Everyday Moments

CARDS CARDS CARDS

2009-08-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

I have had so much fun with my July CupCards {to go} kit. I ended up making 14 cards all together, eeking out every last scrap that I could because it was all so wonderful. Many I created on my own, and many I created through inspiration from the CCTG design team. I think this one is my favorite:

I can't even begin to describe how much fun this kit was. It came in this darling box and everything about it was "card sized". All I needed was to add the adhesive and creativity (ok....and some Stickles, but that's a given).

My last post shows the "before" picture, and here are some more "afters":

(((hugs))) to Sonda, Baylee and Duane.

CupCards {to go}

2009-07-07T19:36:00.000-07:00

I can't think of a better way to dust off this blog (eh.....I'm a slow blogger, what can I say?), than to share my latest discovery: CupCards {to go} http://www.cupcardstogo.typepad.com/ .

Ok ok.....I discovered this several months ago, but I got a little busy with life. This site is owned by Cassonda Tadlock http://sondat.typepad.com/ , who is a wickedly talented scrapper, designer, artist, paper-crafter.....well, you get the idea (plus she's really friendly and sweet, too!). Sonda puts together monthly card kits with lots of scrappy goodness. I received the July 2009 kit, my first, in today's mail. It is so scrumptious!

Check out these goodies:

And check out the detail. I love the embossed cardstock, the lacy trim, and those pins and buttons.....so cute!

Now I must say that one item pictured here was not included in the kit. I won the darling Studio G stamp set by participating in the July sneak peek CupCards {to go} blog hop. I had a lot of fun hopping from one design team member's blog to the next.

Now comes the fun part.....deciding how to put my cards together. I can lift some ideas from the designers, or create my own. Hmmmm, probably a little from column A, and a little from column B.

Going Green

2009-02-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

Being the slow scrapper that I am, I FINALLY scrapped my memorial page for Cali, our little kitty who passed a year ago.

I've had this layout planned in my head for a year. I went green with this one, and not just with the background cardstock. I am on a "keep it simple" and "keep it cheap" kick these days. I wanted to dry emboss the green cardstock on each side of the layout, but I didn't have any heart stencils or templates to emboss with. And, well, my heart was set on hearts. So.......I used my Fiskars USX with a rectangle template, and cut a piece of green cardstock right out of the middle of my background page.

This, of course, was later covered with blue cardstock. From my cut piece of green cardstock, I punched out hearts and placed them against the green cardstock. Instant faux embossing!

My Little Shoebox

2009-02-16T16:47:00.001-08:00

I am such a lucky girl! Yesterday I attended a crop at Picture Me Perfect in Fremont, CA. The crop was a fundraiser for the American Heart Association in memory of Marshall Tornay (some of you may know scrapbooker Michelle Tornay). We shared laughs, tears, stories. It was a wonderful day, full of support for Michelle. So far, $2,000 has been raised with this event.
I was one of the lucky ones who won a raffle prize. Check out this wonderful assortment of My Little Shoebox goodies:

I won one each of the new lines: Flawless, Who's There, Wonderful, My Neighborhood, Turtles and Trees, and Enjoy Life. I just love MLS. Next to Basic Grey and Cosmo Cricket, it's my favorite line. You can check them out at http://www.mylittleshoebox.com/.

Caution: Funny Sign Ahead

2009-01-18T09:04:00.001-08:00

Last November, the kids and I picked up Road Trip America's newest addition of, "Caution Funny Signs Ahead". A month later, we stumbled onto our own funny sign and couldn't resist sending it into RTA. The picture is up on RTA's blog this week:

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/signs/ill.htm

Sock It To Poverty

2009-01-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

I have the pleasure of being on the Charity Fiskatmittee (another Fiska-word for the Fiska-dictionary) over at the Fiskateer website. This month, our focus is on Poverty Awareness Month, which is reconized in January. We are going to ‘Sock It To Poverty’ and do a Sock Drive for January.

Here are a few Sock facts:

Socks are vital to overall health of those living on the streets.
Socks are often not donated enough and are greatly appreciated by the recipient.
Most homeless and impovershed people do not own shoes that fit properly or
are not in good condition. This increases the importance of socks.
Many people suffer from diabetes and other ailments and they could benefit
from socks with extra support.
Not all shelters accept clean used socks so it’s important when collecting that we collect new socks.
Socks are relatively inexpensive to donate.
There are men, women and children that
live on the streests and all could benefit with a new pair of socks.
More people are becoming homeless due to the downward spiral of the economy
as well as natural disasters.
Here are some things you can do to sock it to
poverty:
Come join us at the Fiskatateer site and learn where you can send socks.
Deliver socks to a local shelter.
Craft a ’sock box’ to collect socks and create a sign to share where the donations are going and why.
Spread the word at your local scrapbook store and set a date to collect them at
a crop.
How about a “Sock Hop Crop”. Maybe your local scrapbook
store would go for a crop in honor of collecting socks for those in need.
How about spreading the word at ladies groups, church, your local rotary
club.

More Cards

2009-01-16T21:52:00.000-08:00

Here are two more cards for the Card Sketch a Day blog. Same sketch, two versions. Once again, most of the supplies came from my stash. The paper on card #2 is from a new, fun and upcoming line, My Little Shoebox. I love their stuff!

I am Losing my Mind

2009-01-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

So today I'm killing time, browsing through my favorite scrappy websites and blogs, and I pop over to Card-Sketch-a-Day. That's when I realize that one of my 2 January sketch-cards are up on the website. Now....here is the scary part....I was getting ready to make a card for one of my son's teachers. But.....duh.....I didn't need to, I already did (his birthday is Jan 13th). What a dope. But, there's more. While I'm browsing the pictures on my laptop to upload, I come across a baby card that I put together a few months ago, also for the CSAD site. Tomorrow I was going to make a tag or a card to go with a gift, forgetting that this card was intended to accompany said gift. Oh good grief. I am loosing my mind!

These cards are created from the same sketch, just two versions. In keeping suit with most of my other cards, I put these ones together using scraps from my stash. I primarily used prima flowers and Bazzill bling cardstock. I punched each of the little date squares, handwriting the date in each one with my Sakura gel pen (love those pens).

A Simple Christmas

2009-01-04T10:40:00.001-08:00

This year we opted for a simple Christmas. After years of spending days putting up lights, decking the halls, and all other things holiday-related, we came up with a "keep it simple" plan. This tree is our newest addition. A small WalMart tree with packaged WalMart decorations. I love how it matches. Nothing in my house matches, so this was quite a treat for me. We still hauled in our 7-foot tree and decorated it with our usual eclectic assortment of decorations, and we hung 2 larger decorations on our wall. But that was it. I thought that we, or the kids, would be disappointed with the lack of elaborate decorations, but it was actually quite nice and freeing. The best part was that we were able to put it all way in about 30 minutes! Woo Hoo!

BooKitty's 24 Hours of Fame

2008-12-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

My precious Boo-Kitty is about to have her long awaited 24-hours of fame! She is the kitty for the December 4 Cat Fancy's Page-A-Day calendar. We are very happy for her, but are concerned that her head might get a bit big .

The random caption on her calendar page cracks me up. It reads, "Punishment in the form of screaming, chasing, striking, or squirting water at a misbehaving cat will only serve to increase the cat's stress, not solve the problem". There couldn't possible be a better caption for BooKitty, as evidenced by the this layout:

By the way............I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving week. We drove down to Southern California to visit our son who couldn't make it home for the holiday. We had a wonderful time, but I'm still trying to catch up!

Only In Virginia City

2008-11-11T19:16:00.001-08:00

This weekend was quite the event. It was the Fisk-a-Friendzy Regional Crop in Virginia City. It was a busy day full of adventures, and our field trip to the train station was definitely a highlight. But, behind every story is another story, and here it is:

Scene 1 – The Three Stooges Act: This story starts in the parking lot of the Virginia City Ramada. Angela gathered Amy, Hisaho and myself up so that we can go spread some Fisk-a-Magic at the train station. Her instructions were simple, “Find Tom and spread the Fisk-a-Magic”. OK….so those weren’t her exact words, but I can’t give away all the details, he he. We first haul all of the boxes out of Angela’s car to place them in Amy’s car. Here is where we encounter problem #1. There are just too many boxes of goodies (darn, right? LOL). “Yeah, uh, this isn’t going to happen,” says Angela. So, we haul them back to Angela’s car and decide to drive it, much to Angela’s horror, to the train station. At first I thought she horrified at the thought of one of us driving her van, but it turns out that she just didn’t want us to see the inside of her “messy mom van”. Not a problem, Angela! Except for the smattering of rain dots all over the floor, your van looks a lot like the inside of my car. If anything, it’s a bit cleaner!! This is when we ask Angela where the train station is. She says, “Um, I was hoping that you guys knew”. Crickets chirping, as we all look at each other without a clue as to where we are driving off to. But, that doesn’t scare the Nifty Fifties. So, we pile into the van and attempt to drive off into the sunset. But, we hear this constant chiming. Angela to the rescue…..we have a door slightly ajar and she explains to Amy that the car has to be in “park” before the door will reopen and then close fully. No problem. Door closed and we drive off into the sunset, again. Nope……we only get a few feet and the chiming continues. Sigh. It turns out that I left another door open. As Amy attempts to put the van in “park” and press the “door open” button, she instead hits the wiper button and the window washer button, haha! Finally we pull ourselves, and the van, together, and drive off into the sunset, again. Well, except, it’s really not sunset. It’s 11am, but more on that later.

Scene 2 - What a Crazy Little Town: So we head out on E street. We know it’s E street because the Ramada is on E street. But, that is our only clue. Apparently street signs didn’t exist back when Virginia City was founded, and it hasn’t occurred to the residents to erect any. This, in turn, confuses the Yahoo Maps, Google Maps, and Mapquest people. Just ask any Fiskateer who tried to find the Ramada using written instructions! And forget using a GPS system up in the mountains. So, we were on our own, winding our way through this tiny town. Hisaho and I had come across a “train this way” sign the night before, and that memory got us going in the right direction. Unfortunately, E street comes to a premature dead end. As we approach the end, we see a road sign that isn’t in any DMV book I’ve ever seen. We drive toward it, leaning forward, squinting, and it is a sign with a crooked arrow that says, “Keep Going”. Hahahahaha!!! Eventually we arrive at the train station, which we almost passed because it’s pretty small. In a “do as I say, not as I do” moment, I get out of the van and run across the railroad tracks. I could see a parent, sitting next to his child, just shaking his head and no doubt thinking, “What a stupid lady”. I approach an old train car turned ticket booth turned gift and candy shop, and a very “Virginia City” looking man, dressed in complete western wear, steps out. At this point I begin the first of many charming, but incredibly awkward, conversations with “Western Guy” (yeah, I never got his name). I ask, “Are you Tom?”. In complete character he tells me, “Tom? No Tom here. I expect he’ll be here ’round about 11:30, maybe noon”. It’s now about 10 minutes after 11, and the Fiskateers are due at the train station at 11:30 and I’m starting to panic just a wee bit. I explain that I’m with Fiskars and he says, “Oh, yeah, the ‘orange’ train. Well, ma’am, I reckon that the train will be pulling in about 11:30”. Yes…..the train WE are supposed to spread Fisk-a-magic on. Now I’m really starting to panic. So Western Guy asks, “Are you Angela?” nope, not Angela. “Are you Julie?” I say, “No”, but then start to panic more. Were we supposed to bring Julie with us? Did we forget Julie? Where is Julie?!!!?!! Now I’m really confused. Western Guy acts like he has no clue, but he knows of Angela, and somehow knows about Julie. He asks who I am, and then points to the van and wants to know Amy and Hisahos' names (I thought I was going to lose him Hishaso’s name, lol). He tells me, “Well, ma’am, if you’re not Angela and you’re not Julie, then I don’t reckon I can help you.” This is when I remember that there isn’t much cell reception way up here, so the little bit of panic I’m feeling turns into full blown panic. As it slowly dawns on me that this guy really isn’t “in character”, that this is his true persona, things start to get even more interesting.

Scene 3 – You Want us to do What?: As Western Guy continues to give me a bad time, another man steps out in an attempt to rescue me. I explain the situation to him, and then Western Guy translates what I said into his own Wild West lingo. They both take note that they can see Tom’s car “down yonder”, and proceed to point it out to me, asking me if I can see Tom’s car. Um, no…..I’ve never seen Tom’s car in my life, so, no, I don’t see it. The two then argue about whether or not they should send us over to Tom, because, as they so chillingly point out, “You’ll never find it on your own”. So Western Guy chuckles at the thought of us heading out into the unknown and proceeds to enlighten me with directions. “Well, Ma’am, you need to head out down this here road. Now you head over the railroad tracks just down over there. You see those tracks?” Um….we’re at a railroad station…..there are tracks everywhere!! “So you go over the railroad tracks, then take the road a ways and you’re gonna go ‘round the “S” bend in the road. So you take that “S” and then keep driving a while. Now you’re gonna come to these two old buildings, and when ya’ do, turn left and go down that there dirt road.” And famous last words, “You’ll know you’re there when you’re there”. And if I’m not??? Oy!

Scene 4 – Off-Roading in Angela’s Mom Van, Yee Haw!!: So as I run back over the railroad tracks, I’m thinking, “Huh?”. I jump into the van and repeat what I can remember and off we go, trying to figure out these directions. It was easier than I thought it would be, but one wrong turn would have resulted in a search party being formed instead of a train ride! So we hit the dirt road and the off-roading fun begins. Poor Angela……her poor car, nearly bottoming out. Oh well, the show must go on and sacrifices must be made! We eventually arrive at a sign that says, “No Trespassing”. So, of course, we trespassed. We were on a Fisk-a-mission, after all! Amy later wrote that she felt like a rebel. I think, deep down, all 3 of us did, hahaha! We arrive at our final destination within the train yard and pull up to a wreck of a train. Amy’s turn to panic….she says, “Is THAT our train?” hahahahaha…thankfully, no, it wasn’t. The actual train was still a bit further. We get out and head over to a train with orange lights on it (of course). I feel like we’ve reached the promised land! We find Tom on our first try. Thank goodness!! Not only was Tom nice, but he was sane. A plus in my book any day.

Scene 5 – The Fisk-a-Magic begins: What??? I can’t tell you this part!! This is where the Fisk-a-Magic happens, so I’ll leave this part up to your Fisk-a-magination.

Scene 6 – The Fisk-a-Bug: As we head back to the railroad station, mission accomplished, we pass a green and orange bug. We screech to a stop (Angela, your van has great brakes, he he he). Of course, we did what any good Fiskateer would do, despite a pressing timeline, and we jump out and take pictures. I realize later that the Fisk-a-Bug is probably older than young Amy. I realize even later, that it’s probably older than all 3 of us. Ha!

Scene 7 – Mission Accomplished: As we cross back over the railroad tracks, we are met with a sea of orange people. Our people. We sneak the van into the lot and go over to show Angela a picture of the “train”. Of course, we show her a broken down train. The look on her face was priceless! What an adventure (and, yes, I took pictures of the Fisk-a-magic, he he).

And, THAT, is the rest of the story:

A Prima Surprise!

2008-11-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

What a nice surprise for me! About 1 month ago, Prima Marketing offered free flowers for the first 250 people to respond to their Breast Cancer Awareness blog. Thanks to my Fiskateer friends who pointed me to the blog, I was one of the first 250. In return for the free goodies, we were asked to make something (card, layout, project) and submit to Prima. I did, and it appears in their October 31st blog.

http://prima.typepad.com/prima/2008/10/breast-cancer-a.html?cid=137286137#comment-137286137

What a fun way to participate in something that means so much to me (Breast Cancer Awareness....the flowers are just a plus, he he he).

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Here's hoping for a dry one for all the little ghouls and goblins.

>>>>>>>>

My new cards for http://cardsketchaday.blogspot.com/

Card Sketch A Day Blog

2008-09-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

~~~~ I am having great fun this year participating in Susan Costanza's Card Sketch A Day Blog. These 2 cards have already been shown on the blog......and there is more to come :-) !

http://cardsketchaday.blogspot.com/

I Think I Blinked!

2008-08-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

Oh My! Where did the summer go? It seemed like it was just a few weeks ago that summer vacation started, and now DS has been back in school for 3 weeks already. And what a summer it has been......wisdom teeth have been pulled (thankfully not mine), hairs have turned grey (sadly, mine because DS is learning to drive), my oldest has started law school, and...well....to get caught up, just check out my Scrapbook.com blog:

http://www.scrapbook.com/places/Luvmyfam

Some of my blog entries will make you chuckle, and some will cure your insomnia, hahahaha!

I have added lots of stuff to my gallery over there, but I think my favorite is "Oh Baby". I used the Basic Grey Oh Baby papers, and Bo Bunny Baby word book.

Hangin' with Becky Fleck

2008-06-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a super fun day for me! I spent the day at Suzy West's store, Picture Me Perfect, in Fremont with Suzy, her staff, lots of friends and fellow scrappers...........and Becky Fleck!!

That's me on the left, and Becky in the middle. On the right is classmate, Sonda Tadlock.

Becky is the author of PageMaps, which is this awesome book that has many, many sketches, and includes pop-out cards for cropping on-the-go. She also has PageMaps on line, and I've had 1 layout and 1 card appear on that site. Becky is very sweet, friendly, funny, and is a great teacher who works hard to create a stress-free class.

Becky taught 2 classes on Saturday using Basic Grey products. Did you know that she is a designer for BG? It was fun having her show us which of the papers she personally designed from the Suagared and Euphoria collections. We had fun with paint, made a huge mess with glitter (sorry, Suzy!!), played with rub-ons, stickers, and I'm sure other things that I can't think of right now.

We created 2 albums using BG chipboard albums. One had a unique design to each page, so there was lots (and lots and lotsand lots and lots) of trimming and cutting.
I sure wish that I had pictures of the completed projects to show you, but..............in class number 2, I cut into my finger with my microtip scissors. OUCH! . Not good. It took a while to stop the bleeding, and Suzy had to bandage me up (sorry once again!). I've learned that everyclass seems to have someone with a scrap injury. I guess it was just my time. I had to stop scrapping and deal with my dumb, injured finger. Sigh.

Afterwards, we all hung out at the store and dinner was brought in from the Market Broiler (ymmmmm). It was relaxing and fun and I couldn't ask for a nicer scrap-day.

Page Maps - Again!

2008-06-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

YAY! I have another PageMaps submission . I submitted a card for Becky Fleck's June PageMaps. What's more exciting is that I get to meet Becky at the end of this month. She is teaching classes at an LSS (about an hour away from me) at the end of June. I was surprised to learn that Becky is a designer for Basic Grey! One class will be showcasing BG's new Sugared collection. I can't wait!!

http://www.pagemaps.com/

PageMaps Publication

2008-04-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! My "Beautiful Timing" layout is featured in Becky Fleck's April 2008 PageMaps newsletter. I love Becky's website. Here's a link:

http://www.pagemaps.com/

Most of the products used were from my January 2008 Memory Works kit.

I hate paperwork!!!

2008-03-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

I am slowly.....no, make that quickly, drowning in paperwork. This time of year, many parents are signing their students up for SAT's and paying their obligatory $55-ish fee. This is all just a vague memory for me now, given the age of my oldest kids. For my youngest, though, it's a WHOLE different ballgame. sigh. He has dysgraphia due to anatomical abnormalities in his hands. For that reason, he needs to use a computer during the essay portion of the SAT's, and quite possibly for all of those hundreds of little bubbles that must be neatly filled in.

So, instead of paying $55-ish, we are paying $$$$ (yes, that's 4 $$$$) to obtain proper assessments to attach to an application to the College Board. There is the neuro-psych, the psychologist, the school psychologist, the occupational therapist, and the school career counselor on Team Stephen. And the paperwork?? Oy! I have filled out SO many applications to date that my neck hurts, and I've made so many extra copies of prior assessments that by all rights, I should have each line of all 100+ pages memorized by now. sniffle. NO, make that SNIFFLE!!!! There isn't enough Excederin back and body pain reliever to help me this week. And yet, we're only part way done. Two reams of paper, one ink cartridge, numerous car trips, numerous phone calls, one school meeting, and we're still in the process of obtaining what is supposed to be a free service for disabled students. Oh....it could be free. We could go through our school district for all of the testing, but the problem with that is when my son steps onto public school property, he is suddenly "cured". He can't pass simple occupational therapy tests administered by private professionals, yet magically seems to pass the tests at the public school. I guess anatomy isn't something that our public school district administrators are required to learn. Why does this miracle take place only on public school grounds? That's easy to answer....if he fails the public school test, then they *gasp* will have to pay for the services that we otherwise have paid for. Arrrrgggg!!!! Sure, we could, and should, hire lawyers. But instead we've chosen to put our money into private education and private professionals. Our school district's lawyers are better than any other lawyer that I've seen any parent hire yet, but that's a WHOLE other story.

And will all this effort be successful? No. Not at first. The College Board has a nasty habit of immediately disqualifying all applications for accommodations. We will most likely have to appeal, which is why we are starting this process about a year ahead of time. Thank goodness for knowledgeable school personnel and staff, because they are the ones who told us to act NOW.

And the reward? Well, long term it will be a college education and greater independence for our son, who is an academic genius. But short term, it will be another round of testing in another year and a half to obtain accommodations for college. The fun never ends.

OK....time to take my whiny, neck-achy, fatigued body back up to the copier. sniffle.

Calling all Brain Cells

2008-02-24T09:57:00.001-08:00

I have noticed that since my surgery, that I am not the smartest knife in the drawer (as my DD would put it.....yes, smartest instead of sharpest, silly girl).

Case in point, this last week I managed to do, in over 200 weekly trips to Oakland, what my husband did in 2 just trips. I got a parking ticket (oh boo hoo, I'll get over it)

Now in my husband's defense, he parked next to a broken meter and thought the warning sign "You will be ticketed if meter is expired, even if meter is broken" was just some sort of verbage put there to scare away people who dared to park next to a not-so-obviously broken meter. He soon found out otherwise.

In my case, however, well.....I have no defense. But I still blame that surgery! I swear that some of my brain cells are still "under". It's the only thing I can think of! So here I was in Oakland last week, pulling up in front of my son's doctor's office. Normally I pull into the "double parking zone" while DS hops out and heads into his appointment. I then drive off to find friendly, free parking a few blocks away. This day, however, we scored the jackpot. There were 3 open spaces in front of the office!!! I pull into the front space and DS hops out. I plan to park, but look up and see a meter. There weren't meters at the other spaces, and so I think, "Du'h, I'll just back up and park at the spaces without the meters," totally forgetting the new parking system in Oakland. The new system is no meters.....you simply swipe your credit card at a central machine, receive your parking permit, and then dash back to your car before the meter reader can start writing a ticket (I've seen people get tickets while standing at the central meters!). Now I knew this when I pulled up, and planned to go to the central meter. But, I guess seeing the old parking meter there threw me off. After backing into a "free" space, I got out and walked to the doctor's waiting room where I sat, all smug at my "brilliance". After the appointment, we walked to the car where I found my parking ticket, snuggled into it's bright green return envelope (sure....parking is inconvenient, but paying the ticket is?), stashed under my windshield wiper. Oh why wasn't it raining buckets on that day? So I look at my ticket, look at where there is no meter, and say out loud to DS, "This ticket says that I have an expired meter? How can I have an expired meter if there is no....." Click! The lighbulb goes on!

All I could do is laugh at myself, and go home and pay the blasted fine!

My First Fiskars Training!

2008-02-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

This last Saturday was my first Fiskars training. I was set up for 8 people, but life comes at us fast and only 2 were able to make it. So sad for the rest, because Jackie, Karen and I had a blast! So much fun!

My next training is a private one in March, followed by my last group training before Fiskars stops the program on March 31st. I sure hope that more people can join me before then, because we had such a great time. We had to laugh at how much mess just 3 people could make!

Ouch - That's Gotta Hurt

2008-01-26T12:38:00.000-08:00

Poor, dumb, sweet BooKitty. For her entertainment, and ours (of course), Santa brought us a light-up squeeze ball. Squeeze the ball, and it lights up with all sorts of colors. Boo enjoys it, or rather she did. Last night Stephen squeezed the ball and placed it on the floor in front of her. She bent over for a sniff, and "wham", it came to life. It scared the beejeebers out of her, and up she jumped, several feet straight into the air (Michael Jordan would have been proud). There was just one itty bitty problem.......she was sitting under the coffee table when she did this. So, what would have probably been a 5 foot vertical jump became an 8-inch abrupt stop with her head. Ouch!

Clipboard Calendar

2008-01-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

This week I put together a mini-clipboard calendar. This was quite easy to make, and fun to do. The most fun was using the Fiskars craft drill (see those inked bolts at the bottom of the clipboard?). Sure, I could have probably used my Cropadile, but the drill was SO much fun. I like using tools like drills and hammers, even if the newer scrapbook gadgets are easier. There is just something satisfying about hand tools.

This project was first seen on Fiskars TV, on the 11/01/07 episode featuring Leah Fung.

For the list of supplies, check out my Scrapbook.com gallery:

http://scrapbook.com/galleries/80404/view/1229477/-1/0/1.html

Cali

2008-01-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

Cali

Rest in Peace

January 17, 2008

Cali was such a sweet kitty. She showed up on our doorstep 3 years ago, hungry and alone. And relentless. After turning my eye when DD fed her, I finally gave in and fed her myself. The poor kitty was losing weight! We took her in and she immediately began to rule the roost. Well, that did not go over well on our two indoor cats. We ended up moving Cali to the garage, where she became our yard/patio/garage cat. She was spoiled. Plenty of nice cat food, lots of blankies, beds, heaters, and a "Cali-cam" so that DH could keep an eye on her. This summer her health declined drastically, and we had to confine her to the garage to protect her from neighbor's dogs, cars, and raccoons. The vet ran all sorts of tests, but the results were inconclusive. We brought her in often and kept her happy with treats. We kept her safe and warm and comfortable. But, when blindess set in, and deafness began creeping around the corner, and her sense of smell began to wane, we had to make the difficult decision to put her to rest. We are having her remains cremated and placed into a box with her pawprint on top. We wish we could have known her her entire life, but as DS so simply stated, "we provided her with a good retirement home". The garage is now a lonely place (no company while doing laundry), and the patio is no longer graced by her beauty. She is missed.

Our Son the Awyer

2008-01-18T23:02:00.000-08:00

On January 16th, our oldest son told us that he was accepted to George Washington University law school in Washington, D.C. We are so happy for him! He actually sent us an email stating, "I'm going to be a awer". Yep, an "awyer". A day later he said that he may not make a very good lawyer since he can't seem to spell it correctly! I told him, "Don't worry, honey. When you're a hot shot lawyer, your people will have people who will type everything for you!".

Um.......What Year is This?

2008-01-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

I love online scrapping and galleries. Who better to catch your mistakes than the general public? Ha! This layout was posted in 2 of my online galleries for a day when I got a message from Tina C that basically said, "Did you mean Christmas 2007?", LOL! I had created all my holiday layouts and descriptions with the title, "Christmas 2008". Undo Undo Undo!! Oh, wait, that's for digital only! Thankfully I was able to repair most of the damage (as shown here, but for a chuckle, just refer to the descriptions left in my galleries). I personally blame all the meds and anesthesia still coursing through my system. Hey, that stuff can hang on for months, right? At least that's my excuse, he he he.

Bazzill cardstock (Artic Trio)

Heidi Grace patterned papers, ribbons and embellies

Ranger Stickles Silver and Waterfall

Greetings

2008-01-12T19:36:00.000-08:00

I love receiving holiday cards, but always am at a loss as to what to do with them when the holidays are over. Do I toss them? Stuff them in a drawer for years, then toss them? Keep them displayed until the 4th of July, and then toss them? Leave them for my kids to toss them after I pass on (hey, mother did that to me!!!)? This year I decided to incorporate them into a 2-page layout (12x12).

Thanks to May Flaum and a glitter challenge that she posted this weekend for the Fiskateers online crop (tons of fun and prizes and RAKs, by the way), I added glitter to this layout and I think it really made a nice difference.

Cardstock: Bazzill Jacaranda (Artic Trio)

Patterned Paper: Heidi Grace Frost Blvd

Chipboard, stickers and flowers: Heidi Grace Frost Blvd

Glitter: Ranger Stickles Silver, Waterfall

Fiskars embossing border punch

Another Creation from Texas

2008-01-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

Design by Fiskars/Cloud 9

This is a layout I started in Texas during my Fiskateers training, and finished last week (finally!!!). This layout was fun to put together in many ways. First off, the class was taught by Cheryl Waters. She is such a sweetie, and a very calm, methodical, and fun teacher. The scallops at the top of the page were created with the Fiskars Heart squeeze punch. What you are seeing is just the top of the hearts, lined up in a row. The bottoms are hidden behind the cardstock. To the left of the pictures is a piece of patterned paper that has been embossed with a Fiskars texture plate. Very easy, very fun. Another fun element is the border below the pictures which was created with a Fiskars border/embosser punch. The hearts at the bottom were created with two sizes of the Fiskars Heart squeeze punches.

The pictures are of my oldest son, Scott, and his darling girlfriend, Katie. The products are from the Cloud 9 Sorbet Villa line.

It's A Girl!

2008-01-05T11:51:00.001-08:00

Here we are at the last page of my sketches, or perhaps the first, depending on where you started. To recap, I've had a lot of people ask about this baby album that I created, so I threw together some sketches to show alongside the finished pages. I had a great time putting together this album, and I would have to say that the Cricut New Arrival cartridge was central to all of these creations. The Cricut is such an easy device to use. I practiced a few times before attempting the die cuts seen in this album, but this was my first big project using the Cricut. Also central to this album is the Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl collection. It was so much fun, and quite easy, to work with a coordinated kit.

Cardstock: Bazzill Bling yellow
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl Lilly, Lilac
Die Cut: Cricut New Arrival cartridge
Queen and Company brads
Primas
gems

Sweet Dreams

2008-01-05T11:47:00.001-08:00

This Cricut New Arrival die cut was perhaps the most fun to work with, aside from the stork and baby, or maybe it was the mommy and the baby? OK....so they're all fun! It was fun blending different cardstock colors with patterened papers on this one.

Cardstock: Bazzill Buttercup, pink
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl, Sophie
Die Cut: Cricut New Arrival cartridge
Letters: Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl, Basic Grey Sweet Pea Alyssa

Playtime

2008-01-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of fun with the letters on this one. Using my Blocktype font, I printed out "Playtime" onto different colored cardstock. I then cut around each "block" to create a fun title.

Cardstock: Bazzill Apple Green, Apricot; Sassafras Lass Pink, Tickled Pink Vanilla Bean
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl Katrina, Macy
Die Cut: Cricut New Arrival Cartridge
Font: Blocktype

Pink is for Girls

2008-01-05T11:38:00.000-08:00

It is nice to include a general page when creating a baby gift album. There are always precious photos or memories that parents will want to include that perhaps do not fit into the traditional themes for a baby album.

Cardstock: Memory Box Farmers Market Collection, Peony
Fabric: Mrs. Grossman's Fashion Fabrics, Pink Calico
Die Cut: Cricut New Arrival cartridge
Embellishment: Paper Bliss Bunnies

Sisters

2008-01-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

********************************One of the fun things about creating a baby album for a younger sibling is that you get to include pages that involve older siblings.

Cardstock: Bazzill Sunshine
Patterned paper: Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl Rosebud, Taylor
Die Cut: Cricut New Arrival cartridge
Ribbon: Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl
Font: Beautiful ES
Buttons: SEI Simple Set Sunny, Serendipity
Staples: Making Memories, Light
Zig black pen

Announcement

2008-01-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

********************************** I let the Announcement die cut from the Cricut New Arrival cartridge set the tone for this page. It's a great die cut, although experience has taught me that it's very difficult to make a small version with this because of all those intricate cuts.

Cardstock: Bazzill Bling Purple

Patterned Paper: Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl Lilac

Die Cut: Cricut New Arrival cartridge

Ink: Adirondack Eggplant, Dew Drop Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamps: Technique Tuesday Stitches
corner rounder
primas
button brads

Personal opinion: I used the Dew Drop ink pad for this page. I find the Dew Drop to be very juicy. I ended up with ink all oer my hands just from opening the container. My personal favorite ink is Colorbox, however, if lots of ink is what you are looking for, then Dew Drop is the right choice!

My Favorite Things

2008-01-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

It's always fun to include a page of favorites when scrapping for a baby. I tried to include some unique favorites in my layout:

Favorite Toy

Favorite Food

Favorite Outfit

Favorite Routine

Favorite Place to Sleep

Cardstock: Bazzill Lilac, Butterscotch
Pattern Papers: Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl Natalie, Taylor
Font: Tweed

Die Cut: Cricut New Arrival cartridge
bazzill butterscotch
Ribbon: Basic Grey Oh Baby girl
Ink: Adirondack eggplant
flower brad, Bazzill medium brads
zig black pen

Extras

2008-01-04T18:01:00.001-08:00

No sketches with this post. Using the Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl letters, Bazzil and Sassafras Lass papers, and the Cricut New Arrival cartridge, I created an insert for the album cover and a darling card for the parents.

Since I made 2 identical books, I used a monogram "S" for the older sister's album (Sofie), and a "?" for the yet-to-be named little sister.

Daddy's Little Girl

2008-01-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

I had fun with this layout, layering the circles. Instead of a traditional title, I used a button in the upper-right corner that says, "Daddy's Little Girl". The Basic Grey ribbon is velvety soft!

Cardstock: Bazzill Bling-Turquoise

Patterned Paper: Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl Carlie/Gracie

Ribbon: Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl

Die Cut: Cricut George and Basic Shapes

button

Baby Album - Bathtime

2008-01-03T15:18:00.000-08:00

It's never too late to create a baby book. I was not into scrapbooking when my friend's first daughter was born. I made this album when her second daughter was born, and I made it in duplicate, one for the little sister, and one for the older sister. It's fun to see how each child looks at similar ages doing similar things.

Cardstock: Bazzill (yellow, gold, blue)
Die Cut: Cricut New Arrival cartridge
Pen: Zig 005 Black, Souffle white
Patterned paper: Sassafras Lass, In Stitches, Bubbly
Ink: Stamp Craft Baby Blue Dye
fiber (for the blue line that divides that page)
Font: Sizzix "Girls are Weird"

Baby Album - Mommy & Me

2008-01-02T17:52:00.001-08:00

I've been having fun this week creating sketches from some of my previous work. Normally I do not work with sketches, but rather create things on my own. Sketches, however, are a lot of fun to use when putting together a layout.

I've had several people ask me for ideas about baby books, so I thought I would share sketches and completed pages from a mini-gift album that I created for the daughter of a friend of mine. Mommy & Me is the first of several pages that I created. The completed pages are 6x6, but the sketches are 8x8, which is an easier format to work with.

Cardstock: Bazzill brown, purple bling, tan

Patterned Paper: Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl, Hannah/Larkspur/Peapod; Sassafras Lass Green Apple

Die cut: Cricut New Arrival cartridge
Sassafras Lass Green Apple
Tools: Corner rounder
Ribbon: Basic Grey Oh Baby
Button

We Celebrated in Two Time Zones!

2008-01-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

This year my family rung in the New Year in two time zones! We celebrated in Pacific Standard Time, and in Nenni Not-So-Standard Time. No planes, trains or automobiles involved. Just a remote.

We gathered around the TV close to midnight to watch the ball drop. We couldn't help but notice that NBC was 2 minutes behind the actual time shown on our atomic clocks. Midnight came first on our clocks, and we yelled, "Woo Hoo....Happy New Year", etc. Two minutes later, the ball dropped and we celebrated again. The problem? Well at 2 minutes (4 minutes actually) after midnight, we thought about it and pressed the fast forward button on our DVR remote. We must have hit the pause button eariler and never caught up, LOL!

Che Bella Vista

2007-12-29T09:56:00.000-08:00

Isn't this adorable? It was designed by Fiskars/Heidi Grace, and is a project from one of my Fiskars training classes in Texas. This is actually a canvas frame, covered with Heidi Grace flocked paper, then flipped over. What you are looking at is the backside of the frame. The picture, taken in Italy by my oldest, is inset to the frame.

On a funny side note, after selecting this photo for this project, I spent over 20 minutes going through the hundreds of pictures that my oldest son took while on his European trip. He went to several countries, and sorted his pictures into many folders. It took a while before I could determine that he took this in La Magdallena, Italy. After discovering the location, I flipped the picture over to apply adhesive, and written on the back I saw, "La Madgallena, Italy". Talk about a Du'h moment!!

Christmas Eve Dinner ....... Oops!

2007-12-24T23:20:00.001-08:00

I couldn't resist grabbing my camera after our (yes....our..... I had help with this one) latest cooking debacle.

Digital kit is Holiday Spirit, designed by Misty Cato.

Journaling reads:

THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

After spending hours working on the perfect dish of sweet potatoes, we open the oven and FLAMES shoot out! The smoke alarm sounded, but the kids merely laughed. They assumed that it was the normal, "mom must be cooking" routine. Terry and I remained calm as we extinguished the flames, wondering if we should tell the kids that this wasn't a drill!

OK....so in my defense, we have a really sensitive smoke alarm that is precariously located close to our oven. If I set the oven for higher than 375, the alarm sounds off. I just couldn't believe it this time when the alarm sounded, we opened the oven and "whoosh", out shoot flames!! It startled me for a moment, but I stayed calm. It took us over 5 minutes to extinguish the flames. A wee bit scary, but we did laugh once the ordeal was over.

Beauty Lies Within

2007-12-23T22:15:00.000-08:00

These are pictures of a project that I started in San Antonio and FINALLY finished last week. The primary tool for this project is the Fiskars Round Punch. It's a wonderful tool. It comes with a 4 or 6 inch template for cutting circles. After the circles are cut, simply punch with the round punch and an intricate design is created. Super easy, super fun. Defintely a favorite tool of mine.

The ribbon was a lot of fun to make. I used Fiskars Clear Stamps, "Just Between Friends", and stamped an image, with Staz-On Timber Brown ink, directly to the ribbon. The effect is wonderful.

Papers are Cloud 9.
Project created by Fiskars/Cloud 9.

I'm on Cloud 9

2007-12-21T20:37:00.001-08:00

Christmas shopping this year means more gift cards, and less tangible presents. Thankfully, there are so many gift cards to chose from, and places to purchase them. After giftcertificates.com messed up my order (boo hiss), I cancelled said order and hubby drove me over to our local Safeway where I could choose from over 100 cards.

The cards are handy, but presenting them can be rather dull. I decided to dress them up with some of the Cloud 9 paper collection. It was super fast and easy, and lots of fun. Here is a picture of my favorite wrappings.

Here is a link to Cloud 9 Designs:

http://www.cloud9design.biz/

I'm on Fiskars TV!

2007-12-14T15:56:00.001-08:00

Woo Hoo! The Fiskars TV segment that I filmed in San Antionio has "aired". Here is the link:
http://www.fiskarscrafts.com/tv/

Look for the "Holiday Show 'n Tell with the Fiskateers" dated 12/14/07 . I'm the first person featured, but if you watch until the end, you will have an opportunity to win some free goodies!

I have to say.....I look gross!!! LOL! At least I can laugh at myself. This is what I look like after 40 hours that includes only 4 hours sleep, 6 classes, 2 tours, a 7am call, my conditioner left at home, humidity that makes everything cling, and a multiple tumors in my belly!! Oh well, I gueess even unwelcome tumors deserve their 15 seconds of fame, too! Now that the tumors are gone, what can I blame my fat tummy on? Hmmmmm........I may have to get creative with this excuse!

The Fiskars Love was Spread to Me (and, Oh, I'm Back)!

2007-12-09T18:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I received this GIANT package in the mail. It was filled with all sorts of swap goodies. I recognized the little bags and tags from the monthly Fiskateer's swap. I didn't participate in November, so I figured that it had to be a mistake. As I looked closer, many of the labels had "Mystery Swapper" written on them. It took me a bit to figure out that I was the "Mystery Swapper". Hisaho (my flight companion to/from Texas for the Fiskars weekend) took it upon herself to include me in the November swap. She knew that I was too busy to join in because of my surgery, so she did a little goody bag up for me and labeled it, "Mystery Swapper". What a wonderful gesture! It was fun going through all the goody bags, and the items are of incredible quality! It really made my day, and honestly, I was feeling so much better after receiving that incredible surprise. Yet another example of how the Fiskateers is both an online and offline community, and how people there are genuinely nice and thoughtful.

Of course, I am back from the hospital. This first week has been rough. Lots of pain (sad face). Each day usually brings some improvement, and looking back I can say that I truly feel better now than I did 9 days ago. I felt like a cat the first few days. Eat and sleep, with emphasis on the sleep, LOL! Sleep becomes a bit more elusive, though, as the days go on. There are less drugs in my system, the anesthesia has worked it's way out, but neck stiffness from all of the uncomfortable positions is really setting in. Overall, though, it's good to be home!

Off To The Castle!

2007-11-27T19:12:00.000-08:00

I’m off to the Castle, aka the hospital, this Friday for a total abdominal hysterectomy (sad face). I’ve been practicing my princess moves in my head (“Honey, could you get this for me,” and “Sweetie, could you please bring me that”). I need to get used to being waited on, rather than the other way around!

As usual, my family is facing this challenge with humor. This is the conversation that I had with DD a few months ago:

Me: Shawna, I have some sad news. Your first home is being demolished.
DD: Camelia Court?
Me: No, honey. Your first home.
DD: Oh! Oh, that’s sad.
Me: Yes, it is, but it’s time.
DD: But Mom! We shared that together! I grew inside of there.
Me: Yes, sweetie. But the uterus no longer plays well with others, so it’s time.
DD: But Mom, they call it “uter-US”, not “uter-YOU”
LOL!!!

We wrapped up our conversation with hugs, and an acceptance that sometimes things are not in our control.

Through this process I have managed to add another “You know you’re a scrapbooker when” that is definitely for the books. “You know you’re a scrapbooker when you schedule your surgery around a major scrapbooking event”! When my surgeon and I discussed dates, all I could think of was, “don’t let this interfere with the Texas Fiskateers event”. Fortunately, holding off the surgery until now has worked well, but it’s time.

OK…I’m off to do laundry, dishes and wrap Christmas presents. Aaackkk! So much to do, and the clock is ticking!

Heading Out-Part II aka The Three Stooges Routine

2007-11-24T21:48:00.001-08:00

Let me start by saying that the San Antonio airport isn't exactly the friendliest airport. For starters, the shuttle buses stop a looooooooong way from the terminals. Hisaho, Merlene and I lugged our suitcases and carry-ons into the terminal. It's important to know that very few Fiskateers were able to fit our big, orange hats into our bags, so we wore them. So while struggling with the luggage, we were concurrently being strangled by these hats!

We said a temporary goodbye to Merlene as she checked in with a different airline than Hisaho and I did. The American Airlines counter was very confusing. You could stand in line, or you could check-in electronically and then stand in line. No one was really sure what the advantage was, except that we were forced to lug our paraphernalia even further to the check-in area.

Once I checked-in and my name was called, I had to lug my giganticase over to the scale. I put it on the scale and watched as it flipped from 48 pounds to 65 pounds, to 49 pounds, to 55 pounds (the limit is 50lb). It was one confused scale! The attendant rudely asked me to remove items from my suitcase. I pulled out a 6 ounce canvas bag, and my 3-pound collapsible rolling tote, and the weight dropped down to 48 pounds. Whatever. The attendant then mumbled something and pointed to a red flag about 100 yards from the scale (OK, so it was probably only 50 feet, but it was really all the same to me). I said, "What? What did you say?" as she walked off, shooing her hand at me as if I were a pesty child. I must say, the San Antonio airport staff rates about a 1 out of 10 in politeness!! Hisaho then said, "I think we have to bring our suitcases all the way over to that red flag". Holey Shmoley!! Was she kidding? Nope. There was no conveyor belt for the luggage behind the counter. Sigh. I lugged my suitcase over, slipped it under an unmonitored rope (aren't we supposed to monitor luggage at ALL times?), and went back to help Hisaho. Did it occur to me to put my rolling tote back into the suitcase during the 50-foot trek to the flag? Noooooo! I helped Hisaho lug her things over, and she slipped her bags under the rope only to be told that she put it under the wrong rope. No signs, just one rope with a post in the middle. The attendant rudely told her, "if you put it under this side, then your suitcase goes to St. Louis". Ummm.....wanna guess which side mine went under? Yep....the wrong side. I asked the man about my suitcase, and he smiled and said, "Oh, I caught yours. Yours is fine" (my eyes rolling!!).

The security checkpoint was pretty bizarre. First off, it was all uphill. We struggled with our carry-ons, our IDs, our boarding passes, our shoes, all while walking uphill, and all while being strangled by our hats. I was able to get my things easily into the security bins, and then helped Hisaho. It was pretty comical. Ah....if only I had my camera, but no....it was in one of the bins! We were stopped at one point and a security guard ripped Hisaho's bag out off the security belt and slammed it on the counter. He glared at her. She gasped and said to me, "Oh no! I must have left my scissors in my carry-on". But no, it was nothing that alarming. The guard reached in her bag and RIPPED out a half-drunken bottle of water. Oh....the horror! Fortunately, the guard simply tossed the bottle instead of sending Hisaho off to prison, which was a surprise, considering the menacing look on his face!

What a relief it was to collapse into our seats at the gate and relax. Merlene caught up to us and it was fun chatting about the weekend. After a while, Elena Etcheverry and Melanie Christie (of Scrapbook Royalty) arrived. They were loaded down with far more luggage then we were, and because of an American Airlines booking mistake (one of a few I observed that day), they barely got to the gate on time. Melanie had left her scissors in her carry-on and was stopped by security. They measured her scissors, and it was decided that the 8-inch scissors with 4-inch blades were acceptable. Go figure. We all struggled onto the plane with our carry-ons, but Elena was stopped because she had TWO carry-ons. Never mind that security asked each of us if we had 2 or 3 carry-ons. I'm not sure how Elena did it, but she managed to convince the flight attendant to board with her bags (and there was plenty of room in the overheads for everything).

Once we arrived in Dallas, we had to use the SkyTrain to relocate to different terminals. The Three Stooges Act just continued. Remember, with every move we make, we are being strangled by those hats!! We climbed into the SkyTrain, and as the train began to move, Melanie, Hisaho and I could do nothing but watch in horror (and really, in amusement) as Elena and her gianormous bag were flung to the opposite side of the train. We wondered how Elena managed to get on her next flight with that giant bag, and we learned later that she simply slung the bag over her shoulder, like an over sized purse, and the flight attendant never batted an eye!

The rest of our trip was pretty uneventful. I was so exhausted from the weekend's numerous activities and lack of sleep, that I slept quite a while on the flight from Dallas to Oakland, and I never sleep on planes! Hisaho's husband met us at the Oakland airport and helped with the luggage, which was very helpful.

This trip was definitely a highlight in my life. I truly hope that I get to participate in another event like this again (hmmm....maybe a reunion??). This trip proves that the Fiskateers is definitely and online and an offline community.

What an adventure!

Pictures were taken by Elena and/or Melanie. Check my links out to connect to Scrapbook Royalty.

Heading Out - Part I

2007-11-23T22:23:00.001-08:00

My roomie and I stayed up until 1 or 2 am packing our suitcases. The trick was to get all of the goodies, including our "horses", into our luggage. We were told to bring an empty suitcase, so I was able to fit all my clothes into a duffel bag, and pack my pillow and goodies into my large suitcase. I then had to pray that it wasn't overweight! But.....more on that in part 2.

Thank goodness Daylight Savings Time ended this weekend, because it bought us an extra hour of sleep. Whew! After a weekend like this, it was necessary.

We gathered in the ballroom once more. The Fiskateer leads, Cheryl, Stephenie and Holly all spoke. They cried. We cried. It was a cry-fest. We listened to several speakers, including representatives from JoAnns and AC Moore.

The morning wrapped up with a small graduation ceremony. We had our pictures taken, received hugs, received a lovely scissors-necklace, and a rose.

Shortly after it was a 50+ person group hug, and then we went our different ways. There were many different flight times. Some went to lunch, some had to catch a shuttle right away. Hisaho, her sister Hiroko and I walked to the Alamo with some others, then walked back through the mall, retrieved our luggage from the bell desk, and relaxed until our shuttle came. We needed our rest, because the adventure at the airport was something else! More on that tomorrow!

Lights, Camera, Action!

2007-11-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night, the Fiskateers who brought holiday related projects were asked to share them with Suzanne Walker of Fiskars TV. Suzanne gathered us up and led us to a beautiful and quiet area of the hotel. Suzanne quickly filmed her usual Fiskars TV introduction. I was first in line, and she asked me to sit in the "hot seat". She said, "Tell us your name, your Fiskateer number, where you are from, and a very brief description of your project", and she stepped back. I looked toward Spike, our cameraman, and he said, "Ready.....and....GO". Egads! No rehearsal, no examples, just "Go". And....I went with it! When I was done, Suzanne complimented me saying that I did a great job. Spike said, "You are a natural", and a couple of the other Fiskateers-in-waiting joked about me presenting their projects for them. It was a fabulous experience!

I don't honestly expect my segment to get aired. I felt like my eyes were all over the place (on Suzanne who was off-screen, on Spike, on my project), and I felt like I was speed-talking. OK...I was speed talking! If it's aired, I will be sure to post a link and a new blog for it!

On Cloud 9

2007-11-21T22:26:00.000-08:00

I think that it was only fitting that my final crafting class of the weekend was taught by Nancy Martinez of Cloud 9 designs. In Nancy's class, we put together 12 darling calendar pages. Nancy is a wonderful teacher, and no doubt one of the best I've ever learned from. She said something that was wonderful, yet so simple, "You will not finish this project tonight. You may get through March or April. You will get through January and February". I found it utterly relaxing to hear those words. All to often, when I sit down for classes, the project far exceeds the time allotted. I always feel like I'm in a race. Just hearing those words calmed me, and taught me the importance of using them when teaching classes in the future.

The Riverwalk

2007-11-20T21:06:00.000-08:00

The Riverwalk in San Antonio is just gorgeous! If there is one reason I will return to San Antonio, it will be to visit the Riverwalk.

After Heidi's class, we gathered outside the ballroom and were greeted by a mariachi band. They played their music as we followed them to a water-boat docked downstairs, outside our hotel.

We loaded into 2 riverboats, all wearing our orange hats. It was quite the site! The tour was wonderful. Our tour guide was quite the comedian. We saw at least 6 weddings along the way because of all the gorgeous locations.

We docked at the Hilton for a private Tex-Mex dinner party at one of their lounges. After a relaxing dinner, we strolled back to the Riverwalk Mall for a Starbucks stop, then back to the hotel to resume the evening festivities.

Heidi Grace!

2007-11-19T21:03:00.001-08:00

After our wonderful afternoon at the Alamo, our breakout sessions/classes resumed. My last core class of the day was taught by the Brains On Fire marketing staff. We learned about blogs, among other things. It was nice to just sit and listen and relax. Heidi Grace attended our class and had lots of great questions and input.

Following that was another highlight of my weekend.......a class taught by Heidi Grace! She is a real delight and her class was probably my favorite (although, admittedly, it is hard to choose a favorite from so many great classes). Before teaching us a great notebook-design with her great products, she told us some very funny stories about her husband and father. Her sense of humor and ability to laugh at herself are just two of her great qualities.

I didn't get a chance to finish my project, and like all the projects before, THIS project was now the one I was going to complete at the evening crop!!

Remember the Orange Hats!

2007-11-18T10:37:00.000-08:00

Remember the Alamo is pretty cliche, but I will always remember my visit. And so will a lot of other visitors when a group of 50+ ladies with orange hats swooped down upon this gorgeous site.

Our hotel was just 3 long blocks from the Alamo. We stopped for a scrumptious lunch at the beautiful Menger Hotel.

Everyone asks me, "Isn't the Alamo smaller than you thought it would be?". Well, not really, because a few people told me ahead of time that it was pretty small. I was surprised, however, that it was originally a mission. I thought missions were just a California thing. I guess I need to spruce up on my Alamo history!

The visit was wonderful. The company delightful. Heidi Grace joined us, and she is such a fun person to hang out with!

This is Cool! Wait, This is Cooler...no, this is the Coolest!!

2007-11-16T22:30:00.000-08:00

My first training class of the day Was taught by Holly Ashby. We worked with canvas, Heidi Grace papers, and a Fiskars embossing border punch (waaaaay cool). I found it very interesting to watch how the other scrapbookers went about their projects. Some would put together, take apart, and put together (again) their projects, over and over until they got it just right. Others worked very slowly and methodically, and others chatted while assembling a few pieces. A few of us, myself included, quickly slapped things together, and then ran around the room, learning new techniques from the others, such as ho to miter corners.

I didn't finish my project, but decided I would finish it at the free crop time at the end of the day.

Our group moved next to Stephenie' Hamen's class, where we worked with a circle border punch. First we cut out circles, and then we placed them into this very cool punch to create a beautiful border around the entire circle. Very cool!

I didn't finish Stephenie's project, but decided that THIS would be the project that I finish up at the free crop time (this would be an ongoing theme for me all day, LOL).

Our last class of the morning was taught my Cheryl Waters. We worked with texture plates, which was a lot of fun. I had already purchased texture plates about a year ago, but wasn't quite sure how to use them. They sat in their package for the entire year. This is one reason why Fiskars wants demonstrators! Their products are very easy to use, they create great effects, but often sit on the shelf for people like me who need hands-on training.

I nearly finished my project for Cheryl's class, but not quite. I decided that THIS would now be the project that I would finish up at the free crop time.

As of this writing, all three projects are still waiting to be finished! So much to do.....so little time!

Where's the Coffee????

2007-11-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning at the Fiskateer's Nifty Fifty round up came EARLY! I think I had about 8 hours sleep the entire weekend, with about 5 hours on this first night.

We convened in the hotel Ballroom in the morning for a yummy buffet breakfast. We were asked to bring out rolling carts (aka our "horses"), and wear our giant orange hats. Everything moved so fast. We started out listening to a history of the Fiskars company (it's been around for 350+ years!), and then saw an upcoming PBS-type profile that to date had only been seen by 3 people in the company. It was fascinating.

After breakfast, we were split into 4 groups and headed off to our first classes. I walked into my first class and WOW!!!! There were trimmers (yes....that is multiple), a Shape Express Cutter, eyelet setters, templates and and and.......the list keeps going on. I couldn't even fit everything into my "horse".

The class started quickly, and frankly, I think I sat with my mouth agape the entire time. I was barely recovered from the shock of the previous evening's festivities, and now I've hit the scrapbook jackpot!

Holly Ashby led my first class, which was great. More on that tomorrow!

You-Tube

2007-11-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

The entire Fiskateers' weekend was caputured on video, and then hours upon hours of footage was edited down to 5 minutes.

Catch it here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7rfUQakCBCk

Into The Evening

2007-11-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

My first evening in Texas with the Fiskateers was wonderful, and it just kept getting better! The Fiskars team including the lead Fiskateers, Stephenie, Holly and Cheryl greeted us, and Suzanne Walker from Fiskars TV spoke to us. Geno from the Brains On Fire team led us with some quick exercises. We were given scrap goodies and then told to make two different projects right then! It was quite a challenge to work so quickly without my usual hours-to-plan-a-page methods, but I went with the flow and had a great time. We then shared special projects that we made for Fiskars TV. After sharing my project with the group at my table, I stepped out for a few minutes. When I came back, Suzanne was looking thoroughly through my project. She loved it. What a treat!

The entire evening, well, the entire weekend for that matter, was a bit like an infomercial in that each time we thought we hit the jackpot, there was more, "Wait....there's more"!!! After spoiling us with scrap goodies, they brought out large, gallon size mugs. What fun!

From 10pm until midnight (yeah, sleep was NOT a priority), we yakked and visited while finishing up our challenges. Erin Yamabe decided to RAK her wonderful advent calendar that she made for a class at the LSS where she works. Holly took charge of showing off the project, and then announced that one of us would win it. She said "Who wants this?" and of course 50 hands flew up into the air. She then said, "Well, let's see how we'll do this.....I know! Is it anyone's birthday today?". LOL!!! Perfect for me! I kept my hand up and yelled, "YES!" So much for flying under the radar with my birthday! I was delighted to take home Erin's wonderful creation. Everyone sang, "Happy Birthday". I have to admit.....this was one wonderful birthday!

The goodies just kept coming after that. When I returned to my room, my roomie and I each had a beautiful package of scrap goodies from Heidi Grace placed on our beds!

It was an awesome night!

Welcome Dinner - WOW

2007-11-12T21:03:00.000-08:00

Fiskars greeted us with a fantastic welcome dinner on our first night. After settling in and meeting my super-wonderful roomie, Kelly Edgerton, I headed down for dinner. Everyone gathered around a buffet area just outside the closed, ballroom doors. Holly and Stephenie (lead Fiskateers) and Carrie (Brains on Fire) were all secretive and wouldn't let us peek in the room. We joyfully visted each other as we quickly met new friends. It was loud and noisy and fun and so exciting!

Finally, the doors opened, and WOW. Each of us had our own Fiskars rolling cart, topped with a large, Fiskars-orange cowboy hat adorned with our Fiskateers number. It was so exciting, and everywhere you looked was a sea of hats!

More tomorrow.....

Off to Texas!

2007-11-11T19:21:00.000-08:00

I left for Texas early, early, early Friday morning on November 2. I was so genuinely excited about going to Texas, that I kept forgetting that it was my birthday. I received my first "birthday call" from my good friend, Sandy. My first thought was, "Oh no! What's wrong?". I was surprised to hear, "Happy Birthday!". My kids called me throughout the day, and once again I forgot. Instead I was thinking, "What do these guys want?", LOL!

I met my fellow Fiskateer, Hisaho, at the Oakland airport just prior to boarding the plane. We traveled together, connecting in Dallas. Dallas is a HUGE airport. I guess what they say about Texas (everything is big) is true.

We arrived in San Antonio many, many, many clock hours later. It took us only a few minutes to find other Fiskateers in the hotel lobby, as we recognized each other by our avitars. Upon check-in, we were given a cute orange & green (Fiskars colors) gift bag filled with bottled waters, snacks, some ribbon and ribbon-stiff from Stano Designs (as seen on Fiskars TV), and a beautiful pair of Fiskar scissors with our names engraved on them! Very awesome!

I'll blog later about the rest of the evening, which was fantastic. While I was impressed with the orange and green goody bag, it was nothing compared to what was to come. The evening also held a wonderful birthday surprise for me, but more on that later!

In The Beginning........

2007-11-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

Hello to All! I've blogged a few times, mostly at Scrapbook.com. My favorite things to blog about are life's everyday moments, especially the funny ones (even if I'm not laughing when the moment occurs!).

Until now, I haven't had anything too exciting to blog about; however, this last weekend was anything but ordinary, and certainly deserves some blogging!

It all started this last May. I spent National Scrapbooking Day hanging out at Scrapbook.com. While there, I came across a post from May Flaum, encouraging sb.c members to check out Fiskateers.com. I did, and and I have been grateful and astounded many times over since that day. I received beautiful Fiskars scissors engraved with my Fiskateer number, #1626. I received wonderful RAKs, I attended a super-fun gathering at May's house, and I met lots of genuinely nice cyber-friends.

Then, I received a phone call. A HUGE phone call. May called me in September to let me know that I was one of 49 other Fiskateers who would be attending an all-expenses paid weekend in San Antonio, Texas from Nov 2 to Nov 4. I was floored!

The next weekend I attended a crop at Suzy West's store, Picture Me Perfect, in Fremont, CA. As I sat cropping with my fellow Fiskateer, Erin Yamabe, another San Antonio-destined friend, we couldn't help but wonder, "is this for real?"

Well, it certainly was. Last week was the magical weekend, and I can honestly say that it is a highlight in my life. Not as important as my wedding, births, or graduations, but definitely one for the Jennifer Nenni history books.

Over the next few days, I'll fill you in on all the wonderful moments from my magical weekend.