HARVEST MOON!!!

Two posts in one day? You bet! I could not wait to show you the pic I got tonight. It was awesome. Kyle happened to look out the window and told us to come look. The moon was coming up over the horizon in a blaze of red. I tried to take a pic without the tripod as it came over the horizon. Impossible. By the time I got the tripod and set it up the moon had risen above the horizon, but I still think it is pretty with wisp of clouds passing through. I also thought it interesting that as the moon rose the corn field became more illuminated, but of course that makes sense when you consider it becomes brighter as it rises in the sky. (OK - Jesse explained the reasoning behind that as I thought later pics would be more dark - as in dark outside -duh) Anyhow, wanted to share - it is the last full moon in September - officially a harvest moon! Of course I already have a title for my layout!

I'm An Official Doodler!

Well, I guess. (LOL) Maelyn Cheung's new book, "Doodling for Paeprcrafters" arrived on my doorstep yesterday and I LOVE the book. I was actually so captivated by all the pages that I didn't stop everything to find my layouts. Abby saw me looking at it again this morning, and wanted to know where she was. (so funny!) So I began to start, from the back of course, and work my way forward.

I love how the book is layed out, with instructions on how you can learn to doodle yourself. There are great ideas and some things I want to try. I am especially inspired by hand drawn letters for titling. Do you think I can do it? It has always seemed daunting to me, but I sure do love the look! One thing I know for sure, Sakura is getting a lot of mileage out of this book with their pens in the supply list! Maelyn even has a spread devoted to tools and the variety of pens and proper storage.

At last I did find my pages. Reading backward, the first was my favorite "Flirt with Red" LO on page 39. "You Are 4" is on page 29, but it looks so funny. The color is way off - my brown paper background looks green. It's washed out as well. I admit, the bulky buttons I used on this LO made it a challenge for me to scan, and I suspect the buttons cause a glitch when obtaining an image for publishing. Just so you can really see my doodles on the number 4 and such much clearer, I am posting my own scan of "You Are 4" - just to prove I really do have good taste in color. (LOL)

Printed version:


My own scan:


If you have ever been interested in playing with your pages, I recommend Doodling for Papercrafters. Doodling makes me happy and gives me a real sense of freedom - give it a try!

Scrapped for Murder!

Put on your detective hat, get your photos developed and scrap area ready to go. Then come to the Scrapbook Playground for the month of October - click on the link at the right "Places I go!" - Get lots of pages done and and help solve a mystery.

October will be full of CHALLENGES, FUN, GAMES, and even a litte MURDER!!! YES you read that right!!!! We are going to play CLUE the entire month of October!!! There has been a murder at a scrap retreat and you get to use your detecting skills to SOLVE THE MYSTERY!!!!!

Members from the Design Team will be characters from the clue game. Suspects in the murder. They will each be hosting a room in the mansion with games and challenges for you to enjoy! Follow the detective around Scrappy Mansion as she interviews all the suspects and discovers WHO did it? WITH what scrapboking tool? and in WHAT room did the murder take place?

PRIZES: There will be TWO grand prizes. One prize will go to the one who SOLVES THE MYSTERY FIRST!!! And the other prize will go to the name drawn out of the hat for participating in the games and challenges! So the more you participate the better chance you have at winning! Plus there will be random prizes and RAK's given out during the month.

So get your scraprooms ready, your pictures developed, your detective caps on and let's PARTY!!!!!! See you in the Scrappy Mansion on October 1st!

Put some Joi in your scrapbooking!

I haven't found time to toot about this yet, but a few weeks ago I became a Studio Diva for K-joi Studios.com - a new site devoted to digital scrapbooking. My friend Kara Jones launched the site in September, and she has a super talented list of digital designers offering page kits and digital elements. And hey - freebies are always available - so you MUST check it out!
I am still pretty new to digital scrapbooking. What I love is that I can procrastinate and not clean up my traditional scrapping space, and keep on creating. (LOL) We had a house situation this past weekend where I could not scrap in my space, but thanks to K-joi I was still able to participate in some challenges at the crop hosted at the Scrapbook Playground. Here are two of my challenge layouts, the first uses a freebie dragonfly download by Scrapassie Designs.

The second is a word art kit and jewels mini-kit by Dawn Inskip. Last Wednesday night I was listening to Focus on the Family and heard the figure of 147,000 orphans in the world that are in need of families. I pray that if you have even thought about adoption to please consider it prayerfully. Also, for those of you who are able - if you know of a family who wishes to adopt, help them financially if you can. The cost is the greatest prevention of families being made complete through adoption. I know this is not what God wanted, but we live in a fallen world where money is king. If you have great organizational skills plan a benefit, and most importantly, please be in prayer for the orphans and those who have breaking hearts from wanting a child. My layout shows a photo of my niece Sarah on a mission trip in Haiti, holding a little boy that she completely fell in love with. The other photo, is of course, my sweet husband holding our beautiful daughter from South Korea.

You may have noticed that for the past several months Memory Makers magazine has added the criteria of "never before seen" pages for their reader gallery column. I enjoy making layouts for page calls if I already have an idea for the theme - a call usually gives me the push to get it done. The new criteria, however, makes it more difficult. Thanks to being able to scrap more quickly with digital scrapping, I was able to complete two super layouts this past weekend for the "One World" call. Now I am just waiting for scrapbookpictures.com to have a sale on 12x12 prints and I will have more layouts for our albums. In the meantime, I can put my digital layouts on a DVD and we can enjoy them on television. How cool is that?

More Paper Trunk for SBPG

Since I cannot post in the gallery at the Scrapbook Playground, and am dying to share my Paper Trunk projects, I thought I would share my second layout for our September upload here. When I made my treasure trunk project I set aside the paper that had the blue background and 4 flowers - it was just too pretty to cut up. I didn't have many scraps left to work with, but did manage to squeak a second 12x12 layout from my PT stash.


The 4 flowers in the design of the paper made me think of our family of 4 – how we were three for many years and added 1 to make 4. This photo was our first family portrait taken abou a month after Abigail arrived from Korea. I used my new Autumn Leaves Nature stamp set to create a blue bird and cut it out – afterall, bluebirds are symbols of happiness and with our family complete - I couldn't be more joyful than that time when our adoption wait was over.

Now that the weekend is over I could use a two day nap. Seems like I was running out teh door constantly. We went fishing, I went to a Pampered Chef party, and Sunday was our annual adoption picnic with Lifelink. I always love to see the new babies that have arrived in the past year. Most Korean babies are as chubby as Abby was when she first arrived. We were introduced to Kendra, a little girl from Ethiopia - the first from that country that has attended the picnic. I believe 6 or 7 countries were represented all together. I had hoped to get a photo with a child from each country in it..but let's just say large group picture taking of children, all under age 8, was completely chaos. I admit it was fun watching the littlest one, who could crawl - zoom out of the group as fast as her legs and arms could carry her each time her mother set her down for the photo. We had beautiful weather for the picnic, and the kids totally love McKee Farms Park with the HUGE Kids Xing playground. I think we are all really tired from the weekend. Until another time...keep to the narrow path!

Dedicated to Anna

Here it is! A layout of my great-grandmother, Anna Lien. Born in 1873 in Telemark, Norway. She married Nicholas Weber at the age of 18, and thus this chalk painting was created in honor of her engagement. I just LOVED, LOVED working with Paper Trunk papers for the Scrapbook Playground design team. The texture and colors were perfect for this LO. I also had blue hands for about 30 hours, from dying a white Heidi Swapp flower minutes before we had company over on Monday night. Yes, I knew I should have wore gloves, but time was critical. I wanted the flower to dry while we had company, so I could return to scrapping afterwards. Funny thing is - no one asked about my hands...how very kind of them, or not observant. (LOL)

I wanted to include the factoids I had learned about my beautiful ancestor, but was not sure where to include them. I don't care for crowded looking layouts. Piggy Tales Barndoors to the rescue! Thanks to Brandon I had a round barndoor that was perfect in the center of the flower. The layout title is on the outside of the door, and under the flap is the information I was able to learn about here.

I had another great surprise in my mailbox this past Saturday. Tara from PageFrames sent me a package full of their wonderful shapes. I hoped to incorporate one with one of my Paper Trunk LOs, but it was not to be. I already have some ideas and look forward to sharing my creations with Pageframes very soon. Tara was so so sweet to send me their product - I just LOVE it!

I have so much that I want to share this week... I am going to have to post regularly for the next couple of days. This weekend the Scrapbook Playground is having a weekend crop.

The real fun begins for our version of Octoberfest - a month long game and crop that will keep you guessing. Just remember I am innocent!! (hint, hint!) I am having fun making a list of challenges for the October event - please join us at the Playground!
It is going to be a blast, lots of prizes - so click on the link to your right to register and join the fun!

Mesmerized

Growing up this photo hanging on a wall in my grandparent’s home mesmerized me. It was contained in a gold gilded oval frame, as I recall, with a BUBBLE glass front which was truly unique. The woman in the photo captivated me, and I always wanted to know the story behind the long locks of hair.

I’ve been doing some research on this photo and have learned a number of facts, although little is really known.
 The young woman in the photo is my father’s grandmother, Anna Lien, age unknown
 When she departed from the ship as she came to America from Telemark, Norway her hair was reported to be below her ankles
 No one knows why her hair was so long, and all who might possibly know the answer are no longer alive
 I discovered, upon close inspection of the copy print in my fathers home (shown above), that the image is actually a painting, not a photo (the feet were the tell-tale on this fact)
 Upon restoring this image in Photoshop, and enlarging the pixels for repair on my monitor I noticed a diamond ring on her left hand, which had not been noticed before – which leaves me to believe that this is an engagement painting
 Once I obtain the marriage date I can deduct Anna’a age, as I have her birthdate (this is exciting for me!)
 I also learned that Anna’s husband, Nicholas Weber, had to help her wash her hair (no doubt!)

Other facts learned from my aunt who took the original to a photo specialist to have copied: Original is actually a chalk painting, rarely done, and easily smudged (I suggested the painting be taken to a specialist and have chalk fixative applied to help preserve it – a product that did not exist in the 1800’s)
 Artist’s name was likely smudged from bottom corner, as the painting has a number of chalk smudges on it
 Frame itself is very unique, rare to find one intact from that period

What I am doing: Scanned the copy print that my father had received
 Restoring as best I can in Photoshop as the image has scratches, discolorations of red spots here and there, lots of specks
 Planning to reprint on archival premium photo paper and return to my father in a proper, archival safe frame
 Planning to scrap with Paper Trunk this week for the Scrapbook Playground DT, as I realize the colors will be a wonderful compliment to this painting
 I will continue to be mesmerized by this image that I adored as a child, and will at least have some facts to go along with the page – my contribution to preserving family history. I LOVE this part of scrapbooking!

These are my plans this week for scrapbooking. I am not a huge genealogist, but I do love to learn and make discoveries when they fall my way. As we continue our journey here on earth it is important that we not forget the past, for where would we be without ancestors?

You Never Let Go

It's hard to let go at times... especially when your children reach a new milestone in their lives. This week Abby began school, Tues-Thurs. she attends West Middleton as a mentor in the early start program. Basically she and a few others help to set an example for children with special needs, listening to the teachers, sitting still at story time...being themselves, really, but at the same time showing other children who struggle in these areas "how to do it". It's a great program, and a perfect fit for a child who has an October birthday and has to wait another year to begin kindergarten.

As for myself...not so much letting go of traditional scrapping..never, never, never! But embracing even more, digital scrapbooking. This week I became a Studio Diva for www.kjoistudios.com (permanent link found at right). I love doing hybrid layouts and my friend, Kara Jones, launched K-joi last week - a great site for those who love digital and who are interested in learning, to come together in a forum. First, I have to laugh at the mere thought of me...at 44, 2 kids, and extra pound-age, having the title DIVA. So NOT diva am I! (LOL) But I can get a kick out of the title, and in the meantime enjoy all the fabulous digital elements provided by a fantastic group of digital designers. I have so many ideas...so little time.

My first project as a Diva is a hybrid greeting card. When I saw Dawn Inskip's awesome dino doodles I knew they would be perfect for a kid's card. Card magazine has a call out for their Feburary issue, and I decided for the first time, that I would make cards specificall to submit. I am not sure a hybrid greeting card has ever been published, but hey...if I am too futuristic on this one so be it. I love how the card turned out.




The hybrid portion of this card simply comes in with the inking around the edges of the card, and taking my Sakura clear glaze pen over the alphbet, and in the eyes of each dinosaur, to make them glow and stand out. It's very cool in real life. Hope you enjoy it.

On the note of letting go... our church has been singing a new song these past couple of weeks by Matt Redman. I recognized the refrain when we first sang it, no doubt because I listen to Christian radio each moment I am listening to the airwaves. The song really speaks to me, and I totally love the melody. It is awesome to hear 100s of people singing this at one time, and knowing that each may be thinking of a time when God was with them through a trial...never letting go, no matter what we have done, where we have been, where we are going. Awesome! Click on the arrow to start the video located at your right - take a few moments to draw closer to God.

Paper Trunk for your treasures anyone?

Recently I just finished up a project that turned out really cool for the Scrapbook Playground, featuring Paper Trunk's Gigi collection. From the moment I heard we were getting product from Paper Trunk I was inspired to create an altered trunk. I remembered seeing a paper mache trunk at WI Craft Market years ago. I visited Michael's and found an even better trunk than what I remembered, this one matching old steamer trunks that my mother used to keep in a storeroom, belonging to her great-grandfather, as I recall. They were heavy wooden trunks with metal straps, lots of rivets, and what I remember most is that they were lined with newspaper. How cool - a bit of history glued to the inside of the trunk! I decided to do the same with my trunk, using the hometown newspaper. I made sure "church notes" was visible and circled the name of the church I work at. On the inside I made a point to include local news from nearby Black Earth, where Jesse grew up, and the feautured article is about the recent flooding. I figure 25 years down the road someone will see this paper trunk and it will be similar to a time capsule with bits of news from the past. No matter where it ends up, the person who has it will know something about the area that the artist who created it, and where she is from. I had a great time making the project, and it was about time I blew the dust of the dremel tool and used it to drill holes for the brads, aka rivets.

For now my plans are to keep current photos in the trunk. I realize my family sees few photos as I am always filing them in craft keepers with papers, etc. upon receiving them. Taking our trunk to family reunions is also much classier than a couple envelopes of photos, don't you agree? I made index card separators so that the photos can be sorted by season. Which will also make it easy for me when I want to find certain photos for scrapbooking. The index cards, simple in design, each feature a photo that has red in it.



I also had fun layering flowers, felt leaves that I cut out and stitched on the sewing machine, and a black key on top of the trunk. I found a Sarah Heidt Photocraft diecut in my stash for "Family" that was pefect in its raw chipboard state for the front of the trunk. I totally love all the details on this project. I am excited to share it with you - enjoy!


On another note all together, I just learned that Maelynn is going to be teaching a class on doodling at Big Picture Scrapbooking, and using the book she authored that includes some of my work! If you have always wanted to doodle or would like some more practice from a great artist - consider Maelynn's class. Sign up at Big Picture Scrapbooking - - doodling on pages is great fun and SUCH a stress reliever. I think I do my best doodlign late at night...kind of going a little crazy, thinking I maybe went too far, but after a night's rest I love it.

Last but not least...Creative Express is making the BIG decision today. I would SO LOVE LOVE to be on this team. With the week I have had it probably won't happen, but I will say Scatty and crew have a really fair way of figuring out who the team will be. They should share their method with CK and MM for their annual big contests - no one can argue fairness and impartiality with the CX method! Good luck to everyone who has tried out for this awesome design opportunity!