Headin' South...

Well, tomorrow Ellie and I are heading to TX for 2 weeks. I'm not taking my computer and I'll be the mercy of my parents' dial-up connection, so this may be the last you see of me for a while. (Except for you Longview-ites, but we'll get to you in a minute.) I'm hoping to backlog a few blog posts so I can just publish them while I'm down south, but we'll see how much I get done today and whether or not that happens. In the meantime, here is the layout I did of Ellie's FIRST trip to TX last October. I had a third picture with a close up of the hidden journaling, but I accidentally deleted it, so you'll just have to remember reading about it from last year instead. =D


Now... for all you Longview-ites... I'll be in Texas for 2 weeks. Wanna play?? Email me and we'll make plans!

Card Tutorial - 6 cards: 1 paper

Supplies:

• Heidi Grace 12x12 Paper – Frost Blvd / Patch (1 sheet)
• 8.5x11 Cardstock – White (2 sheets - halved and folded)
• 8.5x11 Cardstock – Powder Blue (1 sheet – halved and folded)
• 4x4 Cardstock – White (1 sheet)
• 6 rhinestones
• Snowflake Brad
• 3 feet sheer white organdy ribbon
• Snowflake (Christine Adolph) and sentiment stamps
• Embossing Powder – silver
• Diamond / Icicle Stickles
• Fiskars decorate edge punch

Here is a reference guide to give you an idea of where the parts for each card will come from. The exact dimensions and cutting instructions are found below for the individual cards.



Card 1:

1. Holding the paper with the title strip at the top, cut a 5¼ x 4 rectangle out of the bottom right corner, careful not to cut into the larger flocked snowflake on the striped panel.

2. Stamp and emboss sentiment and snowflakes onto the rectangle.

3. Tie ends of organdy ribbon together and cut to approximately 6 inches, with the knot off center. Adhere to rectangle, folding ends under.

4. Adhere rectangle to white card front.

5. Apply Stickles around the edge of the card.

Card 2:

1. Holding the paper the same orientation as for Card 1, cut a 2¼ x 4 rectangle immediately left of the larger flocked snowflake on the striped panel. Be careful not to cut into the snowflake or the flocked swirl above.

2. Tie ends of organdy ribbon together and cut to approximately 5 inches, with the knot off center. Adhere to long side of the rectangle, folding ends under.

3. Adhere rectangle to the top of a blue card front.

4. Edge punch the 4x4 white cardstock panel.

5. Stamp snowflake and emboss sentiment on bottom left corner.

6. Adhere to the bottom card front.

7. From patterned paper, cut a small snowflake from near the upper swirl.

8. Use a pop dot to adhere the snowflake along the punched cardstock edge.

9. Adhere a rhinestone to the center of the snowflake.

10. Apply Stickles around the edge of the card and to the snowflake.

Card 3:

1. Closely trim lower swirl from patterned paper, careful not to cut through excess paper as it will be used for other cards.

2. Adhere swirl to front of white card.

3. Stamp and emboss snowflakes and sentiment.

4. Apply Stickles along the top edge of the swirl, as if it is snow on a branch.

Card 4:

1. Cut out the largest felted snowflake from the patterned paper. Be careful not to cut into the other felted snowflakes.

2. Fasten snowflake brad to the center of the snowflake.

3. Adhere a rhinestone to the center of the brad.

4. Emboss sentiment in the bottom right corner of a white card.

5. Adhere snowflake to the card.

6. Apply Stickles to the edge of the card.

Card 5:

1. Closely trim upper swirl from the patterned paper. Cut the end of the swirl apart from the rest where it joins the middle swirl.

2. Adhere swirls to the front of a blue card, one from each side.

3. Emboss sentiment in the bottom left corner.

4. Trim three partial snowflakes from the patterned paper and use pop dots to adhere them to the front of the card.

5. Apply Stickles to the edge of the card.

Card 6:

1. Adhere a length of organdy ribbon along the bottom inside edge of a white card.

2. Cut a ½ x 5½ strip from the bottom left corner of the patterned paper.

3. Tie a length of the remaining organdy ribbon around the end of the paper strip and adhere the strip to the top edge of the card face, about 1/8 inch from the fold.

