Here is an April Fools trick you might want to try on your families. It's from Martha Steward and it's called solid milk. It takes a few hours to do, so you might want to start planning today.
For all the details go to http://www.marthastewart.com/goodthings/april-fools-trick-solid-milk?autonomy_kw=april%20fools&rsc=header_7&xsc=eml_crd_2009_03_31

March challenge - Bonus #9 material thing

Here's my attempt at the last March challenge. It's a 6x6 page for a mini album of things I love. I just couldn't help myself after this last trip to the grocery store. The patterned paper, card stock, ribbon and ink are all Stampin' Up. There's a little Stampin' Up chunky glitter on one of the bunnies, I thought it looked like sugar. Flowers are Bazzill and the brad is from the stash. I used the design runner and Disk maker on the ribbon to say "Live, Laugh & Eat Bunnies". Woo Who, I got them all done! Thanks Christine for an awesome March Challenge.

9 in 1 correction

Please be aware that I gave you some wrong info about the 9 in 1 challenge. Using 3 x 3 mini lo's like in the instructions will make a 9 x 9 lo. If you are doing a 12 x 12 lo please make nine 4 x4 mini lo's.

March challenge - Bonus- scraplift celebrity scrapper

I can't pick a fav so I picked the one that appealed to me today. It Vicki Boutin, she does fab hybrid work. I chose this lo because it's a two photo lo. Mine is not a hybrid, it traditional. The photos in the lo were take at my back door through a screen, so they could be better.



Here is Vicki's layout.


Oh by the way Crazy Crow says "Hi".

First Megan and now me.......

I was just minding my own business in grocery shopping at HyVee when I was surrounded by marshmallow bunnies. They just kept jumping into my cart, one after another. They just wouldn't leave me alone until I agree to take some of them home. I made a promise to those bunnies left behind. I'll try to help them all get good homes. So please, be aware there are homeless soft little peeps out there that need a good home. Lets not let them get old just sitting on selves. I'm partial to the yellow bunnies and I plan to do my part. How about you?

Here it is....The April Challenge

Before you go any further I want to remind you that there are still three days left in Christine's "March Madness Challenge". I know for me I still have two bonuses to work on.

There are six of us taking the challenge: Christine, Megan, Christina, Sherry, Stephani and myself. There is still time if you know of anyone that would like to join us.

I decided to choose from a long list of things I've wanted to try. With Christina, Megan and Christine giving us such great challenges, I hope Aprils challenges will live up to their examples.
So drum role please............

Welcome to the April Challenge

Aprils thirty days are split between a partial week, three full weeks and another partial week. So I decided to change things up a bit. Each set of challenges start on Wednesday and end the following Tuesday, with the exception of week four ending on Thursday. There will be two challenges per week. I have included two bonus challenges. They can be done at any time throughout the month as a bonus or they both can be used as a substitution for one challenge you don’t like. Did you see the catch? If you want to remove a challenge you don’t like you must do both bonus challenges in its place.

Week #1 (April 1-7)

Tags – Do a layout that includes multiple tags.

Inspired by a quilt pattern – Do a layout that uses a quilt pattern or has a quilt feel.

Week #2 (April 8-14)

A Page with out Pattern Paper, unless you make it your self – Do a lo that starts with only solid color paper. You can leave it solid or you can turn it into patterned paper by stamping, doodling, painting, printing, etc.to turn it into you very own designed pattern paper.

Nine in One – Do nine 4x4 layouts that are added together to make one 12x12 lo. This idea came from the following lo. I saw it in “Simply Handmade”designed by Stephanie Pouliot. I think it’s awesome. I can’t wait to see what we all can do with her idea.

Week #3 (April 15-21)

A Monochromatic page – Do a layout using different shades of the same color. Example: baby blue, sky blue, navy blue and midnight blue. You can use one neutral color (white or brown or black). No other colors are allowed.

Wordle- Do a layout using a wordle. If you are unfamiliar with wordle, it’s a group of words displayed in a random order to form a word cloud. You can see my first attempt on my “46 rolls” lo (posted on my blog on February 22, 2009). I used the IBM wordle website at http://www.wordle.net . It’s super easy! If you have any questions let me know and I’ll help you through it.

Week #4 (April 22-30)

Inspired by a board game – Do a layout that is inspired by a board game. Example: you could use a checkerboard background, you could embellish a page with a game piece or monopoly money, or you could do a page about your family’s game night. Let your imagination run wild.

Bucket List – Do a layout of your bucket list. A bucket list is a list of things you would like to do or accomplish before the end of your life.

Bonus / Substitution

“It runs in the family” - maybe your entire family wears glasses, or your family has three generations of practical jokers, or you and a child are both left handed, or you and your father love the same disgusting food - like liver. You get the idea.

An Easter Page – This one is self explanatory. Don’t forget, Good Friday in April 10^th and Easter is April 12^th this year. “HE IS RISEN”

If you have any questions you can email me at flinch@outdrs.net.

Here is the "Nine In One" inspiration layout



I know it's getting harder as the weather gets more spring like. I'm glad your in this with me or I would let it all slide until next fall or winter. So, Thanks for accepting the challenge. There will be simple prizes each week (on Wednesdays) and a grand prize at the end. You are all such an inspiration to me, I'm eager to see what you all come up with.

March Challenge - #4 Handcut or Handcreate

This is a picture of my Uncle Claude, Aunt Ava, My Dad, My Uncle Ed and Uncle Oscar. They grew up in hard times but they sure liked to have fun. This was taken the next to last time they were all together. My Uncle Claude has since passed away and my other two uncles are not doing well so this picture of them all laughing together is very special.

