Without further ado....

May 30, 2008

....it is time to pick the winners of my Paper Crafts RAK!! First off, I wanted to say I had a lot of fun reading all your comments as to which magazine you think would be your favorite! I wish I had tons of copies of both and lots of discretionary money so I could send something to everyone! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!

First off, for winner of the June/July issue of Paper Crafts Magazine is....

Linda SS said...

Your cards are great! My favorite magazine in the world is Paper Craft & unfortunately my subscription ran out a couple months ago. Due to some outlandish medical bills I need to get paid off first, I haven't renewed it yet. I'd be THRILLED to win:)

May 28, 2008 11:17 PM

And the winner of the special issue, Stamp It Cards is...

Blogger michelle said...

wow lea congratulations that is a an awesome achievement and your cards are fabulous not beginner material at all !!! Thankyou so much for taking the time to visit my blog and i would love the chance at either magazine and especially if you sign it lol !!!

May 28, 2008 12:07 PM

Congrats ladies! Email me your addresses at jnllawson@bresnan.net and I will get the goodies off to you!

Here are the cards I did this week for CPS sketch 66. I still can't believe that I got two of them done! This first one is summer themed, which we did pick as our theme for this week. Sigh...I wish it would bring some summer to us up here in rainy, chilly Montana-land. Anyways...lots of Sass product on this one, along with some Glitz bling, Doodlebug rub-on letters, and Creative Imagination letter stickers.And for my second card, not summer themed exactly...but nice and bright and cheery! I finally got my hands on some of the K & Company "Berry Sweet" line...it is so darn cute! So, this card features a lot of that, more Glitz bling, Heidi Swapp chipboard letters, Making Memories & Doodlebug Designs letter stickers, and American Crafts ribbon.


Once again, thanks everyone for leaving such sweet comments in the RAK post. I am going to try to do RAK's more often...so keep checking back!

Have a happy Friday,
~Lea

Paper Crafts Giveaway!!

May 28, 2008

I recently got my copies of Paper Crafts June/July issue, and the special Stamp It Cards issue in the mail. I loved flipping through them and seeing hundreds of amazing creations, many from ladies that I am honored to know! (Keep reading...I have a giveaway further down in the past!)

I am in the scallops section of the June/July issue of Paper Crafts. The whole issue is fabulous, but oh man....the scallop section just blew me away! So many gorgeous creations....I was blown away looking at them! This is my contribution to the scallop article.

I would have never thought I would have been in this special issue ever. Stamping does not come naturally to me, and I end up trashing more stamped creations than I ever keep. But, I some how ended up getting two cards picked up for this issue.

Then I looked closer at the cover, and read "158 creative ideas for EVERY skill level". Tee hee hee...my cards were surely picked up for the beginner stampers out there! :) This is one of them...as you can see- very simple.

Now comes the giveaway part! I ended up with three copies of each book. I keep a copy for myself, and give a copy to my mom. This leaves me with one copy of each book! If you would like me to RAK you with one of them (and probably some other random goodies!)...just leave me a comment telling me which issue you think would be your favorite! I will pick the winners on Friday...so be sure to leave a comment soon!

I also did two cards for the CPS sketch this week! Wow...so proud of myself. Here are some sneak peeks of them!


That is about it for me today! Be sure to leave a comment if you want to win my Paper Crafts RAK!

Happy Hump Day (just for you Kimberly),
~Lea

Soggy.

May 26, 2008

That word pretty much sums up how the state track meet was both Friday and Saturday. We arrived on Friday morning at about 10am. Luckily Rob had ponchos for us, because we just weren't prepared for the fact that it was pouring outside. We all decided to be at the finish line for Casey's first event, which was the 4x1 trial. Little did we know that we would have to walk through "Lake Track Meet" in order to get there. Because it was pouring, we didn't get photos of the relay. We realized after this weekend that our next purchase along with the protective filter for our new lens, is also a weatherproof cover for it all.

Casey's next event wasn't until 3:45pm...and Josh and I were miserable. Our feet were completely soaked after walking through the lake, our jeans soaked up to our knees....something neither of us could stand to sit in. So, we went to the hotel, dried off and changed. We had some time, so we went in search of rain boots, to no avail. Then we had lunch, and went back to the track meet. Thankfully, the rain subsided for Casey's last event! We even broke out the monster lens for the event...but forgot to check which focus setting we were on. Needless to say...it was on the wrong one, and the camera focused behind Casey instead of on him. Oh well...we knew this lens was going to be a learning experience. Casey's last event on Friday was the 200m trial, which he ended up making it to the finals!! Yeah for Casey!

