write it now, remember it later

Right now.

2012-01-23T21:51:00.000-05:00

Reading:

Purchased:

(twogirlz on Etsy)

Martha Stewart labels

Scrapping:

(Ocotber Afternoon Farmhouse collection, in the February Apron Strings Kit)

Project Life - title page

2012-01-17T20:24:00.000-05:00

Project Life in 2012? So far so good. I have actually completed my title page and the first two weeks. I only have a picture of the title page. The weather here? Not so good. First it was raining, then windy, now windy and snowy. And cold. Brrrr. I'm hoping to get a picture of the first two weeks, when the sun arrives again.

I used my January ASD kit for this page. Mainly the Fancy Pants line, with a few additions from the other page kits, and some old school Thickers. (Really, do Thickers ever get old?)

iphone snippets.

2012-01-15T10:40:00.000-05:00

This was the girls first week back to school after a looooong 2 week vacation from school. Crazy busy.
I'm attempting Project Life, and part of my goal is to take a photo a day, even if it doesn't end up in the PL scrapbook.

Basketball clinic and practices started (Tuesday - Thursday)

Finishing up January Apron Strings projects. (messy, messy craft area!)

First day of swimming lessons at the YMCA.

Postponed 8th birthday party, a touch of the stomach flu.

I love using my iphone, even if the pictures are less than stellar in low light. It's quick, easy and readily accessible. And I don't need to drag out my camera for every picture.

Now it's time to commit to a layout for my Project Life week 1 and 2 and go with it. I think that's the hardest part for me. I'm not using page protectors or a "kit" so I'm hoping to follow grid-like layouts, or even mimic the PL page protectors for design cues.

Organizing: scrapbook layouts/photos.

2012-01-04T22:04:00.000-05:00

I probably spend way too much time sorting, looking and moving supplies around. I probably spend even more time trying to figure out what to scrap. There are thousands of photos on our hard drives and I wonder, too often, what to do....so, I decided to go through and scroll through the photos and list what I think is missing in the albums. Tedious? Yes. Worth it? Yes. I have a huge list, sorted by year of events/highlights/favorite photos that did not make it into any album. Hopefully, this will make it easier to find, and print pictures when I'm motivated to scrapbook. I was inspired to do this after I realized how many layouts were waiting to go into albums. (I will remain silent on how many page protectors and albums I had to invest in. Yikes.)

I'm happy to say all layouts are in an album, with only a few pages needing to be resorted into the right order. If I need to confirm I've scrapped (or not scrapped) something, I can just flip through the albums.

It's certainly not a finished project, but I'm happy with where it's at. No more layouts laying around. No more wondering what to scrap. Now I just need a sketch, or some paper or maybe even some photos to motivate me, and I can get moving.

Now, to just get off the computer...

Project Life. I'm trying it.

2012-01-01T19:40:00.000-05:00

I have all the best intentions, so we'll see how it goes, but I'm going to attempt a photo or two a day and scrapbook those "daily" memories in a project life scrapbook. I didn't get a kit, or page protectors, so I plan on using my stash as much as humanly possible. (I certainly have enough in my stash!) I'm also thinking of just doing one side per week, as opposed to a two-page spread every week. Hopefully a freestyle approach will help me get the memories down on paper. I use PSE to edit my photos, and may use some downloaded storyboards to organize my weekly photos and to print them on an 8x10 or 8.5x11 piece of photo paper.

I don't typically carry my camera around with me but plan on using my iPhone as much as possible. I'm also going to journal on the Momento app (2.99) to make it easy to remember what went on each day. Momento also pulls in my instagram photos and facebook updates.

On a side note, it's already 2012? Where did the time go??

This is why I am not a photographer.

2011-12-06T22:19:00.000-05:00

Well, this, and the fact I am not talented! Attempting to take Christmas card photos tonight = epic fail. Ava was a bit, mmm, sassy today.

Better luck tomorrow!

Elfie has arrived.

2011-12-05T21:33:00.001-05:00

On 12/1 Elfie came back from the North Pole to visit the girls. So far he's kept a low profile, not getting into any trouble or toys yet. Can't imagine that will last for long...

He are a few of his chosen place to rest so far.

This morning we found him in Ava's room, Alexa is hoping he'll make a visit soon in hers. P.S. this picture above ^^^ is not in her room! That's in our kitchen. ;)

Now that the holiday activities are in full swing, I need to get moving on my December Daily. All of my foundation pages are set, I just need to start adding photos, journaling and embellishments. To keep on track I have been jotting down a few of the things that went on each day in my notebook. I'm hoping to sit down one night and get several days done. Some days are Christmas themed, others just a bit of insight into our daily routines.

Well I should get off the computer and down into my craft area to get moving on some projects. Night!

December Daily 2011 - album cover

2011-11-28T20:34:00.000-05:00

Long time no blog. Every time I say I'm going to get better at blogging this year, life gets in the way. Oh well.

I did finally finish my December Daily album cover for this year and get all my pages punched and cut. I used a 6x6 Crate Peppermint pad for some of the pages (glued back to back) and cut down some MME 12 Days of Christmas papers for the rest of the pages. I have some Ormolu numbers for the pages. I do need to get my foundation done for journaling. I plan on using a two-page spread for each day. One side will hold a 4x6 or multiple small photos and the opposing side will have the journaling.

Here is the album. A Bo Bunny 6x6 chipboard album.

Pardon the messy work area. Remnants of the December Bigger than a Breadbox Apron Strings kit (which is awesome, by the way.)

I'll be finishing up the inside page layouts this week...which is good since December is Thursday.

Back from vacation.

2011-11-06T19:22:00.000-05:00

And this was my favorite photo:

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:17:00.000-04:00

Ariel and a good witch and a scary papa
.

Happy Halloween! Hope everyone had as much fun as they did!

I'm kind of excited.

2011-10-27T19:25:00.000-04:00

Too bad March is 6 months away.

The choice for Cinna is growing on me.

Never forget.

2011-09-11T13:31:00.002-04:00

To all the men and women who lost their lives 10 years ago today and to all the men and women who continue to serve and protect our nation, thank you.

Cleaning and organizing

2011-09-09T22:21:00.000-04:00

And, maybe blogging? Hopefully. Summer was far too busy and one thing that got pushed back was blogging. Along with cleaning and organizing my scrap area. Now that the girls are back in school (Ava in Kindergarten?? What!??) I hope to have a little bit of time for my blog.

We spent the summer visiting the grandparents' cottages and hung out (a lot) on the beach. The girls had a blast. I am a little happy to finally not be packing a suitcase every week.

Tuesday was the first day of school. Ava started Kindergarten. I'm still in denial. Sometimes she loves it, other times she doesn't. Usually that corresponds to morning/afternoon. She's pretty whipped by the time I get home from work. Alexa is loving 2nd grade, she practically did cartwheels to class she was so excited to go back.

I'll have to load up some pictures soon.

Hello Spring? Are you there?

2011-04-20T18:09:00.002-04:00

Because, you are certainly not here. I don't know if you realize this, but your cousin, Fall, is hanging around. It's rainy, cold and windy. Maybe Fall is confused? It's definitely not early November. Please send Fall away, and spend the rest of the season here.

Thanks,
Maria

A couple of recent favorites...

2011-04-08T18:43:00.000-04:00

Who can resist a picture as sweet as this? They wanted to sleep in the same bed for a bit. I didn't bother moving them until they woke in the morning.

Working on improving my editing, but I just *love* this capture. We were taking advantage of the decent weather, getting some fresh air in the yard.

