Ten on Tuesday

1. I took my 10,000th photo [since buying my camera in December 2007] this week! [Well, really, last week – but I forgot to post it] So 10,000 photos in two and a half years is not too bad, is it? WOW! Think of the film and processing $$$ I’ve saved!
2. Enjoyed some wonderful [fresh!] bruschetta this week with roma tomatoes and basil from our garden. I love summer gardens!
3. I’ll admit to you that I submitted a ton of layouts to a magazine again this week. Time will tell how that effort pays off. Maybe it’ll be a nice surprise.
4. I’m contemplating moving some plants around in the yard – some have gotten too big for their britches and I’m tired of trimming them back all the time and others need a little more sun or shade… and of course I have plans to add more.
5. Enjoyed going with Craig to hear a group of song-writers do a concert in the park one evening. It’s always fun to hear the writers do their own songs – more so when we recognize them from the radioThis park is in the middle of ‘downtown’ Madison and the trains zoom by close enough to touch [almost!]
6. I’ve worked like a crazy woman this week – getting caught up from being out of the office for a week and preparing for a large county review next week – I was determined to be finished before the weekend.
7. Loving having both boys home for a while – I know it won’t last forever, and again, can I just say? I love [LOVE] seeing them have fun together.
8. I’m also [really] enjoying the patio cover we got for mother’s / father’s day. We had to take down the other one when we got the new roof back in March and as much as I loved being able to see the trees through it’s clear top I have to admit that this one is so much more shadier and pleasant to sit under.
9. Craig and I enjoyed walking down to the Keller Festival and shopping around downtown Tuscumbia this weekend. It was nice to see the streets bustling with activity. [Picked up some goodies: a hand crafted salt cellar with scripture on it and a few things for MK too [ducks of course,] and dinner from Frank’s – we’ve wanted to give it a try for a while now.]
10. We had so much fun keeping MK this weekend – she’s a sweetie that’s for sure! [And having time with Mama was fun too – ha! – She used to always tag-us-on after the grandkids [‘good to see you too’] when the boys were little -]

OM[old stuff] Giveaway!

I've subscribed to two monthly kits now and try as I might to use it all,

I [still] have a bunch of stuff to give away!-

and I'm really tired of seeing the OMG abbreviation everywhere
[I try hard to make my mind read 'oh my goodness!]

So am hoping that we might also come to think of it as a

'Once a Month [old stuff] Giveaway!

I plan to randomly draw a name from the comments on this post and send that person a little bag of [old stuff] goodies that hopefully they can use
[new to them and all, you know...]
And another little note - I've moved to the flat rate box
so I can pack it FULL each month!

- Just browse through the blog and leave a comment about

your favorite post from JUNE.

Comments will close on July 4th at midnight [central.]

Thanks so much for all of your comments throughout the month!
It's so fun to share together and
I love hearing your thoughts on some of things I put out there.

I appreciate each of you taking the time to stop by and visit!

The Winner for May is:

Lindain NCtoo

- send your mailing address to me: Judy@faithbasedpages.com

and I'll get a little box of goodies out to you soon!

IMO & Comments on Comments

In My Opinion– Anyone who knows me [at ALL] knows that I have an opinion about everything and a part of me really does feel like everyone’s entitled to hear my opinion – lol. But! I also truly believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I rarely feel the need to persuade others to share mine. Live and let live – that's my motto. With that said, I’ve decided to share some of my ‘thoughts’ every now and then on news stories [or other things that come to mind - lol] that have caught my eye [Keep in mind that I’m a ‘skimmer’ – I don’t dig deep. And much of the news I receive is filtered through: 1) Gayle King, 2) Rick and Bubba, or 3) my sweet husband.]

