it's coooooming.....

Halloween is in exactly 6 days and I am EXCITED because this year we might have some trick-o-treaters! Our new neighborhood is swarming with kiddos and I can't wait to see them all dressed up! (It's probably weird to take pictures of them for a scrapbook page though, huh? Don't want people to think we're the creepy people...hehe) 

Aside from seeing the cute little kids all dressed up and watching Charlie Brown with a cup of cocoa and some popcorn the things I look forward to most is Spoooooky dinner. 

What is spooooky dinner you ask? 

Well, it is just a little tradition that mmb and I have every year where I cook a "scary" dinner. In years past the menu has included such things as corpse loaf (aka meatloaf in the shape of a body), witches fingers (breadsticks with almond "fingernails"), vampire's blood soup with cobwebs (tomato soup with cheddar crisps). Gross stuff, but funny. 

The menu hasn't been planned yet, but will be soon! 

Can't wait to cook it, eat it, and of course...scrap it ;-)

something from almost nothing- prompt 5

Although it a an absolutely gorgeous day weather wise and hard to think about rain on a day like this, please indulge me for a moment...

The layout I made using page protectors for this prompt is about my new rainboots...because well, part of celebrating life is celebrating the little things that make us happy, right? I can honestly say that I have never used page protectors to do anything other than protect my pages. I ended up just cutting one up to make journaling strip holders which I then sewed on. The journaling is hidden behind the picture.

But for the record, as much as I adore my lovely new boots, I would like to not have to pull them out for a while on account of more gorgeous weather like this!

One a side note, it has been a very exciting day around here. This morning we finalized our pre-approval process and met with our realtor to see a couple of houses! After hearing the news we celebrated with mimosas because we just happened to have oj and champagne hanging around ;-) 

don't mind the bed head, we had just gotten up!

I knew I make do a before/after scrapbook of our future new home, but think I am also going to keep all of these pictures and other home related bits in a folder together. I think it will be a great way to preserve this very exciting time in our lives! Have any of you done this?

Tonight is date night at the ice cream shop and then reviewing our packet from our realtor and making food for tomorrow's Easter celebration. 

Hope your weekend is lovely and full of things that bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face!

a blast from the past

While looking through some of my old scrapbooks today I found one of my favorite layouts. 

A few years ago when I was first starting out with this crafty endeavor of ours, I saw an article about layouts inspired by surveys. I picked and chose questions from a couple of the suggested quizzes and sent it off to mmb to fill out. I filled mine out as well and didn't read his until I was done. It was very fun!  I loved reading what his answers were and seeing if our answers matched up.

(sorry about the horrendous lighting)

Although all of the answers were great to read, I was particularly interested in how to describe each other in 7 words

she said...

smart, funny, loving, thoughtful, outgoing, supportive, wonderful

(turns out I was right ;-) ...)

he said...

It gave me butterflies all over again.

If you want to play along and make your own he said/she said layout, here are the questions I used in the survey:

How did the two of you meet?

What first attracted you to him/her?

Was it love at first sight or a friendship that blossomed?

How do you settle your differences?

Tell about one of his/her quirks

What is something you really agree on?

What is the kindest thing he/she has ever done for you?

What is the most interesting thing about him/her?

How did you first know you loved him/her?

Describe him/her in 7 words

I think it might be time to revisit this survey and see how the answers compare three years later! 

Have you ever made a layout based on a survey or interview?

something from almost nothing- prompt 4

Using up some of our cardstock scrap supply was a tricky one for me...I don't really have a lot of it laying around. I tend to either use the whole piece or use the scraps up pretty quickly on other layouts or projects. 

Shimelle asked us to find a picture that makes us happy. So which to choose? A funny one of our cats? Something from work? Something from Gore? Something from a vacation?

I decided on this...

...because the silly things this man does cracks me up and there isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't make me happy in some way.

I think Charlie Chaplin had it right, a day without laughter is a day wasted. 

something from almost nothing- prompt 3

Ribbon is something that I have plenty of, and I certainly love it, especially lace. Before I organized my stash of trimmings I probably would have been happy to just pitch it all and never see it again. But thanks to my new system which makes it just as pretty to look at as it is on a project I haven't wanted to use it ;-) 

But alas, Shimelle made the call to use up some of that stash, and use it up I must! It is a pretty simple layout... I used a leftover piece of pp, some lace, some letters and a little birdie embellishment.

That's it.

Do you know what your personality type is? According to this test I am an INFJ (introverted, intuitive, feeling, judging) person. I'd say it is pretty accurate, with a slight inclination toward extroversion if in the right situation. 

