Insane in the membrane

Now you really couldn't expect me to keep a video of Bill Maher in a Snuggie to myself or even wait for the usual Thursday video spot, could you? Of course not...





I have a couple of favorite lines, but 'our booze cruise has hit an iceberg' is resonating on this early Saturday morning.

Everybody's workin for the weekend...

It's been a while since I've shared some cards with the beautiful bellas, didn't want you to think I'd abandoned them for 'younger models'. A challenge is held on the Bella Blog every Friday, hello intimidation! it will be a while before I share there.

For now, I'll just share here


I felt like playing with pink and green, love these colors together, takes me back to my 80's childhood.

Supplies:
Stamp: Ballonabella
Patterned Paper: Making Memories
Ribbon:Making Memories
Cardstock: Bazzill
Colors:Copics
Extras: Glitter, Scalloped scissors, glossy accents

I made this one with some BG scraps from a layout I'll share at some point. Sorry for blurry pic


Supplies:
Stamp: Goodluckabella
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey Porcelain, I even paper pieced her top with this paper and then went over it with a Spica glitter pen
Cardstock: PTI Vintage Cream
Colors: Copics
Extras: Stickles

Welcome to the weekend

It's all about perspective

gotta love Louis CK

Wrong, Funny, but Wrong

Good thing A follows God on twitter or we would have all missed out on this internet gem.

A layout laying around

I've had this one sitting in a stack to share for a while now...I think this layout may hold my record for the longest time to come together. I started the frames around New Year's and they sat until a couple of weeks ago when I put the rest of the pieces together. And looking at it here, I'm still not sure I'm happy with it, it is what it is at least until the next inspiration strikes...

Supplies:
Prism Cardstock
October Afternoon Patterned Paper
Scenic Route Chipboard frames, label stickers
American Crafts Ribbon and Alphabets

What is your child's teacher really trying to say...

A colleague brought this great list to me today and I just couldn't keep it to myself, quick no go get your child's last report card and hopefully none of these things are on there, but...

If the comment says...

• Shows difficulty in distinguishing between imaginary and factual material...means Your child is a liar.
• Has difficulty with motor control and coordination...means Your child is a klutz
• Accomplishes task when interest in constantly prodded...means Your child needs nagging
• Results to physical means of winning his or her point or attracting attention...Your child fights
• Needs guidance in development of good hygiene habits...Your child smells bad
• Needs help in learning to respect the property rights on others...Your child steals
• Needs guidance in learning to express self respectfully...Your child is a smartass
• Requires ongoing supervision in order to work well...Your child is lazy
• Has qualities of leadership but needs to use them more constructively...Your child is a bully

Monday Quote

The only reason for being alive is being fully alive.

- D.H. Lawrence

This is another page I finished this weekend with new papers from SEI, I loved the purples, greens and aquas in this line, so invigorating...if a scrapbook paper can be invigorating.

As I've said before, I love that I have smart friends who come up with crazy challenges to stretch us all creatively. This week's journaler's challenge was to journal with a diamante poem. If you already know what this is and you're not part of the challenge then you're a few steps ahead of me. Thankfully the internet comes to the rescue again.

I broke a few of the rules...go figure...but I'm happy with the result

A special poem about Sienna.

SHE

happy, small

smiling, laughing, chatting

baby girl casts spells

walking, playing, amusing

energetic, magical

SPRITE

Supplies:

Patterned Paper: SEI Bridgeport

Cardstock: Bazzil

Alphas: Quickutz Diesel, Making Memories, American Crafts

Embellishments: SEI and American Crafts

Weekend Wind Down

Even with extra time off and a clean house the weekend seemed to fly by. I wonder if that's a sign that I need a vacation.

I had a great visit with my mother's cousin, Sue. She was here for a stop over visit with me and her other cousin, Don, who lives in the Springs. Sue's mother Sally was one of my favorite people, my heart broke when I heard she had died last year. Sue told me the story Sally's peaceful death and as hard as it was to hear it was also a relief to know she died so peacefully, really the way we all hope our loved ones will pass.

I spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and creating, here's a layout I did for the weekly sketch post for the store blog. Not sure why I picked this paper, I could have easily used the polka dot side, but something about the flower called to me, I guess I wanted to challenge myself just a bit.


All supplies are SEI except cardstock(bazzil)

Hope you have a great week.

My grandparents are on You Tube!?!

And really how many 36 year olds do you know who can say that?

Many of you read the article I posted last Saturday and apparently so did a regional television station so they did a story on NanNan and Grandpa and of course in the age of viral marketing posted it on youtube.

While I don't expect to soar to the top of the viral vid chart anytime soon, I thought it would be fun to post here.

Video Thursday

this one is for Kelly and any other blanket fans...PG-13 for strong language, best not to play w/youngins in hearing range.

Catch Up Post #2

I always love the journaler's junction challenges in Pea Land almost as much as I love the girlies that host the challenge. I made a resolution to do all the challenges this year, so far I'm not off to a great start, but there's always time to catch up...and that's exactly what I did...this layout is from a challenge a couple of weeks ago 'Scrap your BFF'

I found this picture of Shelley and me at Disneyland circa 1981-ish. You can't really see in this layout photo, but my face is grumpy, grumpy, grumpy and look at Shelley so smug and happy, no doubt this pissed me off even more. Luckily the years heal many wounds. I'm so thankful for our adult relationship, even when one of us (usually me) acts like a one of these kids.

Yep, that's a stacked button on the flower. I can't stop myself.

Monday Quote

The true object of all human life is play. G K Chesterton

I thought this quote was perfect for this photo of Sienna on the slide...and the photo was perfect for this fun new paper from My Mind's Eye...It's called Penny Lane... love it...can't wait for it to make it to the store.

as usual MME has terrific embellishments to coordinate with all the paper. I decided to kick them up a notch. The flower was originally a flat circle, so I cut the flower (because it's just not complete until you do a little fussy cutting) into 3 pieces and then stacked the layers with foam squares. On the top layer I decided to add a couple of buttons (been very into buttons lately) love the stacked button look. You'll see it on another layout coming up too.

Happy Monday!

Catch Up post #1

As I was once again cleaning my scraproom(sometimes it feels like I spend every Sunday cleaning up, the good news with my new organization I can clean up and move on to new projects faster, maybe someday I'll clean-up after finishing a project instead of when I want to start one) I realized that I've finished several projects that I haven't posted here...many haven't even been photographed, thank goodness I have tomorrow off!

Here's a layout that was at the store for quite some time, but I never posted here. I love seeing how much Sienna has grown from Labor Day until now.


Love the combo of my all-time fav AC ribbon and this OA paper, it's as if the paper was made for the ribbon.

Stay tuned the rest of the week as I continue to get caught up...speaking of catching up, if you didn't read yesterday's post please keep reading, I hope you'll love the story.

Everlasting Love

a special story to warm your heart on Valentine's Day...

Couple yearns for two nights together

Posted By Linda Crabtree, St. Catherine's Standard

As a longtime Standard columnist who writes on disability issues, I'm used to receiving odd requests, but no one has ever asked me to help arrange a couple of nights in a big bed. Not until now, that is.

An e-mail from Dorothy Pape on Oct. 27 read in part, "My husband, William, is at present separated (from me) in long-term care, and we'd love to have a last night or two together in a big bed, but would have to have a personal-care worker in the next room."

Nothing tugs at my heartstrings more than married seniors who are separated.

Could I help them? I began to think that with my tourism contacts I could. I'll tell you about that later, but first, the Papes, Dorothy and William. What a life they've had together.
Married for 66 years, Dorothy and William were born in England. They met and became engaged in London, where Dorothy was training as a medical social worker.
"We knew we wanted to be together, but something had to change," Dorothy said. By chance, Dorothy found a pamphlet about China's Inland Mission.
"God seemed to say, 'This is for you.' "

They were off to China in 1939, but not to be together. By missionary rules, they had to be in China for two years before they could marry. To learn to speak and to write Mandarin, they were in language schools 1,600 kilometres apart and then spent a year at separate stations with experienced missionaries.

"We were married in Kunming in 1942," Dorothy said. "I had my dress made in Shanghai because you couldn't buy western clothing inland. The only link we had with family was Bill's sister's wedding picture." That photo is with them in their wedding picture.

"Two months after settling in our new home in Baoshan, southwest China, the Japanese bombed our city and advanced from Burma," Dorothy said. "The Chinese army retreated. The Japanese army was almost at our city and we and three fellow missionaries fled into the mountains, seven days' climb, to our mission station among the Lisu tribe.

"We were cut off from civilization with no shops, post office or radio ... out of touch with anyone at home and mission headquarters. "The Lisu had their own language and were animists believing in many spirits. They ate mostly corn, with occasional chicken, eggs or a pig. "One of the missionaries was a nurse, otherwise there was no medical help of any kind. Bill got cerebral malaria and I had typhoid. "We went up into the mountains in May and came down in December when it was obvious that the Japanese weren't coming back. Our house had been looted and our bedspring stolen. I remember William laced leather strips across the bed frame and we put those thin cotton Chinese quilts on it. It wasn't very comfortable, but we managed."
The Papes spent another five years in China: Dorothy working in the church and William as chaplain with the American military. Dorothy also gave birth to their first daughter, Janet.
In 1946, the family went back to England, but not for long. The mission's doctors thought a few months in Canada would do all of them good as food was still rationed in England.
They ended up in Stouffville, Ont., for more than a year and their second daughter, Jill, was born in 1949. The couple's plans to go back to China were dashed when they learned that more than 1,000 missionaries were being forced out as the Communist regime took hold.
"So we took a Presbyterian Church in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, " Dorothy said. "We had to become landed immigrants to work in Canada, so that's when we became Canadians."
But, again, they were not to stay for long. In 1951, Japan called.

Again, they studied the language and Dorothy taught English at two Japanese universities while William taught in a seminary. He later started a church for Chinese who had fled to Japan after the Communist takeover. "My husband is a born teacher," she said proudly.
When Jill, the youngest, graduated high school, the family returned to Canada and settled in St. Catharines where Calvary Church -- the church that had supported them all their time in Japan -- was located. William served as The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) representative for the northeastern United States and Canada.

Then, William, still in touch with his contacts in the Christian Military Fellowship, was invited to speak in Germany. He visited a Bible school there and the result: Dorothy and William arrived in Brake, Germany, in 1969 and spent the next 23 years there teaching.
In 1992, it was back to St. Catharines. William was 80. At that time, he received an honorary doctorate from Houghton College in New York state -- where the girls received their college education -- for getting the Japanese and Koreans together while he was working in Japan.
That wasn't the only time he brought dissident groups together. While in Germany, he had gone to Yugoslavia to speak in one of the many independent churches. Eventually, he spoke in all 10 and had them working as one.

"I wrote two books to bring them together," he said, a twinkle of satisfaction in his eye.
Indeed, both Dorothy and William are writers. Each has published seven books and collaborated on another. "My most famous book is In Search of God's Ideal Woman, published by InterVarsity Press," Dorothy said. "It was translated into several languages."
William has also had his writings translated and broadcast all over Russia. Until a year ago, when he was 96, he was still writing and broadcasting to Christians in that country.
In St. Catharines, they lived on Vine Street for some years and then moved to several seniors residences before settling at Tufford Manor.

After nearly two years there, William began to need more care and the only vacancy was at Linhaven on Ontario Street. The couple was separated on July 4. Dorothy, 95, visited William six days a week for four months until early November, when a room became vacant at Tufford Manor in the long-term care section.

Now, they may not be living in the same room, but they are in the same building.
And that brings us to this week. Bill celebrated his 98th birthday on Tuesday and the couple's wish of having a bed for two last nights will be realized.

Thanks to Niagara Classic Cars, Cabs, Limousines and Coaches, the couple will be whisked away to the Hilton Niagara Falls Fallsview where they'll have a two-room suite for two nights courtesy of John-Paul Mannella, director of front-office operations.

Personal support worker Rose Costen will be on hand for the entire time to help Dorothy, who uses a walker, and William, who uses a wheelchair. Costen's services were arranged by Glenis Fothergill of Bayshore Home Health in St. Catharines. Bayshore is also picking up any incidental costs.

About the trip: "We're looking forward to it," William said. "I miss the closeness we used to have. I miss the time at night with my wife when we share a lot of little secrets and discussions we don't have during the day."

As our interview ended, William said, "I have a real longing for heaven. I'm ready."
I asked him if he'd want to leave Dorothy. "I'm ready, too," she said, and they both looked at me with smiles on their faces. I hope they have a good two days together ... and then eternity.

Pretty amzing story, eh. Happy Valentine's Day to my grandparents...the article calls them Dorothy and William, but I've always known them as NanNan and Grandpa. Here's a layout I did to celebrate their relationship.

Valuable Resource

Tanner thought I should share this cool link with all of his friends and I couldn't agree more

Vet HelpDirect

like WebMD for your furry, feathered even scaly friends.

It's that time of year again...

So... this may only appeal to a few readers, but since CSAP is about to take over my life and maybe yours too, here's a special video to celebrate this oh so special time.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

Monday Quote

The greatness of art is not to find what is common but what is unique.”
- Isaac Bashevis, Singer

And speaking of unique, I think I had heard this song once or twice on the fab Pandora, but watching it on the Grammy's brought me to a whole new level of appreciation. So much so I went to youtube to watch the video and I can't remember the last time I sought out a music video. I love the 'dancing' it's a perfect fit for this song.

Congrats to Adele for winning best new artist, hope she doesn't suffer the one hit wonder curse.

A quick layout

Can you handle a few more playground photos, I know they'll make my mom happy so the rest of you will just have to deal...

I love this photo, even though it violates all the photography rules about shooting into the sun, I think the silhoutte look is a nice change.

Look who didn't want to get out of the swing...

Speaking of grumpy kiddos, here's the layout I posted this week for the Scrapbook Destination blog sketch. I love this picture of Connor...

I can't believe it's 7:30 on Sunday night already and I still have laundry to do.

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Playground Fun

I spent a few hours on Thursday afternoon with Shelley, Sienna and the dogs at Chatfield and you know me I took a few (ok 80 or so) pictures. I'm still sorting through and dabbling a little bit with PS actions from the Pioneer Woman site. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the first batch.

You Wanted Woodland Creatures...

ok so maybe it was just MK who wanted woodland creatures...

Speaking of MK, she said she needed a product barfer on the DT, I thought I can do that...I know you may find it hard to believe, but once upon a time I used to be a product barfer stylewise. Somewhere between retail spots I migrated into my current linear, layered style.

since it's been a few years, I started surfing to find inspiration and boy did I...to get back in the groove I decided to 'case' this layout I found at the imaginisce website. I'm pretty sure I used all of the a sides of the papers in the line and a few of the b sides, it's pretty much an exact copy with a few extra creatures thrown in.

what's sad to me is that the imaginisce website didn't give the designer credit...now that's not right...if you know who's work this is please let me know no I can give proper credit.

Happy Friday!

Can I Call You?

I admit this is a little slow moving, but stick with it, I promise it should bring at least a smile to your face or maybe a little laughter to your soul.

A quick post

for a quick layout, I love it when things come together.

I had some journaling in my head for a few weeks thanks to the journaler's junction challenge 'Oh Grow Up'. I just didn't know what picture to use or what layout design would be like.

Then I saw the pub ad challenge for this week and my brain started working

To top it off I read Stephanie Howell's blog and she had an amazing layout(I think almost all of her layouts are amazing) featuring these Cute Buttons. Since it would be a while before I could get my hands on them, I rushed home with a plan B. Paint my own buttons! Then I just needed to find a picture and came across this chalkboard photo and thought perfect.

In my excitement to execute my plan, I forgot to turn on the oven so when I was done with the layout an hour later I came to the kitchen to a cold potato. Oh the price we pay for the sake of art.

here's a close up of the buttons, I know you want one...

The Wiki World

I'm continually fascinated by the wiki world, particularly the wikihows that pop up on my google home screen. Most of the time I don't actually click on the topic, but today I couldn't resist...How to Be Creative.

The author found this interesting video that made me think...



What?!? You mean I don't need every scrapbook supply ever created? This can't be right...then again I have been more productive(although not necessarily creative) in the newly purged room.

How about an altered project to show off this new creativity. We have had these Cosmo photo boxes sitting around the store for some time, I knew they would make something cool, just not sure exactly what so I set out to make a Valentiny project. I could only wish to have enough love notes to fill this box.

Supplies:

Photobox: Cosmo Cricket

Patterned Paper and letters: Pink Paislee

Flowers: Prima

Here's the rest of the article in case you need a jump start...

How to Be Creative

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Can creativity be taught? That’s a question without a simple yes or no answer. Creativity may not be able to be taught directly, but what you can get better at is frequently aligning the circumstances of life which foster the greatest chances for true creative expression. Creativity is not like a lightning strike, but more like something which manifests itself inside those who learn to foster it and create the right conditions for it to prosper.

Steps

1. Ruthlessly limit your selection of tools to only the most vital. The more limited your set of tools is, the more creative the output will be. Having a limited set of vital tools forces creativity and really challenges you to use what you have to produce the desired results. As a byproduct, you’ll get incredibly good with that small set of tools and refine your use of them to a point you can literally do anything you like with them. You’ll be far sharper than someone who merely dabbles with a larger set of tools. Learn how to be resourceful.
   


2. Don’t listen to feedback, keep following your own path. The problem with asking for feedback is invariably the feedback will be given infused with that person’s preconceived notions of what the outcome should be. Others will unconsciously push you in a direction that they see as best. This is done with good intentions; however, it actually hurts your internal creativity. Now this is different than sharing your work--by all means share, but listening to feedback is not a good decision if you want to truly find your own path of creative self-expression. Once you're finished with your creative work, whatever it may be, then you can listen to feedback. Just don't let criticism (even the constructive type) stifle your creativity during the creative process.
   
   
   
   
   • Keep in mind that people will generally display resistance to your idea, because good ideas change the existing dynamic, and people, for the most part, like things the way they are. When you present something that challenges the status quo, many people (friends, relatives, co-workers) will feel threatened.[1]
     
   
   


3. Having a routine is actually not a bad thing. Routines are positive if they reinforce a healthy, creative consciousness and negative if they destroy that. While breaking your routine once in a while to force new ways of thinking is good, what if growing/learning/experiencing new things was built into your routine as a given? The people who get stuck in a monotonous existence and speak negatively about routine have simply not developed a routine that puts them on a path of internal growth. The key is to discover creative rituals that put you in a more creative mindset.
   
   
   
   
   • Many writers not only have a minimum number of words they must write each day, but they also have almost superstitious requirements for the circumstances under which they write. The 18th century German writer Friedrich Schiller, for example, kept rotten apples at his desk and soaked his feet in a tub of ice water while he wrote![2]
     
   
   
   • Don't be afraid to seize control of your environment and make it work for you. Ray Bradbury wrote the book-burning story Fahrenheit 451 by leaving his house and writing in a library. Stephen King insists on utter silence while writing, while Harlan Ellison listens to high-volume classical music.
     
   
   
   • Set aside a block of time each day to foster your creativity. Kick the session off with a creative exercise or ritual that triggers a flexible state of mind. Whether it's meditating, freewriting, listening to a particular song, or rubbing your lucky rock--do whatever gets you "in the zone" and set a daily goal (e.g. one sketch per day, 1000 words a day, an invention or song a day).
     
   
   


4. Let go of perfectionism. Your natural output uninhibited by concern for creating something correct or incorrect will always produce creative results. There are limitless paths to achieve creative success; there are so many shades of gray. Imperfection is human, and sometimes the most creative artists leave mistakes unfixed on purpose. Nature itself is beautifully imperfect. Many try to be so perfect that they scrub away what made their work special in the first place. In a world saturated by overproduced, unnaturally perfect, and clean--the unpolished is the most creative and in many cases most inspirational.
   
   
   
   
   • Work on the "bad" ideas--even if you are only coming up with what you feel are "bad" ideas, you are still being creative, so develop them, and it could turn into a great solution!
     
