scrapandbeauty

| O U T with the old....|

and in with the N E W! This blog has been "kicked to the curb", lol! A change has finally come and I've been patiently waiting since January!!!!!! Please join and follow me at my new blog:

 

M O R E than S E R E N D I P I T Y

See you there........

| s u m m e r T I M E |

Or am I just dreaming! The weather here as been amazingly beautiful which means beautiful flowers and angry birds, lol! Hope everyone had a great weekend. I was finally home for an entire weekend and it feels like I did accomplish something. Hope you all had a great weekend!

She just can't get enough of these angry birds and secretly, I can't either! =)This little guys name is Poof. We had some good laughs with him this weekend.

And we couldn't forget his friends! Yay!

Hope everyone has a fabulous week. Some craftiness to share this week, I think! =)

 

| h a p p y E A S T E R |

I truly hope that everyone had a fabulous easter. Church service was great and time with family was much needed. Aniyah loved getting her basket of eggs which had money, chocolates, and beauty products----she almost loves the makeup and polishes more than me, lol! It's back to the grind tomorrow and I need to get some rest. TTYL!!!! xo T

She just loves her hair. She almost won't sit still to even get her ends trimmed but she loves wearing it down with curls.

| J E N N I - B O W L I N march kit layout |

I completed three layouts with my March kit. I absolutely loved it. I need to take pics of the other two. Hope to have it up this weekend. Happy Easter to all.

| C U R R E N T beauty favs |

Happy April yall! It's no surprise that I love fashion and makeup. I find staples that are a must have and never get tired of them. I decided to list my current 10 beauty Favs, video coming soon.

1. MAC Face and Body Foundation

Fresh look. Water-Based. Buildable. Light & Airy. Love it.

2. Ardell Demi Pixi lashes

Natural. Elegant. Must Have. Won't leave home without them.

3. Laura Mercier Translucent Powder

Flawless look especially in photos. Tinted. Long-lasting coverage. Perfect.

4. Neutrogena sensitive skin moisturizer

Alcohol free. Not Oily. One-Pump and face is moisturized, at least for me.

5. MAC Pink Plaid lipstick

Favorite Pink. Wear it daily. Perfect for WOC.

6. NARS Dolce Vita blush

Light. Perfect soft touch of pink. Everyday wearable. My go-to blush.

7. Dove with Shea Butter soap/body wash

Nothing but Love. Aniyah loves the body wash.

8. Elf Powder Brush

Hands down my all time favorite foundation brush and for $3.00, can't go wrong.

9. MAC 150 Large Powder Brush

 Never too much blush. Just enough for the perfect application.

10. Cetaphil Daily Face Wash

Use after make-up wipes. My go-to cleanser.

What beauty products are you loving? I definitely like trying new things.

| 5 L U C K Y things |

This layout was done for the CP Creative Weekly last week. The theme was "Chartreuse". Green is my favorite color so I definitely had fun with this.

| A D D I C T I O N to shopping|

Someone just tell me to stop while I'm ahead! LOL!  Happy scrapping! =)

| B I R T H D A Y box |

I made this cute little birthday box using Crate Paper's Pretty Party line! It just makes me so happy. Aniyah puts her little nic-naks in it and it's a cute little accent piece for her room. I found the box at Hobby Lobby and used Krylon's spray paint in Ballet Pink to cover it.   

| C U R R E N T Crafty Wish List|

1. Silhouette Cameo

I currently have a Slice and Cricut Expression (that I never use). I think its just the extra versatility that comes with the Cameo and I've been loving all the fun things I've seen being done with it.  Hopefully I'll snag it up while it's in stock!

 

 

3. Technique Tuesday

                   1.                                     2.

      

You just simply can't go wrong with Ali Edwards. I totally love her sentiments. Perfect for any project.

4. We R Memory Keepers 12x12 Album

 

 

These albums have been my "go to" for storing my projects. I picked it up for the first time to use for Project Life and I love it so much that I'm using it to store my layouts. It's simple and that's what I like the most about it.

 5. Basic Gray - What's Up collection
I love the colors in the collection and can't wait until it starts shipping.

 

| C U R R E N T S |

I have been so absent from the blog lately but that's because something awesome will be happening really soon. Can't wait to share!! Oh, and it's March 1st so I felt it was appropriate to blog. I've been so loving instagram and I snapped this picture this morning for exactly the way I've been feeling lately. Can't wait to add it to Project Life and my Happy Little Moments book. Hope everyone is having a fabulous week so far. We are trying to steer clear of all this severe weather.

| C U R R E N T S|

Time : 9:00am

Location: At work

Eating: Cheez-It

Watching: the clock

Thinking: I’m glad to have purchased the “happy little moments” class over at Studio Calico

Wanting: so many things…(iphone4, imac)

Needing: New dresser

Creating: A few layouts with my old JBS kits that I’m a million ages behind on and some new CP projects and Project Life

Wondering: If some relationships will work out.

