Tuesday, December 29, 2009

gaudy is good!

I had bought all these fabulous stamps before the mad Christmas card making frenzy began, and I never got to use any of them! Sooo....time to play! This particular card I used a set I got from Erica (the Angel company!). Gotta love the flamingoes! I made this one for a few challenges.....(listed below card!)


DSCN5281

1. Sketchy Thursday's second chance sketch...here is teh sketch, I flipped it on its side!
2. 365 cards, day 303, with a flourish! Had to include 3 flourishes....i used 3, they are just all put together
3. charisma cardz: anything but Christmas!!!

Hope to get much more crafting done shortly! Thanks for stopping by today!
~tracey

Saturday, December 26, 2009

My new fav thing....Life Stories by My Minds Eye!

Yes...I have fallen in love with a line of paper....it's true. Here is how it came about.....I am on the design team for my local scrapbook store, All About Scrapbooks in the lovely Chesapeake, VA. My assignment for January is a Vintage Mini-album. So....when I went to the store to pick out my materials, I asked Tara, the product goddess of the store...what do I NEED to make this album??? She immediately, without hesitation, pointed me to My Mind's Eye Life Stories. I didn't even look at it very well, just trusted her (she is all knowing on this sort of thing!), grabbed both packs (it came in Lavendar Plaid and Green Plaid) and went with it. As I was checking out, I discovered the neat little journalling cards that went with the line, yeah...I grabbed one of every one of those too! Oh...the actual mini album I bought was by Maya Road...it is a binder style mini album with fun envelopes in it as well! Some Prima roses and American Crafts Thickers may have found their way into my basket as well....LOL!
After the madness of Christmas card making, I remembered...oh yeah! I have an entire mini album to make! ACK! This is when I opened the Life Storiespaper packs.....WOW! Mindblowing! This line is amazing! I quickly realized that this was going to easier than I thought, thanks to this amazing paper pack! It is chock full of journalling prompts that just make it easy peasy to do just about anything with minimal thought process! And since I was on a time crunch...this worked! As I got started, I decided the album would be a 2009 year in review, and a gift for my dad. He had asked me to compile the pictures from the year and give them to him....so what better way? As I got further into the album, it occured to me that I was going to have to PART with this! I am 99% sure that I will probably go and repurchase all the same supplies...as I am in love with this album! I'm thinking it won't take as long the second time around right? I've already done the creative process of thinking it up!
So what did I come up with? Take My Mind's Eye Life Stories (the whole kit and kaboodle!), prima flowers, American Crafts Thickers, add in Tim Holtz (it is a vintage album....gotta have some vintage photo distress ink, and GRUNGE!), and add it to a Maya Road album...and this is what you get! (yes, there are 19 photo's, and i SUCK at photography...I have not done this album justice with my camera!)




















So what do you think??? Do you think my dad will like it?? I hope the store does too! Each of teh envelopes has even more fun pics from each quarter of the year for my dad....love those envelopes! The only thing I have to worry about now is that the store won't have any more of this fab paper in stock!
Thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you think...I am truly excited about this album!
~tracey

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

sketchy thursdays GDT app!


So I absolutely LOVE the Sketchy Thursday's blog and decided to apply to be their Guest Designer for January...plus, I was SO TIRED of making christmas cards....I needed to do somethign different! So...here is my entry! THe challenge was to use their sketch and then use THREES! Three patterned papers from three different lines ( i used basic grey lemonade, cosmo cricket boyfriend and earth love) and then three different clusters of three embellies! My clusters are 3 chipboard stars (i did this cluster twice!) 3 die-cut hearts and 3 stamped flowers! If you look closer, I even did another three....I faux stiched 3 different items! So...there it is, my first non -christmas card in like forever it seems! Wish me luck!

Friday, December 11, 2009

let it snow!

Have you checked out If the Shoe Fits....SCRAP IT! lately?? If not...hurry on over! This weeks challenge is a good one (and a popular one this time of year...lol!) The theme this week is 'let it snow!' I imagine this is pretty easy to fit into your projects this time of year right? So stop by and check it out, our DT made some amazingly snowy creations this week! Can't wait to see what you will make! Here is my snowy guy!


