Best In State Scrapbook Layout

I'm so excited to be a Guest Designer at Die Cuttin' Divas this week!

This week's theme is Anything Goes.

Isn't this fun? I thought I'd put some photos of our daughter, Bonnie, on this page, because she's the cutest darling in the state, the country, oh heck, the entire universe. :)

If you like my layout, and would like the cut file to create one for your scrapbook, CLICK HERE for the Cricut Design Space cut file. It's sized for a 12x12 layout.

All of the die cuts are from Cricut cartridges.
Grass - Paper Dolls for Every Day
Everything else - County Fair

Come join the fun and link up your project here.
Thanks for visiting with me today.

Family Cookout

It's time for a new challenge over at Bitten By the Bug 2.

Remember to always include a 

Cricut cartridge cut or Cricut digital library cut 

on your project plus the current theme.
This week's theme: Frame and / or Border

Cricut cartridge, Anna Griffin Splendid Soirees

Always Fun Ch

Hi, crafters! It's time for our weekly challenge over at Always Fun Challenges!

You can create any type of paper project as long as it follows the weekly theme.

Challenge: Anything but a Card

My Design Team Project

Click this link for the cut file in Cricut Design Space: https://design.cricut.com/#/design/92584286
Doodlecharms, Paper Dolls for Every Day, Plantin SchoolBook, Basic Shapes, Monotype Fonts 1 Boink Com

 Bonnie is our little Princess.
Here are some photos added to her scrapbook page for her 24th Birthday earlier this year.

The Cricut cartridges used are listed in the photo caption above.
Also used was cardstock from Cricut and Stampin' Up.
The flower background paper is from Close To My Heart which is now retired, but still pretty!

Hope to see your project linked up at Always Fun Challenges.
Thanks for visiting with me today.
:) Janis
Shop Close To My Heart with me
PauseDreamEnjoy.CloseToMyHeart.com

Hello Summer Time

Cricut cartridge, Paisley

Image cut at 3.5" high

The Stamps of Life, sentiment & pattern papers

Shared:

Avenue 613 Create - anything goes

Dragonfly Dreams - summer

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - anything goes

Love to Craft - anything goes

The Corrosive Ch - anything goes

Just For You

These shaker cards are so fun to make.

This was created using an Anna Griffin shaker card kit.

Thanks for visiting with me today.

My Besties image, HERE

S-Fold card

leaves embossing folder

dies for oval and scallop oval image matting

image adhered with foam tape for dimension

pattern paper from Close To My Heart, Happy Times (retired)

Shared:

Crafteezee - summer

Cardz TV - anything goes

Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes

Crafty Fingers - anything goes

Crafting with Friends - anything goes

Daisy Chain - summer

Girly Girl

S-Fold card

pattern papers from, Happy Times (retired), Close To My Heart

Gold Shimmer Trim, Close To My Heart

(Did you know that the shimmer trim has an adhesive backing? 

Just cut the length you want, and peel off the 

protective backing to reveal the adhesive. I love it.)

Sequins

My Besties image, HERE

Foam tape to adhere image

Doodling around image mat

Cardz TV Stamps, Girl Talk

Thanks for visiting with me today.

I hope y'all are having a wonderful week.

Hugs!

Shared:

Cardz TV - anything goes

Crafty Girls - anything goes

Crafting with an Attitude - anything goes

If you give a crafter a cookie -photo inspiration (I used the flower & colors from the photo)

Southern Girls - flowers

Cute Card Thursday - too cute

Weight Watchers Wednesday, Week #1

Join me at Weight Watchers HERE

Monday's weigh in: -2.7 (Thrilled!)
Favorite WW Recipe from last week: Chicken Tortilla Soup (recipe listed at end of post)

Hi, everyone! Hope y'all are having a good week.
Did you weigh in today?
Please leave your comments for your scale and non-scale victories, or other encouraging thoughts for those of us following my Weight Watchers Wednesdays posts.

Update from last week's post where I said I was going to give up Coke. I'm so funny. I like my Coke. I'm just going to switch to Coke Zero instead.

Coke 12oz = 9 points ........................ Coke Zero = 0 points

Weight Watchers Freestyle

Last week was hard the first couple of days on the WW program. But, if you can get through those first couple of days and stock your pantry with healthy choices, I promise you, things will get better and easier and it will became a part of your life. Not something you "have" to do, but something you enjoy doing, to something that is just part of who you are that you don't even think about.

Please check out this link to the Weight Watchers official site with information about the new Freestyle program. Includes a couple of videos that are 2 minutes or so if you care to watch them. Also includes links to other very awesome things... like a list you can print with over 200 foods that are 0 points. This has been updated since I was on the program before. It includes fish, chicken, shrimp, corn, beans..... all those southern foods I grew up on and looooooove.

I'd love to hear about your journey in the comments, or any questions you may have. Make sure you click the option that allows you to get notified when I reply to you.

