Merry Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Mark your calenders!

Next Friday, Dec. 19th, the design team is hosting an evening of festive cheer! We are calling it the Holiday Cocktail Party Crop and we have all kinds of good things planned! Games, challenges and some super cute make and takes! It will be a short affair, running from 6-12pm EST. Head over to the Message Board to sign up and join in on all the fun! Hope to see you there!

Behind the scenes

Click here to see a little video of Nick behind the scenes of the photo shoot for PBK. And YES, that is me doing the chicken dance at the end! :)

Coming to a mall near you!!

Look who's up at the local mall!! My little Nicky! I'm going to take him over tomorrow and get his photo by it! :) Also, if you have a PBK in your town and wouldn't mind going in to ask them to call you when they are done with the poster I would appreciate it. The manager here was a royal you know what! Just tell them it's your nephew and you need it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we will be having turkey with a little ham on the side. Hehe. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your families!

In Your Eyes

Come to the Crop!!

This week you can find me over here cropping the days away with a bunch of super fun ladies!! We are scrapping, doing challenges, playing games and giving away GREAT prizes. I hope you have some time to join us! :)
I made this today with the Home Sweet Home kit!

I voted!

I hope you did too!

jump

I did this LO with a combo of the 2 kits listed below! TFL!!

2 NEW KITS!!

HOME SWEET HOME

and CORNUCOPIA

head on over to the shop and grab them, I still have several left and they are just perfect for all your fall scrap projects! :)

Boo!

So in our neighborhood every year there is a "boo'ing" that goes on. From house to house you see the signs go up every few days as more houses get hit. So I decided to be the initiator this year. So today I went over to Joann's, where all the Halloween loot is currently 50% off! I picked up a couples of small metal bags, some skull candles, gummy body parts (like bloody finger, ears, noses....gross!), small Styrofoam headstones, and a "bone cutter" knife, which is a pumpkin cutter with a bone shaped handle. Then I went and got a few more candies at the grocery.

I got the clip art from this website. I just enlarged the clip art to "fit the page" when printing in PSE. And then I just copied the poem from this page and used a spooky font. I think they turned out pretty cute. I had to photo them in the house since we are having one of our notorious windy Oct. days today. Anyway, they are cuter then they look in these photos!

Does your neighborhood do anything like this? If not you should be the initiator and get to working on your Boo's too! :)

Houston, We Have Lift Off!!

The new MESSAGE BOARD is up and running. Come on over and join in!
Oh, and I made this today with the Blue Skies kit!

Enjoying the weekend

Well, so far this has been a nice weekend. Probably the last 'hot" one we will have until May or so. It's mid 90's here this weekend and while I'm definitely ready for fall, it is nice to get one last warm weekend in to do summer things. Yesterday was a marathon soccer day, with one game at 10 and one at 1. So we were here, there and everywhere. Our teams won both games! YIPPEE!!
On the way home from soccer I suggested we go to the movies after we got home and cleaned up. So we showered and changed and went to see Igor, the only family friendly movie out right now it seems. All I can say is don't waste your money. It starts out with great potential, but just goes downhill after about the first 10 minutes. The music choices are ill fitting and there is some political commentary that I found rather "in your face". I'm all for kids movies that entertain with a message, but this was really off base. SKIP IT.
After the show we were going to go eat at Lucille's BBQ, but when we pulled up there were people waiting outside and we didn't feel like waiting for dinner so we drove down a block to Mel's Diner and had burgers and shakes. YUM. Then we came home and crashed. I was asleep by 10 I think.
Today is chore day, fixing a broken toilet seat, cleaning out the fridge, mowing the lawn kind of day. Making homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner. Boring, but sometimes boring is great. :)

Ghost Story, and other news!!

Hey guys! So I still can't get over how fast the Blue Skies kit sold out! Literally just a few hours and it was gone. But I do have a couple of Ghost Story kits left! So get on over to the store and order yours before midnight tonight to get your mystery gift! Remember, items include grungeboard sheets, ribbon, paper, stickles, stamps and more!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER!!!

Also, if you would like a chance to win a kit The Design Experiment is giving the PB add on kit away to the winner of their current challenge. So hop on over there and get in on that!

I'll be busy packing boxes and shipping over the next few days, so I'll be back on Thursday or so with something new to tell you. :)

A few more sneaks!

