Webster's Pages Blog Hop

Welcome to my humble abode!!!  You should have arrived from Emma Trout's blog...I am sure you just adored her work!  I am so excited to be a part of this amazing DT and the blog hop!  I have been a fan of Webster's Pages from the beginning and can't even believe I get to have this opportunity!  Thought I would introduce myself to you if you are new to my blog or get to know you better if you have been here before!

Some facts about me: 

1. I can say my style of scrapbooking is clean and linear with a twist.  I vary it up according to the product I am using, but do follow basic design principals!  I am type A.

2. I am a cluster and story-focused kind of scrapper.  I like to cluster embellishments that compliment the theme of my layout!  All of my pages share some story from my life, from major moments to everyday happenings.

3. If I can only get two Webster's Pages products for a project I would choose patterned paper and shape stickers!  You can cut so many things from the paper to make your own embellies and the stickers are super versatile!  (Did I mention the bloomers, flowers, sparklers...)

4. I find inspiration in the materials I am working with...a word that is on a page, a phrase in the sticker pack, a certain image in the paper.  And I love the Pottery Barn catalog!

5. I scrap in my office and if you were to come in my scrap room now you will find a space heater, my kids coloring supplies and bits of paper (including the backs of foam squares).

6. My most loved techniques right now are fussy cutting, using strips of paper and misting!

I wanted to share a couple of recent Webster's layouts. This one has been posted here before and was my favorite project that I submitted to the DT call!

And here is one that I just made!

One more, more graphic in nature!

When I applied, I shared my thoughts about how Webster's Pages can be used for so many different styles!  I think it can be shabby and romantic, funky and artsy, and clean and graphic!  Can't wait to play all year long!

Onward to the prize!

Brandin (who is sooo sweet!) will be giving away a complete set of all of the Webster's Pages Princess Petal Florettes. The complete set includes 8 florettes (2 colors from each collection: Country Estate, Yacht Club, Ladies&Gents, Trendsetter)!  Just leave a comment to this post, and you are eligible to win. Your chances of winning are increased if you leave comments on each member's blog...so get ready to type! You have until January 31, 2011 at 12 midnight EST to leave a comment.  Winners will be announced at the Inspire Me site on Feb. 3, 2011.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you visit again!  Your next stop is to the lovely and very talented Emeline Seet's blog!  Have fun!

Usually More Frugal Than That

I don't know about you, but when I get scrapbooking supplies that I love, I tend to hoard a bit.  I tell myself that I have to wait for the just right photo.  Sometimes I am right, but most of the time I should just make something.

Embellishments are used only in bits and pieces as I am afraid the day will come when I reach for one, and discover they are gone!

But, two days ago my February kit from the Nook showed up.  Inside was a sheet of beautiful gold Jenni Bowlin rub-ons.  I immediately saw them as a "mat" on a page.  The entire sheet.  So I laid them down and went for it!

Here is the result!

The rub-ons I am speaking of...

And the other Webster's Pages goodies that are in the kit:

If you love Websters and Jenni Bowlin with a little Cosmo Cricket thrown in, go buy the Feb. kit!    I have made four Webster's layouts...gosh, I love scrapping with this stuff!

Be sure to stop by on the 29th for a chance to win an awesome Webster's prize!

Wishing I was at CHA this week...sooo many strong releases this year!

ScrapStreet Shares

Wanted to remind everyone about how fabulous the latest issue of Scrapstreet.com Magazine is!  We are a widely viewed ezine with amazing writers and designers.  Each issue has so much to offer and will surely inspire you!  I continue to write my monthly article on enhancing and improving your journaling, and I still love it.  Even after all this time!

I am looking for those who are interested in being guest designers as well as for you to follow the typical submission process!  Current calls can be found here!  I am currently looking for pages that incorporate idioms or beloved family sayings into the journaling!  The deadline expires on January 30th so you still have time to submit.  If you are interested in being a guest designer, please email me at stacey@scrapstreet.com with a link to your gallery/blog!  Once it is your turn, I will send you an assignment and you create! I would love to see your work!

Here is a page I created for my latest article about using your unique voice when writing.  That voice can change depending on the topic...I chose to use my gnarly, Valley girl voice from the late 80s and early 90s.  Remember that...there was even a TV show about the craze.  I suppose Jersey Shore is the modern day version.

