how cute is this?

via futuregirl

when i first saw this image, i immediately thought of the scenic route chipboard potty people and how cool it would be to make patterned paper clothes for them. then i read a little further and realized that this is a magnet to be used as a dirty/clean indicator on your dishwasher. how cute! you could totally use the chipboard and make one of your own.

btw, i think the naked one is the dirty one - like her clothes are in the wash? :) you guys crack me up!

the deets on nsd

May 3 is National Scrapbooking Day! To celebrate, Simple Scrapbooks has partnered with scrapbook retailers across North America to host classes taught by some of your favorite Simple personalities. Each class will include fun projects, exclusive giveaways, and meet-and-greet time with the teacher. I’m thrilled to be a part of this exciting endeavor! You can find me at the store below:

Store Name: Wiggles & Giggles

Store Phone Number: 860-529-5899
Date of Visit: Saturday, May 3rd

If you’ll be in the area and have time, I’d love for you to come out and visit me. Please call the store directly for more information and to sign up.

If you aren’t in my area but want to participate, check out our complete list of partnering stores (at the bottom of this post) and see if we’ll be at a store near you.

Finally, make a date to visit the Simple Scrapbooks website for a full blown National Scrapbooking Day party, which includes a Scrapbooking Scavenger Hunt Sweepstakes (involving lots of your favorite manufacturers) and unique design challenges from the lovely Cathy Zielske.

All in all, this promises to be one fun-filled day of celebrating. I hope you’ll join the fiesta.

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

Participating National Scrapbooking Day stores across North America:
Allentown, PA: Kinnon Keepsakes with Beth Proudfoot
Austin, Texas: Ladybug & Co with Lain Ehmann (an all-day crop)
Chantilly, VA: Scrapbooks Plus with Elizabeth Dillow
Quakertown, PA: Memory Lane with Linda Barber
Roswell, NM: Imagine That Scrapbooks with Wendy Smedley
Sandy, UT: Heartfelt Creations with Karen Glenn, Angie Lucas, and Megan Hoeppner

monday inspiration a little early

photo by jessica from how about orange

your inspiration for monday comes at you a day early because i am out of commission tomorrow with a surgical procedure. nothing serious - more like a test - wish me luck.

how can you not love a blog that has the name how about orange? i love orange and i love jessica's blog. jessica jones is a graphic designer and she is crafty too. she made those cute paper butterflies that i think would look adorable on a page. jessica provides a template for the butterflies, but i know a bunch of you have butterfly punches. you can see more of jessica's crafty ideas here.

christmatypographicalassemblage

some of the letters are a little crooked, but after two hours pulling letters and little items at a crop yesterday i just said the heck with it. i really think i need to hire someone to glue things down. that's the part of scrappin' i don't enjoy. :P any takers?

i can't wait to see what all of you create. please post your layouts in a gallery somewhere and link them to the gastro blog post below by friday evening. i'll draw a winner on saturday. i'm thinking a gift card to scrap-diner!

gastrotypographicalassemblage

now that's a mouthful and such a fun word to say! while reading oh joy! yesterday, i saw this stunning wall of type. according to joy, "lou dorfman's "gastrotypographicalassemblage" is the largest, modern typographic artifact in existence and has been in storage since it was taken down in the '90's."

i love the look of the white letters on a white background with little pops of interesting color in the tidbits throughout. i could see this as a scrapbook page using white stickers with small color photos interspersed throughout. it would make a great page of baby's first words and what a way to use up a bunch of white letter stickers in your stash! if you'd like to learn more about this work, read here (scroll to the right) and see more here.

edited to add: melanie challenged me to use this piece as inspiration and create something. now i'm challenging all of you. give it a shot - post a link to your creation here by next friday and i'll randomly send a rak to one lucky winner. :) i'll share mine on tuesday!

have a great weekend everyone. i'm going to a crop for a cure tomorrow in attleboro, massachusetts. i'll be scrappin' with paula gilarde, suzy, christi, cari, roseann, mary ann, and michelle. fun stuff! i'm almost ready to go.

fonts anonymous

via smashing magazine.


hi my name is celeste and i'm addicted to fonts.

like purses and shoes, you can never have too many fonts. smashing magazine selects “fresh” high-quality free fonts each month. the selection this month is worth a look through. wendelin and graublau would be great for journaling.


