Crop Reminder :)

:) Good Morning all!...Quick reminder, The Scrapbrat Chat happens at 2pm est. time today at Scrapbook-bytes.com (it is a font challenge)...I am the hostess and would sure hate to sit in there by myself! That's the weird thing about hosting anything, it just isn't as much fun for some reason if you are the only one there...hm, curious isn't it?...lol
I also wanted to share an entry I posted on my personal blog the other day, it seems so relevant every day and God really dealt with me on it again today :), but even if your faith is not founded in God the lesson still holds true!
But first, here is a preview of the attendance gift...(there is another gift if you post your layout in the Scrapbrat Chat Gallery at Scrapbook-bytes)





Whatever Is True...
wow I have eaten more humble pie in the last year than I ever thought any one person could eat...
and, subsequently I have felt so low at so many points in the last year that I could barely lift my head up high enough to keep from drowning in my own self doubt...
God has done SO many wonderful things in my life, there is no doubt of that...and a lot of those wonderful things have to do with the change he has made in me and through me...
I was thinking the other day "why is it that I can barely keep my head up when it seems that I have it all?"...then I got into a discussion with a friend who said that they too were struggling...even as far to the point of contemplating suicide...
depression has been "part of my personality" for as long as I can remember and a year or two ago I was diagnosed bipolar...which makes an "easy out" for me to say "well I can't help it when I get like this..." (and by "easy" let me clarify by saying being depressed or bipolar is NEVER easy...it is just that when you "suffer" from these diseases, people just kinda almost expect it and always expect the worst in your personality)...now before I go where I am going with this, let me also say I am NOT saying medication is not necessary or that what I am doing is for everyone (well I mean I of course believe that people should go to God first, medicine 2nd, then follow up with a healthy dose of God as a chaser)....this is just how God has been working with me....
I am reading "Loving God with all Your Mind," and it is amazing that God seems to have spoke to the authors heart so much the way He did to mine :)
Any of you who have read my personal blog for any amount of time know that this is a recurring theme with me....I honestly believe we CHOOSE to be happy/sad/satisfied/discontent even if we don't REALIZE we are choosing that...now i am not repeating the horrible mantra "just get over it" because I do NOT believe (bipolar or not) that if you suffer from depression (chemical or environmental) that it is something you just choose to get over....I am saying that I can choose, on my bad days to say "life sucks...I am miserable...I am just going to be this way forever...everyone can see how horrid and miserable I am...I don't now, nor will ever amount to anything" or I can FORCE myself to see it for what it is, a bad day where the chemicals in my brain and body have went wonky and a day that will eventually turn to night, and a night that will turn to daybreak again, this is true of Christians and non-Christians alike, you don't HAVE to be a Christian to choose to be content (lol it just makes it a lot easier in my humble opinion)...and when God started dealing with ME on this I honestly said to Him with a snicker and a sneer, "yeah right, okay, whatever......" and i felt that way every time I tried this for over a month (lol and that has been 6 months ago and I STILL feel that way some days) before it started becoming almost 2nd nature
Philipians 4:8 says that we are to only to think about "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things".....that is sound advice no matter who you are....
I am notorious for thinking "ugh, they said this so they must MEAN this..." and letting it eat at me for DAYS or WEEKS....or for being somewhere and just KNOWING that people are staring at me b/c of my weight or appearance (I have anxiety attacks b/c of this one)...or for just KNOWING that if someone is not being really sweet to me it HAS to be because i have done something horribly wrong and they are going to be cool towards me from now on....
Those sound like exaggeration, but they are about as true to how I feel as I can explain, and THAT my dear friends is how depression keeps someone locked up and tied down...
now I am learning to look at those same thoughts and compare them to Philipians 4:18.....are those thoughts TRUE (and real, as in the true reality of the situation?)....I cannot TRULY know what someone is thinking, so why bother trying to decipher it, if they are mad or meaning to say one thing I have to choose to believe they would tell me because if they don't it is their deal not mine....
is it noble? trust me, there is NOTHING "noble" about some of the things I let myself believe people are thinking about me...
is it right? well this can go 2 ways...for one, IF they were thinking that way about me it would not be RIGHT of them...and 2, how do i know if i am even right about WHAT they are thinking?!
is it pure? to be pure is to be without blemish or fault and the way i feel about myself is definitely not always that way :P
is it lovely? um no, or i wouldn't feel BADLY about it
is it admirable? hm do you admire someone who is always saying "oh well....sigh....my life is never going right....nothing good ever happens for me....why should I feel like it should...."....no, even though you may love that person, you definitely don't admire their company b/c it begins to wear YOU down...I don't want to be that person...
is it excellent or praiseworthy? obvious answers huh?
So today I am choosing to believe whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy....
If I start to dwell on something that is not I can refocus myself to say "ok well the grass is a lovely shade of green, my kids are gorgeous to me, the sky looks blue/gray (this is true, somewhat boring, but true)" and not put a "but" on any of those things :D....if i think "but" i have to purposefully put it where it belongs, which is behind me...lol get it...butt, behind me...sigh yeah i crack myself up....
well I have went on enough for now, believe it or not I woke up in a REALLY sucky mood today, so thanks for letting me get this out and helping ME to feel better already ;)
Have a great day, if you choose to....
Remember: no one and nothing can make you feel inferior without your permission....
:) ~fantacy

