The funnest way to start 2010!

A little bit about me

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Me, my daughter this past September, and my son in March. I'll get to the husband later :)

'Twas good while it lasted...

Ah yes, goodbye to '09. DS was born in March and DD became a big sister. DD learned how to swim this summer and turned 5. We went on a family vacation to Disney world. And nothing bad happened. There we go...we'll see what 2010 brings.

and the last few

more calendar pages

The in-laws' 2010 Calendar

Finally, right? LOL. This is the MR calendar that I made 3 of. There are slight variations

Almost blinded in the name of art...

My in-laws are here today and DH is home for the week. We went to the gym in the morning and since returning, I've been scrapping. Oh, glorious Monday! Anyways, I was working on DH's mini album (the 4"x4" Jenni Bowlin one) and for the cover, I was cutting up those "Say it in Crystals" Prima swirls. The part I was cutting had those tiny mico-crystals and when I cut into an end one, it flew off, right into my eye. And I wear glasses, which - one would think - might have protected me from this. No. The thing flew with force and purpose. It lodged itself in my eye and wouldn't come out for some time. I was getting worried. After all, it's probably not good, having little crystals stuck in your eye. Thankfully, I did get it out and all is well. My eye is saved. And the little album is practically done! I used Cosmo Cricket Earth Love chip shapes and mini papers, and lots of Glimmer Mist, and left a lot of the lined paper still showing, so I can write little letters on the pages about why I love him, and I picked photos to correspond.

Altered Frame for my Grandmother

Just wanted to share a frame I made for my grandma. Love those little MR velvet flowers and Webster's Pages paper. That's us on our recent trip to Disney World, end of 10/09.

New Project

I've been working on a mini - it's only 4"x4" - a Jenni Bowlin little book with lined pages. I'm making it into an anniversary present for my DH. On the 14th of Jan, it'll be 14 years since we started dating, so I wanted to give him something special. I'll have to post pics (and also post pics of the MR calendars). DH is home all week, so it actually leaves me less time to take pics and do other stuff like that. Plus, we're working on getting the house clean before 2010 hits.

In other news, we saw Avatar in 3D on the 25th. And wow, the theater was so crowded. Everything was sold out. We had to buy tickets and come back to a later showing. The movie was really good. I definitely recommend it - and it did get an A from critics, which is rare. With the 3D and the unbelievable special effects, you really felt like you were there, flying over that beautiful planet. It was so gorgeous and sometimes I completely forgot I was in the theater.

One guy tried to spoil my experience - I came in to get seats while DH parked. This guy, sitting with his friend, had a seat on one side, and one on the other. The theater was packed and there were no other seats together. I asked him to move, and he actually said no, and was totally rude about it, like I was asking for a million dollars. It's sad that some people feel the need to be nasty. We found someone else who was willing to move, thankfully, as were able to see the movie sitting next to each other. But still, ugh.

So much to do, so little time!

I propose that scrapbooking be declared a daily necessity, rather than mere hobby, to be relegated to the background whenever "more important" things come up, like taking care of the house and other wifely/motherly duties. Sigh. Why oh why is there always so much to do and never enough hours to do it in? I must resign myself to the fact that not until I'm scrapping my grandkids will I ever feel like I've had enough time to scrap.

Thank U Card

I still have to take pics of the calendars. In the meantime, here's a recent card using BG lemonade and stickles.

Got snow?

Well, we did get snowed in. And all I could think of was... (can you guess?)... these pics will be great with the Cosmo Cricket Jolly by Golly that I have and the Webster's Pages Winter's Wings. I have enough of each to make two pages. Plus I have Bo Bunny Snowy Serenade. Not to mention the tons of older lines of all kinds for winter. And the clear acrylic snowman album I have to do still. So winter pics were very much appreciated. Am I crazy, or is this how all scrapbookers think? ;)

Snow tomorrow?

At least it's what they're promising. I ran into Acme today to get some food, just in case, and it was like a war zone in there. Doesn't anyone have any food in their fridges? At least enough to survive through one day? They're only promising snow for tomorrow. Ah well, who am I to talk - I was there just like everyone else, panicking about what we'll all eat on a snowy Saturday. Just watch - there'll be no snow. No, wait. It's a weekend and we have fun things planned, so we'll probably get snowed in. It's only when they promise snow during the week, with the prospect of getting a day off from work, that they always fail to deliver.

Anyways, my parents were here today and we all went out to a Chinese buffet. They have sushi bar there (all you can eat as well), where they make the fresh sushi right in front of you. It's a great deal. I love that place. Even Morgan, my very picky 5-year-old has managed to become so used to it that she actually fills up. Chinese food is one thing you'd never think she'd eat. I guess we were there so often, she had no choice. And I'm already getting my nine-month-old accustomed to it :)

Working on a report for work again. No time to scrap tonight.

The calendars are completed!

