Scraps of Life

Movin' on Up

2008-05-07T23:25:00.002-06:00

To Wordpress.com

Yep, that's right. I've packed this little blog up and headed to WordPress. It's got a nice design feature and more bells and whistles. So, join me and add the new blog to your reader or favorites.

http://broxtons.wordpress.com

Enjoy!!

~ Christy

Brushin' the Dust Off

2008-05-03T19:44:00.004-06:00

I figured it's about time to brush the dust off this long neglected blog and resurrect it. Granted, life's been a little dull lately and not much new to report. I haven't had time for scrapbooking -- digital or otherwise -- but I've still been way too busy for blog updates!

So, I'm aiming to change all that and hopefully life with follow suit and give me something interesting to report.

In the meantime here's a photo or two of Steph and her class trip to the Space and Rocket Center.

On to the Fun

2007-11-01T09:41:00.000-06:00

Here are a few after the costume came off and she got serious about playin'

Stephanie as ... "Stephanie" from Lazy Town

2007-11-01T09:38:00.000-06:00

We had such a great time at our annual Harvest Festival at church. Here are some photos of the girl for you to enjoy!

Much love

Rockin' Photog!

2007-08-05T18:17:00.000-06:00

So, my friend just opened her website and she is a rockin' cool photog. You totally have to check out her site and if you are in the Nashville area you definitely need to let her take some pics of you.

Danielle Davila with
Beanstalk Photography

My little Fighter Pilot

2007-07-27T08:58:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted to this blog. (Don't think it matters since I don't think anyone reads it anyway - LOL) In case someone is actually reading this, here is a new photo of my princess -- the fighter pilot.

Her Poppy made this "rocketship" and she LOVES it!!!! We are going to finish it off with the proper decals and lettering. It is made in the fashion of a miniature Blue Angel fighter and has pedals similar to a bike and a joystick for steering. She thinks she is big time in this and loves riding around the yard and driveway in it.

I think we've nearly caused a few wrecks on the road as folks rubber-neck to see what she is doing.

Here's some more photos of Stephanie and her new favorite toy!

Digital Juice ROCKS!!!!

2007-05-23T22:45:00.000-06:00

OK ... just HAD to post this! I just WON -- yes, you read correctly --- WON a top-of-the-line video iPOD just for participating in an online poll at Digital Juice. They have exceptional products and I love them just for that. But this .... this is over the top.

I am totally jazzed about this. I can hardly believe this blessing. I haven't even really prayed about it. More like just thought it would be cool to own one. I couldn't justify the cash outlay with bills, etc. but this is the "month of Favor" and well ... for a geek this is exceptional favor!! :o)

Thank you God!! And thank you Digital Juice.

Spidey Rules!

2007-05-14T09:27:00.000-06:00

Made a cute birthday comic page for my nephew who had a neat Spiderman birthday party last month. More pages will follow but this was the test page for my sister.

All page items were made with Jan Crowley's Comic Junkie.

CCPs

2007-03-13T12:57:00.000-06:00

No, that's not some techie term ... that's short for Chocolate Chip Pancakes! This staple has been one of my family's traditional favorites since I was a kid. I've got tons of memories of my dad whippin' up a batch of CCPs for Saturday or Sunday breakfast and now I do the same for my family. It's a Smith Family Tradition. We're Bisquick purists when it come to our CCPs and have honed the art of just the right mix of Chocolate Chips and cooking time.

Here's the recipe card that I'm adding to my Family Favorites Album. Enjoy!

So excited!

2007-02-24T23:00:00.000-06:00

Printed my first photo recipe card today (actually it was the title page below) and it looks amazing. I've already started adding recipes to my list and have begun to scrap them. This is something I think will be handy for me and for duplicating.

Here's the first actual recipe entry in the book -- Breakfast Pies! They are delish and fun to make (Steph enjoys helping with these too).

We made these for one of our Women's Breakfast Showers at church some time ago. They are fantastic when they are warm and straight from the oven. Enjoy!

