Forever My Baby

This picture was taken a few days after we took Christina home. I just loved holding and kissing her; watching her sleep and make little baby noises. When she's awake, I loved how she stared back at me,  She seemed to be memorizing my face. 

I heard somewhere a long time ago that babies are God's messengers... that they were sent to us with a message that God loves us; rhat when they look at us, they are trying to tell us what the message is; that they cry because they get frustrated they can't voice it out and that we do not understand them; that it is unfortunate by the time they can talk, they have forgotten what the message is.

But all was not lost.  I felt the love Christina gave back when she looked into my eyes. I thank God for her and for the love.

Supplies used: Butterfly - cutout from K&Co; fonts: Palace Script MT; Pristina; all other items from: Scrapbookflair - Ava & Lilly's Mom: Expecting kit; torn notebook [Craftfairy1]; scraplifted from KellyGoree [thanks for the inspiration!]

Deep In Thought

I caught Christina staring into space with hands on her chin; something adults would do if they were looking out the window as they lean on the window sill. It looks like she was so deep in thought. I stared at her for a little while before I decided to take this picture. For a moment, just like her, I was also deep in thought.  I wondered what on earth babies think about. How they know when to smile, when to cry, and how they get startled. They are such a bunch of little wonders that make us wonder!

Supplies used:  graph paper & yellow border [Cays Creations It's Easter Kit]; Love wordart [Digital Scrapbook Memories In the Mood]; all other items from Digital Scrapbook Memories Collection 2 cd; fonts: Chiller and Birch Standard

Purse Card

My first use of the Crafter's Ultimate Companion! It is soooo AWESOME!!! The best thing I've ever purchased. I've made tons of cards since then.  I just have to figure out why I can't upload the pictures without putting them on a background first.  Can anyone let me know why?

Inside the card is a folded piece of paper.  When the card is opened, the folded piece of paper opens up also.  Instructions on how to make this card is included in the CD that came with the Crafter's Ultimate Companion.  I believe you might even find it somewhere in You Tube.

Supplies used: Pink Armadillo cardstock, silk rose, dotted brad, and 2 pieces of pink ribbon.  I made the green  fuzzy flower using green yarn.  The pink center of the green flower is something I crocheted.  I knew they would come in handy sometime!

TFL.

Beautiful Autumn

It's Autumn! DH's favorite time of the year - because it is so colorful.  I like it too because it looks like it's the time that everything comes out to life, every creature showing their beautiful plumes!  The only thing about Autumn that makes me sad is what comes after.... cold, cold, WINTER!!!

But in the mean time, I have to enjoy every moment of Autumn, which is cool, windy, sometimes, cold.  I've made 2 layouts using Cay's Beautiful Autumn kit.  Just look at the rich, warm colors!

DD and her cousin Stephanie [the birthday celebrant] were both born in Autumn. For years, they've been celebrating their birthdays dressed in Halloween costumes, and of course you can just imagine the eerily cute layouts I've been making. But for the past 4 years, no costume parties...just typical teen parties.


What's special about this picture is that it seems each cousin caught up within the hands of Time.  Where one was still a baby and the other still toddling around, 3 were already playing with make-believe make-up and such.  Look at them now! They seem to be all of the same age!  Why are they in such a hurry to grow up?

Those freezing Autumn nights didn't deter these adoring fans to watch a home game.  With Cay's Beautiful Autumn kit layouts can be made with pictures taken indoors and outdoors.

TFL!!

For Jaymie

I met Jaymie online. Well...not exactly for the first time.  First and last time I saw her in person was when she was 4 or 5 years old. Then through YIM, I got to know her more.  She was at the time going to TSU and wanted to learn more about computers.  I downloaded some of her pictures which she shared and made some wedding LOs for her.

Pictured above, my son's goddaughter, Jaymie, her husband, my husband's brother, Benjamin and on the far left, his wife, Rosalina.

Best of luck to the newly weds!

TFL.

Potted Flowers

I saw some pretty potted flower cards and decided to make some for 3 friends who were going to have their birthdays.  I had everyone in the office sign them and boy! did they love 'em!  Everyone wanted one!

