Welcome 2011!!

Happy New Year everyone!  I thought I would start the second day of the New Year with some quotes and in a few hours some pictures of layouts!  I spent the first day and the last day of the year scrapbooking . . . I really truly love scrapbooking!!!!!


Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.
Benjamin Franklin

Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.
Oprah Winfrey


For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.
Edith Lovejoy Pierce

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
Edgar Guest

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential.
Ellen Goodman

The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.
G.K. Chesterton

Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits.
Author Unknown


Never tell your resolution beforehand, or it's twice as onerous a duty.
John Selden


Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.
Oscar Wilde

One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things.
John Burroughs

May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions.
Joey Adams

I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's.
Henry Moore


New Year's Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time.
James Agate

New Year's Day is every man's birthday.
Charles Lamb

For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.
T. S. Eliot

Each age has deemed the new born year
The fittest time for festal cheer
Walter Scott

Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to.
Bill Vaughnv

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.
Bill Vaughan


It wouldn't be New Year's if I didn't have regrets.
William Thomas

Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols.
Thomas Mann

A new beginning on the horizon, 2011!

I love new beginnings, I like Mondays (because it is the beginning of the week), I like new days, I like the first day of school, and I like New Year's.  I'm not in any particular rush to speed through life in fact the older I get I am in less of a hurry.  What is so exciting about the New Year, why is it that in some unconscious way we are hurling towards that moment?  At some point as the New Year approaches we will sit and reflect on the past 365 days give or take and take inventory of the wins and losses and when that is done you have a New Year on the horizon.  It is like a collective breath of  fresh air for every single person on the planet, it is really the one do over we can't plan for, the fresh start we all need.  It isn't as if magically we will undo all of our bad habits from the previous year, but emotionally we get to clean house in a big way.   The whole planet is in that same frame of mind, REFLECTION and HOPE.  I'm not one to really think too much about New Year's Resolutions, I figure if I need to make changes then they need to be made immediately not when things settle down or the New Year kicks in but I do love that fresh start.   Humans need a fresh start, that is why we move away, why we change jobs, we end relationships, we start them...all for fresh starts.   The New Year is just a day away and I'm ready, 2010 has been a rough year and it seems a lot of people would agree with me on that.   New Year's is a holiday filled with hope,  that countdown to the last 10 seconds of the previous year, and the second when the New Year begins, it's all quite poetic.  Even if you sleep through the New Year, which I have once or twice in the past, you still wake up with the exciting recognition that a new year is upon you.  With that I wish you a very safe and Happy New Year, and I hope that the new year brings you peace of mind and hope! 

10 Pages in 3 Hours at Memory Lane Scrapbooking in Los Alamitos

 Join me on Sunday January 16th at Memory Lane Scrapbooking in Los Alamitos from 1:00 to 4:00pm, this is a fun feminine set and as always all elements are included with the exception of the titles.  Hope to see you there! Call the store to register (562)799-0506

One of the best investments ever!!

There are certain products that are worth every penny and lately the one that I love and can't get enough of is the Sizzix 3-D flower die.  I want to use these adorable little flowers on everything!  Plus one of my favorite things about using my Big Shot is the fact that I can use other types of materials such as felt, chipboard, cardboard, etc.  Below is the link to the assembly instructions also, if you look on the internet you can find plenty of tutorials on YouTube, although I found the instructions below sufficient.  One other thing I didn't use the toothpick that they suggest in the instructions (actually I tried the first time but found it easier to assemble without it) I just did it by hand and made sure to keep it even.  
Sizzix 3-D flower assembly instructions
I have to say it was WAY easier making this flower with felt, the felt makes it so easy to twist without moving on you plus it looks great!  Check out the flowers from the layout below.  If you don't have this die go out and get it you are going to totally LOVE IT!!

January 10 Page in 3 Hours Sneak Peak

I only have one layout for you right now, but I have been busy working on classes for 2011 and there are some fun great things happening in the New Year!   As always class titles are not included so that you can customize each layout to fit you specific needs, but all other elements are, the class schedule for January will be posted soon!

A December To Remember Mini Book!

I will be doing this darling little book at the Scrapbook Garden in Huntington Beach on Dec. 18th, 2010 2-5 pm. Can't make the class buy the kit!

Poor abandoned blog ....

My poor little blog has been completely ignored in the past few months all but fading into obscurity...so very sad, BUT now I think it is starting to come back. Even though 2010 is not completely over (it might as well be the last few weeks of the year will be spent rushing around in a sea of Holiday Cheer) I have started reflecting on the past year... this year has been chaotic, fun, scary, painful, and just a roller coaster of events and experiences that have been difficult but enlightening and through much of it I was lucky enough to have family and good friends there for me. So what does this have to do with scrapbooking? Well everything of course it felt at times this past year that I NEVER wanted to see another piece of patterned paper in my life again, thank goodness that madness wore off! So after deciding that I needed to take a brief brake and redefine my direction for my business as well as my creativity I'm happy to say I am excited about what 2011 brings. I want to scrapbook morning noon and night, not because I need a distraction, not because I'm bored but because I LOVE IT! That is how I know I love something, even when it gets boring, its no longer new, or even if it makes me mad for awhile when the dust has settled I still LOVE IT! So here is to a refound love of the best stinkin' hobby in the world SCRPABOOKING and all its messy goodness!

