Dis~tructions for Give aways

I have had some tummy trouble the last couple days . . . don't know what's up with that. I'm sure I will bounce back. . . I always do!

So instead of scrapbooking I decided to make little give aways, both for my customers (Who are at this moment planning what they want to buy from me! HINT HINT) and for people who come into my store.


Well here they are . . .
I made up the little envelope (out of double sided paper, from my scrap-bin). This is a great little project that helps you get rid of some of your scraps!! I love projects that do that!!

I probably made about 30 of them last night while I was sitting and watching tv.

They were really simple to make. Here are your "Dis-tructions"

Cut your desired paper to 2 1/2 inches x 6 inches. (I always make myself a pattern and then put tape on it to make it real sturdy~I'm a bit of a freak that way )

Make a 3 way fold with your middle section being big enough to hold your cotton pad. (I don't know if all cotton pads are the same size or not. )

Then you are going to notch out a little valley from the top of the middle section. I just cut it out, but you can do this with your deco scissors or your circle cutter . . . whatever you like or are feeling. You can make these as fancy or as simple as you like. Since I was planning on making a ton of them, I made mine very simple.

Either use double sided tape or your tape runner on to the bottom of the middle section. Then fold one side in and put tape on the flap of that so you can adhere the other side.

Put your sentiment on the front and then slide your stuff into the pocket you just made.


A quick and simple give away. (I'm going to slide my business cards in to them too~ when I finally get them. )

I hope you enjoyed our little project!

Free stuff for the first 3!!

As many of you know I have recently become a Rep with ACBailey company . . .

I know TONS of people have gone and looked at my website, but no one has bought anything. (But I'm still hoping!)

So I figured that I would add incentive . . . the first 3 people to buy from me, on my new business will get a goodie bag with fun and cool things in it!!!

How exciting is that!!!

Remember only the first 3 people . . . so hurry hurry! (I can track who buys on my website in the order they buy!)

If you order between now and May 2 (Remember there is FREE shipping on the 1 of every month. I'm giving you advanced notice so that you have plenty of time to get your ducks in a row and make out your wish list.)

We have just got lots of new stuff in stock . . . shop early for the best selection!!!

Here is the link to MY website! And if it asks for your consultants name it's ~ Cheri Benitez http://www.acbaileydesigns.net/?Click=225

Freedom of speech

I'm a huge advocate of the 1st amendment of our constitution! I believe in "Freedom of speech with all my heart!

I think anyone who tries to censor what anyone wants to say, is out of line.

So here it is . . . what our constitution says in the 1st amendment. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” -- First Amendment to the Constitution for the United States of America

Doesn't that just make you want to wave your flag . . .


I know I'm standing on "MY" soap box, but this morning I got a rather "pissy" message from my former hubby #2. Months ago I told my kids, and a couple of my "extras" a story of when #2 and I were in Florida, and we went parasailing. He didn't like it too much because he is afraid of heights (I might have added that, that fear was maybe why he didn't grow too tall (Kind of snarky on my part but I am a red head so all bets are off on the nice thing if I get angry.).) I don't have a fear of heights but I do have fear of water . . . so #2 paid the boat captain extra money to dunk me (not very nice ) . . . Well apparently my extra kid (who works for #2 right now) teased him about it . . . and so as soon as I logged in to the computer this morning, I get a nasty message from #2 (I love calling him #2, it's what I used to call "poop" when I was little ) saying that I shouldn't tell stories that would embarrass him. I pretty much told him that it was my 1st amendment right of freedom of speech to say what ever I wanted to. Then he said that I didn't respect him . . . Well . . . humm . . . let me think . . . WHY WOULD I?!?!?!? (In Cheriland~ respect is earned!)

So it goes without saying . . . The 1st amendment is my favorite . . . I love anything that gives us the right to be who we really are (As long as it isn't against the law!)

I'll step off my soap box now . . . Thanks for listening!

I'm the LAY OUT OF THE WEEK

Come see!!!! . . . I'm the lay out of the week on AC Bailey's blog!!! I didn't even know I was . . . I just popped over to look and there is my layout!!! How exciting!!! Go see for your self!! You don't even have to believe me, it's right out there in living color for everyone to see!!! How exciting! That's the best thing to happen to me in WEEKS!!!

http://acbailey.blogspot.com/

I'm a scrapbooking fool!!!

Ok . . . so my total scrapbooking page count for this weekend was . . . .(Wait for it . . .)

