Tuesday, October 30, 2007

It's been a while since I've posted! So, first, here are 4 new digi layouts I've completed:




I am sooooo loving this digi class! It almost makes me want to give up paper scrapping and just go all digi. But that won't happen for 2 reasons: 1) I really love the process and feel of "real" paper scrapping and, 2) I ain't ABOUT to get rid of my, uh, collection of paper scrapping supplies, which is vast. Uh uh. No way.

Here's a few newsy items:

  • it's rained - a LOT - and has cooled to more autumn-like temps
  • now it's gorgeous again
  • the trees are still showing their colors, but the rain knocked off lots of leaves
  • we got our first frost - finally, now, it's time to take my plants out of their pots, snip the clematis and bring in the huge philodendron (but the bionic ferns are STILL going!)
  • Dustin led the worship/music at church last Wednesday - what a blessing to be led into worship by my own son...
  • the Boy also sang a song he wrote in church Sunday a.m.
  • Matthew has a beard!
  • we saw "Across the Universe" last Friday - FABulous!! It started out a little slow and curious, but, got WAY better and blew us away!
  • we've officially started our Christmas shopping
  • I'm presently reading Metamorpha by Kyle Strobel - it's excellent (recommended by Dustin)

That's it for now. I'm off to work on a journal page. (That's a whole 'nother project that I haven't even posted on here at all. It's like a scrappy journal with the emphasis on journal.)

Oh, and - BOO!

Monday, October 22, 2007

Over at SIStv, they are hosting several scrapping challenges each week for the month of October (as a sort of grand opening for the new boutique). For these challenges, the challengER will choose her favorite and the challengEE will win prizes! Prizes are a boatload of goodies from the boutique. So, even though I'm supposed to be working on THE Wedding Album x 2 (one for M&M and one for me), I do enjoy doing a couple challenges each week - especially when there's possible prizes involved. It gets other stuff scrapped AND just stretches the imagination and creativity.

I participated in two challenge contests this week. For the first, there were two photos. One was a lush photo of Marie Antoinette lounging in this rich, red boudoir, with lace and candles and silk, etc. And there was another totally different picture of Beck (the singer) surrounded by post-it notes - very contempo. You were to choose one of the photos and do a layout somehow inspired by the photo of your choice. Here's the one I did:

I thought it turned out nicely. There were a LOT of layouts submitted, though, and I didn't think mine would be picked. It wasn't. Oh, well. I still end up with a layout I really like and I like doing this size, too.

For the second challenge I chose to participate in, you were simply to use someone ELSE's handwriting on your layout in whatever way you wanted. Well, a couple weeks ago, we hosted Dustin's birthday party (more like a hot dog roast - well, it WAS a hot dog roast and we encouraged him to invite some of his friends in addition to family). He still had a couple friends here after everyone else had left and Chris and I just had to go to bed, old people that we are, since we had to get up for church the next morning. In the morning, though, we found this note that Dustin had left us expressing his gratitude for the party and more... I told him that I was going to have to scrap that.... SO, this challenge was the perfect opportunity to do just that. Here's the layout I made:


For this one I just so happened to have WON!!!! Woooo hooo! If you click on the actual layout, you should get a large enough view of it that you can read it. If not, just click on the link to the right where you can see my layouts at SIStv. Then you'll find it in my "just layouts" folder or "recently uploaded" folder. It's pretty sweet (the note). And the peeps in charge of the website and the challenges kept saying all week long that the prizes THIS week were going to be REALLY good! So, I'll post what I end up with when I get it! Yee ha! They like me, they really like me! :)

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

I've been getting TONS of email wondering where in the heck I've been since I haven't posted anything new lately. Okay, one email. But it was a very IMPORTANT email. So, rest assured all my peeps and fans. I'm back. And, yes, I have a new scrap page for you. But, I want to warn you that THIS time it does NOT feature my son and his lovely new wife. I know. I know. It's disappointing, but keep in mind - we DO know OTHER people, too. And a few of them are featured on this next layout. It's a little piece I did called CRAZY Dancin' and it features some of our wild and crazy friends at our most recent annual Dancin' on the Deck party. It mainly focuses on ONE wild and crazy guy in particular. Yeah, you'll see what I mean... Oh, and, for some reason unknown to me, I can't upload this layout, but you can see it via this widget thingy from SIStv which is why it actually says SIStv in the top corner. If you run your cursor over that layout, magic stuff happens! :) You can go to SIStv land where ALL my layouts and MORE are stored!






Anyhoo, as the layout journaling says - we have a wild and crazy time, but it's good, CLEAN fun! I don't know what got into my friend there in the 2nd photo. Actually, that was a photo of him and myself, but I cropped myself out. Chris was taking a lovely photo of me dancing and our friend, (let's just call him "Chip" - because that's his name) decided to "flash" Chris at the same time. Obviously, the better half of the photo is the part I posted!

That's all for now. Gotta save SOME news for next time.... Peace out.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

I just did this digi layout for an online site that was having a little contest and, more importantly, because I highly doubt I'd ever win the contest, because they were giving away a really cute little digi kit to everyone who participates. Scrap for free stuff? Heck, yeah!

Well, it's very un-fall-like around here. It's actually been hot and fairly humid around here. So, I'm keeping the house shut up so it stays cooler. I think it's just put a slamming halt to the trees turning colors, too.

Which brings me to the next sad subject. Chris and I are heading up to Cedar Run tomorrow for our annual 3 day, 2 night getaway and it looks like there's a good chance for rain the whole time, especially the last day, which is the day we tend to drive around or hike, etc., because we want to stay in the area so we can go to Oktoberfest at the Blackwell Hotel for dinner Friday evening. There have been several times where all my fall photos taken on this trip have been in the drizzle up on the mountain on Friday. This time it may be more than a drizzle.

The good news is that I am prepared! I downloaded our second computer copy of PSE 5.0 onto Chris's laptop and I'm going to put some of my fave fall digi files on my external drive and I can literally sit there and scrap. All I'll need is photos! And Chris has a bunch on his computer even if I can't take any good ones up there... Now THAT excites me. Because, the only downside of being up there with a computer is that I'm sure there will be no internet connection. And, okay, I admit it, I've become just a tad "addicted" to being online. Well, there's so much to do and my SIS site is just like a little community to me. And who the heck talks to me here in this house, anyway, if you know what I mean...

Well, speaking of scrapping, as I so often am, I'm off to begin getting our Christmas album from last Christmas finished. The photos are all printed out and ready for me....

Tomorrow morning I'm packing and off to Octoberland!

Friday, October 05, 2007

I've been staying up in the wee hours - scrapping. Digi scrapping. Why, oh, why have I not learned that I cannot start a project at 12:30 in the morning - I'm talking 12:30 A.m. here. I guess I think I can just whip something out or work on something for just a little while but then, before I know it, it's 2:30 p.m. Gah.

Anyway, here are my most recent digi works of art:


The photo in this second one is taken along Pine Creek in Cedar Run, where Chris and I will be heading next Wednesday for our annual getaway at the Cedar Run Inn. I can barely express in words how much I love this little retreat. Fabulous food. Lazy days. Gorgeous scenery. None of the usual pressures of life. Did I mention the fabulous food? It's just always such a lovely time and, of course, God will be putting on a spectacular foliage show in the area next week. Can't wait to see that.

We had a little "taste" of it tonight as we headed up north with Jack and Tina for dinner at the Manor Hotel. The restaurant is on Pine Creek and they have a great deck that overlooks it beautifully. And it was quite warm today and this evening, so perfect for a little dinner al fresco. We had a great time and the drive was lovely. The trees have a ways to go yet, but we weren't as far north as we will be next week, either. I'm sure it will be beautiful, anyway. Chris just mentioned that there could be some rain coming in, so I'm going to get my magazine and book stash ready AND - a brilliant thought here - I am going to download PSE 5.0 on Chris's computer and then bring a CD with some of my digi scrapbooking elements so, if it is raining all day - I can sit there and scrap away! How great will that be? (I think I'm pretty darn smart sometimes...) :)

And, to prove it, I'm going to sign off and head for bed. (It's only 11 p.m.!)