2 Sketches 4 U Week 4, and CPS 70

Happy Saturday morning!! Did everyone have a good first night of the weekend? We had some fun at a Missoula Osprey baseball game...even though they lost again. I don't think they have won a game all season yet. Not the norm for the Osprey...I hope they get it figured out soon! But, it was still fun, and nice to be out in the gorgeous weather we have been having! Now, today is supposed to be pushing 100 degrees...which would be near record or record highs for this time of year in Montana. I went outside for a little bit and watered my flowers, and piddled around on the deck for a bit, just enjoying the mild temp while I could!

I have a couple of things to share this morning. First up, my card for the week 4 sketch at 2 Sketches 4 U. Such a cute and fun little sketch blog....be sure to check it out if you haven't! This card uses lots of the "Celebration" paper and rub-ons by American Crafts. As a former cheerleader for 12 years, I decided it needed to be my mission to use the cute megaphone on this card! I like how it turned out! :)And this is my card for sketch #70 at the CPS blog. It is hard to believe that we have done 70 sketches already!! It is such a fun challenge blog to be part of. The other girls are just awesome- we have so much fun emailing....with dance parties and everything. ;) Tee hee girls! Anyways, this card uses the "Spring & Summer" paper and chipboard from American Crafts, along with some older American Crafts minimark sentiment rub-ons....and Doodelbug Designs rhinestones, which are my very fave rhinestones these days! I have also been tagged by the sweet Leslie Ashe. So, here we go!

1. 10 years ago....
I graduated from high school, and was ready to move on to college life! I had made the University of Montana co-ed cheer squad, and we had aspirations to compete in the UCA National Cheer Competition in Orlando, FL (which we did, BTW). My whole summer that year was dedicated to cheerleading. (And I cannot believe my 10 year reunion is in July...time just flew by!)

2. 5 things on today's "to do" list....
Water flowers (done), blogging (almost done), kitchen clean-up, movie with Josh, and church at 7:05pm.

3. Snacks I enjoy....
Dark chocolate, healthy pop kettle corn, almost any type of fruit, crackers & cheese, and yogurt with grapenuts mixed in.

4. Things I would do if I was a millionaire....
~Buy my parents a house of their own, so they wouldn't have to live in the church parsonage anymore.
~Pay off my inlaws house.
~Fund Casey's college.
~Build the house of our dreams.
~Travel a lot.
~Invest wisely so Josh and I wouldn't have to work anymore...and we could do the things we love, volunteer on a regular basis...those kind of things.

5. Places I have lived....
Ronan, Montana
Tucson, Arizona
Missoula, Montana
Salt Lake City, Utah
and back to Missoula, Montana

I think I am supposed to tag people, but I am not going to. If you want to do the questions on your blog....please feel free, and let me know so I can read your answers!

Well, I hope that everyone has a lovely weekend, full of fun and sun...but not too much sun! Don't want to get toasted!

Enjoy your day,
~Lea

June Provo Craft Projects

Good Wednesday evening!! Life has been crazy busy again. I remember a time when summer was about lazy days, playing outside with my cousins & friends all day long. I miss those days. I am ready for a slower pace right now, but I just don't think it is going to happen because of my job. I think I will be able to take a breath once the election is over in November. Sigh...that is a long ways away.

Well, it is the time of the month when I am ready to post my Provo Craft projects. I had three somewhat specific assignments for the month of June, including a 12x12 layout, and 8x8 layout, and one other type of project. My first assignment was to use my Cuttlekids machine. I decided to use this for my "other" project, and did up this card with the Outer Space dies & the "Tadpole Alphabet" dies, which are completely adorable! Also featured on this card is the "Kids" paper collection by American Crafts. I thought it was a perfect fit for these dies!


