My own little space (click on photo to see larger)

Last weekend I got a great deal on this new project desk from Pier 1. I couldn't pass it up. So I spent most of this past weekend rearranging and reorganizing, building cubes and putting together my new desk. I still have to hang up some frames (currently sitting on shelf)and maybe do a little something with my Cricut and some vinyl for some fun wall art and fill up the fun little side cubbies. Sophie already claimed one for herself as you can see in the photos.

Toga Templates

I did this layout for Scrapbooker's Garden using Toga templates. They are a French company. I used the Mosaic template for this one.  (The black around the edges in my cutting mat)

Our Miss Potter

Sophia's big second grade project was to read a biography of someone important, do an oral report and project (she made a diorama). All the children had a wax museum exhibit where they dressed as the person they did the project on. They stood still until someone pushed a button for them to talk about themselves. Sophia chose Beatrix Potter.

Love, love, love this book!

I've been searching the craft stores for a few weeks for this special issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine "Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking 2", by Jessica Sprague. The retail price is $14.99. After reading the first one last April, I was convinced that I needed to get Adobe Photoshop Elements. You can download a free 30 day trial of Adobe Photoshop Elements on the Adobe website or at www.creatingkeepsakes.com/CT2
Why this is cool...
This book is perfect for any type of scrapbooker, whether you are a traditional paper scrapbooker, a hybrid scrapbooker or an all digital scrapbooker. I guess if you are using the computer for these techniques to use on paper you're actually doing hybrid, not traditional. The book is divided into 5 sections; photographs, type, embellishments and brushes, design, and albums. The techniques are all very clear and easy to follow. There are layouts by several different scrapbookers in addition to Jessicas (Noel Culbertson, Greta Hammond, Joanna Bolick to name a few) so you get to see a variety of styles.
The "photographs" section has techniques to help your photos from brightening them up to darkening the edges. There is also a whole photo editing workshop in this part.
The "type" section has a ton of ways to do cool things with the fonts we all love and download. Some of them are ways to edit your text before you print them and cut out for titles. Some are cool ways to print type right on the photos, blending titles right into the photos...and more. There is also some basic information on fonts such as how to download and good info. on types (serifs, etc.) margins, spacing, etc.
The "embellishments and brushes" sections talks about how you can use the computer to make your own custom embellishments such as a block of text cut into a shape, or making a custom shape for a journaling block and extracting an element out of a patterned paper. There is also information on creating overlays, using digital corner rounders and using brushes on photos before printing them. There are so many awesome techniques in this section I can't list them all!
The "design" section shows how to use the drawing and design tools of Photoshop elements in your layouts. There are techniques like using a custom scheme generator to create colors for your layouts, making collages that are unique shapes, using digital rub-ons, using the sketch tool, and clipping masks.
The last section is "album". This section talks about being able to design a whole albums in different sizes and themes. Also there are free album template downloads. There's a fun circular album and an entire mini-album made from one sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper!
In addition to the five sections there is a reference guide in the back. Another thing I love about this book is that there are multiple examples of the same techiniques so you can see a few takes on the techniques. It kind of helps you gets ideas how you can use the techniques for your own layouts. There is also free digital kit download.
I give this book an A+, it was well worth the wait. Did I mention that I love this book?

the little things...

It's funny how a little thing like putting dot stickers (you know the ones everyone uses for garage sales) on a Puffs box can make a person smile.
I was sitting in my office at work on a really gray and gloomy morning this week. I saw a pack of the stickers and took all the orange ones and stuck them on the box. It was just the thing I needed to brighten up my day.

conversations with Nicholas

I hope to never forget the little things like a typical conversation with Nicholas. This is one we had this morning on the way to school.

Nicholas: Momma, Momma, What lives in trees?
Me: Owls do and other birds, bugs and bees.
Nicholas: Bees don't live in trees.
Me: They don't?
Nicholas: No
Me: Then where do they live?
Nicholas: They live in bee hives.
Me: You're right, they do live in bee hives.
Nicholas: and the Jellyfish live in Jellyfish hives!

