the scrapbook shoppe in columbus, ga, is a haven for happiness.

last night we had our annual halloween crop and it was a blast. and to think i didn't crop one thing! lol!!! i was too busy with all the games, "eye candy", and eating all the (as cheryl would say) yummyliciousness that covered the tables. we decided that although cheryl was a faerie god mother she actually looked like a cross between tinker bell and marie antoinette. by the end of the crop she really did look like it. but leave it to cheryl to have games that can make all of us almost kill ourselves to win the great prizes she always has. all the laughter that can fill her shoppe is amazing. such wonderful friendships are made and all are willing to help others learn a new technique or share from their own stash of favorites. regardless of our lives outside of the shoppe when you open those shoppe doors you can leave it all behind. and as for my family my sweet husband is always willing to help out with the treats and a small project for our 4 year old max's pre-k class. this year it took us some time to figure out that max wanted to be "spiderman" when all the while he was pronouncing it as "fighterman". this year max chose to carve our pumpkin on halloween day to glow on halloween night. happy halloween and blessed sanhaim to all of my wonderful friends.

max said it was raining balloons.

friday was a crop til you drop day. the familiar post it notes are on the tables so we all know who sits where. many come and go for whatever reasons. tho i'm the lazy one and i order food in. there are several of us that do so. i find myself at the shoppe quite often. it keeps me off of my sofa more times than not. there are those days that i go and accomplish absolutely nothing but to hear the chatter of the owner, cheryl, with her customers. if i could only have but 1 iota of her energy and her cheerful heart i believe i would be a better person. actually there is also sweet sweet shelley with the kindest of hearts and always an ear to listen and not judge. there are so many that come and go. only if its just to pop in to say hi or grab a certain paper they just can't live without. so much goes on in this cozy store that at times it can feel like home. there are those of us that would be called the regulars. and there are those that come in small groups; probably a "mommys day out" or a birthday party. i find it both amazing and overwhelming at these times. i find myself in awe of cheryl as she keeps her store in a constant motion of newness and fun gatherings. our halloween crop will give everyone a chance to be a kid again; dressing in costumes and playing games. cheryl always has a secret to top it off. we had a great slumber party with party games nobody would believe unless they were there. some of us are pretty tough cookies and will "thro down" just so we can win. and we all end up rolling all over the place. now we are gearing up for our own halloween, thanksgiving, and christmas. and in between we all find ourselves working on the pages for the random pictures we had put aside. the weather is changing (finally) and from now til the end of the year there is a big green bowl on the front table filled with chocolate candies. this truly keeps cheryl happy. and a few others as well...

TAG! YOU'RE IT!

Last night i got tagged by cheryl at the shoppe! so its taken me almost 24 hours just to get this done.

We are supposed to post the 6th picture from the 6th folder in our photo files and then tag 6 more people and ask them to do the same.

Since my ignorance seems to take over when things like this come along... would you believe i had to get mike (my husband!) to help me out. jeez... so anyway here's my little guy, max, just after bath time! can you believe he can get that look with no hair gel!!!



ARE YOU TALKIN' TO ME?

so now its YOUR TURN!


TAG! YOU'RE IT!!!
oh yeah, feel free to visit my blog anytime!
http://www.lifeattheshoppe.blogspot.blog/
my email is jkburnett61@charter.net

mike, max, and i spent friday in newnan. we played "catch up christmas" with another extension of my family. it was the usual meet at a restaurant (i hate o'charleys, btw), banter over drinks, take forever to order, although we do order early for the little ones, then linger for no important reasons. well, i do. my baby sister is always the first to rush away for some other engagement she has always planned knowing our event was on the calendar. so we are left with mama which naturally leads us into shopping mode. i was glad for the time we spent together regardless of time restraints.

once we were back in columbus i rushed about the house changing into pj's and making sure i had everything in my suv i knew i wouldn't use for the evening's event... that being the scrapbook shoppe yearly pajama party!

the shoppe was packed and loud and happy. how cheryl manages to make so many happy never ceases to amaze me. the food was galore, the games hysterical, and the chatter never stopped. some managed to actually create while others moved about. i, like everyone else, had lugged in all of my "scrapments" with good intentions, yet counting on nothing but a good time. and that i had.

the party ended with breakfast at IHOP with each of us going our separate ways having full bellys and looking for our warm beds.

