Tennis, anyone?

Anybody watching the Australian Open? I've been watching, mostly hoping to catch Federer or Nadal playing. But, in the meantime, I've watched some great matches, and tonight I caught the Delic/Djokovic match. SUCH a great match, and I was really rooting for Amer Delic to win. Federer is on the schedule, but I'm not sure I can stay up to watch, so I'll try to watch the rerun tomorrow. This love of tennis has been a surprise to me. I've watched Wimbledon for several years, but last year I also watched the US Open and other matches on the Tennis Channel, and I really like it! So, when I heard that Federer had committed to play in the Davis Cup matches in Birmingham, Alabama - just 2 hours away - I splurged and bought tickets to go! Olivia and I will be up in the nosebleed section, lol, BUT we'll be watching world class tennis (and hopefully Roger, lol) . I'm so excited! Tickets went really fast, and now they've showed up on Ebay and ticket broker sites for really ridiculous prices. Doing something like this is so unlike me, but I don't think I'll regret it. If you have any advice for a newbie attending her first big tennis event, let me hear it :)

Last call for fall 08 kits

I'm cleaning out the last of my kits from my fall classes. I have a very limited number, and I'm putting a clearance price on these (typically $40-$45, but now only $25). Email me at momtwoangels@yahoo.com, if you are interested. Kits are $25 each, plus actual US Priority Mail shipping. I'm also including free product in each order...could be ribbon, rubons, stickers, stamps, chipboard, etc.

AVAILABLE ** October Afternoon Boo Album - Showing the kit photos and the album. The owl is paper pieced using a pattern included in the kit. You can customize the album for fall, Thanksgiving, or Halloween with the included rubons, chipboard, flowers, rhinestones, transparency, and ribbon.

update *SOLD OUT* Scenic Route layout kit - all the product you see, plus instructions to complete 3 12X12 layouts. I don't have a photo of the layouts, but I do have this ad showing a piece of 2 of them.

update *SOLD OUT* BasicGrey Mini Album kit - I love, love this one, and the kit is packed with BG goodness :) Felt flowers, yummy ribbons, and instructions for adding pizazz to stickers with rhinestones, chipboard, and flowers. You can customize this album for any theme, although the cover says "all about me" (you can flip that over to the white side, if needed).

They did it!

I tell you what, we've had a round of some sort of viral bronchitis here at our house that started in December with me. The symptoms are fever and a terrible cough that keeps you from sleeping. After me, Michaela caught it, and ran fever for 5 days, PLUS a few days later was diagnosed with a double ear infection. Rich was next on the list, and he's still coughing and feeling bad 10 days later. Saturday, Olivia began running a fever, but her symptoms are fever and sore throat....hoping it's not what we've all had, and that it will run it's course quickly. Anyway, we had planned a shopping trip for just us girls, since they were on holiday from school. With her running a fever, that wasn't doable, so I suggested that they might want to make purses today. Olivia has had a couple sewing classes, but it was all new to Michaela. They chose their fabrics from my Heather Bailey stash, and we made the drawstring purse from Amy Butler's "In Town Bags" pattern. I think they did an awesome job, and they had a good time, too. Michaela loved her first sewing experience, and they both want me to plan another day for the three of us to sew :D I'm looking forward to more sewing this year. I've scrapped so much the last 18 months for my books that I'm due for a nice change of scenery, lol.

The purses finish at about 10"x10", and although I cut most of the pieces (to save time)and did the buttonholes, they pinned, sewed, and pressed the remainder of this easy purse. I recommend it for kids of all ages!

In the mood for Playing With Paper?

I think there is something poetic about opening the big box of returned artwork from book #1, Playing With Paper, which debuts in a few short weeks, on the same day that I mail off the last of the artwork for book #2, Kick It Up. I want to tell you - doing a book alone is a HUGE undertaking (and that is one reason why Greta Hammond and I are doing the co-author thing on Kick It Up!). One of the hardest things is creating so many pieces of art and NOT being able share. Most scrapbookers will agree - sharing is THE BEST. I love seeing layouts and reading the stories behind the photos. It's just an integral part of this hobby. So, opening this box and being able to see these layouts again, including my contributor layouts, was a boost to my flagging energy, lol. I still LOVE them, and I hope you enjoy them too. I hope the book inspires you to create more and to be happy while doing it. I hope it turns your "I can't do that" into "I can do that!"

The design of the cover and the interior of the book was totally up to the talents at Memory Makers. They chose the colors, the fonts, the presentation, the cover art, everything. "I Love You" is on the actual cover and "Make Art Everyday" was one of the earlier choices for the cover (you might have seen it at Amazon). Click on the small photos for larger versions, if you want to read the journaling. I'm hoping my advance copy arrives this week!