And...one more.

I really am having a great time with Studio Calico's March Kit-Garment District.

This is my Monday post. I really need to do some things around the house. YIPEEE, we finally have sun! Have a great day.

Rainy Weekend Scrapping!

Well, I have been playing this stormy weekend. So, I thought I would just post some goodies that I have created. Our weather is terrible, therefore, the photos do not have the best lighting.

So, without further ado....here ya go!

Yes, these are the scraps in card form!

It's no secret I am not much of a card maker. It is hard for me to transition from layout to cards. But these scraps were pretty easy to place on the cards. I stamped a little and well...using all the goodies from the Graphic45 Large Kit at Art Freckles! It was a lot of fun.

Today I will be decorating our Easter tree and preparing the house for the weekend. I plan on having fun at the cyber crop over at Art Freckles this weekend. Maybe I will see you there.

Rainy Day Scrapping!

Yes, today I am so inspired to scrap with Graphic 45. I received a kit from Art Freckles and it is this dandy of a kit for a great price! Check it out-->Graphic 45 Large Kit at the store.

I am still creating with the kit but here is what I have done so far today.

Totally in love with these papers. I have created a few cards as well and will share those later this week. I cannot wait to tackle the little purse that comes in this kit.

Have a terrific Wednesday!

Spring Moments...

I went to a baby shower yesterday for an old friend I used to work with (when I worked) and took these photos before the rest of the ladies arrived for us to gander at new baby clothes. It was a perfect day to play with my new camera.

These are raw images. They are straight from my camera. They just "sing" Spring!

First Day of Spring!

Spring has Sprung!

I love this time of year. Warmer temperatures and blooms everywhere.

We have had family in from the Philippines this week. We were so excited to learn that my cousin Mike flew in unexpectedly with his wife May. So, I picked them up and heard all the details of their trip and of course the re-entry to the United States via Hartsfield-Jackson Airport here in Atlanta. 3 hours it took them to go through customs. WOW! This is May's first trip to the United States and she is thrilled to be here. We took May out to eat Mexican food and she loved it! I also took them to Dahlonega yesterday and to the lake. She had never seen trees without their leaves. It never gets below 70 degrees where she lives and of course she was freezing. She has a great laugh and her English is better than most Americans. It is very proper. She is learning some slang as well. She is a teacher and very bright. We are happy that she and Mike met as she has made him very happy. They will be married 2 years this coming Summer and it has taken this long for her to get the VISA she needed to enter the United States. It is wonderful to show her things that we take for granted here in the States. She was amazed by our dishwasher. She is just the cutest thing every when experiencing things for the first time. We were in a store in Dahlonega and they had an old timey player piano and I put the quarter in and she really enjoyed the history of the area as well.

As we walked through the different shops I found many items that inspired me. I fell in love with a few things and of course took pictures so that I can show my husband and have him make them for me with a few adjustments to the design. Here is one of the tables that really caught my eye. I could not believe they wanted $400.00 for this table. TOTAL shocker! ---->

I purchased many items as I always do when I go to these shops. The square is more commercialized than when I lived in Dahlonega, however, it is still one of the loveliest places to visit and enjoy the local craftsmen such as Brad Walker. He is a potter and I have know him for about 17 years. His shop was not open as he was at the doctor's office for the day. But I always enjoy seeing him and wanted to introduce him to May. I wanted her to see him throw some clay. "Back in the Day," I used to sketch tourists characitures on the square and I always enjoyed setting up near Brad's store. He is quite the character and wonderful artist! The funny thing is that Fudge Factory had just opened and of course I found the Mike and May sitting out eating some fudge while I was seeing an old friend next to Brad's store. I came out with a package of goodies and they were munching away and giggling. So, it was a much needed shot to take. Nothing like a sugar rush at 10:00 AM. Of course, they are still on Philippine time and it was the late evening for their bodies. One of my favorite shots is of a dog peeking out of the doorway from a local shop and he was a cutie pie. The Winedog Pet Boutique is really a neat little shop. So much has changed on this little square. But I still enjoy gandering and it was a perfect morning to soak in the local flavor before it becomes full of tourists on the weekend. The turn of the century architecture and legends of haunts is always a favorite of mine and I walked out of a store with two autographed copies of Amy Blackmarr's Dahlonega Hauntings. I will send one copy to my son Zachary stationed at Fort Hood, TX as he was born here in Dahlonega. Amy is working on her second book of hauntings in Dahlonega. She had so many stories and photos that a sequel is being written to accompany her first book. So, I cannot wait to relax with a coffee and read where I have actually walked and lived.

