CPS/CardMaker Card Magazine

I decided I wanted to make a card for the CPS contest. I love their sketches, but have never uploaded any to their site. I'll include the sketch, in case you haven't seen it & want to enter yourself. Deadline is October 6th!!

"it's a beach party"

I went with a Summer Party theme & turned the sketch on it's side. The 4 wooden fish are my "4 squares." I added small clear beads to the wave tops for dimension & stamped swirls on the background to mimic the sun's rays. Loved the sketch & hoping to make another before the deadline. Thanks for looking!!

Moving on with my "aha moment"

I'm coming off my "high" from my first real publication in MM Oct issue & as of last night, had my first real "aha moment" in a long time. It was one of those moments that hit hard & made me realize............"what the heck have you been doing?"

Let me explain: Getting published is a dream of mine, as is a dream for a lot of people. If it isn't.....does that make you less of a scrapper? Of course not. It's just something a lot of us strive for, as a personal goal. So, over the past year I've submitted creation after creation, only to get no response from any paper magazines. Frustrating to say the least, especially when I browse my subscription mags & see the same names over & over. And then last night, it hit me, for whatever reason, why I'm not getting published. Blow to my ego? Of course it is, but still a step towards progress. And here's "a" (notice I don't say "the") reason:

"Out of all the things I've submitted lately, I would say approximately 90% of my stuff is using old product!"

*GASP!!!!* The horror of it all!! I know.............quite a shocker to me too. Why wouldn't they want to publish my works of art with all the 6-month old product I'm trying to use up? Um....excuse me, but they want to see newer product. Okay, so don't go off on a tangent about people using old product...........what I'm saying is that most magazines want to see "newer" than 6-month+ old product when you submit a project. That doesn't mean they won't accept your project, but I believe they need to keep up with the industry & competition, which means they need to publish projects using the latest products & techniques.

So, after all my coaching, mentoring & advise I have received on getting published, why has it taken me this long to realize this? I have no clue. I do know that all the projects I submitted I felt were publish worthy & I personally love them. So, I'm not saying I submitted "just to submit." I'm just shocked at myself for not being more on top of this whole publishing thing. So, after careful consideration & thinking last night, I cleaned up my computer & some of my on-line galleries this morning. I essentially deleted ALL projects over 6-months old. Why keep them on my computer where I can see them all the time & think "Self, this works for such & such call," when in actually.............it does work, just NOT with that old product. This leaves my poor gallery sorta bare, but it's invigorating that I can start fresh. Lord knows I've got TONS of new products, I'm just one of those that uses what inspires me & that might be product that is 6-months old & there's nothing wrong with that.

My agenda for the next couple of weeks is to get some design team projects listed on Ebay. More specifically cards. I have TONS of them that I've made & not used. It's apparent they will not get published, so I'll auction them & someone else can put them to use. Then, I'll make all the birthday & Christmas cards I'll need to make for the rest of this year............using new product. I have approximately 15 birthday cards to make, so I'll be busy. I'm also going to make Ashlyn's teachers Christmas gifts. I'm going to give her a tin with some Thank You cards & probably an altered Lazy Susan. Might just use old stash for this, since I have a tin already decorated......we'll see.

I'm excited & I do feel a bit overwhelmed. I've given myself a lot to do & as always, feel like I have to get it done YESTERDAY!! Better get busy & while I'm at it......here are a couple of cards I've made recently using "old" product.

Now you understand why these won't be published:), even though the last one is using acrylic, which is a hot new trend.

Quick update.............

about what's going on with me. I'm anxiously awaiting September 18th. This is the day the October issue of Memory Makers magazine will hit the shelves. I'll have my first hard-copy magazine publication in this issue & I'm a tad excited. I went to Michael's today in the hopes they had it out already, but I didn't find it. But then again, I don't like how Michael's displays their magazines.....you have to search in about 10 different places before you "think" you've looked at them all? Anyway, here's what the cover is supposed to look like, so if you see it in a store, send me a quick note.

I did some more cleaning & rearranging in my scraproom. This is a never-ending battle for me & wouldn't be if I could control my spending. But that's another post in itself. I kept seeing this wonderful stamp storage idea & since the box was bought at Target, I was sold on the idea. Of course, it took me forever to find the box, since they never said the name brand & I didn't find the exact kind. Instead, I did find a Cropper Hopper box, in the scrapbook aisle. It's a collapsable box, so you won't find it sitting pretty on the shelf, I found it hanging on a hook, inside a box (go figure). Either way, I'm still a little confused on what they're doing? They are taking their stamps & putting them inside CD cases. I have a slew of CD cases, but all of mine have the little circular indention on the inside where my CD sits. So, how are they getting their stamps inside? Not to mention, my CD cases are not thick enough to hold stamps on each side & close. It's was so terribly confusing that I ended up putting all my October Afternoon stamps & some smaller stamps in the Cropper Hopper & kept my Autumn Leaves & Lil Davis stamps in my Sterilite drawer. Still not sure I'm sold on the idea, so I'll keep you posted.

