Vive la Difference!

Bonjour, mes amis! I have worked my behind off to have today free (called "flexing" my hours; also known as "masochism"). I really want to get caught up with my Cathy Zielske class. I have been working on some pages, but I am about two weeks off schedule. So, unrushed, I intend to work this weekend on some of her sketches. If I catch up, fabulous! If not, I am sure I will have some good pages nonetheless.

This sketch is from week 3, the theme of repetition. I chose to highlight my little daredevil bike rider, who not only rides his tryke, but also rides his "big boy bike." Both belonged to his brother, who never successfully rode either one, despite our attempts. Max, however, has picked up the whole bike riding thing as if he were doing it since birth. For those concerned, yes, we have since put a helmet on him. :)

I used repetition in several different ways. First, I used the photos. I tried to pull the blue of the "big boy bike" out through my choice of background paper. I used red in several spots to pull the red of his tryke in. I repeated silver star bards on both 8.5 x 11" pages. And, of course, I repeated images of Max riding. I think from my cardmaking I have become very accustomed to the power of repetition. This page was a fun one. What you cannot see in the photo is that I popped up the picture of Max on his tryke on the right hand page. I wanted to give that pic some special ranking, as it is a favorite of mine.

Now this is more appropriate

I mentioned that I had to do some cardmaking, particularly for my sister, since last night's card didn't really fit. My son says, "Why don't you use stars?", which I thought was brilliant, as she is an engineer who works with satellites.

So, I decided that I would take a peek at the featured stamper's gallery. This week's featured stamper is Kay, codename Speedystamper on SCS. She has a great gallery. I had completed a different card, but it didn't do her original justice, so I decided to work on this one. I am much happier with its result. I honestly thought my mojo was slipping there for a bit. I CASEd her submission for SC182.

I decided that the yellow was important, but I had to downplay it, or it would take over the card. So, I grouped it with black, gray, and white. I LOVE the way these colors work together. I chose a very symmetrical take on the card, while using a couple different shapes. I was excited that I had a circle punch for every layer on the sentiment layer. Woo hoo! I used 1", 1-1/4", 1-3/8", 1-1/2", and 1-3/4". For the image panel, I used a 4-1/4" square base of SU! Basic Gray. I then used a 4-1/16" square layer of black. On it, I placed 8 star squares cut with a 1-1/4" punch. Probably the part of the card I like the most is the sponge daubing of the star color. It gives them a "star-like" glow. Adding a little bling, I used Stickles on the center star. On top of the black ink, the Stickles came out a little green. Interesting.

Size: 4-1/4 x 4-1/4 inches

Stamps: SU! Riveting and Bold Basics

Paper: SU! Basic Gray, SU! Yo Yo Yellow, PTI white, black

Ink: SU! Basic Black and Yo Yo Yellow

Also used: Circle and square punches, dimensionals, Stickles

Thinking Pink

Yes, me...pink...odd...agreed.

The inspiration challenge for today comes from JC Penney, and, quite frankly, I am not liking this card. However, it is done, and it is being posted. Perhaps I will try another later.

I used the colors in the photo for some inspiration. I also kept thinking of SEI's ally's wonderland as I looked at the beddings. Hence, my patterned paper choice. I loved my green Offray wide grosgrain, though I am not sold that it completely matches the cardstock/patterned paper. I went with some eyelets for an extra oomph, but I did not feel the oomph. Maybe I am just sleepy. I was hoping to use this for my sister's birthday, but I may have to try again. It doesn't scream her name or mine.

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches

Paper: SU! Gable Green and Barely Banana, SEI ally's wonderland

Punch: SU! tab punch

Ink: SU! Gable Green

Eyelets: SU! Barely Banana

Ribbon: Offray

Real World Color 3

I am a tiny bit behind with my Cathy Zielske class, but not too bad. Tonight, I was able to make this page using her Real World Color combination (shown). Very simple layout... which makes it quick and easy. The colors were great, but my combining of them... eh... I dunno. I am branching out, right? Red and I... we fight all the time. Love the gray, though.

While I was doing this, Max was looking at a scrapbook I started making when we were trying to get him diagnosed. It is a scrapbook where you can record things and play them back. He LOVES it. I am so glad I made it, because now I can see what a difference a year makes. There's a page about his food issues. He sat there tonight pointing (a miracle!) to the photo and saying, "Max is eating." (Miracle #2) If you are reading this, and your child(ren) already does these things and more, count them as huge milestones. It took a great deal for Max to be able to do so at 3 1/2. God has blessed us, truly.

