INSM

At Let's Scrap we don't do anything small! National Scrapbooking Day is no exception! One day is just not enough celebrating! Since we are such a huge site with so many countries from around the world represented, we are having {Inter}National Scrapbooking MONTH! Yes, that is correct!  A month of games, sketches and challenges! Join us for the fun, starting May 1, 2012!!
If you are not already a member, click here Let's Scrap so you will be ready to join in on the fun and prizes! The link below has some info on the events and some sneak peeks on what the other Design team members have up our sleeves for you!
http://letsscrap.ning.com/forum/categories/inter-national-scrapbooking-month/listForCategory



Happy Scrapping!!
Cheers!
~Mindi

Some progress

So we are making progress. There is a lot to do, but things are moving along. I have a few more pics of what is going on.

 Mike was working on this and his saw battery died. I got the call from the bank to go sign papers and when I got home he had it up! :)

 New lights, YAY!! I love them!

"my room" all cleaned out

Covering up the awesome dark blue with glow in the dark stars

Mike putting up the wall. the window is gonna be huge! I will have my main desk placed so I will be looking out the window. Nice change from the room I have now, where the window is small and almost on the ceiling. You can see my huge desk is already in the room. Much easier to build it in then try to smash it in later (yes, I know, slightly red neck, but work smarter not harder) LOL

Mike peeking from on the roof removing the old chimney

The inside chimney removal

This is what it ended up looking like. Besides that it was just a hunk sticking out of the wall, we knew it leaked from somewhere. After Mike got the brick down, he found where it had been wet, and he had to take a bunch of sheet rock.

Of course, had to thrown in an adorable AWWWWHHH for the day. This little pup loves his mommies elephant toy. He always cuddles with it!

It was raining here, now it is snowing. Not going to be a lot progress for today at least. Totally fine with me, I really do need a day to sit and relax and let my old, sore muscles heal!

Cheers!
~Mindi

So it begins....

So talk about Friday being a super stellar, totally awesome, fantastic day!!! I got my Scrapbooks Etc in the mail AND the bank gave me my financing for my store.

I have thinking about opening a store for over a year now. Actually planning and scheming for about 5 months. Working on the business plan for 2 months.  The universe has aligned for me, and it is going to happen! It really hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that all the plans, ideas, and work I have put in to my "dream" have actually became my reality.

I will admit, I am scared out of my mind, but at the same time I am so excited to embark on this adventure! Who wouldn't love to open a store that sells products for something they love to do! I think that is one huge advantage I have with this store. The passion I have for scrapbooking is going to shine through in how I run the store and treat my customers. When someone comes in and has a question, I would like to think that I am going to be able help them with anything they ask. Don't get me wrong, I certainly do not profess to be a pro on everything, but I would like to think I know enough :) I hate going to one of the "big" stores and have a question and all I get is "that isn't my department", etc. That drives me insane! Being in such a small community, I want my store to be known for it's friendly and comfortable environment and knowledgeable staff (me) LOL

As promised, I will show some pictures of the progress. It may not look like much now, but it will be awesome! I have a fantastic work crew (Mike) LOL

So, here is what it looked like before, well not all the way before, as some stuff had already been cleaned out before I remembered to take the pictures LOL

If you look at the right of the lean-to, you can see where there used to be a door into the little house that they built over from the inside.

 The "little house" before transformation :)

 Inside the house, from the doorway. The ugly chunk jutting from the wall is being removed today. It used to be a chimmney from what we can guess.

from the doorway looking left. Like I said, there has been A LOT cleaned out already. Being used as a storage unit, this was pretty much wall to ceiling packed full!

 This is from the back looking towards the door (on the far back right)

This is the awesome lighting that is in there right now! Woohoo fancy???

I will have more pics to post soon! We have it more cleaned out, merchandisers that I have started painting and lots of work going on the next two days. My darling Mike took Friday and Monday off to work on construction, so this hopes to be a very productive weekend :)
Here's to scrappy dreams coming true!
Cheers!
~Mindi

Published in Scrapbooks Etc!!!

I am just over the moon to be able to share this!!! I had a wedding layout published in Scrapbooks Etc! My absolutely fave scrapbooking magazine!! I was nervous to say anything until the issue actually came out! The naughty monkey in my brain would make me wonder if maybe they would change their minds and not use it LOL

So, I present to you, my very first TOOT, and wow, what a way to start!!!

For any of you that read Scrapbooks, Etc, this is the June 2012 issue and it is on pages 80 and 81 =)

Cheers!!
~Mindi

Better late than never??

My dear blogging friends,
I have a laundry list 3 pages long of excuses as to why I have been missing from my blog for almost a month, but none of them are worth a hoot! I apologize for my absence and promise to keep up better! LOL

First things first!!! I started my second term on the Design Team at Let's Scrap April 1 and with me are these wonderful, fun and talented ladies! Please be a doll, and check out their blogs! Every one is inspiring and entertaining!

Asmah Zainal Abidin     
http://www.qinaahanaartsandcrafts.blogspot.com/

Laura Alberts
http://lauraspeaceofmind.blogspot.com/

Shirley Bergsma
http://chillyscakesandscraps.blogspot.com/

Cathy van de Bruinhorst
http://www.cathysobsessions.blogspot.com/

Enikö DeLisle
http://enikodelisle.typepad.com/enikos-playhouse/

Denise van Deventer
http://www.strawbspatch.blogspot.com/

Susanna Granroth
http://suscu.blogspot.com/

Elizna Parsons
http://www.eliznaparsons.blogspot.com/

Kristine Ponte
http://kponte.blogspot.com/

Judy Rakes
http://judyrakes.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Russell
http://scrapinexpecttheunexpected.blogspot.com/

Valerie Ann Thorpe
http://valbellesramblings.blogspot.com/

Michelle van Wyk
http://www.homespunscrap.blogspot.com

Yes, I have been scrapping, but not nearly as much as I would like to have! Here are a few of my latest creations, all inspired with sketches from Let's Scrap

This is our 4-11-12 weekly sketch


and my take on it. I took photos of the wall signs, banners and players chairs and used them as embellishments for my page. The basketball backboard is a slide mount with some stiff floral wire and a piece of veil netting I didn't use from the wedding LOL




This was the weekly sketch for 4-4-12, and was also the layout used for the DT applications



I splatter painted some white shimmer cardstock using red acrylic paint. The squares on the middle strip are small mirrors :) Very tricky to photograph without seeing me peeking down with the camera in the reflection!!


I am excited to share this with you all. My fellow DT Elizna (her blog is listed above in the list *winkwink*) hosted a month long challenge for March. She even supplied an awesome sketch of her creating! I was a  monochromatic challenge, along with other bits and pieces. I love the way my page turned out!!


I hosted the Design Team challenge131. It is over now, but if you would like to check it out, you can find it here http://letsscrap.ning.com/forum/topics/design-team-challenge-131?xg_source=activity



This is the 3-28-12 sketch. These photos were taken 9-22-08. Mike and I had only been together for 1 month, Brian and Susie had been together over a year. They are getting married this June!! We beat them to the punch on that one, as we have now been married for over a year now LOL



I will be posting again tomorrow. I am going to start a blog series with the progress on my store. More deets tomorrow =)

Cheers!
~Mindi