Friday, August 29, 2008

I love Bisous part 2!

I know I've talked about this company before, but I just can't tell you enough how awesome their pdq papers are! There are soooo many scrappers out there that have NEVER heard of BISOUS! Bisous is a scrapbooking company based out of Canada...and their PDQ papers totally rock! They are SUCH good quality, double sided, and you can use each side 4 different ways and it still looks great! You can also cut the papers in half, and your pages still look uniform and awesome! This is what I did with my mini album I made yesterday...yes, in one day I finished a whole chipboard album using PDQ papers! Check out Bisous' website at www.bisous.biz. You can also go to their blog off of this site, and see the 6 new AMAZING lines they have coming out this fall. YES, I WILL own them all someday!!!=)

ps-99% of this album is bisous pdq paper and embellishments. I added stickers and chipboard from a couple other companies like Heidi swap, and of course some chalk ink, but that's about it!

pps-the album is a Melissa Frances album, and it rocks! I buy all my chipboard albums at the melissa Frances booths at the expos, and they are amazing! I also met melissa at the last expo, and she was sooo freakin nice and helpful to me!







Wednesday, August 27, 2008

5 random things for today

1. Jordyn is wearing a TOTALLY cute blue and brown shirt with an owl on it to school today...pics later! (you KNOW this'll turn into a scrap page, right?)

2. Jacob taught me something new in math (7th grade algebra) last night and thinks he's the bomb cause he's smarter than his mom!

3. I'm totally back on track with my ww, after not doing so well this summer!

4. My friend Awesome Abby who's lost a TON of weight, and is totally beautiful and wonderful drinks 200 oz of water daily. I saw that as a challenge, considering she's such a tiny thing...so I have been doing the same, and I must say...not only is my skin better, and I have more energy, but the scale is going down! (if you need me...i'll be in the bathroom! haha)

5. I found my high school bestest friend ever through FACEBOOK! I can't tell you how happy I am to finally find her again! I've been looking for Gretchen Schmidt (not to be confused with the famous scrapper Gretchen Schmidt) for almost 12 years now! I'm so excited to be reconnected and learn about her life with her hubby AND her kids! (pic to be uploaded soon!)

have a great day!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Layouts for a cause

A while back, my amazing friend Corinna, who's blog you can find at http://www.myscrapbooklife.com read a story about a lady that has cancer, and has 3 young kids at home. Corinna, being the wonderful, caring person that she is, was heartbroken at the story, and wanted to do something to help this woman that lives in Canada that she's never met! She went as far as finding more info on the story, and finding out the ladys (Anita) email address and asking her if she would like Corinna and her friends to make a scrapbooking album for her kids. Anita was so amazed, and emailed back right away, saying that would be wonderful, as she's starting chemo again. To make a long story short, Anita sent Corinna a ton of photos, and Corinna mailed some to each of us to help make this scrapbook for Anita. I feel so blessed to be a part of something so awesome!

Here are 5 of my layouts so far.





Monday, August 25, 2008

Jordyns 1st day of first grade!

Oh, by the way, I just realized that I've been blogging for over a year! Holy cow, I had no idea it's been that long!

Jordyn had a great first day, and came home on the bus happy! YAY!

Here are some pics of her special day! (she picked the clothes out herself!)





Sunday, August 24, 2008

150+ random things about me!

I was reading Awesome Abby's blog the other day, and she posted 101 random facts about herself. Not only was it funny, but It motivated me to write my own list!

Here's MY problem....once I get my mind in that mode to THINK of things like that, my brain won't stop! So for the last two nights, I havn't been able to sleep, cause random thoughts kept popping into my head. The first night was ok, cause I stayed in bed and hoped that I'd remember my list in the morning...last night was rediculous and I snuck out of bed and finished my list at 11:30 at night! This is insane! I'm sure by the time I'm done typing it all out on here, I'll have another 200 facts to write!

