curlyGIRL scrapventures

day 8

2010-08-08T14:25:00.009-07:00

Started working on a "his & hers" mini album. The cable guy saw them in the table and asked me if I was making bathroom signs. ha!

day 7

2010-08-07T12:07:00.001-07:00

I have been playing with photoshop for a few days
This may soon become my new addiction...

Supplies: Ali Edwards Layered Template No. 05, CK Ali's Hand font

day 4

2010-08-04T16:24:00.001-07:00

i love this

2010-08-03T20:07:00.005-07:00

source

Noell's life philosophy:

I’m a minimalist. I don’t need lots of stuff. All I need is good friends, good food, good music, good sex, and a way to be creative. Everything else is bullsh$t.

day 3

2010-08-03T12:46:00.004-07:00

so inspired by Alice in Wonderland right now

I have gone down the internet hole...

I have fallen head over heals for Su Blackwell.

Her book sculptures and installations are out of this world!

source: Gypsy Chandelier, down the rabbit hole, drink me, eat me, shimelle, scrappyfairy, clock, book sculpture

day 2

2010-08-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

Supplies:

2peas scrapbook font

August resolution

2010-08-01T22:19:00.003-07:00

Supplies:
Heidi Swapp Mask DOTS
Liquitex Basics acrylic paint
CK Ali's Hand Font

Barn House in pictures

2010-07-31T19:07:00.002-07:00

and to top the day off

I met Kelly Rae Roberts

and stopped at Kalama

to see Bella and the Cullens

but they stood me up

Rude I tell you!

(picture source)

going junking

2010-07-30T19:48:00.003-07:00

heading to Battleground,WA tomorrow morning
for the Barn House Flea Market
i have been waiting for this for-for-ever!
can't wait...

going digi

2010-07-29T22:12:00.010-07:00

{You and Me Mini Kit}from penscrappers.com

I have been thinking of attempting Digital Scrapbooking for a while

I finally decided to take the leap

I really like the layout so far and

I am really loving the process

fluff me

2010-07-28T21:50:00.001-07:00

I am loving Oxygen's Jersey Couture show and their fluff me tips. I took their advice and got this compact mirror at Z Gallery a few weeks back.

Go you, go you, go you, go you, go you!

Defying Gravity

2010-07-28T11:25:00.001-07:00

"Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious." -Bill Meyer (baseball manager,coach)

I don't like when people place judgement on others
I don't like when I judge others either
Today I am having a hard time keeping my mouth shut
Today I am having a hard time keeping my hands away from the keyboard
and expressing exactly how I feel
Today I am having a hard time keeping negative thoughts out of my head
oh the struggle
to speak your mind or not to speak your mind!
Reminds me of the lyrics of "Defying Gravity" from Wicked:

Glinda:
Elphaba - why couldn't you have stayed calm for once,
instead of flying off the handle!
I hope you're happy
I hope you're happy now
I hope you're happy how you
Hurt your cause forever
I hope you think you're clever

Elphaba:
I hope you're happy
I hope you're happy too
I hope you're proud how you
Would grovel in submission
To feed your own ambition

I love this song

Weekend in Photos

2010-07-25T23:15:00.000-07:00

App Love

2010-07-22T21:46:00.007-07:00

On my way to/from work
I have started listening to the Paperclipping Podcast

I like it so much I don't mind the long commute (so far!)

Today they reviewed a number of iPhone apps

I have fallen in love with the Plastic Bullet for iPhone app

it's been love at first sight

I really like what it does to my iPhone pictures

considering that they were never that great to begin with (no 4g here)

I think the pictues look so cool
looking at them makes me happy

I really, really like the old fashion look

I have a crush

wonder how long it will last...

Original iphone picture

Plastic Bullet App

17:50

2010-07-21T23:08:00.014-07:00

"I get up every single day and I do my very best with what I am and what I have"

I almost cried when I got to 17:50
I want to remind myself of this, every single day!
I can relate to everything she said

like this:
"you have trouble seeing life as a journey
and you are more likely to see it as a series of final exams
that happen every single day that count for your entire grade
that's how I see life"

and this:
"we all long to have there be somebody who has solved life
as if live is some Sudoku puzzle
and there are people who get clues to it and they solve it
and then they spend the rest of their life glidding thru life
we dream of that....but every single person is familiar with failure and disappointment"

and this:
"our lives are journeys that nobody can take for us"

and this:
"Should I have gone to Art school?"
"Should I learn French?"

******************************************************
I am taking Claudine Hellmuth's "@home with Claudine" class. I made the canvas on Week 1.

eat pray love

2010-07-20T10:20:00.002-07:00

I LOVED the book
Can not wait for the movie
and this is hilarious

right now

2010-07-19T15:55:00.007-07:00

I am loving...

...Ali's latest post

...Extreme radio on Pandora
...Elise Blaha's blog

QOTD

2010-07-19T11:36:00.014-07:00

*Paula Best stamps

Don't ask what the world needs.

Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.

Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

Howard Thurman

(1899-1981); Author, Philosopher, Theologian, Educator, Civil Rights Leader

fresh

2010-07-18T21:24:00.006-07:00

lavender, daisies, arugula and radishes from our garden

Mark arranged the flowers

Love it!

Love him!

starting over

2010-07-18T21:15:00.008-07:00

I am loving...

2008-06-13T10:20:00.004-07:00

mini-albums. It took me forever but I finally took the leap from chronological 12x12 to random mini-albums.
Paula Best stamps. I met her a few weeks back at the Heirloom. Love them all.
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads. Walnut stain is my all time favorite but I am adding more colors to the collection.

What is that?

2008-06-13T09:31:00.002-07:00

Oh, I forgot about the sun. I think it's the first time I have seen the sun in all Junuary. That's what Mark and I are calling June; Junuary. Because it's been cold, wet and crappy here in Washington, feels like winter. The sun decided to pop out yesterday afternoon and on my way to my car one of my coworkers asked me "Hey Glynis, what's that?" referring to the sun. This morning the sun was out again and I took this picture on our way to work cause you never know when you will see this rare occurance again. Yes, I am a little upset about this weather and if I hear someone else say "...but the summers are beautiful..." I am going to lose it!

anyhow, I haven't posted much this year. I have meant to, but somehow wanting does not equal doing and January turned into Junuary. Based on this analogy I am still in January therefore I am not doing bad at all.

So far this year I have: traveled to the UK for 3 weeks, joined LA Fitness, got a personal trainer, lost 10 pounds (so far), started gardening, got a tempurpedic bed, finished a few mini books, started looking for a new job...life is busy and good.

now I need to get a sweater because it is cold, Junuary cold in here.

Platform 9.75, here I come...

2008-04-12T16:13:00.004-07:00

I am heading to the land of Harry Potter tonight. This lass is very chuffed but also very knackered. Oh well, I'll get some zeds on the plane. My bloke is being lovely, he has been doing all the house work and is now getting me some food so that I can focus on packing and not go loopy. Sorry I have been a iffy blogger and mate lately. Hope you aren't gutted. Bloody hell it's 4:30. Gotta run.

Cheers mate!
G.

