Project Life

I was laying pretty low in Project Life, alas, and I was feeling behind.  Then I saw the amount of pages I HAVE completed, and I embraced that.  Gotta keep the "glass half full" mentality, as it makes me happier than the other alternative.

Tonight, I finally got a Zumba page completed, which has been on my docket for a while.  I used some pics that Krystal had taken way back in January/February (for the life of me, I cannot recall... I know it was a Monday morning when we had off.  I think it was in January.) and uploaded to Facebook.

My favorite parts of this page:
-Pictures of my peeps
-Zumba ribbon (formerly wrapped around a Zumba beach towel gift from KK)
-A sample "playlist" of songs from classes
-The fact that school was out and we were at Zumba at 8:30 AM on a Monday in the winter

More July crafting, and some "new" furniture

Last week, I participated in some summer inservicing for math. As much as I wanted to craft, there just wasn't the time. I did, however, get to attend my dealer's Open House for the new Stampin' Up! catalog. I thought I would showcase her awesome make-n-takes from this event. I do not have the specs for the cards, so, Karen, if you are reading this, feel free to comment on that.

I took my photos of the cards on one of my new end tables. So I have also included some pics of our living room. I am in the middle of deciding what to do with the walls (vinyl decals dance in my head), but I thought I would share my furniture story.

We sold our almost-20-year-old furniture at our garage sale this spring. We have had an empty room, which has driven my husband close to crazy, but didn't bother me much. As he was driving around the neighborhood on Thursday, he noticed a neighbor setting up for a garage sale. He spied our new furniture and rushed home to show me photos.

This entire set was bought for $300. It's a couple years old, and there are some wearing and tearing, but in all, I think it looks pretty great. The sofa retails for $1000, and the love seat retails for $800, so right there, I think we got a nice deal. The coffee tables are really sturdy, so I know they were not cheap either. Anyway, I thought it rocked, and I will try to show, as the days go on, the metamorphosis that occurs with the room. We had the hardest time figuring the arrangement. You may notice my husband's other garage sale find, the wood divider, has been brought in. There are pockets of the room that, to me, just look empty (by the windows). I think, after 8 years, we are finally going to put window treatments in the windows. I LOVE how the windows look, but I think it causes our summer electric bills to be outrageous.

Enjoy!



This next one is Max's favorite card. He kept walking around the house with it. I kinda like it a whole lot, as well. Simple, yet very cute. Showcases some new colors.

Is it just me, or...

...do other people let photos that they want to frame pile up? Yeah, it's probably just me.

Today in "crafty July," I spent some time doing some framing.

We went through a period of time when, if it wasn't the cleaners, it was Max bumping a picture from my craft area onto the ceramic tile foyer 15 feet below. I took some of those pics and combined them in a collage frame (not very much like me, but I like the way it combined some pics in one frame). I also framed some 8 x 10s of the boys that were waiting for a frame. Now, all I need is to hang them.

A little digi-scrapbooking?

We have been on the go for the past several days, so my craftiness has consisted of taking photos and video of our excursions. I have some blog archiving at this site. Many of my pcs and videos are on Facebook for my friends there.

Happy July 4th to all!

July 1 - The crafting crazies begin

The time has arrived. It is, indeed, the first day of July, and I am making good on my goal to complete some type of craft each day. Today? A card to start July off right.
Each year, when July arrives, my country celebrates its birth. I have said it before, and I'll say it again: July 4th is one of my favorite holidays, if not my #1. It's summer. I'm relaxed. I still have some summer ahead of me. Life is usually pretty good.

I also take time to remember and pray for those who risk their lives for the world's freedom. Those who are overseas trying to keep peace in conditions we cannot even imagine. To those individuals, I dedicate today's card.

For this card, I partially CASEd my idea from a card on the cover of the new SU! catalog. I like how they used the Sizzix die but had different strips of paper. I had in mind less of a pattern and more randomness... I had read strips and star patterned paper... but my inner sense of linear order won out.

Size: 4.25 x 5.5" (or really close)
Cardstock: SU! Textured Night of Navy and Basic Gray
Patterned Paper: from a slab I bought at Hobby Lobby
Twill Ribbon: Stampin' Up!
Star Brads: one of the first embellies I ever bought... no idea who the manufacturer was
Stamp: SU! Teeny Tinies
Ink: Stampabilities Pigment Ink
Die: Sizzix Top Note by Stampin' Up!

Stampin' Up! Catalog 2010-2011

As a Stampin' Up! customer/hoarder, I get all tingly getting a new catalog. Enter the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog. Yeah! Of course, there are things that I have wanted over the course of a few catalogs, and there are things that I really like that are new. So, here's my "covet" list (because "wish" implies something far less, well, covetous).

Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper, p. 174
Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper, p. 175
Fine Flourish Stamp, p. 140
Fabulous Phrases Stamp Set, p. 149
FYI Stamp Set, p. 148
Sweet Shoppe Alphabet Sets (love this font!), p. 162
New Color Coach, p. 165
Sweet Treat Cups, p. 170
Decor Accents Date Keeper, p. 170
One Great Year, p. 179
Simply Adorned Charms, p. 189
Circle 3D Ornament Bibz die, p. 206 (school need when we do icosahedron ornaments!)

I really haven't fallen in love with any of the new colors yet... but give me time...

July

I have thoroughly and completely enjoyed the entire month of June. Truly. With the exception of one area: my crafting. So, I hearby declare July a month of crafting. Each day. Something. Be it ever so small or frighteningly large. This statement is pretty vague so I am stating here and now on this blog what I specifically plan to work on:

• Me, the Abridged Version scrapbook: started a year ago in September, this is one of my FAVORITE scrapbook projects. I must spend parts of July completing this.
• Project Life: Um, hello. If the pages in my Project Life album aren't easy enough, then I am just NOT a scrapbooker. Must do some catch up there.
• May I see some ink, please?: I will make cards with stamps I just HAD to have, yet have never used.

Ambitious? Yes. However, my craft room is gathering dust, and my summer is 1/3 gone. Let's get 'er done.