So here it goes, 150 random things about me that you never wanted to know, but I'm gonna tell you anyways!

#1 I dont eat a lot of chocolate, cause "once you pop, you just can't stop!"
this also goes with chips and dip!

#2 I hate lima beans and brussel sprouts-no matter HOW you cook em!

#3 I'm a psycho scrapper, but I don't journal enough on my pages!


#4 I hate my own handwriting! When I was in school, I'd try to copy my friends writing cause mine sucked so bad!

#5 My favorite colors are green and blue. I think Its cause I'm such a nature freak.

#6 I could stare at cloud formations all day long! When we go on road trips, I take a lot of pictures of the pretty clouds!


#7 I never had an imaginary friend and was jealous of people that did!

#8 I tried escargot on a cruise ship once...not good, NOT GOOD!

#9 Was told by my mom that when I was little, they couldn't find me anywhere, and when they finally did, I had locked myself in the neighbors house and was on the floor with the cookie jar and was taking one bite out of each cookie! ...Not much has changed...

#10 I am NOT afraid or embarrassed to color on the kids menus at restaurants

#11 I own a ton of sappy comedy love story movies and I cry even after watching them 10 times!

#12 80's movies are my favorites! (they just dont make em like they used to!)



#13 When I was little, I wanted a horse as a pet...and a monkey! Thank God I didn't get either!

#14 I also wanted to be a nurse, but, of course, the fact that I faint at the sight of blood kinda makes it look like a bad idea, huh!

#15 My daughter Jordyn inherited that trait...

#16 I love vacations and road trips and have been to over 35 states!

#17 I have been on 5 cruises and am addicted! There's no other way to Vacay!


#18 The lady at the used book store knows me by name and LENDS me books sometimes. I'm also obsessed with the bargain book sections in Barnes and Noble, and Borders! I own a TON of books and sometimes read them more than once!

#19 I take a daily multivitamin (of course you needed to know that!)

#20 I have over 10,000 pictures in my house waiting to be scrapped

#21 I have only broken one bone in my body, and that was my left wrist when I was in 4th grade....it's all my brother Seans fault! =)

#22 None of my kids have ever broken any bones *knock on wood!*

#23 I broke a record at the hospital when Jacob was born-pushed for 2 minutes and he was OUT!

#24 I never had a speeding ticket, but got a ticket once for a rt turn on a red light. (on my way home from a scrap convention, of course!)

#25 I love all kinds of music from the Beatles, to old school rap, to the cranberries, to country, to christian rock, etc. My ipod would scare you!

#26 I used to wear black religiously (cause it's slimming, right? but now wear all colors..yay!

#27 Rascal Flatts is a great concert to see if you like country music!


#28 I have 3 brothers, 3 step brothers, 1 sister, one step sister, one adopted sister, one dog (soon to be two dogs) and a partridge in a pear tree

#29 I have never smoked a cigarette before...not even a puff! Never will!

#30 I have had to many nicknames to mention

#31 I met my husband online (not in a male order catalog)

#32 I also have met some of my best friends in the world online, and have reconnected with friends that I havn't seen since 7th grade because of myspace and facebook.

#33 I am shy....stop laughing, I am! Sometimes...
BUt...once you get to know me, all bets are off!

#34 ALl of my grandparents have passed away and I miss them!

#35 I am very opinionated and say what I'm thinking-even if its not wanted. Can't help it, it's in my blood! Love me or leave me!

#36 I hate racists...yes I said HATE!

#37 I hate ignorance as well

#38 I love spring and fall....winter and summer? not so much...

#39 I only like the rain when I don't have to go out in it.



#40 We only had birds when we were little, cause my brothers and dad were allergic to cats and dogs. I love my doggie now!

#41 I played softball, volleyball, and basketball when I was in elementary school and jr high. I didn't play anything in high school, cause the shyness showed up

#42 If I won the lottery, I'd put Jadyn in preschool so I could go back to college. I'd also take a ton of fun classes like art and photography!

