Scrappy: Munich Snapshots

Next Saturday, May 8th, I leave for a two week trip to Bolivia. It will be a service-learning experience and I'm sure that I will learn so much while I'm there. Traveling is something that I've talked about before, but I feel that traveling and experiencing other cultures is one of the best ways to know yourself and others in a more meaningful way.
The only problem is my fear of flying. I always get nervous about two weeks out from a trip that requires air travel and this upcoming trip was no exception. I've had a couple of panic attacks just thinking about the flying, but last night I had a dream and I am much calmer already. I don't remember all of the dream or have any clue why or how I had this dream, but I'm so thankful for it and the peace that I feel.

This layout was created with an older kit from My Scrapbook Nook a couple of weekends ago when they had a fabulous crop! The challenge was to scrap a photo taken outdoors and I really love this picture. It was taken while I was in Munich a couple of summers ago and was having the time of my life! This picture reminds me that flying is worth the adventure on the other end of the flight.




Do you have any fears? Or have you had a fear that you've overcome?
How do you handle situations that you are afraid of?

Crafty Baby Shower

This past weekend I hosted a baby shower for my High School BFF, Allison. With some fabulous help from Brettany, I think we pulled off a lovely shower! We all three teamed up to make some quick no-sew bunting. For a tutorial, check out Allison's blog post.

The food table...

Fabulous cupcakes by Brettany...

The mother to be...

Scrappy: My World...

This week's challenge at AAM is My World From a Different Angle. There are so many different directions that this prompt can go. I chose to talk about how traveling helps me see my world from a different angle. The journaling in the pocket talks about how passionate I am about traveling and seeing so many different things with open eyes and an open heart. Through traveling I have learned a lot about myself as well as a lot about other cultures and traditions.



My photo printer and I have been in a fight for about a month now, so I had to order prints and pay for them. Well they messed my print up and since someone else picked them up and didn't check them, I ended up with with a smudged picture. I decided it wasn't worth driving back across town for, so I scrapped it and I actually like how it looks.

THE BIG GIVEAWAY!!!
I know that as soon as I announce a winner that I'm going to lose a few followers, but I hope that I have entertained some of you enough so that you'll stick around!

My friend Jonathan helped me with the name drawing:





The winner is.....


....




....







Please email me at RachLHawkins at gmail dot com and I will get your gift certificate out by week's end!


Thanks to everyone who stopped by during the blog hop! It was so much fun!!!

Scrappy: Geocache Log

I'm honored to be a guest designer for Scrap Our Stash this month- the challenge is to scraplift a layout or use a sketch for complete a project. When mojo is low, I find that the best thing to do is to find inspiration in someone else's work or to use a sketch to spark your creativity. I used a layout from DT member Danielle which you can find here. I was inspired be the criss-crossing strips and buttons. Here is my take on paper strips and buttons:





Supplies: Cardboard- repurposed Bind It All box, Inner pages- The Paper Company cardstock, Paper- Pink Paislee, Alpha- October Afternoon, Buttons-from my stash.

I created a logbook for one of my other hobbies, Geocaching. With the nice weather, I have enjoyed being outside more often and the challenge of finding modern day hidden treasure. I decided to create a journal of sorts so that I can write down memorable things from my adventures!

What hobbies do you enjoy?

P.S. Don't forget that it is the LAST DAY to participate in the AAM blog hop. I will announce a winner with my reveal of the next challenge tomorrow! I will have one of my students draw a name for a $10.00 gift certificate to Two Peas in a Bucket.

Scrappy: Vacation

This past weekend I got caught up on some scrappy stuff and found some major mojo thanks to the Virtual Crop at My Scrapbook Nook. The deadline had been extended and some awesome prizes are up for grabs! You have until 12:00 PST tonight to turn in the challenges. If you hop over there- please tell them I sent you!

This layout was created for the sketch challenge by Amy:



Supplies: Bazzill cardstock, October Afternoon paper and journaling spots, American Crafts alpha, Prima flowers, Pink Paislee tape, Bling from my stash.

Over Easter, Ryan and I went to the beach with my family. It was our first beach trip together and I got roasted on our first day there. He was so sweet and helped take care of me while I was in so much pain from a horrible sunburn. *swoon*

Virtual Crop: My Scrapbook Nook

There is a crop going on at one of my favorite places to hang out online, The Nook. The DT is so inspiring and all of the ladies there are super friendly.

I've been meaning to scrap a new blog banner for a while, and one of the challenges this week was to scrap something small, like an appetizer.



Today I'm debuting the banner- what do you think???