My second assignment was to use a Disney character from any of the Disney cartridges that Provo Craft has available. The tricky part was that the layout couldn't have photos from any Disney related park, or photos of anyone in Disney character costumes (something to do with it getting approval for advertising). I had to seriously think about this layout because of these stipulations. I finally thought of something I could do with it, and decided on making this the 12x12 layout because the Disney character look better the larger you can cut them out. I used the Cricut Expression and the "Happily Ever After" cartridge, which features my very favorite Disney character ever...Cinderella. It also features the "Garden" collection of Chatterbox papers...one of my very favorites by them. I have been sparingly using this paper now for well over a year, and it is almost all gone. It has gone to good use though, so I am trying not to be too sad! ;)

And last but not least, my third assignment was to do a project featuring any of the new "Solutions" cartridges by Provo. I featured the "Indie Art" and "Street Sign" carts for this one. This project is obviously the 8x8 layout that was assigned to me. They are harder than I thought...I am so used to the 12x12 format. This is about my little cutie Sadie, and her obsession with anything strawberry. She is so adorable! In fact...I cut up some strawberries tonight and she got herself a little treat! This layout also features the "Spring & Summer" paper collection by American Crafts. I love the bright colors and bold patterns of this paper, and felt it was perfect for the layout!


Thanks for taking the time to look over my projects! I hope everyone is having a very happy week so far! Oh, if you have a spare moment check out this post on the Glitz blog. A new Christmas and Halloween release at summer CHA....going to be so fun to use!! I just see some hip seasonal cards in the making with these lines!

Isn't it the weekend yet!?
~Lea

2 Sketches 4 U, Week 3

For some reason, my immediate thoughts went to Christmas when I saw the sketch for this week at 2 Sketches 4 U. I think it is because I have tons of these sweet vintage images from Crafty Secrets, and they worked perfectly with the sketch! Here is a link to the sketch for this week...be sure to check it out!

So, I got this card done last night, while having an 80's dance party in my scrap room (tee hee hee CPS girls...you SO know what I am talking about here!). Did you know that on the 80's channel on XM radio they air past Top 40's with Casey Casum? Well, last night they aired the show from 6/28/1986- it was awesome. I may have only been 6 in 1986, but I had young and hip parents in the 80's. I can so sing along with most of the 80's pop music!

And in keeping theme with more winter oriented holidays, these are some Thanksgiving cards I did for the November Cards Magazine call that didn't get picked up. That's okay...now I already have some cards to send at Thanksgiving time!


So, what do you have planned for the weekend? Tonight I just want to hang out at home. Get some cards done, hang out with the pups....start on laundry, because I have A LOT to get done. Tomorrow I want to go shopping for a few new summery skirts and tops to wear to work. Now that we are finally having summer weather! :) I have church at 7pm, and then I want to book it up to Evaro to watch a firework show that I was invited to by a co-worker, and her husband is the one putting on the big show. In Montana you can buy fireworks and light them outside of city limits, so we get fireworks stands all over the place. One of the biggest stands is in Evaro, and before the big fireworks show on Saturday they are going to give the viewers a preview of the different types they can buy. And then we get the big show. I love to watch fireworks, not light them...so I always love to see a show! No plans for Sunday, except some house cleaning, and hopefully some time on the back deck in the sun!

Have a totally rad Friday (sorry...still basking in an 80's glow from last night),
~Lea

Wednesday is already here?!!

Wow! I can't believe that it is already the middle of the week!! Time has just been flying these days. Work is constantly busy right now, and we are finally having nice weather. So, we are outside more and enjoying it! We went to the opening Osprey baseball game last night, and that was a lot of fun! They weren't prepared for such a busy opening day- and it took two innings for us to get our snacks, and the scoreboard flashed on and off the entire time. I chalk it all up to first day problems- hopefully the next two games, tonight and Thursday, will be better for them! I think we are going to go again tonight, so that should be fun! (But we are going to eat at home, instead of at the ball game this time around!)