I'm back, well sort of

2007-12-16T19:55:00.002-08:00

It's been a long time since my last post and my fans Amy, Veronica & Jess-all 3 of you-have been patiently waiting for updates. :) I do love that you guys check in here regularly to see what's up with Mark and I. Thank You. Work has been keeping me so busy and I am so tired but I will try hard to keep posting as frequently as I can. Love ya guys!

Last time I posted we were getting ready for the Washington National Guard Militia Ball. Here is a pic. Since then Mark has been promoted to Major, we are very excited about that. I am very proud of my soldier!

A few days before Halloween I took this picture from my kitchen window. Very pretty itsy bitsy spiders but they need to move away from my walls!!

For Halloween I carved pumpkins with my neighbors Amy, Sam & Emma. Here is a spooky picture of my pumpkins from our porch. The 3rd one was carved by Amy. It looks craaazy!

On November 2nd I attended the Creaking Keepsakes Scrapbooking Convention in Bellevue and met Ali Edwards. I absolutely love her. Her two lectures were the best of the 6 classes I took. Her approach to scrapbooking is so inspiring, fun and liberating. She has changed the way I scrapbook and scrapbooking has simply becomed fun rather than stressful. Ali signed my copy of her new book and here are the pics.

I also took 3 classes with Shimelle Laine. I was looking forward to her classes but I was kind of disappointed, perhaps I was too tired by then. She did bake cupcakes for us and it was by far the best cupcake I have ever had, it was delicious! She also got me working with felt and when I got home I kept working with it and made some pieces I love. They are hanging in my scrapbooking room.

Shimelle & I

The best cupcake ever

Here are some before and after pics of my scrapbooking room. I painted the walls and got new furniture and I am loving it. Still have a lot to do, but it's a start.

Before

After

this is it for now. I'll be back with more updates!

Life happens

2007-10-24T20:43:00.002-07:00

Mark and I have a house in Spring Valley, California (the purple dot marks the spot)
As of Monday night the Harris fire was less than 10 miles away from our home. Early Tuesday morning some parts of Spring Valley were being evacuated. Fortunately for us, the fire was held at the edge of Spring Valley and Chula Vista. We are definitely lucky and more grateful than ever for our blessings.

Our tenants, Cathryn and Jon contacted us Monday night saying they were OK; their car was packed and they were ready to evacuate as soon as it became mandatory. They were watching the news on TV, searching the Internet and listening to the radio for updates. One of the radio callers was from the neighborhood, just up the hill; they could see the flames coming down the mountain from their home. The street in front of the house was full of cars leaving the neighborhood. They couldn't sleep, they just waited for updates and looked out the bedroom sliding doors at the orange and red flickering sky.

One of Mark's best friends wasn't as fortunate. His house in Ramona was burnt to the ground. He moved to Seattle less than a month ago and only brought with him a small trailer which we are storing in our garage. He left for training in Virgina last week and isn't scheduled to come back until January. He got a call from his brother saying that his house is gone and his cat is nowhere to be found. Now, all he has left is in our garage. So sad!

going green, xmas cards & militia ball

2007-10-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

I am attempting to be more green;

we changed a lot of our light bulbs into energy-saving ones
I am starting to commute via train to work on monday
I am using the scrapbooking paper supplies I have rather than purchasing new ones

Got about 11 xmas cards done last night. instead of creating 11 different ones (like I did last year), I made them all the same (well not the same but I followed the same process) and it was fun and fast. I used some of my favorite paper from Elsie's Betty line and lots of squares. I am all about squares these days.

Mark and I are getting ready for the Militia Ball tonight. gotta go get ready...

inspired...

2007-10-12T10:43:00.005-07:00

...by Ali's new book.

I finished these layouts of my parents vist this past June. What would have been 10 layouts (at least) ended up being only 3. I am working on capturing the stories instead of using every single picture I take and turning the journaling into a history class. I want to capture the stories. I am also experimenting with tools and techniques that I like and work for me instead of trying to create something new every single time. Ali likes using a square punch on her layouts- it allows using lots of pictures. I had only tried that once before and it was hard, I don't like cutting my pictures. I don't know why but I feel as if cutting takes away from the story. But it isn't true, sometimes half of the picture is the sky or a sidewalk-who wants to see that. So using a punch was hard but very liberating. I am also experimenting with my handwritting and not worrying about it not looking perfect. small steps...

getting pampered makes me :)

2007-10-12T10:43:00.004-07:00

I found this Day Spa just a few miles from our home. I called in this afternoon and scheduled a reflexology and swedish massage. It was so relaxing. I fell asleep-I hope I didn't snore. ha ha

Cute family

2007-10-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of my Sister, Sister-in-law and my 3 nephews taken during the Diamondbacks vs Cubs game a few week backs. Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3 . Can't wait to see them in December.

Go D-BACKS!!

I'm home

2007-10-06T12:27:00.003-07:00

I am back. Unfortunately my luggage didn't make it, again (2 for 2 this year-I am living proof of the statistics).

Will update on my Memphis trip soon.

a good day

2007-10-06T12:27:00.002-07:00

Strolling downtown Sumner during Autumn Evening

at Puyallup's Oktoberfest

Today has been a good day. Mark made pancakes and maple bacon for breakfast. We then headed to the Old Cannery to look at armoire's for our living room, love love looove their furniture. Walked thru downtown Sumner during the Autumn Evening celebration, all the stores were open late and Main street was full of fall decorations. Great stores, great ideas and yummy apple cider. Can't wait to start decorating for the holidays. After that we drove to the Puyallup fairgrounds for Oktoberfest . Got home and Ali's latest book and CK's kit of the month was waiting for me at the door. Awesome. Looked thru the book and it looks great.

I just need for my lost luggage to be delivered and that would be the best ending to this good day...

Memphis

2007-10-06T12:27:00.001-07:00

Here is a recap of my trip to Memphis. Visiting the sights, seeing Mark, eating Memphis BBQ and getting to know the people was awesome ya'll. Work on the other hand was a rollercoaster. Lots of ups and downs, change is hard and requires a lot of patience. I like this quote by Stephen Covey:

“I am personally convinced that one person can be a change catalyst, a "transformer" in any situation, any organization. Such an individual is yeast that can leaven an entire loaf. It requires vision, initiative, patience, respect, persistence, courage, and faith to be a transforming leader.” Stephen R. Covey

I know I am one of the change catalysts on this organization but my patience was tested more than once in this trip. In the end, changed a lot of things, learned a lot and I will have to return soon-not sure of when but I will have to come back to finish what was started.

The day of my trip I had to wake up super early to catch a 5:40am flight. The view of the sunrise was beautiful. There was an amazing view of the clouds and Mt Rainier coming out of the clouds but my camera battery died when I was trying to take the picture. boo-hoo

Washington sunrise from 10,000 feet

On the Denver layover I got some batteries and almost missed my flight in the process. On our descent the clouds looked like cotton puffs. cool!

View from the sky

The food was awesome!! I probably gained a few pounds, loved Memphis BBQ and catfish. I probably lost the pounds while I was at work cause I was on my feet every single day (I need a foot massage!). My boss said there are 5 places to eat BBQ when in Memphis and I made it to 4 out of the 5.