My new project

2007-02-24T10:01:00.000-06:00

I've decided to make a digital recipe album for the Broxton family. My plan is to create 4x6 layouts using Photoshop and then print them as photos from Walmart or some place like that. Then place them in an inexpensive photo album! Pretty cool, huh? I'm jazzed about it.

Here's the Title page for it. (Font is Rebecca and all elements/paper are from Sara Carling's Dinner Party)

Pics of my girl in the snow

2007-02-02T13:59:00.000-06:00

We had a light dusting of snow last night and Stephanie went crazy! Here are a few photos for you to enjoy in her delight!

Great blog ... great quotes

2007-01-17T16:52:00.000-06:00

I admit ... I'm a sucker for great quotes. I've really enjoyed this site:
A Fancy Word For Simple
It just started the first of January and the idea is simple. In fact, here are the "rules" as posted by the blog creators on January 1.

Here's how to play: There will be a new quote each day. There might be questions with it or pictures or creations. It's your choice what you want to do with the quote.
Think about it
Write about it
Take photographs
Create art
Check back daily for new inspiration. Be part of the process by posting comments, art, etc. on our blog or your blog. Collect quotes and inspiration. Share them with us.

So, here are a few of my favorite quotes so far from their site:

Iwanted a perfect ending. . . Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.
-Gilda Radner

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.-Walt Disney

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.-Henry David Thoreau

Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.-Martin Luther King, Jr.

I guess the reason I adore a good quote is because I prize the ability to string words together in an interesting and thought-provoking manner. Enjoy the site and feel free to share some of your favorite quotes as well.

Ciao~

Word for the Year

2007-01-16T22:57:00.000-06:00

Well, I've decided that my word for 2007 is going to be: DISCOVER

I want to take the time this year to DISCOVER. For instance, I want to discover life anew through the eyes of my four year old; I want to discover a new way to look at things, a new perspective - if you will. I want to discover (or rather REdiscover) the fun in life and to enjoy the journey. I am making a conscious decision to DISCOVER what God has for me in 2007 and to embrace the fullness of discovery and all that it entails.

Discover:
to make known or visible : EXPOSE b archaic : DISPLAY2 a : to obtain sight or knowledge of for the first time : FIND b : FIND OUT : to make a discovery -

DISCOVER, ASCERTAIN, DETERMINE, UNEARTH, LEARN mean to find out what one did not previously know.
DISCOVER may apply to something requiring exploration or investigation or to a chance encounter.
ASCERTAIN implies effort to find the facts or the truth proceeding from awareness of ignorance or uncertainty.
DETERMINE emphasizes the intent to establish the facts definitely or precisely.
UNEARTH implies bringing to light something forgotten or hidden.
LEARN may imply acquiring knowledge with little effort or conscious intention (as by simply being told) or it may imply study and practice.

This year I want to discover, ascertain, determine, unearth, and learn. I want to truly LIVE life instead of listlessly floating on the prevailing current. I want to be proactive rather than reactive. And I want to wring every bit of "goodie" out of life this year!

I will shift my perspective this year. I will enjoy the journey! How about you?

Chef in Miniature

2007-01-02T23:37:00.000-06:00

Stephanie is growing up way too fast! She is so adorable learning how to do "big girl" things. For instance, this year she "assisted" in making James' birthday cake by choosing all the candles, icing and toppings for the cake. She also helped by holding the electric hand mixer and she even cleaned the beaters and bowl -- I think that is a first for her.

She was also chief decorator of the cake and placer of the candles. I think she did a pretty good job with the sprinkles and balloon candles.

She was so excited to show off her handiwork to her daddy, but alas, she had to wait until the day AFTER his birthday to revel in his praises. Her daddy was gone all day on his birthday working near Kentucky. He left before she was awake and even though I let her stay up til 11 pm, he got home after she fell asleep. It was a rough day for all but here are a few photos to commemorate the event.

2006-12-11T09:26:00.000-06:00

Just finished my Christmas card for 2006. Yes, it is a little late in the game but I have a fantastic printer who has a quick turnaround time, so I have no worries!

