A Thousand Miles From Nowhere

Long Time. . . No Post

2011-02-16T21:55:00.000-08:00

Hey strangers. My poor blog has been so neglected lately and sooo many things have happened. I'll give you a short summary (at least as short as I can make it - hehe).

* My kids both joined Upward Basketball and are doing great at it.

* My Grandma Huff was in a car accident and broke her feet, collarbone, arm, hand, and suffered a brain injury with a big cut on her head. She's been in a skilled nursing center and is now home with my Uncle staying with her. I will be going next week to help her and visit with her. She is having vision problems from her brain injury.

* My Grandpa McDonald fell twice and got a large cut on his arm that require stitches. Then fell on the ice and broke is foot/ankle. He also recently has been diagnosed with Alzheimers and is struggling to deal with loosing his memories. It's so sad for everyone and especially my Grandma Mc.

* Zach got strep, then got over it.

* Kaylee got strep, and we thought she got over it, but 8 days later she broke out with these horrible red dots all over her body. The Urgent Care clinic thought she had scarlet fever. We took her to see another doctor on Monday and never really found out what was wrong with her. We know it wasn't mono - so the best guess is that she had scarlet fever or a very bad reaction to the first antibiotic that was penecillan.

* I have been struggling with many sinus infections/bronchitis. I went to an ENT dr and found out that I have a deviated septum as well as some other sinus problems. We are trying some nose sprays to see if they will help so that I can avoid sinus surgery.

* I've started working out with a personal trainer, Meagan. She is one of Kaylee's Upward Basketball coaches and she is a fabulous trainer. I'm really hoping to loose some weight and get healthier. If anyone is looking for a trainer in the Fort Worth area, send me an e-mail and I'll get you her info. She really is awesome!

* I'm almost finished with a new digital scrapbooking kit that will be available soon on Memory Mixer and Daisy Trail. It is called "Love In The Air" and here is a sneak peek at the preview:

* I've also been playing with mixed media art and drawing animated people. I'm having a blast at it. Here is a pic of the canvas that I did for Zachary's Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Payblas. I tried to incorporate as many of her interests and favorite things as I could.

* Along the lines of Mixed Media - I've signed up for what I think will be a fabulous e-workshop called the "She Art Workshop" by Christy Tomlinson. I'll be posting my progress from the class as we go along. I'm super excited about it and here's the link if any of you are interested in looking into it.

She Art Workshop

* I've been working on orders for Cutiepies & Critters and am working to fill my last order that I have for now (so turn around time is great right now - hint hint - tee hee hee). I'm hoping to post some new items in the shop soon. If you follow Cutiepies & Critters on facebook - you've prolly already seen most of the newer hats and cocoons, but they will be available in the shop soon.

Well - so much for short and sweet - but that gets you pretty much caught up on what's been going on with me lately. As you can see - my family can still use prayers for my Grandparents. I'm so glad that they are healing, but here is so much healing that still needs to happen. Thanks to everyone who has been praying and sending well wishes. Each one is very much appreciated! Have a wonderful rest of the week and hopefully I can get back to posting more regularly.

~til next time,
Paula

My super kids and More new hats!!

2010-10-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday to all!!

I first want to tell you how excited I am about the craft fair that will be going on at my son's school on November 6th. I am in charge of it and so far we have some great vendors. We still have room for more vendors, so if you are interested, please contact me for more info. If you want to come shop - it will be a great time to get some of the holiday gifts taken care of. The fair is from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on that Saturday. Hope to see you there.

I also have to brag on my kiddos. Zachary is going very well in school and is in the Kindergarten play, Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. He is playing the door - hehe. He is so excited and is so cute singing the songs and doing the dances. I know the play will be soo cute! Kaylee had her first chair test in band for her French Horn - and . . . . she got 1st chair!!! I was soooo proud of her. You should also see the things she has been drawing - it is amazing! She has been taking art lessons from Mrs. Jackson at the school and is blowing my mind with what she can draw. She has been doing a lot of writing as well in her writing class. I really love what this teacher has them doing. One of the stories she brought home last night was just incredible. I am just so proud of my kids. :)

I am looking very forward to a much needed retreat this weekend at the Hen House. I just can't wait and am hoping to get closer to being caught up on my Cutiepies & Critters orders. I am so happy to be busy, but am trying very hard to keep the turn around time to less than 2 weeks. Right now I have 20 items on order that I need to get done, so I'm a little over the 2 week turn around time, but hopefully after this weekend, that will change. Whoo hoo!!

I have a few new items that I have made for orders and have added to the website for sale. They are great ideas for the holiday season! Here are some great pics (thanks to Amanda of Mulberry Lane Studio):

That's all I have for now. Have a wonderful rest of the week and weekend!
~til next time,
Paula

Filling Orders!!!

2010-09-28T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I am hard at work filling my orders for Cutiepies & Critters and I am loving it! I just wanted to pop in quickly to show you the orders I filled last night and today. I just love how they turned out! I have more orders to fill tomorrow and for a few days I will be busy - yay!!

Thanks for looking!
~til next time,
Paula

More new products at Cutiepies & Critters

2010-09-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday to everyone! Today it is finally starting to feel like fall - yippee!! I did not think it was ever going to cool down. We even had a nice day yesterday and the kids played outside almost all day. We had the windows open and I was crocheting while watching the Cowboys win with my dear hubby, Robby. It was so nice and relaxing and I hope we have many more days like this.

I finished some new items that I have now put up in my shop at http://www.cutiepiescritters.bigcartel.com/ . Here are some photos of the new items:

I'm working on some new Christmas and holiday theme items that I hope to have in the shop soon. :) Now I'm off to get Kaylee from school to take her to her dentist appointment. Have a wonderful week!

~til next time,
Paula

New products in the Cutiepies and Critters shop!

2010-09-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone! I have been hard at work filling orders for Cutiepies and Critters and I hope to keep getting orders and staying busy. :)

I have the new "Newsie Hat" and "Mini Newsie Hat" in the shop. They are a version of a slouch type hat with a band and brim. They are trendy and seem to be very popular. Here are photos of 3 custom adult ones that I have made and a newborn size mini one.

Keep checking the shop at http://www.cutiepiescritters.bigcartel.com/ because I have more hats that I will be adding over the next few days.

I am also getting ready for Zachary's big 6th birthday this Thursday. He is so excited - only 3 more sleeps (that's how he keeps track - hehe). Then Saturday Kaylee will be going to Honors Choir tryouts.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
~til next time,
Paula

Something New

2010-08-31T08:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday to all! Well, we survived the first week of school and are on to the second week. The routine is getting a little easier now. It has been a challenge keeping up with everything the kids have to get/do and all the paperwork - oohhh the paperwork - ugh! That was a pain, especially for Kaylee. One day I spent 3 hours - I'm not kidding - 3 hours doing paperwork for Kaylee's school. I felt like they had sent ME back to school - rofl!

On a totally different note, I wanted to share something new that I found I could do. My sweet friend and neighbor, Risa, had an old and pretty beat up photograph that meant a lot to someone in her family. She wanted to see if I could do anything to maybe restore it, even if it was just a little bit. I got to working on it and all that digital design work paid off in a totally new and unexpected way. I have to say that I was pretty surprised at what I was able to do with it. I know it's not perfect, but I would like to show it to you.

It was a fun challenge, but not something I think I'd want to do everyday - hehe. Pretty interesting though, at least I thought so. :)

Well, I'm off to finish crocheting a hat and try to get a jog in (if it's not too hot) before I go pick up the kiddos.

~til next time,
Paula

Back to school and 4 new hats added to the Cutiepies and Critters shop

2010-08-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! It's back to school time and boy is this time of year hectic! We have already had Kaylee's 6th grade orientation and in a couple of days we will have Zachary's Kindergarten orientation. Wow, I can't believe I will have both kids in school now. I've taken on the Staff Appreciation Chairperson position for Zachary's elementary school PTA this year. I'm really excited. Thursday is a luncheon for the staff and I am working on a nice surprise for the teachers and other staff members for the first week of school. Once I have given them out, I'll have to post photos - I just don't want one of them to see it here and ruin the surprise - hehe.

Another exciting thing - Amanda took some adorable photos with some of the hats I created in the past few days and I have now added 4 new hats to my shop at Cutiepies and Critters. Here are some photos of the new hats:

"Little Red Monster Hat"

"Happy Hippo Hat"

"Aviator Hat"

"Purple Bumpy Hat"

Special thanks to Mulberry Lane Studios for these great photos!!

If you are interesting in looking more at these or some of my other hats for sale, please go to

http://www.cutiepiescritters.bigcartel.com/

Thanks and let's get these kids off to a great start to their school year!

~til next time,

Paula

Cutiepies and Critters is open for business!!!

2010-08-15T01:07:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. It's going good here - but very VERY hot! I can't wait for a break in this heat. :)

I have super exciting news! My website for Cutiepies and Critters just opened a few minutes ago and I can't wait to see how everyone likes it. I have my crocheted hats, baby cacoons, fringe blankets, etc. on there for sale. Everything on this site is special order, so it will be made just for you! I am still working on getting my etsy shop up and going as well. I will be selling items that I have on hand ready to ship on that site. :)

For now, I would love it if you went and took a look at my new shop and let me know what you think of it. I have new products that I will be adding over the next couple of weeks to, so be sure to check back once in a while to see the new additions. The web addy for the shop is:

http://www.cutiepiescritters.bigcartel.com/
Have fun and . . .
~til next time,
Paula

New hats that I'll have for sale soon on Cutiepies and Critters!!

2010-08-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! It's the start of another weekend - yay!! This week one of Kaylee's 4th grade teachers, Mrs. Williams allowed Amanda (Mulberry Lane Studios) to take some photos of her adorable new baby, Kali, in some of the new hats that I have made. There is also a photo of Mrs. Williams' older daughter in one of the larger hats that I have made. They turned out so cute and I wanted to share some of the photos with you.

These will be available for sale soon (hopefully in the next couple of weeks). I hope to have both my website and etsy shop up and going by then.

I have also submitted a digikit to the team and DaisyTrail, so hopefully it will be up in their shop soon - yay!!

Now I'm off to work on organizing my yarn to make more hats/blankets and to clean my house - fun fun fun!!! Have a wonderful weekend!

~til next time,
Paula

Back from my vacation!

2010-08-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I'm back from my vacation to see my family. We were gone for 16 days - wow! We spent a few days in Lamar, OK visiting my Grandma Huff. Then we spent a few days in Broken Arrow, OK visiting my Grandma and Grandpa Mac, and finally we spent the rest of the time in Paola, KS visiting my Mom and Dad. We took Gracie with us and everyone fell in love with her. She's a good traveler. We got to eat plenty of Mazzio's pizza and have my favorite Coneys in Broken Arrow. It was a really fun time, but I'm glad to be back home. Poor Robby didn't have such a good time while we were gone tho. The television went out and the A/C went out last friday and is still not fixed - lol. We can get it to work here and there by using a stick to get the fan moving - rofl! We have a wall unit a/c hanging out of our bedroom window and I'm just waiting for the notice from the HOA on that one..tee hee hee!!!

I'm hoping to get my etsy shop going soon and I'll have some cool jewelry to sell on there that my Mom and I made while I was visiting, so be on the look out for that. I've also been making some new crocheted hats and thanks to Amanda, I'll have my very own website for my children's hats/photo props very soon too. I'll be sure to announce once I have them up and going.

Not much else new here. Looking forward to going to the Vera Bradley private event tonight - YAY!! Have a great rest of the week and . . .

~til next time,
Paula

Scary day - I'm back on Facebook!

2010-06-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it - something I said I never wanted to do again, but since I'm going to be starting a new business venture - I kind of had to. So - I'm back on facebook - hehe. Now - I just have to figure out how to work it.

And - we have the new name for the etsy business we are going to start (by we - I mean me and Kaylee). So..... drumroll please .......

Cutiepies And Critters
Thanks Amanda for coming up with that adorable name for us!

I can't wait to get it all started. We will be selling all sorts of stuff from baby items/photo props, to scrapbooking things, to dog toys. Basically, we will be making whatever we get the urge to make - rofl! I'll be sure to let you all know as soon as we have stuff available for sale. :)

Okies - I have to run and set stuff up! If you're not already there - add me as a friend on facebook and you can become a fan of my cutiepies and critters page!! Yeah!

~til next time,
Paula

I've been crocheting and a prayer request

2010-06-21T16:31:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I hope you are having a great start to summer. I've been spending quite a bit of time with my kiddos at the neighborhood pool and crocheting some cute photo props and baby stuff. I've also been working on a new digi kit that I hope to have done in the near future. ;)

I want to tell you about my dear friend, Joni, and what she has been going through. She has just recently found out that she has a serious infection in her knee that she had replaced a few years ago, and the infection is more than likely in her hip as well. She will be going in for surgery on Thursday and I would like to ask that everyone pray for her that the surgery will go well enough that she won't have to have more surgery, and that she will have an easy recovery (as easy as possible anyway). I have made her a prayer shawl that I will be taking to her on Tuesday, so Joni - if you read this - you'll know what's coming - hehe. Anyway, I recently found out about these and think they are a great thing. If you have not heard about them, it is a crocheted or knitted shawl/blanket that someone makes for another person who might be going through a rough time or illness. The maker of the blanket prays for the recipient while making it and it is supposed to bring comfort to that person and let them know that they are cared for and being prayed for. If this is something you might be interested in doing, Lion Brand yarns has some free patterns on their website. All you have to do is register on their site - it is free also - then you can have access to these and many more free patterns. Here is the one I made:

As I mentioned earlier - I have also been crocheting some photo props. I'm hoping one day to open an etsy store to sell them and some of the other crafts that Kaylee and I make. We're working on finding a name for our shop - so if you have any ideas - I would love to hear them. :) We are wanting a name that will show that we do all sorts of crafts and maybe even that we are a Mother/Daughter team. Ok - back to the props - hehe (I get easily distracted - squirrel!!! - rofl) anyway - here are some photos of the props that I have made so far:

Well, tonight my and Robby's 13th anniversary. We are planning to go out to eat, and possibly to a movie. The movie we want to see really bad, Grown Ups, isn't out yet - bummer! But at least we'll get a little time by ourselves at dinner. Speaking of that - I'd better run and get ready. Have a great rest of the week!

~til next time,
Paula

Kaylee's Alice In Wonderland Play - A Huge Success!

2010-06-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

Wow - we have had a busy couple of weeks with Zachary graduating from Pre-K, Kaylee finishing 5th grade and leaving elementary school, and Kaylee's big play. I've got so many photos for you that I'm having to split them between 2 posts - lol. Zachary's photos are in the post below - be sure to check them out. He was just darling!

This post is about my musical diva, Kaylee. I know I'm her Mom and all, but I just have to tell you that watching her up there on that stage belting out those songs and acting like I've never seen her do before, I was just shocked and could not believe that it was actually my little girl up there on that stage! I was so proud I was about to bust! One of her classmates came up to her after the show and told her that she needed to be on broadway - what a compliment!! For the many of you who came to see the show - I really appreciate you showing up and supporting her. I know it meant the world to her. I also have to say that ALL the performers did an excellent job! It wasn't just Kaylee - the whole production was unbelievable. Many people said they could not believe that this was an elementary production, but that it was something they could have paid to see at Casa Manana. I have to agree, and a big part of that is due to the wonderful job done by the art/music teacher, Mrs. Shannon Jackson. She is a phenomenal woman that is so talented and really knows how to teach and motivate the children. She has been such a blessing to Kaylee and to all of Remington Point Elementary - Mrs. Jackson - if you are reading this - you are awesome and we can't thank you enough for all your hard work and dedication!! Now I have to show you some, ok, many photos of the play. I think you'll be able to tell even from just the photos how great it was. So without further adieu...

Okay - now you have to read my next post about my little boy that I am equally proud of. Keep reading. :)

Zach Pre-K Graduation

2010-06-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

This post is about my dear little boy, Zachary. I was so proud of him and he looked so cute in his little graduation hat, although I think most of the festivities were lost on him - hehe. He was just interested in the cookies and the fact that Meme and Papa were here to see him. That boy just LOVES his Papa!! Anyway - here are some photos of the evening for you. :)

That's a ton of photos, I know - but I just had to share them with you. These are big times here at the Phillips' household. Now hopefully we can calm down and enjoy our summer!

~til next time,
Paula

Happy Birthday to Me - hehe!

2010-05-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my birthday and I had a fun day with the kids. We went to Scarborough Fair. It was hot and muggy, but fun. The kids especially loved the bungee (sp?) trampoline thing. They were strapped in with bungee cords on each side and they jumped on a trampoline and the bungee cords made them go super high. They were both doing flips and everything. Thanks to my neighbors, the Ellison's, for going with us and helping so much with the kids. Also - thanks to everyone for the wonderful phone calls, cards, and e-mails wishing me a great day.

On a different note, I have several friends having babies and grandbabies, so I have been working for a while now (off and on) to make crocheted blankets for them and some other goodies. I want to share some photos of one of the gifts I just sent today. :)

The cupcake and lollipop are made from baby washcloths. They were so much fun to make.

I also made some gifts for the kid's teachers for the end of the year. They are little notepads with sticky notes inside. Thanks to Pam Bonham for showing me how to make these. We used cardboard and covered it with paper, then used the Zutter "Bind It All" machine to connect them. I was so happy with how they turned out. For the initials on the covers, I used Pam's Cricut machine to cut them out of cardstock. I then glued them onto the cover and put stickles on them. Once the stickles had dried, I went over them again with Diamond Glaze.

I'm getting ready to have a very busy rest of the week. Kaylee's play is on Thursday and Friday. For those of you who would like to attend, it is at Remington Point Elementary School on Old Decatur Road in Fort Worth/Saginaw, Texas. You take 820 West past I-35 and exit Old Decatur Road. Turn right onto Old Decatur Road and go down about 1/2 mile or so and the school is on your right before you get to a street called Longhorn. The showtimes are:

Thursday, May 27th at 8:30 AM

Thursday, May 27th at 6:00 PM

Friday, May 28th at 8:30 AM

If you plan to attend the Thursday night performance, I would try to get there at least 1/2 hour early to get a seat. I have a feeling there will be a lot of people there that night. Robby will be going to the evening performance while I will be going to Zachary's Preschool graduation that same night - lol. It never fails that they will fall on the same evening. At least I will be able to go to both morning performances. I still can't believe that Zachary will be a kindergartener next year - WOW! And then to make it even worse - Kaylee will be starting middle school! I feel OLD!!! hehe.

Well, I have to run and pick up Kaylee from play practice. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and I'll talk to you all again soon!

~til next time,

Paula

Photos of Alice!!

2010-05-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a very happy Mother's Day. I had a great one. I got to relax while my wonderful hubby cooked breakfast and dinner for me. The kids made me some very pretty cards and presents and it was just a very good day.

I have to share some photos with you that Amanda took of Kaylee last week. Some people didn't even recognize Kaylee in her Alice costume for the play that she's in. I was so happy with how they turned out. Here are just a few:

Ok - I know I said a few and I put several in here - but choosing just a few to share is sooo hard!