Loving: Aniyah more and more each day

Feeling: Loved

| A M O U R - L O V E |

This was my contribution to the Valentine's event over on the CP blog. I love every part of this layout of my baby girl. I found an old Heidi Swapp distressing tool that I forgot I had and decided to distress the edges and I think I've found a new fav technique.

The next week or two will be extremely busy for us. We are in the process of preparing to move so things have been hectic with working everyday and trying to keep a normal routine along with everything else. The one thing that I do enjoy about moving is cleaning and getting rid of things. Since we are downsizing, I've had to really take a "practical" look at what we truly need and what we don't. Ugh, I hate moving! =)

| V A L E N T I N E 'S - E V E N T crate paper |

Happy Monday all! February is the month of love and and there is plenty to go around over on the CP Blog. The ladies are sharing some FABULOUS projects this week so go check them out. You won't be disappointed.

I haven't talked much about the CHA products this year but I always save my pennies after Christmas to get some goodies. Hopefully one day I will actually get to go to CHA.  I've had my eyes on the Dear Lizzy line, Neapolitan. So cute and girly! =)  Bluemoon currently has the line.

| S H O P P I N G & R E T A I L therapy |

Blazer + ripped jeans = shopping and fun times!

This post is so totally random but I love days like this with girlfriends, shopping and laughs. I definitely need a glass of wine and some down time for the kind of week that I've had so what better way to do that than with a day of retail therapy! Lord, forgive me now of the shopping sin I'm about to make! Lol!

Have great weekend and thanks to all for your words of kindness and encouragement! While I haven't mentioned everyone individually, I see you and  you guys are AWESOME!

| long over due R E S P O N S E |

I have prayed hard about my response to the blog post that addressed me personally on Keisha Campbell's, a bit east-coast, blog. Thanks ladies for pointing it out to me, and I've noticed from the comments that many are stopping by or have stopped by to view my blog.  I could have immediately lashed back Laura S @valentinemaya4@gmail.com  but sometimes it's better to just take time, gather your thoughts and be patient. I wanted to make sure that I had a response and not a reaction.

Back in September the following email was sent to Keisha Campbell in response to the recent comments and posts she's submitted on my layouts that she felt addressed her ego:

Hi Keisha,

When I started finding interest in scrapbooking, I was amazed that I didn't stumble across many African American ladies who scrapped. I came across your work through Making Memories back in 2008 and I was happy to finally find someone whose work I felt like I could relate to. I found a lot of inspiration in your scrap style and over time, I developed a very simple,clean and pretty approach to scrapping.

While I appreciate the recent comments, they have also come with subliminal messages to insinuate that my layouts are your ideas. As stated earlier,I've drawn a lot of inspiration from you in the past, but what I find to be very disappointing is that your expectations are that each and every time a layout is posted, that you feel is similar to one of your ideas that you want to be given credit when in fact you don't know if the inspiration really came from you or not. To know that you were chosen to be part of some fantastic companies with a platform to inspire others, and then to be pretentious if others draw inspiration really has caused me question why I am a fan?  

 Recently, I posted a layout "May all your dreams come true" and annotated that it was a layout based on the sketch you did for Basic Grey. I stamped some Halloween images onto some tags on my blog that I stated I took your idea of the stamped tags and made those. The images on my blog of the buttons that you made mention of when JoAnn's had a sale I gave you credit. I gave you credit for the layout I posted "JBS July kit" about the border you created using a punch, I've complimented on numerous occasions on your blog about how great/fab your layouts and home are, to only name a few.

You are in the memory keeping business and no one can take away the fact that you are very talented. In fact, we all are talented because the ultimate goal is to create memories so our children, our grandchildren, and our great great grandchildren can look back and appreciate the memories we are trying to preserve.

Signed, disappointed fan - T

What some may feel was classy and professionally done, I definitely see opposite. I received not one response from her on this email. Nothing more than additional attacks on personal projects in public galleries.  What Keisha should have done first when she felt that it was becoming "too much for her to ignore" was to simply contact me directly and privately to make an attempt at "handling it with class". If after that point, she felt that I was still more than simply a "big fan", then the need to do what she has done publically in an attempt to degrade me would have been ok. For those who felt as though she did right first by handling it privately and directly, she didn't!

In the past, I have made numerous comments on her blog and websites that I thought she was "awesome", "I want to be like you when I grow up", "your style is amazing", "you inspire me", "you are such an enabler", and the list could go on. Of course she has replied to comments and questions that people have asked on her blog, I was no exception, because she does that for everyone.

