School Ends for Summer!

It's the end of the school year (Yay!) and I needed to make thank you cards for teachers and coaches! I made two of these cards for Mac's soccer coaches and, as a team, we added a gift card to a restaurant. I used SRM stickers with my papers and I love the look! I am not much of a sticker user, but these SRM stickers are awesome! They have a matte finish, so it looks like its been stamped. And the teacher card... more SRM stickers! I also used a strip of fabric to make the bow.

Mac's last day is Wednesday and we are all so excited... we are ready for summer! And then, Saturday, we are off to the beach! Have a great Memorial Day!

42 years young

Today, it's Stephen's 42nd birthday. First of all, I can't believe he's 42. We met right before his 31st birthday and I was 23. I saw him on the softball field, knew I wanted to go on a date with him, introduced myself and asked him out. It was the start of a beautiful relationship...

Summer, 2009, hanging out on the deck after dinner- I was playing with my new camera! Isn't he handsome?!

Married now for 8 years, Stephen sometimes asks himself what his "purpose" is, here on Earth. Is he doing what God sent him here to do? Was he supposed to be something else, somewhere else? Is he doing the best he can? I am almost certain that God put him on this Earth for me. I can't imagine my life without him. He grounds me, calms me, understands, is forgiving and funny. He loves me. ME.

July, 2009, my 15 year high school reunion

And our children... he puts them on a pedestal. He loves them, plays with them and guides them. He is a wonderful father. I am so lucky, so blessed...

Summer, 2009, Harbour Town, Hilton Head, SC

Happy Birthday, Darling. I love you and can't wait to celebrate 42 more birthdays with you! You bring me so much happiness!

Sweet Summer Comin'

Hey there! The past few days have been hot and sunny... shades of what is coming up for summer I suppose! When I think of summer, I usually think of fresh, sweet fruit and the pool, of course! Last summer, we went to a local farm and picked our own strawberries. The fruit was delicious and the kids had a real experience... it was so much fun!
Elan is saying, "look at this big one!" right before he popped it in his mouth. He must have eaten 100 strawberries that day, even his fingers were stained red.

I have been doing simpler layouts lately. Not because of little time, but because I just want my hobby to be easy and fun. I used to stress over a layout not being perfect and would work on it for days. Now, I scrap what I want and if it's done in an hour... well, right on!

Enjoy your night... I have b-day preps for hubby to do before morning! ;)

Just in the nick of time!

Here's my layout for Sketchy Thursdays! Whew! I just made it too... only 1 hour left to post! The new pictures of Anna riding her bike were just screaming to be scrapped! So, I pulled out some Dear Lizzy, Basic Grey and Studio Calico and went to town! I love the finished page- it suites Anna to a tea!

See the scalloped circle bordering the small picture (love that pic of Stephen running, holding on to the back of Anna's bike!)? That was red and it was too red. So, I made a mask and used white ink over the top. It made the color more muted and looks perfect!And this was the sketch I worked from:

Thanks, Sketchy Thursdays, for another week of inspiration and creativity! ;)

Sketchy Thursdays Layout

Woo-hoo! I finally have something to show you... a layout I made for Sketchy Thursdays guest design team challenge for June. I went with bright, fun colors because it has been raining here for what seems like a month. Here is what I came up with:

Crepe paper flowers and a felt die cut of a butterfly...

A close up of those adorable birds... perfect for my 3 little chicks!

The layout was based on this sketch:

If you want to play along, you still have time! Click here for details!

Supplies: Patterned Paper: October Afternoon, American Crafts, SEI, Studio Calico, Adhesive border: K&Co., Crepe Paper: Jenni Bowlin, Ribbon, Felt and Butterfly Die: Papertrey Ink, Rub Ons: American Crafts Dear Lizzy, Punches: Fiskars, Other: Random Buttons, Ink, and Thread.

Winner Day!

Hello everybody! We have a winner...
VIKI! You just won Colorful Butterflies personalized stationery! Please email me at Profumo@Bellsouth.net to claim your prize!
And... crap, I still don't have a picture of a craft or layout. The weather has been great and we have been enjoying it by grilling out and hanging out in the back yard! Maybe tomorrow...

This is a long one...

I'm making up for lost time, so grab a soda, some tea or a glass of milk and get comfy.

Ready... set... go!

