I can't say I never win anything! I entered a contest on Facebook sponsored by HarperCollins Publishers and was one of five lucky winners! It was for two copies of Caroline Preston's new hardcover book, The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: one to keep and one to share. In that spirit, I am offering my second copy as a gift. All you have to do is leave a comment below. I will pick a name Sunday night, Dec. 18, and as soon as I receive your address I will mail it to you. I have included information below about the book and as you will see, it is for anyone who wants to enjoy authentic memorabilia used to tell the story about a girl's life who graduated in 1920. I just received my prizes today and have only glanced through my copy, but it looks fantastic. I was lucky enough to listen to two podcasts where the author was interviewed, one from Getitscrapped.com and one from Paperclipping.com and it was fascinating.
The following was copied from Caroline Preston's blog:
For her graduation from high school in 1920, Frankie Pratt receives a scrapbook and her father’s old Corona typewriter. Despite Frankie’s dreams of becoming a writer, she must forgo a scholarship to a prestigious women’s college to help her widowed mother. But when a mysterious Captain James sweeps her off her feet, her mother finds a way to protect Frankie from the less-than-noble intentions of her unsuitable beau.
Through a kaleidoscopic array of vintage postcards, letters, magazine ads, ticket stubs, catalogue pages, fabric swatches, candy wrappers, fashion spreads, menus and more, we meet and follow Frankie on her journey in search of success and love. Once at Vassar, Frankie crosses paths with intellectuals and writers, among them “Vincent,” (alumna Edna St. Vincent Millay), who encourages Frankie to move to Greenwich Village and pursue her writing. When heartbreak finds her in New York, she sets off for Paris aboard the S.S. Mauritania, where she keeps company with two exiled Russian princes and a “spinster adventuress.” In Paris, Frankie takes a garret apartment above Shakespeare & Company, the hub of expat life, only to have a certain ne’er-do-well captain from past reappear. But when a family crisis compels Frankie to return to her small New England hometown, she finds exactly what she had been looking for all along.
Author of the New York Times Notable Book Jackie by Josie, Caroline Preston pulls from her extraordinary collection of vintage ephemera to create the first-ever scrapbook novel, transporting us back to the vibrant, burgeoning culture of the the 1920s and introducing us to an unforgettable heroine, the spirited, ambitious, and lovely Frankie Pratt.
I am excited to offer this in the spirit of the holiday season. If you are interested, just leave your comment below! I hope you and your family enjoy the holidays and that 2012 is good to you.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Spawn of True Scrap
This afternoon I finished a three day marathon of super scrappy goodness! The second installment of True Scrap (Spawn) commenced at 3:30 Sat. after starting at 1:30 on Thursday. That's right ladies and gentlemen...three days of unending scrapping ideas!
We enjoyed presentations by scrapping celebs such as Noell Hyman, Kelly Purkey, Cathy Zielske, Erin Bassett, Renee Pearson, Nic Howard, Shimelle Laine, Katrina Kennedy, May Flaum, Tami Morrison and more! We experienced 24 Make and Take and class presentations, with live Q and A during and afterward. Classes included such great topics as Stamping on Scrapbook Layouts, Solutions for Small Scrapbook Spaces, Going Off The Grid, Embellishment Gatherings, Spray Inks, and Show Me The Money! They were all seamlessly tied together into this scraptacular event by Lain Ehmann, scrapbooker extradordinaire!
While the classes themselves are beyond wonderful, the interaction is spectacular. We all felt like friends by the end of the weekend. There is something so binding about sharing this kind of experience with like-minded people. It is hard to describe, but suffice it to say we have all shared info so that we can keep in touch!
I am very grateful to live in an age where this kind of sharing and interaction is possible. I am in awe of the talent and so very inspired to take the information and use it in my own way to create. I have learned so much and I have been scrapping for many years. Many thanks to Lain and the presenters. See you at the next True Scrap Event!
We enjoyed presentations by scrapping celebs such as Noell Hyman, Kelly Purkey, Cathy Zielske, Erin Bassett, Renee Pearson, Nic Howard, Shimelle Laine, Katrina Kennedy, May Flaum, Tami Morrison and more! We experienced 24 Make and Take and class presentations, with live Q and A during and afterward. Classes included such great topics as Stamping on Scrapbook Layouts, Solutions for Small Scrapbook Spaces, Going Off The Grid, Embellishment Gatherings, Spray Inks, and Show Me The Money! They were all seamlessly tied together into this scraptacular event by Lain Ehmann, scrapbooker extradordinaire!
While the classes themselves are beyond wonderful, the interaction is spectacular. We all felt like friends by the end of the weekend. There is something so binding about sharing this kind of experience with like-minded people. It is hard to describe, but suffice it to say we have all shared info so that we can keep in touch!
I am very grateful to live in an age where this kind of sharing and interaction is possible. I am in awe of the talent and so very inspired to take the information and use it in my own way to create. I have learned so much and I have been scrapping for many years. Many thanks to Lain and the presenters. See you at the next True Scrap Event!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
I'm Back!