Now get on over to the Shoe and enter YOUR snowy projects! I'm dying for some new inspiration so I can finish up my cards!!! Thanks for stopping by!
~tracey

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

one more card down....


One more card done of the millions it seems I am making.....this one is for 5 challenges...here goes!
1. Sketch Saturday, I used their sketch!
2. Papertake Weekly: Red and green must NOT be seen!
3. Saturday Spotlight with Hidden Potential: Christmas Flowers
4. Allsorts: PURPLE!
5. Colour Create: purple, aqua, black and white!

So there you have it! a totally untraditionally colored christmas card this time!!! now off to bed!
thanks for stopping by!
~tracey


Christmas Photo Shoot!

So now that I am in the business of making my own Christmas cards, I no longer have my kids ON the actual card. So...I have resorted to sitting them down by the tree and taking my own picture of them and printing it out wallet size and including it in the card instead. Let me tell you how much fun this is!!! Getting a 3 and 5 year old to smile nice at the same time while actually looking at the camera? Next to impossible! This year, it took me 36 tries....yes, 36! Just thought I would share a few of my favorites with you...they are funny!







This next one is the one I FINALLY got after 35 failures! Although...I'm definetly planning in my head how I am going to scrap all of the funny shots leading up to the perfect one...LOL!


Now back to more card making! I don't have enough done yet!!! Thanks for stopping by again!
~tracey

Naughty or Nice???

Another Christmas card in the books for me! This one has a specific destination....I'm going to send it to my fav driver....of course...Michael Waltrip. I hope he likes it! I used a sketch from 365 cards to make this one.....just LOVED the sketch, so thought I'd give it a whirl! Anyways...that's all I have for now, I'm still a busy bee making cards adn getting them in the mail! I think I will be done soon though, so.woohoo!!!



sketch from 365 cards:


thanks for stopping by! have a great day everyone!
~tracey

Friday, December 4, 2009

o christmas tree...


just a quick post here as i am in a hurry! i recently found this blog called Sketch Saturday that has the cutest little sketches! But...what drew me in this week was the prize they are offering! It is a stamp with a HIPPO! my daughter LOvES HIPPOS! So....i made a mad dash to try to get this done in time so I can at least TRY to win the Hippo Stamp!!! So...here is my card for this week, with a few hours to spare! LOL!
This card is also for a blog called Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge...their challenge is Christmas trees!
So there you have it, and now i have to RUN and make dinner!!!!! Thanks for stoppign by, and I will be back later tonight, as we are decorating our tree tonight!!!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

More Christmas Birds!



As you may have guessed, I am a little obsessed with birds! Yes...just a little. I saw this image on Digital Ink Co and just HAD to have it immediatly! (which is the best part of digital stamps right? you can get them right NOW!) I've got a whole list of challenges that fit for this card, so lets go!
1. Mojo Monday sketch:


2. Digital Ink Co: Holiday Special Challenge #12: YOu must use one of their images, and create a card using the line from a Christmas song! I used their Merry Kissmas birds image, and well, 'We Wish you a Merry Christmas!"
3. Tellen's Place (which I found thanks to Tanisha!): Red and Green!
4. 365 Cards, day 275: Red and Green!
5. Cupcake Craft: Red and Green! (are we seeing a theme here??)
6. The Pink Elephant: Color me Wonderful: I colored with my brand new Copics! Still learning, but I think Im doing and ok job!
7.2Red Bananas: Christmas Card!