Don't forget...these are available tomorrow! :)
Blue Skies

Ghost Story

Heads up!

Wanted to give you guys some sneak peeks of the kit's I will have coming out next Monday! This one is called Blue Skies

And this is Ghost Story!

Set your reminders because I am going to offer some freebies if you order these before midnight on Tuesday. If you order one kit you will get a "mystery" gift. It could be paper, a stamp, stickles, a sheet of grungboard, all kinds of good things. And if you order BOTH kits you will get 3 mystery gifts! So send me an email (noel@noelmignon.com) to be signed up for the newsletter so you are among the first to hear when they are released!
I also wanted to let you know that I will be holding a BIG, HUGE, FANTASTIC challenge in the next few weeks. it will be to celebrate my 1 year anniversary in the kit making field....woohoo! And to celebrate I will be hosting a "Use your Kit" challenge. This is the first time I will be requiring that anyone use products sold from the store. In order to get the GIGANTIC prize, with a MSRP of over $600, you will need to skedaddle over and pick up a NoelMignon.com kit or 2. I have a ton on sale, also I have the 2 new ones out on Monday, or use up your stash. You will be required to use only products from the kit, or combination of kits, for your entire project. So stock up! there are still deals to be had. I wanted to make sure I gave you all a heads up so you could get your order in to participate. :)
HERE'S THE PRIZE!!! This is starting on Oct. 6th, so mark your calenders!

Hope you are excited about the things coming up! :)

What's new??

So what's new people?

I am so glad that fall is right around the corner, literally. We are finally out of the 90's and down into the high 80's around here which means I can wear jeans again which I love. Soccer is in full swing. Jacob had a MAJOR ear infection last weekend so he missed his game but the twins played theirs and they got better this week. As Jason says "at 5 playing soccer is like herding cats". So true!

School is going well for the boys, although the twins got a timeout last week which I was mad about. But I came to find out that there was a story, as there always is. Luke was reading and a kid came up and licked his face, so he ran off. The kid got up and took off after Luke. Nick got up and basically tackled the kid who went after Luke and I'm sure added a "don't chase my brother" in there somewhere. Let's just say that I have no worries for Nick's safety on the playground. He is definitely going to be my "jock". And therefor I have no worries about Luke because he is Nick's twin brother and shall forever be protected by his own personal bad ass bodyguard.

I was so sad to hear the news about Aleida Franklin. Members of the scrap community will know who I am talking about. She was killed in a car accident on Friday on her way to work. She has 2 small children (4 and 7) who are now without their mom. Just so sad. These are life's "punches in the gut" that make you realize it's always better to not stress and just slow down and breathe and enjoy the ride. Because you have no idea what tomorrow will bring. I was so stressed out last week about my store stuff and then this happened and I just let it all go, because it doesn't matter. In the end what matters is that your family life is manageable, happy and sane and that you live life to the fullest.

Peace, hugs and love!

The week in review....and please take a few minutes to remember.

Well, I have had a VERY busy last week or more. We celebrated the twins "family birthday last Friday which included me making a homemade cake and not one but two requested dinners. A pot of homemade Chicken noodle soup and Thai Pasta Salad. So I spent about 4 hours in the kitchen that day. But we had a good time and the boys enjoyed their special day.


Saturday was the opening day of soccer for everyone. In our county there were over 500 games being played. Luckily we only lad to be at 2. Jacob is on a team with a very "seasoned' coach and they won against a very tough team 3-0. The twins are being coaced by dad and they did great, but they lost 2-4...oh well. Wish them luck for this weekend!



Sunday was the friends birthday party at the bouncy house place....big fun!!