Commisary: I went here twice. The restaurant is located in Germantown, a very cute small town east of downtown. Loved the restaurant ambiance, small & cozy. Had the dry rub pork ribs and shoulder combo. Oh so good.
Rendezvous Ribs: This restaurant is in downtown Memphis. Hard to find, you gotta find the building in an alley and then go to the basement. Had the dry rub pork ribs and shoulder combo. In my opinion the Commisary ribs are better. But the beans here are awesome and these guys ship ribs via Fed-Ex.
Pig-n-Whistle: My boss took Mark and I here cause it's his favorite BBQ restaurant in Memphis and I have to agree. We all had the King Combo with a muddy half slab of pork ribs, kielbasa sausage, BBQ baked beans and hushpuppies, yummy!
Corky's BBQ: On my last day we had Corky's BBQ deliver food for the entire plant and I had a Pork shoulder sandwich.

I also enjoyed Catfish and Chips, Memphis version of Fish and Chips. We went to James and Jack's Catfish Shack a few times. Off the beaten path, it's close to work and our coworkers love this place. I loved the catfish, fresh, crispy, not greasy, served with fries, slaw, tartar sauce and hush puppies. Oh so, so good.

I also got to see some of the sights:

Graceland-I visited Elvis' home twice. I knew very little of Elvis before this trip and now I have an appreciation of who he was, his music and what he believed in. During the audio tour his daughter said that he was always in search of becoming a better and more spiritual person that's why he explored Karate, gospel music, charity and the bible. He joined the Army when his career was at it's highest point because he felt it was his duty, he was very generous with friends, family anf charities. I loved that.
Sun Studio-Visited the studio where Rock N' Roll was born. Held Elvis' microphone. Musicians can still record there after 6pm for $85/hour. That is so cool!
Shiloh Military National Park - Mark and I had never visited a Civil War battelfield. Mark was so excited to be there. It was great to go with him. Trips like this are awesome because he has so much history knowledge I learn so much from him.

and that's the recap. Next time I visit Memphis, I am heading to Nashville.

Memphis

2007-09-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

I am heading to Memphis this Sunday. Just read this intro on the city and I am getting very excited! Although this is a business trip, I am going to be there for 2 weeks so I will definitely make time to start making Christmas cards and check some of the city attractions. Mark will join me one weekend which makes me very happy. We want to visit Shiloh National Military Park which is the site of a major Civil War battle. Visiting this Park is perfect because we just watched the coverage of the battle of Shiloh in the Civil War DVD I gave Mark for our anniversary!

our first year

2007-09-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

One year down-many more to go. Can't believe a whole year has gone by. Where the heck did time go. Seriously, I am still working on my post-wedding to do list. It's been a very busy year with lots of change but it's been a great year for us.

Since the traditional first year anniversary gift is paper and I am a paperholic I made this paper collage on canvas, inspired by the very talented Claudine Hellmuth. I tried to incorporate our new home and life in Washington. I think it turned out pretty good. I also got Mark this Civil War documentary. The man is a history freak, and I love it! Mark got me this beautiful watch. He said clocks are the modern first year anniversary gift, he did his homework and I am very happy.

We celebrated last night with tickets to the opening night of the Seattle Symphony. World renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma was playing. He was amazing, so awesome (here is a review). We had great seats too-first row/founders tier box. I wish I could be a part of a symphony like that. so cool to do your part and create beautiful sounds. anyhow, in my next lifetime maybe. After the concert we had dinner at Campagne, a french restaurant in Pike Place Market I had been wanting to go to forever and we finally made it. The food and service was fantastic. To our surprise my sneaky parents called in and paid for everything. Sneaky parents are so cool!

my new toy

2007-09-07T17:19:00.002-07:00

Went to Safeway this afternonn to shop for milk, Mark's half and half and some pasta (cause I was craving pasta for dinner). At the checkout counter the man before me was talking to the cashier and seemed really upset. I asked the cashier if everything was ok and she said the man was upset because he didn't win an iPod Shuffle. "What?" I asked confused not knowing what she was talking about. She then tells me the Safeway is celebrating their anniversary and giving away iPod shuffles randomly to customers at the checkout counter. and guess what.... I won!! HA! so cool. The cashier picked up the microphone and announced my win to the entire place. So exciting. I have been so blessed this year. me happy!!

P.S. My iPod died some time ago, all I have left is a sad iPod.

other doodles

2007-09-07T17:19:00.001-07:00

for the sexy mama's

for the grandma's

After doodling today I remembered the ones I did for Mothers Day. I don't remember ever posting them. anyhow, here they are. I ended up using them to create cards for the Mothers in my life....

my CKC-Seattle schedule

2007-09-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Oh I am so excited about FINALLY being able to attend a Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooking Convention. I haven't had much luck when it comes to this convention. The first time I attended, I was in San Diego and I didn't know what to expect, so I took about half of my supplies with me, which was a HUGE mistake. I had to carry the supplies everywhere-what a pain!! I had 4 hours of back-to-back classes with no water or food in sight. On top of that, one of my ex co-workers bullied me into spending $500 for a mini-Pazzles. It wasn't her fault, I should have said NO. In the end, my stomach hurt and I left after my big purchase. It was no fun. But I know it can be.

Since then I have tried twice to make it to this convention and it just hasn't worked out. Last year I purchased my daily pass for the Seattle convention a few months prior to the event but the weekend of the event I was in San Diego trying to finalize the rental of our house there. Then I purchased a pass and a few classes for the Portland convention this past March; turns out we moved to our new house that weekend. So my track record is quite sad, BUT I know this time it will all work out, nothing will stop me this November. I have classes with 2 of my favorit artists; Ali Edwards and Shimelle Laine. I am very excited.

Here is my class schedule. Pretty hectic BUT this time I will be fully prepared with the right amount of supplies, lots of water and snacks.

Ali’s Top 10
9:20 am - 10:20 am
Sponsored by: Creating Keepsakes
Taught by Ali Edwards

My Big Fat Chunky Book
2:40 pm - 4:40 pm
Sponsored by: Quick Quotes

Fabulous Felt
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Sponsored by: Written Down
Taught by Shimelle Laine

The Reasons Why
6:50 pm - 7:50 pm
Sponsored by: Written Down
Taught by Shimelle Laine

They say it’s your birthday!
8:10 pm - 9:10 pm
Sponsored by: Written Down
Taught by Shimelle Laine

Why is it...

2007-09-07T09:30:00.001-07:00

...that everytime Mark and I estimate the cost of something we are off by a thousand bucks? We are getting quotes for garage cabinets and we were off by a thousand dollars, again! Mark always adds a thousand bucks to our estimates, I on the other hand am convinced he is wrong. In the end, he is right.

so what can one do with a thousand dollars? I am going to go create something...

I'll be back!

Fly Fishing

2007-08-31T09:27:00.004-07:00

Last Saturday we headed to Rocky Ford Creek with our neighbors for some fly fishing. I had never done it, I didn't even know what Fly Fishing meant until later that day; flying fish? cool!. This was Mark's 2nd time at it. He caught one rainbow trout. Quite the accomplishement cause the fishes in this creek are very smart.

