Use Your Words

Punch Drunk Love

2012-01-31T22:28:00.001-10:00

The JBS February kits are officially up for grabs, and the design team gallery is filled with pretties (and will be filled with even more on the tenth). This month's kits bring together my many loves, including grid paper, unique accents, lots of green, Ormolu, and even some October Afternoon papers and accents. Score!

This month, the team is also taking on the challenge of using punches with the main kit:

I used the JBS Jester Border Punch and the JBS Blue Ribbon Punch for the border under the photos (and as for the extra circles created by the blue ribbon punch, I put them to use at the top of the layout).

I used the JBS Tab Punch as well. It's my favorite. :)

I will share more as the tenth rolls around. In the meantime, you simply must check out the JBS site! Doris Sander put together an incredible project kit, featuring a 7Gypsies tray.

I'm still in the it's-too-pretty-to-touch phase, but hopefully I will get over that before the mid-month gallery reveal! This kit calls to me daily, and this weekend, I will answer.

JBS Goes Digi?!

2012-01-30T20:20:00.001-10:00

Yep, that's right -- many JBS favorites are now available in digi form, via the Jenni Bowlin Studio Digital Shoppe at JessicaSprague.com. Although my layouts are primarily paper-based, I am definitely a fan of hybrid layouts and mixing it up from time to time. Now, no longer do I have to worry about hoarding bingo cards...

or rub-ons...

or the last of my Red & Black Extension papers...

because now it's impossible to run out of these items! Hooray!

October Afternoon CHA Projects

2012-01-29T00:44:00.001-10:00

Today's post on the October Afternoon blog is chock full of lovely cards, tags, and layouts using the new collections.

I was lucky enough to have the chance to work with the Cakewalk collection...

and the 9 to 5 collection:

There are even more projects by the design team on the OA blog, so be sure check out those lovelies!

In the meantime, if you're free today at 2 p.m. CST, I'd love it if you would join me for the CHA Online Social at Two Peas in a Bucket!

Putting the Oooohhhh... in OA.

2012-01-25T20:07:00.005-10:00

Introducing Woodland Park from October Afternoon:

Let's just say that there was a fair amount of happy dancing when the design team saw this collection for the first time.

Be sure to visit the October Afternoon blog as CHA rolls around, for even more peeks at the three new collections.

By the way, this weekend I'll be hosting one of the CHA Online Social chats at Two Peas in a Bucket, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. CST. I hope to see you there!

What's New at JBS?

2012-01-24T20:18:00.000-10:00

Isn't this JBS stamp a beauty? It will be mine. Oh, yes.

There are even more CHA peeks like this one on the JBS Mercantile blog.

That's not all that's new at JBS...

Be sure to stop by to check it out!

Blog Hop WINNER...S!

2012-01-23T18:54:00.001-10:00

Thanks, all, for visiting my blog yesterday, and for leaving comments. Pea name backstories are always amusing to read.

As for the fate of that Two Peas in a Bucket gift certificate...?

Congratulations to...

Breeze! You are the lucky winner of a Two Peas in a Bucket gift certificate. You've got peamail. :)

In fact, so thankful am I for the show of support yesterday, that I decided to pull a SECOND name for a SECOND gift certificate giveaway.

Congratulations are also in order for...

Hooray, Monica! Thanks for the incredibly sweet compliment, by the way. My head is still spinning. :)

Now it's back to the CHA grindstone for me. I'm working with the new OA lines right now, and I am loving every moment of it. Time's a-ticking, though, so I'd better get to it!

Next month the Garden Girls will sponsor another blog hop, and there will be another chance for a giveaway, so stay tuned! In the meantime, don't be a stranger...

Gardeners' Digest: January Blog Hop!

2012-01-22T04:00:00.006-10:00

Welcome to the first installment of the Gardeners' Digest, a monthly update from the Garden Girls, the design team at Two Peas in a Bucket. Today's blog hop invites you to visit each of our blogs and see what's been growing on -- har har -- in the Garden.

My most recent Garden project was something of a happy accident:

One of my goals this year is to complete a self-portrait layout at least once a month. When I sat down to create this layout, I knew that I wanted to place my journaling in these Maya Road kraft envelopes, but I struggled to figure out exactly where to place the envelopes. Finally, after walking away from the layout several times and returning to it, shuffling items around, I had what I thought was the perfect spaced-out grid approach. I turned to reach for something, and the page shifted -- uh oh! -- and the envelopes crowded together. It was hardly tragic, though. Who knew that they would look so much better that way? I ended up pushing everything else together, layering edge over edge. Gotta love those happy accidents!

I doubt that "accidental" layouts are the norm. I have trouble believing that the lovely layouts that I have been adding lately to my Two Peas bookmarks have anything accidental about them. Take this layout by Garden Girl Wilna Furstenburg, for instance:

Every little bit comes together so perfectly. How does she do it?

This month Two Peas welcomes Wilna, Amy Heller, and Amy Tan to the Garden Girl team, and I couldn't be happier. All three of them are incredibly talented.

I'm not sure if you've visited the message board lately, but it's abuzz with talk of CHA. The sneaks are popping up everywhere, and I know that in no time at all, I'll be filling up my cart at Two Peas with all of the new pretties. In the meantime, though, there are a bunch of new products in the store that have already made their way into my cart, out of the Two Peas warehouse, across the Pacific Ocean, and into my happy hands. Among the goodies are these lovelies:

Jenni Bowlin Tab Large Squeeze Punch

Maya Road Vintage Paper Roses

Fancy Pants Love Story Collection

BasicGrey Kissing 101 Kissing Booth Patterned Paper

Ormolu Negative Day Package Tags

The next stop on the blog hop is Garden Girl Julie Campbell.

To thank you for visiting today, I'd love to offer you a chance to win a Two Peas in a Bucket gift certificate. Just leave a comment sharing your Two Peas in a Bucket pea name with me, and why you chose that name (mine is Fevvers, after the main character in Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus). I'll announce the winner on Monday. [ETA: The winner has been chosen already.]

Thanks for stopping by!

More OA Sneaks!

2012-01-20T23:40:00.008-10:00

Here's a sneak peek at yet another new October Afternoon line!

And keep in mind it's just a peek.

Wait until you see the rest of what OA has in store with the new lines... :)

It's Enough to Drive You Crazy If You Let It

2012-01-18T21:16:00.002-10:00

October Afternoon sneaks have begun on the OA blog!

The new "9 to 5" line promises to be an office-supply-lover's dream come true, so I, for one, am ECSTATIC! Lest you think this line is only for work-related layouts, however, think again. A moment ago I visited the blog of fellow OA DT member Vivian Masket, and she has some brilliant ideas for how to put this line to work for you.

Stay tuned for even more sneaks ahead!

Can't Get Enough

2012-01-16T20:26:00.003-10:00

I know I overuse the word "love," but if there's going to be a word worth overusing, it's that one.

In its most powerful sense, there's drive-me-crazy, toe-curling, butterfly-inducing, all-in, let's-do-this-for-life kind of love, like the kind I have for this guy:

More details can be found on the Monday challenge post on the October Afternoon blog.

Clearly I am also loving my Cameo. Actually, I may love it a little too much, methinks, since I am cutting everything and anything with it. It reminds me of that Malcolm in the Middle episode when the family rented a wood chipper.

I haven't reached my confetti stage yet.

The word "love" also came to mind the moment I saw even more of the new JBS releases:

More sneaks can be found on the JBS Mercantile blog.

I am also loving three-day weekends, but they just don't seem to last long enough. I hope you had a great one!

Jenni, Jenni, Jenni...

2012-01-14T09:20:00.001-10:00

She's done it again.

Jenni Bowlin gets it DONE, am I right? Sneaks of the new Jenni Bowlin Studio products started on the JBS Mercantile blog this past week, and there are even more ahead. I, for one, am loving what I see!

12.

2012-01-12T20:53:00.002-10:00

So.

I thought I was ready for this year's 12 on the 12th challenge -- that is, taking 12 photos on the 12th of each month, and putting them together in a layout.

I had a reminder on my calendar and in my planner. I packed my point-and-shoot camera in my bag last night, making sure that I'd have it on hand. I ran through a list of possible moments I might capture through the course of the day. I was ready. I was.

You see where this is going.

At 3:45 this afternoon, sitting in traffic, finally able to sit still and think for the first time all day, it hit me: TODAY is the twelfth. Wuh oh.

So.

I did snap twelve pics, but they only capture a small part of my day. Hopefully next month I'll do better. And to think I spent most of my day teaching my seniors about the concept of carpe diem. So much for that!

Now and Later.

2012-01-11T22:12:00.002-10:00

The JBS Mercantile design team gallery is updated on the last day of each month and then again on the 10th, so that means that as of today, you can find a bunch of new layouts in the January gallery. A few of us stretched our kits and had a little go at a challenge, mixing office supplies that we had on hand with the main kit. Here's my take:

That's the thing about being a teacher: office supplies abound! I incorporated index cards, paper clips, calendar and planner pages, a sheet of ledger paper, packaging twine, pencils, a date stamp, tags, a manila folder, and a repurposed envelope.

As for the journaling, it's all part of the blog now, journal later philosophy. I went back to a post that I had written over the summer when I first took this photo of my husband monkeying around with my daughter's sunglasses, and I added most of that post to this page, with a few changes here and there.

Even though my handwriting is kind of all over the place, I think it works here. It's a silly, playful kind of page, one that allows for a free-flowing hand. I actually need to use my handwriting more often. It feels a lot less clean, but a lot more genuine. Handwriting really personalizes a page. I think I've become a little too dependent on my favorite journaling font, Typenoksidi.

I also have been embracing a print now, scrap later philosophy. I find that if I have photos at the ready, I am more likely to use them, and less likely to spend an excessive amount of time searching for the right photo when I am actually able to scrap.

A few weeks ago, I printed out a large photo, something I rarely do, and set it aside. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to use it, but I knew that it would find its way onto a page eventually -- and it did!

I created this page for a recent tutorial on the October Afternoon blog, in which I shared my approach to "boosting" an entire layout (in the dimensional sense, that is; it has nothing to do with car theft or other forms of larceny). The photo found the perfect home on this page, I think, surrounded by embellished circles.

Now I'm off to embrace a work now, play later philosophy -- although play now, work later sounds pretty tempting.

(P)noticed: 10 on the 10th

2012-01-10T21:07:00.005-10:00

1. Pin:

Melinda Tidwell

2. Passage:

I am living in the Google years, no question of that. And there are advantages to it. When you forget something, you can whip out your iPhone and go to Google. The Senior Moment has become the Google moment, and it has a much nicer, hipper, younger, more contemporary sound, doesn't it? By handling the obligations of the search mechanism, you almost prove you can keep up. You can delude yourself that no one at the table thinks of you as a geezer. And find the missing bit is so quick. There's none of the nightmare of the true Senior Moment -- the long search for the answer, the guessing, the self-recrimination, the head-slapping mystification, the frustrated finger-snapping. You just go to Google and retrieve it.
You can't retrieve your life (unless you're on Wikipedia, in which case you can retrieve an inaccurate version of it).
But you can retrieve the name of that actor who was in that movie, the one about World War II. And the name of that writer who wrote that book, the one about her affair with the painter. Or the name of that song by that singer, the one about love.
You know the one.

-- from I Remember Nothing, by Nora Ephron (2010)

3. Picture:

My mom, on her honeymoon, circa 1971.

4. Person:

Corrie Jones.

5. Problem:

I can't clean my house without messing it up again. When my house is organized, I can't seem to find anything.

6. Process:

I always fidget with my hands when ordering at drive-thru windows. Why?

7. Product:

It is only January, but I am all about the V-day products already:

More details and a supply list are available at Two Peas in a Bucket.

8. Pleasure:

There is a point in the wee hours of the morning when my bed is at its comfiest and warmest. Unfortunately, this moment occurs approximately one minute before the alarm goes off.

9. Post:

"Do Teachers Need to Relearn How to Learn?": "If we are not independent learners, how can we expect our students to be?"

10. Present:

I watched The Emperor's Club when it came out in 2002. Today I watched it again, this time with my daughter, while we huddled on the couch together, having caught the same bug. So many of Mr. Hundert's words to his students resonated with me:

- "Aristophanes once wrote (roughly translated): 'Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever.'"
- "Great ambition and conquest without contribution is without significance. What will your contribution be? How will history remember you?"
- [Quoting Cicero] "Not to know what happened before you were born is to remain forever a child."

I also love what his students share with him at the end:

- "A great teacher has little external history to record. His life goes over into other lives. These men are pillars in the intimate structure of our schools. They are more essential than its stones or beams, and they will continue to be a kindling force and a revealing power in our lives."

Good teachers matter.

P.S. After I initially posted this, I discovered (via Doris's post today) that Shimelle has a "10 Things" post each month, too. The idea is to post ten things -- any ten things, re: any topic -- on the tenth of each month. I guess this means I'll be making a habit of this!

Januarying.

2012-01-08T14:45:00.010-10:00

There are certain times of the year that I love, and certain times of the year that leave me indifferent, as if I am just biding my time and enduring until the next vacation or the next holiday or the next time of year when something actually feels like it is happening.

