Ildi Co Reveal Tomorrow

Hey there, blogging world!
I have a card I'm really happy about to reveal to you, featuring a brand spankin' new Ildi Co. Digi Stamp image.
And I shall be revealing it to you, my blogging friends, tomorrow evening. I won't say too much about it, but I will say that this features 2 of my favorite Ildi Co. types of characters.

Now, if you've read my blog, you should be able to guess what types of characters I like best, although ALL of Ildi's images are great. I challenge you to guess what characters my card features. You can check out the Ildi Co store to guess--whoever guesses correctly will be entered to get a postcard from me during my upcoming vacation!!!

You have until I post the image of my card tomorrow night--let's say 10 PM eastern time. Good luck!

Hint: The image is not yet up on the store, but if you check my past Ildi Co. posts and cross reference it with the subject names (ex: Emotibots, Cuddles, etc.), you might be able to guess. One of them, I've posted quite a bit of.

Also, I will go ahead and set this up so that it stays on top for a day--good luck! I have a few other posts scheduled.

Ch-ch-ch... CHANGES!!!

So if you check out my blog on the actual blogger site, and not a reader, you can see that I changed it up a little bit. I got a new layout template thanks to Template-Mama. The Template-Mama site has tons of layouts for all sorts of blogging needs. I like a lot of this color scheme, it's bright and happy, but I'm thinking that I might switch it up in the near future, but will have to check the details on that, and whether it fits within the site's terms of use (Template-Mama, that is).

It seems like people are clicking the little boxes at the end of posts to let me know what they think of that post. Thank you very much! It's greatly appreciated.

I still have a lot of work to do. I want to make the page load quicker, want to get some pages on my linkbar for things ON the blog (found a workaround on a site, more later), better maintain and streamline my links...the list goes on and I'm sure I'm not just done with the list either.

Is this easier to read on the white background versus the black?

More later--and the announcement of ANOTHER class and then we'll be going through those posts and then back to your regularly scheduled awesomeness. Happy Creating!

So

I seem to be able to write a 50k word novel in a month, just can't make it on here to post every day. eeek!

I had the best of intentions, but a glass casserole dish exploded in my hands (and on dinner last night, darn it). Still fighting the cold, but it almost feels like it's nearly gone (shh! Don't say it too loudly). Fighting with Direct TV, who offered me three months of free service, but apparently didn't take care of that and now I'm being billed.

Oh, 'Heathers' with Winona Ryder and Christian Slater is on tonight, so I'm going to watch that, finish unpacking boxes and then prepare for a lot of sleep this weekend.

Ordered a few things this week, including Tim Holtz's Distress Crackle Paint in Rock Candy (yes, his 12 days of Christmas is very addictive!)--I keep trying to get up enough energy to sit down and try some of the techniques he uses. Thanks Simon Says Stamp--hopefully I will get it soon.

Oh, and I placed an order with a certain veggie site--as the stuff that I want is nowhere to be found locally. This is what I got:
Jack (Night Light Collection, October Afternoon)...I love the back of this paper--the paper-y looking part. Really wanted to try this out and do SOMETHING with it, maybe an altered book.
Will keep you updated. I know I've had problems tracking this particular paper down, and I've never tried October Afternoon before, so this will be interesting.

Katie (Night Light Collection, October Afternoon) If you can't already guess, I'm a reader. So this paper (the back) looked pretty literary. Part of me wants to grab this paper when it gets here and start reading it, see what it is. The other part of me wants to figure out it's place on a layout. Who will win??? Only time will tell.

Louie (Night Light Collection, October Afternoon). This is the one paper out of this whole collection I've REALLY been wanting, even checked it out on ebay. Aren't these monsters cute? I got 2 sheets of this one, because I just really love the paper. Don't know if part will be an accent to a card or what. I actually used the 'contact me when in stock' feature a few times for this, before finally snagging today.

Falling Flakes (Colorful Christmas, My Mind's Eye) I've never bought a single My Mind's Eye paper, so I have no idea if it's awesome or not. I'm heavily relying on the notebook tutorial I saw on Mish Mash (Michelle W's blog). I thought the whole line looked really fun and the notebooks looked really easy to do, but I 'm not sure if I'm doing a notebook thing, I just really love the colors of these papers--they make winter look fun versus the way it normally is (icey and NOT fun!)

Frosty Pines (Colorful Christmas, My Mind's Eye). Again, a cute little paper with those holiday colors I like. I almost want to decorate a tree, well...okay, we HAVE a tree up, but I'm not the one who did it. In fact, I think I only had to deal with one or two of the ornaments with this particular tree.
This paper kinda reminds me of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation when they go to pick out a tree. In a good way, with less digging, I guess.