The next day there was constant rain, ranging from drizzle to rain...but no outright downpours. We were also way more prepared!! Absolutely NO crossing the lake, so we took photos from a different side, instead of the finish line. We got this great shot of Casey's hand-off to Joe in the finals of the 4x1 relay. They took 2nd place in the relay! Just awesome...they were so on in this event.


Then we got the start of Casey's 200m finals race. In the larger sized photos on my computer, you can see the rain coming down. You might notice in the photos of him running, Casey has zero technique right now when it comes to running. He relies completely on the fact that he has a lot of power and muscle. He is going to a clinic this summer that is two nights a week for a month that focuses on proper techniques when it comes to running and jumping. It is going to make him a better athlete all around...whether it be football, basketball, or track. He is pretty excited to do it!




He didn't end up placing in the 200m, but that is okay. The race was just CRAZY to watch. There was no true leader in the bunch. Once they rounded that 2nd corner, it was just a big clump of boys who all seemed to cross the finish line at the same time. All of the times were so close, and the competition so stiff, it took them awhile to figure out the places. Casey had such a great attitude this weekend. When it ended and he found out he ended up 7th, one away from the podium...he just shrugged his shoulders, smiled, and said, "that's okay...I am still one of the top 10 runners in class C". I LOVE this attitude. He can get into the "I suck big time" attitude, so it was nice to see him...jovial...as Josh put it all weekend.

The last event of the day was the 4x4 relay. They ended up taking 5th place, but were expected to take 2nd. Casey ran his leg in 52.1 seconds, good enough for a 2nd place finish. But, one of the other runners struggled on his leg, and was 3 seconds down from his normal run time. The last two legs just couldn't make up for those lost 3 seconds, though they did an awesome job pushing it so the team would at least place. Casey was a bit bummed out about that one, especially since last week their relay was just flawless. But, he did his best to not blame it on the slow leg runner, and reminded himself that he ran the fastest leg of the relay and did what he could to make them succeed.

So, while the rain was miserable...Josh and I wouldn't have missed the meet for anything. Casey got on the podium twice, and their team (Sheridan boys) took third place overall. Such an awesome experience for a sophomore! They put the podium where you couldn't take photos of it, because they want you to purchase their photos. Irritating...but I get it. I totally would have paid an admission fee to be able to get my own photos just to make sure they turned out okay....but alas, they didn't offer that option. Tee hee! So, I will just have to order the photos from MHSA. I am such a control freak...I hope whoever the photographer was did a good job. I have to order the dang things without even SEEING them!

That was the highlight of our weekend! It has continued to be chilly and rainy...so I have just been relaxing at home the past couple of days.

Happy Memorial Day,
~Lea

P.S. Casey shaved his legs for the track meet. I will have to call him and see how miserable he is once it starts to grow back. I can't imagine how many ingrown hairs he is going to have! Bwahahahaha!

My weekend has officially started!!

May 22, 2008

Since I am taking tomorrow off...my long weekend has officially begun! Yay!! It has been such a busy week at work. We are in the middle of some major computer and software conversions, not to mention political...so the days flew this week. That is always a good thing.

My week at home has been pretty busy too...cleaning, and getting the house ready for us to be gone for a couple days. I did get two cards done, one of them being my CPS card for the week. We were sponsored by Sweet N Sassy Stamps this week...all the cards are SO cute. Be sure to check out the blog, and all the adorable stamps Sweet N Sassy has to offer! I chose the "Snow Friends" set....they are so adorable! This first card is my CPS card for the week. I am not the best stamper, so I hope I did the set some justice!
I did a second card with the stamps as well, just because they are so adorable! Not to mention, our weather went back to being cold again...so the winter theme was perfect for my week anyways! I really like how these cards turned out. I admit to not being the best stamper in the world...so it is fun when something with stamps gets my own stamp of approval!

Tomorrow morning we get up bright and early to make it to the state track meet by 10:30am. Casey's first event is the 4x4 relay, and it is the first running event of the day. We will be out of here by 8am, as it takes two hours to get to Helena...and we have no clue where the stadium is actually at yet. I think I better hit mapquest tonight! :)

My last thought for this post is this....RUN CASEY RUN!! Tee hee! (That makes me want to watch Forrest Gump!)

