Merry Christmas

I wanted to wish all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  Please enjoy this gift from me to you.  This border comes in GSD, AI, WPC, KNK, and SVG.  Download here.

Looking Back...

At New Year’s Resolutions. It is a good thing I blogged this or I wouldn’t remember what they were. So how many have I kept?

Resolution #1 ~ Less caffeine. Still not drinking pop, my coffee is about half caffeine, half decaf. Been like that the whole year. Could be better, but I haven’t gone back to straight caffeine, so I’ll take this one.

Resolution #2 ~ Update my BLOG. Well I started strong posting a couple times a month. Now it is once a month. Most people come here for the free files, so if you are reading this BLOG, here is your free file for December.

Resolution #3 ~ Smoke less - nope, moving on...

Resolution #4 ~ Loose weight. I should have said loose weight and KEEP it off. I did loose weight. Does that count?

Resolution #5 ~ Scrapbook more. Probably about the same. I have made more cards this year, both cutting and stamping.

Resolution #6 ~ Pay my bills on time. I should have said spend less money. I received my COLA in June (which we haven’t had for 6 years!) My insurance went up in August, and now I am bringing home less money than before my Cost-of-Living increase!

My resolutions for 2010? I decided not to make any more News Year’s resolutions.


Get more NTitled files at http://thatsscrapinc.com/ntitledmonthlymembership.aspx for less than $0.50 each.

November's Free File

I have been trying to get this done since October so I could show you the finished project. All I have to do is put together and finish it off. I did tell you I would put the file up Sunday. I don’t have it completed, but I decided to put it up anyway. It is a recipe card gift that’s 5" by 7". If you get TSI’s N’Titles files, then the category words are in October’s files, and sized to fit these cards. The categories I used are Appetizers, Beverages. Breads, Breakfast, Casseroles, Deserts, Main Dishes, Salads, Side Dishes, Snacks, Soups, and Vegetables. There are 6 tabbed cards, one cover, and one index cards. Since there are 12 categories I cut 2 of each of the tabbed cards, and one cover for the front and one cover for the back. I didn’t use the index card, instead I bought a set of 5" by 7" index cards, and rounded the corners (but the index card is included.) I used the cover as a guide line to punch the holes. I will use “o” rings to put it all together, and use ribbon to decorate. I will try to get the finished project done and uploaded before to long  :)  Download HERE. 

Looking a little GRIM

It's probably from eating all that Halloween candy!

Today's free cutting file is one of my favorites from a couple years back. I think I give him away every Halloween. He has changed over the years. I have used the Reaper when someone hits a milestone birthday. Next time when someone at work turns 25, 30, 40, 50, or 60, hire a Grim Reaper to follow the birthday person around for a couple of hours! He doesn't need to say anything, he just needs to stand there where the birthday boy/girl can see him.

This cutting file cuts in just two pieces and comes in SVG, GSD, KNK, WPC, and AI. Download HERE.

PS: Sorry about the ghost card from yesterday. No matter what it looks like, he is not flipping you off :0

Trick or TREAT!

Happy Halloween! I can’t believe that October is almost over! I’m glad it is almost over. I have had the worst month ever. Besides my computer crashing and losing everything (good thing I back up every weekend!) I have been sick, worse than I have ever been.

This had been a bad month with the swine flu in the school system. I have been down twice because of feeling crappy and both lasted 4 days. Drivers have been out so I had to drive. Between those 2 times I was out sick I did something with my right rotator cuff, which connects my shoulder to my arm. It’s one of the hazards of driving a bus. I couldn’t even use my mouse without it hurting like $%*^$.. I will need to have surgery if I ever want to move it without hurting. They say recovery time is anywhere from 6 to 14 weeks! I used all my sick days, my personal days and some vacation days just this month!

I know some people don’t celebrate Halloween because of religious beliefs or the country they are from. I don’t celebrate Halloween because of pagan rituals, I like it for the costumes and the candy. Where else can you dress up in anything you want to be and get lots of candy for your efforts? Saying that, let's get down to the free stuff.

