For administrative assistance day where I work, the head guys sent all the females a hanging basket. So what a truly nice gesture this was. They were absolutely gorgeous. So I decided that I would make a card for them. Here's what I came up with. I didn't want for it to be anything, too, feminine.

I used a Sketch Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers for my template. It was SC173.

The recipe includes: DCWV Red CS, DCWV PP, Misc scraps Blue CS, White Watercolor Paper, Stampendous Changito Thank U stamp, Black Stazon, TH Distress Ink in Weathered Wood, Colorbok Cats Eye Pigment Ink Cranberry, Watercolor Pencils, Dove Blender Pen, Faux Dew Drops.

WSC45

Okay so I finally decided to jump on board and join the sketch challenges at Beate's blog. This is WSC45. I had a lot of fun flipping the sketch. I created a set of 4 cards using this same sketch. I definently be watching her blog each week now and creating more card sets. These will be going to a lovely over at scrapping friends msn group as part of the Monthly Adopt a Card Maker.

Supplies used: DCWV CS, Cricut DS Ovals, The Cats Pajamas PowWow Stamps, Studio G $ Happy Birthday Stamp, Watercolor Pencils, Dove Blender Pen, Misc Ribbon, Uniball White for Doodles, Misc Brads

I Finally Did It....

Supplies used: DCWV CS, DCWV pattern paper, EK Success Beach Boogie PP, EK Success Monogram "P", Colorbok Cats Eye Pigment Ink in Ruby, Dollar Store Rubbon for title and corner embellishment, Misc Red Ribbon, Maya Road Chipboard Frame and DCWV Chipboard Arrow & Heart

What did I do? I finally completed a scrapbook page. It's been a couple of months since I last did a layout. This was so much fun. It was a scrabble challenge for a crop over at Scrapdango. The challenge was to use any of the 12 letters to unscramble and make a title for the layout. cadpryolzsit

The title that I came up with was PIT ROAD. These photos were taken of my son last summer. He rode his pocket rocket like crazy. I loved these photos and after having raced up and down the driveway, it looked as if he was taking a break on pit road. This was a super fun layout to complete. I used a Page Map from the January 2007 newsletter for my basic design.

In honor of her birthday..TracieJane is giving away blog candy..Go visit her site and leave a comment and link her up on your blog. Lets help get her blog out there.. TracieJane

I found these really cool tutorial videos recently. I decided to see what I could do with it. I just adore this creator because her creations are stunning. Go check out Dawn's Blog here there are some really wonderful videos and tutorials there.

So as I was inspired I had to try my hand at these pop up cards. The video can be found here. Here are my creations.Supplies used are KI Memories Wild Thing Smooch Paper, Studio G I Love You Stamp, EK Success Letter Press Chipboard I & U, Kimberly Watercolor Pencils, Dove Blender Pen, Colorbok Cat's Eye Magenta Ink, Misc Offray Ribbon.

Supplies Used: Bazzill CS, American Crafts Ribbon, Stickles in Black Diamond, EK Success Letter Press Chipboard C, Colorbok Cat's Eye Magenta Ink, Misc Sentiment Sticker

Be sure to check out Lil Buck's Creations..her blog is really awesome. Not to mention she's celebrating 10,000 hits and has some awesome Candy to offer.

An Old But Goodie..

I created this page sometime back. I love how it all came together..The paper doiles are dyed. This was one of the first wedding pages I created from our wedding. How often do you create pages that you forget you've done or that you haven't looked at in awhile? Today I challenge you to pull out an old album or card and take a peek at it. Have your styles changed? Have your creations improved? Perhaps it may inspire you to do a recreation of the photos or elements on your card or project. Have a blessed day everyone.

AccuCut Craft Blog

Be sure to stop by AccuCut Craft Blog...The blog is loaded with tons of cool things. They show different dies that are available as well as ways to use them..

4 The Love of Scraps

Do people ever ask you why you put so much time, money and energy into scrapbooking or creating? This question usually brings about a tremendous amount of anger within me. To me creating is a passion. A passion is an (1): emotion (2)plural : the emotions as distinguished from reason b: intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction c: an outbreak of anger5 a: ardent affection : love b: a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept d: an object of desire or deep interest. I have a strong liking and devotion to this, so much so that if I could afford to quit my job and feel confident that I could make enough money doing just creating I would.