This is one of those times of the year when I feel like I am simply waiting, looking forward to a time when it does not have to be this time any longer. I think ahead to the sweetness and bright colors of spring, and the excitement surrounding graduation in May, and the warm summer days and their endless possibilities, and I just wonder -- what is the deal with January through March?

Hey, January -- why so cold? And why so long? And February, I know you're trying really hard to impress us with Valentine's Day and the whole shortening of the month thing, but you don't stand a chance, sandwiched between January and March. This brings me to March. O, March, you fickle thing. On those rare occasions when Easter occurs in March, my opinion of this month changes, but when Easter is delayed until late April, March and I just cannot be friends. Irreconcilable differences.

That I am still at the beginning of this three-month stretch makes me think that I need to adjust my perspective. It's time to find the joy in January. So what have I been up to lately?

I've been:

...celebrating a victory! My daughter participated in the "It's Academic" competition yesterday, and her team WON! The show will be televised locally -- I'm not sure when, though. Just before the taping, I turned around in my seat and saw that our neighbors were sitting in the audience. They had come to support Z. They're good people. ;) Then, last night, we all celebrated with the rest of the neighborhood at a potluck. How many people can say they are blessed with neighbors like these?

...reading Hamlet with my juniors, and as always, I love Shakespeare more with every rereading. My seniors finished Much Ado About Nothing last month, and I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback I received on my course evaluations with regard to that unit: "More Shakespeare!" Crazy. Crazy awesome. Now we're reading Renaissance poetry, focusing on the pastoral tradition. I love reading Marlowe and Raleigh and Donne side by side. I do find it sad, though, that Marlowe never had a chance to speak back to Raleigh. "The Shepherd's Reply to the Jaded Nymph" might have been a classic.

...thinking about "banished words," having read this article the other day. I confess that I am guilty of overusing the word "amazing." I use it when I praise layouts. I use it when I comment on posts. I use it when I describe kits. I use it when I watch The Daily Show. I use it when my dog sits without me asking her to sit. I use it all the time. All the time. What's funny is that I had become aware of this over-reliance on "amazing" prior to encountering the article, but now I just feel like it's time for me to start seeking synonyms. I can do better -- but better than "amazing"? We'll see.

...experimenting with my new Cameo. I had fun creating these treat bags, which I shared on a JBS Mercantile blog post this past week:

...watching my programs. Over the break, when I actually had time to watch TV, I didn't watch much at all, since so few of my shows were actually on TV. Now, though, Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice have returned, and I am really quite happy about that. Top Chef continues as well. I'm not really sure who I am rooting for just yet, but I do like Paul, weird-ponytail Chris (possibly because they both remind me of ex-boyfriends) and even though Ed was kind of a $%#! this past week, I find myself rooting for him, too. After Wednesday's barbecue episode, I had major cravings, so I made chicken and steak and these incredible beans this week:

(P.S. I fry the bacon first).

...listening to Depeche Mode. I think it has something to do with the cleaning I did over the break, sifting through bins of old journals and letters. Depeche Mode was most definitely part of the soundtrack of those angsty years.

...playing with paper. Yep, when that midwinter slump hits, I head to the place where sweetness and bright colors and excitement and warmth and endless possibilities are always close at hand: my scrap desk.

This page is a bittersweet one. A few weeks ago I was in the yard when I looked over the fence at my neighbors' yard and noticed that their flowers were in bloom. Sadly, both of my neighbors passed away within months of each other last year, and though their relatives now tend to their yard, it just isn't same without them. As I looked at the flowers, and thought about how much love and care this couple had for their beautiful garden and for each other, I realized that it was time for me to document that.

So I told their story, in my own way, in this layout that I shared in the Garden at Two Peas in a Bucket.

I find it a challenge to select supplies for layouts like this -- that is, layouts that aren't bursting to the hilt with cuteness and happiness. When I sat down to create this layout, I did not want the supplies to distract from the story or to trivialize it; I wanted them to convey that "legacy" at the heart of the layout. I tried to bring together supplies with a timeless quality to them, juxtaposing them with more ethereal ones, like the florals, to enhance a kind of solemn beauty.

Looking back at this layout and thinking about the couple that inspired it, I hope I did right by them.

De-stashing Giveaway WINNERS!

2012-01-06T18:24:00.003-10:00

Thank you to everyone who left comments on the last post. I'll have to do giveaways more often, methinks, since there's clearly a demand for them. :) I think the person who is most excited about this, though, is my husband, who is still beside himself with disbelief, amazed that I actually started de-stashing.

Alas, only four winners could be chosen, so if you didn't win this time around, not to worry -- I'm sure that there will be other opportunities sooner than you think.

Congratulations is in order for four lucky winners:

Set #1 goes to...

Set #2 goes to...

Set #3 goes to...

Set #4 goes to...

I had to laugh when Nirupama's number was drawn for this, because she specifically mentioned the stamps in her post. Too funny! Kismet.

I'll be in touch!

De-Stashing Giveaway x 4! (CLOSED)

2012-01-02T11:43:00.004-10:00

Do me a favor.

TAKE THIS STUFF!

One of my holiday vacation goals has been to de-stash. So far, I have filled three boxes full of supplies that I no longer use or that exist in duplicate (or triplicate), and as I was going through everything, I set aside products that I have not ever used, just for YOU.

Yes, it's time for a giveaway! Hooray!

I spent the morning divvying up a box of never-used supplies into three sets. They're all pretty equally balanced, and include supplies from companies like October Afternoon, American Crafts, Jenni Bowlin, Maya Road, and Studio Calico, among others. In each set you'll find stamps, letters, buttons, mini-albums, chipboard elements, rub-ons, and more.

Here's a closer look at set #1...

and set #2...

and set #3...

Then there's a special giveaway.

Among my stamps, I discovered that I have a second set of never-used JBS wood-mounted stamps, and, dear blog reader, they could be yours!

If you're interested in adopting these members of my stash, they do come from a good hoard -- I mean, home. Just leave a comment, and I will draw FOUR WINNERS this week Friday, and then get these in the mail on Saturday. If you have a preference, you can say so, and I will do my best to see that you get it, but there are no guarantees. I'll choose who gets what based on the order drawn.

I haven't even touched my paper stash yet, so you can expect another giveaway sometime soon!

Thanks for helping me to de-stash!

ETA: I can only ship w/in the U.S., so if you have an international address, you'd need to be willing to pay the difference for shipping. Thanks!

A Word.

2011-12-31T23:25:00.006-10:00

Here I am, in the last moments of 2011, and guess what just occurred to me? My One Little Word. It has been eluding me, but just as I anticipated -- though jokingly -- it really did come to me all at once tonight:

Matter.

As in, making a difference.

...Am I focused on what matters most?
...Am I living a life that matters?
...Am I spending time with my family in ways that matter?
...Am I creating pages that matter to me?
...Am I shaping my thoughts into words in ways that matter?
...Am I planning lessons that matter to my students?

Matter.

As in, substance.
As in, that which occupies space.

I want to be more conscious of the spaces that I inhabit, personally, creatively, and professionally.

Matter.

As in, importance.

Fascinating: the etymology of "matter" reveals that it originally referred to "material of thought, speech, or expression."

Often mind and matter are considered opposites, or exist in an uneasy kind of duality -- mind over matter, it is said. This is different. I want to be mindful of what truly matters, and keep heading in that direction, body and spirit.

When it comes to this word, however, I do want to keep in mind what Shimelle mentioned on a Two Peas thread today:

And although the specific project is a word for the year, don't forget that life isn't really ruled by a calendar. I think it's okay to roll with the punches and change things when they need to change. I often focus on a guiding principle for a season or two and then move on when the energy to work on another part of life seems to be calling me.

Brilliant, no?

Since I am on the subject of words, I am really excited about a project that I have been working on using the JBS Mercantile January mini-album kit. The gallery reveal was tonight, and so I can finally share my work-in-progress -- or words-in-progress, actually:

The album was inspired by David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary, which I read in a single sitting a few days ago. As I explain in the gallery comments, although I had already been at work assembling this album when I started the book, I did not really have a vision for it until I started reading The Lover's Dictionary. In reading the book, it became so clear to me that couples have their own unique language, and so I decided to create my own compendium of the words and stories that characterize my relationship with my husband.

I was also inspired by the cover design of the book:

I riffed on that design in the preface of my album:

The contents themselves aren't organized like a book, however. I included envelopes to house journaling cards:

Just as a dictionary is never finished, since new words are added all the time and language constantly evolves, so this album is designed to be a work-in-progress as well. Here are a few of the cards that I have included so far:

This month I also contributed a year-in-review layout (shared in a previous post below) as well as this page about my sweet, sweet girl:

Well, it's less than 30 minutes to midnight, so I'm off to gather the family, calm my shaking dog (homemade bombs have replaced illegal fireworks this year in our neighborhood), open the cider, and toast 2012.

Here's to the new year, and making it matter!

New Year's Scrappy Resolutions

2011-12-30T12:14:00.008-10:00

Can you believe that 2012 is just a few days away?

Cards from the JBS Mercantile 12/29 blog post.

I've started to think about my scrappy resolutions, which are WAY more fun to come up with (and stick to) than regular resolutions. Healthier diet? Getting fit? Going for a walk or run daily? Sure, let's do it! Then one gust of cold winter wind hits me as I am tightening the laces on my sneakers, and the next thing I know, I'm huddling on the couch under a blanket, watching TV and carb-loading to create more insulation.

But scrappy resolutions? Those are can-do resolutions. Want-to-do resolutions.

Last year, I came up with three of them, and I think I did a pretty good job sticking to them:

(1) Keep it real on the page.
(2) Create more pages about The Love.
(3) Keep wondering, keep exploring, keep keeping on.

This year, I have decided that I will renew these resolutions, since these are not tasks that are meant to be accomplished, as in finished-done-over with, but rather, they are shifts in priorities and perspectives, and I want to continue on this trajectory. I have also decided, however, to add another goal to the list for 2012:

(4) Work through my scrappy "bucket list," creating pages and projects that I tend to put off because they feel a little too significant, too monumental. If not now, then when, right?

Curious about what other scrappy-minded folk were planning for 2012, I started a thread on the GS board at Two Peas in a Bucket. Now I am thinking I need to expand my creative goals for the year ahead -- or maybe find a way to incorporate some new approaches and ideas into my existing goals.

On that thread, more than a few people have brought up "PL," or "Project Life," which I had seen from time to time through 2011 as I visited some of my favorite blogs, and which I truly started thinking about when Marcy Penner shared some of her incredible pages.

Then I visited Stephanie Howell's blog, as I do practically every day, and what did I find? She's gone all PL on me, too. And so has Celeste.

As I am thinking, oh, I don't know, I'm just so busy, I'm not sure I can make it work, Stephanie shares a link to Lisa Truesdell's blog post about how PL is totally doable, and it's over for me. As I read her words, Lisa scoots over on that crowded bandwagon to make room for me, and reaches out to pull me up from where I have been pacing behind it, panting. Everyone on the bandwagon begins to chant: One of us, one of us, one of us. And I want to surrender. I really do.

So maybe PL is a possibility. We'll see. I'm not really a fan of templates, though. I know they make everything easier, but I like the idea of being able to riff a little. I was also thinking of working with a smaller format. Hmm...then again, one year I did 12-on-the-12th, and the template really made the whole process much more efficient.

How about you? Any scrappy goals for the new year?

JBS January Peeks!

2011-12-28T01:41:00.003-10:00

There are a few peeks of the JBS January kits up on the JBS Mercantile blog. This is most definitely one of those love-at-first-sight kind of kit months, and the more previews I see, the more that love just deepens.

Each year for the past three years, I've created year-in-review layouts, pulling together my favorite portraits of Z from January through December. The main kit and artisan kit helped me to get 'er done this year.

I cannot believe how quickly she has grown! Yes, I am one of those adults who sighs and says, "Time flies" a whole lot. It's true. This layout is proof.

In any case, there's a whole lot of happy to be found in January at JBS -- and I am also quite excited to see what Briana has done with the album kit. You simply must check out the previews on her blog. She has incredible taste, no? I'm working with that kit right now, actually. I can't get enough of those colors.

In light of my last post, I should also inform you that I have since made friends with my Cameo, which I will no longer refer to as Lameo. My apologies. I now accept the brilliance that is Cameo, and admit my human failings in the face of its magnificence.

Cameo Help, Por Favor!

2011-12-27T18:06:00.002-10:00

The video isn't exactly a cinematographer's dream, but I think it demonstrates just why I am losing my mind with this new Cameo. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

ETA: Problem solved! I needed to be more aggressive with the guide on the left, apparently. The cutting mat wasn't going under the left guide well until I forced it, and now it works. Hooray! Thanks to all in the Two Peas community who rallied to prevent me from completely losing my mind this afternoon.