Ava is still totally into having her picture taken. (As you can see here^)

The most exciting part of our weekend??? Alexa finally l ost her FIRST tooth! And swallowed it, with her milk at lunch. Oops! She had no idea it was finally out, and down it went. I'm thinking the toothfairy will still make a visit tonight. She even wrote a letter to let the toothfairy know what happened. I definitely need to get pictures.

Project 12 - starting off the year on the right foot!

2011-03-27T23:50:00.000-04:00

I finally finished my 2010 layouts, and now, I can say I am officially caught up on 2011 so far. I know it's only two months in, but it's the thought that counts. ;)

The February layout was made with the ASD March kit. The January layout was made with the January Studio Calico kit. Love using kits for these - all the pieces I need are usually already put together.

Now to find the March sketch...

Supermoon!

2011-03-19T21:18:00.000-04:00

I can't really tell a difference from a regular full moon. But, the skies were clear and the moon was definitely bright! I did a levels adjustment in PSE (I must not have chosen the right WB, I think I left it on "flash" oops). Then a tiny contrast adjustment on some and ran a sharpening action. Here are two versions. What do you think?

I used two different actions, either one look better than the other?

10 pounds. 3 months.

2011-03-14T22:09:00.000-04:00

That's the goal. :)

Off to bed, so I don't snack while typing...

POTD - March 6

2011-03-06T18:42:00.000-05:00

I certainly don't take a photo a day. Some days I take none, other days, I'll take 30. Today I decided to press the "manual focus" button on my camera. I think I will be rereading the manual, since I really have no idea what I was doing. But, I did have a willing subject, as you can see.

I didn't bother cloning out the stray hairs. Just a quick adjustment to the levels and removed the color cast. I did use a new, free action from Pure Photoshop Actions (on their Facebook page) to resize and sharpen for the web. I think I will be using the action frequently for FB photos. I've been reading the Scott Kelby book for PSE8 and finally had an "ah-ha" moment with levels. Now I just need to figure out curves. If anyone has a good tutorial somewhere for curves, I would greatly appreciate it!

A March Sneak...

2011-03-06T18:35:00.000-05:00

Echo Park = happy. Love all their papers. Even the ones for "boys" when I only have girls.

Great colors in this page kit!

Finally catching up on some Apron Strings layouts

2011-02-27T19:23:00.000-05:00

I've been slacking on adding these to my blog...and I'm already halfway finished with the March kit (love Echo Park and Basic Grey!)

The February kit came together effortlessly, and the March kit is just as easy to work with. Sneaks to come tomorrow.

Friday Photo Bliss

2011-02-18T17:02:00.000-05:00

Stole the title from the Coffee Shop Blog.

My first attempts at water drops. Not too bad.

Have a great weekend!

Snowapacolypse

2011-01-31T18:40:00.000-05:00

Or how ever you spell it. But, that is what the media is calling the upcoming snow storm. Dramatic much?

Furnace: Missing in Action

2011-01-22T16:55:00.000-05:00

I know I'm on the computer A LOT. But, when you don't have access to one regularly, you realize just how much time you really spend on the internet. We are currently with out a working furnace, or perhaps I should say, one that is working just enough to keep the house warm, but not keep us safe. So, we absconded to my Dad's. Hopefully, John and his friend will get the new furnace installed and running correctly today. We've been camping out since Tuesday.

The girls are enjoying the "sleepovers" but I'm going a bit stir crazy. And, I'm missing the February Apron Strings Kit that is sitting (in the cold) on the counter. From the quick glance I took, it looks fab!

Crossing my fingers for a warm house tonight!

Big Girl Bed!

2011-01-17T14:12:00.000-05:00

We finally broke down and switched Ava over to a twin sized bed. To say she loves it, would be an understatement. This was her first night in her new bed.

She arranged her pillows and toys, just so. Pulled her favorite blanket up to her nose, and was O.U.T.

Happy Monday!

Just practicing and because they are cute.

2011-01-11T21:38:00.000-05:00

Trying to figure out how some editing tricks, and skills work. Here I ran Coffeeshop's Glamour Glow on a couple random snapshots. I wanted to remove some of the redness from Ava's cheeks. I also played around with brightening/whitening her eyes. Even though the brush was set to a lower opacity (24%), I think the eyes look a little over done?

I've started following along with the 2Peas 12 weeks to better photography course. Reading the PDFs and doing the practice activities for each lesson. I'm shooting for Thursday to actually tryout the aperture lesson. I should be home early enough so I can salvage some daylight.

Blog Hop Winner!

2011-01-10T07:48:00.000-05:00

I had my oldest pick a winner from all the entries - she drew names out of a bowl - the winner is...

Renee said...: New to your blog thanks to Apron Strings! Looking forward to hearing more about your work!
January 7, 2011 8:05 PM

Renee, email Lori at Apron Strings your address. loriATapronstringsdesignsDOTcom

Thanks for all of your comments, looking forward to another year of Apron Strings kits.

Apron Strings Designs Blog Hop!

2011-01-07T08:00:00.013-05:00

Apron Strings is starting off the new year with a bang, or shall we say a Blog Hop? If I'm your first stop, head back to the Apron Strings blog and see what Lori has put together for this weekend, then work your way back through the designer blogs.

Lori has put together a new design team and the kits are looking fabulous as usual. I have been looking at the new designers' blogs and just love their work.

Maria Swiatkowski (<-- you are here!)

Sarah Fleming
Patricia Moussatche (Patchi)
So much inspiration! I cannot wait to see what everyone creates in the coming months.

Now that winter is here (and boy, did it get C-O-L-D fast this year), I am spending more time in my scrap area. I keep my ASD kits separate from my "stash" so I can pull them out and work with them, until I'm down to my scraps. I have to say, December was one of my all-time favorite kits. Both page kits could be mixed together easily. Here are a couple of my favorite projects from December:

Look for a tutorial on the Apron Strings blog in the near future for the ribbon flower shown above.

Have you seen the January kits? Both the Bigger than a Breadbox and Smaller than a Breadbox kits are beautiful, I'm looking forward to the Smaller kit arriving later this month and digging into those My Minds Eye papers.

Oh, and let's not forget the phrase you are looking for! Why Apron Strings? One of my favorite features about Apron Strings is having unlimited, penalty-free skips, flips or substitutions. I have taken advantage of this feature several times!

Well if you've made it this far, only a couple blogs to go! Don't forget to leave a comment on each one and you will be entered into a prize drawing for each blog you comment on in addition to Lori's Basic Grey Calendar drawing. A winner will be picked Monday morning! From here, you want to head over and visit:

Sarah Fleming

Stop by Monday to see if you won!

Playing with my camera. And Zoobles.

2011-01-05T21:43:00.000-05:00

Ava has a fascination with me taking pictures of her tiny, little toys. So, I broke out my camera and played with it's macro function. The lighting is poor, but I just wanted to play with the focus, zoom and macro options.

Zoobles, seem to be a hit in this house. (I don't see the appeal!)

My goal was to get the Zoobles in focus, and blur out Ava. Still a work in progress. Maybe when there is some daylight. Which will probably be in April!
Ok, maybe Zoobles are a little cute. Except when the feet/ears/random body part gets stuck open. Not so cute then.

Favorite photos of 2010

2010-12-31T21:07:00.000-05:00

Not because they are perfect, or in even focus, just because I love them.

Ah, the first of many photos with her eyes wide open. Later this year, it would switch to "cross-eyed" because she thought it was funny.

