love the Twirly Girl line from Chickaniddy Crafts!  I can so use this line for so many things:  myself, my daughter and yes for scrapping the cows and heifers that catch my eye!  You can take a peek at the line here and here!!!  I thought I just might wet a little whistle for you!


Such pretty spring colors and every bit all girl!!!!  I'm not a pastel gal but oh my I see these colors all over the ranch each spring.

Then there is my favorite paper in the line!  I literally swooned when I saw it so I'm ordering an extra!


Now to my favorite embellishments!  I am all into words and triangles!  But one must click on the link above to see them all....OMG!



And I just can't help myself loving the diamonds, too!

As Heidi said this is the first line that covers all ages of females from baby right to grandmothers!

The most exciting thing to happen for me is my favorite online store announced on Dec. 23 they would carry Chickaniddy Crafts!  Whoooo Hoooo A Cherry on Top!!!!  Stop by Chickaniddy Crafts Blog for the Giveaway of Twirly Girl!  Entries for Giveaway close on Jan. 3, 2014

I have something really really exciting to share with you!  This was the comment Heidi left on my last post:

Thanks so much for the support Kim. 
PS you are the winner of my book giveaway. Checkout my blog for the details :)

Thank you so much Heidi!  I am excited!

Best wishes for a great CHA!

Friday, December 20, 2013

Chickaniddy Crafts

Never put me on a computer when I HAVE to call my SIL to find out where to send my brother's family's Christmas Present.  They moved last year and I still don't have their new address.  She's a working Mom so I may need to send to her work addy!  There are a couple of things to completely finish it, too!

LOL!!!  In the back of my mind all week as I have been finishing up four mini albums has been CHA early next month!  Not Christmas!  And this morning I find a brand new paper crafting company, Chickaniddy Crafts!  Well sort of new, they became a business seven months ago and released their first line this week!  OMG!  I'll let you decide!  Don't forget to stop by their blog for a giveaway!




There are definitely must haves for me!  And yes after 27 years of marriage Larry and I go on dates still!  Literally, he'll ask me out on a 'date!'  Love my husband!  Now to talk A Cherry On Top into carrying this new company!

By the way stay tuned next week for the release of  Twirly Girl!  Love the colors of this line even more!

And stay tuned to see my mini!!!  Probably next week!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Cruising Blogs!

My favorite thing to spend an hour or so each day!  I love seeing all the wonderful talent out there!

Today was Elle's Studio, YAY I won the GC!  Thank you so much!  On to My Mind's Eye with a Mixed Media Card today, which was gorgeous! I love playing with Mixed Media!  Then I had this little bell go off to take a look at what was created with Dapper Dan a few minutes ago!

First let me say I am not normally a Glitz Design Gal until Dapper Dan came out!  I have received some of Glitz Design in my Paper Bakery Kits and Sarah just makes using Glitz papers easy!  I was smitten right from the start with Dapper Dan!  Right to the top of my list as must have!  Started collecting the embellies first and then purchased the Collection Pack at ACOT's Black Friday Sale.  Time to start using those supplies thus to take a peek at the creations on Glitz Design Blog!  OMG one is definitely in for a treat!  I know I am going to have to go through Christmas first!  Gorgeous creations!  And then.....


Oh my goodness.....I am totally smitten!!!  Dapper Dan, Findley and Hello December used in creating this magnificent layout!  I just had to share!

Now back to looking for more beautiful Dapper Dan layouts!!!

Until next time!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

UH Transfer

I've diligently been working on minis as presents for Christmas.  Tired of that I switched Sunday to working on a layout for Sketch Thursday at Elle's Studio Blog!  It's Celebrate December at Elle's Studio Blog and the projects the design team is creating are amazing!!!  So much so I broke down and ordered Noel Papers and a few other items from the line.  As an economist it's fun to see how a blog can push the consumer to purchase!  Hopefully my package will arrive in time for me to have some fun with it for this week's sketch!  I honestly don't know why I purchased the line as I have way to many Christmas Goodies in my existing stash and not enough photos to scrap and use up the papers.  I really think it was the papers with the snow that took me in because I have this great photo of Belle, one of our German Shorthair Pointers, in the snow.  Yes you heard right: SNOW.  One of those rare occasions we get snow at the ranch.  Plus, Elle's Studio products are just soooooo much fun to work with!!!

I love love the layout I created using this sketch:


My layout is a photo of my son James on the left and one of his best friends Robert on the right.  James asked me in the Fall of 2009 to go to new student orientation at University of Houston.  I was amazed at how much the campus had change as I not been on campus since high school, mid 70's.  The young men were having such a good time playing to my cell phone camera in front of one of the large number of sculptures on campus.


I scrap James' photos for him.  This layout he really really liked and it will go in his scrapbook.  There are still three more to scrap.  Mom will eventually scrap the same four photos for herself.