Scrappy: Beautiful Easter Eggs

The current challenge at Handmade Love is a color challenge. It was truly a challenge for me as I didn't have much purple or green in my stash, luckily a package carrying BG Kioshi arrived and I got to play with it:





Thank you for visiting, don't forget about the AAM Blog Hop that is going on!!!

What are your favorite springtime activities?

AAM Sweet Spring Blog Hop

Welcome to the AAM Sweet Spring Blog Hop! The blog hop will officially go live on April 7th and will run through April 21st.

I'm so excited to share with you two layouts that I created for this week's challenge- Self Improvement (Your biggest flaw)
I don't really like the word flaw so I took a bit of a different route!!





The first layout is about the serious problem I have with list making and planning. If I sit still for too long, my mind starts wandering and I have to make a list. I made to-do lists for homework, scrapbooking, and work. I jot down ideas and sketch out designs for layouts. I hardly go anywhere without my lists and I feel lost without them. It's kind of an addiction.

The second layout is about my current struggle to learn portion control. I love food and I love to eat, but I'm trying to learn when to push away from the table and say no.





I will be offering a prize on April 21st at the end of the blog hop here is how to enter:
Each person can receive up to 8 entries.
One comment per person= 1 entry
Become a follower of my blog= 2 entries
Complete the AAM challenge (must be a new project) and link it up here by April 20th = 5 entries

I will do this old school and have someone draw a name out of a hat on April 21st! The winner will receive a $10.00 gift card to Two Peas in a Bucket. (I know it's not a lot, but I'm a poor student!) Make sure you leave me a good way to contact you if you don't post a comment with a blogger account.

If you didn't start from the AAM blog, please go back there for official instructions on how to put your name in the hat for a fabulous prize from Treasury of Memories.

From here, you should head over to our fearless leader Melissa's blog!

Scrappy: I'm Worth the Effort

My new mantra is "I'm worth the effort". Because I am. I'm trying to get in shape and lose a little bit of weight, but I found myself making excuses and struggling to stay motivated. I'm working towards working out more days than not and eating more healthy, homecooked meals. I set a goal to get to the gym at least three times in a week and cook for myself at least four times. Once I meet that goal consistently, I'm going to move the bar up! Reciting my new mantra has been really helpful in meeting my goals. Every time I get discouraged or start to feel lazy I repeat "I'm worth the effort" and it helps to find the extra bit of motivation I need.

This week's challenge at Handmade Love is to scrap a self portrait. At first I had a really super creative idea, but the idea for this layout came out of my new mantra. I got really excited about the layout and then realized that the picture wasn't technically a self portrait after I glued it down. The picture is from my visit to Europe when we were in the Black Forest. I think that day and the week following were some of the most amazing times of my life.

Come check out this week's challenge at Handmade Love and enter for a chance to win a great prize.

Do you have a personal mantra or saying?

Scrappy: Tutorial up at AAM!

I'm so excited about being featured this week on the All About Me blog for a tutorial.



To find out how I made the customized bling, check out my post here.

Have you tried anything new recently?

Scrappy: Long Distance Relationship

Leigh and I were in charge if this week's challenge at Handmade Love. The challenge we issued was to create a card AND a layout using five specific items.

Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock, October Afternoon paper, alpha stickers,

The journaling on the picture reads: Even though the drive is not that bad I wish we were in the same place. We've been in a long distance relationship for 15 months and I look forward to the time when we can really be together.

I know that you are probably sick of hearing me gab on about my relationship, so I promise it will be back to me for the next layout!

Come check out the other Design Team members' layouts and join us for a chance to win a fabulous prize!

Scrappy: *us*

The current challenge at Handmade Love is a scraplift challenge. I love scraplifting other scrappers and making the design my own. This challenge is to scraplift a page by Shannon. I love her style- it is feminine with lots of white space.

Supplies:Bazzill Cardstock, Pink Paislee papers, Prima flowers and pearls, Pink Paislee alpha, white pen.

As you can read on my layout, I'm really ready to be in the same town or state even as Ryan. I love the time we spend together and being away from him gets more difficult each time we part ways. I know that we belong together and I hate the distance between us.

Any tips for a (short) long distance relationship?

Scrappy: Giving up?

This week's challenge at the All About Me Challenge Blog is to use the quote "Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go." I had a difficult deciding on a topic and for a while I was pretty sure I wasn't going to figure anything out for this assignment, but the more I thought about it, the more I kept coming back to one thing: Dance.

The journaling:

Come and join us for this challenge, there is a great prize offered this month!

Spring Break!

