oopsie :O

LOL....I made a teensi mistake in yesterday's post: reveal day for SFTIO's Dec. Kit is TOMORROW!!! In my zeal I forgot the date.

well...if you're looking to see some layouts, I'm not one to disappoint! I have TWO layouts to show you!!! (And you still get to come back tomorrow for the reveal on Wonder! yay!)

Looking through scrapbook calls I found a special little place in blogland. It's called My Paper Treehouse  and it's a faith based blog. You readers know how important it is for me to scrap about everything, so as soon as I saw the challenge I took it to heart and got to it.

Catch a break
this is based on the 11/14 challenge: searching the Word for truths that can be used to renew your mind...and having a conversation about what I need to find a rest in.

what is it that I need to find a rest from?

I tend to beat myself up. Yep...I hash and rehash the what could've, should've, would'ves. I replay different things that have happened in my life and think on what I would do differently. That's SO not cool. I know that each day is filled with His tender mercies, and that I have new and different opportunities to take advantage of NOW as long as I maintain my faith. Those past mistakes...Ok there are consequences to deal with, but the slate is wiped clean, just learn, live, and move on. I need to remember that.

I used a sketch from sketchy Thursdays. they have awesome sketches there. You should check them out.

ready for the next one?


Big enough

Once again, used a prompt from MPT and another sketch from ST.
the 11/25 prompt is based on 2 Cor. 12:9:
"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

This lead me to think on my weaknesses and how I can let them show me that I'm not my own...

SO, the weakness I chose was my shyness. How it keeps me from doing things, and gets in the way of what I want to do! I know I need to get over it, I won't be steered in the wrong way!!! I also see this trait in my son. He's so quiet, so timid. His teacher says he's very soft spoken...I hope that he can overcome this...he's so different from his sisters...as you can see. My oldest DD is very bold and outspoken...even known to go to bat for HIM at times.

a closeup:
what inspired the title? The song Set the world on fire, By Britt Nicole.

so what do you think????

ready for a "wonder"ous sneak peek?

Hello, hello!!!

I'm back with some sneaks of SFTIO's Dec. Kit, with the theme being WONDER. It's a glamourous kit, chock full of beauties that will keep you creating!!!!

I had FUN with it!
Have I got you curious yet?

Tomorrow is the Grand reveal!!! yay!!!!

a special opportunity for YOU!

SFTIO  has a special offer:

As our thanks to you for all your support and business this year, from Thanksgiving Day through Monday, we've got some special cyber weekend offers to share. US and Canada customers will get FREE SHIPPING and shipping to other countries will be reduced by $9.00. And, if you buy 2 or more kits, you'll ALSO get 10% off your order!

Read HERE for more info!

NEW WEBSITE!!!!!!






We have a new website: www.annieblackberry.com !!

Order anything until the 30th of November 2010 and get a free necklace!!!

Love Annie :)

through her eyes


As promised, I am back today!
I wanted to share the layout that wowed Liz...LOL. It was made with the Nov. Acceptance kit from SFTIO. The story behind it is simple: the world can be a much better place if we as adults can see things through a child's eyes. They attack things in a way that makes no problem unsolvable, they see past the color of skin. They love so deeply, so innocently.
I chose a picture of this teenyterror because she especially would be an impact to the world...she is so sweet, so loving, I often imagine what kind of thoughts go through her mind...and picture they would be images of sunshine, rainbows, and pure delightful Joy.

I hope to have conveyed this in my layout....

Today is going to be nuts. we have a wedding to go to tonight, so I will be leaving my shop soon to get the teenyterrors fed, dressed, all fancied up all in hopes to make it in time despite holiday traffic. We're all very excited because this is a rare treat, going to a fancy wedding. Usually kids aren't welcome to events like these, So thanks, Cousin Sarah, for inviting us.

Do you know ella?

Guess what???

Well, I have been trying to submit some layouts for publications and well this one caught Liz's (from Ella Publishing) eyes. :) I'm on the blog!

Come back tomorrow for details on mentioned layout!!! Yay!!!

Ok....so I didn't get to ....

post over the weekend. :( It's been so busy! My hubby working, taking classes in Queens...getting my sister....spending time with her, Church, Shopping...oh glorious shopping. I drive my hubby crazy with my indecisiveness!

