Lost Mojo & Autumn Days 1989

Something had to give!!

I have lost my creative 'mojo'.

I sit at my crafting table and nothing happens!
As my husband jokingly says "it's all dead space up there!"

I don't even have the 'mojo' to pick up my camera and take photos of some of my creations that I created while my camera was gone. 

Here is my excuses for now....
#1 ~ Tom and I have been getting up really early two days a week and driving one and half hours to go fishing by Lake Erie.
It is not the sit and relax, watch the bobber kind of fishing. 
It is the cast and reel, cast and reel repeatedly kind of fishing!

Why? 
Let me try to explain.
The big steelhead trout are coming in from the lake {literally by the hundreds} and running upstream in the nearby rivers. 
This event happens every year in the fall for only about 4 weeks. 
Fishermen and fisherwomen come from all over the United States for these mild tasting delicacies!

These big fish are loads of fun to catch and are a true mouth watering yumminess. 
Just fry them in some butter with a little black pepper and you think you have died and went to heaven! 
Some even say better than sex!!

#2 ~ I have been helping my daughter {who is moving}, clean and paint, which is making me more fatigued than I already am!

#3 ~ And then there is the trying to 'catch up' on the every day household things in between that need attention. 
You know the boring stuff....like paying bills, washing clothes, et cetera.  
And oh my, the gazillion and one leaves that just keep on falling!

So now you know why something had to give and sorta took a back seat, I guess.

I am sure hoping the lost creative 'mojo' is only a temporary thing.



Here is a scrapbook page I created about a month and half ago. 
I did manage to take photos of it then but I was and I am still not pleased with the outcome of how the photos of the layout came out, even with some editing.
But what the heck, I say share it anyways!

My daughter was in 5th grade when this pic was taken, such a long, long time ago!!

I have loads of photos from years past that are not scrapbooked yet.
Which is no surprise for me! 
Tom and I took an awesome vacation 4 yrs ago and most of those photos are also STILL waiting to be scrapbooked!

And remember that organizer I mentioned that I was going to take photos of when my camera decided to quit on me? 

Well it is back on my craft table, and I have still not taken any photos of it since I got my camera back.
And I am so dang proud of it, it even has a drawer in it!


So, I have now managed to make myself feel kinda guilty with this post, but...do you think it will be enough to get that creative 'mojo' back?
Then this thought also came to mind, a little trip to Michaels or Hobby Lobby or my local scrapbooking store just might be all the medicine I need!!


We shall see.....

TTFN!
x's & o's
aka The Rebel Blogger

Hi! This Is Me

Hello everyone and welcome!

First thing first before I get to my creation... 

I am so excited to have some brand new and talented crafty followers!

There is a kind, thoughtful and amazingly artistic lady that made it possible and her name is 
Zsuzsa Karoly-Smith @ Inky Dinky Doodle!

It all started by her commenting on Google+ on one of my creations that I shared. 
We started conversing and a day later the next thing I see is her mentioning me to a Google+ community called Kraafters Kommunity! 
Well, that started the ball rolling and those gals at Kraafter's Kommunity welcomed me with open arms!

This 'comfort zone' I am in is prohibiting my blog and especially my creations from getting any recognition and Zsuzsa saw that right away.
I have said this in the past, I over critique everything, my blog, my creations.... everything!
My 'comfort zone' is actually inhibiting me in more ways than one. Which I am working on changing.

Needless to say, I am so thankful to Zsuzsa's intuition {or what ever it was}.
Because of her much needed 'little nudge', I joined a group of awesome kraafters!! 

Golly gee, I am feeling truly blessed!


Now with all that being said, on to my creation.

There are so many wonderful and talented scrapbookers out there that have created layouts about themselves.

In spite of that...
The thought of me creating a scrapbook page just about me was out of the question, till now.
And the thought of journaling with my own hand writing onto a scrapbook page was out of the question also, till now.

And, for those of you that are new to me, here is a little FYI... 
I have always loathed getting my photo taken. 
Here is evidence from when I was an infant!

Today I fuss even more so since I had a muscle strap in my neck removed because of the cancer. 
Talk about a double chin, now I have chicken wattles! LOL

So I used the last decent photo I own of me {which of course I don't own many}, taken while on vacation in Yellowstone National Park. 

I was not looking at my husband but I did have a smile for him and the magnificent beauty surrounding me. 

I consider this a CAS layout, even though it has a variety of color and patterns, but there is not a whole lot of layers and the only dimension is the buttons.