I made 3 sets of card fronts. Little late for this year, but there is a haunted house, a skull, and a ghost. You can also use these for stencils. I make card fronts instead of cards. The card fronts have been tested at 4.25 by 5.5 inches. This freebie cutting file come in SVG, AI, KNK, WPC, and GSD. Download here. Look for another free file, an oldie but a goodie, this Saturday. Next Sunday I will upload a recipe card gift file. In the meantime, Happy Haunting. Bwah-hahahahaha....

September Free File

The end of August until the end of September is probably my busiest time at work. I don't even have time to write right now! lol. Most people, when they send their kids to school, get a little breather or break. This is about the time I am ready to pull my hair out trying to get all those kids to school. I wanted to make a school accent, but I didn't have time to create one. Look for two free files in October. This month's file is a paper tree accent that looks good either on a card or a scrapbook page. Hope you can use it. (Looks good in spring colors also) Download HERE.

Didn't Win :(

Wow! There were some really tacky lawn ornaments! The winner was a Bubble-Farting Gnome. Can't beat that, although some came close. Over 400 hundred pictures were taken over the weekend, and I am going thru all of them to pick out the ones I want to scrapbook. I am digitally scrapbooking the whole album. I've got about 12 pages done with about 20 more to go. I am not sure how I feel about digital scrapbooking. It is taking about the same time, but there is a lot less mess.

I am still on vacation file give-a-way, so this month's free file is that famous mouse who has a place in Florida, California, and other places. Famous Mouse

Camping and Lawn Ornaments

I’m off this weekend camping with my family. My family tries to get together about every other year. We do a little bit of everything, and I am the one that scrapbooks our get togethers.

I love my family, we are close, but everyone in my family is a little weird. I am the most normal person in my family. Of course my family would disagree with that, but even their friends say I am the most normal (or the least weird).

One year my sister brought plastic flamingoes to our get together, and she took them everywhere! We went to Holiday World and Ronda (the flamingo) went with us. Ronda was also with us when we went to a play, Fiddler (Flamingo) on the roof. Abe Lincoln is holding Ronda. She even went out to dinner with us. Do you know how hard it is to scrapbook 40 pages with a d*%# flamingo in each picture?!

Well this year, my sister decided she wanted to bring more flamingoes and wanted us to bring some as well. We put our foot down! No more flamingoes! So, this year it is any tacky lawn ornament, and there is a contest on who can come up with the tackiest. I have been reading every ones post and they all say that they have the tackiest. It will be fun to see what everyone has come up with. We have 10 campsites, so I am expecting about 10-15 tacky lawn ornaments.

This is my tacky lawn ornament. I used vinyl for the lettering, and added rickrack and ribbons. People at work said it wasn’t tacky enough so it was stained brown and yellow. This is a before picture. It may not be the tackiest, but it sure is the grosses.

Here's hoping you all have a wonderful and memorable summer!

Everyone needs at least one in their lives.

The vacation from H*LL! Everyone needs at least one in their lives.

I just got back from visiting my sister down in Tennessee where they were having a heat wave. 113*F in the shade. My girls and I actually had a very good time despite the heat. We went shopping, out eating, and to the museums. All indoor activities. But this reminded us of the last time we went on vacation during a heat wave.

You know Murphy’s Law "If anything can go wrong, it will"

I rented a cabin at Wisconsin Dells off the internet. The picture looked nice, the location was great and the price was reasonable. It got 3 and a half stars. It should have been a nice, relaxing time for my 2 girls and myself. Ahh, let me tell you the real story.... We started off for what should have been a 6 ½ hour drive. Traffic, road construction, weather, and Chicago, turned our reasonable drive time into an 11 hour excursion. We finally get to our location at 8:00 at night - which meant we got to see what our cabin looked like. I now wish it was dark when we got there. Our cabin was about 2 feet away from the (over flowing) trash dumpsters. Not only did it reek, it had huge, biting horseflies.

