Thanks, guys!

Thank you to Linda and Sarah for the Excellent Blog award! How fun and exciting!

I enjoy so many blogs these days -- many inspire me creatively, others make me think, and some make me laugh out loud. But the best part about blogging is making connections with people you would never have met were it not for this strange and wonderful thing called the internet.

So thanks for stopping by and making the world a little bit kinder and gentler place. I'd offer you a leftover Cranberry Bliss Bar and a cup of General Foods International Coffee if you were here. I really would!

But since you're not here, I offer you instead a sock monkey wearing a cat wig.
I hope you'll understand.

If not, just smile and nod. :-)

Wedding invitations

I've been working on a few samples of wedding invitations for Memory Bound. Over the past few days, I've made ten different kinds of invitations with response cards. These are a few of my favorites.

Each year when I make sample wedding invitations, I have to come up with names, venues, and even food choices for fake receptions. One year, the groom's name was Damien (my first cat). This year, we have Claire and Lucas, sometimes referred to as Luke. On another invitation (not pictured here), Claire marries some other guy. ;-) I obviously have no control over Claire.

Note that I used adhesive-backed "bling" diamonds on the black and white invitation. For some reason, one piece looks strangely gold in the photo.

And oops -- I capitalized the name of the venue on the brown and blue invitation. I didn't correct it since the samples are for design purposes only. I think Lucas will understand. It's the least of his worries. :-)

Thought I'd better share some of these today, lest you think I've gone into business making cat wigs.

Based on that little venture, I think I'd better keep my day job.

:-)

Make your own cat wig

You may recall that yesterday I mused about the idea of putting make-up and hair on cats. I had no idea that cat wigs are already on the market! Check out the link provided by a couple of astute blog readers! Note that the brown tabby cat looks a lot like Tinsel. I'm wondering if she has picked up a modeling job on the side.

As nice as those wigs are, suffice it to say that $50 is a bit beyond what I'd hoped to spend, so I decided to bop on over to Hobby Lobby and see if I could purchase a doll wig and adapt it for a cat.

In the doll-making aisle, I found doll heads with attached hair and dolls with no hair, but no ready-made wigs. I did find bags of loose hair which could be stitched or glued to a doll's head. (I'm sure ya'll would agree that would not be such a good idea with a cat.) I was almost ready to give up when I spotted bags of chenille "hair" -- basically curls on thick pipe cleaners. Colors were limited, so I opted for black, which would complement both Lily's and Tinsel's coloring. And at $2.99, the price was right. Gosh, at that price, a cat could have several.

At home in my scrapbooking area, which now doubles as a cat wig boutique, I set out to fashion some type of stylish do with the chenille hair. Of course, I didn't happen to have any Styrofoam balls the size of the feline heads in question, so I had to use a Nerf ball instead. I tell you...it sucks to not have the proper tools for this kind of work.

My first attempt was a long style with bangs. That one quickly became unmanageable, so I whipped up an alternative, more casual "everyday" look.

And now, I present Tinsel and Lily, demurely modeling "The Mary Ann" for the Gilligan's Island fans in the crowd.

Now I ask you, isn't this worth $2.99?

:-)

Firefighters in da house

Thursday afternoon, Daughter and I arrived home to a very strange odor in our house. It smelled a lot like burning hair.

Or perhaps burning fur.

Our first thought was that Lily had removed the furnace vent again and met with an untimely demise.

But no, Lily was safe and sound. We scouted around the inside and outside of the entire house but could not locate the source of the smell, and it was getting stronger by the minute. The furnace fan was making a strange high-pitched noise, so I shut it off. If the smell was coming from the furnace, it certainly wasn't obvious.

Fearing some hidden electrical fire, I called the non-emergency number of the fire department and asked if they could just send someone out to take a peek. Without the fire engine, please.

The answer was no. They would be happy to come take a peek, but only with their trucks.

"Okay, I said, but please don't turn on the sirens. We have cats, you know."

Knowing the firefighters were on their way (and we hadn't been expecting company), I told Daughter to round up the cats and put them in the car, in case we needed to make a speedy getaway from a burning house. She suggested shutting them in her room instead, until we knew for sure if the house was on fire. I thought that was a good compromise. We then proceeded to "tidy up a bit" for our firefighting guests.

In a matter of moments, not one, not two, but THREE firetrucks pulled up in front of our house. Being a bit unsure about Fire Etiquette, I decided to err on the side of hospitality, so I went out to greet them and thank them for coming.

They entered our house and dispersed with radios and heat-seeking equipment. They checked every room. They asked to see my curling iron. (Good thing they didn't find all the dead curling irons in the bottom drawer.) They checked my ionic blow dyer with the diffuser. They spotted Daughter's foam rollers on her bathroom counter and wondered if they were electric. They looked suspiciously at the vacuum cleaner. (I assured them it hadn't been used for days. In retrospect, that was probably stating the obvious.)

