Goodbye Gainesville

So, I guess I should officially announce that we are moving to Tallahassee. I have been putting it off as long as I could, blaming it on the need to finish the house. Christopher has accepted a position as an Associate Director at the Association for Institutional Research. He has actually already been working up there a couple of weeks and coming home on the weekends to finish up the loose ends on the house. Yesterday, we officially signed a lease for a new home in Tally, you can see pics in the slide show ---> if you are interested. We have decided to rent while we get to know Tally a little better and plan on building once we find the right piece of property... we get to try out other side of rental life ;o). So far (we have visited many times) we all seem to like Tally very much (other than those Seminoles!) And Hailey is quite excited for a number of reasons. We spent most of the day yesterday (immediately after signing!) painting her new room "Lightly Lilac", a very nice purple that she selected herself. And she has already made friends with about 10 neighborhood kids (no kidding at least 10!), including Cade (he is also 4) who lives next door. And Cade attends VPK, so naturally Hailey is so excited about going too! She has already learned everyones names, how old they are, where they live, and what their outfit looked like yesterday! So, if you are in the area...feel free to drop on over!

So with this bittersweet feeling in my heart, after 8 wonderful years here, I have to say...
Goodbye Gainesville.

Cutest Punkin' in the Patch

Horsin' around

I actually attempted to use my own brain on this one, then realized I was just recalling an old Reflections layout that I seem to come back to regularly! Go figure! This one went together so quickly, with the help of my little scrapper-in-training who loves to "grind out some letters from my cook book!" She actually says that!!! Makes sense that my cookie cutters would be in a cook book... not sure where rolling the revolution handle translates into grinding! ;o) But hey, she is four (and three-quarters!) so who knows how her amazing brain works!



*PP: CTMH Sarsaparilla Paper Pack
*CS: CTMH Textured Bamboo (inked around the edges with bamboo ink), Barn Red, Black
*Quickutz: Spicy Chicken & Lemonade
*Embellishments: CTMH Waxy Flax tied in some vintage buttons I found in my old sewing stash ;o) There I go again, raiding my other crafts for scrappin' stuff!

Bead...all about it!

Oh this layout was so bright and so much fun to work on, on such a gloomy day, waiting for TS Fay to make a decision. Typical woman, takes her slow sweet time making up her mind. ;o) As my hubby says... much like my undies, I keep my mind fresh and change it often!!! I die laughing every time he says it! Okay that was a bit too much info for today, back to scrapping! These colors are not usually my thing, but it worked so perfectly for this layout.



I had alot of fun with the embellishment goodies on this layout! I finally pulled out those Clear Inspiration Dangles and used some chalk to color in the designs! Turned out much better in person, the pics were a little too bright. And I used some Waxy Flax to tie the Dangles to the photo mats (that flip open to reveal more pics and journaling!)



I also got out my beloved Just Blooms and played with my QK Nesting flowers to make the centers with some clear buttons and more Waxy Flax to decorate. And I just love the flourishes anywhere I can work them in! Love all the different sizes!



*Sketch: CTMH Imagine (can't remember which one)
*PP: CTMH Whoops-a-daisy
*CS: CTMH Ocean, Bubblegum, Keylime, Hygrangea
*Quickutz: Stardust (Bead), Katie lowercase (all about it), Flourishes, Nesting Flowers (in the centers of the blooms)
*Embellishments: CTMH Just Blooms, White Photo Turns and Edge Anchors, Clear Inspirations Friendship Dangles, Holiday Craft Buttons (clear), Colonial White Waxy Flax (to tie on the dangles), Spring Soft Chalks (to chalk the dangles)
*More Sewing Machine ZigZag Stitch! I love having my sewing machine out, remind me to request that in the plans for my dream house!

A Friend is...

So, I started this layout on Friday over at Tara's (along with another that i am trying to finish up now) and I got everything done but the embellishments because I forgot a number of things at home... Well, I think it is a good thing I did, because I added the sewing (and Hailey helped!) and I think it turned out much cuter because of it! I pulled out Imagine for this layout and one of my favorite paper packs...although I am drawing a blank on which layout and on the name of this paper! It was been a long day! I did finally use up some of the Stick-ease that match this kit, a few garden greens brads, a little pink polka dot ribbon and voila!

PS: CTMH is adding more items to the clearance sale!!! (Email me if you want the list) The items will be available starting at 11am EST on Tuesday, August 19th... that's tomorrow! If you get an email to me by 9am, I will add your order onto mine so we can all share my FREE SHIPPING!

Cozumel Nightlife

This is actually a layout of my very own! No sketches, of course I don't think any idea is an original idea anymore...just a memory stashed away that we think we have come up with on our own. Anyone ever think you see your own layout show up in a mag months after you finish it...maybe it wasn't really yours to begin with?! Maybe you saw it somewhere else and then someone else was smart enough to go get it published! Okay, I am rambling tonight with random thoughts, ya think! Anywhoo, this layout was from Cozumel when we got this really cool Hailey-sized purse make from Mexican candy wrapper that were woven together. The photos are dark because they are of the ship all lit up at night. I am finally using up the last of the papers I got from Tally, just enough scraps left of these patterns to make some adorable cards. I will share those, someday ;o)

CS: CTMH Colonial White, Ocean
PP: Fancy Pants Chi Chi
Quickutz: Moxie Classic, Maddie Anne Classic, Nesting Circles, Punctuation
Embellishments: CTMH Autumn Craft Buttons and...
Sewing Machine Zig-Zag Stitch...see mommy, I still use my sewing machine after all these years, just with a new dual purpose ;o)

Update on the CTMH Clearance Sale

What is still available on the Sizzlin Clearance Sale...

