Okay, so altered items *are* fun!

I have been really striving to try out new techniques and concepts lately with my scrapbooking. Stretching to reach my uncomfortable zone and seeing what I can come up with in the process.
I have never been much into altering, mostly because I was extremely intimidated of ruining a project. But what I have learned throughout my trials and errors.......its fun and you do make errors, and sometimes those errors fixed make the project a masterpiece......
I created this little album using a Bazzill accordian album with an altered policy envelope for the cover. I decided to try a "check book-style" format for my album.
It was funny as I was sitting writing my journaling with a pencil first, like I always do, and Steve pointed out that it looked cool just written in pencil. Well, that was pretty simple and something I had never even thought of doing. Gotta love his wonderful ideas!
I've purchased a 7 Gypsies chipboard purse to alter and even a CD tin. Yup. I think I have got bitten by the altering bug. It's fun! What have you altered lately? Post a link to your special project here!
 

I created this layout as a reminder to be kind to myself as I am learning about who I am and what makes "me" me. All products used are from Creating Inspirations October kit.
I just loved working with the awesome Cosmo Cricket papers in my October www.cropaddict.com kit. I have so many photos of when I used to show my horse that it was fun to be able to actually scrap them. This is my sweet horse, Romeo. He is just gorgeous!
I just cannot get enough of Piggy Tales' "frog prince" line. They are working so perfectly to scrap my boy pics!
I created the altered 7 Gypsies mini album to keep a few of my most favorite quotes. I used goodies from the October www.creatinginspirations.com kit. So much fun stuff in there! 

Ahh...I just love Fall!

Steve and I ventured out and about this
weekend taking "drive-by" photos of all
the gorgeous colors Bend is displaying this time of year!
It was quite fun looking like a tourist with my
head out the window taking snap-shots
driving through town..haha!
But, it was fun.........and I wanted to be able to share with
you the gorgeous Fall splendor of Bend, Oregon.
In the next month, our town will be covered in a
blanket of beautiful white winter snow.
So, it a great time to enjoy
these few warm, vibrant fall days.




{The first pic is of the big trees at Pioneer Park. This park is so lovely and located in down town Bend. People often celebrate anniversaries and weddings in their lush location.}












{Just driving down the streets of Bend, you are surrounded by rich crimson reds and rustic oranges. While it is still warm, you can feel the slight shift of the season change.}
















{This is the beautiful Deschutes River which peacefully weaves through our humble town where beautiful homes line its bountiful banks.}









{Wall street is Bend's business district. Monday through Friday the side walks are lined with men and women in crisp suits, carrying about their important business. On the weekends, Wall Street transforms in to a social place; a place where families walk hand-in-hand, window shopping through beautiful clothing and gift boutiques. People are seated outside of coffee shops and cafe's enjoying conversation with wine or coffee. It truly is such a wonderful atmosphere. The man in this photograph is a statue that is right down town on Wall street. While it does make me chuckle at the site , I wonder what the artist was thinking when creating this man.......looking into his empty wallet as the ducks observe. Too funny, but when I think of down town Bend, this guy comes right to mind!} Have a wonderful week! Tessa :-)

What a fun, yet busy this weekend was. Steve had fun on Sunday and visited a local caves with my dad and uncle. He had a lot of fun and took some fun pics that I will most definitely scrap!


For me, it is always hard to get back in the swing of things on a Monday morning. But it was a great day!
I was suprised to find a post by my sweet pal Cheryl on scrapbook.com congratulating me for layout of the day at Creating Keepsakes' site. That was a total shocker! That put a *real* big smile on my face all day :) Here is the link


Well. I would love to share a fun project I created this weekend.
Since making my Winter gift set, I have wanted to try out even more variations. When I received Teresa Collins' new Halloween line in my Creating Inspirations October Kit (www.creatinginspirations.com , I couldn't wait to dig in and put an another gift set together! Steve and I both thought I needed to photograph this in a "staged-setting" to get the full effect of the idea. So off to Michaels we went in search of a pumkin, black poster board, rafia and candy corn :)

Now.....what to do with them..lol! I think I have a few lil guys I could fill them with candy and send to...wink, wink...


Well, I have several projects in the works that I need to get working on :-)

So lots of new things to see coming up!

Be a GREAT day!!!!!

Yay, it's Friday!

Happy weekend everyone!
It has been a great week. The weather has completely changed here in Bend and Fall is in full effect! Brrr..... I love this time of year with the beautiful golden leaves and crisp Fall air. It is pure golden beauty! It just means that Winter and the gorgeous blanket of snow we get is just around the corner. I am really looking forward to warm caps, scarves and gloves.....sipping coffee or cocoa and shopping for holiday gifts.....warm cinnamon candles burning in my home and soup on the stove! I love this time of year :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~******~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was beyond thrilled to be invited to be the first guest designer for Cocoa Daisy! I adore the ladies on this team and feel honored to work with such talented gals! Thank you Tricia and Emily!!!



