Ice Cream Kisses and Popsicle Dreams

Designing for Daisy Bucket!!

2007-07-23T16:39:00.000-05:00

So now how cool is this?? Yep, I am privileged to announce that I will be doing design work for Daisy Bucket Designs, a GREAT scrapbook product manufacturer out of Oregon. The papers have a fabulous texture and are so easy and fun to work with. Be sure to check out the website at http://www.daisybucketdesigns.com.

I've just returned from a great vacation in northern Wisconsin and have been busy ALL day plowing through the piles of mail, and reading more emails than I even imagined. I guess that's the price of 3 glorious weeks away from home and my computer. So worth it!

I took so many photos on my vacation . . . now to the uploading and sorting. Talk more soon!

I FINALLY updated the look of my blog!!

2007-05-17T14:56:00.000-05:00

I know, you all were probably thinking I was living in the stone ages of blogging . . . still using my cute Blogger Blue Template for the longest time :) . Well, today is a new day. It took me a few tries to get the sizing down for the header and figure out the sidebar and such. BUT, I did it!!!! And now that I know how to do it, I can update it more often. Wooo Hooo!!

So some things going on with me....
I taught a scrap class on Monday night. Tons of fun with some wonderfully talented women. I get so energized by teaching these classes. Literally, I am awake for hours at night after everyone goes home. Scrapbooking and people make me happy - you put the two together and I am silly with joy.

I stopped by Memories & Beyond on Wednesday to pick up the layout that I taught last month (the birthday one) because I have to package it up and send it off to Memory Makers Magazine. Yep, that is right . . . it will be gracing the pages of the October 2007 Idea Gallery issue of the magazine. I am super excited to have it published. The only tricky thing with it is there is a group photo of all the kids that were at the birthday party. Now I am busy running around town getting signed Model Release forms from all these parents. crazy.

While I was in the store, I decided to pick out the papers for my June class. The theme will be "Graduation". I found some great graduation papers by Moxxie that are black and white and very cool. I think the line is versatile enough to work with preschool all the way up to Ph.D. graduations :). Now I just need to get to work on the design. In case anyone attending my June class is reading, the paper colors I will be using are pumice (which is a stone gray color), white, black and one other color of your choosing (mine will be blue). I'll try to post a picture here when it is complete.

H went in for Kindergarten Roundup today. Basically to meet the teachers, see her classroom, and simply try to alleviate some of the stress in beginning school next fall. Stress? Nope, not H. She would have loved to get started today. She was sad it only lasted for an hour. So funny the differences between a first and second child. She had her Kindergarten shots at the doctor on Wednesday and handled it like a champ - didn't even cry. She was rewarded for her bravery with a new Littlest Pet Shop animal :).

5 Minutes of "Fame"

2007-04-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

The Chicago Tribune article was published today! It is a great article about scrapbooking and the Iron Chef competition that I posted about a few entries down.

Here is the text of the article by Trine Tsouderous:

Scrapbook smackdown!

2 experts. 1 hour to create 1 boffo page each.

Ladies, grab your curvy cutters and let's scrap!

By Trine Tsouderos l Tribune staff reporterPublished April 5, 2007

Welcome to At Play's "Iron Chef"-style Scrapbook Challenge.We pitted two pro scrapbookers representing two eminent scrapbooking shops against one another in a bloody (you read right) duel to the death (OK, not to the death).Who will bleed for her art? Who will distress until she can distress no more? Whose scrapping will reign supreme?You may be scratching your head at this point, especially if you don't know a pop dot from a tape strip or pinking shears from a Curvy Cutter. You may be thinking, how obscure, this scrapping challenge.But no. Scrapbooking is huge. Armed with their Making Memories Craft Knives, scrapbookers are ribboning, gluing and cropping their way across the U.S. The industry's must-read magazine, Creating Keepsakes, estimates that one in four of today's households scrapbook, well over 4 million more than in 2001, spending $2.5 billion annually on materials like buttons, cardstock and scissors.And they're turning to their computers more and more to help create those pages, according to Creating Keepsakes editor Tracy White. Digital scrapbooking is big, White says. "It is opening it up to another demographic. The millennials have grown up on technology. It maybe feels like a more comfortable medium for them."And, she says, gone are the days of albums dedicated to Dad, the kids and the dog but not Mom. "After years of telling people 'You are important too, you need to be in the album too,' more moms are getting in front of the camera," she says. "That is one of the most exciting things I am seeing."So pick up your Whale of a Punch's Daisy Punch and get ready to rumble -- er, scrap!

