"Little Bird"

I am happy to announce our latest kit "Little Bird" will be going live on the website in the morning fist thing at 8:00 a.m. CST. Wait until you see all of the inspiration on our gallery! This kit is full of really fun things. A great mix of different manufacturers and could be used for so many different themes. Perfect for all of your summer pictures or fall photos.

I had so much fun with the flocking! Hopefuly you can see how fluffy and dimensional it looks on your projects.
And you know how I LOVE polka dots...enough said!
Hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day. Not that many years ago I was a first grade teacher (before having kids) and I was asking my students if they knew why we had the day off of school on Labor Day. One of the little girls had the funniest explanation for our holiday break. She said "Mrs. Stork it's just because it's Labor-aham Lincoln Day." (She meant Abraham Lincoln.) I laughed and laughed. Hope you have a fantastic "labor-aham lincoln" day. See you back here first thing in the morning!

TGIF...

Yep, it's a good thing it's Friday. I am looking forward to a long, holiday weekend. I have to tell you some very good news about the critter patrol I have been on. My very brave friend Christy had come to help me set traps and look around for the culprit. (We really didn't even know what exactly we were looking for.) What we found may shock you...lol. There was a bug crawling up a plastic bag and it was what was causing the racket...can you believe it? It wasn't even a big bug, it was rather small, but it sure did make some scary noise!! Even Christy was sure that there was something lurking in the corner, she even thought she heard it squeak. But boy were we glad (especially me) that we were wrong. So I was in a panic for no reason. All that the kids had let into the house was apparently a smallish bug, not a rodent or something scary. So this story has a rather dull ending, but I will take it!! Thank you very much.

So onto the fun of the day...I stayed up waaaay too late last night scrapbooking! I am feeling it today, but I was on a roll and just couldn't make myself stop. I think I am addicted to productivity. I was loving a few of the things that I made and of course have plans to make a few more things using our Sept. kit "Little Bird." So here are a few more peeks.

These are pictures of Chloe in gymnastics class in her little legwarmers. So I just had to give the silly bird some funny looking legwarmers too! I am such a dork. LOL. I think these pictures are extra special to me because it was a parent-tot class that we did together. It was one of the first times that we spent time just the two of us. It was a real bonding experience and we both got a great workout. Plus we had a ton of fun doing it! I had also done the same classes with Tanner when he was her age. So good for their self-esteem. They amazed themselves with how much they could do!
Here's a shot of the kids having a grand old time playing outside. It isn't the best shot of the two of them. But I think I liked it because it is the epitomy of how their relationship works. They truly are best friends. But they like to fight with each other also. They could be having a blast one minute and the next be fighting and chasing each other. I have really enjoyed watching them play lately. It's so funny how they take on certain roles and who takes the leader role and for how long the other one allows that to happen before they insist on being the leader.
And here is a random shot of the sunset. It is very unusual to see from my house the different colors in the sky like this. I thought it looked so pretty so I grabbed my camera...how cool would it look to write in white pen directly on that picture on a layout?
I hope that you are having a great weekend!

Another sneak peek...

As promised here is another sneak peek from my gallery. I am in the process of making a few other things too, that I just might have to share here later on. Doesn't the flocking on the letters just make them look like a soft, cozy sweater? So fun for fall! (My sister is planning on using it for her daughters baby book...won't that be perfect for that? I thought it was a great idea.)
I also had to share a few shots of Chloe in her new wrap dress. Actually it's a woman's skirt that you can wear many different ways. (I never thought that we would be able to share clothing so soon. LOL. No, this is for her, not me.) This is kind of like a toga-esc look. But she loves all the crazy patterned fabric and that it has ruffles (layers.) Now if it only had Cinderella printed on it somewhere it would be her perfect dress. I think it will be so cute this fall with a long sleeve black t-shirt and black leggings. I am always looking for funky kids clothes that are comfy and FUN for them to wear!
It's tied in the back in a big bow...very ethnic looking. I just thought it was fun. I love the idea of being able to wear one piece of clothing in several different ways.