See you on the flip side,
~Lea

Congrats Sheridan Panthers Boys Track Team!!

May 19, 2008

Wow...I have so much to update on my blog. First off...congrats to Casey's track team! They took first place at the Western C Divisional Championship track meet this weekend! Each team member will now compete in at least one event at the State championship track meet in Helena this coming weekend!

Casey will be going to state in 3 of his 5 events. He struggled in his first event and his last event on day #1. So, he made it to state in the 200m., the 4x1 relay, and the 4x4 relay. He did not make it to state in the long jump, and the 400m. He is really bummed about the 400m because that is normally his best event, but such is life. I am really so proud of how well his track season turned around. How many kids do you know that have major surgery at the very beginning of a sports season, and end up advancing this far? He couldn't do anything track related for the first 4 weeks of the season, and the next 4 weeks of the season he was limited when it came to practice and could not weight train at all. Casey amazes me every season...he is such a dedicated athlete.

We spent all of Friday, and Saturday afternoon at the track meet. This was our first warm (HOT!) weekend...and I loved it. It was hard on the track teams though because Montana has been pretty cold up until this weekend. I felt for all the kids...it was HOT in the stands, so I can't imagine how hot it was on that black track.

This is the card that I made to go with a present for my mom. We are a give in person kind-of family...so she got her birthday and mother's day gifts on Friday night when we got home from the track meet. I made the card to match the wrapping paper on the gifts...anal retentive, I know.
The rest of our weekend was pretty quiet. We went to church on Saturday night. Then Sunday Josh had to work, and I was just lazy. I needed that lazy day- I was exhausted from two full days in the hot sun, and just being really busy those two days as well.

And look what I came home to on my lunch break!!!!!

This is our new Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 sports lens that I have been saving up for!!! EEEEK! Can you tell I am SO excited about it! We knew we had to get a sports lens for this coming football season...but having it for track state is going to ROCK! It is a heavy sucker...but SO worth it. We have been researching and reading review on this lens for about 8 months, and I am so ready to shoot with it. We will likely see the most difference in our shots once football starts, and we have lower light situations. But, we read that the clarity in full-light shots is just amazing.

Well, that is all for now. I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend, full of fun!

Have a sunshiney day,
~Lea

It's a gorgeous Missoula day!

May 15, 2008

Mmm....while driving to work this morning, my car said the temperature was already 60 degrees. It is supposed to get into the high 70's by this afternoon....so wonderful. I am ready for summer weather. Our spring has been like winter...so I am just ready to skip right to summer! That is what this weekend is calling for...80's and 90's. YES!

Here is my card for this week's sketch at the CPS Blog. By the way....we are giving away a Scor-pal this week to one lucky participant this week! Be sure to check out the blog for details! Scor-pal has been our sponsor for the past two weeks....let me tell you, this is a tool that you need. I wouldn't have thought so...but now that I have one, I couldn't make cards without it!

This is the inside of the card, once you open up the two flaps. Let me tell you...the Scor-pal makes these type of folds super easy. Love it!

Well, that is all for me! I am leaving work early tomorrow so I don't miss any of Casey's track meet. I am excited to see him compete now that he is in shape. I am ready to watch him just smoke his competition! Tee hee!

Have a happy Thursday,
~Lea

Provo Craft Tuesday

May 13, 2008

Good morning all! I thought I would share my Provo Craft assignments for May today. My assignment was to do 3 "sylish and chic" cards using some specific Cricut cuts. And my other assignment was to do a "Family Assignment Board" using my Cricut Expression and the cartridges that come with it.

First up are the cards. This card features the umbrella from the "New Arrivals" cartridge. I made the card a bit more "chic" by using some unconventional papers and colors for the baby theme.

Supply List: Cardstock (Bazzill Basics), Paper (My Mind's Eye), Rub-ons (American Crafts), Ribbon (Offray), Rhinestones (Glitz Designs), Ink (Clearsnap), Corner Rounder (EK Success), Deco Scissors (Provo Craft), & Sandpaper (Heidi Swapp).

This card features one of the butterflies on the new "Home Accents" Cricut solutions cartridge that is now available. I LOVE this cartridge...I find myself grabbing for it all the time.

Supply List: Cardstock (Bazzill Basics), Paper (SEI), Rub-on (American Crafts), Rhinestones (Glitz Designs), Ink (Clearsnap), & Deco Scissors (Provo Craft).