'Twas the Night Before

2011-12-24T22:22:00.001-10:00

...and though the wind is howling and the rain is pouring,
I'm bundled up and busy, preparing for tomorrow's family gathering...

and the dog is recovering from the best Christmas Eve brisket ever...

and the presents are finally wrapped...

and the tree is decorated, c/o Z, who arranged the ornaments hierarchically this year...

and my new Cameo arrived this afternoon from Two Peas (hooray!)...

but...

the stockings have not been hung by the chimney with care,
because
(1) we have no chimney, and
(2) we kind of sort of misplaced the stockings.

Whoops. I guess I'm off to go find a substitute.

Merry Christmas!

December Daily Continues...

2011-12-21T22:48:00.005-10:00

Monday, December 21, or "All My Bells Are Ringing": I finally relax into my break, having slept for much of the weekend. Z comes home from a weekend at her grandma's house, bearing container after container of Christmas cookies. Sugarsugarsugarsugarsugar.

Speaking of sugar, my frosting-smeared daughter appears on a layout in this week's Garden at Two Peas in a Bucket:

I've had that BasicGrey blossom for a while now, and I wasn't sure where or how to use it until I started this page. It makes a bold and playful statement -- plus, I love the color.

Tuesday, December 22, or "Silent Night": This time of year can be hard as we look back and think about loved ones that we have lost. My grandmother has been feeling depressed. My grandfather died almost two decades ago, but my grandmother often experiences his loss as if it is still fresh, especially at this time of year, since he passed away a few days after Christmas. Even after years of grieving, she has not really accepted the loss.

Tonight we attend the memorial service of Uncle Ben, who is not really my uncle, but he is still family, though marriage. He died on Thanksgiving, and though he had been battling cancer since 2009, his death was still quite sudden. My grandmother attends as well, and I worry about the impact that this will have on her already fragile emotions.

The service is strangely comforting and hopeful, however, not at all like the services I am used to attending, which are gloomy and sometimes -- I don't know a better word for it -- scary. This is a Buddhist service, and throughout the ceremony, we are reminded that wisdom and compassion are essential to life and to the nature of things, and that Ben is now part of that wisdom and compassion. The western concept of "resting in peace" does not apply here, we are told; instead, he is very much part of an active, lively force. His death is a reminder to us not to hang on to grief, but rather, to embrace life even more fully.

I think of Uncle Ben and I realize that this is what I knew of him: he was a good person. I want to be remembered that way as well. That is certainly something worthwhile to work toward -- embracing the love in my life and putting out even more into the universe.

Wednesday, December 23, or "My Christmas List": Z and I had promised Rob that after taking a few days off just to relax, we would turn our attention to some much-needed housecleaning. Thus, when I open my eyes and think, "Gosh, it's Wednesday," my thoughts soon morph to "Grrr, it's Wednesday." Time to clean. Sort of. We get distracted too easily, and end up -- I can't even remember how, really -- reenacting Monty Python and the Holy Grail with the dog:

In any case, we make our way through much of our cleaning "to do" list. I even manage to straighten my scrap desk a little:

I've taken to storing my mists in old cake pans. Cute and functional: my kind of storage.

After cleaning, Z and I head to the store to pick up ingredients for chicken pot pie and beef brisket (perfect chilly weather food), and now that I've made my way through the cleaning list and the grocery list, it's time to attend to my own Christmas list. At the top? A Cameo! Yep, I just got word today that they were back in stock at Two Peas, and so I quickly added one to my cart. My husband is SO sweet for getting it for me for Christmas, even though I still need to inform him that he's done so.

We also put up Christmas lights today -- and by "we," I mean "he," my awesometastic husband.

The lights are blue. I LOVE blue Christmas lights. I wanted icicles, but they were too hard to find. Now we are no longer the only house on the street without lights! I felt like we were the Kranks for a few weeks there.

On the agenda for tomorrow? Finally decorating the tree!

Me and Me and Me and Me

2011-12-19T21:46:00.003-10:00

It always feels a little strange to create pages about myself.

There's a moment that occurs in which I wonder if I am not so different from Narcissus, transfixed by his own image. This thought rarely lasts long, though, because I realize that it is not vanity that motivates me, but rather, curiosity. I know that I am the person in the photo, and though I should know her well -- she being me, after all -- finding the words to talk about myself sometimes eludes me. I have so few photos of myself, so that when it comes time to put myself out there on the page, I want the page to be personal, and significant; I want it to convey something essential about who I really am. No pressure. Ha.

Take this page, for instance:

I was just sixteen in these photos, which were taken by my boyfriend at the time (the "him" mentioned in the journaling). He's a Facebook friend these days, and he sent the photos to me. Seeing them after all these years, I was amused and intrigued. I certainly recognize this girl -- I still wear the same expressions, though the aqua suede skirt is long gone (thankfully). Looking at these photos, I started to wonder about what was in my head back then. What was I thinking?

When I sat down to create this page, I did not want to generalize, or journal from the outside looking in; I wanted my sixteen-year-old self to be fully present on the page. So...I rummaged through my old journals, and discovered this "Joie de Vivre" list, along with some hilarious entries from my 1992 daily planner and a letter that my husband -- then stuck in the "friend zone" -- had sent me that year. He said the wisest thing: "We cannot let fear push us or pain hold us back." If only I had read his letter more carefully and truly taken it to heart, my teenage years would have been so much easier.

The page itself was created for today's October Afternoon blog challenge, which is to use both black and white and color photos. The post also includes a chance to win a prize package from Glue Arts, and those who leave comments on the post itself will be entered to win the OA Holiday Style collection. A winner will be announced on Christmas Eve. Be sure to check it out!

What a Week. What a Year!

2011-12-18T16:57:00.003-10:00

What a week, what a week.
And I mean what a week.

Monday, December 12, or "Maybe This Christmas": I make a list and check it twice. Three times. Four, even. The lucky ones are exempt from the semester exam, and they holler and whoop and breathe thankyou-thankyou-thankyou as if it's Christmas morning. But the others? They react as if they had made Santa's "naughty list" and got only socks and underwear for Christmas, and I feel bad for them -- but not so bad that I let them skip the test. There's always next semester, I tell them hopefully, but they look at me forlornly. I might as well have pressed a lump of coal in their hands.

Tuesday, December 13, or 'There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays": A few weeks after putting up the tree, we take it down again, in preparation for our house to be fumigated. The fumigation is the last step before we finally become homeowners, and as excited as we are about that, we are not as thrilled about packing up and leaving the house for two days while Rob, Zoe, and I are in the middle of an exam week. An hour before poison wafts through the house, I receive a disturbing phone call from Rob: he can't find the cat. He calls, but she doesn't answer. He searches, but she can't be found. I drive all the way home from school and locate her in under five minutes, sandwiched behind the clothes hamper. As I reach around to pull her out and save her life, she hisses and swats my hand, thinking that I am Rob, and leaves three bloody and burning gashes. I head back to school, heroic and relieved, but generally kind of pissed. Is poison really that bad?

Wednesday, December 14 - Friday, December 16, or "Deck the Halls": Final exams begin today, and the non-exempt students trudge forth through the halls at school, toward what they believe will be their doom. I give them pep talks and feed them candy canes, and they leave feeling a little more hopeful, not to mention sugared up. By the end of the week, I am both exhausted and exhilarated -- we've all earned a break!

As for the cat that I saved from imminent poisoning, she claws her way out of a screened-in window at my mom's house and goes to live in the bushes somewhere nearby, returning only in the dark of night for meals. At first, I feel responsible, but then I realize, if you love something, set it free. And wait for it to get hungry and come home so that you can capture it again.

On Friday afternoon, after signing the equivalent of a small forest in paper, we also officially become -- at long last -- homeowners! Woo hoo!

Saturday, December 17, or "Do You Hear What I Hear": Technically, though it is Saturday, I am still on the clock. My speech students and I will not begin our holiday break officially until the end of today's speech tournament. By 4:00, when the meet ends, I expect the heavens to clear and angels to stream down toward me singing the "Hallelujah" chorus, but instead, I feel enervated. Boy, do I need a long winter's nap -- but the day isn't over yet. My husband asks me to pick up an item from the mall. On a Saturday afternoon. A week before Christmas. After searching for parking for thirty minutes, Z and I find the one spot open at the farthest corner of the mall. We return to the car thirty minutes later, and Zoe tells me, Well, at least we don't have to exercise today! Cue the "Hallelujah" chorus now!

Sunday, December 18, or "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year": I sleep in, and wake to rain falling gently outside. I complete a layout. I hug my husband multiple times, and not because one or the both of us are rushing to leave the house to head somewhere. Awesome day. I even have time to start one of my yearly "top ten" posts.

Here are my top ten layouts from 2011:

(1) "How I Know"

(2) "Shark Tale"

(3) "Where Love Lives"

(4) "Right About Now"

(5) "Here"

(6) "NC or Bust"

(7) "Know This"

(8) "R"

(9) "IOU"

(10) "These Two"

And maybe there's room for a few honorable mentions:

"A Cup of Tea"

"Island Girl"

"Deer Santa"

"The Freshman"

It's interesting to look back at the year in scrapbooking and to see certain trends emerge. I was definitely feeling my gray, cream, and kraft backgrounds, that's for sure. I have so much neglected cardstock, but I always seem to be in need of gray, cream, and kraft. I'm also seeing lots of layering. I left behind clean and simple years ago, methinks. I wonder what stylistic changes 2012 will hold for me.

I think it's worth mentioning that the pages that I love the most from this year are those that have heart, that feature the faces I love so well and the details and stories that I want to remember always. Creating pages for fun is wonderful, but I also want to create pages that matter. If I can have it both ways, then all the better!

Before I leave you (and I do hope to be back soon -- not just a week from now), I wanted to make you aware of a very merry holiday sale at October Afternoon. Check it out here!

This Is My December

2011-12-11T11:01:00.002-10:00

Monday, December 6 - Saturday, December 10, or "Run, Run Rudolph": What a week. Looking back, the days blend into each other. There I am, tethered to my desks at home and at school, in a muddle of frenzied scribbling and collating and typing, as I scramble to organize the weekend's speech event, finish the quarter grades for my seniors, prepare final exams, and compose college recommendations. There I am, on Saturday, dashing through the halls at the speech festival, in pursuit of impromptu topics or extra certificates or timekeeper's cards.

Though my week has been stressful at times, none of it feels like wasted time, and I have no regrets -- I love teaching, I love speech, and I love my seniors, and though I don't love headaches and averaging three hours a night of sleep, I know that the work that I do matters, and that is what pushes me on into the wee hours of the chilly December nights and dark December mornings.

A week like this also makes me acutely aware that I am indeed part of an incredible community, and that it takes a village to prevent a mental breakdown. Never am I alone. So many of my colleagues have stepped forward, not out of a sense of obligation, but out of a genuine desire to help, and they are the reason that I survived this week without going completely batty. So many of my students, as much as they wanted to know their final grades immediately, were patient with me. One day, a few of them came in and offered me a drink and a snack as I graded essays. In that moment, I realized not only that I had not eaten all day, but that there are indeed angels among us, and they come bearing Coke and Chex Mix.

This week I also had the pleasure of attending my daughter's choir concert, which was incredible. I included a few photos on this layout that I put together using December kit items from JBS Mercantile:

Last night the mid-month gallery at JBS went live. It's full of amazing ideas. I love seeing how one team, using the same items, can come up with so many different visions.

This layout felt so good to complete. I came home yesterday from the speech event (which went wonderfully -- our school took first place!) feeling strangely disoriented. I had been anticipating a rush of euphoria as I completed the week's marathon -- no more papers to grade, no more speech to prep -- but instead, I felt enervated. When I sat down to create this page, I found myself feeling centered again. Scrap therapy: there's nothing like it.

There was another scrappy bright spot in my week. For this week's Thursday sketch post on the October Afternoon blog, I worked with Stacey Kingman, and both of us -- without being aware that the other was doing this -- scrapped brother-and-sister photos from Christmases past. Here is the sketch that I came up with and my take on it:

I used an X-acto knife to cut out the numbers, and I added a little dimension using pop dots. More details can be found on the original post.

Well, I'm off to spend the day in a most anti-climactic way: cleaning. Wish me luck!

This One's for the Dogs

2011-12-05T19:31:00.003-10:00

December Daily-ish continues...

Monday, December 5, or "Jingle Bells" (The Barking Dog Version): I wake in the wee chilly hours of the morning to a dog curled up so closely next to me that our teeth are nearly interlocked and I am bound to have not just morning breath, but doggy breath, too. It's that time of year -- winter in Hawaii, the coldest time of year here, a thought which makes mainlanders snicker, I'm sure. Winter. Hawaii. Hilarious. I'm roughing it, though -- I have no A/C or heat, mind you, so whatever the temperature is outside, it's the same inside. I love December, though. I would much rather brave the cold snuggled up under a blanket (or my dog) than deal with the sweltering summer sun. I do not, however, like getting up at "o' dark-thirty", so I am anxiously awaiting Christmas break, when I can stay in bed until the sun comes up...and maybe even a little while after that. I'm sure that my dog-woman Mazie is looking forward to it, too. She is all about letting sleeping dogs lie.

Here she is in a layout from this week's Garden at Two Peas in a Bucket, sporting a pair of reindeer ears that we thought she would hate but ended up loving. She trotted around the house, all "Rudolph who?"