I think 7 challenges is a personal record for me actually...lol! Makes it easy when red and green is featured on 3 sites!!!
Thanks for stopping by! Next on the agenda (after i clean a bit :( ) is to tackle Tim Holtz's fabulous TAG! So glad it is December!!!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Warm Holiday Wishes


Took me all day as I am fighting a nasty cold....but.....I managed to combine 6 challenges in this card!
1. Verve Challenge #3 (from their release party): Use embellishments starting with the letters of VERVE..I chose to use E for embossed!
2. 365 cards: sketchy sunday....here is the sketch:

3. Susie's Sassy Designs: Pink and Sparkly!
4. Cuttlebug Challenges Be Inspired #59: add glitter, bling and cuttlebug! my birds and holly berries are blinged up with some Martha Stewart glitter!
5. Papertake Weekly: Christmas Crackers!
6. Saturday Spotlight: Hat's off! must contain a hat! well....does the crown on the bird count as a hat? i think it does....hope i'm right!

So there you have it! And after dinner, I have plans to combine a few more challenges into my next Christmas card....if I can keep this up, I may actually get my cards done at some point! Thanks for stopping by!
~tracey

Saturday, November 28, 2009

a christmas card! finally!



Well, seems like I have been making Christmas cards FOREVER! And yet, I haven't posted any of them! laziness is my only excuse...lol! This one is for a few challenges though, so, I kind of had to post it!!! Here is the low-down....
1. sketch thursday's second chance challenge! challenge was this fab sketch, which i mirror imaged....


2. The Pink Elephant: their challenge this week is to use something plaid, any # of brads, and NO RIBBON! I used cardstock as my ribbon, so I think it is ok!
3. Whimsy Stamps: theme is CHRISTMAS! easy peasy right? I am making mad amount of christmas cards!!!

So there you have it, 3 birds with one card! thanks for stopping by today! life is getting back to normal around here, so hopefully I will be posting a little more regularly!!! I will probably be making mad amounts of crafty things tomorrow as it is teh first Sunday that there is NO RACE ON! I need to somehow pre-occupy myself!!!
later gators!!!




Monday, November 23, 2009

My Proposal (for charity!)

Ok....I'm not sure who to send this to, or how to go about it, so I am going to write up my proposal on here, and send the link to everyone I can get in touch with Nascar affiliated and see if anyone thinks it is a good idea. I may just come across as a crazy person, but, well, I have good intentions!
You know how the Greg Bifle Foundation puts out the Nascar Pets Calendar every year, for charity? I personally love this calendar and buy it every year. I would like to propose something a bit different, but still a calendar. Yes, this may sound insane, but....keep in mind, there are a TON of female Nascar fans out there.....a TON. I propose a Nascar calendar, featuring the drivers, as we never see them......maybe shirtless? Posing kind of sexy like??? I was thinking I would love to see a calendar like this, and thought of making my own, but how am I going to find the pictures? We never see our favorite drivers in anything other than their firesuits! What if, someone made this calendar, and sold it for charity?? Proceeds go to a charity of some sort. I don't know what charity, or how to go about it, and well, like I said, I don't have the pictures....
I know I personally would pay good money for a calendar of this sort and would love to give back. Don't you think some of these drivers would l ike to do this? How fun would THAT photoshoot be?? I'm not talking something R-rated, just shirtless! or even sexy tanktops or muscle shirts, anything!
Am I alone in this? What do you think? Please comment and let me know if this is a good idea. I bet it would raise alot of $$ for a good cause, and make alot of women VERY HAPPY! If someone reads this who can make it happen, or knows who specifically I can talk to about it....please let me know. Leave me a comment or email me at twilson1424@gmail.com. Thanks for reading, and no, I'm not crazy....just a fan trying to better the world!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Are we there yet????