When people ask me this question, I immediately take to the defensive. That's like me asking someone, why do you play video games or why do you like to go to nascar races...you get the idea...I have a love for creating for many reasons.

1. I find that creating is a way to hide from the day-to-day routine.
2. I can escape to a happier place creating scrapbook pages about another time on a bad day.
3. I can preserve many years of memories, safely.
4. I have an amazing sense of accomplishment.
5. I know that I can brighten someones day through my creations.

And the list goes on. So what are your reasons for loving to create??? Today, take a minute or two to remember why you love to create. Make a list and share it.

~Patience~

I've recently been inspired by a fellow blogger Erica at One Creative Life. She's decided to take the word "DO" and make this the focus of her daily life for the remainder of the year. She's made a list of goals that will help her to focus on DOING.

I'm going to challenge myself to chose a new word to focus on every other month. I've decided that I'll use this as a way to work on some things that have invaded my home, my marriage and my day-to-day living. We'll look at it as a self-help therapy. So with that being said, my first and foremost challenge is "PATIENCE".

Patience: [pey-shuhns], noun
1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
2. an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
3. quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.

This is one thing that I definitely lack a lot of. Sometimes the smallest things can't set my fuse on fire and other times it can go out before it gets to the end. Hmmm...I don't really even have to ask where I get this. I can honestly say it's passed down through the generations. So here are my desires:

Be a patient wife.

Be a patient mother.

Have patience in all endeavors.

Be a patient driver.

Be patient with God.

In the coming days, I will work on a project to display as a visual reminder to remain calm and have patience in all things. I've found a couple bible verses from the New Living Translation Bible to help me remain focused through God's wisdom.

Proverbs 16:32 ~ Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 ~ Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take care of those who are weak. Be "PATIENT" with everyone.

I challenge everyone who visits here to find one word to focus on. Perhaps we can all find fault in our lives that could use a tune up. Enjoy the day and be blessed!

Patience Project Supplies: Brown & Cream Bazzill Bling Cardstock, Bazzill Bling Cream Brads, Bazzill Bling Blossoms, Kaisercraft Paper Flowers Small Taupe, Target Dollar Spot Sky Blue Paper Flowers, Chipboard Letters Marcella By K, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Walnut Stain, Misc Brown Brads

A Little Creativity Goes Along Way...

My mother was recently been diagnosed with Thymomma. It all began with a mass in her chest area that was detected through a mammogram. It was later determined that the mass (the size of a tennis ball) had to be removed. So when she went in for surgery I knew that she'd have to spend some time in ICU. Flowers are a no no! I wanted to make her something that she could have in her room and that she could cherish and remember her grand kids..I created a paper bouquet of flowers using my own design. She absolutely loved them. So did everyone else that saw them. I hope they can be enjoyed for many years to come.

They weren't able to remove the entire mass. It's not really cancer, but they'll be treating it as such. She's on her second round of chemo..Then in another 18 days, she'll begin radiation for the next 35 days. She'll also get chemo once a week. So far things are going well. Her prognosis is very good, this has a 60 - 90 % cure rate.

I was inspired by dannis doodles blog this past week. She was holding a drawing for a RAK for those who posted a comment with something that they were blessed by. I wanted to share my comment on her blog. This is my blessing. "I'm so richly blessed by family...I have wonderful parents who've tried so hard to keep us kids close knit...each Sunday, they make dinner for our families..we sit a reminisce about the younger days and just chat..So today I'm so blessed to have the wonderful family that I have." We often take life and family for granted. My mother has done this every Sunday for the past 16 years. Sometimes us kids will bring a dish but most of the time she's the provider and preparer. Since the recent diagnosis, we've all come to realize the fact that we've taken her for granted. We've been trying to give back to her what she's so graciously given for us all these years. She's so used to being the giver and the doer that she's having a hard time accepting us bringing meals into her and preparing Sunday dinner for her. Thanks Danni for helping me to realize the importance of a true blessing.

Copy Cat Cards Week #14 ~ Olympic Fever

This week at CCC we were challenged, as a result of the Bejing Olympic Games buzz, to create a card using any countries color. I chosen Yamen as the color focus of my card today. Black, White & Red. I've really enjoyed the curiosity the last 2 weeks of not knowing what the challenge will be. One thing that I've learned is that most of the countries flag either has, red white or yellow in it. Some may have more than others...Without further ado, please check out Peppermint Twist...