At my request, they even smelled the new rug that I had just brought home from Target to use in my scrapbook area. We all agreed that it had a strange odor, but it wasn't the odor in question.

"What's behind that door?" asked the firefighters warily as they neared Daughter's bedroom.

"Two cats," I responded. They scurried the other way. Smart guys, these firefighters.

After thoroughly checking every nook and cranny, they concluded that the house was not on fire, so I covertly handed Daughter the camera and asked her to take some pictures of the trucks. But somehow in all the excitement of escorting firefighters around our house, she set the camera down without getting any shots.

After the fire chief arrived, the firefighters began to focus on the furnace. Then they radioed for a "face to face" (that's firefighter talk for a little chat) in our kitchen and agreed that the furnace was the source of the odor. Apparently when the motor quits working, the grinding metal of fan blades emits a "burning hair" type of smell. That particular evening the temperature was below zero, so the firefighters recommended that I call Mr. Furnace Repair Guy right away, lest our pipes freeze.

Was I a bit embarrassed that I called the fire department for what turned out to be a furnace problem? Yep, I was. And I apologized profusely. But they assured me that they make lots of calls like this and, in fact, had been on a similar call earlier that day. They told me that I had done the right thing...better safe than sorry.

So, before I could offer them a cup of General Foods International Coffee or take a group photo, our very nice new friends loaded up their equipment, radioed the station, and drove away.

Tinsel and Lily emerged from the bedroom without encountering a heat-seeking device.

And $503 bought us a brand new, odor-free furnace motor that very evening.

Considering what might have been, I was ever so thankful to pay it.

Random musings on a Monday

Ahhh....PROCRASTINATION. 'Tis one of the things I do best.

With that in mind, here is yet another installment of completely random (and for the most part useless) thoughts which come to mind on this Monday morning.

* It's a good idea to label bottles and containers. I have a tendency not to do that, and it drives people in this household nuts. Yesterday, I experienced the consequences when I slathered my entire self in what I believed to be curiously unscented body lotion, only to discover it was sunscreen. Let's just say it went on a lot easier than it came off.

* Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the monthly book club at the store where I teach. While in the midst of our seriously intellectual discussion, someone mentioned that she knew a person who had put LIPSTICK on her cat. THEN another person mentioned that she had actually put BLUSH on her cat!

Of course, this conversation started me thinking about putting make-up on Lily and Tinsel, something I had absolutely never considered. Now, it would be difficult to find colors that would show on Tinsel's darker fur, but blush just might work on Lily. Both of them have blackish-colored lips, though, so my lipstick wouldn't show. We'd probably just go with a clear gloss. But then I got the even better idea of cat wigs or hairpieces. I'm pretty excited about this concept. I don't think it's been done much in the feline world.

* A person just cannot have too many rulers. You never know when you're going to need to measure something. And my favorite kind of ruler is a centering ruler. Although I get harassed about my love for this tool, it is really great for making sure whatever you're working with is centered (hence the name). I also use my centering ruler to mark the spacing for holes in mini-albums and such. It's a really good thing.

* Speaking of the need for things to be straight, I cannot stand it when signs on buildings are crooked. I've blogged about this before, and I still cannot move past my dislike of crooked signs. There is a high-rise hotel near us with a very crooked sign on the side of the building. Even my daughter's orthodontist's office has a crooked sign! Now, I ask you: Does a crooked sign on an orthodontist's office inspire confidence?

* From what I can see, SOCK MONKEYS are the NEXT BIG THING, and people, please note that I was way ahead of this trend. Consider the evidence:
- I have sock monkey pajamas from Target. Now you can also buy matching sock monkey slippers. (They actually look more like lambs with lipstick.) I also have my original sock monkey to use as a stylish accessory.
- Daisy D's is launching a new line of -- you guessed it -- SOCK MONKEY PAPER! Now some of the sock monkeys on this paper have a slightly evil look about them. I guess not all sock monkeys are to be trusted.
- My friend Connie's son watched a show on Nickelodeon recently in which GINORMOUS sock monkeys were invading a city!

* I love snow, but when it starts to melt and get dirty, I no longer love it. If we're gonna have snow, we need to have an occasional "dusting" of new snow just to freshen things up a bit. I told Daughter yesterday that occasionally we need to do the same thing to the cats' litter boxes...not with snow, but with fresh litter! Did you know that "freshening up" the litter box is called "dressing" it? Betcha didn't know that. :-)

* Speaking of litter boxes, at our house we actually call them tidy boxes. I'm sure you're wondering about this, so let me explain. Many moons ago, there was a litter (not sure if they still make it) called "Tidy Cat". My mom started referring to the litter as "tidy"...not unlike calling tissues "Kleenex." The term is now infused into our household. Anyone reading this is free to say "tidy box", "kitty tidy", or just "tidy" from now on. It's my little gift to you.

