2Peas Challenge: Post a Random Photo

The first thing I discovered when trying to do this challenge was that I have a really hard time being random. I put way too much thought into exactly *how* I should select this random photo. I tried several methods and discovered pitfalls with each:

First idea: Set up a "timeline" slide show in Picasa. Decide that #37 is a good random number. Watch slide show, counting. Lose count and start again. Choose photo #37 as the random photo. Realize that photo #37 could not be posted. Neither could #36 or #38.

Next idea: Pick photo folder #37, then pick photo #37 in that folder. Another bad idea. There is no photo #37 in that folder. And many of the photos in that folder have already been posted on my blog. You surely don't want to see those again. You probably didn't want to see them the first time.

Yet another idea: Close eyes and randomly click on any photo in the "My Pictures" folder. Try several times and discover that none of the pictures selected could be posted for various reasons: They were photos of DD (which I tend not to post), poor quality, similar to those I've posted before, or photos that no one would possibly want to see (such as the inside of a box or the tires on a mousetrap car. Why do we have those photos, anyway?)

In the end, I closed my eyes and clicked on the "Tulip Time 2005" folder. (OK, first I clicked on the "Tulip Time 2006" folder, but I knew those were lousy photos so decided to go with 2005 instead.) Within the selected random folder, I closed my eyes and clicked randomly on a photo of yellow tulips.

A little bright, I thought. Let's go with the pink ones instead.

Lesson learned: It takes way too much thought being random.

Floor space

I teach an organization class at our store. Yep, I do.

You may be skeptical from seeing this picture, but I'm actually a very organized person. My scrapbook supplies all have specific homes, most of them labeled. My cardstock is in rainbow-colored order, my embellishments are sorted by color, and my acrylic stamps are stacked in alphabetical order in CD cases.

But when I'm in the middle of a project (which is 95% of the time), watch out! Things look really bad for a period of time, until I take an hour and put everything away.

I have a couple of tables, but I never work at them. I always work on the floor, which (in a way) gives me unlimited space. When one area becomes cluttered, all I have to do is scoot over. Can't do that with a table, ya know.

Once when I was left alone to scrapbook for the weekend, I took over floors in several rooms before I finally picked everything up. Mega mess, but I did get several layouts done.

One day, I'd love to have a beautiful, sun-filled studio with a center island. I'd have countertops and little nooks for all of my tools. I'd have tall stools for perching and comfy chairs for reclining.

And I'd probably still work on the floor.

Ready, Teddy?

Yesterday we entered Teddy, DD's latest sewing project, into competition at the Iowa State Fair. Teddy, so named due to an unexpected resemblance to Mr. Bean's bear, sported a lovely teal bow and a competition entry tag.

"He has some issues," DD said as we drove to the fairgrounds. "He'll be lucky if he even gets displayed." I asked her why.

"He has low-quality fur. It's thin in spots."

No big deal, I assure her.

"And he has a green spot on his crotch."

Yikes. Turns out that Zig marker I loaned her to mark the pattern shows through fur. (Oh, yeah...It's for paper.)

Well, I dare say those sewing judges should not be looking at Teddy's crotch anyway.

DD went on to explain that because there is no junior-level category for stuffed toys, Teddy will be competing with the Big Boys in the adult division.

We both know that competition in that division is quite stiff. There could be dolls, dinosaurs, and even bigger bears with plush fur. We won't know who Teddy will face in competition until the judging is complete in a couple of weeks. He's on his own.

Thinning fur and green crotch aside, my money is on Teddy. I mean, who could resist those chocolate brown eyes?

Out of the way, stuffed animals. Teddy will take you down.

Mini-Album: Life With a Teenager

Here's a project I made a few weeks ago for our store's book club. We meet every month to discuss a current scrapbooking idea book and share projects we have made with the products provided in the previous month. There are no rules: You can make something inspired by the book, or you can make whatever you want. You can make something with that month's products, or you can use something totally different. (Clear as mud?) Anyway, we always have a great time, and Darci (our fearless facilitator) doesn't care if we have nothing to show for ourselves. In fact, I don't think you could ever get kicked out of book club, even if you never do your homework.

This particular time, our product kit included the metal tin and a set of Ki Memories Organized Hip Chip Arrows and Tags (Darci is also a Ki addict). In a previous month, we had received the large Bazzill flower chip and green cardstock chip topper, along with some other goodies. The rest of the stuff I pulled from my extensive, ever-growing stash of Ki.