This layout was so much fun to create. The dog and I worked for weeks on her handwriting so that she could compose her own letter to Santa this year. Or maybe I just wrote with my left hand, imagining what the dog would say if she could pen a letter to Santa.

Here's hoping you had a happy Monday!

December Daily-ish: The Blog Version

2011-12-04T22:38:00.008-10:00

(Card: Two Peas in a Bucket)

Given that I am far too busy, much too disorganized, way too inconsistent, and let's face it -- just plain unmotivated right now, I am declaring myself a conscientious objector as far as the whole December Daily mini-album hullabaloo is concerned. I will, however, concede to a blog version:

Thursday, December 1, or "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas": Welcome, December! Well, sort of. As I change the calendar in my class, I realize that the end of the semester is coming sooner than I think. Welcome, panic attack!

Friday, December 2, or "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear": It's tree-trimming night! Z and I head into Pearl City on the way home from school to pick up dinner, to save us time. Ha. I have forgotten that Pearl City is home to Pearlridge Shopping Center, and that everyone and his mother and even his mother's Secret Santa from work is heading that way as well, since there are only so many shopping weekends left before Christmas. You would think that with everyone having decided to head in the same direction -- that is, toward making a merrier Christmas, credit cards in hand -- that there would be more goodwill toward men on the roads and less of the blatant $%!#wad-i-ness that we actually experience. There is a lot of hating out there, let me tell you. Jesus is not taking many wheels in Pearl City 'round rush hour.

Finally, we get home to trim the tree, and after poor Rob has lugged out all of the boxes of Christmas ornaments and made TWO trips back down to the store to get lights that actually work (the first time he got too few), we plug in the lights. AAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.... In a perfect Griswold moment, almost immediately we realize that we are going to have to take it all back down because we are planning to get our house fumigated before Christmas. Ah, epiphany. You came too soon.

Saturday, December 3, or "Children Go Where I Send Thee": It appears that the time for Christmas shopping has arrived. Either we have raised a child who has no financial sense or we have raised a child with a big heart. She shares her Christmas list with us -- which consists not of gifts that she wants, but of gifts that she wants to get her friends. She is clearly not a heartless child, but she is most definitely a jobless one. Time to revise that list, methinks. Hugs for all this year!

Since Z has been invited to spend the night at her grandma's, Rob and I decide -- no, wait, let me make this clear: Rob decides and I stare at my wedding ring, repeating "for better or for worse" -- to brave the crowds at the mall. He asks if I want to go to Barnes and Noble to wait while he does the shopping, and while that is tempting (and quite sweet), I explain that Barnes and Noble feels like a stepfather to me. After Borders left, B&N has tried to take its place, but my abandonment issues run too deep. I just can't, B&N. It's too soon. However, after Rob and I hit three stores, I practically fling myself through the doors at Barnes and Noble. Sanctuary!

Sunday, December 4, or "Pretty Paper": Finally, a day at home. I sleep in, wake up for an ice cream breakfast, and end up back in bed, new book in hand (The Family Fang), next to hubby, who is reading his Nook. The dog jumps up to snuggle, and the cat soon follows. Ah, bliss. Eventually, I get around to playing with some OA Holiday Style goodies. And right now? The bags of presents are in hiding. The tree is half-decorated. A layout is done. Now this is how I celebrate the season best.

Nocember Devember

2011-12-01T20:40:00.002-10:00

It's that time of year -- Nocember Devember -- when the last days of November mingle with the first days in December, and then all of a sudden yesterdaytodaytomorrow begin to blur together in a rush of days until one day I finally pause and it is January and I am writing the wrong year on a check.

Proof: a whole 24 hours has gone by since the JBS December kit reveal and I am only updating now...because last night feels like it was five minutes ago and tomorrow night feels five minutes away.

You simply must check out the rest of the gallery here. Hurry! While your mouse is hovering, FridaySaturdaySunday could pass you by. I should know.

JBS Blog Hop Winner!

2011-11-28T19:03:00.000-10:00

Thanks to all who stopped by during the JBS blog hop! Only one winner could be chosen, though, so let's give it up for...

Congratulations, Connie!

JBS Blog Hop!

2011-11-27T08:00:00.182-10:00

Welcome to the JBS blog hop! There are so many exciting things happening at JBS Mercantile this week:

Firstly, Jenni has a new online class, "Home for the Holidays," which includes a step-by-step approach to compiling a charming and festive mini-album. The class also showcases techniques and details as only Jenni can.

Secondly, the stroke of midnight (CST) tonight will also herald a new section at JBS Mercantile, "One of a Kind Finds," featuring exactly what the name indicates. I've had a chance to peek at some of the items, like this wooden tote:

This beauty is looking for a scrapbook desk to call home -- don't you agree? I can see this housing my collection of mists or journaling cards or stamps. Hmm...the possibilities...

You'll also find lots of sales at JBS Mercantile, since it is, after all, Cyber Monday!

Thirdly, in a few days, as November becomes December, the new kits will be available at JBS Mercantile. This month I have been playing with ALL of them -- I can't choose my favorite -- and I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of the team has been doing with these lovelies. Luckily, I will not have to wait long, and neither will you -- in honor of the blog hop, each of us is sharing a peek at what we've been up to with these kits.

I used the artisan add-on here, along with the happy face ticket stamp from the main kit. I also worked in the new JBS letter stamps, which I love, love, love.

Finally, thank you for participating in the JBS blog hop! Just for stopping by, you have earned a chance to be entered in a giveaway for a $10 JBS Mercantile gift card PLUS the lesson materials for Jenni's new "Home for the Holidays" class (a $7.99 value -- kit not included). There will be only be one winner per blog -- both of these prizes will go to the same person.

If you'd like a chance to be that winner, just leave a comment below before midnight EST as Monday becomes Tuesday, and I will select a name at random tomorrow evening. Be sure that I have a way to contact you if you are selected as the winner. Good luck!

Now, choose your next stop on the blog hop from the list below:
Doris Sander
Mindy Miller
Leah Farquharson
Briana Johnson
Megan Klauer
Jenni Bowlin
Lisa Dickinson
Betsy Sammarco
Waleska Neris
Becky Novacek
Shimelle Laine

Thanks for hopping by! Har har. :)

Save the Date!

2011-11-26T17:37:00.003-10:00

Black Friday? No can do, but Cyber Monday? I am so there. Or here, rather. No crowds, no lines, no mace, no problem.

Challenged.

2011-11-20T16:45:00.006-10:00

I thought that my week had been busy, but this weekend I have been going nonstop. I spent almost nine hours yesterday at a speech meet, and immediately afterward, I took Z and her pal to an early evening showing of Breaking Dawn.

If you've followed my blog through the years, you know that I am definitely a Twilight fan. I'm not one to shriek uncontrollably at Jacob un-shirting, mind you, but I do so love the story. When the first movie came out, I saw it four times, in all of its campy, romantic, blue-and-purple glory. I truly loved New Moon, and though I balked at Bella's awful wig and eyebrows and fumed over Victoria's replacement in Eclipse, I enjoyed that movie, too. As a die-hard fan of the books, I knew that the movies could never really measure up, but I appreciated that the filmmakers always seemed to respect the books enough to never really take the plots in another direction (unlike the fiends who defaced Percy Jackson).

Breaking Dawn, for me, marks a shift in the whole series. The book was different from the others. It was kind of nutty at times, actually, and it seemed hurried to me -- too much, too soon, and too much happening in a single book all at once. Edward sort of receded for much of the story, and I felt disconnected from Bella for much of it. As far as the whole Renesmee thing, that was just awkwardly handled. Overall, while I was still happy to be reading the book, spending time with these much-loved characters, and watching their story play out, I did wonder why Stephenie Meyer decided to end the series as she did. How could the person who wrote a book-length exposition for the series bring it all to a climax and see it through to its resolution so quickly?

So when the movie came out, I thought, well, my expectations are already low, so at least I won't be disappointed. And I wasn't! Actually, I was rather impressed with how much the crazy was tempered in this film, and how much what once seemed too far-fetched and rushed seemed almost plausible and thoughtfully handled. It's the same story, yet it is presented differently, somehow. I think the visual interpretation of the story really makes a world of difference. Now I'm thinking that maybe I'll need to see it again. ;) I'm so predictable.

This week I also have two challenges up at Two Peas in a Bucket. The first is a journaling challenge that focuses on gratitude. 'Tis the season, after all, to count your blessings!

I worked in a few photos taken on 11/11/11 at 11:11 a.m. here.

It's funny that I used only the tiniest pieces of patterned paper here. Usually I am kind of a paper junkie. I focused on enhancing the journaling through accents instead.

This challenge runs through November 24, and one lucky winner will receive a gift certificate to Two Peas. Niiiice.

The second challenge is part of the Two Peas Garden Girl online crop that has been going on this weekend. The challenges will remain open all this week, however, so there is still time to get in on the fun! My challenge is to create a holiday-themed card for any November or December holiday.

I had so much fun making this card. I splattered October Afternoon Sprinklers on the background (a piece of ledger paper from the OA Holiday Style line), stitched around the paper, and then placed some of the new Crate Paper chipboard pieces over it.

This challenge runs until midnight CST on Sunday, November 27. On Monday, a winner will be announced on the Garden Girl message board. I'm told that there will be a fabulous prize involved.

Hopefully you will be able to play along with one or both of the challenges! There are also a few more to check out on Two Peas. I love challenges. They're so great for jump-starting that mojo, especially at a time of year when life gets pretty hectic.

I hope you had a happy Sunday! Have a great week.

'Tis(n't) the Season

2011-11-17T19:07:00.001-10:00

Today's sketch challenge on the October Afternoon blog includes a beautiful layout from Vivian Masket as well as my first attempt at using the new Holiday Style line (which just arrived at Two Peas)!

I am crushing on this line, big time.

I will confess that I tend not to go all in when it comes to Christmas lines. There have been so few that have really called to me through the years, and when I do find myself liking a line and splurging on it, I usually use only a few items from it, and then the rest just sits in a drawer somewhere all year long, until Christmas comes around again and I think about using it -- and then end up buying a different holiday line altogether. Typical.

This year, when Christmas line peeks started in the scrapblogosphere, I was hoping to see a Christmas line with versatile patterned paper, including non-holiday-specific B-sides, so that if the A-side is "out of season," at least I can flip the paper and get the most out of the product. I also longed for a line with versatile elements that might have non-Christmas specific uses. This Hawaii girl would also really appreciate a line that isn't smothered with snowflakes -- not everyone gets a white Christmas!

Luckily, this year I am noticing Christmas lines that have these versatile B-sides and elements. JBS, Crate Paper, and October Afternoon are making me very happy for this reason. Some of the items are, of course, specifically Christmas-centered and would only work on a holiday-themed page, but I know that I can make these lines last a little longer because they contain pieces that can be used in alternate ways as well. For instance, take Crate Paper's Peppermint buttons, or the OA wrap pack, or the B-side of this JBS accessory sheet. They'll be in season, all year long.

Playing Catch-Up

2011-11-13T11:42:00.000-10:00

Is it just me, or have you also noticed that time seems to be moving faster than ever? Every time I sit down to do something it's time to get up to do something else. I know that this will just intensify as Thanksgiving and Christmas draw closer.

I've also been stockpiling layouts and projects to share, apparently.

The JBS November kit is really quite a beauty. It includes the new Red and Black extension line, which is easily my favorite Red and Black extension ever.

This layout pulls together the main kit and the antiquarian kit.

Every time I use an item from an antiquarian kit, I always use it so cautiously -- it's ephemera, not designed to last forever, but it's also a piece of history. I also know how much thought Jenni puts into selecting items for the kits (and how much hunting is involved as well), which in itself infuses pages with extra meaning.

This particular page was a challenge (which I talk about in the upcoming JBS Gazette), especially because it does not just document my grandmother's 85th birthday. It also documents the fact that she is losing her memory. I was not really sure at first how to convey the topic through the design and the page elements, but the kit helped me to tell the story. I also incorporated thread on the page, which represents my grandmother's memory. At times, everything comes together and makes sense, but at other times, her memory unravels.

The second page that I made uses the JBS November artisan kit, a kit that can be adapted for cute school-themed pages and more mature, refined pages as well.

I used the kit to help me showcase two photos that I recently discovered.

Not only was I amazed to find photos of my grandparents kissing, but when I flipped over one of the photos, I found my grandmother's handwriting there. I made sure to include her writing on the page as well.

I also had a bit (okay, a lot) of fun with paint and mist here.

My third page from this month's JBS gallery also uses the artisan kit. I used bits and pieces of it since the page itself is photo-heavy.

In addition to immersing myself in the JBS kits, I've also been getting crafty with JBS goodies. All this month on the JBS Inspiration blog, the design team is contributing ornaments to a communal Christmas garland. Here's mine:

If you're interested, you can find more details on the original post on the JBS Inspiration blog.

I know that it may seem to early for Christmas, but it's right around the corner! Our family rule has always been "no Christmas until after Thanksgiving," but I think that an exception can be made for cards and crafts. I'm about to start working on holiday cards, and I've been browsing the Two Peas in a Bucket gallery for ideas. I'm not the most savvy card-maker, but I really want to try to make all of my own cards and gift tags this year.

