My Weblog

Sickness aside..

This week started off a little rocky. I've been depressed on and off these last few days. Being sick really took the wind out of me and I had little left over energy to deal with my emotional side. It's easy to feel venerable and weak when sick. I just about had it by the time Monday night arrived. I was one angry, tired mom. I was ready to collapse from exhaustion and shear sadness. Of course, time has a way of pushing us forward. I weathered the storm and got through it. Now, I'm feelen' ok. Did a few things for myself today and even got a box in the mail from "A Million Little Things". I placed an order last week with them. The waiting game is always a drag, but it's usually worth it. When the box arrived today, I quickly sorted through the product..I wanted to share some of my faves (maybe it will give you an idea of what the product actually looks like vs. having to guess what it looks like online). Right now, I'm really enjoying the hues of Spring, especially the Kelly Green/Turquoise blend with golds and creams. Take a peek:

Dream Street has some shabby sheek papers on the market right now. You can check them out here.  The green polk-a-dot paper with the writing is from their "Enchanted" line. It doesn't look nearly as vibrant online, but it's beautiful in person. Love the combination of elements. The crosshatch is also from that same line.

I did pick up a few American Craft vinyl letter stickers. The colors go well with the latest Spring hues. The font is also adorable...even for the average boy theme layouts (perfect for baby theme layouts):

I've been looking for these labels locally. It's difficult to find Autumn Leaves product in my area, especially the newer stuff. I thought these would go great with my owl paper (no wonder, they're from the same line). Perfect for layering and cutting up:

In an attempt to keep myself preoccupied these last few evenings, I've been doing a lot of scrapbooking. Now, a lot of scrapbooking, at least for me, means finishing more than one layout a week. Laugh. I actually finished  my first layout for Prima. I drew the design on paper before starting the layout. This is not something I do very often. Usually, I take out paper and start cutting without thinking..I'm realizing that I'm losing out on a lot of great ideas by not writing them down on paper. There's so much inspiration out there and it's easy to see something in a magazine and forget about it the next day. I can't even begin to count how many times I've done this. This week, I've started recording ideas and layout sketches. I'm hoping it will help me be more productive and motivate me to finish more layouts. I think this is something many of us struggle with..especially if we're busy people.

I did take a number of close-up shots. One of Prima's products that I've grown to luv is their Fancy Felt Matties. They're a new product from CHA Winter '08. They're 6" x 6" pattern cut-out pieces of felt. They come in packs of three. There are a ton of patterns and colors. They have a sticky back, so no glue required. Just cut, peel, and stick. I used a "cream" color flower pattern piece for this layout. I love the way it "pops" off the page. It gives the layout some extra texture and softens it up a bit. You can use the 6" x 6" piece as one whole piece on a layout, but I like the idea of using small pieces of it here and there. Here's a close-up:

Yep, those would be "felt letters". Prima is releasing their own line of felt letters. Each sheet of letters is 12" x 12". There are a total of 99 letters on each sheet. They'll be available in a variety of colors and should last you awhile. Smile.

"Sunday Paper". The red pattern paper in this image has some great typography on it. It's from Prima's new "Morning Song" pattern paper collection. With this sort of paper, don't feel like you have to use "all of it". Use bits and pieces of it. I've collected a lot of typography paper over the years and I usually treat it like striped paper. Letters always move in a certain direction..pay attention to it and use it as a guide to create movement on your layouts.

A little extra "pop" never hurts. I thought the layout would of been a little flat if I didn't make some of the pieces "pop" from the page. Sometimes, just adding a pop-dot makes all the difference in the world. Laugh.

