Here are some pics

of the tin album. It is a winter theme, and the snowflake was already on the top of the tin. I made a little money on the advent calendar for Crystal's new camera fund, so I might try to sell this too.







I know the photos are pretty small, but hopefully you can get the idea.

A Little Something

Well I am happy to say that my house is mostly clean, and I have been able to work on a little project some the last few days. I finished it this morning while my house was being trashed by the little fellow again. It's amazing how much damage he can do in a short time!

I made an altered tin album from a gift card tin I picked up at WM and left over pp from last year that I got at WM. My sister picked it up for something I can't really remember, and then we didn't really use it. In the end this album was soooo cheap. Hmmmm...It looks like WM should pay me to help them push their scrap stuff.

Anyway, I need to fix some photos to post. I'll try to get those up here soon. I'm so happy to be on my way to being on a real schedule! That's a good thing since there are some call deadlines approaching, and I have to finish some knitting stuff before Saturday! We'll see how long it lasts.

Discipline.Order.Organization

Whatever you call it, I need it. Things always seem to get incredibly crazy this time of year. I am almost done--yes I said done--with gifts. Even though I have that part under control, I feel like I'm spinning my wheels.

I think there are several factors that are contributing to the craziness. I just started volunteering one day a week, and that has tossed our general schedule up a bit. Since all of our family is out of town, the holidays mean either visitors or trips. That means either less time at home to get regular things done or more time spent trying to make things presentable for guests. Add to all this the fact that holidays are busy times for churches, and as a pastor you don't really get to skip church functions--not usually for visiting family or for the sake of sanity.

Anyway, I am determined. I WILL make a schedule. I WILL purge toys before Christmas. I WILL get all gifts out of the way ASAP. I WILL find my desk again (This could be the most difficult of tasks.) I WILL make time to record some of the holiday memories we are making.

Alright, here is the part of my rambling where I plead for any of you out there in cyber space to share how you stay sane and still get in some scrapping and creating. LMK what works for you. I have to keep some things going or this blog wil be dead soon.

~ C ~

My latest Project

This one is headed a little more in the paper direction. I can't take credit for the original idea because I saw it somewhere else. It actually took way longer to make than I had expected. I had intentions to make 3 as I went along, but I gave up pretty early on that idea.



It's a magnetic advent calendar. Each piece is numbered and has a magnet on the back, so they can be stored on the back side of the cookie sheet until you need it. Each day you put another piece on the front until the last one that says Christmas Day! How fun is that? This one is actually on ebay in an effort to start my savings for an XT. I'd love to be able to take advantage of the rebate they have right now. We'll see how well that all goes.

Some Photos

These are some samples for an assignment that is waaaay overdue. I just though I'd share some of them that turned out OK. Going through this process made me realize how few really sunny days we have had around here. It also made me want a new camer reaaaally bad. I want to have more control.



















Enjoy!

A finished Project

Here are some of the finished things I have been working on. This is a fun scarf and hat. It's not really a Christmas gift like some of the other things I have been working on, but I'll probably give it to someone.



I don't know really why I haven't been in a paper mood of late. The yarn thing seems so much more fun--and less stressful. Plus I can knock out some gifts along the way! I'll try to share more of what I have been up to lately.

This is why I have been away...

It's not that I've forsaken my love of paper. This time of year just always gets me going on gifts and ideas for the holidays. And this year I happen to be headed more in the yarn direction than the paper direction. I won't stay away long!

Baaaad Blogger!

This whole month is going to end up being one big blur. Things have been crazy around here. Then once October is over the holidays will be coming soon. Arrrgghh.

I have got to get back into a scrapping mode, though. I miss it when I can't squeeze it in. I did want to share my latest LO. Hopefully it will be seen again.



I squeaked it out for a call that ended yesterday. I'm not sure the style really fit the mag it was for, but I couldn't not submit to this one. I had hoped to get several more done, but time just ran out.

Can I just say how happy I am that I don't feel the pressure to computer journal anymore? I hated feeling like I was tied to the computer when I was scrapping. I'm loving my pens again!!

Wooooo hoooo!

I finally got rid of that pesky title. It took a lot of guessing and changing things around. I now feel free somehow! I'll quit avoiding my blog now--promise!

Just a few pics from our recent beach trip. It was cloudy, and I haven't played with any of them.







I'm totally prepared for upcoming summer/water/beach calls! Those pics are always my favorites!

A Place to Play

Sometimes I have ideas that I want to experiment and play with, but I don't want to risk jumping in and putting them on a page. I'm definitely feeling like I need to get out of the box lately, and I've seen so much about art journals. I thought it would be a great place to mess around. Besides I had one of those spiral bound books from the Target dollar section lying around. I think it's going to be just right. I had fun playing with my new Christina Cole slab to decorate the outside. I hope I have this much fun creating on the inside.

Here is a peek at the outside cover.



It's a little funky for me, but that's what this experiment is all about! I'm hoping I'll stumble across some creativity that I didn't know was there.

OK...so I messed it up.

I had a nice new banner all made up, and then I couldn't figure out how to get the original title off. I destroyed all the formatting, but it never went away. Anyway, I just put the old background back up and it will have to do for a while--until I can learn more and be able to fix it all pretty. Ugh!