4. Cut a wave along the bottom edge of the card front, so that the organdy ribbon shows through to the front.

5. Emboss snowflake and sentiment.

6. Add a rhinestone to the center of the snowflake.

7. Trim several whole snowflakes from the remaining patterned paper and adhere them along the bottom front edge of the card, following the wave.

8. Adhere 3 rhinestones to the bottom ribbon so they are seen from the front of the card.

9. Apply Stickles along the paper strip at the top of the card and in the centers of the paper snowflakes.

Holiday Self Portrait

A Christmas Gift

My grandparents live in a nursing home in Kansas. I haven't seen them in a year. The last time I saw them, they met my daughter (who was then 5 months old) for the first time. She is their first and only great grandchild. I won't be seeing them this year for Christmas and I know they are sad that they will not be seeing Ellie. So my Christmas gift to them is a DVD with pictures and videos of Ellie. I spent practically the whole day at Taylor's house making it and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. I hope they enjoy it.

While we were waiting for the DVD to finish burning, I had the thought that maybe the disc was just the right size to put in the back pocket of one of my paper bag albums. I got home and tried it, and sure enough it was. A few stamps and photos later I came up with this! A DVD holder, mini album, and card in one!! The front stamps are a Rhonna Farrer flourish and Christine Adolph image (December 25). The sentiment on the pull out card comes from the Snowflake Serenade set by PaperTrey Ink. This is the first time I've used it and it did not disappoint! So, without further ado, here is the gift for my grandparents (please excuse the Christmas light glare on the photos):

Class Cards

So these 6 cards I made for a class I'm teaching at Keepsakes. The idea is to make 6 cards from a single sheet of patterned paper (plus cardstock and embellishments). I *really* like how these turned out. I used a shimmery, flocked sheet from the new Frost Boulevard collection (Heidi Grace), some stamps and silver embossing powder, a few rhinestones, some ribbon, a LOT of stickles, and... voila! Six cards... perfectly suited for winter or Christmas! What do you think?

I've taught this class once already, and my second class is on Wednesday night. I usually enjoy the second class better because I make a few tiny adjustments based on the first go round. I will make a couple adjustments this time around, too (to help the class flow a little better - it was fine before but took a little longer than I expected), so I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes!

From the Archives...

A few random cards from the archives... I made these back when we lived in Iowa (so approx. 5 or so years ago) and have long since given them away, but for some reason these three I still like. I wouldn't make them today if I had the choice - I'm pretty sure I would choose something in a completely different style - but there's a sort of nostalgia about them. They're from my pre-patterned paper days. So here you go... a peek into my past.

Thanksgiving 2007

Simplicity. It's a beautiful thing. Because I chose simplicity over perfection this year, I looked like this:

happy, calm, collected, and relaxed instead of like this:

which I look like most years. In case you can't tell, this is the "get out of my kitchen before I stab you with this little paring knife" look. I'm often a little more than on edge when I'm preparing a nice meal and trying to get it all on the table, hot and perfectly presented. Especially when there are extra people in my kitchen. I often want to wield a threatening paring knife and menacing scowl at those who step foot in my kitchen uninvited on a day like today, but I'm too nice. So I swallow the menacing scowl and rename it stress.

But not today. No, today I relaxed. Dinner was 5 minutes late. And I forgot to add the cranberries and almonds to the stuffing. And I smiled. It did help, though, that I didn't have extra bodies in the kitchen. It also helped that I'm learning how to make things ahead of time so that I have less to do the day of. I'm also learning how to ignore those who mock me for setting out the dishes the night before. But because I planned ahead and relaxed today, the paring knife stayed in my hand in not in them. So they should be thankful. They should also be thankful that they got to eat pies like these:

and sit at a table like this:


Yes, simplicity is a good way to go. I'll have to try it again next year.

Katakeimai

Mmmm... SO FULL. I had to leave the table and go lay on the couch I was so full. Here's the sad part... I didn't even get any pretzel salad, didn't have seconds, and had to feed the rest of my stuffing to Ellie. Darn that moderate eating for the last few months! Maybe in a couple hours I can eat some pie.

Good news: I can eat the yumminess all week long. Mmmmm. Leftovers.

