Arizona Sweetheart Scraps

Country Christmas STS road trip

2011-12-01T03:12:00.003-07:00

Aren't you loving this road trip? It has been a long time since I have designed anything, but when I saw these colors I fell completely in love and just had to play. In case you haven't seen it enough yet, here's the preview of the whole trip and the stops along the way.

JMC Designs

Sweet Maple

Scrappin Serenity

Growing Pains Scrapped

The Digi Scrapping Mama

Here's a preview of my mini.

You can download it {HERE} and then be sure to jump to the next stop: Scrappin Ninnie You don't want to miss a single pit stop along this road trip. (I'm so sorry if you tried to upload it before. The link should be working now!!)

Before you go, let me put in a little plug for Stuff to Scraps' December CU grab bag. I always love to add to my CU stash, and these products are great! You can check it out HERE in the STS store.

New CT

2011-11-26T00:16:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be a new CT member for HD Creations. She just had a new kit release this week, and I got a chance to play with it.

The kit is called Things That Go. There's also an add-on, word art pack, cardstock pack, and a set of QPs. You can buy the whole bundle {HERE} in her store at Stuff to Scrap.

Team Call!

2011-11-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA for a long time, but I'm getting back in full swing. Have you heard about With Love Studio? It's brand new, and they're looking for team members to help them build up and become one of the best digi-scrap homes out there! It's not too late to answer the call. I've been accepted to be on the Promo Team, and so far I'm the only one! LOL! I would really love some more team members to join me, so if you like fun digi-scrap events and would like to help plan them, APPLY!!! We'll have a blast! :)

Giveaway!

2011-04-05T10:13:00.000-06:00

I'm crazy about templates, and I'm lucky enough to CT for Rainy Dayz Designs who makes some of the most amazing templates I've ever seen! Do you want a chance to win her newest release? She's releasing a new template pack on Friday, and you could win it! Click HERE to find out how.

She's also having a $2 sale today on some fabulous packs. Here's a little peek at what I did with some of them.

Rainy Day Guides vol. 4

Rainy Day Guides vol. 5

Click HERE to find the sale!

Spring Break!

2011-03-21T13:44:00.000-06:00

I am so ready for a vacation. So. Ready. And I'm so ready for Spring. Real Spring with warm temperatures and sunshine. Not this Utah spring where we use our heater in the morning and air conditioning in the afternoon. It's the first official day of spring and we're supposed to get rain and snow - yes, I said SNOW - all week. I'm from Arizona where spring was basically just early summer - hot, hot, and more hot. So I think when the spring months come, it ought to at least be warm enough that I don't have to send my kids to school in winter coats. Who's with me?

Combine Spring and vacation and what do you get? Spring Break! Last year for Spring Break we went to Disneyland - with the rest of the western United States. Seriously, it was probably the busiest I've ever seen the Happiest Place on Earth. We generally try to go during the off season when we can, but we were taking the kids out of a little too much school, so we decided Spring Break was a great choice for our next Disney trip. After all, it couldn't be as bad as that one year we went over 4th of July weekend, right? Wrong! Not only was it Spring Break for Utah, Arizona and probably a few other neighboring states, but Southern CA was also having a 2 for 1 deal with a coupon you could pick up at a local grocery store. We found out about that one from some people who were standing in front of us in line for Pirates of the Carribbean. They were from Tennessee.

This year we're changing gears and visiting Grandma during Spring Break instead. The kids couldn't be more excited. Well, maybe they would be more excited about Disneyland. They don't really remember the crowds, just the fun. Still, they're super excited to go visit their grandma in Texas in a few weeks, and their parents are pretty excited, too.

Do you (or did you) have any fun Spring Break plans? Any road trips? Fancy beach vacations? Or just a week of sitting around in your backyard or chillaxin' at home?

This year I'm going to do all of those things - right from my living room! And one week just isn't enough, so my Spring Break is going to last an entire month! Want to know the best part? You can join me! Who doesn't want a whole month of vacation? That's right, all through the month of April at Brownie Scraps, we're going to have a Spring Break Bash full of tons of fun. We'll have special challenges, games, prizes and more. You can purchase your ticket now to win extra points that will be redeemed for a chance to win fabulous prizes! The ticket includes an adorable Spring Break kit from Ramona the Pest Designs. It's available now in the store for only $5. Here's a little sneak peek and more info about our fabulous Spring Break Bash. You don't want to miss it!!

Delightful Desktops

2011-03-07T13:51:00.001-07:00

When was the last time you dressed up your computer's desktop? This month I'm hosting the Decadent Desktop challenge at Brownie Scraps, and it has been fun to see not only how cute everyone's new desktops are, but also how many of them used products from Ramona the Pest! Since I happen to be on Ramona's CT, and she happens to be one of my favorite designers, I felt like showing off some of the great desktops these talented scrappers have been creating with her kits this month. All of the images are linked to the gallery, so feel free to hop over and leave them some love!

Melissa has the most adorable kiddos! I always love her clustering, and I LOVE the way she used Ramona's Today kit here.

My fellow Pest, Ashley, lives on a farm, and her lucky little girl gets to live every little girl's dream - she has a horse! She used Splendidly Spring, which Ramona and March created together, to showcase those fabulous photos.

Jennifer used the February Baker's Dozen, Love Story for her desktop, and those frames and most of the flowers are from Ramona! I just love her adorable family photos!

Naturally I had to play along with my own challenge. I had scrapped a page with all my girls, and I love it - it makes me smile every time I see it. So I took parts of that and used it for my desktop. Now I get to see those cutie girls every time I start up my laptop. I used Ramona's Love U Still kit.

It's not too late to join in the fun! You can find the desktop challenge HERE at the forum. If you use current product from the Brownie Scraps store, you will earn 2 Brownie Points when you turn in your desktop by the end of the month. The more Brownie Points you earn, the bigger the coupon you'll receive to buy more fabulous products in the store! You don't have to use Ramona's product, but I would love to see you try! ;)

Krispie Kisses

2011-02-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for a fun and easy Valentine's Day treat? This one is a favorite of mine!

The first year I tried them, I surprised my kids with them, and they were completely awestruck. It did wonders for my ego. Since then I have let the kids help me make the treats, and they have so, so much fun. They love smashing the krispie goo into the funnels, deciding what to write on the tag and wrapping them in foil. Somehow I have managed to make them year after year without taking a single picture, so I borrowed this one from Bee in our Bonnet. She also gives some instructions and has some other cute ideas, too.

Here's the basic idea. Melt your butter and marshmallows and add the rice krispies as usual. You can add color if you want for the extra wow factor. Then, instead of pouring all the goo into a big pan to set up, you use a funnel to make the kiss shape. You can use any size you want or even an assortment. Write your sentiment on a tag and then wrap the kiss in foil with the tag sticking out the top. Voila! That's all there is to it! So simple and so fun!