I finally did it...

I can be the Queen of procrastination at times! I have had a frame that I picked up to make a project for J's Grandpa since well before Father's Day. Well that came and went, and their visit in September came and went. I have just now found the inspiration or even the motivation to get it done.



The frame is a matted 8x10 shadow box. I like these because they give you freedom to put dimensional stuff on the project. Even though I'm not usually a really bumpy scrapper, it's hard to make projects flat enough to fit in a traditional frame. I had to take the glass out of the one I made for Grandma, and I'm liking this much better.

The papers are Chatterbox rec room. The journaling says A Grandpa is an important person in the life of a boy! The pic was taken when they were here in September. MIL actually took the pic. I never got any good ones because my camera stinks at indoor shooting. (another plug to get a new camera!) That was one of the reasons for procrastinating for so long. Now I'm free to move on to other things.

Going Vertical

It seems like vertical is good lately. I know vertical paper storage has transformed the way I store paper, and it has given me tons of extra space. With a 2-year-old, I need a way to keep photos, embellishments, and tools out of the reach of little hands. I have seen so many pics of cute rooms with tons of shelves and stuff. I have 2 issues though:
1. My budget is tight.
2. We rent our house, so I can't exactly do a shelving makeover.

I think I have found a solution!!



I already had this huge printer cart in my room for storage and counter space. I found these neat stacking bookshelves at Wally World on clearance, so we stacked them on top of the cabinet to make vertical shelves. Yay!! It may not be chic, but it serves the purpose. It's going to give me lots of extra room. Now I just have to dig in and clean out he closet in here. I may get organized after all!

A Little Something

This isn't brand new, but it is fairly recent. It was my response to a challenge from my mentor. The challenge was to create a layout using no words - no title, journaling, etc. The layout was still supposed to convey a thought or idea.

This was a fun challenge because it made me think about how I choose products and how the overall design of my page can convey an idea. I am certainly enjoying my assignments.

So here it is!

I am GREEN

...with envy that is. As a pretty serious scrapbooker I would like to get more serious about my photography. Having more photos that truly inspire me would means more fantastic layouts created in the midst of that inspiration. I have had my eye on DSLRs for some time. My sister calls me up today to let ne know she just bought this. She says it's her Christmas, birthday, and graduation present from her fiance. Yeah right. Maybe I can get one too if I give up all gifts until 2010...

What a Waste

A couple of hours and several gallons of expensive gas were wasted today. I really need to find a way to remind myself that ordering online is the best way to go.

I'm hearing all kinds of praise over at the Bucket about the Heidi Swapp line that Target is carrying. The husband loves Goodberry's which is an awesome frozen custard stand that happens to be located near a Super Target. Since our Target is less than Super, I was able to convince him he needed a custard fix today. All is well...so it seems.

My day was something like this... Get to T...no Heidi. There was an awesome school supply clearance sale, so I did pick up some nice 3 ring binders--just in case. After custard, we really should ride into Raleigh since we are so close...Ha. Check the other Super T--no Heidi. I should stop by the LSS since we are right by it. I'm looking for 8.5 x 11 albums--good thing I picked up the 3 ring binders--no albums. Also, the stock is less than marvelous since there is a new owner.

I really should check at Michael's to see if they got in that new 8 x 8 slab with Christina Cole papers in. Found some American Craft ribbons, and a great deal on paper for my sister's wedding invites, but alas--no slab. So next time I decide I just have to drive an hour for a SB supply fix, I really should come review this entry so that I will realize I should just be clicking away with my mouse and actually doing the things on my "to do" list!

It's a whiny blog day for me!

A Stretch for Me

Many who call themselves scrapbookers also consider themselves altered artists or simply like to "alter" things. This is not something that I do very much of. For one thing, I have to much "stuff" around my house to start with. If I started creating all the cute things I could think of, i would be drowning in more stuff.

If, however, some really awesome manufacturer of scrapbooking products puts out a call for a design team and requests an altered "project," then I am forced to comply. Anyway, I just wanted to share what I came up with. It's not spectacular, and I've seen some awesome projects in the gallery at 2 Peas. This is my project for the AF design team call, though.

It's an altered memo board. I picked it up months ago at the Dollar Tree just because it was a cute size. Now it's been transformed with acrylic paint, AF papers, and Mod Podge.


If nothing else, maybe I've found a good Christmas gift for some of my little cousins.

Sssshhhh...

Oh my! Am I really admitting that I have a secret life? I have a love affair with paper and paste. No, it's not carried over from my days as an Elementary school teacher. It's really more like a love affair with gorgeous patterned paper, textured cardstock, glue sticks and adhesive runners.

I admit it. I am a scrapbooker. Some people in my "real world" know about this. They just don't know the extent to which my obsession goes. They don't understand that it's more than cutting photos into pretty shapes and adhering them to white pages. They don't understand that it's about recording my family's experiences in life and it's about color and design and texture. Hmmmm....I get excited just thinking about it. They don't understand tha I long to see my work in print and that I lie in bed at night thinking about techniques and color combinations. They just don't understand. It's a secret life.