Whew! There are a lot of photos in this post :) Hunker down, People! This may take a while :)

I'm starting out with my layout created using Nuts About Sketches Week 137. It's one of my favorites that I've ever created. Be sure and checkout each of the other DT members' creations.




Thanksgiving 2010 consisted of way more food that I'm used to. I usually don't eat that much in one sitting. Needless to say, I will more-than-likely be on a diet starting tomorrow :)

Blake wasn't cooperative at all while was trying to take photos. This is about the only one I got on Thanksgiving.

Ashley and Kaila...

Bethani, Amber, Tyler and Kaila

Bethani and Kaila born 12 days apart.

Kaila and Me

Aunt (Queen) Doreen and Me

Okay, onto the Monday after Thankgiving...Kraynak's!!! They have a gorgeous

Christmas tree display, as well as trains to play with. After we tour the display and play with trains, we head over to Arby's for some grub. It's our tradition. It's what we do. Well, this year there was only 3 kids as opposed to the normal 8. Boy, was that different!

After we had our fill at Arby's (yummy), we headed over to Jo Ann Fabrics to checkout their sales. I bought what I wanted at 40% off!!!

We zipped from Jo Ann's over to Shenango Valley Cinema to see our very first movie in 3D. We watched Megamind. It was seriously cool in 3D. Now I want to see an action movie in 3D.

Now we move on to the real excitement for the day. Nicholas shot his first buck with a 30/30 open sites. Seriously! It is a 4 point, but that's only because the entire other set of horns has been ripped off by fighting (probably). Nick was sure to inform me that the heart wasn't damaged, because it is meat and we do eat that as well. Delicious by the way ;) We are so proud of him!!!

Thanks for stopping by! Check back tomorrow for my newest Sketchabilities creation.

Shawn

At the very bottom of this post is a photo of Blake with his very first squirrel that he shot on Saturday. So, if you don't particularly wish to view the excitement on his face, or the squirrel...stop after the layout of Kaila.

To start off, Charlie is finally home. We all missed him terribly. I'm fairly certain I missed him the most :) He didn't get an elk, but another hunter that was with him did. The deal was that it didn't matter who shot the elk...they would split the meat. So, we have elk meat and it is DELICIOUS! Charlie brought back souvenirs. We all received a Gunnison, Colorado sweatshirt. I also was lucky enough to receive a beautiful coffee mug. I can always use one of those. This one is slightly larger, so I can suck down even more coffee without having to refill it :)

I was feeling a little creative last week and was delighted to complete a newborn layout featuring Nick. Wasn't he soooo adorable??? I used old Making Memories supplies to do this one.

This next layout fits the Week 10 challenge on Dee's blog. Yeah!

52 Week Challenge #10 - the challenge is to pair old supplies with newer supplies. I have really old KI Memories paper and some new puffy white flourishes.

Here's my darling son that finally shot his first squirrel, which will be eaten very shortly. He got the biggest one of the day!

Kaila is involved in Girl Scouts now, which she LOVES! They do a craft each week. This is what she did last week. How cute is this little turkey?

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawn

The Paper Variety

Challenge Week 10

The Paper Variety is honored to have Julie Bonner design a sketch just for us! In addition to blogging, crafting, and designing awesome sketches - Julie is getting ready to welcome a bundle of joy in a couple of weeks!

Here is the 2 page sketch Julie created:

As if that isn't enticing enough! Here is our fabulous prize for one lucky entry - the November kit from Scrapcetera! Stop back Friday to hear more about Sarah's awesome products.



Here's my take on Julie's sketch :) This is Nick at about 14 months old getting his first haircut by Grandpa Lahr.



Thanks for stopping by!


Shawn

Wahooooo! It's Sketchabilities Reveal Day! I love being able to share Karan's sketches and the layout that I do for each sketch with you! I always feel so inspired when given a new sketch.

I used a kit from The Scrapping Spot, which incidentally sold out very quickly. I don't have many Fall-type supplies, so this was perfect for the photos of my son that were taken on Thanksgiving Day.

Just a heads-up, Sketchabilities currently has a new Design Team call running. So, if you're interested in Karan's sketches, check out the blog/message board for further details.

Thanks for peeking and please zip over to the Sketchabilities blog for some AWESOME examples of Karan's amazing sketch :)

Shawn

The Paper Variety - Challenge #8 and what a challenge it is! I know I personally don't do very many Wedding items, so this was a nice change for me. The card I created for this challenge has already been delivered. My cousin got married recently and we had a reception for her here. She loved the card :)

I hope this challenge inspires you to create something beautiful. Because, after all...marriage is a beautiful thing!

Our sponsor this week is Precocious Paper. She is offering a $20 gift certificate to her Etsy store. Such gorgeous items! You have to play to win, so get busy!

Precocious Paper

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to zip over to The Paper Variety to checkout the other awesome creations by the design team.


Shawn

Sketchabilities!!!

