My guy finally got off on Thursday.  We acted like teenagers for 2 days before he left.  So silly to have such separation anxiety at our age don’t ‘cha think?  It’s part of my DNA but when he gets fidgety about missing me it’s just too sweet.  Poor thing.  He loaded the trailer and was ready to go and then there was an illness in our family and he stayed a few extra days to make sure everything was going to be alright.  Made a flash trip to visit his cousin about 2 1/2 hours from here and to grab some extra things to haul to Colorado.  I don’t understand men.  I never will.  He had the trailer fully loaded but the wood he went to get had to go on the bottom so…..he unloaded the whole thing and drove the 2 1/2 hours and loaded the wood and a cracked water tank and came home and reloaded the whole thing.

RE Load

One Final Check

And off he went.

Colorado Bound!

Today I made a scrapbook page.  Gosh, I miss my fella.  A few days I can deal with but A MONTH?  I’m not so sure.

Lucky me, Diana Burton just released a new kit; Beach House.  It is lovely and has some things that fit just perfect with what I was wanting to do so I did myself a bit of “scrap therapy” today and now I have something to print this year for our scrapbook.

While I was at it I made a page for our granddaughter who announced yesterday that she is a new member of the National Honor Society.  We’re pretty stoked!

Congrats Makenna!  You rock and we’re really proud of you!

Here is a preview of the kit with lots of summer elements I didn’t use but they would make some really fun summer pages.

Do you like Groupon?  Are you a smart shopper who likes to save, save, save?  I was trying to explain this to my guy over dinner last night and we drove all over the subject and then it hit me that I needed to give him something he could compare to but what?  My guy being the “manly man” that he is just wasn’t getting it with “scrapbook kits” so I used tires as my example.  In the end he still had the deer in the headlights look and I just gave up.  I hope I can do a better job here since we all KNOW about great deals and most of us at least KNOW about groupon …yes?

It might actually be easier for you to just take a look yourself.  DigiGrab.com is a new site where digital designers can offer great deals and digital scrap bookers and just go bonkers!  They have special deals every day and you get them dropped right into your inbox.  Yesterday was really cool because they had a new deal running each hour for iNSD but today is pretty cool too ( well, errr except for the fact that I botched the coupon for Boo for the first 6 folks) but it’s fixed now so no need to stress.

All week long Boo of BooLand Designs will be celebrating her big “50” birthday.  There are freebie and specials running until the 15th and yours truly is privy to some of the insider scoop.  For instance, today Boo has a Birthday Bundle on sale for 75% off at DigiGrab.  Take a look at this beauty!  You get 3 full kits for $3.63.  Here is a quick preview and shhhh, there will be another one tomorrow but you’ll need to check it out on her blog to get the scoop.

Head on over and check out DigiGrab.  There are still some deals running from yesterday!

Shop, shop, shop…….. Actually, I am not a shopper much anymore unless I can do it from right here in my favorite chair.  Last night that is exactly what I did.  I’m betting you did a bit too but I hope you didn’t spend all your money because I have some scrapping friends who have some really cool things up for free and at very nice discounts.

Make time to check these spots and then roll on over to the blog train post and pick up your freebies.

BooLand Designs has a great sale going on.  It is a busy month for Boo indeed.  She is the Featured Designer at theStudio until 5-15 and has a fun challenge going on with the chance to win a beautiful kit.  She is also turning the big “FIVE OH!” on Tuesday and you can pick up some SWEET Goodies on her blog where she is giving something away every day until the 15th.  This is just ONE of her Goodies from yesterday.

Snickerdoodle Designs has just released this beautiful collab with Aimee Harrison.  Unforgettable is a beautiful kit and I personally love the yellows and reds!

StarSongStudio has some great sales going on and the best place to start is on her blog.  She is giving away a ton of stuff AND is participating in 3 different Blog Trains.  Subscribe to her Newsletter and you’ll get a beautiful mini: Garden Party.

Manu Scraps just popped 3 NSD Grab Bags in her store.  Wow.  Her frames are hand made and totally gorgeous.  I know, I quality checked them and I can vouch that they are perfect!

Aquarius Design just posted to her blog with a beautiful CU Pattern Lace Looking Freebie.  That girl seems to be designing in her sleep.

There is a big Anniversary Sale going on in my home store at Daisies and Dimples.  Pretty much everything is on for 50% off and there are some very cool grab bags.

Of course I have a sale going on too and with my shopping cart filled and inspiration from everywhere I will have something new and exciting in just a few days!  For now you can pick up my CU Flower Grab Bag for only $2.00

Ok.  Happy Shopping!  I’m off to find some fun deals.