Thanksgiving Menu... UPDATED

Last year I had everything planned out for a big family Thanksgiving dinner. This year, though it's just Me, Leif, Ellie, and Leif's brother Eric. We are not having ham, and only having a turkey breast instead of the whole bird, so the prep isn't as intensive, but I'm realizing that there are still a lot of things to do! Those things are complicated by the fact that I have a 16 month old little helper who thinks it's fun to dance in front of the "mirror" (aka - the oven door!) and get in my way. So I might be planning the meal prep around naptime! Here's hoping she takes a nap this afternoon (she already took one this morning) or we'll be having store bought pie crusts! Let's see what the week holds: (updates are in CAPS)

Monday:
roast turkey and freeze - CHECK
make pie crusts - CHECK
crush pretzels - CHECK
make homemade cranberry sauce - CHECK

Tuesday:
make pies (pumpkin and pecan-less pecan for Leif!) - CHECK
make bread - CHECK
make up guest beds - CHECK

Wednesday:
make yambake - CHECK
make strawberry pretzel salad - CHECK
cut veggies for the relish tray - CHECK (Done Monday)
thaw turkey - CHECK

Thursday:
make stuffing
make green beans
make mashed potatoes
make gravy
heat turkey and yambake and bread
EAT!

MENU:
turkey (china platter - CHECK)
relish tray and dip (divided glass dishes - CHECK)
cranberry sauce (corelle dish - CHECK)
bread (glass plate - CHECK)
green beans almondine (medium corelle bowl - CHECK)
yambake (glass dish - CHECK)
stuffing (medium corelle bowl - CHECK)
strawberry pretzel salad (baking dish - CHECK)
mashed potatoes (large corelle bowl - CHECK)
gravy (gravy boat - CHECK)
pumpkin pie (pie tin - CHECK)
pecanless pecan pie (pie tin - CHECK)

Whew!! I've got the turkey in the roaster, but I should probably get started on some of the rest of this!! Leif was hoping to go to the Museum of the Rockies one of these days, too, as well as a couple other places, so I need to make the best of my time. Hopefully we'll be able to get out and take some fun family pictures in the beautiful snow that is piling up outside, too. I need to get a family shot so Christmas cards can go out in the mail next week!! Because after that... I head to Texas for two weeks and then Christmas is upon us! If ever I wished for better time management skills, it is now. Want proof that my time management skills are severely lacking? I'm sitting here typing this right now instead of making pie crusts. And there you have it.

Okay... off I go!

Unmounting Stampin' Up! Stamps...

The unmounting project is coming along nicely, though it did interfere a little with my concentration on Thanksgiving prep earlier today!! As has been suggested by several people, I followed this method of unmounting my Stampin' Up! stamps. For most of my wood mounted stamps, the red rubber peels right off the foam mount with no problem. Stampin' Up! stamps are stuck on there pretty well, though. I suppose it's a sign of quality, but when you're unmounting them it's a sign of impending frustration. I don't know yet how I feel about keeping the foam mount attached to the red rubber, but I don't suppose it will be much of a problem, and I'm doing it for now. I'm down to the last few that need to be unmounted, and then I can work on getting them all stickified with Tack It, sorted, filed, and put away!

As an added note, when I ran out of Tack It I went to Joanns to get more. Wouldn't you know, they didn't have it. So I got the Zig 2-Way glue instead, as I've heard it can be used for the same thing. While I appreciate it's application better (chisel tip pen style applicator), it just doesn't have the same "oomph" when it comes to the temporary hold. So I'll put that glue in my bag to take to crops and whatnot, but I think I'm an official Aileene's dedicatee.

I did... have you?

Here's why.

Want to get me something handmade for Christmas and don't know what?? (insert cheesy grin here) Try these:

• Coffee Corset
• Allison Kreft Pendants like this or this. (She's the designer for Hambly - if you read this blog you know how much I love Hambly for scrapbooking - how cool to be able to WEAR the designs as well!)
• Designer labels like these or these or these...
  

Looking for handmade Christmas cards or stocking stuffers for others? Check out what I have listed in my etsy shop too!

Another Giveaway!

Okay... so this one isn't mine. It's from the Erika Designs blog and one of the rules to play is that you have to pass on the word! So check it out, and consider this word passed!

