And Now a Word From Our Sponsors ....

I really have been doing a TERRIBLE job of blogging lately - not only for my personal stuff but my digiscrap goodness, too! I need to strike some kind of balance between the two because I really don't see myself starting another blog just for my creative work ... I can't even keep up with the one blog I have!!! I guess you will all have to learn to skip what you're not interested in ;)

First off, ScrapMatters is having a Hybrid Creative Team Call!! I have had SO MUCH fun being a part of this creative team for the past 9 months ... awesome ladies to work with, amazing designers' goodies to play with, and the fun of being part of an amazing community!! I could not have asked for a better team to call my first! Please consider applying - we'd love to add even more talent to our team :)CT Requirements:

* Each month create 3 hybrid projects OR 2 hybrid projects and 2 digital layouts
* Participate in site challenges, the team blog, the forum, and the gallery
* Post in 4 galleries (SM, DST, and 2 of your choice)
* Be a team member for 6 months

Please e-mail the following to ward [at] afconnect [dot] com:

* Link to your most active forum
* Gallery link
* A short bio
* Link to your blog (if you have one)

This call closes at 11:59 p.m. PST on Monday, June 8.

Just to get you in the hybrid spirit, I'm posting some of my projects and layouts from the past little while. All images are linked to my gallery if you want to leave me some love or view the designer credits!

Click for more detailed image

Click for more detailed images of entire album

Click for more detailed images

Click to see this matching game in action!

Click for more detailed images

Click for more detailed images and inside

Click for more detailed image

Click for more detailed images

This image not linked - had to be pulled from galleries (problem with kit)

Click image for tutorial!

Click on image to see inside

Whew ... guess it's been longer than I thought since I posted any of my work!! Sorry for the MASSIVE number of images and links. Hopefully I can stay on top of things a little more ;)

Upcoming posts - School's out for summer, My babysitting gig ends, Brinley is inducted, Ashton prepares for her big day (and gets holes in her head), Kendyl graduates ... again, and Cougar becomes a diva.

Happy {inter}National Scrapbooking Day!!

Well, the big weekend is finally here! There are so many sales and fun things going on in the digital community today and throughout the weekend that I could never list them all. I filled you in on a few of them in my previous post if you wanna go back and take a peek ;) Needless to say, you WON'T be disappointed if you take the time to head out digi shopping and blog hopping - discounts, freebies, and giveaways GALORE!

My blog happens to be the 25th stop on the ScrapMatters {i}NSD blog train! The designers over at SM have created the gorgeous kit "Hawaiian Happy Hour" that is yours free with a $15 purchase between May 1st and May 8th. It made me homesick for Hawaii all over again!! Now, I know you can't really be "homesick" for a place you have never lived before, but in the few times I have been there to visit I absolutely fell in love! I could sit on the beach, stare at the ocean, and listen to the waves all day long ... and get a fantastic tan while doing it! Our trip there last summer was what I think of when I think of paradise - except I didn't have my children with me. As nice as it was to have some time away to enjoy a much needed vacation, it definitely hit home that our "real" paradise is wherever our little family is. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Hawaii together someday!

This is one of my favorite photos from our trip last summer. I took it from our balcony the first night we were in Maui. We slept with our patio doors open every night and enjoyed the sounds and smells of the ocean along with the cool crosswinds. I've made it into and 8x8 Quick Page that you can download for yourself! Click on the preview image to download.Well, it's time for you to move onto the next stop ... Dawn should have another goodie for you!! If you didn't stop by Mary's blog before you stopped here make sure you head back and visit her. And, if for some reason you got lost on your way, you can always head back to the start of the train at Andrea's. There will be a total of 35 stops in all! Thank you for stopping by ... have a fabulously scrappy weekend :)

