Laura Vegas

i know … original title there! lol! promised i’d share a few layouts … so i’m here to do that.

this is a 9×9 layout. i’ve had this older picture of ariana laying around with these papers for months …  all matched up and ready to go. finally did something with them. my minds eye papers, overlay (on the picture) and tag and some american craft felt flowers … love those things. and funny story on that stitching … it’s a rubon of course … why take out the sewing machine when i can rub my stitches on. lol! but i originally had some other rubons out … and one of the sheets had come off the protective backing and was stuck on the other rubons. so i try and salvage them and next thing you know … i had a ton of rubon stitches stuck nicely down my arm. lol! let me tell you … rubons are a pain in the tush to get off your skin! lol!

this is a 12×12 layout that i started ages ago. if i had these pictures out these days … i probably would have done something entirely different. but they were already on the paper … so i really just wanted to finish it up. my minds eye pattern paper, lil davis rubons and chipboard flowers. and check out the inking i did on that layout. for someone that was known big-time for my inking (in all my classes i taught) … i NEVER ink anymore. lol!

and another 12×12 layout that i had started ages ago … like about 3 months ago. i had wanted to use those circle stickers and wasn’t sure what to do with them … so i cut them up and added them. basic grey pattern paper and lil davis chipboard letters and hearts.

so … those are a few. nothing jaw dropping … but they’re done and off my desk. lol! gotta run here … i’ve got 4 girls running around the house being very noisy. lol! and we have a light drizzle of rain going on … so the girls are already hopeing that softball is canceled for the day (sarah has practice and ashlen has a game). i think there has been a total of about 26 raindrops … but around here that’s huge! lol!

edited to add: ok, it’s really raining here! those 26 raindrops turned into a dreary, dark, and rainy afternoon. lol! i don’t think it’s rained in over 2 months here. so needless to say … no softball tonight!

i’ll let you in on a little secret … i hate thinking of titles for my blog posts! lol!

normal weekend around here … cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, some softball, some soccer. nothing super exciting. i did get around to doing a little scrapping … this afternoon. i had a little time on saturday while sarah was at my parents house playing … just couldn’t get my creative juices going. hate when that happens.

i find i actually tend to scrap better if i have a challenge … or certain product that i want to use … or some great new pictures. just something to start me off. but i couldn’t decide what to do this weekend. i do have one more layout to finish up for the month for lil davis … and i did get around to doing my assignment for their newsletter today (a whole 2 weeks early!).  and then i had a few layouts laying around that needed some journaling. i also got my duplicate layout finished of tawny (the one from that last mm idol challenge) … so it’s all ready to give to dina. should be able to take some pictures tomorrow of the layouts i did manage to get done … will share then.

that’s about it for now.

my neighbor ruth stopped by yesterday to use my printer … and her daughter, ayana, came with. she looked so pretty in her new dress … and right away i told her i had to take a few pictures of her. she happily agreed!

nothing like my girls … who are still running from me every time i take out my camera. lol! ayana was all up for it and following me around while i got my camera and put on my shoes. she wanted to go in the backyard … but way too much sun (even though it was 5:30). so we went out front by the side of the house. i only took a handful of pics … and really havn’t even looked at most of them yet. but i did this one super quick and printed one off to take to ruth.

now i know who to go to when i want to take some pics. i think i have my new model!

here’s a layout i finally finished today:

these pictures were from this past christmas. the first christmas i didn’t make us all match … or even wear christmas colors. which is kind of good … since i don’t have to scrap using christmas colors. lol!

i wanted to use these glittery rub-ons from lil davis and though they’d go good with these pics. i also had that green paper pulled out and was really set on using it … but had a hard time deciding what other color to use. somehow i came across some color theory ki memories paper that i have actually never used … the blue one was perfect and love the rounded edges on it!

the journaling is so true. i know we all love each other … but for some reason we spend most of our time fighting! lol! the girls just climbed into bed after getting home from awana over at the church … but not before having a little fight in the bathroom. sarah was trying to push her way in to brush her teeth … she’s convinced she has to go first and if alyssa is there she’ll just push her way through. and alyssa said she was going to put toothpaste in her hair. and then sarah said that then she would have to pay to fix her "beautiful hair". and then alyssa said that "there’s nothing beautiful about that hair". and then i told them to "knock it off"! lol!

just want to say thanks again for all your thoughtful comments on my last post. i got so many nice emails and messages today … and it made me feel so good. i even had a couple of promising emails that i hope will lead to something good … but i’m not giving details because i will end up jinxing myself!

