Green Card

One thing I don't do very often is make cards. I know that it's a quick way to get a bit of a scrappy fix, and to use the odds and ends that might otherwise make their way into the scrap drawer or the trash can, but I'm still not really a "card" kind of person. I guess I visualize them being received (which is a nice thought), but then ultimately, thrown away (which is a not-so-nice thought).

Still, every so often, I will attempt a card -- like when CK asks me to do so. :)

Unfortunately, I needed to downsize this one, so the one that is featured in the December issue of CK is teeny tiny in comparison, but I love them both. Here's the process I used to put the card together:

Steps:

1. Trim or punch 25 1” squares from patterned paper, die-cut paper, and textured cardstock.

2. Trim or punch a few extra die-cut paper squares, and use them as a mask over white cardstock squares, misting over them with red and green.

3. Stamp and emboss letters on individual squares to spell “Happy Holidays” or another desired greeting.

4. Fold a 6” x 12” length of cardstock in half, and affix squares to the front of the card in a grid format, adding pop dots behind those squares with letters.

Supplies:

Cardstock: American Crafts (Shamrock), Doodlebug (Green Glitter Dot), Bazzill (white); Patterned Paper: October Afternoon, BasicGrey, Scenic Route; Die-cut Paper: BasicGrey; Stamps: Studio Calico; Watermark Stamp Pad: VersaMark; Embossing Powder: American Crafts; Mist: Maya Road; Pop Up Dots: Glue Dots.

Black Friday Faves

Let it be known: I don't do Black Friday.

I have a hard enough time shopping on any other day. Why would I willingly surround myself with the one thing that I hate the most about shopping? Crowds. Ugh. Shudder shudder blanch blanch. On an average day, I hold my breath when I pass one or two people too closely in a store aisle; I don't think there's enough Albuterol in my inhaler to get me through Black Friday.

However, I still managed to make a few purchases today without entering the stampede:

1. $14. TWO tickets to see New Moon. Yes, again. This time I noticed what I missed last time. The werewolves' clothing bursts into shreds around them whenever they change. We're talking explosions of denim and skyrocketing sneakers. Way cool. Way expensive. Now there's a reason for a Black Friday special.

2. $9. ONE run to Starbucks on the way home. Edward's taste buds may whisper la tua cantante when he thinks of what he craves most, but mine whisper venti coffee frappuccino with whipped cream. The drink sings for me. I literally cannot pass a Starbucks these days without spending some of Zoe's college money. It's just not possible.

3. $20. ELEVEN awesome scrappy purchases from Lifetime Moments, including some of my favorite chipboard letters from Sassafras, for almost half off their usual price:

You can't beat 45% off everything in the store! Sadly, there's a reason for that great deal. LM is going out of business. It's such a bummer, because it's been one of my favorite online stores for scrapbooking supplies for years now. The changing economy has not been kind to our hobby, unfortunately. It must be so difficult for stores like LM to make the decision to close. It's also difficult on scrappers who want their favorite stores to keep existing, yet can't afford to literally pay the price to keep their stores afloat. This is why I choose not to spread my scrappy purchases too thinly. Customer loyalty makes a huge difference in these trying times.

4. $28. FOUR Studio Calico must-haves. Studio Calico is an example of one of the businesses that I support wholeheartedly, and the proof was in the pocketbook this morning (but it's not there anymore, tee hee). Today is the Studio Calico December kit reveal, and subscribers always get a head start. I could NOT resist getting extra SC patterned paper...

AND extra colored cardstock to match this month's SC kit, sunflower yellow Maya Mist, and the new SC months stamps:

I'm going to be one happy scrapper come December -- can't wait for the holiday break!

5. $0, or 5000 calories. ONE Friday evening with the family, eating Thanksgiving leftovers. Mmmm...gravy...