LO Spotlight

2011-01-18T02:00:00.003-07:00

Let's shine the spotlight this week on another gorgeous LO in Ramona's gallery. Ramona's new kit releasing today is absolutely gorgeous, I mean really, really gorgeous. And to prove it, our spotlight this week is on this fabulous LO by Heather (isaacsmom) using Ramona's new kit, Friends Forever.

I just love her photo treatment, the gorgeous clustering, the stitches around the page, the fabulous journaling, the adorable kiddos... Awesome! Head on over to Ramona's store or check out the Fresh Baked Brownies to find a great deal on this gorgeous kit.

Do you know how you could win a $3 coupon to Ramona's store? It's so easy! Scrap a page with one of Ramona's kits and show it off in her gallery. That's it. Remember the kit you choose needs to be a current one in her store, and you must upload it to the Ramona the Pest Designs gallery, not just the main store gallery. Each week we'll choose a LO to spotlight, and if yours is the LO chosen, you will win a $3 coupon to Ramona's store! Just think... if you had that coupon, you could get this fabulous new kit for less than $1!!! How is that for an amazing deal?

LOTD!

2011-01-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

I just visited the Brownie Scraps gallery and found that my LO was the layout of the day!!! Totally made my day. This new kit of Ramona's is so fun to work with. Between Bre's template and Ramona's kit, this was one of the most fun and fastest LOs I've created in a long time - and I loved it when I was done.

Isn't it fun? Here are some links for you in case you want to snag any of these fun goodies.

Gallery view

Kit: Cosmic Adventures by Ramona the Pest Designs

Template: Rainy Day Guides vol. 7 by Rainy Dayz Designs

Weekly Winner!

2011-01-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

Another week, another fabulous LO to showcase and another $3 coupon to Ramona's store given away by the amazing (and generous) Ramona the Pest. It's so fun to search through Ramona's gallery and see all the amazing things scrappers have done with her awesome kits. This week, this LO by lwentkie really caught my eye.

Don't you love it? She used Ramona's Potty Star kit, and it's absolutely the perfect choice for this great LO. The photo is fabulous, the journaling is awesome, and I love that strip of elements - all those stars = so cute! So head over to the gallery to leave her some love, and congrats to you lwentkie!

Don't forget that Ramona is giving away a $3 coupon to her store every week! All you have to do is scrap with Ramona's current product - easy and fun - and upload it to her gallery at Brownie Scraps. Then watch the newsletter for the announcement each week and you could be the next winner!! Happy scrapping and I'll see you in the gallery!

Happy 2011!!!

2011-01-02T22:39:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year! I'm always excited for a new year, a new beginning, and lots of new goals. I set a ridiculous amount of resolutions each year. I figure the more I set, the better chance I have of completing at least one of them. Last year I really outdid myself and went a little overboard with the resolutions - some sort of twenty-ten nonsense - so this year I'm simplifying. Since this year is two-oh-one-ONE, I'm focusing on the power of ONE. By small and simple means, great things are brought to pass.. right? So, after being a horrible blogger last year, I'm going to focus on the power of ONE - one blog post a week. That will be a mighty improvement from last year and I'm looking forward to getting back into the blogging habit. So without further adieu...

Let's kick off this new year with a giveaway!!! I'm on the amazing CT of a fabulous designer (and one of my absolute favorites) Ramona the Pest at Brownie Scraps. Her kits are so much fun to work with, and now she has made it even more fun by offering a $3 coupon to her store. Want a chance to win??? All you have to do is play with her kits! Check out her store here and do a little shopping. Have fun creating awesome LOs and upload them to her gallery. We'll be choosing a LO that really stands out in her gallery each week and featuring it in the newsletter. The scrapper who created that LO will receive a $3 coupon to Ramona's store to shop some more and make some more amazing LOs, which of course should be uploaded to the gallery for another chance to win!! There is no limit to the number of LOs you can create and enter for chances to win. So head to the store, shop til you drop, and scrap, scrap, scrap!

This week the winner of the $3 coupon is krystlbear for her LO Memories. Congratulations, Crystal!!

Isn't it darling? I love the circle photos and all the swirls. So cute! Head over to the gallery to leave her some love and upload your own LOs for a chance to win next week's coupon. See you in the gallery!

Thankful For... Days 7 and 8

2010-11-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

The hardest and best thing I've ever done in my life is be a mom. I had a moment last weekend surrounded by all of my family in the basement hanging out and loving each other when I was especially grateful for this life.

Gallery view here. Kit is Simple Elegance by Scrappin' Daisies and it lives up to its name. Simple, beautiful, elegant - I love it! Based on a template by Helen at MScraps. Links in gallery view.

We've had a strange fall, much warmer than usual, no snow, lots of sunshine. It has been lovely, but I admit I had a little thrill when I looked outside the other morning and saw what looked like a winter storm coming in through the trees. I grew up in a place that didn't have seasons or weather, and I really love being able to enjoy both now.

Gallery view here. Kit is Fall Breeze by Flutterbye Faery Designs. Links in gallery view.

Thankful For... Days 5 and 6

2010-11-11T06:49:00.004-07:00

Life gets so busy and there's always so much to do, so many places to run, and so many things pulling us in all directions. I'm grateful for times when I can just sit around being with my family at home.

This gorgeous kit is Fall Memories by Ramona the Pest Designs at Polka Dot Plum. Template was a DSD freebie from Studio Basic Designs. Gallery view here.

This little nut has never been an easy kid. She was my hardest pregnancy, my hardest baby, and as a toddler has been constantly on the move, destroying everything in her path, but she's also so sweet, cute, loving, and funny. She makes my days ridiculously hard and perfectly wonderful all at the same time.

This adorable mini is Give a Hoot by Flutterbye Faery Designs. Every piece of the mini was used in this page. It's free with the purchase of a Brownie Addicts membership for the month of November at Brownie Scraps - $10 includes this cute mini, another (gorgeous) never-released kit, a mega kit and add-on, extra coordinating freebies throughout the month, QP exchange, challenges, chatter, and fun! Totally worth every penny and still worth the price even though it's already the 11th. Gallery view here.

Ready for a vacation?

2010-11-10T08:13:00.001-07:00

It's time for the 2nd Annual Brownie Scraps Cruise! Hop on board and joion us for some great fun!

This really was ridiculously fun last year and you don't want to miss it. You can buy your passport HERE. Your passport includes a fabulous cruise kit and some other fantastic {surprise!} items. You'll want to join us for Cruise Bingo and the chance to win $100 to spend at the Brownie Scraps store!! Yes, you read that right, $100 GC to Brownie Scraps!!! Have someone create a fabulous LO for you while you lounge by the pool. And so much more!!! (Click on the flyer for more info.) Get your passport now. You don't want to miss this!!