Happy New Baby

A colleague is about seven months preggers, and a shower is in her near future. This card is from a group of us who pitched in for a gift. I said, of course, I would make a card.

I have to say, I am not a lover of pink, but I love this card. I borrowed the idea of paper piecing her dress from Karen, the published goddess.

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches

Stamps: SU! Swell News, SU! Full of Life, SU! For a Friend

Ink: SU! Pretty in Pink, Copics

Ribbon: Sheer Creations

Transforming the Mantle

I mentioned a few posts back that I might try to "seasonalize" my living room mantle with cards and or framed art. Well, I finally started tonight in bits and pieces. We first took our boys to the nearby pumpkin patch and purchased pumpkins of various sizes. Two small pumpkins are on the mantle. Then, I bought some black plate holders at Michaels, as the black coordinated with the frames on the mantle. I displayed my October mini-scrapbook, which looks very nice there. I just finished this card, which came completely from my mind. I like how it turned out, despite the fact that Max was crawling all over me as I attempted to finish.

I kept thinking of Cathy Zielske's Design Your Life class. Our design focus for the next two weeks is repetition. As I was creating tonight, I tried to be conscious of my use (or lack) of repetition. So, here's my thinking: 1. I repeated the use of the Gelly Roll silver pen. I used it on the Jack-o-Lantern's face and as an outline on the cat on the tag. 2. I repeated the use of orange Rain Dots from Cloud 9 Design on the black scallop. 3. The lines in the patterned paper are repeated. 4. I inked the main card, the patterned paper, and the tag with Basic Black ink.

Not bad. I guess there's more of a design thought in here than I thought.

I never considered myself "whimsical" as far as design went. In fact, before seeing a mass of Cathy's work, I thought I was pretty conservative. However, lately, I seem to be loving the hand-drawn frame. I love the absence of perfection in it. You can notice its use on some of my scrapbooking and cards. I used a thicker line than I anticipated for this card, but I had to battle the stripes in the patterned paper. I needed a bolder line than I usually use.

So there you have it... a Halloween card! Who would have thought?


Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches
Stamps: SU! Party Punch, Hero Arts Jolly Jack o' Lantern
Ribbon: Offray black grosgrain
Paper: My Mind's Eye Spooked Stripes, PTI White
Ink: SU! Basic Black, silver Gelly Roll, Copics (G24, E31, YR65)

A Christmas Contender!

The Framed Blue Bride Bird Print (shown) was my inspiration from Stef to get my behind in gear and design this year's Christmas card.

I wanted it to be simple, yet elegant. Last year's card had many, many pieces to cut and adhere. I wanted to avoid that this year, and send a meaningful message in a time of uncertainty on so many fronts.

When I bought the SU! set To You and Yours, I was shaking my head at myself. I have so many Christmas stamps and such a small window of time to use them. However, it was the dove that convinced me of its versatility. This could be used for many occasions when I want to wish someone the peace of the Holy Spirit. Yes, I was inspired by God to buy that set... I know... nice try, JoLynn. :)

However, I love the simplicity of this card. As you can see in the close-up, I added some glitter with my Gelly Roll pen. I argued with myself about masking... stamping the swirls with a metallic ink, then stamping the dove with a SU! Basic Gray. The metallic inks, however, take forever to dry and, after saving a few things I had done with them in the past and observing them, I noticed that these inks do not have staying power. The Gelly Roll pens dry almost right away and you get nice, subtle glitter without a big ol' mess. I saved the messier part for the inside sentiment (shown), which will be stamped in white craft ink. It looks great! The last time I used that ink on Night of Navy, I didn't give it time to dry and ruined an entire stack of stamped cards. I salvaged it by only using parts of the stamped images, but I wanted to scream... wait, I DID scream, when I did it.

Of course, I needed a little texture and dimension with this card. I used my new Long Classic Rectangles Nestabilities dies. Of course, I had to search the net AGAIN to remember how to put these through my Cuttlebug. I really need to use them more often! I also used my Scor-Pal for a few more lines to frame the image.



Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches
Paper: PTI white, SU! Night of Navy
Ink: SU! Basic Gray, SU! white craft ink, silver Gelly Roll pen
Stamps: SU! To You & Yours
Embossing: Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, and Scor-Pal

Real World Color 2

The second installment of a Real World Color assignment comes with a palette that just does not flow with JoLynn's stash of stuff. However, oddly, I found some things that did, indeed, include orange and pink (yeesh). That was a bit of a search. I found the dotted paper within my scraps. Hooray! The stickers were some Stampin Up! stickers, I believe from a Simply Scrappin' set, that worked really well. The title is rub ons from Daisy D's. They went on better than any rub ons I have ever used. They were fantastic, and don't they look cool? Almost as if printed from my PC.