Fist off, let me tell you of my dear friend named Jana. Jana is one of my scrappin' buddies. I usually see her once per month at the church we scrap at with a large group of girls. Jana is comic relief... she is a hoot. She always has a story, wants to see what everyone is working on and always gives a kind word to you and whatever craft you may be working on. Love this girl... and she moved away. F A R... all the way to California. So, a week or so ago, I get this package in the mail from Jana, and you know what was in it? Fabric scraps- lots of cute fabric scraps. Oh Jana, how I miss you so... this card is for you and along with it will come a little somethin' somethin' from little 'ole me.

Floral paper (Scarlet Lime) and red check fabric are scraps from Jana :) Butterfly stamp and dies are from Papertrey Ink.

This beauty is my niece, Kendall. She turned 6 on May 5 and I didn't forget her birthday (no, no, no!) but I feel bad that I didn't post something special for her. I made her a cute card and embellished a t-shirt with felt butterflies, but failed to take a picture before wrapping. I believe she liked it! :)

Kendall wanted to get her ears pierced for her birthday and wanted Anna to come along. Anna of course wanted to pierce her ears too, so I agreed. On her birthday, we venture out to the mall and get the girls their ears pierced, only Kendall got a little scared and decided against it at the last minute. Which is why I (Aunt Lou Lou) found magnetic earrings in a small size and gave them to her for her birthday. See them in the picture below...

Kendall backing out didn't scare Anna. She still wanted to do it, so I said okay. She was so brave, didn't flinch or cry at all. One of the ladies actually got her earring gun stuck in her ear and Anna wasn't shaken by it a bit. (Lara and I were ready to strangle the lady though!)

Close your eyes and count to 3...

Done!As if getting her ears pierced wasn't "grown up" enough, Anna went and learned how to ride her bike without her training wheels. She picked it up lickety split, but I have to credit Stephen... he is a really good coach!

Giving her direction on what to do...Learning first in the grass how to fall the right way! :)

Riding a bike with the wind in her hair...

So excited that she can now keep up with the "Big Dog" but truly, Mac was very proud of her!Sweet Anna, growing up before our eyes, way too fast. Daddy is happy, but crying in the bathroom about how next week we'll be sending her to college and lord, she'll be married soon... she can't stay little forever. The best is yet to come! ;)And now for a little something extra... if you got to the end of this post, you deserve a treat. This is one of my newest stationery designs. I am in love with this one. I love the colors and the simplicity.You likey? Leave a comment and on Saturday I will choose one random winner to receive a set personalized with the name of their choice. Yay!

I'll be visiting one of my favorite sites tomorrow, Sketchy Thursdays to play along with the sketch. I'm also going to have a go at the sketch for the June Guest Design team. So, tomorrow, I will be working on a couple layouts! Happy day... hooray for Thursday!

Holy Busy!

Not even one teeny tiny thing to share with you guys today...
It has been busy around here, so busy I haven't been on the computer much, except to make and send out some stationery orders. The end of the school year always tends to be a bit busy. I'm trying to get all my home projects complete before next Thursday, when my 2 little ones will be home for the summer.
Yesterday, my dad and I finished the wallpaper job in the powder room. Next up, painting Elan's room to prep it for big boy furniture and bedding. :( After, paint my 2 front doors... these projects can't be done with a 3 and 5 year old at home.

Hopefully, I'll have a layout or something to share with you tomorrow. I did make my mom a fabulous 6x6 scrapbook of all her grandchildren (11 of them!) for Mother's Day. She loved it, but I didn't take any photos, so can't show you the finished product! Just take my word for it... it was adorable!

I'm back- I love the Internet!

Hello there! It's been a while... my Internet has been up and down since Wednesday (an area network problem) and today has been the first day I have been able to get on the web without getting kicked off 10 minutes later! Ahh... feel good to be back in the land of blog.
I thought since it's Mother's Day weekend, I would share one of the cards I made. This one isn't for my mom, she reads this blog! :) However, it describes her so very well. Lots of different papers, including crepe- Mindy, thanks for the nudge on making crepe paper flowers! ;)

So, off I go to another project I have been working on feverishly. Hint, hint, wink, wink!

Super You!

I'm back... slowly but surely, I'm getting back to normal after a very fun, busy Derby week. Stephen and I were happy to see Derby come to an end... we must be getting old.

And for today, a super cute layout of my littlest super dude, Elan. These are pajamas! Mac would have loved them at this age, and he is still into superheros! These pictures were taken right out of the tub and with the jammies on for the first time. Elan said, "Mommy, do you want to take my picture?" Well, holy smokes, yes I do! The child never wants his picture taken! Then with cute pics in hand, a layout was born...

A closer view... see that felt star border? I found a 3 yard roll of it in the $1 bin at Michael's!

I'll be back tomorrow... got to get some work done before bed time, which is quickly approaching! :)