Send your own ElfYourself eCards

hansel and gretel and christmas

i accompanied eli and the rest of the 3rd grade on a field trip this past wednesday. we went to the roxy theatre to see "hansel and gretel" and then went to the Smith-Trahern "mansion" (lol) to see the Christmas decorations.....below are my fave photos from the trip. NOTICE how i located my nearest emergency exit on the bus (i don't care if it was on the ceiling...i was prepared to jump ship if necessary!!)
it was super fun!

candy!

that is all. carry on.

no secret

FINALLY got around to playing with Julie @ Kiddie Lit!! You can find their current challenge HERE!

little things...

are special things, as per the current poem "When You Thought I Wasn't Looking" at Scrap That Poetry

with a grin

Stephanie over at With A Grin is having an awesome Black Friday/Thanksgiving giveaway. She is just the sweetest, most inspirational, thing! Check it out!

snips and snails...

...ok, you know where i'm going w/ this one.

just a little something i cooked up for Sketchy Thursdays and Scrap The Boys :)

the photo is from...summer 2008 at aunt jessi's house :) :) we always have so much fun there!

wallet mini FREAKS

this little baby is made from ONE SHEET of double-sided patterned paper!! i used it w/ some wallet photos of the kids' Olin Mills portrait session this July.

this is my first project for Scrapfreak as their Guest Designer for the month of November. i used "cosmo cricket Lil' Man dapper dan" paper, but i am planning on using some of the YUMMY "PINK PAISLEE Mistletoe and Co." papers for some Christmas gifts! (there are 7 pockets in this little baby, perfect for holding photos, tags, gift cards, or even cash!)












here is the tutorial:

outside my window

treats :)

we all had such a sweet little halloween night. it was perfect weather (which is crazy b/c our weather has been INSANE lately!) it was all just so perfect. silas was optimus prime (transformers) and eli was a paleontologist. their choices suited them both so perfectly. lol

also, here is the layout i completed for the current Scrap That Poetry challenge blog :) The poem is "Where the Sidewalk Ends", and we'd love to see your take on the prompt! The DT's work is outstanding, and so diverse! I always love seeing the different directions everyone takes from the same poem. Awesome! Come and play along...there is a RAK!! ;)

thanks...

jennifer, for the blog award! i am so bad at these things ;)




The rules are this: I need to pass this on to five people Post it on their blog that I gave them this award, and then I need to answer a list of questions in one word. So, I am passing this award onto (in no particular order...) MO, KIM T., BETH, DIANA, CALLISTA :)

Where is your cell phone? purse

Your hair? curly

Your mother? beautiful

Your father? wise

Your favorite food? Really?

Your dream last night? grandma

Your favorite drink? cheerwine

Your dream/goal? Photographer

What room are you in? bedroom

Your hobby? scrapbooking

Your fear? snakes

Where do you want to be in 6 years? together

Where were you last night? baseball

Something that you aren't? mean

Muffins? lemon-poppyseed

Wish list item? lens

Where did you grow up? DC,NC

Last thing you did? picnik

What are you wearing? bra :(

Your tv? cartoons

Your pets? lola

Friends? fun

Your life? awesome

Your mood? relaxed

Missing someone? great-uncle

Vehicle? honda

Something you are not wearing? jewelry

Your favorite store? target

Your favorite color? changes

When was the last time you laughed? today

Last time you cried? recently

Your best friend? love

One place that I go to over and over? kroger

Facebook? ridiculouslyaddicted.

Favorite place to eat? mama's

beachaven winery

beachaven winery
Originally uploaded by toniasuzanne

the last "jazz" (jazz on the lawn) of the season was this past Saturday. we had a great time, as usual. next yr. we are totally entering the costume contest.

7 GYPSIES LOVE

7 GYPSIES WEEK AT BLUE MOON SCRAPBOOKING!!

go and check out the awesomeness!!

fotw

FREAK OF THE WEEK...is ME!!! ;) ;)

i want candy..

da da da da da. (that's me keeping the beat...lol)

Tiffany is giving away a sweet little kit to her viewers...check it out. her son cracks me up in the vid!!

Tonia

STP

...as in Scrap That Poetry, not Stone Temple Pilots.

every week or two, i make myself a little list of the challenges in which i want to participate. i consider myself successful if i complete half of what's on that list. this week, i thought i'd do "two birds/one stone" w/ my dt work at Scrap that Poetry and DreamGirlz. turns out i did my scrappy math wrong, and the dreamgirlz challenge ended yesterday (14th) and i couldn't post my STP work until today (15th). in hindsight, it seems so obvious, but that's what happens when you make a giant to do list, and have to constantly address needs of tiny ones around you.

at any rate, here is my take on the poem over at STP this week...PLEASE, won't you come and play with us? we're really very nice. the poem this week is Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman". again, tons of inspiration, so just take from it what you will (a single word, a verse, the poem in its entirety, your interpretation). we had some AMAZING entries for our first challenge, and i can't wait to see what you girlies bring this time!!

the ugly truth

is about to be exposed...i was given one of these...by my friend, Kim .... SOO.....

