Can You Hear Me Now?

Hi everyone!  I hope everyone has had a fantastic week and is looking forward to their weekend....tomorrow is Friday.  Woohoo!  I guess I am looking forward to our weekend although, we have a motorcycle club meeting on Saturday and then a Super Bowl party to go to on Sunday so....if I am being honest, not so much. I am such a home body that I actually prefer a nice, relaxing weekend with no plans. Especially when I am still recovering from being sick for thirteen days!  It is a super long story so I will try to keep it short and just hit the major details. I woke up on the 20th of January with major pain in my right ear and a feeling like I was underwater where I could hear my breathing and my voice in my own ear.  I was first told a Eusthacian Tube Dysfunction when I went to the minor emergency clinic and put on Mucinex D, Flonase and Zyrtec.  Four days later I still wasn't feeling well so I went to my primary care doctor and was told I had a slight redness in my ear and they had me take Prednisone and an antibiotic for five days while continuing the other medications.  Well, as of Monday I still wasn't feeling well.  I went to see an ENT and he believes it is most likely a jaw issue since there was no fluid in my ear, no drainage, etc.  He put me on an anti-inflammatory and a pain medication.  Finally, some relief has started to set in.  I feel a little bit better each day in regards to the pain and the feeling in my ear as though I am underwater or in a barrel is slightly less.  I am still very nauseated and dizzy however.  I guess my next step is a visit to a dentist to try and figure out if this is in fact something associated with my jaw.  I am worried that the medications are simply masking the issue and I am not really getting well.  However, I am too happy with feeling better to stop taking the medications to find out!  I just keep going to bed each night and waking up the next morning hoping that it will be the day I get to say I am back to being me!

I wanted to just share a few layouts with you today that I have done since I last blogged about my layouts.  I want to make sure and draw your attention though to the kit that I used for this first layout, Rejoice.  The kit is a three designer collaboration that can be purchased this month only at My Scrapbook Art's magazine, Home Is Where The Art Is for only $1.99.  The collaboration kit is called A New Day and was created by Secret Stash, Ziggle Designs and MLE Card.

Here is what this amazing kit looks like:

After February, the kit will go into the designer's stores and will be sold at regular price which will probably be triple that price!  Here is the layout I did using A New Day:

Rejoice

A New Day - 

by Secret Stash, MLE Card and Ziggle Designs (February Art Social at MSA)

My Kindle Fire

Techno Love Bundle by Chelle's Creations

Winter Flavors: Vanilla Spice by Busy Bee Designs

Priceless

Extraordinary Value Bundle by Secret Stash Designs

Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Busy Bee Designs

part of the MScraps Collaboration

I did finally finish my Weeks 1 and 2 of my Project Life album and I am nearly finished with the title page.  Boy does it feel good to part of it completed.  I will blog those soon, I promise because I am sooo excited to share with everyone finally what they look like!

I am off to eat dinner and spend some time with the family.  I hope you all have a great day!  Until next time - hugs!

Project Life Update and A Few Layouts

Just a quick post to catch up on sharing some of my layout inspiration with you.  These are my first two layouts for 2012.  I went 3 weeks with no scrapping and I was in need of a fix!

Fight Everyday

New Attitude - a collaboration by Secret Stash Designs and Litabells

Solos Part 5 by Busy Bee Designs

First Snow Day

Winter Thrills Bundle by Chelle's Creations

Shenanigans (coming soon) by Jeanye Labaya Designs

I have been drooling over Chelle's Creations products for months now.  She is just an amazingly creative and talented designer and let's face it - I am a big sucker for felt ellies.  So, to say I was super stoked to get a guest spot on her team for January and February is a HUGE understatement!  Here are some of my favorite kits/products of hers that you will be seeing me use soon for layouts.  All of the images are linked in case you want to check them out AND If you haven't checked out her stuff, here is link to her store:
http://scraporchard.com/market/Chelle-s-Creations/

I despise cleaning and laundry, really.  However, I am in love with this bundle.  Although, it just deters me further from chores cuz all I want to do is scrap a page about how much I don't want to clean!  LOL

So many layouts I want to do with this.  I LOVE food.  I am trying to eat healthier the last few months so I may do a layout about the foods I am not eating (ok, well maybe just a little here and there) or I will do it about these foods that I can't live without - like nachos!