We had a great time. It was quite the adventure. We left the house at 5:45am. It took us about 4 hours to get there and it was HOT! Beautiful, but hot. Really glad we took an umbrella to cover us from the sun. Next time we will be better prepared. Sandwiches instead of burgers for sure. Having a propane BBQ and no lighter, well it added to the adventure. :)

San Diego trip update

2007-08-31T09:27:00.003-07:00

Here are some pics of my trip to San Diego. Got there Wednesday night and it was a busy, busy, busy couple of days all thru Tuesday morning when I left. Took me an extra week to recover-ha! It was awesome seeing my San Diego friends after so many months and Robyn's wedding and events were all awesome.

Bridal Shower
Held at our friend Alex's Bamboo Lounge.

Bachelorette & Lingerie Party
Here are the PG-13 pictures (just kidding!). It was so much fun. I am so lucky to have such a cool group of friends!! The morning after was a different story. I was worth about 3 pesos!

The Wedding
Beautiful day at Cardiff by the Sea. The wedding was beautiful and Robyn and Todd looked super happy.

Random

Loved seeing this on our way to the Bridal Shower. A car was blocking my view so Kelley took the picture.

Meet Chuey, my friend Tanya's dog. We had to take him to the vet's office Monday morning because he injured his paw playing at dog park on Sunday afternoon. poor guy!

Labor Day

2007-08-31T09:27:00.002-07:00

Today we are heading to the Olympic Peninsula for the weekend. We are staying at a Bed and Breakfast. Love B&B's. Looking forward to relaxing, hiking, reading, taking lots of pictures and watching Mark fly fish.

so Happy!

2007-08-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

I am so happy right now. A few weeks back, registration for CKC-Seattle started and I had been looking forward to it for so long cause I wanted to take Ali Edwards class. She is my scrapbooking hero, changed the way I scrapbook and I have been wanting to meet her for a long time. Well, all 4 of her classes were full in 8 minutes. I was so bummed. Today I decided to check what classes were available and 2 of the 4 had spots open. I was able to schedule the class. I am so excited. Can't wait. I just hope I don't have to travel for work that week (fingers crossed!)

https://www.ckscrapbookevents.com/wa2007/content/class_info.php?idx=4735

happy birthday to me

2007-08-24T11:03:00.003-07:00

“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting.So... get on your way.”
Dr. Seuss

Today I am 34
Today I am looking forward to eating chocolate
Today I am learning to see with my heart, my eyes, my ears and my camera
Today I am trying to find balance between my new job, my marriage and life in general
Today I am working on remembering to not forget to always have faith

love this quote

2007-07-28T13:24:00.002-07:00

"above all else,
it is about leaving a mark that I existed:
I was here. I was hungry. I was defeated.
I was happy. I was sad.
I was in love. I was afraid. I was hopeful.
I had an idea and I had a good purpose
and that’s why I made works of art.... "
Felix Gonzalez-Torres

simply awesome! my favorite quote so far. It will be a permanent part of my blog, I am adding it under the header!

want a new toy

2007-07-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

I want a new digital camera, a big one. I have a Sony Cybershot 7.2 mp which I love. It takes great pictures, it's small, not heavy, has a big screen and takes AA batteries, so if I forget to recharge the batteries (which happens all the time) it is ok. I also have a Canon EOS Rebel 2000 (35mm) which I love but haven't used in over 3 years. The reason for that is, that I went to a baptism party in Mexico a few years back and was taking tons of pics with my big camera and a little girl came to me and said "let me see, let me see the picture". I then realized how uncool I must have looked to this little girl cause I didn't have a digital camera. So I quickly went to Best Buy and bought a digital camera which broke 3 months later and ended up with the one I have now. ok, I am embarrased about the whole little girl incident, but it is the truth.

What I love about the Canon is being able to use different lenses and playing with the settings. I have lenses for my Sony but it isn't the same, you can't capture as much. So, I have been doing research for some time and have e-mailed some of my favorite scrapbookers and have gotten great feedback...

Ali Edwards-She uses a Canon Digital Rebel XT and when she needs a smaller camera she uses a Canon Powershot SD500

I got the info from her zine's, which I love reading because she goes over a ton of cool stuff. Here are some that go over her photo-taking techniques.

AEzine 10.09.06

AEzine 10.17.06

e-mail from Elsie Flannigan

"I use my 20d and photoshop on all my pictures. I do different things with every picture as it just depends what I am going for. But I am basically self taught and not too computer savvy so it has been a long journey and I still cant get things quite right sometimes. But that’s ok:)Best of luck with your photo adventures:)Love, Elsie"

e-mail from CD Muckowsky

"I have 2 cameras. I have a canon 20D and I LOVE it tons, still a lot for me to learn but it is really an awesome camera. I also have a canon G7 because it is a smaller point and shoot style but it has enough manual settings that I can get some pretty cool results without hauling the big one along, also Love it. One thing that was really good for me was going down to our local camera store ( Don's photo) and they let me play with the different options that I was interested in. it was good to get a feel for them before buying. Also if you bring along your own memory card then you can go home and look through the shots and compare before you make such a big purchase. I hope this helps, good luck to you, and have a great week!"

I have heard Nikon's are good do. must check them out!

1:00 AM

2007-07-19T22:04:00.005-07:00

I DID IT!
Waited in line at the local Borders for 5 hours until I got the seventh and final Harry Potter book.

8:00PM. I made it!

8:15 PM. Funny girl in front of me that loves Ron.

8:20 PM. She loooooooves Harry

8:26 PM. The line behind me, already out the door.

9:06 PM. Nice scrapbooking fan lady next to me, saves my spot and I go for a walk. I wonder how many people are in front of me?

9:07 PM. Oh crap, there are a lot of people here.

9:10 PM. Ok, at least I am not outside.

9:14PM. Playing with cardboard Harry.

9:15 PM. The people right in front of me. We are just waiting.

10:17PM. Sam and Amy are here. Sam doesn't want to go home, mom! Go Gryffindor!!

11:14 PM. The view from the floor.

11:14 PM. Nice journals. Love the colors. Lets see if I can get some cool pictures.

12:00 AM. Here we go. Standing in line.

12:36 AM. The very long and blurry road ahead.

1:00 AM. At exactly 1:00 AM, I made it to my car. The line outside was so long. People would wait for at least 3 more hours, but I was heading home. Before I started the car I checked the books last words. They are "All was ..." Ok, I won't spoil it for everyone else.

In the end it was worth it. I have the book.

It was exciting
It was fun- to see so many other fans that were as excited or more excited than me. Loved seeing the original costumes and the small children dressed like Harry. cute :)
It was intriguing-loved talking to random people and discussing our theories of what would happen.
It was exhausting-didn't plan ahead at all, didn't have dinner, didn't have water, didn't go to the bathroom and the last hour I had a bad case of allergies and the flu.

I started reading last night and was so desperate to know the end that I cheated. I read the end. I know what happens and now I can continue my reading.

it's the final countdown

2007-07-19T22:04:00.003-07:00

11.5 hours before I head over to Borders
13.5 hours before I can buy Harry Potters new book
I wonder....will I get any sleep tonight?

26 hours....