We have a wedding to go to this week and I've had to go get a dress and then shoes. I'll let you know a little about that later. First I want to share a layout with you.



As I thought about Acceptance...a song kept popping into my head. (Friend of God)  click on link for lyrics & to listen to song.

A lot of times it's hard to accept something that seems too good to be true...like my title. we're wary of it, question it, look for ulterior motives, etc. it's OK to ask questions if we don't understand something, but being able to accept things we don't understand...that's where faith steps in.

So now...back to shopping...
LOL. Gotta love how I go from shallow to deep so quickly.
I got these shoes in black:
Sorry Steve Madden, but I got these cheaper at DSW. :P
You don't know how long we were there. It was just too many options for me, so many shoes to pick from. I finally narrowed it down to those SM's and a pair of peep toe Guess. OMG was the decision hard.

The shoes are going to be worn with this dress. I tried on like 10 dresses, had DD take pix of how I looked in each...pix texted family for opinions...and still drove DH crazy. What can I say...that's just the way I am...

just going through today

Hi bloggy peeps. :)

I've been enjoying reading all of the fabulous cmments you've been leaving. Yes, I check my email a gazillion times to see if any one has said anything in response to a post...so really, it just makes my day to read what you have to say. =D

I have been busy with life and DT work...yes, I cracked open the December kit...and let me tell you, it's a beauty!!!! I am so excited to show off what I've been doing with it.

Guess what. This is my last friday being 32....:gulp: did I just say my age?
My birthday's coming up this weekend......

Maybe I'll have a list of 33 things, I haven't decided yet. But it may be something fun...who knows.

Just wanted to pop in, wish you all a great weekend, and share some tunes.
enjoy, TTYL








I'll let them speak for themselves :) Email me at annieblackberry@hotmail.com to order.


Freedom

Good morning, all you lovelies out there in bloggyland. :)

This week hasn't turned out to be quite as I was hoping, but we've been busy...so I wanted to show you a layout I completed last night. (I have been dying to scrap...but you'll see what has been keeping me from the scrappy desk soon enough)

my apologies for the dark photo! it's rainy here and I tried to catch the light...(It keeps getting dark and then bright sunlight bursts through occasionally)
Here I used scraps left over from SFTIO's nov. kit. I also made this layout for 2 challenges. I used sketch 130 from creative scrappers (so glad I found this blog... the sketches are awesome.) and I used a prompt from My Paper Treehouse. It's a faith inspired spot. :) I love to scrap about my kids, everyday life, even myself...but to me scrapping about my faith feels special. This is just another way I can show my life and what's important to me.

Uh oh, I feel a close up coming up!
My take is based on Psalm 94. My desire is to praise the Lord at all times, feeling the freedom to pray and release all of my fears to Him. I want to be an encouragement to those who feel helpless. They have a rescue.

Okay so are you curious as to what the teenyterrors household has been busy with?

My hubby has been at our Church working every spare minute he has....doing odds and ends. This week he started working on his classroom for Royal Rangers.
Love the color? in between work, the Church, and us...he's been online looking for graphics to paint along the bottom, and getting his lessons planned. This awesome green is also the color or my scrappy room, AKA the family room. Have I told you guys how much I love my hubby and how much he rocks? Yep, he does!
sorry for the blurry image. The girl was too into her "job" to notice me...I've been stopping by just for a few because well...I missed the hubby. :) The kids love seeing the progress.

my oldest DD helping sweep the massive front entry. Hmm...how can i get my kids to be this helpful at home? LOL!!!

So there you have it...the kids and I haven't been able to go as often as we would like...but it's nice to see them take a cue from their daddy.

open your heart

Tuesday had a rocky start to it...craziness in the AM, rainy weather, my girls going off to school looking like raggamuffins....but it has slowed down some....

As you know, SFTIO's Nov kit is about Acceptance. One topic I touched was self acceptance. I already knew I wanted to do a layout in regards to this.

Just to let you know, I went out of my comfort zone with these photos...if you look through layouts about myself, my photos are close ups or self portraits. Even those aren't easy to do...I take about a gazillion of them to only really love one or 2.

