Peeks and a giveaway!!

Whoa, it has been one of "those" days! My whole life I have heard the term "Mom's taxi" but am just realizing that the term now most definitely applies to me. Having to be in more than 2 places at once for most of the day. Getting everything ready for the big reveal first thing in the morning! Whew! So excited to share a few sneak peeks here with all of you! Have I mentioned how much fun I had working with this kit...eek! I have so many other projects planned with this one! (Read on further for info on the giveaway.)

Onto the GIVEAWAY! I have an adorable set of hand crocheted flowers in fallish colors to send to one of my lucky readers!

These were made by AesaLina Compton of "Pixiepetals."
"Pixiepetals are vintage-style embellishments inspired by authentic crochet patterns. They are perfect for scrapbook layouts, mini books, cards, sewing projects, and other crafts."

(In her own words...here is her bio from her store...isn't she just the cutest thing?)
I'm college student who will graduate in December (FINALLY). I fell in love and married a nerd (shh don't tell him I told you). We have been married for over two years (veterans I know!) and we have a gorgeous little girl (she's my best friend).

I work as a professional editor from home for Western Governors' University. It is the best job ever. Whenever I'm not playing with the little one, editing, or doing homework then I do crafts. My favorites are scrapbooking and crocheting.

I started making little flowers for my own scrapbook pages then shared them with my sisters. We love using them. That's the reason I opened my etsy store :) To share the fun and the beauty. My father so wittingly named them "pixiepetals" because when I was young my parents called me their little pixie.

I hope you enjoy! (AesaLina is also now making a line of pre-made embellishments featuring her pixiepetals that you must see! Go take a look!) So if you would like to get this cute little set of flowers leave a comment and tell us about what your favorite season is. Good luck!

Still here...

Just buried! LOL! Just wanted to share a few links to some sneak peeks from our DT!

Holly's are HERE.

Lexi's are HERE.

Amanda's are HERE.

Samantha's are HERE.

Stay tuned tomorrow for sneak peek from my gallery and an awesome giveaway...for some cute handmade goodness! Woohoo! Hope you all had a fabulous day!

20 Q's

I'm playing along today with the 20 questions from Elsie's blog. I have 2 kids home from school and so my productivity level has been at a standstill. (Yes Tanner was sick, even though I thought he was playing hookey, and last night was LOOOONG!) And my TV still won't turn on. But currently he is begging me to take him somewhere "because he's boooored." Sounds to me like he's on the road to a speedy recovery.

1. Show us the inside of something cute
The coat I'm wearing today has an awesome polka dot lining. I think it's the real reason I bought it! LOL. And you know how I feel about polka dots...the more the merrier!
2. What's the last homecooking you had?

I made Fettuccine Alfredo for dinner...the last time I had someone else's home cooking was a long time ago!
3. What do you miss? (no dead people please)

I love how they don't want you to list dead people...why is that depressing? I miss a lot of things...like my sweet family. But these orphans come to mind as being something that I miss daily. Lots of prayers are sent their way!
4. What makes you laugh often?
Best friends who post old pictures on FB. But Facebook in general.
Aren't we cute? Oh my word...we were so crazy! And I cannot believe I'm sharing these here!

5. What's your favorite word?

This is a tough one...I think I use the word "seriously?" a lot. But I think my favorite word/name is Jesus...as I seem to have a lot to talk to him about!

6. What are you trying to quit?

I'm trying to quit procrastinating...I'll let you know how that works out! LOL.
7. What's your favorite commercial right now?

I DVR everything so I don't watch commercials...but I can tell you the commercials I hate the most are the Old Navy mannequin ones. They need a new advertising firm!
8. Whose style do you dig?

I just ran across this girls blog today (she is 13) and VERY into fashion. She is quirky and has major ambition...and is embracing the fact that she is not like most other girls her age. I think she's pretty cool. (Although I would look ridiculous dressed like her.) She's young and it works. She's obviously a "dreamer" just like me.
9. Link to a great blog you've discovered lately...

I loved this blog also...that striped dresser is just one of the best things I have seen in a while.

10. What's the last craft you made?

My October gallery. Here's a tiny peek.

11. A photo of the last happy mail you got :]

Tanner just got his Wall-E Halloween costume in the mail...and it made his day! He is still wearing the "hands" that go with it.

12. Something you've got lately?

Too much to do!! But I'm sure that's the case with most of us.
13. What are you looking forward to?

I'm looking forward to the weekend, and also to planning a fun birthday party.
14. Post a recent snapshot of yourself.