* I discovered over the weekend that we have not one, not two, but THREE nutcracker/pick sets in this house. This begs the question: Just how often do three people need to crack nuts simultaneously?

* The February issue of Martha Stewart Living features 66 techniques everyone "needs to know". This month, I shall learn to make a fortune cookie out of felt. Stand back, people.

* Why do I invariably sneeze when I'm carrying a full cup of coffee?

* Did you know that if you have more than one Starbucks card, the nice Starbucks guy might combine them for you, if he knows how to do that? But don't let him take away your really cute (but now empty) Starbucks card, because you might be able to do something crafty with it.


That's it for today, folks. Now, let's get back to work, or whatever we're supposed to be doing.

Every Week Project: Revisited

At the first of the month, I posted about starting this little album which I made last April in a class taught by Danelle Johnson. I deliberately waited until this month to start it, because I wanted the album to contain a full calendar year of photos.

Of course, I was a little worried about whether I would remember to follow through and add photos for the month of January, but I actually did!

I selected and printed four photos that represented the month for me, then I journaled on the opposite page about each one. I added just a little bit of embellishment and ink and called it good! It really took no time at all.

I'm leaving this album out on my desk where I will see it, and at the end of each month, I'll add my photos and everyday kinds of stories.

And at the end of the year, it will be done! YAY!

Feline Friday: Lily asks...

Honest (but gentle) feedback would be appreciated. :-)

The Organized and a Bit More Inspired Scrapbooker

If you read the previous post, you may recall that I've been reading The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker. Reading the book confirmed that I'm relatively organized but not inspired by my space. I decided to make some changes so that I'd actually WANT to be in my space. Inspiration, I need you!

The small photo at the top shows my shelves prior to my reorganization "blitz". The collage shows my newly organized, and slightly more inspiring, space. It may not look like much, but after spending some time re-configuring my little area, I think it is more functional and more inspirational. I am seriously lacking in the "decor" department, but that will have to come later. (Actually, that will come as soon as Spouse goes out of town. Then I'll hang some pictures that I purchased awhile back for this room.)

With my goal of "spend no money", here's what I did to improve the look and feel of my space:
* I moved my shelving unit closer to my tables so that all of my scrapbooking stuff is in one part of the room, rather than spread all around.
* I rearranged everything on the shelves so that like items are together (all the photo boxes are in one area, all the books in another, etc.)
* I covered the fronts of the magazine holders in black cardstock. (Previously, they were covered in shades of green.)
* I moved all of my memorabilia accordion files to the area below my printer. (Previously, they were on multiple shelves in various parts of the room.)
* I moved my tables so that, when sitting, I face into the room, rather than the wall. (Mind you, I NEVER work at the table. I only work on the floor, so we'll see if this new arrangement changes my habits.)
* I re-purposed some stacking drawers from another room in the house and moved my wood-mounted stamps and punches to them. (Previously these items were stored on the table.)
* I moved my drawing table to be closer to the shelving unit and window. It was sitting in a dark area of the room and getting little use.

Photo collage, left to right:
1. Drawers under my tables -- containing scraps (WAY too many), punches, wood-mounted stamps, painting supplies, and ink pads.
2. Magazines and idea books on my shelves (still too many magazines...I'm working my way through them, putting ideas in my inspiration binders)
3. Basket of new mini-albums and items to alter.
4. My shelving unit and drawing table. Pens are in the galvanized tins on the table.
5. My two tables, in L-shape formation. These are inexpensive folding tables from Target. They are not super-sturdy, but since I don't sit at them anyway, they work for now. :-) The big basket contains mini-albums in progress (lots to finish up here) and the small basket contains chipboard. Two small galvanized tins (not shown) hold adhesives and my Bazzill swatch books.
6. Cardstock, patterned paper, inspiration binders, and full-sized albums on my shelves.
7. My cutting and tools "station". This is an old printer stand that Spouse found on the curb. It's really sturdy and is a great height for cutting. Can't beat the price.
8. My shelves from Home Depot. Since they are wire, I placed leftover floor tiles on each shelf to create a smooth surface. The second shelf holds my albums in progress (WAY too many). The top shelf holds my boxes with photos to scrapbook. (I have at least that many more photo boxes stored in a cupboard elsewhere in the house.) As you can see, I have plenty of scrapbooking to do. :-) This is why I need inspiration!
9. My Canon i9900 wide format printer and stand. I love this printer and use it all the time. On the bottom shelf are my memorabilia files, organized in month/year order.