I want to close with a few words about 9/11. This is my generations "life changing" event. There will never be another social awakening like that for me. Our grandparents had Pearl Harbor. Our parents had all the political upheaval of the 60's and assassinations of both Kennedy's and King. We have 9/11. It's a scar that I feel every day. I remember being nearly 9 months pregnant and laying on the couch the entire day and crying and wondering if life would be the same for my children as it had been for me. Fairly safe, fairly carefree.
Looking back 7 years I think it is quite a different world we live in. While the everyday routine may be pretty ordinary it is ALWAYS in the back of my mind. When I cross the Bay Bridge or Golden Gate I am ALWAYS scanning the sky to make sure a plane isn't headed for us. I am ALWAYS praying that the semi truck next to me isn't loaded with a bomb ready to take down the bridge just as we hit the midway. I defiantly have been hit with 9/11 anxiety syndrome. And I hate it. I want to go back to not worrying that a simple trip to the mall could end up with some nut going crazy and taking taking out my whole family. But this is where we are.
I want to thank each and every troop who has taken the oath to serve this country. You are the HERO that keeps us safe and you have done your jobs amazingly well over the last 7 years. We have been kept safe since that fateful day. My friend Sasha posted on her blog about why is it that the elite get to sip there tea and play croquet on the lawn in the Hampton's while the little guy is the one who is fighting and keeping the country safe. Kudos girl! That's how it has always been. Look at every line of work from farming to software companies. In the older wars rich men would pay other to take their places in the line of duty. {insert eye roll}
When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die.
Jean-Paul Sartre
That's my thought exactly. I have a friend who is very liberal and wants to "talk" out wars. He was mad at me because I voted for George W., in that I thought we had a job to do as far as bringing the terrorists to justice. His point was that I have 3sons and it's possible that they will at some point have to serve his country to fight this "senseless war", and is that what I want...to send my kids off to die? That's not the way I see it. I think our #1 objective is to stand up and fight like hell. I don't want to see anyone die fighting in a war, but I certainly don't think dying trying to protect your country and carrying out missions to accomplish that is dying in vain, it's dying while holding conviction and serving the good of the "whole" which is so heroic in my opinion. So many people don't give our service people a second thought and it pisses me off.
I wonder what would be happening if Saddam was still in power and alive. Would things be worse? I guess he played chicken with the wrong country this time around. He did it so often in the 80's and 90's I guess he forgot there was a new President in charge now. And now he's history. And his disgusting children are history. I'll let you wiki them to read about all of the sickening things they did. Yuck and good riddance.
I really hope McCain wins because he was involved in the same sort of war we are in now. A war that seemed pointless and fruitless. But I think he has a plan of attack that could get the real bad guys and I'm willing to give him a try. If he can withstand all that he did as a POW I think he has the fortitude even at his age to get this job done, and I for one am willing to let him do it. I feel much more comfortable electing someone who has some real life experience in a war zone when taking over as Commander in Chief. He seems smart with a lot of experience under his belt. I like him. My 2 cents about the election. Man, I'm all over the place :){deep sigh}
Please remember how you felt on 9/11/01. Think about all the moms and dads who never came home. Think about the terror those families on the airplanes felt when their planes were going down. Think about the soldiers who were watching this all go down with you and me, realizing it was their job to clean it up. Think about the firemen trying in vain to save lives while so many lost their own.
We in America think about the other guy. We have empathy. We have compassion. We give to our brothers and sisters in need...always! We rally. We still have a sense to do the right thing...this I believe...because I see it every time we are faced with a crisis. There is always an outpouring of support. Todd Beamer said it best with his final words. Words to live by when faced with a horrific situation "Let's roll" .
Thanks for sticking with my, all over the place ramblings. Hugs and tears today. And we will never forget.

Yay...let's play some football!

You all ready for football? I am! I love it! I'm really hoping we can get the boys to a CAL game in the next few weeks. My dad played there in the late 60's and I grew up going to the games quite often. They are the best! Who's your favorite team/Alma Mater? Go Bears!

Summer 08'

Wow!

...and more wow! What a day in American politics!! Kudos to John McCain for shaking up this old country of ours. She seems like just the kind of spitfire we need right about now!

McCain/Palin 08'!

Want to win a kit?

I'm donating 2 kits to Becky Fleck's page maps blog readers this week! She was so nice to do our exclusive sketch for the last challenge it's the least I could do! So if you're interested then hop on over to her blog, enter a LO, and get a chance to win! :)

just for grins...

Yeah, I thought this was pretty funny!

Heard at my house today "Mom, I have a toy for you. But you can only play with it in the desert." HMMMMMM..... I think I'll pass on that toy. LOL! :)

Good night and big balls...