15. Recent Favorite Movie?

I haven't liked much recently...but there are a few on my list that I do want to see!
16. Something you're working on right now?

Work, oh and this super long blog post!
17. If a movie were made about you, who would play you?

Maybe Gwenyth Paltrow...or Reese Witherspoon...two of my favorites. But seriously...what kind of a question is this?
18. What gives you goosebumps?

Beauty, true love, thinking about our future, and the power of the written word.
19. Share a new obsession.

20. What's the meaning of your life?

I'll let you know when I get that figured out...but I do know that it's to make a difference. To do more than take up space on this planet. To live my life for Christ.

Wacky Wednesday...

Both kids are home today from school. One is sick and the other played hookey...he said he had a headache in the morning and then ran wild the rest of the day. To be on the safe side I let him stay home...live and learn I say, live and learn. Next time I will be wise to his schemes! LOL. It has been a very wacky day around here, I wish I could say I got a lot accomplished...but tomorrow is another day!

Here's a thought for today:

" Courage does not always ROAR

sometimes courage is the quiet voice

at the end of the day saying

"I will try again tomorrow."

Mary Anne Radmacher

I will try again tomorrow! Hope you had a great day!

Newsletter...

Just wanted to let you all know that I just sent out the newsletter with the sneak peeks in it. Check you inboxes!! Of course if you read the blog here you haven't missed out on a thing. Thanks for being so great!

Sneak Peeks...

I have been dreaming about this kit for a while now. There are so many pieces of it that I am in love with...and I'm so excited to finally share a quick sneak peek with all of you!!
It has a little touch of pink in it, but has a very versatile color palette. Those "be" letters are a definite favorite! I also have included Lilybee Designs for the first time in this one and am excited about it. Along with Fancy Pants, American Crafts, Cosmo Cricket, Basic Grey, Prima, and Maya Road!
You won't want to miss out on this one! It will be up for sale (as always) Oct 1st at 8:00 a.m. CST!! Hope you had a great day!

Weekend recap!

Pumpkins everywhere!! One of the things about moving from the big city to a small town is that I really appreciate all of the little things that these small communities have to offer. This weekend was the Pumpkin Festival, including a carnival with rides and games, a parade, and even a trip to the pumpkin farm (which also has farm animals and is always a big hit!) This pumpkin carriage was actually in the parade...but was available for photos also. It was pretty hard for Chloe to wipe the smile off of her face! She told me that it "was picture perfect!" LOL.

The famous pumpkin chili I told you about last week...it may not look like much, but it's gooooood! And no matter who I asked...no one seemed to have the recipe...I think it's a conspiracy! I'm sure I could find one on the Internet somewhere!

The carnival at dusk...the best time to get photos in my opinion. You can still see all the vibrant colors...but at the same time they are lit up! Fun!

My favorite part of the parade was this pink tractor. How cute is that? Makes me almost want one? On second thought...maybe not...that would mean I would actually have a farm. No thanks.
I didn't plan this photo shoot, so we may have to go back for another. I only got a few good ones.
(Notice the uncoordinated outfits? And the crazy hair after being outside all day? We'll have to go back for sure!) I don't think the kids will complain!
This is just me following them around taking candid shots...which are usually my favorites anyway. Just how they are in real life is worth capturing!

And this little guys name was Salty. He has a twin named Pepper. He was cute enough to bring home...and I did ask if I could borrow him to take care of some of the mowing for me in the yard. I somehow think I would need a whole herd of goats to take care of a yard as big as mine.

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! I am getting totally excited to share a sneak peek with you all tomorrow and I also have a giveaway coming up! So be sure to check back...night!

Terrific!

Working away today on kitting October's kit...can't hardly wait to share a sneak peek!! There are lots of tiny pieces in this kit, which has made my job tedious...but I think there is a great mix of things in it. I love including a 1/2 package of this and that. How many of you have seen the jar of GREAT flowers that cost a load of money...and you know that chances are you will only use a handful of those beauties!?? Or maybe in my case 2 or 3...since I am not a flower hoarder. I hoard other things...like CHIPBOARD. In fact at CHA when I was buying for these upcoming kits, my sidekick shopper (a.k.a. my sister) had specific instructions to steer me away from chipboard unless it was to die for! (After all we can't completely cut off chipboard...that would go against the laws of scrapbooking!) What can I say...do they have a chipboard anonymous group with some 13 step program. If so, sign me up!

