Scraplift Monday

Jeanne & I had a scrappy day yesterday, both getting much done! I'm working on a mini-album. I picked up several of those $1 photo albums from the Big Box Store. The idea was found here by Jeanne, and I dove right in...Needless to say, I'm having a blast. I can't wait for us to have a chance to work on the albums she got us both for Christmas!

Only problem I'm having is remembering dates for some of the older pics. :) But that's ok. It's not really in any order, just building mini pages as I go. There's also not a lot of room for much in the way of chipboard, so it's mostly just photos, stamps and some rub-ons. I'm also keeping the journaling very simple, and letting the picture tell the story.

The page we worked on together is from a website called Inspired Blueprints. The Scraplift we did was for Sketch #6, found here. This is what I came up with:

Go here to see what Miss Jeanne created!! It was fun as always, and can't wait til our next scrap session!!

Hope everyone had a great Holiday, and is ready to roll into 2009!!

Favorite photo of 2008!

Shutter Sisters has a challenge for us to find our favorite (not best!) photo of 2008, here is mine.

Flying home to visit family & friends that i get to see only once or twice a year, always makes me happy. So while taking this picture, I'm sure I was thinking about all the fun stuff I was going to see & do with people I loved.

Scrappy day

Last night after getting home from work, I decided to print out a few pictures, and scrap my day. I even managed to keep the fact that it was my birthday a secret from everyone at work all day. I hate attention from people who feel obligated to do things for their boss/supervisor, and the best present for me would just to have everyone actually do the requried work for one day. lol

So, anyhoo. I made a layout of my day, and here it is!

Cardstock from Colorbok, Clear stickers from Timeless Moments collection by "It Takes Two", Ink from Colorbox. "today" stickers from Basic Grey (sublime towering type). Round flower sticker under the Y is salsa celebration by Junkitz.

Whole Foods

This weekend I finally got the chance to visit the new Whole Foods store that just opened up on San Jose Blvd here in Jacksonville. I'm so happy to finally have one here!!! It's definitely a trek for me to get down there, but still, once in awhile it's so worth it!

The hot/prepared foods area is huge! Then there's the pizza station and the breads, and desserts. They have a little coffee area too, and therein lies my only gripe. That area did not seem well organized at all, I waited for someone to take my order while 3 people stood around. So, I walked away. Maybe when it's not so busy it will be better, we'll see.

There were tons of samples, and I bought a few things, like locally made hummus, popcorn (with sea salt, yum!), and some bratwurst..

Brenda Photo Challenge!

A couple weeks ago, Jeanne tagged me to host the next Brenda Photo Challenge. I accepted, and decided on a theme of Holiday Decorations. Living in Florida, the holiday finery is a bit different, with lights on the trunks of palm trees, and no snow to be found (thankfully)! But Floridians have a way with making do, and so I present to you, my photos for the challenge!

This guy was built at the beach, and got quite a lot of people taking pics of him, me included. I thought he was pretty cute!

The "snowglobe" is painted on the window to one of the stores at the Mall I visit quite often. The snowman is inside the store just behind the window.

The tree at the same mall is adorned with very large ornaments, and I was able to get myself in there too!

The tree is sponsored by Mayor's, a very upscale store.

I hope everyone had fun with the challenge, I know I did! Thanks again to Jeanne for hosting the last challenge and for choosing me to host. On that note, I need to choose the next host. Since I was a "newbie" I think I'll choose LauraBelle! Thanks to all who participated in this challenge with me!

Happy Mail Day(s)

So, yesterday I got home and there was a suspicious package in my mailbox...ok, so it wasn't suspicious at all, but a birthday gift from my BFF, Jeanne. I patiently waited **grumble** til she came online so she could watch me open it on the webcam (my gift to her on her b-day back in October, LOL). I carefully cut one edge of the envelope, and gave that strip to my cat. He loved it, and played with it most of the evening. Inside was a cd of the pics she took when we went to Boston in September. We always share our pics, and that way we have pics of ourselves to scrap, or what-not.