what are your favorite fonts for journaling and titles? even though i have tons of fonts i seem to gravitate towards the same fonts. favs for journaling include rockwell, century gothic and calibri. titles i'm more likely to look around for a font (i use the font thing to organize) - i do use century gothic quite a bit for a clean, classic look.


i recently purchased a silhouette - so i'm even more interested in fonts and dingbats that i was before - if that is even possible!

if you don't know this creative soul, you will...

because she's busting on to the scrapbooking scene soon. heather bailey, renowned fabric designer, designed a line of YUMMY papers based on her fabric designs for autumn leaves. i was thrilled to see the huge banner up in the booth at cha introducing her to the scrapbooking community. i believe heather's line will be coming out in june or july. her blog is just a feast for the eyes. she shares her creative process and the photography (between heather and her photographer husband) is, well, stunning!

a first for me

the image isn't that great sorry. i'm teaching a class at wiggles & giggles on national scrapbooking day! i'm so excited - it's going to be fun!

trying something a little different here

from confessions of a pioneer woman

everyday i read or scan an inordinate amount of blogs - craft blogs, style blogs, decor blogs, scrappin' blogs. i see a lot of really cool ideas/creations that inspire me. i'm going to start sharing some of those inspiring items here - hopefully one a week day. i figure share the wealth right?

well guess i should get started huh?

do you read confessions of a pioneer woman? ree is an incredible writer and photographer. i was sucked in via cathy zielske's blog a few weeks ago and now it's a daily stop for me. ree shares stories about her life on a working cattle ranch, as well as recipes, photography tips, and home decor ideas. she also gives her photography away for free! you must read the story of how she met and married her husband, black heels to tractor wheels - you'll laugh, you'll cry - i guarantee it!

anyhow, the other day ree shared her incredible actions for free with her readers. they work with cs2 and they are awesome - very subtle. just last night i installed a spyder (color calibration software) on my monitor. i look forward to using ree's actions to work on about 400 photos that need editing going back to november.

what blogs inspire you? i'll update the places i go on the left soon with some of the places i go! :)

she's moving on...

stacy julian is lightening her load at simple scrapbooks. she has inspired so many! check out the simple blog for more details on how you can help send her off with a bang. personally simple scrapbooks changed the way i scrap - stacy's philosophy validated my love of clean and simple, gave me permission to scrap out of order, and helped me organize my scraproom and photos to make my scrap time more manageable. thanks stacy!

hug your mom day

march 11th will always be a sad day for me. my mother died from complications related to treatment of breast cancer 8 years ago on this day. it's really amazing that it's been 8 years in some ways it feels like just yesterday and others an eternity. i miss her so so much. so on this day i ask you if your mother is still alive please please please - give her a call and tell her you love her. i know that's what i'd do if i could. also in some small way you will be helping to keep my mother's memory alive. that's really all she wanted - to be remembered.

tag you're it

i've been tagged! tina cockburn tagged me today, and this is what i have to do:

* share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

* tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

* let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here goes my seven (and I'm going to try to scrap this too per tina's challenge on the studio blog. :) )

1.) i was never given a middle name. i guess with a name like celeste my mother and father thought they'd let me choose my own. when i was confirmed i chose the name ashley for my confirmation name. ashley is not a saints name and really not an appropriate choise for a confirmation name. i figured i would use that as my middle name. celeste ashley fallon - that just not right. ha! when i was married i changed my name to celeste fallon smith - my maiden name became my middle name. i like it!

2.) speaking of names i was horribly teased as a child because of my name. it's taken me years to come to terms with it and when people tell me it's a pretty name i just say "abondanza!"

3.) my hair is dyed. the amount of gray on my head is starting to exceed the amount of brown. i started going gray at 18 years old. by the age of 25 i had a skunk streak. i started dyeing for a job interview and now it's nearly impossible to stop. maybe someday i'll grow it all out and be natural again. but until then every 8 weeks to the hair dresser i go.

4.) along the lines of ugly feet, i have athlete's foot right now. it is so itchy and gross - it's like something is eating away at my feet. i need to get it under control!

5.) i've met a good deal of famous people in my life. i used to wait tables at a fancy restaurant on martha's vineyard called lattanzi's and terry used to sous chef at a 4-star restaurant called l'etoile. needless to say that the vineyard is a mecca for famous people. here are a few i've encountered - princess diana, james taylor, carly simon, dan ackroyd, walter cronkite, billy joel, mike wallace, jim belushi, spike lee, diane sawyer, david mccullough, patricia neal, mike nichols, fran drescher, stephen tyler, art buchwald, and many more.

