card crazy.

 30 November 2008

I got on a roll last week making Christmas cards for the American Crafts blog. They haven't been put up yet ( I'm hoping by tomorrow) but I'm excited to see what everyone else on the DT did, it's always really inspiring to see how other people interpret the same product. :) I love making cards ( and Christmas cards in particular) because it's a quick way to do something creative when you're not in the mood to scrap a layout. I have so much Christmas product, and it feels good to finally use a wee bit of it! Here's a few I have to show you:


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This is an easy design that I love, and I repeated it for several cards.





I adore these CI epoxy trees, they're so beautiful! You can't see it from the pic, but I added some tiny Hero Arts jewels, and it adds the perfect touch to this simple card. And this AC paper has a gold shimmer to it, very pretty and subtle.





A simple small note card made with scraps & the AC tinsel letters.





This one was made in about 5 minutes. I used an extra photo I had of the kids, my circle punch , some scrap pp, and an AC rub-on. The photo is dark, but this one is bright and modern looking irl and I love it. :)



I'm off to work on my daily December album.. hoping it will be done for tomorrow b/c I really love the idea and want to play along. Are any of you doing one too?


Happy Sunday! :)

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Good intentions gone bad...

 29 November 2008

So, I mentioned in my last post that I've had a difficult time scrapping lately. I've got some major blockage going on here, and it's very frustrating. Throw in a lack of quality scrap time ( too much on the go these days) and a general feeling of 'blahness' when I do actually find time to sit down and scrap, and this is what I get:




I had such hopes for this photo of my Mom and I, b/c I really love how sweet it is, and I wanted to do it justice, but it just didn't come out at all like planned. Don't you hate when that happens? Overthinking is never a good thing. I like 'flow' when I scrap, not agony. I actually bought another piece of the pink OA paper to re-do the journaling mess on the bottom, but I'm still drawing a blank as to what I want to do, so for now, it's staying this way. And try as I might to put some sort of (red) embellishment near the pic, nothing worked. Whatever!!! I'll probably set this page aside and leave it on my table until I come across something that works. It could take months folks, that's how anal I am. It's kind of sad, but I take comfort in the fact that there are others out there just like me. You know who you are, but I won't out you. ;p

I finished off the last of the Twilight series tonight, which may account for my somewhat negative mood. ;) It feels like I've had to say goodbye to people I love, and I hate that. I want Stephenie Meyer to just keep on writing Bella and Edward stories, and never stop. I love them that much. I'll even forgive her for okaying the cheesy 2nd rate script for the movie if she'll write at least 10 more books. Just keep it going woman, & people WILL read!I saw the movie last Sunday. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I wasn't sure how I felt until hours later, while laying in bed 1/2 way through reading Breaking Dawn, that I admitted to myself that it was in fact pretty awful. I hated the way everything happened so fast, there was no real character development, the editing was choppy, and there was just not enough spark between B&E. And I won't even get started on the bad make-up jobs, geesh. I've promised Bobby that I'll take him to see it if he reads the book first, ( he's going on 12, I think it's ok? It's pretty clean. And he's SOOO curious about it) so I'll be able to be more objective the 2nd time around, if I can keep myself from swooning like a love struck 16 year old over Edward/Rob in front of my kid... That was one bit of genius casting there, no question.

Here's a photo to prove my point:




I rest my case. :)

Have a great weekend. We're putting up our tree tomorrow, and it's still November! That's terribly exciting for a major procrastinator like myself.. ;)

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Don't fall off your chairs...

 21 November 2008

but I'm scrapping tonight. yeah, it's been a while. Maybe I'll have something to share here in the next few days, or maybe not.. it depends if I like what I make tonight. ;p Me & scrappin' have been on the outs as of late, it's kind of frustrating.
In the meantime, please take a second and look at this absolutely amazing piece of art. It's sweet and sad and beautifully moody. Wow.

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Witty snippets from a funny gal...

