Challenges

Last weekend I had HUGE challenges! My computer got zapped because of a 'brown out' which means the electricity flickers on and off and the surge fried my modem and then something inside my computer which my FABULOUS friend Jason so kindly fixed for me. I was without internet from Friday night until Tuesday night and let me just tell you, THAT is a challenge! I didn't know what to do with myself half the time! I kept setting down to check my email and no connection :( Sad times. But all is well in the land of Susan once again. YIPPPPEEEEeeeeeeeee!!!!!

Hey, do you know what comes out tomorrow night at Midnight???

I'm SO SO SO excited!!!!! Will Edward and Bella get married? Will Bella become a vampire??? Everywhere I go I have conversations about these books. Mostly with grown women. Hardly any with young adults. But who am I kidding, I still THINK I am a young adult despite what that evil date on my driver's license says! So I guess you all can tell what I will be doing this weekend. Now my dilemma: do I take is slow and try to savor every last bit or do I plow right thru it so I know how it ends? I'm going to say I will try to savor for as long as possible (which is usually about 1/3 of the way in) and then I will go into seclusion until it is finished. I'm not such a fast reader so I can't read it in a night. I'm sure I will NOT be disappointed.

So your watching Project Runway right? Well, if you aren't then you should start! Although I have to say I haven't seen anything that just blew my socks off yet but it is early. Anyway, over at SIS TV they are having a Project Catwalk challenge every Wednesday night based on that evenings Project Runway challenge. TONS of FUN!!! Below is my first weeks entry. Since the show was about creating an outfit from stuff you found in a grocery store, Big Sis gave us the challenge of using a list of items that the contestants had used in their designs. I used coffee filters (sprayed with Glimmer Mist) and balloons. The coffee filters are my flower and the balloons are the middle of my flower, the clouds and the stem of the flower. There were some great entries. I missed posting my second challenge entry due to the aformentioned computer issue. I'm glad because it was AWFUL. The challenge was to create a green card and use some kind of packaging like the cellophane that Thickers come wrapped in. There were more great entries! I'll share this weeks challenge with you later.




This was for the Book of Me prompt over at AllyScraps. We were challenged to do a layout based on our travels. Since I spent 2 summers studying art in Italy (and always am dreaming of going back) I thought the pic of rubbing the boars nose in the Mercato Nuovo in Florence was fitting. This photo was taken just over 10 years ago (and much more than 10 pounds ago!).



This was for a challenge over at TallyScrappers. Whomever posted below you got to tell you what to do on your layout. My recipe was: use a solid color background, use stamps, use 5 different patterened papers cut to these specifications: 2= 10" x 1", 2= 4" x 5", and 1= 1/2" x 4". This is Autumn, my kitty (well, one of 4). She's 15 now! I know she will live forever though! ;)

I wanna, I wanna...

Sorry, I'm still singing the Spice Girls from last night! Where O' where are my barbies??? I forgot to mention the Clown last night who made the great balloon hats and animals. Christy is sporting her fab creation in the pics below. There were also alligators, poodles, cat's, teddy bears, bugs and horns to wear!

The Birthday Girl!


Christy and I


Scrappy Chix


Notice Christy's T-shirt! She is vowing to never tell us a story from her past again! LOL


Christy, Me & Brook


Guess who!


Lori


Marcee & Zach


Addy, Amy, Jason & Sydney


Tracie, Jade & (Ops! I can't remember Tracie's husbands name! YIKES!)


Brian, Tate & Brook


Ok, I've LOST my cell phone!!! I THINK it is in Marcee's car but since she is NOT answering my calls from the home phone I am still in a panic over it. Guess I will just have to go relax myself by the pool! :) Have a nice Sunday everyone!

So tell me what you want, what you really, really want...

So this week I have been planning my friend Christy's surprise 40th birthday party. It was tonight and it went off without a hitch! She had not a clue. I love that. We all even scrapped together last night and no one let anything out of the bag. My friend Amy helped (well did it herself really) make a video which I think she loved. We put her life in pictures to the sound of the classic Spice Girls! LOL So tell me what you want, what you really, really want. I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want. I wanna, I wanna... Makes me want to drag out my Scary Spice and Ginger Spice Barbies! I was seriously in love with Mel B's afro. It was so HUGE!

Anyway, the party is over. Christy still has til Tuesday before she turns the ripe ol' age of 40 and I told her to enjoy her last days in her thirties. lol I was hoping to cap off this birthday weekend with a trip to the movies to see Mama Mia but it isn't on in the big city of Independence yet. Sad times. Christy and I saw the musical last year in Tulsa. We didn't really know each other then so that is really the begining of our friendship I guess I would say. I'll show you all pictures later. I have to retrieve them from the other girls first.

So I have a layout to show you all. The one I did with a bunch of scraps that got it's inspiration from my Inspire ATC swap.



This layout is about what inspires me. I'm inspired by color, especially bright colors. Nature, the way my birdies tweet and the personalities of my 4 cats. Like how did God know to do that? I'm inspired by faith, recovery, love and giving. I'm also inspired by a challenge. So what inspires you?

Hope you all are having a great weekend. Catch ya' later!

Hey hey it's FRIDAY!!!

So i've been a busy camper again this week! Tonight (well Thursday night because I haven't gone to bed yet) I cut my friend Amy's hair off and gave her some summery blonde highlights. Can I just tell you how much I love cutting me some hair! And I really love when they leave with a giant smile on their face. Then I have one too! So I told you all earlier about my blogging party this month over at Serendipity Scrapbooks. Well, they are also having a great Christmas in July sale and a Design Team call. I plan on throwing my hat into the ring if I can get around to getting some scrapping done! My friend Aja post on their site too and I cut her hair off today also! Fun times! I've got more layouts to post but I'm tired and have to work in the morning so I'm off to bed. Did any of you go see the new Batman tonight? Who's going to see Mama Mia this weekend? If it comes here this weekend then I will be sitting my tooshy in a seat and becoming a Dancing Queen! Makes me want to run out and rent Priscilla, Queen of the Desert also! Love me some fab drag queens! Ok, I need sleep. Like SERIOUSLY! Nighty night!!!