Tutorial: Unmounting Stamps

I love the beautiful designs of my wood mounted stamps. And I love the cute seasonal designs in the Michael's $1 stamp bin. But I DO NOT like the wooden blocks. They get in the way, are bulky to store, and make it difficult for me to stamp precise images. I have quite a few unmounted sets (mostly from Purple Onion Designs) and lots of acrylic sets, and I love how compactly they store and how easy they are to transport. I've kept them in a binder and it has been great. BUT I still have 400+ wood mounted stamps that take up an entire 6 foot bookshelf in my craft room. And you know, I love those stamps. But I don't reach for them nearly as often, so they sit and collect dust. And I forget they are there, hiding in plain view. So I am making a change. A big change. I am unmounting all of my wooden stamps and creating one storage solution for ALL of my rubber and acrylic stamps. It's gonna be good....

So while I'm in the midst of this ginormous project, I though I would give you guys a little tutorial on how to do the same, in case you want to be like me. =D I'm just now realizing how long this project is going to take me, so if you've only just begun to stamp then now is the time you should begin! I have 17 years of accumulated stamping paraphernalia that I need to deal with. But I'm doing it and it will be great. So here goes.... This is how it's done:

Step 1:

Separate the rubber image from the wood and foam portion of the stamp. Some stamps will separate cleanly. Others will leave a little foam on the rubber. Still others (as seems to be the case with the Stampin' Up! stamps I am working on) will leave the rubber sticky. Try to get as much of the foam and adhesive off the back of the stamp as possible, but don't kill yourself over it. The main goal is to get the back of the stamp as flat as possible so you get a clean image when you stamp. Be sure to trim the extra rubber off as closely to the image as possible so that you can see exactly where the image is when you stamp.

Wood blocks and foam mounts
(This is the pile I am going to get rid of. This is what I have been wasting my precious storage space on!! Ah... the freedom...)

Rubber Images
(This is what I am keeping. Seriously - I can't believe how many images are here taking up such a little bit of space!)

Step 2:

Apply a thin, even coat of Aleene's Tack It Over & Over (or other pressure sensitive temporary adhesive) to the back of each unmounted stamp. This is the same process you would use if you were preparing purchased unmounted stamps for use with an acrylic block. The adhesive doesn't have to cover every bit of the stamp, but it should be applied with even pressure so that you don't end up with one end higher than the other, or a center that won't stamp evenly.

(Tack It can be purchased at Joanns or Michaels, or anywhere else that Aleene's products are sold.)

Tack It applied
(Stamps here are set out to dry and you can see that the adhesive has already started to set on the first couple of stamps. Tack It sets clear.)

Step 3:

Let the Tack It dry/set over night. When it is ready to use, it will be clear. If you try to use the stamps before the Tack It has set, you will end up with a gross, sticky mess and will probably ruin your acrylic block and have to start the Tack It process over again for that stamp. Trust me. It's not fun.

Dried / Set Tack It
(You can see that the Tack It is clear now, instead of white. It dries kind of shiny and should stick to your finger if you push your finger onto it. If it doesn't, you may not have applied enough. Try it on the block to see if it sticks.)

Step 4:

Apply the stamp to an acrylic block and stamp away! Because the block is clear you should be able to see exactly where you're stamping. It makes for straight letters/words and easier placement.

Stamp mounted on acrylic block

Have fun!! I'll post another little tutorial on how to store these babies once I get the second phase of the project under way. First, though, I've got to get some more Tack It... I seem to have used all of mine up!

Whew!

Isn't this the most glorious stamp set ever??? (umm... I just realized it's sort of a clear image and doesn't show up very well on my blog, so click the picture and you'll get to see it clearer...) It's from PaperTrey Ink and soon it will be MINE! They released it last month and I fell in love with it thanks to Thinking Inking and this card:


Debbie Olson does the most beautiful work I have seen and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this set. I checked out PaperTrey Ink that night, but didn't have my credit card on me, so I decided to wait until the morning to order it. Imagine the sad, sinking feeling in my heart when I logged on first thing in the morning, credit card in hand, and the set was SOLD OUT! It has been a month now and I have been checking every couple days to see if it was available. Well, as they promised, it became available again yesterday. And you can bet your sweet bippy I bought that thing at like 11:00 last night!! It's on it's way to my house soon and I am SO excited. Pretty sure this beautiful set will come in handy when I do next year's Christmas cards.