I apologize for the blurred pictures.  I didn't use any flash because the flash washed out the details.  I do not know which is worse - blurred pics or washed out pics ...LOL! 

Anyway I used flowers I cut out from various patterned paper, threading water border punch, ribbons,  a few beads, stamps and ink.  The flowers in the background can be pulled out.  They are attached to a tag where everyone signed their best wishes.

TFL.. 

Alexandra's Garden

Cay's Alexandra's Garden Kit is fun to play with! I did a lot of layering in this layout! It's good that I found the perfect background picture for it.  The picture was taken from the Chicago Botanic Garden last Spring, and DD's picture was taken at the food court in Starved Rock, IL.  It was perfect that she was seated on a bench and I replaced it with one of the bench elements that came with the kit! 

Below is a preview of Alexandra's Garden.  Just look at it! I haven't even used all of the elements for my layouts.  There are just so many beautiful flowers it took me a long time to choose which ones to use!

Thank you Cay, for a wonderful design! and TFL.

Sensational Layouts

Well, Cay has been a very busy bee. She just whips up one kit after another, watches her stores, and had time to prepare to give away freebies. So head on to Cay's and grab those freebies while they are available!

And here the latest LOs I made using Cay's latest Sensation Kit. These pictures were taken during DD's Home Coming. The kit is just perfect for the occassion.

DD's best friends... of course they have to have their pictures taken by their cars. Did they really plan this? Get the dresses that match their car?!

The last LO is a closeup of the BFFs. It so happened that this LO is almost the same as Donna's LO. Great minds think alike, eh Donna?

Hope you enjoyed these as much as I did! TFL!!

Eating Out

One thing I love about Summer is being able to go somewhere and eat out. My brother loves to try different restaurants and food in the area. We spent Friday nights at the Golden Coral. As the name implies... it is a feeding station for two-legged animals [LOL!] Buffet any time of the day and breakfast, lunch, dinner is served any time of the day as well.

This one cold evening we went to the Outback. It being the day before Mother's Day, there was a very long wait. But hey! we were there anyway, so we waited... and waited... and waited...

 

My brother had a taste for BIG juicy steaks! I wasn't able to take pictures of what DH and DB had but I had the baby back ribs and DD had her usual...! Ugh! Isn't she tired of burgers and fries? But that is one very juicy burger! I wouldn't mind having that for myself!

The following weekend, DD, DS, DH, and I, celebrated Mother's Day again at China Chef. DB wasn't able to join us due to his work. So much food!

Secrets

I'm back from whatever it was I was busy with these days. I found out that I do enjoy digital scrapbooking so much and that I missed creating! I missed my computer!

Here's anotherLO I made using Cay's Beachin' Fun Kit. Just to prove that the kit isn't solely for beach layouts. I've re-sized and re-colored a few items to match the most of the colors I used. The border is from one of the templates I made using shapes from Photoshop. I also used paper tearing and I hope it really does look like torn paper. I have yet to master this technique!

Also, I can't take credit for the design...I scraplifted this from Yukari.

 Thanks for looking.

Beachin' Fun

Here are a couple of layouts I made using Cay's Beachin' Fun Kit. Hope you like them.

...and here's that fun kit from Cays Creation Designs.

TFL.

The Move

Well, it's happening! DH couldn't wait to get out of the house. 44 days after we checked out the apartment in the UIC area, which she will be sharing with 2 girl friends, the day has finally come for her to move out.

She's been packing her things by herself, deciding what to bring and what to leave behind.

A few pairs of shoes, some pictures DH framed himself which were

just stored in a corner in the basement...

... boxes of clothes and books...

... and here are the movers....

The new apartment... new roomies... new friends.

I won't say good-bye, Babycakes! I know you will be back soon!

If anyone got really affected by the move, it's not me. Now I can move some of my scrapbooking things into her room ngye-he-he-he-he!

Well, OK. My brother, Nani, who "lives" in the smallest room in the house, which has a window facing the west has mentioned that it's too hot and too bright in his room. He's a nurse and most of the time works in the evenings and is asleep all day. So I moved him to where my kalat room is and I moved my kalat to DD's room, and moved DD's bed and a small dresser into the small room. It worked out fine! With the new arrangement I can easily access everything. Now I just have to memorize where everything is!