Supplies used: DCWV CS, DCWV PP, Misc Ribbon, Studio G Stamps, Colorbok Ink, Watercolor Pencils.

Created By Courtney....

Go check out Created By Courtney...

http://createdbycourtney.blogspot.com/

She's collecting cards to send to the troops..What a great way to show your support...Jump in a send her some cards...You may just win come blog candy...

Long Time Coming....

It's been a while since I've been here to update this blog. I've been inspired by a recent visit to Sheetload of Cards. They've had 15, 000+ hits on their blog. They're celebrating the entire month of March with tons of awesome giveaways...Make sure you stop by to check it out and maybe even get in on some goodies...

So You Think You Can Scrap Challenge #4

This weeks challenge for the contest was a sketch challenge. Here's the sketch that I had to use.

It was a little difficult for me, as I'm usually creating sketches and using my own. It was very fun...and I love how it came out.

Now it's a waiting game to see if I get to move on to Week #5.

My Childhood

My Childhood

Name and birthdate: Janean Campbell ~ August 21, 1973

1. I was most afraid of: The Dark

2. My favorite movie: Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

3. My favorite book: Are You There God, It's Me Margaret By: Judy Blume

4. My best friend: Tamiko Hafdahl

5. My first crush: Robbie Brown

6. What I used to think I would name my kids: Jamie and Joey

7. Games I used to play: Backgammon

8. My favorite toy: Don't really remember

9. I thought I was a loner as a child, but looking back I really wasn’t.

10. I didn’t think I was ornery as a child, but looking back I probably was.

11. Something I did and I never got caught: Hmm I really can't say.

12. Something my mom thought I’d never grow out of: Being Ornery

13. My favorite song: Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leopard

14. How many houses I lived in: 1

15. My earliest memory: Going to Grandma Cooks house on Elm Street and running from house to house during trick or treat and coming back with a pillow case full of candy.

16. Something I did that I still get teased about: Dancing on the TV as a toddler or sitting ontop of the refrigerator.

17. My favorite outfit from childhood: Leg Warmers, Mini Skirt & Vest with Blouse. Of Course had to have hair up in a ponytail on the side of my head instead of in the back.

18. Something I wish I could go back and change: The way I treated my mom as a teenager.

19. I was ridiculously old when I finally realized that: Life isn't always as easy as it was when you're a little kid.

20. My greatest achievements: My kids and my husband.

So You Think You Can Scrap Challenge #3

The only requirement for this weeks challenge was that you had to use the word "knock". The word knock could be used in any of it's form, knock, knocked, knocks, "Knockers". I actually considered using knockers, as I had breast augmentation surgery in 2004 and I had a really good idea. I changed my mind because I didn't know if this would be an appropriate layout for the contest. I was fully clothed in the photo, but some may have taken offense to it. Instead I chose to use this layout. The photo is hinged as to resemble a door. There's hidden journaling behind the photo. The journaling is below.

Knock The Door Will Open...

She was first diagnosed three weeks before her fifth birthday. Everything that I had experienced in life had not prepared me for the words that the doctor would say..." We think your daughter has a brain tumor."

The next week was a whirlwind of confusion. We found ourselves at The Children's Medical Center, in Dayton, OH, forty-five minutes from home. Tests..MRI's...more tests...The verdict? ... Medulloblastom, a malignant brain tumor in the fourth ventricle of the cerebellum.

Within a day of admittance, she underwent surgery to place a shunt in her brain, capable of draining the cerebral spinal fluid from her head that had built up because the tumor was blocking the path of drainage. The following morning, she was to undergo a thirteen-hour brain surgery to attempt tumor removal. The neurosurgeon said that the surgery would be tedious and dangerous. The tumor was resting against the brain stem, and one wrong moved could cause the brain to stop functioning. "Sometimes, the mere procedure of opening the skull sends the brain into shock, forcing it to shut down," he said.

While she slept in her hospital bed the night before this surgery, I sat in a rocking chair by her side...thinking and praying and thinking and praying some more.
We had been blessed with her life as a gift. Adopted at the age of thirteen days old, we gave her a name, and she became our daughter. She taught us of an immeasurable love.