I have a session set up with Amanda for Zachary next. I can't wait to share those with you once we have them done.

I'm getting ready for a retreat this weekend and I'm so excited about it. It's at a new place that I'm going with Bobbie, Cheryl, Pam, Debbie, and several other wonderful ladies. I know it's going to be fun and I'm hoping to get lots done on the kid's school albums (that I'm waaaaay behind on - hehe).

If I don't get to post before I leave, then you all have a fabulous rest of the week and weekend!
~til next time,
Paula

A Great Dog

2010-04-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

It finally happened. A day we knew was coming but kept hoping would not be soon. After a fun evening scrapbooking Friday night, I came home and Robby was up with Hercules, our dear, sweet, 12 year old mini poodle, who had been coughing and struggling to breathe. He has been in congestive heart failure for a while and we have been able to keep him going with medications, but this time was different. No matter what medicine we gave him, and no matter how hard we tried to calm him down, we were not able to get this episode to stop. Robby took him to the animal emergency hospital, and they said there was nothing they could do, and so Hercules in now in heaven with my other doggie baby that passed on several years ago, BiJou. He was such a wonderful dog and we miss him terribly. He really was a GREAT dog!

Hopefully I'll have better news for you next time.
~til then,
Paula

A New Chapter

2010-04-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I hope that you are all doing well this Tuesday morning.

I have to start by telling you a little bit about what's been going on with Kaylee. She is getting ready for middle school now, and while she is very excited about it, it is really making me nervous - hehe. Just to think that my little girl is going to be in middle school very soon is unbelieveable. She has decided to be in band and just last night went with Robby to choose her instrument. She is going to play the french horn. I know nothing about the french horn, but Robby said she did very well at playing it while she tried it out and she is so excited.

While a new chapter is starting for her, I have some changes going on as well. I have resigned as a teacher at Scrapper's Boutique and am looking forward to new things ahead. I wish Cherie the best with her shop and I know she has plenty of other fabulous teachers there for you all to enjoy. Jen has an adorable card class in May and Leslie and Heather both have awesome classes too, so be sure to check them out. I want to also thank each and every one of you that have come to my classes that I have taught. I have enjoyed you all very much! I will be taking some time to catch up with my digital stuff and working on an album for Kaylee's Alice In Wonderland play. I have some things I am planning, and after May, I am looking into teaching some classes again at other venues, so if you are interested, keep watching and I'll post more about it when I have more info. :)

Here's hoping the rest of the week is sunny - hehe!
~til next time,
Paula

New Day Class Added for This Month's Crazy Daisies Class

2010-04-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

You read it correctly! We have added a day class for this month's Crazy Daisies Basket Class. It will be on Tuesday, April 20th from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. It is still just $15 and we only have 4 spots left, so don't delay - sign up today!

I can also tell you about some of the flowers for upcoming Crazy Daisies classes. In the next few months, we will be learning to make Bachelor Buttons, Pansies, Sweet Peas, and Rhododendron. We might also be learning the Peony. I can't wait to get samples done to show you.

I'll keep it short and sweet today. Have a wonderful and blessed day!
~til next time,
Paula

April Crazy Daisies Class This Saturday!!

2010-04-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

This month for the Crazy Daisies class, I decided to use punches that have already been used in previous classes to give everyone a chance to catch up on purchasing punches that they may have missed. So there are no new punches for this class, but you can purchase any punches used in previous classes at a 20% discount through the day of the class - yippee!!!

For this month's project, I have used a basket that we will decorate with a Petunia (a new flower we will learn using the punch we used in the rose class), and periwinkles (the flowers we learned last month). We will be doing something different with the centers of the periwinkles this time and I have made the Petunia a bit more different than usual by using print papers from BoBunny's "Jazmyne" collection instead of cardstock. This project is a great for MayDay, Mother's Day, or anything with a Spring theme. Here is a photo of the project:

April Crazy Daisies Basket Class
Saturday, April 10th from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM or Tuesday, April 13th from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Cost $15

Supplies that you need to bring to class with you:
Punch Bunch Tool kit or dry embossing tools
Mousepad
Tweezers
Quick Dry Liquid Glue
Scissors

Punches we will use in this class (all have been used in previous classes):
27/Begionia Petals - Super Giant Theme Punch
30/Twig - Mega Punch
4/Birch Leaf - Large Punch
2/Violet - Medium Punch
1/Sun - Small Punch

I have a limited number of baskets, so be sure to contact Cherie at Scrapper's Boutique to reserve your space today. 817-503-0777

I will also be having the Junior Scrapper's Club this Saturday from 10:15AM to 12:15 PM. We will be making two 2 page layouts. One will be for Spring Break and the other for Easter. The cost is $20.

Thanks so much and I look forward to seeing you!
~til next time,
Paula

Getting Dirty Can Pay Off - hehe

2010-03-30T23:33:00.000-07:00

Well, the weekend went by much too fast, as I knew it would while Lori was here. We had a fabulous time shopping, then working in the yard, then shopping, then working in the yard, then shopping - I think you get the idea from here - tee hee hee. When it was all said and done, we were covered in dirt head to toe each day and those showers were a welcome sight. Then we sat down each evening - and that was it - too exhausted to move. We did however manage to make it to bed both nights, moaning and groaning all the way - me more than Lori. She's like Superwoman!

I love my yard now, though. We accomplished more than I ever dreamed we could in one weekend. We made a big flower bed around my front tree - one that we can use as a bench and sit on while we watch the kids ride their bikes. We also cleaned up the front bed a little and added some seasonal flowers for color. Then we potted some pretty plants for around my porch. Now, if I just had some decent grass on the lawn, I'd be in business - hehe. We also worked like mad in the back yard. We planted 2 banana trees on either side of my swing and made beds around the bottom of them. We made a new bed around my Crape Myrtle tree, and made a raised garden bed where we planted Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Banana Peppers, and Blackberries. I can't wait to actually get to pick something and eat it - whoo hoo. We also cleaned up the area on top of my retaining wall and have it ready to plant some things next weekend. I have a few pics for you to see what we did. :)

While we were working in the front yard, Zachary decided to build with the bricks that were in the backyard. It was like big heavy legos to him - he was loving it. Here's his masterpiece - hehe.

Tomorrow I'm off to the Vera Bradly event in Southlake and I can't wait. I know we're going to have a blast. We get to eat lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, which will be a special treat. A big girls day - I'm so excited!!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and enjoying the nice weather. I know my kids were out playing with water guns in the back yard this afternoon and just having a great time. Have a fantastic rest of the week!

~til next time,
Paula

Getting Ready to Get Dirty. :)

2010-03-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I just got back from my Stampin' Up workshop and we had a blast. I enjoyed the company and jokes, wonderful cupcakes from Nita, and the fun and "stinkin" cute bunny baskets we made. Thanks so much to Cherie for allowing me to have the workshop at Scrapper's Boutique and to Joni for all your hard work in putting those fabulous kits and instructions together - you did AWESOME!! Also thanks to Nita for making those "to die for" cupcakes -hehe. I think we even got Rose hooked - rofl! I appreciate everyone who came and I hope you all had as wonderful a time as I did. We have decided to leave the show open until Sunday afternoon for orders, so if you want to get an order in during the last of the "sale-a-bration" sale, get in touch with myself or Joni.

I have to tell you about the camping trip we went on as a family with one of my BFF's (Cindy) and her kids. We had such a good time and it was so great to get away from everything. I left all the stress behind (as best I could - lol) and just enjoyed nature. We roasted marshmallows, well . . . everyone except Zachary. He put them on the stick - then caught them on fire and watched them blow up. Evidentally he found this quite amusing because by the end of it all, I think there were more marshmallows in the fire than logs. :) The next day Robby took the kids out fishing and they all caught at least one. Brandon caught the biggest, and I think they all had a great time. We then got to go eat at my favorite Catfish place. The next day, we went for a hike and of course I took a TON of photos. I can't wait to look at them all and then post some here for you. Hopefully they turned out as well and I think they did. After that, the kids were a bit hot, so we told them they could take their shoes and socks off and get into the water up to their ankles. Well . . . they then talked us into going up to their knees and before we knew it - they were completely in the water - clothes and all. Zachary was so funny - he came running out of the water yelling "Mama!! Mama!!" When he got up to me, I asked what was wrong, but I could clearly see that the weight of the water in his pants was pulling them down. He proceeded to come up to me and break out into song, and not just any song - imagine a 5 year old at this moment starting to sing "pants on the ground, pants on the ground" from American Idol!! We were all laughing hysterically - seriously, where does he come up with all this stuff???

Now I'm looking very forward to a visit from another one of my BFF's, Lori, who moved to Abilene. I have missed her so much and she is coming in town to help me work in my yard this weekend. We have big plans to put in a flower bed around my tree in the front yard, and to fix up the little bit of yard in front of my back fence, but on top of the rock retaining wall. Why they put an area there that has to be mowed or made into a flower bed it beyond me. You can't hardly reach it, but if you don't do something with it - it looks horrible. Not so smart planning by the home builders if you ask me - but I guess they didn't ask me - rofl. I know we'll have a lot of fun and I'll have wonderful reminders of her all in my yard now. I just can't wait to see her and catch up with her while we dig in the dirt - hehe.

That's pretty much everything that's going on here. I hope this week finds you all doing fabulous! Have a wonderful weekend and I hope to have some camping and planting pics for you soon. :)
~til next time,
Paula

Come One, Come All - Just please RSVP - hehe

2010-03-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring Break everyone!! I'm off to a wonderful week. I got to purchase a Nook for myself this past weekend and I am having soooooo much fun with it!! Kaylee is as happy with it as I am, and has informed me that a Nook is what she wants for her 11th birthday - hehe. If you haven't checked out these awesome contraptions, then you definitely have to look into them. They are super cool! You can find all the info on about the Nook on the Barnes and Noble website.

I am so excited about a Stampin' Up party that I am having on March 25th!! It is Sale A Bration time and everyone can get awesome free stuff! Joni, my dear, sweet, Stampin' Up demonstrator is hosting, with some help from one of her adorable recruits, Zabrina. We will be making the cutest, or as I like to say, a "stinkin' cute" bunny that will be a great gift for teachers, co-workers, neighbors, friends. . . just about anyone that you want to give a little Easter/Spring gift to. I have a photo of the bunny below. During this fabulous sale, for EVERY $50 you spend - you get to choose a product from the Sale A Bration catalog for FREE! And these aren't just little things - they are full stamp sets, punches, and other great things. The info with the when, where, etc. is below the photo. I would love for everyone that likes stamping to come, but I ask that you please RSVP to me and let me know if you plan to attend because we want to make sure that we have enough kits, etc. for everyone. If you are unable to attend, but would like to place an order, you can do so before my party, and still be eligible for the free Sale A Bration items. So without holding you in suspense any longer, here's the photo . . .

Paula's Stampin' Up party:
When:     Thursday, March 25th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Where:    Scrapper's Boutique
               6714 Smithfield Road, Suite 2
               North Richland Hills, TX 76180
RSVP:    paperflowers_paula@yahoo.com - please, please RSVP if you plan to attend.

I am planning to order cupcakes from Cherie's Mom, Nita, and yes - you can consider that a bribe to come - hehe. They are the most delicious cupcakes in the world, and I'm not exaggerating! I will also have bottled water available. :)

On another subject, I've been working on putting together digital postcards to send to my family with the photos of Gracie and Kaylee. I think I finally have them done, and now I'm working on a dedication page for Kaylee to go in her 5th grade yearbook. I'll have to post it when I get it done for you all to see.

Don't forget - I still have a few spaces left in tomorrow night's Crazy Daisies class. If you are interested, call Cherie at Scrapper's Boutique to sign up. It's only $15 ;).

That's all the news I have for now.
~til next time,
Paula

My Latest Digi Kit

2010-03-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

It's another dreary day here in Texas. It is raining for the 2nd day now. I'm very thankful that it's not snow or sleet, but I sure would love to see the sun. The kids and I had a great time going to the park for the couple of days that the weather was nice. I just can't wait for spring!!!

I am so excited to have completed a new digi kit for Memory Mixer. It is called Lovebirds and has some great spring colors, which of course, includes my favorite color, pink. :) I wanted to share it with all of you and I hope that you like it.

Thanks for looking.
~til next time,
Paula

Crazy Daisies Class Coming Up - Periwinkle Cards

2010-03-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

It's time again for the Crazy Daisies class and this one is really a fun and pretty one. We will be making two 5" x 7" cards featuring our flower for this month, the Periwinkle. These are a great flower for cards as well as scrapbook pages. Please contact the Scrapper's Boutique at 817-503-0777 to reserve your space. I hope to get to see you there. :)

Saturday, March 13th from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Cost $15

The Junior Scrapper's Club will also be meeting on Saturday, March 13th from 10:15AM to 12:15PM. We will be making a 2 page layout for all those photos from the Valentine's parties, and also a 2 page layout with cute little strawberries that is great for any miscellaneous photos. The cost is $20.

Thanks so much!
~til next time,
Paula

My Little Model

2010-03-03T19:21:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

I want to share some photos that I commissioned Amanda to take for me of Kaylee and Gracie. :) The yearbook has a place for 5th grade parents to include a dedication page, and that's what these photos are for - along with some others from previous years. I just wanted a special, recent photo to be the focus, and Amanda captured a ton of great photos - I am so excited and can't wait to start working on my dedication page. :) Here are just a few of the photos:

I hope to have a photo and some info posted soon about the next Crazy Daisies class. I can tell you that the classes will be a week from Saturday, March 13th at 1:30 PM and again on Tuesday, March 16th at 6:30 PM. We will be learning to make Periwinkles. :) It will be a lot of fun so be sure to save the date.

I'm off to put little ones to bed now - hehe.
~til next time,
Paula

Painting the Roses Red . . .

2010-02-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

That's what we've been singing a lot around here. Kaylee's music/art teacher applied for, and received a grant for a 4th and 5th grade musical this year. It's the full length Disney musical "Alice in Wonderland". I just have to brag about Ms. Jackson, the music teacher, for a minute. She is just awesome and we are so lucky to be at a school where she teaches. She goes way above and beyond what is expected and has really made the music and art program at Remington Point something all the kids love to participate in.

The reason we are singing here in the Phillips house is because Kaylee tried out and got the lead part!!! I am so excited for her and proud! She will be the "medium Alice", which is the everyday Alice. There are 2 other Alices - one for when she shrinks and one for when she gets bigger. I just can't believe it. Kaylee has her work cut out for her though. We got the script today and it's almost 1 inch thick and Kaylee has a part on nearly every page -hehe. I know she can do it. She already has all the songs memorized. Can you tell I'm so proud?? hehe.

Now I have to brag on Zachary for a bit too. :) For Valentine's Day, he wrote his own name on ALL of his valentines!! Not only is that an accomplishment because he learned all the letters and how to write them, but he actually sat still and wrote his name on all 19 of them. He would also want me to brag about the fact that he has made it to world 9 on Super Mario and set 2 records for sprinting on Mario and Sonic Olympic games - hehe. He is so good at the Wii and Nintendo DS games - it just amazes me. But hey - I get in on the fun sometimes too - I set the new world record for pole vaulting - ROFL!!!

Other than that, I've just been working on new class stuff and a new digital kit. For the next Crazy Daisies class, we will be learning to make Periwinkles, and my new digital kit is going to be called "Lovebirds" - at least I think that's what I'm going to call it. Now I'm off to grab a late - VERY late dinner and try to wind down for bed, so . . .

~til next time,
Paula

Tuesday class moved and Photos of Gracie :)

2010-02-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

Hello again!

Let me start with the class info. Due to so many people having scheduling conflicts with the Tuesday Crazy Daisies class - we haved moved it to the next Tuesday, February 23rd. So the upcoming classes are now:
Saturday, February 20th from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
OR
Tuesday, February 23rd from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM

The Junior Scrappers Club will meet on Saturday, February 20th from 10:15 AM to 12:15 PM.

Now - I can't wait to show you these photos! Miss. Amanda was so sweet to set up a photo shoot for me of Gracie with all the props I could bring. These were a Valentine's present to Kaylee. I'm going to let her choose one to make a big poster out of, and we'll probably put a border around the big photo showing some of the smaller ones, then we'll frame it to go above her bead. These really turned out awesome - a big thank you to Amanda for doing such a fantastic job with them!! So . . . . . here they are . . . .

One of my favorites in the American Girl doll bathtub.

This one is Gracie in her adorable pink sweater, and the blanket I crocheted for her.

Our little cutie in her salon chair.

Love this on the rug - she was being soo good!

This is also one of my favs!! She's just such a fun puppy!

Kaylee is so excited and I'm gonna have to go get them printed for her to start putting them into her very own scrapbook that she is making for Gracie. It will be so cute!

That's all the news I have for now - so

~til next time,

Paula

Saturday Classes Postponed :(

2010-02-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

After talking with Cherie today, we will need to postpone the classes for tomorrow until next Saturday. UPS did not deliver today and some of the class supplies were in that shipment. They have told Cherie that they will not be delivering tomorrow either. Also, I know some of you come from quite a ways away and I don't want anyone to risk having a wreck on the roads to get to my class. I apologize for any inconvenience, but we will have the classes at the same times next Saturday, February 20th. The Tuesday Crazy Daisies class will remain on this Tuesday, February 16th from 6:30 to 9:30 PM.

Next Saturday's Classes (February 20th) will be:
10:15 AM to 12:15 PM - Junior Scrappers Club
1:30 to 4:30 PM - Crazy Daisies - the Gerber Daisy class

The shop will be open for anyone who wants to stop by and she is planning to have tomorrow night's crop as scheduled. Thanks so much!
~til next time,
Paula

Now That's Not Supposed To Happen . . .

2010-02-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

. . . to quote Widget from "Wow Wow Wubzy". At least it's not supposed to happen in Texas! We are getting LOTS and LOTS of SNOW!!! It has made a slushy mess and they are saying we could get up to 9 inches before it's all done. The kids are loving it, but Robby said he chooses to live in Texas to stay away from the stuff - guess it found him anyway - tee hee hee!! I have to share some photos of us out having fun after everyone got home today.

The backyard - and it's still coming down!!

The "Before photos" - notice how clean and warm they look - hehe!!

We decided to make a snowman.

Here is our snowman, "Hardhat Hal", as Kaylee named him. And here's the song for our version of "Frosty":

Hardhat Hal the snowman,
Was a jolly happy soul.
With a Dragin worm mouth and a Senko worm nose
And two eyes made out of bobbers!!!

How appropriate for our family - all fishing stuff - ROFL!!

SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!!

Zachary tried to sneak up on Daddy.

Here's the aftermath:

And poor Gracie just doesn't know what to think. The snow is almost as deep as she is tall. Robby is having to clear off a spot in the grass because it is getting so deep we'll loose her!! Here's her first snow pics:

I'm sure we'll all sleep good tonight. We (Robby and I) may not care much for snow - but we made the best of it and had a great time with the kids. It had just better all melt by tomorrow afternoon so I can make it to the big President's Day sale at JoAnn's!!! :) Take care and stay warm!
~til next time,
Paula

Crazy Daisies Class This Saturday!!