So.. here's who got affected by the move. Poor Sarge. He went around sniffing everything wondering where all the kalat came from.

Poor, poor Sarge! He was so depressed the first week DD was gone. He didn't eat. He just laid in a corner in the dining room. He didn't even go upstairs to visit me. Usually he sits by my side when I'm working in my kalat room. He lost weight! I had to hand-feed him but he just refused.

I was so worried that on the 4th day of DD being away, I called her to come home and take Sarge to the vet. DD came home the following day and Sarge perked up a little. He came over to eat his food. He didn't eat much and still didn't visit upstairs for another week. When DD went back to Chicago, at least he was still eating but not his usual appetite.

He was himself again the second weekend DD came home. So now, da cat knows that DD didn't really go away. He hasn't gained his weight back but at least now he's eating!

Whew! Never thought this move would affect da cat so much!

Happy Birthday, Lee

...and many, many more...

Supplies used: Cay's Ice Diamond; recolored background paper and crown; positioned diamonds on butterfly's body; yellow flowers by CraftFairy.

If All of the Raindrops...

Alright, I'm guilty... guilty of using the diamond elements (from Cay's Designs Ice Diamond kit) again. They just reminded me of rain.

I wanted to make an LO where DD is enjoying a shower of diamonds so I started searching for the perfect picture and I found this!


She wasn't holding an umbrella in this picture but I managed to scrounge around for a picture of an umbrella. I think the umbrella gave the complete story that it's raining diamonds and flowers.


Then I remembered a happy little tune she learned in pre-school, which she taught me. I changed the words a little bit and made that my journaling.


The song is by Aimee Leigh


If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain that would be
I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide
Singing " Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah"
If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain that would be

If all of the sunbeams were jellybeans and ice creams
Oh, what a sun that would be
I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide
Singing "Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah"
If all of the sunbeams were jellybeans and ice creams
Oh what a sun that would be

If all of the snowflakes were chocolate bars and milkshakes
Oh what a snow that would be
I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide
Singing "Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah"
If all of the snowflakes were chocolate bars and milkshakes
Oh what a snow that would be

If all the mosquitoes were nacho cheese Doritos
Oh what a bug that would be
I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide
Singing "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah"
If all the mosquitoes were nacho cheese Doritos
Oh, what a bug that would be

If all the tornadoes were French fried potatoes
Oh what a wind that would be
I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide
Singing "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah"
If all the tornadoes were French fried potatoes
Oh what a wind that would be
Ah, ah, ah, what a world this would be.

And you can listen to the tune here... I tell you, it's a very catchy song...

http://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/song/showsong.asp?docid=626



TFL.

Ice Diamond

This is Cay's latest kit showcased in her blog. Visit her blog and see the lovely LOs the other DTs made using this kit! Truly amazing!

There are more than 70 elements in this kit which you can combine any which way you want. I'm sure each layout will be uniquely beautiful!

She even has a freebie from this kit. Thanks, Cay!

I enjoyed making LOs using this kit.

TFL

Best Friends, Like Diamonds, Are Forever

Best friends since the 7th grade, they hug and squeal every time they see each other, like it's been a thousand years since they last did...when in fact it was just a few hours ago!

Distance did not make their hearts forget. Every opportunity they got (holidays, school breaks, etc.), they have to meet, go to the movies, have a party, sleep over at someone's house and catch up with what ever BFFs talk about. Truth be told, whenever they meet here at home, I don't hear any conversations, just bursts of laughter...like laughter is their own language, and they have mastered it so.

Each is a unique diamond, giving another meaning to they saying "diamond is a girl's best friend". Theirs is a friendship unbreakable and sparkling. Theirs is a bond more precious than anything on this earth.... and may it remain that way.

The kit I used is called Ice Diamond and it's from Cay's Designs. It is so sparklingly delicious! It makes even the simplest layout look elegant and complicated! Of course, I love bling so, from out of the many elements that came with this kit [I think there were more than 70 of them!] I opted to use the diamonds over and over again!

TFL!