Thankful For... Days Three and Four

2010-11-04T16:58:00.000-06:00

It's only day four and I'm already loving this project. It's really great to spend the day looking for things I'm thankful for, and it helps me appreciate even the small things in life a little more. Yesterday my 2-year-old woke up cranky and whining. After I got her big sisters off to school, I tossed my whiny companion into the tub, filled it with bubbles and watched her scowl instantly turn to pure elation. I love that I can make my baby happy with something so simple as pouring some bubbles into a tub of water.

Gallery view here. Kit is Summer Fun: Beach by Marni Designs at Brownie Scraps. The alpha is a FREE bonus with the purchase of the Summer Fun Bundle (which just happenst to be on sale now). Click on the gallery view for the links.

My 11-year-old has had some issues with her teeth since she was little. At the time I didn't realize what was going on, but looking back now in photos and videos I can see that as a baby she had a bottle of apple juice with her all the time. all. the. time. This resulted in "bottle mouth" which is a cute name for a gross problem -- rotting teeth. When she was 1-1/2 she had to have her front 4 teeth pulled, and she lived without them for years and years until her adult teeth came in. When they finally did, they were so crooked she still couldn't bite into anything. We talked to an orthodontist earlier this year who said he could do her braces in two phases. The first phase now to straighten her top teeth, and then in a few years when all of her permanent teeth have come in, we can do a full mouth set, fix her bite, blah, blah... all those things that orthodontists do. We jumped at the chance to fix her funky teeth, and she had her braces put on in February. This week she got them off, and it has been so fun to see how much she loves her straight, brace-less teeth.

Gallery view here. This adorable kit is Toothy Grin, the new release from Ramona the Pest in her new store at Polka Dot Plum. Links available in the gallery view.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful For... Day Two

2010-11-02T20:00:00.001-06:00

Tonight when we were all home from school, work, activities and finally all together for a moment before bedtime, it was time for family prayers. It was my little 5 year old's turn, and her sweet prayer reminded me how thankful I am for the sweet, innocent prayers of children. I love her faith and confidence that someone is listening and that He will answer her. I love that she prayed to be able to go to Disneyland again in January. I love that she prayed for family members whose needs she doesn't understand and random people in the world that she doesn't even know. I love that the only thing she asks for herself is a night free of bad dreams. What a blessing to have children.

Gallery view here. Kit is Vintage Days by Marni Designs at Brownie Scraps.

Thankful For... Project: Day One

2010-11-01T20:56:00.000-06:00

Happy November! I love this time of year and all the holiday excitement. Sometimes I get so caught up in the preparation for Thanksgiving, the food, the home, the travel, that I don't focus enough on the "Thanks." So this month I've started a little Thankful project. Each day in November (or at least until Thanksgiving) I'm going to take a picture and scrap a page of something I'm thankful for... starting today.

We spent the end of October on vacation. We drove to Arizona to visit with family and welcome my baby brother home from his mission. He's as adorable as ever, and we loved soaking up every moment we could spend with him. From Mesa, we drove to our other favorite place, Disneyland! We spent a week at the Happiest Place on Earth with our fun grandparents, and we loved it so much it was hard to tear ourselves away and come home. Now that we're home, we're trying to recover and get things put back in order. I'm slowly finding the living room floor, and the mountain of dirty laundry has been replaced with a mountain of clean laundry waiting for the folding fairy to visit. (If you see her, send her my way.) As I stood looking at that giant mountain of dirty laundry this morning, I found myself so extremely grateful for a washer and dryer that wash my clothes while I do other things. Seven people + 10-ish days = TONS of laundry. I can't imagine if I had to do it any other way. Yikes! So here's my first of many "Today I Am Thankful For" pages.

View it in the gallery here. The kit is Joyful by Scraps by Mara available for FREE this month for particpating in the Brownie Indulgence challenge at Brownie Scraps. Come on over and play along!!

It's That Time Again

2010-09-18T06:10:00.000-06:00

Time to subscribe to the Brownie Addicts Club! Gabs of Snuggle Berry Pie Designs and Sara of Scrap Sprinkles Designs are hosting the Brownie Addicts in October. Sign up for only $7 by the end of September and you'll get a super Mega kit and add-on on October first, another free kit to download as soon as you subscribe, bonus freebies throughout the month, QP exchange, extra challenges, and so much more. It's a great deal! The price goes up to $10 on October 1, so hurry and get it at a discount. You won't be sorry!!

Coming Soon...

2010-09-01T09:02:00.003-06:00

Guess what's coming on Friday... You won't want to miss it!!!

Supreme Scrappin' Challenge

2010-08-30T10:21:00.001-06:00

I've been totally MIA this summer. Yikes! The kids went back to school last week, except my cute little kindergartener who starts tomorrow, so I'm back, too! Did you know that Brownie Scraps is celebrating our 2nd birthday this year? Of course, that means lots of fun and prizes and sales -- and you should not miss it! This fabulous Supreme Scrappin' Challenge starts on Wednesday and you still have time to sign up if you hurry! So head on over to this thread at the forum and sign up for a chance to win some fabulous prizes and a guest Supreme spot!

She's baaaaack!!!

2010-07-02T09:30:00.001-06:00

Do you want to hear some completely amazing news??? Ramona the Pest Designs is BACK!!! Yay! She took a 6-month break from designing and just re-opened her store today. As always, she does not disappoint with this fabulous new kit, Sail Away.

Don't you just love it? Pefect colors for July and fun sailing elements. When you buy the collection you also receive 2 fabulous alphas, a super template pack and a gorgeous word art set. Check this out.

And it gets even better. Right now you can get the whole bundle for 25% off!!! Here are a few pages from me for a little inspiration.

This one of my adorable nephew at the beach was made with a template from Ramona the Pest. She makes such fabulous templates! Be sure to click on over to the store today and snag this super kit while it's on sale!

It's Family Reunion Time!

2010-06-26T08:57:00.001-06:00

When I was a younger, every year during the last weekend in June my family would make the looooong drive to Southern Utah for the Swapp family reunion. I have so many wonderful memories of spending time with my wonderful family there and reconnecting with loved ones I only saw that one time every year. In recent years, the reunion has moved to a different location and a different time, but this weekend I'm feeling kind of nostalgic and wishing I was in southern Utah with my family, introducing my girls to long lost cousins and enjoying the battle of the clans, scavenger hunt, fish pond, pot luck, campfire songs... Oh my, I miss it. Lucky for me, Brownie Scraps is a very special site with a family-like atmosphere, and so this July we decided it was time to celebrate that feeling of family we all enjoy there with a Scrapping Family Reunion! Yay!

The Brownie Supremes have been so busy planning this event and it is going to be SO much fun. We have so many activities for all to enjoy. EVERYONE can participate, but only those wearing the official family reunion name tag will get the chance to earn fabulous prizes!! That nametag is included when you buy the Family Reunion Ticket, which also includes this fabulous kit.