2010-02-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already the 2nd Saturday of the month. This means it's time for the Take a Break Crop on Friday night that Kaylee and I look very forward to. Kaylee will get to bring Gracie to meet everyone and Kaylee is so excited that she can't hardly stand it - hehe. It's also time for the Junior Scrapper's Club and Crazy Daisies Classes. I'm very excited to be teaching the Gerber Daisy for this month's flower. I love these flowers and I think this project will look cute no matter where you choose to hang it.

The Crazy Daisies Class Info:
Saturday, February 13th from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM *OR*
Tuesday, February 16th from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Cost - ONLY $16.00 - YAY!!

Supplies each person needs to bring to class are:
Dry embossing tools or the Punch Bunch tool kit if you have one
Tweezers
Mousepad
Scissors
Quick dry liquid glue
Paper piercing tool
Tape runn or favorite adhesive
1/4" wide Tacky Tape/Red line tape - we will need about 20" in length
Diamond Glaze/Glossy Accents or similar
Small Xyron (if you have one)

The punches we will be using are ones that some of you may already have from prior classes. The daisy punches were from the first class where we made the Mums on the canvas. The oak leaf punch was from the Thanksgiving blocks class. The small sun punch was used to make the poinsettia in the metal frame class. The only punch we have not used before is the Medium Sun. I am giving you the entire list of the ones we will use for this class and if there are any you need to purchase, they will be 20% off through the day of your class.

Super Giant Daisy 27/Daisy $16.40
Large Daisy 4/Daisy $10.40
Large Oak Leaf 4/Oak Leaf $10.40
Medium Daisy 2/Daisy $ 7.50
Medium Sun 2/Sun $ 7.50
Small Sun 1/Sun $ 5.50
(prices listed above are full retail price)

If you do not have any of these punches and can not purchase them all right now, I will break down for you which ones are used for which things.

The large Gerber Daisy uses the Super Giant Daisy, Large Daisy, Medium and Small Suns.
The smaller Gerber Daisy uses the Large Daisy, Medium Daisy, and Small Sun.
The Oak leaf is used for leaves for both.

Please contact Cherie at the shop at 817-503-0777 to sign up for the class and/or place your punch order.

The Junior Scrapper's Club will meet on Saturday, February 13th from 10:15 AM to 12:15 PM.
Cost $20
We will be making two 2 page layouts. One will be about your 10 favorite things for 2010. The other will be a friends layout. I will try to post photos if I can before the class. :)

I have to add a few funny puppy photos here. These will give you an idea of the size difference in our dogs - hehe. Zeus is so hilarious. He has his own doggie pillow that he loves - but he can't stand that there's a doggie bed that's not for him - so he tries to crawl in - even though he doesn't hardly fit - rofl!!

I hope to get to see you this weekend! Stay safe and warm!
~til next time,
Paula

Do you want a puppy like Gracie?

2010-01-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Rainy Thursday!

I have had several people ask me where we got Gracie, so I wanted to give you all the info. The breeders are family friends of ours and their names are Ronnie and Saundra Stringfellow. They live in Holdenville, Oklahoma, and can ship the puppies pretty much anywhere in the U.S., or you can pick them up from them. Holdenville is near where my Grandma Huff lives and it's about 3 1/2 hours from Fort Worth.

I spoke with Ronnie yesterday and he said that they have a new litter of Morkies (Maltese/Yorkie mix), like Gracie, and that 3 of them have the soft, curly, Maltese hair, like Gracie. I'm not sure on the coloring or the size, but he said if you were interested, they could e-mail photos to you. These puppies are not ready to go to a new home yet, but you can go ahead and call if you are interested. He said the price on them is around $500. Here are their phone numbers to call:
(405) 379-2663 home
(405) 380-6773 Saundra's cell phone

I have to run now. I'm trying to clean my house for my Scentsy party tonight. I'm doing my best, but as my Grandma says, "If you're comin' to see my dust, you'll have a lot to see" - ROFL!!!

~til next time,
Paula

New Classes coming up!!

2010-01-20T17:21:00.000-08:00

Hello! I hope everyone is having a great start to the new year!

I have two new classes that are coming up at the Scrapper's Boutique over the next two Saturdays and Tuesdays. They are both for Valentine's Day and are super fun to make. Here's the info:

Valentine Door Decoration Class

Instructor: Paula Phillips
Saturday, January 23rd from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM (bring a lunch or snack)
$25

Welcome your friends and family with this beautiful metal heart. This metal technique gives a sophisticated quilted look using Ten Second Studio metals. It is so fun and easy you will find yourself looking for other ways to incorporate it into your craft projects. Call to reserve your space today!

Supplies you need to bring to class are:
12” paper trimmer
1/4” red line tape/Tacky Tape
Scissors
Pencil and eraser
Wire cutters (if you have them)
Needle nose pliers (if you have them)

Tree of Life – Valentine Ornament Class

Instructor: Paula Phillips
Saturday, January 30th from 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM (bring a lunch or snack)
Tuesday, February 2nd from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM
$30

This class is loaded with techniques! We will make 20 ornaments for the Tree of Life using Ten Seconds Studio metal, Diamond Dust, Rock Candy Stickles, and acrylic paints, just to name a few. There are frames for photos and real “valentines” to hang on your tree. You won’t want to miss this class and at only $30 – that makes it only $1.50 per ornament, plus you’ll get ribbons for extra bows and learn to make a large bow for the top of your tree. In addition to all of this, you will also receive a box to store your beautiful decorations so they can be put away safely and used again in years to come. Space is limited, so be sure to call and reserve your place today.

Trees can be purchased separately for only $20 at the Scrapper’s Boutique!

Supplies you need to bring to class are:
12” paper trimmer
1/8” red line tape/Tacky Tape
Small and medium glue dots
Tape runner
Quick dry liquid glue
Glossy Accents/Diamond Glaze/or similar
Scissors
Craft knife
Paper piercer
Pencil and eraser
Sanding block
Scor-pal (If you have one – there will be one for class use also.)

You might want to bring an apron and some baby wipes with you because some of this class can be messy, but it sure is fun!

I am planning the February Crazy Daisies Class and Junior Scrappers Classes now. Be sure to mark your calendars for Feb 13th or Feb 16th. In the Crazy Daisies Class, we will be learning to make Gerber Daisies.

On a personal note, I would like to thank you for the sweet comments on my last couple of posts. It is so nice to read them. I also want to point out the "followers" section on the left side of my blog. If you would like to receive an e-mail notification when I post something new, you can sign up there and then you will be sure to be in on all my latest class info, etc. :)

I can't end my post without giving you the latest info about our new little puppy, Gracie. She is growing and going through those silly and trying puppy stages. She is chewing on everything and I think she has her days and nights mixed up. She has been keeping us all up the past few nights - hehe. Kaylee made the comment "Goodness, this is like having a baby". I just had to laugh. I think we're going to try to take her for her first full grooming very soon. I'll be sure to post pictures.

Have a wonderful rest of the week!
~til next time,
Paula

New Classes and New Puppy Photos!

2010-01-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

I have some new puppy photos to share. We took Gracie to Petsmart to get some stuff for her and we talked with a lady named Mary in the grooming department and she is fabulous. She trimmed the hair around Gracie's eyes for us and cleaned up the hair on her paws and a few other places - hehe. She also put a bow in her hair, which only lasted one evening - rofl!! But - I was able to get pics before it came out.

On another subject, I have some classes coming up and wanted to share the info with you.

Crazy Daisies - January Rose Gift Box

Instructor: Paula Phillips
Saturday, January 9th from 1:30 to 4:00 PM and Tuesday, January 12th from 6:30 to 9:00 PM
Cost $15.00
In this month's class we will be making a beautiful rose to adorn the top of a 3" square box that we will be covering with Bo-Bunny's Teen Chic Stripe paper. Each person will receive and extra box and extra papers to complete a 2nd box at a later time. Come and have fun with us as we learn the techniques of making a paper rose using punches by Punch Bunch and Shimmerz spritz miniz. You will leave with a wonderful box for a Valentine Gift. It's the perfect size for a gift card, candies, and many other goodies.

Supplies to bring to class:
12" paper trimmer
Your favorite paper adhesive
liquid glue - preferrably Scotch or Tombo liquid
scissors
Dry embossing tools
tweezers
Mouse pad

Junior Scrapper's Club - January
Ages 8 and up
Instructor: Paula Phillips
Saturday, January 9th from 10:15 to 12:15
Cost $20
This month our pages will feature Snow and Christmas themes. We will make a 2 page layout using blue and purple papers with some adorable Bo Bunny stickers, and make some fun Maya Road chipboard snowflakes that we will paint and use stickles to decorate. We will then make a beautiful Christmas 2 page layout using papers and stickers from the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses paper line. We are sure to have fun and learn some great new techniques as well.

That's all the news I have for now. Have a great week!
~til nex time,
Paula

Our New Year's Gracie

2010-01-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a fabulous trip to Kansas and Oklahoma to visit my family and we had a great time!! We saw a LOT of snow and had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. In fact, on New Year's Eve, Kaylee got to ring in the new year with a new puppy of her own . . . Gracie!! She has just lit up the house with her adorable personality and super sweet face. I just hope our other 2 furry babies will like her also. Miss Joni was so great to take care of them while we were gone and I'm going to pick them up a little later to introduce them to the new puppy. Here's hoping it all goes well - hehe. Well, without further adiou, here's a photo of Kaylee's new baby.

She's a whopping 1 1/2 pounds right now at 13 weeks old. They said they expect her to be around 5 or 6 pounds full grown. But that could vary a bit.

Well, I have to run now. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and are off to a fabulous New Year!!!
~til next time,
Paula

Putting Up The Tree

2009-12-13T13:06:00.000-08:00

Better late than never - hehe. I guess that's what they say. We have been so busy this season that we are just now getting around to putting up our Christmas tree. My son has been seeing everyone's decorations and asking when/if we are EVER going to put up decorations. Both he and Kaylee are so excited.

Robby's friend, Danny is in town this weekend and they are at the Cowboy's football game - GO COWBOYS!!! I hope they have a great time.

Friday night my neighbor, Risa, went with us to the the Take A Break Crop as well as Kaylee and her friend, Samantha. We had a wonderful time and I'm already looking forward to next month's crop. The food was fabulous and the gift exchange was tons of fun! Thanks so much to Jody and Joni for all their hard work in putting on such a fun crop for all of us.

I had a great couple of classes on Saturday. There were a couple of new girls at my Junior Scrappers Club and they were precious!! I also had a great group at the Saturday Crazy Daisies class! I still have one spot left for Tuesday's class for the metal covered poinsettia frame. If you are interested, contact Cherie at the Scrapper's Boutique (817) -503-0777 and get in on the fun! I have some great classes planned for January and February - so be sure to check in often. I will post the photos of the projects as I complete them. I can tell you that we will be making something to go on the door that uses Ten Seconds Studio metal for Valentine's Day - you won't want to miss it!

That's all that's going on here at the Phillips' household. I hope you all are enjoying the season and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!
~til next time,
Paula

Looking forward to Christmas!

2009-11-30T23:09:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I know it has been a while since my last post and I have no excuses - hehe. I had a wonderful month of November. I had some great weekends with some of my best friends and had a good Thanksgiving. We did, however, have a scare with my Mom's health, but she is doing better now and everything seems to be under control. Thank you to everyone who kept us in your thoughts and prayers during that time.

Kaylee and Zach are doing great and growing so fast! Kaylee is learning to play the recorder at school, and was selected as one of the top 20 out of all of the 4th and 5th graders at her school to be a part of a group that will perform for the EMS ISD administration in a couple of weeks. I am so proud of her and she really seems to enjoy it. She's even talking about being in band when she gets to middle school.

I have some upcoming classes that I will be teaching at the Scrapper's Boutique in December. I'm very excited about them and they are using some hot products - grunge paper and metal!! Below is the information and photos:

We will be having the Junior Scrapper's Club class for ages 8 and up on Saturday, November 12th from 10:15 AM to 12:15 PM. We will be doing a 2 page layout for Thanksgiving with a paper pieced turkey, and a 2 page layout about family. The cost is $20 and students need to bring their basic supplies. I will have photos of the page layouts very soon. :)

Grunge Paper Flower class
Thursday, December 3rd from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Cost: $20
We will be making 3 flowers using grunge paper, distress inks, embossing folders, and more. You will receive patterns for each of these flowers when you take the class. The patterns can be reduced or enlarged to make different size flowers. These flowers are great for decorating baskets, packages, and a lot of other fun stuff!

Students need to bring to class:
* Medium Glue Dots/Zots
* Fast dry liquid glue such as Tombo or Scotch
* Sanding block or sanding tool
* Scissors
* Pencil and eraser
* Craft sheet or mat (for inking)
If you have a Tim Holtz mini fastner stapler, paper piercing tool, and/or a heat tool, bring those to class as well.

December Crazy Daisies Class
Poinsettia Metal Covered Frame
Saturday, December 12th from 1:30 to 3:30 PM AND Tuesday, December 15th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Cost: $25
In this month's Crazy Daisy class, we will be making an embossed metal covered 5" x 7" frame and learning to make the poinsettia flower that goes in the lower corner. We will have so much fun using the Ten Seconds Studio metal sheets to cover the frame and you will be amazed at how simple the gorgeous poinsettia flower is to make! In the upper left corner, we will have ribbons available for you to attach if you'd like and they are a great place to use Thickers to put the year or a name. :) You will have your choice of making either the blue or red frame and you will need to specify which one you'd like when you call to sign up.

The punches for this months class are:
Mega Giant Dahlia Petals      $24.50
Small Sun                             $ 5.50
Medium Big Sky Flake         $ 7.50
That is a total of $37.50 for the 3 great punches we will use, but if you pre-order your punches from Cherie by Saturday, December 5th, you will receive a 20% discount, making the total for all the punches only $30.

Students will need to bring to class:
* Scissors (ones that are ok for cutting thin metal sheets)
* 1/8" Red line tape
* 1/2" Red line tape
* Embossing tools
* Quick drying liquid glue such as Tombo or Scotch
* Tweezers
* Mousepad
* Pencil

I am also a part of a Stampin' Up Stocking Stuffer Workshop that will be at Joni's house this Saturday, December 5th from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. It will be a lot of fun and you can make some great little gifts for teachers, friends, co-workers, etc. If you are interested, send me an e-mail and I will get you more info. I'd love to see you there!

Lastly, tomorrow night, Scrapper's Boutique is having a "Boutique Night" starting at 6:00PM where you can see all the December classes and the new products she has in. She is even having a drawing for everyone who signs up for a class tomorrow night and one lucky winner will get their class FREE!!! Be sure to drop by and see us!

Well, I'd better get some sleep. I have a ton of stuff to do tomorrow to get ready for the Boutique Night. I hope you all have a fabulous week!

~til next time,
Paula

Are you ready for Halloween?

2009-10-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that this weekend is Halloween! It snuck up on me. I still have to pick up some candy for trick or treaters, get teacher's gifts done, and make sure my kids have everything for their costumes - ugh - hehe. I know it will all be worth it though. My kids always have such a good time and we enjoy getting to spend Halloween together as a family. We usually go to one of more of the local church festivals, and they are always nice and have tons of things for the kids to do as well as lots of candy.

I will be having the Haunted House book class tomorrow night at Scrapper's Boutique. There are still a few spots, so if you are interested, just give Cherie a call. I can't wait - this is going to be a run class. I'm also going to the Halloween crop that Cherie is having on Friday night. I know it will be lots of fun and I hope that Nita will be making some super delicious cupcakes for us. They are always a treat!!

I made another card this weekend to post on the Cat's Pajamas blog. I'm hoping that one day, maybe I'll get chosen as the "Swanky Stamper" for the month. But either way - it's fun trying!! Here's my latest card:

Well - I have to run and pick up Kaylee from school. If I don't get to post again before Saturday - everyone have a fun and safe Halloween!!!
~til next time,
Paula

November Crazy Daisies Class

2009-10-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I hope you are enjoying this cooler weather. I'm just glad that the sun came out finally. It's starting to feel like fall and I love it! After I pick up Kaylee today, I'm thinking about taking the kids to a park or something to play for a while. It's just so nice outside.

I have all the info and photos now for the November Crazy Daisies class. It will be held twice. Once on Saturday, November 14th from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM and again on Tuesday, November 17th from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The class is $28 and that will include the project plus a bottle of distress stickles and a package of foam thickers letters. In this class we will learn to make paper leaves that look realistic, as well as pinecones - all from paper and punches. The punches we will use in class are available for pre-order at a 20% discount. In order to receive the discount, you must contact Cherie at Scrapper's Boutique to place your order no later than Saturday, November 7th. (Punch details and prices are listed below.) There will be a set of punches available for class use for anyone who needs them.

Class punch bundle includes:
Small pear punch
Small maple leaf punch
Medium maple leaf punch
Large oak leaf punch
Large fern punch

This class bundle retail price is $39.30. If you pre-order the bundle, the price is $31.44. If you purchased the punches from the October class, then you already have the Large oak leaf punch, so your retail bundle price would be $28.90 - or if pre-ordered, then the price would be $23.12.

Here is the list of what you will need to bring with you to the class:
12" paper trimmer
Liquid glue (preferrably Tombo Mono Multi)
Tape runner or your favorite adhesive
Distressing tools (sanding block or any sanding tools)
Dry embossing tools
Mousepad
Tweezers
Needlenose pliers (if you have them)
Paper Piercing Tool (if you have one)
Chestnut Roan Catseye Chalk inpad (if you have one)
If you already purchased the Large oak leaf punch, be sure to bring it with you.

Space is limited, so be sure to sign up today. :)
I'm off now to go enjoy this great weather. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
~til next time,
Paula

Great Weekend!

2009-10-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

Hello and Happy Monday!

I have to start by telling you how much fun I had this weekend. Lori, my friend from Abilene came to visit and take my Crazy Daisies class on Saturday. She drove in on Friday night and stayed until Sunday. We had a blast. The class was so much fun and I enjoyed getting to know the wonderful ladies that took the class. After the class, Lori and I went back to my house. (Hubby was in Mexico fishing, so we had to relieve the babysitter - hehe.) Cindy came over and we just talked and scrapped the night away. We ordered pizza and had super yummy cupcakes that I ordered from Nita, Cherie's Mom. We were celebrating Lori's birthday. Cindy and I went together to buy Lori the punches that were used in the class for her birthday gift. I made some flowers and put them on the package instead of a bow. I thought it turned out pretty cute. I took some photos to show you. Robby came home Saturday night, so Sunday Lori and I got to go run around the town for the day. It was a great weekend and I can't wait until we can do it again!

Last week I finished some more cards for the blog contests at The Cat's Pajamas. She has some fun challenges. Here are the cards that I entered:

For anyone who might still be interested in taking the Crazy Daisies class at the Scrapper's Boutique, there is another one this Tuesday evening, October 20th, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. There are some spots still available - just give Cherie a call to sign up. :) I also still have some spaces available for the Haunted House Halloween Book Class on October 27th from 6:30 to 9:00 PM.