FREEBIE....A Different Sort of Fantacy

:) Thanks to a couple of gals at SBB I have really started thinking outside of my comfortable little scrapping box and YOU are going to reap a couple of the rewards :)
Today's freebie is something i have never completely done, but wow it was FUN!!! This might become a new thing for me ;)
And just for clarification, my name is spelled Fantacy (with a C) so the title of the freebie is not a typo :D....just making sure i didn't look illiterate :P...
Here is the layout I did using it

And here is your freebie (does anyone know why i can't link the page to my image anymore here in blogger?)
>>>A Different Sort Of Fantacy<<<

Template Preview :)

:) This is the attendance gift AND the inspiration for this week's ScrapbratChat :)
Join me at 2 pm eastern time for the full size 12x12 template (in .psd AND .png formats)...:) Hope to see you there! The addy is www.scrapbook-bytes.com just click on the "community" tab, then on the Chat Room :)....

Scrapbrats Unite!!!!

:) Don't forget the Scrapbrat Chat, today at 2pm eastern time :)
if you are afraid you will forget, go to the chat room now Scrapbook-bytes Chat Room
and log in...then turn up your speakers and you will hear when everyone starts coming in :D.....
I will have a template for you this week :D that is our theme for this chat (I always give a small template, but this will be a full sized 12x12 template)....all you will have to do is use it to create a layout, post that layout in the Scrapbrat Chat gallery and you will get a freebie the following week :)....
I might even have to have a little freebie up for you on here later today :D....we will see :D....
Smiles & Hugs!
~fantacy

Monday Blahs....oh and a FREEBIE!

:) It is 3:33 a.m. and I am not in bed because I have been working on a freebie and because I have been watching the movie The Guardian (with Ashton Kutcher in it) and now cannot force myself to go to bed before seeing the end ;)....
I will be substitute hosting a chat at Scrapbook-bytes.com today at 2 pm (eastern)if you want to stop by :)...our dear Jodi will be in flight with her family during the chat, so she has allowed me to sub for her :D...She already has the attendance gift all zipped up and waiting for ya! so all i have to do is be there, hand out goodies (the attendance gift AND an inspiration which Jodi also provided me *wink, she made it easy*), and I get to chat with all y'all!!!
I hate the Monday blahs, so PLEASE come help me alleviate them with a chat full of interesting conversation ranging from scrapbooking to who KNOWS what ;)
Ok here we go, Part 2 of Mamaw's Li'l Revenge....
This freebie includes 2 background papers (Denim looking with a tear and a worn jean look...one with "grass stain" one without...c'mon what li'l boy HASN'T ever gotten grass stain on his knee?!), 1 Pocket to tuck treasures into, 1 "Mud" overlay (which goes well with part 1), and a few more li'l sticker surprises :)
Also I am going to show you a layout I did with the first freebie (plus the mud overlay from this kit)...
first the layout (lol so i know you see it before you click on the download link)...
This is of my 2 boys back in 2004 (I believe)...yeah they had fun...


