Merry Christmas!!

Hi Everyone!!!!  I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.  Ours was wonderful!  My family was here with us for several days. We had fun just hanging out together celebrating the birth of our Savior, eating lots of fattening goodies, shopping, and just enjoying each other's company.  Everyone has now gone home and we return to work tomorrow, but those few days with family and no outside commitments were priceless.

Pretty soon we will be in a new year, and as I look back on our 2014 I marvel at how God keeps blessing us over and over again.  Sometimes we wonder why things happen as they do, but looking back we can see that God was actually "setting us up" for a blessing.  So many great things happened to us during the year, but one of the highlights was TJ getting his driver's license.

No, he doesn't have his own car yet,  but he is venturing out in ours.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Enjoy the last few days of 2014.

I am sharing this layout at Word Art Wednesday Challenge #163.


Blessings!

Happy Veterans Day!!!

Veterans Day is a federal holiday to thank and honor all those who have served in the US Armed Forces. On today's post I'd like to honor the most important veterans in my life.

My husband retired from the US Air Force after a 20+ year career.  Here he is at the flag folding ceremony at his retirement in 2003.

My parent's both served in the U.S. Army.  In fact, they met when they were on active duty. Here's my Dad just hanging out on Easter Sunday in 1953.

Although Veterans Day is usually reserved to honor our living veterans,  I am honoring my Mom today as well... She looks so young in this picture, but she was 21 years old.  Those are her actual dog tags and a patch from her uniform on the layout.

Happy Veterans Day to all our veterans!  Thank you for your sacrifice and service to our country.  God bless you.


I'm sharing this post on the Week #44 Blogger Challenge at Scraps of Color.

Thanks for stopping by.  Blessings!

Are you ready for some football?!!!

Football season has just recently begun, but I thought I'd share a Superbowl layout today.  I'm definitely not a football fan.  My annual football viewing consists of the first 5-10 minutes of the Superbowl and sometimes the half time show. However my 2 Tims are football fans and every year they throw a Superbowl party, just for the 2 of them.  I'm invited of course, but always bail out after the first 10 minutes LOL.

Thanks for stopping by.  If you're a football fan, I hope your team plays well tomorrow.

Blessings!

College Visits

Hi everyone,

Here it is November already.  My last post was Sept 1, I can't believe 2 months have gone by so fast.  I was put in charge of our church's annual Harvest Festival and that's taken a lot of my time and focus for the past 2 months.  We had a great event, lots of people in attendance and everyone had a wonderful time.  Now I have some time (until the next event LOL) to spend blogging.

TJ is a senior this year and he plans to attend college after graduation so we've been doing some college visits lately.  We actually started the process during spring break and visited some more schools during the summer and fall.   He's decided that he wants to attend school in Virginia and we have a wealth of schools in the state to choose from.   Today I'm sharing a layout from our first visits:  Virginia Tech, U VA and VCU. Of these 3 schools, VA Tech is the only one that made his list.

My goal for the next few months is to get all of TJ's school albums (kindergarten thru 12th grade) completed before he graduates on June 12, 2015.   I thought I was completely done with elementary school until I recently found a stack of photos from 4th grade that I hadn't scrapped.   I'll keep you updated on my progress and share some layouts every now and then.

Sharing this for Week #43 Anything Goes blog challenge at Scraps of Color.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Be blessed.

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day !!!!  Since Labor day is the unofficial last day of summer vacation and traditionally spent enjoying family and friends before school and other activities get back into full swing, I'm sharing a family layout today.  No it's not a late summer adventure, but our family photos from this past  Easter.

I'm sure you recognize me and my 2 Tims.  The photo on the bottom right is my brother and his family and the handsome grey haired gentleman is my 85 year old Dad.

I'm off to take TJ to his school to get his homeroom assignment.  I can't believe tomorrow is the start of his senior year.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy today.

Blessings,
Gemiel

Superstar

My son TJ is a closet music star. Literally.  He turned half of his bedroom closet into a recording studio.  He writes his own songs and records them.  He even does music videos, filming in the house and around the neighborhood, sometimes just by himself and sometimes with friends.  His high school has an annual talent show and he has auditioned and performed in the show for the past 2 years.  This layout is of him at this year's show.

I actually got a few layouts done this weekend.  Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow and I can take some photos and share them with you.

Thanks for stopping by,

Blessings!

Big Boy Toys

Who said grown men are too old to play with inflatables???  My husband text me these pictures of him on the golf course with Golfzilla.  Golfzilla is a giant inflatable green dinosaur with a big mouth and holes in his hands. Golfers try to hit their golf balls through the holes and into his mouth. I guess you're never too old...