How many times have your kids asked you that question while driving long distance???Mine are now at the age where they have learned that question and it drive me NUTS! I can imagine it drives EVERYONE nuts right? Well....here is another question for you...How many people out there actually drive long distances ALONE with their small children? I'm talking 5 hours plus here, not just an hour or two. I do it ALL THE TIME and it SUCKS ASS. I hate making road trips alone with my kids (who are aged 3 and 4 btw....) I have been doing it for a few years though, but it never gets easier. If you have never done this, I am sure you have no idea how stressful it is. You might think u know, but u don't. It is very involved, and I normally stress out pretty bad for at least a week prior to the trip and a week after....so...thse trips have an enormous impact on my life. Let me walk you through it....
First there is the preparation...gathering everything you need, which is alot more thatn you wold need if it was just adults, or if more than one adult was going. You need to have stuff to entertain your small children the ENTIRE WAY. I opt for enough crayons and coloring books that they can't possibly drop them ALL on the floor, and dvd's. And snacks...gotta be sure to have enough snacks to occupy them too, and drinks..and gotta make sure it is stuff that is easy to open while driving, as noone else is there to help. And the packing....gotta pack....i hate packing, esp. for 3! Kids need more stuff too, cait is still in pullups, so there is that....plus kids have accidents, so gotta pack alot of extra stuff for that too.
Then...for me...I have to make sure stuff around the hosue is taken care of. I have to ensure my pets are all taken care of, which means cleaning out all their cages/litter box (none of this will get done while I am gone....) and putting food packs together for them. Alot of this has to get done last minute too...which i also stress over. Make sure all bills paid....dishes washed (or they will still be tehre when i get back) garbage taken out (or it will be NASTY when i get back)....etc. i will stress about all this for a week before I leave.
then, on the day of the trip, man oh man. Gotta make sure everythign is done, this is truly stressful. I make a million trips back into teh house before leaving! Get kids into car, get their stuff all on them (traytables so they can color/eat) start a movie for them, make sure they can reach everything, make sure my ipod is charged and ready to go, phone charged and ready....gas up car and head out.
Now this is where the fun starts....inevitably.....one of the kids will drop something. They can't get it if they drop it. They then CRY and WHINE. Sometimes, it is so bad, I have to stop the car to get it for them. Can you oimagine having to do this for 7 hours? Then their movie ends....I have to change it for them.....or they get hungry...i have to be able to reach teh snack AND movies, or else I will have to stop for this as well. It is not easy to change a movie while driving eitehr, althought I have mastered it! Then, well....at some point someone is going to have to go to the bathroom and well, we have to eat at some apoint too....so we have to stop. I then have to get them both out of car, and into gas station/restaurant for all this. This is not easy either. tray tables off, kids out, movie off...and into bathroom for potty break. This takes time with 2 small children, trust me! Then, i get to do it all over again...get them back in car, get all their stuff they need and hope they don't drop anything in 5 minutes!
Are you starting to get teh picture? I haven't even brought up again teh fact that they are asking me 'are we tehre yet?' every 5 miles! Can you imagine this for 7 hours? or 8 even?
I have done this several times this year. At Easter, I went to pittsburgh alone with kids....7 hours there. then, we went 3.5 hours to wEst Virginia to see inlaws. And then 8 hours home. Wow right? I was BEAT after this trip. In May, we made a 5 hour trip to charlotte ( i take responsibility for this one, as i really wanted to go see Michael Waltrip for fan day). 5 hours there, 5 hours back, 2 days. In August, I made another trip to Pittsburgh alone with kids. 7 hours there, 7 hours back. In october, i also drove kids to pittsburgh and back (october/november actually!) Is taht enought trips for one year? alone with my kids? You woudl think right? well..there are still 2 more planned by years end!
On Friday, I will pack up my kids to take them to SC to see my BFF....this is a SHORT TRIP! only 6 hours! oh JOY! I am looking forward to this trip, but there is still alot of stress involved, which sucks. Luckily, I will have another adult in car for the return trip, so it wont' be as bad. Then, Dec 26, i have to drive alone with kids to WV again, this is an 8 hour trip. Alone, both ways. Jaime suggested today, I do the WV to pittburght and then home again....not sure i can handle taht.
Why am I posting this? Because people expect me to jsut pack up the kids and make these trips all the time. (not ALL People ) I feel like it is expected of me to do this all the time. Noone ever stops to think twice before askign me to do it. Probably because it is something THEY HAVE NEVER DONE. Serously..you have no idea unless you have done it. I'm already stressed for my Friday trip now. and I have a ton of stuff to do in between now and then....I feel like pulling my hair out! I just got back from last trip less than 2 wks ago! I just don't understand why it is always expected of ME to make the trips. I am teh ONLY ONE who has to do the trip alone with 2 small children. Noone else has to do this ever. But yet, I am the one who has to do it. At some point, i am going to just stop doing it. Im tired of travelling. Tired of driving. It jsut sucks. Im tired of the stress taht surrounds the trip. Im tired of the 'are we there yet?'