6.) i've only been outside the united states once in my life - terry and i went to grand cayman - i had won the trip through work. i've never even been to canada. what a sheltered existence i lead!

7.) i recently lost 25 pounds. i was on the la weight loss plan and then they went out of business. i would have liked to lose more - now i'm trying to maintain my weight. it's not easy when the world is filled with peanut butter cups and pasta and chocolate cake.

and now to tag seven!

caroline ikeji

denise morrison

dina wakley

doris sander

emily pitts

paula gilarde

sara dickey

have fun ladies!

the amazing debbie hodge

is offering a new class at nyc scraps called scrap yourself.



check it out here.



her classes are a lot of fun and debbie is an excellent teacher!

cha and other assorted info

ack i changed the background here to white and lost my blog header. ugh - i'll need to work on that later!

well i went to cha last week. it was so fun to meet and see online friends. i didn't take my camera to the show and of course now i'm regretting it. in chicago my vow is going to be getting photos of me with friends and taking some photos of booths and things.

i went about my whirlwind tour all wrong this time around. in chicago i'm going to trya nd visit some of the booths outside of the scrapbooking realm for inspiration. as well i missed out on smaller vendors wares and didn't get tours of booths that i should have. ugh.

anyhow i did put together my list of must buys. note that october afternoon (yummy papers,) prima (that dude line!) and american crafts (the kid line is scrumtious) aren't on my list because i'm getting them anyway! :) lucky me!

scenic route providence
sassafras lass - all four of the new paper lines - robotics, sunshine lollipop (ooh the yello dot,) pocketful of rosies, my dearest
chatterbox - happy day, eclectic, and botanico paper
ki memories - bloom
fiskars - threading water scallop punch
autumn leaves - cute world by mindy terawasa and heather bailey too!
fancy pants 12x12 acrylic sheets and the new felt

countless embellies - i'm limiting my paper because well i have more than i could use in a lifetime!

take care. :)

did you ever...

as a young adult meet an adult that didn't treat you like a child? an adult that really listened to what you had to say and respected you? in my teenage years i didn't meet many, but one person really stands out. walt dzitko. walt was the father of a good high school friend. he was the kind of father that you actually wanted to hang out with. he had a wonderful sense of humor and he loved his children more than anything in the world. i believe he worked hard through those tough teenage years to remain a constant in their lives, to always be there and to make their lives fun and fulfilled. unfortunately, walt passed away on friday. linda emailed me and her subject heading was "we lost a good one today." i don't think she could have expressed it any more succinctly.

walt's son, ed, posted the obituary on his blog. i'm off to the wake tomorrow - an unfortunate reunion with linda. it's just sad.

amazing online class

debbie hodge is offering an amazing online class at nycscraps.com called "scrap your everyday life." to promote the class, she's written a sample class available here. it's an 8-page pdf with lessons, examples, and sketches. go check it out - the sample is free and i think you are going to love it!

Simple Scrapbooks Contest

“Put It in a Letter” Page Contest
Help us celebrate Universal Letter Writing Week by posting a letter-themed layout in our online Reader Gallery during the week of January 21–25. What do we mean by “letter-themed layout”? Write a letter to yourself, your spouse, your child, your friend, your mother, your brother—anyone—and use it on a scrapbook page. Use the keywords “Universal Letter Writing Week” in the comments so we can find your layout.

At the end of the week, Elizabeth Dillow, author of The Scrapbooker’s Almanac, will select five favorite layouts and announce them in the Reader Gallery. Each winner will receive a copy of Elizabeth’s book and one grand-prize winner will also receive a cool letter-writing kit from Elizabeth.