Stuff

I did some house cleaning over the weekend. Eric and I collected a lot of "stuff" over the years. If you ask anyone that's been in my home, they'll tell you that I have a lot of stuff just sitting around and taking up space. For instance, my basement (which is huge), is full of boxes. My sisters often ask me, "why all the boxes?" Well, it's old stuff from our old apartment. I can't part with it just yet. Laugh. I say this even though we're running out of storage space at this very moment. Every nook and cranny in my home is full of "stuff". It's stuff I don't need and shouldn't want. I'm just too lazy to move it. I did find a little bit of inspiration this weekend though. Our entertainment center was brimmen' with stuff that either needed to be thrown away or brought downstairs. I found ancient old electronic manuals (for the tv and retired vcr), cords, switches, written notes, photos, and a bunch of other misc. things we haven't needed for years. I let go of most of it. I also found Eric's chess items inside the entertainment unit. It was a difficult choice to move them from their place, but I felt the items needed to be preserved and stored in a safe place away from the dust and mess. I let Ethan spend some time with one of daddy's chess boards before storing it away..that would be the little guy and the board above in the photos. It was a really special moment for me. Ethan instantly glued himself to daddy's board. He loved it. The second he saw it on the floor, he went running for it. I immediately took out the camera and caught a few shots. Definitely scrapbooking this event. I wrapped all of Eric's chess items and put them in a box. I brought the box downstairs and set it on top of all the others. Another box in the basement, but unlike the rest of the boxes, it's not just "stuff". It's a piece of Eric's life that has profound meaning to me and soon, Ethan.

I've been battling an awful cold these last three days. It takes a lot to knock me off my feet and this virus did a pretty good job of it. I still sought out some scrap time for myself. I finished this layout last night. After completing it, I realized it looks a lot like the recent layout I posted here last week. An immediate sign that I wasn't feelen' like my ol'self. Oh well, why reinvent the wheel if you don't have to? Take a peek at the re-run layout:

No special techniques to share with this one. Just a lot of little bits and pieces here and there. I will say though that I love some of the textured papers that have been coming out these last few months. This blue paper is by Making Memories. The red flowers are soft and fuzzy. The only downside to using this type of product is trying to get things to stick to it's surface. The photo on this layout is already coming up a little bit. Gonna have to come up with a creative way to get it to stay attached to the paper. Other than that, I'm really liken' the texture and appearance of the paper. It's adorable.

Handwriting...and a link or two

9:30am. That's what time I woke up this morning. Saturday is my "sleep-in" day. Ethan stays overnight at grandma's house on Friday nights. I always look forward to the end of the week. I think all of us do. Laugh. I'm usually able to get some things done on Saturday morning since Ethan is away on "vacation". When I opened my sore, little eyes this mornen' and yawned, I could feel "it". I woke up with company..a cold virus. Yuck. I thought to myself, "Nooooo! Why right now? There's so much I want to do this morning." I dragged myself out of bed. I dosed myself with DayQuil and went about tending to the things that needed to be done. In reality, it's just a cold. The first day is always the worst, but it will get better. While doing my morning chores, I thought about what I wanted to share on the blog this weekend. I don't have any layouts to share with you today. I got half a one done yesterday. I spent my time chatting instead of scrapping. Laugh. That's what always happens to me if I scrap outside the house. I thought maybe it might be the perfect time to focus on something many of you have asked me about in the past; my handwriting.

I think the question I hear most often is "how did you learn to write like that?" The answer; I didn't learn to write like this, it just happened. My handwriting can go two ways. Messy or Neat. For everyday writing, I write in all capital letters. It's clean, precise, and legible. For scrapbooking, I write in a more artistic fashion. I used to write like this when I was in high school. I would often practice handwriting while attending class. It was always sort of edgy, but I spent a lot of time perfecting it. Making it my own. I was a creative spirit during my adolescent years. Art spoke much louder to me than math or science. My handwriting was an extension of that calling. I sort of let this handwriting style go by the wayside during college. When I started scrapbooking, I thought it would be fun to try it again and include it in my work. I've found that it blends really well with my style. It naturally fits in with the surroundings. How did I manage to combine the two so seamlessly? I think scrapbooking is a reflection of our creativity. I also think this can be said of handwriting. The two of them originate from a similar source within the brain and combine themselves on paper effortlessly because they share the same origin. Each one is an extension of our creative spirit. I wonder what would happen if you combined your handwriting and scrapbooking skills? Have you tried it? I'm daring all my readers (who scrapbook) to hand journal on your next layout..even if you think your handwriting lacks "style", just try it and tell me how it goes. I bet you'll be surprised.

