SLIGHT PRIZE PROBLEM...

but it's only going to cause me grief for this evening.

But it's going to cause HER...


problems for a bit longer!

You see - I had the first package of goodies set to go to the post office tomorrow morning. It's been sitting here in my scrap space - UNSEALED all day. Well, I had thrown in a handful of Tootsie Rolls to top off the package...because who doesn't like getting an added bonus of chocolate in the mail. Right?

Well unbeknownst to me - our family pooch had witnessed the Tootsie Rolls going in. Oh I try to be sneaky when I can - but it didn't work.  I just returned from the grocery store to discover padded envelope contents STREWN about the room. Tootsie Rolls - GONE. Quicker Poker Picker Upper - CHEWED TO PIECES. QuicKutz die - DENTED and GNAWED and UNUSABLE.

Who knew the QK packaging stood no chance against the jaws of a golden retriever. Maybe I should let QK customer service know...there should possibly be a warning on the packaging itself!

So...while I do have the supplies to whip up another goodie bag by morning, the pooch may lay here moaning a bit longer. Twenty-five or so Tootsie Rolls and a good dose of plastic later...I don't think Tums are going to do much to help her now!

The worst part of the whole ordeal...I FORGOT TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE DESTRUCTION!  What kind of a scrapper am I? Maybe a wee bit of re-staging is in order?!?

Behave yourselves!

IT'S ONLY THURSDAY...

and I'm already in weekend mode.

Which means we're cleaning. And by "we" I mean me and the children. Which means there is a lot of grumbling around the house today.

It also means that it is after 1:00 and I'm just getting around to posting today's challenge. I do apologize for the delay - but my clean kitchen and clean dining room thank you for it!

Congratulations to our two player-alongers from yesterday! Katie and Deb both dove into their precious stashes and completed their projects. I hereby declare DEB OUR WINNER for the day...you can see her entry here and sigh when you realize that she used some fabulous paper and chippy letters. I'm pretty sure I myself have some of that paper Deb, and you might just have prompted me to use it soon. THANKS girls for playing! Send me your mailing address Deb and I'll get some goodies out to you as well...miss.essie@yahoo.com!

Now - for today's challenge. I was sorting into my color drawers yesterday and realized that I have wayyyy to many embellishments of some colors. So I want you to pick a color - your favorite color or a color you just have too much of - and scrap a monochromatic page using JUST THAT COLOR!

This challenge will be open until Saturday. Tomorrow the scrap room known around these parts as "Essie's Place" will be in full creative mode. I have five girlfriends coming over for the first scrap-day of the year! We'll be scrappin', purging, organizing and chatting. Can't wait.

So dig into your colored embellishments and dig out some pictures - I always think black and whites look great with monochromatic pages.

Can't wait to see what colors you all decide to work with. And spread the news - we need a bigger group of players!

Behave yourselves!

Another Silhouette Tutorial......

just follow this LINK and learn how to properly scale your images to the exact sizes that you want! Hope this answers some questions, and if you have any questions please feel free to let me know! Thanks again!

Justin

IT'S WAYYYY PAST MY BEDTIME...

but I had to get my project for the day posted.

Otherwise - I'm just sure I wouldn't have slept well.

Looks like we have a couple of entries in the running so far - way to go ladies! They both dug deep, and used some of their precious supplies to create some beautiful things! And doesn't that just make you feel good all over?

I knew what would be the hardest for me to use. My Scenic Route paper. I have all of their holiday packs - but I've never opened a one of them. I just like knowing that they are there. Love dreaming about my favorite "ledger paper". Totally afraid to use it for fear I'll never be able to find it again.

But I did it. I opened up the Roxbury Product Kit and dove right in...


I used my most favorite ledger paper AND an arrow. I cherish those arrows. I dream about those arrows. But now I have one less to use. And you know what...I survived. And I got a page completed! Lord have mercy...it's a page!

I also used a couple of my precious rhinestone brads from K&Company. I got these little lovelies at a class last year. I loved them so much I couldn't even use them on the class project. I brought them home and immediately stuck them in a drawer (and remind me later to show you my drawers - they are awesome scrap-aides!!). But what good were they doing there? NONE!

Now they are on this page - with one of my favorite photos from a trip to Chicago a couple of years ago!

I'm feeling so happy right now! I am going to head to bed and dream of completed pages and ledger paper. And even though I only have 2 sheets left in my kit - I just know it's going to be a good night's sleep!

I'll post tomorrow after I drop the Mister off at the airport. The children and I have the rest of the week to ourselves and the lot of us have big plans! Can you say S-C-R-A-P-P-I-N'???

I'll also announce the winner for today.

And Katie - you haven't sent me your address yet. Your prize is sitting here - waiting for you!!

Behave yourselves!

I JUST GOT CALLED...

a "silly girl" - and it made me blush from my head down to my toes!

Sweet Justin just text-messaged me and pointed out that I forgot a #2 on my resolutions list in my previous post! How silly of me indeed! I guess wine shouldn't always go hand-in-hand with scrappin'!!