Don't laugh at me, but that was my college hair!  HUGE!  Double spiral, piggy-back perm.  It was a whole heck of a lot of hair!  Oh, and my waist was sooo small there.  Sigh...darn aging process!

Be sure to check out the January issue and get ready for the February one!  You will not be disappointed!

Mark Your Calendars!

Save the date for January 29, 2011!  The Webter's Pages Design Team is having a blog hop beginning at 9 a.m. EST!  I am sure you are all eager to meet the 2011 design team and see everyone's winning DT application pages. You will have a chance to get to know each member a little better!  The hop will start with Iris's blog and end at Webster's blog.
Here's the amazing perk:  Brandin will be giving away a complete set of all Webster's Pages Princess Petal Florettes. The complete set includes 8 florettes (2 colors from each collection: Country Estate, Yacht Club, Ladies&Gents, Trendsetter)! Those are some real beauties!!

You can win this fabulous prize just by leaving a comment in the dt member's blogs. Leave a comment in all of the blogs and that will increase your chances of winning. You will have until January 31, 2011 at 12 midnight EST to leave a comment. The winner will be announced at the Inspire Me Site on February 3, 2011.


See you all on January 29 where we will hop along for some eye candy and creative inspiration!

It is going to be great!

What's in a Name?

We are in the middle of a big weekend crop over at the Nook and the theme is Family Reunion!  So many fun and creative challenges!  I love Nook crops because we always go all out!

My challenge is to put someone's name in the spotlight!  Tell the story behind your name or even the meaning!  I was supposed to be a Heather.  But became a Stacey.  It was a popular name in the seventies and there was even a barbie with the name!  Hmmm...with that said, I have never been totally fond of it! 

Stacey means "resurrection", which is actually fitting because I am in a continous state of reflection and change.  I think opportunities present themselves for a reason and many times, you are given the chance to be reborn.  Every time it happens, you move closer to who you really are! 

I guess Stacey is not so bad.

For my challenge, I did a layout about my kid's names and what they mean!  Boy, do they really fit!

Steve and I wanted old-fashioned names for the kids, sturdy and strong, yet unique! 

What is the story behind your name or a person's name who you love?  There is a layout there waiting to happen!

P.S.  Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments yesterday!  I feel so supported in this community!  My head is still spinning with happiness and awe!

Feeling so Grateful

and honored and humbled.  Excited and happy!  A new door has opened and I am jumping through it!

Check out the new Webster's Pages Design Team!

Iris Babao Yu {Philippians} ~ Design Team LEAD

Anabelle O'Malley {USA}
Jaz Lee {Singapore}
Gabrielle Pollacco {Canada}
Ivana Camdzic {Canada}
Larissa Albernaz {Brazil}
Tomoko Takahashi {Japan}
Emma Trout {UK}
Stacey Michaud {USA}
Emeline Seet {Singapore}
Gerry van Gent {Netherlands}
Webster's Pages Hybrid/Digital Design Team
Mitsue Iwata {USA}
Steph Devlin {Australia}
Julie Walton {USA}
Webster's Pages Altered Team
Laura McCollough {USA}
Angella Peardon {Australia}

That's me in the second row, alongside so much talent! I am a fan of so many of these girls! I have dreamed of this for years!  WP has been one of my top companies since the beginning!  Last CHA, when I was in the booth, I thought, "What an amazing dream team this would be!"  Told everyone I was going for the guest designer spot, tried hard and didn't get one...but now!  I think I willed it to happen...LOL!

What is even better is that my submissions were all layouts and projects that were me staying true to me with my style.  My friend, Sasha, always talks about being you at all times.  And I was and they really like me as me!  I can't wait to play with all the new goodies, be inspired by such a great community and do my best to represent this fabulous company!

For Brandin and all my friends:

I am one lucky and happy girl!

Since we are talking about cute

I enjoy cute.  I admit it!  The paper goods for a casual holiday get together should be cute.  Having a cute purse is important (although I just developed that habit this past summer!).  Who doesn't love a cute pair of shoes with the perfect sweater!

Cute=winter hats for kids.  I buy my kids' hats early in the season...I want the cute ones before they are all gone!  Think about it...they wear their hats every single day.  It needs to match the coat for the year...should have a set of matching mittens.  I stalk the kids department at Target because cute does not have to be expensive.  Seeing them each day when we leave the house at 7:30 a.m. makes me feel happy. 