2007-07-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

26 hours left and I will have Harry Potter's last book. so excited, can't wait. I finally made it to the theater today and saw the latest movie. LOVED IT. they left a ton of stuff out but who cares I loved it just the same....I will miss Harry. :(

a new card

2007-07-14T20:40:00.002-07:00

working on my to-do-list this weekend. I have one more card to finish, a few more projects to finish and I can focus on scrapbooking. This card is for my nephew Liam who turns 2 in a few weeks. Used some Heidi Grace stuff I got from Fiskateer Holly this weekend. Love getting free stuff!

weekend

2007-07-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Just finished this card for a friends wedding. Not much else going on. Mark got what we think is an elbow infection and can't move his left arm since Friday. He is finally regaining some arm movement but he is in a lot of pain. So we aren't doing much this weekend, just hanging out and hoping the meds take the pain and the infection away soon! I haven't been able to go see the new Harry Potter movie yet, so bummed out :( . Hopefully tomorrow. I go back to work on monday. Very excited about that. Seems like I will be busy for a while and that is really good!

so excited...

2007-07-10T09:34:00.001-07:00

I just got these 2 shirts. I was at the mall today looking for some shoes and suddenly there was Hermione looking at me behind a window. Hot Topic has some cool Harry Potter stuff and I had to get myself some. I am so excited the movie will be out tonight. I am so tempted to go see it at midnight but Mark isn't convinced and I shoudn't do it since I have to go to work early.

a part of history

2007-07-07T11:00:00.003-07:00

we were here yesterday afternoon

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003780816_787rollout09.html

actually we watched the live simulcast from Quest field with the other 22,000 Boeing employees and retirees.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003780812_787qwest09.html

One of my favorite parts was when they showed videos of each of Boeing's 7-series planes (707, 727, 737 etc.) and they asked for those that worked on the planes to stand up. Love this picture. It has to feel great to be a part of history.

They also showed live feed from around the world (Japan, Italy, Wichita :-) ) of other employees, customers and suppliers that like us were watching the event. Very cool to live so apart but at the same time be so connected and all are part of this new airplane era.

Team from Wichita live

The opening of the doors

Peek-a-boo

Here is the 1st Boeing 787. Now, lets make it fly!

Museum of Glass

2007-07-07T11:00:00.001-07:00

"Why do you try to understand art? Do you try to understand the song of a bird?"

Pablo Picasso

Mark and I visited the Tacoma Museum of Glass today. Such a cool place, great for an afternoon like today. We got to see some great pieces. Unfortunately they didn't let us take pics of anything in the galleries and they don't have pics posted online either. But Dave Chihuly's work is great and his Bridge of Glass is amazing. We also had a chance to see Glassmaking live. Artist Martin Blank was there with his team and it was awesome and really hot. We really enjoyed it. It reminded us of the artisits we saw in Murano, Italy. Close to the end we visited the Studio and did some linoleum carving. I really like that they encourage everyone to work on their creativity!

Martin Blank and his team

Mark focused on his carving

My creation

a fun shot

View of the museum and surrounding areas

Make the pledge now!

2007-07-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

Make a commitment for change for our changing climate. This isn't political, this is about common sense! It's simply hotter and colder than ever, some say this is a cycle, well we won't be alive for when the nicer weather cycle comes around so lets commit to some simple changes now.

Mark and I committed to:

Using public transportation. Mark already takes the train and bus to go to work and I will start doing the same as soon as I start work.
We will change at least 4 of our light bulbs to CFL's. We already changed some but will change more.
We forwarded the message to a ton of friends.
We will shut off our equipment and lights whenever we are not using them. This we need to work on, we tend to leave printers, computers, tv and lights on.

see this is way simple. Go here now and make your pledge!
http://liveearthpledge.org/msn.php

little obsessed...

2007-07-05T12:44:00.004-07:00

... with Elsie's new line. Just made this card for a friend cause she is a rock star!

23 done, 20 something left

2007-07-05T12:44:00.002-07:00

This is what happens when you procrastinate, you end up stressed over thank you notes that haven't been sent. Wedding Thank You Notes that is. We have been married for 9 months and we haven't sent out our thank you notes. We have just been so busy with the move from Cali, the house search, moving to the house, job search etc. but now things are starting to calm down and it's time to get these things done. A friend told me I had until the first anniversary to send them, so we are technically ok (I hope!) and if we are not, well then too bad. I think some of the etiquette rules are not practical anyway. I am making my own rules!

happy 4th!

2007-07-05T12:44:00.001-07:00

Did you have a great day? We sure did. We started by attending a local parade. Mark was set on going to a parade and we decided on the Town of Steilacomm parade. Lovely small town with a Martha's Vineyard feel. It truly felt like we were somewhere on the east coast. Very cool. Anyway, the weather was great. We had a great view of the parade with the puget sound and the olympic mountains in the background. After the parade we walked thru the street fair. Here are some pics.

Heading to the parade

This dog was next to me watching the parade

Sometimes it felt like a candy parade.

Cute kid with his Pug

walking the street fair. Mark needed protection. :)

Views of the town

I want to live here!

After the parade & street fair we got some fireworks and headed home to cook beer brats, potato salad and Mark's apple pie for the block party.

Here are some pics of our fireworks display. There was some heavy competition from another block. Show offs!

This is me shooting a roman candle.

our neighbor BJ

Mark and Peter shooting roman candles

Mark writing my name with a sparkler. can you see it? I can see the letters GLY!

more midnight layouts

2007-07-02T11:32:00.003-07:00

Mom & grandma at the Port of Tacoma

My favorite pics of Seattle

Did these two layouts last night. I really like playing with Elsie's new line. I am also trying to not overthink the process, I want to be faster and not think things too much, just going for it and playing with the paper and colors I love.

courage and fear

2007-07-02T11:32:00.002-07:00

Courage is fear that has said its prayers
Dorothy Bernard

So true and so it is that I am in the process of accepting a position with a medium size manufacturing company as a Lean Manufacturing Leader. how did that happen? I am still not sure. My prayers for courage were answered. God works in very mysterious ways.

also, for the first time EVER, I went to an interview with curly hair. I almost started straightening it the night before and then I said "forget it". The day after the interview I got the call-I got the job (read my motto if you don't get what I mean).

midnight layout

2007-06-25T11:29:00.005-07:00

I did this layout last night. I love the picture of my mom and grandma walking together taking cover from the rain and I also love the new Love, Elsie paper.

Guest Book

2007-06-25T11:29:00.004-07:00

I finished the wedding guest book for my friends Robyn & Todd. They love the beach and they love music so their guest book is a combo of both; a beach sandal with pages in the shape of a sandal with music lyric excerpts in between the pages.

I really like how it turned out. I don't like the "typical" wedding guest books. I find them to be a waste (sorry if I offend anyone, not my intention). But seriously you end up with a ton of blank pages and you hide it in a closet and you go over it on your anniversary? I like guest books that are different and can be used for decor. For my guest book I used a scrapbooking album with black pages. I put our engagement pictures all over it and people got to sign it. So now it's an album/guest book that we get to enjoy all the time. So I am hoping Robyn and Todd get to hang it somewhere in their home and they get to enjoy it all the time as well.