1.i've NEVER thought of myself as artistic (some of you may be nodding in agreement here), but i am starting to....i really FEEL it, and that's what matters, right? right.

2. we are living on one income, basically (i sub. teach), and it kind of blows. i mean, i am super grateful for all that we have, but it would be sure nice to have some extra $$ for a vacation.

3. speaking of vacations, i haven't been on one in many, many years. my husband was in the Air Force, so we moved around a bit, but i wouldn't call it "vacationing"..lol. this is a sad fact. and we NEED one.

4. i lost my best friend last year. she and her husband and daughter came to visit us for a month, and it was like starting a pressure cooker. we got on eachother's nerves so bad, and our friendship ended b/c of it.

5. i cry a LOT. i am so emotional, and always have been. i was painfully shy as a child, and if i ever felt like i was in trouble, had let anyone down, was embarassed, i would just lose it. i am not shy like that anymore, but i still cry a lot. and i usually do so for a good hour on thursday nights (8pm central time-ABC...you know what i'm talking about) it's cathartic, though, and i think i NEED to be this way. i also feel the need to "talk it out" about nearly everything. poor eric. seriously. i try to reign it in, but it's hard. i need to write it in my "bitch book" instead.

6. i can not imagine life without my boys. if i achieve nothing more than being the best mother i can be to them, that will be enough. it scares me how many people don't take parenting as seriously as they should.

7. i don't know how much i weigh. it's been too long since i've been to the dr. (i know, i know...i need to go). i NEVER thought i would have weight issues. i was so stick thin growing up, and even as a senior in high school, i barely weighed enough to donate blood. i just don't pay enough attention to what i eat. i mean, i do eat tons of healthy things (key word: tons), but i don't restrict myself, like, at all. i love food so much, and, for example, i'm having a glass of wine right now. i need to address this, and start walking my 'hood again. it's really hilly, and a great workout. i am the queen of excuses.

8. i graduated college at 28. i dropped out my first time around, and started back after i had Eli, and just kept at it until i finally graduated last year. i remember once taking an exam and my boobs were hurting soo bad b/c i NEEDED to get home and feed Silas. i think doing it this way makes me appreciate it so much more, though. and i graduated high school at 17, and was seriously not ready to take life seriously. at least i try to take it seriously now...sometimes.

9. i NEED to be working full-time, but just can't seem to get a job. and i don't know if it's just the economy, or if i'm not giving it my all b/c i'm terrified. i stayed home with eli until he went to Kindergarten, and i feel like i'm short-changing silas if i don't do the same. i am terrified of not having enough time to do the things that make me happy, terrified of missing my time with silas, terrified of workplace politics, terrified of failing.

10. i used to make fun of people who had "online friends". ok, maybe not make fun, but i certainly thought it was slightly ridiculous. now, i know some of the kindest people on earth, and i've met them online. i've been so fortunate to have met such supportive, friendly, beautiful women in this scrapbooking world online. it makes me grateful for the internet that i can be introduced to such different people, all over the world, and know that we are all linked by not only our common interest, but just by our humanity. we can all be insecure, scared, jealous, depressed, and so on and so forth. it sure helps, though, to hear a kind word from others who are feeling or have felt the same thing. you lades are amazing, and i am lucky to call you friends.

sweetiness

laugh...

antonym: cry.

for Category Stories :)

key tag mini album

ok, so i stole the idea from Laura (i think) at Following the Paper Trail. she had a you-tube video showing one of these little minis, and i thought it was genious!! she had tags as her album, but i took it one step further and used gift cards that no longer have any $$ left on them. i know, right!! so, the cute little box started out as an orbit gum box!! and the teeny album is made from the gift cards. it is sweet!

she had a magnetic closure, and i just cut the slit and tucked mine in. fun!!!

tfl,

tonia

HOT

TAMALE!!!

I heart Mary Murphy!

this is from a diana sketch over at Sketchy Thursdays! :) :)

FREE

SHIPPING!

for a limited time (not to be disclosed), i am offering free shipping on ALL of my items over at The Sweet Stuff etsy shop! go ahead and snatch up those goodies you've been eying! the more you order, the more savings to you!!

:) T

SCRAP IT...

