Food for Thought...Literally

So have you ever scrapped food or done a project about food??? I haven't...unless you call scrapping Erica's messy face from licking the beater scrapping about food (hee, hee). This year's Christmas Dinner is going to change all that.

Here is a picture of our Christmas dinner...it's an Alaskan King Crab leg. And we had to include a ruler (14" by the way) to show the actual size. These buggers were so big we had to snap them in half in order to boil them. And I usually eat 3-4 legs, but barely got thru one on Christmas.

I'm participating in a few online crops over New Year's Eve and New Year's weekend...so MAYBE I'll post the resulting page soon...but history hasn't proven this to be so (sorry). At any rate, let your mouth water over this...

2009 Goals and/or Resolutions

Do you make goals or resolutions each New Year? I try to...but honestly, I have never written them down, so I always for get them. I guess one way of looking at that is now I don't know what I've failed at Have you thought about your goals for 2009 yet? I have...and now I'm writing them down:

1. I have always wanted to make an acrylic album. I went to an all inclusive retreat at the Sweetwater House and LOVED IT!!! One of the projects was a tiny acrylic album (an arrow). I would like to try another one from scratch...a larger one.
2. This past year I completed at least one 2-pg layout a month. I'm finding myself making more and more 1-pg layouts (and LOVING it). So I'd like to increase that to a total of 5 layouts a month (this way I don't beat myself up if I don't do 2-pagers)
3. CLEAN my scrap room...AND KEEP it clean!!! Jeff has tempted me with allowing me to go on retreats outside of AK if I could keep my room clean. This year it doesn't look like there's money in the budget for a retreat, but I'm hoping if I can clean it and keep it clean, he'll change his mind...shhhh, don't let him in on my secret plan
4. Following up on #3, I'd like to attend a weekend retreat as a scrapper to be productive. I think our budget and family schedule will allow a retreat in state, but I'd also like to go back to the Sweetwater House again!!!
5. I host an informal crop at my house on the Fourth Friday of every month. I'd like to be more consistent with that so I can be productive!!!

Stay tuned...as I complete these goals, I'll post the results. Wish me luck. And good luck with your 2009 goals, too!!!

Hand-made gifts (follow up)

ACK...I can't believe it's taken a MONTH for me to post MY version of the card set...I'm sorry for the delay. Here it is:



To make the card holder, I used an 8-1/2 x 11 piece of cardstock and cut it to 8" x 11". I scored it at 3", 3-1/2", and 8". Then I scored it at 1/2", 1", 7", and 7-1/2". Looking at the template from the Nov post, cut the box and adhere as noted. This will fit 5 cards and 5 invitation size envelopes. As I put the box together, I use button magnets to hold the flap closed.

Stay tuned for a one sheet wonder (OSW) template plus a bag to hold the cards...this is a Stampin' Up! idea that was shared with me. It's a GREAT little gift at this time of year, too. A few years ago I created my own OSW template, so if you're looking for additional ideas, let me know and I'll share that one.

Inspiration - Kits

So a few of my previous posts have talked about inspiration. I am inspired by lots of different things, but my BIGGEST inspiration comes from ideas. I'm an idea book junkie and have several subscriptions to magazines. They are piling up ALL over the place (boy does Jeff not like this!!!).

As some of you know, I am an AC Bailey Consultant. ACB is a company that provides scrapbooking supplies (check out my website when you get a chance). One of the things they provide that I absolutely LOVE is a Kit Of The Month (KOTM). Kits are soooo pupular because they have coordinating supplies that make it VERY easy to complete projects. I am sooo excited to share that ACB now has an idea file available for each KOTM. This means you'll get ideas along with Step-by-Step instructions on how to complete those projects. WOW!!! If you haven't checked out these kits or AC Bailey...do so. If you subscribe, shipping is FREE (including Alaska).

This is the December KOTM and the January kit is absolutely beautiful. It includes papers from Bo Bunny's new Winter Whisper collection...I just got mine and I can't wait to put it to use!

Hand-made Gifts

Are you craft around the holidays? I am!!! I make my Christmas cards, scrapbooking calendars for family (since they're soooo far away and don't get to see Erica very often), and little goodies for others here and there.