This room also functions as our home office, so on the other side, you'll find a large desk with my computer and laser printer. There is also a dollhouse, perpetually under construction, which used to sit where the shelves are now. Now it sits where the shelves used to be. There is also a walk-in closet which is pretty much filled with Daughter's school memorabilia, organized by year in plastic tubs.

After completing this little project, I still have a pile of scrapbooking items that I need to store. They really need to be sorted first -- some are probably good candidates to give away or sell at a garage sale. In addition, I need to label the drawers once I figure out if I like where I have stored everything.

But in general, I'm happier with the way things look and function now. I have less "visual clutter" and a slightly more cohesive look. Although it's far from my "ideal" space, it's certainly more inviting than it was.

Can't wait for that inspiration to hit!

The Organized but Uninspired Scrapbooker

Yesterday I finished reading The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker. If you're a person in need of organization or inspiration for your creative space, I'd highly recommend it.

For as much scrapbooking-related work as I do, you'd think I'd have a spacious room with plenty of work space. Wrong! I actually have only a corner of our home office dedicated to scrapbooking. While it's functional and organized, it's completely uninspiring. That's what I learned by reading the book: I'm organized but uninspired.

I teach organization classes and firmly believe that ANY space, regardless of size or configuration, can be organized AND inspiring. I have spent a lot of time organizing the "stuff" in my space, but little time thinking about the overall flow and "look" of the space...and that's the part that relates to inspiration.

So last night I set about re-configuring my little space so that it would be a little more inspiring (or at least less uninspiring). In reading the book, I confirmed that I can't handle a lot of "visual clutter". Lots of colorful items on my tables do not inspire me...they distract me. Take, for example, the stacking drawers in this photo. Last year I covered the insides of the drawer backs in tan cardstock so that the contents are not visible when you walk in the room. I felt MUCH better after doing that. In addition, over the past few months, I have also replaced my mismatched photo boxes with black, white, and tan. It's a little thing, but it helps eliminate some of that visual clutter.

So I've been on a mission to do more of this kind of thing: To put more items into closed, but labeled, storage containers. I'm re-purposing storage containers I already have because my budget for this little project is precisely $0. I moved my wood block stamps and punches (previously all on the tables) to shallow, stacking drawers under the tables. Labeled, of course.

Ahhhh....much better. Not inspired YET, but I think my day is coming. :-)

Ali-inspired project

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending our monthly book club at Memory Bound. We're reading Ali Edwards' latest book, Life Artist. Several people brought wonderful projects to share, some based on the book and others not. The beauty of book club is that it's fairly unstructured. Anyone is welcome, with or without anything to share!

One of the projects I like from Ali's book is one in which she uses a set of alphabet index cards to make a little "everyday" kind of album. I picked up a set of these cards last week and decided to make a mini-album as a place to store photos of some of my favorite projects. I make a lot of stuff, but because much of it is for the store or given as gifts, often all I have left is a photo. I thought it might be fun to have a place to house photos of my favorites, rather than just leave them in a file on my computer.

The book was super-easy to put together, which is why it appealed to me. I printed my photos, used the handy-dandy Crop-a-Dile to make holes in the cards and photos, and clamped it all together with my beloved metal rings. It may seem peculiar, but I make an effort to take photos of everything I make. I use the photos in instructions (if I need to write them), but also as a record for myself. Sometimes when creativity wanes, it helps to look back over past projects. Obviously, this book is a work in progress which will grow as I print more photos. In addition, I'd like to jot some notes about each project. I'm still working on that.

In addition to the Making Memories journaling paper, I used some of my hoarded Scenic Route paper on this mini-album. And the button is from my friend, Sharon, who recently cleaned out her button stash and shared the love with folks in book club. Sharon's buttons are one-of-a-kind and will be great additions to projects like this.

AND, as an added bonus, I made up a word last night for the process of using hoarded stash: DE-HOARDIFICATION.

I like it. I need to do much more of it.

My Easy-Bake Oven

In keeping with my recent "retro" theme, allow me to share with you my happy little Easy-Bake Oven. This is not just any Easy-Bake Oven, mind you. It's the original model, circa 1963.

My Easy-Bake still has all the original pieces -- the rolling pin, bowl, measuring spoon, and baking trays. I even have the original cookbook. And, as you can see from the happy little glow of the light bulb, it still works just fine.

Growing up, I would make cookies and cakes and have them ready for Dad when he got home from work. No matter how bad they tasted, he always ate them and raved about the quality.

We eventually packed away the Easy-Bake, bringing it back out when Daughter was three or four years old. She, too, frequently baked cookies and cakes. And we dutifully complimented her on the quality.

After Daughter moved on to the "big girl" oven, I didn't pack away the Easy-Bake. After all, Easy-Bake is more my speed anyway.

In fact, I still have a few cookie mixes on hand. Methinks today might be a good day to whip up a batch. The quality is excellent, ya know.

Feline Friday: Lily's weather report