Cathy wanted us to focus this layout on two people we knew. A compare/contrast... I almost found myself doing a Venn diagram... but then... I stopped! Whew! Anyway, I thought maybe I would do Karen and Jessie, but I didn't want to do that without giving them editorial privileges (hee hee), so I decided upon my husband and my older son. Just look at them! So handsome, and so twins separated at birth. I swear... I have pictures... I really am his mother. He looks almost 100% like his dad. Crazy. But lucky him, as I actually think his dad is a pretty good-looking guy. And his dad thinks his looks will make him a total "chick magnet." He's so humble.

Anyway, I also thought this was a good time to use these little Daily Inspiration cards from My Sentiments Exactly! I found them at The Keepsake Element. I was just standing there waiting to pay for my goods, and I saw them in a box on the counter. I knew I could find some use for them in my works.

This is still part of last week's work on asymmetry. One more thing Cathy asked of us was to find asymmetry in the world. I could not resist scanning my haircut from 1986. First, look how blasted thin I was! I think I was doing my Jane Fonda workout that week! Second, how cool was I with my asymmetrical haircut? Yeah. Cool. I know. And a little blurry.

Cards for a Cause

For those, like me, who produce cards at a faster rate than you need them, here is a link to a great outreach from Splitcoaststampers called Cards for a Cause.

Enjoy!

Multi-Level Challenge

Level 1 of Challenge: Well, I had a fun time with my scanner and this double-page spread! The fine art of scanning 12 x 12 pages is hard enough. When you have to now make it 24 x 12, oooh eeee! That was a toughie. It's definitely not my scanning skills that will win me big bucks! I tried to take a photo of this, but it just would not take well.

Level 2 of Challenge: "Jumping the gutter" was the hard part of this layout. This means that you actually cut pictures over the, well, "gutter," between the two pages. Not too hard to do, but something that made scanning a total pain. It added a nice effect to the asymmetrical sketch.

Level 3 of Challenge: My photos had to be scanned. Some of them were quite old and/or yellowing and/or browing. (I feel so young...ha ha) I had to actually photograph my picture from my wedding album to get a decent image of this matted 8 x 10.

Level 4 of Challenge: I have been tinkering with ideas of scrapbooking thoughts and images of my father for some time now. Thinking and saying I would do it and actually doing it were two very different things. It was tremendously difficult to work with these pictures. Each has its own meaning. Since my journaling is a little hard to read in the scan, here is a transcript:

This was an incredibly difficult layout for me to do, but one that was 15 years in the making. The fact that I could actually do this and not have a total breakdown shows some growth in my grief. These are photos of my father, who died in 1993 at the age of 65. I was 23 when he passed away… almost 24. He did not think that he would be around for many of the days pictured, particularly to see me graduate from high school or college. However, he lived to experience both. I have been living in regret of the things he has “missed”… the birth and lives of my children, seeing me earn my Master’s and National Board certification, knowing that I teach math and science (among other subjects). I know he has experienced them. It is I who misses him at these events. -10/15/2008

Design Your Life - Asymmetry

Ah, yes, asymmetry. This is JoLynn's gig. While I am not ga-ga in love with this page, I am ga-ga in love with the concepts behind it.

Asymmetry involves intentionally not having one side of the layout the same as the other. I always knew there was something good to being a little off, you know?

Anyway, I knew I wanted to do a baby photo page with both of my boys on it. It was a touch one, as the photos I chose didn't exactly fit all of Cathy's measurements for this sketch. However, I still think it's adorable. When I saw her template, with the "you" panel for the journaling, I could not get the Aerosmith song, "Angel," out of my head. I mean, it's how I honestly feel about my children. "You're the reason I live, You're the reason I die, You're the reason I give, When I break down and cry, Don't need no reason why, Baby, baby, baby, You're my angel..." I have been missing their "babyhood" lately.

I kept embellishments simple. The gray, blue combo reminds me of the colors we used to paint Ignatius' nursery 12 years ago. We had a Thomas the Tank Engine theme.

The Thickers ticked me off a bit. Very gummy adhesive that failed to stick very well.

Anyway, it is 12:30 AM, I am tired, but I had to get this layout out of my head. More to come, I hope, tomorrow.