Only layouts posted January 21–25 will be considered official entries. Post as many letter-themed layouts as you like. No purchase necessary.

root canal

oh my! i had a root canal yesterday. ugh. the tooth itself feels much better. after 90 minutes of having my mouth open and four shots of novacaine, my jaw feels awful. hard for a chatty cathy like me and hard to stick to my diet as i can't really chew well. and joy oh joy i now get to go get a crown. :)

nothing much scrappy going on. i finished up a bunch of page packs for my next crop. i used mostly scraps to make them - which felt good. i'm working on a layout for simple scrapbooks may/june - a no-photo layout! i also would like to complete the scenic route challenge for january. i did a layout for hmitm last night - it's not very good i won't post it. i think i might skip this week.

sam has started to play on the computer. of course, this means my computer time is limited, but i have to hang out in my scraproom to help him when he gets in a bind. maybe this will be what gets me scrapping more regularly again.

crop

went to a crop last night at the buzz and had a blast. those ladies really get me giggling. of course i came home with tons of glitter in my hair. :) missing one of our glitter girls though - it's just not the same without her. ;) i finished 24 layouts in 7 hours. crazy huh? it was a get er done night. some of those packs have been in my bag since august. so glad to just be done with them. not sure i'll even scan any in this time around.

oh seems i have a critic posting on my blog. i had to laugh because more and more i could care less what anyone thinks. i am really doing this to document the kids lives and just have fun. the rest is just gravy (and free stuff!)

booked my flight to cha in anaheim today. looking forward to seeing some online friends and hanging out with the simple folk. :)

more later...

working from home

oh how i miss working from home. today i did just that. i was able to get a lot of work done and i didn't have to get dressed up and freeze in my cube at work! another plus i picked adam up from school at 2pm (wednesdays are short days) and he didn't have to go to aftercare. of course, before picking him up i snuck in one of these....

(disclaimer - not my photo - it's from google images)

that would be a venti, non-fat no water chai extra hot. if you've never had a starbucks chai without water, well, you are missing out. it's just hot perfection in a cup.

now i'm making dinner - well heating it up - meatloaf, rice, and carrots. yum! all while slaving away at work. ;)

hmitm #64

here is my contribution to hmitm #64. the challenge - 8 pp, 8 buttons, 8 photos, and 8 stickers.

the pp is clockwise basic grey, crate paper, scenic route, chatterbox, love elsie, scenic route, american crafts, and prima. buttons are buttons galore. stickers are the centers of the ki memories reinforcement sitckers. font is century gothic.





this is a challenge i'd like to participate in this year as it really eats away at stash! tfl!

guilty pleasure

did you see what is back on tv? the writers strike has really brought out a whole slew of bad tv programming. well this goodie is an exception...





yes that's right it's american gladiator! 14 years off air and they've resurrected the show. it's still as cheesy as ever, it's become my guilty pleasure. last night i kept the boys up to watch. they loved it!

poppy ink january and maybe a goal?

now you are thinking what has got into that girl? two posts in one day? i'm going to try and post more of my layouts here this year. hey that's a goal isn't it? lol!

on the new year

well i still haven't set my goals for this year. there is so much time and so little to do - scratch that reverse it. (do you know the reference?) i should sit down and do a layout about my goals for '08 - might help me devise my evil plan for the year. ;)


sharing some xmas pics here. some with my new lens (tamron 18-250) that dh bought me. he's a keeper i tell you. most use my dreaded flash - i really need to work on how to use it - i have the demb diffuser on it as well



a little xmas eve montage - click to see it bigger!







o christmas tree...



opening the pickle gift...

loads of littlest pet shop...

a wii! he's so excited!

and one more a little montage of sam that is just beyond cute and on one of my poppy ink layouts this month...

thanks for reading. i'll share my jan pi layouts later!

oh my

i haven't updated my blog in a long time eh?

well i was crazy busy with thanksgiving preparation and now christmas. i haven't been scrapping much. took a much needed break - only scrapped at a couple of crops and fulfilled dt responsibilities. hence the lull here.

the decorations are up at our house. the tree is adorned, the presents are wrapped - we are ready. well i'm ready - dh still needs to decide the menu for xmas eve. he's the chef so he gets to pick.

i wish all of you a very happy holiday and a wonderful & inspiring new year. i leave you with our christmas card this year. aren't they getting big?

cool online class

my wickedly talented friend, paula gilarde (hof 2007) will be teaching an online digital scrapbooking class at nyc scraps starting monday, november 29th. paula is super sweet and i'm sure you will learn a ton about digi scrapping. i'm excited to take the class. it's really reasonably priced - a two week class with a lesson every two days and a digital kit is included as well - all for only $20. if you don't have photoshop a free 30-day trial version is available - so that isn't an excuse. if you are interested you can find the class at nyc scraps. and tell paula i said hi!