In our household Tuesday night has taken on a whole new level of excitement! WIPEOUT is our new favorite show. The boys LOVE it! If you haven't seen it the premise is to basically take a mix of "average" people and put them through an insanely difficult obstacle course. They weed them out through different levels and the ultimate winner will get $50,000.
This is Jr. High school humor at it's finest!

Sale at the store!

There's a BIG SALE over at the store this week!! EVERYTHING, including new arrivals and kits, is 5-55% off. So head on over and get some fun new supplies to get crafting with!

Hail Twitter

This made me laugh so hard. I know "several" people who are WAY to into twitter... :) My favorite line. "I might as well talk to people in real life. Do you know how tiring that is?" CLASSIC!! Watch it start to finish. If you are a geek, or love a geek it will make you laugh.

New tunes and love letters...

Every so often I get really nostalgic for days gone by. I came across a bunch of mellow old 70's songs that remind me of being 5 and riding in the car, so I decided to post them up. Enjoy, or put it on mute if that's not your thing... LOL!
So I did this LO today rather quickly but I'm happy with how it turned out. I used Pink Paislee papers, a few "in stitch" buttons, some American crafts hearts and felt Thickers, and Making Memories tiny alphas.


TFL...and have a good weekend!

A new week...

We had such a great last couple of weeks. We really enjoyed Jason's vacation time. He had 2 weeks off and we went to SF for the night and then we went to Six Flags one day as well. We also got some home projects well underway which we can easily complete over the next few weeks.
Re-painting our bedroom and framing the windows as well as adding crown molding. And then we also want to repaint our front porch rail and switch out our fixtures. Right now we have the sort of recessed overhead lights out there and a year ago I bought some that hang down, so my goal is by the end of August/early Sept. to have all those things crossed off my to do list. There really isn't a hurry, I would just like to get it done... :)

So soccer season is here!! Jason is going to coach the twins team (The Knights) this year. They are so excited. Tonight is the first team meeting and they are wearing their uniforms to the pizza place...pretty cute!


My firend Michelle passed along a very nice award to me called the “Brilliante Webblog Award“. Thanks Michelle!!
Here are the Award Rules:
1. The winner can take the logo
2. Place a link to the person that sent you the award
3. Give the Award to at least 7 other Scrapbooking-Blogs, which by its currency,the issues of choice and for their designs are especially noteworthy
4. Put a link to these sites on your Blog.
5. Write a comment on their Blogs that they’ve won an Award.

So I would like to pass this along to my frineds Greta, Elizabeth, Simone, Michele, Jenn, Sasha, and Kerttu! You guys are all awesome and I always look forward to checking out your blogs!

Now, if you have time you really need to get over to the challenge site and join in! This is my favorite challenge ever! Seriously, GO NOW!! :)

Dance like no one is watching!

I did this one using papers from the Picnic basket kit! I also added some Melissa Frances lace, a MME frame, in stitch buttons, some SW chipboard and those fun Cosmo letters. So the paper under my journaling block is a Jenni Bowlin shaped mini paper and I liked it, but I wanted it to pop, so I decided to paint it that orange and I'm really happy with the result.

Our little SF jaunt...

The family packed up last week for a little spur of the moment trek over to San Francisco. It's only about an hour and a half away so it's really not much work getting there and we can get there and back on less than a tank of gas so it was a perfect idea. Plus I figured out we had almost enough points for a free room in Union Square through our Hilton card, so I shelled out a little extra money to purchase our necessary points and voila, a 4 star room in the heart of the city for the price of a Best Western in Fresno...HEHE. I shall start off our photo tour with the necessary Cable Car shot!

Our first stop was the exploratorium. It was really fun but pretty crowded for a Wednesday. Lot's of summer camp people I guess, and a lot of tourists. So we stayed and played for a few hours and then we went back to our hotel.





We checked in and got settled and then we headed out for Fisherman's Wharf. Apparently both Jason and I thought the other had the camera and neither of us did, so no photo's from our night of walking around, eating at Aliotto's, or hitting Ghiradelli Square.
The next morning we got up and went to Union Square, which was a block from our hotel. We went to Macy's and up top is the Cheesecake Factory where we had an early lunch. Then we walked around a bit and ended up buying books at Borders. We had an appointment in Brisbane to keep at 2 so we took off from the city about 1. it was a really fun little getaway! And the kids loved the change of scenery and pace of life.