Profound love for Little Pets...

This pose is so Ava.

I have no idea how I was able to capture them in mid-air, at night, with flash and a shutter speed of 1/8. Luck.

I just love this one.

One of my absolute favorites from Disney, pure adulation when the princesses arrived at the table. Priceless.

I love Aurora's facial expression here. She enjoyed the hug as much as Ava did.

Cooperating for some photos. Love, love, love her eyes here. And, the smores on her face.

Practicing with my new camera, they look too grown up here. *sigh*

In love with little princesses.

Hopefully 2011 will bring another year of great photo opportunities and the chance to learn more about photography.

Happy New Year!

A girl can wish, right?

2010-12-30T12:50:00.000-05:00

I have way too many scrap supplies. I'm surprised my husband hasn't said more about it. But, there are always a few things a girl can wish for, or at least pick up slowly over the months. ;)

I dreaming of these:
Jenni Bowlin ink pads (spice tin shown here) I'm in need of Spice Tin, Soap Powder, and Lemon Drops. Eventually, I'll have them all...
Classic Calico Mr. Huey - I love spray ink, and these have such great coverage. I'm also thinking of Atmosphere
I'm after all of the wood veneer, but the alphabet are first on my list, the stars are second.

I'm holding off, since I've purchased my fair share for this month! But, there is always next month...

Ready for a new year.

2010-12-30T12:40:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe 2010 is almost to a close! But, I am looking forward to 2011, I have a feeling, it will be a good year. Right now, I'm enjoying almost two full weeks of vacation time/holidays. Ahhhh..... Plenty of time to organize the scrap area especially since John picked me up a new storage set. I will have to find a picture and post it. It has 47 (!!) bins for little items. None of my stuff matches, so I didn't worry about the colors at all, but it is perfect.

Look for a fun blog hop from Apron Strings in the coming weeks. There is a new design team (I'm back for another year, yea!) to kick off 2011. I'm already looking forward to the January kits, there are some great papers and embellishments in the Smaller than a Breadbox kit that I am eyeing.

Alrighty, I am off, we are visiting with family today and the chicklets are chomping at the bit to get a move on.

Sooner or later I will be back with a bunch of Disney layouts I've been slowly creating over the last few weeks. I need to get more pictures printed for layouts.

Random photos

2010-12-15T21:48:00.000-05:00

Elfie, hanging out in the candy dish.

As suggested, capturing them while they are young.

Wii! (check out that form!)

Hello Snow.

2010-12-12T18:19:00.001-05:00

I don't know how many inches of snow we have here, but at least 5 would be my guess. Frosty is about 5'10" tall.

Oops, got the dreaded gray snow look in Ava's snowflake eating picture. Could not figure out how to get rid of it in PSE today. I'm trying to figure out how to edit RAW files, and I need a lot more practice. I'm also trying to figure out the settings on my new camera, a Panasonic Lumix FZ35, shooting in RAW + JPEG, in manual. I seem to end up with grainy photos at times.

Friends on FB are already wondering about school tomorrow, I'm figuring we will have school though. Someone needs to catch up on wrapping presents, especially since Ava and I made 5 dozen cookies this afternoon. MMMMM, chocolate chip. My favorite!

"Elfie"

2010-12-11T18:11:00.000-05:00

Please meet our Elf:

Elfie (original, I know). This guy arrived a few days after Thanksgiving and has been hiding in the house ever since. The girls love looking for him every morning. He's even taken a spin in the Barbie beach jeep, hid in each girls' stockings and has visited both girls' rooms.

We'll see where he goes next.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

December Apron Strings Sneak Peek

2010-12-01T20:39:00.000-05:00

I really suggest you get the add-ons. They are F.A.B.

Thankful.

2010-11-27T21:59:00.000-05:00

For my family, especially these girls.

Enjoying the long weekend. Putting up Christmas decorations. Doing some Christmas shopping (online). Avoiding house work as much as possible!

Hoping to get some layout finished for the Apron Strings December Kit STABB - which is AWESOME. Jillibean Soup and Fancy Pants Christmas papers and Cosmo Cricket Togetherness. Lots of great embellishments. Maybe I'll have some sneaks tomorrow. ;)

Project 12 - catching up!

2010-11-16T21:39:00.000-05:00

All caught up, including October (finally)!

I used the November Apron Strings Kit for the October layout. I think it needs some stitching, but I'll add that soon.

I think July is my favorite. I love those Pink Paislee papers, and the sketch, with soooo many photos.

I'd reorder the photos, but apparently, Blogger is not liking my choices!

Santa, I would like a...

2010-11-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

I think Alexa said "video Barbie" and Ava said "Rapunzel" doll. Yes, we went early and it was WORTH it. No lines. No tired, whiny kids. :)

We'll mail Santa a letter in December. :)

Sneak peak for November

2010-11-10T19:59:00.000-05:00

A couple of layouts are up on the ASD website, but here is another snippet. :)

I've got to say, I've used up a good chunk of the Bigger than a Breadbox kit.

Halloween!

2010-11-01T19:36:00.000-04:00

What's better then pictures? (maybe candy?)

Hope you had a great Halloween!

P90x

2010-10-28T20:20:00.000-04:00

Today. First day. Not sure if I can actually do this in 90 days, exactly on schedule, but I'm going to try and get close.

5 pounds to go.

Randomness

2010-10-25T22:16:00.000-04:00

Spring is here. Oh, wait, maybe summer? All I know is it was 75 today, and it's going to be 76 with thunderstorms tomorrow. Indian Summer? Maybe.

I've lost 17 pounds. 3 more to go for my first goal. :)

Peanut butter M&M's are the best post workout food. Seriously. Protein, fat and carbohydrates. See, perfect.

I'm enjoying Grey's Anatomy and Glee this fall. Haven't watched House since last season in the winter. Eh, it got old and its the same every week: weird, sick patient, staff misdiagnoses patient at least 3 times, House has an epiphany, disease identified....

Finally found my scrapping mojo again. So far this week I've completed 3 two-page layouts (catching up on Project 12), 2 single page layouts and I have 2 more in progress on my table.

The November Apron Strings kit will be arriving at my door this week, Cannot wait to play with the papers - I need to find (or take) more fall photos. Sneaks to come.

Looking forward to Halloween, Alexa is going to be a vampire, Ava is going to be Sleeping Beauty.

I can't believe it's almost November!

I'll be back.

2010-10-16T13:10:00.000-04:00

Really. The weather is getting colder and I'm going to be spending more time in the house. So, back to blogging and scrapping. We returned from a week at Disney and I am still sorting through hundreds of photos. I have probably edited around 120 that are really good and shipped them off for printing.

I will be back and I swear I'll be more regular about blogging.

True Blood Anyone?

2010-08-29T18:15:00.000-04:00

Where have I been? Oh, right, I don't have HBO. Started watching the first season on DVD from Netflix, and I am HOOKED. We just got the next disc and will be watching those tonight. Of course, since I am slightly obsessive-compulsive, I have already read the first two books (picked them up Thursday, finished them by Saturday morning) in the Sookie Stackhouse series (which it is based on) and have ordered the rest. Once I start a series I am compelled to finish it!

So if I disappear again, I'm reading, watching, or scrapping. I do have the September kit on my desk and I'm working on that as well!

Either a crazy good time...

2010-08-09T21:19:00.000-04:00

or just crazy. What a picture.

Me and G45? Who'd have known?

