random reflections

Sweet Baby Card

Our niece, Alyssa, just had a baby girl. I used the new Clean & Simple Sketch 123 as a starting place for the card. I had thought might also meet the monochromatic pink challenge on Moxie Fab, but decided my pink was too bright and the patterned paper probably disqualified it.

Here's the sketch:

And the card for Alyssa:

Cardstock: BoBunny Dotted & pink from scrap drawer; patterned paper: Happy Spots & Bitty Dots (Papertrey Ink); Stamps: Bitty Baby Blessings; ribbon: Paper Source

There's still time to leave a comment here if you're interested in reading The Book of Inspiration. I'll be back tonight with the winner of the next Pass the Book recipient.

 

 

Journal Your Christmas, Finally!

This was my fifth journal, and frankly, the most difficult one I ever did. As soon as I saw Ali Edward's set-up for her December Daily, I knew I wanted to give it a try. If I had thought about it more carefully, I would have known it was overly ambitious. I liked doing a 90% digital album (a new experience for me), and I enjoyed using Ali's templates and overlays. Finally, however, I had to admit I couldn't complete a two-page spread for even 25 days. So I put a disclaimer in the front of the journal and called it done.

Will I do another journal next year? Probably. I'm always happy to look back at the differences from one holiday to the next and the special events that are unique for a given year. I've certainly covered our traditions and customs in earlier journals, so from now on I'll stick to the new and special events of the season.

I had some nice red chipboard in my stash that I wanted to use as the cover. I couldn't decide how to decorate it, but finally used one of the KI Memories overlays I had cut for one of the transparency sheets between each layout. I added the Paper Source ribbon and some new American Craft Thickers that came in my last Scrapbook Circle kit.

Here are about half the pages from the journal.  I didn't take photos of most of the transparency pages which lie between each layout.

On some pages I added an embellishment, but I kept them to a minimum to keep the journal from becoming too fat. Sometimes I used patterned papers from my stash, but most of them are digital papers.

This page comes from one of Shimelle's prompts about Christmas cards. I make all of mine and took a photo of the basket where I was keeping them and a collage of some of the cards I made this year.

Another page from one of Shimelle's prompts; this one from an In Focus prompt about the view from your window. I really enjoyed the In Focus prompts and know I will return to them during the year---lots of inspiration and good information about photography which wasn't part of the first few years I participated in Shimelle's class.

This page has the transparency over the photo page. I wanted to document all the time I spent in December in physical therapy for my sprained ankle. My very competent, and cute, therapist was happy to pose for the photos.

This page documents an unusual event. On December 15th, Shimelle's prompt was about unexpected visitors. I had to laugh. We'd been up since 4:00 am that morning because our carbon monoxide dectector went off for the second morning in a row. The second day we decided we should call 911 and in just a few minutes our wonderful firemen arrived. It turns out the dectector had gone bad, but as the firemen said, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Here's a page I'll do another year, just a list of all the activities that were on our calendar for the month of December.

I did this layout after friends of ours told us they'd given up hanging stockings and exchanging gifts. Although, we too, need to simplify and pare down our possessions, I am not ready to give up the joy of finding just the right item for stockings or of wrapping gifts for under the tree.

This is one of my favorite layouts because the template allowed me to get so many photos on it. All in all, making the journal was a satisfying experience, and I was very proud of myself not to get caught up in the need to complete every page just because I had the transparencies cut and decorated!

 

Team-up Thursday: All in a Row

Nancy and I "fell off the wagon" when it came to Team-up Thursday during the fall. Nancy was doing a lot of traveling, and then the holidays were upon us. We're back at it, and our photos really represent two different seasons. Nancy's colorful bikes make me wish for spring or summer. It's been snowing here all day, and we have at least another foot of snow. I got a shot at the birds at the birdfeeder, but decided on the icicles hanging from the kitchen window since it was much easier to make a diptych when the photos are in the same orientation.

But for fun, here are two shots of the birds at the feeder in the front yard. They've been swarming there all day.

And the birds in a row.

Book of Inspiration

Thanks to Sian, this book has been traveling about the world for nearly five months. You can read all about Pass the Book right here.

It’s past time for the Where Women Create: A Book of Inspiration to move on. I received it from Amy just before the holidays---not a good time for reflective reading. But since the holidays, I have spent some quality time with it. Like Amy, I have mixed feelings about the book. I loved the photography and spent a good amount of time analyzing how the photographers composed their shots.  I enjoyed reading about the different artists and found some of their tips and exercises of interest. I was also interested in the Color Inspiration boxes as I am always on the look out for new color combinations. There were several artists that intrigued me, and I spent some time exploring their blogs and web sites.