And on a totally random whim this is a pillow that I just loved at Urban Outfitters. It was on sale for really cheap and if I had any place in my house for a pillow in these colors, I would have bought it for sure! (I promised my mom I would show her a picture of it!) I think I like numbers *almost* as much as I love polka dots!
Hope you have a great night!

Beauty...

It was everywhere I looked today. The weather was perfect, the company was fun, and it made up for my crazy night last night. I had been out mowing and the belt kept coming off, so I had a friend here looking at it and his son was playing with the kids. They were running in and out of the house and kept leaving the door open. I am NOT a rodent person, and we live in the country with all sorts of little things that would love nothing more than for us to have an "open door" policy. So I found that the door had been left open, but didn't think too much of it, I didn't know how long it had been open, but I was hoping that it hadn't been long enough for any unwanted furry things to scurry on in. So as I was crawling into bed (my bedroom just happens to be the first room off of the hallway from the garage) I heard some rustling. I kept telling myself that it must just be the dog. But I realized pretty quickly that there was definitely something in the corner of my bedroom near my dresser. So I, as bravely as I could, reached for the lamp on the table beside my bed and inspected the floor all around. I figured that if I made some noise it might quiet down, or maybe I could tell better what direction it was coming from. I must have held my breath for a few minutes straining to hear any "mouse-like" sounds. I started thinking that it could be a bat, or a raccoon, or a squirrel, but then I tossed out the idea of it being a raccoon, because it would have been too big to hide so well from me. So I came to the conclusion that I most certainly would NOT share my room with the creature, and I grabbed a blanket and pillow off the bed and leapt halfway out of the room, and ran the rest of the way, trying to coax the dog out the door, so that I could shut it and stuff my jean jacket (it was the only thing I had on-hand!!) under the door so that it would at least be contained until I was awake enough in the morning to deal with it. (Are you laughing yet? I am the biggest wimp!) I slept, with the light on mind you, on the couch. Chloe woke up early in the morning and got into my bed, opening the door and freeing this mystery animal from his small cage, and foiling my brilliant plan to contain him. So this morning I called my friend who is VERY brave when it comes to mice, and we went on a mouse hunt. I feverishly baited traps and even snapped my poor little finger...I really don't recommend doing that because it hurt really bad! I basically moved out of my room and I don't plan on going back in there until we catch the culprit! I will be on the couch until further notice. I'll update you. Gross. That's all I can say, gross. But when I called my mom today to tell her my horror (I think she is even more afraid of them than I am) she replied with the old tried and true saying of "well things could always be worse." Isn't that just what mothers always say in those situations? But she really did feel sorry for me, and that made me feel better.


I have been working away with the September kit, "Little Bird." I will post a little peak of more of my gallery tomorrow. Fun, fun, fun! I hope your day was filled with beauty!

Monday...

If you were one of our winners of the giveaways last week, your goodies are in the mail!! Yea! There was lots on the "to do" list today, but that is the way the end of the month goes around here. All of the last minute things to get ready for the reveal of our September kit called "Little Bird." Let me tell you, you are going to LOvE this one! It's totally fun and full of some of my favorite products. I can't hardly wait for the first of the month! I will give you another little sneak peek just for fun.

This kit includes a jar of flocking, which was a first for me! I couldn't wait to play with it. I didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to apply and clean up! It just gives whatever you apply it to a soft and fluffy look. I am thinking how cool it would look on clouds!

Well I am off to finish mowing...my most favorite task of the week...ugh! The belt had fallen off, but I am back in business now that it's fixed! I am seriously going to have to make a page of my little John Deer tractor, we have spent so much time together this summer! LOL. Have a great night!

Another winner!!

The winner of the other Scenic Route prize package is:

Mandi said...
Our garden has been great for our family this year. Our 9 & 4 year old girls were great helpers with planting and tending, while we all enjoyed watching our 1 year old son eating dirt and making messes.I really enjoy your blog, you inspire me!
August 21, 2008 6:43 PM


I can remember so well working in the garden as a kid. Great summer memories. I was always trying to plant flowers in a row to spell a word (like my name) or grow watermelons (in northern Montana) LOL. Neither of those strategies were successful. But it sure was fun!