#43 I'd also buy houses for my friends and family-but they'd have to live near me-thats the deal!

#44 I hated high school-you couldn't pay me enough to go back to that drama!

#45 I got my human resources certificate from the SRJC, then got pregnant with Jordyn, so was never able to make any money off of it

#46 I bought roller skates last year...for myself!

#47 I have no tattoos or piercings except for one hole in each ear

#48 I have 11 nieces and nephews

#49 I lost over 70 lbs last year but still have a long ways to go

#50 I dont like hotdogs

#51 I've been watching Days of our Lives since I was 12 years old. Sometimes I'll go up to a whole year without watching it, but that's ok, cause if I catch an episode, nothing much has changed! Seriously!



#52 I keep a gratitude journal

#53 My hubby always tells me "cup half full babe, cup half full!" He also tells me I'm Uncouth...who says that? lol

#54 I say "seriously!" wayyy too much!

#55 "You're KILLIN me, smalls!" is one of my favorite quotes

#56 I have friends in several different states and even countries that I talk to online on a weekly basis. I love love love my friends!

#57 I'm a people watcher....send me to the airport, and I'd be happy gawking for hours!

#58 I think women that wear high heels to Disneyland because they think they look cute are total idiots! I don't feel sorry for the blisters they get! This goes for ALL theme parks!

#59 I think it should be against the law for wommen to wear low rider pants with a thong riding up the back. Same goes for see through white pants...not cute, girls! I don't care how beautiful you are, this is NOT sexy...and if you think it is, you have serious issues! (ps-I could write a 101 list of all my pet peeves, and this would be # 1!)***ps...my friend Bernadette just told me that there's a technical term for this whole "thong hanging out" thing...and it's called a "whale tail!" perfect!



#60 I love my eyes and my skin

#61 I hate spiders

#62 I hate ants even more than I hate spiders!

#63 I buy magazines like a mad woman. Women's mags, scrapbooking mags, health mags...I have a shrine on the floor in my room that's getting pretty rediculous! Someday, I'll go through them and tear out all the dogeared pages...that's the plan, anyways!

#64 Our wedding AND reception AND honeymoon cost only $5000, thanks to some awesome people in the church that helped out.



#65 I used to collect turtles, then I bought a real one, and he was stinky and gross...so I gave him back to the store

#66 I want to learn how to sew!

#67 I never make my bed...why bother?

#68 I HATE to do dishes and laundry! (I will not deny that I'm a horrible house keeper!)

#69 I hate politics...sorry guys, it's true!

#70 I hate fake nails, but get them done when i'm going on a cruise or somewhere special...when the event is over, they come off!

#71 I get to travel all over the country going to scrapbooking expos to sell Pazzles machines with two of the coolest chicks ever!



#72 I am a nail biter

#73 I am a texting fool and probably send out at LEAST 50 txts a day!

#74 I am a kid lover and have been doing childcare on and off for 11 years!

#75 I still call cinnamon life "Mikey Likes it!" (if you know what the heck I'm talking about, you're probably around my age and watched too much tv when you were younger)



#76 I am obsessed with mexican food and could eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner every day for the rest of my life! Maybe this is my problem...

#77 My favorite flower is the tulips...who wouldn't like something that has two lips in it?



#78 I love the #s 6 and 7, but not the #s 3 and 9...wierd??

#79 I read every night before bed, if I can!

#80 I have a great long term memory-If I walked into a store and saw someone tomorrow that I havn't seen since kindergarten, not only would I recognize them, but 90% of the time I'd know their name, too! People seem to have a lasting effect on my mind...

#81 I remember back to school night in Kindergarten. That was 25 years ago. We made homemade butter in baby food jars. I still remember what that tasted like (oh come ON, you KNOW you needed to know that!!!)

#82 I love to cook, but don't like to clean up afterwards

#83 I cry at the drop of a hat-books, movies, hallmark commercials..I'm a disaster!