...the POETRY, that is! Today is the official launch of Scrap that Poetry!! The first poem is Rudyard Kipling's "If", and there is lots of inspiration to be taken from it. You can choose a single word, a line, the entire poem, or your own interpretation, and go in whatever direction you choose. The poems are there to inspire you to create something! Come on over and play with us...we'll share our mojo with you, if you do :)

I chose to focus on the word "ethos" b/c what i took from the poem was about maintaining a sense of character, your morals, your beliefs. i made this page for my boys, jotted the definition on a card and tucked it in :) simple and sweet. tfl, folks :)

check out The Sweet Stuff shop over at etsy. just added a new mini album yesterday, and will be adding another fresh baked item today (hint: Basic Grey "Eerie") :) :)

thanks, sweeties!

Tonia

mini mini bo bini....

a fresh from the oven mini over at The Sweet Stuff by Tonia Rhodes shop! journaling cards and pockets swivel out to allow you to place photos, or whatever, underneath. this really is a sweet one. i hesitated to title this one myself...wanted to allow you the opportunity to title it to suit your needs. however, i could totally see it as a "book of me". perfect little quotes in it to go in that direction.

working on some more goodies today, and check out the sweet little halloween embellies i added recently! tfl girlies :) :)

T

quickie

hard to believe this boy is 8 now. wow.
since my last post had pics of si, i wanted to post one of eli i edited today :)
now, to get ready for supper and head out to the ball field for the evening.

necklaces

so, two of my lovely, crafty friends sent me happy mail recently! the lovely Julie sent me a twilight necklace from etsy ("what if i'm the bad guy?"...love that quote!). AND BethPerry sent me one of her world famous yo-yo necklaces! i wore it to school today. 4th graders don't get it, but we do, right?? it is beautiful!!

the pics are out of order. i have yet to perfect this on blogger.

and here is a pic of silas and his new haircut (this one was done by a stylist, and not by silas, himself...lol...we all remember those pictures and how proud he was of his crooked bangs! this was a "no nap" kind of day b/c he slept in til almost 9:30 yesterday...we didn't get home from the baseball field until about 10pm monday night!! ahhhh! so, anyway, my camera battery was dead, and after it charged, i wanted to go ahead and get the hair pic, and this is what happened. lol

again, these pics are all out of order. i need to practice this.

so, that's all i have to say about that, and i will probably be blogging more later. i have tons of scrappy work to do tonight and tomorrow, so i'll be back shortly w/ that.

T

happier than...

...a pig in mud!! i've made the design team over at Scrap that Poetry!! I am soo excited about this, and can't wait to get started! Please, do come and play along with us all over there. There is much inspiration to be found in good poetry! Challenges are twice a month (1st and 15th), and our inaugural challenge will be OCTOBER 1ST...mark your scrappy little calendars!!!

Congratulations to my fellow design team members as well!

They are:

Windy Robinson

Sarabeth Burke

Kim Tupponce

Sue-ann Tilby

Jessica Wilson

Jane Smith

Please remember to come play with us over at Scrap that Poetry...all the cool kids are doing it ;)

sweet, sweet candy

from the blog of....Kristina! it's a big one, and some great stuff!! thanks, kristina for offering such sweet goodness!!!

poetry

....to scrap! i am soo excited about the new challenge blog called Scrap thatPoetry! The DT call ends tonight, so hurry over. You don't need to create anything new...just submit two of your fave layouts and talk a bit about yourself (see requirements on the Scrap That Poetry blog). To those who are applying along with me, good luck!! I am excited to know what the first poem will be!

**when i first posted, the link was wrong...it should work now :)

candy...candy

check it out over HERE! serious blog candy!!!

sketchy thursday and little boys' play

...and it's only tuesday. i realize it's my m.o. to get things finished and submitted just under the wire, but for some crazy reason, i actually remembered to get ST's finished early this week!! (maybe it's all the excitement going on over there this week...and the super-fab giveaways!!)

we are all a little sickly at our house this week...allergies, mostly (i hope!). eric's co-worker's son had the swine flu!!!

paranoia?? not me...lol

and i'm pretty sure i have the chiggers. but they don't itch..yet.

anyway...tmi, but here's the l/o and a picture of eli's amazing tubby bubbles making skillz and a random of si bike-riding as well!!

it's cloudy and overcast today and my camera battery needs to be charged, so i didn't have the patience to mess with getting the perfect shot of the l/o...so this one will just have to do ;) tfl!!

STM

i haven't participated in STM in such a long time, and it was always such a great challenge blog, full of inspiration, so i am glad to have found the time to participate this week! This week's song was Green Day's "Wake me up when September Ends". i chose the lyrics "becoming who we are" to sort of explain how i feel about the bitter-sweetness of these sweet little ones of ours growing up. i'm not gonna lie...it was an emotional one for me. but it was good.

Kim T...come on down...

