Summer, Summer, Summer

Being a musical person, I relate my life to song lyrics. And, I tend to burst into song whenever those lyrics pop into my head. When I think about this summer, "Magic" by The Cars pops into my head....

     Summer, it turns me upside down
     Summer, summer, summer
     It's like a merry-go-round

So while I've been upside down on the merry-go-round, I've taken a little break from the blog world. As I see the end of summer break approaching, I'm itching to get back to some of the things I've set aside.

I thought I would start by posting my July card for a card exchange group that I'm in. I got the basic idea for this card from a magazine. I didn't purchase the magazine, and I don't remember which one it was in. I just stored the idea away in my mind. When my Tim Holtz embossing folders arrived in the mail, I knew exactly what I was going to do!

Prism cardstock, Ribbon FX and Ribbon Boutique ribbons, Decorative Trims ric rac, Colorbox and Close to my Heart Inks, Tim Holtz embossing folders

Enjoy this day!

Scenes from Texas

Just a few photos from my parent's place. Dad has donkeys to help keep coyotes and dogs away from their property. I don't know if the donkeys found a friend or if the deer adopted the donkeys. But, in the mornings and evenings you can usually find this deer with them.

Mom and Dad have a hummingbird feeder haging in their front yard. One evening when we were sitting outside, a hummingbird came to eat. There is actually a second hummingbird in the area, but the first one chases the other one away. I couldn't capture any of that on film, they are really quite quick!

If it's not raining tomorrow, maybe I'll be able to get some photos of the cards I made at craft night with Mom. If was difficult crafting without only limited supplies!

Signs of an Addicted Scrapper

I won't talk about more paper than I care to think about. I won't talk about embellishments that I don't even remember that I have. I especially won't talk about all the time I spend reading and perusing crafting blogs! I won't talk about all the photos waiting for a home in a scrapbook. I won't talk about using every inch of available storage for tools. I will remain in denial that those might be signs that I'm an addicted scrapper!

Instead of talking about those things, I'll tell you a story. I'll even go so far as to say, "It's the story of a lovely lady. (who didn't want to be bored all afternoon)" My son went to Adventuredome with his school. For those of you that don't know, Adventuredome is an indoor amusement park at Circus Circus. Since he had a friend with him, he didn't need Mom around to ride rides or hover. So, when I decided to plan a boredom-free afternoon...an afternoon in which I didn't care to leave any earlier than my son did. I thought about those long tables in the group area. I thought about how nice it would be to spend the afternoon scrapping on one of those long tables. It wasn't really feasible to drag a huge bag of supplies out to Adventuredome, so I decided to pack some card kits. I took some card kits, my paper trimmer, and some adhesive. I wish I had also taken an ink pad or two, but I'm still happy with the end result. These kits were quick and easy with easy-to-follow instructions. I must admit that I was surprised to see them at an LSS for $17 when Memory Works sells them for $10. Here is all that I completed in between checking on the boys, eating lunch, and getting a little exercise.

The next time you see waiting in your future, pack up a card kit and fight the boredom! If you're feeling really adventurous, you could make your own card kits! A few supplies and a little bit of space and boredom becomes productive!

Christmas in July Winner!

Thanks for all the kind comments and for sharing your handmade gift ideas!

That means the winner is Tracee! E-mail me jtaylorsmom at yahoo dot com with your info!

Edited to add: I tried to use the random number widget, but I couldn't get it working. I'm going to blame that on being on someone else's computer. But, the number that showed up was 22.

Christmas in July!

Welcome to the Memory Works Christmas in July blog hop! Be sure to visit each blog to have chances to win more goodies. If you arrived here from Noelle's blog, then you are on the right track. If you didn't or if you've gotten lost along the way, you can start at Sue's blog.

For my project, I decided to make a stationary box. I give card sets as Christmas presents, and I like the presentation of providing a box. This one even includes a small address book, a spot for a pen, and a pocket for stamps as well as cards and tags. If you are interested in making your own, check out the instructions here.

Basic Grey patterned papers, American Crafts and Prism cardstock,

Making Memories stickers, misc. stamps and embellishments.

If you would like a chance to win this project, please leave a comment telling me about a crafty item you've given as a gift. Be sure to check back Monday to see if you are a winner. This giveaway is open to U.S. participants only. Next, hop on over to Rosann's blog to see what she has in store for you! Don't miss out on any of the blogs and their giveaways!

Sue
Liz
Wendy
Lynn
Sharon
Noelle
Shelley (You are here.)
Rosann
Jenn
Maryann
Luisa
Lisa
Mariah

I hope you have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Coming Soon!

Coming soon to a blog near you! Be sure and check in over the holiday weekend (July 2 - July 4). Each person participating in the hop will have a giveaway on their blog. I hope you find the time to seek out some inspiration and get a jump start on all those Christmas projects!

Summer Purging

Since it's officially summer, I'll have to go with summer purging instead of spring cleaning! I get together with friends once a week for craft night. I have a huge stash of stuff that I share with them. There is definitely more than enough to go around! Each summer, while my children are visiting their grandparents, I pull out all of my stuff and purge. This year is no different. I am getting rid of all the stuff that I don't use and really don't even look through! My craft night peeps will be able to do some "shopping" this weekend! I have a little peek for them.

This is a photo of a TV armoire that I use for scrapbook storage. It holds most of my tools, and now it even has a lot of my embellies. Anway, enjoy the peek (you know who you are)!