Today's Two Peas Challenge

Today's Two Peas blogger challenge: If money were not an object, what would be on your scrapbook wish list?

Hmmm...anyone who knows me can see that I'm not really a product person. I'd be quite content to scrapbook with cardstock alone. A package of embellishments lasts a LONG time at my house. So I really wouldn't wish for more product, if money were no object. Here are some things that DO come to mind:

* Unlimited time to work on my scrapbooks...no other obligations, at least for a little while.
* Unlimited time to write the stories that are within me and need to be part of my scrapbooks.
* A beautiful, large space that inspires creativity...a center island, hardwood floors, built-in shelving and countertops, a big comfy chair to curl up in, floor to ceiling windows with a view of the woods or mountains....ahhh...
* A wellspring of creativity and mojo. I'd never be stuck for inspiration. Each page would be easy and flow from my fingertips. Ahhh....again.
* An endless supply of caramel lattes and Diet Coke, of course corralled in stylish cupholders because I spill regularly.
* A great sound system which would pipe in NPR continuously (or music from our CD collection when I choose).

Sounds great to me! Now let's see if DH reads my blog today!

Lily Recommends

For your kitten's viewing pleasure, Lily recommends http://www.cattv.com/catwebsite.htm.

It's the purr-furred website for all internet-savvy kittens.

Something from Nothing

I've been spending a lot of time this week creating a 4-evening workshop for kids at our church as part of an arts camp. I created a mini-album with lots of techniques to learn, places to put photos, spots for journaling, etc. I based the album on the song "All Good Gifts" from Godspell. Unfortunately, I had to cancel the workshop due to low enrollment. I wish kids could have seen the project in advance...it is such a fun and colorful album and I know they would have enjoyed it. It's tough getting classes to fill during the summer months. At any rate, it was a fun project to create and I know that we'll throw it out there again at some point. When the time is right, it will happen.


That's the way it goes in this line of work. You may spend hours designing and creating what you believe is a wonderful project, and then your class may not fill. It can be disappointing and discouraging, but it can also be an opportunity to step back and think about what people want. The scrapbooking world has changed a great deal in the past 5 years or so that I've been teaching. My sense from talking to folks in classes is that a majority crave work time, and they need simple, doable ideas that will help them focus on completing their albums. Many scrapbookers feel overwhelmed by too much product and by backlogs of photos. Some feel pressured to create works of art or perfect, "publishable" pages. For others, the hobby isn't fun anymore.

So I always try to create projects that are straightforward, practical, and easy to replicate at home. And somewhere in that creative process, with my scrapbooking stuff spread out all over the floor, I get reminded about why I love this hobby. It doesn't matter if the class fills or not. I created something from nothing, something that didn't exist before, and that something is a reflection of me.

15 Days of Lily

I am so excited that, thanks to a fellow Pea, I have learned how to create these cool collages using Picasa! I hope that Picasa is going to simplify our system for organizing digital photos. We're in the process of transitioning from film to digital and still haven't quite figured out how best to set things up.

One of the cool features of Picasa is the ability to make photo collages. Of course, I just happen to have 15 days of Lily photos to work with. I can think of all kinds of uses for this feature!

You'll notice in the very last photo that Lily and Tinsel appear to be napping together. I've arranged this twice, and it has lasted for a short period of time, until Tinsel wakes up and begins her hissing and growling fit. It's so sweet how Miss Lily imitates Tinsel's position on the bed. I'm sure in just a matter of *a-hem* no time at all, they'll be the best of friends.

 

Working Hard

I've been trying to catch up on some projects today: Working on a wedding program for a friend's daughter, finishing a mini-album project for the store (pictured here), creating a passport for 250 kids to make at our church Bible school next month, cleaning up from our garage sale over the weekend, etc. I dropped off cardstock at the local office supply store to have it cut for the passports. I'm hoping this works well. If so, I may use their services for my classes at the store. It doesn't cost much at all and would save me time, plus wear and tear on my hands and trimmer.

I'm trying to post this with Lily stretched out on my lap, belly in the air, sound asleep. I heard a strange noise a few minutes ago and realized she is almost snoring. Occasionally her little white feet twitch and her nose quivers. I'm sure she is dreaming about chasing Tinsel. Wish I could take a picture of her, but I can't get up to get the camera!

Just like Tinsel, Miss Lily likes to vary her napping spots. I found her a couple of days ago sleeping in the in/out box on our desk. I guess she is definitely in the "out" box.

Well, at least one of us is working hard, anyway.

Meet Lily

After a week of living at our house, baby kitten finally has a name: Lily. She has a middle name, too, but I can't pronounce it or spell it. All I know is that both names come from the Harry Potter series. Lily is the name of Harry's mother.

In the few days she has been with us, she has been a total delight. Here are some observations about Lily (who just turned 2 months old, by the way):

* She is not as innocent as this picture may imply. She has a wild side. One might even say a fearless side. She is not in the least afraid of our big cat, Tinsel.
* She purrs when she is sleepy. Not a meek little purr, but a purr you can hear across the room. She wants to be wrapped in a blanket for her naps and held on your lap, if you can possibly spare the time.
* She has a voracious appetite. She even ate some of Tinsel's food, which required considerable crunching.
* She is part goat. She eats anything she finds on the floor, and she tries to mooch all kinds of people food. Things I've found in her mouth this week include: a pink brad, a paper clip, a ball of thread, a Girl Scout cookie, a Garden Salsa Sun Chip, and popcorn, to name a few. Not that all of these things can be found on our floor...
* She is getting faster and faster. Up and down the furniture. Velcro must be on her paws. Jumping, leaping, measuring, flying through the air.
* She's part of our family. In just a few short days, she's worked her way into our hearts.