• 26 different great stamp sets $2.00 - $8.00
• 50 pack of autumn terracotta photo turns $3.00 (can be painted any color!)
  
• 9x9 All About Cmas Wishes Children's Kit $3.00
• still Free Shipping for orders over $75

...visit my website to Shop Online now!

Playa Chen Rio

Another quickie layout, but really fun story and picture! Uses one of my all time fav paper packs!
Sketch: PageMaps July 2007
PP: Basic Grey Color Me Silly
Quickutz: Maggie Mini, Sunflower
Rick Rack...from the sewing basket ;o)

Spiral "Vines"

This layout was so easy, not so quick though with all the punching and inking! It looks a ton better in person (as most layouts do!) This was from when we docked in the cruise port in Cozumel, very interesting there! The little flourishes around the Quickutz flowers are actually the spiral clips that come in the CTMH My Accents sets. I used a pair of pliers to pull them apart a little and twist them to look like vines.

Here is a closeup of the vines:












Sketch: base loosely off a 8.5"x11" sketch from PageMaps March 2007
PP: Three Bugs in a Rug, more from Tally ;o)
Quickutz: flowers, Maddie Anne, Mary Jane
Embellishments: Garden Green spiral clips, Rick Rack, Taffy Ink and CS

Sizzlin' Hot Summer Clearance!!!

UPDATE: There are still some great deals to be had, go check out the Shop Online feature of www.tiffanycoogan.myctmh.com

From August 5–28, all MyCTMH shoppers can purchase a selection of favorite retired products from the shelves of the CTMh warehouse at unheard-of savings. You’ll want to get in on great deals like My Acrylix stamp sets and My Reflections paper packets starting as low as $2. Not only can you get amazing products at unbelievable prices, you can get free shipping, too! Purchase $75 or more and your shipping and handling will be FREE. For best selection, shop early! Mark your calendar and set your alarm clock so you’ll be one of the first to fill your shopping cart with first-rate Close To My Heart products during our sizzlin’ hot summer sale!

If you would like a sneak peek at the list of clearance items, send me an email and I will be happy to share! Please note: clearance product purchases do not qualify for Stamp of the Month discounts and are not able to be combined with regular retail price purchases. So, basically you can only purchase clearance items with clearance items and there are no further savings. But at $2 for a stamp set or paper pack plus free shipping...that's awesome!

So, mark your calendar for August 5th! Then visit www.tiffanycoogan.myctmh.com for amazing savings!

Do Art

Another fun layout using some papers I picked up at Scrapbook Market in Tallahassee. I stole the buttons and ricrac from Mom, so I have no idea who makes them. But the title is CTMH Monograms and Big Pinks Just Blooms. The sketch was from PageMaps book, I think. ;O)

{free}

Another layout I did awhile back while I was at Mom's, I just finally got my enlargement. I also thought I should share more of the details on how I attached the photo on the top right of the second page... for those that keep asking me for ideas on how to do pull outs, hinges, and flips to get more pics on a page. For this one, I used one of the CTMH four-pocket page protectors and cut off one of the pockets leaving a little plastic along one edge (to attach the brads through). I adhered the bottom photo directly to the layout and the top two pictures go in that pocket that I cut out. Once the layout is in a page protector, you will poke 3 holes through the protector, all the way through the layout and attach that pockets using the 3 pink big brads. This way there are no photos exposed to "little helpers", it is all neatly protected and sturdy. I am not sure I would attempt this process with any page protectors with anything other that the CTMH ones because they are sooo think and study!

Here is a look at the second page, the top right photo is the one that flips.

Here are close-ups of it flipping and the inside two photos.

Sketch: Page 1 was a PageMaps and Page 2 was from Reflections.
Paper: CTMH Floral Tapestry...this paper pack is sooo versatile!
Embellishments: CTMH Dimensional Elements Simple Alphabet, twill ribbon, and Baby Pink Bigger Brads. Not alot of embellies because the pics are pretty self explanatory! It was sooo much fun!

Another quick layout

Another sad layout for me to complete ...I am really missing our girl time! And our kids time, too! Anywhoo, this layout is kind of a companion to the last, simply because they are only a handful of single page layouts I have ever done and these two will go in the album facing each other. The girls spoiled me for my birthday last year and we all went to Cloud 9 for tension massages! It was extraordinary! My first ever massage, and hopefully not my last.

Sketch: PageMaps book
Paper: CTMH Life Delights
Quickutz: Stardust Grand, Flourish 24, Daisy 36
Embellisments: CTMH Baby Pink buttons and lots of chocolate inking.