I just saw this GREAT idea for a teacher's gift. Erica's teacher is AWESOME and I want her to know how much we appreciate all she does. So I will be making this cute set for her...sort of. This site has two sets of instructions

1. The first is a HUGE file that is already in color...print it on heavy cardstock, cut, fold, adhere as instructed and you're done. Don't forget to include four invitation size envelopes for the cards.
2. The second set of downloads (two) are templates if you want to use your own supplies.

I plan on using this as a guideline and making my own....can I do anything simply? NO!!! I have a problem with that, sorry. So come back this weekend and I'll have a picture of the finished project. But don't wait for me...go check out the website and get those gifts cranked out for the teachers (or others) in your life.

Telling the Story

Do you journal on your layouts? If not, why not? Do you not like your hand writing? Does it take too long (either on the computer or hand writing)? Are you just a pictorial scrapper? Do you not know what to write? Do you think you'll always remember the story and can repeat it to whoever sees the album? For me, it used to be all the above...until I received the world's best scrapbook from my daughter's "Three's Teacher" at day care: Mrs. Marie. When I first looked at the scrapbook (without reading the journaling), it was nice. I glanced at the journaling (done on address labels) and remember saying, "Nice address labels." Not a nice reaction, and I'm very embarrassed by it. But I tell you this because once I read the journaling, it changed me...I'm now a journaler! And I encourage everyone I know to journal, too.

Why did this change me? I read things in that scrapbook that I'd never known about my daughter and that I didn't even notice about her 3-year old art work. One of them was a note that pointed out Erica was trying to write her own name on her art work. See, the teachers always did that so the art would go home with the correct child. Erica tried to do it on her own for this particular page in the scrapbook. I cried when I read that. How many times had Erica tried writing her name and I didn't notice it before? And how much art work had I thrown away not even realizing it? There was a story I wouldn't have even know had the journaling not been done. THIS IS WHY I JOURNAL!!!

So I have a story to tell and I'm still not sure how to tell it...it's the story of Erica starting Kindergarten in 2008. It will likely be hidden journaling added to this page, or maybe typed from the computer and added to a second page (since it's such a long and important story to me). Why is this such an important story? Erica was not old enough to start school this year. BUT, her birthday fell in the trial period (first two weeks of the cutoff month) where she was allowed to be tested to see if she could start provisionally for 4 weeks. In order to do this, she had to undergo a long and difficult test sequence that took nearly 4-hours...wow!!! Not only that, she had to score in the top 2% to "pass." I always knew she was bright, but even I wasn't convinced she was in the top 2%...she is!!! So far she's doing great...she even "gets school" as her teacher told us in our first parent-teacher conference. We're so proud of her...and amazed at the things Kindergartners are learning these days.

Fun New Scrapbooking Terms

OK...once again it's been WAAAY too long since I've posted. So here's a fun bunch of new scrapping terms defined for us. And come back this weekend, I'll have some new layouts posted of Erica...I promise!!! Oh, and I don't know where these terms came from. I saw them on a forum I visit and the person who posted it didn't share her source. I'll update the source as soon as I find out.

• Scraptrum: The full range of 37 different shades of paper between light blue and medium blue.
• Catscraptrophe: The combination of Murphy's Law as applied to cats' natural curiosity, occurring 30 seconds after you leave your scrapping supplies unattended on the table to visit the bathroom.
• Scraplooking: The scrapper's second-favorite hobby, when the visit to the scrapbook store comes BEFORE payday.
• Scrapitulate: To buy scrapbooking materials with that last twenty bucks you said you weren't going to spend.
• Scrapdashery: The art of risking a traffic ticket when the decision to scrapitulate comes as sudden inspiration while sitting at home just before the local scrapbook store closes.
• Scrapplication: The art of tuning out bothersome distractions (family, work, etc.) and concentrating fully on your project.
• Scraptivity: Solitude (generally self-imposed) preventing one from engaging in lesser activities until the current project has been completed.
• Scraptain: The leader of a small group of scrapping friends, who usually decides what the day's project will be.
• Scrapperpillar: The project you're completely disgusted by, until it metamorphoses into a beautiful finished work.
• Scraptice: If at first you don't succeed...

Halloween Fun Treats

Are you a nut for holidays and crafting around the holidays? I am!!! When Erica first started day care YEARS ago, I made cute little goodie treats for her friends in the class (they were 2-yrs old). I will never forget a mother of another child telling me, "Oh, you're one of THOSE moms." I didn't think the treats weren't that big of a deal, but they were home-made...to this day, it cracks me up to think about that.