I am kinda fond of pattern paper, I have quite a bit of it. 
I can not resist a good deal on patterned paper!
Mind you though, I am not a hoarder! 
No siree!

Supplies used:
Crate Paper ~ Paper Heart 12x12 patterned paper pad
Fiskars ~ Antique Elegance circle border punch
We R Memory Keepers ~ baker's twine
DIY Thickers Alphabet ~ Ali mistable fabric stickers
Stampers Anonymous ~ Wendy Vecchi sentiment stamp
Basic Grey ~ Hello date stamp


Well, maybe, just maybe, someday I will not be such a fuss button about getting my picture taken.

Hey I am doing this one step at a time! 



Thank you for stopping by and don't forget to take the time to create your life!

TTFN!
x's & o's
aka The Rebel Blogger

Time To Bake With My Little Helper!

Howdy folks!

Here is a little story about this scrapbooking layout...

Every single time my grandson came to visit this past winter he continually pestered me to make cookies.

Finally one day I decided to make some delicious, old fashioned, chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies with him. 

He was so excited and a big help at mixing but his interest waned real quick with the baking part. 

Which meant I was left behind to finish while he was in another room playing.

He soon returned to the kitchen, only to gobble up those freshly baked cookies!

The cookie making process starts at the top right of the page with Cookies Made from Scratch, continues on down the layout, and finishes at the bottom.

I have to admit, they were definitely yummy to the tummy!!

TTFN!
Happy Crafting! 
x's & o's
aka The Rebel Blogger

Once Upon A Time

Another Mother's Day has come and gone without my mother and the bittersweet longing has not become any easier. 

I haven't heard her voice in 8 years. 

We spoke to each other almost everyday. What I wouldn't give to hear her voice, calling me on the phone just to chat.

Like many motherless daughters, I talk to my mom occasionally, just not the way people with living moms do.
I call on her in difficult times and ask her to be with me.

There are still occasions, all these years later, when I think -for just a split second- "I need to tell mom that."

I sometimes think I smell her White Shoulders perfume.

I was truly lucky to have a great mom, she was my best friend.


Mothers who have passed on deserve as much recognition on Mother's Day as those who are living. 

For many of us who have lost our mother, Mother's Day and in the days leading up to it can be difficult.
The bombarding of commercials and the card displays in stores are everywhere and is a glaring reminder of our loss.
To most though, it brings joyful memories of laughter and love.

For me, Mother's Day is still about my mom, and honoring her.
I try to visit her grave site once every couple of months. 
But every Mother's Day since her passing, I like to think I make it an extra special visit and carry along some Spic and Span and water to clean her gravestone.

Also on this Mother's Day I decided to go through some of mom's old photos and create a scrapbook layout of her.

I chose a photo of her holding me. 
She had the date May 1957 written on the back, which made me about 2 months old. 

By the looks of the photo, I was not a happy camper, taking a fit about getting my picture taken back then and still fuss about it today.....I haven't changed!!

I love the soft colors and vintage look of Cosmo Cricket's Evangeline collection.

The flowers were fussy cut and attached with pop dots to add dimension.

The 'corsage' is made of Prima Sugar Bloom Sparkling and Prima Coventry Rose Printery flowers. 

I added a leaf that I painted gold with hubby's can of spray paint. 

A delicate little string thing from my stash was intertwined (for the life of me I can not remember what it is called...it's not ribbon or lace or twine, oh my...my age is showing!!)

Mother's day is a special time to reflect what our mothers have done for us.
I hope we take that time to appreciate the sacrifices of our mothers, not just on Mother's Day but all year long.

TTFN!

Happy Crafting!

aka The Rebel Blogger

Think Spring and Bloom!

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. 
I keep repeating this Proverb to myself over and over.

I can't control mother nature but my body is so ready for a good warming and my heart is yearning for spring! 
The drab, dreary winter days always seem to drag on and on.


With the thought of warmer, breezy days ahead, so is the yearly chore of spring cleaning. 

Here are some cleaning tips that are quite helpful...
Organize chores into categories.

1. Things you won't do now
2. Things you won't do later
3. Things you'll never do

I hope that helps, I know it did for me!  :)

Here is a 'springy' scrapbook page to get you in the warm weather mood!

I created this layout of my granddaughter last year. 

When I took photos of this, they turned out blurry so I gave up and 
I put the layout in it's album pocket and forgot all about it. I tried again recently...still not pleased with my lack of photo taking skills!! 
Well here it is anyways....

The spring cleaning is half way done for me...for the record, I am now waiting on warm!

I kinda liked my organizational tips, don't you think it conveys positive inspiration? LOL 

Have you any spring cleaning ideas you would also like to share?

