And suddenly... Autumn.

The weather here is crazy.  We went from 80 degree days to 50 degree days in a week!  This morning when I woke up it was 37.  LOL!  Gotta love Minnesota.  I'm not complaining at all.  I love the crisp weather, it makes me want to get outside and walk.  A friend mentioned that she and her mother are going to a Fall Festival today, I'm thinking about heading over to the Farmer's Market.  Then maybe grab the camera and go to the park.  See if I can find some leaves wearing their Autumn colors.

I'm a bit sad... Leigh at HappiLeighScrappin has decided to stop doing challenges.  Life got in the way, as it so often does, and something had to give.  Unfortunately it was the challenges.  I have been honored to be part of her Design Team and will continue to be a customer.  Her store will still be open, and I'm sure new designs will become available as time permits.  She put some new ones in there this week, so go check them out!

Off to the Farmer's Market!  Have a fun day.

Scrapfest 2011

Last weekend was Scrapfest at the Mall of America, hosted by Archiver's.  It's a huge deal and crafters come from all over to join the fun.  They have all the big names (Tim Holtz!)  and there are make-and-takes, classes, and late night crops.  Starla and I didn't go to the mall, but we did attend a couple of crop-around-the-town events and had a blast. 

Friday night we were at Archiver's in Maple Grove for the crop sponsored by Basic Grey.  There were gift bags from Archiver's with papers and all kinds of embellishments.  Basic Grey did a card make-and-take and gave us a pad of 6x6 paper, some sheets of 12x12, and a bunch of embellishments to make more cards.  They're supposed to be emailing us with ideas and instructions for the rest of the pack.  There were drawings for prizes which we didn't win, but a good time was had by all.  Grand prize was a Slice with the Slice tote.  Nice prize!  They took a group picture of us, and everyone got a copy.  I'll have to hook up my scanner and post that picture at some point...

Saturday night we went to Archiver's in Coon Rapids for the crop sponsored by We R Memory Keepers.  I've got to say, as much as I love Basic Grey's papers, I am a tool FIEND and WRMK is all about the tools. Their treat bag make-and-take demo was focused on some new ribbon punches that will come out next month.  They are pretty cool and I'll probably have to get one.  Or two.  =D  Here's a picture of the treat bag I made:

See the black ribbon threaded under the "very spooky"?  See how perfectly it's aligned and spaced?  It's wonderful!!  Sorry... I do geek out over tools. 

We had a good time at Coon Rapids (although we did miss our "home," the staff at Maple Grove is the best).  Since this crop wasn't sold out we ended up having a table to ourselves, so we could spread out a bit more.  The grand prize was a Cinch, including the bag and a bunch of bindings, and we did not win.  That's okay, we got the gift bag when we got there and each of us got a stamp or stamp set, a WRMK Brad Setter, and a ton of embellishments.  They did a game playing one group of us against the other and our group won so we got another gift bag full of embellishments.  Later I won a drawing and got a THIRD bag of stuff!  Toward the end of the night Starla won a drawing and got  the runner-up-to-the-grand-prize, a HUGE bag of stuff!  Seriously, go to her blog and look at the picture of all the stuff she got!!  I got a good head start on my Christmas cards:

we had fun:

And Sunday I pretty much slept.  =D

Next year:  We SCRAPFEST at the mall!  Want to join us?

Think Autumn

That's the challenge at HappiLeighScrappin this week.  What does Autumn mean to you?  Leaves?  Wind?  Food?  Make it into a card or other project!  Here is mine:

I used a couple of Leigh's new designs, the pumpkin and the hat, and merged them with Paint.net.  They were colored with Copic markers and I used my Stardust pen for the buckle on the hat.  The fences is a Tim Holtz "On The Edge" die, and the leaves were something I picked up at a garage sale.  They came in plain plastic bags with no manufacturer info.  I love them!

Although you don't have to use one of Leigh's images to join in the challenge we would love it if you did!  Leigh will appreciate it so much she'll add your project to an additional drawing, one that is only for projects that used her images.  Go to Leigh's store and look at her images, I know you'll find something you love!

