Lots of things!

Hi everybody!

I have been a little MIA lately - sorry! With the craziness of Christmas, DT deadlines, a new job, and (sadly) a death in the family, I've been running around like a crazy woman. God help me when there are kids to chase after...

Anyway, I hope everybody had a very Merry Christmas!! Did you get some fun stuff? Did you see some loved peeps? I did! We had a pretty hectic few days, driving all over creation, but we really had a great time seeing everybody and eating. Oh, the eating... I'm still full of ham and potatoes... And the chocolate? I don't even want to think about the amount of chocolate I consumed...

I have a few little bits of news for you for this post-Christmassy post:

#1) The Scrapbook Nook is having its Design Team call! It's going to be very sad to see some people go, but very exciting to see who all the new folks will be! If you think you've got what it takes, well then head on over to the Nook's message board, and check it out!

Here's the January kit - I'm in LOVE!


#2) If you're going to be at CHA this January, give me a jingle! I'll be there Saturday - Wednesday and it would be amazing to meet some of you lovely cyber people in real life!! I can't wait to see what everybody has in store for us this season!

#3) I'm working on putting together some mini-book kits for Scrapper's Depot in Napa! It's a fun one - packed full of fun stuff! If you're gonna be in the area this month, you'll definitely have to check it out! Class dates to follow!

So what's your guilty pleasure?

That's what's on the table for you over at the All About Me Challenge Blog today!

For me, the entire Christmas Season is my guilty pleasure - I'm one of those mushy people who get teary-eyed at the melting snowman commercials. I bake incessantly, and I crave the smell of cinnamon pine cones every time I walk through the door of Jo-Ann's. I love it all!

Here's my layout:




So now check out the rest of the layouts the Design Team made over at the AAM Blog! And let's see what you come up with!!

The drummers they are a-drummin'!

Today is day twelve of Scrapbook News & Review's 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop!

This season has been full of some great releases, including Cosmo Cricket's Jolly By Golly, Basic Grey's Eskimo Kisses, Collage Press's Joy Ride, October Afternoon's Very Merry, Making Memories' Mistletoe, Bella Blvd.'s December Details, Kaiser Craft's Christmas Spirit and 3 Bugs in a Rug's Let It Snow.

SO MUCH FUN STUFF!!

I've had the chance to play with a few of these lines lately, and here's some of the projects I made:
Christmas Tag: Making Memories Paper, Prima Alpha Stickers.
Directions: Make an accordion circle out of a strip of decorative paper, cut out a round tag to sit on top, and use stickers to say 'You' then tie a knot in some twine and glue it to the back side of the tag. Punch a circle out of another patterned paper for the back of the tag for reinforcement.


My Miracle: Making Memories papers, Prima Alpha stickers adn newsprint flower.

For directions on how to make this layout, visit The Scrapbook Nook's message board!

I hope you all have had lots of fun with Scrapbook News & Review's 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Have I told you...

That I am a glutton for punishment? Seriously...

So I decided a few months ago that hand sewing a hexagonal king-sized duvet cover was surely the most sane thing on earth I could do with my time. Ugh... I saw it first here and just thought, I can do that! I didn't read what Alicia actually had to say about the project - that she'd start small because it would be crazy to attempt anything bigger than a pillow case or placemat. No no, I didn't go back and read that until later, when my fingers felt like I could just crumple them up and throw them in the trash. WHY GOD?!?!


Anyway, after I decided that hands are just hands and what are they for if not for destroying on a daily basis, I went digging through my stash to add lots more colors and textures to my blossomy pile of pain. I have fabric leftover from the curtains I sewed for mom's studio, and the first pillows I sewed for my dorm room freshman year, the kitchen curtains I bought for Eric and my first house together (he hated them on the rod, so naturally they needed to go into our duvet cover, right?) and a few other nostalgic fabric remnants I've kept over the years. Then I went to **gasp** Jo-Ann's and bought a couple of coordinating solids and a few fat quarters to add to the mix, and then my first-ever Heather Bailey fabric from my little quilt shop in town.


After I finished cutting the stack of 2.5"x2.5" blocks, and regained use in my hands, I printed out my hexagonal papers and cut them out. Alicia gave a link to a great little online shop to buy pre-cut hexagon papers, but I figured, why not just save some money? And quite honestly, I didn't want to wait for them to ship. I'm that impatient. So I hopped onto Photoshop and made my own one-inch hex template - fast and easy. Here it is, if you want it, just remember to print it out as an 8.5x11. You'll need about a million of the little buggers, to do anything of a size that's worth anything...

