The Memory Bee

Time flies!

I've taken a trip back through time in the last few days as I've gone through my huge stack of magazines (about 5 feet tall!) sorting and remembering, saving and setting aside. This project was created by the reorganization of my scrapbook room a couple weeks ago. Before I got rid of a lot of this stack (about 3' 6" of it), I had to go through the magazines and idea books one last time to make sure there wasn't any inspiration that I wanted to save. It was fun to see the evolution of scrapbooking as I paged through years of books and magazines. From this first (or maybe second) issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine and the first and last issue of Paperkuts, we've come a long way from cutting our pictures into shapes and adding some stickers. Here's a page from the Creating Keepsakes magazine. I'd even turned down the corner because there was an idea I wanted to go back to. I wonder what it was? :)

As I was going through the magazines I found several layouts that I had published that I'd forgotten about. One from 2000 is below. It was also fun to see people's pages from years ago. This layout is by Ali in 2003. I thought it was sweet to see Simon as a baby with new baby Anna here now!

I actually worked on a new layout for an assignment for a magazine over the weekend, too. I haven't done a 12x12" layout in months! I'll let you know when it comes out.
I loved having Jeremy home from Florida for the weekend. I don't get many pictures of the boys anymore ...I had to snap this one really quickly as we headed out the door to the airport tonight. Blurry but special to me!

It snowed here today, so I'm back to cuddling up in my warmest bathrobe...my Bind It All robe...how special is that! I think it's funny that they were giving bathrobes with a purchase when they first came out. What a bathrobe has to do with a machine that wire binds an album, I'm not sure!

Aren't you jealous?! :)

Navigator of the Seas. A cruise ship or a work of art? Once onboard, we think you'll agree this cruise ship is a revolutionary masterpiece if ever there was one. Not only does it sail effortlessly through the waters of the Caribbean, it contains some of the cruise industry's most amazing features - a rock-climbing wall, a basketball court, an ice-skating rink and an in-line skating track. Dare we say there's more? What about a five-story theatre, a casino, a miniature golf course and a spectacular three-story dining room? This 138,000-ton nautical wonder has it all. Sounds FABULOUS! I'm beginning to plan and dream about our trip to Italy and the Mediterranean in September! We won't be spending too much time on the ship, but it sounds like it will be wonderful! One of the things about this cruise that I'm most excited about is the amount of time we spend in ports rather than just on the ship traveling from place to place. We are in a different city every day from morning til night, so we will really be able to see and experience the flavor of all these different places. We'll have time to sit at an outdoor cafe and watch the people; we'll be able to walk the cobblestone streets and take tours or just wander and get a feel for the culture in each of these ancient cities. From Rome to Genoa to Nice to Barcelona to Palma de Marllorca to Sardinia...we are going to be on sensory overload from all the picturesque places we'll see. We'll have a couple evening classes on the ship where we'll make elements of our album, then on the last day at sea, we'll assemble our albums using 7gypsies products and all the treasures we've been collecting along the way. I'm thinking that we'll have a section for each port that we visit and have lots of pockets and interactive elements. All you'll have to do is add pictures when you get home! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity...the price is great, the euro is way down against the dollar, so our money will go much further when we're in ports, and we are going to have a blast! I've loved meeting people who have signed up on my travels across the country! Some are coming by themselves, some are coming with friends, and some are coming with their husbands...a really mixed group but I know that just the right group! I know we're going to make life-long friends as we share this experience together! Would you like to join us? We have room for just a very few more people to join us! If you have questions, you can email me or call Jaci at Scrapmap (877-887-1188) and find more info HERE.

On Cloud 9!

I'm home from an incredible weekend at Scrapbook 'n Such in Wichita Falls, Texas! I enjoy ALL my store visits, but sometimes you just feel a connection of friendship and kindred spirits with people you've just met...that's how my weekend was there! A big thank you to Terri and the whole gang who made me feel so welcome...you Texas gals sure are fun! I know we're just gluing paper and stuff, but I hope that the feeling of accomplishment and creating pretty things fuels your creativity and just makes you happy! Like you've made ME!

All your CUTE pictures are in the photo album on the side. This store is 8000 sq. feet of just about every scrapbook product you can imagine! I filled my suitcase with the things I bought! I even splurged on the pink Bind It All. Yeah! (Yes, it really is better than the blue one!)

Can't wait to be back sometime! Love you Texas (and Oklahoma, Lousiana, and Idaho) girls!

I got 3 hours sleep...

After going to bed at 10:30 last night, I woke up at 1:30am and waited for my alarm to go off at 3:30. When I got to the airport at 4:45, my flight was canceled! Now I'm on an 8:30 flight and passing the time here watching last week's episode of ER, watching CNN, updating my blog, and wishing I could lay down and sleep!

I love the way they tied up loose ends with Carol and Dr. Ross and Carter and Benton. Those were the good old days of ER. I haven't been able to get into the story lines for quite a while. I have this whole season saved on Tivo for watching on some day when I can zip through the whole thing.
I'm heading to Dallas and then on to Wichita Falls for a weekend of classes at Scrapbook 'n Such. We start with a class tonight, then three tomorrow, one on Sunday, and then home on Monday. I'm sure going to be totally exhausted  when it's done, but right now I'm so excited to see everyone again and meet lots of new scrappy friends!
I'll have lots of pictures next week! Have a great weekend!

I'm determined!

I'm determined to work my way down my lists of things to do...just a million little things! Yesterday I was able to cross 15 things off my list. Just to show how desperate I was to feel like I was getting things done...I even had wash my face and get dressed on the list! Eight things that didn't get done were moved to today and added to the 3 things that were already on my list for today. And my son just asked if we could meet for lunch, so I'm going to take a break in my list-doing and spend some time with him. One of my favorite things to do and definitely worth the interuption!

Just because I have to have pictures to share, I'll include these from my trip to Florida in February. One of my favorite shops is Cobwebs in Bradenton on Manatee (the space is shared with Retro Rosie Vintage Clothing.) Such a great collection of good things and a visual feast! I found this bedside table. Can you believe that I brought it home in my suitcase?! It's 28 3/4" tall, so I'm sure security was wondering what they were seeing when they x-rayed it! Sorry about the blurry table picture...just special effects for my mom in the background!

My mom and I also made our way to Venice, FL, to The Cat's Meow. Very cool store...didn't allow pictures which is kind of a shame because it would be nice to promote the store that way. Didn't buy anything there, but we had a delicious lunch at their cafe next door. They did let me take a picture in there! Very charming!

Too bad I didn't have updating my blog on my to-do list! I could have crossed one more thing out! :)

What's up?

I have been loving my cleaned up room! I don't know if any of you are like me in that when things are clean and organized, it brings peace to my soul! So dramatic, huh?!
That project done, it was on to my closet which was spurred by a sale at Target on Huggable Hangers. My closet is seriously small (the picture below is IT!) so I have to keep things in order there, too, to keep sane. Oh, how I'd love a walk-in closet! My camis and other sleeveless tops were constantly falling on the floor...I love how the huggable hangers keep everything in place. I even hung up my cardigans. It looks like these hangers won't stretch out the shoulders. I started with the cream colored hangers, but when I went back for more, all Targets in the US (according to the stock guy) were out of that color, so I had to switch to pink. Kind of bugs me to use two different colors, but I'll survive! :) A bag of clothes is off to Goodwill and another to the second hand store.

That project's done, four huge boxes are packed with class kits and shipped to Texas (one weighed 53 lbs and another 47 lbs.), my calendar is almost done for the rest of the year with trips to northern and southern California, back to Houston and Waco, Florida, possibly New York and Canada, and more! It is amazing how much planning and time it takes to work out all the details. Good thing I like details...I have lists to keep track of my lists!

Enjoy your weekend...I'm loving the sunshine!

More transformation!

I waited all weekend for the sun to come out to get pictures of the rest of my reorganization project, but never saw a hint of it, so finally today I just took pictures anyway! I've made it all the way around the room, cleaning out most areas. It feels soo good and invigorating! Now I need to get back to work but all I want to do is play!
I've talked about my room before but for those who are just stopping by, this room was the little kitchen in an in-law apartment which is now our master bedroom. A few years ago I used the $2000 advance I got for writing a book (Kids Scrapbooking...Easy as 1, 2, 3) to redo this kitchen and make it my scrapbook room/office. We took out the old metal cupboards and put in stock white melamine cupboards from Home Depot, had the counter top made to fit along two walls, using the file drawers that Making Memories used to make as the base, recarpeted, and pretty much used every space-saving idea I could come up with to maximize this little room. There's a picture of it in the Memory Makers book, How to Organize your Scrapbook Workspace.

Here's some more before and after pictures of this weekend's whirlwind makeover:

I took all the 8 1/2"x 11" cardstock that I had lined up on the shelf and moved it to a shelf in the hallway since I hardly ever use it anymore. The white basket on the shelf now holds all my Heidi Swapp product all in one place.

 
I purchased the wire grid that the product above is hanging on from an online site that I found when I googled "store fixtures." I have the exact info somewhere if you want to email me. I wanted to have things out where I could see them and then potentially USE them!
I love the Anna Griffin boxes with the bows on them. I had old AG product in them but I emptied that out and now have tags and envelopes in one, ideas I've torn from magazines in another, and miscellaneous spiral albums in the third.

 
The other big white basket holds all my letter stickers...Thickers, printed chipboard, rub ons, etc. as well as lots of other stickers I need to go through. I still have every Nostalgique sticker ever made in that basket! Way too much stuff!
I love my little bee collection (The Memory Bee...get it?) I love the bee with the Bible! Not sure why a bee would be holding a Bible but it was perfect for me!

Now there's even some empty spaces where I'll keep ongoing projects. The wire paper rack used to hold all my Anna Griffin products but now it holds paper collections from various manufacturers. I need to go through these, too. I'm not sure I need every piece of paper ever made by Basic Grey and SEI although I like it all!
You can see down the hall into our bedroom a little bit in the next picture. That shelf holds old magazines (need to clean those out) and my cardstock and stuff. The tall unit with the drawers is actually part of a closet organizational system. The 5" drawers are called sock drawers, but I use them for punches, decorative scissors, stamps, etc. Above that I've cleaned things out and have a place to keep my monthly kits (Kenner Road is the only one I subscribe to although I occasionally buy others when they have something I really like.)

I moved all my Anna Griffin paper to one shelf...yikes! and still have to figure out where to keep all the embellishments and stamps! (going to the basement for now.)
I love this little dish that my mom gave me for Christmas! It holds little trinkets that I want to have handy on my desk.

This is the wall that originally had the metal cupboards on it. We took out the old sink and put in a little bar sink. It's installed a little off center above the cupboard so that a mini fridge fits beside the plumbing below. So convenient!
I added two more cubes here for printing supplies and things and a drawer for all my chargers. I love having them in that drawer instead of all over the countertop! See my floaty pen collection?!

You can see from this picture just how narrow this room is! I sometimes wish I had a bigger room but I love the picture window that overlooks the backyard and if I had more room I would just fill it with more, so this is just right.
The TV hangs using a heavy duty swivel hanger like they might have in a hospital. I got it a Circuit City. On the shelf are my catalogs and below is another white cube with some buttons and tools in it (and some empty space!) and two sets of metal drawers from Office Depot that hold my photos.

Someday I'll share what's under the counter...not too exciting though. I always get questions about what's in the pink boxes on the shelf above the window! Those are photo boxes from Joann Fabrics. I keep things I don't need to have out and don't use too often up there out of the way like refills for adhesive, wire, embossing templates, paper dolls (yes, I have every Paperkin and want them to make a come-back!), blank cards, fabric, etc.
Thanks for all your comments! Let me know if you have any questions...I wish my room was big enough to hold a friend!

A Transformation!