Summer has been great so far! Shortly after returning from GASC it was time for my annual 4th of July trip to the OBX to stay with my brother and sister-in-law. Our crab feast was awesome! It was a great time, as always! Then two weeks later we went on our summer vacation to Bryson City, NC in the Smoky Mountains. We rented a house and brought the pups. There was so much to do there and we really enjoyed ourselves. We had both tubed before, but not whitewater like this! Needless to say, we both got a bit beat up! It was fun, though! We rode the Great Smoky Mountains Railway, explored 'the road to nowhere', shopped, cooked out, gambled at Harrah's Cherokee Resort, went to a ruby mine, ate at Paula Deen's restaurant, etc.! Bill did the Nantahala Canopy Tour, with eleven zip lines. I took pictures!
Now I am back and working on swaps! I wanted to share some Rolodex cards I made for some upcoming swaps on Mini Album Scraps and Life On The Scrap Beach. I am filling my Rolodex up with great cards for a nice decoration in my scrap room!
I am enjoying trying new things and being creative. It is so nice to have the time to do that! This will be a short post, but I will see you here again soon! Take care, everyone.
Now I am back and working on swaps! I wanted to share some Rolodex cards I made for some upcoming swaps on Mini Album Scraps and Life On The Scrap Beach. I am filling my Rolodex up with great cards for a nice decoration in my scrap room!
I am enjoying trying new things and being creative. It is so nice to have the time to do that! This will be a short post, but I will see you here again soon! Take care, everyone.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
GASC
I am still putting away goodies from the Great American Scrapbook Convention that I attended last weekend! There was such a wide variety of companies and products offered. I went a little crazy, as usual, but it was so much fun! I even won a door prize, the first one in many years of going there. It was a much-appreciated gift certificate for $15 at one of the booths that I really liked!
I met some old friends there and met a new friend from one of my swapping groups. Everyone there is on a mission to have fun, so it is really a great atmosphere (except for the ladies who thought I cut in line at the first booth; thanks Janell!!!).
I took three classes, one from Wendy Smedley and two from Jenni Bowlin. Both are considered famous in the world of scrapbooking, so of course, I had to have pictures taken with them! My friends and I found many photo opportunities; imagine that! Besides classes, I did lots of shopping and visiting with my buddies.
My favorite finds were some unusual ribbons and trims, clear pockets for adding more pictures to pages, 99 cent bling, and pearl pens. I actually hit the jackpot in Leesburg the night before the show, finding a bead store that had a huge bucket of charms for 25 cents each. Cha-ching! By the time I got done digging my hands were black from the pewter, but it was totally worth it!
The only downside to my trip was the trek down I-95 South. Ouch! A 3 hour trip took 5 1/2 and I was seriously ready to scream by the time I got to my hotel. I don't know how people deal with that stretch day after day and still stay sane. The return trip was much smoother and for that I was grateful. Hope everyone is doing well!
I met some old friends there and met a new friend from one of my swapping groups. Everyone there is on a mission to have fun, so it is really a great atmosphere (except for the ladies who thought I cut in line at the first booth; thanks Janell!!!).
I took three classes, one from Wendy Smedley and two from Jenni Bowlin. Both are considered famous in the world of scrapbooking, so of course, I had to have pictures taken with them! My friends and I found many photo opportunities; imagine that! Besides classes, I did lots of shopping and visiting with my buddies.
My favorite finds were some unusual ribbons and trims, clear pockets for adding more pictures to pages, 99 cent bling, and pearl pens. I actually hit the jackpot in Leesburg the night before the show, finding a bead store that had a huge bucket of charms for 25 cents each. Cha-ching! By the time I got done digging my hands were black from the pewter, but it was totally worth it!
The only downside to my trip was the trek down I-95 South. Ouch! A 3 hour trip took 5 1/2 and I was seriously ready to scream by the time I got to my hotel. I don't know how people deal with that stretch day after day and still stay sane. The return trip was much smoother and for that I was grateful. Hope everyone is doing well!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Hey, everyone! I have two more stick pin swaps to share with you. These swaps are really addicting and I am enjoying them so much! The two I will show you have Americana and summer themes.
For the Americana Swap, I made a trifold card in red and added red, white, and blue accents, mostly from 4th of July paper and embellishments. The smallest fold in the front holds the pins in place and I also used patriotic colors for these. It was a great use of my stash and I was happy with how they came out!
For the Summer Swap I fashioned a beach bag out of fun foam and ribbon and added stickers to the fronts and backs, with a fish motif. I added gems to look like bubbles coming from the fish's mouths. The pins were made using summery colors.
Thanks for looking. I have been so busy making pins and swivel charms for swaps, that I hadn't scrapbooked a regular page in weeks. I remedied that last night with a page about my adorable nieces. I hope everyone has a great week as the official first day of summer approaches.
For the Americana Swap, I made a trifold card in red and added red, white, and blue accents, mostly from 4th of July paper and embellishments. The smallest fold in the front holds the pins in place and I also used patriotic colors for these. It was a great use of my stash and I was happy with how they came out!
