Holiday Make and Take

                               HOLIDAY MAKE & TAKE

I'm hosting an Open House Holiday   Make & Take   Please come and join me in being creative and making some Holiday cards and tags during the weekend of November 22- 24th (see schedule below)
                                            Costs for this Make & Take is only $25.00
      I (Creative Hostess-Debbie Bakk) will have All the supplies needed for you to complete 20 cards and several tags- already designed and pre-planned- so you don't have to be "creative"- just have fun and assemble them - and add your own personal touches, so you can give handmade cards to friends and family this year. All in the comfort of my home, which my whole lower level (craft areas) are designed or set up for 10 friends/ladies to join me at one given time. So pick a day & time which suits your schedule and give me a call to reserve your seat/seats. Call or bring a friend or two- the more the merrier!!!
                 Dates:  November 22- 24th   (you pick a day & time to fit your schedule)
                                        Friday 22nd- 6pm - 11 pm
           Times:           Saturday 23rd   1 pm - 11 pm
                                 Sunday 24th  noon - 8 pm
         Where:        316 Sterbenz Ct. Antioch, Illinois  60002
         R.S.V.P.     by November 17th     to reserve/any questions  call  Debbie Bakk   847-207-1734
Here is a preview of a few of the cards we will be creating- more pictures by the weekend to come
                        **please bring your choice of beverage with you - - -  snacks will be supplied***
               

I'm a Grandma- how wonderful it is!!!

 The arrival of my first Grandchild Barrett James on June 23rd at 12:01 pm- 6lbs 15 0zs 19 3/4 in long- how exciting this is...... Here is me holding him for the first time and he is only a few hours old... and he is already opening his eyes and grabbing my Heart!

 

This is our 4 generation picture taken just the other day when he was exactly 1 week old..

Baby Bear, my daughter (new mommy) and my Mom (great grandma) and Me(new grandma) holding the bundle of Joy.

ScrapCabana Retreat - Here I come!

      It's that time again to pack it up and go on a weekend scrapbooking retreat- with my friends!!!! I am getting so good at organizing and packing for these weekends -I have 83 pages laid out to work on this time, which will be amazing if I get them all done- my record to beat is 62- so I will be very busy this next three days. I purchased my ( Crafty Gizmo's) Thirty-one bag the end of January- so I'm excited about using it to carry all my Cricut Expression & Gypsy and all supplies in it for the 1st time. I also went to a garage sale this morning and found these 2 collapsible storage racks for $1.00 each- great find and will be put to good use at my table- saving me more space to work on layouts.
     My 2 rolling carts with 6  12 x 12 containers (=12) are filled with all the embellishments and supplies needed to work on these 83 layouts, my black tote is filled with all the bigger tools like Cuttlebug, big bite, trimmers, punches and tools, and the other container is all my Cuttlebug folders-plus my handy cart which is a life saver to haul all this stuff into the retreat- only ONE trip in which makes it nice. Well- I'm off to have some fun with the girls at the Scrap Cabana Retreat in Aurora, Il this weekend- Michelle puts on a great time at a very reasonable price too- I linked it for more info of these retreats available for 10 months out of the year.. This is my 5th time going to this retreat and I love it!!!!

Wow- time flies- its January 15th 2013 already

Happy New Year to All:   As you can see I'm running a bit behind already this year.  But, after I get this post on my blog I have a few goals for this coming up year in 2013- and I'm looking forward to a wonderful year ahead of me.     This is just a quick layout I did of my girls Jenna & Izzy over winter break- I wanted to get a picture of my new table and chairs- and they just happened to be waiting for dinner when I got the camera out...No, not really I put them there- they are not usually allowed up on the chairs-but they posed for me very well.

 My goals for 2013 are the following:      1. do 365 pages/layouts    2. post weekly on my blog   3. enter a challenge every week    4. comment on other blogs bi-weekly  5. enjoy my life in whatever I choose to do and be happy.

Looking forward to scrapping and blogging this year-

Another Scrapcabana Retreat..YEAH!!