#84 I am impatient...and also an interrupter! Those are two traits that I totally dislike about myself!

#85 I used to think He-Man was hot!!



#86 I used to work in the shoe department of Ross Department store. Now when I go into stores like that, I can't help feeling sorry for those people.

#87 I love love love homemade potato salad

#88 I can't even tell you how many projects I have started and never finished!

#89 I think E.T. is one of my all time favorite movies!


#90 I think facial hair (goatees) on a man is very sexy. My hubby hates it, but humors me every couple of years...for about a week..then it's gone again!



#91 My husbands best friend used to be a ring announcer for midget wrestling-I know this is not about me, but I still think it's damn funny!

#92 My 1st born (Jacob) was named after a really good friend of mine. I wanted him to have a strong name, and Jacob was such an awesome person-friendly, caring, funny as heck! Jacob (my son) has lived up to his name!

#93 I love deviled eggs

#94 5 out of 7 nights a week I am in my bed in my jammies by 8pm. I read for a while, and then am ALWAYS asleep by 10. I am NOT a night person, and if I stay up too late, I get sick the next day.

#95 This is gonna make my friends freak out...but I HATE CATS!

#96 Everyone in my family has a "J" name. Jason, Jill, Jacob, Jordyn and Jadyn. My friends tried to make me name my dog Jasper, but that would have been wrong on so many levels, no?

#97 My mom is one of my best friends and we call eachother almost every day, and vacation and shop together. She moved to SOuthern Cali to be closer to me and the kids. I turned her into a TEXTER...hehe

#98 My husband proposed to me on the beach on Thanksgiving Day, 1999. He sang me a song, and wrote me a long poem. Talk about romantic!

#99 I learned a lot of interesting things from Judy Bloom books when I was little..haha

#100 My kids are very smart and love to read, just like me


#101 I'm an insomniac. It takes me HOURS to fall asleep, and I toss and turn like crazy. I dont know what it would be like to sleep through the night...but I'd love to find out someday!

#102 I can control most of my dreams. For example...I can wake up in the morning, and then go to bed that night and start back from where I left the night before. I have had dreams last up to 2-3 weeks. I love most of my dreams..they freakin rock!

#103 I hate dreams about loved ones dying

#104 My dad works for amazon.com, yet I've never been given a book

#105 I love rootbeer floats


#106 I used to be a groupie at Daddios Pizza in Petaluma. That's where I learned to play pool, pinball, and other bad things

#107 I am friends and keep in contact with some people that I've known since I was 3 years old

#108 I think Victoria Canada is one of the prettiest places on Earth!

#109 We spoil our kids WAYYY too much at Christmas time!

#110 I went trick or treating every year until I was over 21! Now that I'm a mom, I still get to go...and sometimes still dress up!

#111 My favorite halloween candies are Snickers, Mr Goodbar, dum dum pops, and smarties. I do NOT like tootsie rolls and HATE candy corn!

#112 I suck at water skiing but love snow skiing!

#113 I know how to catch, clean, and gut a fish-but I hate to EAT fish, or any seafood for that matter

#114 I think Mimi's cafe has the best meatloaf I've ever tried...sorry mom!

#115 I have a nice digital camera, and have no idea of its total capabilities. It's a darn shame!

#116 I could buy a Lexxus with the money I've spent on scrapbooking supplies in the past 10 years


#117 Everyone in my family has blue eyes..but they're all different shades!

#118 I never wore flip flops until a few years ago...and now I wear them 365 days a year! Or so it seems...

#119 I love the smell of orange blossoms

#120 I'm obsessed with Bath and Body works and Victoria's Secret sprays

#121 I hate my teeth

#122 I had a teacher in high school that had a crush on me

#123 15 different houses in my neighborhood have a direct line of sight into my backyard-this is the #1 reason I won't be caught sunbathing out there!

#124 I have two cupboards full of ribbon


#125 I have 3 cupboards and 8 shelves full of paper, and it's all organized into page kits. This DOESN'T include my cardstock!


