lindaalbrecht

Real life can get in the Way

Of  blogging.   I like to sit here at my little blog and share the fun product that I work with, but sometimes it just doesn't work because real life stuff keeps me away.   

I think about it everyday..... 

....then I feel guilty that maybe some of you have checked in and you find nothing new.  So I apologize if you have checked up on me while I have been absent, but thanks for taking the time to come back.

I'm sure that you really don't want to know that I had a big, old cruddy cold.  Hasn't everyone?  Maybe it was the flu.  Don't they say that the flu gives you cold like symptoms?  Anyway, all that I know is I felt like death was upon me and only the past couple of days have the energy to stay awake for more than 4 hours at a time.

Then in the middle of the crud my sweet little guy, Cort had a sledding accident.  He was a mess for a good week.  He broke off his 2 front permanent teeth and had road rash and deep cuts in his mouth and on his lips from hitting asphalt.  Yes, I said asphalt , as in someone's driveway.  Have I ever mentioned that when the Albrecht boys get an injury they never do it small?  I remember the beginning of summer vacation several years ago when I get a call from the police saying that my son, Cole had been run over by a golf cart.  Imagine my confusion ...  because really... HOW does one get run over by a golf cart?  That's another long blog post -- just know that it wasn't pretty.  He still has the scars on his leg today to prove it.

Back to Cort.  He gets his teeth repaired next week.  First he has to have root canals in both teeth then they will do a white bonding to build up the teeth.  The dentist says that caps will probably have to wait until he is 17 or so, but promises that he will make him look good. 

He has been such a trooper through all of the Hydrogen Peroxide rinses and cleanings, ointment applications and antibiotics.   He can only drink  through  a straw and eat soft foods that can be shoved to the back of his mouth to avoid the exposed root canals.  Makes your teeth hurt just reading this, doesn't it?  But he has never complained or cried--sometimes I wish that he would.  The mom of his friend (where the accident happened) thinks that he's missing a few nerve endings that the rest of us have ;-) ;-) 

So anyway, I have been  nurse, substitute teacher, and constant companion to him while he healed.  He looks amazing after only 2 weeks!  Now to just get through the repair of the teeth.  I will miss the cute little lisp that he has now -- brings me back to when he lost his baby teeth, but he looks forward to biting into a piece of pizza.  Can't blame him.

Things to share.....

I did another layout with the new Pink Paislee product that debuted at CHA winter and again I used an old photo of my son's, Cole and Luke.  This photo makes me all mushy.  I can remember that day in the hospital after Luke was born like it was yesterday.  I still can't believe that my husband was able to get that shot of Cole kissing his new baby brother because he did it all on his own.  So sweet.  I can remember when Cort was born too (sorry if all of the C's are confusing.) The first thing that Cole did was kiss Cort when he held him.  Cole was 14 at the time and I thought that it was awesome that he didn't feel the need to act like a cool teenager and avoid too much tenderness.  One of my favorite memories of him as a teenager. 

That captured moment is what makes being a mother worth every minute of the worry that children can bring. (Remind me that I said that if something big ever happens again!)

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Here's a little Creative Cafe project that you can do at your local Artbar.  They will have scallop edge gift bags in all of the Creative Cafe colors that you can decorate up for your next party or gift giving occasion.  Aren't they fun?!!

There's also new Ledger papers.  I made this quick little back to school photo frame with the paper and a sheet of rub ons from the Lucky Memories Swatchbook .  If you click on those links it takes you to the Just Need It website where you can get all of the Creative Cafe products.  I know that 2 Peas in a Bucket now carries the papers and Swatchbooks also.  Hopefully they ordered the new releases from CHA.

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Whew!! Thanks for making it through all of that.  I must have felt like talking since I've been away for awhile!  Imagine. ;-)

See you soon-- or at least sooner than last time!   Linda :-)

Love is in the air !

Isn't it great?!!  So great to love and be loved . We don't do anything big for Valentine's day.  It seems that when you have kids that it becomes mostly about them, so we usually just celebrate with some  homemade treats, maybe some balloons or a special dinner.  I made these this year.

Don't look too close, they are not perfect, but they taste wonderful.  Yum!!!!

I also finished this layout today before I frosted the cupcakes.