I'm on Spring Break from school and my mind is on a break as well- I'm finding it hard to focus right now so I'm just calling it a week this week!
I'll be back to blogging next week after I'm recharged!

Scrappy: Handmade Love Challenge Blog

This weeks challenge at Handmade Love is to use a sketch from Studio Calico. I love the sketch and what the other DT members have done with it. I decided to make a quick and easy card with the sketch and I loved making the inchies! Check out the other member's take on the challenge and submit your own take here.



You know when you create something, but you aren't in love with it? I like this card, but I want to add some things to it- I'll update later this week with the new version of this card!

It's Spring Break week and I'm ready to get some homework and scrapping done- Woohoo!

What does this week hold for you?

Scrappy: I am ENFJ

The current challenge for the All About Me Challenge Blog is "My Personality" and when Melissa issued this challenge I was more than excited to get to work! I was inspired by this month's featured sketch by Sketchabilities.

Supplies: Lily Bee paper and rub on, Kaiser Craft bling, Black Ink and Black BIC pen. Make your own lined paper here.

The journaling reads: I believe in my dreams and see myself as a helper. I am a global learner. I juggle a high number of responsibilities and project simultaneously. I neglect myself and my needs for the needs of others. I am ENFJ.

Scrappy: December Daily

I know! I know! It's almost March- why am I just now posting my finished December Daily? Because I JUST finished it! Every couple of weeks I make a Scrappy To-Do list of sketches I want to work on, DT assignments, and new ideas. Scrappy time is not very frequent with grad school, so I try to make the time I do have effective by knowing what I want to work on! I've been meaning to finish my December Daily, but needed to heal from our Christmas loss. On Christmas Eve our dear dog Pepper went to the vet and was diagnosed with pancreatitis. She spent two days in an emergency vet's office 45 minutes away. We saw her on Christmas and then she took a turn for the worse the next day. We were able to see her right before she died and it was one of the worst things I've ever seen in my life. I just put Christmas away for a while, but this week I felt inspired to finish the album.
Pages 1 & 2
Pages 4, 5, 6 & 7
Pages 7 & 8







This last page is what inspired me to finish the album. The Starbucks coffee sleeve will always remind me of the trips to see Pepper. On Christmas after seeing Pepper, the only thing open was Starbucks, so we stopped for some White Chocolate Mochas. This week's challenge at Handmade Love was to incorporate something non-scrapbooking related on a layout. I knew that I had this sleeve and wanted to use it as a pocket. I put a well-worn copy of the song I sang on Christmas Eve in the pocket.


Please join us for this week's challenge and stop by to see the other DT members take on the challenge!!

Scrappy: My Life Is My Message

This is for one of the challenges on the All About Me Message Board - check out this post for more details. This is the first time I've ever used misting on a page, and let me tell you what a blast I had! My hands were bluer than the page and I could have spitzed all night!!

Supplies: Bazill Cardstock, Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink, American Crafts and October Afternoon Alphas, Prima Flower, BIC Pen

What is your message? What do you want your life to say?

Scrappy: I'm a finalist!

I've been meaning to post about this all week long, but with being a bit under the weather (literally by being UNDER the snow and figuratively by being sick with an allergic reaction to some sort of trigger). This week I was announced as a finalist for the Valentines Challenge at Scrap Our Stash. I'm so honored to be a finalist for this challenge and I hope you'll check out their blog-it is full of inspiration!



I'm so happy because I've seen THE SUN for three days in a row. It is amazing and I'm feeling fully recharged after full month (or more) of continuous winter weather.

What are you happy about today?

Scrappy: 1985

This week's challenge is up at the All About Me Challenge Blog- The Year You Were Born. I originally planned to do all of this fun facts about the year I was born, but then I found this picture of my grandfather holding me when I was a newborn and all of these thoughts flooded into my head.

I thought about how wonderful my family is- and I'm not just talking about my blood relatives. I am blessed to have the most amazing step-family in addition to my already awesome birth family. One of the best things about my family is that they support me no matter what. They have allowed me to make mistakes, supported me through all sorts of decisions, and constantly remind me that being me is all they will ever ask of me. So while this layout may be a little about family-it's also about me being free to be myself and I couldn't ask for a greater gift from my loved ones.

Bazill Cardstock, Lily Bee Design Paper, Kaiser Craft bling with Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink, Prima flower, and American Crafts ribbon.

Join us at the All About Me forum for some awesome chatting and come check out all of the Design Team members takes on the current challenge here.

Also, don't forget to check out the Non-Stop Crop for Haiti that the AAM design team is hosting.