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

last cards.....

....before I finally dig in and start making my Christmas cards! Last year, I told myself I would start in the summer so this wouldn't happen....did I do that? HELL NO! So now, I must get in gear....
So here are the last of the non-Christmas cards! This first one is for November card challenge #1 over on Simply Scrapping. I am no longer on the DT over there, but that doesnt' mean I still can't play! You should too! They have lots of fun challenges over there!!!



This next card is for Squigglefly. I discovered Squigglefly when searching for some Digi Stamps. I thought I would give Digistamps a try, and well, they had an awesome selection! This card is based off a sketch I found on their blog, using one of the images I bought from them of course!

well, I suppose I better go get busy with those Christmas cards now....thanks for stopping by!
~tracey

Sunday, November 8, 2009

it can't all be sunshine and rainbows....

So, I just got back from my yearly Talladega camping trip this week. Under normal circumstances, I would have had a post up almost immediatly, with all sorts of fun pictures and stories, and talking about what a great time I had......
This was not normal circumstances. We pulled in on Thursday afternoon to a mudpit. Not good at all. And, it just got worse. Rained cats and dogs on friday night, making our mudpit more of a mud-river....it was cold, muddy, rainy....downright miserable! It was so cold, that I couldn't even THINK about putting a cold beer into my body! If you know me.....you know that is bad! So...anyways...I may or may not post about my hell-ish weekend..but for now.....take a gander at my MUD-PIT!!! I felt the need to scrap it for some reason. And it is actually for 2 challenges as well! If you haven't checked out the Shoe this week, we have a rockin' color challenge for ya....orange, kreme, and kraft! Just so fitting to scrap my mudpit...lol. And then, I found an awesome sketch on sketchy thursdays....so....the mudpit has come in handy for something!




sketchy thursdays fabulous sketch:


Thanks for stopping by today! hoping to get back into my scrappy groove soon and have more to share!!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Blog Candy WINNER!

yeah, yeah.......I know, I am WAY LATE on this!!! BUT.....i finally entered the number 61 into random.org......and came up with # 46! Who was #46 you might ask????
the winner is.....
LENA!!!
Lena, please email me with your address so I can get your prize out to you!!! Thanks to all who played!!!!
I won't be around much for a week or 2....leaving for talladega soon and am CRAZY BUSY preparing!!! Be back soon! and wish me luck that I can have an even better time than i did at my last race, which will be TOUGH TO TOP!!!
~tracey

