So many scrappy and papercrafting project to do and so little time. . . Or is it I’m just a

S L O W scrapbooker/papercrafter? It’s like going on a journey!

It takes me a long time to come up with a design and that’s why I LOVE using sketches. You can find some very inspiring sketches by Lucy at My Sketch World. Definitely a time saver for me.
Choosing the perfect paper for my projects is not only a challenge but part of the journey of creating. The papers available today are as many and as varied as the people who participate in this hobby.
I’m not intimidated by scrappy embellishments (although I should be). I do find the quest for adding that perfect touch time consuming. I guess it would be better if I had a plan and I didn’t have such a colossal stash of embellishments to choose from, Should I use, chipboard, ribbon, buttons, flowers, rub-ons, charms, die cuts, you get the idea lol! Not to mention I love creating my own embellishments.
And the techniques . . . someone is always thinking of a new one. Should I distress, stitch, paint, stamp, emboss and the list goes on.

To tell you the truth I don’t mind being a slow scrapper, it’s just part of the journey of creating memories. I have come to the conclusion that if I rush I might miss something . . . you know like that perfect embellishment.

Be sure to check out the My Sketch World blog June 1^st for the June DT layout reveal. I can give you a sneak peak of the lo I did. I can say I think it’s one of my favorite sketches by Lucy . . . but I think I’ve said that before. This is definitely a sketch I will use again.

Does your décor say something unique about you? I have always thought it was fun to add something a little unexpected to my décor (inside or out). Adding a whimsical and fun accessory creates interest and gives that feeling of being a little unpredictable. I’m so glad I have a husband who will let me express my creativity and helps me accomplish so many projects (even though he may not think it's a good idea at the time).
I have this thing for old chairs. Randy revamped the seats so a plant would fit and then painted them for me. I love the way they turned out.

My scrappy friend Nicole posted a link for some really cute teacher gifts at MSW.  I was so inspired that I made the following for my grandson's teachers.

This was so quick and easy to make and along with a salad made a delicious meal.

Pastrami Hash
Ingredients:
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes cut into bite size pieces
1 ½ cups onion thinly sliced
1 medium sweet red pepper chopped
½ pound turkey pastrami coarsely chopped
½ cup scallions chopped
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp thyme
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450
Coat a 9X13 inch pan with cooking spray
Set a medium pan of water to boil over high heat
Parboil potatoes just until fork tender (5 minutes)
Combine potatoes, onions, pepper, pastrami, scallions, salt, black pepper and thyme in prepared dish; toss with oil
Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes
Serves 4 (¾ cup per serving)

If you're interested in swapping you should check out the My Sketch World Forums.
This month there was a birthday card swap.  My card(s) for the swap:
I can't wait to see the cards the other ladies made for this swap!

I have been known to drag home some trash . . . I mean treasures to Randy’s dismay, an old cabinet, some windows and even an old door. I always have an idea as to what I want to do with the trash . . . I mean treasure and it usually involves him to some degree lol!
You know the saying, One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. I really believe in giving some “stuff” a second chance. Transforming it and giving it a new life. I drug (literally) this door home about 10 years ago. At that time it was painted white. It laid behind our garage (in hiding) for almost 10 years. I guess it needed all that time to distress itself, which I might add is just perfect. I all but forgot about it until today while we were doing yard work. After some coaxing Randy and Colton carried it to the perfect spot in the yard for me and with a little help from JoAnne’s . . . voila!

I can't believe it's May already?! 
Did you know?
According to the early Roman calendar, May was the third month. Later, the ancient Romans used January 1 for the beginning of their year, and May became the fifth month. May has always had 31 days.

• Empire State Building opened May 1, 1931.
• Hudson's Bay Company chartered May 2, 1670.
• Catherine the Great of Russia born May 2, 1729.
• First U.S. medical school opened in Philadelphia, May 3, 1765.
• Napoleon died on St. Helena, May 5, 1821.
• Mexicans defeated French at Puebla, May 5, 1862.
• Memorial Day first observed, May 5, 1866.
• First postage stamp issued in England May 6, 1840 
• Robert Browning, English poet, born May 7, 1812.
• A German submarine sank the passenger liner Lusitania in World War I, May 7, 1915.
• Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States, was born in Lamar, Mo., May 8, 1884.
• John Brown, American abolitionist, born May 9, 1800.
• Sir James Barrie, Scottish author, born May 9, 1860.
• Mother's Day became a public holiday, May 9, 1914.
• First transcontinental railway completed in Promontory, Utah, May 10, 1869.
  
• Minnesota admitted to the Union May 11, 1858.
  
• Irving Berlin, American songwriter, born May 11,1888.
• Florence Nightingale, English nurse, born May 12, 1820.
• Roald Amundsen flew over the North Pole, May 12, 1926.
• Austrian Empress Maria Theresa born May 13, 1717.
• Sir Arthur Sullivan, English composer, born May 13, 1842.
• United States declared war on Mexico May 13, 1846.
  
• Gabriel Fahrenheit, German physicist, born May 14, 1686.
• Robert Owen, social reformer, born May 14, 1771.
• Edward Jenner, a British physician, performed the first vaccination against smallpox in May 14, 1796.
• Lewis and Clark began trip up Missouri River, May 14, 1804.
  
• Israel became an independent country as the last British troops left Palestine, May 14, 1948.
• Pierre Curie, codiscoverer of radium, born May 15,1859.
• U.S. began first regular airmail service May 15, 1918.
  
• William Seward, American statesman who arranged the purchase of Alaska, born May 16, 1801.
  
• John Hopkins, American philanthropist, born May 19, 1795.
  
• Homestead Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln, May 20, 1862.
  
• Amelia Earhart began the first solo flight by a woman across the Atlantic Ocean May 20, 1932.
  
• Albrecht Durer, German engraver, born May 21, 1471.
• Alexander Pope, English poet, born May 21, 1688.
• First Democratic National Convention held May 21, 1832.
  
• Clara Barton founded what became the American Red Cross May 21, 1881.
  
• Charles Lindbergh finished first translantic solo flight May 21, 1927.
  
• Richard Wagner, German composer, born May 22,1813.
• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, British author and creator of Sherlock Holmes, born May 22, 1859.
• Laurence Olivier, British actor, born May 22, 1907.
• South Carolina became the eighth state May 23, 1788
• First permanent English settlement in America established in Jamestown, VA., May 24, 1607.
  
• Brooklyn Bridge opened to traffic, May 24, 1883.
  
• Constitutional Convention opened in Philadelphia with George Washington as president, May 25, 1787.
  
• Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and poet, born May 25, 1803.
  
• Julia Ward Howe, American poet who wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", born May 27, 1819.
  
• Jay Gould, American financier, born May 27, 1836.
  
• Isadora Duncan, American dancer, born may 27, 1878.
  
• Golden Gate Bridge opened at San Francisco May 27, 1937.
  
• Patrick Henry, American statesman and orator, born May 29, 1736.
  
• Rhode Island ratified the Constitution, becoming the 13th state, May 29, 1790.
  
• Wisconsin became the 30th state, May 29, 1848.
  
• John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States, born in Brookline, Mass, May 29, 1917.
  
• Christopher Columbus began his third voyage May 30, 1498.
  
• U.S. Copyright law enacted May 31, 1790.
  
• Walt Whitman, American poet, born May 31, 1819.
  
• Amendment 17 to the Constitution, providing direct election of senators, proclaimed, May 31, 1913.

The May sketch is up at My Sketch World and I think it's one of my favorite sketches by Lucy.
Be sure to check out the inspiring challenges in the forum.

May Sketch:

My take on the May sketch after I turned it upside down.