Okay, so I just checked out the Glitz blog...and they have posted a bunch of new summer CHA sneak peeks. The stuff is AMAZING!! Here is a glimpse of the new Gigi Collection. Be sure to check out this post in order to see more of the new product...it floored me, I love it so much. Can't wait to get my hands on it!

Here is my card for sketch 69 at the CPS blog this week. Lots of cute cards, and still some more to go up! Be sure to check it out! Lots of K & Company "Berry Sweet" line here, and Creative Imaginations rub-ons. I find their rub-ons very hit or miss if they work very well. These ones worked pretty well (just took some elbow grease), but I have had some others that just didn't work at all.And I happened to get an advertisement from Scrapbook Trends in my email, which I normally just delete. But for some reason I opened this one up, and was so excited to see this:
My first cover ever! So excited! :)

I also decided to throw my hat in for the Paper Crafts gallery idol contest. There are so many amazing cards for this contest...I am not getting my hopes up to be the in top 20. The cards couldn't be posted anywhere but the gallery, so here is a link to my "Friends Forever" card.

Well, I better get going for now!! Have a happy Wednesday!

Summer is finally here,
~Lea

CPS 68 and 2 Sketches 4 U week 2

Sorry I have been MIA this week. I had a whole lot going on it all parts of my life, and my little old blog had to be put on the back burner. I also really haven't had anything good to share either....so I just figured I would wait until I did.

I got a card done for the week 2 sketch at the 2 Sketches 4 U blog last night, using the new "Get Happy" line by Cosmo Cricket. My card design kind-of took a life of its own on as I kept going, but I think you can still tell that the sketch was my jumping off point for it!

We did a father's day theme for this week's sketch at the CPS blog. Lots of awesome dad inspired cards this week....be sure to check them all out! My dad got this card in the mail on Thursday, and his comment cracked me up! He said that cards aren't as fun to see in magazines as layouts are....but it is awesome to get one in real life. They look so neat! Tee hee....so he isn't a fan of Cards Magazine obviously....but he like them in person. Lots of Scenic Route on this card, and Heidi Swapp chipboard.

You can probably tell from the tone of my first paragraph that I have had a rough week. I am not going to go into detail, but it has just been one of those weeks. Jody Ferlaak has this song on her music roll on her blog, and part of the lyrics really spoke to me this week. It is a song called "Held" by Natalie Grant. It just reminds me that amidst all of the pain and disappointment that you suffer in this world, God is bigger than all of it. He wants us to cling to Him, rely on him to be our saving grace. It is so easy to get bitter, broken, and cold hearted in this world. God doesn't want that for his children. Here is the part of the song that really spoke to me through the entire week:

This hand is bitterness.
We want to taste it, let the hatred numb our sorrow.
The wise hands opens slowly to lillys of the valley and tomorrow.

Chorus:
This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.

Bridge:
If hope is born of suffering.
If this is only the beginning.
Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

If you want to hear the song, I am also attaching the video to the post. Hope you like it.





I hope that everyone has a blessed Saturday,
~Lea

Really...snow?!

Yes- you read my title correctly. We got snow today in the garden city, and all over Montana. It didn't stick, thank goodness...but it was still SNOW in June!! Craziness I tell you. Our weather has been so weird lately. Loud crashing thunder woke us up at almost 6am this morning. I am really surprised the dogs didn't go nuts. Then the snow. Now it is raining and sunshiny at the same time...with a gorgeous rainbow enveloping the city. Thankfully it is supposed to get warm over the weekend.

Work has been nuts. We are in the middle of a big software conversion, and I feel like I have been working non-stop for the last two weeks....and we still have 3.5 weeks left! It is going to be wonderful once it is finished, but it is a lot of tedious work until then.

I have a few birthday cards to share with you this evening. Lots of Sass product on this one. Love that Sunshine Lollipop line...it is one of my recent faves!

Some of the Basic Grey cupcake line. I love the rub-ons for this line...so whimsical. They also mix well with some of the first colored rub-ons that American Crafts came out with.