Awesome, right??? The ticket price is $5 through the end of June and goes up to $7 on July 1 - still totally worth the price, but why not get it in the next few days and save a few dollars? ;) Get your ticket here and then check out this thread for all the family reunion fun! There's not much there now, but all the events will be posted on July 1. You don't want to miss it!!!

Just for fun I made a little coordinating word art pack freebie that you can snag here. Enjoy!

Happy May!

2010-05-04T11:24:00.000-06:00

So, um, it's been a month since I posted. Sorry about that. I've been frantically trying to get my house ready to put up for sale. We have a meeting with the realtor on Friday, and I'm not ready (and should not be on the computer right now), but I just had to show you some stuff that's going on at Brownie Scraps, my digi-scrap home.

First of all, I am one of the new Brownie Supremes! Yay!!!! I am so excited to show off some more fabulous creations from the Brownie Scraps designers! If you've never been to Brownie Scraps, you really ought to check it out. I've been to forums all over digi-land, but there's no place that feels like home like Brownie Scraps does. We have some great challenges going on this month. In fact, I'm even hosting one - it's a recipe challenge you can find here. And this is the LO I made as the example.

I used Marti Scraps' new(ish) kit MMgood. The colors are so fun, and the kit is fabulous!

Speaking of Marti Scraps, if you're like me and don't have your Mother's Day gifts ready yet, she has this fabulous kit out just in time, A Special Lady. It's really beautiful. Here's a page I made with it:

So hurry over to Brownie Scraps today and join in the fun! I'll see you there!

New Store, New CT, and a Speed Scrap

2010-04-02T10:12:00.001-06:00

Hello, my internet friends! It's good food Friday AND I have a fun announcement to make! We have a new designer at Brownie Scraps -- Marti Scraps!! I simply love her work, so I sort of begged to be on her CT and she said yes! YAY!!! In celebration of her new store, she's hosting a not-so-speedy scrap tonight. We usually spend so much time chatting at Brownie speed scraps that the actual scrapping is anything but speedy and the 'deadline' gets extended. lol! She's offering a fabulous participation prize, so you MUST join us tonight at 9 pm CST here at Brownie Scraps.

And the celebration doesn't end there. She already has a fabulous store and she's offering everything in it on sale for 25% off. You can check it out here, and I think you'll see why I begged to be on her CT ;) Come on and check it out!

And now for some good food. Unless you've been living in a cave, I'm sure you know all about kevin and amanda. You know she has adorable free fonts and other fun stuff, but have you checked out her recipe page??? Oh my goodness, she has some delicious food there. Mouthwatering yumminess! I'm sure everything is positively scrumptious, but I've only tried a few so far. Believe me, the rest are on my list... So I'll show you my favorites, and if you find yourself a different favorite, don't forget to come back and share with the class... ;)

These might kill you, but it would be worth it. So yummy. Bacon Cheeseburger Chicken

And if you're a pasta lover, you'll thank me for pointing you in this direction. And if you're not a pasta lover, you'll definitely want to try the chicken anyway. Perfect, Creamy, Fettuccini Alfredo

Enjoy some good food and have a great weekend!!!

Spring Picnic STS blog train

2010-04-01T01:00:00.002-06:00

Happy April! Today my little girl turns 5, so it seems very appropriate to have the fabulous gift today of this awesome blog train full of great pieces. And what better way to say thanks on Thank You Thursday? I really appreciate everyone who leaves a little love when they like what they see. So to the few of you, thank you, thank you!!!

Since I've been slacking on my blogging lately, I just want to show you this fabulous kit real quick. It's a collab by Marni Designs and Brandy Designs. Here's a preview:

Gorgeous, yes? Yes! You can hop over to the store and check it out here.

Now on to the blog train. I got a little carried away this month. My *mini* kit has 11 papers and 30 elements! The colors and theme of the Stuff to Scrap blog train this month were so fun, and there are some AMAZING pieces from the rest of the contributors. You've probably already picked up most of them, since I'm just one designer away from the caboose! Here's my part:

Download here:

Papers
Elements

Here's the whole train. Have a fun ride!
Digi-designs by Nicole
Scraps by Andrea
SAHM Scrapper (Becky)
Digital Scrapbooking Central
Farrah Smith Designs
JeNaSis DeSiGn
Christin's Creations
Jensen Motley Crew Designs
The Scrappy Kat
Scrappin' Serenity
Growing Pains Scrapped
Cami Jo Scraps
This Little Missy
Photom Scraps
Melissa's Scraps and more
Rainamoon Scraps
Adriana's Cafe
Scraps N Pieces
B2N2 Scraps
Manda's Scrappin' Creations
Mommy Me Time Scrapper
Ányi + a digitális scrapbooking
Becky Young Designs
Digital Scrap Fun
manda lane scraps
Saphira's Scrapdesign
Shel Belle Scraps
Seal Scraps
Luna Rosa's Scraps
Just For Fun
Grandmas Templates
Where The Heart Is
Sheri's Scraps
Every EverAfter Moment
Let Me Scrapbook!
Heidi's Creations
Pretty Pixel Designs
Stuff to Scrap
Milly Dee
Craft With ME
Pages N Me
Tricia's Treasures
Flower Scraps
Arizona Sweetheart Scraps - You are here! Almost done ;)
The Scrapping Sisters

Happy Scrapping!!!

Good Food Friday and a QP freebie

2010-03-19T15:00:00.000-06:00

It's been a long time, so this is going to be a huge post today. Are you ready? Okay, here we go. It is good food Friday, so there's that, too. Today's good food isn't so much a recipe as a yummy combination of convenience items for those days when there's just no time to make dinner. Yesterday, for example, I was busy scrapping this page for the first event of the olympics at Brownie Scraps and didn't stop to make dinner.

Isn't that kit fabulous? It's "Get Lucky" by Flutterbye Faery Designs and Scrappin Daisies, and it was just one of the perks of the Brownie Addiction Club. This month we had a QP exchange, and this page will be offered as QP for March members. Yet another perk of the addict membership. April memberships are for sale now, so if I were you, I'd jump over there and become an addict! Here's more info:

Purchase your membership before the 1st of April, and you can get this awesome membership for ONLY $6! AND you get a FREE mini just for purchasing your membership! So go HERE and purchase your membership before the price goes up to $9!

I also want to tell you about a fabulous deal from Marni Designs. She has not one but TWO awesome boy kits just released on Monday.
Little Buddy

and Little Boy Blue

Awesome, right? They're $6 each or you can get both together for $8!!! What a deal!!

Here are some pages I made with these great kits. I don't have any boys to scrap, and these kits were still so much fun to play with.