ok and now your freebie ;) just click >>>>HERE<<<< to get to the download page :D

Some Stickers for The Boys :) & a little announcement

:) hi everyone! it is friday and I am FINALLY getting a new freebie up :)
This will be a complete kit, so check back often...I have done some "girly" stuff, so this is my attempt at some more Boy Based stuff....I know that www.scrapoutsidethebox.com has some cute boy kits up at the moment, and these stickers/sayings would go great with a freebie on Iris' blog freebie Playful Boy
I also have a small announcement...I am looking to start selling and want to put my
name out there, so if any of you are admin or in a store you think I might be a positive
addition to, let me know :) I will be checking out the calls and even pm-ing some stores that
are not doing official calls right now just to let them know i am interested :)
I am very nervous, as I know I do not have the "wow" factor that a lot of the
designers have, but I do know that I have HUGE potential and a love of designing
that sets me apart from some....so here i am :)
As always I am on the lookout for any inspiration, so if there is a kit, element or theme
you have been looking for that you can't find, let me know and I will give it a go...
my email is listed at the top of my blog and here, SweetAsSodiePop(at)gmail(dot)com...
Anyway, here is whatcha came for! Click on the preview to be taken to the download site ;)

Another Day, Another FREEBIE!!!! :)

:) what can I say, all of you have made me feel so wonderful that I decided to give away a couple little frames that coordinate with my Garden Doodle :) I am working on being thankful and showing my appreciation and this is part of it!
Feel free to color them if you like :)
and words of wisdom for today (compliments of Barb aka Lalalime/MrsMiles) "get over myself, already!"....lol how great is THAT?!
...i will have to admit, the more comments I get, the more motivated I seem to stay!....i LOVE any comments, but if you comment here I will be able to keep it forever, if you comment on 4shared, and I have to delete files to make more room, I will lose the love you took the time to give me :(....that being said, know that I read EVERY comment on both places and it makes my spirits just soar!
Here is your freebie ;) Don't forget that I have a Chat tomorrow at www.scrapbook-bytes.com at 2pm eastern! i would LOVE to see you there!
I have gotten to meet shellshok, greedz, ann-mom, jozziebear, and several others who read my blog in my chat over the last 2 weeks and it was SO cool!!! (sorry those are the ones i KNOW came because of my announcement here)....so come on over and spend an hour chatting and getting some ideas for your layouts :)....
Click on preview to go to download

FREEBIE!!!! (it is still Saturday here in Ohio) ;)

:) I promised it would be up sometime saturday and here it is! 10 min. under the wire!!!
So I better post this quickly!.....
I am going to post my blog post here too (it is in my personal blog, but it is something that really impacted me today, so i am going to post it here too!)
I was listening to Joseph Prince on t.v. last night....he was talking about how to stay healthy with what you eat, how to follow God's plan for eating and things like that ;)....but what got me was something that was said during a "commercial" for his ministry....it said "Boast of the LORDS love for you, not of yours for Him".....
wow...i will repeat it...
Boast of the LORD'S love for you, not of yours for Him...

How often do we go on and on telling people how much we love the Lord for what He has done for us?...it is not a bad thing!, but if you think of it in the context of that quote, how much more glory would be given to Him if we instead say "God loves me so much that yesterday He (fill in the blank)".....He pays attention to our desires just as He pays attention to our needs!....He loves us so much that He will do (and has done) more than we could EVER imagine!...not because we love Him (He wants us to do that, but He literally has a "host of angels" that do nothing but praise Him and love Him eternally), He does it simply because HE loves US!!! isn't that amazing?!

