Fab Friday post...

Happy Friday ~ TGIF!!!!

(insert dancing banana here)

i'm so glad it's the weekend.

so, i'm a little sad

three of my tv shows have been cancelled...

i think a lot of people didn't like this show but I loved it,

plus Ben Rappaport is adorable :)

goodbye Anna...

and farewell Brothers & Sisters :(

***

this little guy made Student of the Month:

i'm so proud of him!!!

and this guy got an awesome report card:

way to go Mike!!!

***

and finally, I made it thru 12 weeks of Survivor over at TallyScrapper

it was so much fun!

and I ordered the Sassafras Mystery Box, wasn't planning to but I just went for it.  My Sassafras supply is running on low LOL

***

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

xxx Marlene :)

PS: don't forget there's still time to enter into the May challenges over at The Scrappers Sanctuary!

SMASHing tuesday....

hello hello...

wow, is it seriously the middle of May already?

i can't believe it!

this past weekend was nice.

michael went away on a school band trip to Hersey, PA.

he had a blast and bought me home a giant stuffed hershey kiss doll.  while he was away, we went on a major shopping spree.  maxwell got some new jeans and t-shirts.  i bought a new handbag since my other one was falling apart and two new pairs of open toe shoes.

figures it's raining all this week and i can't wear them yet.

so, have you guys been dying to get your hands on a SMASH book?

i really love the idea behind it, saving little bits of things from every day life.  but i didn't want to spend the money for one.  i had made a junk journal awhile ago but i wasn't happy at all with it.  i usually get a nice feeling after i make a project, it just feels perfect and i wasn't feeling that one.

so....

i made another book.

my own SMASH book!

it's called "life... Smash It"

i found this video on YouTube that i just had to share with you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyA2TmPftdw

i seriously love this tutorial!!!

it's THE best book i've ever put together.

especially if you don't want to use a Bind-it-All or binder rings.

i made sections for each month of this year, starting with may.

i used a lot of the Daily Junque kit from Pink Paislee/House of 3, which i love!

here's some of the pages i started for may...

this is the first page of my book.

i used the Daily Junque number diecuts on each section.

i made a little folder out of some Hambly transparency.

the paper doll owl i saw on Michelle Rydell's blog:

http://inspirationeverywhere.blogspot.com/

i saved an old metrocard and the note that came with my Administrative Assistant's Day flowers.

i decided to add a "all about me" page each month.

the fabulous Katie is hosting a challenge each month over at

The Scrappers Sanctuary.

some more fun items: Pogo pictures,

a feather from one of my earrings and a label from Starbucks.

and i'm still working on this page.

smashed some lil inchies i've been saving from an old swap.

and some cute mini polariod pics, got the idea from

Jennifer Kirk's blog:

http://www.ambrosiagirl.com/blog/tiny-polaroid-magnets/

i saved all the labels from the our shopping spree this weekend in a clear pouch.

this is gonna be fun to fill up this year and especially to look back on :)

so are you going to SMASH???

i would love to see yours!

love, Marlene :)

Makeover time...

Yes, it’s that time.

I need a little change.

So as you can see I gave my blog a little makeover.

What do you think?  I was so happy to find out how to center my blog header too.  That’s been bugging me I’ve been trying out different blog formats with the new template designer and I finally decided that I really like the white space and larger photo format.  Hopefully I’ll keep this one for awhile and not change it again :)

I'm also starting a new skin care/makeup makeover!

I have to admit, I’m really don’t have a skincare regimen.  My mom had a Mary Kaye rep come over so she could buy some new products.  It got me to thinking that I really should take better care of my skin. 

 So I went out to Duane Reade today and got some goodies!

  Oil of Olay face cleanser and moisturizer kit was a good deal.  I also bought some foundation and concealer.  I never wear foundation, only face powder but I’m going to give it a try and see if there’s any difference.  I also got some new lipstick and mascara.  It’s good to treat yourself every once and awhile.

p.s. I got new glasses!!!

I just need to start wearing them more during the day.

Hope you all have a spectacular rest of your day!

Love, Marlene

check out Sassafras blog...

Sassafras is having a big mystery box sale!

http://sassafras.typepad.com/sassafras/2011/05/what-begins-with-b-and-is-loaded-with-sassafras-goodies.html

I have bought one of these in the past and you get a ton of great stuff, so get in on it while you can :)

Happy Monday...

Hi everyone.

Happy Mother's Day, hope you all had a great one!

These two guys make being their Mom the greatest job in the world!!!

Yesterday was my birthday also and they spoiled me with such sweet presents and so did my parents :)

I got some scrappy projects done this weekend that I'd like to share.  I haven't had a long to-do list in so long but I've signed up for a couple of swaps again so I've been busy working on all of them.

domino mini album swap 

these are my March & April pages for my Things I Love mini album.

This layout was for two challenges: Tally Survivor and the Book of Me prompt over at The Scrappers Sanctuary.

I also finished my pal's jar of whimsy but I'm not going to post any pictures until she receives it :)

Projects left to work on:

* matchbox swap - music theme

* tag swap over at http://kreativity.kreatorvillekraft.com/

* April P12 layout

* a new ongoing Smashbook 

Alrighty, hope you all have a wonderful week!

hugs, Marlene

My new challenge is up!!!

Happy May 1st everyone!!!

Yeah, I love May, especially because next Sunday is my birthday.

I wanted to share my first challenge that I'm hosting over at The Scrappers Sanctuary.

 This month I'm doing an Inspiration Challenge.

Recently I came across this library drawer from 7Gypsies:

I love it! You can use it to hold Artistic Trading Cards, mini albums, index card ~ the sky's the limit! I didn't want to spend $20.00 plus shipping and handling on it.
So I decided to make my own:

 I made my drawer out of a file folder and covered it with lots of Sassafras love I added a little glass knob that I had bought years ago and never used. And I also added little wooden spools as feet.So my challenge for you is to make your own library drawer!1) use the original 7Gypsies library drawer above as your inspiration.

2) it can be any size, it’s up to you.

3) you can use anything you want to make it: a file folder, lightweight cardstock, old cereal boxes, a wooden box from Michael’s/AC Moore/Dollar store.

4) you can decorate it many ways: paint, paper, lace, ribbons, rickrack

Here are the rules:

* Each submission must be a newly created project specifically for the challenge.

* Only one entry per category.

* Each submission must be uploaded to the proper folder in our gallery no later than 11:59PM ET on May 31st, 2011 to be eligible for the random draw.

* Each submission must follow ALL requirements of the challenge to be eligible for the random draw. For example, if the challenge states blue must be used then there must be some blue in the project to qualify.So come on over and join in the fun! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

Hugs, Marlene

PS: There's also a wonderful prize up for grabs each month :)