{creative team call - scrapFREAK}

Hey you scrappers out there,

This just in... Scrap FREAK is hosting a creative team call. I just wanted to give all of you lovelies a heads up if you are interested in trying out. I think I might; you never know, eh, and I love the challenge of being a part of a design team. It keeps me so motivated!! Here is what they posted:

"Scrapfreak is looking for a team of enthusiastic scrappers to kick off 2012. We’re looking for approximately 6 (could be more, could be less) fun, motivational, responsible peeps to join our Creative Team and help encourage others in this incredible hobby. Scrapfreak is a scrapbooking community dedicated to motivating and inspiring you to tell your stories. Whether that be about you, your family, your history, etc., the goal is the same…document those moments. TELL YOUR STORY.

SUBMISSIONS DUE: December 26, 2011

Term: January - April 2012

Creative Team Requirements:

• A MUST-HAVE passion for scrapbooking and the ability to inspire and motivate others
• Approximately 2 layouts per month by the set deadlines (as assigned as part of our Freaky Friday challenge rotation)
• Assistance with planning, online crops, classes, etc. as well as any additional layouts/projects as needed for said events
• Participation in forum discussions
• Promote all Scrapfreak related events on your personal blog and/or Facebook/Twitter account
• Promote and encourage scrappers of all levels to join and participate at Scrapfreak
• Comment on all projects uploaded to the Scrapfreak gallery

How to Apply:

Please email monica@scrapfreak.com with the following information:

1. Full name, city/state/country, and email address
2. Small paragraph with background on yourself, how much of your time is dedicated to scrapbooking, and why you feel you would be a good fit for Scrapfreak
3. 2-3 recent layouts that are most like you and your style of scrapping (links or attachments are acceptable)
4. Link to your blog as well as Facebook/Twitter pages that would be used to promote Scrapfreak (not all are required but should have at least one or the other)
5. List of any other online communities you’re involved in and any design team history
6. Link(s) to any online galleries

Presently there is no monetary or product compensation for your design team commitment. However, there are few things we can offer you:

• Experience – If you haven’t been on a design team before, this is an excellent opportunity to add to your scrappy resume.
• Challenge – Nothing is more motivational than participating in challenges and being on a team with a commitment.
• Community – The freaks are a great group of people that are active and supportive of each other. It is truly a very welcoming site.
• Links to Scrapfreak’s weekly Freaky Friday challenge threads (including your layouts) on our Facebook and Twitter pages
• Recognition through Scrapfreak's Facebook and Twitter pages

A few other things to note:

• You do not have to be a member of the forum to submit…although you should join anyway because the freak is the coolest place to be online!
• Both US and International submissions accepted.
• Previous design team experience not required.
• Our plans are to notify new design team members before January 6, 2012.
• Creative Team term will begin immediately following the announcement.

We encourage each and every one of you to apply! We look forward to seeing your submissions."

Good luck to all of you who try out for this fun design team. I'm not involved in this in any way shape or form, I'm just supporting this WICKED online community of scrappers, and I hope that you will join me there!!

With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{any recommendations}

Now that I have 2 finals down, and 1 to go... I'm seriously looking into picking up a book to read in my spare time.

I want to read at least a couple books in the month between classes. I usually find time to read right before bed when I don't have piles of homework to do.

What do you recommend?

I've heard The Hunger Games are amazing, and the Game of Thrones books are good, but I'm thinking of reading a classic or a non-series type of book...

Some of the books on my list include:

Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Let me know what you think and what you recommend... I desperately want to find a good book to read, at least one if not two!

With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{top 5 embellishments}

Today has been a good day at work, despite my lethargy. I’m tired all the time. Tonight I have plans with my study guides, textbooks, and notes to make sure that I’m fully prepared for the two exams that I have on Monday. Following those two exams, I plan to study for my final in Psychology, fun stuff…

My sister was gracious enough to agree to watch my sweet girl tonight for GG and I, so that we can really focus on studying, and Harper can have a fun time with her sweet Aunt May-May. I'm going to pick up my sister from my parent's house, then I'm going to pick up some pizzas for easy dinner tonight, and they will have fun watching holiday movies and playing after bath time.

But who cares about finals, when you have scrapbooking on the brain, eh? I was trying to think of my favorite embellishments to work with, and I have come up with a list of my top 5 embellishment types that I work with each time I craft!!

1. Ribbon and Trim – Oh how I can’t get enough of this Dear Lizzy Rose Ribbon by American Crafts. I’m a huge fan of ribbon and trim on layouts, I’m sure you could tell from all the previous posts of scrapbook layouts with ribbon/trim.

2. Buttons – Button, button who’s got the button? Me that’s who. I have my buttons divided by color in a bead organizer for easy on the go storage. It was super cheap, and it is super easy for find what I am looking for. Some of my FAVORITE buttons include Jenni Bowlin’s Vintage Buttons and Webster’s Pages Vintage Sparklers!