The journaling is an excerpt from the results:

Highly intuitive, protective, strong desire to contribute to the welfare of others, patient, strong value system, artistic and creative, doesn't like crowds, sensitive to conflict, not competitive, concerned for other people's feelings, caring, devoted, complex. 

I guess that could be considered true ;-)

How about you? What is your personality type?

i believe

I believe in a cure.

So I walk. And I run. And I sit with kids getting their chemo treatments. 

And I pray.

I believe for those fighting, for those who will have to fight and for those who couldn't anymore. 

Let's be honest.

Cancer sucks.

And nothing ever came true from not believing. 

So, I believe.

Do you?

3.18.10 sketchiness

Top 'o the morning to you....wait...I guess that was yesterday. 

Can't we extend it just another day??

Well, when you love an Irish man, just about any day can be St. Patrick's Day.

Hop on over to Sketchy Thursdays to see just what I mean...

And while you're there, be sure to congratulate the talented members of the new design team! 

catching up-Something from Almost Nothing

Like many of you out there, I am loving Shimelle's Something from Almost Nothing class! For a long time I have been collecting piles upon piles of all of these beautiful products and not using them...shame on me. But thanks to this awesome new class, I am inspired to use up what I have and document all of the good stuff in the here and now.

I had grad class all weekend so I didn't get a chance to scrap until Sunday evening before bed, but between then and yesterday I got the first two prompts done. 

Here is my title page:  

I used some scraps leftover from papers that I adore and followed the assignment of using up some of my metals (the book plates and brads). 

Here is prompt 2:

I decided to use up some more of those metals that have been collecting in my scrap stash and use them to help make a patterned paper border. I got a lovely little pack of Melissa Frances mini-frames in a monthly kit which inspired me to paint a bunch of my other bronze and gold colored frames all white. Insert scraps of my favorite colors and, voila, I created a page I love and used up some of those ole dust collectors!

So why make this album?

It seems cliche, but I really am making this book because life is a gift. 

 And because I won't allow myself to buy anything new until I have used up what I need to use up and only keep what I absolutely positively love. (boy, that is hard!)

And because it is almost metaphoric...cleaning out all of these old supplies to make room for new and exciting ones. Loving the past, looking forward to the future, and being grateful for it all. 

Every now and then, one must examine what you have, take inventory and prioritize...whether that be with supplies or life in general. 

I used to think that I appreciated life, but over this past year I realized just how important it is to be grateful for every morning we get to wake up, and to make the best of each day. 

I'm celebrating life because it is a gift.

A gift that should be enjoyed.

A gift that should be lived well, whatever that definition is to you. 

And most certainly a gift to be celebrated.

Are you making something from almost nothing?

3.11.10 sketchiness

It is that time of the week again...

The latest sketch from the awesome Sketchy Thursdays is coming your way!

I really am having such a wonderful time being the March Guest Designer for their team. Getting the new sketch every week is like getting a little present whenever I get the email. It fires up my creativity and gets me excited about sitting down to scrap.

I would really like spring to get here, I just don't want March to end!! 

Here is this week's sketch...

 and here is my take...

 

With this week being my birthday I decided to go back and think about who I was in younger days. Turns out it is not too much different than who I am now ;-)  

Do you ever think about how important it is to revisit what was important to you when you were little?

It is amazing how much it can help you remember what is important now...

And as a side note, for a girl who thought she would neither use digital (I really need a photoshop lesson!) OR sketches, I  sure am loving both. Don't worry though, next week is going to be a paper layout. ;-)

You are going to LOVE what the other design team members did with this sketch! Be sure to stop by and check it out. 

I hope you'll play along this week!

love notes

 

I have always had a little guilt not keeping the valentines that my students have given me over the years, especially when they are handmade. I have kept a few of them over the years, but sadly, the majority of them end up in the ole circular file. 

Now let me tell you, this is never an easy thing to do. 

I picture the little ones carefully writing out each token of their affection, getting so excited to pass them out and thinking that the recipients will keep them forever. 

Okay, so maybe I am over dramatizing a bit. But still, they worked so hard on the cards and I hate to throw them out. 

I just never knew what to do with them.

That is, I never knew what to do with them until Maya at Basement Chronicles gave me this idea!

 

I used a heart shaped punch to cut a little piece of each valentine and then adhered them to a piece of cork using mini-brads. Add some patterned paper, some alphas and a little bit of embellishment and... Voila! A lovely little way to keep the little tokens of affection from my sweethearts of the school year!

No guilt.

All love. 

And a sweet little way to remember the kids from this year.

the square root of three

Here's a little riddle for you...
 

What do you get when you mix one computer genius with one avid scrapbooker?