Merry Dots (Colorful Christmas, My Mind's Eye) Why can't Christmas papers be more like this line. Of course, I'm saying this with the paper sight unseen and it really could end up terribly. I could hate the texture or the weight of the paper or something, or then again I could fall in love. If you look closely, there are little doodles on some of the dots, which are totally cute. I almost think I'll find something in the paper if I stare at it long enough--anyone remember those Magic Seeing Eye Puzzle/prints from a few years ago? I could NEVER see any of those--my eyes just wouldn't work with them.

Glittered Chipboard Elements (Colorful Christmas, My Mind's Eye). I splurged on these, I rarely buy chipboard, but I saw these on Mish Mash for her notebook tutorial and I just fell in love. I mean, those little kids are so CUTE. And there's a Polar Bear. AND A PENGUIN! Who needs an excuse to pick up something with pretty colors AND A PENGUIN? I mean, seriously. They're glittery and a lot of fun and they make that cold weather look cool--and if they can do that for me, living in North Eastern Ohio, I think they can do anything--including look awesome on my page!

Tube Socks (The Boyfriend, Cosmo Cricket) This is the line that I've been asking all over for locally. This is the line I've called Archiver's about (which, okay, I don't understand why they carry Earth Love but not this one, because Earth Love is ALWAYS in stock over there and it doesn't seem like too many people are buying it locally. I might, but only if it's on sale and I can justify it--which I probably won't do because I picked up the Boyfriend. Still on the wishlist, though? The mini stack. On this paper, aren't the colors lovely? And the back has a SCAN TRON sheet. Remember those?

Homework (The Boyfriend, Cosmo Cricket). I really think this collection reminds me of the 80s. Sorta like 'Freaks and Geeks.' Have you heard of the show? Have you seen the show? It's positively one of my favorite shows of all time--and unlike Murder, She Wrote and CSI:Crime Scene Investigation (which I love, don't get me wrong. They hold special places in my heart), I DON'T MAKE FUN of 'Freaks and Geeks.' Try and watch it, if you can. It's just a really well-written and heartfelt show and the acting in it is fantastic. Just really, a diamond in the rough.

Fitting In (The Boyfriend, Cosmo Cricket) Just a fun and random paper in the collection. I think, though, if we get a really great deal on a washer and dryer I'm going to be using this paper to make a layout. Yes, we've been washer less for about 5 months--dryer less for about 1 month. What does that mean? We go over to his family's house to do laundry. Even I won't go into the local laundromat (there are some strange characters that walk in there, and the police seem to even avoid the place, which I hate. Other communities seem to have good places, not so much around here. Yuck! But I don't have to save quarters, so I guess that's cool!

Stickers (The Boyfriend, Cosmo Cricket). Another thing I really loved in the 80s (other than the Atari/Commodore and other geekish things) was STICKERS! I had tons of stickers, all sorts of kinds. And so, like many other papercrafters, I love stickers even in adulthood. Maybe that's why we do this thing, huh? We all just want a justification for a sticker album. LOL. There are a lot of things I could do with these though, not just retro. See the sunglasses sticker? There's a guy I remember from high school who was a friend, but I'm not sure if he was more or wanted to be more or what. We were both awkward and geeky and he used to make up song lyrics--he also used to sing this song. My future's so bright, I gotta wear shades. Weird.

Icon Rubons (The Boyfriend, Cosmo Cricket) LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! I have a sunglasses habit (always wear them, almost even in the dark). Found our old Atari during the move, too. I want to curl up under a blanket and watch Sixteen Candles with Jake Ryan now--and actually curl up WITH Jake Ryan. Jake Ryan is, in my opinion, the most perfect boyfriend/man you could ever ask for. He was attainable, honest, funny and probably the best kisser on the planet. The 80s make me happy thinking of them, they were full of promise. Retro/nostalgia must do this to EVERYONE. For a while, I was all about rubons, but I haven't been lately. Maybe this will rekindle that love.

Ildi Co Sketchy Thursday

So it’s Ildi Co Wednesday… Yay!
I’m still sick, a little, in the house by myself and have a bunch of stuff to clean, so that’s a little bit why this was late.

I decided that I was going to devote a little more time to sketch-related pursuits and challenges, thanks to the lovely ‘Blogging for Scrapbookers’ and so I decided what better way to showcase an adorable Ildi Co stamp than with a sketch. So here it is!

This is using a K and Company trim, Copic markers (Dandy Boy and Lolita Girl) and an Stampendous sentiment. Here is the original sketch from Sketchy Thursdays:

I switched it up a little bit, but wanted to bring out the colors and the ‘happy’ of things. I’m intending to hide this card around the house—I will be leaving for california on the 15th and will be gone until the 5th or so of January.