Rock OUT!

So here is the other ATC swap I have done at the moment. This was cool because we each burned a copy of our song and the host is going to make them all into a playlist and burn the swap songs to disc for each of us. It should be a cool mix of songs. I decided that I would do a layout along with each of my ATC's since I signed up for ones that inspire me. So I just take something extra from the design to do the layout. I think the real name of the album is Rock Steady, which at the time I signed up I forgot. It is one of my all time fav albums because I love EVERY song and one just rolls into the other so perfectly. That is the one thing I don't like about the whole iTunes deal is that people are just buying songs and missing out on the experience of the album. I'm scared it will someday change the music biz forever. Buying the one hit wonder is nice with some songs but others you might miss the total package. Ok, enough with the soap box. So what is one of your all time fav albums? I love new music so leave me a comment so I can check it out!

My first ever ATC's!

So I'm totally addicted to the ATC craze! I first heard about Artist Trading Cards after reading an article in the newspaper while I lived in Denver and thought how fun it would be. This group would get together once a month and trade cards. Well, they do a bunch of ATC Swaps at SIS and I have joined the band wagon. I really love having little pieces of others art so this should be fun and there are some great little tutorials about making some albums for them. I also decided to do a layout for all my ATC's. Expand on the idea a bit. Well hope you all are having a great week. I have more to post but I'm off to bed now. Check back tomorrow!

Life...

is BUSY lately!!! I really would like it to slow down a bit and let me take a breath and catch up. Do you all have days or weeks like that? Always seems to be that way after I return from being away. I had a nice time in Tulsa. Saw some friends, did a bit of shopping, ate some good food, watched some movies and a bit of TV, got the hair colored :D This week I am the host of the Book of Me Challenge HERE and my local scrap store is starting their Bi-annual scrappy garage sale tomorrow. I have a ton of things going on this weekend and honestly, all I want to do is take a NAP! LOL Shocking, I know.



My journaling reads:
We always say "If I had know then what I know now." I wish I would have known to trust my intuition. To have confidence in myself. To not be afraid. I wish I would have known then to trust that God would get me thru anything & I would survive. I wish I would have known that popularity really wasn't important & gossip gets you nowhere. I should have never stopped creating. Internships ARE important. Things are not. You only have to live up to YOUR expectations, no one else's! No one is better than you or beneath you. Study hard! I wish I had known these things, & more, but then I would have had different life lessons.

Hope your having a Happy Friday!!!

A little vaca

I'm in Tulsa for the weekend. A little vaca was much needed. Did a little scrappy shopping yesterday. Took myself to lunch at Cheesecake Factory. I'm in love with their Loau Salad. YUMMY! Had dinner with some friends. FUN times. Hope your having a great weekend!

Happy Independence Day!!!

Happy 4th of July!!! I'll be spending my day with the Fabulous Christy. She's the one in the straw hat waving. She lives with her family in a spot in the road a few miles outside of town and they have one of those celebrations like you see on tv but never go to. They have a parade complete with tractors and kids in wheel barrows and horses pulling up the end. Then there is an arts & crafts booth which I am helping with this year and snowcones which the Springers are in charge. They also have a silent auction and then the fire department cooks up some hamburgers and hot dogs and everyone brings a covered dish. After we are stuffed we settle in for the fireworks. It's a fun, kid friendly time! These are some pics I took last year.



And here are some pics of fireworks that I took last year.









So on this day that we celebrate our freedom, I was asked what freedom meant to me. The word Freedom has a lot of meanings to me. Now that I'm sober I'm free from the confines of addiction. What I thought would make me a 'boring' person has given me a lot more freedom. Giving up cigarettes is another. It's hard to live life when you are always worrying about getting drugs or when you are going to have your next drink or cigarette. If you have enough money to sustain your 'needs' and the fact that you think you can't have fun if there is no alcohol or drugs or you can't smoke there. I definatly got more freedom by giving those things up than by doing them.

Then there are the freedoms allowed to us as Americans: Freedom of speech is a huge one. Freedom of religion. Freedom to be and live and dress as the individual pleases. Not so in MANY countries. WE are blessed to be Americans with our technology and medical miracles and the many comforts we take advantage of every day. So tell me what Freedom means to YOU!

Everyone have a safe, fun holiday!

The Cheese To My Macoroni

I just watched Juno and I LOVED it!!! Have you seen it yet? If not and you want to then STOP READING NOW!!! I just loved her attitude and the way she talked and how her parents didn't throw a hysterical fit. I liked that she gave the baby to the woman anyway. A bit unrealistic IMHO, but I loved it just the same. Soundtrack is AWESOME and it should be arriving in my mailbox in the next few days because my scrappy friend Gina burnt me a copy and sent it my way!!! Woot Woot!!! Love me some indie music. I've also been watching Season 3 of Weeds. I'm tivoing Season 4 to watch when I am done. I'm also blog partying this week at Serendipity Scrapbooks so I should be updating more often. I have some layouts to scan and load and I have my first ever ATC's finished. I must say I am LOVING the ATC's and can't wait to start getting others and seeing everyone's work. It is making me come up with some cool ideas for other projects also.

Anyway, I have like my 3rd or 4th sinus infection of 2008 and my head is a banging so I'm outta here. Catch ya' later.