I started this project with an idea to create a place to put all of the "Zits" comics that plaster our refrigerator. (I've made a few into layouts, but who wants to create that many scrapbook pages based on a comic strip? I sure don't.) I scanned and re-sized all of the comics from our fridge and put them in this little chain-bound book. On the flip side of each page, I'm placing photos of DD which illustrate the particular aspect of life with a teenager described in the comic.

This is another project which is consistent with my personal style. Lots of straight lines, stripes (gosh, that looks like Ki My Guy!), brown printer ink, a little ball chain...some of my favorite things.

Along with my teenager, of course.

Basic Grey Infuse Round Box

I surely have the best job in the world. Our store owner regularly hands me stuff and asks me to make something with it. She totally lets me do my own thing based on what inspires me. Sometimes she gives me products that challenge me. Those are the projects I enjoy most.

Last week, she handed me a round paper mache box and asked me to decorate it. She originally suggested I use a fall or Halloween theme, but as I looked around for suitable product, my eye was caught by the new Basic Grey Infuse line which had just arrived in the store. I'd been looking at it online for awhile, and I was excited to see that it is even prettier in real life. The pinks, greens, and browns work well with the kraft color of the box. Once I saw the die-cut shapes, I knew the line would be perfect for what I envisioned.

To make this project, I covered the main part of the box in green Basic Grey paper, then I cut out a portion of the flowers from one of the printed papers and adhered it to the green base. (The best adhesive for this project is Tacky Tape and Xyron. I should own stock in each of those companies, given the amount of product I use.) I punched out and inked several of the Infuse Die Shapes and layered them, along with a few Prima flowers and My Mind's Eye buttons, around the box. I used wide ribbon around the edge of the lid and decorated the top of the lid in the same fashion as the box. I used hot glue to secure four wooden balls to the bottom of the box.

For our store display, I plan to fill the box with soap, lotions, and other goodies from a bath store. I hope this little project helps our customers see how a little bit of imagination and some great product can transform a plain, paper mache box into something special.

Feline Friday: Not for Sale

We had a little help from Lily at our garage sale last Saturday. For a good portion of the day, she reclined on the check-out table and greeted customers as they paid.

Meeting the public was another test run for Lily in preparation for the upcoming cat show competition at the state fair. She passed this test with flying colors: She allowed all the customers to pet her and did not hiss or bite.

Because of her good behavior, I do believe we could have sold Lily many times over during the day.

But of course, our Lily is Not for Sale.

Five Things

On this Thursday, I've tagged myself after reading Maureen's 5 Things here:

Question #1: What were you doing 5 years ago?

It’s hard for me to remember what I was doing five years ago, five months ago, or even five days ago for that matter. Let’s see...that would have been July 2002. I do know that I was teaching classes, just like I am now, and driving DD here and there, just like I am now. I was also a Girl Scout leader at the time, so I was preparing for the upcoming school year of activities. But don't despair: Fortunately, I keep all calendars and planner pages (I’ve never thrown any away) so that I can answer questions like this. Because of this extensive archive, I can tell you precisely what I was doing on this exact day, July 26, 2002: DD would have been 9 years old, and we were headed to Walnut Grove, Minnesota with my parents for the weekend to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder pageant. In fact, we left at 8:00 AM, five years ago today, in case you were wondering about that. Dang! I knew these old calendars would come in handy some day.

Question #2: List 5 snacks you enjoy:

• Sesame seed sticks -- is that what they're called?
• Oatmeal Raisin Crisp cereal without milk
• Ice cream, if we have it around, which is rare
• Chips and salsa, especially salsa made by DH
• Anything with dip – veggies, chips, whatever

Question #3: List 5 songs you know all the lyrics to:

I may think I know these lyrics, but this theory will never be tested, since I don’t sing very often, even alone.

• Most any song from “Phantom of the Opera”
• Coldplay’s “Fix You”, “The Scientist” and “X&Y”
• Lots of older Elton John songs, such as “Sorry Seems to Be The Hardest Word” and of course, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
• Most of the songs from “High School Musical” (because I’ve heard them 1,000 times), and the choreography, too
• For #5, I was going to list the songs that DD’s show choir sang last season, but I’m afraid she’d test me on that. So I’ll list “Happy Birthday” instead.