We're almost to the end of this massively long post. I just need to give you some links to snag those fabulous boy kits and a "recipe" for some good food today. So here are the links for these awesome kits and the whole bundle:

Little Buddy

Little Boy Blue

Little Bundle

Oh, and everything in March's store is 38% off through Saturday, so you can save even MORE money on these fabulous kits. Seriously, you'd be nuts not to take advantage of this!! ;) And here's a quick and easy dinner you can throw together when you can't rip yourself away from your scrapping in time to cook.

Chicken Club Pizza
(Amounts are to taste - whatever you want!) Preheat oven to 425. Take a tube of refrigerated pizza crust (Pillsbury) and spread over a cookie sheet. Spread with alfredo sauce. Cover with a monterrey jack/cheddar cheese blend. Debone a rotisserie chicken, cut into chunks and spread over cheese. Take a bottle of bacon pieces (not the nasty fake stuff like Bacos, but the real bacon pieces) and sprinkle over the pizza. Bake for 15-20 minutes. While it bakes, dice an avocado, tomato and green or red onion and mix. Sprinkle that yummy mixture over the pizza when it comes out of the oven and enjoy!

And since you made it through this ridiculously long post, I'm going to throw in a QP freebie that comes from this LO I made with Marni Designs' Color Me Happy. It's also on sale for 38% off right now if you want to hop over here and snag it. QP download link is here. Enjoy!

Perfect Day QP #3

2010-03-03T08:32:00.001-07:00

"Word Art Wednesday" can be roughly translated to mean I-give-something-away-free Day. Yay! There's not much going on today. I'm off to preschool in a little while to be the parent helper - which usually means indentured servant who cuts out tiny shapes for two hours. Cutting for two hours is not fun for my carpal tunnel, but it's the trade-off for the free preschool. I've been working a little every day on getting my house cleaned out and ready to sell. We have SO MUCH STUFF!!! It's a little bit ridiculous. I have two HUGE boxes ready to go to storage that I pulled out of one closet yesterday.

Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, Marni Designs has this FABULOUS boy kit coming out later this month. It's kind of early to show you a sneak peek, but I know a lot of scrappers search high and low for good boy kits so I thought you'd appreciate the inside tip. It will be released on the 15th, so this won't be the last time you'll hear something about it from me.

And now on to the freebie. I've given you two QPs from March's One Perfect Day, and today I'll give you the third and final one. Here's my LO of my second and third little cuties. Lately they can't be in the same room without fighting, so I did this LO to remind myself - and them - of what sweet sisters they can be.

If you want to check out the Perfect Day kit, you can find it here. If you want the QP version of my page, you can download it here, and please don't forget to leave some love. You can find the other two QPs here and here. Have a great day, and I'll see you tomorrow for Thank You Thursday!

P.S. Today is the last day to get Color Me Happy for 35% off, so hurry on over and pick up this gorgeous kit!! Pictures and links are in yesterday's post.

STS Blog Train - French Tulips

2010-03-01T01:00:00.001-07:00

For Me Time this Monday morning, we're focusing on my dream of learning to design. I've been involved in one little designer "academy" at Brownie Scraps put on by Fairytale Beginnings and I didn't even finish the kit I was working on, so this is the first time I've ever finished anything! Yay! :)

Before we get to that, though, I want to show you this fabulous new kit. I teased you with the sneak peek a few days ago, and here's the full preview:

Fabulous, eh? It's a collab from Marni Designs and Designs by Anja J, and it's so colorful and fun. You definitely want to add it to your kit collection and make some awesome LOs with it! Here's one I did.

You can find Color Me Happy here in March's store at Brownie Scraps. It's 35% off until Wednesday, so hurry and snag it now!

Now on to my designing dream. I am so excited about my first ever blog train! I just recently started playing around with designing, so I promise to keep practicing and get better. I've got to admit, I love my papers, but my elements are mostly just CU recolored and modified when required. There are only a few I made myself. So I'll keeep working on that... I really loved this palette and theme. I'm sure you've already collected some fabulous pieces along the way. Here's my part:

There are 8 papers and 15 elements. This kit is PU/S4H/S4O use only. You can donwload here:

French Tulips Download

Here's the rest of the train. Have a fun trip and don't forget to leave some love when you download!

SAHM Scrapper
Nibbles Skribbles
Scrappin' Serenity
Craft With Me
Christin's Creations
Scraps N Pieces
B2N2 Scraps
Shel Belle Scraps
Saphira's Scrapdesign
Let Me Scrapbook!
Grandmas Templates
Where The Heart Is
Jensen Motley Crew Designs
The Scrappy Kat
Always Be Neighbors Designs
Scrap Attack-Designs by Beth
Scrapping Sisters
Seal Scraps
manda lane scraps
Ányi + a digitális scrapbooking
Pages N Memories
Flower Scraps
Arizona Sweetheart Scraps - YOU ARE HERE
Just For Fun

Good Food Friday = Yummy

2010-02-26T10:04:00.001-07:00

I love to try new recipes, so the other night my 8-year-old and I made this one and absolutely LOVED it. I had already put it all away before I realized my pictures didn't turn out, so this one is courtesy of Pillsbury.

Chicken-Prosciutto Lasagna

Doesn't that look scrumptious. It is! There's a lot of chopping involved, which I love, so get yourself a great knife and have some fun! Here's the recipe for you - also courtesy of Pillsbury (here).

Chicken-Proscuitto Lasagna

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1/4 lb. prosciutto, chopped
1 (16-oz.) jar Parmesan and mozzarella cheese pasta sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 medium red and/or yellow bell peppers, chopped
1 (15-oz.) can Italian-style tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded fontina cheese
1 oz. (1/4 cup) shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Cook noodles as directed on package. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and onion; cook 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center, stirring occasionally. Stir in prosciutto, pasta sauce and 2 tablespoons of the basil; mix well. Set aside.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add bell peppers; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato sauce. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in parsley and remaining 2 tablespoons basil.
4. Spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture evenly in bottom of sprayed baking dish. Top with 4 cooked noodles, overlapping as necessary. Top with about half of tomato mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the fontina cheese. Layer half of remaining chicken mixture, 4 noodles, remaining tomato mixture and remaining 1 cup fontina cheese. Top with remaining 4 noodles, remaining chicken mixture and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil.
5. Bake covered at 350°F. for 45 minutes.
6. Uncover baking dish; bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Add 1/2 cup water to tomato mixture. Bake covered at 375°F. for 45 minutes. Continue as directed above.

Enjoy! :)

Nothing says thank you like a QP freebie

2010-02-25T10:50:00.003-07:00

Hooray for Thank You Thursday! I love taking some time every day to think of what I'm thankful for and sharing some of those gratitudes with my bloggy friends once a week. Of course, as soon as I start typing, my mind completely goes blank and I can't remember a single thing I was going to say. Does that happen to anyone else? So while I'm thinking, let me show you a fun sneak peek.