2010-08-01T19:09:00.000-04:00

I can honestly say, I rarely buy or use any Graphic 45 papers. But, they were a part of the July Smaller than a Breadbox kit and I finally had an idea to use them. I've been holding on to a couple of the "printers trays" and I think the combination came out well. Do you?

I used a bunch of stuff from my stash as well, Jenni Bowlin bingo cards and bingo numbers, BG letters and dollies, and some extras from ASD kits as well.

I should have some sneaks from the August BTABB kit soon. I have finished all of my layouts, sans journaling on two of them. I've used almost every scrap of paper. Literally. The August kit is chock full of good stuff!

Garden Goodness

2010-07-20T22:20:00.000-04:00

Here's part of what we've been doing this summer. Ok, really me. I raked, weeded, planted and picked the garden. So far we are reaping some great rewards. H-U-G-E zucchini's, at least 15-20 so far, some yellow squash, a good 2 lbs of green beans, some Japenese eggplants and a few tomatoes. Including some heirloom ones - red stripey and pink girl. Yum.

You know what chaps my ass?

2010-07-19T20:44:00.000-04:00

Those stupid, freaking annoying "tax relief" commercials. "We owed the IRS 3 million dollars, but only paid 1 million dollars." Really? Glad to hear you skipped out on your taxes. Bastards. Apparently, I'm supposed to be happy for them. I'm not. Last I checked, the IRS didn't give me 66% break because I paid my taxes late.

*rant over*

A post? Really a new post?

2010-07-18T17:50:00.000-04:00

It's been far too long, but the summer has been busy and full of fun activities, so my blog absence is from good times. I've been scrapping the last couple weeks, after taking a month or so off and not creating a thing. I've gotten back into scrapping with my project 12 layouts. I'm catching up, happy to say that March, April and June are done, while May's layout is sitting waiting for a few touches and it will be complete as well. And if you can believe it, June's layout is done BEFORE the deadline. Go figure.

Here is June:

I used some October Afternoon Thrift shop and those awesome corrugated alpha's from Jillibean Soup.

For good measure, here are April and March layouts as well.

Alright, off to do some creating - I have the Apron Strings August Bigger than a Breadbox kit in hand and it is awesome! Echo Park papers and Jillibean Soup papers! I already have one single page layout almost completed and a two-pager as well.

Reclaiming "Me."

2010-05-13T20:18:00.000-04:00

I'm not exactly sure when I "decided" to reclaim my body, maybe sometime in March? But, since then I've been eating better, and eating less, and exercising more. Walking on my breaks at work, and adding elliptical at night along with some weight lifting. Fast forward to Tuesday, and I'm down 11 pounds. My goal is 20 pounds total, so, halfway there. I can see, and feel a difference. Even John has noticed. Just being able to see the change, is very motivating to keep going. My goal is based purely on vanity - I want to wear a bikini again, and I want to wear it well.

Exercising has given me another "me" time. Scrapbooking is a creative escape, exercise is a stress reliever.

We're getting back into the swing of spring/summer schedules again. Tee-ball for Alexa, softball for me, visiting the cottages on the weekends when we can, looking forward to school being out.

In a couple of days the ASD May kit will go live, and it has one of my favorite scrapping items included in the "bigger than a breadbox kit" - Glimmer Mist. Even in a color I didn't have!

Hopefully it will stop raining and dry out here soon, it's been raining bucket and the girls have been a bit cooped up inside after school.

I took a bit of a break.

2010-04-29T19:09:00.001-04:00

No blogging, very little scrapping, just hanging out at home playing out side with the chicklets, or working. Not too exciting. But, I'm back in the groove again. So, here's to more regular blogging. I've also been working with the May Bigger than a Breadbox kit from Apron Strings and it's F-A-B.

I stumbled across this video online. Totally. Awesome.

Alright, with that I'll be back sooner than last time!

Confession: I think I can be a bit obsessive...

2010-04-03T16:45:00.000-04:00

Or maybe compulsive? A little of both? When I start reading a book and I find it an easy read or a great book, I can't stop reading. It was wonderful reading in the sunlight, and warmth, listening them to girls play outside.

I finally decided to read the Twilight series. Hi Maria, welcome to 2005. My assessment (so far) would be "easy read." Not the greatest literary works of art, but entertaining. I really thought I would dislike the books immerserably. My husband even sat through the movies from Netflix (do I need to take away a man card for that?) Since Thursday night, I've read Twilight, New Moon, half of Eclipse and the posted transcript of Midnight Sun. Hmm, I'm thinking obsessive might fit the most right now. I'm compelled to finish the books even though I pretty much know who the whole series ends.

I do get annoyed with the characters (Bella can be whiny, and Jake is the teenager that doesn't get the hint the girl doesn't like him), but overall, I"m enjoying the books.

So after this post, dinner, the SPARTAN GAME (!!!!!) and when the chicklets are back in bed, I'm finishing Eclipse.

If we weren't going to spend the better part of tomorrow out of the house, I'd probably read Breaking Dawn. Maybe just a bit obsessive.

Read to me.

2010-03-30T21:25:00.000-04:00

Chillaxin and reading in my favorite spot on the sofa.

FINAL FOUR!

2010-03-28T22:00:00.000-04:00

If you are not a college basketball fan, this is probably completely boring. But, I am, and my alma mater - Michigan State is off to the Final Four again this year.

GO GREEN!

I've kind of run out of scrappy mojo of late, but I hope to order some pictures this week and receive an order full of new scrappy goodies. I'm also working on a tutorial for the Apron Strings blog. I should have that written up and photographed later this week.

Alright, I'm off to bed, heading to Lansing with a coworker for a meeting/training (all day) in Lansing. Leaving wayyyyyyyyyyyy to early for my taste.

Apron Strings March Projects and a Quick Recap

2010-03-22T20:56:00.000-04:00

It's been a week since I last posted, the week has been busy. We had Alexa's conferences, she's reading well above grade level and spelling words from the next grade as well. :) Swimming lessons are going much better, Ava is listening and participating. We're going to look at getting them enrolled again, if there is a short session before summer, or after T-ball finishes in early summer.

My March projects -

And a couple of cards:

I'm already looking forward to April's kits, the "smaller" kit has some new Little Yellow Bicycle in it and some Sassafras as well. But, April's kits are a month away, and I saw one of my favorite lines from CHA available:

And, somehow it made it in my shopping cart. Hmmm. I need to go through my pictures and see what would work with this line. Should be arriving at my door later this week.

Project 12 February Layout

2010-03-15T19:08:00.000-04:00

I finally finished this layout over the weekend. I've had it in progress since the end of February. I like how it came together, I'm really digging white boarders on all my photos. All Pink Paislee papers on this layout, some Maya Road chipboard and Thickers. I stayed pretty true to the sketch this month.

Alright, Apron Strings March kits are up, the newsletter should be up soon. I'll post my layouts in the next day or so.

Icicles, icicles, icicles...

2010-03-09T22:53:00.000-05:00

We just don't get this at the house.

Probably 6-7 feet long. We checked on my IL's cottage. I was playing around with the camera. The textures and crystaline structure in the icicles was fascinating.

I liked the depth of field here. With my point and shoot nonetheless! Someday I'll have a DSLR...

Alright, I'm off to bed!

Playing with colored pencils!

2010-03-08T22:30:00.000-05:00

Kind of brings you back to childhood. I've had some Prisma pencils and some Koh-I-Noor pencils for a little while but wasn't sure what to do with them. Always wondered how people got such cool colors and blends with the pencils. My images were just...blah. I saw on Gloria's blog how she used odorless mineral spirits (OMS) to blend the pencils. And, her cards are awesome. With Gloria's tips, here is a new and improved use of the Koh-I-Noor pencils.