That's all the news I have for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
~til next time,

Paula

Happy Columbus Day!

2009-10-12T22:17:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

I hope you all had a wonderful Columbus Day. The kiddos were out of school today and we went to pick up some Nestabilities that were on sale at Hobby Lobby, then we went to McDonald's to eat. Zachary was looking forward to playing in the playplace, but as soon as he went to play, several older kids came in and started rough housing in the play structure. I'm going to sound off now -hehe. It just really aggravates me that parents will allow kids (such as these kids) that were probably between 10 and 14 years old to go into playplaces that are obviously made for younger children, especially when there are little kids trying to play. There were even a set of rules posted with age requirements and these kids were much older than the allowed ages. It was just so disappointing to Zachary, so then we went to the park, and he and Kaylee played for a while. They had fun, it was just starting to rain and so humid, so they didn't get to play long. All in all though, we had a good day.

I also had the privilege today of voting for the Super Scrappers contest at Daisy Trail. There were so many fabulous entries and it was so hard. I can't wait to see who the final winner will be.

After I got the kids to bed, I took photographs for you of the purse that I made. This is the one I was mentioning in the previous posts, and the one that Tim Holtz signed. :) It uses a lot of grunge paper with alchol inks and distress inks as well as rock candy and stickles. On the wings, I painted the pieces with white acrylic paint, then put them through the cuttlebug embossing folder. Then I rubbed metallic gold paint over the whole piece with my finger making sure to get it into the grooves. I used my finger so the metallic paint would be thin. Once the paint dried, I sanded the raised embossed parts and painted the entire piece with rock candy distress crackle paint. Then I painted over the raised embossed parts with star dust stickles. Once it all dries, you get this fabulous effect.

I have also entered a card contest at The Cat's Pajamas. They are another fabulous company that I was able to take classes from at the trade show. I was able to meet Alma, the owner, as well as her friend, Kim, from My Favorite Things. They are such nice ladies and they both are fabulous artists. On my card I used one of the word stamps to make the background paper, "Let's Eat" and I used the 3D glue dots to make the hat and food "pop" off the page. The other papers are Bazzil cardstock and Cosmo Cricket's fall line. Here is my card that I entered:

That's all I have for today. Have a wonderful evening!
~til next time,
Paula

Fun, Fun, Fun

2009-10-07T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I am so excited to tell you about my wonderful weekend at the trade show in Houston, TX. Over the course of 2 days, I took 10 classes, 1 workshop, went to a Product Lightning Round and a sample making frenzy. I was so tired when I got back, it took me 2 days to recover - lol. Seriously though, I have so many ideas swimming around in my head for classes that I want to teach and projects that I want to share. I'm just going to have to write them all down and tackle one at a time, so be watching because I'll be sharing them here as I get them done.

At the trade show, I wasn't able to take a Tim Holtz class afterall. I was so disappointed. I had made a notebook and even a purse using tons of his products and was so wanting to have the opportunity to show them to him, but it all worked out in the end - keep reading - hehe. At the end of the first day, I was finishing a workshop, and in true Paula fashion, I was one of the very last ones finishing up. Well, the next thing I know, someone next to me said "There's Tim". The owner of the Collins Group was also named Tim, so I just thought that's who they were talking about. Next thing I know - I turn and see Tim Holtz. He had a class the next morning in that room, so he was there to set up. The sweet lady next to me had commented on liking my notebook and purse and I had told her my saga. So - when we saw Tim, she said "Now's your chance", but I was frozen. I told her "What do I do? I can't just go up there and say - hey look what I made" - rofl!! So she yelled for him to come over and told him that he had to look at my things I had made. I was so excited and embarrased all at the same time. He was soo nice and took several minutes looking at everything and talking with me. He even ended up signing my notebook AND my purse!! I'll have to post a photo of the purse later so you can see. Anyway, it's funny how things work out. Even though I would have loved to be in one of his classes, I was so thankful for that chance meeting.

One of the other classes that I was able to take was a BoBunny word book class. I haven't finished it yet, but I'll post it when it's complete. It was so interesting. They told us all sorts of fun facts like where Bo Bunny got it's name. Matthew's Mom is the one who started the company, and at the time, she was into making stuffed bunnies and one of the ones she made was named "Bo" -so when she took some papers to stores to see if they would carry them, they asked her about the name of her company, and so she just said "Bo Bunny". One of the paper lines was even named after Matthew's daughter. Again, I was one of the last to leave, and Sharon and Cherie had come in to help me pack up, when we got this photo op.

Hopefully I'm getting my energy back now because I have so much I want to do. Today I completed the "actual" class sample for the October Flower class. Since the flower classes will be monthly, I wanted to have a fun name for the group, so I'm calling it the "Crazy Daisies". In this class we will learn to make the Mums and Leaf shown on the sample. We will be using a paper from the new Indian Summer collection by Basic Grey. If you are interested in taking the class, be sure to call Cherie at the shop very soon to sign up. The Saturday class is already almost 1/2 full and we just opened it up for registrations today. Here is the info and the photo of the sample. **Be sure to check out the supply list if you are coming to the class. You will need to bring some things that are different from the normal supplies.**

Crazy Daisies - Mum Canvas Class   $25
Saturday, October 17th    10:15 AM to 1:15 PM
Tuesday, October 20th     6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
This class will be packed with techniques and fun flower making. We will distress an 8 x 10 canvas, which is provided, grunge a photo, learn basics of flower making and much more. You will also be able to pre-order the punches that we will be using in the class when you sign up at a 20% discount. The discount is for pre-orders only. There are 4 punches that we will be using; 1 giant, 2 large, and 1 small. The retail price for all 4 is $42.70, but with the pre-order discount, it is only $34.16. Pre-orders MUST be in by this Saturday so that we can have them in time for the classes. If you choose not to pre-order, you can still order the punches from Cherie at any time, but it will be at retail price. I will have a set of the punches available at the class to share with anyone who does not have the punches.
Supplies you need to bring with you:
A mousepad
Dry embossing tools (the ones used with metal embossing templates)
Tweezers
Liquid Glue (such as Tombo Multi liquid glue or the Scotch liquid glue - Cherie carries both)
Mini dimensional dots (aka - pop dots)
Tape runner or favorite adhesive for photos
12" paper trimmer
Sanding tool
Chestnut Roan Chalk Catseye inkpad (if you have one)
1 vertical 4" x 6" photo or 2 horizontal wallet photos
** Be sure to bring photo(s) that you don't mind grunging up and I would advise wearing clothing that you don't mind getting dirty. :) You might also want to bring a snack. This class will take the full 3 hours. **

I hope to get to see you at one of the classes!!
~til next time,
Paula

Whirlwind Week

2009-09-30T16:35:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting. When I got back from my super fun weekend at Lori's, I was exhausted and I've had so much to do to prepare for leaving tomorrow, when I'm going to a scrapbook trade show for the Scrapper's Boutique. I did have a wonderful time though! We spent a lot of time in Abilene and had a blast shopping, looking at silly cards, and eating at some wonderful restaurants. If you are ever in Abilene, you have to check out the Beehive! Not only was the food fabulous, the owners were so much fun! They told us jokes, and just made it such a fun experience.

Then, Monday night, I was able to go to the Cowboy's football game in the new stadium!!!!! It was awesome! Robby had tickets given to him by a company he works with and we were on around the 20 yard line about 12 or so rows up from the field. I just can't even begin to tell you how fabulous the stadium is! You just can't fathom it until you see it for yourself. While we were there, the big screens in the stadium received the record from Guiness - that was super cool!! I felt like we were a part of history. I was there for the first Monday night game in the new stadium, the first win, and when they were inducted into the Guiness record book. I took over 200 pictures and once they are downloaded, I'll have to share some of them with you. With my zoom, it was like I was on the field with them - it was so fantastic! Added bonus - they won - rofl! Whoo hoo - Go Cowboys!!

Well - I have to run now. I still have a lot to do to get ready to leave tomorrow. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!! I should have lots for you next week. :)
~til next time,
Paula

Upcoming Class Sample Photos

2009-09-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

Hello and Happy Thursday! I have to just tell you that I am LOVING this cooler weather. Especially since it has stopped raining. My kids are able to go play outside and it's just so nice!

Today I went to the Scrapper's Boutique and took photos of my class samples so that I can show them to you. The photos and class info are below:

(I don't have all the info or photos for the Mum Flower Canvas Class yet - but I do know that I will be having 2 of these classes. One on Saturday, October 17th from 10:15AM to 1:15PM, and one on Tuesday evening, October 20th, from 6:00 to 9:00PM. I am just waiting on the punches to be delivered so that I can create the "actual" class sample. You can see a very similar example of what we will be making at the shop. If you are interested and would like to have first chance at signing up, please contact Cherie to have her add your name to the list. Everyone who takes the class will have the opportunity to pre-order the punches used in that class at a 20% discount. That way you will have your very own puches to use at the class and take home with you. Only pre-orders will be eligible for the discount.)

Junior Scrappers Club – Class 2 (Monthly class) $20
Adults and Ages 8 and up
Saturday, October 10th, 10:15AM to 12:15 PM

This month we will be decorating the cover of our albums. We will also be making a 2 page layout. The layout theme is great for any type of photos. You could use sports photos, photos of friends, or anything you would like. If you missed the first class, but would still like to join - please feel free to sign up. You can either just pick up where we are, or I can try to get together kits for you from the first class.

Photos you will need to bring:
One 5x7 horizontal photo for the cover of your album
Two 4x6 photos for the 2 page layout

Students need to bring the following supplies:
12” paper trimmer
Ruler
Pencil with eraser
Tape runner or your favorite adhesive
Black pen
Pen to coordinate with the colors on your album cover
All supplies that you purchased as part of your starter kit (album, 2 yards of ribbon, cardstock, printed paper, thicker sticker letters, and page refills)

Trick or Treat Tag Book $18
Adults and Ages 8 and up
Tuesday, October 13th, 6:30 to 8:30 PM

Come join in on the fun with this adorable fold up tag book. This is a great way to send photos of your children in their Halloween costumes to family members or as a keepsake for yourself. We will be using the Doodlebug “Trick or Treat” papers and stickers while we learn to make this mini book from cardstock. This would be a great "Mom and Me" project. Don’t miss this fun and affordable class!

Students will need to bring to the class:
12” paper trimmer
Scissors
Tape runner or favorite adhesive
1/8” wide tacky tape
Ruler
Bone Folder (if you have one)

Be sure you don't forget about the Haunted House Chipboard Album Class. The photos are in a previous post. It is a great album packed full of stuff and techniques. We will be using grunge paper, acrylic sheets, rub-ons, felt stickers, and much more. It is on Tuesday evening, October 27th from 6:30 to 9:00 PM and is $35. This includes everything except your basics and adhesives (see list below for adhesives and things you would need to bring.)

I also would like to share a project with you that I did using the left over papers and other stuff from my stash for a contest. It is a recycled box project, and I used an old NutriGrain Bar box to make this purse. This was a lot of fun. The contest is for a site called Creatively Green - here is the link: http://creativelygreen.ning.com/
The contest is under the Challenges section. The deadline isn't until October 10th - so feel free to make something and join in the fun! Here's my project:

I probably won't be able to blog again until I get back from my trip this weekend. I'm so excited. I ordered cupcakes from Nita King, Cherie's Mom, to take with us. Ever since I ate one of her cupcakes at a crop at Scrapper's Boutique - I have been hooked. They seriously are the best cupcakes I have ever eaten in my life!! So - I just had to order some to take with me. I hope that you all have a very fun weekend and I'll blog all about mine when I get back!!

~til next time,
Paula

Day at the computer

2009-09-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I spent a busy day at the computer today working on a new kit for Memory Mixer. It is a Halloween one called "Boo To You". Hopefully they will have it up on the site soon. Here is a preview for you to get a sneak peek - hehe.

I also had good news today about the punch order for my upcoming flower classes. After a few bumps in the road - we finally got the account set up and the order placed. I went and picked up the canvases today and as soon as the punches come in, I'll be making the "offical" sample for the October Mum flower class. The dates are set for the flower classes. They are Saturday, October 17th from 10:15 AM to 1:15 PM, and Tuesday evening, October 20th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. I will have a price for the class after I have the sample completed. We will also be offering pre-ordering for the punches in addition to the class fee. That way you could have your very own punches to use at the class and get to take them home to play with more! I do want to point out that you don't have to own the punches to take the class. I will have a set for those who don't own them to use and share for the project, but I think once you see what you can do with them, you'll be wanting your own set for home. The best news is . . if you pre-order the punches that we will be using in the class, you will get them for 20% off!! The discount will only apply to pre-orders, but what a great deal! I will have more details for you later on these classes, but wanted to go ahead and share what I do know so that you can start getting prepared. Cherie has an example of the October class in the shop now, but with these new punches, the "official" one will be even prettier! I will be sure to get a photo for you once I complete it next week. I can't wait!!!! These will be a series of classes and each month we'll be making different flowers and leaves, and each month you'll be able to pre-order those punches at the 20% discount. I just think it's a great way to learn and build your punch stash at the same time so that you can do other projects with the skills you will learn. About my other classes, I'll be going to the Scrapper's Boutique tomorrow to drop off my Haunted House book sample and to take photos for you of the other class samples. So be sure to check back to see those. :)

Other than that, we just watched Dancing with the Stars, and then I watched a few of the new shows after that. Not sure that any of those will be something I'll be hooked on - but right now I love Dancing with the Stars and Biggest Loser. I'm also eagerly awaiting the new American Idol season.

Okies - I'd better go. I'm trying to do better about getting to bed at a decent hour so I'm not dragging all day every day. I hope you have a wonderful night and great morning!!

~til next time,

Paula

Lots of new stuff

2009-09-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! I hope you are having a great new week so far! This past weekend I was hard at work on some class samples for my October classes and I can't wait to show them to you. I left some of the projects at the shop, so I'll have to go back and get photos and post them later (silly me forgot to take my camera - hehe). But - I do have photos for you of the Haunted House Mini Album - see below. It is using the Little Yellow Bicycle house book as well as embellishments from them, K i Memories, and Queen and Co. Space is limited, so if you are interested, be sure to call and sign up asap. :) I hope to see you there!

Haunted House Mini Album Class
At the Scrappers Boutique in NRH, TX. 817-503-0777
Tuesday, October 27th from 6:30 to 9:00 PM.
The cost is $35

You will need to bring:
12" paper trimmer
Scissors
Small xyron (preferred) or liquid glue/diamond glaze/glossy accents
Pop dots - both small and large ones
Tape runner or favorite adhesive and a refill
Ruler

Bone Folder (if you have one)

Crop A Dile (if you have one)

Tweezers (if you have them)

On the digital front, I have a new kit to be released soon at both Memory Mixer and Daisy Trail. It is "Among Friends" and is one that I had done in the past as a collab kit, but I took my part of the collab and added to it to make my very own new kit with it. I even added an alpha - hehe :)

I'm looking forward to getting to go visit my dear friend, Lori this weekend in Abilene. She moved over a year ago and I have not been able to get away to go see her new place and I am so excited! She has a fun weekend all planned for us. I'll have to share all about it when I get back.

On a totally different subject, I had an idea this weekend that I thought would be fun for my blog. During the course of making several of my projects, some silly things happened to me, and I joked about them. Then it hit me - Jeff Foxworthy has his "You might be a redneck if . . ." things. These would be funny "You might be a scrapaholic if. . ." things!! So - when things like this happen - I'm gonna have to share with you - hehe!! If you have some - please leave a comment with your "You might be a scrapaholic if" experiences. I'd love to hear them! Ok - so here goes:

If every pair of jeans you own (even your best ones) have ink stains on the thighs, you might be a scrapaholic.

If you go to pay for your scrapbooking purchase and pull out googly eyes instead of coins, you might be a scrapaholic.

If your skin has a glittery shine to it, and it's not from your body lotion, you might be a scrapaholic.

If you almost pee yourself because you have to get that one last thing done on the page before you can get up and go to the bathroom, you might be a scrapaholic. (I DID say ALMOST - rofl!!!)

Hopefully you are smiling now!! Have a wonderful rest of the day and . . .

~til next time,

Paula

Crop Tonight - whoo hoo!!!

2009-09-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!! I've had a pretty good week and I hope you all have too. :) I've completed some projects for classes and some for Cherie to display in her shop and I can't wait to share them with you. I'm planning to take photographs tonight and put them up for you all to see this weekend. I've also been working on a project for a contest I saw for a recycled Halloween box. I'll be sure to post that one too when I can.

We had Zachary's 5th birthday party on Wednesday and boy did he have a good time!! We got a Spongebob cake, cups, plates, and napkins, all of which he just loved. I was so tickled with him because when he woke up, I told him "Happy Birthday!" and he looked around and then asked me "Where are my decorations?". Last summer, Kaylee had some of her girlfriends over for her birthday, and we decorated her room - so he just thought that was the norm and wanted to know why I didn't have that done for him. It was so funny and cute - but he sure knows how to put me on a guilt trip!! So I took him out to lunch and then we went to buy balloons and decorations and we decorated the dining room for him. After dinner, we had the "party" and he was so excited he couldn't even sit still. There were only 2 things he had asked for, a zhu zhu hamster and a frog funkey, and of course, they weren't available in any stores yet, so I went shopping on ebay. What a beating!! Those auctions had me so nervous I could just feel my blood pressure rising. I was feeling like, don't they know I HAVE to have these for my son's birthday - hehe! Anyway - I was able to get a lot of hamster stuff for him and Kaylee and got him his frog funkey and even another one too. I guess I did good because he is still telling me thank you several times a day for his gifts. That makes it all soooo worth it to see his little smile and know how happy it made him!

On a different note, I'm very excited about getting to crop tonight. I'm going to be getting a new Halloween book to make into a class sample tonight and I'm very excited about it. Plus - it's always fun to get together with my friends and have some adult ladies time - hehe.

Well - I have a "5 year old" (as he now keeps pointing out to me since his b-day) begging for me to get him out of his bath, so I'd better run. I hope you all have a very fun and productive weekend and I'll post photos as soon as I can!!
~til next time,
Paula

It's STILL raining!!

2009-09-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone!! It's dreary and still raining here! It has rained non-stop since Friday. I know we need it, but I'm beginning to wonder if we need to start building an ark - hehe.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! The rain didn't dampen my fun weekend. Friday night I got to crop with some of my dear friends at the Take A Break Friday night crop hosted by Joni and Jody. It's always a good time and I take Kaylee with me to that one. I have to tell you the funny saga of us getting there. It was POURING rain and we had no adhesive, so we had to stop at Michaels. When we got out of the car, the water was over my ankles in the parking lot - and I had worn flip flops - brilliant, huh . . .NOT -rofl !!! I went running for the door and about 1/2 way there, lost one of my flip flops and had to run back and get it. Then by the time I got in the store, I was just dripping. We just stood there on the mat for a bit trying to stop dripping. It was sooo funny looking back on it - not such much at the time - hehe. Anyway - then one of the roads to the crop was flooded, but we eventually got there via a back road. After we dried off, I started working on a project for a class that I'm hoping to do in October. Kaylee worked on some tags. Despite everything - it was a fun evening. Then Saturday, I got to go to my friend, Cindy's house and help her work on a Halloween mini album for her son's class basket to be raffled off. She was doing such a great job on it and really didn't need any help from me - so I worked on finishing my class project. We did a bit of shopping too. Friday night, Pam Frasier told me about a fantastic sander you can get at Home Depot for distressing, so, of course, I had to go get one. When we went back to Cindy's and told her hubby that we bought scrapbook supplies at Home Depot - he told us that we had just ruined that store for him and now he would have to shop at Lowe's - rofl!! He cracks me up!