I don't know at what point did I "act as though I'm not doing what many have said that I've done"? To know better and not do better is one thing but to not know that I was seriously hurting her or making her feel uncomfortable is another. How much more praise does she need? How many more accolades does she need to hang on a wall? How many more "kudos, your great" does she need? How many more " You're the best" does she need? She has received I'm sure a countless number of awards/recognitions to fill a gallery but yet she's allowed me, a person who once saw her as a source of inspiration, to pose as a threat to her? I have ALWAYS thought that I gave Keisha credit. To paint this nasty picture that I'm a twit, bottomfeeder, delusional, crazy, stalker, strange, lazy, loser, creepy is appalling. I always thought without it even being said on every single thing that I was inspired by her. It was her who inspired me to take the leap to scrapbook in the beginning when I thought I couldn't. It has been absolutely NO SECRET that I felt she was amazingly talented.

I am and will continue to be FEARLESS in posting layouts and projects because I don't think for one minute that my work even compares to hers. A Keisha Campbell project can be noticed a MILE AWAY so I definitely by no means thought my work was in any comparison to hers. I have taken elements of her style, clean, simple, fresh and made that work for me. 

I get inspiration from a MILLION places. Please don't allow a simple "inspired by" or "lifted" note cause you to attempt to destroy the reputation and character of someone else. It's bashing in the worst way and not only that, it's childish.  Not everyone is OFFENDED if an idea was "scrap-lifted" or "inspired by" and a source never mentioned, to each their own.  Scrapbooking is a HOBBY for me, not a job! I go to a 9-5 every single day. I'm not making a PROFIT, I don't submit for publications, and I've submitted ONLY ONCE to a design team call that wasn't even CRATE PAPER so for those who feel that Crate Paper needs to drop me, I made that team with NOT ONE SINGLE SUBMISSION. 

I am by no means attempting to make a "name" for myself in this industry. A scrapping style does not belong to a single individual. There are far too many inspiring things in this world for one person to feel as though they own it all or are the best at it all. I have and will never need to feel like I need to imitate or copy someone for attention. I blog on a blog that I pay for. I'm not the only one with a blog out there on typepad, with three columns and a header. I am not the only one learning more about photography to take better pictures of my family. I am not the only one who has bought the craft table from Ikea for their scraproom/studio/office. I am not the only one who has a scrap room full of the Jet-Mex cubes that you can get from Michaels or the white shelves that you can get from Ikea or Target. I am not the only one who owns the glass cabinet to store pretty things in.

I post layouts to FREE galleries only to share and if I thought for one second that me sharing would offend ANYONE, I wouldn't. You are who you are and I am who I am.

My husband shared this scenario with me that I want everyone who reads this to consider: Michael Jordan will forever reign as the best NBA player ever! No matter how many Kobe Bryant's,  LeBron James', or Dirk Nowitzki's have come behind him, Michael will be Michael. What Michael did for the industry changed the hopes and dreams for many who have come behind him. Everybody wants to have a game like Mike but Mike is Mike. There isn't a person that I know that would say that Kobe isn't talented or a great player. You couldn't say that LeBron isn't talented or a great player and you couldn't say that about Dirk either. 

So with that being said, my point that I want Keisha to understand is that SHE is great at what SHE does. No matter how many Latonia Grant's she thinks are out there, Keisha should just be Keisha. What she did for me in this industry initially was gave me hope that I too could scrapbook and enjoy this hobby just as much as she does. I was inspired by her and have said so many times previously on her blog and on my blog. I am no longer inspired by her as a person or as a scrapper. I stopped months ago from visiting and commenting on her blog so blocking me was not necessary.

I was always taught to let the work that I've done speak for me. I'm not looking for a fan club here or in this scrapping community. This rally of men and women who have stepped up to defend/support her and degrade me, who know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about me, is priceless. I am thankful to be secure in myself, happy with myself and overall a Child of God who doesn't allow what others THINK of me dictate who I am.  I am what God says I am and if your offended by that, take that up with HIM!

| L O V I N G - H E R |

I just can't believe that next month my baby will be turning 8. I think I want to cry now! =)  I snapped these quick photos of her after I washed her hair on Sunday.

She loves this sequin purse that she got from Christmas.

I'm off to work on a few projects. Have a great day!

| P R O J E C T - L I F E |

P R O J E C T - L I F E . Let me just say I'm behind. Like, ain't past the title page behind! =) I've been documenting and trying to keep up at least with photos and words thru drafted blog posts but I just haven't had time. The other reason I've fallen behind is because I decided 2 weeks ago to change the layout of it and do 12x12, just seems like a better fit. I've been loving seeing Kaori's and Vee's PL pages. They are fab! I tagged a few pics below from their respective blogs.

H A R M O N I E

The page on CP will have to be duplicated. =)

P A I S L E E - P R E S S  I just love her designs.

C R E A T I V E - B L E S S I N G  Vee just has an amazing artistic approach to everything. I love it.