UGH! Im FINALLY sitting down here, about noon on Saturday. We lost our Internet/email since early Friday morning. That mean I had no connection to the outside world, OR the ability to post on my blog or notify the people I work for that I had no Internet. You don’t realize how cut off from the WORLD you feel when your Internet goes down. Im so disgusted with Verizon-let me tell you! LOL!

I had so many great things planned and now no time for it GRRR!!!

OK thanks for letting me spew all the negativity out. Feels good to get over it. I have to say I really don’t do well under a lot of pressure. I don’t procrastinate, and when things are beyond my control, and puts me behind its a killer

Lots to share today!!! Some I just HAVE to put off till tomorrow because my kids are pulling at my legs to get the Christmas tree put up! We usually do it the day after Thanksgiving ( yeah I know it seems early but my kids LOVE to maximize the holiday feeling and I don’t blame them), but I haven’t felt too great, so we waited until today.

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I hope you did too! Thank you to those who sent emails and kind words for the holiday! You all made my day. I didn’t go shopping on black Friday-which is INSANE! I always go, but there wasn’t anything overly appealing so we skipped it.

I want to share our holiday family photo with you. This is all of us on Thanksgiving and will get sent with our family Christmas cards

So let us be one of the first to say-From my family to yours-Happy Holidays! We truly wish you all a upcoming year of the love of family & friends, health, happiness and dreams fulfilled!

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I feel like I can finally post my Christmasy stuff without guitl now! Once Thanksgiving hits, its all good! LOL! I am also feeling the overwhelming need to get my holiday everything DONE!

See there is Daisy! So many ask about her. She is doing great. I haven’t posted photos since she hasn’t been too naughty these days! LOL!

As you can see Noah is HUGE!! Is is now 50 inches tall and only just turned 6 (Alexa is a mere 46 inches and is 9. She won’t get to be much over 5’2 I think). They say he will be looking me in the eye by 12. (I’m 5 “11) And YES Noah was difficult getting to smile saying he doesn’t like getting his picture taken, and we are all taking TOO long. In this photo he looks so old and like “Hey! How you doin?” LOL! Very funny.

Amber-she had a cute smile for every photo. She loves the camera. I wish she didn’t hang her down but at least she co-operated.

I wish you could have full view of the girls outfits-they are really cute, and they match! I love that. But taking the photo outside of our home this was the best way to get a photo.

Getting Alexa to look at the camera is like asking someone to donate a kidney without anesthesia! You should have seen her school photos! YIKES! LOL! Some of the faces this girl can make are pretty funny!!

As for Jay & I- we basically wrangled Daisy the entire time. A photo the kids look great, Daisy decided to ear my earring, that kind of fun family stuff. Or she’d chew on her pay, of my fingers. So NOT regretting going to a photo place to get a picture. To have to PAY for the pain of a family photo-no thanks! I’ll wait till January after the holiday.

Anyway-out of over 50 photos this one was the best of the bunch with the majority of us all looking at the camera. With 3 kids and a dog, its near impossible to not have one of us looks REALLY funky! LOL!

Just thought I’d share that with you all.

Anyway this post will be JAM packed as I need to play “catch up” on sneak peek samples for C.C. Designs newest release which is available December 1st.

Check the BLOG for more design team samples, daily, and your chance to WIN a free set 😀

OK OK now before I get into the NEW stuff let me share a Saturday Sketch

There is no time limit, or restrictions- just have fun with it, when you can.

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Use Keyword mytimess13-

I want to thank Dawn as she helps me tweak my sketches when I can’t get something to work right. She is seriously awesome for always figuring out what I can’t!! Dawn you are just the best! THANK YOU!!!

Now here is my sample:

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So Stinkin Sweet

Is this lil skunk not adorable? I had to use her.

I had some black & white paper from Imaginisce, and I used my copic’s to color it in to match my colors! Cute huh? I have done that before but wanted to point it out in case ya’ll were wondering where I got that paper! LOL! I used PTI white,  Lemon Tart, and Ripe Avocado for my solid cardstock.

This was made using a set that released last month by Jen Ofiana called Forest Friends. I really fell in love with the skunk image. I also have a few other cards using this set to share but have others that NEED to be posted, so will wait-again.

Now on my sketch there is a flower cluster-that is meant to be any sort of swirl of image in the corner. Use your imagination!!

This is what I did-more piercing and flowers! I LOVE my Onare piercing template, and use it endlessly!!

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Isn’t that so pretty??

Now check out my sketch team for more samples using the sketch

  • Alicia Weimen
  • Dawn Easton
  • Kim Gasper
  • Kirsten Dubosque
  • Kristy Vernon
  • MacKenzie Bruckler
  • Maria Levine
  • Tamara
  • Now onto more piercing and another peek I was suppose to share yesterday, but had no Internet!!

    Snowman Friends-OK I have to say my layout is LAME, but I wasn’t feeling good. I do LOVE the hanging mittens in the corner though! ( I also have a 3D items to share but it deserves its own post I think)

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    This uses a new set called Winter Bear-to be released December 1st. I LOVE it! The snowmen particularly adorable, as is the bear. I fell in LOVE with the mittens too.

    I did the piercing and free handed a heart to match that of the sweaters and mittens. I think its cute. You can’t see the shimmer on the snow, but its nice in real life-PROMISE!

    I chose to get inspired from a Slab of Christmas themed paper by one of my FAVE paper co. K & Co. Isn’t it yummy??? Its like Berry Sorbet, and poppy! Just love it. I also decided to try the faux texture technique that Debbie did using Copic’s on her blog. She is the best! You have to try it-so fun. I need practice but Im OK with that. More excuses to color 😀

    Some close up details-

    The hanging mittens, the snowman to the left is totally cut out, and the head of the one of the right is cut out and popped up. I also see I went a little too happy with my singlo white gel pen 😀 Oh well.

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    I just has fun with it.

    So that has to be it for today-I am so behind and lots to do.

    Thanks for reading my blabbering. I hope you all get to try out the sketch, and something here imspires you to get inking!

    Thanks for checking in-till tomorrow!