As I rocked and prayed by her side that night, I was blessed with the sudden touch of calm and peacefulness. Only God knew the life before her. Only God knew of the suffering she would endure. Only God knew the plans for her life. "God", I prayed. "If her life will be unbearable because of this disease, I can understand and accept why you would choose to take her from this earth, back to your heavenly home. All I ask, is that you give me more time to be her Mother....just a little more time."

The surgery went well the next day. After only eleven hours, and not thirteen, they were able to remove all the tumor able to be seen by the human eye. She would next undergo radiation treatments and chemotherapy, but first another surgery to place a catheter directly into her blood stream at her chest, to administer her medication.

It wasn't long before we were home and the long days of travel back and forth to Dayton for treatments and doctor's appointments began. Everyone fell in love with her spirit at the hospital. She touched people everywhere sent went. And so many people touched our lives with their thoughts, and love, and prayers. The days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months, and nine months later her treatments were finished.

Her prognosis was as good as could be expected. If a reoccurrence did not take place within the first five years, she had an optimistic chance of long-term survival. Although it was not without incident, the next four years flew by. Still subjected to regularly schedule check-ups and tests, our lives settled into a sense of normalcy. We were faced with learning disabilities, hearing aids, and growth hormone injections, all side-effects and results of her treatment; but life was grand. I was given more time to be Larissa's mother.

She flourished, she grew, she inspired, she gave hope; but all came to a crashing halt that August day in 1999. All-to-familiar symptoms began to present themselves and the dread trip to the hospital was made. After an MRI, our suspicions were confirmed. The brain tumor had reoccurred; but this time it had grown into her brain stem.

Although, not as overwhelming and unfamiliar as the first time, the news was still devastating. We had been so close to the five-year milestone for recovery.

This time Larissa was admitted to The Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, two-hours from home. Surgery to remove the tumor was followed by more chemotherapy, and chemotherapy was followed by a stem-cell transplant. While having the stem-cell transplant, we were required to stay at The Children's Hospital in Cincinnati for three and a half weeks. When we arrived home, she was weak and weary. We had a period of one hundred days ahead of us that would require almost complete isolation from the outside world. The limited visitors that she was able to have, were donned with sterile-filtered masks to keep the "germs" away.

It was during this time, Christmas of 1999, that Larissa and I were given a wonderful gift. Her entire fourth grade class , all eighty-six of them, were bussed to the front lawn of our home. It was there from our front porch, that we listened to the entire fourth grade sing Christmas carols. Larissa's smile was radiant, and the tears slowly slide down my face.

As the days, weeks, and months passed she became weaker and weaker. Her ability to walk freely was taken away, and she was eventually given a wheel chair to move about. In July, of 2000 she was admitted to Children's Hospital in Dayton and diagnosed with Pneumonia. It later that week progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome and she died July 31, 2000.

Our God had opened the door just as He’d promised in Matthew 7:7-8. Ask, and you will receive. Search and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.

So You Think You Can Scrap Challenge #2

Well I made it to Round #2 of So You Think You Can Scrap. This weeks challenge was a doozie. We had to select a manufacturer and use only one of any thing by that manufacturer. I turned to my great friend Inkyinindy for ideas on manufacturers, she suggested I go with My Minds Eye. Wow, the supplies you can get into with this manufacturer. It was perfect for the photo I wanted to use and again, I feel it came out perfect. Now I'll just see if I make the cut this week.

So You Think You Can Scrap Challenge #1

The ladies at scraplove.com are such great fun. All of them are so fun and friendly. I decided to join in on the So You Think You Can Scrap contest. The challenges are so fun. The first week was an ad challenge, which you had to use the posted ad for inspiration, as well as use the color orange. I chose to use the black and white photo and used orange accents. I was very excited with how it turned out.

Question Tuesday Challenge

Thanks to motorbarbie from The Memory Safe, I am updating my blog.

1. What is your favorite season? My favorite season is spring. I love spring because spring means that soon there'll be beautiful flowers blooming everywhere. 2. What is your favortie thing about that season? That the wonderful aroma of blossoms are coming soon. Spring also means that it's only a short time before the kids will be out of school and the hustle and bustle slows down. 3. Is there something special you do during that season? During the spring, I usually clean out the flower beds and prepare for the upcoming beauty that will emerge from the earth.