Enjoy your week everyone!

Join me at Weight Watchers HERE

Weight Watchers Recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup 

shared from Weight Watchers with permission

2 points per serving

Total Time:

0:35

0:30 minutes Total Time

Prep:

0:05

0:05 minutes Preparation Time

Cook:

0:30

0:30 minutes Cook Time

Serves:

6

Serves 6 people

Difficulty:

Easy

Difficulty Level: Easy

This spicy and substantial soup cooks up quickly with the addition of Weight Watchers Frozen Chicken Breasts. Serve it topped with Weight Watchers Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese and crushed up chips for a fun twist on traditional chicken soup.

Ingredients

• 1tspolive oil

  
  

  11 Points
• 1 ¹⁄₂cup(s), choppeduncooked onion(s), chopped

  
  

  00 Points
• 1 ¹⁄₂tspkosher salt

  
  

  00 Points
• 4tspminced garlic

  
  

  00 Points
• 1mediumjalapeño pepper(s), seeded and minced

  
  

  00 Points
• 1tspchili powder

  
  

  00 Points
• 6cup(s)reduced-sodium chicken broth

  
  

  11 Points
• 15ozcanned diced tomatoes, fire roasted, drained

  
  

  00 Points
• 20ozuncooked boneless skinless chicken breast

  
  

  00 Points
• ¹⁄₃cup(s)fresh lime juice

  
  

  11 Points
• 1cup(s)cilantro, chopped

  
  

  00 Points
• ¹⁄₃cup(s)Weight Watchers Reduced fat Mexican style blend shredded cheese(about 6 Tbsp)

  
  

  33 Points
• 12chip(s)tortilla chips

  
  

  44 Points

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large soup pot set over medium heat.
• Add onion and salt and cook for 5-10 minutes or until onion is softened.
• Add garlic, jalapeno, and ancho chili powder and cook for 1 minute.
• Add broth, tomatoes, chicken breasts, and lime juice.
• Bring to a simmer and cook, covered for 20 minutes or until chicken breasts are cooked through.
• Remove breasts from soup and use 2 forks to shred. Return chicken to pot with cilantro.
• Serve soup garnished with cheese and tortilla chips.

Notes 

Serves 6- ~1 ½ cup servings soup, 1 Tbsp. cheese, 1 Tbsp. chips. Brand of ingredients used may impact the nutritional information of this recipe resulting in a different SmartPoints value.

Join me at Weight Watchers HERE

PDE Ch# 30 Get Well Cards

Lori Whitlock cut file

See what the Design Team Created and Link Up HERE

Craftaholics R Us Ch# 30 Birds

Lori Whitlock Shadow Box Card

Be sure to link up your creation at Craftaholics R Us .

Movie Party Coming

Close To My Heart supplies:

Yellow pattern paper from Beautiful Friendship paper pack

Solid colored cardstock also from CTMH

The tickets were stamped on red cardstock and fussy cut out.

They were then stapled to the front of the card with the CTMH mini stapler.

Movie reel, tickets, and sentiments all from the Movie Night stamp set.

PARTY cut out with the Cricut.

CTMH inks: Memento Tuxedo Black and Sapphire

Movie Night stamp set

Beautiful Friendship paper pack

Thanks so much for visiting with me today!

Shop Close To My Heart

Sun Sand Sea

It's time for a new challenge over at Bitten By the Bug 2.

Remember to always include a 

Cricut cartridge cut or Cricut digital library cut 

on your project plus the current theme.
This week's theme: At the Beach or Lake

Cricut cartridge, Family Album

Carta Bella, Ahoy There Collection Kit

Love Love Love Scrapbook Layout

Hi, crafters! It's time for our weekly challenge over at Always Fun Challenges!

You can create any type of paper project as long as it follows the weekly theme.
This week it's a color inspiration challenge.

Here is what I created:
I had a hard time deciding if that middle color was a pinky peach or just peach.
I went with peach.

This layout was created with a Project cut file in the
Photo Memories section in Cricut Design Space.

Cricut cartridges:
Cricut Craftroom Basics
Graphically Speaking
Simply Sweet
Library Fonts

Close To My Heart cardstock and pattern papers
from Zoe and Happy Times paper packs.
Pearls from stash.

Hope to see your project linked up at Always Fun Challenges.

Now Showing

Tom's brother and his wife visited their daughter (our neice) here in Alaska a couple of weeks ago. She's in the military and stationed here. So we all got together and hung out a few times while they were here. We had them over one day and grilled out. They were able to sample some Elk and Buffalo T-bone steaks. Tom was kind enough to buy me a good old cow steak. LOL

Anyway, while they were here, we discovered that Jessica's boyfriend had never seen The Princess Bride movie. That movie is one of our favorites, so after we ate, we had to watch it. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to use my new Close To My Heart, "Movie Night" stamp set. I followed the layout design in the Seasonal Expressions catalog. I added some journaling using one of CTMH's Picture My Life cards. And added a photo of Jessica and her boyfriend. I shaded out the journaling and photo in the second picture of the layout, but you get the idea.