So much fun!

Well, this is my post for today and I plan on doing some creating this weekend and I hope you have a terrific first SPRING weekend.

SIDE NOTE: The layout in my previous post is Mike. That was then...these pictures of Mike are now.

Just a share...

I have family in from the Philippines and I know I will be busy as heck.

So, here is one of my layouts I created for Art Freckles and really enjoyed scrapping some pictures from last summer. I hope you are having a grand week as SPRING will be here officially this coming weekend. Wahooooooooooo!

5 Minutes Total...

to create this digital layout

using my new and first Digital Scrapbook Artist Software
I won from The Scrap Review

I did not read any instructions and downloaded the software and simply used the elements that came with the software to see how easy it was to create a digital scrapbook page. I am thinking I will give this digital thing a "go" and definitely incorporate this new medium into my paper scrapbooking.

Thank You to THE SCRAP REVIEW!

I think it is not bad for my "very first" digital scrapbook page...
whatya think?

Rainy Weekend...but a great weekend!

We were up bright and early on Friday morning for our 5 1/2 hour drive to Bowling Green, KY. The drive was relatively nice. Not much traffic at all. The weather was overcast and we hit spots of rain and driving into Kentucky we could tell the temperature was dropping quite rapidly. We also noticed that the Bowling Green area had snow on the ground. We found out that we missed their snow fun by about 24 hours. We arrived in the city of Bowling Green around 12:30 PM/CT as we gained an hour with the EST difference. We were lucky enough to be able to go ahead and check into our hotel that was busting with activity from a Sweet 16 High School tournament. Teams from all over the region were in competition for a stellar title. Our hotel was really nice. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Conference Center and the inside of the hotel was very nice and serene. They had a waterfall in the middle of the garden area that was attached to the backside of the elevators and the white noise was very relaxing. Brianna and I stayed in the hotel to relax from our drive while Brian went to visit his company's office and take a tour of their grounds and get acquainted with his future work environment. He was quite impressed with the office area and was more thrilled that it did not take him long to get there. The traffic on the main "drag" in Bowling Green is like that of any other small city but the back roads hardly have any traffic on them whatsoever. On a side note, they have a very large Hobby Lobby! I am excited about that store I tell ya. Anyway, Brianna and I watched the movie Twilight in our room in hopes we kill some time by the entertaining "tweener" movie until Brian returned from his tour of the company facilities. Upon Brian's arrival we decided to go out to eat and chose the Montana Grill and we thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and food. Although, we were met with surprise that they offer seating in smoking and non-smoking. It is kind of a relief to know that the "government" isn't taking over in the small town. At least, not yet. We really enjoyed all the wood and rustic feel of the restaurant. We drove around the town before dark fell and simply drunk in the green grass and the beginnings of Springs arrival. A little tired from our early morning travel we headed back to our hotel to find the buzz of happy teenage girls relishing from their win earlier in the day and Brian and Brianna had a great time utilizing the swimming facilities at our hotel. The following morning we woke early and enjoyed breakfast at the hotel as we waited for our real estate agent and Bowling Green tour guide to show for our 9 AM appointment. We were delighted to tour via car of course, the campus at Western Kentucky University and I must say, it is a beautiful campus with lovely old buildings amongst the newly constructed dorms and educational facilities. The old homes that are around the area are fabulous and I can imagine how great it would be to remodel some of the "turn of the century" Victorian homes that are rented by most of the college population. I simply adored the Bowling Green town square and the architecture of the buildings were very stimulating. I did not take my camera as the rain and fog were over powering. I figure I have many more trips and we will soon be residents and will have time to take photos of the town square in its total beauty. The "rolling" hills of Bowling Green are luscious and landscaped with horse fencing. The hardwoods will be blooming soon and I can imagine how Fall will be with the bright colors of change. I can tell you for sure...we are NOT in Pine Tree country anymore. We then toured about 9 homes and loved about 3 of them. They are on the other side of town from the square and found the residential areas to have many homes within a small area of land. However, everything is nestled by horse and pasture. The neighborhoods seemed very nice and well kept. The hard part will be deciding on what neighborhood and which house we will call home in the near future. We had a productive day that ended with us eating at Rafferty's and talking about the homes and enjoying a cocktail to celebrate our impending move and that we are finding we are becoming quite excited for the "small town NO traffic" change. Our drive back home through Tennessee and on into Georgia was full of fog, rain, and changing temperatures. We got home within 5 hours and continued to relish in our plans for our move. This should be an exciting year and we do plan to make a few more trips before deciding on a home. I hope the weather will cooperate so that I can share some of the beautiful land that surrounds this gorgeous country.

