Turns Out . . .

. . . . I can actually scrapbook a layout in 60 minutes!! So today was the day when I headed to the Tribune building for the Iron Chef of Scrapbooking contest (see post below). I arrived armed with an entire arsenal of scrapbooking supplies and tools to try to tackle whatever photos and surprise theme were handed my way.

The first half hour or so was spent with chit chat, a bit of interviewing, photographing and videotaped question/answer time. Then the clock started and we looked at the 10 photos and were told the theme (I probably shouldn't disclose until after the article comes out) -- not at all what I was expecting!!! But, hey, that is o.k. I popped on my iPod tunes and set to work . . . all while the photographer and videographer did their thing (relentlessly). The clock ticked away and it turns out that I liked the end product. I finished just as the time ran out.

Oh, and I almost forgot the funniest part. Not long into the time, I cut my finger on my circle cutting blade - lovely. It bled as if I had chopped off my entire finger. Too funny. So the journalist went looking for a bandaid while I kept it wrapped in a baby wipe (since that is what I had on hand for cleaning ink off my hands). Precious moments ticked away while I stared at my layout and tried not to bleed on it LOL!! But in the end the Tribune gave us about 5 extra minutes to compensate for the lost time. Oh so very kind.

So, I think I mentioned in my previous post that Jennifer Adams Donnelly (CK HOF 2006) was the judge. First off . . . she is so sweet and wonderfully authentic. I loved that she decided to show up and watch the entire competition and didn't just pop in at the end to judge the final product. She had wonderfully gracious things to say about my layout and the other contestant's layout. But she had to pick a "winner" for purposes of the contest . . . be sure to read the entire article to see who she selected!!!

What surprised me most about the day was how much fun I had. Yep, definitely had adrenaline rushing at times during the competition. But, honestly, that is a feeling I rather like. What a wonderful experience all together.

The Chicago Tribune says that the article is tentatively scheduled to be the cover story for the "At Play" section in the March 29th or April 5th publication (that section of the paper only runs on Thursdays). I'll keep you posted as I learn more.