It turns out that he got that Jellyfish hive thing from SpongeBob. I really don't get the fascination...he's a sponge and he's square and he wears pants. I did have to laugh when Patrick was wearing fish net stockings and heals, though!

I've been learning how to digital scrapbook

Here are some of my layouts. I created most of them in the Layout A Day Challenge in January. Digital scrapbooking is so much fun!

Wow...I haven't posted in almost a month.

January has been very busy. I participated in Lain Ehmann's "Get a LOAD of this" challenge where everyone makes one scrapbook layout per day for the month of January.
I was so amazed to hear that over 3,300 people signed up for this and I think there were just about 22,500 layouts created!
It was really fun, but took up much of my free time. I learned a little more about digital scrapbooking while working on my Vegas book. I really enjoyed digital, but missed playing with paper and glue. I also completed a mini book kit that had been sitting in my closet, unopened, for about 6 months. Anyway, that's pretty much what I've been doing. I still am surprised at myself that I was able to get all 31 finished. I actually did 34...that's more than I did for all of last year.
I'll have to post some of mine.
What else? Oh, Sophie has been home from school all week as the teachers continue to strike. I hope it doesn't last too much longer because it's going to eat into their Spring break and Summer.
So Nicholas will be turning 4 on Sunday (Superbowl Sunday...go Giants!)
I can't believe my baby is going to be 4 years old.

My Heritage...what a cool site!

This is really fun. You upload your photo and it tells you what celebrity you look like or you can do a meter to see who your child looks more like, you or your spouse. You can even build your family tree! Check it out at www.myheritage.com

So this is who I look like?!



and here's a look a like meter for Nicholas (he looks more like me!)

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph

a well-needed reunion

It doesn't matter how long it's been between phone calls, e-mails or visits, when we get together it doesn't feel like a long period of time has passed.  We always seem to pick up right where we left
off.  The last time that we  (all five of us friends; Ginny, Susi, Robyn, Carolyn and I) got together was in Vegas two years ago.  Today the drink of
the day was Ginny's "White Poinsettia" consisting of champagne,
white cranberry juice and cranberries.  The toy of the day was Tim's
new i-phone...too cool!

Merry Christmas

It was a very Merry Christmas at our house this year...family, food and fun, what more can you ask for?  My favorite thing under the tree was Sophie and Nicholas' hand made wrapping paper. Sophie came up with the idea herself to make their own paper and they did it all by themselves.  I wish I had gotten some photographs of it before it was ripped apart, but I was able to get a photo of my gift wrapped in the snowman paper.

So I've been "Tagged"

This is a new thing for me. I never knew you could get "tagged" in the the blog world. The internet still blows my mind. Anyway, I've been tagged by Elizabeth Kartchner Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooker of the Year, to post 7 random things about myself. So here it goes:

I enjoy painting. I'm not talking about watercolor or oil painting, but painting walls! I get great satisfaction when I'm finished. It's an easy way to change the feel of a room and I love picking paint colors.

I need to have a glass of water next to me when I sleep. Most of the time I don't even drink it, but need to know it's there just in case.

I love eating oatmeal cookies with cream cheese spread on them.

My all time favorite color is brown. I even have a brown watch now...thanks Mom!

Not only do I like changing the color of rooms, I like to change hair color, too. I Last night I made it "Light Reddish Brown". We'll see how long I keep that one.

I'm a tools and gadget junkie, especially for the kitchen and for scrapbooking.

I still have a Bazooka comic with a fortune that reads "You will be an Architect if you plan ahead". I got that before I went to school for Architecture years ago. Guess what? It's true.

Tag, you're it!
I'm tagging:
Judy
Pam
Diva Danielle
Rayme Royale
Danielle
Kim
Jana
and if you've been tagged before....give us 7 more!