Speaking of Two Peas and holidays, here's a recent layout that I did about our gargantuan Halloween pumpkin, featuring the Bella Blvd. "Too Cute to Spook" collection.

It's rare to find a Halloween line that can work with almost any costume, isn't it? I just love those polka dots.

The last layout that I have to share was featured this past Tuesday on the October Afternoon blog, in a tutorial for stitched letters.

As I mentioned in the post, "Although we live in an age of die-cut machines and electronic cutting tools, sometimes there's just nothing quite like good ol' messy hand-cut charm." I stand by that statement!

Thanks for visiting!

11.11.11

2011-11-11T12:35:00.004-10:00

The annual Wahiawa Veterans' Day parade has been a tradition for 60 years, but this year, with the APEC conference being held here on island, the parade has been canceled. Just like that. The permit was denied, with the explanation that there would not be enough security available for the parade, since the parade would necessitate a lane closure. We aren't talking about a lane closure in Waikiki or Pearl City, mind you, which would no doubt lead to madness and mayhem. We are talking about a lane closure in Wahiawa, a small town where the residents have been accustomed to a one-lane closure each year on this date. No madness, no mayhem. Just respect.

So let's problem-solve. Perhaps a smaller than usual contingent of officers could be sent? Nope, because if (and it's an unlikely "if") anything went wrong, someone would sue, claiming that more officers should have been there. Also, the terrorists (or worse, the protestors) would sense the lack of a handful of officers and would storm the APEC conference. Perhaps some of the MP's from neighboring Schofield could be of assistance? Nope, not unless martial law is declared. Perhaps the parade should be held on another day? No, because apparently that would be "too close to Thanksgiving," whatever that means.

Bureaucracy for the win!

The point isn't really even the parade. It's what the permit rejection represents. It is what the parade represents. It is the fact that even as our hearts swell with pride as our troops and our veterans march by, they also ache, as they should. In this day and age, we often do not see very many public displays of patriotism -- patriotism detached from political agendas and consumerism, that is. The Veterans' Day parade is a celebratory and reverential occasion.

The fact that it was treated like any other event (except for APEC), and that it did not rank just as high or higher than the APEC conference ("which will be wonderful for Hawaii's economy", "which will show the world the true Aloha spirit," "which will bring glory to Hawaii") makes me really wonder about whether the system is working for us or failing us. It's just a parade, sure, but it is also a deeply meaningful 60-year tradition.

Why couldn't there have been a way around the red tape?

Stop Hopping!

2011-11-07T19:00:00.000-10:00

The Two Peas in a Bucket blog hop officially ended at midnight EST on November 7, so without further ado, a hearty congratulations is in order for...

which means it's time to give it up for...

Woo hoo, Annette! I definitely approve of your wish list picks. :) I just finished a Jillibean Soup layout not long ago, and I have some Bella Blvd on the way. As for the Two Peas love, well, you know I agree with you about that, too!

Thank you to all who stopped by my blog during the blog hop(s), and for sharing your wish list items. A few of them had me curious, so after some research, now my own wish list has become a LOT longer. Enablers, the lot of you.

Two for One Blog Hop!

2011-11-01T00:00:00.010-10:00

As luck would have it, I am participating in two -- count 'em, TWO -- blog hops today, which means DOUBLE the hopping for you! I'm pretty sure that means you can skip the gym today.

Welcome to the blog hop for The Crafter's Workshop and Balzer Designs! Back in September, I had a chance to use a few of the new stencils, and I am now most definitely a fan! How awesome is it that Julie invited me to play with even more stencils? Lucky me!

This layout, which focuses on my thoughts about teaching and learning at an all-girls school, offered the perfect opportunity to use a few of the "Faces" stencils, including Ava...

Edith and Maude...

and fresh-faced Summer...

Using the tried-and-true "ROYGBIV" formula, I worked from left to right, misting over the masks with each color, in order. After violet, I looped back around to red, orange, and yellow, for continuity's sake. Just above each face, I repeated the color order with patterned strips and accents.

Usually I try to stick to a color scheme that involves two or three predominant colors, but I couldn't resist the rainbow of possibilities here (har har). The mix of colors and patterns reminds me of the beautiful faces that I see each day as a teacher in an all-girls school.

Of course, this is just one of a number of ways to use these stencils. For more ideas, check out the other stops on today's blog hop:

Jen Cushman
Karen Grunberg
Paula Gilarde
Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

If you've made your way through all of the blogs and are still craving even more inspiration, you will LOVE the Balzer Designs Flickr pool.

On to the second blog hop...woo hoo!

Welcome to the Two Peas in a Bucket Garden Girl Blog Hop! "Garden Girl" is the title that we receive as designers for the Two Peas in a Bucket website. As Garden Girls, we create projects, host challenges, teach classes, and participate in Two Peas events, all designed to inspire your creativity.

This week, beginning on Tuesday, November 1 and ending at midnight EST on Monday, November 7, the Garden Girls are sponsoring special projects and giveaways on our personal blogs. Be sure to follow the list below as you hop from one blog to the next. Each Garden Girl is hosting her own giveaway, so be sure to read the instructions that detail how you can participate in each contest. If you get lost, simply either start at the beginning of the blog hop again, or skip to the next blog listed below.

Wendy Sue Anderson
Julie Campbell
Jenny Chesnick
Laura Craigie
Nancy Damiano
Jennifer Gallacher
Lynn Gahary
Jen Jockisch
Shimelle Laine
Jen Martakis
Kimber McGray
Becky Novacek
Kandis Smith
Jill Sprott (You're here!)
Shannon Tidwell (Go here next!)
Lisa Truesdell
Rebecca Trump
Jaime Warren
Kristina Nicolai-White

One of my most recent contributions to the Garden at Two Peas in a Bucket is the following layout:

I had such a blast playing with the new Studio Calico Mister Huey's Color Mists. In fact, I also used them in the "Why Here?" layout shared earlier in this post. These have been on my wish list for a while now, and I was so happy to finally have a chance to hold them in my eager little hands (and consequently turn those hands blue and red and green).

This brings me to my question -- what is at the top of YOUR Two Peas "wish list"? Given a $15 gift certificate, what item(s) from Two Peas in a Bucket would find its way into YOUR bucket of scrappy loot?

Leave a comment answering this question, and you will be entered to WIN that very gift certificate! One lucky winner will be announced after midnight on Monday, November 7 EST.

Thanks for hopping along with me!

One Week Later...

2011-10-30T15:56:00.003-10:00

I can't believe it's been a whole week since I last posted! I've been busy with school as well as with lots of scrappy endeavors. Though I can't share everything just yet, here's a peek at a few things that have been keeping me occupied:

I created this page for a Two Peas in a Bucket feature on Jillibean Soup. This is a line that, at first glance, seems to be oriented to the domestic sphere, but it can also be used for not-so-domestic topics, like this visit to the Waikiki Aquarium. Versatility is always a plus when it comes to any line.

I have a feeling that this is the Year of the Button for me. I can't get enough of them.

I've also had my hands (happily) full with the new Jenni Bowlin November kits, which feature the latest Red and Black Extension. The full reveal is right around the corner -- on the 31st -- but in the meantime, here are a few sneaks:

Those JBS letter stamps have me giddygiddygiddy.

I've also been playing with LOTS of Halloween lines, including the new JBS, Bella Blvd., My Little Shoebox, and American Crafts. 'Tis the season, right? Today I put together some very simple cards for Z's teachers.

Well, I'm off to go mend Z's Halloween costume. She's going as Dr. Horrible, but the coat is way too long right now. I'm not sure if I can figure out how to sew something other than paper. We'll see!

Saturday Acrostic

2011-10-22T13:26:00.007-10:00

Scrapfest continues on the JBS message board all weekend! Though weekday traffic made me late for Thursday's chat and caused me to miss Friday's chat altogether, I will most definitely be at tonight's chat. Even if you can't make the chats, you simply must stop by to check out the challenges and giveaways. My contribution to the list o' challenges is a journaling challenge: fill no less than 1/3 of a layout with journaling. Here's my attempt:

All Scrapfest challenge participants are eligible for a very special participation "perk" -- at the end of the weekend, the design team will be selecting the December JBS Mercantile guest designer from among the participants! Previously, the winner was Briana Johnson, who not only ended up being an amazing guest designer, but also ended up joining the design team.

This weekend I am also immersing myself in the wonder that is the JBS Mercantile November kit. I just received my box o' scrappy-happiness in the mail yesterday, and I nearly lost my mind marveling over its contents. We're talking about a brand new JBS line, stamps, and accents -- all of which are just perfect. This is my favorite JBS line ever -- and I'm not just saying that. This line speaks to my scrappy soul, I kid you not. My husband and daughter exchanged the "oh, she's crazy" look numerous times as I sifted through the contents of the box, oohing and aahing. Stay tuned for peeks soon!

Unfortunately, I've hit a little road block with my October mini-album. I fell behind this week, due to stacks of papers to grade, a house inspection (and the cleaning associated with it), a flu shot that left my entire arm aching and my head pounding, and a misplaced point-and-shoot camera. I'll get back on track soon (I hope), and will hopefully complete the album before next October. Ha.

"R" is the title of the layout that I shared this week on the October Afternoon blog, where Amy Heller and I teamed up for the "Thursday Sketch: Rethinking the Grid" feature.

Doing sketch-based layouts always seems to make the process go a little more quickly than usual. I have had the idea of a twine-based grid in my head for a while, and I worked it into the following sketch:

I like the idea of items being loosely embedded in the grid, peeking over and under it.

Another OA post this week included a card that I put together using the new Sidewalks Flower Sack.

I covered the front of the card with die-cut shapes and then misted over the shapes using one of the Sidewalks Sprinklers in Hopscotch. I then rearranged the shapes and sized them down one; for instance, I placed a medium-sized flower over a large negative space. There is actually a giveaway still going on, I believe, so if you'd like a chance to win a Flower Sack set, be sure to check out this post.

You also might enjoy wandering over to Two Peas in a Bucket to check out the Stamping A to Z event. I've been inspired daily! October is stamping month at Two Peas, and this special event devotes each day to a letter, highlighting products and techniques related to that letter. Yesterday's letter was "L," and I contributed a layout that plays with the technique of layering stamps:

More details can be found at Two Peas in a Bucket.

Have a happy Saturday!

Scrapfest Time!

2011-10-19T21:22:00.004-10:00

I have so been looking forward to this, and now it's finally here!

The JBS Scrapfest features four consecutive days of online chats, challenges, and giveaways. The first of the challenges will be up tomorrow, and the first chat will be at 9:00 CST tomorrow evening. I'll be hosting Saturday evening's chat, and I'll also be posting a journaling challenge.

I always have so much fun at these events. Seriously. The chat threads always have me in stitches, and I love seeing how everyone interprets the challenges. Whether you will be among the die-hards who have trouble stepping away for even five minutes for fear that they will miss a moment, or among those who just pop in to say hello from time to time during the weekend, I know we would all love it if you could join us!

Since we're on one of my favorite topics -- JBS -- I have a layout to share from one of this week's posts on the JBS Inspiration blog. Throughout the month of October, the team has been drawing inspiration from Jenni's layouts and style. Here is my Jenni-inspired layout:

More details can be found on the original post.

Ooh, and there's more Jenni love to share -- have you seen these? I've been dreaming of JBS letter stamps for(like)ever, and now, well, they're a dream come true. Happy sigh.

I hope to see you at Scrapfest!

And the Party Guest Is...

2011-10-17T18:18:00.005-10:00

Congrats, Manda!

As for the Pico de Gallo paper, I must agree -- it belongs on a dress!

Actually, I recently used a wee bit of it on a recent layout for Two Peas in a Bucket.

More details can be found right here.

Congrats again, Manda, and thank you to all who contributed some dress-worthy patterns to the mix!

Party at Shimelle's! Wanna Come?

2011-10-16T16:03:00.008-10:00

There are online classes for everything these days, and Shimelle has been teaching online scrapbooking classes for years - but she's decided it's time to kick it up a bit and go from online class to a four-week online party, and you're invited. Pretty Paper Party (http://www.shimelle.com/paper/1258/pretty-paper-party-a-new-online-scrapbooking-class/) is the party to attend if you have a collection of paper stacked up for a rainy day, if you have more scraps of paper than you know what to do with (but you know you don't want to throw them away!) and if you've ever put a piece of paper back in your stash because it was just too special for the photos at hand. Through printable prompts and tutorial videos, Shimelle and dozens of special party guests will share beautiful and innovative techniques you can achieve with the paper you have already collected.

Not only does this party sound like my kind of party, but I also have the honor of being a special party guest!

My mother taught me never to attend a party empty-handed, so here's a peek at what I'll be bringing:

If you're curious about what I'll be doing with these, and you would like me to hook you up with an invite, too, then you have come to the right place!