Thanks for looking. I have been so busy making pins and swivel charms for swaps, that I hadn't scrapbooked a regular page in weeks. I remedied that last night with a page about my adorable nieces. I hope everyone has a great week as the official first day of summer approaches.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
June Charm and Dangle Swap
Hi, everyone! I am back to share my latest swap from Life On The Scrap Beach, which was a charm and dangle swap. The theme was pink, using things like lace, love, and roses on the dangles and also on the presentation piece.I am going to use these to decorate the outside spines of my scrapbook albums.
For mine I used a plain clasp from A. C. Moore and pink, clear, pearl, and silver beads. I included rose and heart charms. For the presentation, I stamped a sweatshirt stamp I have had for a long time from Toomuchfun Rubber Stamps. I stamped it in purple and colored it with shades of pink Copic markers, adding some puffy heart stickers randomly. Then I cut the whole thing out. I formed soft wire into a hanger. The Tim Holtz hangers I had were too small, but these didn't come out too badly. I put the hanger through the top of the shirt and attached the charm clasp to it. I printed my contact info and put it on the inside of the sweatshirt.
I am having so much fun making these. I can now add collecting beads and charms to my other vast artistic collections (like I really needed more). Those 50% coupons come in handy! Have a great week everyone and thanks for looking.
For mine I used a plain clasp from A. C. Moore and pink, clear, pearl, and silver beads. I included rose and heart charms. For the presentation, I stamped a sweatshirt stamp I have had for a long time from Toomuchfun Rubber Stamps. I stamped it in purple and colored it with shades of pink Copic markers, adding some puffy heart stickers randomly. Then I cut the whole thing out. I formed soft wire into a hanger. The Tim Holtz hangers I had were too small, but these didn't come out too badly. I put the hanger through the top of the shirt and attached the charm clasp to it. I printed my contact info and put it on the inside of the sweatshirt.
I am having so much fun making these. I can now add collecting beads and charms to my other vast artistic collections (like I really needed more). Those 50% coupons come in handy! Have a great week everyone and thanks for looking.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Stick Pin Swap
Many of the new scrapbook collections coming out are using stick pin embellishments. I joined a swap at The Scrap Beach (thescrapbeach.ning.com) where we were to make our own. We made 5 sets of 3 pins using either the Gabrielle or Timepiece paper line colors from Bo Bunny and present them in a pleasing fashion.
My Timepiece set was fun to make as I am into clocks these days. I made a matchbook cover from cardstock and daubed it with red ink. I inserted double faced mounting tape at the top of the inside to stick the pins through from the outside of the matchbook (see pictures). I closed the matchbook and added red ribbon, some bling, and a clock cut from patterned paper to the front. Then I made three equally spaced holes at the top to put the pins into. I assembled my pins using the matching colors and stuck them through my holes and into the tape that was inside.
For the Gabrielle set I used a pre-made matchbook notepad. I believe Visual Image Printery (VIP) made them years ago (not sure if they still do). I adhered Gabrielle paper to the whole thing and punched out a butterfly (Martha Stewart punch) as well. I added two pearls to complete the front. I made my pins using the matching colors and popped them through the top and bottom of the matchbook as you can see below.
This was also my first time making stick pins and I have to say they were really fun to make. I think they will look great on cards, pages, and even in the old-fashioned pin cushion I found! Happy Crafting everyone!
My Timepiece set was fun to make as I am into clocks these days. I made a matchbook cover from cardstock and daubed it with red ink. I inserted double faced mounting tape at the top of the inside to stick the pins through from the outside of the matchbook (see pictures). I closed the matchbook and added red ribbon, some bling, and a clock cut from patterned paper to the front. Then I made three equally spaced holes at the top to put the pins into. I assembled my pins using the matching colors and stuck them through my holes and into the tape that was inside.
For the Gabrielle set I used a pre-made matchbook notepad. I believe Visual Image Printery (VIP) made them years ago (not sure if they still do). I adhered Gabrielle paper to the whole thing and punched out a butterfly (Martha Stewart punch) as well. I added two pearls to complete the front. I made my pins using the matching colors and popped them through the top and bottom of the matchbook as you can see below.
This was also my first time making stick pins and I have to say they were really fun to make. I think they will look great on cards, pages, and even in the old-fashioned pin cushion I found! Happy Crafting everyone!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Swivel Charm Swap
I am a member of The Scrap Beach (thescrapbeach.ning.com) and I joined my first swap over there a few weeks ago. It was a Tim Holtz swivel charm swap, using the clasps he makes and attaching charms. In this particular one, you had to use at least three Tim Holtz charms, but the rest was free rein.
I had never attempted anything like this before, and I have to say it was a lot of fun! I struggled a bit with the pliers and jump rings, but got better after doing 6 sets for this swap! I didn't have a lot of beads on hand and was surprised at how much you can spend on them!!! No, I do not need another expensive addiction! Repeat after me!
Presentation was part of the swap. I used Tim Holtz paper to create a layered tag and stamped on clocks and the saying, "A moment in time". I cut a clock from a piece of his patterned paper, layering a piece of cardstock behind it for durability) and added stamped hands and a brad in the middle to attach my charms. I thought they came out pretty well for my first attempt. I know that they are loaded with charms. I am going to use mine to adorn the outsides of mini-albums or regular albums. I think they will look cool hanging down from the top. By the way, they are not all the same, so I took a few pictures. Hope you like them!