my updated studio

ok i'm going to share, but remember it's still a work in progress. sorry for the grainy photos. the walls will be behr watermelon pink and the trim will be all white one day. i still need to paint my printer cart, the little red table, and my ikea fira black. i need to buy a curtain and i want to update the ugly particle board bookshelf to a white one. so without further ado, i present my studio.

view from the doorway


my desk - new vika table tops and cabinets


my sewing station - new ikea helmer unti holds sewing supplies and other odds and ends - that's my scraps bin next to it - sorted by color (well i shove stuff in the top and sort when it gets overwhelming)


my scrap table


expedit #1 holds embellishments sorted by color and cardstock up top - you can see my white board with my assignments on it too!


expedit #2 holds all sorts of odds and ends


sterilite storage for october afternoon and american crafts supplies


ugly bookcase holds patterned paper and albums


ribbon storage


button storage


little white cabinet holds american crafts house shapes, paint and ribbon - the photo holder above is from ikea


new fabric covered bulletin board


wood floor with new rug


so that's that. a work in progress but so much better than a couple weeks ago. feel free to ask questions. thanks for looking.

halloween photos

ok so i've shared these elsewhere, but figured i might as well stick them up here too!











a good time was had by all!

good reads

have you been to goodreads? i've been loving reading about what everyone else is reading. i have a "to read" bookshelf growing by the day. i went to the library for the first time in a long time yesterday with my list in hand and brought home a couple of new books to read. now i have to try and squeeze the reading time in somewhere.

i've been busy decorating my home for company over thanksgiving, reorganizing my scraproom, getting ahead with my scrapin' responsibilities, and carting the kids from birthday parties to soccer and back!

hope all is well. more later...

sometimes i wonder

why i even suffer with a blog. i never update here and readership is low. of course maybe it would be higher if i posted more. ha!

news news news...

well if you haven't heard i've been asked to be a simple gal for simple scrapbooks magazine. what does this mean? well i'll be posting layouts in the simple studio gallery, i'll be published more regularly in the magazine, and i will be a trusted adviser to the magazine. i'm thrilled - this is my own personal hof folks. it also gets me off the hook in terms of hof and mmm as well - i'm exclusive to simple for one year.

on the homefront, we have refurnished and decorated our living room. we still need a few pieces, but it's starting to come together. as well, terry started the powder room. he painted and installed a new toilet. he has to install the sink and mirror. then it will be curtain and shower curtain hanging time. this was our mini-remodel because we have guests coming for thanksgiving.

kids are doing well. sam is not transitioning into his new room all that well. he has a temper and hits sometimes when other children do him wrong. adam is loving school. he seems to have settled right in - having the same teacher again doesn't hurt.

have a great day! :)

nutty

ok so i spent the greater part of last night pouting about not making the october afternoon team and then the calls went out.

and i didn't get a call.

and then they said a few of the calls hadn't panned out. it wasn't over.

and then i kept checking my home phone all day hoping that there was a call. no call.

and then the phone rang at 5:20 - i thought it was terry. nope.

it was kim! from october afternoon! yay! i got the call!

can you say happy dance?

if you haven't seen their stuff check them out...

october afternoon

galblog

ok so you have to check it out...

a brand new blog so full of inspiration you'll just be in heaven.

i am. and all those rak's - sigh.

galblog

sigh

it's our last day here on cape cod. it has been a fabulous week - we've spent so much time on the beach enjoying the sun, surf, and wildlife. our first night we went down to the beach (literally 50 yards) for a sunset. this shot is unedited and not cropped (no tools on dh's computer.) those specks are adam and terry hunting for crabs in the tide pools.


we are definitely planning on renting again up here in eastham next year. we even looked at a rental today right on the beach. i'm hoping it will be available the week we'd like it as it would be perfect!

back to the grind tomorrow! sigh.

i'm off (*see mel your kick in the pants worked)

ok so yes i'm off in more ways than one. lol

i'm off this blog way too much. i might move it over to scrapgal they have a new blog thingy that works ok and maybe i'll update it more if i'm over there?

i'm off my routine. i was sick with strep again last week and then i aggravated my plantar fasciitis - this has led to evenings spent on the couch relaxing rather than hanging out in my studio scrappin' and surfing. i also didn't get to go to my monthly crop which means not a lot of scrappin' was done this month.