This is just tooo stinking cute and I can't wait to do a page using this to showcase Laddy's new tractor and tools that his Pops bought him for Christmas!

Okay, I will be honest here.  I have NO idea what pictures I am going to use for this kit BUT....I have loved it since the day Chelle released it and I have to use it.  Hmmm....maybe a page about the funny farm I call "home"?  LOL

This one requires digging in the old photos and doing some scanning.  Jonathan and all 3 girls took Tae Kwon Do for 2 years back in 2003 and 2004.  I have the most adorable portrait that we had done of all 4 of them that HAS to be scrapped.  Megan was only 6 years old!  

Before I say bye for now, I wanted to give a quick update about my Project Life.  I have worked on it a bit here and there trying to find my motivation.  Honestly, I wound up getting pretty discouraged before even starting due to all of the creative inspiration, products and such that I saw popping up all over the internet.  I started putting so much pressure on myself to try and come up with something so original and creative that I wound up not doing anything because I couldn't just be simple.  I had actually scribbled my hand written saying for the week on a journal card and stuck it on my fridge but found myself looking at it saying "My handwriting is so ugly, I hate this, I need to redo it or do it digitally so it is pretty."  

I mean, the whole reason I was intrigued by and decided to do Project Life is because it seemed simple enough that even I would have time to do it.  I belong to a group of ladies that shares inspiration and encourages each other and I was even feeling like I couldn't be honest in there and just say "I'm overwhelmed" because I already felt like I was failing.  This is a great group of ladies, some of them dear friends that I have had for years in the digital community and the goal of this group really is to inspire.  It was all pressure I was putting on myself  (I have this habit a lot in life and I consider it a curse from my father, he is a major workaholic and over achiever).  ;) I was feeling like I had to impress them or that I had to have all original ideas and that I shouldn't "copy" theirs.  Then, one of the girls posted a link to a blog that discussed the very issue I was having.  It really flipped the switch back for me and put things in perspective again.  I remembered that I am doing this for me and my family - for my kids, for my grandson.  Not for anyone else and definitely not to impress people.  I am doing it to record our story and my family does not care how our album looks as compared to others.  They want to see our lives recorded and reflect on our memories.  

So, that very evening while watching a movie with Megan, I started my week 1.  It is still in the works and has lots of slots to be filled but, it is a work in progress and I am glad to report that I did not take that scribbled saying down off of my fridge and it will go in my album when this week ends.  While pondering whether to redo it or not, I remembered a note that my mother gave to me after my grandmother passed away in 2003.  It is a handwritten note from about 18 years ago, a corner torn off of a paper that simply says "Jeanye and kids were here today" (she used to scribble little notes like this on random bits of paper and they would just pile up on her desk.  In years prior, she kept spirals and would record the day's activities and happenings in it in chronological order).  I remembered what a treasure that seemingly insignificant piece of paper is to me.  Why?  Because she held it and those simple words flowed from her head to her hands and it was a memory she felt was worth recording.  Now it has become a part of who I am, where I come from and my history.  This is what I want my family to feel when they look through our albums.  This is why I scrapbook.

A Few Layouts

I just have a couple of layouts I want to share real quick today then it's back to visiting with my baby girl, Alyssa who is home from Tech School for the holidays!  I also still have to wrap Laddy's presents, make his stocking and clean my house before my Mom and Dad come!  LOL

I was one elated girl a few weeks ago when I got an email from Erin of Secret Stash Designs to be a guest creative team member for her for the months of December and January.  I had applied to her guest call but NEVER thought I had a shot at making the cut.  So, getting that email totally made my day!  Since then I have completed 3 layouts for her and I am telling you.....her kits literally scrap themselves.  All of her elements are so fantastic and I literally tried to use every one on this most recent layout:

Silly Nilly Value Bundle by Secret Stash

I also had the pleasure of working with a new collaboration by Studio Flergs and Litabells Designs.  I just love everything that both of these awesome girls do and when they got together it was fireworks!  Kay Miller also had a new set of her amazing Pieces of My Heart Templates coming out this week and I knew that they would be the perfect fit for this new collab.  Check out the result:

L'amour by Studio Flergs and Litabells Designs

Pieces of My Heart Templates 12 by Kay Miller

Hope you all have a fantastic day!  I will be back soon with my first Project Life post!!!  Hugs!

