Busy Busy Busy and a Broken New Camera!

I have been very busy (as you can tell by the title of this post).  I have been competing for a spot on the CT for NutHouse Scraps, I'm still on the CT for Godigitalscrapbooking.com. and I am competing in the Amazing Digi Scrap Race.  That makes a minimum of 6 LO's a week. WOW! I've really gotten a lot quicker at digi scrappin. The only problem is I don't have any new pictures because my new camera, the NEX-3, had to be sent out for repairs!  I had to take it back to the store I bought it from and yell at  politely ask them to fix it!  They said sure and that I should have it back in about 3-4 weeks.  I was not happy!

I am thrilled that I have made it to the final round of competition at NutHouse-Scraps. They have been having the applicants create QP's with kits from the designer's at their site.  Here are a couple of my QP's.

For the Amazing Digi Scrap Race, my partner, mommydeb, and I are both competing for the first time.  Our team is called the Digi Divas and we are team number 98. Come and check out the race here:  http://ndisb.com/?page_id=258   Our first challenge was to make a LO about your family that included 6 unique facts about your family.  The Round 2 Challenge was to make a LO about someone that inspires you. Here are my pages:

credits for my LO found here: http://www.scrapbook.com/galleries/326267/view/3178345/-1/1.html

credits for my LO can be found here: http://www.scrapbook.com/myplace/index.php?mod=galleries&u=326267&m=view&id=3178229&type=-1&start=1&page=1

At GDS, I just finished the Be Inspired Challenge.  We were supposed to use this picture as inspiration for our LO.

Here is my take on the photo. I used all Studio4 Designsworks products for my LO:

Steampunk

Steampunk has really increased in popularity among scrapbookers and I decided to try making a page. One of the things that I like about the steampunk style is that it can have a feminine or a masculine feel to it.  Steampunk Style, to me, is sort of a blending of old and futuristic. It is a mix of gears, cogs, antiques, victorian images, aeronautics, etc. Just think H. G. Wells style!

I based my page on a great quote from the Dalai Lama.

I picked up some great free Steampunk brushes over at daviantart from Hogret: http://fav.me/d2nseqh

I also got the Victorain Clover lady at Graphics Fairy. For a list of the rest of the products I used, see here: http://www.scrapbook.com/galleries/326267/view/3159607/-1/1.html

March Collab Kit at GDS

Doodly Spring comes to you full of fun and playfulness and happy thoughts of Spring! The kit is filled with soft purples and pretty greens. It's the perfect page kit to scrap all those fun times with the kids!  Love wordart? Lot's of those in Doodly Spring too! From flowers to ribbons and buttons... You'll love creating wonderful keepsakes with Doodly Spring!

•63 papers
•102 elements
•1 Full Alphabet
•6 Coordinating Word Art

The best part is that you can pick it up this kit for free after you spend  $10.00 in the store this month. You can find it here: http://www.godigitalscrapbooking.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_dnld_info&products_id=8468

Here are a couple of LO's I made with the kit.

Some Days Are Hard

When I started this blog, I decided that I was not going to post about anything too personal, but sometimes a person just needs to vent.  I am a mother through biology and through adoption.  This has been an amazing blessing and has taught me a lot about who I truly am.

It is hard sometimes to remember that my adopted child is not the same as my biological ones.  My bio children have never laid in their crib hungry.  They have never been passed to 5 different homes in 2 years.  They have never had to wonder who their parents are, or why they left them.  They look at me and feel a secure attachment. 

Attachment for an adopted child is not always a simple thing.  For some it comes easily, but for others, it is a fight. Infants who have been abandoned by their birth parents and placed in an orphanage where they receive inconsistent care are especially susceptible to attachment disorder because they never had an opportunity to attach to someone. Children with interrupted attachment have learned to trust only themselves. They believe that adults will not be there to take care of them. They have built defensive walls.  It seems like there is a constant tug-of war going on inside of them.  As much as they might want to engage in reciprocal relationships, they can't.  I have to remind myself of this last sentence at least once or twice every week.  You see... I forget about that sometimes. I forget, not because I don't love her, but rather because I do. I know the way I feel. I know my love is forever. I know that I will keep doing what I need to do to help her grow up to feel secure but some days are hard!   I hope in time it will get easier for her, but for now, running away barefoot in the snow is easier than trusting in my love.   

February Collab Kit at GDS

"Timeless" is a love themed kit created in the soft colors of romance and sweet love! So versatile, this huge collab kit can be used to scrap any type of memory you can think of. Includes coordinating styles from Tricia Designs and Davis Chronicles as well as (5) themed wordart pieces from our very talented Jab Designs. Your first $10+ order .(excluding coupons and gift certificates) qualifies you for this month's collab

Here is a LO I made using this beautiful kit.

Crusin

It's been awhile since my last post, but I have a really good reason.  I was on a romantic get-away with my darling husband.  On the spur of the moment, we decided to take a cruise to the Bahamas.  It was  a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary.

Our cruise was on the ship Fascination from the Carnival Cruise line.  The Fascination is part of the Fantasy-class for Carnival. It has 10 decks, is 855 feet long and has a passenger capacity of 2,052.  The ship departed from Jacksonville Florida.

Here is our first view of the ship.  It was taken from inside the Carnival transport bus we took from the airport.

It was very easy to board the ship. The staff was friendly, and checked documentation quickly.  I had never been on a cruise before, and have heard stories of how small the staterooms can be.  I was pleasantly surprised at the size.  It was larger and nicer than I had expected.  We had an ocean view room on the Empress deck. Inside the cabin room, there was a TV, safe, phone, private bathroom, and desk and a large closet. The bathroom was stocked with soap, shampoo and a sample size of lotion.

inside our cabin

There was wide assortment of food on the ship.  Most of it was good, but not fantastic.  There was, however always plenty to eat.  YOU WILL NOT LEAVE HUNGRY!!! Coconut Grove Bar and Grill serves all three meals in a casual, buffet style.  The two dining rooms, Imagination and Sensation, offer traditional dining with two seating times. We got to choose between the 6:00 p.m. seating and 8:00 p.m. There was a formal night in the dining room on the second night of the cruise.  Other option include: a sushi bar, a 24 hour pizza place and ice cream. For beverages, they offered coffee, tea, water, lemonade and iced tea, at all times.  Pop and alcohol must be purchased separately.  For $6.00 a day, you can buy a stamp that lets you have unlimited soda.

 There was quite a bit of entertainment on board. For us, this was a very good thing beacuse it was very cold and rainy during our trip. There were 2 major dance and singing production shows, a tribute to 80's music and one for Latin music. Having grown up in the 80's, I prefered the 80's show! Nothing like hearing Thriller, Like a Vigin, and Money for Nothing all in the same show.   The Fascination also hosts kareoke everyday. Other things to do inculded an onboard casino, a night club, and a comedy club.

Overall, I would highly recommend this ship!  It was very clean, the staff was always courteous and friendly, and I think it was a great trip for the money.

Kits from Studio4 Designs

Studio4 Designs kit "School Daze" is perfect for all those class pictures of your children.  It has all the bold primary colors you think of for children and lots of cute school themed embellies.

Here is a LO for some inspiration.

 Studio4 Designs has a brand new kit called "Ryan's Ride". It definitely has the "boy" and color theme to it, great for scrapping young to older boys photos. The kit contains 19 vividly colored papers and 63 elements. All papers are 12x12" and 300 dpi. All elements are 300 dpi png files.

For inspiration, check out this cute LO of my son.