Life is in the little details right?

To celebrate the winter hat, especially Ella's...here is a recent layout.

Used Crate Paper to make this!  Perfect colored chipboard to go with the perfect colored hat! 

Happy Wedsneday!

If only Cute Worked

If only cute made me feel better.  If only cute cleaned my house.  If only cute did the laundry and the grocery shopping!

Doesn't work that way...LOL.

Popping in today to share a couple of cute projects I made using my January Nook kit!  I love the winter theme and put it to use to make a snowman card and some jazzed up hot chocolate bottles!

Here is the card!

I made it using some of the journaling cards that come on a sheet of patterned paper!  Love to deconstruct things and make them my own!  If you are interested and have a few extra minutes, check out my class at the Nook where I show you how to make this card!

I don't know about you, but I love to scour the dollar aisle at Target or even the Clearance section at Joann's to find little items that I can alter!  Here is an example of such a find.  These glass bottles came in a cardboard package and I thought, "Why not personalize them?"  Add a few small, easy tags and some twine and I think they are cute!

I guess cute works in some places.  It sure works for my kids.  LOL!

Wanted to remind you of a couple of things.  First, my friend Leah is doing a weekly installment on her blog of Making Home a Heaven, a retrospective aimed at making you reflect and appreciate.  You should check it out!  I love thought provoking experiences and this is one of them!

And The Nook is having a crop starting this Thursday and going through the weekend!  A Design Team Call is happening right now too!  Best place to design for!

Have a happy Monday!

A PJ Kind of Weekend

I have a fever.  A cold that I can't kick and it is just icky.

Yep, I said icky.

And here is the thing I have noticed...the Mother takes care of everyone, cuddles the fever away, gets juice, cleans up the vomit.  But who takes care of the Mother.  I can't even get any sympathy never mind some chicken soup.  It is kinda a drag.

So, it looks to be a pajama kind of weekend. 

Speaking of pajamas, we have this funny tradition in our house.  We, like many, buy new pajamas for Christmas each year.  Reindeer, Santa, red, green...totally themed out.  We all wear them on Christmas morning.  But then the wearing continues.

You can find me wearing my candy cane pajama bottoms on a sunny July morning.  Do you do this too?  I just can't let a perfectly good pair of comfys go to waste!

So, of course, a layout to document!

Used Webster's Pages on this one...it is an older line!  Have you seen the peeks for new stuffs...I am in awe!

I can relax over the next three days...it feels good to say that!  My CHA work is all done and just about ready to be shipped.  I had so much fun working with the new Teresa Collins stuff:

Posh:  I am in love with the silhouettes on one of the sheets.  Those little ladies will be the next big trend.

The boys line, On the Edge, that looks great with yellow and orange!  Love the ledger paper!

My favorite, I think, because I am a sucker for typography and a punch of red.  Sports Edition, II...It is great for sports things, but I am going to use it for so much more!!

Teresa is really so sweet and the whole team is awesome!  I feel so supported and free to create!  Teresa will be appearing on HSN on January 19 at 11:00 pm. and January 20 at 10:00 am-noon. 

Feeling like a lucky lady.  Fever, bad pajamas and all!

Teaching them the important things

This parenting thing is hard.  You do your best every day to teach them and guide them.  They are children.  They will make mistakes as they figure out this world.  That is the inevitable.

Nathan had a rough patch yesterday at school.  He has done so well there and really loves and respects his teacher and class.  But he wasn't in control of his body.  I think it is the meds he is on since his fever condition returned.  But there are no excuses.

When you get the call about a misbehavior, you need to figure out how to proceed.  My first thought was to take away his whole world and make him feel miserable.  Then I calmed down.  Instead, I left a front note on our door so when he got home he would see it right away.  My MIL was getting him off the bus.  The note expressed our disappointment and directed him to go to his room.  No wii.  No toys.  Books and coloring only.  When I got home, he was hysterically crying.  So I went to talk to him only to find out that he was crying for the wrong reasons.  Crying about the wii and no toys.  I felt like it was my responsibility to explain to him what he should be crying about...disappointing his teacher, disappointing us, hurting a friend, breaking the rules.  He started to apologize for those things, but it was still more about his losses.  How hard it was to stay calm and firm when I wanted to scream, "No way will you do that!"

