It Can't Get Any Better Than This!!!

Today there was an auction in our neighborhood. Our neighbors sold their house and since their children are grown, decided to auction off the contents of their home. They did not have room in the new house (also wrong decor.) Since I have never been to an auction, I talked my son Kody into attending with me. I am not a bartering person and don't do well in situations where I have to negotiate anything, but I played a good poker face. I registered for my number and walked around like I knew what I was doing. There were a few items I wanted to bid on but when the moment of truth came, I CHICKENED OUT!!!

The whole process was exciting but so intimidating. I was afraid that I would be bidding against MYSELF. Kody on the other hand takes after his Uncle Bum and bid on some sort of lens assembly for his truck. Personally, I had no idea what it was, but he knew the value and told me to give him my number. I gave him the "be careful" speech and he gave me the "look" (you know, the one where you are actually getting the hand ... I know what I am doing look.) Thankfully he does not take after his mom and didn't choke last minute. He won the bid for $25.00. As we were walking back to the car, he casually mentioned the parts are worth about $200.00. I am a proud momma of a NEGOTIATOR.

The best part of the day was after we returned home. I layed down to cool off and relax a bit (excitement wears me out) and actually took a nap. Yep you heard, a nap!! It was wonderful. The cherry on the top was when I woke up, my husband told me that my darling daughter went and fed the horses too.

Life is good.

Be Blessed,

Shannon Willis

http://www.shannonscropstop.stampinup.net/

Snaggle Tooth

This is another layout I finished up over the 4th of July weekend. It is a layout of my daughter Sara when she lost a tooth. Since it was SUCH a big deal in our house (she always had to have her dad pull them out) I kept it very simple as I used one of our Sweet Treat cups and wanted to keep the focus on her teeny little tooth.




Stamps: None
Ink: None
Paper: Pixie Pink, So Saffron, Orchid Opulence and Patterns Pack II DSP
Accessories: Sweet Treat Cup, Threading Water Punch and Big Circle Die

Blessings,

Shannon Willis
www.shannonscropstop.stampinup.net
www.shannonscropstop.blogspot.com

TGIF!!

I had such a wonderful day. Because I am self-employed as a bookkeeper, I set Fridays aside to get groceries, pay bills, catch up on laundry and clean my house. The last few Fridays, I have booked myself up and then resent everything around me. I always have big dreams, that I will get everything on my list done and then have lots of time to spend working on my scrapbooks, prepare for classes, etc. IT NEVER HAPPENS. I know a lot of you probably feel the same way that there is never enough time to get everything done. I mentioned something to my cousin and she recommended I read "When Women Long for Rest" by Cindi McMenamin. It is such a good book as it explains what the world calls rest is superficial and DOES NOT last. I have been doing the exercises and finding time to relax and seek God for guidance. Even though I am not "there", I know turning my "junk" over to God and letting him handle my burdens will allow me to spend quality time with the people I love so much and be able to find time to do the hobbies I enjoy. That being said, my "To Do List" today still has a bunch of stuff on it, but my daughter and son enjoyed a terrific "homemade" lunch and found time to laugh about our day. I also found time to make my oldest son Jeffrey's birthday card (early I might add) using My Digital Studio.

God is so good!

Blessings,

Shannon Willis

www.shannonscropstop.stampinup.net

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge # 76

I am so excited to finally submit something for Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. I really enjoy these challenges, but lately things have gotten in the way and I haven't been able to submit anything.

Here is this week's challenge



and here is my take on it



I love the new Hostess Stamp Set Because I Care and have seen so many beautiful cards created with it. I also like the fact that it is simple and elegant, just like this week's challenge. For this challenge, I attempted the watercolor technique. It is one of my favorite techniques, however I have such a hard time with it. When I use my Aqua Painter, my hand shakes terribly and I sometimes have to re-do my card. Does this happen to anyone else? At least this one turned out pretty good. I hope you enjoy it.

Stamps: Because I Care
Ink: Old Olive, Night of Navy and Bashful Blue
Paper: Kraft, Night of Navy card stock, Watercolor Paper and Patterned Pack II DSP
Accessories: Clips Assortment and Old Olive Ribbon

July Card Club Sneak Peak

Since Stampin' Up! has just released their new catalog, I felt the need to freshen things up a bit with our monthly card classes. I can't wait until our July class where we will learn new techniques and create beautiful cards using the new items in the catalog. Here is a peak of our class projects. I hope you enjoy them. Please be sure to RSVP and submit your payment.

Stamps: Petal Pizzazz and Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive
Paper: Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise and So Saffron
Accessories: Designer Buttons, Tempting Turquoise Ribbon, So Saffron Ribbon and Small Tag Punch

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program

Well, just as I expected, the camera problem was an operator error. I think I am getting the hang of it. Sad to say, it is an older camera that I never took the time to learn and lately my daughter has been talking about upgrading to a better (more expensive) camera. Figures!! ;-)

As I stated in an earlier post, I was able to spend some much needed time in my scraproom and work on some unfinished projects. My cyber blog friend Okie just mentioned something about that today. I am pretty happy with my progress, but there is so much more I need to do. For the moment, I am going to bask in the satisfaction of enjoying a finished project. I hope you enjoy them!

Stamps: None

Ink: None

Paper: Ballet Blue, Green Galore and Sumer Sun card stock

Accessories: Miscellaneous flowers and brad

Blessings,

Shannon Willis
www.shannonscropstop.stampinup.net
www.shannonscropstop.blogspot.com

I'm Still Here!!!

Sorry for not posting lately. I actually spent much of the July 4th weekend scrapbooking. Actually it was more like ALL day on Sunday!!! I stayed in my pajamas and in my scraproom and completed 4 layouts. I am really proud of them and want to show them to you, however my camera and I don't agree sometimes and I am having a bit of a problem with it. ALL operator error I assure you!! I will post some of my creations just as soon as I get my camera under control.

In the meantime, for those of you that are new to following my blog, I am posting photos my cousin took of my campground in Hanging Dog, North Carolina. LOVE THE NAME huh??? My cousin Trisha is a wonderful photographer (I did not get ANY of those genes) and was camping for a week with their good friends. I hope you enjoy them. If you are ever in the Murphy, North Carolina area, we would love for you to come for a visit. Please visit Hanging Dog Creek Campground and check us out.

Blessings,

Shannon Willis
www.shannonscropstop.stampinup.net
www.shannonscropstop.blogspot.com