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.

Bad Girl!

I bought some rubbah! Okay, first of all, I only went into Joanne's because I needed something for a swap. That was it--in and out. But then, I realized that the twopeas post about items being clearanced for $4.97 in the stamping aisle coming up at $.97 at the register. So I bought a few. The one on the right has a dress stamp that I've seen before--think as wood-mounted--and that I loved. There are some sentiments on that I can definitely use, too. It's stampendous, I think.

The middle one is Hero Arts, and I love that it's all about friendship. I didn't have any of those, so it's nice to see these! And for $.97, it can't be beat.

The last one on the left is Fiskars, and I really liked the squiggly lines. I want to take them and put them on some cut outs, maybe use them as journalling or frames. I can't bring myself to doodle on my pages, though I doodle everywhere else, and I thought this might make a good transition into doodling.

So I picked up two sets of stamps that I think a stamper might like and, how weird is this, her daughter owns an LSS that I've been to locally. So I'm thinking I might just drop off her stamp goodie package off at the LSS because I picked up a set of stamps that had some March sentiments on them. Figured she could get going with St. Paddy's Day and all that. She gave me her addy, but I haven't packed them up yet, so she won't get them until at least Friday. I could totally drop them off tomorrow night and she'd get them early. I think. I hope.

Have to pick up the BF tonight from the airport just before 7 pm. He leaves in the morning at 7 am, and last night was the RCBP meeting, so I haven't had quality crafting time in a while. Eeek! But I did do laundry, dishes and bathing the dog. Spent some time with Max, he's the animal we've had the longest and i let him sit with me all by himself last night while I read--and then I feel asleep and woke up to him touching his nose to my cheek, so that was nice. It's rare that he gets me to himself and he constantly purrs when he gets it. LOL. Evie wasn't happy that she wasn't with us, but she's by herself with us plenty when she wants to be. I spent a lot of time with the dog over the weekend, who she hates, because the dog wasn't feeling well and Evie hates him and Max was in a mood. Remind me again why animals are easier than kids?

Being Good is So Hard!!!!

I've resisted the urge to buy supplies for a bit. I ran out of adhesive a couple of days ago and was planning a painful trip to the 'pretty' store (meaning anything scrappy), but I was going through my photobox and found the forgotten refill I had put there (I store refills there on occasion because I use them when I scrap and of course I use photos when I scrap!)--a very welcome and happy surprise, but not a surprise.
Tonight I'm going to work on some layouts and some cards. I've gotten a few ideas that I scribble on the margins of my notepad, and ideas to try. There are so many inspirations around us, seriously, the internet is wonderful. It's the best place to share ideas and inspirations and learn new things!
For example, in the last couple of days, I've signed up for some new sites to help inspire me.
www.monamememories.com
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/
http://snrcardiverse.ning.com/

I'd heard of splitcoaststampers.com a long time ago, but I'd never actually signed up for an account. WOW! It's wonderful. There is so much to look at and to read. It's definitely a project for this weekend--getting accustomed to their massive site.
SnrCardIverse was something I heard about from a friend, and I like the tutorials it has, I also like a lot of the onboard video applications. It seems like it'll be really easy to upload the videos, so that's really cool. Mon Ame Memories is a really cool forum and store. There's a real sense of community there, and no drama, which is really cool. They're even having a design team call until tomorrow. I would suggest stopping there and seeing some of the wonderful work. There are a lot of talented artists there, and a lot of diverse projects.

Of course, I still visit Stamphaven (and you really should too) and TwoPeas (mostly to talk to people and to participate in swaps)...Seriously, there is SO MUCH out there on the internet. And, I faithfully follow a lot of creators online, both through blogger and through bloglines (an RSS reader). We're living in a great time I tell you.

Company Shout Out: Bo Bunny

One of the cool things about TwoPeasInABucket.com is that it has a place for scrapbook companies to blog. I love this because it feels like I'm just that much closer to the company.

Anyway, one of the companies I've been most interested in lately, Bo Bunny is having a Halloween themed contest, where you add their site to your blog (and yes, I have a link on the right hand side of my blog for them) and they might come and visit you on Halloween.

Company blogs present a wonderful and unique opportunity--they can be informal and fun and showcase amazing product (which, by the way, Bo Bunny has in SPADES). I have some of their Halloween paper featured in this Bo Bunny blog post, the skulls and the bats and the trick or treat words. They really fun papers, priced really well for their quality. So, what are you waiting for, go check out Bo Bunny!

WSW: Reflections

What was my night last night? For the first time in so many months, I sat at my craft table (yes, I wasn't just using it to stack things on) and played, experimented and created. And it was FUN!

All too often in life, we give ourself these huge goals and, if you're like me, make huge lists of things we have to do. All to often we forget what we want to do.

What is so special about this week? Being that it's WSW (Worldwide Stamping Week), almost everything is special about it. Head on over to Twopeasinabucket.com and sign up for free membership. From there, you can access the master WSW Challenge thread and start stamping! It's 100% free and you'll probably feel better than ever. No, you WILL feel better than ever, because you'll be doing something fun and creating some wonderful projects. This is my first year, so I'm probably way too enthusiastic about it.

I used to be a 'creative' which meant I went to work and made layouts and played with web-safe colors and everything was cool. I also played on Nervousness.org (a mail art site) and made cards, atcs and the like. Then there was a reorganization where I work and I'm doing some Purchasing stuff. So, other than when I do NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) or Script Frenzy (National Screenplay Writing Month), I'm not really letting my creativity fly. Luckily, I signed up for a membership at Two Peas, and it's been wonderful. It's inspired me to create, which I never thought would happen again.