Doesn't that look amazing? Believe me, you WANT to get your hands on this kit! It's a collab by Marni Designs and Designs by Anja J, and it's FABULOUS! It's called Color Me Happy, and it really is very colorful and very happy. You will love it!

That reminds me of one of my gratitudes today. A big thank you to March for including me in her CT. It is so fun to work with such a fun designer! I love the other fun ladies on the CT, and of course it's a blast to work with her awesome kits! She has a kit in her store that is one of the very first ones she ever made - it was for a design challenge. I made a few pages with it and offered one as a QP here. Today I'm offering another one as a QP just to say thanks to you for visiting today. Here's my page:

And here's the download link. I left the title on so you can use it to scrap one of your silly pictures, too. I love that her shirt says "boys are like so whatever" - so perfect for this page. lol!

My other big gratitude today is for 4 identical blankets my hubby's grandma gave the girls for Christmas a few years ago.

My youngest adopted them as her own blankies, and oh my goodness it's nice to have 4 favorite blankies. We keep one in the car, one in her bed, and two roam the house. One can be in the wash or even lost without all the trauma that usually goes along with missing the favorite blankie. I think that's going to be my stand-by baby shower gift from now on -- four identical blankets. It's one of the best baby secrets I know!

Please, oh, please leave me a little note if you download, or even if you didn't because you hated it, I think I'd like to know that, too. And don't forget to tell me what you're thankful for today!

Word Art Wednesday

2010-02-24T08:00:00.007-07:00

Starting out with a little reminder. Remember Be Mine by Marni Designs?

There are only a few days left to get a great discount on this fun kit with this coupon code:

It's only good through February, so head on over to her store right now and get a great deal on this fabulous kit! While you're there, you may want to snag her newest kit, Peaceful.

Isn't that gorgeous? She's offering this beautiful kit for only $2.50. What a steal! Here's another page I made with it.

You can go to the gallery to read the journaling. And finally, now that you've made it through all of that, here's the freebie for today for scrapping your cute little thumb suckers.

Here's the download link. Remember to leave some love if you like it either here or at 4shared if you download, and especially let me know if you use it! I'd love to see what you do with my creations! And while we're talking about freebies, March of Marni Designs has a freebie template on the Brownie Scraps blog. She makes fabulous templates! In fact, my Tasty Thumb LO was made with one of her templates. So go check out her template and you'll find another fun treat - a 50% off coupon for one of her awesome kits! Go now! (After you leave some love, of course.) And I'll see you back here tomorrow for Thank You Thursday.

Off-Topic Tuesday Tips and a Freebie

2010-02-23T14:07:00.001-07:00

Last night for family night, we had a really fun activity. Some families like to hike mountains, some like to camp in the mountains. Well, we decided to tackle a mountain, too... this one:

I know, I know, what am I doing blogging when I have mountains like that in my living room? I really should have had one of the kids stand next to it so you could really get an idea of the size. I'm surprised anyone in the house had clothes left in their drawers to wear when this many were piled on the couch waiting to be folded. It would have taken me all day of folding, while watching a few of my favorite movies -- really not such a bad way to spend a day. But instead, we gathered our gaggle of girls and got it all folded and put away in less than an hour. Even all the socks from this mountain and the mismatched sock basket got mated and deposited into the correct drawers in that time. I wish I would have remembered to take an after shot when half of the living room floor was full of piles. I did make some chocolate cupcakes to sweeten the night, and so I could feel better about myself as a mother.

So here's my off-topic question today for off-topic Tuesday, how do you handle chores in your house? Obviously I could use a lot of improvement in this area of my life, so give me some pointers. I don't necessarily need to live in a museum, but we probably shouldn't have mountains of unfolded laundry taking up all of our seating space. To get things started, I'll share a tip of my own. One thing we do well is morning jobs. The kids have their morning routine that they do pretty well, and part of it is one little job. We keep track of whose turn it is with this adorable job chart.

I just love how happy they look to do their jobs! The circle of heads rotates, and when we first started it they were so excited to see where their head was pointing that morning. I always love the start of a new gimmick. Now it's lost some of its novelty, but it's still working. What I love most about it is that it keeps on working without me having to do much of anything. We've tried many, many chore charts in the 10+ years I've been a mom, and sometimes they're so complicated they take more time than they're worth. This one is simple and effective.

I would really love to hear your tips. How do you handle the chores in your house? Or do you do it all yourself? How do you do that without getting upset with the people who are making all the messes? I went to a class once where a lady was teaching about this subject and said we need to remember when we're cleaning our teenagers' rooms again that we're doing it because we love them. I'm sorry, but I don't believe in cleaning my teenagers' rooms and I think it would be more loving of me to teach them how to work for themselves. Of course, I don't have a teenager yet, so it's easy for me to say that now...

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think, offer a tip, or just mock me for that mountain of laundry I made my family fold for family night. (It was my husband's idea, by the way... He was probably tired of searching through the pile for matching socks every morning.) I changed the settings so it's easier to leave a comment now - no code word to type, no pop-up boxes, no excuses. :) Make sure you leave me a way to contact you, and here's what I'll give you in return... the template for my chore chart!

Yay for templates! It's in .psd format in layers so all you have to do is insert your pictures and print it out. Just make sure you use really happy pictures of your kids so they think doing their chores makes them happy! :)

Freebie Friday

2010-02-19T11:48:00.003-07:00

This week has been crazy! So we're making today Freebie Friday. Yay for freebies! Today is the release of a new kit by Marni Designs called Peaceful. Remember the sneak peak? Well, here's the full preview. Isn't it fabulous?

It's in her store today for only $2.50! Click --> here <-- to check it out. Here's a page I made with it.

So to go along with this great kit, I made this Peace word art pack. These are for PU/S4H use only.

You can download them here, and I'd love to see what you do with them! I'll be back later to show you what I did with them. Have a great day!

Sneak Peek and Me Time!

2010-02-15T12:42:00.002-07:00

Good morning! (It's still morning here for 17 more minutes.) I hope you're enjoying your President's Day after a wonderful Valentine's Day weekend. I just wanted to show you this sneak peek before we get into Me Time -- and I know you all can't wait for more time dedicated to me! ;) This is Marni Designs' latest kit, Peaceful, and it will be in her store on Friday. Don't you love the colors? Me too! I'll have a coordinating freebie later this week for you. :D

Now for Me-Time Monday, here are 5 random facts about me, in no particular order.

1. Disneyland is my favorite place in the world, followed closely behind by Disney World. Those might reverse order if I lived closer to the East coast than the West.

2. I am addicted to cookbooks. Nope, not the food I make with them -- actually purchasing, receiving, or otherwise acquiring cookbooks. I have a huge collection and get a high every time I get a new one. It's a little bit ridiculous.