Question #4: List 5 bad habits:

• Finishing people’s sentences for them
• Not picking up after myself, especially in my scrap area
• Losing my patience
• Procrastinating
• Not eating healthful foods

Question #5: List 5 things you would never wear again:

(See photo above...Now, some of the items pictured belong to my mother. Keep that in mind when looking closely.)

Well, this should be easy, seeing that I just rid my closet of each one of these items. Let’s see:

• My blue and green Pendelton plaid wool jacket and matching skirt. Can you say “bagpipes”?

• My pink flowered shorts, which looked like they were fashioned from drapes.

• My black swimsuit with the billowy, tropical top and sporty waist tie (someone almost bought this at the garage sale but came to her senses just before check-out).

• My green corduroy walking shorts -- Let me just ask you: Where would you walk in green corduroy shorts? I dare say, not far.

• My red and black plaid turtleneck, purchased for a mighty good price at the outlet mall, but which made me look like a lumberjack or an extra on the “Red Green Show”.

Other than the IRRITATING formatting problems generated by Blogger (GRRR!), this wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, thanks to my calendar archive and my extensive collection of "What Not to Wear" clothing.

Anyone else want to give it a go?

Class kits and other ramblings

On Monday, I boxed up the last of the unsold items from our garage sale and took a load to Goodwill. For some odd reason, none of my 20-year old suits sold. Thankfully, the people at Goodwill were only too happy to take them. All told, I removed over 50% of the clothing from my closet. I could remove another 50% of what remains and not miss it. I've been trying to get my mom to understand that I'd be perfectly happy to wear the same thing every. She just shakes her head and mutters, "What has happened to you? You weren't raised like this."

That done, I spent Tuesday afternoon working on kits for a class I'm teaching Thursday evening. (Notice the Ki product in the photo? Yep, it is last season's Ki, but I firmly believe that Ki never goes out of style. If it's already retro, how can it?)

Anyway, I listened to Pink Floyd's Pulse as I put together the kits. Pulse, a live album, was released in 1995. We actually saw Pink Floyd on that particular tour. An outdoor venue, a beautiful summer evening...a great light show, unbelievable music. In retrospect, I do believe that concert was a life-changing event for me. Or life-affirming. Something like that. Listening to Pulse takes me right back to that time, just about 12 years ago this summer.

Ahh....A little retro Ki, a little Pink Floyd, very little left in my closet...

Mom thinks I'll soon be living in a commune.

Now there's an idea worth considering.

2Peas Blogging Challenge: What's Your Style?

Monday's 2Peas blogging challenge has to do with scrapbooking style. What's your style?

I know the answer to this question, but just to be 103% sure, I thought perhaps I should do some further analysis. So I looked through my digital photos to find something that would be indicative of my style, when left to my own devices. (I say this because I often make things in different styles as store or class projects.) I came upon this set of thank you cards I made from some old KI Memories and Paper Salon product. These cards are typical of my personal style.

So based upon Exhibit A, what do you think the answer is?
A. Clean lines
B. Graphic
C. Eclectic
D. Classic
E. Shabby or Old World
F. Hip and Trendy
G. Anything Goes

OK, for those of you playing at home, here are some hints:

* I cannot tilt anything. I recently decided that I could POSSIBLY (only on a good hair day) tilt an entire layout so that it sits diagonally (a current trend), but I cannot tilt a single element such as a photo. You will almost never see anything tilted on my pages, unless it is for a class or store project. In those cases, I tilt just a *tiny* bit because I know that most people do so. Because I don't tilt, the answer to "What's My Style?" cannot be C, D, or G.

* I have determined (and those who know me will vouch for this) that I do not like to tear paper. Yes, I CAN tear paper (and have taught many people to do so successfully), but I find it somewhat upsetting to do so. I am all about straight lines. Tearing paper is visually distressing to me. (No, I have not yet sought therapy for this.) Because I do not tear paper, the answer to "What's My Style?" cannot be E.

* Although it may be hard to believe (NOT!), I am not hip or trendy. I could quite happily scrapbook with only cardstock, photos, and my computer or black pen. My scrapbooking pals know that it takes me YEARS to get through a package of embellishments or line of patterned paper. By the time I use up it up,the trend will have gone out of style and come back in. Because of this phenomenon, the answer to "What's My Style?" cannot be F.