Too much buck, not enough bang

Well, I decided to try Beate's weekend sketch, as I needed a card for our great-nephew Luke's birthday. Her sketch was a very fun one. Unfortunately, I had to use a Peanuts stamp I had just bought which was way too big to be true to the sketch. But I tried, and that says something, right?

Measurement was my issue throughout. I started it last night, Stamp-a-majig in hand, with the intention of having Snoopy and his "bird posse" going in an arc and through the smaller circle. Well, let's just say the stamp did not want to do this as badly as I wanted to make it work. Finally, I just stamped it on white and colored it with Copics and Spicas. I used the clear Spicas for glitter on the hats, balloons, and letters, and I used a blue Spica for the dots on the yellow circle.

The bottom partial circle drove my color choices. I bought it this weekend for half off and Scrapbook Friend'z. I was pretty excited to use it, but I have to say, there's very little left because of how many times I had to cut circles. I used my Cricut, finally, at the 5 inch "real dial size" setting to get a circle with a large enough radius to lay correctly in the layout. For the other circles, I used my Coluzzle template. Now, I must say... what is the allure to the Coluzzle? I have used it again and again, and the little tabs that you have to snip just anger me. What's the point of a template if I am still going to crew it up when I snip it? Anyone else feel that way, or am I missing some "Coluzzle magic?"

In all, I think the card looks very cute. As it's for a little boy, not much on the frills side was necessary. However, it took way too much time for the simple outcome. Live and learn. :)

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches

Paper: Bazzill brown, SU! Barely Banana, PTI white, Junkitz Laguna Guy Checkers

Stamp: Stampabilities Snoopy/Happy Birthday

Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Copics Y11, C3, BG72, SU! Summer Sun marker, Spicas

Also... dimensionals

IC149 - Mizue Hirano

Yes, I went completely out of my comfort zone today. We were to gather inspiration from the watercolor works of Mizue Hirano. I know I really should dig more into watercolors, but, the truth is, the abstractness of them is a little intimidating to me. I love to see watercolor done well, but I am usually not the one doing it.

My inspiration piece is shown. Of course it was a chocolate container. I mean, it's me, right? I saw this and basically several stamps and inks came into my mind immediately. That's always good. I tried to stay true to most pf the colors and the basic design. I really like how the sentiment panel turned out. You can't see it too well in the photo, but the white card base is attached to a panel of black cardstock and then that is mounted on a panel of SU! Pretty in Pink. I tried just the black, but it washed almost all the color out of the stamped images.

Size: 4.5 x 5.25 inches

Paper: PTI white, SU! Pretty in Pink, black

Stamps: SU! On Your Birthday, Mixed Bouquet, Enjoy Every Moment, Pick a Petal, Simply Circles

Ribbon: Offray black grosgrain

Ink: SU! Craft White, Lovely Lilac, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, and Pumpkin Pie

OCD - The Way for Me

All righty. Tonight, I was bemoaning the fact that I needed "more space" for my materials. I have some black modular cubes. I really would like a couple more. My hubby, of course, asked, "Why don't you just throw some stuff away?" While I didn't fully appreciate his insinuation, reminding him how much the craft saves me in therapy bills, it did make me ponder the use of my cardstock file drawer.

Long ago, I purchased off of Ebay tags for hanging file folders. The tags were for each of the cardstock colors at the time. For a while, I had a file for each color. Tonight, I realized how much space that wasted. So, I reorganized. Yes, it took a long time. But I did find space. I also created a ring using my curly punch of each of the colors I had. Thank goodness for old catalogs, as some of the names for some of the In Colors escaped me. Plus, some of the hues are SO similar. Cranberry Crisp and Bravo Burgundy... hardly a difference.

So the photos are of my finished drawer and ring, and the mess that was on my floor after rearranging the hanging files. Fun! Next... my scraps. But not tonight. That is for another day.

Real World Color I

Well, Cathy picked a great color combination to challenge us. I love this palette, but I have to say I spent a lot of time changing my mind on patterned paper. I knew I wanted to use some, but I kept arguing with myself over what I wanted to use.

I dug in to Ignatius' picture album from his first days, as yesterday's spread was all about King Max. Glad I was medicated. You know, the 3 AM feedings, the diaper changing... that stuff is such a pain. But there are some things about infancy that I just adore and can never get back. May I always remember what it was like to first hold my boys!