Yes, these 2 cutie pies are my sweet nephews, Nick and Layne. I have really loved and used these pics quite a bit since taking them last year..lol. But, they worked so perfectly with these fabulous boy-ish Piggy Tales Papers. I think it is just so adorable the way they name their papers after fairy tales. So cute :) I have been scrapping all of my wedding pics so far, in black and white. I just could not find a paper that would work with the colors of my wedding. The lavenders and greens of PiggyTales' "Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs Line" was just what I have been waiting for! I am thrilled to be able to scrap more of my wedding pics...in color! YAY :)


Enjoy your weekend!!!

Say hi if you have a second :) I would love hearing from all of you!!!

Here is the layout I am teaching at Scrapbook Fever in Salem, Oregon. It is a fun Junkitz Teresa Collins "Love Line" collection 2 page spread :-)

Wow, I am a very BAD blogger...lol!!! It's been a while...huh??

First things first, I am extremely guilty of being neglectful to my personal bog...lol. In the beginning, I *vowed* I would keep "MY STUFF" up to date and *also* make it an interesting place for my people to visit....and what did I do?? Uhm....go almost 20 days saying absolutely NOTHING?

So I apologize for my behavior.......ehem........hehe :) ------------------and I do have some stuff to share in case you are still interested...lol!! :)

The first photo in this blog is a sample layout I am going to be teaching at Scrapbook Fever in Salem, Oregon on October 12, 2006. If you are around please join us, it will be fun :-) I am using Junkitz Teresa Collins' Love Line----- (www.junkitz.com) products for this creation. I really enjoyed designing this layout. It was really a challenge for me since I usually create single photo layouts, but I always enjoy a challenge, so it worked for me!
I am SO excited to go and teach this fun class!!! ****EDITED TO ADD*** Class pic above!!!







piggytales.com . The fresh green and blue combination was the perfect fit for this pic..of my husband, Steven and my sweet nephew, Kael, who is the baby of his sweet sis, Juhree and bro-in-law, Cory.........


When I see this photo I will forever remember the moment I captured it.........Steve and I just met our nephew,baby Kael for the first time. We have always been soo proud and have adored our other nephews Nick and Layne that it was so wonderful to be able to welcome another part to that wonderful equation. We both immediately loved this sweet lil guy and will treasure this evening of "cheeky kisses" and visiting with our new sweet boy, Kael!!! We love you lil buddy. We can't wait to see you all soon! Love, steve and tess :)











__________>Okay...so at times, I feel like the occassional mushy layout of Steve and I. But, really..... it is just so easy to be that way with him. He is truly a sweetie and I am VERY lucky gal! :-) *****This layout is titled, P.S. I love you. I created this layout with products from the elaborate kit of the most recent kits!!!!!!!! www.creatinginspirations.com .
I used some of the 7 Gypsjies patterned papers, Foofala patterned papers, and a Petaloo flower :-) I have so much stuff left over!! I am also working on some yummy projects for www.cropaddict.com which is another fun kit club I design for. I really enjoy working with these kits. I have a few things in the works right now. I seem to get going with a project and then think of another idea and start that. Pretty soon I have several projects/layouts going at once...lol! It truly *can* become a crazy mess then..(hehe!) All I can say with this kit is I am having fun scrapping some pics of my horse-ee days :D!!!
Have a great day tomorrow!!!

It is always hard to anticipate going back to work after a 3 day weekend. It was so nice to spend time with Steve and my parents. My mom and dad came over on
Saturday evening to hang out with Steve and I
Mom and I hit our scrapbooking while Steve and
Dad took the new convertable Mustang out for a
spin. Yes, my parents just purchased a brand new
convertable Mustang. I jokingly call it their mid-life crisis!
I don't think they appreciate that too much.
Mom and I really enjoyed our time visiting and
working on pages!

*******Fun exciting *new* things!
Creative Inspirations has asked me to be a part of their kit DT!!
I am beyond thrilled to be working with the lovely ladies of this team!

Today was such a lazy day. I love those days where you
sleep late and don't bother with make up and hair.
Well that was today. Hey, I did shower..loL! Steve's back was
bothering him today, so we spent most of the day at home.
He did offer assistance in the scrapbooking room with my
projects in the works!

Today I created 2 fun layouts. I have been in such a mood for fall
with pumpkin spice candles and cool air. So, you can see why I
scrapped such a fall colored layout today :) The other project I
created was just a fun layout. Steve captured this photo of Mozart
and I sleeping a few weekends ago. I thought it was hilarious, since
it is a very true and real moment of a Saturday morning for me!
Love the new Basic Grey papers and Heidi Swapp bling!!!


Well that is it for today! Have a wonderful Tuesday :-)

Steve and I love to venture out and about around our town and find little gems for our home. Today we found this painting, so beautifully displayed in its very own frame. The moment I saw this elegant painting, I knew it was the perfect fit for our home! I just love the simple sophistication of the woman casually resting against a wall in a lush rich red gown with a refreshing cosmopolitan in hand. This painting was a perfect addition to our little home!
I have loved reading Elsie's new book! It rocks, in my opinion. I love all of the ideas she provides and mainly the fun inspiration. Well, the buttons shown in this photo were inspired by a page in Elsie's book where she made buttons from clay and then painted them with regular acrylic paint. Well, that is exactly what I did. So simple! It was so much fun to play around with different sizes and designs. It was especially easy to pop them in the oven for 15 minutes, cool and then pain and decorate. Such a great project that was out of the norm for me. I already have several of these buttons included in a page I just started this evening! The clay is super cheap and you get and endless supply of uses out of what is included. Really, the creativity here is endless with this fun project! I hope you try it too :-) 

Happy, happy, joy, joy

Happy Saturday!!!
I just love Saturdays here in Bend. Steve and I usually have a nice breakfast at our favorite spot, Mc Kay Cottage where we are seated outdoors underneath umbrellas. There is the most peacefull stream that runs along side the building that you can view and hear while you are enjoying your breakfast complete with Mango Mimossa's....yummm.
I've had the most wonderful week full of fabulous opportunity.
Early last week, I was contacted by Tenika of Technicolor
Transparencies (www.scrapweardesigns.com) to create a sample layou using her new line of transparencies. How awesome is that?!? I just love working with new products and last night when I received these goodies in the mail, I just could not wait to cozy up in my scrap room and play!!! The photos I shot of my sister-in-law, Tiffany were so perfect to fit these papers. Here is my design------------------------------------->

A few more scrap-related opportunities came about this week as well. There are 2 that I am not able to share....yet, but let me tell you, I am floored to be a part of this!!! I will be sure to share as soon as I get the word!

As some of you may already know, I was invited to be a DT member of PiggyTales. Check out there lovely papers here
www.piggytales.com! I am thrilled I will be able to work with them until January when I start working with JUNKITZ!!!

I am just excited to see where all of this leads to. Everytime I think things couldn't get any better, they do. I am still in awe.
But, I really look forward to getting to know the members of all of these teams I will be working with, building relationships, inspiring each other, encouraging one another.
I love that part of this hobby. But, for now my scrap-related dreams are being fulfilled. I couldn't ask for anything more. Ummm...well, you get what I mean...lol!!! Hahaha!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone. Stay safe and have fun!!!!













---------------------------> Steve and I 8/20 on the Oregon Coast visiting family. We celebrated our 7th year anniversary that very next day. I defintely *adore* this man! 

What a fun, fun weekend we had!! Steve and I just returned from a long weekend at the coast. We visited with Steve's family on Sunday and took a wonderful trip to the beach where I was able to
capture some wonderful photos of them together. I cannot believe how much Tiffany has grown and how much she has blossomed. She is quite photogenic, I think! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at an old favorite Mexican restaurant. It was truly a wonderful visit.

Monday was our 7th yearwedding Anniversary! Steve and I traveled to Lincoln City where we stayed at our most favorite little place! The Odyseus is a qaint hotel that overlooks the ocean. The beautiful rooms are garnished with a gas fireplace, down comforters on a very comfortable bed, a wine social and a turn down service complete with chocolates on your pillows :) I loved that! We enjoyed a nice dinner overlooking the beach where others played in the sand and enjoyed the beautiful day. It was very relaxing and nice to get away and enjoy eachother :)
I thought I would share a few photos from our day at the beach with Steve's family! I was definitely Tessa Paparazzi on this trip..lol!! Well, goodnight and off to scrap some of these fun pics!!
 

After the long hot Summer here in Bend, Oregon I am looking forward to the Winter season! I was in the mood the other day to try out some altered projects. The pics below are a few ideas I have for cards, tags and goodie bags to give to family and friends. I chose a non-traditional color scheme for my projects here. I just couldn't resist the soft pretty pinks paired with rich red and cool teal tones. Very pretty! It was fun to work on something besides scrapbook layouts!! Plus--- now I am in the mood for Winter!!
EDITED TO ADD--------------- I had remove this image because Cards magazine would like to use my gift set in their January Issue! YAY!!! I love that magazine, so fun :-)