Treading Water

I'm floating out here ... trying to keep my head above water ;) Lots to accomplish before the weekend. It's a big weekend in the scrapbooking world - National Scrapbooking Day is Saturday. This, of course, spills over into my creative team work so I wanted to make sure you knew about all of the exciting things happening! First, when you stop in on Saturday you'll be jumping on another blog train! The ScrapMatters team will have 5x7 and 8x8 brag book pages for you created with an amazing collab kit that the designers have put together call "Hawaiian Happy Hour." With a BIG sale and tons of fun challenges and speed scraps galore you'll definitely want to get in on the fun! I'm also taking contributing to a new hybrid scrapping/crafting blog called The Hybrid Chick. There are some crazy good hybrid girls over there with loads of amazing ideas. My first project was posted a few weeks ago (you can check it out HERE if you want) and I'll be contributing about once a month. They are also doing it up right for the weekend with lots of challenges, ideas, and GIVEAWAYS!!! You really don't want to miss out!Another not-to-miss-out-on spot will be Jessica Sprague.com. Anyone who has known me over the past year and a half knows how much I love Jessica for her inspiration and teaching style. My life has honestly been changed since meeting her and taking her classes (and, of course, making so many dear friends on the Spraground ... can't wait to see everyone in September!!). She will be having nightly live chats, new products in the store, freebies, a big sale, and two new FREE quick start classes being released! I just finished the Scrapbook Alchemy 3 course and completed an album for my mom for Mother's day (I'm pretty safe posting that because I'm fairly sure my mom only checks my blog about once a month ... maybe). I'll do an entire post about it later with lots of pictures but what I will say now is that you WILL NOT regret taking that class. In fact, it will inspire you. And at 30% off through Mother's Day you simply can't go wrong!!! If you've been wanting to take a dip into digital scrapbooking this weekend is the perfect time!One last thing ... There is another site called Songbird Avenue that puts together a kit for charity every month. They invite a guest designer to collaborate with their already talented designers to create something beautiful. The kits sell for $8 - almost $7.50 of which goes to the charity of the guest designer's choosing (they only take out Paypal fees ... 100% of what is left goes to charity). This month's guest designer is Ali Edwards who is a phenomenal scrapper and designer. She has been hugely successful in more areas than you can imagine. The charity she chose is dear to her heart - Autism Speaks. Her son is autistic and she has written many stories and blog posts about their journey. In an act of extreme generosity, Jessica Sprague posted on Sunday that she will personally add a $2 donation for every kit purchased by April 30. When Ali heard about it she, too, decided to add a matching $2 for each kit sold. That means that almost $12 will be donated to this worthy charity for every kit sold in the next few days. I am astounded at the giving spirit of those wanting to make a difference. Thanks to Songbird Avenue, Jessica, and Ali for their incredible examples. Even if you don't know what to do with the kit, head over, purchase it, and make a difference. Then head to Jessica's site this weekend to check out her new FREE quick start class ... I'm sure she'll give you an idea of what to use it for ;) Click on the image to make your purchase!
Well, it's time to get back on task ... break over! Oh!! I almost forgot - one of my recent projects was featured on The Daily Digi site this past weekend (right HERE in this post)! To say I was shocked to see it there would be an understatement :) Haven't had a chance to post the project here yet, or many other projects for that matter. One day I'll post a Projectpalooza so you can see what I've been working on ;) If you don't have that site bookmarked you MUST do so now ... or add it to your Google Reader. You won't regret it. Thanks for stopping by ... with my poor excuse for blogging lately it's a wonder I have anyone who bothers anymore *HA*

Coming up for Air

Well, just when I was getting my computer back to up and running I got sucked in to the mad tornado of Valentine's Day projects, class parties, sick kids, and a church calling that definitely picked up speed.

Things in the Stake have been busy as we've started planning for Girls Camp, have ward conferences and New Beginnings programs to attend, and we had the opportunity to entertain a general authority. WHAT?!?! Yes, I got to make lunch for Mary N. Cook, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency! Not only did I make lunch (Cafe Rio Pork Salads) but our entire presidency got to have lunch and dinner with her, spent several hours visiting with her in the Stake President's office, listened in on a focus group that she had with 11 of the girls in our stake, and attended a fireside she put on that night that was broadcast to several other stake centers in our area! I even got to "pitch hit" and give the opening prayer at the fireside when the girl assigned to do it didn't show up! Even though it ended up being a very long and exhausting day (about 9 hours at church) it was one of the truly remarkable experiences in my life. To listen to her speak, watch her teach, and interact with the girls in the area was a testimony building experience. I've never doubted the leaders of the church were called of God but I felt the spirit testify that not only was she called to serve but that she was specifically called to serve the young women. We are so blessed!!!! I was able to use that experience and what I learned from observing her teach when I gave a talk on gospel teaching this past Sunday in another ward (a stake assignment). Throw in another ward conference that I got to teach just a microsecond in young women and another meeting that night and my LONG Sundays are hopefully over. Steve will be SO glad that I only have to attend one ward this week since we are the ones having ward conference!