   
   


5. Ignore trends. If you want to be truly creative, you absolutely must ignore trends. Block them out--pay zero attention to them. Trends are the polar opposite of creativity. In many forms of art (especially music) the masses of artists are following whatever the hot trends set forth are. Then there is the other, smaller group of artists that are pursuing their own path and not really paying attention to external trends in their form of art of choice. There is certainly more money, fame and instant notoriety for following trends, but most of what is popular is hardly creative. If you want to make something truly unique, trends are irrelevant. Looking inside yourself is where you will discover a greater wealth of creativity than available in any hot trend. Here are some more suggestions for insulating yourself from trends:
   
   
   
   
   • Don’t watch TV, don’t listen to the radio, and remove the vapid elements of popular culture from your life. These things aren’t bad for you in moderation, but they are great at normalizing your thoughts with the rest of society, and do not foster true internal creativity. Realize everything that you experience, every piece of content you consume plays a role in shaping your personality, even if at a subconscious level. It is all influence one way or another. You are in many ways a product of your experiences and stimulus. In one sentence, your creative output can be thought of simply as a personal interpretation of external stimulus. The best part about this is you get to control the input.
     
   
   
   • Don’t try and fit into a genre. Actively trying to fit your art or work into a genre is severely limiting and a detriment to its quality, if creativity is desired. Don’t try and write for a genre, don’t try to follow trends within a genre, in fact don’t even consider genre when working. Labeling it in a genre is a necessary evil for people to be able to find your work, and you will probably have to do this--but it shouldn’t be something that crosses your mind when trying to work. Genres, styles and methods don’t matter for creativity and originality.
     
   
   
   • Spend a lot of time alone. You don't have to be anti-social, but many people find their creativity really starts to open up when they are removed from others and able to have quiet focus for their creative work.
     
   
   


6. Ignore the past. Want to be really creative or original? Ignore or forget the past; ignore what the world has created up until this point. Sometimes considering the past will make you place a sort of unconscious time stamp on a style. That’s the antithesis of creativity and originality. Create things from within yourself that don’t draw inspiration from what has come previously or even consider it, and you’ll be on a path to creative output. In a creative state of mind, time doesn't exist--a few hours can feel like seconds, a moment can seem to last for hours, and you're completely immersed in the present.[3] Learn how to live in the moment.
   

The article goes on to list some interesting creativity exercises, I'll have to try at some point.

Happy creating!

Monday Quote

"The only time a woman really succeeds in changing a man is when he is a baby." -Natalie Wood

Speaking of babies, how about a layout with some classic 'baby in the tub' shots. This was for the Pub Ad and Journaler's Junction challenge in Pea Land. The challenge was to use a cliche in your journaling. I came across this when surfing for something to use. I wondered if the origin was simple as it seemed...

The essence of that phrase means to not throw out the good with the bad. But how did that phrase start?In the 1500's, a large metal tub was filled with water that had been drawn/carried and heated, then family bath time began.Bath time started with the man of the house, then the sons and any other men in the house. Then the women and children got their turn in the bath water, and lastly the babies were bathed. (Yes, all in the same water, Yuck).Because baths were only taken once a year, the water was so dirty by the time the babies were bathed, it would have been easy to lose someone in it. Hence the phrase, or saying, 'Don't throw the baby out with the bath water'.

Supplies: Everything is Making Memories except for my fav Rockstar font from QK.

Super Sunday

How did it get to be February? Seriously! January is such a busy month it just flies by. Thankfully I did manage to get the Christmas tree down last weekend, saving me from decorating it for Valentine's Day (aka Thanks for Reminding Me I'm Single Day which would make for an interesting tree no doubt)

Certain members of the fam are jazzed about the Steelers being in the Superbowl today. It's nice to see them excited, as for me I'm ready to move on and see what the future holds for my beloved Broncos.

Here's a new layout I made with the new line from Imaginisce...what's not to love about a line called twitterpated. Really! Check out the tongue action on this niece of mine...I can't tell you how many Christmas photos I have where the tongue is the star, that will surely be a page topic soon. For now we have the present section of the 1st birthday. See the sketch for this layout on the store blog