Change is Never Easy For This One

Well, I told you I had some news. I've joined the Creative Team over at Creative Soup. Creative Soup is a relatively new challenge blog/forum. I am absolutely floored by this new and fun concept. This is not your momma's challenge blog. It has an actual FORUM and GALLERY where members can chat, be inspired, ask questions, and share their stuff. Genius!! There is a ton going on at this place to inspire you, get your mojo flowing, so that you can create, create, create.

Mojo Mondays are a great way to kick off the scrappy week. Mondays bring you new challenges each week rotating between various topics including Get Meaningful, Get Sketchy, Get Inspired, and Get Crafty. Complete some challenges and earn ca-yute badges and be entered into a drawing for some scrappy goodness!

Creative Soup offers amazing free classes every quarter. The forum provides very detailed instructions and journaling prompts. I have never seen such a lenghty involved class offered in a free forum. I can't wait to get started on May's event!

The week doesn't end on Monday. Tuesdays offer Talk Tuesday to give you the opportunity to get to know your fellow Soup-ers better. Web Wednesdays bring you great projects and links from the web. CS does the web surfing for you! Thursdays are Thrifty Thursdays. They give you ideas to stretch your scrappy dollar. And Fridays are all about fonts. CS offers wonderful font finds and the links, to boot. Don't forget about your cameras, either. Sundays are Snapshot Sundays. The girls provide a fun photography challenge each week.

Creative Soup has monthly crops with challenges, games, and prizes. In fact, one just started yesterday. March Madness Crop goes through the 21st. Go HERE and join the forum and get started. See you there.

Before you go... Some fun new stuff for Scrapbook Express.

And, of course a little something for Scrap That Baby's newest prompt. Go make something and you may just win a wonderful prize from this month's sponsor, Ally Scraps.

That First Step is a Doozy

I know, I know, I keep saying, "I'll be right back", and I end up being a no-show to my own party. Not even sure what's eating up my blogging time. Well, anyways I'm here. I'm enjoying the off season around here. This is the only time of year where we have zero kids in team sports. We're "off" until Spring soccer fires back up. Now, that should be fun. All FIVE will be playing for the first time. Excuse me while I go take a nice, long nap just at the very thought. In the meantime we're keeping busy with Scouts times 2 and just the day to day life with the Fab Five.

Gotta give props to my last baby getting potty trained. Yep, after 10 years, 3 months, and 3 days STRAIGHT of having a kid or kiddos in diapers... wait for it... Sullivan is potty trained. Whatever to do with all that free time?!? Here he is enjoying his reward. Heck, I would have bought him a full-size dump truck had he done it at 2!!

Tons of scrappiness to share. Have I told you lately that I love banners?

Did this for a DT call. Hmm, I may just have something to share. Wink.

Can you say stash? Yep, used up some super old, I mean yummy Fancy Pants acrylic shapes and Amy Butler butterflies.

More Studio calico Back 40 love...

Thanks for checking in on me. Love reading your comments. Appreciate that you take the time to do it. I've got STB and Scrapbook Express stuff to share. Later.

She May Be Daddy's Girl, But She's ALL Me

So... the girl turned 8. Yep, not sure how but she survived the drama that is her, and turned EIGHT. Don't quite know what it is, but there's something about that age for a girl. No longer little girl and oh so darn close to that dang 'tween age. Ugh. No, double ugh.

Donk started planning the big day around the same time he was planning Bubba's #10 celebration. This year's game plan... Spa Day for Julia and 3 of her besties. They had a ball getting their hair, faces, and nails done. All the while enjoying Cokes, candy, cookies, and cupcakes (from the new cupcakery around the corner, any excuse for Momma to finally check them out). You seriously have not seen 4 little girls this dang giddy. They were all giggles and skipping and lollipops and sugar. So happy was I to be there to take it all in. It was THAT special.

Life continues to be character building. So, I play with paper & glue as much as I can. Here are 5 layouts using Studio Calico's Back 40 kit (and the pp add-on). I have 4 more in the making and still lots more to dig into. The first is a double layout for Project 12 for January. Not in the journaling mood, so that will come...

******P.S.: Yep, I made that birthday badge for my girl (scroll back to the very first image I shared today). I started with some Sass classic scraps, some hoarded ribbon, mostly AC, and the Tim Holtz rosette diecut for my Epic 6. I tore apart an old birthday badge and just started punching, gluing, flocking, and layering. This is my new favorite thing to make. You better look out, if YOU have a birthday coming up, you just may be the recipient of one of these little ditties!!

*************P.P.S. Double yep, more stash usage today. Gotta love your stash. Are you with me?