Here are a few things I do when I'm handwriting:

• I use a 05 Black ZIG Pen for all my journaling.
• I angle my layout when writing. This causes the writing to tilt forward a little. The tilting of the letters generates "energy" and gives the words "life".
• I spend a great deal of effort on "swooshing". What is "Swooshing"? Well, it's all those loops you see in my handwriting. I make them big and keep their weight light. Be casual about it. Let go of the pen and intentionally push the pen forward in a "swooshing" fashion as though you were writing your signature. I do a lot of this and there are no boundaries when I do this..I use all my paper space. I don't care if a loop hits a letter below it or above it. It's all part of the fun of writing.
• Don't worry about space. I don't care if I write a little crooked or if my letters don't all sit on the same line. Move the letters around a little bit and let them travel along the page effortlessly. Don't think to hard about it. This isn't a time for perfectionism.
• I think with messy writing you have to be willing to create a mess around the writing. Use a little ink along the edges of your journaling area. Rub it on with a sponge or apply directly to paper using ink pad. I use Ranger Distress Ink for this technique. It stays wetter longer and can be smeared using a sponge.

Enough on writing. There are a few more things I want to mention before retiring from this post. I have to admit, I spend a lot of time online. It's a casual, relaxing thing I like to do in the evening after Ethan goes to bed. These last few nights, I've run into a couple new places and things that I absolutely luv. First off, there is a new line coming out from Autumn Leaves that has me "so very happy". Heather Bailey is the designer and the line is soooo her. You can get a peek of it HERE. Secondly, I'm a huge fan (just like the many of you) of Pink Paislee. They just opened up a new interactive community site that I signed up for last evening. It's a totally new experience for me and this is the first time I've ever seen a manufacturer do this..I think it's brilliant! Check it out HERE. Lastly, I found a new clear stamp company called, "Papertrey Ink". They have some of the most elegant stamps I've ever seen. You can find them HERE.

Goodnight everyone! More later.   

Another Mess

Feelen' totally lonely today. Not sure what's in the air that's making me feel this way..though I'm betten' it has something to do with "adjusting" to my new circumstances as a single mother. It's  non-stop action 24/7 around my home. If you look below, you'll notice my living room has been invaded by toys..this is my house every morning. Ethan gets up around 6:00am and starts his day with the Wiggles. He has a few snacks and then begins a morning ritual of play. He'll play for a few hours. Everything comes out, including some non-toy items from the kitchen. By the time noon rolls around, my house has turned into toy central. Not a single one has been forgotten..all of them have been displaced and lay on the floor. All will need picking up at some point.

Actually, this particular mess in the photo above is quite mellow. Not nearly enough going on there..they'll be more added to that by day's end. I usually end up picking it all up at noon and in the evening. Twice a day. This is just a small detail in my life as a mom. There are so many other things that need doing during the day to care for the little one. By 6:00pm, I'm exhausted and ready to sit down and relax. Having two parents at this time of day is a huge plus. Someone can "take over" and get the kid'(s) ready for bed. I'm just getting Ethan in the tub after a big, scrumptious dinner (another mess that needs cleaning) . I scrub up the little guy. Get'em squeaky clean. I then attempt to get his jammies on while he tries relentlessly to get away from me. It's laughable at this point. He retires around 7:00pm. Mom is very, very happy. Finally, some me time..wait, what about those dishes in the sink? Or the toys laying all over the living room floor? Do I really have to change the garbage? Laugh. Sometimes, I let all of it sit overnight. Other nights, I just do what needs to be done and relax for an hour before going to bed. Tomorrow, the same routine will follow (accept I'll mix it up a little bit-go on an errand or two, visit friends & family, or just take Ethan out for some play time). It's no wonder I'm lonely after doing this routine over and over again for the last month in a half. I'm in this parent thing alone. Doing it all by myself. I never thought I'd be a single parent and here I am. How life has a way of surprising us with changes..this is certainly one of those times. Of course, it does have it's perks. I feel very fortunate to be a mom and to have Ethan in my life. He keeps me going everyday, even on those days when I don't feel like getting out of bed. I think with time, the single mother lifestyle will get easier. Right now, I'm just tired. Laugh. How about some cute pics of Ethan?