The rules

We gave each scrapbooker 60 minutes to complete one page. At the start of competition, each scrapbooker was given the same 10 black-and-white and color photos (taken by Tribune travel writer Alan Solomon on a trip to Argentina) and the same theme (vacation to Argentina). Each scrapbooker could use materials and tools from the store where she teaches to create a page.

The contestants

Bethany Denton, 26, of Cortland. Denton teaches scrapbooking at The Scrap Shack (2422 W. Main St., St. Charles; 630-377-8912, www.thescrapshack.com) and has been scrapbooking since she was 17. Denton brought her 1-month-old son, her sister and her sister's 1-month-old daughter for support. Pros and cons? Her ties to her home state of Utah, the scrapbooking capital of the world, could give her an edge but her newborn son may be a distraction.

Connie Tameling, 34, of Wheaton. Tameling teaches scrap classes at Memories & Beyond (1400-C 75th St., Downers Grove; 630-271-0610, www.memoriesbeyond.com) and Scrapbook Source (557 W. North Ave.; 312-440-9720, www.scrapbooksourceinc.com). Tameling brought her stores' owner, Alice Myk, for support. Pros and cons? Tameling's artistic skills are formidable, but she doesn't have an adorable son in the room to score cute points with the judge.

the judge

Jennifer Adams Donnelly, 32, of Crestwood. Donnelly is a 2006 Creating Keepsakes Hall of Famer, which is like winning an Academy Award in the scrapbooking industry, as well as an editorial board member of Digital Scrapbooking magazine. Donnelly's pages are very clean, often focusing on just one or two beautiful photos. She doesn't clutter up pages with a lot of doodads. Often, her sense of humor shows up in her designs.

The Scrapbooking Stadium:

Ann Landers' old office in Tribune Tower, now the Chicago Tribune's Media Room, which has a table big enough to hold two active scrapbookers.

The competition

12:15 p.m.: We hand Denton and Tameling each a packet of photos and announce the theme.

Tameling plugs in her earphones, queuing up the "Dreamgirls"' soundtrack on her iPod. Both bend over the table, studying the photos. A hush falls over the room."Now they are viewing the photos and deciding which will be incorporated in the page," says Myk. "They are figuring out the colors, what to highlight from the vacation."Both babies are dream-baby quiet.

12:24 p.m.: Denton has an ink pad out and is "distressing" the edges of some paper. When asked what she is using to do it, every scrapper in the room chimes in: "Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad." This must-have tool in most serious scrappers' tool kits is essential for adding texture. Denton pulls out some chipboard letters, which are letters that can be popped out and stuck to a page. She is holding an O, an L and an E. "I hope I know my Spanish," she says.

12:28 p.m.: Tameling whips out baby wipes, wiping her fingers free of glue and paint as Denton sands some paper with a paper scuffer, which is a rough block that gives paper some texture. The scrapbookers in the room agree all serious scrappers carry baby wipes.

12:30 p.m.: Tameling gets out a Curvy Cutter. It's a hot tool these days -- a series of circular tracks with a blade that makes cropping photos into different size circles easy.Donnelly watches the contestants work with the photos: "I would have been on cloud nine with those photos."

12:31 p.m.: Injury! Tameling holds up an index finger dripping blood. "Does anyone have a Band-Aid?" she asks. The Curvy Cutter is the culprit. We halt the competition and search for a Band-Aid.

12:34 p.m.: "I'll be just fine," Tameling says, bandaging her finger.Denton jokes: "Now she's going to have the pity point!"Tameling laughs: "You have the kid! I have to work some angle."

12:35 p.m.: We restart competition, promising to add five minutes to the end.

12:36 p.m.: After wiping some blood off a photo, Tameling arranges red buttons on her page while Denton readies some "nutmeg" colored paint. "I love my paint," she says as she dabs some on one of the letters.

12:42 p.m.: "The pages are starting to come together," Myk says.Denton stares at hers. "I have been known to rip mine up and start over," she says. "I probably go through four or five layers of design before I decide what to do."

12:43 p.m.: Tameling strips a red ribbon across the bottom of her page. Her design is graphic and very red and black. Bethany's is more pink, orange and tan.Denton says she wanted to bring a "Cricut" machine to make professional-looking die-cut letters. And, she also considered bringing a sewing machine, something she uses to add extra dimension to her pages. To scrapbookers, these two tools are what a Scotty Cameron putter is to golfers.