Close To My Heart supplies:

Yellow patter paper from Beautiful Friendship paper pack

All other pattern paper from Central Park paper pack

Solid colored cardstock also from CTMH

The tickets were stamped in a row on blue cardstock.

Popcorn, movie reel, tickets, soda, popcorn bag, and title all from the Movie Night stamp set.

CTMH inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Saffron, Sapphire, Pomegranate

Movie Night stamp set

Central Park paper pack

Beautiful Friendship paper pack

Close To My Heart Stamps - Tips for Care & Use (Official CTMH video)

Enjoy this short video with tips for care and use of the Close To My Heart Stamps.

Don't forget, July is Stampaganza month at CTMH!

Buy 2 stamp sets, get 1 FREE of equal or lesser value!!

Stock up!!

Shop Close To My Heart with me HERE.

Alphabet Challenge

Happy Friday! We have a brand new challenge for you today 

at the Alphabet Challenge Blog. Come join us!

Our new challenge is I - Ice Cream

Lori Whitlock All Occasion Box Cards Cricut Cartridge

Cricut & SU cardstock

The Stamps of Life, twine

White gel pen for doodling

Peachy Keen Stamps, March 2018 Monthly Kit for

Thanks for visiting with me. 

Would love to see you join us this week at the Alphabet Challenge Blog.

Food and/or Drink

Time for a new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz!

Projects for this challenge blog are all for the Galz. You can create anything paper crafting related: card, tag, scrapbook page, altered art, etc as long as the theme for the challenge is prominent in your project.

Food and/or Drink
My Design Team Project

Cricut cartridge, Fast Food for French Fries cut

Stampin' Up Ribbon

The Stamps of Life, Good Times 6x6 paper pad

The Stamps of Life, sayings4frenchfries stamp set for sentiment

Thanks for visiting with me today.

Be sure to swing by Cardz 4 Galz to see what my Design Team Sisters created,

and to link up your own project in our challenge.

Weight Watchers Wednesday, The Beginning... again

Wow. How many years has it been since I posted Weight Watchers Wednesdays? Too many. 

When I was on WW before, I lost 30 pounds. Then I got lazy, quit tracking, told myself I was doing okay... etc. Yeah, almost all of the 30 pounds are back. Time to get back on track... again.

I use the app on my phone, and also can see my information logging in on my computer. It's the choice that works for me, although meetings are great too. I've been to meetings as well. When we move back to South Carolina, I'll probably find a local meeting to attend again.

JOIN WEIGHT WATCHERS

Here we go... again... let's lose this weight, stay on track, and be happy with progress, not perfection.

Weight Watchers doesn't tell you what you can't eat. They simply have a tracking system that teaches you what choice may be better than another choice. I like that. Because time you tell me I can't have something, I feel deprived and rebel. Telling me the point value of different foods let's me make my own decision and understand the consequences if I make a lot of bad choices.

Exercise is also good. For those of you, like me, who are retired or otherwise work jobs that have you sitting at a desk all day, exercise may seem unlikely. But there are always things you can do to get a little more steps in your day. Like parking at the back of the parking lot. Like going up and down every aisle at the grocery store even if you're just there for one thing. :) 

See, it's not that bad. Be creative.

You'll notice a Weight Watchers link on the sidebar of my blog here and on all of my challenge blogs. Feel free to use this link, select if you want to try the app / online tracking only or tracking plus meetings. By using my link, we will BOTH receive a FREE month!

Whatever you do, be happy with who you are.

Be around people who are supportive.

Feel free to share your story in the comments on Wednesdays on my Weight Watchers posts. Feel free to share scale victories as well as non-scale victories. 

If you truly want to do this, you will.

Through the hard times.

Through the withdrawals. (I'm actually going to give up Coke. Just saying it is hard.)
Because guess what, I have my own victories and hard times to share with you as well.

We are just human. It's a journey.

Remember, progress - not perfection.

That's another reason why I love Weight Watchers. I can still indulge in that piece of chocolate if I chose to use that many points on it. It's all about choices. And sometimes it's easier to use the points and eat the chocolate instead of trying to feed that craving with everything else in the pantry and then still end up eating the chocolate plus all those other things you tried to fix that craving with.

You can do it.

I can do it.

I know, because I've done it before.

Time to focus and do it again.

See, I'm not perfect either.

But I am determined.

And I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Remind me of that when I'm having a bad day. :) 

All of my encouragement to you.

Until next Wednesday...

Big Hugs!!

Janis

Photo taken July 7th (a week after my 52nd birthday)

JOIN WEIGHT WATCHERS