going to go veg on the couch and watch a few episode of "melrose place" before bed. i know a few people think it’s crazy that i’m watching it. this was one of my favorite shows back in the day. i found it on the soap network last summer and realized that it airs 5 days a week … so i started recording them. i just happen to come in right at the beginning of the show. when the new shows started up in the fall i wasn’t sure if i would be able to keep up with my regular shows plus 5 hours of melrose each week. but i have! and i can’t stop now … i’ve been watching for about 7-8 months now! i think i’m pretty close to the end of the series. and if i stop now … i’ll have to wait for it all to start over and then get to where i am now. so i’m keeping with it! but i do have about 6 episode to watch right now that are on my DVR. it really is pretty funny to watch after all these years … it all comes back to you so quickly … what’s going to happen and all. and i won’t even tell you how many times i roll my eyes at billy and michael every episode. lol!

first off i just wanted to send out this card (made with scraps from my last layout) to all of you that took the time to vote for me. who took the time to leave me such awesome comments on my work. who believed in me and my talent. i appreciate it more than you’ll ever know!

got the dreaded email today that i didn’t make the next round on mm idol. i won’t lie … i’m seriously bummed out. i knew it was a big cut … from 25 down to 15. i’m not a confident person to say the least … but i wasn’t expecting that email to be honest. i was just like chris daughtry last season on "american idol" … completly caught off guard. lol!

don’t get me wrong … i’m honored to even have made it that far. top 25 out of 1000 entries isn’t bad! in fact … it’s awesome! i had fun. i was challenged. i got to know some great gals. but i’m so sad to see that end. 

i can’t help but think back to a conversation i had with a MM gal last year. it was shortly after MM had started their blog … i was always leaving comments and participating in their challenges. so i guess they were looking for some consumer feedback and asked if they could call me to talk. one of the things that this gal had mentioned was that MM was getting ready to hold a major contest … which would in fact end up being the first round of MM idol that started late last year. she asked if i though winners should be chosen for their talent or by luck. of course my answer was … "hopefully talent, since i’m not that lucky". lol!

i went on to explain that i really thought talent should be recognized … that you earn things with good, hard work. but that there is essentially so much great talent out there in this world … that in the end it also comes down to good luck.

how true is that? i know, i know … i’m so incredibly wise! lol! but seriously … i’m not saying i’m more talented than anyone else … or that the ladies that made the next round don’t deserve their spots. they do … everyone in that group is super talented! just saying that i was talented enough to be chosen by the design team to be part of the "top 50" … and from there was lucky enough to get enough votes to make the "top 30" and then the "top 25". but like i said … i’m not a very lucky girl when you get right down to it. and this week … my luck has run out!

i did get a piece of good news today though. i had a layout picked up by scrapbook trends magazine today … for the august issue. so that means that both of the layouts that i used for my original entry for MM idol have been picked up to be published. although i’m still dying to see the march issue of scrapbook trends … i think i have a layout in there … but havn’t gotten my box yet.

so, thanks once again for everything! and best of luck to the remaining gals! looking forward to seeing what you all create this next time around!

voting has started up this morning for challenge #3 over on MM idol. make sure to head over there and cast your vote. here’s my layout:

the challenge this week was to get "back to basics" … go back to using the basic supplies that we used when we started scrapping. luckily papers and stickers have come a long way since 11 years ago when i started. lol! our basic supplies were limited to cardstock, pattern paper, stickers/rubons, brads, ribbons, buttons, and our basic tools. not bad since those are things i use all the time. i’m not really much of a technique person … so i love the basics. the only thing that threw me a little was that we could do anything we wanted … a layout, a project, home decor, mini albums. a wide range to choose from. layouts are really my thing … they’re what i do best. but i worried that everyone else would show up with big projects … and that everyone would think "hey wait, that laura chick only made a layout". lol!

i actually started 2 layouts for this challenge … but chose to use this one because i just love the colors. i know i just used one of these pictures on a recent layout … but tawny’s cute and i love the pics! i originally had some basic grey pattern papers on there … but then decided i wanted to use more making memories papers. so i started a whole new layout since the pictures were already on there with glue dots … so i had to reprint my photos (which involved re-cropping and all since i hadn’t saved it). i figure i’ll finish the other one with the basic grey and give it to tawny’s mom.

i won’t even tell you how long this took me. it really is simple and basic … but "simple" still takes me forever to design. lol! and i had some major issues with my journaling tag. i seriously handwrote that tag about 8 times. i kept messing up … spelling something wrong … not having enough room … writing too big. i kept having to cut myself new tags out of my pattern paper. then i finally got it right … added a button to the end and plopped it down on the layout. took  pics and everything. then realized that i had all this great dimension going on the top of the layout (love me some pop-dots) … but the bottom was too flat. so i tore that tag off and started again. added the flower behind it, added some ribbon, a few extra buttons, and pop-dotted the whole tag. much better.