12:46 p.m.: Despite the injury, Tameling says brightly, "This is very doable. I'm starting to get into a groove."Denton is pulling apart bits of her design, repositioning things.

12:50 p.m.: Denton is having some doubts. So is Donnelly. "Will it be hard to judge?" she says, looking at both unfinished pages. "Oh yes."

12:51 p.m.: Denton is back to distressing. "I love to distress," she says. Tameling, meanwhile, is using pop dots to pop photos off the page a bit. She glues another strip of ribbon to her red ribbon.

12:52 p.m.: Bethany is cutting some ribbon. It's checkered and brown.

12:56 p.m.: Both women are playing with ribbons. Tameling decoratively staples the page and begins arranging chipboard letters to spell out, "Argentina Adventure." Denton dabs some more paint on letters that spell out "Ole."

1:05 p.m.: Just 15 minutes left. Both pages are nearly finished. "I feel like there are some more things I want to do with it," Tameling says. "So I will just continue until the time is up."

1:06 p.m.: It is some kind of miracle that both newborns have not fussed a minute during the competition. Perhaps this is not a surprise. They are born scrapbookers with Utah in their blood.

1:09 p.m.: Tameling is adding rub-ons (a little like fake tattoos) to her page as Denton ties a little ribbon to the "e" in Ole."

1:10 p.m.: Denton is done, she announces. "Of course, in my head, there are three different ways to have finished it." Tameling, meanwhile, is gluing tiny jewels to her buttons.

1:20: Time's up!Donnelly moves between the two contestants, studying the designs. "These are both very beautiful," she says.After some deliberation, she picks Tameling's bold, bejeweled, red, black and red page."This is a showstopper," Donnelly says, adding that she loves Tameling's choice and use of multiple photos of couples doing the tango. "This page is more lively and it has more movement. It has glitz and gems. It has a dramatic color scheme."And, most importantly, Tameling's page tells a story, she says. Donnelly says she always looks for pages to tell a story, and Tameling's did, with her emphasis on the tangoing couple.Turning to Denton's, Donnelly says, "Bethany's is much softer and gentler. She picked a lot of sun-worn colors. She used the simple word 'Ole.' It was not quite as dramatic. But I love the orange and the repeating threes -- three letters, three photos, three colors."Tameling, who learned a few days after the contest that she had won an Honorable Mention in the Creating Keepsakes 2007 Hall of Fame, says she was a little thrown by the photos and the theme and that none of the patterned papers she brought would work for her."I had to go back to basics," she says. And then ribbon, jewel, scallop, button and staple the basics into a winning design.

Cut and paste these 10 tips

Entering a scrapbooking store can be daunting, especially for a beginning scrapbooker. There are thousands of choices. What to buy? At Play asked Jennifer Adams Donnelly, a Creating Keepsakes 2006 Hall of Fame winner, one of the industry's most prestigious honors, for the 10 must-haves for traditional and digital scrapbooking:For traditional scrapbooking* Buy a good paper cutter. Look for one that cuts a very fine, neat edge; has good markings for measurements and can cut thick and thin paper equally well. Also, look for one that's portable. "Scrapbooking is a social thing for a lot of people," Donnelly said. You want to be able to carry it around in a bag. A good one will cost $15-$25.* Get some cardstock. Cardstock is thicker than regular paper, and it's a good, solid start for pages, Donnelly said. "Usually people start with plain cardstock as a foundation for the page ... You can make a whole page with just cardstock and get an amazing design." Start with basics and neutrals like white and black and then add colors. Cardstock is sold by the sheet or in packages, usually for between 25 cents to 50 cents a sheet. Donnelly likes Bazzill cardstock.* Pick up some basic marking pens. These are essential for journaling on your pages, Donnelly said. Look for a good quality marker that will give you a very fine line, but won't fade or smudge. Buy black, brown, red, blue and white, she said. "The perfect white marking pen is the Holy Grail of scrapbooking." Most white pens tend to work well for two pages and then the ink stops flowing smoothly, she said. Donnelly likes Uni-ball Signo white pens. Marking pens generally run $1.50-$2.* Stock up on adhesive. This is a must-have and there are literally hundreds of choices. Donnelly relies on a basic adhesive runner, which is like a very accurate tape dispenser, by 3M Scotch for most jobs. The tool looks a little like a Wite-Out runner, but is filled with double-sided adhesive tape. "They are just very convenient," she said. "It's not perfect for all materials, but it is a good all-purpose one." Donnelly buys hers for four for $10 at stores such as Sam's Club.For digital scrapbooking (scrapbooking pages done partially or entirely on the computer)* Invest in a good photo quality printer. Donnelly bought hers -- an Epson -- at Sam's Club for about $80. It prints beautiful photos, she said, and didn't cost a bundle.* Buy quality photo paper. The most important thing, she said, is to match the paper brand to the printer.* Match the ink too. If you have an Epson printer, buy Epson ink, Donnelly said, adding, "I do not recommend the generic refills."* Buy great software. The most popular is Adobe Photoshop, a program that will allow you to do just about anything to photos and digital pages. You can crop, stretch or fade photos; tweak colors; turn a person's green eyes brown; match the background to someone's hair color and more. "Photoshop leads the pack in consumer grade software," Donnelly said. Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 even has features in it designed for digital scrapbookers, she said. Photoshop Elements 5.0 runs about $100.* Trade your mouse for a pen tablet. Once you do a lot of graphic design on your computer, you're going to want to upgrade from a mouse to a pen tablet, which is essentially a little pad with a "pen" that acts as a mouse, she said. "It lets you have more control. And it saves your wrists." Donnelly uses one by Wacom. Small versions are sold for about $100.For everybody* Conjure up a good story. Don't stop at the who, what, when, where and why of the event. Tell that extra story. If you have photos from a soccer game and your daughter scored her first goal, make sure the page focuses on that, she said. Donnelly tries to find one or two photos that capture the story. "It takes one photo to trigger that memory and illustrate it," she said.-- Trine Tsouderos