After I stitched a bunch of the blossoms together I ended up with this sweet little stack of optimism - I'd made it that far, so surely I could just keep on going, right? Well, no, not really, because that sweet little stack needed a cute little dish to sit in, so off shopping I went in search of the perfect little dish. $5 at Ross later, I had it. It's just the right shade of blue. It's exactly the right size. It's perfect, dontcha think?


I'm hoping that this little undertaking will not take me the entire course of my natural life to finish. My goal is to have the top finished by the end of January. If I'm really lucky. Like, as lucky as this woman. Have you seen this?? Crazy!

Anyway, thanks for hanging in there - hopefully I'll have something amazing to show you soon.

Happy Saturday!!

jeezy creezy what on earth is that?

Is it just me or is Christmas getting closer and closer? And all those projects that I need to get done just seem farther and farther (or is it further and further - I never can remember how that works) away from actually being completed. I always delude myself into thinking that hand-made gifts are better than store-bought ones, but really I think this is just some subconscious reasoning to go to Jo-Ann's and buy more than I need to. At least that's how it feels, and really, I think after all is said and done, I've probably spent more on my hand-made gifts than if I just went out and bought them all. Humbug.

Today was a good day, though. I am starting a new job as a rep for Millsrepco - a scrapping/stamping rep firm. I'll be servicing all of Northern California, and a few stores in the Central Valley and Bay Area. YAY! Samples to play with, new people to meet, and CHA in January! I am a lucky girl!!

To celebrate my little victory, I came home and scrapped just for me. No mandatory scrapping today!! I finished up some WIPs like that wreathe up there. Here's the page I made for my sis's album. It's so much more fun to scrap really pretty people who take even prettier pictures.







It was so awesome to scrap the photo that I wanted, with the materials that I wanted, with no challenge, and no constraints. Not that I'm complaining - I love being on DTs and building kits and teaching classes. LOVE IT. But it has been a while since I have been able to scrap like this and I've really missed it.

Oh! I almost forgot! Check out the Nook's December kit - it's amazing, and right now you could win one free!! All you have to do is upload your projects to the gallery - every upload counts as an entry, so upload a bunch, and while you're there, chat us up a bit! We don't bite. Well... I don't, but you just never know about that Zarah...

Look at the awesome projects our DT has put together using this incredible kit!

Processing the Holidays

That's the name of the game over at the All About Me Challenge Blog. Today is the release of this great new challenge, so jump on over and take a look at the layouts the DT put together.

Here's mine:

This was a hard page to put together, because I am generally nothing but excited for Christmas and all that comes along with it. BUT there have been some difficult feelings in the past about where we (my mom, sis, and I) fit in in all of it.


Ultimately, we are a stronger family for getting through it all, and we've made our own traditions that we look forward to every year. Things are constantly changing, and I love it all!

It's sale time!

Hey all, just wanted to give you a heads up about an awesome sale going on over at the Scrapbook Nook!

Sign up For a 12 Month Membership....

When you sign up for a 12 month membership now through Sunday you will receive the kit below for FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just add it to the shopping cart when you're done signing up..........click the link below to sign up.

**FREE Fall Kit When You Sign Up For 12 Months And Receive The 13th KIT FREE

Fall Mini Kit! Sign up for a 12 month membership and receive this kit for FREE! After 1 year you will receive your 13th kit for FREE.

3 Double Sided Specialty Papers
7 Double Side Papers
1 Cardstock Alpha & Number Sticker
1 Package of Epoxy Stickers
1 Package of Felt Stickers
1 Package of Clear Cut Panels
26” each of five ribbons that coordinate with Autumn Bliss
REGULAR PRICE: $29.99

OR

Sign Up For A Three Month Membership....

Sign up for a 3 month membership and receive the November kit for 1/2 off retail price.

Let me introduce you to the lovely November kit! Lush with Lily Bee Audrey papers and embellishments, velvet ribbon and tulle florals, November will sweep you off your feet! Perfect for wedding photos, posh black and whites, and the formalities of daily life! With rich jewel tones and classic neutrals, this kit will be a black tie event!