     Once again, I'm packing up for another retreat at the ScrapCabana in Aurora, IL this weekend and looking forward to seeing /meeting friends. I have been preparing all the pages- I plan on doing this weekend (Fri-Sun) the past few days and my goal is 50 pages this time. One thing, I have learned about going to these retreats is to have all my photos and papers figured out ahead of time. Its to hard to bring all my papers with and way to heavy to carry them all...so a few weeks before I go to one of these retreats I layout out my photos and figure out what papers I will be using with them and jot my ideas on a notebook- to give me reference when I get there. So that way all I'm bringing ( which is still way to much) is the embellies that I could possible use and the tools needed to complete each page. Here is a photo of all my supplies that I will be bringing with me this time...can you imagine if I had to bring all the papers that I wanted to go thru for each of my pages..OMG

Well, I hope everyone finds some time this weekend to scrap a page or two....And I'll be posting alot of new layouts after this weekend and after I unpack everything!

Spa Blue front door- how inviting

How Inviting is my new front door?  I just love it and thought I would post it on my blog. I bought this oops paint and just had to paint something with it- so why not my front door. I have read that your front door should be a color that isnt already on the outside of your home-(siding, trim or shutters..etc) so this SPA BLUE is surely not one of the colors of my home- but I sure do like it now that I have painted it..wasn't to sure at first. Well thanks for stopping by and checking out another project that I have been doing other than scrapping.

Happy 4th of July to all of you!!!

My two girls- Izzy and Jenna -last year waiting for the parade to start- they had such a great time...but I'm gonna miss them this year because they are not with me in Michigan - instead they stayed home with my ex-husband to celebrate with him. So I will be thinking of them and this picture came to my mind so I thought I would post it. I wish you all a Very Happy 4th and take some great pictures!

I rearranged and updated my craftroom

I think an organizational bug bite me..because ever since I joined in on Frosted Designs bog hop two weeks ago- checking out everyone's scrapping space, I have been reorganizing my rooms & painting new cabinets and having fun doing it at the same time. So here is a few new things that I added to my space.

Her is the bottom of a curio cabinet that I bought at a garage sale for $30.00 and repainted it- and kept the 2 bottom doors off and kept it open for baskets and boxes- which, I got the paint in the oops pile at Menards for $5.00 a pretty pinky purple color -which goes well in my craft room.  I also added a 4 shelf unit in white a few months back that a past scrapbooker was getting rid of for $25.00 (what a steal this was) and since then I also bought the ribbon rack online pre- Christmas sale for $10.00.

Here is the top half of the curion cabinet painted with the same paint , but I seperated them and put it on the other wall to give me more counter space if needed. I  filled up the cubby holes with my new arranged blue plastic container all labeled with the alphabet to put all my chipboard letters in ( saw a few other scrapppers have done this and thought it was a good idea). I also have changed the table space around a bit to a T- but I can change it back if need be- but it gives more space this way.

This was a big rearrangement for me...so many decisions I had to make..I wanted to have my papers all together- but I have so much paper( I don't need to buy anymore) wasn't sure if it would all fit in this area . So the 2 black shelves are paper stacks/cardstock 12 x 12 and drawers of color coded scraps and the 4 red crates are all 12 x 12 themed boxes filled with papers and then the 4 other containers are also filled with paper...  Yikes! I also have my acrylic paint holder( first storage container I bought over 10 years ago - love it) and all my inks in two storage racks and buttons in the storage spin rack ( recycled spice rack) which I painted the lids for the colors of all the buttons in them. Plus my black roll cart which has all my tools - stickles, tapes, glues and etc- which I roll to wherever I need it.

Last, major change is I painted two bedside tables in spa blue and bought the Jet max storage units on clearance and this is where I store all my stamps-rubber, foam, and acrylics- catagorized in 15 drawers for easy findings. Plus I have all my 8 x 11 cardstock here-plus the 3 drawers below paper is all my mists/sprays. And still in the same place is my handy ribbon rack- hanging on the back of the door-(repurposed shoe rack). So lots of work- but love the way it looks now --so so organized!
 Thanks for looking at my new craft room and I have more pics on my side bar under my scraproom updated last week. Happy Scrappin!