There is so much going on and I am so fired up about this “oh so fun” shopping opportunity on Saturday.  My girly girl days of just a few years ago are long gone.  I don’t like to shop and I don’t like to dress up anymore.  I tell my grand girls that there Grandpa took a perfectly good “City Girl” and just ruined her.  Oh well.  I think I am doing my part to support the environment by shopping from home.

So, Saturday I will be right here…planted in my seat and searching out the bestest of the best deals.  It is my way of rewarding myself for working hard.  Of course I like free stuff too and while I am putting things in my new store at Daisies and Dimples at a snails pace (groan) I did just pop this cool flower grab bag in for the big day.

I love templates and I love to play around with them incorporating styles or clipping papers just to see what the end result will be.  I got the fabulous styles from Snickerdoodle Designs and thought they would make a very unique set of flowers.  I was right!  I think they look way cool and if you like them, you can get your own S4H freebie by clicking the pic below and you can snag the Flower Template Grab Bag in my store at a nice 50% off through 5-15!

DOWNLOAD Grab Bag Freebie!

If you love the Painted Wood Styles you can pick them at a 50% discount right now.

Have fun!

Bypass the insanity and go straight to the Blog Train Post

I had a comment from Diann asking what the box was for in my Blog Train Extravaganza post.  After reading it I realize I started with one thought and by the end was not only on a different track but had gone clean off the map.  Ooops.  Sorry about that.  Let me start at the beginning but don’t worry, I won’t try to cover 60 plus years all in one post.

My guy has ALWAYS loved Colorado.  Every year it was “on the schedule” when he was growing up.

Here he is in 1957 just outside of Ouray. Isn’t he just the cutest thing with his sailor hat on? Enjoy this story now, if he sees this I’m prolly in big trouble!

Later on he hunted in Colorado; and when his kids were young they all did the Colorado thing too. This picture was taken in 1975. That’s my guy with his boys and their mom. His parents went that year too so that’s his mom on the right and of course his dad was behind the camera.

And here are a few shots in 1998 right before we got married. My guy took his daughter on a last father/daughter vacation and they had a blast!

So, there is some lifelong history on Colorado.  Fast forward to 2004.  My guy starts planning the hunting season (October/November) in January!  It is like a big shopping day for a bunch of women.  The phone rings off the wall for about 2 weeks.  Everyone is trying to coordinate dates and vacations and what to take – blah, blah, blah.  This happens every year at our house. LOL.  Ok, back to the story – my guy left to hunt in October 2004 and came home talking about this “place” for sale right next to his cousin’s place.

“It has a house that would probably have to be torn down but there is this really cool Quonset hut and we could fix it up and stay there in the summer”.  Now, up until this point I was 150% city girl so the idea of spending the summer on a desolate mountain 30 minutes from the nearest ANYTHING was not the least bit appealing to me; but being the good sport that I am I agree to make the trip and check it out.

REALLY?

Imagine my surprise when I saw this house!  I am actually laughing so hard right now that I can hardly type.  But wait!  It gets better…….

If you think the house looks good you have to see the Quonset hut that he wants me to live in during the summer!

OH YES!  Much better right??????????

Yes, the time stamp on that pic does say 2006.  Which is the living proof that he somehow convinced me to take this property filled with rubble and junk and attempt to make something decent out of it.

CITY GIRL!! Surprise, surprise!

By the end of the summer we had made some real progress though.  We had inside plumbing, a wood floor and some cabinets we scavenged from the “falling down” house.  Not exactly my idea of a summer hot spot but it would work just fine for a hunting camp right?

Listen it gets better.  I know I didn’t even touch on the Toy Box but you have to have a bit of history for it all to make sense.  I’ll hunt down a few more pics and keep talking until we get to that point but the story (like “the place”) will be a work in progress.

If you’re looking for fun and freebies you’re at the right stop.  I am participating in not one but TWO blog trains this month with VERY different themes!

First is the Daisies and Dimples Train and my new home.  So new that I don’t even have all of my products in the store but there are some fantastic designers there who have the place packed.

Here is quick preview of some of the fun things you can grab before May 15th.

You can download my Lazy Days Mini and then go for a look at all the great sales this month.  My store is 50% off until the 15th and I have some new things going in this weekend.

DOWNLOAD Lazy Days Part One

DOWNLOAD Lazy Days Part Two

Then you can grab my portion for the huge DST Blog Train.