The inside of the cabin had so many things wrong with it, it would take me another 2 days to list it all. Broken air conditioning, "sorry but the maintenance man has the weekend off and won’t be back until Monday" This was Saturday and we could only open the windows on the one side of the cabins, since the other side was next to the trash dumpsters! The cabins were about 3 feet apart, so that really didn’t do much good, and you could hear everything the family next door was talking about.

All the bedrooms with lumpy mattresses were on the side of the cabin where the dumpsters were located. The couch had coil springs poking out. We slept on the floor and prayed that nothing would crawl on us.

They did have TVs, but no cable or antenna which meant you couldn’t watch anything but the local weather channel, you know the one that has the robotic computer voice.

Their "own private beach" was an old boat dock. It did have sand going down to the dock, but the bottom of the ramp was covered by slimy sea weed.

The next day we tried to look for a hotel. All were booked, and we had to give the cabin owners 48 hour cancellation for the rest of the week. We decided to stay where we were.

We did have a good time away from the cabins. We road the Duck and did a horse and buggy ride with a guy who looked just like Ernest. Both tours stopped in the middle of nowhere so they could sell souvenirs. We had dead batteries in our cameras, so we bought some post cards.

Since this was our vacation from h*ll, this month’s free file is a set of Hot Stuff, the little devil. This file comes in GSD, AI, KNK, WPC, and SVG.

Please leave a comment on what kind of files you would like to see.

BOGO Free is over for now

TSI's Buy-On-Get-One Free cutter file sale is over. If you haven't claimed your free files yet, you have 10 days to contact each designer regarding these and request the same number of free files of equal value from each respective designer. (The free files are not transferrable between designers.) Please include your invoice and the name of each file you'd like to receive... and thanks for buying the files!

June's free file

June's free file is an American passport I meant to put up months ago when my "Around the World" series went up at That's Scrap, Inc. The symbol and letters are cut out of the blue and a gold piece goes behind. Caution, if cutting small use a sharp blade and cut slooowwww.

Download the file here: PASSPORT

I didn't have gold paper the first time I cut, so I cut 2 of the blue covers and used one for a stencil. I ran my stencil thru my xyron and placed on yellow cardstock. I tapped on embossing ink and gold embossing powder. Took the stencil off, heat embossed it and put the other blue on. Little bit extra work, but I love heat embossing, and the shiny gold set it off.

Happy Birthday TSI

ThatsScrapInc.com is having a birthday on June 6, it will be one year. Yeah!!!

If you don't already receive Thats Scrap newsletter then you are really missing out on a lot of bargains, freebies and tips. Check out their newletter here: http://tinyurl.com/oneyearsale

One of the specials that might interest you is a "buy one get one free" deal going on between the 6th and 16th of June. During this time if you purchase one of my files from TSI then you can select another of my files (of equal or lesser value) FREE from ThatsScrapInc.com/DesignsBySky-Rita.aspx. Don't forget I also have files for sale at http://designsbysky.cuttersmarket.com/. All you will have to do to receive your free file is email me (link is at the top of my files section at TSI) with your invoice and let me know which files you want and what type of file GSD, KNK, SVG, AI, or WPC.

The design team has also launched a new membership called the N'Titled Club. It's a monthly cutter file membership which guarantees 20 or more files each month, each available in AI, EPS, SVG, KNK and GSD for only #10.00 a month. This month only get 6 months for $50.00.

Check out the rest of the deals that TSI is having.

Life is Busy

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. May is always a busy time for me, so is June, August and September. Beginning and ending of the school year. I have July free. That is my vacation. I am looking forward to that as I will be spending it camping with most of my family. I already have a camping bundle and a hiking bundle ready for sale at That's Scrap, Inc. This will be ready in June for TSI Anniversary/Birthday sale. Be sure to check out all the great deals!