PS. My friend Robyn started Strike The Match earlier this year. It's a San Diego based service organization made up of our friends. They are doing tons of volunteer and fundraising work for charity. Very cool!

visiting Sumner

2007-06-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

I took my parents to Sumner for the day. I LOVE Sumner! Here are some of my favorite pictures. Such an adorable and cute little town. Here is what I love about it:

adorable antique stores. we have gotten a couple of things for our home already.
Paper Muse-my favorite stamp store in the area. Camie carries 7 gypsies which I love. I am taking a class there in July-can't wait!
Old Cannery -awesome furniture store, our recliner and new dining room table are from there. We are picking up our table today. So excited!
Secret Garden Tea Room-Love afternoon tea. Their gift shop is very cute.
Sorci's - Without a doubt it has become my favorite italian restaurant. so cute. They also have cooking classes and dinner and a movie. Can't wait to go!

Portland Japanese Garden

2007-06-11T22:44:00.012-07:00

My mom, dad and grandma arrived Saturday morning in Portland. We got to see a little of the Rose Parade, had some lunch at a restaurant I can't remember the name of right now, but it was good and visited the Japanese Garden which is stunning. It was raining but I had read that we should still go visit with the rain and we did, I took all of our umbrellas just in case. The garden didn't have too many visitors. We were able to take a walking tour as soon as we got there. It was so peaceful and beautiful.

my little sunshines

2007-06-11T22:44:00.011-07:00

I finally finished the shadowbox I have been working on for a couple of months. I finished the background ages ago but got stuck because I didn't have enough pictures of my niece and nephews. So the shadowbox had been on the floor of my scrapbooking room awaiting pictures. My mom brought some great pics of my niece and nephews so I finished it this past weekend. The best thing is that the pictures aren't glued. I used a pin to keep them in place so I can change the pics for new ones. very cool!

The writing on the left are the lyrics of Stevie Wonder's You are the sunshine of my life.

Mount Rainier National Park

2007-06-11T22:44:00.010-07:00

We visited Mount Rainier National Park today. Great trip. Can't wait to go back with Mark and explore it a lot more. Weather was great! We got so lucky. It was a perfect day to visit Mount Rainier and I got some really cool shots too.

Gift for mom

2007-06-11T22:44:00.009-07:00

Cover

First Page

Second Page

Third Page

Fourth Page

Last Page

Back Cover

I made this mini album for my mom for mothers day. I gave it to her when she came to visit us. I used a kit I got from my friend Elena last year. I like how my version turned out and I am happy I waited until this year to do it. I am really into excerpt cards right now. Used the cards for a mother's poem. Oh yeah and the whole thing is in spanish cause that's our first language.

Pike Place Market

2007-06-11T22:44:00.008-07:00

Today we headed to Pike Place Market. Love all the photo opportunities in this place and walking thru the alleys and finding new cool stores. Discovered a tea shop, spanish market and latin market today. Forgot to take pictures with me in them. Sometimes I just rather take the pictures.

Wild daisies

2007-06-07T11:00:00.004-07:00

Wild daisies are growing all over the backyard.

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:28-34

I dare you!

2007-06-06T11:55:00.014-07:00

I finished these dare cards for my friend Robyn's bachelorette party. I downloaded the tag from Creating Keepsakes back in January (I think) and I changed the wording.

Revenge is sweet and I get to seek revenge on what she (and other friends and family) dared me to do during my bachelorrete party. I was quite embarrased and Ms. Robyn seemed to enjoy it quite a lot. : Here are some of he things I was dared to do.

Have a random guy kiss my hand- I can do that
Sing "Besame Mucho" at the winery, loudly-uh!
Have a guy give me a massage with Astroglide pleasure massage oil - my sister wrote that one.
Give Astroglide to any guy as a gift-the reason there is a lot of Astroglide talk is because my friend Tanya is a manager for Biofilm (the company that makes Astroglide) so we had a ton that weekend and a life long supply. yipee!
Practive the waltz with some guy for one minute - ended doing this with the limo driver
Propose to the bartender on my knees-proposed to some guy at the bar who had a girlfriend. she was nice about it.
Tell the server "he has the most beautiful eyes"- server gave us some free wine. awesome!
Exclaim loudly " Wow! That really....can't write what the card says...

ok, they weren't so bad after all.

my girls

2007-06-06T11:55:00.012-07:00

found a wall for my girls.

This bag lady is a gift from Amy. Love her hair and her pretty face. She is made with old shirts, pillows, curtains, rugs....very cool! Love her.

I got my brazilian lady during my trip to Brazil in 2001. I love her attitude, makes me feel like dancing!

our guest book

2007-06-06T11:55:00.011-07:00

Cover

This is what opening the book looks like

I made this guest book for our guest bedroom. I am looking forward to having my parents and grandma sign it this weekend. I bought the notepad at Michaels for $1 (gotta love $1 sections). I used a bunch of keys we had in our messy kitchen drawer and scraps of ribbon. I really like how it turned out.

Rainier obsessed

2007-06-06T11:55:00.010-07:00

I love taking pictures of Mount Rainier probably because I don't get to see it that often and I have never seen something quite like it. The weather here is unpredictable and Mount Rainier likes to hide - a lot. Sometimes it feels I live in Middle Earth and Mount Rainier is the road to Moria. Ok, no more Lord of the Rings analogies. The weather has been so great that Mount Rainier looks awesome and I love taking pictures of it. little obsessed too...

Memorial Day

2007-05-26T18:06:00.002-07:00

Here is my soldier setting the flag in our house in memory of the fallen soldiers.

I see neon lights

2007-05-25T10:58:00.004-07:00

Yesterday was a rough day. As evening approach I had a sudden urge to paint something, free-style is the best for me cause I don't have to think at all, I just get really messy. I painted all thru the Grey's Anatomy rerun. The first two pages remind me of busy streets, packed with people, noise and neon lights. But the third page looks a little mean to me. It has a Quentin Tarantino feeling. Something about the red stripes in the left, makes me think of bloody fingers (yikes!). again, bad day yesterday. but good day today.

-e-mailed my updated resume to my recruiter
-my laptop has been fixed and is ready for pickup
-on my way to getting my car registered (finally)
-kicking butt with my to-do-list. getting it all done!

boys will be boys

2007-05-25T10:58:00.003-07:00

Mark teaching bad things to his nephew Eric.

Just got back from having dinner with Mark's family. I checked the Fiskateers blog before heading to bed and realized that I won a RAK. I am so happy. Love getting scrapbooking stuff. Last week I received my personalized Fiskars scissors. In January I won a RAK and received a package full of Heidi Grace paper, chipboard and cardstock stickers, die cuts, ribbon and Fiskars adhesive (which is one of my favorites). Late last year I won a Purple Cows Trimmer thru Diva Craft Lounge. Feel so lucky and blessed. I am going to bed with a HUGE smile!

Love books!

2007-05-24T01:22:00.002-07:00

I am loving the books that I am reading these days or should I say night because I read at night when I get to bed. My bedside table is a mess; books are all over the place, but that's how I like it. For purposes of this post I made the books look pretty and used one of the guest bedroom end tables, because it just makes my books look prettier-ha!

I am reading:
1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien - I am almost done! Need to finish before Harry Potter is released. Cause Harry takes priority.

2. The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Ben Zander - it is opening my mind.

3. A Designers Eye for Scrapbooking by Ali Edwards - I just love her, she has changed the way I scrapbook and how I see scrapbooking. I want to meet her and she can sign my book.