I wanted my title to mimic the changing color of the Sassafras paper (scalloped border). I used some Studio Calico stamps (love these!) and then colored the images and blended the colors with OMS. Really the title is not that crooked. Apparently, I can't take a straight picture of late.

The title.

And the scalloped border.

All papers and embellishments (sans stamps and pencils) were from the January Apron Strings kit. Trying to use up some of my stash!

So thanks for the tip Gloria! I can't wait to play around more with the pencils. I've already created a birthday card and used this technique on my stamped images.

So...Ava.

2010-03-07T15:22:00.000-05:00

A little under a week until the kit is live at Apron Strings, and I had the privledge of working with the "Smaller than a Breadbox" kit. Here is the layout that is up on the ASD slideshow.

Everything is from the kit, except for the Thickers. I actually colored them with some Green Maya Mist from the Apron Strings pantry. This layout highlights Ava's big personality. She has really changed from the shy, quiet, baby of few words. Not anymore!

My favorite layout was actually from the Piggy Tales papers, I'll share that layout after the kit goes live later this week.

We spent a night up at my IL's cottage, I'll upload the pictures of the HUGE icicles in their yard. Some were 5-7 feet long!

Good Grief, it's March.

2010-03-03T21:46:00.000-05:00

Really? I just realized school will be out for Alexa the second week in June. Already? I can't believe how fast it's gone by. In honor of the (slightly distant) upcoming summer vacation, I have a mini-album to share. I started to put this album together when I went scrapping with Jenn. I kept it simple, as I wanted the wood to show through. The wood is a thin sheet of balsa wood, I picked up at Joann's. To give it some color, I used some Tea Dye ink - it works best if you take ink, drop some on to an old cloth and rub the ink over the wood. The pages are 4x6, and balsa wood is very thin and easy to punch with the Bind-it-all. Pictures are all from last summer.

The papers, die cuts and rub-ons are MME and the labels are from October Afternoon.

That's it for now. Layouts are up on the Apron Strings web site, the March kits will go up for sale at the end of next week.

March Sneak!

2010-02-28T20:10:00.000-05:00

Just a quick, tiny one.

New Cosmo Cricket...fun papers! Love this kit.

Some craftiness and a "OMGosh, I'm 'that' Mom" moment.

2010-02-28T20:02:00.000-05:00

I have been cranking out some layouts of late. I've toyed with the idea of submitting to the Lily Bee DT call. I haven't hit sent yet on the email. Guess I better decide soon, since the deadline is 3/1.

For this layout I used a 12x12 piece of chipboard for the background. I sprayed it with Glimmer Mist and distressed the edges. All paper is Lily Bee, flowers and center are Prima, Thickers for the title, 2 Girlz Etsy label. I just LOVE ths photo of Ava.

More French Couture paper here. I punched the background and the lightly glued it to the background paper. Then I stitched the seams.

I would put a detailed close up picture in, but Blogger and I are apparently not on the same page. A couple other favorites.

So, I was going to post this layout as well. But, again, Blogger and I are not seeing eye to eye. *sigh* It is one of my favorite photo's ever.

Ok, so "that Mom" moment. Ever watch an event with kids, and one is running around bouncing off the walls, not listening to a word the coach or teacher says? Do you feel embarrased watching or giggle a bit? At the mom or child? Do you ever think, "boy, am I glad that's not my kid!" Well, that was MY kid on Friday night at swim lessons. Ava, who I thought was well behaved, we rarely have issues at daycare, could not control herself at her first swim lesson. Being our first lesson (ever) I didn't know if I was supposed to go in there and intervene or stay out of it. But, I was mortified. Throwing pool noodles in the water, not listening to the instructors. Oi. We had a nice long talk afterwards and she will be apologizing to the instructor next Friday. Cross your fingers for a better second lesson. (By the way, Alexa, in a different class, did fine.)

Alright, I'll be back real quick with an ASD March Sneak peek. The kits are available for pre-order and you can see them on the ASD web site. I'm working with the "Smaller" kit and have finished all of my pages. :) I just need to finish journaling on one page. Tomorrow or Tuesday the slideshow should show a sneak of a few pages from the design team.

I'm too tired to be productive.

2010-02-25T21:39:00.000-05:00

What's your evening like? Typically we get home from work, eat, catch up on the news, do dishes or laundry, give the chicklets a bath, have a snack and get them in bed. After bedtime I usually make Alexa's lunch, catch up on more laundry and sometimes scrap. Or goof off on the computer. ;)

Tonight, I got a few more pictures of Ava in the pink hat. She has developed a real liking for the camera.

I should be scrapping the March ASD kit, but I'm exhausted this week. I'm picking up some pictures tomorrow for a couple layouts. I'm debating the idea of applying for one or two manufacturer teams, we'll see if I get the nerve to actually hit "send" on the email.

And I almost forgot - swim lessons for the chicklets start tomorrow after work. :) Can't wait!

ASD Februrary Part Deux

2010-02-21T21:28:00.000-05:00

A couple more from the February ASD kit. Alexa's current obsession: Littlest Pet Shop.

From Alexa's 6th birthday party (Princess and the Frog themed). These papers matched the color scheme of the party perfectly.

I'm always trying to learn how to take better pictures, even with my little point and shoot camera. I picked up these ADORABLE knit hats on Etsy. Tosweetpeafromme is the seller. We goofed around with the pink hats and the camera. It was a sunny day and I tried to avoid using the flash for these shots.

Thinking, thinking...

Ava, goofy, as usual.

The infamous, and overused, "over the shoulder" pose.

Practicing her modeling poses. Save me now.

I'm off to finish watching USA vs. Canada in Hockey! Go USA!

Apron Strings February - part one

2010-02-15T21:38:00.000-05:00

Until the newsletter goes live (soon!) I can only share a bit of the layouts I created with the kit. This had to be one of my favorite layouts, not because it was so complicated, but because the photo is one of my favorites. I used the Basic Grey Sugar Rush papers, which I did not love - until I started creating.

Ava is in L-O-V-E with those little princess dolls. Maybe even obsessed. Somehow I got her to agree to take some pictures, and even smile for the camera. I punched the circles (about 22-25) and then glued them on to the floral photo mat. I trimmed the edges, added the ribbon for a 'seam' and glued it on to the cardstock.

I added the title and embellishments and then journaled along the side of the floral paper. (p.s. the title was created by inking alittle paper, glueing it to spare chipboard and die cutting it.) That's it. Be back soon with the rest of the kit layouts.

My little lefty

2010-02-12T22:26:00.000-05:00

I completed this layout for the "Use Your Stash" challenge over at the Apron Strings blog. First, we were to use older stashed papers, second use the sketch and third...we had to use eyelets. I can't tell you the last time I used eyelets. I will say, I do love how the layout turned out. I even had to use the old fashioned (noisy) eyelet center, my crop-a-dile did not reach far enough to set the eyelets.

I used Maya Road chipboard letters (inked and glittered) for the title. That has to be the oddest shaped "f" I've used. Just weird.

The eyelets - all 16 of them!

The photos in this layout are from December 2007. Ava was around 17 months old. And she is definitely a lefty now.

I'm off to finish watching the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics. I should hopefully have my December Daily (FINALLY!!) photographed this weekend.

I finally have pictures...

