~Hoppy New Year BLOG HOP~

Welcome to the Hoppy New Year Blog Hop beginning today over at Let's Scrap!  We have tons of fun, inspiration, challenges, and prizes planned!!  And the best part is, we're hopping for an entire month!!  That's right, the blog hop begins today and goes through Feb.14th, so you'll have plenty of time to work on the challenges!

You should have joined me from Roulien's incredible blog but if you didn't you can find a list at the end of this post to help you find your way.  Each stop on the hop will offer you a different resolution, or challenge.  Become a follower of each Design Team Member's blog and as you complete each challenge, upload your finished project to the Let's Scrap gallery.   Return to each blog and make sure to leave a comment letting us know that you have completed the challenge and uploaded it to Let's Scrap.  Make sure you tag each of your projects with the appropriate tag (you will find those instructions on each of our blogs-ie:  resolution#1, resolution#2 etc.). 

Each Design Team member will randomly select a winner of a small prize for participating.  For the ULTIMATE challenge, and for a chance to win a fabulous prize from Cosmo Cricket, complete the challenges you will find on EACH and EVERY stop on the blog hop.  Make sure to tag your uploads properly so you are sure to be entered into the random drawing.

You can start anywhere along the way within this great group of blogs and each one will link from one site to the next where you will find all of the great challenges!  And the best part is you have four weeks to upload your challenge entries.  Even if you don't win the grand prize, if you choose to complete all the challenges available, you will have 15 completed projects!

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So, you are at Resolution#7 on the Hoppy New Year Blog Hop.  And this is my banner challenge for you here on Scrappy Days:

1~Use a Let's Scrap Sketch 

2~Put a banner somewhere on your layout 

That's it!!  Make sure and upload your layout to Let's Scrap and tag it Resolution#7.  Also become a follower of my blog and leave a comment letting me know that you completed Resolution#7.  Don't forget to play along with all of the fun "resolutions" along the way! And GOOD LUCK in all the drawings;)

For my example I did a layout about my "word" for the year: FOCUS.

Back at the end of December I had started making some New Year's Resolutions...you know, all the typical resolutions...save money, exercise, spend more time with those that I love, lose weight. You know...those resolutions that you fail to keep, the ones that cause you to feel guilty and the ones that you forget all about by March? I decided to skip that process and to just go with a single word, one little word, to concentrate on for the year. Ali Edwards talks a lot about this idea on her blog. I read over my resolutions and the word FOCUS came to me right away. That is what I need to do. I need to focus on what is really and truly important TO ME. So I wrote myself a letter and turned it into a layout.

I used lots of Girls' Paperie goodies. I made the banner using some banner dies, Prima letters inked to pink and jute. This photo. Not the best of me certainly but it is the very first photo taken of me in 2011. It is about 12:15,  just after we walked home from the New Year's Eve party we attended across the street. DS1 took the photo and I am not in focus. I love that. Perfect for my whole focus focus;). I had chosen the word focus long before this photo was even taken. I have never been so tickled to have a photo NOT be in focus;). I think I'll have him take another photo of me on the last day of this year...hopefully I'll be in focus by then!

For each of you who completes my challenge, tags it resolution#7 and loads it into the gallery at Let's Scrap you will be entered into a random drawing for this fun little Amy Butler for K and Company Mini Book kit:

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

The next stop on the blog hop is Bev.

And just in case you get lost along the way, here are all the stops on the hop:

Resolution #1:  Betty Anne

Resolution #2:  Kristin

Resolution #3:  Beth

Resolution #4:  Cori 

Resolution #5:  Carolina

Resolution #6:  Roulien

Resolution #7:  Kristie ~You are here

Resolution #8:  Bev

Resolution #9:  Mandy

Resolution #10: Megan

Resolution #11: Wendy

Resolution #12: Debby

Resolution #13: Dawn

Resolution #14: Tracy

Resolution #15: Amy

Also!!! Please join me at Kitchen Keepsake for our "My Life in Food Crop" that begins today.  We have lots of fun games, tutorials and challenges for you.
My recipe challenge is as easy as 1-2-3! I also have a game of bingo going on:

Prizes are involved so come on over and get all the details~

Snowed IN ~and~ Crop & Hop

Snow is pretty, snow is fun, snow is GETTING really, really, really OLD! Brrrrr. I'm done with all this freezing-cold white stuff. What happened to the sun? Is it still up there somewhere? And how about some above freezing temps? The news said 70% of the United States has snow cover today and that Florida is the only state without ANY! I just looked out the window, sure enough more of those pesky flakes are drifting out of the big white sky. Will it EVER stop? 

I do have five little kiddies who are thoroughly enjoying the stuff...

Look out big brothers...the little ones have learned how to throw snowballs!!!

The kids put this big guy together all by themselves!!!

Teenagers are so scary~~~

Best buddies~~~

Crop & Hop...tomorrow is the big day! Check back soon for details on the Crop beginning tomorrow at Kitchen Keepsake and the Blog Hop also beginning tomorrow at Let's Scrap!

Happy New Year!

I'm finally back after taking some much needed time for family and Holidays! I hope you all had a marvelous Holiday season and that you all took LOTS of pictures.

I know many of you are dying to see these:

Santa came through and brought him the Cheetos and yes, I let him eat them right there under the Christmas Tree:)

I can't say this year's Christmas was perfect around here...not even close. We have been under fire from a variety of viruses running through the Coleman Castle and unfortunately on Christmas we were attacked again. So many of us were sick that we actually delayed the Christmas celebration! Santa brought the children sleds, we had a RARE White Christmas and they were all too sick to sled.

This photo was taken several days AFTER Christmas:

New Year's Eve, on the other hand, was FANtastic! 

We were all finally well and we went to a big bash right ACROSS the street! How convenient is that?!?! I took this as a hostess gift...decided at THE last minute to whip out a little cutesy for the bottle. 

...took me two minutes, start to finish. 

Here's How:

I die cut the scalloped circles, layered them and adhered them together. 

Then, I punched out three flowers, arranged them and secured them with a brad. 

Next, I used a glue dot to adhere the flower to the circle base.

Finally, I wrapped the gold ribbon around the bottle and stuck on the "cutesy."

This year I decided to skip resolutions and just go with a single word to live by.  More on that in a future post;)

The kids all went back to school on Tuesday so I have been playing in my scraproom for TWO days! I have a spotlight assignment with GCD Studios this month so I made a few new things with my GCD toys {ChipArt, Joyful Peace, Melody Ross}

Here I embellished a simple manilla folder to keep all my scrappy assignments in. I even added a scrap of GCD's Joyful Peace to a binder clip so I can hang my folder. Much safer AWAY from the kitties;)

I started my post off with this star, my latest star, y'all know how I love to alter stars! I made it with more Joyful Peace, some trims, Glimmermist and Stickles. I had such fun pounding out the word JOY! My family wondered what all the noise was coming from my scraproom and I happily told them it was my ChipArt tool. 

{It doubles as a tension reliever;)}

Another thing I have really enjoyed creating lately are these sweet little paper pouches. I gave lots of these out to teachers {stuffed with the makings of Snowman Soup} this year.

Mark your calendars for January 15th! I will be part of the Let's Scrap Blog Hop {prizes} AND we will be having a crop at Kitchen Keepsake {prizes}! So stay tuned.