I had never attempted anything like this before, and I have to say it was a lot of fun! I struggled a bit with the pliers and jump rings, but got better after doing 6 sets for this swap! I didn't have a lot of beads on hand and was surprised at how much you can spend on them!!! No, I do not need another expensive addiction! Repeat after me!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Altered Paint Stick Swap
A few weeks ago I entered Lowe's Hardware Store with no intention of buying anything. I snuck up to the paint counter and was elated that no one was there! I reached into the can there and removed two....or three...or six of the wooden paint stirrers, turned around, and walked a bit guiltily out of the store.
What the heck was I doing? Getting enough paint sticks to paint each room of my house? No chance of that happening. Gathering light wood for kindling a fire? Too warm for that now. Hmmmm......out of guesses? I was preparing for an altered paint stick swap over at The Altered Page found at thealteredpage.ning.com, a great site run by Angie Holt.
I had never done one of these before, but studied a few trusty Youtube videos enough to know that I wanted to give them a try. It was run by dolphingirl76 and the rules were to use scrapbook supplies to decorate two sticks for our group of three people in a Shabby Chic style. I was excited to use up my stash, so no two of mine were exactly alike, though they were similar. Since dolphingirl76 was the hostess, she got to see all of the sticks and has posted them on her blog at hunnebcreations.blogspot.com. The ones I received in my group are shown below. There are two pictures, of the fronts and backs. I made the two on the ends.
I was pleased with how mine came out, especially since I was able to use up some of my stash. For a while I was covered in Mod Podge, but it all worked out! I loved all of the ones I received and plan to display them in a vase. I would do this swap again in a heartbeat. Of course, I will have to deal with the wrath of Bill telling me it is not good to go into a store and 'steal' things, hahaha! I can deal with that!
What the heck was I doing? Getting enough paint sticks to paint each room of my house? No chance of that happening. Gathering light wood for kindling a fire? Too warm for that now. Hmmmm......out of guesses? I was preparing for an altered paint stick swap over at The Altered Page found at thealteredpage.ning.com, a great site run by Angie Holt.
I had never done one of these before, but studied a few trusty Youtube videos enough to know that I wanted to give them a try. It was run by dolphingirl76 and the rules were to use scrapbook supplies to decorate two sticks for our group of three people in a Shabby Chic style. I was excited to use up my stash, so no two of mine were exactly alike, though they were similar. Since dolphingirl76 was the hostess, she got to see all of the sticks and has posted them on her blog at hunnebcreations.blogspot.com. The ones I received in my group are shown below. There are two pictures, of the fronts and backs. I made the two on the ends.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter
Happy Easter to all who celebrate. Hope it was a good day for everyone. Bill and I had a yummy dinner at Bill's parents' house with them, Mom, Candy, Mike, Bella, Bella's friend, and Paul.
Here is a layout I made of Lisa, Robin's and my visit to Williamsburg where we had our own retreat. At a formal retreat like Scrapper's Dream Vacation, there are always nametags to wear, so Lisa made us our own just like the official ones. I thought that was great and deserving of a page, so off I went! I like how it turned out!
I used some Queen and Company (old but loved) self-adhesive felt borders, cut to fit, and some equally old Magic Mesh. You will find that I don't care how old or outdated a supply is; if I love it, I use it. The letters are Pink Paislee and the small flowers and hearts are Doodlebug. The Skittles were hand dyed using alcohol inks. I included the actual tag Lisa made, as well as some cropping stickers and flowers I had. I filled in with assorted Basic Grey bling. The result is a memory I will treasure.
I hope everyone has a good week. It was 88 degrees here today, so it seems to have jumped from winter to summer, but as my dad used to say,"What can you do?" Have a great week everyone.
Here is a layout I made of Lisa, Robin's and my visit to Williamsburg where we had our own retreat. At a formal retreat like Scrapper's Dream Vacation, there are always nametags to wear, so Lisa made us our own just like the official ones. I thought that was great and deserving of a page, so off I went! I like how it turned out!
I used some Queen and Company (old but loved) self-adhesive felt borders, cut to fit, and some equally old Magic Mesh. You will find that I don't care how old or outdated a supply is; if I love it, I use it. The letters are Pink Paislee and the small flowers and hearts are Doodlebug. The Skittles were hand dyed using alcohol inks. I included the actual tag Lisa made, as well as some cropping stickers and flowers I had. I filled in with assorted Basic Grey bling. The result is a memory I will treasure.
I hope everyone has a good week. It was 88 degrees here today, so it seems to have jumped from winter to summer, but as my dad used to say,"What can you do?" Have a great week everyone.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
True Scrap Event
What do you need to do to be able to scrap, attend classes, see great presentations, chat with people from all over the world, and laugh like you've never laughed before? Why, attend a True Scrap event, of course! This was set up by the talented Lain Ehmann and included such great scrapping names as Noell Hyman, Ali Edwards, Kelli Crowe, Jenni Bowlin, Aby Garvey, Tami Morrison, Jennifer McGuire and more! Plus, you don't need to leave the house: this was all online.