The pp is from the Paper Studio, card stock from Bazzill, Thickers from American Crafts, buttons from the stash and the3 crotchet flowesr are handmade by me. You may have noticed, I used a tempting turquoise Stampin' Up marker and went around the thickers to add depth to the lo (it also helps the brown thickers stand out on the pp).

March Challenge - #7 scrap your fears

There's more I would like to do to this layout but it's just to creepy with those spiders crawling all around. As you can see one of my fears is spider (any and all spiders). I hate them. I hate them. I hate them. Just in case I didn't make myself clear, I hate Spiders!!!!!! As a child I had recurring nightmares about them. I also had family that would catch spiders and put them in my clothing. OK, enough about the S word, now my other fear is of going blind. I am a very visual person and I can't imagine what living in the dark would be like, nor would I ever want too. Because of this fear I take very good care of my eyes. I have annual exams and I am a nut about using eye protection. Had a thought while thinking about this lo. If I ever was without my eyesight (God forbid), I wouldn't have to look at another spider again. I guess it's all in how you look at thing.


Click on the second photo to see all the little buggers.



Sorry about the poor photos, just to creepy to stay steady while photographing.

OMG... I'm so sorry.

I'm mortified. We all know I'm not the best speller or proof reader and I've done it again. On my April Fools page I forgot a "r" in the word shirt. I'm so sorry! It was wrong on my lo as well. I've got to go and correct that immediately.

Sorry, sorry, sorry!

Thanks Clint for noticing and Martie for bringing it to my attention.

Will you join me in another challenge?

I was realizing how fast March is going and realized that before we know it Christine's fun March challenge will so be over as well. So I am asking you to join me in another month of challenges. I realize that spring has sprung and soon we will be all very busy. This is went I normally let my crafting take a back seat (truthfully I completely abandon it until fall). So I thought this would keep me and hopefully some of you in the groove. I'll have more details posed on March 29th.

Will you join me ?

Please leave me a comment if you would like to participate. If you are unable to post a comment you can always email me at flinch@outdrs.net.

Made a couple cards

I took a little time on Thursday night and made these cards. Had so much fun with the first one that I made a few more in different sizes.

March Challenge #10 - Newest purchase

My newest purchases are the patterned paper from k i memories and more Thickers. This photo could have also been used as unflattering (because I have so many of those) but I have already done that challenge. You can read the journalling if you would like, I have it just below the lo pic.

When we were first married we would throw Aprils Fools Day parties. One year we threw a “come as you wouldn’t want to be caught dead” party.

Dennis dressed as a hippie. He wore a long black wig, bell bottoms, tie-died shirt, beads and tattoos that he drew on with mascara.

I wore everything mismatched, flowers and plaids, my makeup was different on each eye and lip, my hair was teased and I was chewing twelve pieces of gum at once.

Our party guests asked not to have their pictures taken because they had outrages outfits on. After all these years, one of them still stands out. It was Bugs. He came in a powder blue leisure suit, flowered shirt unbuttoned half way, glitter all over his chest and way to much cologne.

One family make sure they drove on back roads so no one would see them while the wife prayed they wouldn’t have a breakdown or flat tire. We had a blast!

Wow It's hard to believe another week has come and gone. Only one more week in march and I have to get my two lo's and two bonus lo's done. I think I can do it. At last our taxes will be done by mid week, and I'm sure looking forward to that.

March Challenge - Go Heritage

Here is my heritage challenge page. It's a page about my Grandma. She's gone now and this is something I never talked to her about. I mean I told her I loved her but she never wanted to talk about her struggles of raising her children. She would say "Let's not worry about the past, lets concentrate on today because today it full of possibilities." She was amazing! Digi supplies were from Scrapblog.com. By the way Grandma loved Black-eyed-Susan's, so I had to add them to the page and she sewed all their clothes. Told you she was amazing!




Love ya Grandma, miss ya!

March challenge - Scrapbook a list

You have learning more about me than you ever expected and here is some more. My list is about some of my collections. I have this problem you see, I'm a pack rat and I like things. I like things that are a bargain and that speak to me. My collections are of no real value, except to me. OK. back to the lo. Instead of listing my collections on a piece of paper and placing it in the lo, I decided to use my list as a pp. All the paper used are from Fancy Pants and every thing else is from the stash.

March Challenge - Scrapbook a blurry or unflattering photo

I took the simple approach to this lo. I used doodlebug design pp and some scraps from my stash.


Every time I look at this photo I want to kick myself.

March challenge - #2 use a song for a title

My lo is titled"The Rest Of Mine" from the song by Trace Adkins. I just love this song. You can hear it on my play list.

The papers are from K&Company; the title is Thickers (of course); Rub-ons from Stampin' Up; brads and flowers are from the stash. The Thickers are/were white. I sponged on close to cocoa ink from Stampin' Up and then I stamped the with the same ink using a Heidi Grace Dreamer stamp.



Boy oh boy, we look really young in these pics. Probably because we were young in these pics (twenty three plus years ago). Did I ever mention that my husband as these amazing dimples?

March challenge - #1 digi

OK I went nuts on this lo. I was in the mood to experiment so I did two los, using the same photos. The first on has lots and lots of brushes/stickers and the second one is a little calmer. Which one do you like? Oh, I forgot to tell you this is for my mom's album. These folks are her brothers,sisters, parents, grandparents and her Great Grandpa (yep, my great great Grandpa).