If he only knew what was really in that can...do you think he would eat those lima beans? Probably not..but at least they provide him with entertainment and good music.

Now on to a whole different topic. I wanted to include a few more sneak peaks of a layout I just finished up using the Studio Calico March Kit. I wish I could post actual pictures of the three layouts I completed this week for the studio. I just can't..that's the rules. I have to wait till the kit goes on sale, which it will happen on February 28th. Here are some sneak peaks to pass the time:

Have a great night everyone! Thanks for visiting the ol'blog.

Action Addict

A few sneak peaks from Studio Calico's March kit. I've been  playing with the kit this week. Working on new ideas and concepts. Pulling out my hair. Staring at blank canvases. Yes, the mojo I had last weekend is already gone. Laugh. It never sticks around very long. Actually, kits require a little extra effort. I have to think outside of the box when using a kit. As you all know, I'm an embellishment addict. I love lots of product on my pages. When I'm using a kit, I'm limited to the product provided within the kit and usually it's a lot less than I'm used to having at my disposal . I think it's good exercise for me though. It pushes me creatively and encourages me to be flexible with my work. When it's all done, I have new photos and stories I get to add to my albums and new ideas to use on my own personal layouts. The March kit will be available the 28th of February. For more sneak peaks of next month's kit, head over to Studio Calico.

These last few days I've been playing around with photography and photoshop books. I want to learn more about photography. It seems to be the going trend in the industry right now. I'm doing it because I want to take better photos. It's also something that is fresh and new for me. I've owned my SLR for over a year now and I want to learn more about it. I've been researching various subjects on this matter. One biggie is exposure. I'm clueless in this arena. Lighting is one of those things that frustrates me. I don't know how to read it or use it. I also want to learn more about storage options (RAW vs. JPEG). I took a few shots in RAW today (the above photos) and played around with them in photoshop. Loved it. I'm realizing I may need a bigger memory card if I want to continue to play around with RAW. I would luv some memory card recommendations if you work in RAW (ummm...Krysten?). I also want to learn more about lenses. I don't feel I have a good grasp on this subject. There seems to be a ton of options and it  gets pretty darn overwhelming. I would love a new lens..I'm sort of craving one. One of those handy-dandy L Series Canon lenses. It's a big investment, but it's the kind of thing you use forever. I'm also wanting sharper, crisper images..L Series provides just that.

 

PHOTOSHOP ACTIONS. Did that get your attention? I think all of us are looking for convenient, quick ways to alter our photos. It seems like every  blog I visit, the photos are always beautiful. I'm inspired by the photos I see and the people who take them. I have a number of favorites blogs I visit on a regular basis (gorgeous photos), but I won't get into that just yet. What I do want to share with you though are the actions I use on a daily basis. I have quite a few. I don't have a lot of extra time to alter photos. I usually have projects waiting for me on my desk and that means I need photo's for those projects. I don't want to have to spend hours on photoshop altering photos..it's way to easy to do. I often loose track of time when I'm toying around with photoshop. So, I buy actions. Now, let me forewarn you, actions shouldn't be used "as is". You should be able to modify them. They won't always work miracles for you, but they're convenient and work well if you're careful. The above two photos were altered using a few different actions. That's another plus, you can use multiple actions on one photo (just be careful). One is a high contrast B & W and the other is a "color pop" image that I further enhanced with a color warming action. Here's where I purchased them:

• Kubota Actions - These actions are designed for photo professionals. They're some of the best and they're by far my favorite.
• MiaBella Actions - These are a lot of fun. I picked up a couple of her sets and love them.
• Itty Bitty Actions - These are by far some of the most popular actions used by scrapbookers. They're a little spendy, but you get a lot for your $.
• Actions by Brenda -New!
• Flourish Actions - I used these with Photoshop Elements and they worked really well. The website is a little hard to navigate, but the actions are pretty good.
• WordSmith - A cool blog by Joyce Smith for the photography enthusiast.