And just one more plug for this great Texas Tier 1 University!!!  Case Keenum, starting quarterback for the Houston Texans is a graduate of University of Houston.  What a joy it was to watch Case during the 2011 season take the UH Cougars to a winning season!  A product of Coach Sumlin, now coaching at Texas A&M.  He is such a great quarterback to watch work his magic, over 300 yards passing in his last game...sadly one the Texans lost.

James is still in school at UofH and Robert has since transferred to UT-El Paso because his fiance is in med school there.

Until next time.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Throckmorton County - Throckmorton, TX

This weekend will host the first winter storm to come into Texas.  No problems but rain for the upper coast and unbelievable humidity which will make it feel a whole lot colder in Houston area then North Texas this weekend.  Looks like I-20 north will be an ice storm.  At the ranch it's one of those things where the weatherman is covering his backside.  If they get a sure enough ice storm the weatherman has covered his backside.  And if they do it still won't be that bad as temps jump into low to mid 40's, ice gone each morning.  Since I did the first layout of buildings surrounding the courthouse and was thinking about what to write on my blog.....wonder what Throckmorton will look like....ice, ice and more ice.  Sigh......I'm glad I'm not in North Texas this weekend.  I'm holding down fort in Houston area home.  Probably won't even turn on the heat.


So here's the park bench I talked about in Pioneer Life post.  RAB Brand..... and around the corner the Sign in Pioneer Plaza (where sculpture is) that pays tribute to early Cattle Ranching in Texas and the Great Western Cattle Trail.  It is Layout #3 this month for me.  Now to do a card next for CKCB!!!  Just as soon as I relax from stressing over my mini covers......sigh!  Once again trying to figure out how this Cottage Cutz die will work and I don't have enough paper to waste on this the covers!


This was the sketch that inspired me and one I found on Pinterest.  Now to give credit where due....this one took a little time to find the how and why.  Posted on Dearly Dee Blog in the UK and then one can trace it to  a layout by Marcie Penner for Basic Grey.  Kind of fun to see where I got to with this layout.  I do want to use the sketch again and hold a little more to the sketch.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Can You Even Imagine.....

.....that you would climb a set of stairs to seat yourself in an airplane?  I don't have to imagine as I have.  What a thrill to have three photos from the Glory Age of Travel by plane!  Yes, I remember when we had to get dressed as if going to church to fly.  As well as to have pampered service which doesn't exist anymore unless you fly 1st Class!



Yet to have three 8x10 photos taken of some of the staff of American Home Magazine was an incredible treat to find in my grandmother's files.  Some how to have a professional photographer take the photos and not have one of them with everyone looking at the camera and smiling is beyond me.  This is the first one to scrap.  Definitely staged as my grandmother's coworker is holding an American Home magazine in her hand.  I really wanted two things from this set of photos was to date the photograph as it was unusual to for my grandmother to not date the photo on the back and figure out what the model of aircraft.  The magazine was my ticket.  Off to eBay I went and found the magazine, October 1951 issue.  Then because I have brothers who are commercial pilots I had to figure out what model the airplane was.  LOL....they would be impressed their sister knew.  A little more difficult piece of information to figure out the model.  It definitely was not a DC3 as the chipboard piece at top would lead you to think.  Studied back and forth between mounds of photos of DC4 and DC6 aircraft to decide finally the plane was a DC6.

I died inside looking at the title....off center!  Then I realized the DC3 was off center too!  Darn plaid papers and not using my mat to center things.  As I looked and looked some more I was a tiny bit more happy with how it turned out.  Planes fly into our view and as quickly are out of view.  Works for me!  But still not happy with it.  At some point I'll get to scrapping the other two photos but just wanted to share this one right now.

I also used this layout as my example this month for the Heritage Challenge over at A Cherry on Top.  So stop by and have some fun playing along with us and the Challenges Hosted!  As always there are some great challenges hosted.

Now off to scrap for the rest of the day!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Elle's Studio Sketches

I usually just fall in love with Elle's Studio Sketches.  Why I have never used one until yesterday is beyond me.  Enter Pinterest!  I didn't get Pinterest to the point of a "Why?"  Finally got talked into opening a page with the ladies at ACOT!  I still don't get "IT", but I have found one great use for Pinterest and my iPad.  I no longer have mounds of paper for favorite sketches.  I have a Pinterest Board for them.  I also have found some great staircase storage ideas.  Both Larry and I have said almost in unison that we want a staircase up to attic instead of those pull down ladder things.  I guess it is our age.  Great storage ideas for staircases.  The staircase will be in the pantry.  Now to look at pantry ideas, yes we will have a room for the pantry as I want to get into canning.

So the sketch I stored in Pinterest was this one from last week's Sketch Thursday.


Triangles....the newest "IT" shape!!!  When it came to math in school the triangle was the coolest shape to study.  The rules concrete the names exotic in my mind.  Silly what we remember about school sometimes when you hit that 50 something age.  I have the Spellbinders Isosceles Triangle dies.  Need to get the Equilateral dies!  I just loved this sketch.