Once again I used some of the new Melissa Frances Clear Stamps.  The one's along the photo are from the Imperial Borders set.  I stamped onto a clear transparency sheet with acrylic paint for the blue stamped image, then StazOn inkpad for the black. I also added a little color wash in orangey red to the flower centers and layered it over the bottom edge of the photo.  There are so many options to using stamps, but to stamp onto a transparency sheet omits mistakes. 

I also used the Summer Breeze stamp set which is the direct to paper images of the green foilage.  I think that I will probably wear out that Summer Breeze stamp set because I love it so much. 

Hope that you've had, or are having a lovely day of celebrating the love in your life.  I need to go off now to celebrate a little more with mine!

Love always,  Linda

I am a Lucky girl

I really am.  Along with everything that blesses my life on a daily basis with my family, I also have wonderful opportunities to work with some of the best products and people in the scrapbooking industry.  I sometimes forget that not everyone who wants to,  gets to be creative and artful at their jobs and I am so lucky have the opportunity to be one of those that does. 

Here's another preview of new product releasing at CHA.  Just look what Melissa Frances has done now... she has created some more clear stamps that I am so excited about!!! 

And did you notice that there is a chance for you to WIN those babies?!!  Melissa Frances has a new blog that just went live today(Sunday, February 10.)  Follow This link to the blog and enter to win all of them.  WOW, can you imagine how fun that would be?  I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! 

Here is a layout that I did with the Summer Breeze Stamp set.

* I used acrylic paints on the stamps to make my images.  Just water them down a little and really it's like doing a watercolor painting, only easier because the design is there for you.  Some of the images were stamped directly onto the paper first with Fluid Chalk ink, then I added the other layers by stamping onto a separate piece of cardstock, cut them out, then adhered them to the first layer of stamping.  Then I    added  some machine stitches and hand stitched swirls for more detail and depth. 

I also just remembered that I used 2 of the Frame It Stamps on my layout too.  Oh, I am so in love!! ;-)

So go -- go fast to the new Melissa Frances Blog and post for a chance to win the stamps.

Luck and love to all,  Linda 

Favorites

We all have our very favorite things... like our favorite bracelet or shoes, or a favorite time in our lives.  Luckily most of us are blessed with many favorites -- mostly because we have learned to live grateful life's.  I for one am overly blessed with good things and like to recognize my favorites, even though they may change over time.

One of my favorite things in my house is pillows.

Love me a pretty pillow.  Lately I've made a few that are my favorite new shape--more rectangle than square -- and in some of my favorite colors like creamy white, robin's egg blue, and that muted orangey red. 

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Another favorite of mine is celebrating.  Celebrating things like birthday's.

It's my beautiful girl's birthday in a few hours.  We celebrated on Saturday though because she was home for the weekend.  So fun to see her grow up and we just adore everything about her.  Well, almost  ;-)  ;-).  But honestly, she has been a true joy from the very start and I am so lucky to be her mom.

 

Oh how fast they grow...

While we celebrated on Saturday my sister got out her guitar and we sang.  Sang our crazy hearts out like we haven't done in years.  On many Saturday mornings for a long time my sisters, my mom, and myself would get together and just hang out and have a little singing session.  My mom taught us to love music and some of my favorite memories of childhood involved music and singing together.  So as we grew older, one or two would play guitar and we'd sing and we'd laugh when we messed up.  Or we'd laugh like we did on Saturday for no reason at all.  Just because one of us would get a giggle going.  Favorite times.

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I also get to share some of my favorite new scrapbooking product that is debuting at CHA in less than a week.  It's pretty and romantic and soft.  Melissa Frances product always makes me feel sentimental-- there's just something about it. 

 

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And my absolute favorite little project is made with the new Melissa Frances Baby collection.  I used my 24 year old son's baby shoe to top the little metal container that I covered with the paper.  This project just makes my heart swell.  Is there anything sweeter than the memories of our children as babies? 

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So those are some of my favorites.  There are many more and the list will be added to again soon I'm sure, because simple things like these will forever be my favorites and the real reasons that life is so wonderful. 

I'll leave you with a sweet little thought from Brian Andreas of  Story People.com (go there if you have a minute-- I love his inspirational words)...

"There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good." 

Love to all,  Linda