Party Time !

50,000 hits and a Birthday to boot !

Deanne Burke, is celebrating fifty -thousand hits on her blog "Am I A Scrap Addict" and her Birthday with a week long crop !

Happy Birthday to you , Deanne !

Deanne is true to her Blog name "Am I a Scrap Addict"

her love for Scrap booking and paper show in all her layouts and creations.

Not only, is Dea generous sharing tips and inspiration, she also creates sketches and offers 4 Sketches a month hosted on her Am I a Scrap Addicts " Just my Sketches "blog.

Stop by and see all the wonderful Cards and Layouts that her Design team has put together to inspire us along.

For those of us that need a little motivation to get those special Holiday Christmas cards completed.

Deanne offers you inspiration , sketches , challenges and tips to help you along on her blog " Christmas Cards All Year Long".

Christmas whenever the mood strikes...can't get any better than that!

Deanne is also one of three sisters of the "Sisterhood of Scrap" Blog.

If you have never happened upon the Sisters , I suggest you should take a little time , when you get the chance to see what the Sisters bring to the Scrapbook Community .

Truly the Sisters hold the concept of Sisterhood to heart.

Nice and friendly atmosphere to begin your journey in the world of Internet Scrap booking.

Dea is celebrating her birthday with a week of fun challenges , and has invited everyone to join in her celebration.

She has a offered a chance to win a lovely gift for those who participate in this weeks challenges and fun.

Stop by " Am I Scrap Addict" and join in the fun !

Today's challenge has been posted and may be seen here :)

Put on your party hats ...hope to see you there !

Happy Birthday ,Deanne !!

Crop Challenges

For some time now , I have been unable to get into creating pages for my Scrapbook Albums.

With all the everyday challenges that life brings forth, I found myself looking to the future and not to the past.
Now that things have settled back into place, the urge to preserve those past memories have come back.
Feeling a little stuck, I found myself join in an online crop this past weekend hosted by "Scrap My Memories".

And I am so glad I did ! What a creative group of women at SMM.
Very inspiring and now am ready to get a few more layouts done for the books.

This first layout was an all white layout..at first I felt intimidated by this challenge as my all white supplies are limited.
But after seeing the lovely creations the ladies were putting out, I decided to give it a go.
Truly inspiring this group of ladies are !

My Granddaughter Sophia



Close up of embellishments

My Granddaughter Addison

Two of my Three sons and their Families

The fourth layout may be seen one post below a heritage page for my Family Heritage Album.

Not only was the crop productive for me, I also am the lucky recipient of a prize Card kit from Scrap My Memories Store...very exciting.

Thanks ladies for all the fun !

Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a happy Crafty Day :)

Happy ST Patrick's Day

Top of the day to you all !


The past few days I have found myself thinking of my Maternal Grandmother and the tale of the Widow Duross( my Grandmother's Grandmother).

For many years I would celebrate St.Patrick's Day with my Grandmother.
Thru out the years she would repeat the same family stories , somewhere in those years of celebrating the stories made there way into my memory bank.

Armed with some information I had on file, I have been able to locate the ship records on the widow Duross and her children.
For sometime I have been wanting to add a page to my family heritage album about the widow and have finally pieced the story together the best that I could.

James and Ellen Duross lived in the place known as Fivemiletown ,County Tyrone,Northern Ireland.

James harvested Flax (as found in the Flax growers list) and farmed the land.

In 1842 James passed on leaving Ellen and the children to make there way.

Within those five years Ellen found it harder to maintain life for her children as the famine ravaged their lovely country.

By 1847 (Black 47) Ellen and the children left Fivemiletown and made there way to Queens town,Cobh Ireland during the height of the Famine.

They traveled on to Liverpool , England as they waited for the ships to depart, (Famine Ships) traveling in steerage with a total of 216 passengers.

April 20Th 1847 Ellen and her children arrived to the Port of New York.

Making there way to Oneida Castle, NY where they set up there new life in America.

My Great Grandfather (photo in layout) was first generation to be born an Irish American.

Inside a Famine Ship



An Old Irish Blessing

May love and laughter light your days,

and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,

wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world

with joy that long endures.

May all life's passing seasons

bring the best to you and yours!

Digital layout credits here and here