Happy crafting, happy spring cleaning
and remember - think spring!

TTFN!

aka The Rebel Blogger

New York City Excursion

A short prologue:

I had just found out about my thyroid cancer shortly before taking a bus trip in 2011 to New York City.
The first consultation appointment was made at Cleveland Clinic with a specialist but I had not seen anyone yet. I did not know the extent or involvement at this time. All the very important details were unknown. 
So, needless to say, I owned a mysterious and burdensome dark shadow over me during this excursion.  

In a previous post on Nov 15, 2013, I mentioned epic emotions. I had experienced a few during this trip. I would like to share a couple of those moments with you...

While I was sitting on the bus beside my then 80 yr. old father, I remember watching him breath as he slept. 
How he must feel to have lived such a long blessed life! Then I got to wondering, will I live a long blessed life just like he has?

(By the way, I'm thinkin he looks pretty darn good for his age!!)

I also remember amazingly gazing at all the sights and lights of the city, trying to soak it ALL up!
I wanted so desperately to keep every bit of detail of the city in my memory, forever and ever!


Onward...

These are some what better camera shots of a couple of the layouts I created from that trip...

I fussy cut the chalkboard paper and stars. Don't know the name of the paper, as it was given to me by my niece, Shawna, along with a box full of other scrapbooking goodies! Shawna has got some artistic talent of her own but I'll leave that for another post!
The title was cut from Martha Stewart Alphabet punches. I added actual ticket stubs! Pink Paislee Artisan Chipboard arrows were added also. 

I like the stitching around the border. I need to make use of my sewing machine more often!


Next...

I love the puffy gold star banner and the 12x12 paper, die cut to look like a stamp! And of course you know me, can't remember any of the ingredients. I do know the border punch is from Martha Stewart.

I cannot get the hang of taking photos of scrapbooking pages. 

I have tried and tried to get photos of some of my older layouts to look half ways decent and at least presentable. 
They look all warped and cockeyed! Plus the lighting is not even around the whole layout. 

I am definitely doing something wrong, GRRR!!

Well,that's another story from my heart for now.
Hope you will come back soon to visit me again! 


Happy Crafting!
TTFN!

aka The Rebel Blogger

The Tap Dancer

Hello and Happy Mojo Monday! 

While I was making this, the thought came to mind.... I have never done a layout of myself! You may ask yourself why?!  

The answer is.....there are not very many pics of me to be had. I have always, absolutely, positively detested getting my picture taken! 
Any of my family members will attest to it. 
The profile picture for my blog and Google+ is about as good as it gets!!

I started with Bazzill card stock and sprayed it with Mister Huey's color mist in Sunshine and Inky Black. 
Layered with Graphic 45 French Country-Montage and some of Authentique-Blissful  paper pack. 
Used an EK Success punch on the corners then adhered tiny pieces of black glitter cardstock behind them. 
The Prima flowers and a delicate see through leaf were attached to a chipboard ring adorned with black satin ribbon. 
The chipboard ring circling my face (UGH!) is adorned with gold satin ribbon and the hatpin is made by Christina Griffiths at card-making-magic.com. 
The title was cut from the Cricut Ashlyn's Alphabet. 
To finish this layout I added some metal art pieces from K&Company.

Click on photo to enlarge

This picture of me and fellow tap dancer's was in my mother's box of keepsakes. 
She had it tucked nicely in my baby album. 
You can tell by the look on my face, even way back then, I was not happy getting my picture taken!

I can remember my mother bragging about this picture. 
If she was here today, she would of been so proud of this scrapbook layout!

If you feel like giving my blog some love, it would make my Mojo Monday even more mojo!!

  
                            

As always....Happy Crafting!

TTFN!

aka The Rebel Blogger

Worlds Best Grandpa ~ Authentique "Cherish"

Happy Sunday to you!  

I'm pleased to bring to you a fun and easy scrapbook layout incorporating the Authentique "Cherish" Collection that I won from one of their giveaways. 
I love the soft, vintage, nostalgic look to this collection!

I started with an MME Organic specialty glitter paper by Jen Allyson. 
I used the "Cherish"cut a parts and patterned paper for the title, Worlds Best Grandpa. And the cut a parts for the sub-title, Treasured Memories.
The photo is matted on top of the soft green and brown, striped paper also from this collection! 
I framed the photo (my husband & grandson walking in the woods behind our house) with a premade scalloped die cut I bought on Ebay and inked the edges. 
The chipboard brackets and small frame are from my stash...I inked them, then heat embossed x2 with Ranger Super Fine clear embossing powder. 
I finished this layout incorporating two wooden buttons from Bella BLVD. 