Cougar is back to regular breathing treatments again and just went for another chest x-ray yesterday. We are waiting on the results and are hoping that he just has the bronchiolitis that is going around rather than the pneumonia we battled the entire month of December. Hopefully we will hear something tomorrow.

Last week Brinley came into the craft room while I was up working on valentines after she had gotten up to go to the bathroom (4 AM, mind you). She talked to me for a minute and when she turned to leave the room she fainted and hit the ground - hard. Her eyes were rolled back in her head so all I could see were the whites and I was worried that she was having a seizure! She came back around pretty quick and then spiked a fever to the point she was sweating like crazy!!! She was crying and disoriented and complaining about her stomach hurting. 30 minutes later I am holding her hair and she is throwing up ... no school for her!! She ended up missing her Friendship Lunch that her class had for Valentine's Day. They each filled out a questionaire about their likes and dislikes and then each student was assigned to bring lunch for another friend in class. Here is the box that she took hers in (well, we delivered it to school since she wasn't able to be there):Ashton had a friendship breakfast for Valentine's Day and Kendyl had her preschool Valentine Party that I got to be a part of. I love when I can be in their classes but it can be difficult at times with Cougar and having Easton 3 days a week. I've been really lucky this year because most of their classroom "fun" has been on Thursday which is Steve's day off so he can keep Cougar and Easton doesn't come on Thursday! I had fun making valentines for all of the girls this year. As I worked all night to create 3 different designs I questioned myself ... I knew most of these would go straight to the trash with little appreciation for the detail! The pay-off was the next morning when the girls found their bags of valentines and were *SO* excited to take them to school!! They love to take something fun and different and always tell me how much they love that I make them ... guess that makes it worth the effort :) Here's what I came up with this year:My creative team work has been busy and FUN! I took part in a Secret Valentine Swap for my ScrapMatters Team and got to make a gift/package to send to one of my favorite designers over in the shop! It was intimidating because she is super creative but I loved making all of the goodies. I used all kits that she had created, too! I covered some of the mini mailboxes from the dollar spot at Target for each of her kids, made them each a t-shirt to put inside, and made and epoxy keychain for her! They loved all of their goodies and her son even insisted on sleeping in his shirt :) Here are a few pics of what I sent. If you want more details/credits you can click HERE to go to my gallery!I've got a few other things I've worked on but those can wait until later! At least you know I am breathing now, right? I have a few pics from Valentine's Day, and need to post some pics of the kiddos so I can prove they are around here somewhere, too ;)

Oh, and my new computer? I'm about to redo all of my HARD work to set it up ... AGAIN!!!!! Less than 2 weeks after I had it running just perfectly I noticed a glitch in the LCD screen! Since it is an all-in-one computer I can't just get a new moniter. My options? Send it to Sony to have them repair it or order a new one from Costco and return the first one. I thought sending it to Sony would save me the trouble of having to reload everything because they could just fix it. Two problems with that - it would be gone for another 10 business days and they have to reset it to factory defaults so my set up work would be gone! My solution? I bought another from Costco and am waiting to muster up the strength to go through the hours of tranfer and set up all over again. Steve has an overnight campout next weekend so I'll probalby do it then (since I don't sleep well when he's not home anyway). I'm beginning to wonder if this is a sign that I should have bought the Mac I really wanted - even if it would have cost me about $1000 more ....

And for my Facebook naysayers - told you I would update tonight!!!

Failing Miserably

Have you ever wanted to give that as your answer when someone asks how you are doing? I've definitely been feeling a desire to use it the past several weeks. I've been in a funk lately - perhaps you have no idea of the funk I'm talking about ... lucky you! It's the one where I want to answer I'm "failing miserably" when someone asks how I am doing. The one that makes me feel that way about every single "job" I hold (wife, mother, maid, friend, church member, neighbor, PTA mom, etc.) The funk where nothing I do is good enough, done well enough, organized well enough, thoughtful enough. The one where I feel like the most selfish and self centered person around. I seriously hope that none of you know this funk (although it would be just a "little" reassuring to know I'm not the only one)!!