 17 November 2008



I met Lain Ehmann ( Simple Scrapbooks contributing editor & podcaster extraordinaire) back in February of last year at winter CHA, and I was automatically charmed by her wit, energy, and all round fun personality. She's adorable. :) Plus, she's got a really cool car. ( red mini cooper, anyone?) And no, darn it, I didn't get a photo of her and I together, OR the car, but I digress...
I'm thrilled to bits for Lain that her brand new book, 'Snippets' is about to be released, and here's how she describes it:

'Snippets is a collection of short essays about scrapbooking and all the crazy things this hobby makes us do. Hybrid, shabby chic, artistic, traditional, digital. all of us are, deep down, doing the same thing - documenting our lives. I wrote Snippets with the intent that it would help bring scrappers together. I'm hoping people will have as much fun reading it as I had writing it!'

Be sure to check out some of her sample essays on the book site, ( you'll definitely recognize yourself in her writing!) and don't miss the virtual launch par-tay at the Simple website on Thursday, November 20th for a whole lotta fun, and I'm thinking probably some give-aways too.

Congrats Lain!






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The '100 things' blog go-round...

 11 November 2008

I'm a sucker for these types of internet quizzes. I saw this on Ruth's and Nathalie's blogs, so I had to join in to see how many I had actually done. There are a few things I'd never do in a million years, and some I one day hope to.
Feel free to answer these too if you feel the urge. ;)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Held a praying mantis
9.Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped. Um, NEVER.
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving ( another never)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating ( huh?!)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous ( do scrap celebs count? :)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

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early (*gasp*) & easy Christmas project

 10 November 2008


I've wanted to do one of these advent calendars for years now, and probably should have done it when my boys were younger, but I'm that kind of 'late to the party' mother, what can I say? I do have the best of intentions, if that counts for anything...

I did up this Karen Foster calendar up for a class I'm giving on Wednesday, and I really like how cute it turned out. Of course, I used my favourite AC Christmas stuff. It's fun & bright, and kid-ish right? I think my dudes will definitely enjoy it better than those cheap-o chocolate calendars I usually end up buying every year. I've also decided to put a ban on anything edible that's made in China , since hearing about those poor babies dying from drinking milk contaminated with melamine REALLY freaked me out. :( And I'm pretty sure those calendars are made in China, so my timing here is good.

I'm off to clean the old scraproom once again.. and hoping to get started on my December calendar, ala Ali Edwards. I got her new book over the weekend, and it's just beautiful, so I'm inspired to put together some fast little albums I've had lying around forever. No pressure stuff.


Happy Monday y'all!

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Happy, happy, happy...

 05 November 2008

This was on my front porch this morning. :)



You can bet I'll be saving this newspaper for my kids!!!

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Occupied and obsessed..

 03 November 2008

Against my better judgment, I started reading this book over the weekend...





I say that because I'm not really the type to read bestseller- hyped books, but I gotta say, it's got me hooked pretty badly. It's got kind of a cheesy storyline, and I'm sure feminists everywhere are up in arms over the Bella character, but it's a book you just can't stop reading once you start. I sought out the trailer for the movie tonight, because I was curious if they chose people I envisioned as Bella and Edward, and heck, they did a pretty good job from the 45 seconds I saw. I'll probably be counting the days for the movie to come out once I'm done the book, which will be soon if I continue reading until the wee hours of the morning like I have been.




Tomorrow is election day for our American neighbours, and I'm SOOO excited. You all already know my preference for Pres, and I'll be nervously and anxiously checking the www tomorrow at work for updates, and glued to the tv tomorrow night for the results. I don't think I've ever been this worked up about an election, and I can feel it's gonna be good. :)


I want to share this page about my Dad that's in the latest SS. (He'd be a Democrat too, if we were American, ;p) I'm not sure if I've gotten a better scan that what was in the mag, but it wasn't that clear. I don't normally scrap heritage pics, but getting this documented meant a million to my Dad, and I love how it turned out. Thanks to Elizabeth Dillow for that push. :) The photo you see on there is the original, deckle scissor border and all. ;) I haven't shown it to my Dad in the mag yet, but I know he's gonna blubber when he sees it. He's an emotional old guy, God love him.

Here's a recent photo of him today:




Enjoy your week, & HAPPY VOTING to my American pals! :)

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