Didn't make the cut

I'll admit, I would much rather have too much for my students than not enough. After teaching my 2 workshops this past weekend, I learned some things, and I need to make some adjustments in my materials. So, this layout got cut from the lineup in my Designs With "Heart" workshop. Don't worry, there are still 5 layouts to keep my students busy! This BasicGrey paper line matches my youngest daughter really well...the fun, funky, bright colors and patterns are perfect for her.

poppy ink info

I've had several questions about how to subscribe to or how to get Poppy Ink kits. I thought I'd just post Heather's info here for anyone who happens to decide they want to jump into this AWESOME kit club :) Sad news is that October is already sold out, and it is absolutely YUMMY. It was my first kit to work with, and I'm excited about the layouts going up on the site on October 1st.

Here is Heather's post from the site board - which is a great place to get peeks and info about the kits!
October kits are sold out. November kits will be available for pre-order on October 1st. We are not going to start a waiting list, yet. We are going to begin growing slower than we have been, however. When the kits are sold out we will be taking the buttons down, and leaving the pricing up.

Ordering: I have a lot of people asking how to order, and what our prices are. To order you will need to wait until the kits go up on preorder.
Prices: 1 month/ $30
3 month/ $28
6 month/ $26
S&H is 6.50
*end of Heather's post*

And you are going to want add-on info too (those are the extra goodies that you can order to compliment your kit, or just because you want the goodies!) Those go up at approx. 12AM MST on the 1st of each month. That means October add-ons will be available, even though the main kits are sold out. Be warned - they sell out quick!
Let me know if you have any more questions :)

Savannah ROCKS

Truly. And the staff at Savannah Scrapbooking made me feel right at home :D Pictured above is Jamie and her girls (plus me). I had such a great time, and I enjoyed the chance to meet and talk with ladies who love this hobby as much as I do. Thank you to Jamie, her staff, and all the ladies in my classes! I hope they had as much fun as I did!
Also posting a photo of my traveling mates - my sister, Debbie, and my mom, Maedean. I don't know what I would have done without them. They worked really hard to help me prepare the many pieces contained in the kits for each workshop. Hours and hours, without complaint. Thank you, Mom and Debbie! I am so glad we were able to do the trip together.

I am glad to be home though. I missed my husband and my girls.

I'll blink and it will be November, and I'll be off again. Not so far this time - Birmingham, Alabama, is an easy drive. If you are in that area, come see me at Scrap, Etc. on November 11th!

ready to roll

Well, not really, lol. But I need to be! I'm very excited about teaching at Savannah Scrapbooking in Savannah, GA, on Saturday. This is another sneak peek at some of the goodies in the album workshop. I hope my Savannah ladies are ready to SCRAP!! Jamie, the store owner, has been soooo good to work with, and I know we are going to have a great time :D
In other teaching news, I can finally spill that I'll be teaching at Scrap Etc. in Birmingham in early November. If you've never been to Monique's store, you SHOULD GO. Wonderful selection, decor, ideas, and top notch staff. A friend and fellow HOFer, Heather Preckel, is teaching some classes there this weekend, so why not stop by and see her?! And then be sure to plan a trip to see me on November 11th.

Happy birthday, special lady!

Today is my mom's big day. She's my best friend, and I am looking forward to whisking her away to Savannah next week!!
Any weekend plans? I'm taking some little giggly girls to the mall tomorrow - celebrating Olivia's 11th birthday. That should be fun *said with not a bit of sarcasm* ;) No, really. I'm looking forward to it :D
Working on kitting for my classes next weekend...not a lot of glamour in it, but it's necessary. I like to be very organized and prepared so that classes go smoothly - most of all, I want us to have FUN! And we will, I just know it!

meow

This photo makes me laugh out loud! My sister's cat was not very happy about this impromptu photo shoot (picture me dragging him from his carpeted tunnel). Olivia was a bit worried that she might get bitten or scratched. I sat them in a doorway to get enough light, and then I kneeled on the deck and tried to get the shot. The cat kept sliding down, and I asked Olivia to boost him up. This was her idea of a good shot ;) Do you have photos that make you laugh? I think this one will be fun to scrap.

It's official! I'll be teaching in Massachusetts!! Right At Home Scrapbooking in North Attelboro will be my destination in January - I'll be flying on my birthday, in fact. More details later :D And I still don't have a date for my visit to a Southern town, so I can't spill that one yet. Maybe soon!

boxing it up

and moving it out - a box of K&Company projects, that is. I completed 10 projects for the upcoming Memory Trends show (and related packaging and catalogs). Can't talk about any of that though, lol. So, what can I talk about? Well, I can hint about some upcoming travel plans - I'll be teaching my 2 workshops in the South!! I will say I can drive there from my house, so that will narrow it down, huh? I'll say more when I get the exact date, I promise.

It's that day...that day that will never be forgotten. I will say a special prayer for all the families who lost loved ones, and all those affected by the terrible tragedy. I will also say a prayer for peace, for love, and that hearts full of hate would be changed.

fall shows

Not ignoring my blog, I promise. I've just been working on things I can't share right now, and feel like I don't have much to say. So, let's talk about tv, why don't we? :) Are you looking forward to the upcoming fall season of television? What shows are you waiting for?
Prison Break is already in it's new season, and it's good, but I'm missing some of the magic from last season.
Hoping Grey's Anatomy gets better - I was not loving the show at the end of last season. I don't care what happens to Meredith anymore. Funny thing is, as I watched some reruns of early in season 2, I remembered liking her and her scenes with Derrick. Something changed...
I've watched a few new ones - Justice and something about hostage negotiators.
What about Shark? That looks pretty cool.
CSI Miami is a favorite of mine.
I know there is more. Let's hear your favs!

the quiet after the holiday

Hope your holiday weekend was a nice one. Our's was so very nice. Time spent with family, and a bit of scrapping thrown in for good measure. I wish I could show you. Soon! I managed to complete 3 layouts for Poppy Ink. Ohhhhh, the October kit is just yummy. Uh oh, better not let any hints slip ;) When you work in the industry, even loving scrapping as I do, it can sometimes become a job, with all the stresses and worries that go along with a job. Don't get me wrong - I love doing it. But, this weekend I scrapped purely for the joy of it, and I had a blast.
The girls had their last swim of the season :( It is hard to say goodbye to those long hot days. But, the water is getting too cool, and with school and homework, I doubt we manage to swim again.
And, I also watched about half my P&P this weekend! I told ya it was very nice ;)

bet you didn't know

Okay, time for another revealing post about myself. I bet you didn't know I was once hooked on heirloom sewing, embroidery, and smocking, did you? I still love it, but haven't done anything in regards to that hobby in some time. See that baby gown? I made that - from scratch. It has a matching slip, pearl buttons, entredeux, and bullion roses embroidered at the neck and hem. Michaela wore it home from the hospital. This baby album I designed is in Scrapbook Memorabilia by Cori Dahmen. Have you seen the book? It has tons of ideas for incorporating memorabilia into your scrapbook pages. Not my usual thing, but I must admit I enjoyed the challenge and I appreciate Cori for her confidence in me!

I knew you could do it!

Thank you so much for all the nice comments today! I KNEW you could do it! Remember I cannot respond to them (blogger doesn't have that capability)- wish I could. Just know that I appreciate all the hellos today!

talk back

I don't want my kids doing it, but I'd like for my blog visitors to, *hint* *hint*. I'm averaging about 150 unique visitors per day....that's a lot of people who aren't talking back to me, *hint* *hint*. I never thought I would enjoy talking to myself, and I was right. I don't. I know you guys can tell me something about yourself, your day, your life, your scrapbook pages, anything. Thank you in advance, because I know you can take a hint ;)

my movie

That is what I call it. My husband knows what I'm talking about...maybe noone else would. But, I do know there are fellow P&P movie lovers out there :D So I mentioned in a past blog post that I would tell about my P&P "thing". It's not an obsession. It's a love (albeit an unconventional one, for me at least.) It all started last December. I had seen the previews for the movie, and thought it looked interesting. I'm always up for a good love story. I had not read the book, and hadn't seen any of the earlier versions (lots of folks adore the 6 hr. Colin Firth A&E version). I invited my sister to attend with me. We made a night of it - eating Mexican food, talking, laughing, and enjoying the "no kids" part for a few hours :) And we saw P&P (#1). I loved, loved, loved it. She thought it was really good too. A couple weeks later, I convinced dh to attend with me (#2). Even he enjoyed it (but he wouldn't want anyone to know it). The following week, I saw a matinee (#3). You have to know - I live an hour from the movie theater, and I've never in my life seen a movie more than once in the theater. So, it's early January by now, and the movie is leaving this theater in 2 days...so dh rolls his eyes and takes the girls to see something they would like, while I see P&P (#4). That should have been enough, yes? You would THINK. But, my birthday is January 11th, and I found out that P&P was playing in a town 2 hours from me...a town with a large mall, a Target, and a scrapbook store that I had never visited. So, for my birthday, I drove over and spent the day shopping...and seeing P&P (#5, and the last in the theater). It sounds ridiculous - I know it does! But, I didn't (and don't) care. I have the dvd, and I've watched it 7 or 8 times since February. I have the soundtrack on my Ipod shuffle, and love it (so do the girls!) Can I explain it? No. Do I try? Not usually, lol. I just know I'm not alone, and it was worth every penny to make all those trips. To just ENJOY something for the pure fun of it, whether it made any sense or not...it was such a great feeling. So, see the movie, listen to the soundtrack, and fall in love with P&P.

PS. I did watch the A&E version....not so good. I did TRY to read the book...really not so good (and I usually love books much better than movies.) It was something special about that movie, the actors, the music, the settings....

warm days, cool thoughts

This is the time of year that my husband starts saying "It will cool off, right? We won't be stuck in summer forever?" He works outdoors, and the hot, hot weather is hard on him. Wanted to scrap about our little snow this past winter :)

more Masters layouts

Also figured out the slideshow :)

are you guilty?

I am. Of watching Big Brother All Stars. I know, I know! It's trashy tv, but I can't stop watching - and reading the live feed updates which I discovered a couple weeks ago. And if The Amazing Race were to have Will and Janelle as a team, I'd definitely watch that (loved the race with Rob and Amber). So, come one, you gotta tell me about your guilty pleasure :D I don't want to have a blog where I'm the only one talking.

for my sis

She's the best. And she needs reminded of that. This is in the Masters book (I think, lol).

poppy ink

If you haven't checked out the kit club at www.poppyink.com, you are missing a treat! Heather Burch puts together such fun kits, and her design team is top notch. I'm very thrilled to be joining the folks at the Poppy Ink site! Thank you, Heather!!

Thank you!!

A big shout out to all the ladies in the Savannah area (and those who are driving from a bit further away). I just got word that my workshops there are booked up. Very excited about that, and looking forward to seeing you all in September. Thank you to Savannah Scrapbooking and staff for all you've done, and all you are doing to prepare for the September Scraptacular event!!

cleaning out closets

One of my favorites as seen in Ask The Masters. That little rhinestone buckle? Target clearance. Don't you love finding little goodies like that?

Ever clean out a child's closet and just get very sentimental about the little things you find? Ever have a hard time getting rid of older items that are no longer played with? I do. I did. But they are growing and changing, and with small closets, there is no way I can keep it all. That was my Saturday.