If you guessed the answer to be "true love", then you would be correct. 

If you guessed the answer to be "a whole lotta dorkiness", then you would also be correct.

And if you guessed the answer to be "a whole lotta dorky love", well then you get bonus points. 

And here's the proof:

 

 A couple of months ago mmb was telling me about a funny movie he was watching and told me to come watch a certain part that was coming up. The movie? Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. The part he was referring to? A super dorky, albeit romantic, part of a really ridiculous movie where the guy confesses his love to the girl using math analogies. 

 What's that you say? You haven't seen the scene?

Well you can check it out here.

WARNING: SOME EXPLICIT LANGUAGE IN THIS CLIP

 ALSO, LOTS AND LOTS OF MATH REFERENCES.

I'll admit, it was funny. 

And pretty romantic in a geeky sorta way. 

But hey, that's us. 

Me and my computer nerd, in love 1.21 gigawatts times over.

Happier than all the binary in the interweb.  

Call me crazy, but I think I could listen to this man talk about c++ forever. 

;-) 

So what's a girl to do when she falls in love with a man whose alma mater's song lyrics give a shoutout to cosigns, tangents and pi? 

Well, embrace it. That's what. 

 

And scrap it. Of course.

page previews

As promised, I'll be posting some pics of the layouts I did at Croptopia this weekend. 

Full pics are coming soon, here are a couple of previews to tide you over...

And now for some other important business...

Another promise that was made was to pass on another one of the awards I was so fortunate to receive this week and here it is:

This is the Sunshine award I received from Tara (thank you, again, Tara!)  Now my job is to pass this award on to three people whose blogs put a bit of sunshine into my life.

If you follow this blog you probably know that I have been getting into a little digital scrapping lately. It is a lot of fun and there are so many great products out there...truth is that shopping for products can be a bit overwhelming at times, so I am glad to have a few "go-to" designers that I know I can always count on for high quality, affordable products.
These three blogs are all from crazy talented digital designers who I hope you'll check out- they really are amazing!

1. Liz

2. Aud

3. Amanda

Do you have any favorite digital designers?

getting sketchy, again!

It's playtime again over at Sketchy Thursdays!

 

and here is my take...

Are you going to join the fun this week???

welcome to the world, miss ella mai!

This past Wednesday my very lovely and very brave friend Lindsey gave birth to her first baby. 

Meet Ella Mai.

Isn't she gorgeous?

She is just too cute for words! 

SO proud of you Linds. 

 You are already such a wonderful mom. 

And it is not a slight thing when they, who so fresh from God, love us. 

Charles Dickens

(layout made using Paislee Press products)

getting sketchy

What is one of the benefits of being snowed in with a yucky cold on vacation? You get plenty of time to peruse the interweb for creative and inspiring blogs.

Blogs like Sketchy Thursdays.

Do you play along with the sketches they put out every Thursday? I am fairly new to using sketches, but let me tell you...if you want to give it a shot, this is the site to try. Their sketches are great and they have amazing prizes for the winner of the challenges.

I found this fun sketch which also called for using hot pink, black and white as well as an 80's element. How fun!

 

and this is what I made...

the music in me

I am thoroughly and undoubtedly inspired by music. Due to this love, and because different songs evoke different emotions and memories, my itunes is about as eclectic as they come.
Seriously...I have everything from classical to pop to country to "religion rock" on there. 

Just think about how you can be driving and a song comes on the radio that instantly transport you back to a different time in your life. (Does hearing No Scrubs by TLC make anyone else out there think of driving through the back roads of a small town in a minivan with side door open? I know there is at least one of you out there....;) )

Think about your favorite movie, I bet you can name at least one song that when you hear it, you can instantly pinpoint the part of the movie it corresponds to. What would Titanic be without the violins playing as the ship sank?

Music can put you at peace, energize you, make you feel a range of emotions.

Music is powerful.
And I love it. 

So you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled across Scrapping the Music, a fabulous blog that gives weekly scrapbooking challenges based upon... a song!

And I am playing along! What's that you say? Why yes, I do have a ton of work to catch up with other things, but I cannot resist a challenge that incorporates music! 

This week's challenge is based on Sara Evans' I Could Not Ask for More, here is my take...

 

Moments like these feel like Heaven. 

So are you up for playing along? Pop on over to Scrapping the Music and join in the fun!

more catching up, more gratitude

Have you ever flown to another state and back within 24 hours?

Craziness. 

But, I took advantage of our plane ride to Florida to try and catch up on some more DYL. 

I only got one quick Real World Color layout done because my mind was spinning in all sorts of directions. I am grateful for the welcome distraction the scrapping gave me.