Congrats again... Mr & Mrs. Richards

   My daughter and her husband (married April 22 in Jamaica) had the big family and friends reception this past weekend and it turned out great. I have been so busy with decorations and favors, flowers and gifts I haven't had much time to do anything else. So, now I can get back to my scrapbook room and scrap away...
     My first weekend to myself and I will be attending a Scrapbook Retreat here in Aurora, Illinois- my first time to this one (ScrapbookCabana) and I can't wait. It sounds like a good time will be had by all 75 scrappers for 3 full days of fun and relaxation. I of course will be working on lots of wedding photos- so when I get back watch out I will have so many posts to upload... Happy Scrappin!

I"M BACK..from my scrapping retreat.

    And I'm all fired up for the new chapter in my life to begin. I had so much fun while on this 3 day retreat sponsored by Heart & Soul Memories- I believe this was the 8th time I have gone and look forward to next time. I was celebrating 2 occasions at this retreat-  my Birthday (26th) and my Divorce Day( 20th) with old and new friends, whom made this weekend extra special for me. Thanks girls!

 I completed a whomping 30 pages...so I think I got my mojo back..lol I worked on some Christmas & graduation layouts from 2007 and some more recent photos of my grand-daughter and my dogs- so a variety of photos to work with.  I will be posting all these layouts in the next few weeks- and I leave here with a photo taken of me and my balloons while sitting at my scrapping spot-

2 Pieces of the Puzzle...

     First of all ,I just wanted to post that it was my Birthday yesterday (26th) and I have been so busy I haven't had the time to post anything this week. Because at the beginning of the week the 20th- I finally had my day in court for my Divorce, which has been consuming me for the past 9 months with all kinds of worries and doubts about my future. But , now that it is final-- I am happy to say that I'm in a good spot and I'm looking forward to the new chapter in my life and can't wait to start moving ahead. I have so many goals and plans for myself- and I get to do them in the comfort of MY home and my wonderful craft/scrapbook room, which I have been organizing and filling with all my goodies for the past 4 years.
     My life has been like a puzzle and all the pieces were scattered and now I'm starting to put all the pieces back together again..and here are the 2 pieces are so dear to me...my girls. I did this layout a month or so ago while on Christmas break and thought it was a good one to post with my topic of discussion. And I'm happy to announce the girls are living with me also (Jenna & Izzy)

    So with that said- hopefully you will be seeing and hearing from me  more often and I cant wait till this weekend to get started back into scrapping once again- on a regular basis. I am treating myself ( for my birthday) to a 3 day scrapbooking retreat here in Palatine Illinois, once again- and I'm so excited for that 5 o'clock whistle today and will be scrapping- laughing and enjoying new and old friends till 3 pm on Sunday-

    I want to say and express a big heart of thanks to some of you whom have already known of my situation and all the support you have given me- on either my blog or on facebook- it means alot- So thanks for caring! And- I will be blog hopping once again too- I will have more time to concentrate and relax with what I love to do--- my passion for scrappin!

Here but not here....

     I just wanted to post a little something about my situation in my life for the past few months and the next few months to come...I am currently going thru a divorce which (took me by surprise) and its been a bit overwhelming and hard to deal with on a regular daily basis- so It's been abit difficult for me to concentrate and be creative. I have been on here everyday reading and checking out others blogs and doing my DT challenges - which I find relaxing and enjoy-but haven't been participating as much as I would like to be doing.
     Though -I have been preparing for a 3 day scrapbook retreat this weekend- which I know I need and this will (hopefully) get me motivated again to get back in my scrapbook room and put more energy into this craft/pleasure - which will help me out in the long run and get my mind off the negativity in my life right now. So hopefully by next week I will be posting all kinds of wonderful layouts that I will be creating at  this retreat- ( Heart and Soul Memories in Palatine, Il). Again thanks for taking the time to read this and I will be back on my own two feet soon... Here are a few pages/cards that I have completed- but not for challenges in the past few months and just have not uploaded them until now.

Again- thanks for stopping by and I'm getting excited about my retreat starting tomarrow- I'm all packed and ready to go. Hope you all enjoy your upcoming weekend and keep scrapping!!!