From Thursday to Sat. Lain was at the helm bringing live scrapping goodness every step of the way. She had previously provided us with note taking sheets and I filled mine up for every class. I have been scrapping for a very long time and I still found things in each class that I had not thought of or had not yet tried. The demos/presentations were fabulous, followed up by live Q & A from the instructors. It was all very personal and full of fun. I logged off on Sat. evening feeling like I had just made many new friends and filled with inspiration to scrap, scrap, scrap! I made the Jenni Bowlin mini-book in one sitting and made myself cut up paper to use via the "Shimelle way". Such great ideas!
The reason behind this successful enterprise was Lain. She never left for even a minute and when things got tough in server land, she did not give up. I watched her face and it was so evident that she wanted this to be a perfect event for everyone and when there were some glitches way beyond her control (gotta love and hate the internet) she stuck with it, determined to make this event a success. It worked. This was better than any of the live classes I have ever taken. Her hard work and determination ruled throughout.
I am hoping for True Scrap 2 and I will be in front of my computer for it! I am off to try some more things now...hmmm, should it be those settings on my camera I finally learned about or that stash diving lesson? Those cool paper piecing ideas or the mini-book? The inventive new journaling choices or the design lessons on focal points? Whatever I choose, it will be fun and it's all thanks to True Scrap.
From Thursday to Sat. Lain was at the helm bringing live scrapping goodness every step of the way. She had previously provided us with note taking sheets and I filled mine up for every class. I have been scrapping for a very long time and I still found things in each class that I had not thought of or had not yet tried. The demos/presentations were fabulous, followed up by live Q & A from the instructors. It was all very personal and full of fun. I logged off on Sat. evening feeling like I had just made many new friends and filled with inspiration to scrap, scrap, scrap! I made the Jenni Bowlin mini-book in one sitting and made myself cut up paper to use via the "Shimelle way". Such great ideas!
The reason behind this successful enterprise was Lain. She never left for even a minute and when things got tough in server land, she did not give up. I watched her face and it was so evident that she wanted this to be a perfect event for everyone and when there were some glitches way beyond her control (gotta love and hate the internet) she stuck with it, determined to make this event a success. It worked. This was better than any of the live classes I have ever taken. Her hard work and determination ruled throughout.
I am hoping for True Scrap 2 and I will be in front of my computer for it! I am off to try some more things now...hmmm, should it be those settings on my camera I finally learned about or that stash diving lesson? Those cool paper piecing ideas or the mini-book? The inventive new journaling choices or the design lessons on focal points? Whatever I choose, it will be fun and it's all thanks to True Scrap.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The First Annual Scrapalicious Weekend
I had a great time from Thursday to Sunday with my friends Lisa and Robin. We stayed at a timeshare in Williamsburg (thanks for setting that up and inviting me, Robin!) and set all our stuff out on the table for the weekend so that we could scrap the hours away!
When you spend so many hours with people, you get affirmation that you really like (or don't like!) being with them. Luckily, we still like each other! We got along great, sharing the common love of scrapbooking and enjoying easy friendship. It was an awesome feeling! It is even more amazing to me, since we all met 'online' through a Scrapbooking Yahoo group a few years ago and became fast friends!
We took a field trip to the scrapbook store in town and went out to eat each evening. We laughed at inside jokes about "Matt" and "Brad" and teased about keeping a list of Lisa's 'hates'. We shared stories and giggles and made lots and lots of pages!
This was my second weekend in a row of scrap-happy fun and I came home exhausted, but very happy. I missed Bill and my pups and it's always good to come home, but I sure did have a nice time with my scrapping pals. As per the name Robin gave it, and commemorated by Lisa with our own name tags, it was indeed Scrapalicious!
When you spend so many hours with people, you get affirmation that you really like (or don't like!) being with them. Luckily, we still like each other! We got along great, sharing the common love of scrapbooking and enjoying easy friendship. It was an awesome feeling! It is even more amazing to me, since we all met 'online' through a Scrapbooking Yahoo group a few years ago and became fast friends!
We took a field trip to the scrapbook store in town and went out to eat each evening. We laughed at inside jokes about "Matt" and "Brad" and teased about keeping a list of Lisa's 'hates'. We shared stories and giggles and made lots and lots of pages!
This was my second weekend in a row of scrap-happy fun and I came home exhausted, but very happy. I missed Bill and my pups and it's always good to come home, but I sure did have a nice time with my scrapping pals. As per the name Robin gave it, and commemorated by Lisa with our own name tags, it was indeed Scrapalicious!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Scrapping Weekend
This past weekend I went up to northern Va. to the Dulles Expo Center for a Get Croppin' scrapbooking weekend with two really good friends. There were two other events at the Center: a Memorabilia Show and a Super Pet Expo. Needless to say, the parking lots were packed and after the twentieth dog got walked into the Pavilion they had to put signs on the door pointing out where each activity was being held!
My friends and I sat together, scrapping and laughing as per our usual agenda. On Saturday people started running down the hallway towards the bathrooms, so I grabbed my camera and ran, too! Turns out the people from the Memorabilia Show were 'sneaking' Peyton Manning out the back door of their show, which happened to be our hall! He was headed out and I was taking pictures of the back of his head and everyone else with their cameras, thinking it would be the best shots I'd get. Then I yelled,"Please turn around!" and you could see his step hesitate.......but then he stopped and turned around and waved, smiling at a horde of women with cameras! He was a great sport! I got some super pictures and went screaming down the hall after he left because I was so happy!