(By the way, I just checked and the set is still available if you want to get one of your own. Click on the stamp set picture and it will take you to the right page.)

Okay... back to doing useful things and not drooling over my soon-to-be new stamp set. I need to clean up the house and get my little girl cleaned up. Cottage cheese all over. Fun. Well, have a good day and do something creative!!

What a great weekend!!

It was wonderful to spend the weekend scrapbooking!! After finishing 3 layouts on Friday night, I pulled out my SPS kits for Saturday. I love those kits!! I burned through another 10 layouts in no time. I did several more today, though I spent a lot of time on them and added a lot of fun details. One I absolutely LOVE and think I may try to get published. We'll see. All in all I completed 17 layouts (including two 2-pagers) and finished (yes, finally!!) my pregnancy album. Yes, it was a great weekend. Here's the updated list:

2005

• Crystal Flowers

2006

• DONE! That frown
• DONE! First Plane Ride
• Meeting Uncle Robert
• Tummy Time
• Fall Leaf Pictures
• Good morning Sunshine!
• Little Angel
• Mirror Mirror on the Wall
• Mobile Watcher
• Ellie in the Air at the Concert in Big Sky
• Smirk
• DONE! Screaming Foot at the Camera (Mad Little Girl)
  
• Mommom and Poppy's Last Morning
• Labor
• Why we chose cloth diapers
• First hospital pictures
• Burrito Baby
• Helping Mommy Unpack in TX
• Reading with Poppy
• Playing with Mommom in TX
• Ellie's first ride in a small plane
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace
• DONE! It was a Merry Christmas Indeed
• First Solid Food
• Naughty or Nice
• Contractions!
• TX Christmas
• Ellie with Grandmas
• So this is love
• The world awaits
• Great Minds Think Alike
• Bar 3 BBQ with Dave and Tam
• DONE! Teaching Latin
  

2007

• Trick or Treating
• Ellie's Fairy Costume (maybe a mini album for these pictures?)
• DONE! You are my dream come true
  
• Car Accident*
• Climbing to turn off the light
• Fall Family Pictures (maybe a mini album?)
• DONE! Conversation with Ellie about playing in my purse (titled: "you said")
  
• Hat love
• Mistress Mary
• DONE! Leaves
• Cheesy Grin (Say cheese?)
• Peas
• Rocky Creek Farm*
• Apple Eating
• Ellie's First Trip to Yellowstone*
• Grand Prismatic Spring*
• Words (for various months)*
• DONE! Reading to Ellie (Reading with Daddy)
• READ (scraplift with Ellie in rocking chair)*
• Ellie needs cookies
• Grotto Falls in the Fall
• Hyalite Reservoir in the Fog*
• Little Monster*
• Ellie with Grammee and Grandad*
  
• Uncle Rob and Ellie*
• Run Run Run!
• DONE! Montana Girl (Montana Beauty)
  
• Ellie BELLY!
• Nicknames
• DONE! Ellie and Grandad
• Early September
• Class Reunion*
• The Tweaksters
• DONE! Dance (She's got music in her soul?)
• Hiking with Ellie (Lava Lake pictures)*
• MSU Duck Pond*
• Turkey Leg!!*
• Papa-razzi*
• My Shadow (poem)*
• Blue Angels*
• Ellie's Kitty*
• Need for Speed (ski boat pictures)*
• Angler (I love MT)*
• Dara's Wedding*
• Cliff Lake*
• Kayak Ride*
• Ellie and Mommom*
• 12 month stats*
• 15 month stats*
• The look.*
• Let Her Eat Cake!*
• Birthday Suit*
• 1st Birthday*
• Birthday Party*
• 4th of July*
• Ousel Falls*
• Patriot Baby*
• 1st Trip to the Zoo*
• Bedhead!*
• Playing the Piano with Lily*
• Palisade Falls*
• Fairy Slipper Orchid*
• Little Mover
• 9 month stats(*?)
• Sandpoint with LU folk*
• Li'l Friends Outfit
• Drooling Machine
• Smiley Girl on Maroon Pillows
• Musical Table Love
• Piano Player
• KhKhKh
• Christmas Coats*
• Push Ups*
• My Valentine*
• Cry Baby*
• Stolen Keys*
• How was your breakfast?*
• Sandpoint with the Claridges*
• DONE! Walker in TX (i *heart* walkers)
  
