It's Challenge Time Again!

Oh my GOODNESS!!!!  Everyone that played along with the challenge did an AMAZING job.  I loved every single layout that I saw and not one of them looked like the others.  THAT right there is the best thing about scrapbooking, all the talent and inspiration that is out there....it just blows me away.

Well, I guess you are probably waiting on me to announce the winner for last month's challenge, Scrap Black and White Pictures.

So our winner for the challenge is.....drumroll please................

Corlann!!

And here is her layout, I just LOVED the little touches that she did with the embossing powder!

So, Corlann, please email me at cardipaws@sbcglobal.net with your shipping address and your choice of the collection kit you would like.  We will get your prize out to you this week!!

So that brings us to the next challenge that I gave the design team, which you can play along with this month!!!

 Scrap Those Cell Phone Photos

Let's see just what everyone did with those pictures that we snap with the only camera we might have handy at the moment!

First up is Sarah Eclavea, with this adorable two page layout using My Lil Monster!

Next up, Nikki played along with us this time!  (confession, she was the FIRST one to turn something in!) She used the My Lil Monster collection along with You're a Hoot also.

Next up is Linda Beeson, I love it when she does layouts!!  She used My Lil' Monster too.  (I am seeing a trend so far!)

Now here is a layout using the Get Well Soon collection from Julie Tucker Wolek.  Most of you probably know that Brookie has to have surgery for her Port Wine stains frequently.  She is a brave little trooper and Julie used the words from a song for this layout about how beautiful she is!

And then we have Deana Boston's layout using Gingerbread Land!  I love this picture of her daughter peeking from the tree!!

And I jumped in this month and played also.  I used Gingerbread Land for my layout to document last Christmas morning.  The snow was beautiful that fell overnight.

So your  challenge for this month is to get those photos off of your cell phones and get them scrapped!  Sometimes it is the only camera available to capture that moment, so let's get those moments on paper! 

Card girls, if you are not comfortable making layouts  and you want to play...make a card using some of the stickers and cut ups/punch outs that come with the collections....if you have Nikki Sivils stamps you can use those also....old or new...doesn't matter. 

Just make a layout following the guidelines above for "Scrap Those Cell Phone Photos" and use at least 75% Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker products.  It does not matter if it is an older or newer collection, we just want to see them!

Leave a link to your blog post or gallery with a picture of your completed challenge entry on this post by December 31.  We will pick one winner and announce them on January 4th, 2012 (did I just type 2012?!) I am going to give you a little extra time with all the holiday festivities going on.  We will not have a challenge in December, so you will have plenty of time to work on this one!  

Have a Scrappy Kinda Day!!~~Katrina

Our small but sweet Thanksgiving!

I have two families to share Thanksgiving with my mom's family and dad's family, usually I can fit both in on one day but this year they both decided to have their dinners at noon. Its always a tough spot to be in, one side of the family has my two sisters and their 5 kiddo's and the other side I have my 3 brothers and their 3 kiddos! How can you pick??  This year the deciding factor was my youngest brother (13 yrs. younger), Barron, had to leave to go back to L.A. at 8:30 p.m. Thanksgiving night and I wanted to spend some time with him. 

This is Barron (in the black jacket), me (as a cat for halloween) and my other brother, DJ.

So I'm cooking and baking Thanksgiving morning watching the Macy's Day Parade and my phone rings and its Barron, he looked at his ticket wrong and he leaves at 12:30 p.m. not 8:30 p.m.! It was 9:30 a.m. when he called  so I dressed very quickly, grabbed my pots and pans and finished cooking over at my moms house.  I only got about 40 minutes with him before he left for the airport which was kind of sad for all of us. But better to have a little time then no time at all. 

My other brother, Dj and his family were at his in-laws so it was just my mom and step-dad, my brother Ryan his wife, their son, Noah, Dan and I. Very small group this year and sad without my grandma and other two brothers. 

Here are some pictures from our sweet little Thanksgiving...

This is our newest edition to the family, Noah.

The table....

We ate from my grandma's china, in her memory. 

This is a little picture of my grandma & grandpa with a rose bud on a little chair from my old doll house furniture with a glass cover. Its an empty chair for them not being with us. This will always be at our family dinner table. Always.

I hope you all who celebrate Thanksgiving had a wonderful day! 

We sure did! -Nikki

P.S. I have a FREE gift for all my followers for December! Tune in on Friday to get yours! 

November, where did you go?

Seriously where do you go? I thought you'd never get here and now you are almost gone. I'm not ready for December to be here yet... really I'm not! 

I have my Christmas trees up, they go up the Saturday before Thanksgiving and I have all my Christmas decorations up too but I have little to no shopping done. I've tried to make a few commitments this year for Christmas...

1. Shop at small and local businesses as much as I can.

2. Make as many handmade gifts as I can. 

and

3. Give as much as I can this holiday season. 

 We'll see how I do and I'll keep you updated with the progress. 
I do have a sweet little flip chart mini album that I made for my mom that will have all of my grandma's special recipes in it. And I've made some cards to give as a "set" for a few friends. Really that's not much... I need to get to work! 

I was asked this past year to teach some scrapbooking classes using my products on a cruise to the Caribbean. I couldn't say no, right!?! I taught the first week in October and I just got all my pictures on my Mac and wanted to share some of them with you. 

Dan was my "assistant", not really but he says that was why he was there with me! Silly boy! 

We cruised away on Carnivals newest ship, The Dream. 

(It was so huge and beautiful.)

Here is the "The Dream"...

I think it's so fun that when you enter your room for the first time the TV is on and has "Welcome Aboard" then our names.

Dan on our room deck before we take off to sea.

This is the center of the ship or the main entrance when you first step on the ship. It was so huge and pretty. 

I think the ship was made of all glass!

Can't go on a cruise and not get a couple of yummy

food pictures....

This is Susan, who is the owner of Croptopia Getaways.

Of all the four of our stops, Roatan was my most favorite. 

Loved this little bit of paradise.

Everything was so colorful...

they call it the "Mahogany" island because that's where all so much

of our mahogany comes from. 

Loved these pens, I had to have one! 

If you get the chance to go to this island one day, please do! 

You'll fall in love just like I did.

Okay so I know most of us aren't big fans of spiders, especially huge, furry,  creepy spiders but I had to share this story with you. Dan and I were walking on a trail in Roatan, it was so beautiful, kind of like a rainforest, any way i just happen to look down because these wooden steps were really uneven and difficult to climb. That's when I saw this big fella running out from under my lifted foot to his hole. I bet the sole of my shoe was touching his back that's how close I was to stepping on him. I snapped a picture and went on but I was freaking out the rest of the hike.

Look how big he is... I so glad I didn't step on him!

I had to get a couple of "towel" creature pictures too.

Loved this lobster! 

Dan and I on the ship after dinner one night watching the sunset. 

This was our room. 

This was our little deck off our room. We sat out here everyday 

and drank our coffee.

I love this cute picture of my hubby in Costa Maya. 

Our HUGE ship...

Dan at the ship casino, he won $900.00!!

He was ecstatic! (I was too!)

Here are the ladies that were in our group and one man, actually a few are missing but this is most of the group. 

Everyone was so lovely, such a sweet group of ladies!

Our last towel on the last night... 

Saying goodbye!

If you ever get a chance go on one of Susan's trips through Croptopia Getaways then jump at the chance! Susan is a wonderful hostess and plans a very nice trip for everyone! 

Thanks Susan for everything! 

-Nikki