It was an unexpected bonus to an already awesome weekend! It totally made me smile the whole rest of the time. Of course, we teased our one friend who had still been asleep back at the hotel and missed the whole thing. We embellished the story right along with our pages, just for her benefit! Thanks for keeping it real, Peyton!
My friends and I sat together, scrapping and laughing as per our usual agenda. On Saturday people started running down the hallway towards the bathrooms, so I grabbed my camera and ran, too! Turns out the people from the Memorabilia Show were 'sneaking' Peyton Manning out the back door of their show, which happened to be our hall! He was headed out and I was taking pictures of the back of his head and everyone else with their cameras, thinking it would be the best shots I'd get. Then I yelled,"Please turn around!" and you could see his step hesitate.......but then he stopped and turned around and waved, smiling at a horde of women with cameras! He was a great sport! I got some super pictures and went screaming down the hall after he left because I was so happy!
It was an unexpected bonus to an already awesome weekend! It totally made me smile the whole rest of the time. Of course, we teased our one friend who had still been asleep back at the hotel and missed the whole thing. We embellished the story right along with our pages, just for her benefit! Thanks for keeping it real, Peyton!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Art Journaling
This week I took a break from my manic creating of page kits for the next two weekend crops. I am up to 180 page kits and needed a break! I have always admired the Art Journals that others showcase; spaces to just play and create in for no reason other than doing so.
So I found a spiral bound book I'd bought at one time that had a Scrabble game board cut out for the front and back covers (love that game) and plain pages inside. First I used Modge Podge to cover each page to make it glossy looking (and my fingers gluey). Then I added some color to the first page using a purple ink pad re-inker and some Copic markers. Next I scrounged among my assorted bits and pieces and just jumped right in. I have to say, I really enjoyed the no pressure process and spent more time on it than I thought I would.
People say there are no mistakes in scrapbooking, just opportunities to be creative. Well, I did the first 3 pages (one back to back) before discovering I had begun working in the book backwards, so the covers were upside down. Probably not a big deal, but it bugged me, so I started problem-solving. After all, there are no mistakes, right? I cut the pages out and was going to glue them into the front of the book the correct way....but there was the problem of the back to back page. Well, I finally decided to make the right edge of the book hang out from the cover and used decorative tape to attach it to the first page on only one side, flipped it, and attached the tape to that side as well. I know that is clear as mud, so I am providing pictures!
I actually like it better this way and I never would have come up with it had I not made a boo-boo. I guess the 'people' are right! See you next time!
So I found a spiral bound book I'd bought at one time that had a Scrabble game board cut out for the front and back covers (love that game) and plain pages inside. First I used Modge Podge to cover each page to make it glossy looking (and my fingers gluey). Then I added some color to the first page using a purple ink pad re-inker and some Copic markers. Next I scrounged among my assorted bits and pieces and just jumped right in. I have to say, I really enjoyed the no pressure process and spent more time on it than I thought I would.
People say there are no mistakes in scrapbooking, just opportunities to be creative. Well, I did the first 3 pages (one back to back) before discovering I had begun working in the book backwards, so the covers were upside down. Probably not a big deal, but it bugged me, so I started problem-solving. After all, there are no mistakes, right? I cut the pages out and was going to glue them into the front of the book the correct way....but there was the problem of the back to back page. Well, I finally decided to make the right edge of the book hang out from the cover and used decorative tape to attach it to the first page on only one side, flipped it, and attached the tape to that side as well. I know that is clear as mud, so I am providing pictures!
I actually like it better this way and I never would have come up with it had I not made a boo-boo. I guess the 'people' are right! See you next time!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Taking Online Classes
I am so happy to have more time to devote to online classes. No, I am not talking about the ones my school system offered, I am talking scrapbooking! There is a great site called bigpictureclasses.com (formerly known as bigpicturescrapbooking.com) and I have taken many classes and never been disappointed. Right now I am taking two of Ali Edwards' classes, Yesterday and Today and One Little Word. Today I want to talk about a recent assignment in The Y and T class.
Ali's quote by Albert Einstein begins this class. It is: "It is better to believe than to disbelieve; in so doing you bring everything to the realm of possibility." I love that! So our assignment this week was to choose to either do a non-picture page of discourse about what we believe or what we have learned. I chose to work on the latter and here is my rough draft:
I have learned that: *life isn't always 'fair'. *God had plans for me that didn't always coincide with my own supposed best laid ones. *creativity has opened up so many doors for me and fed my soul in so many ways. *I can't change others, no matter how hard I try. *keeping a good attitude and surrounding myself with positive people makes a huge difference in my life. *teaching enriched my life, allowing me to excel and to meet countless great people. *my nieces and nephews have brought me immeasurable joy. *my husband is the most selfless, strong, giving person I have ever met and I almost didn't find that out. *Chow Chows are the most beautiful canine children I could ever have wished for. *"This, too, shall pass." *eating anything other than a pitifully small amount of food leads to my weight gain. Sucky, but true. *loving to read has assured that I will always have a friend. *being true to myself is essential. *talking about others is never fruitful and inevitably bites me in the a$$. *taking pictures has opened my eyes to views I would otherwise have missed. *worthy friendships can form with people you've never met in person. *the internet can be a wonderful and horrible thing at the same time. *technology never stays the same. *humor saves many situations. *exercise is essential and I mostly hate it. *not everyone thinks like I do and that could be a very good thing.
