Catching Happiness… one scrap at a time!

Have you visited the Inspire Me site?  I posted my project today.  I hope you’ll take a few minutes to check it out!

Here is the link:  http://websterspages.ning.com/forum/topics/november-21-holiday-tussy

And I have another one to post for tomorrow.  Also, I will be hosting a chat on the Inspire Me site Sunday night at 9pm est.

Hope to see you there!  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Amy Tara~

I know I said I would have Logan pick a name on Friday but we’ve had a house full of sinus and upper respiratory infections… along with everything else we’ve got going on… well, please forgive me.  I mean well!

So without further ado, Logan pulled the name ANDREA AMU from the basket.  Andrea, please email me your mailing address so I can send your box of Pink Paislee goodies to you!  illusion@bellsouth.net

Also, HAVE YOU SEEN THIS?????

Oh yes, and they are TO DIE FOR!!!!  I can’t wait!  I haven’t been this excited about new products in quite awhile! 

And, did you see this:

http://embellishonline.blogspot.com/2009/11/cruise-with-me.html

Shelby put together a scrapbooking cruise!  You got it!  Cruise, vacation and scrapping all in one.  Can’t beat that!  Check it out!  You will LOVE this trip. 

That’s it for today!  I’m off to study for my certifacation exam (which is next Saturday).  Wish me luck, I need every single ounce of it!!!

Have a spectacular Sunday!  ~Amy Tara~

A few days ago I posted about our Webster’s Pages Holiday crop.  I have two projects that I will be offering during this crop.  Here are the sneak peeks for them.    The first is a gift bag.  The second is a tussy mussy.  Hope this whets your whistle for more!

The crop details can be found here:  http://websterspages.ning.com/forum/topics/supply-lists-and-peeks

I hope you plan to join us!  It’s going to be loads of fun with lots of great inspiration and PRIZES too. 

And finally, I have been slowly cleaning out my scrappy supplies.  I have some Pink Paislee product that needs a good home.  If  you would like it, please leave a comment and on Friday I will have Logan draw a winner’s name.

Thanks for stopping by!  Make it a great one!  ~Amy Tara~

One of my favorite blogs to visit is the Aussie Scrap Source blog.  When I visited there today I was pleasantly surprised  to find three of my cards featured in their Basic Grey post.  I’m so thrilled!

http://www.aussiescrapsource.typepad.com/

And, I was contacted by scrapbooking.com for some of my projects along with an article/how to.

And, I have another thing to shout about but I can’t let that out of the bag yet… but soon!

Thanks for letting me share!  Happy November 1st!  ~Amy Tara~

WEBSTER’S PAGES CHRISTMAS CROP

I highly recommend joining our Webster’s Pages Design Team for this event.  Seriously, I’m not kidding… you are going to LOVE every single project the ladies are doing.  The supply lists have been posted here: 

http://websterspages.ning.com/forum/topics/supply-lists-and-peeks

AND there is a chance for a 6 month DT position.  Webster’s Pages is absolutely the very BESTEST EVER company to work for.  I LOVE THEM!  So come on and join us!  Here are the details:

Please join us for the Websters Pages 12 Days of Christmas Crop!

Starting November 12th (so you have plenty of time to create and use your crop projects):

12 days of fantastic holiday projects and crop activities!

12 days of prizes and fun!

12 days of inspiration from our design team and special guest designers!

and at the end one of the crop participants will win……

a 6-month design team term with Websters Pages!

Our crop will be held at http://websterspages.ning.com/ and we will be posting supply lists and peeks early. We look forward to seeing you there!

Just a quick post today to let you know that I have posted a new contest on the Embellish It! blog today.  You can win a $25 gift certificate to their online store.  Check it out:  http://embellishonline.blogspot.com/

Happy creating!  ~Amy Tara~

I’m playing catch up today… on lots of things.  Like cleaning the house, making some projects, catching up with online friends and sites I love, all good, all time consuming.  I even went back to sleep after the Logan left for school this morning.  I never do that but I was just so tired I needed another hour of sleep.  It’s been lovely weather here so we’ve finally shut the air conditioning off.  woohoo!  I love sleeping with the windows open and all that fresh air swooshing through the house.

I have several projects to share with you today so we’ll be a little picture heavy now.  First is a recipe box I made using the Nook & Pantry collection from Basic Grey.  I’m going to give this to a neighbor for Christmas.  I was walking through M’s one day and found these boxes for 40 cents so I bought the five that were left.  Can’t beat that, huh!?!

Recipe box

Recipe box top

Recipe box open

Recipe box interior

I love how the recipe box turned out.  I used a collection pack and chip sticker shapes to create it.  The divider inserts are just pieces of cardstock cut to fit with the food type stickers attached to stand up over the edge.  Really simple and quick to make.

Also, I’ve been playing with some Imaginisce products.  I’ve been using Imaginisce forever, they have some of the cutest products.  I love the weight of their papers and the thermographic texture they add to their papers.  If you haven’t seen their new Christmas collection you need to check it out… it’s really really cute!  It is one of my favorite Christmas collections for this season’s releases.  I’m loving the adorable little polar bear!  You can see the whole POLAR EXPRESSIONS collection here:  http://www.embellishonline.com/page/373244215

On my layout I have mixed products from many different Imaginisce lines.  I love that they work so well together.  The little fox is a dotted raised sticker that was the impetous for this layout.  I thought he was so cute and I knew exactly what layout I would create once I saw him.  My youngest son, Logan, sometimes turns the TV on in his room once I’ve gone to bed.  He thinks I don’t know…

Sly as a Fox

This next piece is a little notebook I made for a neighbor who recently went back to school.  I sewed the ruler ribbon to the dotted strip of paper so that the pencils would fit in the loops.