• Salpingectomy/The Unexpected
• Ellie and Mommom at Easter
• Dopey McDopester
• DONE! TV Addict
• In the Yard
• Lily
• Broken Plant
• Peek-a-Boo!
• Vanity
• Wii!
• Curiosity
• I know I'm cute!
• Play with me Daddy
• Pulling Up
• DONE! Mommy and Ellie at the Gallatin River
• DONE! My Pumpkin
• DONE! Ellie and Daddy at the Gallatin River

Projects

• Ellie's baby book*
• Fall Family Picture Mini Album (I think)
• Finish Weight Loss Album from this summer
• Ellie's Friends Mini Album
• DONE! Pregnancy Album

As for things I wanted to do this weekend, I was able to check of at least *some* of the items:

• use my sweet pea scraps kits (CHECK)
  
• use the metal tab alphabet i've had for forever
• use my hs mask alphabet on a layout
• use my purple onion wild stem stamp
• do the sewn scrunched ribbon thing
• use ribbon flowers (CHECK)
  
• use hambly (CHECK)
  
• use purple onion music stamps on ellie piano layout
• use purple onion ledger stamp (CHECK)
  
• paint on a layout
• alter chipboard (CHECK)
  
• use my cutter bee perforaters (CHECK)
  

And the winner is.....

Kate!!!

I chose the winner by a random using the random integer generator. So congratulations, Kate! Send me your mailing address and I'll get your prize package in the mail!!

Well, I might need a new strategy for this weekend. I got 3 layout done tonight and I like them! But... I didn't do any of the things I said I wanted to do. I did scraplift from my 2ps bos for two of them, though!

So... tomorrow I will play with a kit or two. In the meantime, here is the updated list:

2005

• Crystal Flowers

2006

• That frown
• DONE! First Plane Ride
• Meeting Uncle Robert
• Tummy Time
• Fall Leaf Pictures
• Good morning Sunshine!
• Little Angel
• Mirror Mirror on the Wall
• Mobile Watcher
• Ellie in the Air at the Concert in Big Sky
• Smirk
• DONE! Screaming Foot at the Camera (Mad Little Girl)
  
• Mommom and Poppy's Last Morning
• Labor
• Why we chose cloth diapers
• First hospital pictures
• Burrito Baby
• Helping Mommy Unpack in TX
• Reading with Poppy
• Playing with Mommom in TX
• Ellie's first ride in a small plane
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace
• DONE! It was a Merry Christmas Indeed
• First Solid Food
• Naughty or Nice
• Contractions!
• TX Christmas
• Ellie with Grandmas
• So this is love
• The world awaits
• Great Minds Think Alike
• Bar 3 BBQ with Dave and Tam
  

2007

• Trick or Treating
• Ellie's Fairy Costume (maybe a mini album for these pictures?)
• Car Accident*
• Climbing to turn off the light
• Fall Family Pictures (maybe a mini album?)
• Conversation with Ellie about playing in my purse
• Hat love
• Mistress Mary
• Leaves
• Cheesy Grin (Say cheese?)
• Peas
• Rocky Creek Farm*
• Apple Eating
• Ellie's First Trip to Yellowstone*
• Grand Prismatic Spring*
• Words (for various months)*
• Reading to Ellie (Bedtime routine?)
• READ (scraplift with Ellie in rocking chair)*
• Ellie needs cookies
• Grotto Falls in the Fall
• Hyalite Reservoir in the Fog*
• Little Monster*
• Ellie with Grammee and Grandad*
  