The idea to break up the photos came to me when i thought that maybe I should create about the things I should see...and not what I have put in my head to accept.

now the journaling I put near what I think are trouble spots. I was going to list them as well. but deleted them...thinking I should stick with positives on this layouts.

OK...in case you're wondering...My arms were going to say something about how big they were...my smile all crooked, my thunder thighs...but the smile is genuine& warm, the arms perfect for an embrace. The thighs...a good place to sit multiple teenyterrors all at once and cuddle. to me less seemed to be better.

I did lots of fussy cutting...this layout took me the longest time to complete out of the 5. But you know what? it's one of my faves.


Thanks for looking. what is it that YOU choose to accept about yourself?

Are you ready?

I am so not ready for the weekend.

:shocked:

Yep, I really did just say that!!! This weekend's looking like a doozy. Jammed pack full of work to do. I sure hope that I get a chance to scrap. My fancy photographer (my daughter, Lexi) took some photos for me and I think she did awesome. She told me next time I will be getting billed. SMART girl. LOL

I just wanted to pop in and show you this little project I mentioned oh, I think last month.





This was what I made for Inside out's monthly subscriber content. I used scraps from the kit, some tags, and various bits& pieces all included in the kit. I got 5 layouts done, a mini book, and still had some stuff left over for another page. Cool beans, huh?


Have a great weekend, all!

Strong Enough

Over at the Inside out MB there is usually a thread called "Thankful Thursdays". It's basically what it sounds like, list 5 things we're thankful for. There are weeks I have to think really hard because it was a crummy week. Other weeks I breeze by and have to contain myself to just 5.
So what am I thankful for this Thursday?
1) my blog. yep...the more I post, the more I see the changes in my life. I see many different countries there in that visitor thingy-ma-jingy...of countries I've never been to before. Then I think that's awesome. Also, through this humble blog I have incredible support, inspiration from fabulous ladies, and I have my very small sounding board here. Too cool.

2) I say this every time: My family. I have a spectacular husband! I haven't been feeling too great...and he always steps up. He's on his way to Westchester with my DD, she needs to see a specialist. (say a prayer for her, please)  My kids are da bomb, as well. (Just remind me that I said this as I start going crazy from their fighting!!! LOL)

3)That there is progress going on at the Church I belong to!!! YAY! Some time ago I scrapped about it. It's about 90% done and it's all up to us members to help with the tedious little things that need to get finished. My DH  has been there on his spare time throughout the day to do things here and there. If it's been slow at work, he can be found there! (The Church is huge!!! One can get lost in there.)

4) That I am feeling better today. Yesterday was a rough day for me.

5) that my mommy was here. I'm so sad she had to go back, but seeing her makes my appreciation for her grow and grow.

AND a #6!

6) I am extremely grateful/thankful for those special men and women in the Armed Services who serve their country. They help make the freedoms we enjoy possible.


The layout you see was made with the November Acceptance kit over at SFTIO....Just a reminder, there's a DT call going on. Apply!!!!

a close up:
There's a small tutorial on my take of making those pleated flowers. You of course need to register to see it...so what are you waiting for?

love....

such a powerful word, isn't it?

Ok, I promise you this post isn't going to be as heavy as the prior two were. But it is still going to be deep.

First I'd like to thank the lovely ladies who left me comments on those posts. They made me smile and feel better. :) SO close your eyes and feel that huge cyber hug I am sending you right now!

My blog started off as just a showcase but as I started growing in my obsession with paper and photos, the things I created started changing into a whole other direction: little bits and pieces of my family, of who I am, my thoughts, every day life...so I feel like I can share what it is I am feeling here. So I make NO apologies for those posts because while they were heavy, they were shared in a positive light. Yes, I am human, yes, I go through many wonderful things, but I go through lows as well.

That said, I have something scrappy to show off. :)

This layout was created specifically for a challenge & is also using a sketch from here! I found out about this blog when my good friend, Elizabeth, showed off her awesome take on the sketch as a GD!!! (Congrats, E!)

Here are some detail photos.
I love how the original sketch had circles. since I was using such a busy combo of paper, I decided to add the circles using my hambly stash! Can you tell I am on a butterfly kick? I am also digging black & white patterned paper. It's so classy to me, IDK.

