I'm baaaack! :)

Whew! Another super-fun week of teaching, scrapping, shopping, big dinners, and airports. LOL :) The recap:

* Left out Thursday for GASC - Chantilly VA.

* Got set up early enough to hit a local Zumba class near the hotel. (yes, I am obsessive...why do you ask?) ;)

* Taught all day Friday -- Hambly Mixed Up mini album, Pink Paislee Fascinating Frame Up project, Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday Galore mini album, and American Crafts Crafty Girl album. All went really well. Lots of love to the VA girls who came to play and scrap and have fun with me! :)

* Snuck into the back of Crystal's 7gypsies Mini Album Madness class. Such an awesome project, but I figured out that I'm a totally sucky student. I'd be doing my own thing & hear this niggling "make sure you..." and realize that I was totally zoned. I'd look up and be 2 pages ahead so I'd just go back to working. Later, I'd hear again "make sure you..." and look up to realize that now I was 3 pages behind. LOL Oh well, it was worth it b/c my album is totally cute & based on Crystal's design but has "me" in it too--lots of handcut scallops and hearts, marker lines, etc. :)

ETA: Dude, look what I found on Crystal's blog!!! (her pic...that I was too focused to even realize she was taking! LOL)

* Taught Saturday morning -- Pebbles' Summer Scrappin' Fun layouts, KI Memories sketch class, and Sassafras Lass Wonderfully Whimsical layout. All went really well again. (whew!) I got to meet Michelle Vocke, who is the awesome VA local writer gal that did several write-ups on GASC (including special love on my classes!).

* Shopped all afternoon on Saturday and found some serious goodies!!!! Marla is proud of me b/c I bought stamps! I know...shocker! I actually bought 2 new Tim Holtz stamps that I've already inked to death (soon to post projects!). Lots of Teresa Collins goodies, AC flair buttons, repeat October Afternoon paper & diecuts to go with, Making Memories buttons, Cosmo Cricket stickers and more. Suffice it to say, my room is bombed! But I'm going for the "scrap with it" style of cleaning up, rather than actually, you know...cleaning. ;)

* On Sunday, I was the lucky bird with a late flight, so I'm went to Zumba again. Probably made a fool out of myself b/c I'm all-out-getting-down and the other ladies...not so much. Make no mistake, they were into it, but I'm a little...uhm, yeah...just a little more shigglin' going on in Staci's world! ;) But I'll never see them again & I'm sure I was their entertainment from Texas..."remember the time that crazy blue-hair girl came and was all low, low, low...." ;)

* Lovely reunion dinner with the kiddos and Bob on Sunday night.

* Monday morning -- dr visit. UGH! Poor Lilli has had allergies bad lately, but while I was gone, she got progressively worse. So I took her to the doc with what I'm sure was a sinus infection & double ear infections. Nurse Mom was right on. Plus, she was having so much trouble breathing, that she was wheezing...basically having a minor but constant asthma attack. B/c she doesn't have a history of asthma, we're doing the inhaler + antibiotics for now, but hopefully she'll wean off the inhaler in a couple of weeks. (fingers crossed) Speaking of fingers, while sitting there with Lilli, I noticed that Tayvan's suck-blister on her thumb was looking gross and infected. Showed it to the dr who kinda freaked a bit. Yeah, likely staph infection abscess. (yuck yuck yuck) Doc took care of it while I held Tayvan down (but Van was a total brave champ and barely cried). It's totally gauze-wrapped up now...so maybe this will be the hard-core jump-start to No.More.Thumb.Sucking! Well, I'm optimistic! ;)

* Today...rest, relax, chill...finally. :) Back to the grind tomorrow! :)

* Can't have a postie without pretties though, so here's some fun...

Memory Makers July/August 2009 feature article "7 Trends to Try"

These are my layouts for trend -- "peace symbols" & "kraft + color pop"

Back soon with more new goodies!

XOXO...Stac :)

Double Bonus Day...

Rushing out the door to shiggle, but promised a posting to a lil someone special... :)

So, lucky you, it's a double bonus day o'projects!

First up, a super fun layout I made last night with a mix of Cosmo Cricket and Sassafras lovin'. These flowers are the easiest-peasiest thing in the world, but so cute! :)

Then, as promised to several folks....drumroll please....

my Pink Paislee Fascinating Frame Up class goodies...

And I know everyone wants close-ups of these babies, so never fear...b/c they are here!

In the class, we make the big one with the house. But it's totally do-able for folks to make the other two at home. I made them strictly with the class kit products, except the hoops. So you can have your own little family of framed layouts! Soooo fun and easy, but with a big wow on the cheap! Best of both worlds! :)

And I'm off...

XOXO...Stac :)

Let's Rock...

We're total rock stars in our family.

Well, in our own minds at least! LOL :)

But don't tell Declan that.