Yard mowed...(just so you know I have nearly 7 acres and this picture doesn't show the half of it) check.
House cleaned...check.
Laundry done...check.

We are off to enjoy the beautiful weather and play this afternoon! Fall is definitely in the air in our neck of the woods. I mentioned last year that one of the towns that neighbors ours...the closest town with a Wal Mart...is the pumpkin capital. It's home to Libby's Pumpkin brand. (If you cook with pumpkin...I'm sure you've heard of it!) Each year they have the "Pumpkin Festival" which is basically a grimy carnival...but with really good food. I can't wait to eat some pumpkin chili this year. Yes, it sounds gross, but it's SO good! Saturday is the pumpkin parade and they usually have a craft fair where vendors can sell their goods. My kids are over the moon for this little tradition and are begging me to go. So that's the plan...if you're lucky I'll take a picture of my chili so you can all be jealous!! LOL. Hope you have a beautiful evening!

Words...

Thought I would share this quickly today. I am amazed by the power of words sometimes. Humility is such an admirable quality. This made me stop and think!
In other news my TV turned on again...and now I'm a little worried about turning it off. LOL. Thanks so much for all of your sweet words about my layouts. I love my sweet blog readers! Hope you had a great day!!

Feels like Monday...

For some reason today just feels like Monday. Hopefully tomorrow won't! I spent 5 hours mowing grass today...that pretty much sums up the excitement of my afternoon. I bruised my foot when I was being attacked by killer bees on the riding tractor...I narrowly escaped with my life (LOL) so I'll take the bruise. I'm just glad I didn't cut off my toes!! Tanner asked me why my mower doesn't have a cup holder...I think I should suggest that to the people at John Deer. The kids spent the afternoon trying to catch frogs in the yard...lucky for me they were very unsuccessful! These frogs are the ugliest frogs I have ever seen. They look kind of like a fat rock with bumps all over it. We found 5 of them today, poor frogs, I hope the kids didn't terrorize them too much. Oh the joys of living on a river! (smirk)

I got to go to a crop this weekend with friends and wanted to share a couple of the layouts. The first one is using our August "Happy Go Lucky" kit.
I was going to use this little ladybug to make a card...but selfishly decided I just couldn't part with him and used him on this layout instead. I'm so bad! Ha!

The second one is yet another layout I came up with using this month's kit "Hall Pass." I had this one pretty much ready to go...but I added a few things that weren't in the kit. (The monkey tag is by Elsie.)

Sorry about the less than stellar photos...I didn't have much daylight left!
It's been a weird few days...my car was in the shop...my mower was broken...and tonight my TV won't turn on. WHY didn't I decide to be an engineer when I grew up??? I think some of those skills would really come in handy right about now. My TV is 7 years old...is that their life expectancy these days? It might be just as much to fix it as a new TV would cost (a small one is all I'm getting next time...mine must weigh 200 lbs!) It seems no matter how many curve balls are thrown at me...all I have to do is look in the backseat at my co-pilot and a huge smile spreads across my face. See how her puppy is tucked into her top? She informed me he needed to be "safe" also. Life is good my friends...very very good.
Hope you had a great day!

Newsletter...

Freehand Scraps Newsletter

(I'm posting this here also just in case you aren't a newsletter subscriber...check your inboxes!!)

Happy September! Hope this newsletter finds you enjoying the last bit of the summer season. Now that school’s back in session, it’s time to pull out that stack of photos that you’ve been adding to all summer and get busy! Our latest September kit “Hall Pass” is the perfect thing to get you started! Full of brand new products from some of our MOST favorite manufacturers, and exclusives, along with vintage touches…you won’t want to miss out on this one. And if you would like to see just how to put these products to good use…look no further than the gallery. It is packed with fresh ideas…from altered clip boards to mini books, from 12 x 12 layouts to 8 x 11 layouts, from cards to decorative envelopes…you will find it all!
I thought I would take a minute also to highlight some of the awesome projects found in the gallery this month! We have a wonderful guest designer this month…the very talented Emily Spahn! See the rest of her gallery for even more inspiration!

Here is another mini book by Lexi Bridges…so SO cute!


I will be back in the next week or so with another newsletter to give you a peek at what’s to come in our October kit (I can hardly wait!) I just have to say another great big “thank YOU” to all of our loyal customers! You make my job such a joy! Thank you for your continued support of Freehand Scraps! Have a fantastic weekend!

Where has the week gone?