A cyber friend of mine,  Renee Hagler, is on the design team for  Use Your Stuff Challenge Blog.   Their challenge this week is stickers, so I'm linking this up to the challenge.  I used a ton of golf stickers to embellish my title, photos and journaling block.  If you're like me and have tons of stickers to use,  check out their challenge this week.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings!

I'm Back!!!!

Hi everyone, I'm back!!  I had to take a break from blogging and design teams for awhile due to some life issues. During my break I realized that life happens and we're always going to face some type of issues,  it's how we handle them that counts.  Slowly and surely my creative juices have started flowing again and I am excited to restart my blog.

I want to thank everyone that reached out to me during my absence to make sure I was ok. Even though I have not met many of you in person, it feels so good to know that I have cyber friends that are concerned about me.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Those of you that have know me for awhile remember when TJ was just a little one.  Well, he turned 17 in June and will be entering his senior year in the fall.  Today I'm sharing a layout from his birthday.

I did some reorganizing in my scraproom recently and have taken a lot of things out of their original packaging so I won't be adding any supply lists to my posts.  However,  if you'd like to know the manufacturers of any of the products I've used, just leave me a note in the comments and I'll try my best to let you know.

I'm linking this layout up to Your Scrapbook Place August Challenge - Anything But a Card.  I haven't participated in challenges in ages so we'll see how it goes...

I'm also linking up to this week's Word Art Wednesday Challenge.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you continue to follow me as I restart my blog journey.

Blessings!

Mark's Finest Papers Color Challenge 11

It's time for this week's MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge.  This challenge  is open to all types of paper crafts, including scrapbook pages. Each week we have a color or colors that you have to incorporate in your project. and you must use stamp(s) on the project.

This week's challenge colors are Red and Blue.  

Today's layout features a photo of my Dad when he was in the Army.  The photo was dated April 1953, so my Dad was 24 years old when it was taken.  I used stamps form the MFP Be Proud and USA Heroes sets.

The guidelines for the color challenge are simple:

1. Use the challenge colors as your main colors.  You can use any shades or hues of the challenge colors.
2. You can add any neutral colors (browns, grays, white, cream, kraft etc.) that you wish.
3. You can use an accent color in addition to the challenge colors, but it must be an accent only and not one of the main colors.
4. You must use stamps on your project.

You can use any type of stamps you wish, but if you use Mark's Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co stamps, you will be entered twice for a chance to win our weekly stamp prize.   We start our weekly challenge every Thursday, and there's a new stamp prize each week so be sure to stop back by.

This week, one blessed winner will receive our Mother's Magnolia stamp ...

I can't wait to see what you create for this week's challenge.  To be eligible to win, be sure to link your project to MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge 11 and mention MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge in your blog post.  If you use MFP stamps on your project please note that in your post as well.  You have until 9:00 PM on Wednesday, February 26th to link up your project.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Blessings to you!

Mark's Finest Papers Color Challenge 10

It's time for this week's MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge.  This challenge  is open to all types of paper crafts, including scrapbook pages. Each week we have a color or colors that you have to incorporate in your project. and you must use stamp(s) on the project.

In honor of Valentine's Day , this week's challenge colors are Red, Pink and Purple.  

Today's layout features a photo of Tim and I, back in our college days in 1980.  We were in Huntsville, Alabama visiting his cousin for Thanksgiving.  I used an image and sentiment stamp from the MFP Medallion set, part of the February release.

The guidelines for the color challenge are simple:

1. Use the challenge colors as your main colors.  You can use any shades or hues of the challenge colors.
2. You can add any neutral colors (browns, grays, white, cream, kraft etc.) that you wish.
3. You can use an accent color in addition to the challenge colors, but it must be an accent only and not one of the main colors.
4. You must use stamps on your project.

You can use any type of stamps you wish, but if you use Mark's Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co stamps, you will be entered twice for a chance to win our weekly stamp prize.   We start our weekly challenge every Thursday, and there's a new stamp prize each week so be sure to stop back by.

This week, one blessed winner will receive our Oopsy Daisy stamp ...

I can't wait to see what you create for this week's challenge.  To be eligible to win, be sure to link your project to MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge 10 and mention MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge in your blog post.  If you use MFP stamps on your project please note that in your post as well.  You have until 9:00 PM on Wednesday, February 19th to link up your project.

I've also linked this up to Word Art Wednesday #119 - Anything Goes.

Thanks for stopping by.  Blessings to you!

Take Time for Tea

Those who know me well know that I am a total tea addict.  You rarely find me without a mug or glass of tea in my hand.  I like it hot in the winter and iced in the summer.  But it's not just any tea,  I enjoy loose full leaf teas and herbal blends.  My favorite teas come from adagio teas and Teavana.

I was so excited when Daydream Designs released their Tea Time collection of digis that I decided to do a layout about my current favorite teas.  I say current, because my favs tend to change from month to month. LOL.