So we continued the punishment.  And waited.  And a little bit after dinner he reached out to put his hands on his sister.  Did he not hear my words earlier, feel the punishment enough, learn the lesson?  So he went back into his room.  No show, no nightly family time.  When I went in to tuck him in, he said, "Mommy, I won't do that again.  I was a good listener in here tonight, right?  I missed my family."  And I knew then that he got it, heard my words, felt the punishment and learned the lesson.

I wanted him to feel guilty and sorry for most of the afternoon.  But then, when it was time for bed, I started to talk to him about forgiveness.  Sometimes we make mistakes and we have to be sorry.  But then we have to make a plan for next time and forgive ourselves.  We had a discussion about what forgiveness is and how to do it. 

And so, this parenting thing is hard.  But it is also worth every second.

What to do about my Sweet Tooth?

Because my love for all things sweet and sugary will not help me to get consistent with my diet! I won't cut it all completely. I can't. I would rather wear spanx every day than stop with a small bite of something delicious.

I just need to control the bite. And if I could find something not soooo bad, that would help too.


I guess red velvet cupcakes don't count there, huh?

I used the fun January kit from My Scrapbook Nook to make this! Thought maybe breaking it up a bit and going 8.5 X 11 wasn't such a bad thing. I only had one small photo to use since I thought I printed two, but actually only one showed up in my photo sleeve!

Speaking of the Nook...there is a DT call! I can't believe another term went by. They seem to fly quicker each time. I have been so happy there...and highly recommend that you come visit, check out the kits and give the call a try! We will be having a fantastic virtual crop from January 20-23rd!

As you can tell from the layout, I still have a thing for banners. I made that banner myself using the sheet of patterned paper with the argyle print...it looks like diamonds. I simply cut out along the diamond edges and then folded over in the middle to make a triangle. I cut the white circles from a sheet of paper and add a bit of pom pom trim in the middle of the two banners.  I believe that love will continue in to the next year. I have been looking back at my Top 11 post and it is so funny to see how consistent I am with my scrappy basics...there are certain things I do and certain things I use on everything.

If only I could get that routined with eliminating dessert...

Word of the Year 2011

Before I talk about my word for this year, I want to reflect back on last year.  My word was "Balance."  I worked hard to achieve more balance in my life.  And for the most part, I have done okay.  I mostly needed to balance my hobby with my other responsibilities and with my family.  I have developed a signal to myself so when I got to sit on the computer, I say something like, "Nope, this is a time to be with your family."  It has worked pretty well...

which brings me to my new word. 

Balance is only good if you are consistent.  Meals only get cooked when you plan accordingly.  Friendships are maintained through frequency.  Exercise only works when you do it regularly, kids only understand and meet expectations when they have been communicated clearly and followed through with consistency.  With conscious and consistent effort, moods can become more even and predictable. 

I am a Libra, folks...I need consistency.  But I don't have it, which makes me live far off from my center.  So this year, I will focus on consistency.  It is going to take effort, tracking.  I forsee lots of pep talks and reminders to myself.  I will explore my feelings, progress and reflections here.  Because it holds me accountable.  Like any committment, it will take work.  But...it will be worth it!

I want to live this life fully, have healthy and beautiful relationships, have a strong mind, body and soul.  Consistency will get me there!

Now that I have shared my word of the year, let me know what yours is too!

Happy Saturday!

Half Empty/Half Full

I guess it is all how you look at things!

Life in general.

Nathan's fevers seem to be back and I had to stay home with him this past Tuesday.  I was hit with a horrible migraine headache early in the morning.  Now, my first instinct was to think of it as a terrible day.  BUT...my friend Tina also had her babies that morning.  Triplets, all healthy and beautiful.  I had the chance to talk to her only hours after...because I was home from work.  Terrible day or a blessing in disguise (a not so pleasant disguise, but that isn't the point).

Winter, snow, cold...not typically my favorite time of year.
BUT...rosy cheeks, happy smiles, real laughter, wool hats and fuzzy mittens, hot chocolate and cuddling after.  Not so bad.

So, I guess life is how you look at it.

Ella, Nathan, Steve...Looks pretty good from where I am sitting!