Some scrap stops

The scrapbook industry has boomed in recent years, with stores opening up in just about every 'burb and neighborhood. Even Target now stocks several aisles of scrapbooking materials. Here are some stores around the Chicago area:Archiver's Scrapbooking Store, 15758 S. LaGrange Rd., Orland Park; 708-364-1422, www.ar chiversonline.com (check Web site for other locations)Creative Scrapbooks & More, 2527 W. Golf Rd., Hoffman Estates; 847-882-8142, www.creative scrapbooksandmore.netLi'l Scrapper, 19 W. Rand Rd., Arlington Heights; 847-392-1377, www.lilscrapper.com (another location in Algonquin)Memories, 701 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills; 847-247-8219, www.memories.comMemories & Beyond, 1400 C 75th St., Downers Grove; 630-271-0610, www.memoriesbeyond .comMore than Memories, 20 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg; 847-755-0861, www.morethanmemorie sonline.comScrapbook Lane, 3033 Theodore, Joliet; 815-577-6789, www.scrapbooklane.netThe Scrap Shack, 2422 W. Main St., St. Charles, 630-377-8912, www.thescrapshack.comScrapbook Source, 557 W. North Ave., 312-440-9720, www.scrapbooksourceinc.comThanks For The Memories, 737 W. Illinois Highway 22, Lake Zurich; 847-438-8322, www.thanks-4-the-memories.comWindy City Scrapbooking, 2265 N. Clybourn Ave.; 773-935-0585, www.windycityscrapboo king.com-- Trine Tsouderos

Here is a photograph of my layout, using photos provided by the Chicago Tribune's travel writer Alan Solomon:

It was so much fun participating in this competition. What an honor!

Thanks for letting me share :) !!

Hall of Fame HM!!

2007-03-20T23:36:00.000-05:00

I guess if there is a day to update my blog, this would be the day to do it!! I still can't believe I have been named a Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame Honorable Mention for 2007 :) . Look at me, I'm giddy!!! Will anything really change in my life because of this? Probably not. In fact after hanging up with Fred Brewer, an Editor at CK, I posted a bit of sillyness online and then got back to scrubbing toilets and vacuuming my kitchen floor LOL!

We hosted some friends at our house tonight for dinner. A whole mess of people and kids . . . crazy loud, but fun as always.

I've got ideas swirling around in my head for the layout I will be teaching in April at Memories & Beyond . . . but hands haven't gone to the paper yet. So I officially bailed and will have to turn to that after Spring Break. Bummer because I really wanted to get it up and available at the store before I left, but it just doesn't seem to be in the cards (at least not if I actually want to sleep and care for my children properly, which I do).

So it is almost midnight and reality is going to strike early tomorrow when life continues as normal. Off to bed . . .