55 PAGES !!!

I'm so excited!!!

I can't believe I got that much done!!! I didn't do much else, but that's ok, I didn't really need to . . . I do have to hang and fold my laundry . . . but other than that I mad the kids tidy up, so things are going pretty good here in Cheriland!

Ok, so here are some of the ones I did yesterday . . .

The following was from Alex's senior football banquet . . . Its funny, but a couple of weeks ago when he was going through his scrapbook, he noticed that this layout wasn't there. "Mom where's my senior banquet?" Well the pictures were pretty crappy . . . . so I didn't really want to do it, but since he asked I thought I would put it together for him.

The picture of me is my "Don't cry for me Argentina" speech! I got to speak at the banquet . . . it was special.

Alex took his tie off and tied it around his head . . . Ok my boy is a little strange and quirky! When I asked him why he did that, he said, "Why not? What were they going to do, kick me off the team?"

Here is an oldie . . . it was Halloween, and all the fun that happens on that night, since we are really just kids at heart, and we love to dress up and have as much fun as the kids!

The following was taken WAY back . . . when I went to visit my friend Gwen, we had been friends for a long time, but had really kind of lost that connection. I love the little window with our picture in it!

Another one picture layout . . . This is my niece and the boys . . .

I have always loved those mornings when the boys were little and we would hang out in our jammies . . . This layout just proves that you don't have to be made up perfect or look great, you can just be yourself, and live life the way we all do . . .

And my favorite from yesterday is this next one . . . this is my dad (he's the middle sized one) and his two brothers . . . this is the Actual old picture . . . I didn't scan it and use a copy . . . most of my dads book has the original "old pictures" in it.

Well I guess that's it for me . . . I would love to do more scrapbooking the next few days, but Tim is coming home this weekend, and I probably should fold the laundry on the kitchen table before he gets here! Back to reality!

I have surpassed my goal of 20 pages for the month of April by 35 pages!!! I'm so excited! If I can do that every month I might soon be caught up!!! Woooo hoo!

Come scrap with me . . . I would love to work with you!!!

I'm on a roll!!!

My goal was to do 20 scrapbook pages for the Month of April . . . and (Drum roll please!!!) At this point I have done 41 pages!!!! And I'm probably going to scrapbook today!!!! So hopefully I will have even more.


I really believe that creativity comes in "Spurts" that sometimes you could sit at your scrapbooking table for hours and hours and maybe not do a thing . . . and then there are those other times when you sit down and everything just falls in to place.

Here is a tip~
I pre-do my pages (I guess a better word would be "pre-plan", but I like "pre-do" better). I put the pictures, plus the papers and a lot of the time the journalling, plus any special embellishments I want to use in a 2 gallon ziplock baggie, that way, I can grab one baggie and all the stuff I need is in it. Usually I put a few extra pieces of paper in it, just in case I have an epiphany and want to do something "ubber- creative". When I'm done, what papers I don't use go back into my stash . . . for my next wonderful project.

So here are some of the layouts I did yesterday . . . My favorite ones will be at the bottom so you have to look through all of them. (I'm tricky that way)

This is another layout of me and Jaqui, from when we were teens . . . I chalked the edges of the solid papers . . . I think it turned out pretty good. (The little necklace at the top of the pink paper was one Jaqui gave me years ago, that hung in my car forever- It was time to take it down and what better place to use something like that, than in a scrapbook!)


Another "oldie" This is me and my little friend Shannon . . . I'm working on trying to figure out how to use these little pictures and make it look interesting and creative . . . I hope I'm succeeding! I have never been a big fan of "Rub-ons" because they never turn out right for me, but I think what the problem was is they were too new and "gooy" it seems to me that the older a rub on is the better it comes off and sticks to the page . . . I don't know if that is a real "tip" or not, but that seems to be my personal experience.




This one is NOT very exciting. But . . . I keep everything! I save id's and tickets and all those silly little things that my boys think are stupid to save . . . but in my mind, someday Alex will be excited to see his trade school id's, and maybe his kids will be excited too . . . So here is another tip . . . save all those silly little things, even if other people think they are stupid!

This is a lay out of "Rebellion at its finest" ~ Alex had always wanted a Mohawk, but he has such great hair that I never wanted him to get one, so when he turned 18 he did it "Because I couldn't tell him what to do any more!" UGH!