Cathy's sketch was for a simple 8.5" x 11" page. I really can't believe how, when I am finally sitting and focusing, I can whip these pages out. I used some of my stickers from Stampin' Up!'s Summer Home Simply Scrappin' kit. The sentiments on the stickers were perfect for this layout.

Baja Breeze is now becoming one of my all-time favorite cardstocks. I also used SU!'s Afternoon Tea patterned paper.

Design Your Life - 8.5" x 11" Symmetry

Here's the next installment for my Design Your Life class. We are still working on symmetry, but this one is a double-page spread using 8.5 x 11" paper rather than 12 x 12" paper. I also attempted to "stitch" this image by scanning both sheets and combining them on a canvas in Photoshop. Yeah, so here's my {stupid} question for Photoshoppers... Why does it say the image size is, say, 8.5 x 11, but when you actually try to mess with it on a canvas, it's truly ginormous? Obviously, I missed something about file size vs. actual size in my class. I have to make it say 3 inches by whatever before I get a manageable image size. If you know how to counsel me on this topic, feel free to comment!

My hubby thought I was a nutcase while I was taking these photos. We were asked to work with something we liked (or in my case, an obsession). Here you go... sugar. The nectar of the gods. I have used it for so many things... comfort, energy, compulsion... I thought it was time that it had its own page. I was humming the Candyman song from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as I was making the page, so I decided to script as much of the song as I could as a border for the layout. I think it looks cute. Then I used my SU! sweet stamp from So Very as my page title.

Despite the fact that I couldn't line the pages up completely, the scanned image didn't turn out too badly, either.

Design Your Life - Sketch 1

This week, the Design Your Life class is focusing on symmetrical design. I have had this layout in my head. I forced myself to stay up and get it done, as I have another layout yet to complete this week to stay on schedule.

Cathy's sketch was very clean. I had very little problem following through with this, as she always appeals to my need for a sense of order. LOVE the Thickers... "Sprinkles." Perfect for a glitzy boy page.

My text reads: "There should be no doubt in anyone's mind. One person rules the Plato kingdom. His dad might think he is the monarch (or tyrant most days), but honestly, he should know better. The baby of the family reigns! These photos were shot when I got my Stamping Royalty crown. As soon as Max saw it, he knew it was meant for him. I wouldn't have it any other way. Long live King Maximilian (minus the Doritos beard)! 9/12/2008"

Too much is never enough

I was about to mail my brother's card when I realized that my niece (his daughter) had a birthday at the end of September. Nope, didn't send her a card yet.

This stamp looks so... "her." I really think she will enjoy it. On the inside, I used the SU! On Your Birthday "Happy Birthday" and "(a little late)" sentiments. I am becoming quite proficient at belated cards. Could be a market for me, eh?

This fulfills yet another SCS World Cardmaking Day challenge! This one is the limited supplies challenge. We were to avoid pastels and patterned paper. I love limiting supplies. It forces me to really think about colors, textures, and balance. I wished I had a cute yoga-ish, birthday-ish saying for this stamp. I settled for the sentiment from SU! Full of Life.

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches

Paper: (I think) SU! Garden Green, Only Orange, and PTI white

Stamps: SU! Full of Life and On Your Birthday, Stamping Bella yogabella

Embellishments: SU! Felt Fusion flowers, silver brads, Dimensionals

Coloring Media: Adirondack Pitch Black, Copics (Willow, Brick Beige, Skin White, Flesh, Cool Gray), SU! Brilliant Blue

Idiots... and then there's me...

So, it's 1:17 a.m., and some dorks in the neighborhood ring the doorbell. This makes me scratch my head almost as much as cow-tipping. Everyone in my house is asleep, except me. Since I have some lights on, what else could be funnier, I suppose, than to ring our doorbell? I guess the question is, who is the bigger idiot, them or me (for being awake making cards)? Your choice. :) Ah, the midwest... excitement that can't be had anywhere else.

Anyway, I was making a card for a friend... I have been horribly remiss in sending her a card after her husband passed away at the end of August. It's almost embarrassing to send it now, but to not send it at all would be terrible.

So, I used another World Cardmaking Day challenge. This time, we were asked to use the Coldwater Creek catalog as inspiration. Many of the colors of the season were inspiring. So, I just decided to find a happy medium of patterns and colors that would fit. I found in my newer Club SEI mini-kit some papers that were just delicious. The papers are from SEI's Windsor collection. I paired them up with SU! Really Rust and Chocolate Chip, adding some Oriental Trading velvet ribbon and some gold brads I had hanging around. I used a stamp from my SU! Hope for Comfort set. I distressed the panels just a bit to take away some harsh contrast.