A cute card

2007-03-15T23:56:00.000-05:00

So I'll admit I'm a wee bit creatively tapped out . . . between CK Hall of Fame entries, classes, DT stuff, and then the Tribune contest . . . it has been a whirlwind month. Don't get me wrong, all totally fun and fulfilling things. But just leaving me a bit drained on the inspiration side. I thought that a card might be a good way to do a little something creative without investing a great deal of time or energy. Lea, over at Scrappin Trends, is also a DT member for Card Positioning Systems -- a sketch site for cardmakers. Anyway, she linked us all to her fabulous card today and the most recent sketch. Be sure to check it out -- her cards always ROCK! The bottom line, I decided to give the sketch a try. Take a look:

You can check out the sketch here: http://cardpositioningsystems.blogspot.com/2007/03/cps-5-and-designs.html

Turns Out . . .

2007-03-14T21:21:00.000-05:00

. . . . 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.

Fun Opportunity!!

2007-03-07T18:03:00.000-06:00

My LSS owner called me last night to ask if I would participate in an event that the Chicago Tribune (Chicago's largest newspaper) is putting together next week. They are calling it the Iron Chef of Scrapbooking LOL!! Apparently I will be matched up with one other scrapbooker from another LSS and we will be given 10 photos, a "surprise theme" and 60 minutes to create a layout. Then Jennifer Adams Donnelly (CK HOF 2006) will be the judge. I have to pick out supplies from my LSS without knowing the photos or theme and bring them along to work with. The Tribune is using this event as a way to create a feature about the scrapbooking industry and local scrapbooking stores. It is tentatively scheduled to be the cover story of the At Play section of the paper on March 29th.

It should be fun, but I am frightened of the 60 minute time limit!!! I am soooooooo not a fast scrapper !!

Deep breath . . . calm before the storm

2006-11-08T23:12:00.000-06:00

This week has been sort of slow . . . nice in fact. Just the regular routine, which is so nice and refreshing. Chad has been traveling, but the kids and I have laid low. I have begun Christmas shopping. I truly enjoy picking out something special for the people I love. I do not, however, enjoy doing that in a hurried fashion. So that is why I have launched the shopping now.

Halloween last week was fun and the kids really seemed to enjoy the festivities. We still have two "melting" pumpkins on our front porch and the last of the candy on the kitchen counter. I am about ready to toss it. All done hearing "mom, can I please have a piece of candy?"

Enjoy the pictures of my costume-clad kiddos.

This weekend will be mildly chaotic with some fun church things (the Table gathering at our house where 25 people share dinner around a table). But of course we are trying to fit 80 other things in there as well. And then on Monday evening I am teaching my next scrapbooking class (yippee!!). Looking forward to getting in there again. After last month's 2 classes, it seems like I haven't been there for a while.

O.K. off to dream happy dreams.

Phew . . . sometimes life gets a bit crazy . . .

2006-10-29T16:15:00.000-06:00

Wow . . . so it has been way too long since I updated here. I try not to live in a world of regrets, so I'll just move on.

Last week I taught an amazing class at Memories & Beyond with absolutely fabulous people in attendance. Even my good friend, Chris, decided to drop in for the class. What an honor! Everyone's layouts turned out beautifully and I simply love seeing how each person takes the design and makes it their own. One woman (hi Maria, if you are reading this!) even created a little flip book of photos on her page to include more photos on her page. The end result was fabulous.

After the class, I flew out to Arizona with my mom, sister, aunt and cousin to visit another cousin who is expecting her first baby in a few weeks. What fun -- truly a whirlwind weekend, but so worth all the travel and lack of sleep.

I am bumping up against a few deadlines for Scrappin Trends, so I am off to go play with my new scrap goodies. But I posted a picture here of the layout I designed for my November class at Memories & Beyond. If you live in the area of Downer's Grove, Illinois, and want to check it out, my class is scheduled for Monday, November 13th at 7:00 p.m. I always love seeing new people in my classes (and the familiar ones, too, of course).

A few pics

2006-10-18T14:23:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post just a few pics of the newborn photo shoot from yesterday . . . how sweet is he??

Lovin' all of these, but the one with his mom's anniversary ring on his toe . . . ugh. Makes me think (but really only for a split second) that I could have another LOL!

A Wrench

2006-10-18T14:14:00.000-05:00

Yep, today, there was a little wrench in "my" plans. Things I had planned for today . . . 1) get showered 2) get kids to school 3) go to Starbuck's for Halloween party meeting for Dakota's school, 4) pick up kids from school 5) go to LSS to set up for class tomorrow night 6) enjoy evening with my family.