For our camping adventure we split the the cooking for breakfast and supper, so you only had to cook once. Lunch is sandwiches. I got supper. So, I am looking for any easy (and cheap) camping recipes that will feed 30-40 people. For the rest of May if anyone sends me a recipe I will send them this outhouse cutting file. E-mail me at scrapmisfit@yahoo.com with the subject line "camping recipe" and the type of file you would like, ie GSD, KNK, WPC, AI, or SVG.Linda sent me a good recipe for BBQ hamburger. Her husband added the seat to the outhouse. Linda cut the seat 2" tall using SCUT

May's free file is a one I did for my daughter's friend who is expecting a girl. His wife was out of town for the weekend and he was remodeling the spare bedroom as a surprise. He placed this wall piece right over the baby's bed. I cut the letters 4 inches tall, a fairies on each side, and smaller fairies all around. (Only the GSD file has the letters 4". The others you will need to enlarge.) It turned out so cute, I wish I had a good picture of it. The only camera I had on me was my cell phone, so you got this pic instead. I got the vinyl at That's Scrap, Inc.

Uncle Ron and Kili

Uncle Ron didn't win a years free rent, but he did win. He has so many supporters pulling for him and has made so many new friends! He had the most online votes, and his video spread across the internet more than any other and spread to 37 countries. He did recieve a special Presidential Award that wasn't included as one of the prizes, and Kili won a $100 gift certificate to PetSmart! Here are his thoughts on this contest. Thanks to each one of you who have watched, voted, shared and cared. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Happy Spring

Here is this month's free file. It is a Bikini Card. It is from a pattern I saw on the internet. I do not know where the original pattern came from, but I did recreate this from circles and triangles. The front of the card is a bikini top, and the back of the card bikini bottoms.

J.C. Hart Live the Life Video Contest: Best Overall Video

J.C. Hart Live the Life Video Contest: Best Overall Video

Please Vote for FREE rent

UPDATE!!
http://jchartlivethelife.blogspot.com/2009/03/best-overall-video.html
http://jchartlivethelife.blogspot.com/2009/03/best-use-of-audio.html

Uncle Ron and Kili....These 2 links will take you directly to the poll site to cast a vote. They aren't there yet, but they're in the top 5 finalist!! Your vote could make a difference!

"73 and still able to burn rubber...you can't help but love an example who won't let life pass by---not only "Living the Life", but giving it a good run with everything he's got! Uncle Ron and his dog Kili have entered a contest sponsored by the Bayshore Apartments where he lives---residents made a short video of why they like to live at the apartment complex, and the grand prize is a year of free rent. "

Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Danke, Grazie, Obrigado, Dank, English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, or Dutch. No matter how you say it, this is my way of saying- Thanks

March's Free File

Here is a St Patty's Day Card that will be free for 2 weeks. Hope you can use it.

My Uncle Ron (my mom's brother) is living in Bayshore apartments, and they are having a contest with the most votes or hits on his site. The grand prize is a year of free rent. Uncle Ron asked if I could send this out.

Everyone does a short video of why they like to live at the apartment complex. Uncle Ron is confined to a wheelchair, not only because of polio but something else that happened to his spine. He almost died. I hope you can open this up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22eH2qbbNZA&feature=PlayList&p=C79F3AABAD3CC82F&index=40

Around The World Delivered

Eleven "Around the World Series " bundles were delivered. To That’s Scrap, Inc. today. Germany, Italy, Holland, France, Australia, Japan, England, Ireland, and Scotland. Each bundle contains a Map in the shape of that country, and 5-7 accent pieces to go with that country. You can dress up your trip to Europe, the World’s Fair, the Epcot Center, theme parties, school projects and more. The is also a Western Bundle and Castle Bundle.


