Ethnic Scrapbooking

Fabulous Sistah Crop!

We cropped for more than 13 hours.  Check out the photo album of the sketch challenge (from Scraps of Color) a few did.  Here are a few highlights:  Lisa conducted a fun auction using Lisa/Lisa money.  We checked out all of the latest CM goodies (I'm lovin that new Storybook...I see lots of quick albums as Christmas gifts).  The late night crew took a field trip to our LSS Great Scraps... (that was fun to see their faces when 8 sistahs rolled up into the store, all at one time!)  Our pre-teens made some fabulous pages.  Our resident Newbie (Liza) created two, count'em TWO chipboard albums as gifts!

Of course we ate, ate and then ate some more...oh I can't forget we sang a little bit too as we headed into the early morning hours.  Special thanks goes out to my girl Lisa for all the food prep and making sure everyone stayed focus on their projects and for planning the whole event.  Big fat thank you to all the Dad's (babysitters & grandparents) that took care of our children while we had some much needed fun.

A possible winter weekend retreat is in the works so if you want to join in on the fun...just let me know!

My favorite Pumpkins!

To My Favorite Pumpkins

God picks you from the patch and brings you in and washes off all the dirt on the outside that you got from being around all the other pumpkins.

Then He cuts off the top and takes all the yucky stuff out from inside.  He removes all those seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc.  Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all to see.

It is our choice to either stay outside and rot on the vine or come inside and be something new and bright.

http://www.my.homewithgod.com

This is a shot of our little Fall harvest activity (well it was really our sunday school lesson at home last week). The poem is a topic discussed in my upcoming book.  It was fun to carve the pumpkins in conjunction with reading the poem.

4everyoung Studio

My girl, Lisa Renee Young ROCKS!  She created a fabulous scrap area and she built everything on her own.  How cool is that...I'm so proud of her.  Here's my favorite item...I'll be stealing this idea soon.  Check out her studio in the photo album.

It's a good thing

I had a horrible headache today, but things are looking up at this late hour, maybe a good night's rest will help too.  Here's a shot of my foyer (sound so much fancier than front hallway).  It's a good thing.  My whole mood is set when I step in the front door and see this table.  The way it's photographed here...yeah it's a good thing, but when it's junked up...I feel like the whole house, my whole life is junked up too.

It's a good thing when momma can come home and see a cluster of her favorite things right away...especially afterspending 4 hours schleping her favorite people back and forth to practices.

The print "Gentle as a Lamb" by M. Easton was our first "real" art purchase, the table is a leftover from our "finish it yourself" stage. The basket is that R.A.K. I mentioned a few posts back (LOVE seeing that).  The little green journal is another collectible that I look at, but never use.  The layout (on the cutest little IKEA easel) is in honor of Hispanic Heritage month, see the layout and article at Scraps of Color.  The flowers...well recycled leftover from an event I photographed (can you believe they were going to throw them away!)

Please share your "good things". 

P.S. can you tell I watched Martha Stewart today:)

Shout out & Tidbit

Saw this on ScrapJazz's latest newsletter...it's  Keianna!

Here's another way I infuse culture into my daily life.  FOOD.  Here's a horned melon...didn't know what it was when I bought it, but found out it's in the cucumber family...I scooped out the insides and put it in a smoothie.  It originally came from a vine in Africa.

Showin' some luv

You know I don't normally promote the "biggee mags" in the industry, but check out this link.  Fellow scrapper of color Tiffany TIllman, a new Hall of Famer and finalist in the Scrapbooker of the Year contest was the first profile featured and another finalist used patterned paper from my beloved Grassroots.

Here's the newest luv of my life!

A weekend of culture

Capital Bookfest  that's one of the stops on my weekend jaunts.  I'll also be hitting this hometown event, the Bowie International Festival.  I hope to have a booth at next year's event.

Scrapbooks in African American history

I thought I'd share this bit of information with you.  Please check out this Link, see the year 1839 & 1898.  I'm always on the lookout for how scrapbooks affect African American history. 

On another note:   It's Birthday week in the Sanford household.  On Sunday we held TWO separate birthday parties.  Jerin had a "Top Model" party.  Here's a group shot:

Jonathan, being the boy that he is, just wanted a friend to come over and play and he tried out his new skateboard (I did buy the elbow and knee pads the next day)...so please don't call the 'helmet police' on me.