I modeled it after a card in the PaperCrafts Dec06/Jan07 magazine (page 45) by Valerie Pingree. {Yes, Brian, if you see this I suppose that is cheating in our design contest, but hey .... you have the better software and design skills ... so I had to do something!}

Anyway, Merry CHRISTmas to all from the Broxtons~

Ciao~

Christy

Recent Layouts

2006-08-01T08:39:00.000-06:00

Three Years:
I wanted to share some of my recent layouts. I've completed a few for challenges at various online scrapbooking sites and thought I would post them over here too.

The first one is called "Three Years" and was completed for a Scraplifting challenge at www.scrapmommies.com

I really liked this closeup of Stephanie and the detail on the full size picture is amazing.

Items Used:
Fonts: Dear Joe
Atomic Cupcake Chipboard action
Papers: Rug Paperpack by Landon & Holly Smith
Brads: Inspire Mini kit from Misty Cato
This is a scraplift of a design by Traci Reed

Concentration:
The second layout is called "Concentration" and was created for another challenge at ScrapMommies. This one shows Stephanie working on a craft for her Grandmother and she is concentrating SO hard. She evens sticks her tongue out like I do when I concentrate on something.
Supplies used:
Fonts: Crazy Pooch and Adorable
Paper and Elements: AmsDigiScraps - Your Love is Better than Chocolate

Garden Girl:
Last new layout (for now), is this one entitled "Garden Girl". These photos are from last year when Steph helped her daddy plant his yearly garden. She had dirt EVERYWHERE and would literally throw the plants into the ground when James handed them to her.

This was created for a challenge at www.scrapartist.com They asked us to scrap less-than-perfect photos and these are the ones I chose because of the overexposure on the smaller ones. I just loved these photos and am glad that I had an excuse to scrap less than fabulous photos.

Supplies used:
Fonts: 2Peas Billboard and CK Print
Paper: Tracy Collins - America (brown) and Jessica Bolton - Signature Sampler (blue)
Brackets and Stitching: Jessica Bolton - Signature Sampler
Brush: Spring Doodle Collection by Megan Leeson

Bondiggity Birthday Present!!!!!

2006-07-24T22:14:00.000-06:00

I just HAD to share with everyone the birthday present my mom just sent me. Isn't this the coolest purse you've seen?!!?? I know all you DAWG fans would agree anyway! :)

Her neighbor made it for me -- hee hee!! All I can say is "Linda, you ROCK!!" You should so sell these on Ebay. You'd make a killing. And Mom, you ROCK for thinking of it and for loving me like you do. Thanks a ton ~~~ I will use it everyday!

Anyway, my birthday will be here soon and I do believe this is the coolest present I can remember in years!

I am so jazzed about this. See how easy I am to please!

Anyway, I'm sure she'll take orders for anyone interested.
Go DAWGS!!!!

Battle Flag

2006-07-08T12:06:00.000-06:00

Here is a two-sided layout I recently completed showing the USS Russell (the ship on which my uncle currently serves in the US Navy) and the carrier group that participated in Operation Valiant Shield.

Patriotism is one thing that will always be a part of me. My father retired after many years of service as an officer in the USAF and my uncle will soon retire from the Navy. I grew up a "military brat" and I'm excessively proud of my heritage as such and make no apologies for that!

I learned early about our US Flag and how one should care for and esteem it. "Old Glory" will always be a beautiful sight to me.

The USS Russell is shown flying a "battle flag." For those of you unfamilar with that term, it is fairly self-explanatory. This is simply an American Flag that is flown from the ship during battle and/or exercises and various other times of importance. It is an exceptionally large flag and the sight of it leaves no question as to whom the ship belongs.

2006-07-08T12:00:00.000-06:00

My thanks go out to each and every person who has served our country - in any branch of military service - whether currently or in the past. Your service has made and continues to make it possible for us to possess the liberties we enjoy as a nation. May no resident of this country ever forget your devotion and selflessness!!

Duty ~ Honor ~ Country
Happy Fourth!!!

