as predicted....

work was awful today!!!!

I also realized that I have limits. I do my job really well. I can even do double my normal amount really well too. Triple it, and things will get done, but excellence starts to dwindle. Give me 4x my normal amount and it's not so pretty. The first 6 hours were okay, but the last two were not. Thank goodness I have a weekend now!

I started organizing my scrapbook closet today. Yes, closet. I will post some pictures once it's done. It's remarkable how much one closet can hold when properly organized. I got it all set up a couple years ago and the structure itself isn't changing. Why fix something that isn't broken, right? I just need to weed out the stuff I won't use and give it away and get everything else put where it belongs. Oh yes, and label things.

card for cam

I had a friend graduate high school this morning and I procrastinated getting a card made for him. That meant that I was putting the finishing touches on it this morning before work. The photo is bad because the sun wasn't quite out before I left:

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Work was better today than yesterday, but I expect tomorrow to be terrible. I can't wait until the other positions are filled so I don't have to do the work of 3 people.

supplies: chipboard-Heidi Swapp. patterned paper-Little Yellow Bicycle, 7Gypsies, Chatterbox, KI Memories, American Crafts, and various unknown scraps. cardstock-Bazzill. twine.

long day

There have been a lot of changes at work lately. We've recently created a new department, which several of my immediate teammates opted to transfer to. We haven't back-filled the positions yet, so we're short handed. We're also busier than normal. It makes for really long days and really long weeks.

This whole week, I've been pretty spent by the time I get home. There hasn't been much creativity happening. I'm SO looking forward to the weekend so that I can spend some time on the things I enjoy.

I'm babysitting my friend's baby tomorrow while she goes to her brother's high school graduation. Rebekah is 4 months old and so stinkin' adorable. She's also a super good baby. We went to a play a couple weeks ago and she fussed for about two minutes during the intermission. Yeah. You can't really ask for a better baby than that! It should be a fun change of pace. I need to spend more time with babies.

me + caffeine = disaster

I never drink soda, but I went to lunch with a friend yesterday and the price of the meal included a drink. Plus, fountain drinks are way better than bottled drinks, so I had some Mt.Dew.

Bedtime came. And went. I was WIDE awake. I finally made myself lay down and count some sheep.
The snooze button got quite a workout this morning.

Moral of the story: I should not drink caffeine.

This reminds me of that time in college that I had half a can of root beer and didn't realize it was caffeinated... I remember laying in bed giggling all night long and couldn't figure out why.

Yeah. Good times!

creative roots

I've been wondering who I can thank/blame (lol) some of my traits on. Then I start wondering about the nature/nurture thing... when it comes to being creative, nature and nurture were both involved.

My paternal grandfather was an artist. His drawings, oil paintings, and watercolors were fantastic. I remember playing near his easel as a child. My maternal grandfather is very mechanical and has used that skill to build cabinets, lamps, and furniture. Definitely creative. As for my grandmothers, both of them have been
seamstresses.

My own mother has had one project or another going for as long as I can remember. Lately, they've been yarn/thread projects- knitting and crocheting. She taught me to crochet when I was nine. I took my first sewing class when I was 10. And, she bought the scrapbook stuff that would start it all...

Fast forward to college, where I was a Home Ec major so that I could get college credit for sewing. I taught several of my roommates to sew and crochet. We had scrapbook nights too. Now, I'm that girl who works on something creative every day, whether it be scrapping, beading, sewing, photography, or decorating my home. I rarely sit down and watch a movie without a project in my lap.

Creating makes me happy. I'm thankful for the traits evident in so many of my ancestors that have helped form my creative roots. I'm also thankful to those that have helped nurture my obsessions , er hobbies. I have them to thank for my happiness.

more from the 'land of scrap'

I made this card yesterday and had SO much fun with it. I stamped and heat embossed, added 'bling' (I hate that word for some reason), and simply enjoyed the whole process! I honestly couldn't wait until daylight so that I could get it photographed.