I was SO hurt yesterday by not getting a "thanks" or any recognition for some things I had done for a few people.....my heart was heavy and my spirit began to wither and become ugly.....as this little tiny minuscule splinter of resentment made its way from my head to my heart, it began to fester! yes! just that quick! and that darn little splinter must have had barbs and was slightly organic because it began to take root!!!!.....
I confided in a friend who knows the hurt I was feeling because she has been in the same environment...as I was venting to her, feeling great for "knocking" these people who hurt me, I started rereading what I had typed..."Ya know...it is not that I expected them to really DO anything to reciprocate, but a simple 'THANKS'" would have went a long way..." and "I do this over and over for them, yet not ONE of them has given me the same respect?!".....and suddenly it was like God was talking to ME!!!!!.....INSTANTLY my heart began to soften and gently, slowly, yet still a little painfully, that splinter was being rejected by my heart! being pushed up and out through what I had said, and what God had said to me.....
looking like a goober, tears welling up in my eyes, suddenly it all made sense (just as my friend had told me "EVERYTHING you go through God has something to teach you from it...what is HE trying to teach YOU through this?"....)
So many times He does things for us, just to help us out, just to make our lives a little easier, just to help us save face....and how many times do we forget to purposefully take the time to just look up and say "hey thanks...i appreciate it..."
not some long drawn out thing, but a sincere "i noticed what you did for me today....thanks"
and with our loved ones? hubby may not get every last spot up off the counter after supper, in fact he might not get hardly any of them up, but every ONE he did get up is one less I have to....or your hubby may not have remembered that you like this show or that show, so he turns on the game instead.....but he is at home with you right?....
take the time to sincerely thank God today....and to thank those around you who do "little" things that really are done just for you and those they love....
i know i am thanking God for all the "little things" He has blessed me with because if I didn't have them, they wouldn't seem so "little"...thanks

and I want to thank all of you who have been d/l, commenting on, and using my designs! God willing I will find a store to sell in soon (I have had a couple pointers, but praying about when/where to start)....so here it is....today's freebie!
Click on image to get to download page ;)

:( freebie will be later today...

sorry guys, i truly meant to have the freebie up today (friday), but life got in the way :(....
i promise to have it up sometime Saturday!

HELP!!!! ;)

Ok I have been alerted that many of you are not getting my updates through "feedblitz" so I have a HUGE favor to ask some of you more experienced bloggers....
How do I make it possible for my readers to get an alert whenever I post to my blog?!...lol i find this question kind of funny in and of itself because I seriously didn't know that people were actually looking for my blog!!! (so yeah this has me a bit excited *blush*)
Oh yeah, by tonight I will have a new freebie up! So be sure to check back later today or tomorrow morning ;)....

Hillbilly Cover Ups 2 & Chat Announcement

Goooood Mornin'!
Ok, I have a confession...I am now addicted to making Hillbilly Cover Ups....my poor friends on Hello are probably sick of me after today! (is that the case Kylie? Trina? Raechel? Gina? um who else did I show?!)
I have a new set of them for you as a freebie today! but before I link you to that, I want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all the great ladies who put up "blog freebie lists"....I would name you ladies but inevitably I would forget someone and then feelings would be hurt and I that would hurt MY feelings somethin' awful, but I have told you gals on your blogs how much your effort means to me!...If you see some of these freebies on list blogs, make sure to take a second to say "thanks" to those girls! they put a lot of time and effort into making OUR lives easier and our scrapping more dynamic and complete!
ANNOUNCEMENT: I am having a ScrapBrat Chat at 2pm est at www.Scrapbook-bytes.com again this week!...Last week was great, but I bet we can do better! So come and meet me "in person" today and hopefully get some ideas for a layout or two!
Ok, now for your freebie ;) Just click on the preview to get the download, and y'all KNOW how much I love me some lovin' so if you say thanks you really make my day! (I have SO appreciated all the comments I have gotten from y'all!)
If this is your first time here, or you missed my last post, Hillbilly Cover Ups are a way to cover up things you don't want to post on the internet (esp made for layouts) in a humorous way instead of "smudging" faces or just placing random elements over them :P....hope you enjoy them as much as I am enjoying creating them! (there are more to come, but if you have suggestions feel free to email me at scrappintype2 AT yahoo.com **Trina, I am working on the ones you gave me ideas for :)**