And this one didn't turn out quite how I pictured it. Not my favorite, but that is okay. Gotta happen sometime! :)Casey is doing well....still just healing. And in trouble. Indefinitely. He made a bad decision last week (nothing to do with his motorcycle accident) and it got him grounded for who knows how long. Won't go into detail...but I really hope this kid starts learning from his mistakes. I love him more than life itself....but he makes some dumb choices.

Anyways...I am ready to just go veg out for the rest of the night~

Have a lovely evening,
~Lea

2 Sketches 4 U, Week 1

I wanted to share a couple cards I got done today based on some sketches from a new sketch blog called 2 Sketches 4 U. Laura and Kazan did up some really adorable sketches...and I really love how my cards turned out. Thanks for the inspiration! Be sure to check the blog out tomorrow....they will have their week 2 sketches up!

This card is based on Kazan's sketch. I loved the left hand scallop!And this card is based on Laura's sketch! Be sure to check them out!

Hope that everyone is having a lovely Sunday!! I have spent the day lounging around the house, card making, playing the video game that Josh and I are obsessed with right now...and spending some time with my dad and Casey. Casey's wounds are looking good- healing up nicely. The bad ones on his hand and his elbow are still pretty ugly...but they will get there!

Have a great day,
~Lea

Beautiful morning!

What a glorious morning! The sun is shining bright, and the air is crisp and cool...but not so cold that it feels uncomfortable. I drove to work with my sunglasses on, and my window slightly down. The air smells so clean from all the rain we have been getting. Now that I am at work, I am watching the blue sky fighting to keep peeking through amidst some big gray rain clouds. I think the rain clouds are going to be the winners, as we are forecasted for more rain today. I really have one of the best work areas in the station with my huge window that lets in lots of natural light. I love it.

I have some stuff to share with you today! Here is my card for this week's sketch at the CPS blog. We were sponsored by Innovative Stamp Creations this week. I versamarked the background cardstock with some pretty scripted stamps that came in my package. Other product includes Bazzill cardstock, Basic Grey paper & letter stickers, Glitz Designs rhinestone strips & hearts, trim from The Embellishment Studio, Doodlebug Designs & American Crafts rub-on letters, and Clearsnap ink.

I also got this card done this week. Most of the product is from the May "My Sweet Spuds" kit. It included all these pretty sequins, but I wasn't quite sure what to do with them at first. Then I had an "aha!" moment, and adhered them all to a circle of cardstock using spray adhesive. After letting it dry for a little bit, it was ready to become part of the tree! I really love how it turned out! Other products include Bazzill cardstock, Hambly & Pink Paislee papers, Heidi Swapp chipboard letters, American Crafts rub-on letters, Glitz Designs rhinestones, and Clearsnap ink.

It is the beginning of June, which means that my cards in the April issue of Cards Magazine can be posted back into galleries and blogs. This is what I contributed to the April issue. I just love this magazine, and find myself flipping through past issues often.



Well, I hope that everyone has a wonderful Friday! I have a busy day ahead of me at work, once our computer guy gets here and fixes something. Gotta love computer problems when you have a lot of work to get done!

Happy day to you,
~Lea

Wednesday Weekend Recap

I know...it is Wednesday! But, my last post was supposed to be about my weekend, and I was just to consumed with what had happened to Casey. Thank you so much for your sweet comments regarding the situation. I am so thankful to God that he is okay.

Josh and I had a wonderful weekend! We celebrated our 6th anniversary on Sunday...but did most of the celebrating on Saturday.

But first...on Friday we went up to Ronan to watch my brother Russell graduate. I know what you might be thinking...Russell? I actually have two other brothers besides Casey, named Russell and Robby, who are my biological dad's kids. I just don't know them all that well right now. I don't plan on going into detail, but let's just say as a whole family...we have gone through some things. I am a true believer in forgiveness, but I also think that time is needed in order to heal. But I think things are going to be okay now. Anyways...it was great getting to watch Russell graduate, and then spend some time up at their house, getting to know each other again.