- Joran Van derSloot – back in the news for the horrible death of a young lady in Peru. My gut really wants him to pay –PAY –PAY for the tragic things he’s been involved in. I watched the Natalie Holloway story unfold bit by bit partially because she didn’t live too far away from us and I have a cousin whose kids went to the same high school, and partially because she graduated high school the same year as our oldest. Joran’s actions are despicable. He seems to be an incredibly selfish person who believes the world revolves around him. But there’s also a [small] part of me that sees a young man who was brought up with no boundaries and one who has never seen or felt the love of our Lord. I really do believe he should reap the consequences of his actions, no doubt about that in my opinion – but I also say a little prayer for him – that someone will share our Jesus [who can forgive ANYTHING] with him.

- Gulf Coast Oil Crisis – oh how this upsets me so [see my Ten on Tuesday the week it first started leaking -] I was working down near The Gulf during President’s Obama’s recent visit and I have to agree with a statement that so many hated to hear him say – our beaches really should be the least of our concern – the beaches will recover [and really haven’t lost their sugar-white goodness even now.] But the eco-system? The shrimp and oysters and fish we love to eat? The thousands of minimally paid jobs that depend on this industry? Who really knows when that will recover – if ever. I was told thirteen seafood companies had closed in Mobile County this month. It’s unthinkable – and while IMO someone should have been enforcing the rules a little better - BP is totally at fault for not following the rules that were in place. I also believe they're doing the best they can in fixing it - but it's so big and so deep that no one's ever had to deal with something like this - and it's just so heartbreaking to think about...

- Benefit Yard Sale for a a dog's surgery – So don't hate me on this one, but I just wanna say, oh my heck! What are they thinking?!?

IMO - if someone wants to spend a small fortune on their pet and they have the money to do it, then by all means, go for it. But don't go asking the public to support this for a THREE MONTH OLD PUPPY. How many dachshunds can you buy for $2500 anyway? IMO we should have a distinct difference between the value we put on the lives of animals and people [God does] and I can say - without a doubt - that we would never put this kind of money into a pet - no matter how attached we'd grown to them in the three months of their lives with us. And side note: I'm pretty sure raffles are illegal in our state.

Comments on Comments – I also want to take a moment to say that I’m stunned to actually have people follow the ramblings of my blog. I’ve said before that I’m humbled and a little scared to have this happen – what if I offend someone or write something totally crazy and suddenly no one likes me anymore? [Like the dog comments, above? Yikes!] Seriously - thank you - to each of you who drop by occasionally to see what I have I to offer up to the great blogosphere – it’s fun sharing things with you – and I LOVE THE COMMENTS – I just haven’t figured out a quick and efficient way to respond. Sometimes I look for an email address – sometimes I comment on your blogs [and I’m loving your blogs as well!], and sometimes I comment on your comments in my comments - do you ever check back? But most of the time I just can’t find a way to connect other than right here.

So here we go with Comments on Comments:

Thanks for comments on the rose photo last month – This rose is special because it’s a cutting from one of my mom’s. Years before we ever thought of moving to Tuscumbia we’d drive by this house with it’s fence full of roses on the way to see our mom play softball – it was always a treat to see - so when we actually moved into the house we loved the roses even more. I was determined to have a cutting and have had one at two different houses of my own. Love it -

Those beautiful peonies are another pass-on plant – these came from my sister’s [first-?] house. They’ve been transplanted from our previous house to this one and then again here to find just the right spot [we tend to have lots of shade on our little corner of the world…] I’ve loved hearing what you all have [or not] in your gardens!] So many of you are waay ahead of me – but I did pick my first plum [roma] tomato this week and enjoyed every scrumptious bite with a little fresh basil and olive oil

The Piggy Tales layout was so fun to do – we’re loving having a little girl in our family after many, many years [I’m the last girl before MK…so it's been MANY years - lol] I really wish I could get together to scrap with more of my blog friends – it’s been so fun getting to know you all. Love hearing how we all have different ‘go-to’ tools and techniques when it comes to our craft. And the little girl with the sunflower is my cousin’s grand-daughter – her mother takes extraordinary photos and I enjoy them so much! [We’re facebook friends.]