This card features one of the damask images, and one of the border images that are also on the "Home Accents" Cricut solutions cartridge. I will say that with how detailed these images are, they work best on paper that isn't as thick as cardstock if you are wanting the image to be pretty small. It cut out perfectly on this Basic Grey paper...where I had to do some fixing up on the butterfly above, which was on Bazzill cardstock. (Just a pointer for you!)

Supply List: Cardstock (Bazzill Basics), Paper/Rub-on (Basic Grey), Pearl Strip (Glitz Designs), Rhinestones (Doodlebug Designs & Heidi Swapp), Ink (Clearsnap), Deco Scissors (Provo Craft), & Corner Rounder (EK Success).

And last but not least...the "Family Assignment Board". This board features the Cricut Expression, and the two cartridges that came with it, Plantin School Book and Accent Essentials. I cut the scallops out with the accents cartridge, and the rest of the letters and shapes with the Plantin font.
Supply List: Magnetic Board/Markers (from Target), Cardstock (Bazzill Basics), Paper (American Crafts), & Rhinestones (Doodlebug Designs).

I got all the cards done last night...but that board took me forever! And it is so simple and basic! But, when you aren't used to a canvas size any larger than 12x12...it took me a bit to figure out what to do with it! I think it is pretty cute...no matter how simple it is!

Did anyone watch One Tree Hill last night...or am I the last viewer of this show? It had a crazy ending...kind-of ticked me off, to be honest. BUT...it looks like they aren't going to cancel the series this season after all! They are showing the season finale next week, not the series finale. So, hopefully I get one more season of it!! They need to give me at least that after such a crappy ending last night!

HUGS,
~Lea

What a difference....

May 12, 2008

...a few weeks of lifting and being completely released can do for a track star!! I wrote about how Casey had struggled a bit with track in the beginning due to loss of strength and being a bit out of shape because of his elbow surgery. Casey had districts this weekend and placed top 3 in all his events!! So, that means he goes to divisionals this weekend, which is the qualifier for state. Divisionals are here in Missoula, so I will get to watch him compete again on Friday and Saturday! I am so excited for him! See...I told you he would get it in gear! He replaced the 100m. with the long jump after being released because he just wasn't succeeding in the 100m. He took 2nd at districts in the long jump...and had only been doing it for a little over a week! Proud sister moment...sorry! Tee hee!

I was a scrapping fool this weekend, but I really can't share any of it right now. But, I was looking through my album and came upon this layout...I had forgotten about it. I did it for a CK online weekend challenge last summer. I remember that these photos were SO hard to take of Sadie. I really wanted some photos of her with bows on her ears...but she kept pawing them off. Every time I took a photo of her with the bows on...she gave me the "Sadie dirty look". She hated them! Needless to say...Sadie has been bow-less since!

We had a nice, quiet weekend. Josh started a week of overnights last night...so we were just lazy over the weekend. We watched some movies, he played some video games, I did a lot of scrapping...and ran a few errands here and there. We had church on Saturday night...Josh's first time going since it started! We both enjoyed it. Jason had a good message about how living a Christian life isn't about living a life of convenience. It really made me realize that I need to evaluate my life to see where I have become complacent, or just content.

I hope that all the mom's out there had a wonderful Mother's day!
~Lea

Thank goodness for Fridays!

May 9, 2008

I don't know about you, but I am SO glad it is Friday. It has been a long week at work. Political season always is, and I am very ready for the weekend. I am not going to think about any political candidate until I am back at work on Monday morning.

I have a couple of cards to share today. These two baby cards were done with some new SEI paper lines. When I first got them in one of my goodie boxes, I wasn't sure what I thought about them. Now that I used them...I love them! They are so cute!

Supply List: Paper/Stickers (SEI), Rhinestones (Glitz Designs), Flowers (Doodlebug), and Ink (Clearsnap).
Supply List: Cardstock (Bazzill), Paper/Stickers/Diecuts (SEI), Chipboard/Rhinestones (Heidi Swapp), Rub-on (Deja Views), Ink (Clearsnap), & Corner Rounder (EK Success).

And this card features one of the newer Glitz lines called Dozer. It is such a fun line...I just love the colors of it! Perfect for boys...any age!

Supply List: Paper/Rhinestones (Glitz Designs), Rub-ons (Urban Lily & American Crafts), Brads (Bazzill), Ink (Clearsnap) and Circle Cutter (Creative Memories).