A Few Layouts

Wow, I have seriously been a bad blogger!!!  I got so busy getting my design business off of the ground that I have neglected the personal side of me.  But, that is all about to change...because 

Project Life 2012 

begins soon!

I have received almost all of my goodies now.  Just look at me loving on my new crush.

I have a couple of big Project Life posts scheduled for the next week so I won't go any further with that right now.  I am super excited though and you will be seeing LOTS of this blog dedicated to my Project Life.  ;)

I do have a few layouts that I have recently done that I want to share with you.  I have not gotten to scrap like I like to in the past month but, I think I am catching back up now and will be able to get back into my routine of a few pages a week.

LOOK at this one!  I got not one, not two but THREE gallery standouts for this page in one day!  I got one from Me So Scrappy, Scrap Orchard and DST!  That has never happened to me before and I was soooo incredibly honored.  I knew I loved the page cuz well, it is my Laddy but had no idea it would be so loved by others!  Thank you all!

Make A Wish Value Bundle by Secret Stash
or get the products I used in my layout separately:
Make A Wish by Secret Stash
Make A Wish Stackers by Secret Stash
Winter Flavors: Candy Cane by Busy Bee Designs

Winter Wonderland by Kristin Aagard
Epic Grab Bag: Mish Mash Fall Stash by Queen of Hearts

Be Merry by Secret Stash
Be Merry Overlays by Secret Stash
Be Merry Bonus Alpha by Secret Stash (Facebook Freebie)
Beveled Cardstock by Secret Stash (Newsletter Freebie)
Rock My Holiday Socks by Queen of Hearts

Christmas Around The World by Pickleberrypop Designers

Hootinany by Jeanye Labaya Designs
Font: SMD Niki by Stolen Moments Designs

Well, I am off to work on my Project Life for the day.  I hope you all have a blessed weekend.

Hugs!! 

I'm Designing Again!

Sorry it's been awhile since I posted.  I had a super busy week last week and then my wee Grandson and my daughter came and stayed with us for the weekend.  When that happens, I always drop everything and focus my total attention on them.  I only get to see them about every 6 weeks so it is imperative that I soak up every minute!  ;)

Here are just a few shots from their visit:

EGGS FOR BREAKFAST - YUM

WATCHING RATATOUILLE WITH POPS

B AND MEGAN - GORGEOUS!

I also wanted to share on here that I have started designing again.  I had retired back in January of this year due to some major medical issues I had going on.  However, I am all well now and itching to get back into creating templates so I can help scrap bookers preserve their memories.  I promise not to advertise my design business on here much as this blog is really for the "personal" side of me.  But, I had to give a shout out just to let you all know that I'm back at it!  I am not selling at a store yet.  I am just letting the chips fall where they may and see if something comes up.  So, in the meantime I am just going to be creating some FREEBIES!  I have one available today on my Facebook Fan Page HERE.  All you have to do is LIKE my page.

Also, here is my site address http://jeanyelabaya.com so you can bookmark my site to come back to in the future and while you are there, make sure you sign up for my newsletter!

I will be giving out 3 more freebies this week so keep an eye on my Facebook page or Twitter so you know when they come available.
Monday the 24th - Facebook Freebie (Serendipity One)
Tuesday the 25th - Blog Freebie (Serendipity Two)
Wednesday the 26th - Newsletter Freebie (Serendipity Three)
Thursday the 27th - Twitter Freebie (Serendipity Four + Word Art)

And just in case you ever forget where to find my designs, I put a button in my sidebar!  ;)

Whew.....okay now that I'm done pimpin' myself, I have a few layouts I have done the past week or so to share with you!

Friends

Truly Blessed by Captivated Visions and Laura Banasiak

Gimme Layers Vol 17 by Cluster Queen Creations

Welcome to the Air Force

Courageous by Libby Pritchett

Double It Up 8 by Cindy Schneider

Breakfast For Dinner

Sunnyside Up and Sunnyside Up Word Bit by Chelle's Creations

A Life Expressed {Mega Alpha Stash} by Suzy Q Scraps

With that I am going to sign off for tonight.  I have been in front of my computer for 14 hours today and I think I need to settle down and watch a movie.