All you need to do to be entered for a chance to win a class pass to Pretty Paper Party is to leave a comment on this post, answering one simple question: If you could turn any sheet of patterned paper into a party dress, what paper would it be? Mention the name of the paper and the manufacturer (and a link, if you wish), and be sure to leave your email address too (if it isn't automatically linked to your name).

One lucky winner will be chosen by 6:00 p.m. Hawaii time (11:00 p.m. CST) tomorrow, Monday, October 16, and will be announced shortly thereafter in a follow-up post.

Though Shimelle's class officially begins tomorrow, she has assured me that it is perfectly acceptable to be fashionably late to this particular party. There are no class deadlines and every member of the class receives permanent access to all materials.

Just think -- by tomorrow evening, YOU may be that fashionably late guest entering the Pretty Paper Party, turning heads and making quite the impression. Wuh oh. That did it. I'm picturing Molly Ringwald in a pink prom dress and hearing OMD on repeat now.

October, Page by Page

2011-10-11T16:50:00.006-10:00

Not long ago I mentioned that there was some buzz on the JBS Mercantile Forum regarding October daily mini-albums, and since then, the project has officially commenced. Fellow JBS design team members Betsy, Waleska, and Briana have been sharing their mini-album ideas on their blogs (and I know that Doris has something in the works, too), and both the JBS gallery and the message board are full of great ideas and inspiration, too. I love the cover on this album from Alexa Gill , as well as Julie's album pages (and that lovely bow on the cover). If you've been working on an album, I'd love to see it! Link me up!

As for me? Page by page, day by day, my album is coming together. I even shared a few peeks at my pages and process in the JBS mid-month gallery and the October issue of the JBS Mercantile Gazette.

Fully aware of my procrastinating tendencies, I designed the album so that it would be low-maintenance: one photo a day, a minimum of one journaling blurb (written as a list of memory fragments), and the addition of one or two accents per page. So far, so good! At the end of the month I will assemble everything.

The mid-month gallery also features an additional layout I did with the antiquarian kit. This one is...heavy.

This layout just might be the answer to a question that I was asked a few weeks back: "Do you ever create negative layouts?"

Certainly there is truth in fiction and vice-versa, but I don't want to "spin" a memory as positive if it isn't positive. I want to put myself out there on the page, honestly, and if it comes across as negative, then it is what it is. If I don't tell my stories the way that I remember them, then who else will tell them, and how will they tell them? I say, life is messy; document the messy, too.

I want this layout to say, no, it is not okay that this happened to my family. It is not okay that there was so much pretending and so much pain. It is not okay that everyone in our family (with the exception, perhaps, of one) emerged from this time disillusioned, lacking in trust and feeling cheated. It is not okay to dismiss this part of our lives with a flippant "it happens, marriages end, people get divorced, live with it" because the story is about the "living with it," and the story is about the learning from it, too. So maybe it is negative, or maybe it is honest, or maybe it is a positive thing that I finally said what I needed to say.

Remember Me?

2011-10-08T20:54:00.000-10:00

I've fallen off the radar this week, as you may have noticed, judging my lack o' posting here. It's been a hectic week, but a good kind of hectic. All week, students have been in and out of my class at recess, lunch, and after school, since this week was their last chance to submit any absentee work, make final revisions to essays, and take any missed quizzes before the official end of the first quarter. I've also been working with the speech team members, who had their first meet of the year today. They did so well, and supported each other wonderfully. It's going to be a good year.

At the moment, though, now that all deadlines and competitions have passed (for now), I finally have a chance to be still, and it feels...odd. The adrenaline rush has subsided, and I am sort of dazed. Luckily, I now have time to pay attention to my much-neglected blog, and I have a scrappy share for you!

Wednesday's October Afternoon blog post from fellow design team member Stacey Kingman featured the new October Afternoon fabric. Stacey challenged me to create a layout incorporating the fabric, and I was all too happy to comply. I worked it in on the background of a layout about my great-grandmother.

This layout features a story that has been told in my family for three generations.

The idea of my great-grandmother's ghost visiting my aunt used to frighten me when I was little, but as I got older, I came to understand that this was less of a ghost story and more of a love story. My aunt swears that it was not a dream, and though I cannot say for sure whether I believe in ghosts or not, something in me believes this story.

Where There Is Rain...

2011-10-03T20:28:00.000-10:00

Today it started raining, and it continued raining all afternoon.
It's still drizzling now.

Can I just say how happy this makes me?
It has to be a sign of fall, for sure.
Where I live, fall = rain.
Well, winter = rain and spring = rain, too,
but this is different.
This is autumn rain. I just know it.
It makes the air feel crisp and clean.
It makes me want to crawl into bed at eight in the evening
and stay in bed until ten in the morning.

Granted, where there is rain,
there is also

wet dog.

Even so, I'm all about fall right now.

(Layout details may be found at Two Peas in a Bucket.)

You can find more fall project inspiration right here as well.

I'm off to embrace another aspect of fall that I love: fall TV!

Gossip Girl, here I come...

Forward Thinking

2011-09-30T21:11:00.001-10:00

Today I received some happy mail:

Each year I order a letterpress calendar from Ilee's Etsy shop, and this year's calendar is, as always, a paper lover's dream. At the end of the year, the pages convert beautifully to a mini-album -- gotta love that!

Speaking of mini-albums, tomorrow I will officially begin the October daily mini-album project. A few weeks ago, a thread on the JBS Mercantile message board caught my eye. Doris Sander mentioned the possibility of starting a daily album, to be compiled throughout the month of October, since there are so many events going on through the course of the month. Brilliant, I thought. I'm so in. I love October.

Although some people have already assembled their albums, I'm going to take it day by day at first, working on individual pages as I go. I'll be using the October JBS project kit, which includes an uber-cute Studio Calico woodgrain mini-album, along with a few more papers from the October kits.

We'll see where it takes me! I'll be sharing my progress in the upcoming issue of the JBS Gazette.

Tonight the JBS October kits were revealed, and I must say, I am quite smitten, and understandably so. Just look.

There's the main kit...

and the Antiquarian kit (used in the layout I shared in my last post)...

and the Artisan kit...

This layout pulls together items from the main and artisan kits:

I'll have more to share in the mid-month gallery!

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to starting that album tomorrow. Care to join in?

Trimming the Fat

2011-09-25T19:33:00.013-10:00

My husband and I were talking today about how we can start living more frugally, and as we both examined our "guilty" lists, it did not take me very long to figure out what was at the top of mine:

My morning Starbucks.

I am an addict. I will admit it. I am an addict who is so not interested in a 12-step kick-the-Starbucks-habit program, but I will make an attempt nonetheless. After all, I'm spending about $100 a month there. Crazy.

What's odd is that I don't crave it at all on weekends or vacations. The addiction is built into my weekday routine. I suppose that's a good thing to recognize, since it means that all I need to do to change my wayward behavior is to change my routine.

I also know that my Starbucks preference is related to time. Since I commute pretty far to work in the morning, Starbucks is just convenient. However, it's too costly -- both money-wise and health-wise. Not long ago, our household declared a soda moratorium. In just the course of a month, my husband lost weight, and noticeably so. As for me, I pretty much maintained my weight, because even though I had cut out soda, I was still getting my daily Starbucks fix.

It's time for a change. We'll see how it goes...I've tried this before, when I gave it up for Lent last year. It worked pretty well, but when the school year started in August, I fell off the wagon. Big time.

As for the second item on the chopping block, I'm bidding farewell to my Studio Calico subscription. I've been a subscriber since January 2008. It was a difficult choice to make, but I know it's for the best. I'm sure that I just made someone on the SC waiting list very happy.

Being frugal kind of sucks. Will I ever be the kind of person to go into raptures when she saves $0.40 thanks to a coupon?

It's humbling, though, to identify the excess in our lives, and to recognize when it is justified and when it is not. Hopefully by reducing some of the overspending, and embracing the philosophy of the ant rather than the grasshopper, we will become wiser in the process.

Anyway, enough about saving. One place I can splurge without reservation is on my layouts. Now that is one addiction I don't have to worry about kicking.

Here's a sneak peek at the October Jenni Bowlin antiquarian kit:

Last night, while going through some old photos, I discovered this photo of my grandparents and the grandkids, circa 1978. I love that it's not perfectly posed, and that our personalities are shining through. The antiquarian kit is full of items that relate to numbers and finance, so I centered the page around the idea of indebtedness. My grandparents invested so much in their grandchildren. They devoted themselves to us tirelessly. Just as the photo demonstrates, we must have exhausted them, but they kept on smiling, kept on loving us, no matter what. Because of them, I learned to love without limits.

Tomorrow, my daughter will celebrate Grandparents' Day at school with her grandmother. I wonder how she will reflect someday on the role of her grandparents in her life. I wish we could all be closer, the way that I was with my own grandparents when I was a kid. I had an extended family rather than a nuclear family. It was a true blessing. We can be frugal with our resources, but there can never be too much love. In spending time with our families, we save them.

Camera Shy

2011-09-22T22:27:00.000-10:00

I don't know what's up with me lately.
I haven't been taking many photos,
and now that I'm in the mood to scrap,
the well has run dry.
Uh oh. Bad bad. I need to fix that, pronto.

I think the problem is that I haven't really surfaced lately,
and because I have been so preoccupied with so many other things,
I haven't noticed many "photo-worthy" moments.
Noticing, after all, takes time and patience,
a special kind of willingness to tilt one's head
and shift one's perspective,
but I've been too swept up in the busy-ness of life
to take the time to really see through the lens,
to focus, and wait for the click.

It doesn't help that my camera hasn't been cooperative with me.
For every two pictures I take lately, I get three or four error messages.
I thought it was the lens at first, but I get the error messages
even when I switch out the lens. Argh.
I think it's time for a new camera.
If only... (hint, hint, Santa Claus).

Anyway, I will be taking my point-and-shoot with me
everywhere I go for the next few days,
in the hopes that I will remember just how great the view can be
from the other side of the lens.
Perspective. That's what I need.

Since I am short on photos lately, I had to dig deep -- as in, 35 years back --
in order to create this layout:

(More details can be found at Two Peas in a Bucket)

Ha. Yep, that's little me.
I love the "baby" feel to the layout. I miss scrapping baby photos.
Maybe I should ask Santa for a baby instead.
A baby and a camera. :)
Or just a really cute camera. Or a photogenic baby. Either way.

Stencil Hop 2011: The Crafter's Workshop and Balzer Designs

2011-09-20T00:00:00.022-10:00

Welcome to the blog hop for The Crafter's Workshop and Balzer Designs! I am so incredibly flattered that one of my longtime crafty idols, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, has asked me to participate.

In cooperation with The Crafter's Workshop, Julie has designed some amazing stencils. My first experience using one of them was in the JBS September Artisan kit, and, like the rest of the design team, I had so much fun with it! The stencil is thick enough not to lift up when ink is sprayed or paint is rubbed over it, heavy enough not to allow colors to bleed, and what's more, even after it takes on multiple coats of color, it still washes cleanly quite easily.

Today's post features the new Henna Hands stencil.

I started off just playing around a bit...

and then I played some more...

and I would have kept playing, but in the midst of my misty reverie, my dog Mazie flopped down by my legs, doing that not-so-subtle rolling-around-on-her-back move that let me know she wanted a belly rub. Perfect timing. As luck would have it, I suddenly had an idea for a layout:

Hands and belly rubs? What's one without the other?

In addition to using the hands on the layout, I also zoomed in on the patterns in the middle of each palm, spraying a little mist here and there (alternating green and yellow) to bring out the pattern. It's kind of an earthy background, just right for a layout about my filthy, dirty, belly-rub-loving, always-adorable pup.

This is just one of many ways to use this stencil. For more ideas, check out the other stops on today's blog hop if you haven't already:

Ronda Palazzari
Tammy Tutterow
Danielle Flanders
Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

If you are just starting here, then head over to Julie's blog for some inspiration! You are guaranteed to find it there.

Thanks for visiting!

Learning As I Go

2011-09-15T21:06:00.003-10:00

I have this idea to videotape the project-making process -- kind of a time-lapse thing -- just so that I can better understand that mysterious methodology that takes us from nothing to something, from something to something more, and from something more to something wonderful.

It would be different from what you see in online tutorials and classes. Those kinds of videos require foresight and careful planning. What I'm longing for is "raw" footage. The only agenda would be "do your thing." It would be a simple undertaking, involving a camera focused on a desktop, recording over 30 or 60 or 120 minutes or whatever it takes for a project to materialize. The final cut would feature a sped-up version of this process -- a pair of hands, a page coming together, a creative mind at work. Maybe a cool soundtrack, too. :)

I've been turning the idea around in my head for a bit. Maybe one day I'll actually try it.

I kind of wish I had flipped on the camera when I started these October Afternoon projects:

I put together this layout for the OA CHA booth, using the new Farmhouse collection (which, by the way, you have a chance to win on the OA blog if you post a comment there before September 26).

Had the camera been rolling as I created this layout, it would have captured my hands cutting and tearing piece after piece of these gorgeous patterned papers, inking them and splattering mist on them, and moving them around this way and that in an attempt to create this collage background. That would be pretty entertaining to watch in fast-forward, now that I think of it -- a flurry of paper and color.