Blogging for Scrapbookers: Prompt Three

Prompt Three is involving a post of favorites, so I decided to post about my 5 favorite books. I'm working on a layout to go with this, but can't wait any longer... So I'm just posting the list...

No particular order...

The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy and other stories by Tim Burton is a cute, odd and fun book--similar to the style of Edward Gorey. It can be bleak at times, but really, it's just something that sticks in your mind. It's obviously not for everyone, but I looked forever for this edition and finally snagged it and was so happy when I got it. It's a popular, but hard-to-find edition. If you're a fan of Burton's work, you'll like this one.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is something I read every year, and have since I was about ten. I remember watching the movie with my Mom and then on my own, and it's just a book that seems to keep me on an even keel. It taught me humility, and that it was okay to have my own thing going on. It taught me that there are people that have things worse than I ever did and still managed to keep up their spirits. It's just lovely, and I had a lot in common with Francie (even reading ALL library books).

Prep: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld is almost autobiographical, and I've spoken with other people who feel the same way about this author. She's managed to get me involved with sympathizing with Laura Bush (American Wife) as well as transport me back into my high school/college days with Prep. I am in love with this novel, it's the debut that made me want to read each and every thing this writer ever writes. I love when you get inside of a character.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving is the book everyone calls Irving's best and I think that, in itself, made me not want to read it. However, I loved Garp and I loved Hotel New Hampshire and even Widow for One Year, but this one felt a little different and almost like a fine chocolate. It's the first book in a long time I couldn't just start and finish. I kept savoring it, and really, it was fantastic. People read it a lot younger than I did (this year).but I think I appreciated it more because I was older.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is another book that is considered a 'classic' that I just read over the summer. Now, I've always been a reader and usually in the faster/higher reading classes in school, but this was not given as a requirement to our class. How terrible that I missed this treasure, but I think, when I was younger, I wouldn't have appreciated this. I saw the film and loved it (Robert Redford was perfect for Gatsby!), and devoured this short novel, then picked up 'The Love of the Last Tycoon' which is also fantastic.

Now you've read my favorite list, what about yours? What are your 5 favorite books?

Blogging for Scrapbookers: Prompt One

New House... Have the spare room to pursue bookish, writerly and all manner of creative things. Originally, I was just going to store the table and not use it, but the guy set it up, thinking he was helping... And really, there's enough room in the room for it, so he DID help. It's in between my dresser and the closet door. There's natural light to the left from a big picture window and a really nice (and bright) overhead light. There is a bookshelf to the left, more bookshelves and a desk to my back (while I'm sitting at the desk) and a wall to my right with the door and the guest twin bed.

A few weeks or a week ago, I signed up for Shimelle's class Blogging For Scrapbookers. It's Fab! I recommend it to anyone--from those of you who haven't taken the blogging plunge to those who have blogged for years. It's a FANTASTIC class with lots of great people (just ask my Google Reader--it's really busy with all the new and fantastic stuff I read!), great resources (thanks to Shimelle's hard work) and even some really cool blog-related things--like how to update templates and the like. I've gotten some experience with web design throughout the years, but Shimelle even taught me a few things--so really, the class is money well spent.

Hello to all of those new people from the class, I'm Glad you're joining me. I know I'm a bit late to teh game, but I've spent the last 2-3 weeks writing a novel, closing (in 5 days) on a new house and then moving into said house--but all looks done and A-okay now (keeping my fingers crossed). And really, that's just another awesome point on the value of Shimelle's class--it's completely self-led to better fit your schedule!

My intentions for this class are:

• to become a regular blogger (scheduled, too!).
• to produce quality, popular content to make people want to read my blog.
• to make time to comment on each of YOUR blogs regularly (I read everyone I follow).
• to make a more cohesive layout that better reflects my personal style.
• to (document and) USE my supplies!

So that's prompt one, all tied up in a little pretty package. I do have a few things I'm thinking about in regards to the blog, so I will update you soon. And thank you for starting this journey with me!

Trying something new

Trying Windows Live Writer right now, so that maybe I won’t have to deal with Blogger scheduling issues. This is my first post via this format…I’m still sick and we’re still moving, The end is in sight, but my motivation is severely lacking. Need to run over tomorrow and clean up two rooms hardcore, then maybe the bathroom. Tons of things need done, and I hope they will be. Eeek!

 

Also, I’ve been fighting with the internet service provider (RoadRunner)—I FINALLY think I have it, after having at one point three trucks at night in front of my house, lights blazing. Craziness.

Oh, Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate. Check out this link from Songbird Avenue for a digi mosaic template.