Have a happy weekend! Ooh, and before I wander off to eat gravy by the spoonful, let me share a few of the layouts I've been working on for Lily Bee and Collage Press:

Lily Bee Vintage Poppy line

(and a lift of the wonderful, talented, and always charming Stephanie Howell) --

Collage Press Joyride line (which is easily my favorite Christmas line EVER. Evah.) --

NOW it's gravy time.

Oh, yeah.

Five Faves Friday

1. New Moon. This afternoon, Z and I saw it. FINALLY. It's good. It's better than Twilight. Great effects. No garish makeup. Almost no bad hair (sorry, Jasper). Decent music. Granted, the soundtrack isn't as good as Twilight's, but the acting is MUCH better, as is the overall flow from scene to scene. Most importantly, the movie was true to the book, because I sit here now, hours after the movie ended, and my heart is still breaking for Jacob.

This is not to say that I'm of the Jacobean persuasion. I'm not into the whole Team Edward/Team Jacob nonsense -- in fact, I can see why Bella is drawn to both. Edward's intensity and Jacob's warmth and humor combine to make the perfect man. Frankly, I just can't see why they're so drawn to her. Someone, help me understand the allure of Bella Swan (film-wise, not book-wise). Granted, Kristen Stewart looked stunning in this film, but beyond that -- what is Bella's secret? Other than the smell of her blood, her shielding abilities, and the fact that she doesn't recoil from all that is Strange, what sets her apart from other girls (okay, maybe those things are enough)? Perhaps she's relatively un-extraordinary on purpose, so that she becomes an Everywoman, leading droves of female fans to identify with her, and thus, establish an even stronger connection to Edward or Jacob...and ultimately, purchase more t-shirts, keychains, and Burger King cups in the name of otherworldly love.

Moving on...

2. Neosporin. This may be the weirdest 1/5 of a five faves list of mine ever, but I'm going to have to give a shout out and a sincere thank you to this antibiotic ointment.

For some reason, I've been particularly accident prone this week, and I'm full of scrapes and scratches. It's nuts. Neosporin to the rescue. I'm so lucky to live in the age of antibiotic ointment.

3. La Musica. Lately: Dashboard Confessional, The Bravery, new Vampire Weekend, Conor Oberst, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Owl City, and Shiny Toy Guns. I've also been revisiting The Specials and Dance Hall Crashers. Ah, to be young(er) and yearning to breathe in a mosh pit again.

4. Joyride. This new Collage Press line is starting to pop up here, there, and everywhere, and it is redefining the term "Christmas line" for me.

It's all about the oh-what-fun-it-is-to-ride-AND-also-to-scrapbook-with-papers-that-I-can-use-again-even-when-Christmas-has-passed. The B-sides of the patterned papers are awesome. Trust me on this. One of them has an excerpt from Pride and Prejudice. Enough said. This week, I've been playing with the new line (and yes, playing is the best word choice; it doesn't feel at all like working). Next week, the CP blog will feature three days of Joyride projects. You will LOVE what the team has been doing with the line.

5. The Honest Truth. "You're the best, Ms. Sprott!" Today I heard this more than once from my students, and all that I could think was (1) True, and (2) More, please. It was a good day. :)

Have an awesome weekend!

Tidbits

I know it's been a little while since I posted any scrappy pics. As you might be able to guess from my "plans" above, I've been busy scheming. Sort of. I've actually been working on some projects for Lily Bee and Collage Press. Here are some peekies at bits and pieces:

I promise to share more soon!

Looking Up

Tonight I went outside

and did something I rarely do these days.

I looked up at the sky

instead of at a computer screen

or a stack of papers.

I was simply

still

not rushing through my "to do" list

or workingworkingworking

or worryingworryingworrying.

In silence, in stillness,

in the midst of everydayness --

take time to wonder.

When I heard the learn’d astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;	5
Till rising and gliding out, I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars. -- Walt Whitman

Live from New York!

So tonight we've been sharing our favorite SNL moments with each other.

It started when Z wanted to rewatch last week's Taylor Swift monologue..."la la la...ha ha ha..."