IT"S Friday and I'm going Shopping...

Where you ask? at the SCRAPBOOK EXPO in St. Charles, Illinois. This is so exciting to me. I went there last year for the first time and I was overwhelmed with all the stuff they had there for us to look at, work with and purchase of course...and I did alot of that. Four hundred dollars later, I finally closed the place down...lol. So this has been an event on my calendar for a year and the day has finally arrived.
    I have my large leopard print tote bag on wheels all ready to go, along with my camera and a large note pad for jotting down all the wonderful ideas that I will see..and my comfy sneakers & scrapbooking t-shirt all laid out. It's about an hour and half away, so I will be up early and out the door by 7 am to arrive when the doors open at 9am. I have this feeling there will be a few scrapbookers waiting in line to get in..lol and even a few of them might be people that I have met on the blogs here online...I might run into Wendy C...

     I also have some other fabulous news- I have been choosen as a Design Team member for Frosted Designs- Fabulous Fridays...I was on the team for Sketch Along Tuesdays and switched over. I'm excited to work with such a great talented group of ladies at Frosted Designs- so I'm looking forward to creating other projects - than just layouts for the challenges coming up in the next six months. Looking forward to seeing your entries and I love your comments and I enjoy leaving comments for you- also. Well, wish me luck--hope I find a few items to buy at the EXPO!

Going on a bowling trip ....

Well, this morning I'm heading off to Syracuse, New York for 4 days to compete in the Women's Nationals Bowling Tournament- 2011. There is a group of 70 of us ladies from my area that go every year, where ever it is being held and have a grand ole' time and we all hope to bowl our best this weekend. And if not, well we sure do have alot of laughs and great memories for years to come.

  For the past 8 years that I have gone- I started to make these little cards to write and keep track of our individual scores in and to keep the picture that the USBC gives us with our team photo inside and now everyone looks forward to this little momentum that I've been making and this year is no different. I kinda ran out of time so I qucikly did this design for our event in Syracuse with the USBC logo-  the yellow circle and the state of New York (Cricut cartridge-50 states), and did alot of other stamping in black ink. I make 80 of them every year and give some to my mom in Arkansas who goes also with a smaller group of women in June- so I have an asssembly line going in my craftroom when I get working on these.
    Well have a great weekend everyone and I'll be back Monday to see all the wonderful layouts and projects that I'm going to miss. And hopefully , with great news that I bowled better than average and maybe even win some money!!!

Chicagoland Blizzard here in northern IL

Wow- this is what I woke up to this morning 24" or more of snow-I guess will be busy shoveling for awhile- then I can go play around in my scrapbook room since we won't be going anywhere anytime soon. There is a ban on all driving here- emergency vehicles and plows only on the streets in Lake County, Illinois. And of course there was no school today so I didn't have to drive my school bus and they have already called us and told us there will be no school tomarrow either.. . YEAH... more time to play in my room. Oh and to Kim who won my birthday blog candy-it is packaged and ready to be sent, but might be a few days before I can get it in the mail- or even leave my house. Well going to go take some more pictures of this beautiful snow and shovel some more. My great husband out shoveling early this morning- I went out and took pictures and did a little bit of shoveling too and the dogs are just loving it.

This is a snow drift about 6 feet high on the side of your house-luckily we don't have to shovel this. We live on a culdesac which is completely filled with about 3 feet a snow and who knows when the plows will get to us. What a day to remember the Blizzard of 2011.

I'm so excited---My oldest daughter is Engaged!!!!

I was nicely surprised when my daughter called me the night of her 26th birthday(on the 15th) -after she went out to dinner with friends to tell me the great news. Mom-I'm engaged!  She was crying with happy tears while she was telling me, and I was so happy for the both of them. They have been dating for about 7 years and they purchased a home this past May and a few days before her birthday, her boyfriend (now fiance) got her a puppy...which she thought was her present. So when he proposed she was shocked and very surprised. Well I guess I'll be busy helping her plan for this great event-I might be doing some crafty projects in this next year- wedding related of course, and alot of pictures to scrap in the future.