So this is what I'm doing for this year. This is not a picture of my work and I'm still trying to find the creator to give credit...but you use a scalloped circle punch and a photo corner punch and the treat in the middle is a peppermint pattie. I'm thinking the creator is a Stampin' Up! demonstrator because I have both those punches. Anyway, it's a great idea...and I'll give credit as soon as I find out who it's from. Enjoy!

Oh, and check out this cute idea...Pumpkin Poop I've seen a similar thing around Christmas with Snowman Poop, but this is new to me. Enjoy!!!

Scrap-lifting

In a previous post I asked what inspires you...one of the things that inspires me is other layouts. I am a HUGE "scrap-lifter." I see an idea and I tweak it. I don't think my layouts have ever looked exactly like the inspiration (this one is REALLY close, though), and sometimes you can hardly tell that they are related.

I just saw a GREAT layout on the Bo Bunny blog. Erica has her first sleep over tonight, and I was going to use this idea for that layout...instead I tweaked it a bit and made a leaf instead of a heart. This is a pix from our hike out to Thunderbird Falls last weekend. She's such a ham. It's part of a 2-pg layout, but this is the main page. Enjoy!

I encourage you to accept the Bo Bunny challenge by Oct 3rd to be placed in a drawing. I just love challenges!!!

Are you up to date on your scrapping?

Whew...it's been a while since my last post, sorry! What a hectic time with school starting, the Labor Day holiday, and month end reporting at work for me (I do project accounting). Labor Day marks the end of the summer for most Alaskans. And that means I have more time to scrap (YEAH!). How about you? Did you have a busy summer? Do you have TONS of pictures to scrap like I do? How up to date are you on your scrapping?

I just got an electronic news letter from Creating Keepsakes (you can sign up to receive the newsletter here and then click on the link to sign up in the upper right corner). It had a GREAT article about not worrying about being behind on scrapping...I wanted to share it with you (this is a quoted excerpt from the newsletter...I'm sorry, I don't have a direct link or an author to attribute it to):

Here are some helpful tips to help ease the stress:

• Start with today - If you have gotten behind like most of us, don’t begin with Billy’s graduation from 1985. Start with pictures from today that are fresh off the camera and your memory. Working on current pictures helps you to feel more on top of scrapping!
• Work on one event at a time - There is nothing more overwhelming then seeing piles of pictures that have built up over the years.
• Pick your favorites - Keep in mind that you don’t have to scrap every picture. Pick your favorite ones that make the best lasting memories.
• It’s okay! - Remember, it is okay to fall behind! Don’t let it keep you from enjoying the hobby you love.

A new twist on Independence Day

Today was the first day of Kindergarten...they start several days after the rest of school so the teachers can meet individually with the kids and parents. Today had an underlying theme of "independence."

• First she got up at 5:15 instead of when I usually wake her up at 6:00...she said it was because she was soooo excited about school.
• Then she wanted to dress herself (she usually does, but she got her clothes out herself)...she turned around at me in the room with her arm and hand straight out and said, "No, mamma, I can do it myself!"
• I was planning on taking her to school for pictures and to check out the routine, but she wanted to go on the van from day care (not).
• As we pulled into the parking lot at school, she asked me to stay there so she could go by herself (double not)...then she proceeded to run to the school once we hit the sidewalk.
• And finally, when I went after school to meet her and see the routine, she said hello, but then didn't want anything to do with me. Wow, what a big kid!!!

We promised her that if she didn't cry all day, we'd take her to Chuck E Cheese's for dinner...we BOTH met the challenge. On the way home, she crashed in the truck before she could even finish her lolly pop...it's hard work being such a big kid!!!

Big Shot

Do all of your scrapbook pages have pictures? Until now, all mine have. As you read in previous posts, Erica is learning how to shoot. This layout is the story I told about her first day out with the "baby gun." I just HAD to scrap that can!!! So I cut it and put it in a slim jewel case (thanks, Marie for the great idea!). I used some really neat cardstock that's black on the front and colored on the bad (Black Magic by Core'dinations). The paper behind that is by Karen Foster Designs and the letters are from Creative Imaginations and outlined in white. I just love how it turned out...thanks for looking.