Then we watched Alec Trebek go head to head with Sean Connery on "Jeopardy."

Soon there was Natalie Portman's gangsta rap

and of course, "Lazy Sunday."

We just finished this brilliant sketch:

Oh, man, this makes me laugh.

Like, stomach-unstapling kind of laughter.

What are we watching now?

Well, all I can say is, MORE COWBELL!

Growing Together

I know that this layout doesn't exactly scream "fall," but it's the product of a combination of two things that always impact my scrapping this time of year: (1) the weather and (2) my sentimentality. There's something about rainy weather and the longer nights that makes me seek out all that is warm and cozy, both literally and figuratively. Luckily, my Studio Calico kit arrived just in time for me to channel all of my autumnal ooshy-gushiness into this layout.

The sweet couple in the pic includes my cousin Shelly and her boyfriend Philippe. Can you believe that they've been dating since they were fifteen? Now they're all grown up and starting to plan for a future together. I don't know where the years will take them, but I'm glad that they'll be traveling that road together.

See? Warm and cozy. Downright schmaltzy. Blame it on the weather.

Ere I go, I'd also like to share a thank you with our many veterans, past and present, who help(ed) to make our country and keep our country free. Sadly, sometimes peace must be the product of war, but I don't see Veterans' Day as a celebration of war; I see it as a celebration of those whose lives and service are part of a larger story of the efforts to make and maintain peace. Here's one of my favorite veterans, my grandfather, who is also part of one of my favorite love stories:

Another Year Luckier

This morning, Rob surprised me with breakfast in bed. He had driven into Pearl City and picked up Cinnabon, Starbucks, cards, a balloon, and even a bouquet of sunflowers for me. How sweet! He came into the room singing "Happy Birthday to You..." The cinnamon rolls were topped with candles.

It's still kind of hazy, since I was seeing with early morning eyes, so I'm sure that the details will begin to fade over time...but I know I won't forget how amazing and thoughtful Rob is.

I don't even care that I was sick today. This was still one of the best birthdays EVER.

Five Faves Friday

Alas, we're all under the weather around here, so this week's five faves are from a bedridden/couchridden perspective:

(1) Let's give it up for this week's Grey's Anatomy. Amazing. Of course I laughed (Mark)...and inevitably, cried (Arizona). Next to Bailey, Arizona Robbins (played by Jessica Capshaw) is one of my favorite characters, ever. The girl has LINES, amazing lines, and I love that she cries when she's pissed. Same here. The teaser for next week's Grey's is making my head spin.

Can't wait. Izzy, Izzy, Izzy.

(2) Modern Family. Oh, my. Brilliant show, and so FREAKING funny!

This week, we decided that I was "so Mitchell." It's true -- especially when he goes on his wonder binge in Costco...or makes snarky comments...or gets labeled as "city mouse"...

(3) I haven't just been vegging in front of the TV. I've also been reading. When I'm sick, I tend to get pretty escapist with my reading:

Anita Blake. Vampires, shapeshifters, and zombies, oh my! I'm only 150 pages in, and I'm actually surprised at how toned down this one is so far, compared to the others. I'm sure the raunchiness will show up soon, but for now, I'm just shocked that an actual plot is unfolding. I can't believe that this is book 17 in the series. Anita has really changed from the beginning of the series. Sometimes I wonder whether this could all translate to film, and I'm pretty sure it can't, not without censoring a whole heckuva lot. And yet...there's this. It's strange that she's described as a character with a "lousy dating life." Odd choice of words.

(4) I've also started reading Her Fearful Symmetry, by Audrey Niffenegger.

I admit, I did judge this book by its cover. It's an awesome cover. And it's shiny, to boot. At this point, I'm just a few chapters in, but the writing is terrific so far.

(5) Tomorrow's my birthday! My birthday isn't exactly my FAVORITE day -- not as I get older and contemplate what that means for my ovaries -- but it is still a time to celebrate, so it at least deserves a nod on the five faves this week. :)