So, friends, the answer must be A or B. In fact, the closer you get to choice G, the farther you get from my style.

Here's way too much analysis about why both A and B are acceptable answers:

* I like clean lines, clear colors, and geometric shapes. Striped paper is my idea of perfection. Especially KI Memories striped paper. Especially, especially the old "My Guy" KI striped paper. *sigh*

* I love simple, airy layout designs like those found in some magazines and catalogs. I often borrow layout ideas from the text and photo designs in Martha Stewart Living and Pottery Barn catalogs. I hoard both of these, even though their layouts look pretty much the same every month.

* If I owned a scrapbook store, it would be completely filled with cardstock. There would be an entire section of Bazzill Lily White (the WHITEST of whites, in my opinion). I would feature Bazzill criss-cross and orange peel textures (although certain pastels would be banned). I would have an entire day of activities devoted to the Bazzill color KI Olive. I would allow Parakeet and Lakeshore, along with a few other canvas textures, on an exception basis. AND I would bring back the discontinued Bazzill color, Tanner. In my store, I would have paper/embellishments from only a few manufacturers, such as KI Memories, American Crafts, Arctic Frog, and SEI. Oh, and patterned paper would be sold by the 4x12 strip, not the sheet. Just imagine it....*sigh* (Yep, there's a reason I'm not an entrepreneur...)

* I'm completely obsessed with fonts and their use. I spend way too much time playing with fonts on layouts, cards, and other projects.

* While most people add things to layouts, I spend a lot of time actually removing elements. I like a clean, functional, "spare" look, like IKEA is to furniture.

So,do you agree or disagree with my answer? What's your own style?

Now, a la Linda Richman from "Coffee Talk" fame, discuss amongst yourselves.

Lupins, anyone?

I had the great pleasure of attending a performance of Spamalot last night. It reminded me how my high school friends and I used to love staying up late to watch "Monty Python's Flying Circus" every weekend. Then for the next week, we completely analyzed every part of it, silly walks included. I reminded Spouse that it's because of Monty Python that I grow lupins in my garden. (Not sure if he ever really knew that.) Man, I grew up with that show.

There are some great moments in Spamalot, including the scene when the ginormous wooden rabbit is wheeled onstage as a secret weapon against the insult-hurling French soldiers.The songs are memorable and full of word play in typical fashion. Loved the words to "All for One" -- pure Monty Python.

All for one
One for all
All for one
And one for all

Some for some
None for none
Slightly less for people we don't like
And a little bit more for me

Free publicity!

A reporter from the Des Moines Register called and asked to visit my class at Memory Bound last Tuesday evening. This was a nice surprise! I've never before had a reporter in one of my classes.

In addition to having a great class, I decided that my main goal should be to refrain from doing or saying anything embarrassing, which (if you know me) I'm quite prone to do. (I actually tripped and cut my leg just prior to her arrival. Whew! Got that out of the way early.)

When the reporter arrived, she told me just to continue on as usual and she'd roam around the classroom and catch us in action."OK, everyone, let's act perfectly natural!" I suggested.

As it turned out, the class was very lively, and the reporter (who was not a crafter) appeared have a lot of fun, too. Over the course of the evening, I think we just about hooked her on scrapbooking. (If she had set aside her camera and notebook for even a minute, I would have handed her an ink pad and put her to work.) In fact, the reporter stayed for the entire two hours, taking photos and interviewing each person in class as we completed the project.

The article appeared in Friday's newspaper. You can read an excerpt from it here: article

You can see a gallery of several photos from the class here: photos (click on "Scrapbooking at Memory Bound").

I'm always happy to spread the word about scrapbooking and the great store where I teach. I think the article contributed to both!

Big Day for a Big Fan

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that today is the day that the final Harry Potter book was released. This day has been listed as a holiday on our calendar since the release date was announced.

DD pre-ordered her copy on Amazon and waited quite impatiently for it to arrive via mail truck. Around noon, we heard the familiar sound of the truck as it rounded the corner into our neighborhood. DD met the mail carrier at the street and took the box directly into her hands. After waiting so many months, it would have been dreadful for the book to be delivered to the wrong house.

Since opening the sacred box, DD has sequestered herself with the book -- no phone, no Internet, no accidental spoilers -- and plans to read continuously until she turns the final page.