Wow, finally! I did end up doing covers for them as well, which took a good chunk of time. I always obsess over the cover to a mini since it seems like the most important part - the first impression. The calendars came with 9 pages each, and I used 6 for the months, so I used one of the leftover pages for the cover. I used my Exacto knife to cut off the tabs at the bottom for that. I used another Maya Road sheer on the cover - one of the A Year to Remember ones, since it fit well with the theme. I can't wait to take pics and share. I love doing minis, but I'm glad this project is done. I think next, I'll focus on our visit to the Pumpkin Patch. I have a Fancy Pants mixed media bracket album for that - it has felt, chipboard, and acetate pages. Very cute. I don't know how to sew with a machine, but I wish I did - I think it looks so cute when others do it, and it would be perfect for the felt sheets. I'm considering doing hand sewing on them. We'll see.

Urban Lily Giveaway

Urban Lily is having a drawing for 50 free papers!! Check it out! http://urbanswank.blogspot.com/2009/11/who-wants-paper.html

This isn't the fun part

Well, tonight instead of scrapping, I have to write a report for work. Maybe I can bang it out quickly...but I think at that point, I'll just head to bed. The good news is that tomorrow, my in-laws will be here, so once I get back from work, I'll have some time. I'm considering whether I should use that time for scrapbooking or cleaning up my scrap room. I'm leaning toward the latter...not as much fun, but the result would be so worth it!

Just wanted to share

Some recent layouts - love the Basic Grey Eerie line!

Maya Road Calendars

I bought 3 Maya Road Recipe Albums and decided to use them as calendars instead. I am making 3 almost identical ones - one for my mom for work, one for my dad for work, and one for my in-laws for their house. It's been kind of a lot of work, what with painting all the edges and making so many pages, but I'm almost done. I used the K and Co Que Sera line of papers (so gorgeous!). All the pages are done and I'm half-way through gluing them to the chipboard. I finally broke out the Fabri-Tac I had for so long, and I love this stuff! Now I'm thinking I should make covers for the calendars, since I have a little time before New Year's. Each page has a pic and a Maya Road sheer mini calendar. My mom gets the round ones, my dad the rectangle ones, and the in-laws the square ones. I'll take pics and post before gifting them :)

Success!

I got Dexter to take a nap on his own and managed to do a whole layout - the one that's been on my To Do list. I tried taking photos of my layouts today and none of them came out. DH edited the settings on the camera, so I'll try again tomorrow. I'm camera illiterate.

Another no-go

Today, I got Dexter to fall asleep in his swing...but he was awake 5 minutes later. I had just started on that layout that's top priority right now. That was as far as I got. He's sleeping now (it's 9pm), but I can't work in my room when he's sleeping. My only option is to take all my scrapping stuff out and bring it elsewhere. I'm beginning to consider doing that. I've arrived to the point where it's time to resort to my last resort.

Tomorrow we might get some icy rain and then DH will work from home. That would be nice :) In another 2 weeks, he'll be home for 11 days, and that will be nice as well. In fact, he'll be home almost as long as Morgan will be off from school. This is her first year in public school (Kn) and it's amazing to see how many holidays and other various days off they have. At least it's free.

The best laid plans...

In my quest to create more time in my day, I came up with a plan. I decided to work out at the gym, leaving my 9-month-old at the babysitting they have there. That way, I would not have to exercise while he took his nap, thereby leaving that time for me to get things done around the house and...possibly...even scrapbook.

I was running on the treadmill about 5 minutes before the babysitter materialized right in front of me (almost giving me a heart attack). Apparently, the babysitting services were not to Dexter's liking. I also forgot to leave them my cell phone number (Freudian slip?), so they came looking for me.

Needless to say, all that beautiful nap time was wasted on my working out at home.

I need to find time or make time to create a layout about me, as part of my application for a Design team. I just about finished 3 gift calendars I was working on for my parents and in-laws for their holiday gifts. The pages are all done, they just have to be glued to the chipboard. I used Maya Road recipe chipboard books with acrylics stands and Maya Road mini sheer calendars. Too cute.

Why do I scrapbook?

It seems like everyone always has a good answer for this one. I'd like to say it's for the memories, or for my two adorable little kids, or...well, you get the idea. Really, I just scrapbook because I am obsessed - out of control, possessed, a little nuts. I can't really help myself. I see pretty paper and I have to have it. And then (a gazillion dollars later), I have it and then I have to use it. Before you know it, I'm dreaming about my pretty paper and all the pretty things I just Have to do with it.

However.

Remember the two cute little kids I mentioned I have? Well, they're also known as time black holes. Whenever they're around (24/7, to be exact), there goes my scrapping time. So all that pretty paper just sits there. It's a very chivalrous relationship - I fantasize about it, it is my one true love, but my hands never sully it.

So, scrap booking is an obsession I can't really get over since I never really get enough. This blog will be my way to share all my scrap with you...and trust me, I have plenty :)