This weekend I also straightened up my work area a little, and since over the past months, several people have asked me to show them my work space, I took some photos for you. :) I'm especially happy with the ribbon and button containers. I love those by Making Memories. The fact that they are plastic and still look like glass is awesome!!!

Last, but not least - THE COWBOYS WON!!! whoo hoo!! Let's keep it going guys!!

I hope you all have a great start to the new week and . . .

~til next time,

Paula

Season Opener - GO COWBOYS!!

2009-09-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time again - football season! Hubby is already downstairs watching the pre-game. I'm getting ready to go fix the "football food" - hehe. We will be having chili, rotel cheese dip with chips, and then the kids asked for a cake. So - I'm off to cook, then hopefully will get to sit and watch some of the game (while working on some project). I can't sit still without my hands being busy. I hope you all have a wonderful Football Sunday and GO COWBOYS!!!!

~til next time,
Paula

Grunge Paper Flower Madness!!!

2009-09-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I hope you are having a great day and staying dry. It's very wet and humid here, but the rain is bringing lower temps, so I guess that will be good. I'm so ready for fall!! I'm looking forward to spending a little more time outside without baking from the heat - hehe.

I wanted to share some photos of the grunge paper flowers that I had made for Cherie to display at her shop. They are a lot of fun to make, but sure can be messy as you will see in the photo. At least I kept it mainly on my fingers, but it never hurts to wear a multi colored shirt so it's less noticeable - just in case - rofl!!

Thanks for looking!!

~til next time,

Paula

My Distress Notebook for my trip to Houston :)

2009-09-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! I am so excited about going to the trade show with Cherie and some of the other teachers from Scrappers Boutique - and getting to take a class from Tim Holtz!!!! I have just discovered some of his video tutorials on his site and have just been in awe of what all you can do with his products!! I'm dying to try them all!! Anyway - when I go to the trade show, I wanted to have a notebook to keep my itinerary and notes from the classes - and I can't take a "plain" notebook into a Tim Holtz class - rofl!!! So - I made one and I wanted to share it with you. It has a lot of stuff on there including a little mini album on the cover, a folder with a pull out page inside, and even a grungepaper rose. I had so much fun making it and I'm thinking about teaching a class to make a notebook similar to this one. If you live near the Scrappers Boutique and would like to see this as a class, please leave me a note letting me know. :)

Here it is with the mini book opened:

Thanks for checking out my project!! I hope to have more to show you soon!

~til next time,

Paula

Fun Classes and Crop

2009-09-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

It's Labor Day weekend, and we aren't really doing much, but I had a great day yesterday. The first Junior Scrappers Club class went great and I was so happy to see how creative the boys and girls were. I love that they aren't afraid to let their creativity show through. Even though they all did basically the same layouts - they all turned out looking different and fabulous. I am looking forward to the next class already! If you have someone that is still interested, you can still sign up. It's not too late. The next class is October 10th from 10:00 AM to Noon and we'll be decorating the cover of our albums and doing 2 more pages.

The Intro To Cards Class was a lot of fun too. Everyone did a wonderful job on their cards and we laughed and just had an all around great time.

Then I stayed and cropped and just really enjoyed having an entire day to spend visiting, laughing, and being creative. I have to brag on Robby now. :) He really started my day off great when he surprised me by having all of my bags of supplies loaded into my Jeep when I came downstairs to leave.

Today, Kaylee and I worked together to make some more items for her shelf at the Scrappers Boutique. I don't know if I've mentioned it yet or not, but Kaylee is saving up to be able to buy her very own toy poodle. She wants a dog of her own so badly, and she made an agreement with Robby that if she saved the money to buy the dog and pay for the stuff it needed as well as the puppy shots, that she could get one. So she saved all of her money from her birthday earlier this summer, and has rented a shelf at Cherie's shop to sell paper piecings and little gifts. She's almost 1/3 of the way to having the money she needs. I'm very proud of her for sticking with it and working hard to keep the shelf stocked with things to sell. She makes pretty much everything herself, but sometimes we enjoy working on them together, like we did today. We're working on some new things for gift giving around the holidays, so if you go by the shop, be sure to check out her creations. :)

On a different note, I want to thank everyone for their well wishes and prayers for our dog, Hercules. He's doing well on the medications. Even the vet was surprised by how well he was doing given the condition of his heart and all. We're just very thankful and making sure to enjoy every minute that we have with him.

I'm off to bed now. I hope you all have a fun and safe Labor Day!!
~til next time,
Paula

Oh So Fun Saturday and Upcoming Classes

2009-09-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!! I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend and start to the new week! I have to tell you about my awesome Saturday! I got to spend the whole day doing scrapbooking stuff and it was soooo much fun!! I got to attend 2 fabulous classes on Copic Markers (and let me tell you - I am HOOKED!!!). Then I went for a little shopping while I waited for my spot in the crop room to open up - then I went back and cropped the night away with some of my wonderful friends!! We had so much fun and laughed so hard that at one point, I had to get up and walk so that I could stop laughing long enough to breathe. It really was a great day and thank you to everyone who was a part of it - I really needed those laughs!!! :)

More good news - today Zachary started his last year of Pre-K and he had a wonderful day. There were no fits or tears when I dropped him off, which was a nice surprise, and he was full of energy telling me about all the fun things he did during the day. Then, since Robby had taken the day off, after we picked up the kids, we went out in the boat and let them fish for perch. Zachary got a few bites, but never caught one, and after about 5 casts, he was ready to just play with the worms. Then Kaylee and Robby fished and I helped Kaylee when she got her line tangled. (No - I didn't touch the worms or fish - just the line and bobber - rofl!!!) It was really nice to get away as a family and see everyone having a good time. I also have to say that Kaylee is turning out to be quite the fisher woman. She was casting so well and really knew what she was doing. Robby has taught her well. :)

Before I go to finish watching America's Got Talent, I want to tell you all about the 2 classes that I'm teaching this weekend at the Scrappers Boutique. They both have a few spots left, so if you are interested, be sure to call and reserve your spot. The first is Saturday from 10:00 to Noon and it is the Junior Scrappers Club for kids 8 and up. You can see more details on my flyer on the right. The second is also Saturday, from 1:30 to 3:30 PM and it is the Intro To Cards class where I will be teaching 4 different folding techniques for the A2 card size. Experienced card makers are welcome too - we will have a lot of fun and be using some fun papers and elements. I hope to see you there!

~til next time,
Paula

PS - Be on the lookout for photos that will be coming from some projects I was working on last weekend. One has turned into an upcoming class!!! :)

New Project For You!!

2009-08-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Below is a mini book that I designed that I thought I would share with you It's great for pool/beach photos, or just summer photos in general. I love the look of Cosmo Cricket's papers. They really have a "Fun" summer look to them. This book will hold six 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" photos.

For supplies you will need:

*1 sheet each of Cosmo Cricket Snorkel Papers in the following 3 prints:
Umbrellas, School's Out, and Carbonation
*1 sheet each of Cardstock in coordinating shades of green, blue, red, and yellow
* 1 yard of 3/8" wide yellow ribbon with white dots
* 2" tall stencil letters
* Circle punches 2", 1 3/8", 1", 3/4"
*Scallop Edge punch
* 1 3/8" scallop square punch or similar
* Photo Corner Punch
* Small and large tag punch
*Wavy edge ruler (or you can hand draw the waves)
*Chipboard arrow to trace or you can again draw one
*Crop A Dile or hole punch
*Stapler (I used the Tiny Attacher by Tim Holtz - it is great for ribbons!)
* 12" paper trimmer
* Your favorite adhesive

Start by cutting a 6" x 12" piece of both the blue and green cardstock. Score in half of the 12" side and fold to make them each 6" x 6". These make the pages of the book. The green is the outside cover and the blue is the inside pages. Next cut four 4" x 4" squares from the yellow cardstock and two 4" x 4" squares from the red cardstock. These will be your photo mats.

For the cover, on the front right edge of the green cardstock, punch a scalloped edge. Next, cut the letters from the Carbonation paper using the letter stencils. Use the 2" punch to punch out 5 circles from the Umbrellas paper. Some can be partial circles so they go off the page. Glue everything onto cover.

For Pages 1 & 2, Cut a 1" x 12" strip from the Carbonation Paper. Trace and cut out the arrow, then punch 2 scalloped squares from the Umbrellas paper. Cut the squares in half to make triangles. Use 2 of your 4" x 4" yellow cardstock squares and glue in place as shown.

For Pages 3 & 4, Cut a 3/4" x 12" strip from the umbrellas paper. We will use the back of the paper for the journal strips. Cut the 12" length into 3 pieces: 4", 4 1/2", and 3". Punch varying sizes of circles from the Umbrellas and Carbonation papers. Use 2 of the 4" x 4" red cardstock squares and glue in place as shown.

For pages 5 & 6, Use the wavy ruler (or just draw a wave) onto a 12" strip of the School's Out paper. The strip should be approx. 1 1/2" tall at the top of the waves. Cut into 2 strips that are each 6" long. Punch 2 photo corners from the Carbonation paper. Use the last two 4" x 4" yellow cardstock squares and glue in place as shown.

On the back cover, punch the small tag from the Umbrellas paper and use the back side to write "Made by, then your name". Punch the larger tag from the Carbonation paper. Glue together and staple a small piece of ribbon to the top. Glue to the back cover.

Holding the book together, open it and punch holes in the center folds 1" down from the top and 1" up from the bottom. Thread the remaining ribbon through and tie in a knot and bow on the outside of the book.

This book was originally designed for a group of children, so it needed to be fairly simple, but feel free to add inked edges, 3D elements, or anything else that you can think of. Don't be afraid to be creative and add your own touch to it.

I hope you enjoyed my first little blog project. I plan to do more as I can. Please let me know what you think and I'd love to see your finished projects. You can e-mail me at paperflowers_paula@yahoo.com.

Have a wonderful day!
~til next time,
Paula

New Blog Layout!!!

2009-08-24T22:41:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone!! How do you like my new blog layout? I am so proud to say that I did it all myself!!! Those of you who know me, know that I am scared to try anything new on my computer without someone walking me through it because I'm so afraid of messing something up, but I swallowed my fear and went for it - and this was the result. I'd love to hear what you think of it. I think it is easier to read just because it is wider so you don't have to scroll down so much and I made the font a little larger also. I used my Summer Sunrise kit to make the header and I just had a good time figuring it all out and doing it, and I had to share with you my excitement.

On another exciting note, since I am an instructor/teacher at Scrapper's Boutique, I'm getting the priviledge of going to a trade show with Cherie and a few of the other instructors/teachers in October! I'm signed up to take some very awesome classes and will be bringing back all that knowledge to teach new classes at the store in the fall!! I just can't wait! I even got in on one of Tim Holtz's classes - whoo hoo!!! It will be my first time to take one of his classes and meet him and I'm just majorly thrilled.

In the meantime, I'm working on a new class for the store that has to do with flowers and I think you all will love it - so be on the lookout! I really think this will be a popular class! I am also having the 1st Junior Scrappers Club class/meeting on September 5th at 10:00 AM and the Intro To Cards on September 5th from 1:30 to 3:30. Another one that was popular was the Snorkel Mini Album and so we have added a second class for it on Thrusday night, September 10th from 6:30 to 8:30. Be sure to sign up for some of mine, or any other of the wonderful classes at the store.

Okies - well I'd better get to bed so I can actually get up in the morning. I think I'm having as much trouble getting back into the school routine as the kids are. And I have to take Hercules to the vet in the morning, so I hope that we will get some good news. Have a good nite and . . .
~til next time,
Paula

Wonderful Saturday!!

2009-08-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

I had such a wonderful time at the Crop For The Cure event on Saturday. It is going to help sponsor team A New Day and they did a fabulous job with putting on the event! I wish them the very best with their fundraising and walking. We had 2 delicious meals catered in (which by the way were also donated - thanks to those generous restaurants) and I got to see and talk to so many people that I have not seen in a long time. I really had a blast. I got to sit with Bobbie and Jody, and Joni got to stop by our table once in a while. I worked with my Copic markers (even tho I don't take the class until this coming Saturday) I wanted to play anyway. I think I got to where I was doing pretty good - but I definitely need that class - hehe - and I'm looking forward to it.

Kaylee started school today and I can't wait to pick her up to see how it went. She was a little nervous because she didn't know hardly any of the kids in her class and all of her really good friends she had made over the past years were all in other classes. I know that she is a sweet girl and will make new friends, but trying to convince her of that is a whole other issue -so we'll see how it went in a little while. :) Zachary was so funny today. He went with me to drop Kaylee off this morning, but later in the afternoon, he kept running through the house and then asked me if Kaylee was hiding in her room. He was so upset that he couldn't find her and I had to remind him that she was at school. I think he really misses her. He will start school next week and then we can all start getting back into the routine.

That's about all I know for now. Take care and have a wonderful day!
~til next time,
Paula

Can't Wait For Tomorrow Morning!!

2009-08-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

Or I guess I should say this morning - hehe! Yes - it's after midnight and I'm supposed to get up at 6:30 AM to get ready for my big scrapbook day - Crop For The Cure!! I'm just so excited I can't sleep. I already have everything packed up and by the door ready for Miss Bobbie to pick me up. I know it is going to be super fun! I'm getting to sit with Bobbie, Joni, Jody, Rose, and I know I'll see a lot of other people that I haven't seen in a long time. I just can't wait - it's almost like I'm a kid at Christmas!

Also - I made a page "About Me" for Cherie to display since I'm one of her teachers for Scrappers Boutique and I can't wait to hear the feedback on it. I worked on it for about 5 hours and did more 3D stuff than I think I've ever done on a page layout - but I LOVED making it! I'll have to take a photo of it to post for you so that those of you who can't attend can see it and tell me what you think. :)

Ok - well - I'm going to try to get a few hours of sleep!! I'll be sure to tell you all about it when I get back! You all have a wonderful weekend too! ((HUGS))
~til next time,
Paula

Last week of summer for the kids

2009-08-17T23:38:00.000-07:00

Well - it's the last week before Kaylee starts school and then Zachary starts the week after that. We have started working on getting back into the bedtime routine and are planning to have lunch with Robby at his new office before the end of the summer.

I have been working on my samples for my next classes at the Scrappers Boutique and I'm soo excited about them.

I am starting a Junior Scrappers Club for kids 8 and up. We will be meeting once a month on a Saturday morning, and I will be teaching them how to scrapbook on their own while they are creating memories of their school year. The cost will be $20 per month and there is a one time starter kit that is about $30 (which includes the album, refill pages, etc.). We will be making about 4 pages at each class. The first class is September 5th from 10:00 am to Noon. I have the sample of the cover and the first 4 pages at the shop now, so be sure to stop by and check it out!

Also on September 5th is the Intro To Cards Class 1. It is from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM. We will be making 4 cards in the A2 size using 4 different folding techniques. We are using the Spread Your Wings papers by Three Bugs In A Rug. The cost of this class is $20 and I know we will have lots of fun!

I'm hoping to get some photos of the samples up here soon. If you would like more information about any of my classes, feel free to e-mail me or contact Scrappers Boutique at 817-503-0777.

That's all the news I have for you today. I hope you too are enjoying the last week before school!
~til next time,
Paula

P.S. Be on the watch for a paper mini book project that I am planning to post soon! I will have photos and instructions as well as a supply list. Keep checking back. :)

Dealing with it as best I can and class info :)

2009-08-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

Well - no good news in regards to the rings. I'm just going to have to resolve myself to the fact that they are gone and I will not get them back. I never thought rings could be something that I could get so attached to - but they had such a story behind them and meant so much to me. They were sort of like my security blanket and now they are gone. But I'm trying to move past it. All my saddness and worry won't bring them back, so I have to try to get out and concentrate on fun things. Hercules seems to be responding to the medications pretty well. He seems to be breathing easier and is not coughing as much (which should mean that some of the fluid is coming out of the lungs). The medicines will not cure anything, but hopefully will put him out of any pain and give him some more time here with us. Not a day goes by that I don't look at him and think it could be my last day with him and just love on him and cry with him. This is the part of having and loving a dog that is soooo darn hard. Ok - as you can see - I'm still struggling with it, but I'm really trying to move on.

I went to a crop at the church in North Richland Hills sponsored by Jody and Joni. It was a lot of fun and I was able to see and catch up with some friends I had not seen in a while. My daughter, Kaylee went with me and she was making her paper piecings that she sells on a shelf by the register at the Scrapper's Boutique - along with other gift ideas. She also came up with a name for her little business . . . drumroll please . . . . . Kabugg's Krafts . I thought that was very cute and now I need to get her some little business cards made up. :) Tonight she made a paper pieced bear and a card - both of which were some of her best work yet. I'll try to take photos and post them here for you to see.

I worked on my cards for the Intro To Cards class that will be September 5th from 1:30 to 3:30 PM. It is a total of 4 cards. We will be going over sizing of cards/envelopes and different folding techniques. The papers are sure cute with lots of birds and it's going to be a lot of fun!!! I hope you will consider joining us. I've also been hard at work for the start of the "Junior Scrappers Club". This is a club that meets monthly to make layouts and decorate an 8 1/2" x 11" album during the school year. I am very happy with how the cover design turned out as well as the 1st two pages - can't wait for everyone to see it!! I just have to finish the 3rd and 4th pages and then I can show you a photo and the sample will be available to view and the Scrapper's Boutique. The 1st 4 layouts will be the first class and it is also September 5th, but from 10:00AM to 12:00Noon. The 2nd class will be in October and we will be decorating the cover and an additional 2 layouts. Both the Intro To Cards and Junior Scrappers Club Samples should be there by next Tuesday evening.

Tomorrow I'll be at the Scrapper's Boutique to teach the kids Snorkel Board Book Class. Adults are also welcome. I believe there are still a few spots available, so call Cherie at the shop to sign up!! It starts at 1PM.

Well - it's late here and I'd better get to bed. I'll be back soon with some photos for you. I also have a project that I'm working on putting up here on the web special just for my blog readers. It's a mini book that I thought was a cute one - so keep checking back. ;)

Hugs to you all!
~til next time,
Paula

Sad - VERY sad weekend!

2009-08-09T23:27:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Sorry it has been so long. We went on a long road trip to visit all of my family in Oklahoma and Kansas and had a great time.

