It's a big deal...

While on the phone with my favorite sister today she all the sudden started squealing with delight and told me to get to my computer quick. In the middle of the day to find out that I had a layout featured...well it definitely put the perma-grin on my face. What is it that makes us want other people's validation? I think when you love this hobby and are passionate about the "story" you are telling, it just feels good to have other people recognize your work. It's like someone complimenting you on your shoes, hair or clothes...but so much better than that. Better in the sense that you created that work...and I know I don't own any clothing I made and I don't cut my own hair, so I really can't take much credit in those other departments. So there you have it...it was a big deal (to me) today when I saw this on the Sassafras blog!

In other Freehand Scraps news...the November kit is allllmost gone! I have literally a couple left, so if you are interested...seize the day! I have been working my fingers to the bone in my scrap studio as of late. I am working on a heritage album that is nearly completed and have been pouring hours and hours into making it a special keepsake. This has definitely been the most challenging album I have ever put together. It's for a dear friend of mine and so I had to learn their entire family tree. There also aren't many details...mostly just names and a few dates, so it's hard in the sense that you can't document the story of their lives. (Another reminder to write down the details!!) I have been pouring over these beautiful black and white photos for the last week or so, and find myself staring at them, wondering what their lives were like back then. To see where they came from, how they wore their hair (this is long before curling irons and straightening irons girls!) and how they dressed is fascinating. You can see the children wearing hand-me-downs and the women wearing the same winter coat year after year (gasp!) And it makes me wonder if life was just simpler back then. The "less is more" philosophy so to speak. They look genuinely happy and most of them don't look like they had much! It is a good thing to "take inventory" from time to time and keep yourself reminded that...

"The most important things in life aren't things!"

(This coming from the girl who just got J.Crew's latest catalog in the mail today and drooled all over it!) And OH how I wish I could share some of the layouts here with you! It's not everyday that you have such beautiful and OLD photos to work with! Treasures I tell you! Treasures! I am feeling so blessed! Hope you all have a great night!

Newsletter!

Freehand Scraps Newsletter
Here at Freehand Scraps we have so much to be thankful for! We have a wonderful kit this month called “Gather.” If you haven’t had a chance to place an order, you had better hurry. This one is flying out the door!

As I shared in the last newsletter our guest designer Brandy made this gorgeous project. Super creative!

And here is another layout by Holly Stork. I love all the white space on this layout and her funky photos!

And I finally get to share with you a sneak peek of December’s kit…yippee! I love this one…seriously.
Remember that if you are starting your Christmas shopping early, a Freehand kit makes a wonderful gift…and we would be happy to ship the kit with a personalized card straight to the recipient, or to you. My aim is to please, and also to make this holiday season as stress free as possible!! All you have to do is email me with instructions of who you are sending the kit to, and where you would like the kit to go to, and I will take care of the rest! Easy…right?
I am so thankful for each one of you! For our US friends we wish you a safe and blessed Thanksgiving and thank you for your continued support of Freehand Scraps! I’m sending warm thoughts your way. Have a great day!

Let there be art!

Art and Fridays go hand in hand around here. (Actually, everyday and art go hand in hand around here...but it's not EVERY day that I let them get out the paints!) I know, bad mommy. Here is what you need to have a successful art session...a new set of IKEA brushes and lots of pots of paint in yummy colors.
A little cupcake (found in the art section at Walmart for 62 cents) that was begging to be brought to life.
This girl decided that she really needed her "painters hat" (part of her artist Halloween costume from last year.) But you could skip this step if you aren't the fashionable artist type. LOL!

A giant paint smock (which literally would fit me, even though it is kid sized)...this is a must for Mommy's mental health. I know bad mommy.

Lots of colors to choose from. (And a mommy to continually wash out the brushes for you. Again this may be optional for some of you! LOL)

Fun with a cherry on top!

Have a great weekend!!

I collect penguins...

I don't know really how it started but I seem to have a growing collection of them. They keep me company at my scrap desk and this one even snuck into the picture!! Sweet and simple...here's a little card I made today. Turquoise wood grain. Yummm! I inked the edges of a small chipboard heart and then added red paint over the top of it, and stuck a pearl pin through it. The fabric swatch is from our July 2008 kit from forever ago. I used my sewing machine to stitch it on and then left the long ends of the string so I could tie it in a small bow. This picture doesn't show the correct color. It's cuter in real life.
I'm not so sure about mailing this one...it could be hazardous to the mail handler.

And this is what greeted my tired eyes this morning as I went to make the kids breakfast. The chalkboard in the kitchen has been getting some love lately. The kids are SO into art. Last night Tanner wanted to know what I was making for dinner (a detail he is usually couldn't care less about.) I told him...he appeared a few minutes later with a paper menu of chicken a (+) sign and broccoli and the amount of money it cost. I think he estimated it cost 2 cents. So he drew a coin to pay for his dinner! I wish paper money counted in the real world! LOL!
Hope you all had a beautiful day!