i hand cut the flowers from my pattern paper. actually i used my circle cutter … and then just cut little "v" shapes around the circles. i did throw on 2 grommets which weren’t on the basic supply list. i had them arranged on there from the beginning … and then realized that they might not be ok. but once i took them off … they were the only thing i wanted to use. in the end i decided to toss them on. they’re kindof like a giant brad or eyelet, right? i didn’t use the grommet tool though … i wanted the white cardstock to show to put my button on … so i just pushed it through my paper and flattened out the prongs. all the products on here are making memories … the papers (except the green background and the white scalloped cardstock), stickers, buttons, ribbon, and the grommets.   

wasn’t that exciting … to get the whole drama-filled story behind the making of one of my layouts?!?! lol! most of my layouts have some crazy story to them! anyways … go check out the 25 remaining ladies work and cast your vote. i think this week they are cutting 10 … so every vote counts!

was informed last night by deneen that i need to update my blog! lol! so thought i’d give you some tidbits to tide you over. i have my challenge for the mm idol contest … but can’t share until tomorrow. voting goes back up in the morning with all our new designs … so keep your eyes out for that! in the meantime . . .

• expo was fun. did a little shopping. didn’t really spend that much. got some new making memories of course, a pack of new basic grey, pack of white bazzill cardstock (running out of the 100 sheets i had gotten before dina’s store closed), and just a few other random things. the class was fun …  a cute little tag album by rusty pickle. fun to get out though and talk lots of "scrap-talk".
• spend 7 hours yesterday at the softball field. started at the crack of dawn (well really it was 9:30 … but that’s pretty early). spend about 15 minutes just trying to find somewhere to park. walked a super long way to get there once we did park. got sarah to her team and they didn’t have her uniform … so had to track it down at their house. then had opening ceremonies … then a 45 minutes gap … then team pictures … then a 45 minutes gap … then their first game. wasn’t enough time in between to run home or do anything … so we just hung out there all day. all in all … 7 hours … in 84 degree weather! and my first sunburn on the year to go with it!
• got home after softball and had enough time to pack up my computer and a few things … and headed over to dina’s for a crop. i never scrap on the go … i just can’t pack up and know that i have what i need to scrap. partly because i never know what it is i need! lol! so i figured i’d just bring my laptop and work on all the pictures i have piled up from the last 3 months. and i did. everything from january thru march is edited, loaded on winkflash in case any friends or family want them, organized in folders, and saved on my external harddrive. feels good to have a fresh "photo-slate"! lol!
• i had sarah with me last night at dina’s and by the time we got home it was almost 1:00 am. sarah was wanting to spend the night … made me drive home to get her pjs … and then changed her mind. lol! her and tawny were having so much fun … and tawny was being the biggest goofball. but then i think the day caught up to them (remember … 7 hours on the field) … and they just crashed!
• had to get up at the crack of dawn again today … and pick alyssa up from a sleepover birthday party she was at. then get her back here and ready for soccer. luckily her dad drove out to take her … because sarah was being the worst stinker this morning (partly her being extra tired, party just being herself). i finally left her with joe … who agreed to hold off on going to bed since he worked last night … so that i could go watch alyssa play for a while. they were scrimmaging against these 11 year olds … although they looked huge!
• got back from soccer … made sarah lunch … started some laundry … and finally got around to working on my challenge for MM idol. i cannot believe i got it done that late. i know it’s not due until midnight … but i hate to wait till the last minute since you never know what could go wrong. lol! and i had the design all in my head … just took me a while to get it all figured out and looking like what i had planned. can’t wait to show you in the morning.

and that’s pretty much been my weekend. i’m sitting here and it’s almost 5:00. i’m beat tired since i havn’t slept good the last few nights (even with the sleeping pills! lol!). i have no idea what’s for dinner. i havn’t done any housecleaning. and i have one heck of a week ahead of me. oh yeah … i never blogged about that, did i? just to humor myself … let’s go over my week.

• monday:   daycare kids (just 2 + my 2) from about 8:30 – 4:00 … sarah softball practice from 5:00 – 7:00.
• tuesday:   daycare kids from 7:00 – 6:00 (5 total + my 2) … alyssa soccer practice from 5:00 – 7:00
• wednesday:   daycare kids from 7:00 – 5:00 (4 total + my 2) … all 4 older girls get out of school after lunch … joe umpires the high school baseball at 4:00 … sarah has softball game from about 5:00 – 7:00 … alyssa has choir and awana from 5:30 – 8:00 (which sarah has to skip for her game)
• thursday:   daycare kids from 7:00 – 5:00 (6 total + my 2) … all 4 older girls are going off track so they get out after lunch … joe has umpiring at 4:00 … alyssa has soccer practice from 5:00 – 7:00
• friday:   daycare kids from 7:00 – 5:00 (5 total + my 2) … older girls are off track so that means i now have 4 extra girls bugging me all day) … joe umpires at 4:00 … sarah has a softball game from about 5:00 – 7:o0 … alyssa has to go to her dads.