Almost none of the artists interviewed in this book are papercrafters so there was not as much practical information here as I hoped there might be. If you are a multi-media artist, I think you will find much more of interest. Since I require a neat and tidy space, I found most of the studios featured here cluttered and very “busy.” It would be hard for me to create in most of these spaces.

 I’m ready to send the book off now to anyone who’d like to spend some time with it.  I was the fifth recipient of the book, and the first in the States. If you’d like to be considered to be the next reader, leave a comment before Sunday noon. I’ll draw a name on Sunday afternoon, wrap up the book, and get it in the mail on Monday.  

Home Again

There was a big change in our plans on Friday. Tracy's stepfather went in for some routine tests, and they discovered two blocked arteries, one of which required putting in a stent. That meant no flying for awhile, and they decided to cancel their trip to Florida. At that point we were in Asheville, NC visiting our good friend, Laura. Since we were expected in Hartwell, GA that night at Tracy's cousins we decided to continue on and then spent a day in Atlanta before heading home.

Although we never got to warmer temperatures (the best we did was mid 40s), we did see nearly everyone we set out to see, and had a great little road trip. We're home now with a clear calendar for another week since we expected to be on the road until the 18th. We got out of Atlanta before a huge snowstorm and icy roads hit which has totally shut down the city. We had dry roads all the way home, and are glad to be here since a storm is also headed our way tonight. We, unlike Atlanta, have plenty of snow removal equipment so it's unlikely much will close down here.

Here's a photo recap of our little road trip:

This is what it looked like when we left Rochester a week ago. I took this shot out the car window, and except for add the Edge Burn action from Pioneer Woman, its right out of the camera. While we were away they got several more inches of snow, so it's all white here again.

We stopped for dinner that night in Erie, PA at the Quaker Steak & Lube. It's just a step up from fast food, but we always get a decent dinner.

Our first stop was in Charlotte, NC to visit good friends. Somehow I never took a photo of any of us. What was I thinking? We had a great time catching up as we hadn't seen Carole and Gordie in several years. They had never been to the Billy Graham Library so the next morning we headed over there.

None of us knew quite what to expect, but all of us were very impressed with the multi-media presentations in the library (the building in the back). It was a fascinating story of Billy Graham's evangalism and a walk through history from the late 1940's to the present. Regardless of your religious convictions, you cannot help but be impressed by Graham's faith and dedication.

After lunch, we went to the Carolina Raptor Center. This appears to be one of the bigger rehabiliation centers for raptors in the US. They treat many injured birds over the course of a year, and are able to release about 50% of them into the wild. Others remain in the center and some have been cared for there for many years.

This is actually two photos put together. The center has seven Bald Eagles.

Another photo with two combined. As we were watching this hawk, a worker threw in a piece of deer meat, and the hawk went right at it.

I loved these three owls lined up together. All of the birds at the center are unable to fly or unable to fly well enough to survive in the wild. It's a nonprofit organization, and they have birds there that have come from as far away as the west coast.

On Friday, we drove to Asheville to have lunch with a good friend who used to be a pastor at our church. Again, it had been many years since we'd seen Laura. We had a great lunch at a southern cafe (I had a fried catfish taco and grits), and had time to catch up before we headed off to Hartwell.

The last time Tracy saw his cousin, Lillie, was nearly 40 years ago. She lives a few miles from her dad and we stayed with Gayle and his friend, Cora. After dinner with their extended family (again, no photos!) we sat around their dining room table working on identifying relatives in old photos. Both Lillie and Tracy spend a lot of time on geneaology, and it was fun for me to listen and try to piece together a bit more of their family puzzle.

Gayle and Cora live on Hartwell Lake and as we drove out the next morning the sun was just coming up.

After spending the day shopping in Atlanta (I did some serious damage at Archivers and found a great pair of boots on sale at the Mall of Georgia), we headed to Decatur for dinner. Sarah attended seminary in Decatur, and The Brick Store was one of our favorite spots to eat when we were there to visit.

I like the PW's Seventies action on this one.

When Adam heard we were eating at The Brick Store, he said, "Have some brie for me," so we did. Yum!