This is also the OTHER giveaway for 3 lucky gals who left comments, it is a package of journaling spots from Chatterbox. There are 12 in each package! So the winners are...

Dee said...
Yay! another giveaway :) My favorite memories of this summer are all from our cottage - swimming, campfires, tons of storms coming over the lake, lots of and lots of friends and family out. Oh, and seeing all three kids beat their personal best times from last year on their summer swim team.
August 21, 2008 8:45 PM
Randall said...
I'm so sad to see summer come to a close because we loved spending time as a family at the pool. Just playing and enjoying the summer sun!!!!
August 21, 2008 9:01 PM
Lori said...
So fun to have all these giveaways! I'm also looking forward to seeing the sneak of next months kit! Favorite summer memory would have to be seeing my 2 year old in swimming lessons and just hanging out by the pool. It's got to be done when you live in the hot desert!
August 21, 2008 10:23 PM



Email me ladies at heidi@freehandscraps.com with your addresses, and these will be on their way!
And as promised here is a sneak peek of what's in store in our September kit. I am LoVinG these papers! Heidi Swapp, Chatterbox, 7 Gypsies and a vintage book page make this kit so much fun!


And another sneak peek of one of my projects for my gallery. This was my first experience using flocking, and I love the way it turned out and how easy it was to use also.

Mmmmm...I love those little Chatterbox chipboard buttons, the heart is even glittered for you!
Thanks for all of your favorite summer memories that you shared, and don't forget to document those wonderful times in your scrapbooks. Hope you have an inspired weekend!!

Winner!!

So today we have a winner and also another giveaway!! It makes me so happy to be able to spread some scrappy goodness onto my blog readers. So without further ado, our winner (chosen randomly by number) is........
"Mary W said...
LOVE the Sonoma line!!! I love reading your blog and am thinking about joining your kit. Love all your ideas/projects each month. So cool!!! Keep up the GREAT work!
August 19, 2008 8:29 PM"
Just email me at heidi@freehandscraps.com with your address and I will get these Sonoma goodies off to you! Congratulations!!

Onto the next giveaway!! Since so many of you loved this giveaway, I have decided to do it again, and will be sending more of the Sonoma goodies to another lucky person. I will also have a few smaller prizes from Chatterbox's Eclectique line that I will pick 3 of you to win. Just leave a comment here on this post and tell me what your favorite memory from this summer was. (Who knows, depending on how many comments are left you may ALL get something? Not making any promises though.) And tomorrow I should have some sneak peeks to post of our upcoming September kit...it's so cute! I am still working on my gallery and have had so much fun using new products that I was totally unfamiliar with. I have had a blast!

It has been a rainy day here, and you can almost feel fall in the air. It seems just too soon to feel the crisp evening air, and to see a few of the leaves changing to bright yellow already. We are making the most of it and rented the movie "Nim's Island" to watch for family night. I may have to DVR a few of the Olympic events I will be missing, did anyone else see the beach volleyball match last night? Thrilling! I can't stand the anticipation though (maybe this is why I am NOT an Olympic athlete) I just get so nervous for them. To me it's like watching "your team" in the Superbowl every night!

Woah...a deer just walked directly past my window next to my computer. I think I scared her, because she took one look at me, stared me down, and then took off with her tail in the air. We are seeing a LOT of deer around lately. The corn is getting so tall, and they are getting plenty to eat you can tell. One of the perks of living here is all of the wildlife we see so often. When we moved here from the city, the kids would just go crazy if we saw a horse out the window in the car. So this has been such a treat for them. Hope you are having a wonderful day!

Giveaway!

Well, I am finally back to blogging. You know how it goes when you have 4,000 things that need to be done the minute you get back from a trip. And with all of us being so tired from the long trip we needed some time to just rest. (We seriously ate peanut butter sandwiches for 2 meals straight before I had a chance to get to the grocery store.) Then I have been having internet issues again, gotta love living in the country!! So here we sit in the local diner, where they have wifi, and I am finally getting a chance to blog. So today I got one of the giveaways ready and I am loving it. Some brand new Scenic Route from their Sonoma line. It is really cute and very versatile. So I am giving away 2 of each of the 12 papers, as well as the chipboard and sticker borders that coordinate perfectly.