i’m sure there’s something i’m forgetting. and i know i shouldn’t complain … since i know others do it all the time … and some have more kids to get places. but i’m really dreading this. i’m still exhausted from last week … and i havn’t had time to even chill this weekend. as soon as i saw our schedule i was just totally overwhelmed … i’m not one who likes to be that overly-busy. i know it’s for the kids … but i do need some down-time in there too!

well … enough boring you. you can blame this all on deneen since she told me i had to update! don’t think she knew what she was in for! lol! 

i seriously got lost in the busyness of life the last few days. in fact … i have an entire rant about sports eating away at all our time. lol! will save that for later though.

just wanted to check in and say "hi"! headed out to the scrapbook expo in just a bit here … so won’t be back until later tonight. hopeing (seriously, every time i type that word i try and figure out how to spell it!?!?!) to find some new product. i did get a small box of new making memories stuff yesterday … just in time to play with it on my challenge for mm idol … the one i’ve barely started! lol! and i do have a small box of new heidi swapp stuff that should be here any day. other than that i havn’t picked up anything in a few months. so there are a few things out there that i’d love to find!

wish me luck … and have a great day!

i made it to the next round of mm idol … the top 25!

if you watch suite life of zach and cody you’ll know this phrase from the famous london tippten … "yay me"!!! i’m sad to see that 5 of the talented gals had to leave us this week. and next week will be hard … because 10 are being cut. so keep watching and placing votes. and i also want to thank you for your votes and all the nice emails and comments i’ve been getting … i totally appreciate it!

next challenge is up and i really need to get started right away. this friday i took the day off so that dina and i (and anyone else that wants to come with) can head out to the scrapbook expo. they moved the dates around this year … this one has always been in august, but for whatever reason it’s in march now. we’re signed up for a rusty pickle class about girlfriends … hoping mr. rusty pickle himself is teaching. i hear he’s great. i can’t even remember the last time i took a class.

then saturday we have opening day for softball. only sarah is playing this year … alyssa’s still doing the year-round soccer. i’m not even sure if there’s a ceremony of some sort like last year. there’s also pictures and her first game. gotta see if joe can help out with getting her there (he has to work the whole weekend) … because i also have a baby shower that i want to try and make it too. and then we have to get alyssa to a sleepover birthday party. and i’m heading to dina’s for a crop … i’ve been to one crop in my entire scrapbook days (about 11 yrs). not even sure what i’d work on … i don’t even have a fancy big bag to pack things in. lol! but looking forward to socializing and getting out.

so that means i should really have my challenge for this week done before friday. that way i don’t have to stress about it or get stuck in a panic on sunday trying to meet the deadline! lol!

well … i’m beat tired tonight. today was a long day. and it’s been hot outside here … in the low 80’s. which stinks because my house at this moment (at 8:50pm) is a lovely 80 degrees. the house cannot be 80 degrees. the nice thing is i’m not running my heater … but then again we all know how much running the air conditioning costs (remember my $425 bill last summer). lol!   

it’s time for round two! voting has started over on MM idol for the top 30. here’s a look at what i came up with:

the theme for this assignment was "kids corner" … to design a project that you could do with your favorite little one. i have two of my own favorite little ones … and lots of favorite daycare little ones. so my first decision was who i was going to pick! lol! i had an idea for a project that alyssa and sarah could do. but i’m glad i didn’t do that one because i got the brand new making memories idea book on friday … and there was a design in there that was almost identical to my idea (makes me think i’m on the right track though!).

so i had this crazy idea to work with adyson. i had the vision of smushing her cute pudgy hands in some colorful paint and making handprints … and then using another color and letting her "fingerpaint" all over some cardstock. now i know what you’re thinking (refer back to my "booger snot" post a few days ago) … but i did make sure her fingers were clean before we started. lol!

you should have seen the look on her face while we did this! i was smushing her hand in the paint … making sure to get all her baby wrinkles covered. and she would turn her hand and just stare at the paint … i don’t think she quite knew what to make of it. lol! and aren’t those red handprints just adorable? she also did the yellow artwork on the white cardstock that the photo is matted on … she’s quite talented!

i have to admit i don’t remember ever doing my girls handprints. but i love the idea of making the handprints, adding a favorite photo … and making a fun, colorful, playful frame to remember how little your kids are. because when they get older they’re hands just get big, dirty, sweaty, and stinky! lol!

so make sure you head over to the MM idol site and check out all the entries. i can’t wait to see what all the other gals came up with for this assignment. and after you check them all out … make sure you vote!!!