Instead, my day involved . . . 1) wake up 2) make Dakota's lunch 3) rush Hannah to toilet to throw up 4) call and cancel all plans for the day . . .

Hmmmm. Sometimes God places these small pauses in my day to slow me down and just focus on the important things. So here I sit in my PJs at 2:00 in the afternoon. I made a few cards with the Cosmo Cricket line while Hannah rested. But other than that, a day of snuggling with my little one and coaxing her back to health.

Oh, I almost forgot . . . I had an AMAZING morning yesterday photographing a friend's six day old baby boy. I LOVE taking newborn photographs (o.k. I love taking photographs of anything). He was so sweet. The card above with the photo on it is a picture of his little toes.

Dining Room Decor

2006-10-13T15:10:00.000-05:00

So it has been close to a year since we graduated from TOYS everywhere in our dining room. We moved them out and bought a gorgeous 8 foot square table from a good friend. I love that table and really love the room. BUT, it has taken me what feels like FOREVER to figure out how I want to decorate it. So I was at Target this week and strolled into the frame aisle. There were three frames that I loved and matched our table really well. Then in the clearance section (YIPPEE!!) there was a matching mirror/shelf/hook wall hanging. And at home I had some rustic hooks that I had planned to work in there somewhere. So I put it all together and it looks just the way I like.

As a finishing touch I altered a picture frame on the wall and some candles that go with the rustic theme and sit nicely on the mirrored wall hanging. What do you think??

More Cosmo

2006-10-12T21:55:00.000-05:00

Here is another layout I completed this week using the Cosmo Cricket Jitterbug line.

I also spent some time this afternoon altering a picture frame and some candles for our dining room using the Cosmo Cricket Wanted collection. So yummy, and goes great with our rustic 8 x 8 table and the horse photographs I framed for the wall. This is the first time I have framed non-people photographs that I took myself. I really like how they turned out. In my opinion, better than store-bought (mostly just because they have personal meaning to me).

SNOW!!!

2006-10-12T09:53:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why it takes me by surprise every year, but it does. The first one is always so beautiful and breath-taking. Fresh. Clean. Like the first time you dip your toes in the lake water in summer, or the smell of a roaring campfire in fall, or the peak of a daffodil through the earth in spring. The first snow is so glorious. Like God raining down His beautiful artistry on this canvas of earth.

The kids were giddy with excitement and anticipation just looking out the window after finishing up some breakfast . . . the first few snowflakes were beginning to fall. And then more . . . and more. Until there was a heavy blanket of snow falling from the sky. It lasted just long enough for us to gear up in our coats, hats, mittens and boots, catch a few snowflakes on our tongues (snap photos, of course) and make the journey to school. And then it all stopped. It's still cold, but the snow has stopped.

Now I know we will have some more indian summer days left in this month (at least I hope we will), but this is a sign. A sign of what is to come. But for now, let's focus on the glory and beauty of this first snow.

Cosmo Cricket

2006-10-10T12:51:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen these papers, you really should check them out. It is a relatively new company in the scrapbooking industry and they have some great products. This is the layout I mentioned in my post yesterday . . . a hard one for me to create, but well worth it in the end.

Yesterday was a welcome day of catching up. The kids didn't have school because of Columbus Day. We were able to run a couple of errands and Dakota had gymnastics, but other than that a little more low key. Ahhhh.

Tonight I plan to get some good scrapbooking in once the kids are all tucked into bed! Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some more Cosmo Cricket to share :) .

Emotions still raw

2006-10-09T13:48:00.000-05:00

The photo is overexposed and colorless ... but somehow it seems like the most appropriate one to express my current sentiment. Still sad -- like an open wound -- like a fresh scrab was just removed.

You see, this photo was taken on the day that we put our beloved Reidar (our Siberian husky) to sleep. My husband took him in while I stayed back with the kids who we felt were really too young to witness the end. As it turned out, I think Chad thought he was too young also. So hard. Such raw emotion. And this photo was taken last May, yep 5 months ago.