4. Washington State by Frommers - I am new to the state, plus my parents are coming in a few days.

5. Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine May/June 2007 - Amy got me into it. Love the cover.

6. Creating Keepsakes Magazine June 2007 - Ali's Studio A is my favorite.

7. Somerset Wedding Volume 3 - Why didn't I see this when I got married?

8. Wide Open by Randi Feuerhelm-Watts - Makes me play with my creative side.

Long time no blogging

2007-05-23T12:48:00.005-07:00

I knew this would eventually happen. Life would happen & I would stop blogging. But I am back-for now!

To be honest I hit a bump in my short blogging road. I read blogs on a daily basis and I started feeling insecure about mine. I didn't feel I had anything cool to share, definetely not as cool as Ali, Donna and Elsie. So I didn't feel like blogging at all. But this week it hit me, this is my blog and I am cool and I have one fan (Hi Amy!!). I just want to keep track of what I am doing .

Happy birthday Gael!

2007-05-23T12:48:00.004-07:00

My cute nephew Gael Alejandro turns 1 today!! He is so cute. Can you see the curly hair?

I made Gael a simple birthday card which I love.

"Our life is frittered away by detail... Simplify, simplify" Henry Thoreau

Handmade with love

2007-05-23T12:48:00.003-07:00

Cover

Inside

I have been experimenting with making stuff. I just finished making 33 bridal shower invitations for my friend Robyn. I had a hard time getting inspired so I found an Umbrella Bridal Shower design I liked on the April/May issue of Paper Crafts magazine (page 82) and tried to make it my own. The magazine design was in brown and vanilla colors but I needed to change it to beach colors (i.e. aqua, turquoise, sand) because that is the theme and colors of the wedding. I also played with the ribbon and stamps. I am so happy I am done and the invites are on the mail! It took me a week to figure out what the first one would look like. I spent hours in Joann Fabrics, going up and down aisles trying to figure out what material to use. After the first one was done it took me another week to finish all 33. I worked full time Friday night thru Sunday night. Lots of work but done with a ton of love. Good friends make it all worth it!

Spirit of Washington

2007-04-24T22:04:00.005-07:00

Mark's dad and grandma took us to the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train this past Saturday. We did lunch instead of dinner and rode on the City of Renton Super Dome car. The ride took us from downtown Renton to Woodinville and back. In Woodinville we visited the Columbia Winery and did some wine tasting. The views were great, wine tasting was great, lunch was great, the company was great. Had a great time! Here are some pictures.

Mark and I inside the Super Dome car on our way back from the winery.

Lake Washington & Mercer Island from the train.

Columbia Winery wines

Cool art sign in Woodinville.

Random

2007-04-24T22:04:00.003-07:00

I took some random pictures of myself in front of the bathroom mirror. I see that a ton of scrapbookers (i.e. Ali, Elsie) take pictures of themselves all the time and their pictures turn out so cool. So I wanted to give it a try. I had some technical difficulties with the light and trying to keep my hand from moving. :)

P.S. Love Flickr. Still learning about all it's tricks.

Cool stores make me happy!

2007-04-19T18:58:00.006-07:00

Found a great store in downtown Sumner, not too far from our home. Camie is the owner and is super friendly. The store's name is Paper Muse and it is beautifully decorated, full of really unique rubber stamps, embellishments and paper. Perfect stuff for altered books and art journals. They also carry the 7gypsies line which I absolutely LOVE and Catslife Press stamps which I like as well.

Didn't have much time to enjoy the antique shops on Main Street. I did walk in and out of some really quick and I can't wait to go back.

Cool little towns make me happy!

Must paint one more...

2007-04-19T18:58:00.004-07:00

Must paint one more page! Lately I have been so inspired by Donna Downey's Painting a Day post. I started doing that and I can't stop and that's why I can't get to bed at a reasonable time these days cause I always want to paint one more page. Mostly cause once I am in the groove I don't want to stop, I want to see what I come up with next plus I usually have left over paint in my palette and I don't want for it to go to waste. I wanted to use the pages for an art journal but haven't been journaling as much, mostly painting the paper while I watch TV or a movie (today it was Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire). I am saving the pages for background for future journal entries. I read this on Visual Chronicles and I find it to be great advice, just to paint without really worrying about what I am going to journal about. Here are some of the pages I have made this week.

Happy Easter

2007-04-10T10:48:00.006-07:00

Love the colors on my easter basket. Looking at it makes me happy. Color rules!

this weekend:

Mark, our neighbor Amy and I went to the Easter vigil Saturday night.
Sunday afternoon we had late lunch/early dinner with Paul and Amy and their kids Sam and Emma. It was very nice to spend our first Easter in this new home with our new friends. Lots of football, home decor and craft conversations!
I am re-reading The Lord of the Rings
Here is a quote I love and I wonder if J.R.R. Tolkien was making referrence to easter by any chance? “All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renenwed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king.”

Cool Findings

2007-04-10T10:48:00.005-07:00

Yesterday I found this red tray at Goodwill for 99 cents. Yipee! Perfect for cool storage of some scrapbooking supplies. I then went to Borders and found the new Somerset Wedding Magazine. Tons of really cool ideas (i.e. scrapbook pages, home decor, altered books). Ideas that I can use for other things beside weddings. I also found this new kit Wide Open:Inspiration & Techniques for Art Journaling on the Edge in the crafts book section. I had read about it in Ali Edwards blog and I LOVE IT! Totally inspiring. I want to start creating RIGHT NOW! :)

I like it and I want it!

2007-04-10T10:48:00.004-07:00

{Products I am liking and using a lot these days}

7 Gypsies 97% Certifiable Stamp, 97% Complete Tags and Gaffer Tape
K&Company K-Ology A Day in the Life Addison embossed stickers and Brenda Walton's Maison 12x12 Scrap Pad To Go
Basic Grey Sublime & Motifica collection papers
My Minds Eye Tres Jolie and Bohemia Paper
SEI Winnie's Walls and Paisley & Petals Paper and embellishments
Vintage Buttons
Tim Holtz's Distressing Ink Pad in Walnut Stain
Purple Cows 2-in-1 Combo Trimmer
Fancy Pants Chi-Chi paper and Brackets, Labels & Tags Big Board Chipboard.
Joann's 50 cents acrylic paint.

(Products I want to start playing with}

Love, Elsie products
Need a sewing machine. Hand sewing is ok, but I need speed!
Martha Stewart's 18"x18" papers & albums. I'd like to try to make one album that is 18x18. seems cool.
File Tab Punch

88868

2007-04-10T10:48:00.002-07:00

Thinking a lot about working on my art journal, being more aware of my day-to-day life and capturing it. Yesterday, while driving I noticed that the mileage in my car was 88868. Wow! That's a lot of miles. The car had 400 miles when I purchased it in 2001. Lots has happened since then; job changes, career changes, relocating twice (San Diego then WA), marriage, new friends, new family members...feel like I am a totally different person now. I took this picture while I was stopped at a light because I felt inspired by what I saw. My art journal is calling me!

Here are some other things I want to journal about:

-My car mileage being 88868. Where have I been? How have I changed? How have I stayed the same?