I have some good news. I will now be teaching classes at the new scrapbook store, Scrapper's Boutique, and am very excited about that. My first class is a mini book class designed for children and adults ages 8 and up. It is an 8" x 8" board book done with the Snorkel papers by Cosmo Cricket. It is this Saturday, August 15th from 1:30 to 3:30 PM. I hope to see some of you signed up. :)

On a sad note, I have decided that I need to close my digital design website, and I will no longer be designing in the digital community. I took the summer off and have just realized everything that I have been missing out on with my family by being so tied to the computer. I will still be designing for Memory Mixer by Lasting Impressions and Daisy Trail by Serif, but won't be on any other sites for now. After August 20th, Paula Phillips Designs will be shut down, and that blog will have to go down also, so I'll be back here to hopefully be a better blogger - hehe.

Now for the awful news. This weekend I had my new wedding rings stolen. I know that they aren't just "lost" cuz I ALWAYS put them in the same spot every time that I take them off and all my rings are placed in a certain order EVERY time (this is just another of my type A things) but when I went to go somewhere the next day, my wedding rings were gone, but nothing else had been disturbed. The other rings were in their exact spot right next to where my wedding rings should have been. There had been a company come into my house to do some work, but I have known them for a long time and just don't want to think that they could have done it. I just can't imagine what happened to them. I have turned the house upside down and they just simply aren't here. They had to have been taken. It's the only scenario that makes sense. I remember putting them in their spot the night before when I arrived home around midnight. My kids have NEVER EVER touched or messed with my jewelry and they both have told me very emphatically that they didn't touch them. Not to mention that I was in my room most of the morning before the workers arrived, and my kids weren't even in there much at all. It just makes me sick. I don't think we'll ever be able to replace them. It was a very original set and the company where we bought them is no longer in business. Not to mention that I had saved and worked like crazy to get the money together to get this new set because my old set had problems and could not be fixed. I don't know if we will ever be able to save enough money to even get something close to replacing them. With the money I saved and trading in my old set - the new set was my 10th anniversary present. I am just heartbroken. Then - it gets even worse. The rings disappeared on Friday, then today (Sunday) I woke up to my older dog Hercules coughing like crazy and having a hard time breathing. We took him to the ER vet and have been told that he is in congestive heart failure with fluid on his lungs and possible kidney failure happening. We have him on medications that hopefully will help him live comfortably a while longer, but his heart has already enlarged and is pushing against his trachea. It's just not good. We may only have a few months left with him and I just don't think I can take any more of my heart being ripped out. I'm trying so hard to not just fall apart, but every time I think of anything, all that can pop into my mind is that my wedding rings with all their meaning to me are gone and now I'm loosing my dear Hercules too. I just ask that you all pray for me and my family right now. I know that we will get through this and I'm praying for the Lord to give me some comfort and help me understand. I know everything is part of his plan, but it's times like this that you just wish you could have a glimpse at that big picture so maybe it wouldn't hurt so bad right now.

Well - I'd better try to get some sleep now. Thanks for listening to my rants. Hopefully next time I post, things will be looking up. I hope you all are well! ((HUGS))
~til next time,
Paula

We saved a turtle!!

2009-05-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

We just had the oddest thing happen to us yesterday and I just had to share it with you. Last night my family decided we would all go for a walk. The weather was so nice and we had walked several blocks and had walked along the street next to the quarry and turned to see a HUGE turtle in the road. It was larger than a basketball and was only moving his head. His shell was cracked on the back and we couldn't tell if he could move or not - but he was a huge snapping turtle - so we didn't dare get too close. My husband decided we would try to help the poor turtle so he went back home to get a big bucket and shovel to put him in so we could take him back to the quarry where we assumed he came from. Well - while my husband was gone, the turtle decided to move - so we did find out he could walk. Really the only thing that appeared wrong with him was the crack in the back of his shell. So me and my kids kept an eye on him until hubby came in the Jeep with a large container and shovel. He gently lifted the turtle up and placed him in the large container. That turtle snapped so hard that I thought he was going to snap the shovel handle in two pieces, but he didn't. There was a huge fence around the quarry and there wasn't a way for us to put him in there without just dumping him over the fence, which could have hurt him badly - plus hubby said the thing weighed prolly 25 to 30 pounds and would have been hard to lift that high anyway. So - we took him to a nearby lake and released him. He seemed so happy to get into the water and be off of that hard concrete street. Then the coolest thing happened - we watched him swim away - then right before we turned to leave - he came back and just popped his head up out of the water and looked at us as if he was thanking us. It really was a cool moment and it felt so good to know that we helped that little guy out!!

I have a few other things going on right now. I am working on some craft projects for a new book by Design Originals. I'm hoping to finish them in the next few days to turn in. I think they are gonna be cute. Then I am also looking for a new digital shop to call home since Digital Candy closed. I have only sent out one application so far - just sent it last night - keeping my fingers crossed. I also have a new kit that I just released called Summer Sunrise and I'll put the preview on the right side for you. It's 25% off in my shop at Paula Phillips Designs through the end of May.

I also just found out about a new scrapbooking store that will be opening in my area - whoo hoo!! I don't know yet what the name of it will be- but it's in my old neighborhood in North Richland Hills and I can't wait for it to open. I also found out that Sharon Cheng, a super Stampin' Up demonstrator and awesome scrapbook instructor will be teaching classes there and I got a sneak peek at 2 of the classes she will be offering and can't wait to sign up!!

Well - that's about all going on right now. Just trying to get through all the end of school activities and plan for my yearly trip to see my family in Oklahoma and Kansas. I hope all of you are having a wonderful start to the new week!!

~til next time,
Paula

I saw a celebrity and FREEBIES!!!

2009-05-03T14:59:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone!!!

Well - the storms have passed - some got pretty bad last night, but other than the practice facility for the Dallas Cowboys, everything else seems to be ok.

I have to tell you about my trip to the mall that ended up being my first time to actually see a celebrity right in front of me!! My husband had won a gift certificate to Dick's Sporting Goods and was wanting to go spend it, so I reluctantly agreed to go to the nearest one with him, which was at NorthEast Mall in North Richland Hills, TX. Anyway - we went up the escalator past some of the clothes (we were headed to the fishing department) when I saw a group of ladies and one of them looked very familiar. I stopped and was glancing back to see who she was - when my husband came back and told me that was Kelly Clarkson!!!! It most definitely was!! She had very little makeup on and her hair pulled back, probably trying not to be noticed, but she was still cute. I kept trying to get my daughter to see if she could get her autograph, but my daughter wouldn't do it - darn it - hehe!! So - we went on to the fishing department and watched her and her friends leave the store. There were several employees standing around watching too - and just to be sure I asked one of them if that was Kelly Clarkson - and they said - Yes it was. :) I couldn't believe it!!! Just had to share - hehe!!

I want to take a minute to tell you to please go check out the forum in my website!! There are some great new challenges in there that I think you will enjoy!! I will be starting a points system too so that you will be earning points towards free kits from me!!! The site addy is:

www.paulaphillipsdesigns.com

Ok - now for the freebies!! I have two of them for you. I have created a 12" x 12" template for you to use, and one of my wonderful CT members, Marisa, has made a 12" x 12" quick page for you with my Spring A Ling kit. I hope you enjoy them!!

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Download Template HERE

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Download Quick Page HERE

Thanks for checking my blog and I hope you all had a wonderful National Scrapbooking Day!!

~til next time,

Paula

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!!

2009-05-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

I am working on a couple of freebies for you, but we are having storms here and our electricity has already gone out once. It has come back on - so I just wanted to write a quick note to let you know that I will be finishing them and putting them up tomorrow. :) I have a quick page from one of my wonderful CT members, Marisa and a new 12" x 12" template!! Be sure to come back tomorrow to grab them!! Now - I'm turning off my computer to make sure that it doesn't get fried from the lightning!! Have a wonderful NSD!!!

~til nex time,
Paula

Sale Started and Freebie!!!

2009-03-31T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all!! My sale has officially started at Digital Candy. All the details are in the post below - but one part of the sale is that you get a Quick Page kit (with 8 Quick Pages in it) with any purchase of my products in April - and now - you can get an extra quick page to add to that collection that is only available here at my blog!!!
Click here to go to My Shoppe At Digital Candy

Download HERE

Special thanks to Barb of my Creative Team for making this beautiful quick page!!
Enjoy and happy shopping!!!

~til next time,
Paula

Busy weekend painting!!

2009-03-29T19:42:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone!! I hope you all have been well. Things are going pretty good here. This weekend we have been painting my Son's room. We painted my daughter's room last weekend and their new furniture it supposed to be delivered on Tuesday -at least part of it - hehe!! They are both sooo excited!! I'm just worn out from preparing - lol. I got more paint on me than I think I did the walls, but it's all done and boy will I be sore tomorrow!! I'm already getting stiff. Ibuprofen will be my best friend I have a feeling.

Tuesday Kaylee gets to go represent her school in the Math UIL contest and I'm so proud of her!! She has been working so hard and no matter how she does in the contest - the fact that she was one of the few that earned a spot in her school to represent them is such an accomplishment!! Just had to have a proud Momma moment and share that with you. :)

On the designing front, I'm getting ready for a big month at Digital Candy!! They are having a sales contest and I'm gonna try my best to win!!! To make it easy for you all to help me out - I have put together some pretty awsome deals for you if you purchase my stuff at Digital Candy in the month of April!! Here's my ad with details - thought I'd give my readers a sneak peek ;)

One other note - the ad is made with a kit that will be released on April 1st also. :) It was a collab that I did with Twin Mom Scraps from Enchanted Studio Scraps. It's one of my favorite kits now and I think you all will really love it!! It will be 25% off at all my stores for the 1st week. I hope to be releasing several new kits this month - some mini's that are a little less expensive and even some new commercial use kits. So be on the lookout and please - PLEASE help me win this contest!!!! (Insert cute little puppy dog face here - hehe)

Also, Faith Sisters is having a designing contest to add some new designers, and man are there some talented ones in there!! The kits that they have done are free downloads - all you have to do is go to the Faith Sisters gallery and download - it's an awesome opportunity to get some great kits for free!! To find the kits - go to http://www.faithsisters.com/ then at the top, click on Project Gallery, then scroll down to the category "Product Design Team Applicants". All of the freebie kits are there. Just click on the ones you like and you should see the download links. :)

Another little advance notice - I will be getting my new blog all set up at my website very soon - hopefully in 2 to 3 weeks, so then I will move it there. I have to tell you - the graphics are soo adorable!! Amanda put it together for me and I love it!! Thanks A!!! I will have a link to the new blog here once the move is done, but just thought I'd keep you all in the loop. :)

Ok - I think that's all the news I have for now. I promise to try my best to be a better blogger and not wait so long between posts - hehe!! Have a wonderful start to a new week!!

Hugs and . . .
~til next time,
Paula

Blog Train Time Again - Whoo hoo!!!

2009-03-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! Sorry it has been so long since my last post - but I'm back and have a wonderful freebie for you that is part of Digital Candy's St. Patrick's Day Blog Train!! Although it is not a St. Patrick's theme, I think you will find it one that is super cute and fun to use - it is outer space themed!! This is an adorable kit so you'll want to get it all!! The download will only be available through the 28th, then the kit will be for sale at Digital Candy - so get it now for free while it's still here!!

One other thing to note - you will want to mark your calendars for April 1st!! There will be more information coming in the next week or two- but I will be having some great things going on at Digital Candy for that month (sale, freebie with purchase, etc.) - you won't want to miss it!!! Be sure to check back for more details!!

For those of you following the train, you just came from Diana's blog:
http://dianasdigitals.blogspot.com/

Here's my portion of the blog train for you

Sorry, but this download has expired. If you missed the kit and would still like to have it, you can purchase the kit from the Digital Candy shoppe. :) The link will take you directly to the kit.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful kit!!

For your next stop - go to the Digital Candy Blog:
http://digitalcandy.us/blog

Thanks so much and I'll try not to be forever posting my next entry. :)
~til next time
Paula

Big Re-Grand Opening Sale at Digital Candy!!

2009-01-31T23:37:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!!

First let me start by telling you that I had to take down the link for the Faith Sister's freebie. It is now being offered as a part of this month's collab kit in the Faith Sisters store. Thanks to everyone who visited during the last week and I hope everyone enjoyed the freebie.

Now - let me tell you about some fabulous things going on THIS week!!

1st - Digital Candy is having their Re-Grand Opening from Feb 1st thru Feb 7th, and the entire store is 30% off - and in addition to that - I have my new kit, Tweetle Dee there, and for a limited time, if you purchase the Tweetle Dee kit, then you get the Tweetle Dee Scallop Album Pages for free!!! Other designers are having similar sales and promotions too - so you'll definitely want to go check it out!!!

2nd - My Guest CT call is continuing through the 8th, so you still have time to get in your application. It's super easy and we have a lot of fun!!

3rd - My 2nd ever challenge has been posted in my forum! It's a fun one and you can win a gift certificate to my shop -and you'll complete a layout in the process!! What do you have to loose?

4th - I've posted my new challenges at both Digital Candy and Enchanted Studio Scraps! I am the host for the ABC challenge at both sites. We are on different letters though. :) It's a great way to get some layouts done and earn points towards free kits!!

On a personal note - I have to brag about my dear Daughter!! She had a basketball game today, and she played the best defensive game I have ever seen her play!! I had to be the proudest Mom in the world!! I had worked with her some in the driveway on how to steal the ball and grab it even if it meant a jump ball. She knocked the ball away several times, even stole the ball once or twice. She had quite a few jump balls, and was getting in there with the big girls rebounding!! She won the defensive star this week for her team!! Way to go Kaylee!!

Well - it's super late here, so I'd better get some sleep!
~til next time,
Paula

Jump on the Faith Sisters Blog Train!!!

2009-01-25T20:02:00.001-08:00

Hello again everyone. In addition to the freebie still on my new site for my Grand Opening (see post below), I have another FREEBIE for you!!!! This is part of the Faith Sisters quarterly blog train - and this one's theme and title is "Love my pet". I've seen the previews for the other parts of the kit and let me tell you - this is one cute and huge kit when you put everyone's together!! So - here's the preview for mine with the link below, then I'll put the list of other blogs for you to visit to grab it all.

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The other participants are:

Eva Lindquist Designs ------- http://everything-eva.blogspot.com/
Michelle Batton ------- http://www.blog.mellowbutterfly.com/
Lifesong Kreations ------- http://lifesongkreations.com/
Willro&co Designs ------- http://willrownco.blogspot.com/
Audra's Little Scraps ------- http://audraslittlescraps.blogspot.com/
Eyelet's Scraps Designs ------- http://eyeletsscrapsdesigns.blogspot.com/
Benilda Scraps ------- http://benildascraps.blogspot.com/
Robin Willson Designs ------- http://robin-giftsyoucanfeelgoodabout.blogspot.com/
Kreative Karma ------- http://thekreativekarma.blogspot.com/
Monique Drost ------- http://moniquedrost.blogspot.com/
JZDesigns ------- http://www.jbzwick.blogspot.com/
DigiScrapalicious ------ http://digiscrapalicious.blogspot.com/
Simply Susan ------ http://www.simplysusangodfrey.blogspot.com/
Julie Marie ------ http://juliemariedesigns.com/blog
Nikki Painter ------ http://scrapwithnikki.com/blog.html
Meredith Cardall ------ http://meredithcardall.blogspot.com/

I hope you enjoy all the freebies!! Remember that all the designers are on different time zones, so please be patient and check back if one is not posted yet. The train will be running until Jan 31st, so you have a full week to grab them all, but after that - the links will be taken down and the full kit will be available at the Faith Sisters site as a collab. Be sure to check out my store at http://www.faithsisters.com/ as well as my new shop at http://www.paulaphillipsdesigns.com/ !!
Have fun!
~til next time,
Paula

PaulaPhillipsDesigns.com Grand Opening!!!!

2009-01-24T00:15:00.000-08:00

You heard it right - my site is officially open and I'm having my grand opening - which includes a HUGE 50% OFF SALE, a FREEBIE mini kit that I have shown you here, challenges that you can do using the free kit, and in one of the challenges - you can earn the add on to the Tweetle Dee Freebie!!! So be sure you come to the site and check it out!!! The site addy is:

http://www.paulaphillipsdesigns.com/

In addition to all this, I'm also having a layout contest and the prize is a guest spot on my Creative Team. You can read more about this in the forum under the challenges section. I'd love to see you all participate!!

This is the freebie located in the digital kits section of my new shop:

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This is the add-on that you can earn in one of the challenges:

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I really hope that you all will stop by and say "Hi" and help me celebrate my Grand Opening!! Thanks so much!!!

~til next time,

Paula

ESS Grand Opening!!!

2009-01-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

Enchanted Studio Scraps is having their Grand Opening on Jan 16th!! The shoppe will open at 11 AM PST!! My entire store will be 30% off and many of the other designers will have their stores on sale also. One more fabulous thing is that they are giving away a wonderful free kit by several of the site designers to the 1st 100 customers who make a purchase! Be sure to go and check it out and while you're there - check in on some of the challenges! I host the ABC challenge there and at Digital Candy. I'd love to see some of you participate!

http://www.enchantedstudioscraps.com/

** Special thanks to my CT Promo Captain, Leah (aka tinkerbel) for making this fabulous ad for me!! I just adore it! **

Thanks for checking in and . . . . . you'll want to keep checking back - I have some great news for you coming up this next week!! I'll keep you in suspense for a while longer - hehe!!

~til next time,
Paula

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-07T08:12:00.001-08:00

It's a little late, I know, but Happy New Year anyway -hehe!! I'm back from my wonderful trip to see my family in Oklahoma and Kansas. We left the day after Christmas and came back on Jan 4th. After a LOT of unpacking, laundry, taking down Christmas decorations, and general catching up, I think life is pretty much "back to normal" as much as normal can be around here - lol! The trip was so much fun! I did way to much shopping, but it's all about how much you SAVED - right????? I got several shirts for $3 and $4 - so how can you pass that up??? rofl!! Seriously, it was so good to get to see my Brother and Sister-in-law, and my Aunt from California that I don't get to see very much, as well as all my Grandparents and Mom and Dad. And I have to say a big thank you to Joni for taking such good care of our furry babies while we were gone!! It's their home away from home!!!