i'm still amazed with what women will talk about even while they're scrapping. and i was right. i didn't accomplish a thing. well, i'll rephrase. laughter.

today (saturday) i was suppose to take a really cute card class with sandy. when it comes to card making she is the woman! these are the cards for valentine's day. however, i woke up with a horrid ear ache and had to go back to bed. what a disappointment! but, i have the sweetest husband. mike called the shoppe for me and asked cheryl (the really talented owner) to have a kit put together for me. so now i will be playing catch up! but that's ok. i have several things already gathered together and in progress to make sure my special valentines get delivered.

last nite (friday) was crop nite. you've heard "...stays in vegas!"? well, lets just say what happens on crop nite in the shoppe stays in the shoppe!!!

the polkadots have got to go....

its friday and that means its CROP NITE! its time to start making those special valentines and the scrapbook shoppe has the cutest idea for a little treat basket. i can't wait to get to work on them. they are the perfect thing and can be made in no time, well, basically. and, although, i seem to have plenty of paper to use for this project i know that new papers have arrived at the shoppe! so its the end of january and i should have plenty of time to get my pages done for mike from max and i. i may have mentioned before that i do scrapbook pages instead of cards now when it comes to mike. its a challenge but i have faced it head on and i've enjoyed making these special "for daddy" and "husband" pages. i just had a thought... do i have the right scrapbook to keep them in, just for him? not that he would notice that part but it would be nice to have his own book for these special "card" pages. hmmmm. well, no doubt i will find what i need for that. and, now that i have my "scrap room" set up in my home i can just about put my fingers on whatever i need without all the digging and hunting around! of course kudos to my friends who helped me turn "the black hole" into my "scrap room" in just one day! hey, its girls nite out but it starts at 10am and goes til midnite! ta ta for now!

i'm pretending i don't see the polkadots...

today was what seemed a very long day. however, i was able to make a quick trip to the shoppe. i have lost a very special pen; it was a gift. the pen was one of those you can take apart and put whatever you want to show thru the barrel. believe it or not mine was white with green polkadots and had my initial in the middle. i must have lost it at the hospital while visiting my grandmother. so, that is why i was at the shoppe. thankfully cheryl had the pens and was holding one for me to pick up today. now i have to make a decision on just what i want on the inside!

i've really missed being at the shoppe. but, thankfully i am on the email list so i can keep up with all her goodies as they arive! you should see the awesome topiary she made for a sweet valentine. and the card to go with it is perfect. both cheryl and sandy have blogs and are listed on my page. to see their beautiful hand made gifts and cards you should follow their wonderful blogs!

the polkadots are still here...

got to the card class (late as usual) but i got there! sandy's a great teacher and i'm great at taking my time;) the cards are cute and sweet, for us girls anyway. we actually made cards for the guys too. pretty neat.

as sandy moved on to take a "page" class from shelley i was still taking my time working on my cards. ok, so they're a bit simple looking but i did make them. and i enjoyed doing so. the only reason i sat and finished the cards then rather than later is because i let the "page" class go for once. i missed taking the class tho. but i will be there for the valentine pages shelley has come up with.

i enjoy putting my albums together. it finally clicked with me that i don't have to have a picture(s) to work around. i was able to put together two albums within two weeks prior to christmas. one with pictures spanning over 25 years and another for someone special for their own special pictures. i don't know if its just a fluke or if i've really gotten a clue about this fabulous art.

it helps, i believe, if you have teachers, friends, and a bit of interest, in a setting that surrounds you with any and all possibilities. its a fun place. a happy place. a couple of months ago there was a poll on the scrap shoppe blog. the majority voted scrapbooking to be a therapeutic. (and i'm sitting here watching tokyo drift). one of my true passions... driving fast. oops;)

now if i can just get the polkadots off this page, today!

now if i can get the polkadots off of my page i will basically be happy...

well i cropped until almost midnight last night. when i got home i checked out a friend's blog. her's was so cute it made me sick. so i've made some adjustments. how this is going to work out, i don't know. we'll see;)

today (this morning) i will be taking another card class. birthday cards by sandy! so i have my handy little birthday calendar to help me out. it was suggested and obviously would make things easier as i go along learning just how sandy manages her techniques. ok, so i need more coaching. (just an excuse to take the class.)