Disney, oh how I love thee...

There are projects that we all avoid tackling, despite how fulfilled we know the finished product will leave us.  It can be anything from planning the weekly menu to throwing out all the crap in our pantry so we're more likely to actually reach that NY resolution to lose 10 pounds, from finishing that quilt top that's been sitting in the corner for...well...  a long time to finally scrapping those pictures we KNOW we have somewhere.

Well, that's how I've felt about the European trip we took this past fall.  Do you all know how many pictures I took?  I filled 2 8GB memory cards and have several pictures from my small P&S to encorporate as well as the Disney Photo CD we purchased on board.  Sigh.

But, then Kelly sent out her latest release to those of us on her CT.  Um, yeah, I can do that...  It's "technically" a Project365 set of templates, but they're incredibly versatile.  Just take a look!

P365 Template Set 1

How does she know it'll work for a P365?  It's the template she used to create her own personal project from 2010.  I think she's pretty safe making the claim ;)

But what did I do with them?  This...

Disney Cruise Journal 2010: Day 1



Christmas Cards- ordered!

Thanks to Shutterfly's ability to upload complete digiscrapped images for printing.  I used Jen Markatis's Deck the Halls from TwoPeasinaBucket.

4x8 Photo Card Print Your 4X8 Photo Card

Unique party invitations and greeting cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Gratitude 2010- Days 3-5

Same credits...  Enjoy.  Oh and the second one?  Yup, that's a quilt I finished last night :)

Gratitude- Day 2

Once complete, they will be bound and printed at Shutterfly. 

Day 2:  Friendships

All layouts are using the November Collaboration Kit from Owl Tree Studio & the Date it labels from Wild Blueberry Ink from October's offerings at OTS.

Gratitude Project

It's a combination of things really...  combining the idea of the December Daily projects with the 30 days of Gratitude post I saw late last month.  So these simple pages (after all, when we think about counting our blessings, it almost always goes back to being thankful for the small, simple things, yet those are what we always forget in the hustle and bustle of our days) will be combined for a finished bound book when I'm done.  Each one will have a Bible verse about Thankfulness or Gratitude.

And of course, you'll forgive me for being a tad tardy in posting Day 1.  It's another TDY week.

Kit is from the November Collab from Owl Tree Studio

Oh and my menu for this week?  It's leftovers...  I think my fridge is seriously full of them.

Mockingjay!

I was so excited to get this in the mail a couple weeks ago and so frustrated that I had NO time to start reading it.  So, I set it aside in the "for vacation" pile that was growing steadily and waited.  In the meantime, I even scrapped it ;)

So, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins makes book #42 for the year.  So, doubt I will make my initial goal of 75, but have a chance for my 2010 To Do List for 2010 of 60.

To say I couldn't put it down was an understatement.  Our vacation was so, go-go-go that I didn't really have time to get in to it on the ship.  But the 8.5 hour flight from Madrid to Philly gave me a good opportunity while the kids watched their movie and played with my husband.  Wow.  If you enjoyed the first two books, this will not disappoint.  And I don't know anyone who hasn't read the books and gotten hooked.  So, check it out!

QOTD: Do you still read traditional/paper books, audio books or have you gone digital with something like the Nook or Kindle? 

I saw many e-readers on the ship.  I'm intrigued, I admit but I just love books.  I'm an avid audiobook reader/listener as well.

The fabulous ladies at OTS are GIVING IT AWAY!

You may know that I am on the design team for Owl Tree Studio, a digital scrapbook kit club. The design team has put together an incredible August lineup (while you check it out on Facebook, go ahead and like OTS so you stay up to date on all things OTS and important) and the creative team has put together some incredible quick pages, blog posts, scrap challenges and page templates for you to enjoy.

As we get closer to opening day, the Owl Tree Studio crew wants to give you an opportunity to try them out for FREE.

That’s right...F-R-E-E!

On Sunday, August 1st, 2010 Owl Tree Studio plus each of the three resident designers will be giving away free memberships to Owl Tree Studio. You can enter to win as many times as you want between now and July 31st, 2010 at 10am (EST). Everyone’s contest rules are different, so you’ll have to visit each designers’ blog to find out exactly what you have to do to enter their portion of the giveaway.

Enter to win a free membership from the official Owl Tree Studio blog by:

Following OTS on Facebook - 1 Facebook follower will win a free 1 month membership

Follow OTS on Twitter and ReTweet:

"Follow @OwlTreeStudio & RT this for a chance to win a free month of great digital scrapbooking goodies http://bit.ly/aib6cA #digiscrap"

- 1 Twitter follower will win a free 1 month membership

Join the mailing list (and get a free beach themed digi kit) - 2 mailing list subscribers will each win a free 3 month membership

Sometimes, the studio owls get a little over excited and rumor has it one commenter on the Owl Tree Studio blog contest post might win a 1 month membership as well.

Follow OTS on Facebook; and Twitter AND join our mailing list for the biggest chance of winning, then visit the incredible designers’ blogs to pick up more chances to win through the designer contests!

[Fine print: Winners will be selected using Random.org. You can only win one time. If you win, you will have to sign up as a paying member to continue accessing the OTS members’ area AFTER your free membership period ends].

Memorial Day

As we approach Memorial Day, everyone is getting ready for picniks, graduations, summer's official start!  This year, that includes us as well.  My husband will be getting his Masters degree conferred over Memorial Day Weekend.  I'm very proud of him for that!

But before, he was part of (and is still strongly connected) to an incredibly special group of people in our US military.  The EOD community.  EOD stands for explosive ordnance disposal and they never really got much air time before the recent conflicts when IEDs (improvised explosive devices) started to become a major threat to our troops.

My heart is always, always heavy when we get news that there's been another servicemember KIA.  I always pray for their family and friends.  And they stay in my prayers and on my heart for a long time.  We had the honor of attending the funeral of one of these brave airmen together.  My husband's been to other services without me.  It's a moving experience but one I wish I'd never had if it would mean these families could still have their loved ones with them.  Yet, knowing what I do of EOD, I know they are a group that loves what they do and are proud to serve.  So, as we're getting ready for a big event for our family, I wanted to honor those who are still strongly on our hearts and minds.  

Credits for the above layout:

Americana

My Hero

Give Freely- FREE

Boho Sheek- FREE

Grungy Lines

Distressed Photo Masks

Kendall's Book

Click here to view this photo book larger