3. Stickers – From cardstock to chipboard, I love sticky embellishments. My go to sticky embellishments are hands down Thickers by American Crafts and Mini Market Stickers by October Afternoon. Also, I can’t leave out my love of Crate Paper and Basic Grey chipboard.

4. Flowers and Details – This is a weird category because it includes anything that slightly resembles a flower to me or something that is stacked, layered, or felt. I really love Bloomers from Basic Grey, Flowers from Prima Marketing, and Details from American Crafts; don’t get me started on paper flowers either!

5. Other Funky Stuff – This stuff doesn’t really belong in any particular category, but I love to use these and see these in other people’s paper crafts! I love these Doilies by Maya Road, Mini-Envelopes, and trinket pins like these Cameos from Webster’s Pages.

Well that’s all she wrote for today, and I certainly hope that you enjoy this little list of fun and creative that I put together!! This is a nice way for me to be a little fun and creative today without actually making anything! Haha. I have to study tonight, so I hope that all of you get to be creative tonight and think of me while you’re doing it!

With Love,

Gabrielle Watson

{this truly is}

The most wonderful time of the year! Finals are almost here, and I am so glad to be finishing out this semester with a bang. I'm completing a few extra credit articles on the side, and Gavin is working a lot of overtime to help fill up the bank since we spent a lot for Christmas all in a short amount of time. Yes, I have a wonderful husband!!

Now that this grueling time of the year (finishing up the semester) is coming to a close, I am looking forward to spending time with my friends and family. I am also looking forward to staying up a bit later at night (if PJ allows it) and getting some real scrapbooking done at home.

As most of you know, I designate 1 Saturday a month for cropping, and I love doing that. I pretty much have bag packed always to go, and during the school year sometimes this is the only time that I get to scrap! It's SUCH a travesty; now that I'm going to have SEVERAL weeks off, and I'm ONLY taking 2 classes next semester, I know that I will have GOBS of time to spend doing this hobby that I love so much! Now if only I could sell my house, pay off my student loans, and convince my hubby to let me stay at home then I would HAVE even more time to scrap in my OH so LOVELY scrapbook room.... my mind wanders.

Well I tried to keep this short since I'm at work, but I always get carried away. I'm such a yapper!

Right now I'd love to share with you my very favorite basic scrapbook supplies. I told a young lady who is a bit new to scrapbooking about the tools that you need to start, but I'll share with you the tools that I use each at every time I'm scrapping...

1. Paper Trimmer - Mine is by Fiskars. I like this size because it is portable, and it has a great handle that swings to help cut those 12x12 sheets of patterned paper and cardstock. The replaceable blades are VERY cheap too.

2. Adhesive - I use the Pink Advanced Tape Glider Gun because although it is a splurge at first the tape is very CHEAP (I typically spend $2 a roll), and there is much more adhesive per roll than with other adhesive guns.3. Great Writing Tools - I adore the White Signo Uniball and the Black Ranger Ink Pen. They are both relatively inexpensive, and they each last a long time. Such great pens!

4. Scissors - I have some Fiskars that are big and some little precision point, but my favorites are the Tim Holtz Tonic Scissors. Amazing, and worth every penny with a coupon!5. Paper - Patterned Paper and Solid Cardstock is definitely a necessity when you get into paper crafting. I have some stellar favorite brands, but I always look for a heavy pattern paper and a good textured cardstock. I prefer to keep the neutrals on hand at all times kraft, black, and white. I delve into colored cardstock from time to time. I prefer mine to be textured with a canvas feel or tiny swiss dots. I love me some embossed cardstock.

But that is my swell top 5 basics list! I hope this helps all you future scrappers to know what the must haves are when you start scrapbooking. My next list will be top 5 embellishments you can't design without :)

With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{geepers batman}

I know silly title, right? Wrong! Harper is in love with Batman. She is such a silly girl, a lot like her Daddy. Last night when I finally laid down after a rough night in class, back aches, head aches, and the like... I noticed my sweet angel was snuggled up next to not one, but three Batman figurines all from her Daddy's childhood collection. The other day she even attempted to put the Batman car in the bathtub, but luckily Daddy caught it in time.

More news.... I am 10 weeks pregnant. We got to see pictures of our little one for the first time at our first sonogram. We are super excited, and it's beginning to finally set in. I'm quickly growing out of my pants and in the last few weeks I've jumped from a size 2 to a size 6 from bloating amongst other things... so I invested in a couple pairs of new jeans and some khakis that I can actually button until it's time for maternity pants. I'm trying to avoid maternity as much as I can at this point because I really love form fitting clothing while I'm expecting. I'm very proud of the growing bump that I have. I feel that I'm showing much sooner with this pregnancy than I did with Harper, but I attribute that to the fact that my body has gone through this all once before.

School is wrapping up nicely. I'm done with the two big projects of the semester that I've been dreading; now I am praying each night for a grade of A on each of these assignments so I can lock in yet another 4.0 this semester. I checked my degree plan the other day, and I'm at a 3.504 GPA, so if all goes well I will graduate with honors in the Spring. If my dreams go bust, then I will be pretty depressed for the next semester though. I'm such a perfectionist when it comes to school, and I only wish that I had tried a little harder when I was doing my first 30 hours at UNT. But whatever, you live your learn, right?