So, what do you have planned for this mother's day weekend? Unfortunately, we need to stay in town for the weekend...so I won't get to see my mom over this weekend. But, we are going to be traveling to Helena with them in a couple of weeks- so I will get to see her then.

I will be scrapping quite a bit over the weekend...I have some stuff to finish up. Josh starts overnights for an entire week on Sunday...so we are going to lay low for the weekend. Probably get some movies in, and of course...now we have church on Saturday night. :) I love being able to say that now!

Have a fabulous weekend,
~Lea

Happy birthday.....

May 6, 2008

...to the best mommy in the whole world!! (Yes- I do realize that I am 28 years old and I still call her mommy. I am okay with that!)


Since my card got loaded at the CPS blog today, I thought I would post it in honor of my mom's birthday today, instead of waiting for Thursday! I used a bunch of stuff from the April "My Sweet Spuds" kit on this card....I just love that monthly kit. So fun!

Love you momma,
~Lea

Cloudy but warm....

May 5, 2008

Mmmm...it is so nice out today. It is pretty cloudy, but the temperature is so mild...I am LOVING it. Our high today is supposed to be 74 degrees, and we are well on our way. Spring is finally making its way to Montana!!

This week's sketch at the CPS Blog was put up yesterday! These next two weeks our sponsor is Scor-Pal. This is a great tool that makes card making easier, and gives you more options when it comes to the folds in your cards! The website has lots of great ideas for unique folds, and how to make small bags and boxes as well, so be sure to check it out! This is a little sneak peek of my card for this week. Check back Thursday to see it in its entirety!

I had about 45 minutes of free time last night before going to bed, so I got these three Halloween cards done. Nice and simple...just the way I like them!


Did everyone have a good weekend? Mine was really nice. Friday night I made a pizza, and curled up on the couch with the pups and watched Juno. (It was o.k. Not my favorite movie ever, but not awful either.) On Saturday I ran some errands, and then scrapbooked a bit. I had church at 7pm, and it was awesome! I left church a bit early to pick up Josh at the airport, and then spent the rest of the weekend with him until he had to go to work last night at 8pm. It is nice to have him home...but our house is already a disaster! I swear...he is like a tornado! Tee hee! Oh well...what can you do other than clean it up (with his help, of course!).

Jason's message at church on Saturday night was really great. Last week he talked about how God is a perfect Father, and this week he added on to that about how God is a gracious Father. He based his message on the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). I always learn something new whenever someone preaches on this parable. This time Jason put a quote up that I have been pondering since. "Grace runs to sin, but we make sin crawl to grace." It makes so much sense. God, like the father of the prodigal son, RUNS to you when you stumble and fall. He wants to pick you up, brush you off, and cover you again in his amazing grace. But so often Christians, including myself, make it so much harder than it has to be. I know that I often need this reminder. I, in human form, am not worthy. But God loved me so much that He sacrificed His son so that I might have everlasting life. All I have to do is ask, and God's forgiveness will surround me. Better yet...He will forgive me, and forget it. Amazing.

That quote has been on my heart, and I don't want to forget it. So while the selfish part of my entry is so that I will remember it, and be able to study on it again...I hope that someone might be blessed by it as well.

Only by His grace,
~Lea

And the winners are.....

May 1, 2008

I used a random number generator online, and got the numbers 16 and 34. This means that the Martha RAK goes to these two comments:

Linda SS said...Great job of thinking outside the box to come up with the paper lace for your cards. I'm so thrilled that your found a church where you feel at HOME again:) God bless you.
April 27, 2008 7:39 AM

AND....

Celeste said...you are too sweet! :)
April 27, 2008 4:17 PM

Congrats ladies! Celeste...I have your address, and Linda...I will contact you for yours!! I have a few other surprise goodies that I am throwing into the mix...so hope you enjoy them!


I have a couple cards to share with you! This card was done using the My Sweet Spuds April kit. Love this kit...so full of fun items in it!! And BTW- deary is a word! I spell checked it and looked it up in the dictionary to make sure! It is a term of endearment...just the way I wanted it to be! Tee hee!
And Thursday is the day I normally post my CPS card...be sure to check out the blog and see what the other ladies have come up with. Lots of gorgeous cards! I used Tinkering Ink and American Crafts paper on this card, and the Martha Stewart lace punch! Love that thing!

Thanks for looking, and congrats to my RAK winners again! Be sure to check back when you can....I will be doing more RAKs in the future!

Have a happy Thursday,
~Lea