Addicted (linked to gallery for credits)

3. I listen to Christmas music year-round. You can never have too much Christmas cheer! :D

4. I'm 5' 11" and have been tall my entire life - and I LOVE it! I used to walk down the halls in junior high and be able to see over everyone's heads. It was strange as I got older to have everyone catch up and not be towering over the crowds anymore.

5. I'm not a big fan of breakfast food for breakfast, but I LOVE it for dinner. On Saturday night, when I raced home from the store to watch NBA All-Star Saturday night, my neighbor was unloading his groceries at the same time and showed me the huge slab of beef he was making for Valentine's day. Seriously, this thing was HUGE. He was pretty excited about the amazing meal he was going to prepare. He is an amazing chef, so I thought it sounded amazing, too. I told him we were having scrambled eggs and he audibly scoffed and said, "Because that's the only thing he (my husband) can make???" When I told him no, we just thought it sounded good, he looked at me like I had lost my mind. LOL! He was probably picturing some nasty egg accident on a dirty paper plate, but it was nothing like that. We made a super delicious "brincher" (breafast food for late lunch/early dinner) -- biscuits with sausage gravy, eggs, bacon, hash browns, fruit with homemade whipped cream, OJ, and sparkling cider. Maybe not everyone's idea of a special V-day meal, but oh my, it was yummy. Definitely not as fancy as my neighbor's side of cow, but oh so tasty.

Now I want to hear a random fact about you! And make sure you take some time today for a little pampering. It is Me Time Monday, afterall.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

2010-02-12T09:48:00.001-07:00

It's Good Food Friday! Yay! Even digi-scrappers have to put down the mouse at some point and nourish ourselves. We need energy for all that scrapping, right? So today, in honor of Valentine's weekend, I'm going to share a recipe with you that your Valentine is sure to love - even your love handles will perk right up at the thought... Did you catch that we're not going for health here? Okay, just so long as we're clear.

Heart Attack Potatoes

I honestly don't remember what these potatoes were named the first time I stumbled across the recipe. They were an instant hit and also instantly renamed. I really think these could give you a heart attack - one, because they're so good, but two, because they are SO NOT good for you. But there's a vegetable underneath all that fat and yummy goodness, which makes them the perfect side dish for your special V-day meals. So here goes...

Heart Attack Potatoes
8 large red potatoes
1 c ranch dressing
1 c sour cream
1 c cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 c crumbled cooked bacon
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Cut potatoes into quarters. Place in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes; drain well. (Mine took longer than 8 minutes.) Meanwhile, combine salad dressing, sour cream, 1/2 c cheese and bacon in a large bowl. Add potatoes and salt; stir well. Spoon potato and bacon mixture into a medium baking dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake potatoes until bubbly, about 20 minutes.

So go ahead and make these for your valentine. They're SO yummy. And if they do give you a heart attack, at least you'll die happy.

Thank You Thursday

2010-02-11T05:00:00.008-07:00

I'm big on New Year's Resolutions. You see, I figured out the secret - for me, anyway. There's no magic switch that flips when the ball drops and makes you magically perfect at something you weren't perfect at the day before! I used to set resolutions like "I'm going to do this special thing every single day without fail for the entire year." I would start out great January 1, January 2, maybe even January 3, but by the time January 4 and January 5 rolled around, I was was reminded how perfect I am not and would already miss a day. Since I had failed, I would think "better luck next year" and go back to my old, slothful ways. But now that I realized there's no magic switch, I do things a little differently. My resolutions are my goal of where I want to be by the end of the year. So instead of being perfect every day, I work on creating new good habits and getting rid of bad ones so by the end of the year I'm a better person - at least in that one area. Yay me! I actually set 50 resolutions this year. Ridiculous? Well, maybe, but I figure with 50 resolutions I'll succeed in at least a few of them.

Since this year is 2010, I set twenty resolutions having to do with ten -- like have 10 family sports days, 10 mother-daughter dates, 10 parties, etc. One of those twenty-ten resolutions was to think of 10 gratitudes daily. I know, I know I just said I don't do daily goals. I try not to miss any days, but I don't have to be perfect, so when I miss a day I don't give up and wait to try again next year, I just keep going and trying to do a little better. Anyway... It's really been great for me to think of 10 things I'm thankful for every day. It helps me notice the little things. They don't have to be completely different things with no repeats every day of the year, but I don't repeat the same list over and over. So today I decided to share just a few of my Gratitudes with you and hopefully you'll share some with me, too. What do you want to say "thank you" for today?

#1 - and this is a big one - I'd like to say thank you to my cute husband for being such an amazing dad. Our kids are so lucky to have him, and so am I.

#2 - Orthodontists. Strange thing to be thankful for? Maybe. But my cute little 10 year old has some funky crooked teeth, and she got BRACES on Tuesday. Yay, yay, yay!!! I'm grateful there's a way to fix her teeth so she'll feel better about herself. She'll be starting junior high soon, and we all know what a horrible place that can be...

#3 - I'm thankful for this little nut.

She's by far my hardest, hardest kid, but she's also the one who cracks me up daily and melts me with her cute little baby talk and funny baby ways. She's only 1, but she's the size of a 3 year old. She's incredibly smart - smart enough, in fact, to figure out how to destroy everything in our house in just a moment's time. She's a little chatter box and has the funniest way of saying things. She's an aspiring couch potato and even wakes me up in the middle of the night asking to watch cartoons. She's determined to prove she can thrive on a diet of Trix yogurt and fruit snacks. She was my most difficult pregnancy, most difficult labor and delivery, most difficult postpartum recovery, most difficult to figure out feeding, most difficult to figure out sleep, etc. but I wouldn't trade her for the world.

I have oh so many more things I am grateful for, but we'd be here all day, and I'd really love to hear from you! So don't forget to leave a comment and tell me what you're grateful for today. Remember to come back every week for Thank You Thursday 'cuz it's always good to take some time to be grateful!

Be Mine word art

2010-02-10T05:00:00.043-07:00

Hello bloggy internet friends! How much do you love speed scraps? If you're like me, you like them a lot, a lot! So I thought you'd also like it a lot, a lot if I shared with you the schedule of speed scraps the Brownie Supremes are putting on this month at Brownie Scraps. The first one was on Saturday, but there are FOUR MORE this month - including one tonight! Yay for speed scraps!

And now, it's Word Art Wednesday, so I made a cute little word art to go with this fun kit by Marni Designs that just came out a few days ago.

You can also use it for the "Cherry On Top" challenge at Brownie Scraps which you can find here.

You can download the png file here. Please remember it's for personal use only. I would love to see what you do with it! Leave me a comment with a link to where you posted your page or send me an email. The whole kit is so much fun to play with! You can use this coupon for the month of February to get $2 off!

How cute is that little love bird? I'm telling you, this is a super cute kit! Hop on over here and check it out! Don't forget your coupon code!