Crop for Cancer - Relay for Life

I am participating as a vendor at our local Relay for Life event on Oct 4 called Crop for Cancer. This is an all day crop to raise money for the American Cancer Society. For more information or to register (spots are going quickly), please contact the organizers thru this link.

30% OFF SCRAPBOOKING SUPPLIES

Check this out...AC Bailey is having a 30% discount on EVERYTHING in the online store Fri and Sat, Aug 15-16. Make sure you enter code BTSS so you get the discount. Regular shipping is applied on these orders. Take advantage of this sale!!! Click HERE to start shopping. The first of every month is FREE shipping...so make sure to sign up for the frequent buyer club to earn a gift certificate on your purchases.

What inspires you?

How are you inspired to scrapbook? I have several inspirations:

1. Crops where I can meet friends and just have a good time being productive
2. Sketches or other layouts that give me inspiration on color, layout, theme, etc
3. Challenges that pull me out of my standard style of of scrapbooking
4. The perfect pictures that just scream to be scrapped!!!

So here I sit...two days away from my monthly crop where I have a 2-page layout class as part of the agenda and I haven't gotten the layout done. So where do I start after I get past the stress of not being prepared? Here's one of my favorite sites for inspiration: Page Maps

Whether you scrapbook 8-1/2 x 11 or 12x12, 1-page layouts or 2-page layouts, this is a GREAT site. And they have at least one completed idea for each "map" shown. What I really like about "maps" is how you can modify the map to meet your needs or style. You can swap a large photo for multiple smaller ones (I like more than one photo on a page), you can swap journaling for another picture or embellishment if you don't like to journal (but you really should!!!), you can rotate the layout(s) 90 degrees, etc.

So I haven't picked a "map" yet, I'll knuckle down after I post this...maybe. But here's a layout I did for one of the May layouts using one of the Becky Fleck's Dec 2006 pagemaps...I REALLY changed it up because I added newspaper articles, a copy of Jeff's certificate for being a volunteer coach at the Junior Olympic Development Training Camp, and a copy of the first check he received for Trap Shooting...a whopping SIX DOLLARS. Oh, and take special note that the article and picture in the bottom right corner includes a 2008 Olympiad...Cory Cogdell is representing the US in the Olympics this weekend for Women's International Trapshooting. The preliminaries are 5pm AK Time on Sunday, with the finals at 11pm AK time that same evening. Go Cory...she's a fellow Alaskan!!!

Welcome!

Let me start by introducing myself and my family to you. I have been married to a wonderful man for over 10 years. His is my biggest scrapbooking supporter...and enabler. We are blessed to have a beautiful daughter, Erica, who is almost 5 years old. I started scrapbooking about 6 years ago after a 3-week vacation to Africa. Can you believe, of all the photos we took, I was in TWO of them...that's probably no surprise to most of you. After I completed the album about our trip to Africa, I had enough time to finish getting ready for the arrival of our daughter...and now she's my main inspiration.

You know my expensive hobby is scrapbooking...Jeff's expensive hobby is trap shooting. He keeps asking me when I'm going to scrapbook him and HIS hobby...maybe when I'm caught up with Erica (do we ever really get caught up?) or when I'm not feeling inspired by Erica (ha...like that'll ever happen). So what has he done to try and improve his odds of being scrapbooked? He's teaching our daughter how to shoot. I'm still not sure how I REALLY feel about it, but he's VERY safe and as a certified 4-H instructor, I know he's doing all the right things. He was also selected as a volunteer instructor two years ago for the Junior Olympic Development Training Camp. So I have every faith in the world in him and his training abilities.

Two weeks ago Jeff and his dad took Erica to the gun club to shoot a BB gun (aka "baby gun" as Erica called it). With their help, she took aim at a Coke can and tore it apart...well, maybe most of the holes are from Jeff and his dad. But then they came across a friend of their who was with his girl friend's 9-yr old daughter and a PINK .22 rifle. They helped Erica with her aim and she NAILED a target. Figuring it was a fluke, they tried again...same result. So Jeff bought her a .22 rifle of her own...and convinced her that this GREEN rifle was better than PINK. We went to the gun club last night and I watched her shoot for the first time. At a distance of 20 feet, she shot at 6 metal silhouette targets. Before I could even get set with my camera, she had already shot the first target off the 4x4 wood block. WOW!!! We were there for about 30 minutes and she probably shot 80% or better at the silhouettes. Jeff's already looking forward to the Summer Olympics in 2020...