I still have a lot to do. I made 4 or 5 projects last night that need to be scanned, and I have a couple of challenges (okay, a whole list on notepaper, with sketches of what I want to do) to work on, but that's fine. Because really it's not about competition (thank you, Lisa Vollrath), it's about creating. And I have a few more days to do it in, so I think I'm good there. All I need to worry about is walking the dog and making sure I eat at some point. Other than that, I'm going to be playing with pretty, glittery things and velvety flocks and even some Caran d'Ache watercolor pencils (which are, quite possibly, the most perfect things on the planet). And I'm thinking pink and gold for a certain project, and I really hope I can pull it off because it would make me really happy. Will post more as soon as I can, but for now, just go and check out the site!

Crossposted toTwo Peas Blog.

Digital Layout

You're probably tired of hearing from me today, but I just had to pop in to show you my newest digi-layout:

I LOVED using the toy camera frames on the photos on the right hand side. And I found a lot of pictures that show my brother's smile. He just graduated last weekend, and it was really fun to watch him interact with his guests. At one point, there were over 50 people in my parent's living room! I think about half of the senior class showed up.
There was a lot of food, and I got to bring home some dill dip, shredded chicken and baked beans. And some giant olives (which I was most thankful for, LOL). All in all, it was a great time. Now I can't wait to see what else my brother has in store for us!

Sc-rapper's Delight

I have a few projects I want to work on right now. First, my brother's graduation book. Mostly, it's going to be pictures and some captions of who was there, etc. Not too scrappy. But I picked up some cool papers, school and grad themed that I want to put as backgrounds. Of course, I have to hook up the photo printer first and print out the pics.

I'm going to give that to him just as a momento. I never really had one of those for graduation, and I sort of wish I had now. I know that I have some pictures floating around the house from my graduation, though.

I think I'm going to make a trip to Archiver's this weekend and get some plain cardstock and then use that cardstock (with the photos) to see if I can find some big frame die cuts. I'm not interested in anything fancy... I figure he'll be fine with just basic photos on mats in colors that 'Pop' off the page.

Of course, I might also pick up some grad stickers for him too. A nice cap and gown from Jolee's or something might be nice.

I'm asking my Mom and Grandma for some family pictures, I'll be making them Snapfish photobooks. My mom keeps saying she'll send some, but I haven't yet seen them. I wanted to do a few pages from scratch, but I have a feeling I'll just pop a few pictures into the layouts, too...

I also ordered two things from HSN.com. Now, I want to preface this by saying that we don't have the channel, but I was looking for something and found the item at a really good price on HSN.com. I ended up not even buying what I was originally intending to buy from there, but it's like a craft Mecca! I picked up a Scraparatus, which is a die maker, a hole punch AND an eyelet setter. I bought the MM kit a while ago, but never had much luck with the eyelets, so I'm hoping this works for me. The dinky dies look like a lot of fun. HSN had it for under $10! Here it is!

I also picked up something that I'm really excited to use--the Fiskars Shapecutter! I cannot find my paper trimmer, so I'm on the lookout for that. But I wanted the shapecutter because I saw some of the templates at Joanne's and they have one that looks perfect for picture mats. Here it is! I'll have to report back once I get these and try them out.

So that's what I'm doing now. Hopefully I'll have some eye candy soon.

Please visit a fellow Pea

Pea Kayla Barker has just opened her etsy shop, and to celebrate, she's holding a contest for some beautiful, personalized cards.
Spink Studio has some great cards, stationary, postcards and almost anything else you can think of to send to your friends and family. The best part is that they can be custom, which adds that personal touch. The colors are bright, the prices are good and I definitely recommend Spink Studios to anyone looking to send out something professional, clean and fun.
My personal favorite is the chandelier cards, which can be personalized. They'd be great as invitations, thank you cards, annoucements--the possibilities are endless.

Be sure to stop by Kayla's shop soon, so you can enter to win some personalized cards. And be sure to bookmark the site, so you can see what other wonderful things Spink Studios has in store for us in the coming months.

My new creative home

The reason I started this blog was so that I could explore my creative side. The only problem is that I never seem to post!
Anyway, I love the digi community at TwoPeasinaBucket.com. If you've never been, two peas is a great site for tutorials, paper and lots of other awesome stuff. There are free layouts, free courses in photography and much, MUCH more.
I just started to do some physical scrapping, after being a solid digi scrapper and mixed media art fan, and so that will be coming to my two peas blog (as well as here).
Anyway, here's my first pea blog. More is definitely on the way!
I hope you'll join me in my new creative journey. Please comment with your blog so I can see what's going on in your creative life!

Good news!

Wow!So that layout I showed you in my last post...It won a contest. I got $5 in store credit, which isn't bad... Made me smile today.
It's good to get surprises.
I think I'm going to use the money for some more digital elements--I can't believe how much I love doing this stuff again since I've gotten Photoshop!!! Yay!

Weekend Update

I made my first digital layout today, in Photoshop. It felt really nice to get back into Photoshop, but I know I only have a rudimentary grasp of what the program can do, but it's a start.

TwoPeasinaBucket.com is rapidly becoming one of my favorite sites on the internet, I'm always checking into their message boards and such. I never thought of myself as a scrapbooker, but with the digital stuff, I am finding more different ways to look at things.

I went to Archiver's yesterday, as a sort of treat (and because I'm not buying books for a while, LOL) and got some nice paper, some Sticker's (which combine gel pens and stickers, so how could I NOT get them?) and some elements that I think I'm going to combine for a great little project for someone.

The digital stuff will also be a great way for me to get things on the computer better organized.