I bring this up because when I received my design team kit from Scrappin Trends, it contained some beautiful papers in a soft, almost washed tone by Cosmo Cricket. I thought they would be perfect to capture the "saying goodbye" between my daughter, Hannah (4 years old) and Reidar. But it wasn't 5 minutes into cropping the photos and converting them to sepia tone that the tears began to flow . . . again. I thought I was beyond this. But apparently I am still grieving. After a few hours of leaving the layout and returning, I did finish it. And by the end it seemed sort of like another step in the grieving process. Who knew scrapbooking and psychological therapy would go hand in hand??

I haven't taken a photo of the layout yet, but I will in the next couple of days and post it here, as well as the scrappin trends website.

Exhausted but Filled

2006-10-05T13:41:00.000-05:00

** Forgive the cute blinkey** Just trying to post it somewhere online so I can get it into my signature line at www.scrappintrends.com. If you haven't checked out that website yet, you really should. I am thrilled to be a part of their design team.

Now on to the real stuff:
Do you ever have the feeling that you are completely wiped out physically, but filled up emotionally? That is what happens to me when I teach a scrapbook class. Too fun. I had a great time teaching the women at Memories & Beyond last night. Each one of them has a special talent and gift that they share at the big tables. Love it . . . just love it.

It is funny, because often times when I am running out of the house for my class, it is crazy and I wonder why I do it. The kids are hungry and I am making a quick dinner, Chad is usually running as fast as he possibly can to get home in time for me to leave, I am gathering last minute supplies for the class (which I undoubtedly always forget something - last night was the sanding block . . . ugh!), the list can go on and on. But then I get there and it is so much fun. I really do love working with these ladies. So, while I am tired today, I am filled.

I have finished work on the layout for my next class that is scheduled for October 19th from 7-9 p.m. Here it is.
A nice, simple Fall layout that incorporates some fun paper tearing, inking and layering. Should be a good time.
I think a few of the women from last night already signed up. What a privilege that is for me.

Bohemia Line MME

2006-10-03T08:03:00.000-05:00

I recently created this two page layout for the class I am teaching at Memories & Beyond in Downers Grove, IL. The class is scheduled for tomorrow night if any of you live in the area (7-9 pm).

Love this paper and embellishment line by My Minds Eye.

Funny Thing

2006-10-02T19:35:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the WAIT actually reveals something great. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been submitting my scrapbook layouts and altered projects to design team calls and various contests more deliberately lately. And I am thrilled to say that something wonderful has happened.

I have been asked to join the Scrappin Trends design team. www.scrappintrends.com .

How cool is that?

Too fun. Elisa, the owner of the site called me on my cell phone this morning after I dropped Hannah off at preschool. I was online checking the MM Idol finalist announcement and the phone rang. I was giddy with excitement and even asked her to hold on for a second while I literally RAN to the front door and out onto my driveway so that I would get better reception. LOL!!

All in all in sounds like a fabulous opportunity to stretch my creativity further, possibly inspire some scrapbookers, become amazingly inspired by the other designers and contributers at the site, and hopefully get some more exposure for my designs. A win, win in my book :) .

So, I guess taking a more deliberate approach at submitting and "waiting" was the right step. I'll keep creating, but then continue to submit when my work fits a call.

Aside from scrapping, my day was very Monday . . . the kids always have trouble getting along on Mondays for some reason. Perhaps exhausted from the weekend activities, withdrawal from "daddy time", tired from a day of back to school stuff, or whatever. But boy are Mondays tough. It was kind of fun walking Dakota home from school today in the rain though . . . Hannah, her best friend Anna, Dakota and I were caught completely unprepared and we got soaked! We tried to make it fun (but Dakota failed to see the humor in it -- sometimes he is just so serious!). Love that little boy -- quirks and all.

2006-09-27T16:39:00.000-05:00

Chad and I (isn't he such a cutie?? -- I love this guy) have volunteered to be "Area Pastors" for our local church neighborhood. It is fairly ironic on so many levels, but it is something that we have prayed about for the last several months and feel it is a great opportunity for us to connect with others in our community. We are excited about the road that lies ahead and admittedly a bit anxious about all the work it will entail (me more so than Chad :) ). Anyway, this is the photo we submitted for our Area website. Can you believe Dakota (yep, a 6 year old) took this photo? He really is such a talented little guy. ** Oh, and for legal purposes I should mention that the photo edge effects are by digital designer Rhonna Farrer, and the font on the photo is downloaded from 2Peas.

On a different note, I have been creating . . .
Last night I was up until 3 a.m. plugging away on some new stuff that I really wanted to complete. Not the most reasonable decision given my early morning rise (6:30 a.m.), but I have trouble stopping when I get on a roll. Some more submissions, but I do so with little expectation . . . just to keep my creative juices flowing.