February’s challenge: Use at least 2 shapes from one of the bundles you purchase on a scrapbook page or card. Upload picture to the TSI forum, under galleries, Designs by Sky. 2 lucky winners will receive another "Around the World" bundle of their choice, absolutely free! Challenge ends February 28, 2009.


And don’t forget Vegas. 1 week only price has dropped to $1.67. Get yours today before the price goes up!


Sherri over at TSI is having a sale on Opalite Inks (While quantities last) Enter discount code valentine in the discount field at checkout and get 25% off.

Moving On

Frosty's hat has blown away to another designers blog. To those that could not find my hidden file, I hid the file on my blog by the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. I always need luck in Vegas if I want to come out ahead.

The last three in my Around the World series are Ireland, Scotland, and England. These bundles will be up for sale at http://www.thatscrapinc.com/ by the end of January.

Scotland bundle has a Country Flag, a Bag Pipe, 3 Bag Pipers, the Lochness Monster PP, a Celtic Cross, and a 2 Kilt PP.

Ireland bundle has a Country flag, a clover corner accent, an Irish Dancing Costume PP, a Mug of Beer PP, a Derby, a Lucky Horseshoe PP, and 2 pub signs.

England bundle has a Country flag, Big Ben, London Bridge, a Guard Bear Hat PP, a Double Decker bus, a phone booth, a Jousting Knight, and Shakespear.

Besides dressing up those photos from visits overseas, you can use these files for school projects, themed parties, Epcot Center, and the World’s Fair.

I would like to thank these people for test cutting my files: Esther WB from CA, Hailey B in Idaho, Lisa M in MI, Debbi B in IN, Kim J from MO, and Lisa B from NE. Without these ladies help, my files may still be just sitting on my computer.

Wha ha ha hahhhhhh

I’ve got Frosty’s hat and I am holding it ransom. I am not giving it back to Linda, aka Jo King, aka 3dshopmo, because it was a ‘crime’ the way she made us look for that free file! This should be easy after that treasure hunt. I’ve got just one question. Are you feeling lucky? See if you can win this free file.

Clarification on the red 'snow bricks' off to the side. This is for pouncing or cutting dashed lines. In the GSD version the red lines have been set to dash. Cut the red and maroon at the same time. For pouncing in the KNK and WPC version, place bricks on top of blue mat. If you do not know how to pounce watch Char and Rhonda’s videos at http://www.thatsscrapinc.com/

Castles and Pubs

My youngest, Samantha, went to Germany when she was 17. She made friends with a foreign exchange student that was visiting here in the states. Sam and another friend went to stay with her for 3 weeks. After a scary ride on the Autobahn, Sam told me I was not to tell her she is driving to fast!

They went mostly to visit castles and pubs. At least that is almost all of the pictures I have of her trip. You can drink when you are 16, but you can’t drive until you are 18.

What I remember most about her trip was when they were to come home. They were not on the plane! The airlines asked them ‘would they mind being "bumped" for a different flight?’ Their first offer was a return flight to the states with a night stay in Amsterdam. They turned that down (whew!) Their second offer was via Paris, the third was another night stay in Germany and a coupon for a free flight. They choose that one. The airlines put them up at a hotel, but we didn’t get the message until we were already at the airport! When I screamed at the airlines for "bumping" minors I was told they can ask anyone over the age of 12. They do not need to get parental agreement, just the child’s agreement. Interesting.

This Germany bundle has a Country Flag, a Beer Stein and pretzels, a Leiderhosen outfit and a German costume dress. It also comes with a beer barrel and a cuckoo clock.

The Castle bundle come separably. This is two of the 4 castles in this bundle. Buy 3 of the ‘Around the World’ Series and get this one free. Email me at scrapmisfit@yahoo.com to find out how.

Around the World

I started making these Around the World series for my daughters. Both my daughters have had passports since they were 17, both passports have stamps in them, and both girls paid for their own trip.

My oldest, Jaclyn, went to Australia when she was 17 with the People to People Student ambassador program. A group of about 40 students (grades 9 thru 12) from around our tri-state area went to Australia for 3 weeks.

