It's Owl Right...

Well, it's 10:00 p.m. and I'm just now sitting down. Whew- another busy day. Good busy, though. So, I have lots to share, pics are uploaded, and I'm going to do it in installments... ;)

First, I'd like to share the card I made for the card swap that Sammye Jo is hosting. You make 10 cards and get back 10 different ones. I had fun making this:

I just love all my little owls, and since fall is on the horizon, It just seems to be "owl" weather. So, I created another card that I packaged in a set of 8 for the Temptations Holiday Boutique show coming up in November:

You can't tell in the picture, but the owl has black beaded eyes. Super cute... just might have to save a set for myself.

And lastly, my beloved gardenia finally bloomed. My mom rooted a little leaf years ago and gave it to me. Now, this plant is quite large, being about 10 years old. The last couple of years, it hasn't bloomed. The leaves are pretty, green and glossy, but no fragrant flowers... until TODAY! I was so excited. I love this picture, so clear and real that I can actually smell the flower...

Good night... more tomorrow, so check back!

Time is flying...

My, oh my, how time does fly. It's Wednesday night and my "to do" list just keeps getting longer. I have lots of new stuff to share, but the pics are still on my camera and I just haven't had a moment to upload. So... I will share an old layout that I haven't posted before. This is my baby at 9 months. He is now 2 1/2 and seems to be growing too fast for my liking. He just recently started climbing out of his crib after naps. Another milestone coming up: the BIG BOY BED. I hate that I feel like I missed his infancy. We had a very rough first year and back then, I couldn't wait for time to pass and wished his "sweet baby" days away. Oh... how I terribly regret doing that. I tried to make up for it in his second year, and I believe I succeeded, but he isn't a baby anymore. I am blessed... he is here, he is healthy, he is happy. LOVE.

Check it out!

You can win this awesome Halloween themed blog candy!

Click here for a chance to win!

Sorry about being MIA lately, but my little guy has been super sick. He has hand, foot and mouth disease (or 5th's Disease). For those of you who don't know what it is, it's a virus that last 3-7 days and you get awful blisters in you mouth, palms and bottoms of your feet. Elan has them horrendously in his mouth and on his bottom. :( He's having a hard time eating and drinking anything, sleeping is sporadic, and lots of screaming is going on. Hopefully, he will be better tomorrow. I am praying for a good nights sleep for both of us.

I have so much to share!!! Cropping was GREAT on Friday. Nothing beats an awesome group of girls creating and sharing together. I have layouts and stationery to show you and I'm hoping to get pics this afternoon. Until then, may your household be free of 5th's Disease...

Fun Friday + Winner!

Indiana Jones stopped by this morning to choose one of Crafty Paper Girls followers to win that super cute owl stamp and coordinating goodies! The winner is... 1 Card Creator! Woo-hoo! Please email me your address so I can get your goodies in the mail to you today! Profumo@Bellsouth.net I get to go scrappin' tonight with all my crafty friends! Super excited because I haven't done much scrappin' lately... I'm in stationery mode! This is one of my favorite LO's in Anna's book. The sweater and hat were made by Stephen's grandmother. She is an amazing needle crafter! She has made my children quilts and sweater sets that are too die for- heirloom quality. I loved this set on Anna- the color and style really matched her personality!

Tis the season to craft and create until the wee hours of the morning! I have been busy making stuff for the holiday season! I have a BIG show coming up in November and I can't make too much...

Those were pictures from last years show, which was a huge success! I am making lots of new items: stationery, gift sets, Christmas decor, and more! I'm really excited... I can't work fast enough, so I wrote all my ideas down! I'll share soon!

Have a great weekend!

Giveaway! + Lots of Pics!

It's September, and I want to give away this cute stamp with coordinating paper, ribbon and buttons! This little combo just screams "fall!" and fall is my favorite time of the year.
How do you win? You follow the blogaroo, but only if you think it's totally rad and inspiring! If you are already a follower, you have already been entered. To "follow" click the "follow this blog" button to the right. I will draw out a random winner on Friday. Good luck!