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The chipboard letters were painted with acrylic paint and then heat-embossed with clear embossing powder to make them just a little glossy. I also wanted a strip of paper to match the letter, so I painted and heat-embossed a strip of cardstock and took the scalloped scissors to it. It makes for a really fun texture on the card. I'm planning to duplicate this card in a smaller size; this one is about 5x7.

supplies used: patterned paper-Scenic Route, SEI, Making Memories, Chatterbox. stamp-Hero Arts. ink-Versacolor. embossing powder- Joann's. bling-Hobby Lobby.

I hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day!! I spent the morning working on a quilt (which I'll be sure to share soon) and I'm off to my parent's house for the afternoon.

the scrap channel:

I was able to scrapbook some last night and here's proof:
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It's so fun to create things. This started out as black illustration board, black duct tape, and a couple sheets of patterned paper. So fun. Erin Lincoln demonstrated this as a 'Creative Adventure' for NSD (National Scrapbook Day) on the CK website a few weeks back. I loved the album, but went my own way with the theme, etc. This is a tri-fold album that I'm going to use as a 2008 recap album. It's one of those projects that will be ongoing through early 2009 so I can adequately recap the whole year.

The inside has lots of places for photos and journaling, but it's all just cream bazzil and black ink at this point. I'll be sure to share photos as I finish the inside though.
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This second photo actually shows the colors a little better. I made the little perpetual calendar thing in photoshop. I like making my own embellishments. It saves a little money too.

I'm off the do some more scrapping, and maybe some stamping... I saw some cool techniques that I'd like to try.

supplies used: ribbon and illustration board-Hobby Lobby. patterned papers-Basic Grey, Scenic Route, Chatterbox, and BoBunny. chipboard letters-Heidi Swapp. letter stickers-Sandylion, ink-Versacolor. duct tape-Duck. cardstock-Bazzill

so, I've been thinking...

I really need to scrapbook more. I suppose I need to get off my butt and take more photos while I'm at it. I want my memories recorded, so that when I die an old spinster, my niece and nephews can fight over who has to keep them. lol

I'm actually pretty good at what I do. I've even been pubbed twice, despite only submitting a handful of my pages to the magazines. I've also been on a couple design teams, but didn't find that to be my cup of tea... both companies produced product that I would never purchase for myself (although other people loved it) and I was forced to use it. My favorite part of the process is picking the supplies that perfectly express the story I'm telling. It's hard to stay psyched about something when you've taken the best part out of it. I'd do a DT gig again if I got to pick what supplies I used.

I plan to scrap more. Maybe I'll crank something out this weekend. And, I'm not going to do it for the 'future generations,' although they can enjoy them if they'd like. I'm going to do it for me!

my ever growing 'to do' list:

I'm a list maker. It helps me keep track of all the crap I have to do and helps me better manage my time so that I can spend more time on the things I want to do. :) I thought it would be a good idea to have a running 'to do' list so that I have one central location where I can put things (both short-term and long-term) that I need to get done. This list will also include many of the things I want to do, not just the things I have to do.

-send Ben a birthday message (belated.... his birthday was yesterday!)
-stop by Book Table to get more cardstock for my 2008 album
-take photos of various craft projects I'm working on
-customize my blog banner
-work on our family reunion scrapbook
-figure out this whole food storage thing
-order custom clear stamps
-find dvd storage solutions for the living room
-add earthquake coverage to my renters insurance policy
-get the oil changed in my car (and other minor maintenance)
-deep clean the kitchen and laundry room

wishing...

I wasn't at work today. I'm having strong creative urges and an overwhelming desire to be productive. Neither of those are going to happen here in the office. Sure, I'll be productive as far as my job is concerned, but.. it's not the same as having an idea, planning it out, and watching it all come together as I create. That's what I'd like to be doing. And honestly, once my workday is over, those urges will be gone. Life is cruel. lol. Just kidding.