That's it folks.

The WAIT

2006-09-19T16:08:00.000-05:00

Waiting, waiting, waiting... seems recently I have been doing that with regard to scrapbook submissions. I've kindof been on a kick submitting a lot of my designs for various design teams, magazines, contests and such. When I was driving down the road a few weeks back, I realized being a professional scrapbooker (meaning published on a regular basis and somewhat "known" in the industry) would be quite AWESOME. But, honestly, that just isn't going to happen all by itself. There are so many amazing and qualified artists vying for the same thing -- same design teams, same magazine spots, same book deals. So I have decided to make a more concerted effort to get my work out there. Now I understand that does NOT mean my dreams will be automatically realized. But it is impossible if I take no action at all.

So here I am . . . waiting . . . .
I have submitted my designs to a few calls (Stemma, Masterpiece Studios Design Team; the MCC2 Book Challenge on the CK website; and several magazine calls). And now I just have to wait. Up till today, I have been doing well with the "submit and forget" mentality. But for some reason I am anxious today. Almost setting an expectation for myself that if none (not one single submission) pans out to something, I should not bother submitting for a while and just focus on the creating. The creating is really the part I love most . . . so shouldn't that be the main focus anyway? You know what?? Typing those words feels good -- and I think I might just get back to creating. For now I am heading off to my scrap room to clean it up a bit after the last tornado of creativity came together in a torential downpour. And then prepare for the class I teach tonight at Memories and Beyond in Downer's Grove.

My mojo flows at Caribou

2006-09-17T15:41:00.000-05:00

It is crazy . . . I have been going to a local Caribou Coffee shop on Fridays when my babysitter is with the kids. I go to this great big table in the back and bring my scrapbook supplies to work on layouts. The designs just seem to come together there. I have created 2 of my most favorite layouts on that table in the last few weeks. It is great to spread out all my stuff and then have a cup of joe (or iced tea, as was the case this week) and get in a groove. Not sure if it is the preparation that goes into planning before I leave the house, the fact that I get pumped up on caffeine, that I am limited in my supply choices based on what I threw in the bag before I left, or the great fireplace and uninterrupted freedom to create. But all I can say is it is working.

Less than stellar . . .

2006-04-27T19:29:00.000-05:00

So not the most perfect day in all creation for our family. My dad's cancer surgery was on Monday and today (Thursday) we received the news that the cancer was found in his lymph nodes. That brings the added "bonus" of chemotherapy and possibly radiation treatments. My mom and dad handled the news relatively well and my mom even said she was in some ways relieved that they would be doing chemo . . . . something to the effect of her feeling like it would be a good preventative to the resurfacing of cancer in his body in the future.

On a much less serious note, Chad called to tell me that his rental car was broken into in Texas and they stole his entire briefcase (laptop, external drives, iPod, and keys to his truck sitting in the airport back home). Lovely. So the kids and I will pack up into the car and drive to the airport tonight to meet him with his spare key.

If there is something fun to focus on, I'd have to say it is the scrapbooking I was able to do this afternoon. I finished a layout in a quick amount of time which is VERY unusual for me (literally like an hour). It is the first layout I have put together for the class I will be teaching at my LSS on May 23rd. I am excited to be teaching. A bit nervous for the pressure to create and teach my students something new and beautiful. But all in all I am looking forward to trying my hand at teaching others this art that I so love.

So the story goes . . .

2006-04-26T23:41:00.000-05:00

I've recently discovered this world of web logs (blogs) . . . yep, I know, they've been around for years. But somehow this way of recording my thoughts and journaling life's little moments got past me. The idea of keeping a journal on my computer is intriguing to me. I am a lover of all things related to preserving memories of everyday life. Mostly for my children to look back on some day and giggle, but also for me -- as a visual expression of creativity and as a way to embed snapshots of this life in my memory. Watching Chad's grandmother endure the agony of alzheimer's is a reminder to me that I may not always remember these days as clearly as I do now. So, with that, I plunge into my blog titled "Ice Cream Kisses and Popsicle Dreams". A lengthy title, but one that brings me joy - reminding me of Hannah and Dakota. Before bed every night, they have their "night-night snack". Hannah is my ice cream girl and Dakota is my popsicle guy. This bedtime ritual is something I treasure . . . . perhaps not the healthiest habit, but consumed in moderation with oodles of love on the side, it's here to stay.