i'm off on vacation for the next week sans internet access. it's going to be nice to have a break from the routine of my life and rejuvenate.

what else has been going on since my last post. not much on the scrappin' front. i had no calls really this month. a little lull - oh well.

personally i had a birthday. i was sick. it sucked. oh well. my present was the crop - it didn't happen so i'm planning another one for september. yay!

i did post this layout at the beginning of the month. thanks to all my peeps who sent in photos. you all encourage me every day and i appreciate you more than you can comprehend. it's funny how i feel so close to people yet they live so far away. this world we live in is so small in a way!





looking forward to september and getting back into the school routine with adam. no more making lunches everyday! woohoo! :)

have a great week everyone! xoxo

embracing the simple

for awhile there i was having a little style crisis. i was trying to hard to be something i'm not and feeling like i had something to prove to myself. i've come full circle on this. i realize that the most important piece of any layout i create is the story behind it - not the paper, glue, or even the design. i realize that i want to focus more on my writing and my photography in an effort to leave the best possible story for sam and adam.

one thing i need to work on is jotting down the little things that my family says and does more often. the stories are all there just waiting to be told. i just have a horrible short term memory.

so basically i'm embracing the simple philosophy set out by simple scrapbooks and scrappers like stacy julian, cathy zielske and others. this does not mean i won't try new things or get out of my little box once in awhile. it does mean that i'm changing up my process a it and the end result will be simpler.

i feel like a huge weight has been lifted. i am going to continue with my design work for awhile and see where it takes me. so when you see my work in the future don't be surprised that i'm back to my roots!

bad blogger

yes i've been a bad blogger. almost a month. in that month i've been busy. went to cha. met some cool people. came home and now we are in house guest mode which means cleaning cleaning cleaning. so fun. here's a pic i took of sam last night. i wish i was a better photographer and all my shots could look like this!

happy august everyone. :)

ive been tagged by the fabulous kelly and here i go:
my roommate and i once:
never in my life have i: been to europe
high school was : horrible - too clique-y
when i'm nervous : i'm chatty
my hair : grey
when i was 5 : my parents installed an inground pool - what great summers we had
when i turn my head left : i see a window looking out onto a pitiful building in hartford
i should be : working ha!
by this time next year : i hope to have more balance in my life.
my favorite aunt is : aunt betty - she's gone - she was so good to me as a child.
i have a hard time understanding : i think i'm going to agree with Kelly - stupid people.
you know i like you if : i laugh with you and tell you secrets.
my ideal breakfast is : eggs over easy, bacon, home fries and english muffins.
if you visit my home town : i'll take you to a nice restaurant.
if you spend the night at my house : you will be sleeping on a fold out couch.
my Favorite blonde is : unsure
my favorite brunette is : unsure
the animal I would like to see flying besides birds : pigs LOL
i shouldn't have been : so ignorant about my mother's illness
last night i: made an awesome pasta salad and read my book
a better name for me would be : anything other than celeste
i've been told i look like : donna downey lol
if i could have any car, it would be: a restored vw convertible karmanghia
i'm tagging dina!

do i *know* you?

online that is? well if i do please send me a photo of yourself for a layout i'm working on.

gypsyheartpea@gmail.com

thanks in advance!

updating

ok so i've been told to update (thanks miss mel.)

let's see - just returned from a weekend on cape cod. i'm seriously wondering why we don't live closer to the beach. the boys had a fabulous weekend - digging in the sand, crabbing, eating too much junk, and riding on the go karts. they can't wait to go back.

adam started day camp today. i'm praying he likes it. it's nerve wracking actually. i can't wait for the day to be over so i can hear how it was.

scrapping has been on a hold for a week or so. i went to a crop and produced nothing really worthy of sharing. i have to start working on july poppy ink. otherwise, i'm chilling. i'm seriously contemplating some changes. i need to make mroe time for my famil and dh somehow.

i'm back at work today and swamped and procrastinating. ugh.

take care!

much better photo

for the action.

oh it's lovely and i hardly manipulated any of the settings. thank you thank you mindy bush!

design team call

scrapgal is having a design team call. it's a great store and a great community. go on over and check it out.

scrapgal design team call

one of the perks is you get to work with me. ;) that was sarcasm. :)

i wish i had more ___________ because _____________.