Also inside was a set of clear stamps (doodle tagged is the name) from Autumn Leaves. I LOVE this company, and I love clear stamps! Those are probably the one embellishment I use on all my LO's. The fun doesn't stop here....also inside was a book by Ali Edwards, "Sharing Your Story". I've gotten into doing mini albums with the Jessica Sprague class "Stories in Hand", (see my sidebar for link). I really love how many different styles of mini albums there are, so this should be some fun!


To top it off, Jeanne got herself the same stamp set and book, so we can create stuff together! How fun is that?? What an awesome gift!! Oh, I also got the newest issue of Creating keepsakes in the mail today too!! Even more creative inspiration!


So here is a piccy of my goodies:

Thanks, Jeanne!!

Skywatch Friday

Tonight's sunset was quite beautiful!! I was leaving work when I noticed the bright orange color, so instead of risking missing it by driving to my usual spot, I drove thru the airport, I got a couple pictures, but this one is my favorite. Sure enough by the time I got home, it was over and just a gray cloud remained.

While at my cousin's house over Thanksgiving, there were so many turkey vultures around, I don't think I've ever seen that many at one time.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Happy skywatching! Go here to find links to the other participants, and to join in!

scraplifting monday

Time for another round of scraplifting! This time we both took quite a few liberties with the LO's theme, but still can see where the similarities lie. The original can be found here, in the layout titled "southern comforts". Here is what I came up with:

Go here to see what Jeanne came up with! As always it was a ton of fun, and we seem to accomplish more when we scrap together, not to mention it's just more fun!

Oh, and for the record, I used basic grey paper for the background.

Brenda Photo Challenge

Thanks Jeanne, for choosing me to pick the next theme for the challenge! I had a great time doing this!

Since it's that time of year (or it will be when posting time comes) my theme will be Holiday Decorations! Inside, outside, yours, not yours, all of the above...Hope everyone has fun!

Go here to join in when she posts the theme! Saturday Dec. 13th will be the date to post!

Brenda Photo Challenge..

Jeanne proposed the theme of ant's eye view for her challenge..I had some fun this weekend visiting family for Thanksgiving out in the Lake City area. My uncles father had just gotten a new puppy, and my cousin's family just got a new kitten...so I spent a lot of time on the ground anyway!

This is Panda, isn't she cute!? She's still only a few months old, and was very wary of me, til I showed the treats, then she was my best friend!

This little kitteh is Tebow. yes THAT Tebow. You football fans know who!:) He didn't sit still much when outside, but I loved watching his (at least we think it's a he) antics and capturing them on camera. Inside he was just a little sleeping purr machine.

I'm sure some ants would love to carry off this pile of fresh-from-the-oven Chocolate chip cookies.

So, that's my offering for the challenge. Thanks Jeanne, for getting me into this, I had a great time!! Go here for links to the other participants!

Scraplift time!

Jeanne & I found a great way to scrap our furbabies in a layout titled "High Maintenance". Most cats are exactly that, so it was a pretty easy choice. We don't have the source for the original, so don't want to show it without proper credit being given. Suffice it to say it was darn cute!

Anyhoo, Here is what I came up with:

Color circles cut from PP by We R Memory Makers, Journaling paper by Colorbok, Chipboard title letters (HIGH) from Creative Imaginations, Stamped letters (maintenance) by "my sentiments exactly (perky upper), Cardstock from Best Occasions.

Go here to see her layout! What a blast we had, and we have at least 2 more 'lifts lined up for the future...

My World Tuesday, scrappy edition

The past several days I've been holed up in the crafty corner of my apartment making my binder for a free class at JessicaSprague.com. Jeanne got me interested in doing this project, and I must say I'm loving it!! There are a ton of old forgotten memories and stories just waiting to be told. This is the binder I created.

What's cool is she gives you the files and you have to do all the cutting and gluing, so no 2 peoples binders will look alike!

I've got the XM radio Holiday channel on, and have just been chilling out, relaxing to the tunes, and chatting and/or scrapping my evenings away.