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

IMO: Driver Emotions in Nascar

**disclaimer: the following is all my small opinion, and who am I really? LOL!**
I was sitting and relaxing and reading tweets on twitter today, when an interesting topic came up. At first, it caught my interest because Denny Hamlin was involved....gotta read up on the Nascar hotness right? But, the more I thought about the actual topic of 'driver emotion', the more I realized that this topic has had a HUGE effect on the sport over the last several years. How? well..here is what I think....
I think Nascar has gotten boring lately. I love love love watching races, but lately, the cup races have been boring! I am more glued to my TV during the truck and nationwide races. Now yes, I do think that the COT has alot to do with the 'boringness' of the cup races, but the more I think about it, lack of driver emotion is a contributing factor.
A few years ago, I used to feel strongly about a few drivers. I hated Jeff Gordon, thougth he was whiney, and Kurt Busch, well, I thought he was the biggest ASS out there! Kurt Busch was a highly emotional agressive driver who woudl bump anyone out of his way to win. I hated him for it, but damn was it exciting! Remember when Jimmie Spencer punched him after the race? How was THAT for excitement! So, as much as I hated Kurt, I couldn't WAIT to see what he would do next! It made it exciting! These days, Kurt seems to be quiet and politically correct.....blah. boring. And Jeff Gordon, who always seemed to be complaining about someone or something, I haven't heard much of that either. I like Jeff now, but wish he woudl whine some more....LOL!
Oh, and who remembers the race (it was either sonoma, or teh glen, can't remember!) where juan pablo and kevin harvick actually got OUT OF THEIR CARS after wrecking and got in each others faces.....wow! That was powerful! LOVED IT! And you know what? I had picked Juan Pablo in my fantasy league that week, and by him getting out and doing what he did, well, that pretty much killed my points for the week.....but who cares! It made for a great exciting race! They were angry and well...they showed it! Good for them! I looked forward to that rivalry in races following that one.
And lets talk about Mark Martin. Man. I used to despise him! Thougth he may have been teh whiniest driver of all! How many times woudl he get out of his car after being wrecked and start pointing fingers. Used to piss me off! I couldn't stand him! Turns out...well...he was showing how he felt, and being honest and putting it out there. Now, all he does is smiles and is happy all the time. Everyone seems to like this. Me? I want the old whiney Mark back....it was more fun for me to get riled up at him whining.
So I guess now we have Kyle Busch....just about the only driver out there showing some emotion. As much as everyone seems to hate him, I like it! Kyle is about the only driver out there being REAL. He is showing who he is, and how he feels, and it is GREAT! No, I am not a Kyle Busch fan, I am just not one of the haters! He is the real deal and isn't afraid to show it. But he is only 1 of 43 drivers out there. Now earlier this year, I saw some true raw emotion out of Denny Hamlin, brought me to tears myself. When he won at Pocono, and was all choked up in Victory Lane. I felt horrible for his loss, but was glad to see him not holding back, that was one of the most emotional Victory Lane's I had seen....even under dire circumstances. I missed taht race, only got home in time to see the last few laps.....but was glad I saw what I did that day.
So I guess what i am saying in all my randomness ( i don't claime to be a writer, i actually sucked ass at english in school!) is that i wish drivers would forget politically correct and tell us how they really feel! When they start whining and pointing fingers and taking out their agressions, it makes for better racing I think. Put it out there! Show us how you really feel! Maybe don't go punch each other in the faces, but show some emotion! I personally love seeing it! Even if it makes me dislike you ,well, it made me more interested and want to see more, which is important rigth? Im a fan and shouldn't be so bored that my eyes wonder away from teh tv....what if I turned the tv off altogether? or never even tuned in to the race?? If enough of people like me did that, where would the sport be?
So there you have it, my opinion of driver emotion. Just my opinion, in really bad writing and english.....please don't correct my english, that will just anger me, and then I may show emotion! LOL! But all comments on content are welcome! Thanks for reading!
~tracey

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Another Sketchy Thursday!

YES! I have done another of the fabulous sketches at Sketchy Thursday!!! I even expanded it and made a 2 pager! I design for my local scrapbook store, and my project for November is a Layout featuring family and thankfullness....and they like 2 page layouts, so...that is what I did! First lets look at the sketch from sketchy thursdays....


here is the page that corresponds with the sketch! I loved this sketch!!!!! I used my Websters's Pages I got from All About Scrapbooks to do this..

Now here is the actual first page of the Layout:


And here it is all together!

I'm not good at doing 2 pagers, so I hope it looks ok! I guess it better as it will be on display in the store for the month of November!!! Thanks to Sketchy Thursday's for teh fabulous sketch and inspiration!!! And thanks for stopping by everyone!
Before I leave....i have been seriously missing my favorite truck driver, Brian Scott! No truck race for the past few weeks! This is the last pic I have of him from my good friend Sammie from Our Racing Dream! Yes, Sammie is my own personal 'stalker', stalking poor unsuspecting Brian for my viewing pleasure....LOL!!! Thanks Sammie, appreciate it!!! and congrats to Sammie for recently entering the world of wedded bliss!!! I'm lookin' forward to seeing more of Brian at Martinsville! And then in person (crosses fingers!) at DEGA! 11 days til I will be camping at DEGA BABY!

Thanks again for stopping by!!! Remember to stop by later this week for my blog candy winner!!!! Have a great week!
~tracey