I'll be back soon to talk about my 2 new projects that I am starting soon!

Hugs, NeeNee

Around Digi Land

One of my goals for my blog is to share some of the great things I find around the digital scrapbook community that I think are great finds, news and all around cool.  I really do love being a part of the communities, have made so many great friends and want to support some of these great people.  I also want to help share and spread the knowledge about digital scrapbooking.  Hopefully, some of you who visit my blog may find some of my posts useful and the thought of that makes me warm and fuzzy inside. ;)

So, here are some nifty things that I have spotted in some of the communities this week so far.....

Sweet Shoppe has a thread going about creating awesome titles.  You can find the post HERE if you fancy reading through it.  Or, here are the links I have grabbed from the thread that will help me when I am working on my next page to create that perfect title.
Peppermint Creative - Title and Phrase Guide
The Perfect Title
9 Surefire Ways To Create Dynamic Title Work 
Thank you to Tracyfish, Kjersti and MommaTrish for these links!

I am admittedly a HUGE fan of Zoe Pearn's.  Maybe even a bit stalkerish at times but not in a creepy way.  ;)  I absolutely love her style and have begged her a few times for a spot on her team even.  No luck yet but, I still continue to keep the dream alive.  Well, she just happens to be one of the sponsors this month at The Daily Digi (a big fan of this site - wealth of scrapbooking information!).  You can check out her adorable kit and awesome interview HERE.

Her feature at The Daily Digi showcases a few of Steph's (owner of The Daily Digi) favorite products of Zoe's.  So for fun, I thought I would share my favorite Zoe items.

Not to mention that my blog is one of her Blog In A Box products!  You can find those HERE.

I also love her other flash card sets, Alphabet Soup for Girls and Alphabet Soup for Boys.

Do you know about Chelle's Creations?  She is an amazing designer who I have known for years but, just in the last year or so she has really become one of  my fave designers.  I am a huge fan of the felt elements in her kits.  Well, she just happens to be having a CT Call right now!  Yep, that's right!  Don't waste a minute, take a chance and get that application in today!  

How about The Lilypad?  Are you familiar with it?  There are so many amazing designers there.  Well, you can actually WIN a guest spot on their CT by participating in their challenges.  They have this drawing every month!  It is super hard to get a gig on their CT so this is an amazing chance to play with some of the best digital designers out there and a wonderful community.  You also get an awesome 30% off coupon for completing all of their challenges.  You can't go wrong!  You can check out the details on the challenge HERE.

And last but not least, Darcy Baldwin announced a teaser of her upcoming So You Think You Can Font 3 contest!  She holds this contest each year.  She allows you to submit a font or two and then she chooses several from all the entries that she will sell in her shop along with some other fun prizes.  I haven't played along yet but, I think I will this year!   

I know there is lots more fun going on out in the digi communities but, this is about all I can share with you today because after all, I need to pimp some of the amazing designers that are generous enough to let me play on their teams.  So, onto my layouts (so far) for this week.

Chef

For the Log Your Memory Weekly Challenge #42 - In My Experience

Sunny Side Up by Nikki Beaudreau

iNSD Freebie by Busy Bee Designs

Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkin Spice by Kay Miller

Pieces of My Heart Templates 7 by Kay Miller

Halloween 2010

Jeepers Creepers by Kristin Aagard

Pierced

Hocus Pocus: The Bundle by Cluster Queen Creations and geniaBeana Scraps

Crazy Boy

You're A Hoot 

You're A Hoot Boy Paper Pack Add On

So Sketchy: Scribbled Alphabet

all by Captivated Visions

Scrap Strip Temps by Scrapping With Liz

*all images are linked to my gallery so you can get hooked up with links to these products if you wanna!

I really intended to update my 30 Day Photo Challenge today and do some work on my digi supply organization project but I woke up with a migraine this morning and it has not let up all day.  So, I will save those updates and work for tomorrow.  I hope!  Either way, I will at least be back on Saturday with a few more new layouts from my wonderful girls over at Sweet Shoppe Designs that I CT for.  

Until then - have a great rest of the week.  Hugs!