Jaclyn road a skyrail over a rain forest. She visited an Aboriginal Cultural Park and a diamond mine. She explored a crocodile farm at night and snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef. She climbed the Sydney Arbor Bridge and visited the Opera House. She held a koala bear and lived as a local for two nights with a home stay family, and much more. This is her bundle.

The Australia bundle comes with a Country flag, the Opera House PP, the Sydney Arbor Bridge, the Sydney Skywalk Tower and Symbol, a koala bear, a boomerang, a coral reef, snorkeling gear, and of course the Tasmanian devil.

These bundles will be up for sale at http://www.thatscrapinc.com. Look for them soon!

The winds are calm

but the temperature is still low. We might even get to a high today of 20*F above zero. It is still not warm enough for Frosty’s hat, try someplace warmer.

Baby it's cold outside!

Actually it is FREAKING COLD outside

This morning it was 17*F below zero, with the wind chill of minus 38. Today’s high -1*F. The wind is barely blowing, but the pipes are freezing, the cars won’t start, and the garbage man won’t pick up!

Here are two more in the Around the World series bundles. The Japan bundle has a Country Flag, 2 different fans (with either a dragon, blossoms, or birds), a Geisha girl, a rickshaw, a Pagoda, and a bamboo border.

Italy bundle has a Country flag, The Coliseum PP, Leaning Tower of Pisa , a wine silhouette, a Greek column w/Ivy PP, and 2 Gondolas.

What's in a BLOG

It sure has been fun looking at everyone’s blog to see what they have been up to. And exciting searching for those hidden files :)

The Around the World series bundles will be up at That’s Scrap, Inc by the end of January, and possibly as soon as next week. I want to give a special thanks to Lisa B from Nebraska for test cutting most of this series. Lisa look for a CD in the mail :) Here’s just 2 of the files that Lisa cut and scanned for me.

The France Bundle comes with Country Flag, a sidewalk café, a fleur symbol, the Arc de Triumph PP, a simple Eiffel Tower, a Wine county accent, and a Beret.

The Holland Bundle comes with a Country Flag, 2 Windmill PP (one is less detailed than the other), Tulips, Clogs, a Bicycle, and Dutch girl and Dutch boy tag.

Keep checking back for more information on this series. And who knows, you might find Frosty's Hat.

Blowing Winds

Frosty’s hat has been blowing all over the place! From California to North Dakota to New South Wales, Australia! The winds have blown Frosty’s hat back to the states, but it is nowhere close to me. Have you found all the hidden files so far? I have, but wow, those files were hard to find! It has been fun and interesting looking though everyone’s blog to see what they have been up to!


My daughter just got back from Vegas where she won $16.76 on the penney machine. Whoo hoo! (That was a good whoo hoo, not a sarcastic whoo hoo. Anytime you can come out ahead is good.) She went out with a few of her friends, and brought back lots of pictures. I made this file for her scrapbook. I made another one and after I got it all together I used UTEE embossing powder to give it a resin look. It turned out great!


Look for the Vegas Bundle coming soon to http://www.thatsscrapinc.com/ for a special, one week only, sale of $1.67.

Weather Alert

Today’s Weather Alert: 6 inches of snow and it is still falling with a high of 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Good news, all is calm, no 'Frosty' winds are blowing my way (yet).