I'm so glad to see that so many of you were able to grab and enjoy the freebie that is to celebrate my new site where I'll be selling my goodies, Enchanted Studio Scraps! It's coming along very nicely and is supposed to be open sometime around the 15th!! For those of you who had trouble with the download, I'm very sorry - but it should be all fixed, so feel free to still download - it's all still available. Also - Digital Candy got a big make-over and it is beautiful!! The new owners are great and one of my BFF's, Amanda, designed the graphics and you just have to go check it out!! The addy is now http://www.digitalcandy.us/ , but if you use the old addy - it will forward you. I'm also still selling at Faith Sisters and they have such a wonderful community. I'm so looking forward to what the new year brings as far as my digital designing!! Some new news for you about this - the people who bring you iTunes - now bring you iScrapbook -and I'm one of the first designers there!!! Whoo hoo!! You can check out the site at http://www.iscrapbook.com/. I'm working with them right now to get some of my kits uploaded to the site and they should be there in a couple of weeks. I am also putting more of my kits up at the Lasting Impressions website, http://www.memorymixer.com/ for use with their software program, Memory Mixer. This software is fabulous and allows you to get a LOT of scrapping done very quickly. So as you can see, I'm a busy little bee trying to get all my stuff packaged and at the new sites. Hopefully I can get this all done very soon so I can get some new designs out for you. :)

I wanted to share something I have done lately. Kaylee has really started doing a lot of drawing lately, and I sat down to draw with her one evening, and learned some new techniques from the books she got, and I was so proud of the bunny I drew. I made it into a "flair" button - and posted it to the right under the Christmas Candy preview. You'll have to check it out. I just wanted to share that with you. ;)

Ok - off to work on previews and uploading. I hope you have a wonderful day and a fabulous start to the new year!!!
~til next time,
Paula

Be on the lookout for ESS - freebie below!!

2008-12-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!!

Hop on board the ESS blog train!! These are the initals for the new site where I'll be selling my goodies starting sometime in January! To get a taste for which designers will be there - follow the blog train links and grab everyone's freebies!! Then keep checking back for more info and be watching for the Grand Opening!!!

Here's my freebie:

Download HERE

Here is the next stop on the blog train. Keep going to grab them all!!! :)

Designs by Sassy: http://sassyscrappin.typepad.com/

Please note that the people participating are all on different time zones, so all should be posted soon if they aren't already. Thanks!!

Have a Happy New Year!!!
~til next time,
Paula

P.S. - If you want to check out the blog for the new site - it can be found here:
http://www.enchantedstudioscraps.wordpress.com/

Good news!

2008-12-20T20:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Things are really hectic around here. Kaylee and I made gifts for a bunch of people at her school and at Zachary's school this week. I think we made little gifts for about 40 people. It is fun and rewarding. It makes me so happy to see the joy of giving in my little girl!! I'm also working on projects for a new book with the publishing company - so I'm definitely staying busy. hehe!

Now - the good news!!! I'm happy to say that Digital Candy will be staying OPEN!!! yay! Kate and Rick will be the new owners and they have been fabulous! So - that means my designs will still be available there.

I have also been accepted onto a new site that I'm very excited about - but I have to keep it a secret right now - be sure to check back to find out more as I'm allowed to tell - hehe!!

I'm also still selling at Faith Sisters and for a site called Memory Mixer. They have their own scrapbooking software that the kits on their site are set up for and it's a really cool program for people who want to scrapbook the fast and easy way!!! I'll also be telling more about that after the first of the year.

I just put my new Christmas kit, Christmas Candy in the stores and my stores are on sale for 30% off from now until December 24th. I'll post the new preview on the right for you to see. I think it will be a fun kit for Christmas photos - especially of kids.

On the personal side, we just celebrated Christmas with my hubby's family and we had a wonderful visit. It was a lot of fun and I ate waaaay to much peanut butter fudge - hehe!! We will be going to see my family after Christmas.

Also - I will be participating in a blog train for the new site where I'll be selling and there will be a freebie on my blog with links to others on the 30th. Be sure to come back and check it out!

Oh - and Nancy in CA - I had not realized that my e-mail addy was not on here - sorry about that and I'd be happy for you to e-mail me. :) My e-mail addy is: paperflowers_paula@yahoo.com .

Thanks so much for reading!!!
~til next time
Paula

Blog Train Success

2008-12-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone for helping make the Digital Candy Blog Train a success. I know that I had over 300 of you download the Quick Page -and I'm sooo thrilled. I hope everyone enjoys using it!

For those of you who may not know, Heidi, the owner of Digital Candy, made an announcement early this week that she will be closing Digital Candy after the end of this year. I am sooo sad about it. This site was so fun and I will miss it dearly. I will still have my goodies for sale at Faith Sisters, and am hoping to have my own site up and running by the first of the year. I'm working on getting another store where I can sell my designs, but I want it to be a good site that hopefully will not be going anywhere. I'll keep you updated on my search - hehe :).

I will be having sales at both Digital Candy and Faith Sisters very soon - so be on the lookout for those.

Other than that, not much going on around here. We had a great Thanksgiving. Amanda invited us over to her house since we weren't going to be able to go see my family this year. She and Paul are amazing cooks and it was all sooo delicious!! We watched the Cowboys play and the kids all played Wii. Then, as is the tradition in Robby's family, we celebrated on the Sunday after Thanksgiving with them. Again, we ate way too much, and watched football while the kids played. All in all, I think it was a very nice holiday.

I'm going to get to go see my family at Christmas and I'm looking very forward to that! The kids are going to have a great Christmas this year (MeMe and Papaw - my parents) have really gone and got them something they are gonna love!! I don't want Kaylee to accidentally see it here - so I'll have to tell you all after Christmas - hehe - suspense for you too!!! ;)

That's all the news I have for you now. I hope you have a great Christmas season!!
~til next time,
Paula

Black Friday Blog Train for Digital Candy!!

2008-11-27T18:24:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying shopping on this Black Friday. :) I'm having a big 40% OFF sale at both my Faith Sisters and Digital Candy stores - so be sure to check them out!! I have a couple of new kits that I just released. You can view the previews of the 2 newest ones on the right side of my blog.

Blog Train Info:

This quick page FREEBIE was made using one of my newest kits, Cocoa Latte. Special thanks to MonkeySeeMonkeyDo for creating it for me!!

Download Here

The next blog on the blog train is:

http://kimbytx.blogspot.com/

If you have missed any of the blogs before mine (and there were several - hehe) - you can go to Digital Candy to start at the beginning. Here is the link to the thread with the info:

http://www.digitalcandy.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=9963

**Remember - many of the people in this blog train are in different time zones, so if one of the blogs does not have the post up yet, please be patient and try back in a little while. Thank you! **

Thanks for reading!! I hope you enjoy my QuickPage Freebie, check out my sale, and have fun riding the blog train!!!

~til next time,

Paula

Big Sale This Weekend!

2008-11-25T17:22:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone - sorry it has been a while since I have posted. I have so much going on that I can't even look up these days - hehe!! It's all good though. I am now selling my digital goodies at Digital Candy ( http://www.digitalcandy.ca/ ) so you'll all have to go check it out. It's a cute store and I'm so excited about it. Well - I'll have to play catch up a little later, but for now I wanted to tell you all about my big sale I'm having this weekend!! It's 40% off of my products - yippee!!! It's at my Digital Candy store and my store at Faith Sisters (http://www.faithsisters.com/ ). Thanks and have a wonderful shopping weekend!!!

A 3 inch curb got the best of me!

2008-10-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

Hey there! I had a pretty good week this past week and was looking forward to a fun weekend. I was going to spend a girl night with my friends, then have a Mommy/Daughter day on Saturday, then go to church and work on designing on Sunday. Well, I was behind on my collab kit at CLD, so I took my computer to Amanda's house on Friday night and worked while I watched movies. We had a great time and when I was leaving to go to my car, the curb just jumped up and got me - hehehe!! No - really -clumsy me just didn't judge where the curb was very well, and slipped off and turned my ankle. I thought I would be ok and came home and went to bed, but after tossing and turning all night, when I got up in the morning, I realized it was worse than I had thought. So, Robby took me to the ER. Luckily, it wasn't broken, but I sprained it pretty bad. I have a splint and I'm on crutches - ugh!!! So instead of going to the craft show with Kaylee today, I got to go to the ER and then sit in a chair with my leg elevated and on ice. For those of you who know me - sitting still is TORTURE!!! I convinced Robby to let me go with them this evening to a trick or treating block party. We were planning to take the kids with Amanda and her two boys. It was fun, but I forgot how hard crutches can be. Robby tried to tell me, but I just remembered how it wasn't that hard when I was on them in high school. Well, geez - I guess I forgot how many years (and pounds- hehe) ago that was!!! So - now I'm off to go soak in the bathtub to try to soothe the sores under my arms and hopefully relax my arm muscles from the strain of carrying my not so small body around on crutches for over an hour!!! Well, I just thought I'd share and see if I get any sympathy here. I'm not getting much other than "I told you so" from Robby - hehe!! I guess I deserve it! :)

I hope you all have had a better start to the weekend than me. I'll be ok and it will heal. Just kind of a bummer - not how I wanted to spend my weekend. I'll try to write again soon to give you all an update. Take care!

~til next time,
Paula

Back To Reality

2008-10-16T21:51:00.001-07:00

I had a great time on my retreat. I didn't complete as many pages as I would have liked, but I had fun and did some relaxing too. I even watched a couple of movies. I got 23 pages done, so that's still pretty good, I think. One of the greatest thing about going to Big Rock Ranch is the food - oh my is it ever good!!! Then - you don't have to clean up and do dishes - that was heavenly!!!

I got back home late Sunday night, then Robby was off to Houston again early Monday morning. This time, he was only gone a few days. He's back now - thank goodness!! Tonight, we went as a family to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. It was really a cute movie. This was the first time we'd ever taken Zachary to a movie theatre. Needless to say, I'm glad it wasn't crowded and we won't be doing that again any time soon. He just wanted to run back and forth in the row sitting in all the different seats. It was pretty funny though, because sometimes when he was watching the movie, he would say, loudly I might add, things like "that's soooo cuuute" or "this sure is a big movie". I couldn't help but laugh.

Tomorrow night is Kaylee's performance with the Star Steppers at the Saginaw High School football game. This is her 3rd year to do the clinic and perform, and she loves it. Hopefully I'll be able to get some good photos. Then, on Saturday, Kaylee and I are going to a workshop with Miss Joni to make some Christmas cards. It will be some good Mother-Daughter time for us and I'm looking forward to it.

That's really all the new news I have for you. I've just been putting stuff away and playing catch up since I got back. I'm hoping to be able to start on a new kit this weekend so that I'll have a new one to release next week - keep your fingers crossed!!

~til next time,
Paula

On my way out of town - whooo hoo!!!

2008-10-08T18:00:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is officially the day I've been waiting for for several months!! I get to go on a retreat!!! This one is put on by my friend and Creative Memories consultant, Beverly Bingham. We are going to Big Rock Ranch and it is sooo fun!! One of my BFF's, Cindy is going with me. When we go here, we take traditional scrapbooking to do. Beverly always has great contests to motivate me to get lots of pages done, and we have fabulous meals cooked for us - even snacks, and the best part - I don't have to clean up after the meals or anything!!!!

I'm taking the kid's school books to work on. I only have a little over 2 years of Kaylee's and 1 year of Zachary's - ONLY!!! rofl! Kaylee is now in 4th grade, and I'm just finishing up her 1st grade year - ugh!! Zachary is in his 2nd year of Preschool, and I have to do last year's for him. I'm really going to try to focus and do them well, but not worry if every page is not like one in a magazine. The important thing is to get them in books and document what I can before I forget it all - hehe!!

I have been soo excited that I have had my scrapbooking supplies packed since Monday!! I even get to go a day early, so I leave Thursday and don't come back until Sunday evening - wow - I'm not sure I'll know what to do with myself - but I bet I'll figure something out - hehe!!

That's about all the news I have for now. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I'll have to let you know how much progress I made when I get back. Maybe by telling you all, it will motivate me even more to be sure I get TONS of pages done.

~til next time,
Paula

New kit give-aways!

2008-10-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I just released my new kit, Punkin Patch, and also a set of Quick pages that go with it! They are on sale at all of my stores this weekend only - so be sure to check it out!! I also wanted to let you know that I'm doing some give-aways of my new kit at Faith Sisters and ColorLineDesign this weekend. If you'd like to have a chance to win, check out the threads here:

Color Line Design:
http://www.colorlinedesign.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2358

Faith Sisters:
http://faithsisters.com/forum/index.php?topic=5923.0

I may also start a contest at DST tomorrow - so be on the look out there as well!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
~til next time,
Paula

Sneak Preview of my new kit!!

2008-09-30T22:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! I have just finished the first preview of my new kit, Punkin Patch. I am sooo super excited about it, so I'm giving you all the first sneak peek at it! The photo of the kit is to the right. I really feel that I get better with each kit, so each kit becomes my new favorite - but for me, I really like this one a lot - even tho it's not pink - rofl. I hand drew most of the things like the pumpkins, acorns, owls, and mushrooms and I guess I just feel like it's my new "baby" since I brought it to life - hehe!! I hope that you all like it! I'm planning to do some give-aways at my sites and at DigiShopTalk this weekend - so be watching - you just might win my new kit!

It looks like Robby will get to come home for a little while sometime this weekend - yeah!!! I've been sick the past few days and I went to the doctor today and found out I have a sinus infection - yuck!! But, now I have meds so hopefully the worst is over. Anyway - I have to get better so he and I can go on a date when he gets here!! To add to that, I'm supposed to chaperone Kaylee's field trip Friday, so I just CAN'T be sick anymore!!

My Grandmother had gall bladder surgery today in Oklahoma, and I heard that she is doing well. Please keep her in your prayers as she recovers.

Tomorrow is my Dad's birthday - so Happy Birthday Dad!! I love you!!!

That's about it for now. I hope you are all well and having a wonderful week!
~til next time,
Paula

ColorLineDesign back up and huge sale!!

2008-09-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

* If you are looking for freebies - scroll down for a mini kit and some quickpages. *

Color Line Design is back up and running with all the new updates and to celebrate, most of the designers have marked their stuff way down for a huge sale - AND all collab kits from the site are 1/2 off!!! All of my designs in the store are 40% off!!! The sale only goes for 1 week - so be sure to head over and grab some great "deals"!!
www.colorlinedesign.com

Also - start planning for the Faith Sisters Big Birthday Bash this weekend! There will be all sorts of fun things going on and some sales - wink wink!! You'll want to check this one out - so mark your calendars!

On the personal side of things, I haven't posted about this yet, but I wanted to let you all know. My brother-in-law on Robby's side of the family passed away a few weeks ago. It was very tragic and unexpected. Please pray for his Mom, Wife, and 2 young children, as well as the other family members, that they will be able to heal from this great loss.

Robby is helping out with the hurricane that hit Texas and is very busy with that. The kids and I are just plugging away with school and all. Kaylee is loving school this year! She has some fabulous teachers and is doing well! Zachary is also loving his new school, The Grace Place. He is soo excited every morning that he gets to go to school and he hasn't cried at all when I take him and leave (hope I didn't jinx it - hehe). Other than keeping the house up, cooking, playing taxi cab, and designing new kits, that's about all going on here. I hope you are all well!

~til next time,
Paula

Blog Party for Color Line Design!!!

2008-09-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

To help celebrate the reopening of Color Line Design and to thank all of our customers, community members and fans, we've got a surprise for you - a FREE awesome mega kit - Labor of Love!
If you've found me mid party, be sure to check out the other desingers, MMM's and CT members to collect all the pieces - list below!

Here's what I have for you at this party blog stop:
The photo of my mini kit for you is on the right - and the download link is:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/8976434/b4ff89e6/CLDBlogHop.html

Be sure you visit these other fabulous ladies to collect all the pieces!

*Please note - we are located in many different time zones and at the time I post, not all the others may have. Hang tight, they will be there! :)

Kellie Puddy - Party Starts Here!

Greedz Graphics

Chris Young / Hevenly Scraps

Andrea / Boyerville Scraps

Paula Phillips Designs - you are here :)

Valarie Ostrom Designs

Super MMM / CT'er all around Ruby!

Rhuth http://scrappingpinay.blogspot.com

Sugar'nSpice http://picarook.blogspot.com

Enjoy the goodies, and have a wonderful week everyone!

~til next time,

Paula

Blog Train - Quickpage Freebies and More!!!

2008-09-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

My Creative Team and I are having a Blog Train!!! We all made Quick Pages using my Dino-Roar kit. There are 6 stops on the Blog Train and each stop has 1 to 2 **FREE** Quick Pages for you. The download link for my Quickpages is below. Be sure to go to all the blogs to complete your collection. A photo of one of my quickpages is on the right side of my blog.

My Dino-Roar kit and all my designs can be found at www.getdigiwithit.com. They will soon be available at www.faithsisters.com and www.colorlinedesign.com . (Yes - I did get hired as a Designer at Faith Sisters - yeah!!! Thanks for everyone's kind words and support! Also - CLD should be back up very soon.)

I am also having a little contest to go along with this. If you make a page using one of these Quickpages, go to my Get Digi With It gallery and post your layout, then go to this thread:
http://getdigiwithit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=454
and link your gallery post for a chance to win my full Dino-Roar kit!!

Other blogs hosting Quick Pages are:
www.gettingdigiwithit.blogspot.com
www.scrappiejackie.blogspot.com
www.margiescreativity.blogspot.com
www.everything-eva.blogspot.com
www.momakids.blogspot.com

To download my quickpage, click on the link below:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/9102067/20ee465b/DinoRoarQP-Paula.html

Thanks so much and I hope you enjoy your ride on the "Blog Train".
~til next time,
Paula

I applied to sell at Faith Sisters - need your help!

2008-08-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

* if you are looking for the QP freebie - scroll down one post *

Hey everyone!! I'm so excited about a site where I have applied to be a designer. It is http://www.faithsisters.com/ and it is a faith based digital scrapbooking site. It is sooo cool and they have all sorts of things that are different from other sites such as a prayer forum, a gallery for kids to post layouts and much more. All potential designers had to design a mini kit for their birthday celebration and mine is up! I would love for you to go leave a comment for me and download my kit - it's free!!! You will have to register in their gallery to leave a comment and download, but it would help my chances, so I would be so grateful if you all could help me out!! I sooo want to be a designer at their site! Also on August 29th everyone registered at their site can cast their vote for who they think should win the position - PLEASE vote for me ;)

Anyway - other than that, I have just been getting ready for Kaylee to start school. She got the teacher that she wanted so badly, so that was a blessing. This year she will even switch classes 3 times for different subjects and all her teachers seemed wonderful! I'm really looking forward to a great year for her! Zachary's meet the teacher night is Thursday and I can't wait. I'm just so thankful that we actually got him potty trained so that he can attend. Thanks for all your prayers about that one!!!!!

If any of you have checked out the store at CLD, you will notice it is down. They are upgrading and we have a lot planned for the re-grand opening - so be on the lookout! I'm working on some things for that as we speak. Also GDWI grand opening is in a couple of weeks - it's all just so exciting! One more thing to be watching for is a blog train that my CT and I are working on. Right now it is scheduled for Sept 5th and a few days after that. You will be able to get some great quick pages from my Dino-Roar kit - and best of all - they will all be FREE!! If you are wondering - we will have pages with no dinos as well as ones with - I love to have flexible kits and I'm looking forward to showing that with this event.

Also - Aug 30th is my Christmas Card Workshop from 1PM to 5PM. If you haven't signed up and still want to, please e-mail me asap so I can get everything ordered for you!!! paperflowers_paula@yahoo.com

Ok - I'll be done now - now that I've written a book- hehe. I'm just so excited about everything going on right now and I feel so blessed. I hope you all have a great start to the new week and I'll write again soon!