It's been a bit chilly again here, and I did a bit of driving around on saturday to various local scrap stores to try and find the particular binder I wanted for the project. No such luck, so I just got a small plain chipboard one and went to town decorating it. At one of my stops this gas station sign stopped me in my tracks, and I had to pull around to snap this in the parking lot.

Thought I would also add a shot of the Carnival Fascination ship docked at Jaxport. It never ceases to amaze me that this ship can even make it into that tiny port. I love that I can see it from far away and it just dwarfs everything around it. Buildings, trees...all are no match for The Cruise Ship!

So, there's my world for this week. Not much to report this week, but that's ok.. Go here to see links to more MyWorld participants.

Skywatch Friday, vacation edition

Time for our weekly view of the sky. As in my last post I had my mom & sister down to visit over the weekend, and we did so many fun things. Most of them right in my own "backyard".

On the way out to Cedar Key, we saw this little farmhouse in the middle of a great big field. I had to stop. If you look closely you can just make out the bales of hay in the background. The ones by the house are a little easier to see. It was a most beautiful day for a drive, that's for sure!

Down by Atlantic Beach there is a very cool old style McDonalds. I love the Arches, and the inside is just as fun. The tables look like surfboards, and the decor is very relaxed and bright, perfect place to have a snack or cold drink after a walk on the beach.

And now for my usual sunset shot. I didn't quite make it down to the ramp in time for this one, but the colors I saw when I started down the road were gorgeous all the same. This one was taken on Halloween night.

Have a great weekend, and don't forget to check

out links to all the other participants of skywatch friday

at the SkyWatch Blog.

MyWorld Tuesday, Vacation Edition

With my mom & sister visiting this past weekend, I've seen a lot more of "my world" than I usually do. I took them to Atlantic Beach & St John's town center on Thursday, and out to visit my aunt (mom's sister) & uncle in Lake City on Friday. While they visited, sis & I headed out to Cedar Key, on the gulf coast. Wow, what a neat little seaside town!! There was so much to see & do, little shops to explore and people to watch. We ate at the Dock Street depot, overlooking the ocean, and watching people fish off the piers. Food was good, service not so much. On the way out we saw them doing a controlled burn on a field. Then we went back to pick up my mom and head back home to Jacksonville.

The palm & boat are from Cedar Key, what a gorgeous view!

On Saturday we drove up to Fernandina/Amelia Island. We got to walk on the beach a bit, see the Veterans day Parade, visit the farmers market and get a bag of kettle corn (Yum!). For lunch we ate at Brett's Waterway Cafe, absolutely delish! The food, sevice and atmosphere were outstanding all the way around!

Sunday we visited the Zoo. We didn't get to quite see everything, but we saw quite a bit. The primates are probably my favorite zoo creatures, so playful! The giraffes were very cool!

Today we took it easy, and did nothing. I went into work for lunch as we had our LEAP awards ceremony, then out for lunch (just an appetizer for me) with mom & sis. Hit up starbucks for a frap to kill a few minutes, then dropped them off at the airport.

Now I'm home, and the cat is wondering why the house is so darn quiet.

As always click here to visit links to other MyWorld Participants!

Voting and scrapbooking!

Have you voted today? I did, now I am planted in front of the computer and have CNN on the tube.

Decided on another sraplift with Jeanne last week, and finished them over the weekend. Another Boston one, this time a 2 page layout. I promise the next one is for our respective fur-babies.

On to the creativity! Here's the link to the inspiration.

And here is what I came up with:

As always, go here to see what Jeanne came up with!

Have a great week!!

My World Tuesday #3

With inventory at work finally done (with a couple late hours on friday and all day saturday) I was able to get some nice night pics from around where I work. There are 2 fountains at the entrance to the Tradeport area I work in. Port is probably not the right name for the area, as there is no access for ships, but many businesses have their HQ there. It's close to the airport, and there are several hotels there, including a couple new ones still in construction mode.
This all makes it a convenient place to do business as you can see.

Thankfully It's also pretty nice there. Lots of trees, the clock tower is there, ponds, fountains, benches to sit on at break time or lunch, etc.