Best News in Weeks

Happy Friday everyone!  It is an awesome Friday for me because I got the best news this morning when I woke up.  Jonathan told me that our oldest daughter had called at about 5:30 this morning (he is always up that early to go to work so she knew she would catch him) and told him that she will be here tomorrow!  I haven't seen her since she left for Air Force Tech School on July 24th!  Two and a half months without seeing my baby girl is WAY too long!  She made her menu requests too, ha ha.  We always love our Mom's cooking, don't we?  She will be leaving on Monday morning so I plan to spend the entire weekend just doting on her and relaxing so I won't be around again until early next week.

But, before I sign off for the weekend here are some layouts I did this week:

Captured 

Fall Delight by Melissa Bennett and Studio Flergs 

Fall Flavors: Candy Corn by Busy Bee Designs

Comfort

Made With Love by Meghan Mullens 

and Bad Sewing Machine 12 by Traci Reed

Halloween 2009 

Bippity Boppity by Libby Pritchett and 

Layered Templates Set 93 by Cindy Schneider

Tomb Raider

Frankenmonster's Halloween Party by Shawna Clingerman

Happy 1st Birthday

Hot Halloween and Hot Halloween Trashed Papers by Lyndsay Riches

All images are linked to my gallery so you can get linked up or leave some lovin'.

And now to bring my October 30 Day Challenge up to date.  I am really enjoying this project.  I love playing with and editing my photos.  

DAY 7 - FRUIT

DAY 6 - FROM A LOW ANGLE

DAY 5 - FROM A HIGH ANGLE

With that I will sign off for the weekend.  I hope you all have a great one yourselves!  Hugs!

Getting Organized

I have a confession, I am not the most organized digital scrapbooker.  My files are a big mess.  I have stuff stashed in random places and folders all over my EHD.  I have the original spot where I started putting things back when I started digital scrapping in 2008.  Then in early 2010 I decided I needed to restructure and get more organized so I started a new system, swearing I was going to go back and bring those older files into the new system. Finally, back in April of this year I started yet another new system!  So that brings me up to the current mess - 3 separate areas using 3 different systems of organization.  What a mess, right?  I have the hardest time finding anything I am looking for and I am really tired of not being able to mix and match bits from different kits, etc. on my layouts.

So today I buckled down and said enough is enough!  I started with something simple, my ALPHAS.  I took the  alphas from the two old locations, purged and cleaned up the folders and put them in their new, highly organized home.  I spent 5 hours working on this today!  I have to admit though that it feels really good!  So good that I have decided that I am going to get all of my supplies organized once and for all.
My plan is to spend a few hours a day working on it and hopefully have the project complete by the end of October.  

While perusing my digi files I also discovered that I have 75, yes 75 kits that are unused.  By the way, that is just kits I have acquired since April of this year!  When I get all of my older files organized that number is bound to triple.  So, I have also decided that I want to get current on my layouts and use up those kits.  My goal is to get these 75 kits used by the end of the year.  I'd love to be more aggressive but, these layouts will have to be done in addition to my creative team responsibilities so I don't want to bite off more than I can chew.

I plan to drop in and update my blog with my progress on both of these tasks.  Maybe you too need to give your files some attention and get yourself more organized.  If so, join me!

Before I sign off (my eyes are going wonky from staring at this computer all day) I want to post a few layouts I have done recently.

Puppy Love using I {Heart} Cupcakes Kit and Alpha by Thaty Borges and Gimme Layers Vol 16 by Cluster Queen Creations.

First Moments using Pickles and Ice Cream by Libby Pritchett and Fall Flavors: Apple Cider by Busy Bee Designs

First Week 9th Grade using Life Changing by Captivated Visions and Sassy Starters Vol 9 by Nanie's Designs

Bliss using Sunny Side by Melissa Bennett and Solos Part 2 by Busy Bee Designs

Happy Loving You using Choose Happiness by Shawna Clingerman and Kristin Cronin Barrow and For The Love of Photos Vol 2 Grab Bag by Cluster Queen Creations and Little Green Frog

Letting Go using The Beginning Is Now by Shawna Clingerman and Lauren Grier as well as May Flowers Freebie by Busy Bee Designs

All of the images are linked to my gallery at DST so you can link up to the products I used if you see something you like! 

I will be back soon to update on my progress.  Hope you have a great day!

Hugs!