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It was a super busy weekend... I am just now recovering. Two of my brothers were in a triathlon and it was my younger brother, Adam's first one. I became nervous and exhausted just watching, but loved every moment of cheering on "Team Norrenbrock."

Love this pic of Adam coming out of the pool- yes, he is one handsome dude. He was worried about the swimming part, considering his "swimmer wife" just taught him to swim correctly only weeks before the event.

Off to bike 19 miles...

He did awesome! Afterward, he looked and felt great! Great job, Adam! You and Nate are real CHAMPIONS!!!

So then, on the way back home from the triathlon, Stephen suggested we stop at Dinosaur World. Seriously, in my mind, I was thinking, "You have got to be kidding me. That place is probably the cheesiest place on Earth. I mean, who puts this gigantic dino on the side of the highway?" We got there and loved it. We even hiked up to the side of the highway to get some really funny pics...

So, if you are ever in the Cave City, KY area, check it out! It was fun, funny and even a little bit cheesy. But the kids had a ball, and seriously, that's all that matters!

Anna's First Swap

If you remember, Anna created her very own embellishment while I was creating mine for a swap in Australia. Here is hers:

She had a super crafty lady named Lauren compliment it when I posted it the first time here, on the blog. I read her comment to Anna and she beamed... she wanted me to ask Lauren if she wanted it- Anna loves to send mail! So, Lauren graciously agreed to accept the embellishment on the condition that she could send one back. Anna's reply was, "Huh? She wants to send ME mail?!!!" Yep, sweetie, that's what a swap is all about!

We got Lauren's beautiful envelope in the mail. It was pink with butterflies on it and decorated beautifully. Anna hugged the envelope and said, "Oh Mommy, I love it!" Not realizing there was more inside! This is what Anna found from the wonderfully talented Lauren:

*photo courtesy of Lauren Bergold

You can read Lauren's post about the swap here. Her post is really cute and worth reading... I printed it to save in Anna's scrapbook to mark as her first ever swap.

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We had a super busy day today... we were in Bowling Green, KY to watch my two brothers compete in a triathlon. On the way back home, we stopped at Dinosaur World. Yes, you read correctly, and it wasn't near as cheesy as I was expecting it to be and the kids loved it! I will have pics uploaded by tomorrow. Have a great night, I've been creating for Christmas!

Sharing... feelings and a layout + Giveaway news

Good morning... I have to get something off my chest.
Yesterday, I got my CK magazine in the mail. I had submitted several pages for their "Amazing Pages" call and knew one of my pages had not been chosen because I didn't get notified. That's okay. I will continue to try to get published. I eagerly opened my magazine so I could see all the "Amazing Pages" that actually were chosen. I was so disappointed. First, there were 10 published and some of those 10 have been published several times before. Second, there were a few that I personally did not see amazing qualities in. There were a couple that did deserve the recognition, because they were amazing, but geez... CK, do you think you can come outside of your box? I have noticed that the same people get published, the same type of layouts get printed, and so on. I have preferred Scrapbooks, Etc magazine for a long time now, so when my subscription is up at CK, I will be subscribing to Scrapbooks, Etc.
Okay, I feel better now. Thanks for listening. ;)

Here is a layout to share... it actually was a submitted page that didn't get chosen. Mostly, I love the photos. Elan was only a week or so old and Mac adored him. Mac would refer to him as "My Baby." I am so hoping to craft today. Lots of card and layout challenges are out there and I want to play! I got my Studio Calico September kit Thursday and I want to so bust it out and make something great!

*And, it's the beginning of a new month which means Giveaway time! Monday you will get to view the goody giveaway and have a chance to win. How do you win? Follow my blog, but only if you think it's awesome. A random winner will be drawn.