~til next time,
Paula

Grand Opening Sale at GDWI

2008-08-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Friday starts my Grand Opening Sale for my store at Get Digi With It!!! I'm so excited and everything is 30% off for a limited time. I'm also giving away a quickpage freebie so be sure to grab it! See the ads on the right side for details and a preview of the QP freebie.

The download link for the quickpage:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/8872206/316f8349/CitrusDelightQPFreebie.html
You will have to enter a password to download and it is: yellow

Special thanks goes to Leah Loy from my CT for making my Sale ad!!!

Go check out my new store and let me know what you think! I'm so excited. It's going to be a busy weekend, so I'd better get some sleep!

Here's the link to my store at GDWI:
http://www.getdigiwithit.com/shoppe/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=26

~til next time,
Paula

From Sad to Glad

2008-08-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

What a difference a day makes! I found out that I was accepted as a designer at getdigiwithit.com and I am sooo excited! Thanks for the support and kind words from everyone.

Rachel - it is so good to hear from you!!! I hope everything is going great for you! I enjoy seeing you on the forums and hearing from you here.

Not much else going on. I'm looking forward to a fun time at Joni's crop on Friday night, then I'm going to her open house on Saturday (I even get to go early since I hosted a class for her in the last year - hehe - yippee!!!).

I'll keep this one short and sweet - odd for me, I know, but I just had to share my excitement!

~til next time,
Paula

A Sad, Sad Day

2008-08-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

It's true - PurplePaperFlowers.com is closing it's shoppe! I am sooooooo sad! It was my first digital shoppe and it felt like home - all comfy and cozy and a safe place to be - and now it is going away. I totally understand why Amanda is having to do this, and I support her 100%, but it is still sad. I'm still selling at ColorLineDesign.com and am working on finding a second store to sell at, but another site will have a lot to live up to to fill PPF's shoes. Ok - enough of my sob story.

On a brighter note, I have really made myself determined to make this designing thing work, and have shared that with my CT, and they have responded wonderfully! They are all so supportive and ready to help any way they can. It has been just the uplifting that I need!

Kaylee and I got to have another Mom-Daughter day with Miss Joni! We had a blast and enjoyed our new fav pizza - the natural with roasted red peppers and tomatoes - YUMMY! We also watched the olympics while we made some very cute projects that Joni brought back with her from the Stampin' Up convention. Thanks Joni for opening your home to us and providing Kaylee and I with some wonderful bonding time - although, I do have to say that this last time Kaylee may have done more bonding with Bobbie's dog, Favre, then she did with me - hehe - but seriously - it was a wonderful day!

That's about all for now - so . . .

~til next time,
Paula

New Kit and Upcoming Workshop

2008-08-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I have finished a new digital kit called "Dino-Roar". I have put the preview up on the right side and I'd love to hear your comments or requests for future kits. This was a fun one and I was happy with it and hope it will be a popular kit.

Since my last post, I have redone my scrapbook room. I have a shelving system on the entire back wall and have moved everything except my stamp caddy off the table, which means I was able to put the 2nd table away and just have the one table - yeah! Now you can see the skirt I made for the table - hehe! Now if I can just get the matching curtains done and put up - lots of luck there - rofl! Someday when I get it looking like I want - I will take a pic and put it up so you can see.

Monday night, I got to have a spur of the moment evening with Amanda and we had such a good time. After Robby got home, we went and had dinner at Outback Steakhouse (one of my fav restaurants!), then we went to the mall to walk around. You know, for the longest time, I had not gone to the mall, mainly because it is a nightmare keeping up with a 3 year old boy and keeping him from touching everything or knocking everything down. But lately, I have been able to go walk around a mall several times with each of my best friends, Lori, Cindy, and Amanda - and it has been a blast. I almost forgot how nice it was to just walk, talk, and window shop (and yes - I did actually buy something even though I shouldn't have - hehe). It almost made me feel like I did in high school - well . . . . . almost! ;)

Kaylee and I have been making good use of the new craft room workspace. We made a "care package" for our new neighbors, and she has been making cards like crazy. It has been nice because even when I'm working on the laptop - she still has space to do her cards with me at the table.

Speaking of cards, I am hosting a Christmas Card Making Workshop on August 30th from 1PM to 5Pm. Right now we are planning on having it at Joni's house in Bedford, but if we have enough people, we will move it to a church in the same area. Joni and Sharon are making some great cards for us and you will be able to choose which cards and how many of each you would like to make. There will be a price per card that will be determined after they make the samples. If you think you can attend, please let me know and I will forward you more information. You can e-mail me at paperflowers_paula@yahoo.com .

That's about all that's going on for now. I hope you are all well and having a great summer!

~til next time,
Paula

Wonderful Saturday!

2008-07-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

After a horrible week of my entire family having a stomach virus (knock on wood - I did not get it), I had a wonderful Saturday! Friday night I was getting ready to go to Joni's house to do some stamping and our air conditioner went out!!! Luckily, we got it fixed and my dear hubby was so sweet to tell me to just go on. So I went to Joni's late, but had a great time! Then Saturday, I took a class with one of my best friends, Cindy. We made a little mini-scrapbook shaped like a purse at Joni's house. Then we went to the stamping convention in Grapevine. It was fun, but I was a little disappointed. We found out after we got there that several of the normal vendors were not there because they were at CHA in Chicago - BUMMER! But, never fear, I found a booth to spend plenty of money in - hehe! Then Joni was so nice to open her house to us so that we could go back and play with our new stamps. We just had such a great time - I hated to see it end!

Today, Sunday, I have been hard at work finishing my newest digital kit, Fancy Feline. I'm uploading the kit to both of my sites as I'm typing this. I'm so tickled with it and think that anyone with cats will love this kit. It is a huge kit - 5 zip files full! The preview is on the right of my blog.

Oh - and I have to share that we are actually making progress on the potty training with my son. I am so happy!!! I might be able to send him to the 2 day a week pre-k after all! (They won't let them go if they're not potty trained - and I was pretty sure it was NEVER going to happen - rofl.) So here's hoping that the success will continue!!!

That's about all for now. I hope you are all well and having fun also!

~til next time,
Paula

Lots happened since last post - hehe

2008-07-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I posted last. We made a surprise trip to Kansas to see my parents, and I couldn't write about it because I didn't want to spoil the surprise for them. My Mom had been upset that her 3 kids had not been all together with her in several years, so my middle brother set it all up and we shocked her when we showed up. It was great and we had a wonderful time. I left on June 19th and didn't get back until June 30th. Then with unpacking, the 4th of July and all - it's just been a whirlwind. Things seem to be settling down now and I'm glad to get back to normal - even though I did have a great time.

We took the kids to see the fireworks in Haltom City, and it was a fun time. I actually read the manual on my camera and got some good photos this time - hehe. I'll have to share them if I ever get them downloaded.

Saturday was a fun day. I got to spend the day with Amanda and we had a great time shopping, eating, and watching a movie. It was great to catch up and the day went by way too fast!! We ran into our friend, Bobbie, while we were out and it was so nice to see her and talk with her!

Then Monday, Kaylee and I had a wonderful "Mommy-Daughter" day at Miss Joni's house (our friendly neighborhood Stampin' Up rep - and our good friend!!!) We had so much fun visiting, eating pizza, making cards and boxes, and Kaylee even learned to use the watercolor crayons with blending pens. Joni was so wonderful to show her and give her a beautiful paper to color and a canvas to put it on as a birthday gift to her!! Thanks Joni - she loves it - and we had a day we will not soon forget!

I'm hard at work on my next kit, which is about cats. I'm more of a dog person, so this one has been a little hard for me, but I have some people who are really wanting a cat kit, and I'm up to the challenge. I'm really hoping to finish it this week, so we'll see.

Well, I still have some laundry to do and a kit to make, so I'd better get to it. I hope everyone is well and having a great summer!

~til next time (hopefully not so long of a next time - hehe)
Paula

On The Go

2008-06-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! June has proved to be a busy, challenging month already. My Mom and Dad decided to come for a visit last week and we had a great time. My Mom, Kaylee, and I shopped until we dropped and Kaylee made out like a bandit! Her birthday was June 12th, so she was getting all sorts of fun stuff. On Kaylee's birthday, I took her to spend some of the money she had received and we had lunch at Applebee's, which has been a tradition with her. Then she got go ice skating and swimming with two of her buddies, Bryce and Brandon. I'm glad she has had a great time, but I'm ready for "Mom's taxi service" to slow down - hehe.

I had to take Robby to the airport this morning for a week long training, and we are getting ready to go on vacation and will be gone for nearly 2 weeks. So it doesn't appear that things will slow down anytime soon, but at least it's all fun stuff!

I have been able to get a little designing done and I have a new kit, Country Cousins out at both PPF and CLD. This kit and most of the store at PPF is 25% off through Monday night, and on Monday, my new releases (including this kit) will be 20% off at Color Line Design.

I also had a friend of mine create the most wonderful Creative Team forum for me that I am most excited about. She did a fantastic job and I think my Creative Team is loving it as well. It's really nice to have one place to go for all that. Thanks Catherine!!!! I'm planning on having a CT call when I get back from vacation and settled. I would like to add 3 to 4 more members - so be watching - if it's something you'd be interested in, I would love for you to apply.

I guess that's about it for now. I hope you all are having a great summer so far and I'll be back to post again after my vacation. I should have some photos to share with you then- hehe.

~til next time,
Paula

Getting some things completed - YEAH

2008-06-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally completed my Summer Stroll kit and boy is it a biggie! It has 16 papers and 27 elements! I have posted a preview of the kit on the right side of my blog. It was a lot of fun and of course, in some of my fav colors. I hope you all will check it out!

I completed the cards for the book I was working on for Design Originals, and I'm finishing the clear album class sample for the class that Suzanne will be teaching at CHA. These have been a lot of fun to do, but I will be glad to have them turned in.

My parents are coming to visit us this Wednesday, and we are so excited about that! Papa (my Dad) takes the kids to the park and to does all sorts of fun stuff with them. They can't wait for him to be here. My Mom and I are planning a shopping day and I know I will really enjoy spending time with her especially since we don't get to see each other much since they moved to Kansas.

Zachary is now out of preschool for the summer and Kaylee's last day is next Thursday. I hope I can keep the entertained and keep them from fighting, which seems to be their favorite past time right now when they are together. They are great kids, but are at stages where they just don't play well together and it can be very trying on me, but this too shall pass, soon I hope.

I'm now also hard at work on my next kit. It will be a good one for those boy pages and has some teddy bears in it. I have so many ideas for kits that I want to do, I just can't create it all fast enough -hehe!

That's what is going on with me now, so . . .
~til next time,
Paula

Happy Birthday Winners!

2008-05-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful birthday! I went to breakfast with my dear hubby, spent a little time with my kids, then was off to a scrapbooking retreat for 2 days with some of my dearest friends. We went to the Beaumont Ranch in Grandview, Texas. We had a blast and enjoyed a great birthday cake (thanks Amanda), did some shopping (thanks Cindy) and I even rode the mechanical bull - hehe!! That was really a site to see - NOT! It was sooooo funny - I had to have help just to get on the thing (thanks Kristy) and I wasn't on it long. Thank goodness for the padded floors!! I'm sure you can tell we were all just silly and had a wonderful time!

Now for the announcement - I have 2 winners of my contest!! Kayre and Rachel!!!! Yea ladies! They will both be receiving my full kit Summer Stroll! The mini version has been here on my blog as a freebie, but the full version is packed with many new things that I think everyone will love it. Thanks for participating!

One other bit of exciting news I have to share! I had outgrown my wedding rings and had been wearing a costume jewelry set for a while. My hubby and I had talked for a while about having it resized and upgrading it a little, but after looking into it - that was going to be VERY expensive, so we decided to trade it in for a whole new set. I was kind of struggling with giving up my first set, but Robby encouraged me to use it to get what I really wanted instead of just having it sit in a drawer. I think I did the right thing and it allowed me to get my dream wedding set and I'm so happy and excited!! I just love my new set and it was so sweet having my husband go with me to do everything! It brought back a lot of nice memories of when he would have me look at sets before we got engaged. Now I just can't stop looking at it - hehe!

That's about all the news I have for now. I hope you all had a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend and . . .

~til next time,
Paula

Happy Birthday To Me Contest - You win!!!

2008-05-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It's my birthday today and I'm having a great day! I want to share the celebration with everyone for the whole weekend, so I'm having a contest and someone who enters will win a wonderful new kit from me!!! It's very simple - just check out my blog, find your favorite kit preview or layout or even favorite post - and comment here as to what your favorite thing is and you'll be entered to win. I will enter all names from comments left here on my blog into a drawing the winner will receive one of my new kits (and it will be an awesome one not released in any of my stores yet!!!) The deadline for posting is Sunday, May 25th, Midnight Central Standard Time in the US. I will announce the winner Monday here on my blog and then the winner can e-mail me to get their free kit. Happy hunting and be sure to check out the contest that will be posted in my PPF store later today. They are separate contests, so you have 2 chances to win!!! My store is at http://www.purplepaperflowers.com/ . I can't wait to see your favs!!! I hope you enjoy my birthday as much as I am!

Paula

Thanks for the support!

2008-05-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I want to take a quick moment to tell you all thank you so much for your support and kind words after my disappointment last week. It was so nice to hear that I have people who love my designs and after I got through the emotions of it, I realized that designs are very subjective to what people's styles and tastes are, as well as what they are scrapbooking at the time. So maybe what I designed didn't fit with what the ScrapOrchard was looking for, but that's ok and I'm going to keep doing my best for the people that enjoy and like my style of kits. It's always hard to handle rejection, but I know I need to grow a thicker skin and realize that in order to succeed, you have to fail some along the way, and that it just helps make you better and stronger. I will always try to vary my designs to encompass as many people's sytles as possible, and hope that I will continue to do well. I just wanted to say thank you because the encouragement was very much needed and appreciated!!!

I am very much looking forward to my retreat this weekend and my birthday on Friday. Oh - and I'll let a little secret out of the bag - I'm going to be having a contest for my birthday where you get the present. I am going to post more about it on Friday am, so be sure to check back - but basically - it will have something to do with finding something on my blog and posting it to win a kit from me - hehe!! I think it will be fun - so the count down til Friday begins - yippee!!!

Oh and 1 other thing - a little birdie told me that I might be getting a new blog for my b-day - and I'm so excited - so if you want the freebies on my blog here, be sure to download them because after I set up my new blog, they won't be available anymore. I will be putting up new ones on my new blog soon and will try to continue to do that as much as I can. I just wanted to give you all the heads up so you can go grab them if you would like to. :) The ones on here have now been made into larger kits that are available for sale at my stores except for the Summer Stroll one, but that is the one I'm working on now and it should be up at my stores next week. Happy downloading!! ;)

I'm off now to make cards and hopefully finish this book before I leave on my retreat - that will be a great gift in itself to have the relief of having finished a project! I love doing them, but it's always nice to have that feeling of accomplishment when you are finished - kwim? Well - I hope you all have a great Wednesday and Thursday and I'll be back on Friday for my b-day post! :)

~til Friday,
Paula

Disappointed

2008-05-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't make it to the 3rd round of the contest at ScrapOrchard, but that's ok. I think it exposed a lot of people to my designs that might not have otherwise ever seen my name, so that's a good thing, right? I can't help but feeling down about it though. Oh well. I am designing at two fabulous sites and I am loving that! My new site is going well. Everyone there is very friendly and they have some great sales and things going on. I have really been trying to advertise and get my name out there and I have seen an increase in my sales, so hopefully I can keep the momentum going.

On a bright note, I am going on a retreat next weekend and I can't wait. Be sure to check out my stores after the 25th because I bet I'll have several new kits up - hehe. I really need to get away and relax, so I am sooooo looking forward to this!

I am also working on finishing some projects for the book I've been working on for Design Originals, and am hoping to be able to turn that in before I leave for my retreat! That will give me extra reason to celebrate and relax!

My kids are doing great! Kaylee did an awesome job at her field day on Friday - I was so proud. Zachary's last week of school is this week, so that makes me sad! I am going to miss having my 2 days a week to myself to get stuff done - kwim?

Well, that about catches you up on what's going on with me. I hope you all are well!

~til next time,
Paula

New Store and Contest!!

2008-05-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I have been very busy in the last week or so. I have been working on projects for Design Originals, but I have also been putting up my store at the new site that I will be selling at- ColorLineDesign.com . I am so excited! It is a fun site with a warm, friendly atmosphere and I'm very excited to be accepted on as a part of that team! Be sure to check it out. I am also in a contest at ScrapOrchard.com and have advanced past the 1st week, and am now hoping to make it through the 2nd week. This time they are narrowing from 30 to 20, so 10 will be cut. If you get a chance, go over and look at my entry and leave me a comment - oh and I almost forgot to tell you - you can download the kit for free while you're there - hehe!!! I'm putting my entry from week one up here so you can download it if you would like. I'm going to be making full kits with these in the near future and putting them in my stores. I hope you like them. Well, I have to get back to work. I am off to work on some things for the next collab kit at the new site. I hope you all are well and have a wonderful rest of the week!

Download Here

Paula

National Scrapbooking Day coming up fast

2008-04-30T11:40:00.001-07:00

Well, Saturday is National Scrapbooking Day and we're stuck with no scrapbook store anywhere near us, so we're trying to find a place to crop. I think my friend Cindy may have found us a place because what is NSD without a place to crop with your friends!!! hehe.

At my store at PPF, I have 2 kits that are going up for NSD - Tweed Garden, and Neopolitan, the full kit! I am so excited about these and I am working on trying to get one more up before Friday. We're also having a big sale at PPF and contests - so be sure to stop in and check everything out.

Other than that, I'm just still working on another book for Design Originals that I think is going to be a fabulous book! I can't wait to show you some of the projects I've designed - but can't until later - so I'll just have to keep you in suspense.

Have a good one and I hope everyone gets lots of layouts done on NSD. Leave me a note about what your plans are - I'd love to hear!

~til next time,
Paula

Busy Busy

2008-04-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Neopolitan FREEBIE - Click below where it says "HERE" in pink.

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. Things have been busy. My son has been sick, I just finished work on a book for Design Originals, and am now working on another one. I have also put my CT call out for a Creative Team for my designs and PurplePaperFlowers.com. I am now working on some new kits for NSD to put on the site, and am trying to be hired at another site for me to sell my digital designs, and this in addition to working on the books - hehe. I'm as busy as ever, and loving every minute of it.

I am putting a new freebie here on my blog. It's called Neopolitan and is perfect for summer - so be sure to pick it up HERE. I hope you like it and I'm working on making more things to go with it, so be sure to check out my shoppe to pick up the rest of the kit in the upcoming days.

In the meantime, be sure to look at my newest kit, Cat's Bag. I love this one. I got the inspiration from my friend, Catherine and her purse. It was so fun to make and if you go to my PPF gallery - you can see her layout showing her purse - hehe. I made a bag, lipstick, and fingernail polish, and 21 other elements to go with the 12 papers. Let me know what you think of it :)

Ok - bye for now.
~til next time,
Paula