It was a forget your earrings kind of day...

You know. The day you forget your mascara. Or you forget your earrings...and suddenly even though you are completely clothed...you feel completely naked! LOL! It was a gloomy, rainy day so Chloe and I spent the day inside. I had a chance to finish a little album I had been working on. And here is my desk afterwards...hmmmm...looks like I need to organize again!
This album is called "5 Good Things" and I added this little metal rimmed tag to document the start and end date. You basically write down 5 things you're thankful for or that were "good" each day for a week. Easy peasy. Here is the link if you'd like to make one of your own!
For the cover I used my ancient eyelet stash to reinforce the punched holes and strung all the pages through a metal ring. I stapled a Heidi Swapp heart in the corner and also a K & Company little red bird. (Man I love that little bird.)

I decided to make the colors fun and mixed up with unexpected color combos.

I added a Sassafras Lass decorative border to either side of this page at the bottom. It looks fun sticking out of the bottom of the book too!

As you can see the "good" things in my life are simple. I'm easy to please!

I mostly embellished with little bits of this and that I had laying around my desk. (The "love" charm is from this month's kit!) {Oh and I also misspelled Swedish...oops! But you never would have known unless I pointed it out right? LOL}

IKEA is always on my "good" list!! The back of the previous page up close. I used a lot of staples to attach things in this book. I tried to make it easy and quick!

I added a #5 Sassafrass Lass card from our kit this month and added a tiny gold star in the corner. Too cute. Love this.

And we're already to Friday...see how easy it is to do this. (I think this would be great to do with kids...my youngest just had a birthday and needs to be reminded of all the good she has...instead of all the good she wants!)

I should have taken more time to make my jounaling a little neater...and maybe more thought out. This was the day of her birthday party...so it's all about her. And I just noticed that the book originally has numbers #1-5 on it and mine printed it without. I just added bits of this and that to the bottom to "decorate" a little!

And Sunday...my favorite day of the week (except it leads to Monday.)

On the flip side of the metal rimmed tag...it has the date of the end of the book.

As we near Thanksgiving...this might be a great little project to get you in the mindset of being thankful and conscious of how many "good" things our lives hold. I am thinking of all the veterans that have served our country now and through the years...and if that doesn't make a person thankful then I don't know what will! I am grateful and blessed to live in this country...to be free...to not wake up to bombs exploding outside my front door. Thankful doesn't even cover how I feel about the sacrifices our servicemen have made and are still making daily. Take the time to remember. Freedom has a price...

Monday...

It's Monday. It always seems like Monday is one of the busiest days of the week to me...am I the only one? I'm finally catching my breath tonight and getting the kids to bed e-a-r-l-y! I have several "projects" started all around the house, and have had a super productive day...but I still feel like there is so much to be done! I feel like shutting myself into my studio and creating because I am feeling inspired, but I am too distracted by everything else. I think I'm feeling the holiday stress already. This is not a good sign. Deep breaths!! LOL!
As I was running around today, I was reminded of how much I have to be thankful for. And of how many times I choose to worry about the details instead of focusing on the bigger picture. I saw an elderly woman raking her leaves this morning as I dropped Tanner off at school and had the urge to stop and help her with it, but Chloe has been sick with a fever and needed to get home and rest. I am thinking of ways right now to get out there and help someone else. Show them a little of God's love. In some small way. Brighten someones day. Reprioritize. Reprioritize. Reprioritize! The best feeling in the world is giving of yourself. Now I need to take action! Hope you had a wonderful day to be thankful for!!

Blinkie link!

This was the view from my window this past week. Fall is such a fleeting season! This week most of these leaves have fallen now and it's looking a lot like winter outside. And since I have forgotten to share the blinkie link here yet (shame on me!!!) here it is:

http://freehandscraps.com/images/fs-ad-120x120-nov09.gif

A few silly shots of Chloe and me playing photographer in the car with the iphone. (She loves doing this!) And when we are waiting for preschool to start, there's nothing better to do!

And I'm sharing the rest of my gallery too...you may have seen this leaf garland I shared here using the fabric and ribbon in the kit. But just in case, here it is again.

And last but not least the little card I put together using the sweet little Prima elephant. I painted a little strip behind the embellishments to make them stand out a little bit more. I trimmed the bird sitting on the elephants back and the cloud from a sheet of patterned paper, and finished it off with a decorative edge from the Sassafras Lass paper on the bottom edge. Wouldn't everyone you know love to get a handmade card from you?

Hope you all have a great night! And check out the November gallery for more!