...you're the next contestant on the Price is Right. ok, so maybe you're not. but you DID win my blog candy giveaway! random number generator result 8=Kim. :)
message me your addy, and i'll get your goodies out and on their way :) :)

thanks to all of you who follow me here, support my etsy shop, or just stop by to say hello once in a while :) one of the joys of scrapbooking is meeting such good people, so thanks again!

love, T

blog candy

check previous post for details on the giveaway!

new leaves -fall colors- added at the shop!! red, orange, gold, eggplant, brown.

thanks for your support!

Tonia

ch..ch...check it...

...i'm working on several new items for the store, and have just added one new fun item, which i am LOVING for fall!! it's a set of fun and whimsical tattered leaves. can be used behind chipboard trees, or just by themselves on your layouts and projects! aren't they adorable?? i am about to use these on some of my own work. they are just too cute!!!

want them in diff. colors?? no prob! just let me know what you want, and i'll be glad to make them for you!

run, don't walk, over to the shop where these little beauties, among others, are hanging out.

want a FREE set?? (and maybe a set of shiny posies, too?? i'll throw in a couple of extra items to the winner, i promise!) do this by Wednesday, September 9th:

leave a comment under this posting telling me at least one of the following things:

i am a follower on your blog (old or new friends...doesn't matter!).

i have blogged about your handmade goodies (please link to my etsy shop directly).

i have added you as a favorite seller on etsy.

each of these things is worth 1 entry. that's right...do all 3 things and get 3 entries into the drawing!!

thanks for your support of handmade, girlies!! i know i can count you in on this, right??

blah

...even on a bad day, i know i am blessed. hormonal overload, i guess. today was kind of a bad day. i need to make amends with my husband and babies. i hate that it's the people we love the most that we end up being ugly to most of the time.

almost Thursday!!

this is for the latest challenge over at the amazing Diana's Sketchy Thursdays!! she always has a GREAT sketch to guide you in your creativity!

i used some photos of us w/ our new "chalkboard" glasses we got from World Market. i LOVE that store. last time i was there, i could have camped overnight...must've been in there for like 3 hrs. good news---it was good detox for me...i must've "sampled" their detox tea to the tune of about ten cups...lol

anyway, playing with these glasses was wildly entertaining (couldn't have had anything to do with what we were drinking from inside of them, right??)

tfl...

love, Tonia

gettin freaky.

... over at Scrapfreak .

quick...quick!

as promised, i am adding items to my etsy shop!

ch-ch-check it out, ya'll!

and don't forget that if you order ANYTHING from me by this Friday night at midnight, it's free shippin!!!

thanks a bunch!

T

gimme gimme gimme gimme....

j/k...this is not about greediness...it's about GIVING! we all know it's better to give than receive, but here is a chance to do a bit of both. let's do it.

The first five people to respond to this post
will get something made by me, especially for you.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make but I hope you will.

2- What I create will be just for you.

3-They say I have a year to get it to you. But I promise it will NOT take that long.

4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It’s a surprise to both of us at this point.

The catch? You must repost this on your blog and
offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.


So the first five people who post, and are willing to pass it along,
will get a handmade gift in the mail from me.

When you get it, make sure you post a pic on your blog!

Gauche Alchemy

check it out, ya'll!!!

GRAPHIC 45 GIVEAWAY here!

faah-REE shippin!!!

that's right...to celebrate the grand, great, gigantic (ok, maybe not gigantic, but i'm working on it!), opening of my very own etsy shop, i am offering FREE SHIPPING on ALL ITEMS purchased before Saturday, August 22nd (Friday night at midnight, to be exact....so order b4 you go nighty night on Fri.!!)

i'm going to be working very hard this week adding new items...stay with me, people!

toniarhodes.etsy.com

mmmm...i smell pancakes!

T

Favorite Flowers

this is for the latest challenge over at my girl Julie's awesomely inspiring challenge blog These are a Few of my Favorite Things. check it out!!

you're so pretty the way you are

how will i ever stop making these things?? btw, it's k&co. wild saffron w/ misc. ribbons/flowers.

give it away, give it away, give it away now

check out Callista's awesome giveaway here! lots of summery sweetness in this one!!

pocket mini

ooh, this was soo fun. i adore this little pocket mini. next time, i'm gonna use longer envelopes o make it a bit bigger, but this one would still be fun for journaling or wallet photos. and oh my goodness, isn't it yummy!!??

so, i am pretty sure this is the start of my own etsy store. it is "green" b/c it's recycling envelopes (this one is just regular size card envelopes, but next time, i'm gonna use the long "bill" envelopes.) so, each page has a pocket opening on the outside, so it's actually a pocket, which is great for this size mini album to have the extra space. i am making the inserts now (post pics later)...i was just so excited i had to post the pics of the album right away!

and the pics are clearly posted in reverse order b/c i forgot that blogger did that, so the bottom pic is the front, and upward goes thru the album.

tfl.
T