This was taken on moving day last May into their new home. I'm so excited and proud of both of them...now we can only wish for grand babies next.

Las Vegas here we come-

Me and the hubby are going to visit Las Vegas - to play, relax and visit with my daughter and boyfriend (who live out there) for a whole week...So I won't be blog hopping or doing any challenges for a week or so- I miss it already..lol. I will be bringing my Gypsy to play with on the plane a bit and I plan on visiting a few of the scrapbook stores out there-there are 2 really good ones that I have been to before.The above picture of us was taken in January when we went to Vegas to celebrate my 50th birthday this year-this time it will be much warmer I'm sure. But I still will have my Frugal Fridays post -so check that out and leave a comment for my blog candy drawing on August 31st- see more details of candy on right side bar. And  I can't wait to start scrapping when I get back and caught up with everyone's blogs-Enjoy your week of summer fun- I know I will- I need a vacation before I have to go back to work at the end of the month at school driving all those kiddies back and forth.

CHA ... was a blast...

I'm so tired...yet so excited - after going to the CHA show today-its midnight and I just got home and I want to go craft and scrap. There were so many great new products out there and loved all the make and takes... cant wait to try doing some of them with all my new purchases. And I met so many wonderful Cricut ladies afterwards for pizza from all over the states. I can't believe how far people will travel for scrapping!  I made a cute little mini book the other night before I went to the show for all my new friends to sign which was great-now I can put a face to their names (hopefully I will remember) I do know that I will be going to St Charles in August for the scrapbook-expo, which I found out about tonight, thanks to my new Cricut friends. This sounds like it will be another fun weekend to Shop- Crop and Roll!

Well I'm glad I went to my first CHA convention- I had a great time and saw lots of great ideas and new products. Maybe I'll be traveling to wherever next year-this is addicting-but it's great therapy! For all my new friends that are checking out my blogsite- Welcome and it was nice meeting you and hope to run into you again. I have a seperate page on my scrapbook room and my crops here in my home -twice a month on Saturdays, go to the right side of my blog- if you would like more information, and sign up to be a follower for my blog candy while your here in my Frugal Friday posts. Well its been a very long day and I have a birthday party with the family tomarrow so I'd better get some sleep---sweet scrapping dreams.

Had a Great 4th of July weekend

 Well we are back safely at home from our 4 day trip to the great U.P (upper Penisula) Michigan. I just love it there..lake superior, the lovely landscapes and family and friends to enjoy. We had such a busy schedule in the short time we were there. Saturday morning was the 1 1/2 hour long parade in Ishpeming, Mi. which I got a little to much sun, but the weather was unbelievably warm for this part of the year up there 93 degrees. We had a family (my cousin) Wedding at a gazebo outlooking Lake Superior in Marquette, Mi on Saturday afternoon..its was perfect and went to well, then the reception followed that with great food and lots of fun with the large family we have up there. Then on the 4th we went to my uncle's camp out on Bass Lake to celebrate the 4th with tons of food, swimming, sauna, pontoon boat rides , fireworks and games and all 63 of us that were there had many laughs and great memories were made. All in all we all had another great 4th of July. And this year we took out new Eskies (Izzy & Jenna) who just turned one in January with us and they just loved it up there and they got lots of attention from everyone. You can see the smiles on their faces in this photo of them -we were getting ready to go to the parade on Saturday morning. Here is a photo of just a few of us who went to the parade-most of the relatives were getting ready for the wedding to take place in the afternoon.

I'm back from Nationals and can't wait to SCRAP

     I was in El Paso,Texas for the Women's National Bowling Tournament for the past 5 days and can't wait to get back in my scrap room. I had a great time down there and the weather was great sunny and warm the whole time and I bowled pretty good too, but I so missed my scrapping and blogs, lol. Now that I have got all caught up on the new challenges and saw everyones great projects for the past 5 days I can go downstairs and start scrapping away. Oh, I did bring my Gypsy with me while I was in Texas and did a few projects on it to get a head start on some pages I have to do, but it just wasn't enough--- I wanted to get to my HOME SWEET HOME.