A poem from the past

I've been digging through massive amounts of stuff from my past lately. I have found many poems and stories I wrote as a child. This is one of my favorites. I don't know exactly when I wrote it, but I'm guessing by the printing and paper it is written on that I was probably in 5th or 6th grade. When I find things like this, it makes me think that maybe I really haven't changed that much after all. I loved writing then, and I still do. I really get a kick out of the last phrase. That's still a problem for me!

Untitled

As the leaves are all gone off the tree,
It’s time to submit some small poetry.
And as I start this small little mite
I know not what I’m going to write.
I know that I have a terrible urge
To write this poem and invariably surge
Forward into ecstasy –
Fame and fortune all for me!
So as I continue on to write
And see more letters on the white
Paper that’s in front of me
Hang on tight and you will see
How really talented I can be
As I surge forward into ecstasy!
And as I near the half of the page
There’s really no way I can gauge
Exactly what this poem will say.
All I know is that today
I have this uncontrollably wonderful urge
That into ecstasy my self will surge.
By submitting this poem until your brain
I hope that you may possibly gain
Some knowledge then and maybe know
Exactly, truly why I’ll go
Forward into ecstasy.
Would you like to come with me?
All you’d have to do is write
A wonderful poem – just like this mite.
But maybe that isn’t possible at all
Cause I’m so talented and by gol’
I’m getting tired and wore and sore
But I know you really do adore
This small bit of poetry
Submitted by the only me.
I’m slurring my speech and beginning to drawl
And I guess I really said nothing at all.

Big Cat / Little Cat

This business of being a kitten mom is keeping me quite busy and unproductive. My tasks include chasing big cat and little cat around the house, making sure that the former does not eat the latter, playing with little cat, kissing little cat, wrapping little cat in blankets and holding her while she sleeps, going on cat litter patrol, and paying extra attention to big cat, to name a few. Of course, DD is sharing in these duties, as there is more than enough to keep both of us quite busy, but terribly unproductive with other tasks that probably need to be done.

I have determined that little cat is absolutely the fastest creature on the face of the planet. At first she seemed unable to negotiate our stairs, but now she literally FLIES up and down them, hitting just a few for good measure. All the while, danger lurks around each corner in the form of a growling and hissing, much larger tabby cat. I'm also sure, by the way, that Tinsel has somehow bulked up since the kitten has arrived. She seems quite burly by comparison.

Little cat is still unnamed. We have surely considered every kitten name and tried several to see how they fit. As of this writing, the top two contenders are Lily and Emma. Both seem to fit the sweet side of her personality. Yet she is as dare-devilish as she is dainty. Hopefully DD will settle on a name soon so little cat can begin learning it.

So this is all I have to report as of today. Just a lot of kitten business going on around here. Just cats. No cardstock. But all of it quite delightful.

Kitten in da house

Isn't this just about the cutest face ever? Just picked her up this morning at the vet's office. Tinsel has been surprisingly polite to her...some mild hissing and growling, but mostly curiosity. We're hoping they'll be good friends at some point. When dd gets home from school, we'll be picking out a name!

Wood-Mounted Stamp Storage

Continuing my plan from last week, here's another organizational tip. This is how I have my wood-mounted stamps stored. I don't have a huge number of them since I really prefer acrylic, and I like to have them visible so I remember that I have them. This old box holds them perfectly. Right now, it sits at the back of my table against the wall. It could also be hung on the wall, but that would take considerably more effort!

Since this picture was taken, I've had to remove the green and pink foam leaf and shape stamps. Tinsel loves to chew anything made of foam, and she seeks out and destroys all foam-mounted stamps. She's even been known to open the small drawers on my scrapbooking table and pull out sheets of foam pop dots. I've found foam stamps and pop dots stashed in odd places, peppered with pointy cat teeth holes. I can pretty much tell by examining the evidence who is responsible!

Other than the Tinsel factor, this stamp storage system is another little organizational thing that makes me happy!

In Praise of Sliding Glass Doors

Yesterday morning, the tiniest baby bunny hopped up onto our patio step, attracted by the smell of the scented geranium. With ears no more than an inch long and eyes as brown as a chocolate bar, he nibbled on a sprig found on the step. Such a sweet sight.

On the other side of the sliding glass door lurked the fattest tabby cat, attracted by the movement of the tiny bunny. With ears flattened and eyes flashing, she licked her chops and thumped her tail. Such a sweet bunny, she thought.

And for a few minutes, the would-be predator and would-be prey sat a mere inches apart. One oblivious and one acutely aware. Captured only by the camera.

A Craft Becomes Art

Having a musically talented daughter means that things get busy at this time of year. Recitals, concerts, contests...they all seem to happen at once. Then suddenly everything is over.

This week brought the annual band solo and ensemble contest, the last big event of the school year. At this event, students play pieces for a judge to receive a rating. This was Bailey's third year participating in the contest. For the third year, she was named outstanding soloist for her marimba and snare solos. This year, she received a perfect score for each. This meant a great deal to her, given the complexity of the pieces she played.

As I look back on it, this year's contest marked a bit of a turning point, both for her and for me. As I crouched outside the door of the contest room listening to the sounds of her warming up on the snare and marimba, I began to relax. My normally nervous mom feelings started to disappear. As she launched into her marimba piece and other parents and students gathered outside the door to listen, it hit me: she really knows her craft. She makes it seem easy. I started to listen with a different level of appreciation. Rather than focusing on the mechanics of the performance, I felt the joy of listening to a musician.

I recently read a quote from someone about the difference between "craft" and "art". "Craft", she said, "is about making the right choices. Art is achieved when we no longer notice the craft."

As I listened, it occurred to me that Bailey is maturing in her musical skill to the point where I'm no longer aware of the craft. What I hear is the art. And what a privilege it is to be along for the ride.