November includes:
Lily Bee Audrey Papers
American Crafts Blue Velvet trim
Black Ribbon
Lily Bee rubons
American Crafts Vera alphabet in black Vinyl
October Afternoon mini alpha in black and cream
Lily Bee die cuts

SALE PRICE: $15.49
***************************************************************************
If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, check out the kits at My Scrapbook Nook by clicking this link.

Just keep swimming....

As you can see, I'm making some changes. Bear with me. Let me know if there's anything weird going on. I was so embarrassed the other day when I got on my fiancee's laptop, and my background only filled half the screen! Has that happened to you? Mortified.

Anyway, I'm tired of maintaining two sites, so I'm going to combine the website with the blog. It serves absolutely no purpose at all to have a website, but it costs the same as if I just paid for the domain name, so what the heck. I hate html, but I'm learning, so hopefully it will grow on me.

Any suggestions?

My Mark

Here is the new challenge over at the All About Me Challenge Blog. Check it out!

We all have a mark. We all leave a mark. And these marks say something about us all. Do you have a scar or tattoo or birthmark? Is it in a fun place? Does it make you happy or does it bring up sad memories? Have you left your mark on someone else? Someplace else? Well, we want to hear all about it. The good. The bad. The happy. The sad. Tell us about your mark and what it says about you!

My mark is the tattoo I got on my right foot a couple years ago. It says "1 Corinthians 16:14" which is "Let all the things you do be done in love." Of all the scars I have, this is the only one I asked for. Tattoos were always a little taboo in my family, so when I got my first tiny little heart on my tush, I was a little afraid to tell my mom. After she got used to it, though, she ended up really liking it. So much so that she went with my little trend and got one of her own. Where, you ask? Her a$! Love it! This is my second tattoo - and probably my last. It is the most painful thing that has ever been done to me. Worth it, but not a second time. It serves as a great reminder to me and I am so glad I have it!



This might be an emotional topic for you, but I really encourage you to get it out. Do you have more than one mark? Do a mini album about them!

Check out what the design team created using this challenge!

I'm baaaaack!

I neglect things. Like yoga, and ironing, and dishes, and....this blog. This blog for sure. I was in Fresno for a few days. Well, nine days, really. Not planned, just kept saying, "I'll go home tomorrow." Then tomorrow came and I just couldn't get in the car. But now I'm back.

I'm back and the house is dirty. And there is laundry 4' high. And there are dishes overflowing the dishwasher. I don't even want to think about the carpet...A weed wacker might be more effective than a vacuuming at this point.

So today I cleaned. And cleaned. And cleaned. And now I'm pooped. My hands are all pruned, too.

So getting right down to it. I have a few things to tell you.

1. The All About Me Challenge Blog is posting its new challenge tomorrow - and I'm the host! Be sure to check it out to see all the amazing layouts from the Design Team.

2. The Scrapbook Nook just had a virtual crop this weekend. Looking for some inspiration? Well then you better go check out the message board and gallery over there! Need even more inspiration? Sign up to get the amazing monthly kit!

3. My birthday is November 27. Just thought you should know. It's putting me in a good mood. Want a fun little distraction? Go to wishlist.com - but be careful, it's a little addictive! Here's my list!

Fresno For A Bit

I love being home. Mom's front yard in fall is amazing. The light in the late afternoon hits the violas and mums and morning glories in a way that makes you feel the beauty of the season all over.



The cats laze about and the house smells like cinnamon and vanilla and chocolate chip cookies. This year is so much warmer than usual, so the studio doors can stay open and we can hear kids playing outside and smell fireplaces burning. It's perfect.




I've been working on getting a few things together for some exciting classes coming up at Scrappers Depot. Have you seen the new Bella Blvd line for Christmas? It's called December Details. Take a look - you'll love it! More to come soon!

And the winner is...

Congrats to Kim R! You are the winner of the mini pin cushion! Send me an email with your address and I'll get it sent out right away!

KimR said...

Oh yes---I drooled over your room on the Bella Blvd. Blog! I would LOOVE one of those pin cushions!!! So cute! Will you post directions for those of us not lucky enough to win one!? :)

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 1:37:00 PM PST

Thanks to everyone who stopped by - your comments were all so sweet! I hope you had a ton of fun with this little hop of ours - I know we all did!

Now remember, don't be a stranger!

Hiipity Hoppity Hopperoo!

Howdy, Hoppers!

So good of you to stop by! I'm so excited you could join us for the first ever All About Me Blog Hop! Did you enjoy visiting Iris? Yowza, she has got some amazing pages!!!