I would love to hear about any goodies you find at estate sales -- I just love things that have been loved by families through the years -- Thanks for well-wishes about the IBS – I’ve ‘managed’ it much better this month! It was good to hear that the Peanuts inspiration is touching some of you – we really should all make time to do what we love – set it aside just for you and you’ll be a better person for those around you - I’m enjoying carrying my painted purse this summer – and it was so fun to play with paint as I created it – click over to Donna Downey’s blog for LOTS of inspiration. She’s so wonderfully creative! And you know, we can use our creativity on anything [like my dream rock] we just have to open our eyes to the world God created for us to enjoy!

fbp Monthly challenge - June, But first -

I have to share a little of my weekend adventures -

I’m sure that I’m like many of you who seek out scrapbook stores when traveling – and how many of us have stopped in at

Gigi’s while enjoying The Gulf coast of Alabama?

It’s a great store with lots of product, fun ideas, and plenty of room for cropping and classes. Gigi and her employees always have a friendly face and welcoming attitude. So, when I realized that my recent work travel would allow for me to attend at least a part of her 6^th Anniversary Celebration I was thrilled. It made my long work week [training policy] go easier knowing I would be having a little scrappy time on Saturday. So, Saturday morning I drove from Mobile to Foley [stopping for a little respite to enjoy the sugar white sands and Gulf breeze that I love so much] and pulled my scrap case into my designated spot in the back of the store.

Gigi’s Anniversary Celebration actually started Friday night with attendees cropping away until midnight – spurred on with fabulous make ‘n takes [those flowers were gorgeous! – and give-a-ways from KC and the My Mind’s Eye band [I couldn’t resist.] So when I got there on Saturday [with some other one-day-ers] there was excitement in the air! [And lots and lots of pages being completed – I made 12 cards and did two layouts – yay!] Make ‘n takes and prizes continued throughout the day. [Side note – I love make ‘n takes because it gives me the opportunity to try new product before I buy it.] And the focus was on celebrating Gigi’s six years in business [as it should be!] and My Mind’s Eye’s fabulous new lines. After lunch [catered locally and delicious] KC led us through a couple of one page layouts using the Sophie line – and giving away lots of prizes as we went. Fun layouts with lots of product left to complete corresponding pages if and when we wanted. Another page kit - And my take on it:[Large B and F from my own stuff]

After the dinner break [on your own] KC again led everyone through an

entire 8 x 8 mini book using the Lush line. I had to leave before this to start my long 7 hour drive home – but let me tell you – these products are just beautiful with a, dare I say it? – Teresa Collins vibe. All in all – it was a wonderful day for me – I met new friends, visited with gals I’d seen at other crops around the south and enjoyed scrappy time at one of my favorite stores with some of my favorite products

[who hasn’t always loved My Mind’s Eye? ]

Two things: 1. Gigi, her 'girls,' and KC know how to throw a celebration!

And 2. Next time – I’ll be making plans to attend the entire soirée.

Now to our monthly challenge - here's the deal - if at least five readers post a layout to the FBP Flickr group then one will be chosen randomly to win this:

An extra little goodie [8x8 mini album] that KC tossed my way as I was leaving Saturday evening. Everyone in? Here's the challenge:

June – FBP Challenge must be based on the sketch provided [Scrap Etc. August 2010 issue, page 22] and include:

Title – Your Choice

Photo[s] – as many or few as you want as long as the sketch is recognizable.

Papers – Blues – greens – and a ‘pop’ of orange

Embellishments – stars - any way you want to use them -

Technique – machine [or hand] stitching on the page – come on,

we can DO THIS!

Scripture / Inspirational Thought – "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." Corrie ten Boom or another verse or quote about TRUST.

Projects are due by the last day of the month. Please post your layout in our FBP Flickr Group and post a comment here to let me know where to see your completed layout. A winner will be randomly chosen from those who complete the challenge. If we have at least five participate the winner will receive a brand new mini album from My Mind’s Eye.

Scissors Up! Scrap on –

Ten on Tuesday

1. ahhh – Mobile – I just looooove driving through those tree lined streets with moss dripping over the yards in the soupy humid heat. Seriously – I. Love. Mobile. But not enough to move back…I don't think...
   
2. Had El Chico the first night down – oh how I craved their food 23 years ago when I was pregnant with our first child, so it’s always fun to visit and see that it hasn’t changed much in all these years.
3. And I visited a new scrapbook store – cute with lots of space for cropping and classes.
4. Also visited Dauphin Isle late one afternoon – and while I didn’t SEE any oil – I did smell the machine-like-exhaust smell when I first got on the island. But the beaches [and wildlife] are as beautiful as ever. For now.
5. Kudos to Craig for finagling my hotel room for the week [three reservations were needed to get me the whole week – crazy because of all the people coming in due to the oil crisis – lots of Coast Guard personnel at my hotel.] Silly me, I thought I could walk right in and get the coupon rate as I’ve always done before –
6. Long days of training policy and being ‘on’ left me pretty tired [and maybe a little grouchy – ha] during the evenings.
7. I stayed over to go to Gigi’s on Saturday for some scrappy fun [and was NOT disappointed – see tomorrow’s post.] A great way to relax after a long week.
8. And of course, while there I had to spend a little time with my Lord while sitting out on The Gulf beaches that I love so much. Gulf Shores was beautiful – no oil on the day I was there. [And really – it’s not going to get up on that gorgeous white sand unless a hurricane blows through.] Officials are doing a great job monitoring the water for safety so go on down and enjoy The Gulf.
9. Father’s Day was laid back for us and we just enjoyed being together – eating at Surin, watching the boys fly [rc] planes, and working in the yard. [It was only the day dry enough to get it done. – Lots of rain while I was gone. ] The boys gave Craig another year’s subscription to The Advertiser Gleam – one on the BEST small-town newspapers around!
10. And last night I had a great evening at dinner & church with friends as we listened to Mandissa tell her story of God’s love.

LP Amazing Scrap Race Week Three

Vacation layout - most products from the first kit from The Girl's Loft - added dictionary page with 'fisherman' definition, white rub-ons [basic grey -?] and old lure stickers from rebecca sower -
Edited: Frank chose me as one of the highlighted layouts of the week over on the Life Preserver's Forum :Judy in Alabama.... Dude is having FUN! I read in the comments for this one that Judy went to CKU while this fine fella went fishing. Awesome. How do you scrapbook about an outdoor, manly activity without "girling" it up with paper and embellishments: Bingo
First - use papers with flowers if you want - but a muted/rustic color surrounded by masculine alphas and a piece of book paper tucked in for that authentic author's point of view and BAM - this Dude just got scrapped! And don't miss the hook on the bottom corner ladies - that's probably the one he used! This is a great Dude layout... and he's having such a blast that the photos being the main part of the layout was an absolute must. Great layout, great subject, great job Judy!
So fun! Thanks Frank!

"Never be afraid to trust
an unknown future
to a known God."

creativity

Something I've been meaning to share for a while now -A rock I picked up from the river in Gatlinburg
while Craig was fly-fishing.
Washed up nicely with rub-on letters
= a cute little paper weight.

Ten on Tuesday

1. My week started with a visit to my skin doctor, God love her, I think she takes some sort of pleasure in the pain caused by freezing off these pre-cancerous skin spots I have. I’m teasing of course, because she’s really very sweet about it all. Still it does hurt like heck for a couple of hours afterwards. And I've NEVER looked forward to going to see her -
2. Harvested my first tomatoes this week! Three DEElicious cherry tomatoes!
   
3. Had lunch with friends at one of my favorite spots – the BEST chicken salad in town. And of course catching up with friends is always fun too.
4. We’re settling into a routine here at home with everyone off to work in the mornings, albeit different times. It’s good to know “we’re” out and about – and earning “our” own spending money – ha.
5. One long work day with lots of travel [3 hours each way] to a part of the state I’ve never laid eyes on wiped me OUT. But what to do? There’s no motel there to spend the night [or one I would stay in anyway…] so being on the road at 5:45 a.m. was my solution since I didn’t want to make the drive twice to see two counties. Any guesses?
6. Lots of rain this week so I’ve not had to water the garden much. Always good because, again, I believe plants respond better to natural rain somehow…but I have declared war on those giant black ants that are all over the sunflowers and also on whatever is eating the squash. Seven-dust is my poison of choice -
7. We all lead such busy, ‘on-the-go’ lives that it’s very nice to gather for our traditional Mexican meal on Wednesday evenings – we must have started doing this ten years ago when the boys’ schedules were crazy with sports and school activities. And we're a cRaZy bunch -
8. Remember the umbrella fix? Well, umm - not so good, it seems it's hollow inside and even after STUFFING it with chopsticks we just happend to have laying around [yes, we did] and wrapping with a ton of tape it was still a little wobbly - but I was determined to use it. It'd been hanging on the back of the chair ready for use for days - One recent rainy day I forgot it [covered parking and all, ya know] but Craig was so sweet to surprise me by dropping it off in my car before I went to lunch. I called him from the car to tell him thanks and how sweet it was of him to do this and as I picked it up I realized it was a NEW one that he'd purchased off e-bay [they sold out quickly at Target, as I knew they would.] Isn't that just the sweetest thing? The thing is, both the boys and he have been waiting for me to discover it so they all had a good laugh - still, he's teaching them to cherish their sweeties and go the extra mile to show you care.
9. Bought a new canvas purse [$10 at Wal-Mart] that I did a little painting on a-la-Donna Downey and plan to for use for the summer. So fun!
10. Awesome worship with Anthony Evans at church on Sunday. Gooogle him if you need to – but if you’ve ever done a Bible Study by Priscilla Shirir you probably know who he is.] And we went back Sunday evening to hear him again - something we never do -- our Sunday nights are a repeat of the three services in the morning - and ya know God was leading because we met a couple of young men there who were very recognizable as being from anther religion. Gave them my email and said I'd be happy to answer any questions they might have. Say a little prayer for them, won't you?

LP Amazing Scrap Race - week two - bling!! I re-did the original after
I got checked into the motel here in Mobile -


We 'traveled' to the Bolshoi theatre in Moscow -
So I scrapped a photo of our friends' daughter -
such an inspiration as she's followed her dreams
despite dealing with diabetes most of her life -
[photo taken by her mother]

The Top Ten Lessons I Learned From Charlie Brown #6

6. Do what you love to do.

Through all their adventures, Schroeder remained constant in his appreciation of Beethoven and his love of playing the piano. He loved to play piano and that's what he did, regardless of the circumstances. Charlie Brown flew his kite, played baseball and football, not just to win (he knew he wouldn't), but because he loved to do those things.

Submitted by Jim Allen, a personal & business success coach, who can be reached at Jim@CoachJim.com, or visited on the web at http://www.CoachJim.com.Jim Allen wants you to know: Charles Schulz taught me much through his daily work. Now, I hope to return the favor in some small way.

Putting Up Vegetables

This was such a BIG part of my ‘growing up’ years. Something I despised doing most of the time – but can now understand the thriftiness of it – and also the feelings of camaraderie as the job was done. But at the time – oh how I hated it. After Debby had the pool put in I can remember there often being a requirement of shelling a bushel of purple-hull peas or butter beans [or whatever happened to be ‘ready’] before we were allowed to swim for the day. [And, as a result, I don’t eat butter beans to this day -]

But I also remember the good times of sitting out under a shade tree [or under Ma’s carport – with her smiling as we talked and giggled], working away, as I listened to my Mom and her sisters talk about life. I remember how one might grow a bunch of stuff in their garden [or have fruit on their trees] or another might find it at a good price and purchase enough for all to share. I remember the smells of jams and jellies being made, the fun of water bathing tomatoes, and listening to hear each jar pop as it sealed. And I remember the simple beauty of jars of veggies and fruits lined on the shelf [peaches, green beans, tomatoes, blackberries, peas, apples, and beans] – somehow so much more special than the stuff we buy in cans today. I guess because they had a little love thrown in – what are some of your summer memories?

Ten on Tuesday

1. I got a haircut – at a salon [okay, okay -- a walk-in place] – the first one since September. [Eight months! But as you know, I’ve been trimming it along a bit…] I went for something different than the basic ‘bob’ that I go back to over and over again. And, I like it.
2. Mailed my membership to AARP this week – I tired to ignore it but they just keep reminding me that I’m over 50 now. So, I guess I’ll embrace it. Ha.
3. Drew learned a lesson about sun screen use earlier in the week – came home looking like a TO-mato after an all day [RC] airplane event, but he’s blessed with Craig’s skin and is very nice and tan now.


4. After the earlier complaints of the extra time and energy our new computer [training tracking system] program at work takes– I’ve gotta say that I’m loving it. So nice to see at a glance [for me] who has been to training / who needs it / etc.
5. Matt went wilderness camping again this weekend. And I heard talk about jumping from waterfalls – I’m sure I don’t want to know the details. I just have to [constantly] re-give him to the Lord each day.6. So, I enjoyed celebrating Jefferson Davis’ birthday yesterday – love our crazy state holidays! Tied the tomatoes up a bit more – wow! They sure are growing!
7. But my squash is being eaten as quickly as it can grow – it’s looking prêt-ty sad right now. I’m thinking it’s rabbits.8. Had some scrappy time at a place very close to home – it was fun and I think I got 8 -9 pages completed. They meet monthly – and I’ll be back for sure.
9. And, as already posted – I’m doing the Amazing [Scrap] Race over at Life Preservers. One week down – seven to go, and I have to say it’s already challenging and lots of fun to me.
10. Lastly – good news for the youngest – the company he’s worked for these past few summers has called with a position afterall. [He was originally thinking they didn’t have enough work to hire him. He starts today so the mohawk had to go…I’m sad, can’t you tell?

LP Amazing Scrap Race Week One

Originally posted at Life Preserver's Scrapbook Club
technique: distressing -

Scrapbooks of the Soul

[Photo of my cousin's granddaughter, taken by her mother,
and enhanced by me with picnik]

I am better than I was, but not quite as good as I was before I got worse.

- Barbara Johnson [Boomerang Joy, published: 1998]

Scrapbook lovers rejoice! This is our moment! Now you can put together scrapbook photo albums with stickers, stamps, and special acid-free, photo friendly paper to commemorate life’s most important moments. Your one-of-a-kind album will become a family heirloom if you take advantage of special pens, glues, photo corners, mats, page protectors, fun paper punches, and decorative edged scissors! As for me, I love the idea of finding fresh and creative ways to treasure moments.

Like Mary, the mother of Jesus, I have treasured many moments in my heart, special memories of God’s faithfulness to my family over many years. God Himself has used all kinds of colorful and creative ways to document His love, glorify Himself, and pass on the heritage of faith through the scrapbook pages of my life. Bet of all, He guarantees that none of it will fade away. It’s all acid-free!

God uses something even better than stamps, stickers, and scissors. He uses that little bottle of magic stuff called white-out. You know that stuff that does a fantastic job of erasing mistakes. With a dab of a brush, the wrong thing is covered over, leaving a fresh white space upon which to work. Years ago when I worked in an office I called white-out my 1 John 1:9 stuff because it would blot out the mess and leave a clean place – just like God does with our sins. We all need spiritual white-out to make us white as snow [Isaiah 1:18.] We can all have a clean fresh start every day. God no longer sees our sin, because it is covered by His special white-out: The blood of Jesus.

In our journey through life, the scraps and souvenirs we save can be turned into artwork by the creative Hand of the Lord. Let Him set down at the table of your life and got to work. And while you’re at it, why not help Him out? Gather up all the color you can, cut away the broken ends of your life, and find ‘stickers of the heart.’ – the things that make you laugh. Most of all, don’t let the best you have done so far be the standard for the future. You can do even better. Let God use His white-out: it works wonders!

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9

Way to Pray: Almighty God, my Redeemer, thank You that the blood of Jesus cleanses me from my sin. Please send Your Holy Spirit to fill me with Your peace so I can rest in the midst of my circumstances. You have given me forgiveness and righteousness in Jesus’ name. Hooray for your heavenly white-out! – Amen.

About Me: Some [scrappy] things I know you know, and maybe some you don’t:

• I’ve always enjoyed photography and I’m happy to be living in these digital times.
• I’ve created scrapbooks since I was in middle school.
• I enjoy [modern, acid-free] scrapbooking and find it to be more than a way to preserve my photos.
• I like the artsy – craftsy outlet it gives me.
• I describe my [scrapbook / life?] style as simple and graphic with a little whimsy thrown in for fun.
• It’s been so nice these last few years to have a spot to leave my ‘stuff’ out and accessible so I can create whenever the mood hits me. And sometimes tweak things over and over [and over again.]
• I enjoy challenges – sketches in particular & love to see how I can make one my own.
• Contests and challenges are fun to enter [when I’m in the mood and when I have the time.]
• I most always start with the photos and papers and title. Many times I must remind myself to add embellishments.
• I may, on occasion, do a layout with photos from friends / family but I’ve never grabbed photos of unknown people to meet a contest requirement. Somehow that just doesn’t set well with me because I scrap to preserve photos & memories not for the design skills alone.
  
• Over the years I’ve realized that my creativity flows better when I have fewer choices to make so I’ve started limiting my supplies. [The exception? Alphabet stickers – love them. And I know I have way too many.]
• Fonts? It’s overwhelming to me to have hundreds and hundreds available – I work better when there’s only ten or so to choose from.
• Papers and embellishments? With the recent closing of so many companies, I don’t have a favorite line at the moment.
• For me, kits are the way to go. Kits have lots of coordinated product and I have given myself permission to use as much as I want since I know another kit will be coming every month. I get this one and this one.
• No more saving [hoarding] stuff for a layout that’s ‘worthy’ of the product, I use it NOW.
• No more buying stuff just because it’s on sale and I might use it ‘someday.’ [I laughed at something I read a few months back, “Why am I rushing to buy stuff that no one else wanted in the first place, just because it’s cheap?”]
• And I’m passing on the things I no longer use; sure it costs me a bit to ship each month – but I hope it brightens another person’s day. And I’d love to see something they create with it!
• Tools? I can’t scrap without my Fiskars or Making Memories trimmers, small scissors from Wal-mart [three in a package], crop-o-dile, tweezers, border punches, metal ruler, craft knife, and Creative Memories circle cutter.
• Stamps & ink? I honestly only use these occasionally, so no favorites there – same goes for paint.
• Pens? These days I’m mostly using pens from American Crafts, although I have sharpies in different sizes and still love my Crayola marker in brown.
• Adhesives? I pondered buying the ATG for years and finally took the plunge when my favorite Duck adhesive changed its format. Love the ATG; and I still use glue dots in different sizes and foam dots as well.
• Things I’ve bought that haven’t worked for me: that giant staple thing [bought it really cheap – lol – see above], Fiskars shape cutter, embossing templates, sissix [although I do enjoy the cricut for alphabets,] and the coluzzle.
• Inspiration? I still get one magazine: Scrap, Etc. & enjoy it each month. But much of my inspiration comes from blogs and on-line groups. [And I’ve also limited my involvement with these because of the time it can sometimes suck out of my day.]
• I also love to take classes – but have become more discretionary in what I sign up for – I’ve enjoyed most every class I’ve taken on-line at BPS and with Jessica Sprague. And I love classes with Margie, Donna D, Debby Schuh, Teresa Collins, and Stacy Julian IRL. And Tim Holtz, oddly enough, since his ‘style’ is so different from mine, and I sooooo don’t use ink in my projects on a regular basis – he’s just a fantastic teacher.
• I take a TON of photos [always have, even in the pre-digital days] and do my best to weed them out monthly on the computer so that I’m only keeping the best of the best.
• Still, I only print a few of the ones I save. – I try to print at least once a month or so [when Wal-greens runs their special] and put these in a little accordion file on my desk [organized by month taken] so that I always have a few [or a lot of] photos ready to play with.
• Even with this plan, I still end up printing a few photos here and there on the computer to meet specific layout needs. And I usually have some printed photos left that aren’t used any where. [I’ve NEVER felt the need to scrapbook Every. Single. Photo.]
• Most importantly – I most always – always have my camera with me. I take random shots and posed shots; I take quick shots and others that I set up in my mind before snapping; I take photos of nature, people, places, and things. And I may take multiple shots of the same things from different angles and with different settings on the camera…

