A Fine Fall Saturday

Hi there!
Well it's turned into a fine fall. The temps have stabilized some and it's sweater weather. A perfect day. I've been trying to pull the blog together for over an hour now. Something on one of the pages I was trying to pull a preview from kept messing up the computer, first it froze then it closed my browser down. I've hunted for freebies several times now. The good thing about this is that I've found more than I would have if I had gotten it done the first time around. I like freebies and have found that they really drive traffic to your blog. On Thursday (3 days after I posted my first one) it was picked up by Digifree and I had over 100 hits. Now to the seasoned vets, that's nothing, but considering until I posted the first one the max I had was 35. Yesterday went back to the normal amount, I guess I would say just the regular fans. Well, those are who I blog for. Thank you for continuing to stop by. I hope that you find the blog somewhat helpful and enjoyable.

Today I'll be watching my cousins son. She's been spending so much time at the hospital, she's totally worn out. It's been amazing to watch her through this, the maturity and strength she's shown. Of course, she's just doing what needs to be done. Just like any one of us would in these circumstances. Please remember her in your prayers tonight.
This is the little cutie I get to spend the day with. I didn't have my camera the other night when I went to her house, but I'm recharging the batteries right now and look to have a gazillion more to play with.

Since it's Saturday, that means Buckeye Football!!! Today's game will most likely be a snooze fest since OSU is playing an in state team- Kent State. I don't even know if they are 1A or 1AA in football conferences. Anyway, OSU is a 30 point favorite and today will be a blowout.
To show my support for my Buckeyes, here's a layout I did Labor Day weekend for the first game of the season. The little girl is my cousins DD and she is the biggest little Buckeye fan. She looked adorable in her little cheerleader outfit. She even got my dog Carmen into the action, but I don't think Carmen was too impressed. She does watch the games with us though and barks real loud when we start making a commotion when OSU scores.

As some of you know, I know a secret. But I can't let the cat out of the bag just yet. If you think you can guess this secret, based on the clues I'll be giving this week, email me at carjaziscraps "at" gmail "dot" com. There will be a little something for everyone who participates. Ok, this secret it's a little dirty.

Here's my freebie previews for today. I think I'll take just another minute of your time to talk about Susan's kit "Alive & Kicking". October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I have an aunt on my mothers side who had breast cancer. Thankfully she is one of those who is alive and kicking. It is truly a scary thing. I hope that you all are preforming your monthly exams and

that those of you over 40 are getting your yearly mammograms done. Early detection is the key. I did mine 1 day after my birthday this year. It was my first and the anticipation was far worse than the actual procedure. I won't lie to you, it was uncomfortable for about a minute. Think how uncomfortable chemotherapy is. JUST DO IT! Ok that's my PSA for the day.


Here are some other wonderful freebies I found this morning. Make sure you leave em some love when you download.

Check back on Monday, I may have another freebie for you myself. It's a word art collection of song quotes. Enjoy your weekend!!!

Until next time, scrap happy!!

**-Diane

It's Friday!!! - Lots of useless but fun info

Good Morning.
I am so glad it's Friday!!!! I am so looking forward to not having to work. Now I have an incredibly cushy job, but it drives me crazy (and it's a short trip). So I look forward to my weekends. I was hoping to go down and enjoy one last weekend at the campground before we seal it up for the season, but my cousin needs me, so I am the every supportive family member. I'll be watching the baby tomorrow. Now I got smart this time, I'm having her bring him to my house. I'll be able to get some work done. Maybe. I love to play with him and have so much fun taking pictures. We'll find out how productive I am.

I have been able to get back into scrapping mode. I completed 4 layouts last night. I can't show them all to you yet, but I will say that there are some exciting kits coming out soon. I kept my eyes pried open last night to attend the Rock the Template chat with Amy Bleser at SBB. That is always a blast! And I actually scrapped while chatting. Here's what I got done. I'll probably tweak it a little bit. The photo is my mom & niece. Addi was born on what would have been my parents 42nd anniversary and mom (as well as the rest of us) believe that Dad had something to do with Addi being over 1 week late and born that day. To take a day of sorrow for mom and make it one of the biggest joy. My SIL swears that dad comes to see the baby, as she will just be jabbering and all her attention will be on an area where no one is. I like to believe that.

Here's a little bit of useless info that was emailed to me. You never know when something like this may come up as important. A trivia question from a radio station that's worth big bucks?? I'm full of useless info. Everyone always said I need to go be on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

VERY INTERESTING STUFF


In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"

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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.