I loved the simplicity of this sketch, too!  I also loved the arrow look to sketch!  I found just the photo in my mind to use.  Once again I turned to one of my mother's photos of "Zu" to scrap.  A head study.  "Zu" had one of the most exotic Arabian heads I have ever seen.  As she grew older it just became more exotic.  She gave her head to her son Zuby who now is a grand old gentleman in our pasture.  I wanted the layout to be simple....to draw you straight to the photo and I feel I accomplished just that!


One of the very few photos my mother took that I loved.  Zu is beyond happy in this photo.  Her best friend is there admiring her, my Mom.  A little Glitz, Heidi Swapp, and Elle's Studio!  Love it!

Oh and don't forget, today is Sketch Thursday

Thank you for taking a peek!

Until Next Time!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Pioneer Life

 I truly love the rural courthouses of my state.  Throckmorton County is located in just west of the Palo Duro Canyon.  The county has a population of 1,641 in the 2010 census a decline of 209 people since the 2000 census.  Throckmorton is the County Seat.  The population is 828 down from 905 in 2000 census.

Cattle, Cotton and Oil make up the economy of the county.  Some grains also are grown by farms/ranches.

Larry and I were in Throckmorton to attend the RA Brown Ranch Dispersal Sale in October.  This gave me the opportunity to add two more counties to mark off as having photographed their courthouses.  I decided to work immediately on the photos of  Throckmortion County Courthouse.

Already undergoing renovation the Courthouse Annex is completed.  One can visit Facebook to view what the renovation to the courthouse will look like.  I am thrilled to have taken photos of the courthouse before renovation.  Right now the courthouse stands empty waiting for the renovation.

With most of the family tree complete for both sides of the family I am reminded I have very easy life in comparison to my ancestors.  When Larry pulled into a parking place the first two things I saw was a park bench outside a business and a sculpture.  I was enthralled by the sculpture before me.  How many times had I done exactly what this women was doing.  Too many to count.  Has life changed that much for a woman who chooses to live a rural life.  Not a lot except maybe for electricity.  Our first home we built in East Texas was wood heated, no central heat.  I split more wood then I can even begin to think about.  Our new home we build at the ranch will have both central heat and wood heat.  Electricity is fickle and dies at the first site of wind or thunderstorm.  


A bucket in one hand and an axe in another.  Her chores never done.

I'll be working on Throckmorton County Courthouse photos over the next few months.

I'm using this layout as my CKCB Challenge #2 entry.  I had to change the color of something on my page.  I change two things.  My base paper is the "B" side of Fancy Pants Collecting Moments Inch by Inch is a graph.  I took three stencils to change the color of background using my Tim Holtz Distressed Inks.  Most of the Micro Burst Stencil is covered but you can see some of the green rays around the doily.  I also chose to use Crafters Workshop 6x6 Chevron Arrow Stencil.  Finally I took the CM Petal Multi-Maker Punch and made my own stencil with the results seen in the right above the photos.  Thought it gave a nice southwest feel.  A few more splats of Slate Glimmer Mist around the page and my background done.  From there I took the Jillibean Soup Poloroid Mat.  Took the "Life" Frame and went from white to aged pink with Vintage Pink Glimmer Mist and Vintage Photo Distressed Ink.  You can see a close up of the layout here.

I'd like to thank Studio Calico for their sketch as my inspiration found on my Pinterest Sketch Board!

Stay tuned.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Hello Fall

I remember vividly the fall season when our family lived in Niagara Falls and Wilmington, DE.  Beautiful rich colors of the trees and a trip into Pennsylvania for apples from the farm.  All those vivid pictures stored neatly in my brain from before the age of 10.  To my amazement the tree across our driveway at the ranch in 2010 burst forth color hardly ever seen from a native tree.  Had to document the tree in this glorious color!


I used Papers from Studio Calico, Echo Park and Ruby Rock-it.  Embellishments from Fancy Pants, Prima and Studio Calico.  Stencil from Crafters Workshop, Mists and Paints from Art Anthology and Tattered Angels.  Inks from Tim Holtz Distressed Line.

Looking in the distance across my neighbor's pasture is pretty green trees!  I thought while at the ranch this weekend I would take the photo of the same tree this year just a few days over three years.


This time you see dead trees in the back of the tree and water.  In 2010 our neighbor built a tank and chose not to cut the trees down in part of the area where the water would back up.  A common practice to allow cover for fish.  As you can see the grass is shorter and the tree just turning color.

At the same time I am reminded that the early fall rains we have had in abundance I might add have allowed for rye grass to come up and given the summer grasses somewhat a spurt of growth in the warm days of October this year.  Yet you do not see the tall summer grasses we had in fall of 2010.  2011 would put my world to a test that it had not seen since the droughts of the '30's and '50's.  The old timers around town would say the summer of 2011 was far worse then the Dust Bowl.  And it certainly claimed many trees.  Somehow this tree survived.