• Uncle Rob and Ellie*
• Run Run Run!
• Montana Girl
• Ellie BELLY!
• Nicknames
• Ellie and Grandad
• Early September*
• Class Reunion*
• The Tweaksters*
• Dance (She's got music in her soul?)*
• Hiking with Ellie (Lava Lake pictures)*
• MSU Duck Pond*
• Turkey Leg!!*
• Papa-razzi*
• My Shadow (poem)*
• Blue Angels*
• Ellie's Kitty*
• Need for Speed (ski boat pictures)*
• Angler (I love MT)*
• Dara's Wedding*
• Cliff Lake*
• Kayak Ride*
• Ellie and Mommom*
• 12 month stats*
• 15 month stats*
• The look.*
• Let Her Eat Cake!*
• Birthday Suit*
• 1st Birthday*
• Birthday Party*
• 4th of July*
• Ousel Falls*
• Patriot Baby*
• 1st Trip to the Zoo*
• Bedhead!*
• Playing the Piano with Lily*
• Palisade Falls*
• Fairy Slipper Orchid*
• Little Mover
• 9 month stats(*?)
• Sandpoint with LU folk*
• Li'l Friends Outfit
• Drooling Machine
• Smiley Girl on Maroon Pillows
• Musical Table Love
• Piano Player
• KhKhKh
• Christmas Coats*
• Push Ups*
• My Valentine*
• Cry Baby*
• Stolen Keys*
• How was your breakfast?*
• Sandpoint with the Claridges*
• Walker in TX
• Salpingectomy/The Unexpected
• Ellie and Mommom at Easter
• Dopey McDopester
• TV Addict
• In the Yard
• Lily
• Broken Plant
• Peek-a-Boo!
• Vanity
• Wii!
• Curiosity
• I know I'm cute!
• Play with me Daddy
• Pulling Up

Projects

• Ellie's baby book*
• Fall Family Picture Mini Album (I think)
• Finish Weight Loss Album from this summer
• Ellie's Friends Mini Album
  

* I still need to print pictures for these.

this weekend i want to...

• use my sweet pea scraps kits
• use the metal tab alphabet i've had for forever
• use my hs mask alphabet on a layout
• use my purple onion wild stem stamp
• do the sewn scrunched ribbon thing
• use ribbon flowers
• use hambly
• use purple onion music stamps on ellie piano layout
• use purple onion ledger stamp
• paint on a layout
• alter chipboard
• use my cutter bee perforaters
  

I've also saved a bunch of layouts from my 2ps bos so I can scraplift to my heart's content as I try to work through the layouts I need to finish. So... once I get my photos from Costco (today or tomorrow as I get into town) I'll have everything I need to get to work!

Now... to clean up the craft room so it'll be suitable for my friends to join me this weekend....

I know why my list is so long....

... I've been trying to figure out why my list is so long. It's not like I haven't scrapbooked in the last year - in fact, I've got a pretty big pile of pages ready to go into albums once I'm ready. But last night Leif informed me that since we got our camera at the beginning of August (?) we've already taken 11,000 pictures.

ELEVEN THOUSAND PICTURES!!??

In 3 months?? No wonder my LO list is so long!

Don't forget - there's still time to enter the drawing!! I'll be picking a winner on Sunday night...

Makin' a list...

... and checkin' it twice...

I've started thinking about the layouts that I need to get done this weekend. Wow! Talk about overwhelming!! Right now I'm uploading oodles of pictures to Costco so I'll actually have pictures to work with. Now that Ellie's 15 months old, I really should get her 1st year stuff done, but even that I'm way behind on. It will take a whole weekend just to compile my to-do list!!

Boy am I glad I have a blog, though! Basically that is my layout planner. I know which photos I want to use and more or less what journaling to go with them, plus I know when those things happened. So blogging is my scrapbooking lifesaver! Right before Ellie was born I made a ginormous list and worked through that to get caught up in the weeks leading up to her birth. That was a while ago. Time to start up the list again...