So for my first photo I'd like to share one of the fountains at the entrance, it's lit all night, but I'm usually in a rush in the morning, so when I had the chance on friday night to stop and get a shot of it, I did.


Over near the Coach building (yes, the handbag company!) there is a rotary (or roundabout, depending on where you are from) and a cute little cobblestone bridge with these nice lights on both sides.

This is a view of those same lights in the daytime.

Was very nice to take a slow drive around the area, and really look around.

Go here to see links to the other participants of MyWorld Tuesday, and see how they see their world!

This link....

This link says it all. We're better than this.

Skywatch Friday

Today's view is from a few days ago. It was so nice when I got out of work that I took a drive thru the back roads of the Jacksonville Airport. Before you get to the terminals there is a road that goes off to the right where they have the economy parking, rental car lots, a post office, and the pet kennels. I like the ride out there because there are no tall buildings blocking the view of the sky. There are, however, lots of fences.

It has been pretty chilly the last few days; as low as 36 in the morning when I get up! Brrrr. I've definitely aclimated to the southern weather a bit. Personally I'd be happy with about 70-75 everyday with sunshine. It can rain at night, or during the week when most people are at work.

This one was from when I was pulling off the highway at my exit. I saw this plane coming down for his landing and thought it was pretty neat. He went right over me, but I was too far along the road when he got closer, and there was no way I could just stop there on the off ramp.

This one was taken back in september at The Boat ramp. It was definitely one of the more beautiful sunsets I've seen. Not that there is such a thing as a bad one...but you know what I mean!

As always visit here to see links to many more participants of Skywatch Friday, and feel free to join in if you don't already!

My World Tuesday #2

So here we are at My World Tuesday once again! This week has been very busy with inventory at work, not my favorite thing to do, but over the years it's just become one of those Grin & bear it type things. Just do it, get it over with and don't let the little things get to you. And they will. People will argue over petty things, and you will try not to get involved and remain the impartial, stoic one, but that only lasts so long. Tempers get short, days get longer, and everyone just wants it over with.

So this has been my life since monday, and tomorrow (finally) we should be done. The last couple years, since we got a new supervisor, we've been getting more and more organized. So it has definitely gone smoother than in the past. We have some new people that just don't know the product line like we do. There are easily several thousand different parts we are dealing with.

And since I work close to the Jacksonville FL airport, thought I'd show a pic of this:

This was taken last week while I was moving pallets around making sure stuff was marked with the right part numbers. My SP for the week. :)

Don't forget to visit the My World Blog to visit others who are participating in the meme. Have a great week!

Skywatch Friday

Driving out of the work parking lot this afternoon I was surprised to look up and see this sight.

I've seen them (not sure if it's a "true" sundog or not) before, but the clouds kept changing it, or even the direction of my travel. There aren't many places to pull over to the side of the road and take pics really, so I found a halfway decent spot and grabbed a pic. This was not the brightest view I had, but was the best I could get at the time.

This photo is also near where I work, there's a large pond with lots of egrets around, and this cool clock tower. They've been baling hay recently and loading it up in the field nearby, and I definitely wanted to capture that!

Visit here to see links to many more skywatchers from around the world!

Also, don't forget to check out the sister-blog on MyWorld Tuesdays, click here!

scrap pages..

Over the weekend I got around to finishing a few pages that have been in progress, just waiting for the finishing touch. So, I thought I'd post them since I haven't shared many LO's lately.

Jeanne pointed me towards a neat blog, called 12 of 12, where you scrap 12 pictures from the 12th of the month. Neat idea! I happened to go down to St Augustine that day, it was a pretty easy task to acomplish! Although the real challenge for me is scrapping the ordinary. Put plainly, I suck at it. LOL

I also did my September month in review page. It was hard to pare down the pics for that one, since I was in Massachusetts for my vacation. I saw & did so many fun things, it was hard to decide what to include, and what to "pass over".

Then in the fall Issue of Scrapbooks Etc. Jeanne found a layout that would work nicely as a Boston challenge for us to 'lift, and boy, did it!

Here's the original:

And here's my creation:

Go here to see what Jeanne created!!