You can see the damage the drought caused as it fought to survive and did.

Living in my world at the ranch is an amazing one.  Like wishing I had the camera as I sat in the Kawasaki Mule and some movement caught my eye of a baby skunk within arms reach waddling by as if he owned the world back in 2007.  Or would have that youngster given me a spray I would never forget!  And I could list many more treats I get to see.  Life is very constant, my world moves in circles from one season to the next, one calving season to the next, from birth to death of a tree, an animal, or the garden. The cycle never ceases and the circle always begins again.  It's a constant I can count on never changing.  I wouldn't trade my life as a rancher for anything in the world.

I used my Mother Nature I put together for CKCB.  Do check what others have created with their kits.  I would also like to thank deanna13, a member of ACOT's community for the pointing me to the Creative Scrappers Sketch #255 for my inspiration.

May each of you have a blessed day!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Counterfeit Kit for November

My search for papers for this month's kit actually began last weekend.  Lynn and I went to Waco for lunch and it had been four month's since I have been to Crop, Paper, Scissors.  Love this small quaint store!  I love not having an overwhelming number of choices.  I was thinking so many kit clubs usually have gorgeous fall colors!  So I picked up some things I thought might fit the bill.  I was delighted to see Jenni Bowlin's Kits yesterday!


My kit as usual came out totally top heavy in embellishments so it's huge!

I have struggled with the name but decided on Mother Nature in honor of all the wonderful things that catch my eye at the ranch in the fall!  I don't get the color of the north but love the beauty in our Texas Fall!  And maybe another courthouse!  I was able to photo two more courthouses last month, Young & Throckmorton Counties.  Usually lots of green if we get early fall rains as we have this year!  We should have our first freeze by mid month though!


The colors I chose aren't as deep but certainly I was pretty close to the colors in the kit.  I started the kit with Jillibean Soup Polaroid Placemat which I can leave white or color with ink or mist.  I have paper(s) from Teresa Collins Memorabilia, Studio Calico Clasic Calico (didn't use last month so kept it for this month), Ruby Rock-it, Echo Park For The Record , Fancy Pants Collecting Moments and Pink Paislee Portfolio!  The choices are part of the old scrapper loving earth tones and the new scrapper that wants bright colors.



From there as usual I just went wild with embellishments from Vintage to new!  Washi, canvas, burlap, trinkets, frames, cloth, wood, and more!  I'm loving the embellies for this kit!  I have some ideas running in my head of some layouts so I need to upload some photos to print!  I think the first thing that came to mind as a must have when I saw the kit was my brand new still in Package Glitz Roller Doodle Floral Stamp!  Most of my flowers are at the ranch....sometimes just plain tough to have two homes and your supplies are split between the two!


I also found two mini's on the kit page at Jenny Bowlin's and as I progressed through the hop some of the ladies will be doing mini's this month!  I have three to do this month so out came the entire line of Little Yellow Bicycle's Feels Like Home line plus a few added embellies!  Christmas Presents for my Mother and Brothers this year. I call it Thanksgiving as it will contain last year's photos of our Thanksgiving together!  Fortunately it will be assembly line fashion!  I probably won't finish until next month.  My brother's don't live close by so they have to be done by the 10th of Dec.  I also love love the pie chart stencil and sadly I don't have one but chose a trio of hearts for both kits and Crafter's Workshop Mini Burst keep with a round pattern.

I apologize for the sunlight rays coming through the blinds!  Beautiful partly cloudy day!

Of course all of my inks, mists and Art Antholgy Paints are a must have and not shown!  I also might switch between the two kits!

If you have never tried this challenge I encourage you to do so!  In just two months I now can just grab papers and go with a layout.  Something that took me hours of  stress to decide!  It is one of those humps I just couldn't seem to conquer!  Now I have thanks to CKCB!  Thank you! 

Monday, October 28, 2013

Counterfeit Kit Club October Fab 5



I had an OMG moment this morning finding out I made the Fab 5 again this month.  I am so humbled as the layouts presented by participants are amazing!  I've only had the time for one layout with this month's kit as I'm still madly working on Mom's Cruise Album!  Her birthday is Friday!  On top of that it's our second busiest month of the year at the ranch:  Fall Working and attending three cattle sales (one online).



Thank you again!!!

I am looking forward to next month's kit!

If you have not participated in this great blog....consider hopping over to become involved!!!

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Throckmorton Texas Here We Come!

Whoop!  I am so excited about leaving for Throckmorton today.  Lynn will be holding down the ranch and James the Houston area house.  It's a huge busy time for us the rest of the week.  Larry and I are attending this sale at the RA Brown Ranch on Thursday only as we are interested in some Red Angus cattle to be the base for building our Red Wagyu bulls in the future.  To view the sale catalog is pure eye candy for this rancher!  Yesterday bored with the same ole news about Congress I caught this week's American Rancher on RFD which was about the RA Brown Ranch Sale.  More eye candy on some gorgeous bulls, cows and weanling Quarter Horses.  The weanling Quarter Horses reminded me of the wonderful Quarter Horses of my youth!  Consistent quality throughout the offering at the sale!  WOW!!!  When Bogart needs a companion I just might have to go out to RA Brown to pick a weanling out.  But not this trip!  Two horses are enough for right now.



