busy busy!

We're headed out to our family reunion in Bryce Canyon tomorrow morning, so I've been scrambling to get crap done all week. Oddly enough, I'm not packed yet.

Stephanie and I had pedicures on Monday (part of my birthday gift from my mom) and they were nice, but I could happily continue being LOW maintenance. I can paint my own toenails and my mom gives a better foot rub. I did enjoy it, though.

One of the projects I've been working on is a passport... My mom's family holds a reunion every summer and the location changes most years too. She has mentioned in years past that she always thought it would be fun to have a passport and get a stamp for each 'destination.' I took on the task this year.

I designed what I wanted in photoshop and had custom clear stamps created by ImagineStamps. I was then able to easily stamp and emboss the covers. (They look so awesome in person!)
The logo or seal or whatever you want to call it represents a tradition the family has of making having all the people in each of the different generations stand in a circle and have photos taken. It's called "Cousins Circle." And rather than having a country of origin listed, I chose to list our common ancestors as our origin.
The first page has a spot for a photo and some simple information to identify the passport holder.

I did create a destination stamp for Bryce Canyon too, but my photo wasn't great and I've been up for WAY too many hours at this point to go take another. Clear photos are starting to look blurry anyhow...

so. much. to. do.

• Clean the kitchen
• Finish the laundry
• Go to the bank (will do this after vaca!)
• Organize projects to take on the trip
• Buy any needed supplies for said projects
• Fill the gas tank
• Pay bills
• Pack my bags
• Finish the “passport” project
• Bake cookies (will do this after vaca, too!)
• Run any last-minute errands
• Call mom to coordinate travel plans

And I’ve got VERY limited time to get this crap done! Sigh.

Dear Universe,

I got your message. Loud and clear.
I'll act when the time is right.
Please share the message with the other necessary parties.

Thanks,
Emily

if I were an alphabet...

A-Attached or Single: Single.
B-Best Friend: My sister, Stephanie. We share EVERYTHING.
C-Cake or Pie: Lemon Pie (NO meringue *shudders*) Cake is yummy too.
D-Day: Monday. It's my day off work. I love getting up early and getting stuff done.
E-Essential Item: My computer. Burt's Bees chap stick. Not together.
F-Favorite Color: I truly like most colors. My 'favorite' depends upon the application, the intended use, and the other colors available.
G-Gummy Bears or Worms: Ick! Neither.
H-Home Town: Born in Rexburg, Idaho.
I-Indulgences: I don't really "indulge" in anything.
J-January or July: October. This is me being rebellious!
K-Kids: Someday.
L-Life is incomplete without: Creativity and humor.
M-Marriage Date: A year or two before Someday (see K).
N-Number of Siblings: 3. One sister and two brothers.
O-Oranges or Apples: Depends on my mood. Fuji and Granny Smith are the only apples I'll eat though.
P-Phobias or Fears: I don't like heights or tight spaces.
Q-Quote: You're twisted, depraved, and rotten to the core. I like that in a person.
R-Reason to Smile: Why not? Life's too short to be bitchy all the time.
S-Season: Late Summer/Early Fall when there are lots of thunderstorms!!
T-Today, I...: Cried in the grocery store for no reason.
U-Unknown Fact About Me: I write in my journal every day.
V-Vegetarian or Meat Eater: Steak = yummy, tofu = not so much!
W-Worst Habit: I have a dirty mind. I filter my thoughts a lot, but I often say dirty things anyway.
X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Never had either. What a weird question anyway.
Y-Your Favorite Food: I love veggies, actually!
Z-Zodiac Sign: Cancer.

blurb

Let me preface this by saying it's difficult to take photos while holding a book and eating an ice cream cone. Yes, I'm a multi-tasker extraordinaire. LOL

Just over a week ago, I blogged that I'd compiled a photo book and uploaded everything to Blurb for printing/binding. The books came today and I was so excited to see them that I left work 12 minutes early. That's right, 12 minutes.

I've gotta say, I'm 97% satisfied. Here are my complaints: the cover (hardcover, imagewrap) shows fingerprints really easily, the barcode on the back of the book covers a line of text, the back cover is not centered, and there's a typo on one of the pages (but that's my fault). It seems most of my complaints are about the cover. Interesting. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how they came out and I will definitely make more photo books in the future!

Here are some photos to give you an idea:

this is a jpeg of the page I designed and then uploaded to Blurb.

and this is the same page from the book itself.

The photos are clear and look good. I did find that they are a little brighter in photoshop than they were once they were printed. Something to keep in mind if you're making a photobook of your own.

public nakedness

My mom called me on my birthday and asked if I'd be willing to drive to Brigham City for my gift (about 25 miles away). Without missing a beat, I told her I don't like for strangers to touch me, nor do I like to be naked in public. She was surprised that I guessed "massage" without any clues. My mom thinks I'm silly. She knows that I love to be touched. I guess she didn't realize that I'm selective about who does the touching. LOL She suggested I get a facial instead.

I drove over today and filled out my "first-time client" questionnaire. They handed me a sheet and told me to take off everything from the waist up. Nice. This is what I was trying to avoid. Call me crazy, but I'm hyper-modest. The facial was nice and helped me temporarily forget about the migraine I had. I also have a pedicure scheduled for next week. I already know what that entails, so they'd better not expect me to take my top off. LOL

black or white?

I plan to update all the photos in my shop in the near future, but I want to figure out what I want before I sit down to take a crapload of photos. I took a couple shots this morning...

So, which do you prefer? Black or white? Does one show color and detail better than the other?