Homework notebook

And finally, I made this card using one of the Imaginisce stamps.  I thought the bird was just too cute to pass up.  I double stamped the image.  Watercolor painted then cut out the image.  On the second one I cut out the wing and the flower, then popped those up with foam tape for some dimension. 

Sing bird card

I’ve always loved the saying I put on the card and thought the bird was perfect for it.  I think I’m going to have to make an altered canvas using this saying too. 

That’s it for today.  I hope you are having a super week.  May your day be blessed with all things wonderful!  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Amy Tara~

First of all I would like to say a huge “THANK YOU” to everyone who left comments, shared their personal stories and joined with me in spreading this very important message.  Your comments made me cry and laugh and feel all gushy inside.  All of you have deeply touched me and I truly believe that someday, somehow, we will find a way to stop breast cancer.  In the meantime, however, please continue to spread the word – early detection is so very very important.

And without further ado, Logan picked the following name out of the basket:

__________________________________________________________

Amy- know that you are in my thoughts… Your Mom was a beautiful woman- and MUCH too young to be taken.
#1 check
#2 I’ll ask my MD at my phsical this month (she told me I was still too young last year)
#3- I’ll do it!
Thanks for the chance at the goodies- what a nice way to celebrate your mom!

Comment by jen shears October 6, 2009 @ 12:59 am |Edit This

My faves right now

My daddy and my middle son. Pure Adoration

Me and my daddy. Love this man!

I was totally surprised, and very honored to find this on the GCD blog today!

http://www.gcdstudios.blogspot.com/

I had no clue they were doing this!  Thanks GCD, for this fabulous honor!

PLEASE CONTINUE READING THIS BLOG’S NEXT POST dated Monday Oct.5

THIS R.A.K. DRAWING IS NOW CLOSED.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO LEFT COMMENTS!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  And today, October 5, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of my mother’s passing from this horrid disease.  My loving mother, Phyllis Ann Koeppel.  This is weighing very heavily on my mind.  I’m always a little melancholy around this time of year but today- this year –  is particularly difficult.   She was my age, 47, when she had her first mastectomy.

I can’t believe it’s been 20 years.  I still miss her like crazy.  She was about my age when she was diagnosed and had her first mastectomy.  She fought so hard for five years until she finally succumbed at the age of 52.  I can’t even begin to tell you just how awful it was to watch a young, vibrant, beautiful woman break down bit by bit, bone by bone, as the disease ravaged her body.  You see, when breast cancer metastesizes it goes into the bones.  They become weak and brittle and break one by one.  The breakage causes the releasing of calcium into the bloodstream which takes it to the brain and the person develops something like a dimentia.  My mother was a statuesque 5′8″.  During those last months, she was shorter than me (I’m 5′2″).

My mom was born in the 1930’s.  The second of two daughters.  She grew up in New York City.  Met my dad at a beach on Long Island, got married and moved to upstate New York (Saratoga Springs).  They adopted me, had my sister and life was good.  Mom stayed home with us.  She was involved with various organizations, volunteered and was the quintessential middle class wife/mother.  Here are a few pictures of her throughout her life:

Phyllis as a toddler - 1930's

Phyllis in college - 1950's

Phyllis as a young wife/mother late 1960's

Phyllis at 47 - right before her first mastectomy

She was WAY TOO YOUNG TO DIE!!!!  I bet there are very few people out there who have not been touched in some way by this very dreadful disease.  I heard on the news the other day that of all women’s deaths in a given year 25% are attributable to breast cancer?!  That is astounding!

Please help me reach out to people to encourage them to be more aware of and diligent in their own breast health.  The Susan G. Komen foundation is a great resource for information on how and what to do – to promote breast well being and fight against this disease.  Early detection and prevention are the key to fighting breast cancer.  Here is a link to their site:

http://ww5.komen.org/Affiliates.aspx?ecid=vanityurl:3/

I’m offering a very generous RAK  in honor of my mother.  You can have a chance to win this fabulous prize package by doing the following:

1.  Do a breast self-exam.  Right now!  Take 5 minutes and follow these instructions:

Breast self exam instructions

2.  Promise me that you will make an appointment to have a mammogram this month, if you haven’t had one in the last year. 

3.  Remind 3 friends, this week, to check themselves and make their mammogram appointments.

4.  Leave a message in the comments section to this post that you have completed task #1 and you promise to complete tasks #2 &#3.

I will draw a winner on Monday, October 12th.  Here’s what you could win:

RAK - pic1

RAK detail 1

RAK detail 2

RAK detail 3

All these goodies completely fill a large priority one rate box.  There is approximately $100 (probably more, I lost count) in value of product here.  Products such as Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels), Distress Ink, Crackle Paint and Stickles (Tim Holtz), Bling (Basic Grey, Glitz, Creative Cafe), lots of 12×12 paper (Basic Grey, Pink Paislee, Fancy Pants, Creative Cafe, Webster’s Pages, Making Memories & more), Die Cut Papers, Cardstock, Ribbons, Flowers, Chipboard, Letter Stickers, Glitter, Die Cuts, Journaling Cards… the list goes on.  This is chock full of scrappy goodness!!!

So get to spreading the word everyone!  I thank you for taking the time to read this post, participating and taking care of yourself and your loved ones!  We can fight this disease together!  Let’s do it!!!

May your day be blessed with all things loving, kind and good!  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Amy Tara~