This picture just doesn't do this paper justice. They are beautiful in real life!
All you have to do to win this fun prize is leave me a comment. I am getting the next giveaway ready for Thursday...and there will be more after that! So be sure to check back for that too. I have to thank Scenic Route for being so great! Hope you're having a great day! Make sure to leave a comment!

Thursday...

Here are some random thoughts about what I miss (some that I had even forgotten) about living in Denver. First and most importantly my family (I could NEVER forget this one, no matter how hard I may try to push it out of my mind.) My friends and just randomly bumping into people I know at the store, or the salon, or the mall. I forgot how much I miss my radio station (I had forgotten about that one!) It's amazing how just the right song can brighten up your day! I miss the weather and having NO humidity, I have had good-hair-days. My curly hair and the humidity are just not a good combination! Knowing the city and how to get everywhere. I feel like I get turned around a LOT back home, since everything is so spread out. And let's face it, it takes a good year or two to really "know" all of the freeways and roads where you live. I miss the convenience of everything being right at your fingertips, and Target being 10 minutes away. I miss all of the really inexpensive pedicure shops that are on nearly every corner here. I miss my favorite stores here, Anthropology, Tallulah Jones, Patina, and the JoAnns out by my old house. (Wendy- Tallulah Jones was so much fun yesterday, I am so glad you came with me!) I miss the sunsets over the gorgeous mountains that you can see off the back deck at my parents house. The crisp air, and the blue sky. I miss family gatherings and walking into restaurants to tell the hostess that we have a group of 14 people. I miss a few restaurants here that are no where to be found back home, one is PF Changs, and then also Chick-Fil-A. I made a list and had to eat at both during our visit. Everything is nearly crossed off the "to-do in Colorado" list, so tomorrow we are heading home. A long drive is ahead. But I just keep thinking about all of the new scrapbooking products that will be waiting for me when I get there, and that makes it a little better. It's always so hard to say goodbye. Hope you are all having a great week!

Fun...

Does this look like fun or what?
We are having a blast, visiting family and doing a little shopping. I am soaking it all in. Loving every minute. I have seen 2, I repeat 2 chick flicks since being here, which has to be some sort of record for me. We saw The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie and tonight saw Mama Mia. My sister is a trooper, she is not as much of a movie goer as I am. There aren't that many movies that I am interested in, but I had heard good things about both of them. It was funny, because tonight at Mama Mia, we went to the late showing and the entire movie theatre was empty!! My sister was running a few minutes late so I told her I would sit near the back so that we could find each other. When she walked in we both laughed out loud. We even got to sing along to all of the silly songs, and laugh at Pierce Brosnan singing! (Not much of a singer!)

I am also planning to do a few giveaways next week! I am getting loads of brand-new CHA product sent to me, (I just love some of these scrapbook companies) and I might as well share the goodness with all of you! So keep reading for some RAK's next week. Hope you are having a great start to your week!

Home decor...

As promised here are a few of the fun things you would see at my mom's house. (I got her this scale for Mother's Day this year...too cute!)

Here is a little collection of this and that on her kitchen counter. Little salt and pepper shakers, and other jars filled with good things!

This is her laundry room, lots of fun things to look at.
Okay this is her dining room table...it's an old door that she painted and had glass cut to make the top level!! Are you sensing a red theme here? LOL. She loves it!

She hand-makes these Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, and has her own company called "Goody Two Shoes." I wish I had 1% of her sewing talent!
These are pictures from the nursery/playroom, filled with lots of treasures for little ones.



I love this collection of antique phones that she has in the upstairs bath.



This is her office/sewing room. My most favorite room in the whole house!










I am in LOVE with that red typewriter! She uses an antique ironing board as a work surface, with a polka dot cover that she made for it!

This is her dining room.

More of her hand-made dolls.


This is the window treatment of the cute branch with fun foam leaves I was talking about yesterday. It was VERY hard to get a picture that did it justice. In real life it is even BETTER!


Thanks for looking! Hope you are having a great weekend!