Hillbilly Cover-Ups *first set*

:) wow, 2 separate freebie posts in one weekend?! lol I am doing ok, huh?
This idea was actually born while I was showing a friend my Chloe's Curls Doodle Stickers freebie...she was doing a layout of her son's first bath and was going to use a star over his um..his uh...his "parts".....she showed me and it seemed so off, not like she was covering something but like she just forgot to move this star to its proper place on the layout ;)....
So i doodled "oops" real quick, turned it into a sticker and sent it to her :)....Thus Hillbilly Cover Ups was created!!! Thank you SO much Kylie (kyl099) for inspiring me with lochies need to be covered up!!!
I have SO many more "cover ups" in my head, but i wanted to get this on my blog before I saw something similar on someone elses blog or store and chickened out of posting mine (this has happened more than once for me :(...)....
I will be adding more, better "cover ups" later this week...ones with faces, ones that are more like altered art, and of course more doodles and goofy sayings!
Why not let people know you were purposefully covering a face...or "part"...in your layout...
even in very beautiful layouts, a chuckle is always fun....also, Kylie recolored the ooops to make it match her layout better, so feel free to do that also!
please if you download it, leave some lovin! If you found my freebie from someone's freebie list, let me know in MY comments so that I can go thank them profusely!!!!! lol

***Available at www.oneofakindscrapz.com/store***



credits: papers are Meredith Fenwick - Lucky 7 collection, Template by Kissed Studios, Ribbon (recoloured) by Lena Brandenburg, Doodle by Anne DeJong, Buttons by MGodi, Tag, Pin and Bow by Miss Mint, and Bubble border and backwards staples by Jenn Patrick, Oops Sticker (recoloured)by Fantacy Bryant (scrappinhillbillysweetpea)....
*i will post a link to her gallery later so you can leave some love!*

Doodle Stickers Anyone?...

Here is a little freebie that I hope you all can use :)
I named it after my 2 1/2 yr old daughter and her curly locks that seem to draw attention no matter where we go!
Oh and an update on Ben (read blog post named My "nephew" Ben....he is the son to one of my very dearest friends)...his sugars have normalized somewhat (normal for HIM...which still is not how it needs to be, but at least more stable) *smiles* I know God has big things for this lil warrior! Keep thinkin' of him and praying for him if you would :)

Click on Preview to download the freebie :)

Hear Ye Hear Ye....It's Almost the FOURTH!!!

Hi all! I am wound tighter than an 8 day string!!!


It is no big secret I am not a summer-lover...redhair, sunburn, hot weather when I am already well insulated for winter weather :P...but having said that, i have to say I LOVE THE FOURTH OF JULY!!!
I love the picnics, cookouts, family games and get togethers, community festivals, and hometown parades! I also ADORE the good ol' Red White and Blue being EVERYWHERE!!!
In honor of The Fourth (and in anticipation for a BIG announcement concerning my scrapping journey) I am giving away oodles of Freebies today!!! I did a layout using the kit I made for the 4th of July 2007...the layout holds the BIG announcement!.....


Yep, my very first OFFICIAL chat!!! The theme will be anything "family gathering"ish!....so come, chat and receive the freebies I have bundled up for you! (see the preview of the Doodles...)....

Now for the freebies!!! (Links are below the Preview of Each)


Patriotic Sweetpea Papers
Patriotic Sweetpea Ribbons and Stitching

The Doodles that go with this kit will be part of the goodies given away at my chat! on Tuesday July 3rd, 2007 at www.scrapbook-bytes.com at 2pm eastern time :)...here is what they look like...



Here are "other" patriotic freebies I have given out in the past, most of which got little or NO attention, so be forgiving, these were my "early" tries at designing...i still have a long way to go but I have come a bit already!



Patriotic Glitter Papers

Patriotic Glitter Stars & Swirls

Patriotic Glitter Ribbons & Tags

Patriotic Glitter Fireworks

Patriotic Glitter Canada Day


And finally just some Patriotic Bits & Pieces...



Patriotic Bits & Pieces


Whew....ok that was the longest it has ever taken me to put together a blog post!...lol hope you enjoy!...and don't forget to come join me in the Scrapbook-bytes.com Chat room Tuesday at 2 p.m. est time! Have a great week!