i wish i had more time because then i would be able to sleep more. i'm exhausted and a little stupid actually - stayed up until 12:30am last night watching food network star - a reality show - now i feel like death warmed over. of course if i had more sleep i'd have more energy and then i could get more done. maybe even exercise. sigh.

action

since everyone (one person lol) is so interested the action is from mindy bush - it's color wonder in her color wonder set.

editing photos

ok so i purchased a set of actions today and i've been fooling around with them this evening. trying to edit three months of photos and get them uploaded and ordered this evening. fun - not. so i decided to give a set of actions a shot. you can see the original, the way i used to edit photos and the action. which one do you prefer?

oh and this is dh being funny at the pumpkin patch. he said, "how about this one?" he's such a jokester that one. :rolling eyes:

wish me luck only 50 or so more photos to go. :)

i've been tagged

by hillary

1. regular or diet soda: rarely drink soda but when i do it's regular - ginger ale or root beer.
2. salt or pepper: i like both.
3. hot or cold weather: can i say in between. i like hot but only if there is air conditioning inside to go into to cool off. and i like cold if there is heat! lol
4. dogs or cats: cats. dogs are too much work.
5. dieting or exercise: neither - yeah i'm ok with being fat.
6. cooking or doing dishes: dishes - i
7. sleeping or shopping: sleeping - i remember when i used to get to sleep.
8. red lobster or outback steakhouse: ick.
9. classical or hip hop music: classical
10. dancing or playing sports: dancing
11. back rub or foot rub: back rub, but only because dh rubs my feet a lot.
12. fruits or vegetables: fruits
13. grey's anatomy or house: grey's anatomy. but i do watch house.
14. coffee or tea: coffee in the morning, tea the rest of the day
15. curling up with a good book or a night out on the town: book
16. straight hair or curly hair: straight
17. skirts or shorts: shorts - i only own one skirt.
18. burgers/hotdogs or chinese food: chinese food
19. vacationing in switzerland or mexico: mexico - love the beach
20. sports car or suv: sports car - better gas mileage at least.

what a week

i feel like i've had the best week. martha stewart - last friday - my layout on tv! i won. what a fun fun fun day. then guest garden girl at two peas this week and that mag assignment from simple scrapbooks. i don't think it can get any better. oh wait it does tonight i'm going to a crop with some of my online friends at a great lss near the shore. i can't wait. the next 8 hours better cruise on by!

incredible week - whee!

well i can't reveal specifics but this has been an incredible week for me in terms of scrappin' goodness. i feel like the planets are aligning finally and maybe just maybe all of my hard work both scrappin' and posting has paid off. all will be revealed soon.

i can share one - beth proudfoot gave me an assignment for her simple scrapbooks color inspiration column. i adore beth's work and that she thinks highly enough of mine to give me this opportunity really pumps me up. it's such validation!

i've been really busy scrappin' this week. i have to work on that assignment (due tuesday.) i hope i finish before saturday because there is an online crop at scrapgal. i'm hosting the crop - there will be challenges, prizes, and chats. so come on over. on friday evening, i'll be posting a couple of jumpstart challenges. then saturday i'll post ten challenges throughout the day. two chats one at 3pm EST and one at 8pm EST - we'll draw the winners at the second chat. hope you can come over and at least say hi. i'm hoping i get to do a few of the challenges as well.

three things i know for sure

one...
three year olds whine. the day they turn three there is a little switch in their little brains that turns on - it's the whining switch - it takes one year for the switch to turn off. instead of asking for something they whine. instead of talking they whine. oy vey - it gives me a headache. this i know for sure.

two...
boys smell. yes they do - it's a weird mixture of dirt, sweat, toe jam and other assorted ick. if they are not bathed daily and do not wash their hair, the house starts to smell funky. this i know for sure.

three...
my boys are a disaster. if there is a clean surface in my house, it will only be clean for as long as it takes the boys to enter the house. if you wash the floor, they will walk in with muddy boots. if you scrub the toilet, they will leave the seat down and miss terribly. if you clean the sink, they will decide to clean the mud pie plate in it. if you make their bed, they will jump on it. if you organize their toys, they will dump them all in a big pile ("i'm making a mountain mommy.") if you change their shirt to go to a function, they will spill juice on it or use the clean shirt to wipe their dirty little hands. this i know for sure.

don't get me wrong, i do love them, but geez.