-While I was at the Borders yesterday I over heard a lady talking on her cell phone. She had the latest Better Homes and Gardens Wedding Reception magazine in her hands. As I walked in front of her she said: "I swear I want to get married just for the reception". Maybe the comment was a joke, that's the problem with eavesdropping I will never know the intention of the comment and in the end it is non of my business. Isn't eavesdropping the worst? oh well, maybe I was meant to hear it :). Anyhow, in the end, I heard what I heard and I know some women and men feel that marriage is the opportunity for a huge party where the bride and groom are the center of attention. I got married a little over 6 months ago and I think of my marriage as so much more than just a party. Don't get me wrong, planning the party took a lot of my time but I also spent a lot of time planning the ceremony and making sure it was special. I have been thinking about what marriage means to me and I want to journal about that.

Beautiful Surprise

2007-04-04T21:12:00.002-07:00

"One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries." A.A. Milne

After dinner tonight I walked to the front door to check if it was locked. Mark usually leaves the front door open after getting home from work and today was no exception. Usually I lock the door and go about my business but tonight I opened the door and walked to our front porch and to my surpise a beautiful sunset awaited. So beautiful. So peaceful. So very cool! After admiring the overall beauty of my view, the shades of blue and the shapes of the clouds, I ran inside got my camera and took some shots.

Great way to end the day!

Who am I to judge?

2007-04-03T23:29:00.001-07:00

We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.” Paulo Coehlo

Last night I was checking out Donna Downey’s blog and I read her post regarding the easter bunny she found in England. I must say that I thought it was quite funny. It made me smile and then I thought “oh, that’s so wrong!”. I didn’t over analyze it. I got Donna’s sense of humor. Then I started reading the comments on her post and people (including myself) are so quick to judge. ouch!

So I started thinking about judgement in terms of me judging others, others judging me and me judging me. We expect everyone else and ourselves to be perfect, to fit in a certain box; the box of the good wives, the box of the good mothers, the box of the good sisters, the box of the good friends, the box of the good Christians, the box of the good crafters and now the box of the family-friendly bloggers just to name a few. AND we better not dare to be human, be different, make mistakes, confront others and make choices that don’t fit with the standards of “the box” because we will be judged and kicked out of the box FOREVER. One strike and you are out! Yikes!

What happened to acceptance, forgiveness, humanity, sisterhood, brotherhood, communion, rebirth….Isn’t that what this week is about?

I think there is a lesson to be learned.

"Note to Self":
1. Be more aware of my thoughts and stop judging others
2. Be more aware of my thoughts and stop judging myself
3. Accept that we are all human
4. Accept that I am human
5. We are all different
6. We all make mistakes
7. I make mistakes
8. Mistakes help us learn and grow
9. Sometimes it takes more than one mistake to learn and grow
10. It’s ok to not know what my path is
11. It's ok to not fit in the box or boxes :)

Inspiration

2007-03-31T10:42:00.015-08:00

this picture isn't inspiring anyone-I know!

Lately I have been very inspired and therefore doing a ton of scrapbooking. I have also been working on my art journal and home decor. I recently discovered art journaling, so I am going to give it a try. When I am in a creative mood it's usually because I am surrounded by things that inspire me, like"

an organized scrapbook area-although it's a royal mess right now
reading Ali Edwards blog-I LOVE her work
reading my old Creating Keepsakes magazines-I don't remember ever reading some
reading old Somerset Studio magazines that I borrowed from my neighbor Amy
my neighbor Amy and her daughter Emma who are so creative

I know organization is key to my ability to focus and enjoy the creative process. Knowing what I need to do, being able to see what I have at all times helps me be inspired and use the products that I have. Two nights ago I spent about an hour looking for some stickers I knew I had but couldn't find. I found them last night. In the process I found old bill statements, old to-do lists, white cardstock and vellum that I always need and kept buying because I didn't realize I had some, and white alphabet stickers which I could have used a week ago among other things. I did some cleanup last night but still have tons to do.

In the spirit of getting organized, here is my latest to-do list for the next couple of weeks:
{updated 7/5/07}
1. Clean and organize scrapbook room {done}
2. Apply for WA license plate
3. Apply for WA drivers license {done}
4. Finish updating my resume {done}
5. Take boxes to Goodwill {done}
6. On April 2nd: Call Mom and Dad (35th wedding anniversary) & Tanya (birthday) {done}
7. Backup computer files {done}
8. Take computer to Best Buy for repair {done}
9. Finish wedding Thank You notes
10. Mail "New address" notes {done}
11. Finish shadow board {done}
12. Finish 2007 Jan-March pages
13. Work on Italy scrapbook
14. Select wedding pictures for wedding album
Gotta go work on finishing these lists.

I saw a thing

2007-03-31T10:42:00.012-08:00

It's a good thing daily blogging isn't one of my goals because I would be failing miserably. Blogging has been on my mind but something always gets in the way of me and blogging. Mark says I get easily distracted because "I saw a thing" and I went after "the thing" instead of doing what I initially wanted to do. But today I managed to make it to the computer with my cup of coffee. So that's good.

Spring is here!!

2007-03-31T10:42:00.011-08:00

Being aware of my surroundings is a great source of inspiration for me. Having the camera with me at all times is great because I get to capture life all the time. Here are some pictures I took these past couple of weeks that I love and will inspire my Spring spread!

On my way to Costco I noticed these Cherry Blossoms, they looked so beautiful and I was reminded of Spring. It is finally here. The weather here in WA hasn't been all that great lately, lots of rain and dark skies. I am sure with time I will get used to it but it is quite a change for me being used to the Phoenix and San Diego sunny weather. It was nice to see that Spring is finally here and I can expect more sunshine. Plus when my friends make fun of me for moving to the wet Pacific Northwest, I can show them these pics and say " What are you talking about, it's beautiful up here".

I also love these pictures of my neighbor Emma in the middle of her creating process and her art work. She is so talented and creative. This past weekend Mark and I got home and we noticed Emma had drawn on the pavement. It instantly made me smile. Love seeing art in all it's forms and how the creating process works for everyone. Very inspiring.

Say goodbye to the lists

2007-03-12T22:30:00.004-08:00

on post-its, napkins, supermarket receipts, note pads
I am going to keep my lists in this blog
hmm...( I am thinking "who the hell am I kidding")
well I am going to try

never thought I would give into blogging. I have never been able to keep a journal. I have started a handful and I have always found myself being unable to keep them up, I throw them away. well it's more like doodling all over with a black sharpie and ripping every single page to threads. no evidence, total destruction.

I always thought journaling had to do with capturing those things in our lives that we want to keep secret, those things that we don't want anyone to find out about, that's why journals are hidden and the first page reads something like "if you read this you will have a very sad life and a permanent case of diarrhea". well, that's what mine would say. So why in the world would I write all this stuff down?

So I have come to realize that journaling is about expressing yourself (like this). It's about expressing myself, capturing my every day, my dreams, the things I need to do, the things I want to do, the things I want to remember, the things I love and hate, not just my secrets.

So, I will start blogging:
without pressure
It's OK to not post everyday.
It's OK if I don't win a writing award.
It's OK to have bad grammar.
It's OK if no one reads this
It's OK if no one cares about this

Here I go!