Not quite done, but a start. The thing I love about these classes is that they really make you think and examine your life. It has opened up my eyes to things I may have missed along the way and the journey has been too memorable to allow that. As always, I am blessed.
Ali's quote by Albert Einstein begins this class. It is: "It is better to believe than to disbelieve; in so doing you bring everything to the realm of possibility." I love that! So our assignment this week was to choose to either do a non-picture page of discourse about what we believe or what we have learned. I chose to work on the latter and here is my rough draft:
I have learned that: *life isn't always 'fair'. *God had plans for me that didn't always coincide with my own supposed best laid ones. *creativity has opened up so many doors for me and fed my soul in so many ways. *I can't change others, no matter how hard I try. *keeping a good attitude and surrounding myself with positive people makes a huge difference in my life. *teaching enriched my life, allowing me to excel and to meet countless great people. *my nieces and nephews have brought me immeasurable joy. *my husband is the most selfless, strong, giving person I have ever met and I almost didn't find that out. *Chow Chows are the most beautiful canine children I could ever have wished for. *"This, too, shall pass." *eating anything other than a pitifully small amount of food leads to my weight gain. Sucky, but true. *loving to read has assured that I will always have a friend. *being true to myself is essential. *talking about others is never fruitful and inevitably bites me in the a$$. *taking pictures has opened my eyes to views I would otherwise have missed. *worthy friendships can form with people you've never met in person. *the internet can be a wonderful and horrible thing at the same time. *technology never stays the same. *humor saves many situations. *exercise is essential and I mostly hate it. *not everyone thinks like I do and that could be a very good thing.
Not quite done, but a start. The thing I love about these classes is that they really make you think and examine your life. It has opened up my eyes to things I may have missed along the way and the journey has been too memorable to allow that. As always, I am blessed.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Memories of Our Summer Vacation
I am working on a scrapbook from our vacation and decided to do a little research to add to the book to make it more authentic. There are many things I could (and probably will) say about this trip, but the facts tell it better.
We arrived at Dee's Cottage in Topsail Beach, NC on Sat., Sept. 25 for a 'late summer' vacation on the oceanfront! According to the National Weather Service, this was the weather during our stay:
Sunday, Sept. 26
Widespread showers led to heavy rains. 0.59" of rain
Monday, Sept. 27
Persistent rainfall at rates of 1/2" or more per hour, peaking at 1.99" in one hour. Flash Flood Warnings, the first of 16 to be issued during this five day period. 10.33 inches of rain
Tuesday, Sept. 28
Some calm before the storm with a brief respite, then heavy rain later. 1.95" of rain
Wed., Sept. 29
Heavy rain. Tropical Storm Nicole effects. FFW, Tornado Warnings, Small Craft Advisory Warnings, Tropical Storm Warnings. Roads flooding and some washed out. 7.37" of rain
Thursday, Sept. 30
Light rain showers, then remnants of TS Nicole, more FFWs and washed out roadways. Rain ended late Thurs. night. 2.29" of rain
Other facts about this week:
*The area was suffering a mild drought before all this began.
*Out of 101 hours between 2 pm Sunday and 6 pm Thursday at least a trace of rain was recorded during 84 of them.
*Rain was recorded during 42 straight hours.
*The area now boasts the wettest 3-day, 4-day and 5-day periods in history since 1850. Several days beat the rains encountered during Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
*Total rainfall 22.54"
"....and that was how I spent my summer vacation. The End"
Monday, February 21, 2011
Greensboro Weekend
I went to see my 'baby' brother's (he's 44, but being the youngest of six kids, he will always be the baby!!) college basketball team play in their last home game at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina this past weekend. Normally I watch his home games and listen to his away games via announcers on the computer, so it was a treat to get to go to Ragan-Brown Fieldhouse and watch a live game in person.
My brother, Tom, is the men's basketball coach and Athletic Director at the college. From everything I have heard and seen he is highly respected, and I can see why. Tom is just a down to earth, hard-working, nice guy. He brings out the best in his players and everyone else he comes into contact with. Guilford is a smaller school and every year his team has players who practice good sportsmanship and are respectful. Even when they lose their best players to graduation, they still play hard and win games. I don't think any of this is a coincidence.
The game was exciting, boasting two overtimes, but unfortunately, 'we' did not win. It was still really fun to watch and cheer with my nieces and nephews and the rest of the Guilford crowd. I got to meet the two announcers I have been listening to for years and to wave to my mom, sister, and husband on camera. Oh, the little things! And go, Quakers!
My brother, Tom, is the men's basketball coach and Athletic Director at the college. From everything I have heard and seen he is highly respected, and I can see why. Tom is just a down to earth, hard-working, nice guy. He brings out the best in his players and everyone else he comes into contact with. Guilford is a smaller school and every year his team has players who practice good sportsmanship and are respectful. Even when they lose their best players to graduation, they still play hard and win games. I don't think any of this is a coincidence.