So there you have it – a little look into my scrappy world. Did I bore you with my rambling? Any surprises or inspiration for you? How do you create? What products are your favorites?

Ten on Tuesday

1. So happy that much of our house is clutter free! At the moment anyway – took a load to Goodwill and we’re still loving Jack [our little robot vacuum.]
2. Craig and I took a moment [or two] to drive around Decatur and enjoy the dragonfly display – I so enjoy these community art projects [I’ve seen cows, butterflies, etc. in different cities…]
3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome – not something anyone wants to discuss, but I’ve come to accept that this is probably a true diagnosis. Good thing: it can’t kill you. Bad thing: when you have a spasm that leaves you hurting for days you surely believe it might. Ha.
4. So, I’m giving up coffee in an effort to reduce caffeine and severely limiting greasy stuff – and somehow, drinking a G2 Gatorade daily has helped tremendously. And I know you all really wanted to hear about THAT, but it’s a part of MY day-to-day so it needs to be included.
5. During the weekend of Inspired! I was more than a little bummed that I had not planned to attend this year so I’ve been searching for some creative opportunities and am happy to say that I have some fun things planned these next few months – no big trips for me - but fun nonetheless. Please let me know if you plan to attend any of the following: GiGi’s 6^th Anniversary Crop, Donna Downey @ EMI Scrapbooking, or Debby Schuh @ Sweet Memories – I’d love to meet you there!
6. I so enjoy smelling the magnolias as I walk into work each morning since the walkway from my garage is on the same level as the blooms outside my office.
7. Got a ped-egg a few weeks ago and let’s just say I was overly aggressive one afternoon and was left with a cut that turned into a nasty wound, Neosporin and a big fat [SpongeBob] band aide to the rescue! All is well now.
8. Loved having lunch with Craig in our downtown park one day this week. Such a nice little place right in the middle of our office buildings.
9. Our microwave burned up a few days ago & then we had a little fire in the oven [from that drippy pioneer woman pound cake all over the bottom.] Going without a microwave for a few days helped us realize that it really does get daily use. And yes, we’re so happy the oven is still good.
10. And finally, we got up EARleeee to get over to Decatur to see the balloons Saturday morning. And while there was no hare and hound, we still saw some inflate so we got our balloon ‘fix’ for another year. And had a good long weekend overall.