By now you are all up to date on today's challenge "I Just Can't Live Without..." Here's my layout:



Journaling reads: "Just can't live without the other weirdo in my life - Katie."

So, what can't you live without? Chocolate? High heels? Your honey? Show us what you just have to have! Leave a comment with a link to your layout and I will randomly select one of you to win a fabulous prize! Become a follower of this blog for another entry. Become a follower of the All About Me Blog for yet another entry. Just come back here and leave another comment to let me know about the additional entries you earned. So many chances to win this awesome prize! Wanna know what it is?

Well, if you saw my studio on Bella Blvd.'s Blog, then maybe you noticed this little bit of goodness:


It's my very favoritest thing in my whole studio right now - my vintage wall pin cushion! I love this thing! It houses all those adorable pins and when you need one, no having to dig around to find one, poking yourself in the process - they're right there to say, "Pick me!" I made another one just exactly like it, and it's up for grabs to you!

So remember to leave those comments by 1o pm PST on November 6th for your chances to win!!

Here's some fun little facts for you to ponder about the weirdness that is me:

1. My childhood ambition: To be a country singer. Secretly, still is...
2. My retreat: The studio. I just bunker down in there until the storm passes.
3. The perfect day: Sleep late. Wake up and pillow talk with the DF. Breakfast. Go for a drive in the Cobra. Picnic lunch. Picnic smooching :) Ice Cream and window shopping. Movie. Dinner out. Home. More pillow talk.
4. My first job was: Hmm... this is a hard one. Of course babysitting goes without saying. My first job in college was the best one - I ran errands and cleaned house for a crazy lady. She paid me what she thought I deserved. My biggest paycheck was after I sat with her for seven hours watching Fox News when we went to war in Iraq. $32/hour. Nuff said.
5. My wildest dream: Oh that's a tough one. Singing on a stage Reba style is probably the most "out there" dream of mine.
6. If my life was a musical it would be called: Annie Get Your Glue
7. My proudest moment: Being the first in my family to graduate from College - Yeah, Baby!
8. My favorite item of clothing: All four pairs of yoga pants. I very rarely do yoga, but they're so comfy.
9. I feel ready for the day when I: Put on mascara.
10. I COULD live without: Cellulite. Who needs it? Really...

Well kids, it's been real! Don't forget to grab up as many entries as you can for the chance to grab up that cute little pin cushion! Now head on over to Arlene's Blog for some teeny terrors!! Don't be scared, she doesn't bite.

Studio Snapshots

Today's my last reveal day over at Bella Blvd.'s Blog - so sad and exciting at the same time. Today you'll get to see a layout and my scrap space. Be sure to check it out!


Here's my studio:

It's a little embarrassing showing photos of my current studio because everything is just sort of half-unpacked, half-done, and shoved wherever it fits. I was told not to drill/hammer/screw or glue anything to the walls as we're just renting for a little bit until our house is ready, but after a couple months of boring walls I said, "Screw it!" Literally.

This is the space that guests (meaning my Mom, because Eric does his best to stay away from such girliness!) usually sits and jabbers with me, although my hex quilt has been sitting there staring at me for days! I keep all my mementos hidden inside the trunk of the coat rack, and my swiftly shrinking collection of smut novels on top. My magazine rack was a super find for $10, the little dresser was a $3 hard sale discovery from my sis, and the vintage case hold nothing - I just think it's super cute!

Below is my desk/Inspiration place. Careful, don't blink or it will look totally different when you open your eyes! This is where I put together all of my projects, so it is crammed full of those immediate-need sort of things. My favorite thing in the world is my pink lamp and my framed pinchusion! LOVE THAT-and easy to make! The wall below the shelf is a constantly revolving inspiration station. It has everything from great graphics to funny quotes!!! Projects in progress are parked in the 12x12 plastic trays on the right.

Love me my paper rack! Another $3 yard sale find that I have yet to paint. Papers are organized by manufacturer. Thank the Lord (and my future in-laws) for my tabloid printer - where would I be without it?

I keep all of my inks and ribbons in these two wall cubbies and use only Ranger Distress Inks and inexpensive Studio G $1 inks - they do the job!

I put the desk perpendicular to the wall to create another little space for sewing. Another half-finished project - will eventually be yellow to match the bench. Hanging wall storage is from Ikea. This is probably the most versatile system I have. It started out in my kitchen in college, and will eventually hold all of my quilts. For now it is the perfect spot for draping fabrics, aprons-in-progress and future embroidery projects!