Now, off to bed before the din-dong ditchers strike again. :) Ah, to be young and stupid.

Oh, there's more!

Apparently, I am on fire here. Crazy creative juices.

Here is my submission for WCMDFS08. We were to look at the SCS gallery of SherryLC05 for inspiration. INDEED! Lots of good stuff. With featured stampers, I enjoy taking a journey from their beginnings. I CASEd a card that SherryLC05 did a while back (shown), and I put a little '08 twist to it. I tried to incorporate the green, but the blue and white would not let me.

I really, really like how this turned out. It's a belated birthday card for my niece, whose birthday was Friday.

I have no idea where I got the clear tab. I think it was a Bazzill giveaway at something I attended. Anyway, loved that I had it. I inked it with a white Adirondack acrylic dauber. To stamp on it, I colored part of the SU! Define Your Life "wish" definition with my black Bic Mark it. I huffed... I puffed... I stamped. I cleaned it right away, and all survived the experience. I really wanted to use the wish definition, but I wasn't sure how to balance it without having the card become to cluttered.

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches

Paper: SU! Baja Breeze and Maine Blueberry DSP

Stamps: SU! Define Your Life

Accessories: Sheer white ribbon and silver brads

Ink: Adirondack white acrylic, black Bic Mark it

Tee Inspired

Today's SCS Inspiration Challenge involved the silkscreen from Harrilu (shown). Very interesting shirts. I loved the color and design on this one. I also loved the silhouetted bird. Although I started out needing a birthday card, this didn't seem to fit the recipient, so I will save it for another occasion.

I kept viewing this, pondering other embellishments, but, honestly, like the shirt, I think simple makes a better impact. So...no ribbons, no brads, no bling. Just bird and flourish.

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches

Stamps: SU! Baroque Motifs and Cornish Heritage Farms Pretty Birds

Paper: SU! Sahara Sand

Ink: SU! Basic Black and Bliss Blue

World Cardmaking Day

What a great day for cardmakers everywhere, yes? This is actually the first time I have sat down and made a card today. I have several to make, so I thought I would wait until I could really dig in. I spent some time hanging with my peeps at Karen's event. I helped Kate with making her box, but I am so card heavy here that I thought I better not make some. I still wanted to be social, though. It's my life's calling. :) Plus, the cause was a good one... read up on it via the link above.

My first card was for the Splitcoast sketch for today. Loved the sketch (pictured). It was quick and easy. This card is for my brother's birthday, which is tomorrow. Dang, and I think he's 45. Crazy how time flies.

So, this card is pretty masculine. No ribbon, a little "lift," and a little texture. I love it, though, as Always Artichoke has to be one of my favorite SU! colors. And how could you not love Prints DSP? These scraps were around from my miniscrapbook adventure of last night. [FLASH OF MEMORY... Did you every think back to what your Friday and Saturday nights in college were like? I think I would have laughed myself out the dorm if you told me in 20 years I would spent the weekend scrapbooking and stamping. Small digression... just popped into my head.]

Size: 5.5 x 5.5 inches

Paper: SU! Sahara Sand, Always Artichoke, and Prints DSP

Stamps: SU! Enjoy Every Moment and Teeny Tinies

Ink: SU! Always Artichoke

Accessories: Silver brads, Stamp-a-majig, and Dimensionals

My Life in a Night

It all started last night.

I was so excited about Cathy Zielske's class starting that I decided to do some bloghopping to some of my favorite peeps. Cathy, Becky Higgins... they had this project to which I was immediately drawn. They had gotten the "Realize Your Life" idea from Stacy Julian.

Take a look at Becky's blog(Oct. 2) and Cathy's creation. Cool. Below is a slide show of mine. I used an acrylic tab book (Cover to Cover Tab Book by Midnight Oil Scrapbook Designs) that I bought at CKC Kansas City last year. I did not have the cute little Bazzill book to use, so this took a bit more time, but I will really enjoy it over the next year.

It's here!

I got my November/December issue of Paper Crafts from my mailbox today. It's official! I am published. Woo hoo!

On page 80, my card entitled "Life Moments Card" sits next to two other cards using the two-step stamping technique. It looks like they moved my sentiment panel slightly for the shot, which gives me a weird fung swei feeling. Plus, it's a bit hard to see the word "Life" that I stamped in blue. However, they liked the card, I like the card, and now everyone gets to see the card in print. I must say, that's a nice feeling. Hopefully, I will have time to submit more.