I miss you Jodi!

My friend Jodi moved away recently and although Tara and I have kept up the Friday night tradition, it is just kind of sad when I scrap a layout of the three of us :o( This is from Taras birthday a couple years ago when we all went to the Melting Pot for dinner. The sketch is from the PageMaps book although I cheated a little, okay alot! Jodi, actually did the exact same layout awhile back and I really liked it. so, when I came across these pics in my own stash, I knew just what to do with them. I even had Jodi send me a pic of it so I could get it just right. I changed the slightest few things, but it was sooo good to begin with. Thanks Jodi, I miss you!

Sketch: PageMaps book
Paper: CTMH More to Adore
Title: Quickutz Paige Mini
Embellisments: CTMH Baby Pink Brads, Bigger Brads, and Buttons. CTMH Chocolate RicRac and Brads. Quickutz Flowers, I have no idea which ones. The biggest flower is a 4x4 flower that looks like a propeller and I rolled the ends of the petals around a paint brush to make it smaller and give it dimension.

So Easy!

Another layout for my Cruise Album. These layouts have been so much FUN to do, no pressure, no deep journaling, we just decided we wanted to go for Cmas last year, saved up, and went! The really cool part is, I feel like I am re-living the trip all over again as I scrapbook it!

These photos were of the day we boarded the ship and were leaving out of the Port of Tampa, FL. Carnival Inspiration was the name of our ship. I used Quickutz Blossom Grand and Maddie Anne Classic for the title, a few CTMH blooms and brads, finally some of my new CTMH RicRac, and got to use up some more of that Calendar Pack paper and some old B&T. Such a simple layout but perfect for what I was working on, I actually copied it from one of my best friends Jodi, who copied it from Simple Scrapbooks Mag...isn't that funny! Come to think of it, I think the layout started out as a one-page 8.5x11 layout and now we have taken it over. My other best friend Tara actually used the same sketch on her layout as well! I need to get them to post their layouts here too so you can see how different but alike they all turned out. So funny, I love when that happens!

Happy Fourth of July!

My mommy would be so proud of me! I made this dress for Hailey for the festivities on the fourth! Happy Independence Day!

Beach Beauty

These are some more papers I got at Scrapbook Market, they are the Making Memories Tropical Collection. The patterned papers, flowers, and stickers all came together. When I got out these papers and pictures I was so excited by the colors and the fun pictures, but... then I was stumped with the sketch. I couldn't find any sketches that would do it justice, I even googled the paper collection and checked the manufacturers website and nothing! And duh! what about using my own brain! I rely on my sketch books and websites so much that I get discouraged sometimes when I actually have to use my brain :o) But, I have to admit that I am so happy I challenged myself to come up with my own sketch! I actually even managed to incorporate stickers! into this layout. Of course they did come with the kit and were adorable! I also used stickles for the first time and fell in love! The glitter definitely is not an everyday thing, but they were just what this layout needed! BEACH is CTMH Dimensional Elements inked with Heavenly Blue and beauty is Quickutz Spicy Chicken cut from CTMH Bubblegum CS ... by the way I always forget and call this font Funky Chicken ;o)

I wish I were here now...

Oh, how I wish I were back in Mexico right now, soaking up the rays and snorkeling in the crystal blue waters and actually not sweating my butt off! This layout was so much fun to do, it was actually scraplifted from a combo of places including the PageMaps book and the Quickutz Gallery! I know, another using a plain background but it so beautiful in person! That colonial white textured cardstock is my new staple! It looks so much better in person, too! I believe the pp is BoBunny, the ribbon is American Crafts, the title is Quickutz Maddie Anne and Moxie, and of course the cs, flowers, buttons, and brads are CTMH.

I (heart) ScrapbookPictures!

Just read that sbpics is having a sale until July 7th... 25% off all squares! Ya know 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 8x8, 10x10, all the way up to 12x12. So if you are a digital scrapper, now is a great time to print some of those layouts and add them to your albums. I love square prints from some reason, I guess to my eye they seem captivating because they are unusual or something, idk. But this sale is a great excuse to go do a few layouts that require some square prints ;o) They haven't posted what the sale will be the other weeks of the month, but it looks like it will change each week! Cool!

Oh, and I just noticed they seem to have added a bunch of new print sizes including 4x5.33 which is true size to digital camera proportions! Have I mentioned how much I love ScrapbookPictures!

Easy Pleasy :o)

I was so happy to get these pics back from www.ScrapbookPictures.com because the colors were just awesome! I had them printed at Walgreens and the colors were distorted and just looked awful and they had looked so nice on my computer, so I sent them off to sbpics with a little note to please adjust the colors as they see fit. As usual, they did a fantastic job!

This was a quick layout to do, just what I needed clean and simple to keep the focus on the photos, but really fun to put together. The base is White Textured CS with just one sheet of pp for a little color and all the matts are Watermelon for a little pop! Man, I really seem to be favoring Watermelon lately, must be all the summer & spring layouts I am catching up on. The font is Quickutz Merry & Bright and the flowers are CTMH of course.