The first photograph I take upon arriving in Throckmorton (the town) will be the Throckmorton County Courthouse!!!  I will not be marking Throckmorton County off my list of courthouses photographed!  They have started restoration on the Courthouse Complex.  Yet another trip will be needed once the renovations are done!  I'm sure in another couple of years we will again visit our friends at King's High Ranch and I'll get more photos then.  If your interested you can see the Facebook Page.  I hope Larry will let me pick up some more photos of Courthouses along the way!

This coming weekend is the Get Back to Grass Sale and Field Day at Pitchford Genetics Sale Facility in Athens, Texas selling 75 lots of Lowline Cattle.  Sale starts at 1pm and can be viewed on Live Auctions TV.  The best in Lowline Genetics will be represented at this sale!

Be back next week!  Until next time!


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Leon Cty Courthouse & Cattle Sales

I guess I have to call myself offically "plugged in"!  I felt totally out of the loop when the internet went down and had to do without for 48 hours!  Cell service in the house is terrible so no help there.  Drove me nuts!

Once I had my CKCB kit put together I had to dive in.  I created this layout with the only photo I have right now of Houston County Courthouse.  This is not the city of Houston, Houston County is located in East Texas and the county seat is Crockett.  Fortunately Crockett isn't to far away to return on a weekend to get some more photos.  This is the fifth courthouse for Houston County built in 1939 as a WPA Project and the cost was $120,000.  I digress ....the economist in me has come out!  In today's dollars it is just slightly over $1.9 million dollars.  And in my mind our government still has not learned their lesson!  I used the Becky Fleck Sketch Challenge #52 at A Cherry On Top to do the layout!  This sketch pulled me in because of the brackets.  They have been out of favor for about four years now and hope they are making a comeback! I pulled out my Archiver's Exclusive Patterned Brackets die.  If anyone is interested in them there is at least eight available right now on eBay.



From there I had a great time working in Project Life Style on the Cruise Album of my Grandmother & Mom's Alaska Cruise.  Below are the pages I completed this weekend.  I'm just under half done with the album.  The next six or seven pages will all be Glacier Bay Photos and because of the large number of photos the pages should work up pretty quickly!  I'm using Studio Calico Atlantic and Crate Paper The Pier collections with a few scattered papers and embellishments from other manufacturers.  I'm feeling a lot better about making the deadline to give to Mom on her birthday!





Until next time!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Explore Kit for CKCB

I literally had a disaster on my hands yesterday!  I couldn't find anything I wanted when I wanted it to scrap with.  My poor husband dealing with me not unpacking from a crop and stuff on every single available surface.  All scrapping put up and I'm just itching to play!!!

I just needed to get this month's kit together when I finished cleaning for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog.  I have way more then I need in this month's kit!!!  My goal two layouts with this kit.  One to do my 4x4 example for next month 4x4 Challenge which I will start on as soon as I post my kit and the second one to go in Mom's horse album(s).  I want the first album filled as a Christmas gift.  If I have time this month then a third with a courthouse photo(s).  The rest of the scrapping as I wrote yesterday is my Mother's Cruise album.

So here's the photos of my kit I call Explore.  My life is a never ending exploration living on a farm.  My job is never the same one day to the next.  Then I get to travel more then one would expect being a rancher.  We attend cattle sales, meetings, shows, field days.  It may be a short trip or it may mean traveling over a thousand miles and there is always something to explore and discover.  And then there is always that exploration into my love of scrapbooking.  This morning was a Russian scrapping blog!  With the help of Google the blog came alive for me.  Some already translated, too.  I smiled reading....as one has to really think since the translation is never in proper English.  Amazing creative artists on this design team and I'm loving the sketch on this challenge blog, Paper Dvizhnik Blog.

Yes, I do have one of the papers from the Cocoa Daisey's Main Kit.  Had to include it in my kit.


I have a little old and a whole lot new!  The contents of my kit starting with the paper and some embellies:



Making Memories Reverie Noir Paper:  Dlicate Brocade; Pattern Dot & Ledger
My Minds Eye Lost and Found 3 Ruby Red Fan Paper
Carta Bella Hello Again:  Hello Friend
Pretty Little Studio Nature Walk: Deer Tracks
Studio Calico Classic Calico: Botanical
Ruby Rock-it Nostalgia:  Quilt

I  know not many papers for the embellishments!  I'm not a paper hoarder....but I need embellishments like crazy!!!  And lately I can't seem to do a layout without at least having some Elle's Studio sitting close by! I HAVE TO HAVE lots of choices!  And here's the list!