This layout is basically all about how I feel God's love in so many ways. I feel it through my children. They make me understand him a bit deeper...because I cannot imagine anyone else loving my kids more than I do. (Ok, hubby comes in at a close second...maybe tied?) No matter what they do, at their best, at their worst...I love them. How much more can He love me? I am provided for, taken care of, dealt with...get that spiritual spankin when I need it...when I see how beautiful the seasons are...I think wow, I love how He has decorated! LOL. I know, I'm silly!!! Tee hee.

Thanks for looking, and even more thanks in advance if you leave me some love!!!!

Sometimes when there's nothing else you can say,

you open up an email, get a letter (a rarity these days), get a text, etc....and there goes the words you need to read, hear, say, see.

This happens to me A LOT. Yes, I come in contact with lots of different people every day through my job. Sometimes the interactions are really nice, I am left with such a good feeling and a huge smile on my face. Other times I have to shake my head and wonder what that person was thinking...or if they were thinking at all!

My inbox is very important to me. This is where I get my facebook updates, emails containing news  that I may find pertinent, and then I get emails from devotional sites like "purpose driven life" and "411 God".

I opened up my email this morning to find a Nudge. (if you're curious as to what it is, click on the word)  It contained this:


Yes. I Want to Be Your Friend

My friend Phil works at a little restaurant in Pittsburgh. For all I know, finding interesting bits of paraphernalia might be a normal part of restaurant work. In any case, the scrawled napkin he found left behind at one of his tables, made its way to me. It said:


“Dad, I want you to be my friend so please say yes I’ll be your friend.”


“Yes! I would love to be your dad and good friend forever.”


I’ve never asked anyone if they would be my friend forever. I didn’t think to ask my own dad to be my friend when I was a little girl. Although, I’m pretty sure that if I had, he would have responded with a exclamatory ‘yes!’ just like this dad did. Whether or not his actions would have followed suit is another question.


In any case, the way people know their fathers is a dramatically diverse pile of experiences. Some of us have dads that make the words ‘loving father’ seem like a bad mix of flavors. This is something that should not be. I wish everyone would receive love from their dads. I wish everyone could know in the core of who they are that they are known and treasured.


God is our father. And when we hear that, we should know that it means he loves us, like our own fathers should have loved us, whether they actually did or not. The Psalmist writes: “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13).


I kind of like that the little girl left her note behind. Makes me think she was already pretty sure her dad wanted to be her ‘good friend forever’ before she ever asked.


Peace.


Em



See, no matter how many friends we may have on those little social network sites, on the blog, in message boards or maybe "pinging" you on your phone all day...you can still get that overwhelming sense of loneliness.


I don't know why I am sharing this, I just felt a strong need to. Maybe it's a sweet little reminder, that no matter what you're feeling, there is someone who loves YOU. Cares for you, and wants to be your friend forever.

Discouragement according the the Gospel of Arlene

According to Free Dictionary the definition of Discouragement is as follows:

1. a. The act of discouraging.

    b. The condition of being discouraged.

2. Something that discourages; a deterrent.

To expound on the word a bit.....

Noun 1. discouragement - the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles .
disheartenment, dismay

despair - the feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well
 
intimidation - the feeling of discouragement in the face of someone's superior fame or wealth or status etc.


2. discouragement - the expression of opposition and disapproval
disapproval - the expression of disapproval

disheartenment - a communication that leaves you disheartened or daunted

dissuasion - a communication that dissuades you
determent, deterrence, intimidation - a communication that makes you afraid to try something


3. discouragement - the act of discouraging;
deterrence - the act or process of discouraging actions or preventing occurrences by instilling fear or doubt or anxiety

 Quotes for you (and me)!

“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.”

Dale Carnegie quotes (American lecturer, author, 1888-1955)

“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.'”

Billy Graham quotes (American evangelist, b.1918)




 
 
We're all bound to deal with this word in one way or the other. It's human to feel discouraged. There are so many times that in my own life it hits me like a brick wall.
 