I have been busy scrapping. I've done some 11x8.5 layouts & I've been doing cards. I love making cards. I usually have no one to give them to, but I love to make them. Here's a little look-see at a few things I've done recently.

This was made using mostly stuff from a couple of Jenni Bowlin kits.

This is just another page for my BOM. I got the basic design for this from someone else. I did change it to suite my taste, but I can't take full credit. Unfortunately, I don't remember whose idea it was. So if it's yours, please let me know, as I always want to give credit.

This week will be like starting school over again. Ashlyn was sick last week & missed 3-days. That means we slept in everyday & lounged around the house. Now, we think Camryn is coming down with something. Definitely another busy week ahead of me!!

Sale @ Just Let Me Scrapbook

Just Let Me Scrapbook is having another sale. Here's the info complete with a coupon code!!

Our town is celebrating our annual Buggy Days Festival this week! Back in the day, Barnesville, Georgia was the Buggy Capitol of the South with 3 factories making the majority of the horse drawn buggies produced in the USA! To celebrate our heritage, we’re offering a 20% storewide sale! To get your discount , enter the code BUGGY20 during checkout. This code is good through Sunday, Sept. 16.

Happy Shopping!!!

Scrappin' & Snackin'

The 2, most definitely, go hand-in-hand and I've been doing both:) My most recent scrappy purchase....................................................................

......................Scrapbook Play by Simple Scrapbooks Magazine. I'm partial to this magazine anyway, as I adore Cathy Zielske. I've already completed 2 layouts, inspired by this magazine & I love them. I'm a "clean & simple" girl at heart when it comes to my scrapping, but I enjoy trying many other styles & techniques. Because of this, my gallery fluctuates in styles & design, which I love. Anyhoo.......enjoying this magazine immensely.

I also had the wonderful opportunity to pick up some of this

over the weekend. Love when Halloween comes around. Don't know why I enjoy this candy so much. I won't each "peeps" because of the amount of sugar in each little creature, but I'll eat a bag of these like there's no tomorrow? Go figure!! Regardless, this can't be good for my thighs & butt. NOTE TO SELF: "Gotta stay on my ellipitical 10 minutes longer tomorrow."

Oh wait. I need to get on my ellipitical period!!

Nothing new

I have no news to report & only a few new projects to show. I'm sorta in limbo. I'm doing layouts & experimenting. Trying things I don't normally do.....liking some, not liking others. Hoarding most of it though. Haven't had a "not-seen" pile in a while, so I'm only showing my less than stellar stuff. No plans for my "not seen" pile, but one never knows.....now do we?

I'm also getting more & more interested in digital. I purchased a copy of Better Homes & Garden "The Ultimate Guide to Digital Scrapbooking." I'm a sucker for any magazine by BHG anyway & this one proved to be worth what I paid. So, today I went to BOM in the attempt to purchase "Digital Scrapbooking for Dummies." Why didn't someone tell me this book doesn't exist:) Either way, I'm looking into a new software program, preferably one that is kind to someone as tech illiterate as me!! I'm leaning towards Corel Paint Shop Pro, so if anyone has any words of wisdom in this matter, please feel free to share.

Remember this picture from a couple of posts ago:)

I've also been reminiscing. I'm a sap when it comes to my kids. I sit by their beds at night & watch them sleep. Time is like sand in our hands..........it slips through & it's gone.........in the blink of an eye. Today is almost gone (18 mins to be exact) & tomorrow starts another day. Was my day well spent with my girls? It doesn't matter now because it's gone. Will Ashlyn remember I sat with her while she read to me about the planet Pluto? Will Camryn remember practicing numbers? I hope so, but if they don't............I will. It's the little things I need to do daily to remind myself how limited my time is with my girls. Before I know it, they'll be gone from the house & all I'll have are memories. Memories of Pluto & numbers!!


And with that, I bid you a good night. I'm tired.

Scrapfabulous September *Back to School* kit

Here are my projects using Scrapfabulous's September *Back to School* kit. Loved this kit, as it's perfect for those back-to-school photos. Doesn't matter if the photos are 10-years old or from this year....this kit works!!

When you visit the site, the kit may not be uploaded yet, as Amy is having computer probs, BUT, it will get uploaded as soon as possible. So, be sure to check back & in the meantime, look at the Design Team Gallery for the projects created by the other team members.

This layout has all the receipts from our shopping trips, with pictures of what we purchased.

This is one of Carolee's Creations awesome wooden candy shakers. I'm going to use it for loose change. Put it to good use for next year's clothes & school supplies!!

A quick card for a teacher

A layout showing Ashlyn's straight A's last year.

This is what Ashlyn got for getting straight A's.....a new puppy. Couldn't resist taking this picture one night while they slept.

Hope this finds everyone enjoying their Labor Day!!