Here is kind of a silly lay out . . . It's not X-rated, but mostly just goofy and stupid. Yes that is Former hubby #1's butt. . . I'm sure you all wanted to see it. ( ) And Yes that is me lifting up my shirt and showing my ugly bra! I'm a big fan of scrapping the "Strange and unusual too. The happy along with the sad . . . No life has just HAPPY moments . . . and I think the sad ones need to be a part of the books too. Along with the goofy and strange!

I really like this lay out . . .I don't know why exactly . . . maybe it's the papers or the embellishments . . . Maybe it's because I remember those rare times when my sweet Tony would sleep so fondly! I love the rhinestone embellishment . . . (I have them in my online store, if you are feeling like you just can't live without them! (hint hint)

I know I did a lay out like this with Alex and Jessica a couple weeks ago, but It worked out so well and I had the papers still, so might as well do it again, for another kids book! On this one I chalked the edges of the paper to give it a little more depth.

And last but not least~ My favorite from yesterday!

I have been wanting to scrap these pictures for a long time! But couldn't figure out what I really wanted to do with them . . . finally I decided to make a tree and then tuck Avery in there so he could "pee" on the tree . . . I think both the lay out and the tree turned out really cute! (Again, I scrap even the strange moments in life!)

So that's it for me today . . . If I don't get done blogging soon, I will miss all those wonderful hours I could be scrapbooking!


Thanks for looking!

Scrapbooking . . .Albums . . . A challange

I scrap out of order . . . and I do 8 books right now. Mine, Oldest son, Middle son, Youngest son, My Mom, My dad, My aunty, and Tim and my book. (Eventually I will do Tim's book too~ but he has to organize his pictures (I keep teasing him about this.)) So on any given Scrapbooking day, I might do My teenage pictures, my dads baby pictures, Oldest sons football banquet, my youngest son getting his drivers license, My middle son working on his car, Tim and I in Washington or on a double date . . . (You get the point)

Since I am not doing things in order Everyone has their own big 12x12 envelopes, (here are mine, plus my one book I have done!) So 1 book, and 3 over stuffed envelopes! and I still have Tons and tons of my pictures to scrap, so I need to get more envelopes because I can't fit any more into these. But at least when I do get to a point where I feel I'm done, I will be able to assemble the albums very quickly, because within the envelopes, everything is in chronological order. I do a layout and then just slide the lay outs in to their envelope . . . Storing them and keeping them safe till I am ready to assemble albums. (My Mom, dad and Aunty all have books that are done~ although every year I give them pages at Christmas time of things we have done that year, or old pictures I have scraped a new way.) And I did manage to get the part of my life done with "Former Hubby #2" I just didn't want that looming over my head so that is actually all put together and done. (And since that was a pretty short part of my life, it was pretty simple to get that book done.)

I made a pact with Kathy who works for me, that we would both do 20 pages this month, and hopefully every month for the rest of the year. If we do that, and only that, (And considering we are starting at the 4th month of the year) we would have 160 pages done by the end of the year!!! Isn't that amazing to think about?? So I challenge you to try that too . . . If you can't commit to 20 pages, do 10, or even 5. (5 pages a month for 12 months is 60 pages by the end of the year!!!) Set your goals and do it!! I will help you!

I sat down in my office yesterday after I got home from work, and started scraping. I wanted to see if I could actually do my 19 pages I had left to do for my pact with Kathy, and I managed to get 28 pages done!!! So I'm over my goal!! Yippee! Hooray for me!! I think something else people need to realize, is that NOT EVERY PAGE NEEDS TO BE A MASTERPIECE! Some pages are simple, others have a lot more "flash and bang" to them.

Here are a few more of the lay outs I did yesterday.

Isn't this a great picture of Jade?!?! She is so silly! (She loves to have her picture taken!)

An Important moment from Alex's life, even though he was too little to remember it! And that's what scrapbooking is really about . . . documenting those life moments, the special times. Alex may not remember when he got to be with his Great Grandpa, but these pictures show it, and the journaling tells him the story. Isn't that great!?!?!

Being the mother of 3 boys, I don't get to use pink in their scrapbooks very often, so when I get the opportunity I jump on it! This is Avery playing with Brooke's little sister Riley.

So if anyone would like help with their scrapbooking goals, give me a call, not only can I help you to get organized, but I can teach you how to scrap (If you have never done it before), I can teach you NEW things (If you have done it before) and I can even sell you the supplies to do it!!!

Here is the link to my scrapbooking business . . . click on the "blinkie" and it will take you directly to my website. Then shop away!!! (hint hint! )