I am holding on for dear life this week! Does anyone else feel that way ever? It seems everyday I have at least 2 places to be in at once. And my car is in the shop, which took up most of yesterday and put me behind schedule on an already crazy busy week! And it's Open House at school tonight and we still have to come up with an "Animal Explorer" costume for Tanner to wear to school tomorrow for career day...and the yard hasn't been mowed in 2 weeks and things are getting out of control out there!! SO this will be short but sweet!

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. (Here are a few pictures of the kids dancing in the aisle at Target in the stereo section. I need to be MORE like them. Have more fun...laugh more...and don't worry so much!)


Anyways, I have been shipping out kits right and left...and am still working on a newsletter to get out hopefully tomorrow! (So be checking your inbox for that!) I have gotten some sweet emails this week from these dear people who happen to be customers and I just have to say...it makes my day to hear from you! I really do love to get your feedback...good and bad...even though I have never gotten any bad feedback. I am always open to suggestions and ideas. So a big thanks for keeping in touch and being such wonderful customers! Back with a newsletter shortly! And have a super night!!

Renewed...

Ahhhh...3 day weekends...I love you!

Around here I have the vanilla caramel candle lit and am planning to get busy this afternoon putting out the fall decor. I don't go over the top with making each and every room in the house fall-like. I usually don't decorate outside...other than our display of pumpkins. But even the small things I decorate with get the kids excited and they love it! It's like party decorations! LOL. Hopefully when Tanner gets home from school he will have a fall surprise awaiting him. This year I would really like to get a new door mat for the front door and maybe even hang one of my fall wreaths.(Now I just need to drag the swimming pool into the workshop and rake up the patio, which is already full of fallen leaves!) One good thing about photographing your decor is that you can always refer back to those photos as a reference...especially if you're like me and totally forgot what you did (*and liked*) from the year before. When you live in a furnished house like I do...and it may or may not be your "style" it's particularly helpful.

I can't believe fall is just around the corner! Things have been steadily arriving for next month's kit...and let me just tell you how CUTE it all is! I'm getting so excited to share sneak peeks...even though it's way too early for that right? LOL. Hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend (for my US friends.) Have a great day!

See the good...

My sister posted the link to this on her blog and I just had to share it here. I love the looks on the people's faces...priceless. I never knew that you could do the macarena to Do Re Mi, but I think it works! It's videos like this that remind you to look for good in the world around you. With so many negative things going on these days and the news filled with doom and gloom (which by the way I don't watch anymore!!) this just makes my heart smile. Wish I could have been there...I totally would have joined in!



Bring someone joy today!

Gallery part deux...

I'm back with the rest of my gallery to share! I just love that Maya Road ribbon! I used one of the numbers off of my vintage flash card and trimmed it for this...added a football sticker to hang from the knot...easy. (This envelope has the flap trimmed off of it...which I used on the monkey layout from yesterday. Easy way to stretch your stash!!)
This layout is just about the sibling BF's that I live with. I'm telling you what, I never liked my brother and sister as much as my kids love each other...that is until we grew up a little. I trimmed around the fabric number 2 and stitched it on with my sewing machine. I added a few of the JBS circle alphas inside. Quick and easy....even though I must admit I spent way too long tweaking this one. It's one of my favorite photos of the kids. Tanner resting on Chloe's lap in a taxi in Asia. (You'll notice the lack of seat belts. LOL. It's very rustic there...to put it nicely.) This was only a few years ago...I can't believe how much they've grown up! They still talk about this trip and want to go visit their "friends in Myanmar." We were there on a missions trip working with 168 orphans. It was SO wonderful. But I'm rambling again.
Love that Tim Holtz spinner.
Those tiny alphas are one of my favorite things from CHA.

The story behind this layout is bittersweet. Our dear friends lost their dog to sickness and my kids decided to take it upon themselves to collect money in a "dog fund" to help them get a new puppy. (Tanner's idea.) So he asked our friends and family to contribute and he was so proud of himself when he handed them his little jar of change. When they got Susie...they brought her over to meet the kids first. It was a great day!

I love this Basic Grey patterned paper...so cute!

Lastly, this is a layout of Chloe's last day of preschool this spring. I like to take a picture on the first day and again the last day to compare. It's amazing the change that takes place!

These photos make the colors look washed out for some reason. It's really cute IRL.

I was super proud of Tanner today...he hopped off the bus with a new toy and told me that at school he had been "caught doing something nice" and won an award. I asked him what nice thing he had done and he couldn't really remember "cause he just does SO many nice things." (That's what he told me! LOL!) Hope you had a nice day!