I used the Parisian Tea Color Set,  the French Florals Digi Papers and the Tea Time Sentiments Bundle on my page.

In celebration of tea,  I have a little give away.   I have four packages of loose leaf tea to give to four of my fellow tea lovers.  Just leave a comment that you'd like one and send me your e-mail address and I'll send one out to you.

I've also linked this up to Word Art Wednesday #119 - Anything Goes.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Blessings!

Mark's Finest Papers Color Challenge 9

It's time for this week's MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge.  This challenge  is open to all types of paper crafts, including scrapbook pages. Each week we have a color or colors that you have to incorporate in your project. and you must use stamp(s) on the project.

This week's challenge colors are Turquoise and Orange.  Feel free to use any shades of these colors.

Today's page features a photo of me with my brother Tony and my God brother Adam taken in August 1967.  I haven't the slightest memory of what was going on at the time, but the expressions on all our faces are priceless.  My stamps are from the MFP Zoo Friends set.

The guidelines for the color challenge are simple:

1. Use the challenge colors as your main colors.  You can use any shades or hues of the challenge colors.
2. You can add any neutral colors (browns, grays, white, cream, kraft etc.) that you wish.
3. You can use an accent color in addition to the challenge colors, but it must be an accent only and not one of the main colors.
4. You must use stamps on your project.

You can use any type of stamps you wish, but if you use Mark's Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co stamps, you will be entered twice for a chance to win our weekly stamp prize.   We start our weekly challenge every Thursday, and there's a new stamp prize each week so be sure to stop back by.

This week, one blessed winner will receive our Covered Bridge (regular) stamp set...

I can't wait to see what you create for this week's challenge.  To be eligible to win, be sure to link your project to MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge 9 and mention MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge in your blog post.  If you use MFP stamps on your project please note that in your post as well.  You have until 9:00 PM on Wednesday, February 12th to link up your project.

Thanks for stopping by.  Blessings to you!

Mark's Finest Papers Color Challenge 8

It's time for this week's MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge.  This challenge  is open to all types of paper crafts, including scrapbook pages. Each week we have a color or colors that you have to incorporate in your project. and you must use stamp(s) on the project.

This week's challenge colors are Yellow, Green and Brown.

I used a photo of my Mom on my page today.  It was taken in the late 50's.  My stamps are from the MFP Huge Blooms set.  To give the flower dimension,  I stamped it 3 times, fussy cut the images and layered the pieces together.

The guidelines for the color challenge are simple:

1. Use the challenge colors as your main colors.  You can use any shades or hues of the challenge colors.
2. You can add any neutral colors (browns, grays, white, cream, kraft etc.) that you wish.
3. You can use an accent color in addition to the challenge colors, but it must be an accent only and not one of the main colors.
4. You must use stamps on your project.

You can use any type of stamps you wish, but if you use Mark's Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co stamps, you will be entered twice for a chance to win our weekly stamp prize.   We start our weekly challenge every Thursday, and there's a new stamp prize each week so be sure to stop back by.

This week, one blessed winner will receive our Tiger stamp...

I can't wait to see what you create for this week's challenge.  To be eligible to win, be sure to link your project to MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge 8 and mention MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge in your blog post.  If you use MFP stamps on your project please note that in your post as well.  You have until 9:00 PM on Wednesday February 5th to link up your project.

Thanks for stopping by.  Blessings to you!

Happy New Year

I've been working on a lot of heritage layouts lately, so I decided to mix it up and do something current. One of our family traditions is to take photos on New Year's Day.  We don't do any type of planned formal photo shoot, each of us snaps a picture of the other two just as we are.  These photos were taken around 1 AM on New Years Day, after we got home from Watch Night service at church.

I used 2 digis from the Daydream Designs Happy New Year set for my title block.    I used the outline set which has black and white images, so that I could custom color them to match my layout.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you're staying nice and warm. We're in the midst of our second major snowstorm in 2 weeks, which is unheard of in Virginia.

I am linking this up to Word Art Wednesday Challenge 117 - Anything Goes

Blessings!

Mark's Finest Papers Color Challenge 7

It's time for this week's MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge.  This challenge  is open to all types of paper crafts, including scrapbook pages. Each week we have a color or colors that you have to incorporate in your project. and you must use stamp(s) on the project.  

This week is a wild card week.  In a wild card, you get to pick your own colors within a specified guideline.  Our wild card is Bright Colors.  You can use any colors you wish for you project as long as they are bright colors.

Today's layout features a  photo of my parents in their younger years. They are on the beach in Atlantic City with my Aunt Janet (my dad's sister-in-law) and her son Billy.  My dad wrote on the back of the photo, so I made a copy of his writing and included it on the page.  I used stamps from the MFP I Need A Vacation stamp set.