PleasejJoin us in the challenge, I'm looking forward to seeing your project!

Happy Labor Day! Let's celebrate with

a new challenge!  This is a long weekend for many of us in the US, that's reason enough to celebrate, isn't it?  It's also time for the new challenge at HappiLeighScrappin, so let's get to it! 

HappiSister Chris has this to say:  The first Monday of September!!  Can you believe it's September already??  Pools are closing, kids are back to school, leaves will be changing color, and time to pull out the long sleeves and sweaters.  I thought it was only fitting we do a fall color challenge.  Browns, oranges and yellows.

Here is the card I made:

I merged two of the digis in Leigh's store, Garden Gate and Jenny Bunches.  My first attempt at merging, what do you think?!  =D  The digis are colored with Copic markers.  I did some cutting and taping,  added flowers and gems and a nice sentiment.
Now it's your turn!  Head on over to Leigh's store and grab some digis, let's see what you can do.  At Leigh's it's always buy-3-get-1-free, what a great deal!

Although you don't have to use one of Leigh's images to enter the challenge we would love it if you did!  Leigh would love it so much she'll enter in a special drawing just for the projects that DO use her images!  Two entries from one project!

I'm looking forward to seeing YOUR project. 

I LOVE THE FAIR!

Those of you who are not lucky enough to have visited the Minnesota State Fair have no idea what you're missing.  It is the BEST!  I've been to state fairs in other states, but nothing compares to Minnesota's.  It's the best 12 days of summer!  Every year I anticipate the Fair, getting emails telling me who is going to be at the Grandstand, and who is going to appear on the numerous free stages on which days.  Then the planning begins.  The Fair cannot be experienced in just one day, I went three days this year and still didn't get to see all the places I wanted!  Last year I went five times so I'm feeling like a slacker today... I could go back...  I've got today and tomorrow. 
I wanted to share some of the Fair with you, so I took a few pictures:

Here is a picture of me with my darling daughter, the cheese on a stick!  This is an appropriate picture as that is her favorite Fair Food.  Doesn't it look good on her? 

 This one shows a couple of the rides you can take.  The Sky Ride with it's enclosed cars.  Fun, but hellacious on a hot day!  I don't know the name of the ride that is shown at the top of the photo.  There are two seats at each end of the long pole and it spins.  The frame just right of center is for the ejection seat.  At the time I took the photo, fairly early in the day, no one was crazy enough yet to be on it.

 The garden next to the Grandstand.

 This is the other Sky Ride with the open cars.  I'd never been on this one until this year and I loved it! The ride doesn't stop to let people on and off, that couple is waiting for the seat to hit them in the back of the legs, then an employee hurries alongside and secures the front bar.  At the end of the ride an employee opens the bar and you jump off.  I was lucky not to land on my face! 

 A shot from the Sky Ride, that's the Kiddy Midway in the foreground.

 Starla, on the ride with me.

See the little yellow stand just right of center?  That is one of the Pronto Pup stands.  My favorite Fair Food!  I have to have one every time I go to the Fair. See the people on the street?  A perfect crowd.  This will be fun to remember later...

One of the wood carvings that dot the fairgrounds.  Peace Bear!

 A shot of Machinery Hill... although I don't think they call it that anymore.  That's what it was when I was growing up and that's what we still call it.

 Every year they do something different with topiary at the Fair Entrance.  This year it is these gorgeous horses.  Check out those manes!

Another fun thing to do at the Fair!  This made me laugh.  It's set up next to the Health Fair building, where you can have your blood sugar tested, get flu shots, learn about all kinds of health related things.  This is the first year I've seen the "get your prostate examined at the Fair" bus!

 Last but not least, the crowd as we were leaving the Fair.  See all the heads?  The streets are packed!  Remember the earlier picture with the perfect crowd?  This is much more typical. 

I hope you enjoyed a quick look at a very small part of our Fair. I'm going to look through some photos from earlier years and see if I can find some good ones to post later.

In closing I would like to introduce you to my cat, Buster.  When he sleeps this way it totally cracks me up.  I'm easily amused!

Faceplant, anyone?

Now I want a Pronto Pup...