Now, before you sit there feeling sorry for me I must tell you I've snapped out of it! I really had a remarkable personal experience today (while cleaning my bathroom, no less) that I knew I would regret not writing down and which has made me see things and myself differently. Remember ... this blog is my journal so you have to put up with things like this ;) I've been praying for comfort and understanding and a desire to feel something different to help me out of this pit I felt I'd slipped into. This morning Steve asked me what was going on with me - noting my less than desirable attitude lately. I told him "my life." He looked at me and said "You've got a husband and 4 kids that love you ... sounds like a pretty good life to me!" Yeah, yeah (seriously - my attitude?) .... Fast forward to cleaning the bathroom. I continued to think about my misery - my many shortcomings, my inabilities, everything that I wasn't accomplishing that I felt I should be. Then a scripture came to my mind. In Second Nephi 2:27 (in the Book of Mormon) it is talking about Satan and how "he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." It hit me so hard - Here I am wallowing in my misery which is EXACTLY where Satan wants me!! I might not be committing the "big sins" but I have allowed myself to lose my focus enough that I have played right into his hands ... sneaky little devil! Then almost as quickly as that thought hit I was reminded of the scripture that comes just a few verses before ... "men are, that they might have JOY." How could I be missing it? I started to think about the way I was viewing things - was I seeking to see the good in myself and my accomplishments - which is what my Heavenly Father wants for me - or was I choosing to pick myself apart and allow myself to be miserable - which is right where Satan wishes for me to be? I think by now you can see where this is going ....

I remember in our church's General Conference a few weeks ago a talk by our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson that I felt spoke directly to me as well. Ironically enough it is entitled "Finding Joy in the Journey." Here are just a few of the thoughts that he shared:

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

"If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly."

"Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.”"

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows."

I did link that talk in case you want to go back and read the entire thing - I'm so glad I did. My attitude was changed in a moment ... on my knees (ironically enough) scrubbing baseboards in my bathroom. I know that I have untold amounts of joy surrounding me that I am missing out on because I am CHOOSING to look past it and throw myself a pity party instead. NO MORE!! Now, obviously I am not crazy enough to think that life will be "sunshine and roses" from here on out and that I won't need more reminders of this in the future - I've needed them before. I am realistic, you know ;) I am just glad to have had such a STRONG reminder of it today ... reminds me that I'm not here to figure it out on my own but that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and brings me back to "center" from time to time.

Britt is working on what she calls her "52 Blessings Project" where she creates a layout a week of one of her blessings. My sister-in-law AnnaMarie is in the home stretch of her "30 days of balance" on her blog. I know Ali Edwards is completing (and helping others to complete) a "week in the life" project. I've seen lots of people doing a "photo a day" projects and there are so many other brilliant ideas spinning around in cyberspace. I *LOVE* seeing these types of projects! I am now "Finding Joy in the Journey." I want to combine my love of digiscrapping with my desire to capture the little (and not so little) things that bring me joy. Some will be obvious, some will be silly, some will be spiritual, and others completely selfish but they will have one thing in common - they bring me joy on some level. This is not a committment to doing a page a day for a month, or even a page a week for a year. It is a choice to focus more on the joy in my life and document it ... however often I can. I want to do this for myself to help me focus on the joy in my life but also for my children to look back on someday - isn't that what this is about? I look forward to compiling them into an album as a reminder to myself and my family (and friends if they want to look ... although you KNOW I'll be posting them *wink*) of the abundant joy I am blessed with. Thanks to each of you for being a part of my journey!!

Oh, and on a total side note - I was in charge of the hybrid post over on the Bren Boone CT Blog today if you want to check out my project ;)

Another side note ... registration is OPEN for Jessica Sprague's *FREE* Stories in Hand class - and she's extended it to 2 weeks!! You will NOT regret taking it :)

World Card Making Day

** If you're one of my "regular" visitors and you aren't interested in all of my digital craziness feel free to scroll down to read the latest update on the family (if you haven't already ... I posted on Tuesday).

Welcome to stop #3 on the blog train!! I can't believe there has been a stop at my blog two Saturdays in a row now ... are we making a habit? I don't know if I can keep up with the creative pace that it forces me into :) Today we are celebrating World Card Making Day. I found an interesting website that shares a bit of the "history" of the celebration that started in 2006. I love the idea behind it ... a time to celebrate the creativity of handmade cards, share in the connections of friends and family, and "kick off" the holiday card-making season - what more could a girl ask for?