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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

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Coca-Cola was originally green.

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It is impossible to lick your elbow.

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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:

Alaska

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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)


The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $ 16,400

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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour:

61,000

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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.


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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades - King David Hearts - Charlemagne Clubs -Alexander, the Great Diamonds - Julius Caesar

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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.


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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?


A. Their birthplace

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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?


A. Obsession

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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?

A. One thousand

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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?

A. All were invented by women.

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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?

A. Honey

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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?

A. Father's Day

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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.

When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."


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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."


It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"


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Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.


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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!

Just a few freebies this morning. I'm sure that there will be many more. Check out the list along the left and stop by and say hi to some of my friends. Click the preview to go to their blogs.

And I leave you with this little Halloween nugget. My Mom sent it to me. Enjoy your weekend!

Until next time - Scrap Happy!!!!

Diane

One day closer to the weekend!!

Hi ya'll!

Wow, it's really beginning to feel like fall finally! On Monday we had record highs in the low 90's and today it's only in the mid 50's. Talk about extremes. Made me look forward to the changing of the leaves, pumpkin patches, cider mills and of course Halloween. Talked with my best friend today about Halloween costumes, she's looking for something out of the ordinary. My favorite is this one. You take a bunch of Kelloggs mini cereal boxes and attach them to a shirt, mix caro syrup with red food coloring and smear it on the boxes, grab a plastic dagger and wallah! your a cereal killer. hehe

Speaking of out of the ordinary. I was over at Donna Miller's blog this week and she is hosting this great 6 week challenge over at Scrapbook Graphics - The Quirkshop Basically it's a challenge to scrap outside the box and your normal comfort zone. So I started paying attention to some of the layouts that are posted at different sites. I wanted to share a few with you that I think are outstanding and way outside of my ability, let alone comfort zone. Altered Art amazes me. I think that these women are so truly talented. Check out these layouts and see for yourself.

Ruby did this layout. You can see it and the credits at 3 Scrapateers

Ang did this one. She's been doing a lot of altered art lately and each one is fantastic. This is her latest over at Scrapbooking-Bytes

Laurel always has the most amazing concepts for her layouts. Definite art!You can see her gallery at SBB also! Make sure you check it out.

And Fantacy stretched her wings for a challenge at Digital Art Quirks. This challenge revolved around the past and circles had to be used. Credits can be seen here.

So I tried to scrap outside of the box for the Quirkshop challenge. The first week was to do a layout without ribbons, flowers, bows and premade frames. I would never consider mine art, nor in the league with the other ladies I mentioned, but here's mine.

I used Traci Murphy's Basically Red papers & Hollie Haradon - Holliewood studios Fall glitters. I really, really like the Fall glitter's collection. It was one of the fantastic items I picked up with the GC that Yen gave me. (Thanks so much Yen!)

Have you seen Candy Apples by Heather Manning yet? It's a great kit for scrapping this time of year. Dark reds, orange, mauve and browns - there's so much to play with in this kit.

available at Digital-scrapbooking.org. Here's a layout I did with it.

That's my BF with his grandfather. Wasn't a cutie. I still wonder what happened. lol

Don't forget about the snag the blinkie promotion Tallula Moon Designs is running. You can get grab it from the list of blinkies I have to the left. Put it in a signature line, email me with the site and you may get RAK'd with Tallula Moon's Trick or Treat kit. Here's a little preview.

and a Happy Haunting card I did with it too.

I'll have the freebie list a little later on today. Trying to get everyone a chance to get theirs added to their blog. If you're looking for mine from Monday, scroll down. It's still available.

Til next time- scrap happy!!

**-Diane

**early morning edit - Here's a few freebies I found this morning. Make sure you stop by Kristine's place and wish the wench a Happy Birthday!!.

I can't believe I forgot the title-

Hi ya'll!

Well I didn't get any time on the computer last night to create anything or play with any kits or freebies. I was watching my cousin's son while she was at the hospital. Things are starting to look more encouraging for her boyfriend, but it's going to be a long, painful road to recovery. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

I'm beginning to think it's time for me to go to Vegas. Yesterday, I won another little contest. Yen, being the incredible sweetheart she is picked 2 random commenter's on her blog and sent us a GC. It was to be to the shop of our choice, but I am really trying to spread my "wings" and check out other shops, designers, boards etc. in order to grow in my knowledge and inspiration. So Yen choose the DigiShoppe. I haven't been there yet and am actually excited to get to work so I can go shop. Thank you so much Yen!!! It's very appreciated, but more so, I appreciate you. If you haven't see this incredible lady's blog yet, go check it out. She takes the most amazing pictures and does the most incredible layouts.