2010-02-11T10:30:00.000-05:00

to do a "snow" page. We really haven't had much snow at all this year. Yesterday was our first snow day from school and I stayed home with the chicklets. It was a bit windy, so we didn't attempt a snowman yet. Here they are all bundled up.

We'll see what the weather brings this weekend. It's the start of Alexa's winter break on Friday and if it's "warm" enough, maybe we'll head outside and make the snowman Ava keeps asking about.

Project 12, a flashback and an Anthology

2010-02-08T21:12:00.000-05:00

It's soooo nice to finish these and be able to slide the pages into an album. Using the January sketch provided over at Scrapbook and Cards today, here is my January Project 12 layout. All Basic Grey Nook and Pantry papers and brads, with some Thickers for the title. I definitely like going back to 12x12 pages for this project. 8x8 was fun, but cropping the pictures last year was less than a joy!

I already have ideas for the February sketch and layout.

Apparently, I was on a roll this weekend and cranked out a couple more pages. Apron Strings Designs is hosting a "Use Your Stash" challenge all month on the blog. Used some older Sassafras papers and buttons on this layout. I also punched some circles and misted the page. I can't believe how much the girls changed one year to another.

I saw the Studio Calico Anthology papers and loved them. I used a sketch I saw on the SC blog to create this layout. I just LOVE Ava's expressions.

We're looking at our first "real" snowfall - or at least the potential of - tomorrow and Wednesday. We'll see if the weather predictions are on, and if Alexa has her first official snow day on Wednesday.

This Friday the Apron Strings February kits go up for sale, if you want a preview of what's coming, check out the ASD page for a slideshow of some of the DT projects.

Layouts and a Hangover. (not mine!)

2010-02-01T22:04:00.000-05:00

I am finishing up my layouts for the February Apron Strings kit, but I do have a few I can share that I've been working on lately. I completed this when I was scrapping at Archivers with Jenn.

This layout was a lift of a layout I saw on 2 Peas from Waleska.

Alright, we're watching the Hangover (HILARIOUS) so I'm off to finish the DVD. If you have any other suggestions for movies from Netflix, let me know.

Up close and personal

2010-01-31T21:34:00.000-05:00

with their favorite toys right now. ;)

Look for these photos on upcoming layouts. Can you believe tomorrow is February already?

How about some February sneaks?

2010-01-29T21:51:00.000-05:00

Up until I picked up another(!!) fabulous cold from the chicklets, I was seriously cranking out layouts in my scrap area. I've been working the Bigger than a Breadbox kit for February, and I'm loving it. I wasn't "sold" on the Basic Grey Sugar Rush papers until I saw them in person. Let's just say I've changed my mind. I only have a few scraps left to create some cards or tags with. How about a couple sneaks?

I even used my typewriter on this one!

I used Microbeads (Martha Stewart) to cover the chipboard heart. Messy, but great texture.

And from the MME papers....

I'm determined to use every inch of that trim. Love it.

You can see the kits here. Both kits and the card kit are up and if you want to get your hands on one, sign up for autoship.

Other than that, it's a busy weekend, I think the work week was actually slower! If I finish up the layouts, I'll post up more sneaks.

Have a good night.

How about some quick birthday pictures?

2010-01-19T22:05:00.000-05:00

Amazingly enough, I only have a few from Saturday that I really love.

What is up with that look? LOL

It's been awhile!

2010-01-19T21:26:00.000-05:00

I was blogging so regularly, then life got in the way again. In a good way. Keeping busy with the girls (we finally celebrated Alexa's birthday with the family), scrapbooking and just relaxing. I did get to meet an online friend yesterday. I met up with Jenn from AMM at Archivers for a crop. Had a great time! It's fun to scrap with someone else especially when I normally scrap by myself after the chicklets are in bed.

Today I received my Apron Strings February Kit. I'm working with the "bigger" kit for next month and the Basic Grey Sugar Rush and My Minds Eye Life Stories (kraft!!) are fab. Lori has some great embellishments in the kits as well! After this post I'm heading down to my scrap area to push some paper around.

I'll be back soon with some birthday party pictures.

Project 12 - 2009 and 2010

2010-01-11T21:56:00.000-05:00

Can it be true? An album that is finally completed? Yep. Tonight I finished up the last of my 2009 Project 12 layouts. A couple things I've learned - first, while 8x8 layouts are fun for something different, they are difficult to print photos for. Second, I use alot of scallops. LOL. Third, I don't do "scattered" well. At all. I'm very much a linear, balanced person for two-pagers.

In the last two weeks, I finished the pages from August until December. Not bad. I've uploaded September through December. Apparently, I didn't take a picture of August. Oops.

For 2010, I'm going to use 12x12 pages again. I already have an extra album I can slip each layout into. Again, for Davinies challenge, I created my cover page. At first I was going to use some Basic Grey Nook and Pantry and then I saw their Origins line. Love! I did have some self control and only bought a few sheets (even though I wanted it all) and made myself use it. Here's my cover for this year's album:

I ended up using some Thickers and some chipboard parenthesis inked with Distress Ink (Weathered Wood) and painted with Rock Candy Crackle Paint.

I can't wait to get started on this years Project 12. January should be a good picture month, the girls have been really into dressing up like princesses lately and we're celebrating Alexa's birthday this Saturday.

Next on the project list - finish up my December Daily (finally received my pictures from WinkFlash) and do Alexa's "6" album. Every birthday, starting at age 4, I've asked her a series of 10 questions about her likes and dislikes. It's interesting to see what stays the same (Favorite foods: pizza and hot dogs, again) and what changes.

Alright, I'm outta here. I need to hit the hay earlier than last night.

Words that make your heart melt.

2010-01-10T13:34:00.002-05:00

"Mama, I gonna give you kiss. That make you happy."
-Ava, age 3, Saturday January 9th.

Yep, it sure did.

A quick layout, some good news and a few photos.

2010-01-05T22:49:00.000-05:00

I guess that would some up this post. :) Tonight I put together a quick layout using an Apron Strings kit from November. (Maybe I'll get my December layouts up soon!) Full of October Afternoon paper, Jenni Bowlin chipboard buttons and gingham rick rack. I added some Thickers and letter stickers from my stash. Used a sketch from Page Maps.

This picture is so Alexa. LOL

The other night, we hand an impromptu photo shoot (which seems to happen alot around here) the girls had wanted to wear princess dresses. Ava is currently OBSESSED with Cinderella, and wears this dress every. stinkin. day.

Any clue where they were sitting? Our bathroom floor!

And finally, I was asked to return to the Apron Strings Design team for another year. Thank you Lori for the opportunity to work with the rest of the design team and the fabulous kits again.

Gah.

2010-01-03T18:12:00.000-05:00

Back to work and school tomorrow. Back to the routine, to homework, to earlier bedtimes and much earlier rising out of bed. While it will be nice in a way to get the girls back on a normal schedule, I will miss them. These days off went by much to fast. *sigh* Only 2 weeks until another long weekend. Already looking forward to it.

01/01/10

2010-01-01T15:14:00.000-05:00

I wonder how many times I will write the wrong year on my checks this month? It's going to take some time to get used to 2010. After posting my favorite projects from 2009, I thought I'd post my 12 favorite photos from last year. I may use these photos for a layout in the future...

I could have picked 12 photos from December alone! Most of those pictures haven't even been edited, or don't have the best lighting, but they make me smile.

I've decided to pick a word for this year. "Progress." I want 2010 to be a year of progress, at home, at work, I want to look back this time next year, and say that I "learned/improved/changed..." some things for the better this year. Get things accomplished that I've (we've) let slide by.

Goodbye 2009, hello 2010.

2009-12-31T21:43:00.000-05:00

I can't believe this year has blown by. In fact, I can't believe a decade has gone by. Seems like just yesterday we were worried about Y2K. Remember that paranoia?

I'm stealing this idea from some fabulous bloggers - my favorite 10 projects from this year.

Ok this last one will not upload. So, here is the link from Two Peas. Probably the quickest mini I've made.

Maybe if I have my act together tomorrow, I can post my favorite photos from 2009.

Happy New Year!

And just like that...

2009-12-26T19:48:00.000-05:00

Christmas has come and gone.

From Christmas Eve:

Christmas morning:

Hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours!

Ok, it's crunch time.

2009-12-22T23:02:00.000-05:00

I have no idea why I do this to myself every year, but I've got a dozen things to do on my list, and not enough hours to do them in. I just finished cooking 12 quarts, yes, 12 quarts, of pasta sauce. It's currently cooling on my stove. I need treat bags for daycare, two mini-albums to complete, a few gifts to wrap and one to buy (thanks ALOT Kohl's.com!). I'm getting up early tomorrow to hit the stores and get the ricotta for the lasagna we are making tomorrow. I have a plan for the food prepping. That's the easy part. It's everything else I need to squeeze in. Right now I'm debating between going to bed and getting up earlier tomorrow, or staying up and trying to get moving on a project or two. I'm leaning toward bed. I need a four-hour lunch hour tomorrow. Not sure work would agree with me though.

On a happy note this is my new favorite picture of Ava. I did not take the photo (John's brother did). And I am now coveting his camera (a Nikon D90)... *sigh*

I cropped it down and had it printed (minus the lovely Ariel tattoo) for my wall. Her eyes are so BLUE it still amazes me. Although not as much as her blond hair amazes me (which is getting darker :( this winter, but still definitely a blond).

December Daily - 12/20

2009-12-20T22:30:00.000-05:00

Less than a week until Christmas. I'd be lying through my teeth if I said I wasn't getting a bit stressed and time crunched. Luckily, Papa Frank took the girls last night for a sleepover and John and I got all the wrapping done, except for a few small items.

I had the chicklets help make cookies today. I think Ava was more facinated with playing with the flour on the table then making cookies. These will be the photos for today's December Daily page. (Which I finally got all the pages in until the 25th.)

Friday, we had an impromptu photo shoot on Friday night. Still trying to get better at pictures with the flash. Or at least, better at editing them, since I'm stuck with the camera I have. I need to figure out how to correct skin tones when using flash.

Finished up some projects for tomorrow. Cards for my coworkers are completed and a wine box for my supervisor. I don't alter too many items (never know what to do with them afterwards) but this was easy. Love this OA paper from last year.

And with that, I'm off to pack all those bags for work tomorrow. Its our Christmas party and I need to get a list together so I don't forget anything!

Wrapping.

2009-12-17T15:19:00.000-05:00

I'm taking a quick break from wrapping. I forgot how L-O-N-G it takes. Yeesh. Ok, I won't lie. I'm procrastinating going back to wrapping gifts. Unfortunately, dinner will be hard to eat with the table covered in paper and tape.

I'll be back later with some Dec Daily pictures and a recap from Alexa's Winter Program at school.

December Daily, December 13 photos

2009-12-13T15:53:00.000-05:00

We headed out to Great Lakes Crossing today for some Secret Santa shopping. Before we left, the girls put on some reindeer ears. Alexa loves them. Ava, eh, not so much.

At the mall, Bass Pro Shops (the Secret Santa store we needed) had indoor ice fishing. Alexa gave it a whirl with the help of Joe. She caught her fish pretty quickly. We opted for "catch and release."

I've finally been printing out some pictures for my album. (One drawback to my laptop, no wireless printing in the house.) Hopefully I can get some pages done tonight.

December Daily 11

2009-12-11T20:09:00.003-05:00

The end of the work week. Almost. One more day tomorrow at another clinic. But, from today here are the chicklets:

We painted their little toes:

And our tree, I took this the other night. It will go in my December Daily, on another date.

I should have some scrappy stuff to share soon. The Apron Strings Kit goes live on the 12th.

Have a good weekend!

More fun with Photoshop (elements)!

2009-12-09T22:14:00.005-05:00

I have downloaded a bunch of actions and filters and have been playing around with editing my pictures. I have a ton to learn, but I love this Butterscotch action from Coffeeshop. And, its free.

Butterscotch:

Original:

December Daily 12/6

2009-12-06T19:35:00.003-05:00

We finally went to Build-a-Bear and used the gift cards from last Christmas. All I can say is THANK GOD for the gift cards. That store is a total rip off.

The girls are proud owners of two pink unicorn's: Sweetheart (Alexa's) and Pinky (Ava's).

If anyone can tell me how to remove the yellowish color cast from a picture (indoors, used flash), please let me know! Ugh, I have a few pics I just can't get the color right.

And why do my pictures on the blog look distorted? Something's off after editing them. hmmm.

December Daily 12/5

2009-12-05T23:53:00.004-05:00

We'll, this may not make it in before the stroke of midnight, but you get what I mean!

Fun with cousins!

December Daily 12/3

2009-12-03T22:10:00.003-05:00

I didn't take any pictures of yesterday's activities, but I'm going to journal about my favorite guilty holiday pleasure (Peppermint Mocha's from Starbucks - which I do have a picture of!)

Today, I decided to to try and take pictures of the girls under the tree for a Christmas card. We'll call it "Attempt 1." *Note to self, check Ava's face before taking pictures, she's messy.

"Attempt 1" lasted about 7 minutes before Ava had enough. Next time: bribery with chocolate.

I also tried another Coffeeshop action "eye bright" on Ava's photo. There was a difference from the original to the editted photo, but I'm not sure it's totally right yet. Still learning.

Fun with Photoshop

2009-12-02T23:10:00.002-05:00

I have so much to learn, but can't wait to try this out on more photos.

Spot color: I've always wanted to do know how to do this.

And it was easier than I thought!

Now I just need to add my photos to this computer.

December Daily 2009

2009-12-01T20:58:00.004-05:00

Inspired by Ali Edwards, I'm attempting a "December Daily" album again this year. If you are playing along this season, I'd love to see your projects! Here are today's photos:

The girls were able to get outside and burn some energy off before dinner, and before it got dark. It looks like snow (!!) is coming soon so were trying to take advantage of the outdoors before having to bundle them up completely.

Once I get a chance in the daylight, I'll take some pictures of my album. It's a work in progress, but the base is complete.

I'm off to figure out this new laptop and to work on my projects for the December Apron Strings Kit. If you'd like to see a sneak peak, there are a couple of my layouts up on the Apron Strings web site. The kit will go live on the 12th.

P.S. - All month ASD is celebrating 25 Days of Sketches on the blog. If you are looking for inspiration and some prizes, check it out!

I love and hate new technology at the same time.

2009-11-29T22:23:00.003-05:00

Love having a new laptop.

Hate transferring files. (I haven't yet begun to transfer the 10,000 plus photos I have.)

Love wifi.

Hate not being able to print yet.

LOVE new software. (photoshop elements 8.0)

Original photo:

Edited photo - used a Coffeeshop Action - creamy chocolate.

Hate not knowing what to do with it! I finally figured out the photoshop actions...thanks to Dani for some help! I'm going to finally go through all the Jessica Sprague tutorials I have saved. And I think I need a book or two.

Now I can finally go to sleep!

Nothing beats a good ol' fashioned pajamma day.

2009-11-27T21:35:00.003-05:00

Yep, wore PJ's all day today. A much needed break to do really...just about nothing serious. Anyone venture out into the shopping craziness? We saw the tents set up at Best Buy yesterday at 3 PM. I can't imagine sitting outside for 15+ HOURS just to get a cheap tv/computer/blu ray... not that die hard! This year, I stayed in on Black Friday. I did head out yesterday for a couple of quick stops at Meijer and Kmart, but nothing caught my fancy for Black Friday shopping. I was hoping to do some online shopping, but Kohls website has been down all day.

Instead of shopping, I did do some scrapping. Working on my December ASD kit. So far I've completed 4 single page layouts with the Lily Bee papers and 1 two-page spread with the Fancy Pants papers. Maybe tomorrow I can get a sneak peek up...we'll see if the sun is shining or not over here so I can get some good photos.

On the homefront we took the plunge for some new family room furniture. Much overdue. Totally changed the look of the room, so we (I) need to redecorate the very blank back wall. I'm thinking a piece of wall art and a bunch of black framed B/W pictures... I'll have to get a picture up.

If anyone is scoping around online...I'm in the market for a new laptop. I'm looking for 4GB of RAM and at least 320 GB hard drive, Pentium Core 2 processor...if you see a deal, let me know! Our computer is 6 (!!) years old, it's time for an upgrade.

Who Doesn't Love a Happy Mail Day?

2009-11-19T09:11:00.003-05:00

There is something about getting a package(s) in the mail that is just FUN. Yesterday, I received my November kit from ASD and my DT kit for December. Nothing like a box of scrapbook supplies to get you out of a funk. I'm working with the "Bigger" kit for December and if you love Fancy Pants or Lily Bee, you are in luck. Both are in the kit for next month. In fact, I've already finshed my two-page sketch layout, all I need is the journaling.

Also, sitting on my front porch waiting to be opened was a box from Amazon. Who doesn't like a package with a smile on it? I ordered some Early Reader books for Alexa. She's really making progress reading and is enjoying books as well. I picked up four books to slowly introduce over the next few weeks. Santa may have to bring some books from the next reading level!

December is almost here, anyone doing a "December Daily" this year? Last year I spent too much time making the album and pages and ended up too far behind to catch up. I'm trying again, this time, I have my album picked out and the pages already set. Hopefully that will make it easier to journal and/or add pictures. It's mainly chipboard (an older Prima album), and some die cut chipboard pages that I painted and used some Glimmer Mist to add a subtle sheen. I have Basic Grey Wassail papers and die cuts to add to the pages as I go. Once I take some pictures, I'll load them up.

At Last, I'm back.

2009-11-09T20:54:00.005-05:00

After a much too long break from blogging, I'm back. Life got a little crazy last month. I got sick, work got insanely busy (and still is), then Halloween came around and work got busier. For at least 2 weeks I didn't even touch my scrap supplies. By the end on the evening (when I usually scrapbook) I was exhausted.

I don't have a big update, hopefully, I can get back to regular blogging now that our outdoor activities are winding down.

But, on a happy note, tomorrow is my anniversary. 8 years. :) Happy Anniversary babe!

Ah, back when I was young and thin, my how time flies!

Right Now...

2009-10-18T19:22:00.004-04:00

This girl:

1 - is loving school. Learning to read and loving it, becoming very independent.

2 - is loving making art. I don't know if it's a fad, but she has to draw and/or color every day right now.

3 - is waiting for her first tooth to fall out. Don't tell her, but I really don't think ANY of them are loose yet.

4 - is growing taller. Clothes are starting to not fit again. Must have hit a growth spurt. We went to the mall today.

5 - is kind, thoughtful, observant and a good big sister. She makes us proud.

This girl:

1 - is making leaps and bounds with her speech. Alexa being in school has forced Ava to talk for herself. A very good thing.

2 - is totally into art as well. Has to draw, color and/or cut things out daily.

3 - has the best facial expressions. She can tell you a story and even if you don't know what she's saying her face says it all.

4 - is still a lefty. No doubt, this girl is going to be a southpaw.

5 - is a sweet, slightly stubborn, kind and caring little princess.

LOVE them dearly!

P.S. -stole this idea from another person's blog! Love this idea. :)

Blog Candy Winner!

2009-10-15T09:49:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post for now, but I counted up all the posts and challenges and wrote out a bunch of little slips with names (somewhere around 30!) and the winner is.....

REBECCA!

Congratulations and great job on the challenges. I'm going to need your address to ship out your kit and RAK. Rebecca email me at:
swiatkowski01(at)hotmail(dot)com.

I'll be back later!

I have a cold. And my layouts from the ASD blog challenges.

2009-10-12T21:44:00.008-04:00

Ok, first things first. Yes, I am going to whine for a paragraph. Hang with me.

My main job is to teach others about H1N1 right now. It's all we do at work, it's all-encompassing. You would think those genetically related to me would heed my "cover your coughs and sneezes and please throw your tissues away and wash your hands" message, right? Hmm, not so much. My oldest has graciously shared her cold with me. Fab-u-lous. Hand washing only goes so far, especially when your darlings have a knack for coughing all over you as you buckle the cherubs in their car seats. *sigh* A nice chesty cough and a voice that sounds like I drank whiskey daily and smoked unfiltered cigarettes for the last 50 years. Yes, I am that hot right now. And just in time for my first day off since Labor Day. Awesome.

So, after that little rant, I did get several layouts created this weekend, including a few for the ASD Crop-tober fest. Apparently, I need more light in my house. These photos aren't the finest.

For the Embellishement challenge (I used glitter, chipboard, - I just love those Maya Road cupcakes - ribbon and a rhinestone):

For the Naked chipboard challenge (this layout is so "un-Maria," it's messy, non-linear, and for the love, I painted on my paper):

I did finish the 2-page sketch challenge, but it is way too dark to get a picture. Perhaps tomorrow morning. It was linear and clean...all things "me" when it comes to scrapbooking.

While I was down at my crafting area, I ended up creating a few other layouts:

This one might be my favorite. New Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses here. And a tiny bit of new Pink Paislee. And my newest fad - a grid.

Alright, off to bed I go, back to work tomorrow. I'm hoping my voice clears a bit, I do have a presentation at noon. (On H1N1, of course!) Even better, tomorrow night, I also have a doubleheaders. Starting at 8:30 PM. Should be a balmy 45 degrees by then.

Apron Strings Designs Crop-tober fest and Blog Candy Time!

2009-10-10T09:33:00.003-04:00

Want a chance to win a kit from Apron Strings Design and a bonus RAK from me? Simply leave a comment on this thread by11:59 PM Tuesday, October 13. I have this kit to giveaway:

Right now on the ASD Blog "Crop-tober Fest" is going on. Lot's of challenges and the chance to get a bunch of pages done and maybe win a cookie jar treat as well. So, for bonus entries to win this kit and the RAK, everytime you finish a challenge, leave a comment here with the challenge you completed. There is no limit on entries for this giveaway. So head over to the blog, work on some challenges and get to posting those pages you've completed!

Easy enough right? Leave a comment here for a chance to win, and for bonus entries into the drawing finish a challenge (or two, or three...) and let me know as well. I'll draw a winner Wednesday morning. (P.S. if you load your work up on the ASD Yahoo group, that's fine, just let me know.)