#126 I am highly sensitive to sodium and blow up like a balloon when I eat it

#127 I am sensitive to caffeine too, and if I drink any caffeinated drinks after 1pm, I'm up all night!

#128 Jacob's first sentence was "Hey good lookin, whatcha got cookin?"
Jordyn's first big sentence was "You bet your sweet bippee"
Jadyn's first big sentence was "Monkey in your underwear!"
(don't know where they get their personalities from!"

#129 I made the cheerleading team in jr high, but couldn't afford the uniform, so I wasn't allowed to be on the team....seriously!

#130 I can beat the Super Mario Bros game =)

#131 My brain age is 33

#132 I've lived in southern Cali for over 5 years, and have YET to go to Universal Studios!

#133 I have a better relationship with my sister now than I did when I was a teenager. I think it's cause I no longer read her diary and tell mom!


#134 I wish I was a better auntie

#135 I SUCK at thank you notes and any kind of snail mail for that matter-always have!

#136 When I graduated from high school, I was preparing to go to art college. Then I got pregnant with Jacob. I wouldnt take that back for anything in this world!

#137 I make really good smoothies

#138 On Jacob's 1st halloween, I dressed him up as a crossdressing baby, complete with dress and wig. I have pictures!

#140 "You are my sunshine" is one of my favorite childrens songs. WHen I was a preschool teacher, I made my students sing it to me every day. It drove the director crazy!

#141 I weigh myself every day. SOmetimes up to 10 times! I know its obsessive and I hate it, but I just can't help it! I need serious therapy!

#142 I'm afraid of natural disasters...seriously...terrified...


#143 I'm also afraid of burglers, kidnappers, house fires, and anything that could potentially harm my family...maybe THIS is why I don't sleep well at night!

#144 "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs" is one of my favorite childhood books.


#145 I daydream when I'm driving...a lot!

#146 I'm really good at Poker!

#147 I have a really hard time dealing with the fact that some people mean more to me than I mean to them

#148 I'm not happy with a lot of things I had done in my past, and I don't know how to move on so it doesn't effect my future.

#149 I miss a lot of my old childhood friends and think of them often!

#150 If I could close my eyes and picture my dream home, it would look something like this...(this isn't exactly the look of the front of the house, but the wraparound porch)



and the inside would look something like this...






Since I'm a mind reader and all, I know that my friends are thinking "this looks NOTHING like the style of Jill's house right now."

and my mother in law is thinking "wow, that's an awful lot of white for a house with kids"

and my hubby is thinking "in your wildest fantasies, babe!"

and I'm thinking "when I win the lottery and my kids are grown up and moved out...I can do anything I want, so there!" =)

Anyone that has read all 150 of these is totally a true friend! Others that stopped a long time ago, probably think I'm psycho by now!

BTW...this, of course, is just the beginning....my mind never quits!

Friday, August 22, 2008

6x9 manilla file folder mini album

Ok, so this whole MINI ALBUM thing got me inspired! I wanted to make a "Back to school" album for Jacob, and didn't know where to start, so I was looking through all of my old albums, and I came upon an album that I bought as a kit at an expo a couple of years ago. It's from Bo Bunny, and when I finished the album, I totally LOVED it! It looked easy enough to duplicate, so I emailed BO BUNNY and asked them if it were ok for me to duplicate the album, but with different papers, and they said SURE! WOOT WOOT!

This mini album was created using

6 6x9 manilla envelopes
Basic Grey's RECESS paper line and alphabet stickers
Daisy D's ribbons
Colorbox Dark Brown Chalk Ink
Pebbles Inc and Cloud 9 chipboard stickers

When choosing the background for this album, I figured the 6x9 envelopes would be perfect, because I can put all of my son's SPECIAL work into the folders at the top! CLEVER....

Take a peek, what do you think??









This album took me about 3-4 hours total to create!