I have been creating cards for about 10 years now - most of those as a demonstrator for Stampin' Up! I still love to create with my stamps but have really come to love the flexibility that my digital skills give me. I've created a template for you to create some of your own digital cards. I started with a "card front" sized 4" x 5.25". I make most of my cards 4.25" x 5.5" finished size because it is exactly half a sheet of regular sized cardstock or paper. Just cut in half and fold in half to get 2 cards :) With this card front you can print 4 per page, cut them to size, and adhere them to your own cardstock (and embellish to your heart's content). I also included a 4 x 6 and 5 x 7 version of the template for those who prefer to create cards in different sizes. Here is a sample card that I created using the basic card front template.I also created what I call a "Fold-and-Go" template for you. This one you simply create, print (you can print 2 per page), cut and fold in half. DONE! Here are some photos to show you the difference between one I made using cardstock and cutting out the flower vs. using the "Fold-and-Go" template. I love the way that both of them came out!Here is your freebie to download ... hope you enjoy it! Just click on the image :)You should have stopped at Heather's blog before coming here - if not, make sure to backtrack ;) Next you're off to Jaime's blog for another freebie! Have a great day and have fun creating with all of your new goodies!!

All Aboard!!

Welcome to stop #23 on the blog train!! Don't know what I'm talking about?! Well, you've jumped into the middle of a GREAT time!! ScrapMatters is celebrating their 1st birthday this weekend an you're all invited :)There is a fantastic sale in the shop and you will receive a BEYOND amazing collab kit for FREE with a $10 purchase ... just think about all of the goodies you can get for $10 when they're 30% off! There is also a chat on Saturday at 2:oo P.M. EST where prizes will be given away every 10 minutes and you get another freebie just for showing up! Add to that the start of a new daily download in the forum and this freebie blog train and you're in for a fabulous weekend - I know I am SO EXCITED about it :)

Now, back to the blog train ... you should have hopped over here from Alice's blog. If you forgot to stop there or are just joining us make sure to go back and grab her goodies ;) This is going to be a long train - almost 40 stops in all - and you don't want to miss ANY of it!!! By the end you'll have an amazing brag book of pages made using the "You Say It's Your Birthday" kit I was telling you about earlier and a few fun hybrid projects, too! I've created a 5x7 page for you along with a treat bag topper. My daughter's birthday was last week and we had a party for her yesterday. She was thrilled to hand out her "goodie bags" to all of her friends as they were headed home. Here's what you'll be getting from your stop here (click on the image to take you to the download page):
Here's a bigger picture of what the toppers look like once they're printed and assembled:I have to admit that I'm not the best birthday mom ... really. I wish I was better and have even dreamed of being better but often fall FAR short of where those dreams take me ;) One tradition we do have in our family is a birthday dinner (and sundae) at Red Robin. We signed up for their e-mail list years ago and receive an e-mail coupon for a free burger a week before every birthday. The girls can't wait for the day that we go! They know there is singing, balloons, and a yummy ice cream sundae at the end and just love it!!! Sometimes we go as a family and sometimes Steve and I take just the "birthday girl" - until Cougar is old enough to dig his teeth into a burger - but it is never to be missed and is always a treat!

Well, I hope you've enjoyed your stay! Time to send you on to Jaime's blog where more goodies await you :) Trust me ... you don't wanna stop here!!!!

A few layouts to share

I've gotten a few pages done in the mix of hybrid projects, too! These are for the Tuesday Template Challenge this week over on the SM Team Blog. There is a new FREE template to download each Tuesday! Here are 2 that I did with this week's template: Click on images for credits ... figured out how to do that!!

I have also participated in a few speed scraps over at ScrapMatters, too! These are crazy fun and totally addicting :) A lot of times they happen when I'm putting kiddos to bed so I can't fit it into the schedule but Steve came home to take over tonight so I could play ... what a guy! The idea behind a speed scrap is that you receive 7 instructions for your layout - types and numbers of papers to use, number or pictures, elements to use, etc. You receive 1 new instruction every 10 minutes for the first hour. After you have all 7 instructions you have and hour and 15 minutes to complete and post your layout! Reminds me I need to have my digi stuff more organized than I have it so I can find what I want! Oh, and I decided to make a quick shopping trip to buy some new goodies to use right in the middle of the speed scrap. I bought, downloaded, and used my goodies within the time frame ... I could never have run to a scrapbook or craft store and accomplished the same thing!!

I got to do one tonight. This one was really challenging for me! The rules for this one were:
1. one solid, dark paper, used as the background. One patterned paper used in any way on the page (other than background). No more, no less.

2. 3 photos: 2 must be the same size. The other one must be smaller than the 2.

3. One frame only, but that frame needs to have a cluster on or behind it. (I want to encourage you to use drop shadows—especially with the clusters)

4. Use a hanger anywhere on the page.

5. Must use something shiny on the page: can be metal, glitter, bling. I don’t care; I just want some shine!

6. Title: Use 2 alphas please.

7. Date your page. And, you can journal…BUT, you cannot journal any more than 2 sentences. It will work if you have no journaling at all!