Please.

He is certain that he's a rock star or will be one.

He is the coolest lil punk you'll ever meet.

Totally into rock music, skateboarding, doing tricks on his bike, skulls, and great clothes!

Love that guy!

Here he is...at his best... ;)

Lots of fun goodies from my stash--some Jillibean Soup, Cosmo Cricket, Doodlebug, & Reminisce. The patch is one that Declan earned at a skateboard thing last summer...saved it for the perfect layout and this one felt right. I can't remember the manufacturer on the skull paper that I chopped to bits...I'll keep searching or if anyone can clue me in, I'd appreciate it! :)

Gearing up for GASC-Chantilly VA! Just a couple more days till I'll be chillin' on the plane, heading to a weekend of super fun teaching & shopping!

Oh, and in a fit of total OCD, I've researched Zumba classes in VA that are within the 3 mile radius the hotel shuttle will take me. Hopefully, the few gyms/classes that I've scoped out will let me in & the classes will be as bootie poppin' as Dara's classes are! :)

XOXO...Stac :)

My fave way to scrap...

is when new goodies never even get put away.

They're just so inspiring that you gotta use them right away! :)

That's what I love about this layout from last night. The mess of goodies in my room in a little overwhelming right now, but I'd rather scrap than clean! LOL Hey, its double-bonus...it is cleaned up a bit & I got a layout done! ;)

This is me & my bestie girl, Shonnery! :) We were out for a Girl's Night Out, dancin' our azz off! :) A random country song came on (Friends in Low Places) and we didn't miss a beat...straight from bootie poppin' to 2-steppin'! :)

There's lots more stories from that night, including my knight in shining armour...Tom (Shonnery's husband). He literally picked me up and moved me when a guy got a little too close and I didn't realize it (oblivious!) and then almost got into it with another guy who was coming on too strong for Tom's taste too. Again...Staci = oblivious and didn't even know that the almost-fight was about me until 2 days later. My friends have taken to saying that I "require supervision" b/c I'm not so aware of my surroundings, especially when there's music/dancing involved. It'd be funny...except its true! Okay, I'll admit it...maybe that makes it more funny! ;) LOL

Off to gymnastics! Lilli moved to Level 3 (YEAHHHHH!!!!) and Dec is trying out Boys Gymnastics (wtg!). Back with more goodies soon...

XOXO...Stac :)

Literal Sarcasm.

bwahahahah. I can't help but laugh already as I remember the story behind these layouts. Lilli, god love her, is the most literal child on the face of the planet. She's frequently been told this (by us, teachers, friends, etc). You can "joke" with her, but chances are...she's not going to get it. ;) As re-enacted yet again by her comments this past weekend...

And with that story, it also reminded me that I hadn't quite documented the full breadth & depth of her lack of sarcasm-decipering. And with our family of Sarcasm King & Queens (aka me, Bob, my mom), that's not so good for Little Lilli. ;) So here's the ode to that...

Man, I love that girl! The best part is that I know she'll figure it out one day and joke along with the rest of us. And then it'll be the best story of "remember when Lilli said..." LOL :)

Scrappy wise, these are made up of my box of Studio Calico lovelies that I got! I did have to handcut some extra cork butterflies from a spare cork tag to match the one that was already in the Chatterbox set of diecuts. :) And those starburst Collage Press diecuts are a TDF fave! Wish I could get a whole sheet of those babies! ;)

Off to do homework and hit the pool!

XOXO...Stac :)

Happy Kids Make Me...

A Happy Mamma! :)

It seems so rare these days, but every once in awhile, my kids actually seem to like each other. I totally lucked into these shots! Lilli was reading to the little ones from their favorite Snake Dicitonary book (yes, really) and I was walking down the stairs with my camera. Total Lucky Moment! I was able to snap off several shots before Tayvan caught me & they started cheesin' for the camera. :) LOVE LOVE LOVE these candid shots...all pajama'd up, fingers in their mouths as always, snuggly in blankets...so them! :)

And of course, the pics were perfect for this little grouping of birdies I found in my new box of KI goodies. They're from various bits of the Friendship line. Awwww, Friends! I hope, with all my heart, that these kiddos are friends...forever. :) The birds were beggin' for a tree, so I went to my fave Tia Bennett digi one.

Been spray paint playing a lot lately. After lots and lots of trial/error, I finally found a way that works for me. I am spraying onto transparencies (or chopped up page protectors in this case) from way up high. You get little splotches of paint without warping the paper. And best of the best, if I get too heavy-handed with the spray paint & its a bit too much, I can just save the transparencies for another project & haven't wasted my $$paper$$. ;) It might not be the best option, but its working for me for now! :)

Got lots done today too...birthday party-check, porch rockers-check, vintage formica table-check but too small so need a change of plans with him, lots of little jobs around the house accomplished today too (thanks Bob!).