2 more kits for sale!!

Hi everyone 2 more kits for your shopping pleasure, I am working to list more kits and projects for sale so keep checking back!!
Fright night $12.00
Miracle $8.00

Spring has Sprung!

I have a limited number of kits available for this 2 page layout, this is a kit only and will not be offered as a class. As always everything is pre-cut and ready to assemble! Please e-mail me at rivpunk@aol.com to reserve yours once these are sold out I will not be offering anymore. Thanks!!

Classes this weekend 5/29 at the Scrapbook Garden in Huntington Beach!

Upcoming classes - Spring is in the Air and another awesome 10 page!

There is nothing like spring to make you feel awake and alive again, so with that here are a few pictures of upcoming classes, check out the class schedule to your right. Happy Spring!!

My sick little munchkin!

This is what a sick 3 year old looks like when she is FINALLY napping for a bit. It has been another crazy few weeks, I had a booth at the expo this past weekend in Costa Mesa, thanks to everyone who stopped by to say HI!! When I picked up my kids from my mom's on Monday night, I could tell my Abby wasn't feeling well> I knew she had a cough but she had dark circles under her eyes which usually with her means something else is going on. So she has been home from daycare, which means nothing gets done except when she looks like this.
I just finished helping Madison with a project on Alexander the Great for her school and now everyone is tucked in bed . . . at least for now and I am FINALLY off to go work on some projects, Have a good night!!

Mary Poppins @ the AHMANSON THEATER

Sunday was great I went with my family - hubby, kids, aunt, uncle, cousins to see Mary Poppins at the Ahmanson, what a great show, my 3-yr old Abby did really well considering the length. It really was an awesome show!

All you need is love sneek peek

Here is peek at one of my Feb. classes, this is an 8" x 8" Acrylic mini book. More pics coming soon. Have a great day!!

Happy New Year & Grapes to you!!

Happy New Year!

In just a few short hours, we will either quietly or with much celebration bring in the New Year, we will count down the seconds ring in a new year and go to bed (well at least I will) Actually hubby and I are going to dinner then we will be staying up to play Wii with the girls until midnight, quietly with the one's I love, and at the stroke of midnight I have to eat 12 grapes, I went to pick them up from my grandma's house and she had them all ready to go sorted into baggies for myself, hubby and the kids. This is actually a Spanish tradition that has been adopted by many hispanic cultures. The tradition consists in eating a grape with each bell strike at midnight of December 31. According to the tradition, that leads to a year of prosperity. Each grape is eaten with each beat of the bell. After the 12th strike everyone should have eaten all their 12 grapes, although this seldom happens due to its difficulty. (I hijacked this info from Wikipedia)because in all honesty I had no idea where it cam from I just knew that my grandmother had the grapes ready for us every year, oh yes and yellow underwear, no that's not a typo. Actually I didn't remember the yellow underwear until a few hours ago, despite the fact that it has been many years since I have received yellow undies from my grandmother, I still look back on the tradition with a smile. I did a little internet research and found this on the yellow underwear tradition:

In many Spanish-speaking countries, wearing yellow panties into the New Year will bring wealth and luck. Yellow is the color of choice because it is most closely associated with gold, Varon says.

Tradition says you must cast away your old underwear at the stroke of midnight on New Year's and put on a yellow pair. To be lucky, they must be new. Want some extra luck? Wear them inside out. How you get the underwear is believed to make a difference, too; receiving them as a gift is said to be best.


So I hope you have a Happy & Safe New Year!! I leave you with some New Year's quotes, enjoy!


Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.
Benjamin Franklin

Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.
Oprah Winfrey


For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.
Edith Lovejoy Pierce

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
Edgar Guest

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential.
Ellen Goodman

The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.
G.K. Chesterton

Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits.
Author Unknown


Never tell your resolution beforehand, or it's twice as onerous a duty.
John Selden


Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.
Oscar Wilde

One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things.
John Burroughs

May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions.
Joey Adams

I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's.
Henry Moore


New Year's Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time.
James Agate

New Year's Day is every man's birthday.
Charles Lamb

For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.
T. S. Eliot

Each age has deemed the new born year
The fittest time for festal cheer
Walter Scott

Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to.
Bill Vaughnv

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.
Bill Vaughan


It wouldn't be New Year's if I didn't have regrets.
William Thomas

Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols.
Thomas Mann

Belated Happy Holidays

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and wishing you all a Happy New Year!!

Winter Program!!