Lighting went bad and had to turn on the light....welcome rain falling at photo time!

Prima Lyric: Note Metal Clips
Brads: Lost & Found 2 "Blush" and "Sunshine Forever"
Lost & Found 2 Layered Chipboard "Rosy Love"
Lost & Found Glitter Alpha Stickers
Lost & Found Glitter Die-Cut Accessories
Elle's Studio August Kit
Elle's Studio September Kit
Elle's Studio Cameron Frames
Studio Calico Atlantic Stickers
Pebbles From Me To You Library Pockets (by the way definitely a bargain at retail priced)
Pebbles From Me To You Photo Overlays
Studio Calico Farm Animal Wood Veneers
Fabric:  Bundle with no Manufacture, Moda Basic Grey Aspen Frost Mini Charm Pack, Moda SoHo Chic Mini Charm and Moda Basic Grey Sweet Sernade Charm Pack
Elle's Studio Stamp True Happiness
Fancy Pants The Good Life Boarder Stickers
Glitz Hello Friend What Nots
Glitz Hello Friend Paper Layers
Glitz Hello Friend Peek-a-boos
Glitz Hello Friend Title Stickers
Glitz Hello Friend Layered Stickers
October Afternoon Mini Market Gray and Cream Alphas
Jillibean Soup Alpha Beans Newberg Navy

Not Shown:

Quickutz Zoe unicase alpha dies & cardstock scraps
All of my 6x6 Stencils
All of my inks, Art Anthology Paints and mists!  Can't live without them!

Now I'm good to start scrapping today!  Whoop!  Hopefully first layout done this evening!!!  :-)

Until Next Time!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Happy October!!!! Challenge Winners

My favorite month has arrived!  I am so excited!  In my scrapping world I will be working on my Mother's Cruise Album.  One month from today is her birthday!   I'll be doing one heritage album and one 4x4 layout for my challenges.  Actually I hope I get done by the 23rd so I can do some layouts just for me.  LOL.....in 9 days I head out to West Texas for a Red Angus sale....so I may be dreaming on finish date!

Today I wanted to share the winners to the Heritage Challenge and 4x4 Challenge at A Cherry on Top!  Wonderful layouts ladies!

4x4 Challenge winner is MacSarah with her very first 4x4 layout!


The Heritage Challenge winner is blbabe1234!


Hope you'll come participate in the Challenges this month at ACOT.  Challenges come with a $5 GC to the winners if the host offers it.  Mine do!

Monday, September 30, 2013

Leon County Courthouse!

I've had a busy last half of the month.  I didn't get a chance to scrap last week at all!  But I did get two layouts done today!  So Happy!

I love love the courthouse photos I take.  In July of 2012 I stumbled across Nuts About Sketches.  The first post I read was a design team call.  This was a layout I did using Sketch # 224 just before I made the team.  This is Leon County Courthouse before the restoration with a stock photo I found along with a photo I took after the restoration.  The link above will take you to Texas Courthouse for another view of the courthouse before it's restoration.


Then today I worked on the photos which lead me down the path to the undying passion I have for my state's courthouses!  Larry and I decided to take a different route to his mother's house in the winter of 2007.  As we drove into the square I was absolutely stunned at the courthouse.  It looked absolutely horrible.  Nothing like what I had seen the half dozen other times I had driven through Centerville.  I had the camera and asked Larry to stop.  I was a scrapper of six months when I took these photos!  When Larry and I got home I found Texas Courthouses.  As I started to read, then read some more as I looked at courthouses the passion began.  Texas Courthouses was the very first website dedicated to our state's county courthouses.  I think that is where the passion began on this website for so many who are now traveling Texas to capture the same photos I am.  And there is a huge push to renovate those that need it as many are historical buildings.  My love has grown as it's no longer just the courthouse that pulls me in as I visit them.  It's the history and people I learn about as I read the historical markers.  Each is a centerpiece of the county and each is a source of  pride for the county residents.  More so in rural counties in our state.


Tomorrow I'll get a better picture(s) and replace.

Unfortunately I didn't get it up in time to post it over at Counterfeit Kit Club Blog!  That's ok, this one is done and once again I turned to Nuts About sketches for the inspiration, Nuts About Sketches #288.  Used up more of my kit!!!



The next layout used the Bonus CHA kit.  Well sort of.....just the Glitz paper as the base.  Some of the items I pulled from the courthouse travel kit and some more items from special little goodies that arrived this month in my stash!



I started this layout two weeks ago and needed to fix it once my Art Anthology paint came it!  Now I love it!  It's a Misty Early May morning looking from the porch towards the road.  Our round hay is stored in my two acre lawn and the post behind the hay has one wet cold buzzard sitting on it.  We had one of those Central Texas Severe Thunderstorms accompanying a front around 2am.  This buzzard was just waiting for the sun to come out.  Of all the embellishments I have received lately I really love the Studio Calico Farm Animals.  There are at least four different breeds of horses.  I was so very thrilled they included the Arabian in the mix and actual cattle which don't look like Holsteins!  We have all three species of farm animals on this page:  Two Arabians, 200 head of beef cattle, 18 chickens and 4 guinea hens.