Supplies used for both:
Left side:
Fonts: A Yummy Apology & ITC Machine
Papers: America by Tracy Collins
Ribbon: Let Freedom Ring by Tracy Blankenship
Stars: God Bless America by Jan Bolton
Flag Patch: All American by Kim Jensen
Right Side:
Fonts: Century Gothic & ITC Machine
Papers: America by Tracy Collins
Stars: God Bless America by Jan Bolton

Posted for first challenge

2006-07-06T15:52:00.000-06:00

My style is still SO simple but I really do like the all digital scrappin' I've been doing. I've only completed five layouts to date, but I thought I would try my hand at a challenge over at RAKScraps today. So, I posted this layout using the Carefree Add-On kit by SaraAmarie. The layout doesn't look "finished" to me but I guess it will do.

I'm still not entirely sure of myself with design and/or PSE so it might take some time to really get the hang of a "complete" design.

Kit Used:
Carefree - SaraAmarie
Font: MA Flirty

Summer Lovin'

2006-07-04T16:26:00.000-06:00

Ok -- so I've started getting into the "community" spirit and have begun posting at RakScraps.com I totally love their freebie Mega Kits and think they have some way-cool designers. I've posted all three of my digital layouts (woo hoo- such a ton of layouts) and added this new 8"x8" one that I made today.

I am finally getting a clue about how PSE works -- which is cool, because I was starting to get frustrated.

I've also re-textured the "Patriotic Cousins" layout and will post it in a subsequent blog entry.

Enjoy your 4th everyone! I'm off to spend some time with my girl!!

Here are the credits for this page:
All elements and papers are from Lucky Star by Gina Cabrera
Stitching is from Urban Kiwi by Shabby Princess
Font is MA Flirty

Ciao~

Work in Progress

2006-06-21T22:01:00.000-06:00

Been working on my second all digital layout. I must say that I am enjoying the fact that I can "play with" and fine tune everything to my heart's content and I think I've found an acceptable printing source for now -- Scrapbook to Share. Visit them at (www.sbtoshare.com)

This layout is of my daughter and her two cousins during a "photo shoot" at a local park. We were working on getting good shots for a gift for their grandparents and I think we found a few really good ones in the bunch.

I can't wait to learn how to use all the techniques and tools in PSE to my advantage. I've been working with programs like PSE for years and know them well but like the offerings that PSE has and how many designers make brushes and tutorials for PSE.

My goal is to get to the place where I can have in my head what I want to do with the layout and the knowledge on how to make the program do what I need it to do in order to accomplish what I see. Hopefully soon ~

Almost forgot:
The font is Eight Track
The background for the text and the USA heart and star come from Tracy Blankenship with the Let Freedom Ring portion of the June Mega Kit at RAKscraps.
The stitches are from Atomic Cupcake.
Last but not least Katie Pertiet made the Painted Background brush behind the main photo.

Happy Flowers

2006-06-01T13:26:00.000-06:00

OK - they make me happy - VERY happy. Each time I close my programs they greet me ... I just added a new background to my computer and I smile each time I see it.

They are these lovely, bright flowers from CrossCards and I adore them. Take a look for yourself and download a bunch to brighten your desktop.

http://www.crosscards.com/wallpaper.aspx

Enjoy ~

The Whirlwind

2006-05-27T11:34:00.000-06:00

Well, it has subsided. The whirlwind of a week is now entering the calm of the weekend - only to regain strength in the coming days, I'm sure.

I enjoyed a CTMH party with some friends of mine last night and we had a blast scrapbooking and hanging out.

I'll be sure to post some of the new layouts I've been working on, along with some of my favorite new sites that I have run across in my quest to learn new techniques.

I'm not sure I'm ready to give up on paper scrapbooking entirely -- I'll still make gifts and altered items for myself and friends.

I am going to send my first layout to one of those places where they will print it and let you see the quality. Once I see that, it will tell the tale of whether I will go all digital or not. I'll update once I have the prints in hand.

Ciao ~