The game was exciting, boasting two overtimes, but unfortunately, 'we' did not win. It was still really fun to watch and cheer with my nieces and nephews and the rest of the Guilford crowd. I got to meet the two announcers I have been listening to for years and to wave to my mom, sister, and husband on camera. Oh, the little things! And go, Quakers!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Scrap Happy
I have been scrapping up a storm since I retired and am loving it! I have so many projects I have put aside until now and am thoroughly enjoying choosing what I feel like doing and working on it. From mini-albums to regular 12 by 12 pages and page kits, I have been cranking it out!
For those outside of the scrapbooking world, making page kits is a time saver for 'crops' or retreats so that you can not only make the most of your time, but avoid bringing everything from your stash with you (don't ask me how I know) and spend all your time looking through it for what you want instead of getting pages done. Basically it entails planning out your page and slipping your cardstock, patterned paper, and embellishments into a ziplock bag or page protector, then pulling out the kit to work on. These can be as elaborate or simple as you wish. I tend to be more elaborate, usually pre-planning the page by actually putting it all together except for the gluing and some cutting. Then I sketch it out on a small piece of paper and slap the whole thing in a page protector in a binder. At the crop, I can talk and laugh and have fun because I don't need to do a whole lot of thinking about what I am doing.
So I have been making up a lot of page kits for the last several months, because I have two weekend retreats coming up in about a month and a half. I know I will have a great time socializing as I put my pages together from the kits. Happy scrapping!
For those outside of the scrapbooking world, making page kits is a time saver for 'crops' or retreats so that you can not only make the most of your time, but avoid bringing everything from your stash with you (don't ask me how I know) and spend all your time looking through it for what you want instead of getting pages done. Basically it entails planning out your page and slipping your cardstock, patterned paper, and embellishments into a ziplock bag or page protector, then pulling out the kit to work on. These can be as elaborate or simple as you wish. I tend to be more elaborate, usually pre-planning the page by actually putting it all together except for the gluing and some cutting. Then I sketch it out on a small piece of paper and slap the whole thing in a page protector in a binder. At the crop, I can talk and laugh and have fun because I don't need to do a whole lot of thinking about what I am doing.
So I have been making up a lot of page kits for the last several months, because I have two weekend retreats coming up in about a month and a half. I know I will have a great time socializing as I put my pages together from the kits. Happy scrapping!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Feb. 14 Means Love
There are so many things I love that make me happy. One is scrapbooking and another is collecting (and even using) Vera Bradley items. I actually did a two page layout of Vera that I would like to share with you today. It made me smile to combine two of my 'loves'.
The first one is just to show my lovely travel pieces from a trip to Roanoke in one of my favorite patterns called Purple Punch. There's a little background for the second page to understand one reason I made it. Over a year ago I was on my annual Fourth of July visit to the Outer Banks to my brother and sister in law's house. They have several stores there that carry Vera, but I was disappointed because the new release of my newest favorite pattern, Very Berry Paisley, was to come out on the 8th and I wouldn't be there for it. We stopped by the stores anyway and lo and behold, one of them had put their new stuff out before the launch date (a huge no-no, which I later found out)! I went screaming through the store and told my sis it could be a while! What a great surprise! It was even better because I was carrying an All In One Wristlet in VBP that someone had gotten me at a preview store and the owner of one of the other stores all but accosted me to find out how I got it. She then examined it to see if it was 'real'. I was so tempted to go back after my Vera haul, but I restrained myself!! Anyway, Happy Heart Day everyone!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Why Start A Blog?
I love reading other people's blogs and I have loved to write since I was a child. I remember my dad bringing home these huge blank ledgers from work and giving them to me to write in. They had alphabetic tabs and I would write a story for each letter. Wish I still had those; I'll bet they'd be really funny to read now!
Just a little background to get started....I retired from 30+ years of teaching last June and am enjoying my free time so much these days. Everyone asks,"What do you DO all day?", when the question should really be,"How do you find time for all the things you love to do?" Yep, I am busy scrapping, making cards, playing with my electronic gadgets, reading up a storm, doing things around the house (okay, not that much), and enjoying my time with Bill and the pups. It is a good life and one that I am not taking for granted.
To get started, I have a question that I hope you'll respond to. What do you especially like about blogs? What makes you want to read one over another? What do they need to include to keep your interest? I would be very interested in your feedback as I feed my creative need to write!
Just a little background to get started....I retired from 30+ years of teaching last June and am enjoying my free time so much these days. Everyone asks,"What do you DO all day?", when the question should really be,"How do you find time for all the things you love to do?" Yep, I am busy scrapping, making cards, playing with my electronic gadgets, reading up a storm, doing things around the house (okay, not that much), and enjoying my time with Bill and the pups. It is a good life and one that I am not taking for granted.
To get started, I have a question that I hope you'll respond to. What do you especially like about blogs? What makes you want to read one over another? What do they need to include to keep your interest? I would be very interested in your feedback as I feed my creative need to write!
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