Yesterday morning I got up and took one look at my scrapbook room/studio/office...whatever you call it...and just couldn't stand the mess anymore! I was totally overwhelmed by products...some as old as the oldest scrapbook papers (anyone remember Kangaroo and Joey or Frances Meyer?) As many times as I've cleaned things out, there are some things that I have a hard time parting with! Once again I purged, this time more relentlessly, throwing some stuff in the garbage (do I really need to save every empty little plastic container from the old Making Memories product?) and putting lots of stuff aside for another scrapbook garage sale (what do you think, Kelli?)
This is what my room looked like yesterday morning: (you can click on a picture to make it larger to get the full impact of all the STUFF!)

Michaels has 40% off this week on white modular cubes, so I headed there a bought 10! I am so thankful for my handy husband who spent the evening assembling the cubes as I sorted through the masses. We took down the shelves on the left side of the window, which involved taking down the top shelf for a minute in order to get the bracket out. A bigger mess before if got better! If you look closely, you can see the cat behind the boxes. :)

I was up until almost 2am putting things back together and today I finished it up. Oh, my! I love it!

Let's see those side by side...

Not only does the hubby assemble cubes...he brings me roses! How lucky am I! (Pam, do you see the sugar shakers in the background? I got the turquoise one at the Alameda Flea Market in CA.) This is a close up of the little shelf under my papers. Some of favorite things! I got the shell-covered shoe at Goodwill in FL. So precious!

I'm making my way around the room...I'll add more pictures to this post tomorrow!

Just BEin'

When I finish designing a class, I feel like I've given all I've got and may never be able to do it again (BUT thankfully I know I will...more inspiration will come when I need it!) I know I've said it before, but I love this album! I love the colors of it, the style of it, and the message of it! Here's the finished cover and a peek and the pages...

So far, I know I'll be teaching this class in a couple weeks in Wichita Falls, TX; in Chantilly, VA, in April; in Phoenix in May; in Houston in June; in Florida in July; and in San Jose in September! The links to each of these places is in the sidebar. I've added the supply list of things to bring to class in the description under Upcoming Classes on the side. I'm so looking forward to teaching this class and getting some ideas of how you'll finish the "be..." statements throughout the book.
I only have 3 dates open for teaching for the rest of the year, so if you're interested in my classes, email me!

  Another exciting thing is that the lottery for Creative Escape is coming up March 15. The demand for spots at this fabulous event is so high that they have everyone who might be even remotely interested in attending sign up in the lottery. Then they pull names and offer the spots to those people they draw. I think each person they draw can bring one person, and they keep going down the list until all 650 spots are taken. There are several thousand names in the lottery...but if you don't sign up  you won't even have a chance! Don't miss out! This year is going to be the BEST!

It's March?

February just disappeared! I think traveling so much made it go by especially fast! I'm bundled up trying to keep warm and transport myself back into this picture where I was on Wednesday. It was so nice to spend time with my mom and dad and Jeremy! Mom and I had a lot of good shopping time, too!

It was so great to teach at Buffalo Stamps and Stuff yesterday! It was great to drive down the street and be there; it was great to see everyone and catch up on our kids and all; it was great to meet new people, and I'll look forward to seeing them again! Back in the day when I was teaching weekly classes at Michaels, we knew all about each other's families, kept up about our favorite reality tv shows, movies, and books, and made really good friends! I miss that a lot, and it was so nice to be together again! I've put all our pictures in the album in the sidebar.
This Saturday morning, I'm teaching the Love Story album to the scrapbook group at the Wesleyan Church of Hamburg, but anyone can come! If you're interested, you can email Melissa at two2puppies@gmail.com for more information.

Have you heard about the new venture called the House of 3? They had a house-warming celebration this weekend online. I LOVE the albums they did using the products they have to download and print. I'm one who would just rather purchase these products already made, but the ability to print as much as you want is great, too. I really want to make this album. Check it out!

I got the word from Tim letting me know I'm accepted to be a student at Ranger University in April! I'm not really a very messy or grungy scrapper, so I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to learn about all the products that Ranger sells and how they can be used and then adapting them to the kinds of projects I like to do. Can't wait to play with Tim, Suze, and Claudine (and take a little time in the city...NYC... too!)

I'm looking forward to being home for the next couple weeks and to getting some time to work on some projects in my studio and around the house. I've got a list a mile long!