I think the thing I love the most about this layout is the Art Anthology Sorbet!  What total fun to play with!

I came into Blogger this evening to find I had made the FAB 5 at Counterfeit Kit Club Blog!!!  Wow, I'm thrilled!  Thank you so much!  I am humbled to be in such great company!  Congrats to the other recipients!

Until Next Time!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Documented

One of the most popular words in scrapping right now is "documented."  It is as scrapper what we are doing, documenting our lives and the lives of those who came before us in my case with the heritage photos I have!  Instead of buying just a photo album for my son I am documenting his life with his photos through my eyes, and giving the ongoing album(s) to him.  On occasion I put in one of the photos I've taken.  I was thrilled to participate in the Moore, OK Benefit Crop!  The one challenge which was an absolute must do was the Layering Challenge by Kimmie Robinson.  Most of the products on the page came from the Paper Bakery Kits March 2013 Scrapbooking Kit.



I drew my inspiration for my first layer from one of the Design Team Members at Split Coast Stampers over lunch when we took three classes together at Crop Paper Scissors in Waco.  And I'm terribly sorry I don't remember her name.  Her comment was, 'Since your analytically inclined why not use numbers on your layout.'  Took me 10 months to do so.  This is a photo of one of my son's best friends and a young man who is like a second son to me.

I loved this layout when I was done!  And I'm hooked.....just haven't done another layering layout since I did this one!  But I will!  It's a great way to use up the scraps.

Until next time!

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Food Advertising

I must admit I'm NOT a huge Huffington Post fan.  On occasion I do find something I like.  I'd like to thank Jan Hoadley for passing this along to me.  Jan is a great agvocate who can be found on Facebook, Blogging and Twitter.  She is the owner of Slow Money Farm.  She understands agriculture and the why behind how producers choose the production systems they do.  She and I both support all forms of Agriculture production.

Chipotle Grill wants you to believe through their advertising that some food is better then others.  But in the background they also lead you to believe some farmers are bad people.  First I don't know a single bad farmer.  Are there some, yes, bad apples exist in every part of our economy.  I think what you choose to feed your family is a personal choice. Don't let advertising guilt you into changing your choices.  Here's their newest campaign bashing farmers by Chipotle Grill!  Farmers like me who give antibiotics....my cattle need them on occasion!  Insinuating I give steroids which I don't unless the vet authorizes me to do so for injuries or illness.  Insinuating my animals are in confinement which they are not unless they need to be for a number of reasons.  My customers have access to that knowledge if I sell beef from those individuals who do receive my vet's prescribed treatment.  The health and welfare of our cattle come before anything else in our lives, that is a good farmer/rancher!  So I find Chipotle's new app based game and 3 minute film very unappetizing!


Then my hats off to Carey Polis for writing a very good opinion on the parody.  Thank you.


I also thought I would take this blog post one step further about advertising and so called ethical foods.  This piece by the New York Times Herald Tribune wrote this article.  Good read and food for thought!


Do I eat a Chipotle?  Nope!  Has nothing to do with their advertising pitting one farmer against another or the consumer against a one group of hard working American Farmers.  I don't eat at Chipotle Grill because there is a restaurant that makes a better burrito, Freebirds!  Love me a Freebirds burrito!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Unfinished Projects

Challenge # 1 this month at Counterfeit Kit Club Blog is super great!  That makes no sense but it really is great!  I'll let you read it.  But I did post about what my two unfinished projects were out of many!  Well both done this past week.  One finishes up a project....the other well not so much as I still have 238 courthouses to still take photos of.  At least I have one layout down and completes most of what I want to photograph on the square in Huntsville, Texas.  I have already finished the courthouse photos.  The square is so much busier then when I was in school at SHSU.  I need a Sunday morning before the students return from their weekend away to get a photo of the Cafe Texan sign.....yes that sign was there in the late '70 early '80's when I was in college. The sign is still there and there long long before I started my Freshman year in Fall 1978.  But there is so much more to photograph around town that brings back many memories of my college days.  Not to mention there is the historical significance of Huntsville being the hometown of Sam Houston.  This is the layout of 11th Street on the north side of the square in Huntsville.  I used my Courthouse Travel Kit to do this layout.


My next layout that I have been wanting to do for about six months is finally done!  My mother took the photo of Lynn and James.  Mom was her typical self with point and click without even realizing how the picture would look.  Sigh.....but this Mom just loves it!