Looking at the layout now, I can see the design logic -- the attempt to create visual triangles, and to achieve a sense of balance by following the tried-and-true "what you do to one side, do to the other" rule.

As beautiful as the papers and accents are, however, the heart of this page is its journaling. Most of the other page elements relate to it in some way.

This week's October Afternoon blog also features a Tuesday Tutorial post by yours truly. I tried something new and I think it actually worked! It's a pocket-page mini-album.

I just started folding paper and trimming it, and before I knew it, I had put together page after page and had this mini-album to show for it. You can find the full tutorial here.

I'm not alone in embracing the idea of life-long scrapping/life-long learning. Today, the September issue of the JBS Mercantile Gazette was released, and it is full of evidence that we on the design team are learning as we go, in a good way. It's fascinating to me to read about others' processes and sources of inspiration.

Now, if I could just find a way to capture that process on camera...hmm....

Turning a Page

2011-09-12T20:27:00.002-10:00

Looking at this month's JBS gallery has got me thinking not just about what we as scrapbookers bring to the page, but also about what the page brings to us.

Over the years, I have read and reread blog posts in which some of my favorite scrapbookers have said farewell to the craft in favor of other endeavors. I have read more than enough of those message board posts in which people question whether they should just sell all of their supplies and walk away from the hobby. Though each person who says goodbye to scrapbooking has a reason for doing so, I will confess that each time I read one of these farewell addresses, a part of me is forced to consider the question of whether all scrapbookers will fall out of love with the hobby eventually. Is it inevitable?

And then...
I turn another page in the album,
and sit down to create the next page

and the next
and the next, and...
if you love scrapbooking as much as I do,
you know what follows.
You keep coming back,
you keep turning those pages,
because there is still so much left to say.
I don't know how people say goodbye to this, because I can't.

I am so not out of love with scrapbooking,
with "putting my world in perspective on paper."

Maybe it isn't for everyone, though. Of course, I say that, but it is difficult to fathom, I admit, because I still experience such a rush when I immerse myself in the process of creating a page or project. Maybe the people who say goodbye to scrapbooking have found or are searching for other interests that give them that feeling. Here's hoping that those who have said goodbye are lucky enough to say hello to something that moves them and thrills them. The passion is the point, in whatever form it takes. It is definitely worth seeking, because when it is found, there is nothing quite like it.

Back to School with OA

2011-09-10T17:16:00.004-10:00

I have always been something of a school supply aficionado. The school supply aisle is one of the most colorful and welcoming aisles in any store, and just standing there gives me all sorts of ideas. When it comes time to start school again each year, I look forward to our trek to Office Max, and throughout the year, when I run out of ink in a pen as I'm correcting papers, I feel a little flutter of glee, because I know that it won't be long before I get to splurge on supplies once again.

Well, it was back-to-school time on the October Afternoon blog this week, so you KNOW how excited that made me! Here's my contribution:

I spray-painted clothespins and adhered papers from the Sidewalks and Schoolhouse lines to them. I'll use them to help me organize the ever-present paper stacks that I transport to and from school with me.

Who knew that I could get my school supply fix without having to leave home?

On Passion and Process

2011-09-07T17:43:00.014-10:00

“If you want to be a remarkable teacher, get a hobby." So says Marco Antonio Torres, who, I have discovered, has a knack for saying just what I need to hear.

Torres is in town for the HAIS conference this week, which I will not be attending (sadly), but I did have the pleasure of hearing him speak yesterday evening. The moment he started to connect teachers and hobbyists, I could sense a blog post in the making!

Torres asked so many important questions, and there was one particular question he posed repeatedly: "How do you develop ideas?"

Really think about that. In scrapbooking, we may share the product, but it is the process of generating and developing ideas that is truly fascinating and that seems to fuel the kinds of conversations we have with each other in public forums. Questions relating to process, requests for tutorials, inspiring links, and descriptions of our techniques often appear on message boards and in our posts on our blogs, and accompany our pages in galleries. If we only ever shared the product, the "community" aspect of scrapbooking would be impacted. If we did not feel the push to be innovative, we might never create, or dare to use the words "fun" or "play" to describe what we do.

Torres mentioned that hobbyists will defend their passions. Many teachers, on the other hand, often concede too easily when criticism comes their way. Sure, teachers will defend teaching itself, but when it comes to defending their practice, why they do the things they do or don't do, many tend to point to walls in front of them.

This is precisely why Torres declares to groups of teachers, "If you want to be a remarkable teacher, get a hobby." Why? "Hobbyists don't see walls," he claims. "They see obstacles."

I can definitely see that playing out in my own creative process as a scrapbooker. The word "can't" doesn't really occur to me as I create. If I have an idea, I push and pull it until it translates somehow to the page. I make it work.

Is this true of me as a teacher? I would hope so, but I know that I still have far to go.

According to Torres, "Hobbyists love to learn," they "have evidence of how they learn," and what's more, "they love to share." Sound familiar, my scrappy friends?

Is this true of scrapbookers? Pretty much!

Is this true of teachers? Now that is the question.

So this is it: I have been challenged to become more of a learner with and less of a teacher to my students. It's what I've been doing all along as a scrapbooker, never claiming to be an expert, perfectly content (and even happy) to be a learner among other learners.

Who knew that my scrapper self could have something to teach my teacher self?

I'll leave you with a few shares from the lovely new JBS September kits.

Idea: unifying the multiple photos not just by bringing them close together, but also by framing them through overlapping white lines.

Idea: journaling inspired by the juxtaposition of black and white photos and brightly colored papers.

Idea: bringing the outdoors to the page by splattering grass and dirt (figuratively speaking) on cardstock and going green.

It's funny -- since hearing Torres speak last night, I can't help but see these with fresh eyes, asking myself, "How do you develop ideas?" and realizing that it is learning and innovation that keep bringing me back around to this incredible and worthwhile hobby.

35 and 25 and 15 and 5...

2011-09-05T10:58:00.004-10:00

Years ago I read Sandra Cisneros's short story, "Eleven," and experienced one of those moments of recognition, in which the story and my story seemed to converge.

"...when you're eleven, you're also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one..."

This is exactly how I feel whenever I stop to consider my age and what it all means. I am made of layers, or, in Whitman's words, "I contain multitudes."

When I was a kid, I remember thinking that 35 was old.

Now that I'm 35, I know better, but that kid in me is still there, still telling me that by now, by 35, I should be more settled, more stable. I don't feel as if I have somehow "arrived," that I have peaked. Nope. If anything, I'm unsettled. The five-year-old wants to play with paper and watch TV. The fifteen-year-old wants to sleep in all the time. The twenty-five-year-old can't stop checking Anthropologie for sales. The thirty-five-year old is starting to worry about retirement plans. They're all in there, so "35" just doesn't quite sum it up for me.

While thinking about this the other day, I realized that some scrap therapy was definitely in order. It was time to address the figurative layers with some literal ones:

(Full details may be found at Two Peas in a Bucket.)

In my description of the layout on Two Peas in a Bucket, I mentioned that "I don't need to 'act my age' if I accept the fact that there is no script to follow." I need to hold on to that idea whenever I find myself thinking that by age #, I should be blah-blah-blah-ing. I really don't want to be one of the those people who measures my life solely in terms of years, who obsesses about her age, or who, when asked about her age, plays coy or appears to be insulted. If I have learned anything about age over the years, it is that age really is just a number, and mine isn't up yet.

Lately-ing.

2011-08-31T20:11:00.015-10:00

Lately, I've been...

...reading and discussing The Scarlet Letter with my juniors, and Fahrenheit 451 with my seniors. This week we're shifting to The Great Gatsby (juniors) and Pride and Prejudice (seniors). I am ALL for spending my days with Gatsby and Darcy.

...making cards using the new Little Flyers stickers and Sidewalks line from October Afternoon.

...longing for a new camera. Any ideas for a decent replacement for a Canon Digital Rebel XTi (and ideally in a similar price range)?

...oohing and aahing over the September JBS kits.

I just received mine, so I wasn't able to contribute to tonight's gallery reveal, but I will be gleefully churning out some projects to share at the mid-month gallery reveal on the 10th. I am beside myself, looking through the gallery at times; I am so honored to be on a team with such talented and insanely creative people. It's amazing to see what happens when we all look at the same product and interpret its possibilities in various ways. (ETA: The gallery was having some technical difficulties, so check out this post for now for some glimpses of what the team has done.)

...participating in Design School at Two Peas in a Bucket. Each week features lessons and layouts relating to two principles of design. As I worked on the layout below, I focused on what is easily my favorite principle: repetition.

More details about how I applied this principle may be found here.

I also have another layout featured on Two Peas. This one is a back-to-school layout about my favorite freshman. I so love back-to-school supplies -- even the scrapbooking kind!

Isn't she cute with her Converse? Classic.

You can find out more details about the layout here.

...waiting ever so patiently for the new seasons of Psych, Modern Family, and Gossip Girl to begin. In the meantime, I'm liking the current seasons of True Blood and Flipping Out. I had almost given up on True Blood after the last few seasons, and the first episode of this season had me thinking it really was time to call it quits, but then, miraculously, the show drew me in again. It must be the extra helping of Eric this season. The more, the better.

...listening to Mark Ronson. My daughter discovered him recently and shared the love.

...indoctrinating my daughter. In return for her enlightening me as to the funky wonder that is Mark Ronson, I'm doing some sharing of my own. Over the next few weeks she'll continue her education in John Hughes 101. We just watched Sixteen Candles the other day. Today on the radio the DJ made a reference to Long Duck Dong and she totally got it. She laughed, then gasped, her eyes widening, and she looked at me, and we both knew in that moment that she had become far more awesome than she had been prior to watching the film. Next on the list? The Breakfast Club.

...looking forward to the three-day weekend. An extra hour or two of sleep each night would be wonderful. Why did I ever fight sleep as a kid? I'm far, far wiser now.

Care to Chat?

2011-08-28T08:35:00.005-10:00

Today I'll be chatting about my Miss Art's class, if you'd like to stop by and say hello! More information can be found here.

ETA: For your entertainment...here is a partial recording of the chat, in case you want to observe my quirky eyebrows at work, or my giggling self try to shape thoughts into words. I know it looks like I'm talking to myself, but I'm actually interacting with questions posted on live chat.

A Week in the Life

2011-08-23T20:15:00.006-10:00

This month not only marks a return to the classroom for me, but it's also "Back to School" month on the Jenni Bowlin Studio Inspiration blog. Today's post was by yours truly, featuring a layout that came together day by day last week.

I brought my camera to school with me and, with my daughter's help, snapped a few pics at the end of each day (which is when I tended to remember that I had the camera in my bag).

The journaling is a simplified version of some of the events and tasks of each day.

I think the highlight of the week was discovering that my AP syllabus had been approved by the College Board. I worked so hard on it, and I was worried that it would be bounced back for additional revisions. I definitely pulled out my happy dance when I received that confirmation email!

Speaking of excuses for happy dancing, Miss Art's Papercrafting School is offering a FREE class. Here's the info:

The kids are heading back to school and you should, too!

The headmistress at Miss Art's knows that new backpacks, school supplies, and first day apparel can reduce a crafter's budget to milk money, so for this weekend only she is offering you a tuition free class. Beginning on Friday, August 26th, you will have 3 days to check out one of our most popular classes for free, no subscription needed. In "The Secret Garden," the talented Stacy Cohen teaches you how to create a shadowbox effect on your layouts by adding dimension through layering and creating beautiful floral clusters. Stacy even earns a little extra credit by providing you a step-by-step demonstration on how she creates her trademark crocheted page accents. We hope to see you in the classroom, and if you enjoy our class, that you'll be kind enough to leave an apple or a comment for the teacher.

Here is a peek at Stacy's class:

I have worked with Stacy on two design teams, Shimmerz and Lily Bee, and I can attest to her crazy talent! She really is amazing -- especially when it comes to creating unique handmade accents -- and knowing Stacy, this class will not disappoint.

The Call and the Response

2011-08-22T18:09:00.005-10:00

Today all of the Catholic schools island-wide gathered for our annual back-to-school Mass, which is always followed by a guest speaker. This year's guest, Father Ken Templin, was the best kind of speaker -- hilarious, vibrant, and inspirational, with a meaningful message: Nemo dat quod non habet.

That is, you cannot give what you have not got.

That may not seem like an inspirational message to some, but Father Ken really put into perspective the fact that teachers do not fuel themselves, time alone does not carry schools forward, and students do not grow and mature independently of communities. What drives us forward is faith.

There is a call that we must answer if we are to move forward and make a difference; the call demands that we recognize what our vocations ask of us. It involves giving what we can give, and giving of ourselves genuinely. I don't think this applies just to teaching. It is a gift, to be called to a particular vocation, and it is a gift we give in return when we say yes, over and over, in our words and actions, with our lives and livelihoods.

No written contract can adequately define what it means to be a teacher, or what this vocation really asks of those who say "yes" to it. However, Father Ken did share something that does make progress toward that end -- a retooled version of the Beatitudes:

Blessed are You who are called to teach, for you walk in the footsteps of the Master.