Hope you enjoyed...

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Crafting!

aka The Rebel Blogger

"My Family Is"

This is scrapbook page I made a few years back.

The pictures were taken at my parents 50th wedding anniversary party in 2006.

My Mother had passed away 6 months later that same year.

The top left picture is my parents with us three children and spouses, 6 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild.

Since then, 1 more great grandchild has been added.

The top right picture is my sister and her husband.

The lower left is my brother and his wife.

The lower right is my son and daughter.

With Mother's day coming up, I just want to say...I miss the daily phone calls with my mom, even if we had nothing to say but "hello". 

But on a more happier note...Since we siblings do not live near each other, my sister and I talk almost daily, and we also sometimes have nothing to say but "hello" too! Although she hangs up on me nearly every time. She claims her phone is so old that it won't hold a charge! 

On the other hand, my brother dislikes talking on the phone, but that's okay with us.

I 'bug' him with texts & emails, that he usually don't respond to! 

His answer to that is "You didn't ask a question!" 

But that's okay, Glenn, I forgive your minor idiosyncrasies :) 

Don't get me wrong, we are a very loving family and humor is just one ingredient of the recipe that makes this family's love so strong!

"A Family Is"

A Family is a love like no other

They allow us mistakes and little faux pas

They embrace our differences

And all the likenesses we share

And in our times of need

They are our rock for us to stand

But most of all

A Family is a love like no other

Author: Misti Williams Houk

Happy Crafting!

TTFN!

aka The Rebel Blogger

My Cocoa Daisy Stamps Prize ~ Projects

I had so much of fun creating with my  Stamps that I won! 

Cocoa Daisy Stamps are high quality, made of non-yellowing photopolymer.

First up is this tag of my husband. 

This picture was taken in Montana, he was mesmerized by the beautiful scenery!

The chevron and striped patterned paper is from MME.

The rest of the paper used is scraps from my stash and do I have tons and tons of scrap paper!!

Also incorporating the Cocoa Daisy stamps is a layout of my 3 year old grandson.

The story behind this layout....He would not eat the waffles I put in front of him. 

I then decided to put some Nutella on them, hoping he would change his mind He still would not eat them! 

So, I put a little of the Nutella on his lips...

well thats all it took and

the waffles were gone in no time after that!

I faux stitched around the green paper with my Signo white pigment pen...love it!

The brown chipboard lettering is Thickers. 

Don't know the name of the patterned paper or the date stamp.

I have not gotten the 'knack' of taking pictures yet. I need more practice!

Happy Crafting!

and 

Thank You Again, Cocoa Daisy!!

Yellowstone National Park

My husband and I vacationed out west in August of 2010. 

We visited Yellowstone and The Grand Teton National Parks, and the surrounding area from Utah to Montana. 

The mountain views were amazingly spectacular! 
Those mountains make ours in the northeast look like molehills! 

One week there is not enough to enjoy the beauty of all the magnificent views!

I have been working on our 'vacation' album off and on since then and probably have only 10 pages finished.  

I have oodles of beautiful pictures still sitting in a box calling me!  
Maybe someday I'll get it finished...I keep telling myself that anyways!!

I am not happy with my photography skills of this whole page. 

I probably took at least 10 shots of my layout but I just could not get the lighting right or something. 
The actual photos are gorgeous!!

Any tips, tricks on taking photos of cards and scrapbook pages would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by  :)

 
aka The Rebel Blogger


                                                                 

Scrapbook Page ~ My Grandmother and Me ~

This is another scrapbook page I had done a couple of years ago. 

It is me and my grandmother, who passed away when I was 2 years old. So I never got to know her.

Don't I look so darn adorable??

The mat was cut out with the Cricut, and my mother had given me the lacey white ribbon from her sewing stash. 
I inked the chipboard scroll with VersaMagic chalk ink in Spanish Olive - one if my favorite colors!

I am still working on the lapbook for my niece! 
I found Russia stickers & papers on Ebay that will coordinate with the theme. 
I really think this 'stuff '(that's what my husband calls my scrapbooking necessities) would be perfect for it! 

I think I just talked myself into going Ebay shopping!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Crafting!

aka The Rebel Blogger

Scrapbook Pages ~ Cierra

Hi folks!

I am sharing some scrapbook pages of my granddaughterI had done a few years back.

Please forgive my lack of photographic skills of the layouts.

Hopefully with time I will get better!

Have a fantabulous day!

Cindy