I just thought I'd throw this in again in case anyone missed it the first time. It's my first freebie. You can grab it here.

Kristine over at Wenchd Graphix get my Humpday Hunnies early bird award. She's the only one who has her freebie up at the moment. I will edit my blog to get the other up as they come in. Check back for them. Also Tomorrow is Kristine's Birthday, so please stop by her blog and leave birthday wishes. Heather Manning will have her freebie up shortly, but for some reason the filter at work doesn't let me ever see her pictures, so I won't get a preview of hers unless she emails it to me (and I forgot to remind her) so go check out her blog here for her freebie. Well, thankfully Heather read my blog this morning and sent me the preview. Here is her Autumn Leaves sampler.
Also check out this cool freebie from KimB Designs new kit. Great for your boys or tomboys if that's the case.

Since I'm on a few CT's I frequently am enabling my designers, like every good CT'er should. But today I wanted to spotlight 2 charity kits that I found while searching DST for ideas for my blog. I have no connection to either of these kits, but am always saddened by any tragedy that occurs and I have seen in the short time I've been involved in digiscrapping that we always rise to the occasion and help take care of our own. It makes me proud to be a part of this community. Here are 2 of them.

1HourScrap.com is promoting its first Donation Kit & QuickPage Album. A little less than a year ago, Amy Clarke had an ear ache that wouldn't go away, and after a series of tests and doctor visits, the source was found to be stage IV Metastatic Melanoma that had spread to her brain, spleen, ovaries, lung, and lymph nodes. Amy's struggle against cancer came to an end on October 3rd, 2007. Amy leaves two daughters, Reagan (9) and Savannah (3), and husband, Michael. More details about Amy Clarke are in this forum post.

The Sweet Shoppe Team is so proud to have teamed up to create a gorgeous kit for the benefit of Laura Wolff and her family. Earlier this month the Wolff family was devastated when a fire tore through their home and took with it all of their worldly possessions. While they'll never be able to get those items back, we can help! For the remainder of 2007, For Laura will be available here at Sweet Shoppe Designs and 100% of the profits from the sale of this gorgeous kit will be deposited into the family's paypal account every two weeks.


And lastly, a few of the other freebies from blogs I frequent often. Click on the preview to be taken to their blogs.

If you do freebies on a regular basis and would like to be added to my blog lists, shoot me an email at carjaziscraps "at" gmail "dot" com. Link me to your site and I will be more than happy to add you to mine.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have a few of my own layouts to show you. Until next time, scrap happy!

**-Diane

Thank you

Hiya!
Well I wouldn't say that the overlay freebie was a huge success, but there were a few downloads and a few more hits on the blog for yesterday. I was hoping it would get picked up on a freebie list, but I would say that I don't have something configured right on my blog. It's still available, if you missed it, scroll down to yesterdays post. I want to thank everyone who left comments on it and if you downloaded it and actually use it, I would love, love, love to see it. Give me a hollar. Also want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and comments for my cousin & her BF. It's gonna be a long road for them to travel, with many uphill battles.

Not a whole lot going on in my little corner of the scrapping world. I'm way behind on all the challenges at the different sites and my CT layouts. I hit a bit of creative block and nothing seems to turn out the way I want it to. Ever had that happen to you? What did you do to knock yourself out of it?

Let's see, I know a secret. shhhh I can't tell what it is yet. But I will be leaving little clues along the way. If you think you know that the secret is, email me a carjaziscraps "at" gmail "dot" com. There's gonna be a little bit of fun, no wait a LOT of fun with this and a little something for everyone who emails me with a guess. But wait a few days and get some clues. 1st clue is it's not my secret, but someone close to me. shhhhhh

Here are some of the freebies I found this morning. Most are new today or ones that I just really liked and wanted you to see since I didn't do a freebie list from yesterday. Click on the preview to go to the designer's blog.

Time to jump the train. Don't forget tomorrow is Humpday an the Hunnies will have lots of freebies and I hope to have all the previews.

Until next time- scrap happy!

**-Diane