Blessed are You who sow peace and harmony in the staff room; yours will be the joy of the Lord.

Blessed are You who plant seeds of hope in youthful hearts, for you will inherit the dawn.

Blessed are You who are sensitive to the cries of youth today, for they yearn for the coming of my Kingdom.

Blessed are You when you share your faith with others, for your name is written in my heart.

Blessed are You who anguish now because your students are difficult, for one day they will thank you for loving concern.

Blessed are You when efficiency is moderated by compassion and empathy, for the deeper secret of education is yours.

Blessed are You when you reach out to me in your students, for you will surely find me and rejoice.

Blessed are you who lead your people in paths of justice and peace, for you will shine like stars for all eternity.

-- Raul F. Muyong, Ed. D.

Even a teacher in a non-parochial school, or anyone who teaches in any capacity, really, can find themselves in these words. Faith comes in many forms, and it need not be linked to religion. It is a different kind of knowing. I think we all teach from faith, if we are truly teachers. After all, take faith out of the equation, and what is left? Teaching becomes...a job...a paycheck (and you KNOW that no teacher does this for the money)...a routine. And if teaching is just regarded as a job, then what's the point? Where's the passion? Where is the hope and the investment and the vision? There can be no learning under those conditions, just as there can be no life without the heart, and no gift without a giver.

BusyBusyBusyBusyBusy

2011-08-17T21:39:00.002-10:00

After watching The Race to Nowhere last year, I swore that I would not become a "pusher" parent. My daughter, though, has her own mind and seems to be interested in everything these days. She does know her limits, however, and realizes that if she is stretched too thin, there's no point in participating in anything. She's chosen her commitments carefully this year. In fact, her balancing act is the subject of a layout that I did for this week's October Afternoon challenge:

Kinsey, that crafty genius, came up with this "one of everything" challenge, which I found to be both brilliant and horrifying at first. Me? Use only ONE of each item? No way. When it came down to it, though, it turned out to be an awesome challenge. I found myself thinking really carefully about which supplies I used, and why. Every single item on the layout helps to tell a story. If you're looking for a real challenge, this one is definitely worth attempting.

She Lives!

2011-08-14T00:22:00.005-10:00

After a week of being AWOL from the blog, I'm finally posting. Sorry about that. Where have I been, you may ask?

I survived the first week of school! I've been in teacher mode all week. Getting back into the groove and ensuring a smooth transition requires that I spend my days fully focused and my evenings overplanning (or, in other words, in a constant state of panic). Thus, the lack of blog love this week.

I love my students. They're so bright and eager. Let's hope it lasts!

My feet, on the other hand, aren't feeling very loved. I tried to break in a new pair of shoes on Thursday. Heels, in fact. They were SO comfortable and way too cute in the shoe store, but five minutes into my school day, I knew that I had made a terrible mistake. Never again. Ugly teacher shoes it is. Cute is a luxury. Heels are for Carrie Bradshaw, not Ms. Sprott.

Anyway, the weekend is here, and I made some time for a little cut-and-paste in my life, and boy, did I need it. I'll have two pages to share soon!

In the meantime, I'm happy to share this mini-album, which I created using the Jenni Bowlin August project kit and some August kit odds and ends. It's the perfect size to house one of my favorite prayers, the Prayer of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. I'll keep the album in my desk at school, so that I can turn to it when I need to center myself or refresh my perspective.

I actually discovered this prayer written in a student's book at the end of last year. As a graduating senior, she had donated her books so that other students might be able to use them, and when I went through the books, I noticed that she had written something in the inside cover of one of them. It was this prayer, and it just overwhelmed me to know that these words had touched her heart as they had touched mine. She kept the prayer near to her by writing it in one of her books, so I will keep the prayer near to me as well.

I can't believe this weekend is almost over! I'll try not to be a stranger this week!

P.S. "The Words to Say It," my class at over at Miss Art's, is now open!

Four Days Away!

2011-08-06T23:21:00.000-10:00

In just four days, my first class EVER will be available at Miss Art's Papercrafting School. You can find out more information here. Here are a few more sneaks from the class:

A Good Run

2011-08-05T17:51:00.001-10:00

I've said my goodbyes to summer...

(More details here).

and for the past two weeks, I've been gearing up for the new school year, attending classes and meetings, planning lessons, writing syllabi, reading book after book, and compiling materials. Most of all, I've been wondering about my students and praying that I will do right by them.

Among the recurring themes that have emerged during our faculty and staff back-to-school meetings was the importance of building relationships My back-to-school goal is to foster more meaningful relationships with others, and to really try my best to know my students and to see them for who they really are.

One of the worst (and probably one of the best, in retrospect) comments I've ever received from a student in an evaluation was "talk to us, not at us." Ouch. Had I become the very teacher that I was trying to avoid becoming? It was a wake-up call, however, to the fact that I may not have been reaching some students because I was not reaching out to students enough. Being naturally shy -- and living in my own head too often -- it has been a lifelong challenge for me to overcome my introverted tendencies. I have come far, but I know that I still have important work to do. Hopefully, this school year I will make even more progress.

Moving in a Still Frame

2011-08-02T21:54:00.003-10:00

Today's Tuesday Tutorial post on the October Afternoon blog features step-by-step instructions for how to assemble this frame, by yours truly. It's kind of a landmark moment for me, as I rarely venture into the world of altered projects. When it came to this project, however, I sort of fell naturally into it, since I had been piecing it together in my head for some time. When I held the new Farmhouse collection in my hands, I knew that it was finally time to attempt this project. My sweet husband even contributed to the effort, generously playing errand boy by locating the frame, spray paint, and screws for me, and making sure that I did not inadvertently take my own life with the screwdriver. His steady hands definitely earned their guest spot in the tutorial.

Since the post went live this morning, I've received such positive feedback, and I've even seen the frame popping up on Pinterest here and there. So not only is it a kick that the frame actually exists outside of my head now, but it's also affirming to know that so many people seemed interested in actually trying this. It's not overly ambitious or difficult, and it can easily be adapted to fit one's personal style. The tutorial just provides the framework. Har har.

Goodbye Hello

2011-07-31T21:52:00.000-10:00

Goodbye, July.
Hello, August!

Goodbye to long and lazy summer days,
and hello to the busy excitement of the new school year.

Goodbye to sleeping in and staying up late,
and hello to contending with the adversarial alarm clock once again.

Goodbye to tank tops, boxer shorts, and bare feet,
and hello to blazers, skirts, and heels.

Goodbye to planning and anticipation,
and hello to the arrival of another chance to start fresh.

Goodbye to waiting,
and hello to the new JBS August kits!

This month we're also saying hello to two new members of the JBS team, Briana Johnson and Mindy Miller. Check out the rest of the gallery here.

First Class!

2011-07-29T19:36:00.001-10:00

Even though I am entering my fourteenth year of teaching, and I have taught online courses before, it was quite an experience putting together my very first scrapbooking-related class at Miss Art's Papercrafting School. Like any other teaching experience, it was a labor of love, and I learned so much in the process. Here's a peek:

Longing for The Open Road

2011-07-24T19:40:00.009-10:00

I know, I know, I know.

I live in Hawaii, and I should know that the grass really isn't greener on the other side. It's as green as it gets here.

Still, sometimes I wish I lived on the mainland, so that I could just get in a car and drive.
And drive.
And drive.
(And not in circles.)

I love road trips.
I know some people (like my husband) aren't really fans of road trips, but I am all for the idea of exploring new terrain (with A/C, a decent soundtrack, and a stash of junk food) and seeing with fresh eyes. I get a kick out of silly billboards. I delight in crossing state lines and seeing "Welcome to..." signs. I'm fascinated by bridges. I study the surface of lakes, rivers, and swamps, wondering what kind of life teems beneath, wondering where they begin and end. I marvel at seeing how others live, how they create their own homes and spaces and communities, how they find ways to adapt to the land and the weather and each other. I'm amazed at how each town and each city has its own personality, its own identity. I'm fascinated at seeing how the past and present intersect.

I hate the idea that to take a "real" road trip, I have to pay big bucks for a plane ticket first. Even if I could afford the plane ticket, I am not a fan of planes. Give me the open road over the wild blue yonder.

Maybe the beauty of a true road trip, or any travel that places us in a position of having to find our way in the world, is that it presents us with the ability to forget ourselves; we are out of our element, unable to orient ourselves based on what is familiar.

That was the one distinct time in my life, the strangest moment of all, when I didn't know who I was — I was far away from home, haunted and tired with travel, in a cheap hotel room I'd never seen, hearing the hiss of steam outside, and the creak of the old wood of the hotel, and footsteps upstairs, and all the sad sounds, and I looked at the cracked high ceiling and really didn't know who I was for about fifteen strange seconds.

-- Jack Kerouac, On the Road

A few years ago we traveled from Florida to North Carolina, but only recently did I document our journey in one of my October Afternoon CHA layouts, using the new Boarding Pass line.

I'll have more CHA shares for you soon!

I Fly Like Paper

2011-07-23T09:54:00.010-10:00

A few weeks ago, I saw this stamp

and realized that it was time.

It was time to learn how to fold a paper airplane.

That's right -- I had no idea how to fold a paper plane. Somehow I had gone through elementary school without learning this important life skill. Somehow I had managed to compete in paper-plane throwing contests in science class without the teacher realizing that if you ask a ten-year-old boy to fold your plane for you, you don't need to ask him twice. Somehow I had even earned a Master's degree in English, the most paper-heavy subject of them all, without learning that it is not just words, but a few simple folds, that can set a piece of paper free.

When I saw that cute Penny Black stamp, I knew I had to create a paper plane to complement it on a layout for the Two Peas in a Bucket Garden. And so I did, with some help from YouTube and a how-to video clearly aimed at the age four-to-six demographic. I only had to watch it three times before it clicked.

The result?

I added a twine "jet stream", taking my cue from the image on the stamp (and amplifying the cuteness factor). I flipped the plane upside down so that it would be easier to adhere and less likely to be crushed when added to an album.

I know I'm not alone in my jubilation at finally learning how to fold a plane. The moment I learned, I shared it with the world (in a Facebook status update, that is) and received a fair amount of "likes" from the plane-folding community:

Poor Jen. I once knew that pain.

I'm starting to wonder if maybe paper planes have a future as a scrappy trend. I've been noticing some paper plane images on Pinterest lately that are being repinned quite often, and within two days of creating this layout, before I had even shared it with anyone, I noticed that Lexi Bridges added some really cute planes to her layout in a paper plane tutorial on the October Afternoon blog. It's crazy that we did this totally independently of each other, which makes me think that the time for paper planes has come. Can you imagine a line full of cute paper plane accents? I would so love that. I think AC had a paper a few years ago that incorporated a paper plane design, but I haven't seen much else by way of aerodynamic cuteness out there in scrappyland. It's time.

I'm just saying, if I can learn to fold a paper plane, then anything is possible.

Closing the Book

2011-07-22T18:05:00.002-10:00

Today my daughter and I visited Borders for the last time.

This is a big deal for me. One of my favorite places in the world is closing its doors.

The opening of Borders on island in 1993 also opened up a world of books that I would not have discovered otherwise. Because of the books I happened upon on those shelves over the years, I became the reader I am today and, by extension, the person I am today. Prior to that time, we only had a smattering of small bookstores with limited inventory, and the nearby public libraries really only stocked mainstream books and bestsellers.

Of course, since 1993, a lot has changed, and online stores and e-readers have changed the industry. People's relationships to books are changing. The paper book is dying, and I know this sounds melodramatic -- because it likely is -- but it feels like a part of me is dying, too. As a reader, my habitat is not just threatened; it will vanish by the end of the month.

I have a limited number of happy places, and one of them is the -- was the -- bookstore.

I know, I know, there are other options out there, and I am a fan of Amazon, so it is not as if I have been cut off from books altogether, but I use Amazon to buy my "sure thing" books, the ones I don't need to hold in my hands, or browse through before reading; I use it to order my obscure or specialized books, the ones that Borders doesn't stock or has trouble keeping on the shelves. So yes, I understand that in some way, giving Amazon my business has made me culpable; it has contributed to the death of Borders. However, it is not as if I have neglected my local bookstore -- trust me on that. My empty wallet and overflowing bookshelves are the proof.

In any case, it's the end of an era, and how did I mourn?
I bought a bunch of books, of course!

The art section had been raided (so much for starving artists, unless they've been spending all their money on books instead of food), but I found a few gems. I think this one was my favorite find:

You can find out more about it here, and see some of the images that it contains. After looking through it for just a few minutes, I realized the potential this book has to revolutionize the way I journal. And mostly, it's just cool.

I also picked up a book that I've been longing to read for some time:

Clearly my love for books will not end with the closing of Borders. Amazon will come to appreciate me and my book addiction even more than it already does.

Still, I feel a little disoriented. I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes, from Elaine Scarry:

"How one walks through the world, the endless small adjustments of balance, is affected by the shifting weights of beautiful things."

Something is shifting right now, something that once gave me a sense of balance, and I think that's why the world feels a little off-kilter. I'm not one to fight progress, but this doesn't feel like progress. It just feels like an ending.