We left Atlanta early Sunday and got to Clarksburg for dinner. Thanks to an iPhone app, Yelp, we found a fantastic Mexican restaurant. I had the shrimp fajitas and chile renellos, both of which were amazing. Since it was so cold (12°) I was able to take the left-overs with me which survived the rest of the trip just fine.

We arrived home mid-afternoon yesterday and have spent most of the time unpacking and trying to get organized so we can make good use of our unexpected time at home. I have just one page and the cover to complete on my Christmas journal, so that's high on the list. Thanks for hanging in there on a photo-heavy post.

 

 

We're Off!

In Rinda's last post about turning 50 and being fabulous (she's fabulous, for sure!) she asked how we felt about our age. I have long since passed 50, but I must say I am very happy being the age I am. Being retired has opened up so many new possibilities, and opportunities for new experiences. So we're off again. My mother-in-law had a hip replacement in November. Reluctant to give up her annual three month vacation in Florida, but recognizing she shouldn't sit in the car for so many hours, she came up with a plan. Tracy and I are driving her van with all her needed supplies for an extended vacation to Fort Myers, Florida, and then we'll fly home in a couple of weeks. We've left a week early so we have time to stop and visit friends and family along the way. We're just south of Pittsburgh, PA this morning and will be with friends in Charlotte, NC for the next two nights. Matt is home taking care of the house, so it's just a perfect little road trip. We're hoping to visit friends in Asheville, NC, Hartwell, GA, and Stuart, FL. We'll spend a day in Atlanta visiting favorite spots from the the many visits we made when Sarah was in seminary there, drive down the coast of Florida, and spend a few days with Tracy's mom in Fort Myers before we fly home. Although we left in lake effect snow showers, it appears to be clear driving the rest of the way to Charlotte.

Before I left I needed to get a few projects completed. One of them was cards for three guys who have birthdays shortly after we return. I totally cased a card of Nicole Heady's and made three of the same card. I'm really happy with it (of course! I love Nicole's designs) and it would work for almost anyone.

We also purchased thank you gifts for the people we're staying with on the trip and I wanted to make some tags for the gift bags. I used my new Love Lives Here stamps. As I suspected, they're going to get a lot of use.

And, finally, a notepad for a seamstress we're visiting.

Time to hit the road if we expect to be in Charlotte for dinner. I'm not sure if we'll have internet access the next few days, but if not, I'll be around to visit your blogs on the weekend.

Christmas Gifts

Now that everyone has received their Christmas gifts, I thought I would share a couple I made. As soon as I saw the Papertrey Ink set, "All Booked Up," I knew what I would do for the women I work with when I volunteer, as well as two other friends with whom I exchange gifts. I decided not to use holiday colors and went with a pink and green color scheme. Not my usual, but I liked the results, and the patterned paper actually came the Papertrey Holiday Cheer collection.

I started by creating a card and a coordinating bookmark. With the bookmark die I cut a piece of Ripe Avocado cardstock and embossed it with the Book Print Impression plate. Then I sewed it to a piece of Raspberry Fizz felt and trimmed around it with my pinking shears.

The bottom portion of the card was stamped with Hero Arts Friends Definition stamp. The images on the bookmark tag and card are from "All Booked Up," backed with a Martha Stewart doily on the card, and a Limitless Layer die on the bookmark. A piece of Ripe Avocado ribbon and a Raspberry Fizz button topped the bookmark.

Here's the inside of the card:

The message "Friends are the True Gift of the  Season" is one of my favorites, and it's from "Believe" by Papertrey. Inside the pocket created with the Pocket die are several bookplates that I stamped on adhesive paper, and a gift card to Barnes & Noble. I used two different sentiments on the pocket both of which I love: "I think of us as bookends, one friend supporting another." And " Having you as a friend is like curling up with a good book."

I packaged the card in a glassine envelope tied with twine and a cute little tag that read "Life is short; read fast." 

The gifts were a big hit, and they were a lot of fun to create.

I drew my sister-in-law in the gift exchange for Christmas. She's an avid bird-watcher so I bought her a backyard bird watching guide and a beautiful wooden blue bird house. We're hoping it will bring blue birds to her backyard. I also bought her a ceramic chickadee ornament when I was in the Adirondacks this fall and needed a box to put the ornament in. I also made her a birdhouse ornament with my new Silhouette. All the papers for these projects were from last year's Making Memories Mistletoe collection. I created the box following the instructions on my Martha Stewart Scoring Board. I'd never done this before and was amazed at how easy it was to do.