On Saturday we exchanged anniversary gifts. It seems we both had photographs on our minds. I made this frame for Josh (and our house). Because it is clear all the way through...I couldn't get a good shot of it head on. Hopefully you can see enough of it this way.

And Josh framed this photo that he did himself. He used a tea light and a slow shutter speed to get photos of each letter and heart...and then layered them together in Photoshop. He made it for my scrapbooking room! Isn't that so sweet! The actual framed project didn't photograph well..so I figured posting the actual photo was even better!

On Saturday night, we went to a REALLY nice restaurant called the Red Bird. I wish I had brought my camera, because the food was presented beautifully...and the restaurant was just so eclectically pretty. It isn't a place we can afford to go often...but for special occasions, I think we have found a new favorite! After dinner we went to the Prince Caspain movie....pretty good!

On Sunday we were lazy at home, playing a new video game Josh got with the points card that was also part of his gift. Little did he know that I would end up loving the game as well...so we both are playing it. It is called Puzzle Qwest...and it is totally addicting! So fun!

If you made it this far...thanks for reading! Tee hee!

The first political window is OVER! Yes!
~Lea

ETA: Casey is doing well. He is still on pain medication, so the wounds still hurt. He is also bored out of his mind because he has to lay around the house and let them heal. There is such a risk of infection with big open wounds like that, and my parents aren't letting him take any chances that he will get one. But, I talked to him for a little bit on Monday night and he knows that he made a dumb decision. He is also realizing that he isn't invincible...which is a good thing for boys to figure out. Thanks for asking about him Kimberly!!

By the grace of God...

...Casey is alive today. First off...I am going to warn you right now that I have included a pretty graphic photo in this post of Casey's injuries. He has given me permission to post it. I did black out a part of it so it isn't indecent. But what you see in the photo could have been much worse.

Yesterday morning Casey was out riding on a dirt bike. He had a helmet on, but he didn't buckle the strap. Other than that, all he had on was jeans and a t-shirt. He was going about 60 miles per hour when he came up over a hill and a car pulled out right in front of him. He swerved and layed the bike down so he wouldn't hit the car. I don't even want to think of what would have happened if had hit the car. While the bike was sliding on the ground with him on it, his unbuckled helmet flew off.

Luck was on his side yesterday morning. Casey made the decision to ride that motorcycle without the necessary gear. Without even buckling his helmet. I think it is one of the dumbest decisions he has ever made, and I just pray that he realizes today that he isn't invincible. And that he truly believes there is a reason for all the safety gear you are supposed to wear. And that maybe he will just stay away from motorcycles for now. I hate them. I hate them with a passion.

If I wasn't so overly happy that he is alive...I would be over the top, kicking and screaming mad at him. I know that I actually do feel that way...but the part of me that just thanks God he is alive completely over powers any other emotions I am feeling right now.

As I sit here typing this...tears are just streaming down my face. I could have gotten a call that I dread most. My biggest fear...a fear that if I let it come to the surface it consumes me in nightmares...could have happened yesterday morning.

My little brother looks like this because he chose not to wear the right things. And truthfully...this could have been so much worse.

I know my parents have told him he needs to have safety gear on when he is on a motorcycle or a quad. But, he is seventeen. Seven months from legally being an adult. His decisions are his own. And this one came with consequences.

Pain. He is in a lot of pain. My dad had to redress some of the wounds last night. I think it is probably the most pain Casey has ever been in. Broken and dislocated bones, torn ligaments, surgery....they've got nothing on road rash.

He will be missing basketball tournaments, athletic camps that he as already signed up for...all of it gone in a second.

But, he still has his life. The rest of that really doesn't even matter compared to that very small statement. He still has his life.

So, for me....go hug your kid, or kids, or husband, or significant other, or pets....just hug something and tell them you are so happy that you have them.

~Lea