 With my
1) health: I find myself asking "what else can go wrong?" When am I going to feel NORMAL again?!"  Or " Oh, Lord...am >I< the only one who goes through this?" "how slow does this process of losing weight have to take?"
2) job: "Thank you Lord for the work that comes in...but can they be money jobs instead of charge accounts:?" Or "why do I always get the pieces of work that complain to me about things I have NO fault in?"
3) scrapping: "I try out for so many different things...is my art good enough?" "why doesn't anyone like me?"
4) "ministry work": (for not finding the right word to call this)  Finding my Niche in Church. the 2 things I love to do are sing and teach. There are times hearing fellow members sing makes me feel like I'm not good enough or of the same caliber to try out. I let my shyness talk me out of trying out. Even though my kids ask me when I'll join alllllllllll the time. I feel like I am called to be active...but just don't know what to do!
 
My list can go on and on, but I don't want to sound like I'm high maintenance! There are so many things  that can discourage someone...
 
the job market, financial worries, social conditions, fill in the blank___________________________.
 
How does one fight the urge to fall deep into despair?
 
well...this post has a powerful word to apply to a situation! Anything that is well worth it, has to be earned. If I haven't been persistant in many things, I wouldn't have gotten the satisfaction of a job well done, the right doors wouldn't have opened for me, or I wouldn't appreciate whatever it is as much if it were easy to obtain.
 
Also, setting goals that are more realistic. I often set myself up to feel discouragement  by setting goals that are too big to fulfill all in one shot. Instead of wanting to lose 30, I should set my sight on 15. (Thanks, Babe, for pointing this out! So far I have lost 8.)  Instead of wanting to join a manufacturer ( or a kit club) DT I can choose to instead play along elsewhere or maybe even take a break to feel good about it again. I could take this time to grow in other aspects of my life. Who knows?
 
Take a look at the BRIGHT Side! Not allowing negativity and the what if's, could've,& should've (s) set in. When you are tempted to crawl into the "woe is me" feeling, DON'T! Instead look at the happy aspects. You're alive, have a roof over your head, warm, dry, fed. Look at the little blessings.

 
This is a biblical verse that is both deep and comfort.
 
Psalm 43:5


Why am I discouraged?Why is my heart so sad?I will put my hope in God!I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!


In hindsight I didn't think this post was going to be so long...so my apologies (and kudos if you made it this far!). I hope that while I'm going through my little things that this post will help someone else who may be feeling a bit like this for a whole other set of reasons.

I'll be back tomorrow...with a fun post!


Annie Blackberry Summer 2011 You Are Special Collection




My FAVOURITE! Large Red Daisy - $45 - only 1 but can make to order



Hand iridized brass wing with Genuine Swarovski heart - $45 - (Only 1 but can make to order)



Dalmatian Jasper Pendant - $45 - only one



One-off genuine turquoise pendant with vintage focal point - $45 - ONLY 1



Genuine 50s Celluloid Doves - Nude - $40 - Only one but may be able to make to order



Genuine Celluloid 50s Kissing Doves - Pale Yellow - $40- Only one but may be able to make to order


Things to make you feel special...(because you are)

Just email me on annieblackberry@hotmail.com to order. I accept international orders as well as New Zealand orders :)

God bless you beautiful people!

Annie xxx

Give & Take

As you know at SFTIO, November is about Acceptance. My creating process for SFTIO is to look up the word definition, synonyms & antonyms, quotes, ETC to see what sort of an angle I can spin. Sometimes the word is easy for me and I have so many topics to pick from, sometimes I am stumped. (not very often, though...because I am CHATTY. LOL.) As I was thinking about acceptance I happened to glance over to the corner of the area rug and saw my dog, Tyler, laying down. When he saw that I was looking at him, his tail wagged gently and he lifted his head up like "mommy, are you going to call me?"
Give and take

That's when it hit me! I can scrap Ty-ty!!! No matter what we do to him, this dog loves us and is so willing to do anything to make us happy. This poor dog gets ABUSE! Nani wrestles him, Annie picks him up and treats him like a stuffed toy putting all sorts of torture devices on him (hair clips) and he gets tripped over, stepped on by all of us because he's sooo darned QUIET! All I need to do is look at him, though...and he runs to me, tail-a-wagging. tongue hanging out ready to dole out a kiss.

too bad humans can't be more like this! LOL

Well, I have lots planned for the weekend. I'm hoping that maybe I can get something scrappy done......??? Wish me luck...because I am exhausted.