Reminder this week Ivy Hollow Scrap Fusion is on sale at 30% off at http://www.thatscrapinc.com/ from the January 11th through to the 17. It is perfect when you are looking for a permanent glue for gluing buttons, beads, glass & Plexiglas elements, page pebbles, gems, glitter, and more to paper. (sshhh... the discount code is 'JanSale' at checkout)

Test Cutters Wanted

Do you want free files? Do you have a digital cutter? Do you have a scanner? Do you have the time? Then I am looking for you! I have over 40 new files to cut, scan, and put up for sale on http://www.thatsscrapinc.com/ . For each file you test cut for me, I will give you two from http://designsbysky.cuttersmarket.com/ . For each bundle or set you test cut, I will give you ten dollars worth of cutting files for you to choose from. All I am asking for in return is an honest opinion on how they cut or where it might need improvement, a promise that you won’t steal my file and claim as your own or give away, and one week turnover from the time you get the file to the time you cut and scan. (one file or bundle at a time)

If you think you might be interested then give me an email with your name, file preference (AI, GSD, KNK, WPC), and what types of files you may be interested in (single, set, bundle, Japan, western, jungle, kids, borders, titles, etc)

Send your email to scrapmisfit@yahoo.com with the subject line ‘test cutter’

The Hunt is ON!

The BLOG Hunt is on.

Frosty has lost his hat! If you happen to find Frosty's hat on one of the TSI designer blogs, look around. There is a free cutting file somewhere on her blog. But hurry, you will only have a couple of days before it will blow away to another designers blog. Weather alert: A cool, easterly breeze is sweeping thru the states.

Resolution #6

Resolution #6. Pay my bills on time.

One way to pay bills on time is to get them caught up first. Friday after I got my paycheck I went to the bank that has my car loan. Around Christmas time they have a "skip a payment" option. Usually it is in December and I go Christmas shopping. This year it was in January. I figure if I skipped this payment I would have enough leftover from my paycheck to get the rest of my bills caught up. It cost $35.00 to ‘skip a payment.’

I go inside and wait my turn. I went up to the teller and told him what I wanted to do. He started typing, stopped, and then he went to go get the manager. Oh no, I thought, I have skipped to many of these payments and they won’t let me do it again. So much for getting caught up on my bills. No--- it just happened this kid has never done this before. Whew. Ok.

The manager is telling this kid what steps he needs to do. I asked if it was still $35.00. "Yes" she replies "would you like us to take it out of your savings account?" I don’t have a savings account here. "Yes you do" No I only have my car loan here. "Rita Simmons, birthday _____, Social Security number ___-__-____?" Yes that’s me. "Then yes, you have a saving account here. You have $257.26 in your account." You’re sure? I asked. "Yes when you applied for your car loan you had to open an account with us." Then yes, take the $35.00 out of that account. Can I also withdrawal $50.00? I asked.

I went shopping at the new Michaels that just opened up.

Resolution #5

Resolution #5 Scrapbook more.

If you are wondering why I skipped resolution #4 - lose weight. It is because it is Saturday. You should never start a diet on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. Not that I am going on a diet. Diets don’t work, we all know that. I am changing my lifestyle and eating healthier - - - but not until Thursday. Lol

Back to resolution #5. Scrapbook more. Once a month my co-workers and I have an all day crop the first Saturday of the month. There is about 15 out of 40 of us that scrapbook, so we all pack up and head to the Auburn Center. This is our training site. It has enough tables and chairs to comfortably fit 45 -50 people. Even if all of us that scrapbook showed up we would each get a 8 x 4 foot table. Nice empty tables. No kids, no husbands.

I don’t know how I am going to scrapbook more until I get my photos organized. Tammy Brown had an interesting article on separating and organizing photos in the January TSI Newsletter. If you don’t get the newsletter, subscribe here. http://02af4c4.netsolstores.com/index.asp

I have scrapbooked all my current pictures. I am scrapping my wedding from 25 years ago, and getting a start on separating pictures. I have 30 years of pictures to separate. Ugh.

I did make a watermill paper piecing that turned out great (I do need to find those pictures before I can scrapbook it). Here is the paper piecing. I chalked the bricks in, added diamond glaze to the water, green flock for the trees, and flowersoft for the grass and flowers.