Off to figure out dinner & then some late-night scrappin' after the kids crash tonight. :)

XOXO...Staci :)

Squeezin' some JUICY SUMMER!

I love mail days that come with big boxes of goodies! So ready to play! I have boxes o' stuff sitting ready for me to dig in...some stuff I bought at GASC, some stuff I "got" at GASC, some Studio Calico stuff delivered while I was at GASC, and then...da da da daaaaa.....a Big Box of KI Memories goodies! :)

The day I got the KI goodies, Shannon so very sweetly reminded us that we could use our new Juicy Summer stuff for this week's Focus On... blog post. YES! Girl, I love a deadline and a direction, so I got to work on some fun stuffs with the new Juicy Summer line. Couldn't help but throw some hybrid KI into the mix (Clark paper altered a teeny bit & the frame set), but mostly, it's all Juicy Summer papers & bits.

My GASC friends will know of my not-so-secret love for the pleated flower. Why yes, I am a Paper Pleating Princess! ;) So, of course, there's a papery flower friend on this one.

Here's pics...

Tonight, I'm hoping/planning to play with some Friendship line stuffs. And then oh-so-happily dig into my Studio Calico kit! :) I promise to post pics of more goodies as soon as possible this weekend!!!

Oh, and fingers crossed for me on the homefront! I am making some mega-major progress on my Summer Home Improvement to-do list. Bought rockers for the front porch, found a craigslist deal on a new kitchen table, picked out my new yellow paint yesterday. Next up, getting chairs put together (ahem, Bob!!!) and getting quotes for paint. I think I'm going to hit the floor outlet store to hunt some deals too! :) House pics soon too! ;)

XOXO...Staci :)

Lucy...I'm Home....

Back. Home. Now.
It's been a crazy-fun, super-busy, wacked-up weekend of scrappy goodness! I gonna say that GASC Arlington was a 110% success! :)

I had 4 days of classes...morning till night, literally all day. Mostly all great reviews. I warn folks about my hyperactivity and that they'll love it or hate it. LOL I think most folks love it, or at least can handle it in small doses. Bwahahahah! :) Poor Marla, she has to live with it for the whole week of crazy Staci! :)

Got some awesome deals too! Can't wait to scrap with the yummy Heidi Swapp goodies I got (love me some mirror butterflies!), Basic Grey chipboard alphas that I've been lusting for, and more. My biggest splurges were a surprise to all...stamps! I'm apparently fully infected with the stamp obsession. Got some **super love** Sassafras ones that you'll be sick of seeing b/c I'm so in love that I think they're my new fave & I haven't even used them yet! And shocker of shocks, I actually spent $19 of my own hard-to-let-it-go cash on one set of stamps from Technique Tuesday. But in my defense, they're Ali Edwards & there was a cute sample showing them so I was totally sucker punched into buying them! ;) I think they're by far the most expensive stamp I've ever bought...maybe even the most expensive scrappy thing I've ever bought! LOL :) I'm not sure that's a good line for me to have crossed b/c now I'll probably do it again & not give it a second thought! ;) (nah, I'm still too cheap for words!) :)

Let's see...what else? Found a fave booth at "Glue" with lots of flair button pins that I stocked up on. Also got some new charms for my junk necklace & a super cute wooden rolodex thing that I'm dying to play with...spray paint, here I come! :)

All in all, I need to clean up my desk space (ugh!), get all this scrappy inspiration to good use, and create, create, create! I also figured out that I need to get my teachy self out to some stores too! LOL I had no less than a bajillion people ask me 1. what store I teach at or 2. if I'd come to their store. The answers are 1. no where right now, and 2. heck yeah baby! Need to print my business cards again and mail those babies out! ;) (excuse me for a moment while I add that to my to-do list!) :)

Oh yeah, gotta get back to school work too...no Sarah, I haven't forgotten that I'm smack in the middle of my PTA spirit gear drive! ;) It's totally on my to-do list too! What's a mom, if not a multi-tasker extrodinaire?! :)

Those of you that took my classes...sooooo great to see your bright & smiling faces! I love to laugh with ya, or let ya laugh at me...it's all good as long as your laughing, smiling, and having scrappy fun! :) I'll have pics up of some of the projects soon...as soon as I find my camera again. It's buried in my suitcase of purchases! LOL :) And if you took pics in my classes...of me, of you, of us, of projects...please oh please email them to me!!! I'd love to see them! And if you don't mind, I'll even post them here for other folks to love too. :)

Well, as I'm back to Mom Mode today, I'm off to start the rounds of swimming lessons & tutoring sessions. Back super soon though with project pics, new scrappy fun, and more crazy Staci ramblings. Deal? :)
XOXO...Stac :)