It's another Sketchabilities' Reveal Day!!! I am so thrilled to be on this team and get these sketches early :) Halloween and Sketches...what more do you need? For me, Halloween is without-a-doubt my favorite holiday to scrap. I don't know what it is about it, but it makes me happy. Here's this week's sketch. Enjoy and be sure you upload your take on the sketch at Sketchabilities.

This is my beloved son, Blake eating cotton candy for the first time at a church Trunk or Treat. It was a great day back in 2007.

The Paper Variety Challenge Week #6:

PRIZE - Cosmo Cricket Mini Decks

I used some rubons and papers from a kit from Scrapbook Sussies to complete the project. Halloween is one of my all time favorite events to scrapbook. I'm all over anything Halloween :)

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to participate in this week's challenge for your chance at thos Cosmo Cricket Mini Decks :)

Shawn

It is another Sketchabilties' Reveal Day!!! Not only is it reveal day, but we also have some new fantastic designers making their debut!!! I know I'll be visiting the website more than once...twice...even three times to view their takes on the sketch.

Our Sponsor is Scraphotz!

In order to qualify for a scrapkit worth $35.00 from Scrapshotz, you will need to complete a layout using Sketch #33 or Sketch #34(oct 30th Reveal) and link using Mr Linky ...you have until Nov 10 to complete this challenge! Here is a sneak peek of the package .

I used Basicgrey Eerie for this layout. I punched little circles for the border of the larger circle. It's an easy way to get that scalloped look with papers that coordinate. I thought the HAPPY HALLOWEEN title made out of "bones" was perfect for this layout.

These are my children on Halloween 2007. It never ceases to amaze me how fast they grow and how much they've changed from year to year. It's sad, but exciting at the same time.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure and checkout the other designers' layouts and join in on the fun for your chance at winning the kit from Scraphotz!



Shawn

The Paper Variety Reveal!

Week #4 Challenge is up at The Paper Variety ! All you have to do is scraplift one of the Design Team Member's projects and add your link. It's that easy!

Up for grabs is a collection of BoBunny Winter Joy. This would be perfect for winter/snow layouts :)

We were to create an ANYTHING GOES layout. There is a lot to draw from this layout. It's oozing with inspiration :)

Have fun and thanks for playing at The Paper Variety :)

Shawn

And so ends the great Sketchabilities' Birthday Celebration! Thanks to everyone who participated!

The Sketchabilities reveal is up! This week's sketch was created by Amy Oxford. I switched my photos, because darling Blake was looking the other way. The flower in my layout has skulls on it.

The Design Team has some really great takes on this sketch, so don't forget to click on the link to drool over those :)

October over at Sketchabilities also holds some fantastic sketches, which you will be absolutely thrilled with. I'm thinking there will be many Halloween or Fall layouts - wink! wink!

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawn

Nuts About Sketches sketch is up, along with the amazing design team creations :)

My next layout was created using inspiration from Jill's layout while playing Layout Tag at The Scrapping Spot. It was extremely fun!

You're in luck! We're taking sign-ups for Round 2! Get on over and see what it's all about.

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawn

Sketchabilities has more sketches to celebrate our birthday, along with our awesome sponsor...

Our Sponsor today is EAD Designs. Here is an introduction to EAD Designs.

EAD Designs is a family owned and operated business based in Brigham City, Utah. The “EAD” stands for “Emily, Alex, and Dean” the Nelson Family! EAD opened in 2002 and in a few short years has grown into one of the largest retailers/wholesalers for Vinyl Lettering and Wall Art. Our website launched in 2004. We started out with vinyl sayings and then offered our customers Wall Art in 2004. Our Design Center was added in 2005 and is one of our greatest website features, allowing you to create and design your custom quotes online.

In May of this year we launched our most innovative paper crafting product yet, VINYL STICKERZ. These stickers are in the most current designs, and are, get ready for this, REPOSITIONABLE!! With their clear background, these Stickerz have the look of a stamp and at a fraction of the cost!! Stickerz are available in a large variety of designs, with more being added all the time. They can be ordered in color or black and white (to be colored in with Copics, or your markers of choice), on a clear background or white.

There are SO many fantastic layouts using the E.A.D. products and Karan's sketches. Please be sure and visit Sketchabilities to be inspired.

The Paper Variety's Week 2 Challenge is up and waiting for you to participate! Not only do you get to create something using this challenge as a guide, but you have an opportunity to receive an awesome prize from this week's sponsor - The Treasure Box Club.

Please make your way over the our blog and see what the other AWESOME designers did for this challenge :)

I created my layout using some older photos of myself, along with Lily Bee's French Couture, Prima Swirls and October Afternoon Orange Alphas.

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawn

The Sketchabilities Blog Hop is over :( I'm so glad you all stopped by.

The birthday celebration isn't over yet, so be sure to zip over there and grab our last couple sketches.

The winner of my RAK is Christina. I need you to email me your information.

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~Christina~ said... That layout and photos are adorable!!!! Thanks so much for the chance to win an awesome selection of Thickers. I've heard all about them but have yet to try them.

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