Ok so this morning I got up to buy tickets to my 9 year old daughter's winter program, oh my goodness, as many of you know we started at a new private school this year and apparently this thing is a BIG DEAL! Tickets started selling at 5:00 am well I arrived about 10 min to 5:00 and there was a line of about 30 - 35 people. Wow and these tickets aren't cheap by grade school standards ($26.00 each) I already told my daughter NO STAGE FRIGHT, SHE BETTER BE PERFORMING AT HER PEAK!! Just kidding well only a little bit ;-) So where have I been; hiding, busy, planning, preparing, plus all the mommy stuff, soccer, homework, appointments, etc. etc. etc and the list goes on and on and on.

I also had a great group of girls come out and join me this past weekend in San Diego for our weekend retreat and then my hubby left my camera in the room, luckily the Town and Country found it and shipped it back, unfortunately the guy who shipped my package transposed 2 numbers so last I tracked it it was on the way to Oceanside to zip 92057, not 92507 (mine). It looks like UPS is in the process of correcting this issue, thank goodness. I was heartbroken when I thought I had lost my camera, it wasn't the camera itself it was the pictures of my kids on Halloween that were still on my memory card. At least it is on its way to me (I hope). SO that is all, I have a lot of changes coming for my classes in 2010 that I think many of you will like.

So that is it for now, I am off to go clean something (Isn't there always something to clean when you have 3 kids and 2 dogs?)

Have a great day!!



It haw been a month since I posted, no pictures, no samples, no nothing. So here is my last month in brief recap:

I was sick I got better YAY
We had the San Diego Retreat (FUN, FUN, FUN!!!)
I had to get up at 4:30 AM to buy tickets to my daughters winter program (CRAZY!!) Tickets ar

Feeling Yucky

I feel yucky, my head hurts my body aches and i have a painful dry cough. I hate being sick and what is worse I don't think my kids gave it to me this time, I picked it up somewhere and I am soooo hoping my kids don't get it. Being sick makes me sooo bitter grrrr.

Check out this fun layout!

I will be doing this layout on October 13, 2009 at Scrappin' In the Hills at 6:00 pm!
I have more classes to post!

LONG LONG DAY (and a really long post)

Today as been a long emotional day for me, I have been going back and forth for months on where my Madison (my 9year old) should attend school. She had been going to private school since kindergarten (she is now in fourth grade) until this past June. As the school year approached I knew she would not be returning to the school she had been attending but I still hadn't decided whether she would be attending a public or a new private school. Well we had a few weeks before the new private school started so I enrolled her in the local public school, she loved it. My daughter is a social butterfly who makes friends everywhere she goes so I knew she would be ok. Well by then end of her first day she had made friends and was happy, although I think her happiness has more to do with the fact that she didn't have to wear a uniform and could wear her own clothes. Well for the first time in a long while we didn't have to fight over getting up in the morning, getting her stuff together, and getting out the door. She looked forward to school, so with this new found enthusiasm I hoped the academic would also improve. Well after several weeks of waiting and watching I have decided to put her back in a private school. My daughter struggled last year with Reading, she was flipping letters, jumbling letters in words, the work was inconsistent, she seemed frustrated BUT she excelled at Math (accelerated math) each grade worked a year ahead. Last year we had her tested for Dyslexia by the school district and they found very little in fact they treated me like I was a whiny mother upset because my child was not an over achiever. They basically said she had a visual processing disorder, which the school psychologist couldn't really give me any info on it, well I did my own research and basically she appears to have a very mild form of dyslexia. Back to the math thing - well the other day she brought home a math test with a grade of 3 out of 14, this was a girl getting A's on 4th and 5th grade math last year and now she is getting F's in math that is below her grade level. This was the smoking gun for me, it made me realize that a. if my daughter is going to struggle then let her struggle at a higher level. b. it's not the school it's my daughter. I have also for some time thought my daughter was ADD and after more internet research I am becoming more and more convinced. I have over the last year spoken to many people on this issue friends, family, and acquaintances, learning that I am not the only person dealing with this kind of thing with their children. So why has this been so hard for me today well because It breaks my heart to have to change her from school and she is VERY upset about it. Not only that but I am scared and anxious, what if I am making the wrong decision. I don't think anything in the world make us second guess ourselves like parenting.
I hate to see her crying because she is sad to leave all her new friends, I feel like the worst mother in the world. I am not an overly sensitive parent I don't mind seeing my children cry especially when they are just being little boogers but feeling like an am inflicting sadness on them is a pain I cannot bear. Yup believe it or not I have a SUPER HUGE soft spot when it comes to all 3 of my kids, I can't bear to see a sad tear shed. I know I am not unique in this as parents we hate to see our children upset. So if I hadn't mentioned it already I have been crying all day about this issue with my daughter, well not really all day in emotional spurts. Ok so I am glad I was able to get this off my chest and down on paper. Sorry if it sounds choppy or run-on I wasn't too concerned with grammar. Have a good night.