Chunky Bling

2010-02-09T05:00:00.028-07:00

Welcome to our first Off-Topic Tuesday! We all have interests other than scrapping, right? Personally, I like finding great stuff on the internet and wishing it was mine. So I was avoiding work yesterday and stumbled across this fun site – which is a pretty cool find in and of itself – when lo and behold, I was introduced to the amazing site that is Chunky Bling. Have you seen these?

I want this band

with this face.

How cute is that? I just know this would be my new favorite watch if I had one. I am seriously coveting right now. You should make your way over there right now and find your new favorite watch, too. There's really cute bracelets, rings, and necklaces, too. Anyone up for a virtual party?

Oh, and while we’re off-topic, if any one knows where I can find baby-proof sunglasses, you’ll be my new best friend. My little almost 2-year-old ~~monster~~ cutie breaks every pair I ever buy. She actually broke THREE pairs on our vacation to Disneyland last month (only two of them were mine). I’m kinda tired of squinting when I drive.

One more off-topic request before you go. My cousin is in a contest to win a free newborn photo shoot. She's due in a few weeks with what is sure to be an ADORABLE baby girl. So if you have a minute, please hop over here and vote for Kate Cupps. Thanks so much!!

Arizona Sweetheart

2010-02-08T05:00:00.006-07:00

Good morning, Internets! Today is the very first “Me Time Monday” at AZ Sweetheart Scraps. ‘Cuz really, who doesn’t want to hear all about me?? Today I’m going to tell you the little story about where AZ Sweetheart Scraps came from.

Once upon a time when I was in fourth grade, the mandatory grade school curriculum required us to study the great state of Arizona. That’s when I first learned that Arizona had a nickname I had never imagined! I knew all about the Grand Canyon, which was up to that point our only claim to fame – or so I thought. Did you know that Arizona officially became a state on Valentine's Day? When I was in jr. high and thought I was oh so clever, I used to wish everyone a happy Arizona Statehood Day instead of Valentine's Day. Oh my, yes, was I clever! Anyway, that's how Arizona earned it's little-known nickname of the Sweetheart State. It was also the 48th state to be admitted to the union, followed by Alaska 47 years later, so it was called the Baby State for awhile, but I didn't want to be AZ Baby Scraps.

So back to our story... Several years later that 4th grader had grown up (or so she thought) and was off to college. It was there that she met a boy and fell fast and hard for that boy. She tried to charm him one day with her obscure knowledge of Arizona state nicknames. The boy was charmed, oh yes he was. And from then on he called her his Arizona Sweetheart.

Touching story, eh? I also thought you might like to see what’s in store on this little blog. I’m an obsessive planner and organizer, so naturally I have a schedule all ready (and the next few blog posts just waiting to be posted and read by you!). I’m also a bit of a perfectionist, so this isn’t set in stone, and let's face it, I'm a woman and therefore change my mind frequently – but here’s what I have in mind for the near future.

Monday = Me Time Monday – cuz who doesn’t love to hear all about me, me, ME?
Tuesday = Off-Topic Tuesday – fun finds out in the internets that have nothing to do with scrapping
Wednesday = Word Art Wednesday – fun freebies that may or may not coordinate with fun kits
Thursday = Thank You Thursday – what are you grateful for?
Friday = Good Food Friday – even scrappers have to eat sometimes
Saturday/Sunday = Weekend Inspiration – great LOs from around digiland

Doesn’t that sound fun? I can’t even tell you how excited I am about this, my friends! (You’re reading my blog, so that officially makes us friends now. YAY! Why don’t you become a follower and make it even MORE official?) I am seriously coveting the cute, cute find I’ll be sharing with you tomorrow, and your mouth will water when you see what I have in store for you on Friday. I’m hungry just thinking about it!

While the spotlight is still on me, I want to show you a few cute LOs I did this weekend. Well, actually it's two versions of the same LO and I need some advice.

I did this one first, but after I had finished it and looked at it again it seemed like the focus is less on Lauren and more on her dad. Is it just me, or do you agree?

So then I did this one, and the focus is definitely on Lauren now. Do we like it? Which one is your favorite?

I used this beautiful kit by Marni Designs called Perfect Day.

It's a wedding kit, but I thought it was perfect for these baptism day photos, too! I made this into a freebie QP you can download here. If you want to pick up the whole beautiful kit, you can find it here. And don't forget you only have until the end of the month to use that great coupon for Be Mine. If you *did* forget, you can go here to remember.

That's it for today, but while it's still Me Time Monday, remember to take some me time and do something for yourself today, just for fun!

Inspiration Weekend and a CT call

2010-02-06T05:00:00.048-07:00

Brownie Scraps is my digi-scrapping home. I love it! They're having a CT call through Feb. 13, so if you're looking for a great team on a fun site, apply now!

Wouldn't it be lovely if there was nothing else to do on weekends and we could just sit around scrapping? Well, in honor of that dream, every weekend here at AZ Sweetheart Scraps is going to be *Inspiration Weekend*. I'm going to showcase some of my favorite LOs from galleries all over digiland. There are many, many galleries full of hundreds of great LOs, and I just have this one little blog, so this will just be a small sampling of some of the great work that's out there. All LOs will be linked to galleries so you can visit for credits and to leave some love. And please do head on over and leave them some love, because who doesn't love to hear how adorable their LOs are? I know I do!! You may need to register to view and comment in the galleries. Enjoy!

Such a Beautiful Smile

New Beginnings, New Kit!

2010-02-05T11:25:00.001-07:00

Hello, digi-scrappers! I’m starting a brand new adventure, so it seemed like time for a brand new blog! My name is Melanie. I started digi-scrapping 1 year ago and it quickly became an addiction. My first few attempts were pretty embarrassing, but since then I’ve improved a bit. Lol! I met my husband in college and got married when we were way too young but didn’t know it. Now over a decade later we have 5 adorable little girls who are the subjects of most of my scrapping. My favorite digi-scrapping home is Brownie Scraps – no matter how many other sites and forums I join, Brownie Scraps is the one that feels like home. Come on over and join in the fun! I was recently invited to my first 2 CTs in the same weekend! I won’t be able to officially join one of them for several more months, so for now I’ve started out on my very first CT for Marni Designs and I’m loving it! March has a very fun and unique style of designing, and her kits are a blast to work with. Let me show you what I’ve been working on.

March just released this fab kit today: Be Mine

and here is what I've been doing with it...

Love My Sister

Storytime with Dad

Forever Love (click link to go to gallery and read the journaling)

This kit is so fun! You can click on the preview to head over to the store where you'll find it for $6... or use this coupon to get $2 off through the month of February! How's that for a deal? (Clicking on the coupon will take you to the store.)

BeMine2off

Come back on Wednesday for a coordinating word art freebie! In fact, come back every Wednesday for a word art freebie – it’s Word Art Wednesday! This is going to be a fun adventure, so come back often and join in the fun!