The guidelines for the color challenge are simple:

1. Use the challenge colors as your main colors.  You can use any shades or hues of the challenge colors.
2. You can add any neutral colors (browns, grays, white, cream, kraft etc.) that you wish.
3. You can use an accent color in addition to the challenge colors, but it must be an accent only and not one of the main colors.
4. You must use stamps on your project.

You can use any type of stamps you wish, but if you use Mark's Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co stamps, you will be entered twice for a chance to win our weekly stamp prize.   We start our weekly challenge every Thursday, and there's a new stamp prize each week so be sure to stop back by.

This week, one blessed winner will receive our Spring Flowers stamp...

I can't wait to see what you create for this week's challenge.  To be eligible to win, be sure to link your project to MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge 7 and mention MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge in your blog post.  If you use MFP stamps on your project please note that in your post as well.  You have until 9:00 PM on Wednesday January 29th to link yo your project.

I am also linking this up to Word Art Wednesday #116 - Anything Goes.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Blessings to you!

Daydream Designs Blog Hop - Day 4

Join the Fun - Day 4

Now thru January 19

Welcome to Day 4 of the Daydream Designs BLOG HOP!  We have tons of inspiration for you and lots of FREEBIES and giveaways.  You will visit 10 Dream Team designers’ blogs. If you arrived here from Gail's blog, you're in the right place.  If not, you might want to go to Diane's Daydream Designs blog and start from there so you don't miss a thing.   

If this is your first visit to the hop, here are the details ...

**Three winners will win their choice of THREE FREE SETS**

 from our Daydream Designs Store.

(Excludes KD-Kits)

**One winner will win the BIG BLOG HOP CANDY**

(see Diane’s blog for pictures)

**EVERYONE WINS!**

Collect FREE DIGIS as you go!  There will be a free digi waiting on each designer’s blog!

1.       Visit every blog on the list.

2.       Leave a comment saying you were here.

3.       For an extra chance to win, subscribe to our newsletter (Diane’s blog, first stop on the hop).

4.       When you get to the last blog on the list, Jerusha’s blog, you will have the choice to end the hop or continue to Deedee Anderson’s blog to start another round with her team for more prizes and Freebies! 

      Let’s get started!

For my layout I used the digi  that we're giving away on my blog.  The photo is of my husband and I, taken in the St. Louis, MO Gateway Arch in July 2012.

FREE DIGI HAS EXPIRED

It's from the Valentine Love Journal and Photo Mat Kit.  Since it's a digi, you can change the size and use it for a journaling block, a Project Life card, a photo mat or a card front. 

Next stop on the hop is Helen's blog.  Here's a linked list of all the stops on the hop.

Diane  

Elizabeth

Gail

Gemiel

Helen

Jill

Karen

MariLynn

Miesje

Jerusha

Deedee

Thanks for stopping by today.  Enjoy the hop.

Blessings!

Mark's Finest Papers Color Challenge 6

(If you're here for the Daydream Designs Blog Hop, please click here.)

It's time for this week's MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge.  This challenge  is open to all types of paper crafts, including scrapbook pages. Each week we have a color or colors that you have to incorporate in your project. and you must use stamp(s) on the project.  

 This week's challenge colors are "Shades of Blue".  We only have one color this week, but please use as many shades and variations of blue as you want.

We're back to my mother's family this week.  This photo is of my Great Uncle Thomas,  my grandmother's half brother.  My grandmother's mother died a couple months after she was born and my grandmother was raised by another family.  Her father moved north and settled in Michigan, remarried and had more children.  Uncle Thomas became a successful doctor and he came to visit us in Philadelphia several times during my childhood.  I used a stamp from the MFP Brick Wall Mini stamp set to make the brick background for my journaling block.

The guidelines for the color challenge are simple:

1. Use the challenge colors as your main colors.  You can use any shades or hues of the challenge colors.
2. You can add any neutral colors (browns, grays, white, cream, kraft etc.) that you wish.
3. You can use an accent color in addition to the challenge colors, but it must be an accent only and not one of the main colors.
4. You must use stamps on your project.

You can use any type of stamps you wish, but if you use Mark's Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co stamps, you will be entered twice for a chance to win our weekly stamp prize.   We start our weekly challenge every Thursday, and there's a new stamp prize each week so be sure to stop back by.

This week, one blessed winner will receive our Flaps My Wattles stamp...

I can't wait to see what you create for this week's challenge.  To be eligible to win, be sure to link your project to MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge 6 and mention the MFP SpeedyTV Color Challenge  in your blog post. If you use MFP stamps on your project please note that in your post as well. You have until 9:00 pm on Wednesday January 22nd to link up your project.


Thanks so much for stopping by.  Blessings to you!