Resolution #3

Resolution #3. Smoke less. I am on Christmas Break. Last week smoking less was not a problem, my youngest was home from college and can’t handle cigarette smoke. If I wanted to smoke I had to go outside. You know how cold it was last week!? My daughter left Wednesday. OK, so I decided to throw my cigarettes up onto the highest cabinet in my kitchen. If I want a cigarette I have to go into the dining room, drag a chair into the kitchen, either remove my shoes or take the cover off chair, climb the chair and reach for that pack of cigarettes. I figure this would also help me with resolution #4.

So what are your New Year's Resolution? Do you have any traditions, or superstitions? Ours are cabbage (either stir fried or cole slaw), for luck.

I told you earlier I am working on a Around the World sets. Each bundle will be sold separately. For the Germany bundle I have a Map Flag (the outline of the country with the colors of their flag), a Pretzel PP (paper piecing), a Beer Stein PP, a Leiderhosen PP, a Beer Barrel PP, and a Cuckoo clock. For France I have a Map Flag, a sidewalk Café, a Fleur symbol, Arc de Triumph PP, a simple Eiffel Tower, a Wine Bottle PP, and a Beret PP. For Italy I have a Map Flag, The Coliseum PP, Leaning Tower of Pisa , a Wine Tag, a Column w/Ivy PP, and 2 Gondolas.

Ireland bundle has a Map flag, a Clover Corner accent, an Irish Dancing Costume PP, a Mug of Beer PP, a Derby, and a Lucky Horseshoe PP. Japan has a Map Flag, 2 different Fans PP (with either a dragon, blossoms, or birds), a Geisha Girl, a Rickshaw, a Pagoda, and a Bamboo Border. The Bamboo Border is one of my favorites. Scotland has a Map Flag, a Bag Pipe, 3 Bag Pipers, the Lochness Monster PP, a Celic Cross, and a Kilt PP.

London has a Map Flag of England, Big Ben, London Bridge, a Guard Bear Hat PP, a Double Decker Bus, and a Phone Booth PP. Sydney has a Map Flag of Australia, the Opera House PP, the famous Bridge, the Walkway Symbol & PP, a Koala Bear PP, and a Boomerang. Holland has a Map Flag of the Netherlands, 2 Windmill PP (one is less detailed than the other), Tulips PP, Clogs PP, and a Bicycle.

Besides the "Around the World" sets, I also have a San Francisco bundle with a Trolley Car PP, Fisherman’s Wharf PP, entrance to China Town, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Vegas bundle comes with the Welcome to Vegas sign PP, chips, dice, and cards. A Western theme set bundle come with a 2 wood fence borders (with cattle skull and wagon wheel), 2 photo matts, and a hanging sign.

Look for these bundle sets by the end of the month at http://www.thatsscrapinc.com/

A New Year, New Resolutions

1. Less caffine
2. Update my BLOG.
3. Smoke less. Yes I would like to quit, but that resolution has never worked for me, so I am going to slow down, smoke less.
4. Lose weight
5. Scrapbook more
6. Pay my bills on time

Now all I have to do is find a solution for each resolution that will work for me.

The "less caffeine" I have already started on. I no longer drink Pepsi, except on a few occasions, and as of last week I know longer drink caffeinated coffee. I am trying to wean myself, so I am drinking decaffeinated. Decaffeinated coffee to me is like non-alcoholic beer - what’s the use. Next week it will be water in the morning, which should help with resolution 4.

Resolution #2. Updating my blog. The group over at http://thatsscrap.yuku.com/ forum have a game going on this month on searching the designers blogs for Frosty’s hat to get a free file. I wanted to play also, but I am not that knowledgeable about blogs and stuff. Hopefully by the end of the month I can start participating in the forums games, and you can come here and get free files and news on what cutting files I am working on. Beside designing at http://designsbysky.cuttersmarket.com/, I also design for http://www.thatsscrapinc.com/

This month I am working on "Around the World." I have completed France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Ireland, Japan, & Scotland countries. The cities I have completed are London, Sydney, San Francisco, and Vegas. Each set will include 4-6 memorabilia.