Jill loved this. I think she liked the box even more than the ornament. I already have some ideas for next year's Christmas gifts for my friends, but you never know what will show up on the papercraft blogs that will inspire something else.

One Little Word

Happy New Year! Today seems like a good time to take a look backward at my word for 2010 and commit to a new one for 2011.

This year will be the fourth or fifth year I’ve chosen a word to help me focus on the things I want to do in the New Year. I find it much more effective than a list of very specific resolutions. Last year’s word was “intention.” I wanted to be much more intentional about how I was using my time. One of the first things I did was sign up for Karen Gruenberg’s “Reclaiming My Time” at BPC. It was a great class and help me prioritize how I spent my time and to identify where I was currently spending my time.

There were thirteen areas where I wanted and needed to spend time. I chose eight to focus on, knowing that areas likes “chores” and “volunteering” where areas that I would do as a matter of course. I made a mini-book, and included lists of things to consider for each area.

So here’s how I did:

Family: It might seem that this would have ended up on the list with volunteering and chores, but I knew that there were times when I would turn down a chance to spend time with family because there were too many things on my to-do list. I was much better this year at letting the to-do list take a backseat to family outings or even just sitting down to do a crossword puzzle with Matt or Tracy.

Friends: I spent a lot more time this year doing things with friends: crafting, visiting photography exhibits, going to concerts, visiting museums, and just meeting for coffee.

Read:  I had a list of 40 books I wanted to read this year. I read 36 books, not far off the mark, but read only 8 of the books on the list. There are a few on the list I started and didn’t care for, but I’ve pulled the list out of the mini-book so I don’t forget the rest that I still want to read. New books keep coming out, and I end up reading those instead of the ones on my shelf.

Learn: There were 10 items on the list and there is only one (masking in Photoshop Elements) that I still don’t know how to do. That, I’m sure, will be covered in Kim Klassen’s photoshop class that starts in just a couple of weeks.

Photography: I’ve finally owned up to the fact that I cannot commit to a Project 365. I go in spurts, so that was definitely not a success. I’m hoping to participate in Darcy’s Sweet Shot Tuesday this year, and have promised myself that I will complete whatever challenges are posted on an online photography group I belong to. I have four books I wanted to read. Although I dipped into all of them, I did not complete any of them; I need to add them to the book list. There were ten things I wanted to learn in photography, and I have learned how to do most of them. I still have a few items on the list to check off, but I’ve learned a lot of things this year that weren’t on the list at all. I’m very happy with my progress here. Since I now shoot almsot exclusively in manual, I was actually surprised to see that this was on the list of things to learn.

Internet:  I needed to better manage my time with blogs and internet surfing. I do very well here for a while, and then lose control again, but I am so much more aware of what’s happening that I regularly reassess and have let some things go. One thing I have mixed feelings about is time spent on message boards for online classes. I’ve really cut back on that, but I also know I’ve missed out on the community as well as a lot of inspiration.

Crafting: I had a list of 35 techniques I’d like to try. I’ve used about half of them, so I pulled that list out as well.

Exercise: Until I had back problems, and then a sprained ankle, I did well here. I was going to hour-long classes three times a week, and using the weight room regularly. Since October it’s been pretty bad, but I’ve just gotten the OK for the treadmill, bike, and elliptical machines so I need to get back into the swing of things. I find it much harder to make myself go to the gym when I’m scheduling it, instead of attending a class.

So what’s the word for 2011. About two months ago while I was reading a post on Cheri’s blog my word came to me:  FINISH.  I have too many projects started and classes begun, but not finished. So this year I’ve made a list of 10 classes and projects I want to finish or complete to my satisfaction. I thought about one/month, but realized that in January I’ll be gone at least two weeks, and the same is true in August. I’m sure there’ll be a couple other trips as well, so 10 seemed more manageable. In the spirit of the word, I’m going to try to be very selective about what new classes I take on this year. I have signed up for Kim’s photoshop class because two of my big projects to finish are digital ones. I’m also planning to take two classes that are tool-based classes: one on the Silhouette and one on the Zutter Bind-it All, neither of which I know how to use as well as I’d like.

Rinda has thrown out a challenge to create an art journal to track our progress with our resolutions or one word commitments. I’ve been thinking about how I want to document my progress, so I think I’ll do a tag book with a monthly update. I know I need to find some way to be accountable, and making tags will be a quick and easy way to do that. Perhaps I can incorporate some of Rinda’s art journal techniques as well.

Do you choose a word? Make resolutions? Whatever you do, have a healthy, happy 2011!