(in no particular order - and I'll be adding to it as I remember new pages that need to be done)

2005

• Crystal Flowers

2006

• That frown
• First Plane Ride
• Meeting Uncle Robert
• Tummy Time
• Fall Leaf Pictures
• Good morning Sunshine!
• Little Angel
• Mirror Mirror on the Wall
• Mobile Watcher
• Ellie in the Air at the Concert in Big Sky
• Smirk
• Screaming Foot at the Camera (I'll have to come up with a better title than this!)
• Mommom and Poppy's Last Morning
• Labor
• Why we chose cloth diapers
• First hospital pictures
• Burrito Baby
• Helping Mommy Unpack in TX
• Reading with Poppy
• Playing with Mommom in TX
• Ellie's first ride in a small plane
• Sleeping in Heavenly Peace
• It was a Merry Christmas Indeed
• First Solid Food
• Naughty or Nice
• Contractions!
• TX Christmas
• Ellie with Grandmas
• So this is love
• The world awaits
• Great Minds Think Alike
• Bar 3 BBQ with Dave and Tam
  

2007

• Trick or Treating
• Ellie's Fairy Costume (maybe a mini album for these pictures?)
• Car Accident*
• Climbing to turn off the light
• Fall Family Pictures (maybe a mini album?)
• Conversation with Ellie about playing in my purse
• Hat love
• Mistress Mary
• Leaves
• Cheesy Grin (Say cheese?)
• Peas
• Rocky Creek Farm*
• Apple Eating*
• Ellie's First Trip to Yellowstone*
• Grand Prismatic Spring*
• Words (for various months)*
• Reading to Ellie (Bedtime routine?)
• READ (scraplift with Ellie in rocking chair)*
• Ellie needs cookies
• Grotto Falls in the Fall
• Hyalite Reservoir in the Fog*
• Little Monster*
• Ellie with Grammee and Grandad*
  
• Uncle Rob and Ellie*
• Run Run Run!
• Montana Girl
• Ellie BELLY!
• Nicknames
• Ellie and Grandad
• Early September*
• Class Reunion*
• The Tweaksters*
• Dance (She's got music in her soul?)*
• Hiking with Ellie (Lava Lake pictures)*
• MSU Duck Pond*
• Turkey Leg!!*
• Papa-razzi*
• My Shadow (poem)*
• Blue Angels*
• Ellie's Kitty*
• Need for Speed (ski boat pictures)*
• Angler (I love MT)*
• Dara's Wedding
• Cliff Lake*
• Kayak Ride*
• Ellie and Mommom*
• 12 month stats*
• 15 month stats*
• The look.*
• Let Her Eat Cake!*
• Birthday Suit*
• 1st Birthday*
• Birthday Party*
• 4th of July*
• Ousel Falls*
• Patriot Baby*
• 1st Trip to the Zoo*
• Bedhead!*
• Playing the Piano with Lily*
• Palisade Falls*
• Fairy Slipper Orchid*
• Little Mover*
• 9 month stats(*?)
• Sandpoint with LU folk
• Li'l Friends Outfit
• Drooling Machine
• Smiley Girl on Maroon Pillows
• Musical Table Love
• Piano Player
• KhKhKh
• Christmas Coats
• Push Ups
• My Valentine
• Cry Baby
• Stolen Keys
• How was your breakfast?
• Sandpoint with the Claridges
• Walker in TX
• Salpingectomy/The Unexpected
• Ellie and Mommom at Easter
• Dopey McDopester
• TV Addict
• In the Yard
• Lily
• Broken Plant
• Peek-a-Boo!
• Vanity
• Wii!
• Curiosity
• I know I'm cute!
• Play with me Daddy
• Pulling Up

Projects

• Ellie's baby book*
• Fall Family Picture Mini Album (I think)
• Finish Weight Loss Album from this summer
• Ellie's Friends Mini Album
  

* I still need to print pictures for these.

Okay... I'm going to stop here for today. I think I have plenty to work on! Ack!! This takes me back to the last set of pictures I printed (mostly) and some of the last layouts I did. The rest I need to do by looking at which pictures I've already scrapped and work on filling in the holes so I can get Ellie's 1st year book done! Okay... now to print some pictures!

It's time for a....

***GIVEAWAY!!***

Andrea inspired me with her recent goodies, so I've been collecting items for a giveaway of my own. It was going to be a celebratory "I made the SPS DT!" or "My craft show was a hit!" giveaway, but since neither of those really turned out that way, it's going to be an "I'm having a weekend long scrap retreat and am going to get lots and lots of layouts done!" giveaway.

So here's how it works... I want you to post your favorite holiday tradition (Christmas or other) and in turn I will pick one lucky commenter to win the scrappy goods! I will pick the name on Sunday night, November 11th - at the end of my great scrapbook getaway.

So... get posting already!!