But as I always say, errors and goof-ups are a part of life. Let them be and move on. Heck, around here, if there is a type-o or wrong word choice, it's proof to my family that I made it!

It looks like Katie was our only reader brave enough to enter for January 1st - so KATIE YOU ARE THE WINNER! If you'll send me an email (miss.essie@yahoo.com) with your contact info I'll get your prize sent out toot-sweet! Congratulations!

Now, for day two of our "New Year Contest".

I'm sure that some of you are just like me. A supply hoarder! Right? Can I get an "AMEN ESSIE!"?  I have some patterned papers that I simply refuse to use because I hate the thought of cutting them. I have an original bottle of Prima Flowers that sits here unopened, because they just look so pretty on my shelf. Well today is DELVE INTO YOUR HOARD day. You must use at least two "treasured supplies" - and list them as such. You can make a page, a card, an altered item, anything your heart desires!

I personally think I might slice open my pack of Scenic Route's Roxbury paper. I've been cherishing it since late October, and haven't used a lick of it. Today might be the day. And I think a few of those Primas might just match...how exciting!

Let's do it ladies! Scrappin' I mean.  Today!  With reckless abandon! I can't wait to see how deep you're willing to dig into your prized stashes!

Now if I can just keep Sweet Justin from editing my posts and pictures the rest of the day.  Don't you have work to do in the warehouse today boy?

Behave yourselves!

I THOUGHT ABOUT IT ALL DAY...

and then had it finished in about 20 minutes!

Note to self for the future..."Essie, JUST DO IT!"

Since it's still January 1st I have time to post my example. And since I just found out I have a breakfast "date" tomorrow morning, that will give some of you who are still "riding the fence" time to enter.

Way to go to Katie - who was our first contest participant for 2008! You can see her take on my challenge here. Looks lovely dear. Good job! But most of all, big pats-and-congrats for getting a project started AND finished on New Year's Day!

Here is the sweet little project that now sits on the shelf, right above my computer monitor...


The whole frame is 8" x 10".  I grabbed some of my favorite KI Memories scraps of paper, covered the photo mat that came with the frame and die-cut some of the first QK flowers I came to in my stash. I added a few leaves, a brad or two and a few spots of bling and VIOLA! New Year's goals, out in the open for the world to see!

Oh me oh my! I hope I don't regret doing this! But sometimes, being held accountable is the best method! Don't you agree?

I'm done...I'm feeling accomplished...and today I've stuck to all of my goals!  What a great start to 2008!

But now - it's time for bed.  I have breakfast plans and a girl needs her beauty sleep.  If you're still deciding whether to play along - I hope you do decide to JUST DO IT!

Another contest challenge will be posted tomorrow...along with today's winner!

Behave yourselves!

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY...

two-thousand-and-eight!


Happy New Year everyone! Hopefully you stayed awake until the stroke of midnight. I personally feel like such a rebel-rouser when I'm up that late. But on a night like December 31st - I just can't resist! The Mister and I stayed awake, banged a few pans in the front yard with the children and toasted the end of a wonderful year!

Then it was on to resolution time! Resolutions and goals for the upcoming year. Everyone wrote down a few things that we'd like to accomplish, change or take up, in the upcoming year. Did you all do the same? Goals are always such a fun way to start the year...such a clean beginning I think.

So that is what the "New Year Contest" challenge is for today. Scrap a little motivational "something" for yourself - listing your goals and/or resolutions for the upcoming year.

It's only 8:13 am where I am, and I've only had my first cup of coffee - but as soon as I sit down to work on my own example, I will post it for you. I am thinking of doing something in a size that I can put into a frame. Something that I can actually hang on my wall and see every day. The good Lord knows I can use all the daily reminders I can find!

The only requirement is you must use at least ONE DIE CUT. And of course I'd love to have you use a QuicKutz, BossKutz or Cuttlebug die, because those are the dies that we carry. But for the first contest of the year, I'll let just about anything go!

So what ideas do you have?? If you're a reader - perhaps a bookmark. If you're a daily commuter - maybe a dashboard sign. If you're a die-hard page maker, than go ahead and do a full page! Let your mind run with this - and get a few of your goals for 2008 down on paper today!

When you have your project done, take a picture of it and post it somewhere on the internet (your personal blog or a photo hosting site). Then reply to this post, in the comment section, with a link to your photograph. Entries will be accepted until I post a challenge tomorrow morning. That might be 6 am or it might be 8 am - but as long as there is no post from ME on January 2nd, entries will still be valid.

How fun!

I can't wait to see what you're goals and resolutions are for this year. I can't wait to see what you make. I really can't wait to see if Sweet Justin decides to play along. While he wouldn't be eligible for one of my prizes, I think he should show us his scrap-abilities! And I might make him a batch of cookies if he did decide to play along! And how about Mr. Doss...you could play along too! And Miss Laura, and Lovely Lawrin? I dare you two too! Everyone at Scrap-Mart can show off their talents...and tout their goals. You just can't win I'm sorry to say.

Good luck...have fun...be honest...and be creative!

behave yourselves!