Yesterday mmb & I went to Florida because it was my mom's birthday and her friends had a planned a memorial service for her and my stepfather who passed away in an accident just nine days after she did, just a couple of months ago. 

I am still reeling from all of this. 

It is hard to think of life ever being the same. 

But I don't even want it to be the same. Even if I wanted it to be, it would be impossible. 

Although right now life seems to be in shades of grey and red, there are moments of clarity where I can see the vibrant colors that each day brings. Even more vibrant than before. 

This is a gift that they have given me. 

And although I am sad, and angry and confused at the way I had to receive it, I am grateful for it just the same. 

I am so grateful for all that her wonderful friends have done and for getting to see a glimpse of what her life was like in the years we were separated. She was a magnificent person, as was my stepfather, and together they were amazing. The truest of love stories. 

I am grateful for that too. 

Someday I will share the story. Once I find the words. Or maybe I already have the words. 

I am not sure. 

But I have a feeling they might come more easily once my mom's art supplies get here.

And I am grateful for that, too.  

What is something you are really grateful for in your life?

drive-by blogging

Does anyone have a couple of extra hours in their day that I could borrow?

This is a class weekend for me, so I haven't had any time to get to fun stuff like scrapbooking, or taking pictures, or spending time with the man I love and those cute little furballs that run around our home. I did, however,  get treated to a nice sushi dinner date when I got home from class tonight :-) My newest sushi love...vegetable tempura sushi, yummy!

These class weekends are challenging with their 26 hours jam packed full of info. Though I must say, I am pretty psyched about this literacy class I am taking right now and cannot wait to try out some of the new techniques with the kiddos! 

Once this weekend is over, it is going to be a whirlwind of activity around here. One, possibly two, quick trips in the next two weeks, working on assignments for this class, catching up on work for the BPS classes I am enrolled in, and organizing, organizing, organizing! I just ordered this book which I am hoping will help me FINALLY get an organized and efficient workspace for my scrapbooking. 

If you don't see me on here too frequently over the next few days, don't worry...I'll be back soon :) I'm looking forward sitting down with a cup of tea and being able to catch up on my google reader filled with all of your wonderful posts! 

Til then, I leave you with this....

 

Although I have always been a huge picture taker, I've noticed that ever since I got my DSLR that I take about 10 times the amount I used to. 

Has this phenomenon happened to anyone else? ;-)

I found this layout I made with an embellishment kit I got from Magpie Club a few months back. It was buried beneath a pile of things I have been meaning to file away (oh, PLEASE, Amazon, hurry with that book!)!

And p.s., If you haven't had the good luck to discover Magpie yet, I would definitely recommend making it a point to do so. The kits are jam packed with beautiful, high quality products. And as an added bonus they even offer a special "credit crunch" kit for only $12.50! Such a generous offer for such great supplies. Definitely worth checking out.

See you soon, blog friends!

catching up on DYL

Boy, am I behind on my Design Your Life class. But, hey...such is life at times. I'm not going to stress over it. What's the point? It will be there when I get to it, right?

I did manage to put together the pre-course layout together last night (I told you I was behind!). And while I did deviate from the traditional red, green and brown theme that was suggested, I used colors that I don't usually gravitate toward. I really like the way it turned out. I even impressed myself by changing the colors of the logo in photoshop ;-) I think I achieved my goal of summing up what I love about scrapbooking.

I'm hoping to get to some more pages tonight, but I do have some homework and organizing to get to. And I should probably get in some yoga. Hmm, I wonder if I can make a layout while doing yoga....now that would be something!

p.s. does anyone have any good tips about photographing your layouts? I would love some advice! 

help for Haiti

One of the things I love most about people is their capacity for compassion. In a world assaulted by so many negative things, when people step up and lend a helping hand to others who need a little help it is both heartwarming and refreshing.

And necessary.

Over at Designer Digitals they have put together a kit which is the collaboration of the work of many talented designers. 100% of the proceeds from the Help Haiti Collaborative kit will be given to MercyCorp to help continue the efforts that are being put forth to help this country in their time of need.

The more I dabble in digital, the more I am enjoying it.

Maybe I will really learn how to use it!

Below is a quick layout I made using the kit and some frames from Carina Gardner that I found at Two Peas.

Hope is a beautiful thing.

It can bring light into the dark times and illuminate a path.

Hope is a powerful thing. 

Encourage it in others whenever you get a chance.

Hope is sometimes all we have.

Hold on to hope, and it can get you through.

Keep praying. Keep hoping. Keep helping in any way you can.

Every small kindness adds up and the sum of all its greatness can never be measured.