I haven't had too much time to scrapbook as of late because of my HUGE Research Proposal which ended up being 11 pages long (it was supposed to be 5-7), and because of family activities, but now that this semester is finishing up I'm going to give myself more time to just enjoy my crafting. I wanted to post a couple of layouts that I look at and well.... I just love them for their simplicity and all the lovely white space. That is definitely my style... a lot of white space and almost minimalistic at times, but it's so me.

{i am so blessed}

I thank God for all I've been given at the end of everyday.

Enough with music lyrics today. We've been mostly listening to holiday music at my house for the last couple of weeks. We put up our Grinch tree. I just love cherishing Thanksgiving and Christmas all at once. I just feel that this season is so wonderful, and I have much to be thankful for everyday.

I've been overwhelmed at school as of late, but I feel quite caught up at this moment. It feels better now that I have a couple of exams out of the way. I need to finish a big project in my Disasters class, and I need to write a research proposal, so that requires real research on my part, eek.

Tomorrow I visit the doctor to get my check up; if I'm lucky maybe I'll get my first sonogram. Looking forward to seeing my little peanut. I'm pretty caught up at work right now, so there isn't much going on really.

This weekend I attended a Slop Crop and I was able to use my Silhouette Cameo for the first time. It was amazing!! I love it. Very cool, and it was a lot easier to use that I thought it would be. I was surprised. I'm looking forward to making many wonderful things with it and getting a little bit crafty.

This weekend Harper did so great. She rode on her tricycle around the park; she went potty in the big potty, and she shaved her face and legs with her new Spiderman Shaving Kit :) That's the life if you ask me!

{they who sow in tears shall reap in joy and singing}

I stepped away from blogging for a couple of weeks due to some tragic and happy news that I feel ready to share with my readers and friends. Many of you already know from Facebook that my grandmother recently and very tragically passed away. We had her funeral on Friday, and I am finally feeling a sense of closure and hope now that she is at rest. Many tears were shed for this beautiful woman. She will be missed, but we find comfort that she is all around us now, and she has a beautiful room made up in Heaven just for her.

Friday October 28th, my family and I celebrated my grandfather's retirement. It was a beautiful breezy day, and it was an emotional roller coaster as my grandfather and mother begin this journey in their life together.

Saturday morning I got a call that my grandmother had a heart attack in the wee hours of the morning, and that she was at DRMC. I got up immediately showered and headed down to the hospital. When I got there, they had found bleeding on her brain, so she had also had a cerebral aneurysm. We had her care flighted to Baylor in Dallas where my family sans Gavin and me stayed the night in the waiting room outside of the ICU.

Sunday morning we headed back to the ICU. The neurosurgeon told our family that she woke up that morning probably with a bad headache, then walked to the restroom and passed out into an irreversible coma. The doctor explained to us that she was instantly brain dead which led to her cardiac arrest upon my Aunt and cousin finding her. She was not in any pain, which gives us much comfort, and the passed quickly once we turned off the machines. We were all present at that moment on that very sad Sunday afternoon. My grandmother was 65 years old and in wonderful health. There was nothing that she nor any of us could've done to prevent this from happening or save her once it occurred. It could happen to any of us.

Her visitation on Thursday evening was full of much sadness, heartache, but it was really wonderful to see all of her friends and our family come from long distances to pay their respects to such a wonderful lady. Her celebration of life was Friday morning at Cross Timbers Church of Denton, and it was a very beautiful service. I sang Ave Maria because my grandfather had requested it to be sung at her service, and I know that my grandmother was watching from Heaven, excited that I was singing at her celebration. She always asked me to sing at family gatherings and events, and I was always too shy to do so, so I felt honored that I could bless my grandmother with this final gift.

I will always treasure and remember you dear Patricia Strickland. You were a wonderful daughter, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, and you will be missed dearly in all the remaining days of our lives. I hope to see you again in the great hereafter when God calls me home.

Love your granddaughter,

Gabrielle Kronenberger Watson

PS. My heart has been heavy for the last week, but full of joy too. It's so hard feeling conflicted between joy and sadness at such a moment of loss, but as the Lord takes one life from us, he blesses our whole family with another. Gavin and I expecting our second child. I'm 7 weeks, so still very new and in my first trimester. I leave this in God's hands. If this child is meant to be, it will be. I think that he is giving us this life to help us to overcome the sorrow that he knew that we'd be feeling with the loss of the matriarch of our family. We found out the week before my grandmother passed away, and I told her while she was in a coma at the hospital. I know she heard me. I know that my family has been suffering, but I also think this news is helping to alleviate some of their suffering; God has found a way to ease our sorrows and is helping us to come together to usher new life into this world and our family.

Psalm 126:5

They who sow in tears shall reap in joy and singing.