This train is REALLY LONG!  AT last check there were over 75 participants!

If you’re on track you should be arriving from Eyeinspire: http://eyeinspire.com/blog/

and your next stop will be http://elainetheresedigitaldesigns.com/

The theme is A Royal Wedding

It’s rich and full of color and of course I added a bit of “olde tyme charm” for vintage kits

DOWNLOAD A Royal Wedding Part One

DOWNLOAD A Royal Wedding Part Two

Enjoy!

Gosh, I am totally ashamed.  I didn’t realize I hadn’t shown up for work in so long.  Well…..actually I have been working really hard.  Remember that movie with Danny Devito “Other People’s Money”?  After that movie released it seemed that everyone really overused OPM.  Well, I’ve been working on OPS (NO) that stands for “Other People’s Stuff” and to say I have been focused would be an understatement.  This month I’m going to do a bit for myself.  My guy is headed to Colorado mid month and I’ve got the place all to my self.  I’ll miss him but I’ll make good use of my time before I bug out myself the first of June.

We are so looking forward to this year!  Our new Quonset hut has been ready for over a month and we can’t wait to watch the huge truck struggle up the mountain to deliver it.  A few years ago when they delivered Grandpa’s Toy box it was wet and we worried the truck wouldn’t make it.

We could hear the truck coming for 20 minutes.

Then the guy pulled in and I didn’t believe he wasn’t going to take out our new fence.

Here he is backing it into the hole.  It’s a subterranean Toy Box

Then the tractor had to come out because the hole was just a tad too small

Finally, between the 2 of them it was disconnected and the driver was on his way!

This is just a sneak peek at what it will look like this year.

And speaking of SNEAK PEEK there will be TWO trains here tomorrow.

There is a great blog train in my new store Daisies and Dimples and the DST train starts tomorrow too.

I’ll be turning my products on at midnight tonight so set your clock

I got an unexpected mail from Maddy asking if I wanted to work with her new kit. I have to tell you at first glance it was REALLY bright but I caught a glimpse of those greens and browns and I could definitely see it all coming together. Next was finding the perfect pics. I have nice file in my HD named “To Be Sorted”. Inside that file are files for a variety of people. My mom has trouble learning about her camera and a few years ago she actually lost her camera and of course some wonderful pics were also lost. Now when she stops by I copy her card and in my spare time I sort through the photos and organize them. I also have a folder for my son and my daughter-in-law had put some photos on FB recently of Girl’s Day in Japan. Once I unzipped the kit I knew that it was perfect for those pictures. There is an incredible peacock paper and feather and it was the first thing I went for. I think these turned out lovely and am hunting for some extra time to use this kit again. If you’re looking to fill a bright spot you’ll definitely want to take a look at Sapphires for Sophia by Maddy Fernandez. She is exclusive at Digitals and her kits totally rock.

Here is a preview of the bundle which happens to be on sale now so hurry

My grand daughter looking very much at home in Japan.

Have a great weekend!  I have the inside scoop on a few sales for next week but I can’t let the cat out of the bag just yet.
 

Wow!  I love BooLand Designs!  Her kits are gorgeous and I’m so lucky to get to work with Boo and her incredible team.  Dang, clearly this is going to be one of those posts filled with exclamation points!! Oh well…It is HARD not to be excited when I tell you that Boo is having a Buy My Store Sale and you can get the whole enchilada for only $42!

Seriously!!! Who would want to miss out on this deal.  She just added 3 new collections and they are totally gorgeous!  Check out BooLand Designs store at TheStudio and you might want to hook up to her blog too.  I happen to know from a very good source that some ultra cool things are coming

Boo is having a CT call too.  The girl put out kits like the Easter bunny on drugs!  She is workin’ her poor girls to the bone LOL.  Not really, this is one of the best teams and Boo rocks but I am seriously NOT kidding about how fast this girl puts her stuff together.  She is looking for digital and hybrid members so there is a spot for everyone.  If you like her style then check out her requirements and send the woman an email PDQ.

Don’t blame me if you’re up all night looking through her store. (wink)

So I go to change my Facebook over to the time line only to learn that it is going to be a real pain in many ways.  There is some good news but the fact is it is time that I could be using in other places.  The first thing is the new time line photo that sits at the top of each page and if you don’t choose what you want to put there then you’re going to get something from your FB archive.  Well, I’m not thrilled but life is just that way sometimes.  I like simple and easy when ever possible so I made the templates in case you want to take the easy route.

Just click the image to download and ENJOY!