I am busy with the house this week and packing for our trip to Bowling Green, KY. I will be sure to take lots of photos. But for today's post I thought I would show you a few photos of my paintings. The flowers and vase are acrylic and the dutch house is oil.

The dutch house hangs downstairs. As I have aged, it has become a creepy painting. But I love the colors and the brush/spatula techniques.
The flowers and vase painting is rich with my favorite colors and and I love the brush strokes along with the highlights. It hangs in my bedroom.

Thanks for taking a gander at my paintings. I hope you have a grand day!

The Dusting of White Stuff!

I finally got my photos uploaded from our Sunday of 2 inches of snow that quickly melted. The photos that I took with my new camera were taken from the comfort of heated stoops also known as my doorways. I took most of my photos with my new lens and I rather enjoyed the process. I am constantly learning things about my camera. I need to take the time and read more about it and everything it can do...but lately I cannot find the time. But for now, enjoy a few of my "untouched photos" of the white stuff!

Thanks for taking a gander. Have a terrific Friday!

Again I Say,

Hybrid Scrapping ROCKS! Yesterday I jumped on over to Studio Calico's Blog and Kristy Wiseman is into converting paper scrappers into using digital elements on their pages. Well, you know I just had to print out her fabulously free digitals that she offered up and create a page. I printed the digital designs by Kristy Wiseman by following her link on the blog and then I opened up my HP Photo program and used a template. I cropped just the main design of the digital yumminess and put into the template that created the same image but in different sizes (as if they were pictures) and printed them out and cut them to use as elements in my design. Just a delightful fun way to create a page. I am sure to use her elements over and over again. So, without further ado...here is my design using Kristy Wiseman's Printables!

So, be sure to hope on over to Studio Calico's Blog
and grab some digital goodness for your hybrid scrapbooking needs.

Where To Now?

I simply adore this photo of my grandmother. She was always big on posing for photos wherever they went on summer vacations. This particular summer she travelled through many states and this is just one of many shots taken of her and her "fabulous sunglasses!"

She was known for her "fashionista" outfits and accessories. She will be turning the grand age of 90 this year and this is another photo to adorn her book to commemorate the birthday occasion.

Thanks for reminiscing with me through my grandmother's life.

Wow, what a weekend!

I had a fabulous weekend. Scrapping all day at Archiver's with my friends. Sue and I enjoy great conversations, sharing photos, and scrapping together. We both shopped and I managed to spend "once again" an obscene amount of money. I just cannot help myself. I just have to have scrappy goodness. Here is one of the layouts that I created on Saturday. I took an old photo that was damaged by time, scanned it and tried to revive some of the color. I really enjoyed using different hues of orange that incorporated peach and melon colors.

I loved using this oriental playing card with the number of 6 that displayed my age. I simply enjoy clustering and lately I cannot stop! It is so much fun.

We had some snow yesterday and as soon as I upload the pictures I will post a few this week.
I love snow. It makes everything so clean and fresh.
I hope you had a great weekend and now onto the first week of March!
Time is going so fast this year.