Well, that's all, folks! It's small and definitely crammed in there, but I love it all! I am so lucky to have a space that is just for being crafty. I am a happy lady!

Happy Friday, everyone! Have a great weekend!

Another Nook Layout

Love my my Nook kit! You know me, I'm an October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket, Bella Blvd kind of girl. Love the cutesy stuff. But gotta say, I'm loving Lily Bee. So not me. Not me at all. But I am having such a great time playing and challenging myself to be something different. That's what's so great about the Nook - you just never know what's around the corner. There's something so refreshing about that!

Here's my latest layout using Audrey, one of Lily Bee's new lines that just so happens to be the featured line in this months kit. Check it out!

Bella Blvd, Sneaky Peeky, and Chocolate. Lots of Chocolate.

Monday began my Bella Artista week over at the Bella Blvd. Blog. Have you checked the Blvd out? It's amazing - complete with cute mini mascot and everything!

Anyway, I found out a few months ago that I would have the honor of serving as a guest designer and that a bundle of goodies would be on its way for me to complete some super fun projects. What a bundle of goodies - so many fun and adorable papers, stickers, and the Blooms a Bella? So stinkin' cute!

Today at Bella they are featuring a project I did as a memorial to my cat. Yes, I am a cat person. But I love me a good dog, too - just ask Eric. Kona, you can live at my house any old time you feel like it! I digress...

The challenge presented to me was to make a page with hearts and butterflies using the Flirty collection. Now, you may be wondering how such a feminine collection fits a male cat named Lucifer. I understand. It's a little strange. Well, somehow he always managed to find my "pretty things" and plop right down on them. Anything from the one and only pretty bra I own (cuz let's face it, getting these girls in anything less that an industrial strength harness made by some German company called Olga is a near impossibility) to stretching out right on top of a frilly, pink, glittery layout was fair game for him. I figured that since he always wanted to be around the pretty things, the Flirty collection was just perfect for him! Oh, and for clarification, it's Lucifer as in "Lucifer, come here! You mean ol thing..." Cinderella style - no satanic undertones. Promise.

Here he is:



Anyway, be sure to check out Bella, take a look at some of the amazing projects the other Bella Artistas have done, and if you love it all as much as I do, be sure to tell your LSS about them!



In other news, I am quickly finishing up my very first mini-from-scratch. Scrappers Depot in Napa is letting me play with the beautiful Earth Love collection from Cosmo Cricket. I'm mixing in bunches of other fun stuff, too. Fabrics, laces, burlap ricrac, a host of fun punches, and you might even find some chocolate in there. Because let's face it - it's necessary.

The mini is called "My Great, Full List." It's currently about three inches thick and is only getting bigger. (That's what she said - I know you Office people hear me!) The class will be offered mid-November - I'll let you know more when I know more!

Oh, and the chocolate I mentioned? Well, I made six dozen chocolate chip cookies yesterday. Why six dozen, you ask? Well, we bought butter at Costco, and it was just sitting there... I haven't made them in about six months because the 100 or so batches I made before that all turned out crappy. I gave up, declared there would be no more chocolate chip crappies in this house! And yesterday the temptation was just too great...

They turned out good, in case you were wondering. DF tood three dozen to the office today. Hopefully I don't eat the other three dozen before he gets home tonight. I've had three for breakfast so far... Seems balanced to me.

YAY YAY YAY!

Check this out!

Not sure what's up with my pic, but oh well!

Green Tangerines Handmade Headquarters "Stuff"

I've been working like crazy to get a few things ready for Green Tangerine's Handmade Headquarters call. You know, handmade is time-consuming!

Just because I couldn't think of a better way to get these images all lumped together in one place, I made a whole new blog for them. Overkill, but hey, it worked! And this way, you'll know when there are new goodies up for grabs.

So, Green Tangerinies - here you go!

The Nook's November Kit

IS BEAUTIFUL!


It's filled with all kinds of scrappy goodness - featuring Audrey, by Lily Bee. Take a look!

Here's a layout I did with the kit.

Be sure to check out the gallery over at the Nook for more inspiration! If you haven't already, be sure to register for the message board, too. There's always fun things going on there, including kit classes and a fun new Quote of the Week challenge. You never know, there just might be some prizes to give away, too!