And here is my layout for this one!
This was from the first speed scrap I did back on August 26th ... the directions were:
#1 - Pick one picture only and it has to take up at least 1/3 of your page

#2 - Use as many papers are you want - but the back ground paper needs to be solid

#3 - Now choose at least one frame - I want you to frame your picture, but (here's the catch) not the entire picture.

#4 - Attatch the frame to the picture of paper with two different methods - i.e. stitches, staples, buttons, hinges, etc

#5 - Now add flowers and something else found in nature

#6 - I am sure I will hear a lot of complaining about this one - but here we go anyway. Next find some word art for your title. It has to work alone to explain your picture because for this one I don't want to see any journaling. You can use premade word art or something you do by yourself.

#7 - Now date your LO and embellish to your hearts content.

Here is the layout I came up with!

What day is it?

I've practically missed September!!! I knew with the double surgery that life would get hectic but had NO IDEA that recovery and the rest of my life would cause me to lose so much sleep and wake up in a different month ... almost :) I feel like I've aged 10 years in the last month (it isn't pretty, either)!! So much has happened, so much to write about, so many pictures to post, so many projects share, still have to finish Hawaii - yes, there are still several days to tell you about, and feeling the desperate need to "reconnect" to my blogging friends!! I think I could spend an entire week reading your blogs, soaking up what you are doing in your lives, and leaving comments and love for each of you ... I miss feeling like I know what you're up to!!

I'm going to have to break things down into smaller posts so I don't overwhelm myself so I decided I needed to start with my big news since I haven't had a chance to share it since I found out 3 weeks ago. No, I'm not pregnant (shame on you for thinking that)!!! Back in August I got a little "nudge" from my friend Heather to apply to be on a creative team for a digiscrapping site called ScrapMatters. They were looking for a group of digital designers as well as hybrid designers to create layouts and projects using the designs sold in their shop. It was something I had considered and wanted to do for about 6 months but never wanted to put myself "out there" for fear of rejection.

Sidenote: Creative teams usually work with the designs for either a particular designer or for an entire shop - showcasing their products by posting them to online galleries and letting people know what they are using, who created it, and where they can get it (like when I post the credits under the projects I post here)! CT members are responsible for creating a certain number of layouts or projects each month for their designer or site. It also involves being active on message boards, promoting challenges, sales, etc. They often have a team blog that will highlight products, designers, projects, and challenges as well. Creating hybrid projects combines the use of digital and "traditional" scrapbooking and papercrafting (similar to several of the projects you have seen me post previously).

At the same time I decided to apply for the ScrapMatters team I also saw a CT call for another designer that I love, Bren Boone, who was looking to add a hybrid member to her team. Since I had just gotten up the courage to apply for the one I decided to throw caution to the wind and apply for both. On surgery day I came home to an e-mail letting me know that I had been chosen to be on Bren Boone's team!!! I was thrilled and shocked - such great news on a less than perfect morning ;) I was still anxious to hear from ScrapMatters but was obviously pretty preoccupied with the recovery of my 2 darlings to be too worried about it ... although I checked my e-mail every chance I could to see if I'd heard anything! A few days later I got the e-mail inviting me to be a part of the SM hybrid team! Over 60 people applied for their teas and from that about 20 digital designers and 5 hybrid designers were selected. Hybrid is a new aspect of their CT so it is exciting to be a part of something new!

So now that I've gushed about myself .... If you look in my sidebar I've added blinkies to both shops (Bren sells at a few shops right now). The blinkies will take you right to the shops so you can see the goodies I get to play with - for free (one of the BIGGEST perks of being on a CT)! I've also put links to the team blogs. I will be posting and hosting challenges on both and will let you know when :)

What does all of this mean for me? MAKING time to do what I love (even more than I tried to schedule before ... now I have "deadlines"). Trying to keep my creative juices flowing. Doing my best to find the right "balance" between life, church, and CT work. Oh, and I'm back in training for another triathlon so I'll add that into the mix!

What does this mean for you? Getting to see lots more projects and pages :) I hope you will enjoy that! I won't include all of the credits here but if you click on the images it will take you to one of the galleries where they are posted in case you want to go shopping ;)

Thanks for letting me share my excitement. Now a peek at some of the the things I've been up to for my teams ... will have more over the next few days as I finish things up for the month: