A few favorites

I taught a journaling class over the weekend. What a treat! We laughed, we cried, we hugged...Hands down, journaling is my absolute favorite topic to teach. That's because I believe it is so vital and liberating for each of us to tell our stories. I love helping people learn simple techniques to do just that.

As part of the class, we talked about using quotes, poems, lyrics, or book excerpts on our pages -- as a supplement to personal journaling, or as the journaling itself when we lack information about the photos. Today I thought I would share a few of my favorite sites:

Quotes

http://www.simplescrapbooksmag.com/quotes/

http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/peasoup.asp

http://www.quotationspage.com/

http://www.quoteland.com/ -- my favorite

http://en.thinkexist.com/

Lyrics

http://www.lyrics.com/

http://www.lyricsmania.com/

Book excerpts / quotes

http://www.litquotes.com/

http://www.literary-quotations.com/

Poems

http://www.netpoets.com/poems/

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/

Cat Show Prep Underway

It's been a busy few days at our house. In the midst of everything going on around here, it is also time to begin Lily's beauty routine for the cat show, coming up this Sunday, October 5!

First, Daughter and Boyfriend trapped Lily in the laundry room and clipped her nails. Boyfriend poked food morsels into her mouth (Lily's mouth, I mean) while Daughter operated the nail trimmers. That process went pretty well.

Next, they shut Lily in the bathroom and put her in the bathtub. As you might imagine, this part didn't go quite as well (refer to above photo). They shampooed Lily with Pantene (yes, I know we should be using cat shampoo, but that's all we had on hand), rinsed her off, and toweled her dry. I believe Daughter and BF were actually wetter than Lily by the time they finished.

Once out of the bathroom, Lily set to work on styling her own hair. She does a pretty good job with this part. We all agreed that she looks slimmer when wet.

Still to come are a few more thorough brushings and an ear cleaning, then Lily will be ready to go! Since kitties are judged on grooming, health, and behavior, and we all know how she'll rate in behavior, we hope to score brownie points for Lily's attractive appearance and pleasant, just-shampooed scent.

Anything to distract the judges.

Card for a friend

A friend of mine was in Texas recently and brought back some chipboard owls for me. It was so sweet of her to think of me! This is a little owl note I made to say thank you.

Font: Coaster; stamp: Sassafras Lass; felt flower and ribbon: American Crafts; cardstock: Bazzill; other: brads, button, ink

Chipboard flower mirror

The store where I teach hosts an annual holiday open house with lots of samples of projects that customers can make as gifts. This week, I've been pulling materials and planning out a few projects to make for display. As you can imagine, this is a very fun job! :-)

This mirror/frame is the first project I've finished so far. I am envisioning it as an accessory for a girl's room. Of course, you could use any color scheme you'd like to match the decor.

When I started this project, I didn't know if it was going to be a frame for a photo or for a mirror, because I wasn't sure I could find a mirror to fit the 5" square opening. Happily, I found one at Hobby Lobby which fit perfectly. The nice thing about the frame is that it allows a photo to be slipped in and out from the side, if you choose to use it as a picture frame instead.

For this project, I used a 12x12 BE frame and a set of Rusty Pickle chipboard flowers. I painted the chipboard pieces with acrylic paint and let them dry, using Doodlebug's glitter on the white flowers. Meanwhile, I cut and adhered the cardstock and paper background to fit over the frame. Finally, I layered the chipboard pieces around the opening, using foam dots under some for dimension. Once everything was in place, I used a brown pen and Stickles to add detail to some of the pieces.

This project wasn't difficult to complete, and I still have plenty of chipboard flowers left to use on another sample. Hmmm....what to make next? :-)

Feline Friday: TV Time with Lily

It seems that every time we start the DVD player, Lily comes running: She thinks it's time for Video Catnip. So last night, I started it up for her, placing a stool in front of the TV for optimum viewing.

But when I came back to the family room, this is what I found:

Yep, in true couch-potato fashion, Lily had moved to the recliner and was chillin' to the sights and sounds of perky birds and squirrels.

Yum! Those birds look pretty tasty!

Soon, a little grooming was in order...

...followed by the splits. Not really a ladylike position. But who cares about being a lady when you're in a recliner?

Pass the popcorn, Mom!

Recipe: Campfire Scramble

Here's a great recipe for a cool fall evening, or even a cool fall morning, for that matter. This recipe originally came from Midwest Living magazine. I have the recipe somewhere, but I never follow it anyway, so I'm going to share it the way I usually make it. Campfire Scramble is one of those recipes that you can add most anything to and it will still taste good. Plus, it has a fun name.

My food photography leaves a lot to be desired, but you'll get the idea of what it looks like when it's almost done cooking:



And here it is "plated up", as they say on The Food Network. (This is NOT The Food Network, by the way. Just in case you were wondering.)

Campfire Scramble

a big skillet with a lid
3/4 package of frozen hashbrown potatoes (I use the bagged mix with green and red peppers)
Cooking oil
Eggs (1-2 per person)
1/2 cup (or so) milk
Shredded cheese -- mozzarella or cheddar
Deli ham or turkey -- as much as you'd like, approximately 3/4 cup
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish

• In a large skillet, brown the hashbrowns in oil. This takes 10-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix the eggs and milk with a whisk. Add salt and pepper. Add more milk if needed. (This should be the consistency of scrambled eggs. Actually, it IS scrambled eggs.)
• Chop up the ham or turkey and throw it into the milk/egg mixture. Stir it up.
• When the hashbrowns are cooked, pour the milk/egg mixture right over the top of them in the skillet. It will look completely disgusting, but not to worry!
• The eggs will start to cook around the edges. Let the mixture cook and if you are brave, you can attempt to turn it as it sets. (You can sort of cut the mixture into smaller chunks for easier turning.) It looks messy at this point...hence the name "Scramble".
• When the eggs are cooked, sprinkle the mixture with shredded cheese and parsley. Cover pan and let melt. Do not forget it on the stove! :-)
• Serve with sausages. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheat well in the microwave. YUM!

Wordless (or Watch Out!) Wednesday

Over our heads?

So last week, the registrar for the upcoming cat show called. I sort of expected it.

Cat Lady: Hello, this is “Mildred” from the cat show. We have a few questions about your registration. What is your cat’s name?

Me: It’s Lily. I’m sorry, I didn’t see a spot to write her name. (Actually, I was GLAD I didn't have to write her name. If anybody happened to recognize it, she'd surely be rejected!)

Cat Lady: Well, you’re supposed to list her name with her ACFA number.

Me: Ummm....she doesn’t have an ACFA number.

Cat Lady: That’s fine for this show. If you enter another show, you’ll need to register her with the American Cat Fanciers Association. Also, about her color....

Me: Yes?

Cat Lady: There is no such thing as a gray tabby.

Me: Excuse me?

Cat Lady: It doesn't exist. Gray coats are referred to as blue.

Me: Oh. Well, she’s blue with a little bit of tan and white, then. And some stripes.

Cat Lady: I see. (Lengthy pause...) Well, the judges will have to take a look at her and determine exactly what she is.

Me: Oh, good. (Pause, gulp...) You know, I hope we haven’t gotten ourselves in over our heads with this show.

Cat Lady: Oh, we have many household pets entered. It’s our largest category. What is your concern?

Me: Well, I’m a little worried about her behavior. (I tried to suppress my vivid mental image of Lily lunging at the State Fair Judge #3)

Cat Lady: Oh, I have had problems from time to time with some of my purebred Burmese males. At breeding time, they don’t like to be handled.

Me: We will do our best but I just do not know how she will perform. (This was a bold-faced lie! I am pretty darn sure of how she'll perform, and it's likely to be BAD!)

Cat Lady: (Pause, shuffling of papers...) Ma'am, since this is your first show, I’m going to give you a double-wide cage. Normally that would cost extra, but I’m going to give it to you free. And I'm putting Lily at the end of the row.

Me: Thank you. That’s very kind. We'll see you at the show.

Lily, what have we gotten ourselves into?

Lighten up -- no pun intended!

I'm making some progress (albeit slow) with clearing out some things around here. I'm a firm believer in keeping stuff out of the landfill: I will not toss something usable, even if it is ugly or out of style! To that end, I've listed a few things on FreeCycle and had great success finding new homes for everything.

You may recall that we recently replaced our light fixtures. For a long time now, I've been tripping over boxes of chandeliers and globes. They did not sell at my garage sale back in May, nor will consignment stores take them. Before listing them on FreeCycle, I posted a message on Two Peas asking for additional suggestions, and someone suggested donating them to Habitat for Humanity's ReStore.

Duh! I've driven past that store a few times but didn't even think of it. This place accepts donations of household/building materials of all kinds, including out-of-style brass light fixtures! And it's tax deductible. Anyone can donate or shop there, and the profits benefit Habitat for Humanity.

So I dropped off my light fixtures, picked up my receipt, and took a look inside the store. Wow! Sinks, carpet, tile, wood flooring, cabinetry...they have just about everything you need for home improvement. If you have a store in your area, check it out -- for donating or for shopping. It's definitely a win-win kind of place!

Getting to Know Your Friends

Playing along with my blogging friend, Sarah C, in this 2008 Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends...

Welcome to the 2008 edition of getting to know your Friends. Copy and paste this in a new blog post, then change all the answers so they apply to you! Leave a comment for me if you do this!

The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30am

2. Diamonds or pearls? neither

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Baby Mama, maybe?

4. What is your favorite TV show? don’t have one, but I like a few programs on HGTV

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? varies – sometimes Kashi cereal, sometimes oatmeal, sometimes an English muffin, sometimes nothing, but ALWAYS coffee with crème brulee creamer

6. What is your middle name? Le

7. What food do you dislike? cheddar cheese! (sorry, Wisconsin friends!)

8. What is your favorite CD at moment? not new, but I love ColdPlay’s Rush of Blood to the Head

9. What kind of car do you drive? Honda CR-V

10.Favorite sandwich? none in particular

11.What characteristic do you despise? unreliability

12.Favorite item of clothing? my Born sandals

13.If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? so many places...back to Paris, for sure

14.Favorite brand of clothing? I’m not brand sensitive!

15.Where would you retire to? coastal northwest, if I’m lucky

16.What was your most recent memorable birthday? The year we were in DisneyWorld on my birthday was great. My bd is in December, and it’s always cold here, so it was fun to be someplace warm on that day!

17.Favorite sport to watch? marching band and show choir! :-)

18.Farthermost place you are sending this? n/a, since this is a blog post!

19.Person you expect to send it back first? n/a, since this is a blog post, but I hope some blogging friends will play along!

20.When is your birthday? December 9

21.Are you a morning person or a night person? Night

22.What is your shoe size? 9

23.Pets? Two cats – Tinsel (7) and Lily (2)

24.Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? umm...I made a couple of beaded bracelets this week!

25.What did you want to be when you were little? a teacher or an artist

26.How are you today? not too bad

27.What is your favorite candy? dark chocolate or caramel

28.What is your favorite flower? lilacs

29.What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? none right now

30.What are you listening to right now? crickets chirping outside

31.What was the last thing you ate? a soft-shell taco

32.Do you wish on stars? sometimes, yes

33.If you were a crayon, what color would you be? purple, my favorite color

34.How is the weather right now? cool

35.The first person you spoke to on the phone today? my dad

36.Favorite soft drink? Diet Coke

37.Favorite restaurant? No real favorite, but I really like the Flying Mango, a local Cajun place.

38.Real hair color? auburn

39.What was your favorite toy as a child? my Barbies – and I still have them all, of course!

40.Summer or winter? fall

41.Hugs or kisses? hugs

42.Chocolate or Vanilla? chocolate

43.Coffee or tea? both, but only hot tea

44.Do you want your friends to email you back? Please post on your blogs!

45.When was the last time you cried? about an hour ago

46.What is under your bed? rolled up posters, some empty boxes, lots of dust!

47.What did you do last night? went out for a quick dinner

48.What are you afraid of? serious illness

49.Salty or sweet? Both

50.How many keys on your key ring? I have no idea!

51.How many years at your current job? 7 years teaching scrapbooking classes

52.Favorite day of the week? Depends on the week, but usually Friday

53.How many towns have you lived in? 7 maybe?

54.Do you make friends easily? Yes

Feline Friday

cool days...
warm towels...
burrowing kitties...

fall is in the air!

It's official...

...I have mailed in Lily's entry form for another cat show -- this time a REAL cat show!

And the truth is, I'm filled with a peculiar combination of excitement and dread. In considering this opportunity, I made a list of the pro's and con's (Daughter says I'm the only person she knows who actually makes such lists):

Pro:
1. Lily is such a pretty kitty! She's in great health and her coat is beautiful!
2. Lily has a pleasing purrr-sonality (at home)! She is so purrr-sonable and loving (at home)!
3. We have a colorful cage cover ready to go!
4. We have a small litter pan and a fan for her cage!
5. We have a rabies certificate all printed and ready to go!
6. We have a pocket first-aid kit!
7. Lily has experience -- she has been in two cat shows at the state fair, receiving 10th (ahem...last) place once! (Click here, if you missed it the first time.)
8. There could be fabulous prizes! ;-)
9. The judges at the last show encouraged Lily to enter! They must think that she has potential (or they're desperate for entries)!
10. We had a coupon for a discounted entry fee!

Con:
1. Lily turned into a hissing, biting, nasty lump of gray fur at her previous shows!
2. Lily could not be handled by the judges!
3. Lily lunged at the judges and tried to bite one of them!
4. There is no contest for "Best Decorated Cage" at this cat show!
5. This cat show will be an all-day affair, not just two hours like the other shows she has attended!
6. Since this is a REAL cat show with "professional" cats, Lily could actually get kicked out for bad behavior!
7. Lily is just a tiny bit plump!
8. Daughter will not be attending, so I will be on my own!
9. There will be other cats at this show!

See how there are more pro's than con's? :-) The choice was clear!

So now our Lily is in full training (read: weight loss) mode for the show, coming up on October 5.

Watch for updates and wish her luck!

Thank you, Toni!

My blogging friend, Toni, surprised me with this award! Thank you, Toni! I always enjoy visiting her blog for the great inspiration and card-making techniques she shares...plus a few animals (both indoor and outdoor!) from time to time!

I'm passing this award on to four more blogging friends. Be sure to visit their blogs!

* Fonda -- A local friend who takes awesome photos and is more creative than just about anyone I know
* Sarah C -- A long-distance blogging friend whose multi-talents amaze me
* Heather -- Another long-distance friend who has been inspiring me with her wonderful Disney and dance layouts
* Lily -- A new blogging friend (who happens to share a name with one of our kitties!) with who makes beautiful scrapbooking and jewelry creations

Wordless Wednesday

My First Scrapbook

For years now, my parents have wanted to clear out their attic. Mom had told me that the attic was mostly filled with my mementos, but I was skeptical. Since she passed away, Dad and I have been on a mission to clear out stuff, and last week he finished taking all the boxes down from the attic. Sure enough, 90% of it was mine...my old Halloween costumes, dance costumes, Tiger Beat magazines, school papers (not just a few...EVERYTHING from elementary through graduate school), and more!

Of course, all of my stuff came home with me, so our garage is now filled with these interesting treasures, not the least of which is my very first scrapbook. I got this scrapbook when I was very young (maybe around three) and worked on it very sporadically until I was about seven years old. I shared it with some scrapbooking friends at our store's book club last week. My friend, Fonda, suggested that I put the pages into page protectors and put them back into the album. I will do that very soon.



(click on the pictures to bigify)

This is the cover. It's in very good shape, considering the extreme heat and cold of the attic.

Here is my first layout! Notice the straight lines! :-)

Okay, this one is a little busy, but notice that like items are grouped together...

Here is my first two-page layout! Good color coordination, methinks. :-)

Here's another two-pager, this one in green. You can definitely tell that these pictures are from the 1960's!

Okay, I'm not sure what prompted this two-page spread, although I do remember putting this one in the scrapbook. My friends at Book Club thought that maybe I liked the colors of these bras. Although they are not in rainbow color order! :-)

This is a dog-themed page. Note the technical caption in the upper left corner "Unknowen Stuffed Toy Dog." I actually had a stuffed toy dog that looked a lot like that photo. In fact, I rescued it from the attic a few years ago. :-)

This is my scouting page. I was involved in Girl Scouts at the time, and (this being the 1960's), I was also keenly aware of social issues and equal rights. Notice that both girls and boys are represented!

This is a coupon collage. Notice there is no tilting! :-)

I haven't quite figured out the theme of this page. But notice the trendy strip of text and use of arrows!

And I"ll leave you with this one: An interesting juxtaposition of FDS Feminine Hygiene Spray and Kenner See-A-Show cartoon strips. Everyone at Book Club agreed that I must have chosen the FDS picture because of the pretty container. I think we'll go with that!

Our garage is full of many more boxes awaiting exploration. Although I probably should not have kept all of this stuff, looking through it is actually a real treat. It's amazing how much you suddenly remember when you see and touch mementos from your childhood.

Random Musings on a Monday

Once again, it's time for a few random musings, a collection of unrelated and (mostly) useless thoughts and/or observations that have passed through my head in the last little while.

* I noticed on the NPR website that new federal guidelines have been issued on earwax removal. Better read up before you pull out the Q-Tips tomorrow.

* Fun term of the week: key fob. Who the heck made that up?

* If you make Chicken Parmesan and forget the Parmesan, is that a really bad thing?

* Here's another obscure word: tamp, as in "tamp down the dirt". Who actually uses this word? I have nothing against it, personally, but I never hear it spoken. (Edited to add: I heard "tamp" in a sentence over the weekend, spoken by Senator Obama..."tamp down terrorism".)

* I do NOT like my spaghetti or Ramen noodles broken into tiny pieces before cooking! NO! I want long noodles. I ask so little....

* A praying mantis an interesting creature, except when you find one unexpectedly clinging to the visor of your car, less than a foot in front of your face. Then he (actually, SHE), because a creature that inspires TERROR.

* Speaking of insects, this past week we received a free newsletter from a local company, The Pest Gazette. I think that's kind of catchy.

* I LOVE David Bromstad of HGTV's ColorSplash! He is so talented, and adorable, too! I do not understand why, but Spouse does not feel the David love.

* Another thing I love...FOCUS GROUPS! I attended a community focus group recently and was reminded how much I enjoyed facilitating those kinds of sessions back in my HR/training days. Models, flip charts, "parking lot" ideas, distinctive competencies ....*sigh*....

* Dried cranberries (aka Craisins) come in a bag that looks very much like the Temptations Cat Treats bag. Use caution when preparing cereal with Craisins in the wee hours of the morning. Meow.

* Do not -- I repeat, DO NOT -- teach a smart cat to ring a bag of bells for food. I sounds like a good idea, I know, but you will come to regret it. Trust me on this.

* Cookies and sandwiches on buns are better if you eat all the way around the outside first.

* Waffles are best if you pour syrup in each of the little compartments, not randomly over the top.

* As far as I can tell, Starbucks in Seattle does not employ any topless baristas, contrary to what I overheard recently in the hair salon. If anyone knows otherwise, please report in here.

* If you approach your vehicle in the grocery store parking lot, try to unlock it and the door doesn't readily open, take a step back and make sure it really is yours. Do not repeatedly try to unlock the doors. Do not pull at the handles. If it is not your vehicle, the door will not open. Just back away casually. Or better yet, duck walk away. That way, no one will notice you.

Layout share: It's the story that counts

Here's another layout I finished up over the weekend. These pictures are not great but they help tell a really cute story, so of course I had to use them!

In addition to some older Making Memories patterned paper, I used some very old square pink buttons on this layout. I do not remember who made them...does anyone? SEI, maybe? (BTW, I think those of you who suggested Doodlebug as the manufacturer of the flower buttons on a recent post were correct!)

It's kind of hard to read the journaling (even if you click on the layout to bigify it), so here it is:

Daughter and her second cousin, XXX, were hanging out in our bedroom one day and got the idea for an invention. Wouldn’t it be nice, they thought, to be able to turn on the ceiling fan if you were lying in bed? So they taped a short piece of drinking straw to the ceiling then ran a string from the light switch, up the wall, and across the ceiling, threading it through the straw. A long end hung down next to the pillow. And sure enough, this invention worked! We enjoyed the convenience and left it in place for months!

Feline Friday

One of these things is not like the other...
One of these things just doesn't belong...

Layout share: Posting at my own risk...

I'm taking a BIG risk posting this layout! These are pictures of Daughter and her cousin at the pool, taken WAY back in 2004. She's not too keen on the close-up picture...When she gets home from school and sees this, I'll be in trouble! I'm not sure why she was making that strange face. (See, we should write these things down at the time!) Anyway, it's all I had, and it's a scrapbooker's prerogative to work with any photos she finds. Right? RIGHT?

This layout was also very simple to make. Get ready...I used hoarded Arctic Frog paper for this one! Now, I REALLY hoard my AF stuff, because when it's gone, it's gone! While I only used a bit of the stripe, the blue background is actually a FULL SHEET of it! The other hoarded item is the blue plastic flower. Anyone remember who makes those?

Paper: Arctic Frog; Cardstock: Bazzill; Ribbon: Bo Bunny, Bazzill; Blue flower: ???; Letter: QuicKutz Studio; Fonts: Futura (matches Studio), Wendy Medium; Square Punch: Marvy

Layout share: No tearing!

Okay, things are back to normal with this layout. No tearing. :-) I'm back in the box. With the lid on, in fact.

As you can see, this is yet another very simple layout. I am sure (if I actually counted) that I have hundreds that need to be completed before Daughter graduates next school year. So simple prevails. (Well, simple would prevail even if I were completely caught up on my scrapbooking. That's my style, and I'm sticking to it!)

I broke into my hoarded Ki stash for this layout, but of course, I only used a little bit. :-) For the title, I used the new double-sided sticky letters from Doodlebug and sprinkled them with glitter. After dumping off the excess, I carefully coated the letters in Glossy Accents, a liquid adhesive that hardens and dries clear so that you can see whatever is under it. This will keep the glitter from rubbing off over time.

I'm working through a box of photos from 2004 right now. Back then (for some strange, misguided reason), I went through a phase in which I printed all of my pictures in 3.5x5 and with white borders. Sure, the white borders are great for some photos, but not for all. And believe me, they're a pain to cut off! These were all taken with a film camera, so I can't (and could not afford to) go back and re-print them in 4x6 borderless, so I'm making do with what I have. Presents some interesting design challenges, to be sure.

Tabby Tuesday

Our painting projects are done. We picked up the painting supplies. We put the ladder back in the garage.

But Lily missed the ladder.
She missed climbing and viewing from a high position of power.

So back inside came the ladder. This time, it is adorned with pink pipe cleaners.

It's a great place to hang out.

And maybe even take a nap.

Layout share: Prepare yourselves...

I don't want to incite any panic here...but I actually TORE on the layout below.

Yep, you read that right. I TORE.

Of course, I know how to tear. I've taught a lot of people how to tear, in fact. It's just that I never tear because tearing, by its very nature, yields irregular lines. I only like straight lines, thank you very much! I can't tilt anything either, but that's a subject for another day. My scrapbooking friends give me a lot of grief about these little quirks. :-)

So why, you may ask, did I decide to throw caution to the wind? Well, I decided to use a sketch for the layout below, and since the sketch included a torn strip at the top, I thought I'd do it, too. Believe me, I thought long and hard about it. Do not worry. It will be a very long time before I tear again. I will NOT make this a habit! And I can assure you, I have no plans to tilt anything in the foreseeable future!

Wild and reckless scrapbooking aside, this layout was super fast to complete. I used Scenic Route and Ki paper, a bit of ribbon, cardstock, and some of my beloved (read: hoarded) Chatterbox sticker letters.

I used another Becky Fleck Page Maps sketch for this one. I find that the cards are easy to use...no flipping through pages in a book. It's nice to be able to pull out one sketch at a time.

Now back to our regular (and nicely aligned) programming. :-)

Layout share

Here's a layout I recently finished up, based directly on a blog post from last December (see original post here). This is my favorite kind of layout to make...just cardstock and photos, with the journaling taken right from the blog post and printed directly on the background. And straight lines, of course. :-)

I am fortunate to have a wide-format Canon printer which prints beautifully on 12" textured cardstock. I don't often print photos at home, but when I do, the Canon prints are nearly identical to those I print at the developer. My wide-format printer is, hands down, my favorite scrapbooking tool.

To print directly on a 12x12 sheet, I first set up a 12x12 blank document in Word. As I'm figuring out my layout design, I determine where on the layout I would like my journaling to be placed. In my Word document, I create a text box for the journaling which will fit in the required space on the layout, then I move it around in the document until it is precisely where I want it to be. (Occasionally I set up blank text boxes to represent the photos on my layout, which makes precise placement even easier.) I save the 12x12 page inserts out of new albums to use as test sheets for my journaling and, once the text box is in place, I print the journaling onto the test sheet. I fit my photos around it, and adjust the position of the text box if necessary before printing on my final cardstock.

Cardstock: Bazzill; letters: QuicKutz Studio; Brads: Making Memories; Circle punch: Paper Shapers

WHOOOOOO is wearing owl jammies?

Me!

Disclaimer: This shapely lass is NOT me, but she IS wearing my jammies!

I love owls. I have owl stamps, owl patterned paper, owl stickers, chipboard owls, and just recently acquired a DELUXE $3 owl bracelet at the state fair.

I've been on the lookout for a year now for just the right owl figurine to sit in our kitchen.

I've gone on an owl prowl or two...or three. When I was a Girl Scout leader, I learned various owl calls. I've been out in the woods in the cover of darkness listening for owls and calling them, too. I've watched owls perched high in our pine trees at night.

So it is only fitting that I should have owl jammies.

Admittedly, not everyone shares my love for owls. In fact, I think you could divide the population of the world into two groups: Owl Lovers and Owl Haters. It seems there is no middle ground when it comes to owls. Some people, like my friend Connie, are even afraid of owls. That makes me a little sad. :-(

Okay, back to the jammies! Credit goes to my friend, Darci, WHOOOO called me from Target last night with a HOT TIP about the owl sleepwear. I hustled on over there today and it's a good thing I did...they only had a few sleepshirts left!

Now, do not be concerned...these owl jammies will NOT replace my beloved sock monkey jammies (if you've forgotten the details, refresh yourself here). The sock monkey jammies are FALL and WINTER weight. The owl jammies will work through SPRING and SUMMER. So now I will be covered in jammie cuteness all year round!

WHOOOOO loves her new owl jammies?

Me!

Feline Friday: Drug-Related Incident Rocks Suburbs

Authorities were called to a suburban residence today after receiving a hot tip that two felines had been implicated in a prescription drug-related incident involving Pill Pockets and Prozac.

"When we arrived on the scene, we immediately confiscated the evidence: A chewed up Ziplock baggie containing Pill Pocket crumbs and Prozac dust," stated the officer.

The homeowner reported that the prescription Prozac actually belongs to Tinsel, a 6-year-old brown tabby being treated for anger/litterbox issues. The homeowner had inserted the Prozac into a Pill Pocket and left it unattended in a baggie on the kitchen counter while she made a Target run.

Upon examining pawprints and chew marks left at the scene, the officer was able to determine that the Pill Pocket and Prozac were actually eaten by Lily, the homeowner's 2-year old gray tabby, an already quite happy cat with no need whatsoever for Prozac.

The officer attempted to interview both tabbies, but neither would talk.

Lily, however, purred loudly and appeared to have a serious case of the munchies during the investigation.

No charges will be filed.

Layout share

Here's a very simple layout I finished up over the weekend, based on the PageMaps sketch shown below. As I try to get myself out of my scrapbooking slump, I've found sketches to be a big help.

Especially with band events, I usually have to work with poor quality photos because we do not have a great camera. It's fine for everyday use, but it's impossible to get a good distance or low-light shot. It's not a big deal to me...the story is what's important, anyway.

For this quick layout, I used some hoarded SEI paper (but only little bit of it, so I can still hoard the rest!) and two of my hoarded American Crafts felt flowers.

The sketch cards are from Scrapbook Page Maps by Becky Fleck. The sketch ideas are very usable and practical, and the book comes with a set of punch-out cards and storage box. We're using this book in our monthly book club at the store where I teach. The book has been quite popular in our group. If you're not familiar with PageMaps, Becky also has a website featuring her sketches and lots of great design ideas.

Wordless Wednesday

Class Project: Mr. Campy mini-album

I like camping, and I also like retro, kitschy style art. Put them both together, as Cosmo Cricket did with their new "Mr. Campy" line, and I'm...well, one very happy camper. With its smiling marshmallows and stylized camping motifs, this is my favorite line in a very long time!



I used Mr. Campy to create a little 6x6 mini-album for an upcoming class this fall. I incorporated Cosmo Cricket's double-sided patterned paper, 4x6 journaling blocks, and cardstock stickers into this project. The book contains pages in a variety of sizes and shapes, with plenty of room for pictures from a camping trip or cabin stay.

And, because I was totally "in the camping zone", I even snapped a couple of branches from a tree in our yard and stuck them to the front of the mini-album, just for fun. Could be interesting prepping kits for this class! :-)