If you have actions that you use and enjoy, post your recommendation in the comment area.  A little more later! Take care everyone!

Colorful Saturday

Last night, I hung out at Archiver's with my good friend, Michelle Skinner. If you don't know her or recognize her name, she's a Memory Maker's Master from 2007. I met her last Summer at CHA '07 in Chicago at the Memory Maker's booth. Turns out, she's a local gal. She lives in town nearby. She's my neighbor..sort of. Laugh. We both decided to schedule some time to get out of the house and scrap. We finally got around to doing it last night. We chatted the night away while we worked on layouts. I managed to leave the place with one completed layout. Now, that's a huge accomplishment for me. Laugh. It is. I'm serious. By some rare miracle, I was feelen' really creative last night. I haven't felt this way in a while. I've been hitting a wall time and time again these last few months, as all of us do on occasion. I think it's because I've had a ton on my plate (no kidden', you say?). I simply went with my instincts last night and just let things happen without thinking twice. What a relief. My mojo seems to be back..now who knows how long it will last. Laugh. Maybe a day or two. Smile. The layout above is what came home with me last night.  The pic is of my little 2 year old niece, Ella. She's sippen' on her sippy cup. It's not often I get to scrap something "girlie" or "feminine". I wish I had more opportunity to do so cause I love color, flowers, and ribbon. I'm always walking past the girl clothes in the kid's clothing store wishen' I could scrap with them cause they're so darn cute. Polk'a'dots, stripes, flowers, and bright, bold colors. Sooooo me. When the opportunity presents itself, I'm all over it. When I finished this layout last night, I noticed two colors I don't get to use very often; purple and pink. It was a lot of fun. That's probably why I was feelen' so gosh darn creative. I got to play with something new. I need to do this more :) Here are a few close-ups along with a few scrapbooking tips:

Bright, bold flowers can be very intimidating to use on our layouts. They can sometimes dominate a page with their presence. They sort of remind me of all the bold, bright large pattern papers we're seeing right now on the market. How do you use products like these on a page without them hoggen' all the attention? I struggle with this type of product and more often than not, I don't use them. I'm realizing the best way to utilize these sort of things is by using them in smaller quantities. Less is more. It doesn't take a lot of bright red to grab a viewer's attention. Just a little will do..and it's also important to balance it with something on the "cool" side, such as a blue, turquoise, violet, etc. I did this with the red flower above. It's balanced by the light, muted green cardstock background that I used as a building block for the layout. Also, note all the layers I added on top of the flower. It covers up some of the flower, which distracts the eye a little bit and down plays the size of the red flower. Here are the instructions for creating the flower:

• We all luv the new Making Memories notebooks that have been coming out on the market these last few months. A couple of the new Making Memories Spring notebooks have shape cut-outs on their pages. I just took my scallop circle punch and "punched" out the flower shape from one of the pages. You could do this with any kind of shape cut-out image. Think of all the shape cut-out papers that are out there right now. KI Memories released "lace paper" last CHA. It's now become a growing trend. Use your punches to cut shapes from these kinds of papers. Put KI lace paper in your diecut machine. Use a flower punch to cut a flower cut-out from Making Memories 5th Avenue Line. Lots of options here.
• Cut the center from a Hambly pink vintage circle frame. Back the opening with pattern paper (I handcut a circle from pattern paper to fit behind the opening of the frame. Refer to pic.).
• Adhere pink scallop circle flower to transparency and pattern paper backing from step 2. Attach it to the red flower and layout with large brad. That's it!

I can't do a layout without some doodling. Again, at least for me, I think less is more. Not to much and not to little. If I do too much of it, it overpowers my layout. I know there are scrapbookers out there that are fabulous at doodling and use a lot of it on their work. I admire those artists. I can't pull it off because I already have a lot going on with embellishments and paper. I don't leave much room for doodling.

One last close-up. A rub-on owl from Hambly and a few cute buttons attached to a cut-out scallop border.

Today, my family gathered at my sister's place in Dresser, Wisconsin to celebrate my nieces birthday, Izzy. She's the one on the left. Ethan had his first long car ride. He did really well in the car. I was surprised. When we got there, Izzy and Grace showed us their new rooms. They redecorated them and they turned out super cute. Lot's of color and pattern. I took a bunch of photos while there, including photos of their new spaces. Perfect photo opportunity.

Aren't these delicious? Love the colors...going to end it here. Have a great night everyone!

This is the last untouched place of Eric's life. His cubical. It sat empty for a number of days before Eric died (& after). It was time to pack Eric's things and bring them home, so Kathy (Eric's mom) and I went out to Eric's work today to do just that. Kathy had never seen Eric's cube at "Kodak". Eric was a software engineer. He was a brilliant computer programmer. In all honesty, Eric was a total genius. I don't say that lightly either. I've always been in awe of Eric's ability to write code and create ingenious software. His specialty was color technology. That was his role at Kodak. I never really understood what he did specifically till his coworker, Chris, shared a story about one of Eric's first projects with Imation. I won't go into details here about the story, but let's just say it had something to do with Disney, color accuracy software, and cartoons. Turns out, Eric was an extremely talented programmer and he was in high demand. His skills were Exceptional. No surprise there, cause Eric's an exceptional guy (at least in my eyes). He's genuine, bright and has had an ongoing relationship with computers since the age of 13. His cubical was a reflection of all these things and more. The place was soooo Eric. When you stepped into his cubical, you knew it belonged to him. Everything in it had Eric's personality written all over it. From the Homer Simpson sign to little figurines above his computer, it was obvious Eric had invaded this part of the building. It was his space and the little Dilbert Post-it note that sat taped to the wall near the entrance of the cube substantiated that fact. It had his name and contact info on it. I just loved that about Eric..he always had everything labeled, neat and tidy. Go figure. Laugh. Here are a few photos from his cube. Love you Eric!

The zen garden will have a new home with his mom. This garden was actually done up by Eric. It was hard to let the sand fall from the tray as we prepared it for transport, but we had no choice. Like many things in life, we had to let it go. I know Eric's mom will recreate a new zen garden on behalf of Eric. It was her that inspired Eric to find peace and balance in life. That's from where his interest and study of Buddhism grew..his ongoing and loving relationship with his mother. It seemed appropriate  for her to have this...his spirit was of her doing. She's Eric's other half. They're similar in many ways. It only felt right to pass this on to her.

I'll post more tomorrow, including some sneak peaks I did for Studio Calico and a little bit about my handwriting. I know many of you have asked me about my handwriting and I hope to provide a little background on this topic. It certainly didn't happen over night. I'll also have a new layout to share. I'm going to leave you with a little eye candy I found in the new issue of "Country Living". It just arrived and I'm really liking this issue. Enjoy!

 

One more time...

You're never going to believe this..I typed the "winner" post and I lost it completely after accidentally closing the window. ARG! Laugh. What on earth is wrong with me this evening? Goodness, I think I better so down. These last few weeks have been so chaotic. That's why you haven't been seeing me much here at the blog. I love being able to share my day to day life and scrapbooking endeavors with all of you. I've just been in a grind doing a million other things; scrapbook assignments, playing mom 24/7, hunting down health insurance plans, cleaning, visiting people, and the list goes on. Not much time in there for scrappen (for fun) and blogging. I promise I'll update more in the next few days. I appreciate you waiting for me to update this place. Let's get down to business.

Who is my winner...hmmmm...hmmmm...hmmmm..I bet you're waiting for me to call your name. You know, I never win contests. Laugh. I don't. I did win one last Summer at the SIS tv's CHA party. I won a flip book calendar. It was suppose to be mailed to me last October. Well, October came and went. No calendar. I was sort of bummed cause it was the first time I actually won something via a drawing. Where the heck did that calendar end up? Who knows..if anybody has seen it at SIS tv, please mail it to me. It's officially 2008 and the year is ticking away. Not even sure it exists anymore..so much for winning that contest. Laugh. I promise that who ever wins this big'ol prize package will have it at their front door within fifteen to twenty days. Just be sure to email me your mailing info. I've also chosen a few runner-ups. You'll each get a small prize package with some cool new product. The winners are:

Grand Prize: Vanessa Phillips (6:05 am...what on earth were you doing looken' at blogs this early in the mornen'? I'm sure you're sitting in a different time zone. Just thought it would be fun to mention the time of your post. Congratulations Vanessa. Send me your info!)

Runner Up 1: Amy (comment left February 9, 2008 at 10:40pm) from Oregon!
Runner Up 2: Marlene (comment left February 9, 2008 at 9:32pm)-love the Pink Paislee also!

I can't even begin to tell you how much I wanted to give all of you a prize. Thank you for sharing your favorite new products with me. One of my faves is from Christi, Unity Stamp Company. These stamps are gorgeous. I think I'll be buying a few of them in the very near future. Thanks for the great suggestion Christi! Thanks again everybody! Till tomorrow, have a great night.

CHA Weekend

I know that many of us aren't going to be making the trip to California this weekend for CHA. I almost made it there, but decided that "home" was a better place for me to be right now. I wasn't comfortable getting on a plane and leaving Ethan behind for four days. So, for those of you at home this weekend and visiting my blog, here's a CHA rebellion give-a-way; A kit of sorts. The kit is a coordinated collection of brightly colored product from various manufacturers. What you see is what you get; ribbon, buttons, note cards, labels, clips, transparencies, pattern paper, cardstock, stickers, etc. To get in on the drawing to win this kit, leave a comment and in your comment, give us a link to one of your favorite new scrapbook product previews. What scrapbook product must you have right now? What do you want to add to your scrapbook collection this Spring/Summer? Some of my favorite releases include Hambly & Fontwerks. I will randomly choose a winner Tuesday evening. I will announce the winner's name on Wednesday. Good Luck everyone! This is going to be a lot of fun :) Looken' forward to seeing all your links.

Lastly, I would like to thank Anilu for the gorgeous necklace I recieved in the mail today. It's a lovely piece and I'm anxiously awaiting to wear it with something special. Please take a moment to visit Anilu's Etsy store at the following link: Handmade by Anilu. Thank you Anilu!

The Jello Catastrophe

There's only one word to describe today-"Jello". From the moment I woke up, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Laugh. It all started with Mr. Cranky Pants. Ethan wasn't a happy camper today. He managed to sleep an entire 12 hours last night, but when he woke up this mornen', he wasn't to pleased with the world. He made it very clear that there was nothing I could do to brighten his day. Lately, he's been quite the investigator. Everything around him is new and exciting. He spends much of his time in search of adventure and trouble. He never fails to find either and that usually means that "mom" has to set some boundaries to keep Ethan safe. I'm having to do this more and more as Ethan gets older. Usually, he'll fuss a little when I do this and move on. Not today. Today was anarchy. I couldn't even get clothes on him without him going bonkers. He didn't want to be limited in anyway. No car seat. No gate. No door. No shoes. No diaper. No "no" or "danger". He wanted to be mobile and free. As I was managing Mr.Cranky Pants, I had a bunch of errands to run. We went to Eric's grave site to drop off flowers.  His grave site is on a steep hill and as I walked down the hill, I fell flat on my face. I slipped on some ice. Luckily, I wasn't holding Ethan at the time. After getting myself back together and into the car, we ran to Target and the UPS store. When we got home, Ethan had a little nap. It wasn't a cure to his not-so-happy mood. He was still grumpy after the nap. I decided to bring him over to my parents. We hung out there for a little while and wouldn't you know it, he was so good for them!! Laugh. Eventually, we left my folk's place to go home. At home, Ethan made jello on my coffee table in the four season. He had it everywhere, including on himself. I gave him a bath and put him to bed. I cleaned up the jello powder and then sat myself down in front of the computer. I decided it was time to update the blog. I plugged in the memory card to download some photos and they weren't there. I forgot to put it in my camera while photographing the two layouts I made for "Crate Paper" this week. I really wanted to share them with you guys. The layouts are no longer with me. Laugh. They're on a plane to Utah. What's a tired "mom" to do? It's just been one of those days.

The jello catastrophe: