{oh heck}

I'm out of the loop recently because well with all of my time off from work I haven't really been following up too much with the internet. Life is so easy without internet, phones and other stuff! It's amazing and almost prehistoric not checking the computer 100 times a day :)

Well anyway I would like to share a YEAR END sale that is going on over at CTM Kits. Yay, there is a lot of stuff there and cheap, cheap, cheap!!! I am really looking forward to some of the new stuff that Devon will be adding to the store. I can't wait until my LOVE kit and other goodies come in the mail either!!! I am patiently waiting :)

Well I hope that everyone had a super wonderful holiday!! I know that my family had the BEST Christmas ever!!! And we are going to have a swinging new year, can't wait to visit the Gaylord ICE exhibit on New Year's Eve, yay!!!

Well have a super week ya'll and be sure to stock up on some loot over at CTM Kits blog :)

{my big break}

Hey ya'll. I'm still alive :) Just spending some much needed quality time with my girl, my man and my scrapbook room :) I've reorganized everything from my scrap desk to organizing my papers (card stock and patterned) by color. Amazing I know. With the help of my very good friend Nancy, I was able to complete two Christmas projects (that are gifts) for my brother and sister in law's families. I hope they will like them because well... I want to keep them both and put them in my house! LOL Today while Daddy takes Harper out on an excursion, mommy is going to buy some ink for the printer, and I am going to start on two big projects (that are also gifts) for my parents and my parent in loves :)

I will share pictures of the finished projects after Xmas is all said and done and look forward to a post on CTM from me on January 3rd, whoopie!

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{mia for a few days}

Sorry I've been MIA for a few days, but well...I didn't have anything fun or exciting to post about :P

Now that my classes are finished with; there isn't much else going on in my life! I made an A in all of my classes this semester! I really knew I could do it, and I am so glad that I did. I'm signed up for another 4 classes for next semester, and after the Spring I'll only lack 16 hours to graduate, which I could very easily do over the summer and fall and graduate in December, but I think I'm going to take my time and graduate in the spring because I'll get more financial aid grants if I take my time :) Yay!

I have some projects that I put together over last weekend, but I have yet to upload them. I need to get some more color ink for my printer so I can start creating some lovely projects for my family this holiday season! I have a lot of things that I want to do and only a few days to throw it all together :) I love the new Sketchy Thursdays LO too, so I plan to make a LO about our trip to the Texas State Fair using that guide :) whee!

This Friday I'll be scrapping in my room late into the night while Harper sleeps and Gavin hangs out with his friends, and I will be just peachy!!! I can't wait really!! I love these little dates with myself!

I am working on some gorgeous projects for my relatives; I hope that they love them. I will share pictures and links to make your own when I'm done with those. Currently they are a surprise, and I don't want any of my family readers to see or spoil the fun :)

I am down to only a handful of gifts I need to get: a pinapple slicer and pinapple, something for Papa Jim, my Dad and my brother, and well I think that's it! Yay!!!!

Anyhow I will share an Christmas LO from last year since I haven't uploaded anything very recent, enjoy!!




This is a LO about our tree. We have a Grinch tree. It is curved at the top and the start hangs down. This tree was our big first investment when Gavin and I got married, and we've been able to celebrate for 4 Xmas's with it. We LOVE our tree, and we will be extremely sad when the tree finally breaks (it's on it's last leg right now) :) We still love our cool, curvy, grinchy tree! I hope you love it!

{dining room design}



This is my dining room idea swatch. My dining room is currently cocoa brown with a restored antique oak table with black chairs. I have a silver pendant with linen shades, and two armchairs that are faded sage.

Well in my new dining room. I will keep the table and chairs the same. I am going to paint the light fixture matte white and keep the linen shades and just paint a black number on them. I am going to purchase these window panels (they are my splurge, $100 for a pair), paint the walls quarried stone, paint one wall with chalkboard paint, and hang some old wooden shelves on brackets and display B&W pictures in vintage white frames and white-ish plates like these ones from Anthropologie. I love Anthropologie because they have such good style. They are great for inspiring creativity, and personally I don't buy much of anything there because it's WAYYYY over priced, but when there is something that I absolutely cannot live without I will buy it!!! Like these curtains: they are normally $228 for one, and I am buying a pair for $100; awesome deal if you ask me, and they are the most expensive thing in the whole room. The paint will be $20 a gallon; I will eventually get white slipcovers for my chairs, those will be $40 a piece, and hopefully free if I time it right and use my Target gift cards I get :) and then the spray paint for the chandelier ($5) and black acrylic paint for the pillows and shades ($5).

Tell me what you think of my new design :) Do you love it or hate it?

{new kit to share}

This just in, and it's on sale for only $12.50!!! Awesome deal if you ask me, and I will be getting my hands on this little baby for sure!
Check out the Catch the Moments Kits blog post for details.

{update about Olga}

Olga is searching for a family, and there is blog dedicated to her right now that is helping to raise money for her to find a home. She is a sweet little baby with downs syndrome, and you can help her find a home this Christmas. Please donate if you can by clicking the donation link found on Patti's blog; it is VERY important (life or death) that this dear child finds a home and soon. Every little bit counts, so $5 here and there really adds up! Her fund has gone from $78 to over $5,000 in just a matter of 3 days, so we want to see it get to $20,000 so a warm and loving family can bring this sweet child home!

Who will help her if we don't?

{big, bigger, biggest sale}

My friends and followers Catch the Moments Kits is having LITERALLY the biggest sale ever! Paper is $.45 a sheet; Thickers are $3.00-3.75!!! This sale is amazing and perfect to stock up on stocking stuffers for YOURSELF!! Just thought I would share this with all of my friends.

Also, today Catch the Moments Kits is being featured on the Sketchy Thursdays blog, so check them out, play along to win the Jolly Kit from CTM :)

Yay, yay, yay, well I will think of some more stuff to share later today. I am just eager to leave work and be with my family tonight and study for my exam that's this Saturday, eek!

With Love,
Gabi

{the gift of life and family}

I am inspired today and everyday by the giving of others. For all the bad that there is in this world, there is so much more good. I found this blog today about the gift of a family for special needs children who live across the ocean. This is a very touching story, and I made a small donation, and I will keep giving to find this little girl a home. There is a giveaway on this blog, but I don't personally care about that. I just want all the children of the world to know of love and compassion; to have a family to give them love. Please help this little girl out if you can.

The Most Important Post I've Ever Written - a Perfect Lily

{amateur night or day}

Well most of you know that I am a die-hard scrapbooker, but I am also a very amateur photographer. I just love looking at other photog's work and trying to emulate it :)

A couple of weekends ago I took my friends maternity pictures, and well I think that they turned out alright. I edited them using a vintage style called cross processing on Picnik, and this is a collage that I put together of some of my favorites that we took that day. There are tons of great shots, and I hope that these pictures warm their heart, and help them to remember this special time in their lives waiting for their bundle to arrive. Here is a glimpse of what I did for my friends the Fields family.

Picnik collage

{free Santa tags}

Hello my friends... I am a follower of Smitten Blog Designs, and they have a few awesome freebies to give away this week. Some of them are just lovely and really perfect for us scrapbookers! I was going to make some handmade tags for Harper's Santa gifts this year, but they have provided cute digi tags that you can cut and print and tie onto those Santa gifts this year, and now you don't have to disguise your handwriting on those tags!! Thank Heaven's for computer software! Visit their blog for this tag sheet, other freebies and blog designs. This is where I purchased my blog design for only $5; I know that's cheap right!

{fashion}

Hey Ya'll!!

Well I haven't posted anything today really, but I did share 2 layouts over at Catch the Moments this morning, so check me out over there today!! This is a picture of my fab fashion from the night of Gavin's party this past Friday evening. I felt very sexy and fashion forward, which is great because most days I feel like a frumpy mama, if you know what I mean ;P

{feeling good}

I'm feeling really good today despite a few minor let-downs this morning. I'll start with the bad news and end with the good:
--Today Gavin's car didn't start :( I'm glad though that my father in law was generous enough to come and get Harper and me, and let us borrow his car for the day so I was not late to work
--Anatomy final is tonight, and I will be glad to have it over with

Good news:
--I found my new favorite mall to shop at over the weekend: Willowbend in Plano
--Harper got her pictures with Santa this weekend even if she was screaming in the photo, oh well... She'll look back and laugh at those pictures
--I'm feeling fashionably fab today with my booties, leg warmers, herringbone tights, floral tunic and (p)leather jacket :)if the camera on my phone worked I'd post a picture
--Gavin's holiday party was fun even if it wasn't too eventful. Had fun playing 3 card poker (I'm a champ at this game), Black Jack is cool too; I looked awesome in my skirt and top (I will be sharing pictures of this), and well it was just a nice adult evening, while Harper stayed with her Granny and Papa :)
--Spent a portion of Sunday sleeping in then visiting Target, where we spent entirely too much as usual, then we just watched Xmas movies all day together, Harper napped over two hours, so I was able to finish wrapping presents; studied a lot for my final that's today; and then watched the season finale of Boardwalk Empire, and last night's Dexter... OMG I can't wait for the Dexter season finale :) (is it sad that I'm glad that Rita was killed off, she was making Dexter too domesticated...)
--And last but not least, I will be posting some LOs and projects over at CTM blog tomorrow morning, and I am very EXCITED about this. As most of you know this is my first ever design team opportunity, so I am working my hardest to be the BEST designer I can be. With the kits that I've received from Devon I've make 3 one page LOs, 1 two page LO, and 1 Home Decor project (12 Days of Christmas)... teehee!! I have more in the works today. I'm working on something for Scrap That Baby and I used this week's Sketchy Thursday Sketch for one of my LOs, and I LOVE how it turned out. Check out the sketch:


Well that's it for today... Ta, ta for now!

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{holiday spirit}

I love this time of year when the holiday spirit fills the air. I love seeing the wonderment of Christmas and joy that the holiday brings in the eyes of the ones who are dear to me in this life. I wanted to share with you a special LO that I created for last years Xmas (created over the summer). It may seem kind of ordinary, but I chronicled our first Xmas cards that we sent out to our family and friends. This was the first time that Gavin and I did holiday greetings to families, and it was special because we are a full family here: Gavin, Harper and me. It was just very special for us, and this year I'd like to create even cuter cards with a beautiful greeting... I need to you all to help me think of something sweet to say this holiday season. Sometime I'm just terrible with words :P

I took my lab final last night, and I'm worried about the organ slides (clearly I didn't study the right ones), and I am worried about the labeling of the cat cadaver (yes I said feline). It smelled gross yes, but it was still pretty cool. I love A&P. Good thing I'm taking A&P 2 next semester, whee! Now I can cross that off my list, super!

Tonight is Gavin's holiday party. Harper is staying the night over at her Granny and Papa Jim's house. She is going to have a blast. I packed her some warm jammies and a Barney DVD. She is currently obsessed with everything Barney, so I will need to find some Barney books, and maybe a small Barney doll. I'm sure I can find one at a thrift store I can wash in HOT water :)

Ta-ta for now my peeps. I will be dancing the night away and gorging myself on food until my skirt buttons pop off, and then I will be singing carols in the morning with my daughter at her gospel brunch. Then pictures with Santa Saturday night and studying for my final all weekend in between!! Thanks Heaven's for weekends or I would get nothing done!



PS - Well I guess that doesn't matter because this is not a letter, but anyways I plan to host a small RAK on my blog next week. I will need to find some cute stuff to giveaway! I will let you know the details, when to enter and who will win a lovely prize!!

Happy Weekend to All!!

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{rumblings from CTM Kits}

In honor of this lovely holiday season CTM Kits is hosting a very sweet RAK! Visit this website to get all the details: Catch the Moments Kits, but here is just a tidbit:

1. Follow all of the design team member's blogs (including mine) and show some love.
2. Follow the CTM Blog
3. Leave a comment here

Devon will choose one lucky person to win the Jolly Kit :) That is one SWEET deal!




Also Catch the Moments kits will be sponsoring Sketchy Thursdays and Scrap That Baby coming up very soon, yay!

In other news, when we reach 150 followers at CTM Kits (54 more to go)!! Devon will host the BIGGEST SALE EVER! So if you aren't a follower, become one, so everyone can score some great deals! Post on your blog, tell your friends, let's get to 150!!!

I'm out for today. I've turned in my Mentor-ship assignment, and now I am studying for my Anatomy Lab Final Exam that's night, eek, while working ;P

Ta-ta for now!

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{tis the season for giving}

This cause is very close to my heart not just because of the season but also because I want to do what I can for all the children of the world. My husband and I donate our clothes to support children with disabilities; we choose a few angels (children and elderly) from the Salvation Army Angel tree every year, and this year I wanted to do a bit more. I just didn’t know what I could do with very little “free” time on my hands. Monica brought up a lovely idea of a ‘fundraiser’ event that she did last year that raised hundreds of dollars for the needy children and elderly folks in this great community, and I felt like I was being called to raise money for others through a Mary Kay party of my own. After trying to plan and put this party into motion, I kept running into obstacles, like test dates, holiday parties, and family events. As the holidays grow nearer to us, so does my desire to help those who need helping the most. Please give with me this year, think of the children who may not receive a gift from Santa this year, so while you’re doing a little shopping do what you can… if you are at Walmart please pick up an inexpensive toy and drop it off with Toys for Tots, or if you need that perfect moisturizer from Mary Kay, feel free to buy for yourself because you’ll be donating 20% of that order to families in need (while getting a 10% discount for you).

Monica Broadhurst is a very good friend of our family, and she has generously devised a plan with her Mary Kay business for you to get 10% off your orders of makeup, skin care, and fragrances, and she will donate 20% of the proceeds to Cumberland Children’s Home in Denton, TX to help provide nourishment, shelter and gifts for children and families in need in Denton! This fundraiser will start Friday, December 3rd and end Saturday, December 4th. It is two full days of giving while receiving.

If you would like to participate in this fundraiser event to help the less fortunate of this community, please purchase from her website www.marykay.com/monicabroadhurst, and in the comment box please put my name: Gabrielle Watson or mention the Cumberland Children's Home, so that she knows to send the ‘host’ benefits to the right establishment. I am not benefiting in any form or fashion from this fundraiser event because I would rather see my good fortune paid forward to others especially during this lovely Christmastime.

Please give what you can this year and God bless us, everyone.

I wanted to leave you with a beautiful music video and song that always touches my heart and reminds me of what this season is all about: good will towards men



With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{i'm back with awards to give}

Alright ya'll!!!

I'm finally back and in action. It's been kind of crazy at work, so I have very little time for anything personal (like I should be doing anything personal at work, but whatever!). I'm studying for my finals late into the evening every night of the week, during my lunch. I am living, breathing Anatomy 1 right now. First I need to make myself a little list of what I need to accomplish or have to do this week, sadly this will keep me on track because I check out the blog alot!

1. Study for Lab Final, Mentor-ship assignment due 12/2
2. Lab Final tomorrow evening 12/2
3. Marriage & Family quiz due Thursday 12/2
4. Study for Anatomy Final 12/2-12/5
5. Gavin's holiday party Friday night 12/3
6. Harper's holiday recital Saturday morning 12/4
7. Taking pictures with Santa Saturday evening at Willow Bend 12/4
8. Scrapping/Studying Saturday night 12/4
9. Church on Sunday, then studying the rest of the day while taking care of Harper 12/5
10. Monday night Anatomy Final 12/6
11. Read for finals 12/6-12/10
12. Breast sonogram 8 AM on Tuesday 12/7
13. Complete career assignment by Thursday 12/9
14. Final quiz for Marriage & Family 12/9
15. Slop Crop and Final Exam for Intro due 12/11
16. Final Exam for Marriage & Family due 12/13

And the award goes to:
1. Shannon Bogan - Chicken Scratch
2. Elizabeth Kartchner - Dear Lizzy
3. Monica Coffman - Yep, I'm a ScrapFREAK
4. Stephanie Howell - Just Me, My Soldier and 4 Little Chicks
5. KariAnn Sweeney - It's a Wonderful Life
6. Diana - Designs by Diana
7. April Foster - Goodbye City Life
8. Kandis Smith - My Creative Treasury

Congrats to you all, and thank you Mary for my nomination!!