For this layout I used the CHA Bonus Kit and that wonderful Anna Griffin Barnwood Paper!  I also drew some inspiration from this months Shape Challenge over at A Cherry On Top.  Gotta love Triangles!  I'm not sure I could use products outside the kit to count as just a regular layout on the blog, but I can for the challenges.  I also used some products outside my Courthouse Travel Kit to do the layout above.  This completes that project I have wanted the perfect paper as the base and some fun embellishments!

I have so enjoyed working with my kits.  I can't wait to dive in this week with my kits!  I'll probably work mostly with the Courthouse Travel.

Stay tunned!

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Winners of August Challenges

Amazing layouts for the Heritage Challenge and 4x4 Challenge I host at A Cherry on Top!

The winning layouts chosen randomly with the help of a random online generator!  Each has received a $5 A Cherry on Top Gift Certificate!  I hope you will join in these two challenges.

Heritage Challenge winner is Deanna13!


4x4 Challenge Winner is mgehrke!



Congrats to both ladies on beautiful layouts and winning the challenge!!  Come join in on the fun!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

CHA Kit - Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog

I was inspired by Trisha for the CHA Bonus Challenge Kit!  She made up an amazing kit.  Then made some amazing projects with the kit.  This is a must see!  Just click the link above!

YAY!  This kit made it in with what I would call small!  I got through with the kit the day the bonus was announced.  Except I let it sit overnight.  As I looked at the kit I realized I needed two things.  A sheet of paper with pink...Done.  Then I needed the right type of fabric for the kit.  A few dozen clicks later and the right fabric is on the journey to my house!  I have sat for two months wanting Anna Griffin's paper Barn Wood.



I finally ordered it a two weeks ago from ACOT and I have just the photo for this paper.  I included everything that is under a year old.  I just have too much paper to buy anything new....it's the one thing that shuts me down from buying.  So here's the smaller kit I'll work with on other photos then the courthouses!


I wanted pieces of fabric in the kit....but didn't have the colors I wanted.  So I ordered some two days ago.  When it arrives I'll replace the correct colors with the one in this kit....or may just add to the kit.

Contents of kit:

Paper

Anna Griffin Gabbie Barnwood Paper
Lily Bee Design Destination Souvenier
Webster's Pages Composition & Color Chalk Prints
Studio Calico Classic Calico III Timesheet
Glitz Color Me Happy Hearts
Imaginisce Love You More Heart Attack

Embellishments

Elle's Studio Limited Addition August 2013 Kit
Paper Bakery Flairs - That's My Bike
Queen & Co. - Candy Shop
Paper Bakery Kit Club - Happened Stamps
Prima ~ Leeza Gibbons Wishes & Dreams - Washi Tape
Crate Paper Party Day - Ephemera Pack
Jillibean Soup - Alphabeans Newburg Navy
fabric - purchased from Moda

Honestly I like this kit better then the first!  But I have different uses for each.

Then on CKCB Blog today is Challenge #1!  Fits me for both kits.  It is all about Unfinished Projects.  I'll start with the CHA Bonus Kit.  I have the cutest picture of Lynn and James on their bikes or big wheels that I have been wanting to scrap for months.  That's challenge #1.  The next project will take albums upon albums to get done.  Years ago I found Texas Courthouses on the web.  I had always loved the Hill County Courthouse.  Gorgeous!  I cried when it burned but the replica stands in it's place.  I found this whole world opened up when I went through the Texas Courthouse site.  Now there are many more sites dedicated to our state's County Courthouses.  I have since 2007 taken photos of 16 of the 254 county courthouses in our state.  I started to just put them in the family albums.  Now I want them in albums of their own along with some of the other notable landmarks around the state.  I have a photo of me the first time I visited the Alamo!  That will go in these scrapbooks.  Some counties I have checks by that very short list to return and photo again because of renovations at the time I photographed them.  It's a walk through history of our state and the people who live in each county!  I have a very short doable bucket list and this sits at the very top to photograph each courthouse.  Total square miles of our state:  268,601 square miles.  That is a lot of traveling.  No end date in site for this project!  Of course I had to get a WRMK Buttercup (Yellow Album) for the Yellow Rose of Texas although our state flower is of course the one and only Bluebonnet!  Plenty of those photos to go in this scrapbook!

He he....these are only two unfinished projects!  I have a boat load of projects for Christmas this year to fit in as well as my Mother's Cruise album and her horse album!  Best get started...

Until next time!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

My Saturday with Cattle!

One of my favorite places to be is at a show, with animals that is.  It can be rabbits, horses, cattle.....  This past weekend I attended the TJLA Down Under A,B,C,D show hosted by Southwest Lowline Angus Breeders Assoc. Youth Club.  My job to take photos!  It was a long hot Saturday at Brazoria County Fairgrounds but a great time watching the kids compete in four shows.  What fun to capture the photos.  If your wondering why you don't see faces of the kids....well I like to protect them.  Enjoy the album!

Lowline Heifers


I love me some floppy ears!

The Classic Study of the Class!

I'd like to thank the judge's for coming out and giving great consideration to the cattle presented!

Until next time.