I was supposed to spend all day scrapbooking... but instead I spent all day talking and getting one layout done. Isn't that always how it works when you scrapbook with someone else? 
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Why I blog...
On Friday night my husband and I were having dinner and of course I was telling him all the things I needed to get done that night before Saturday’s class kick off:
Me:” And I need to do blah blah blah and blah and I need to write a blog”
Dustin: “ You NEED to write a blog??? I don’t think you need to write a blog”
Me: “Yes I NEED to write a blog! I am going to hand out those cards I made at the kick off and I want my classes to be on my blog. “
Dustin: “ Ok that makes sense….. I see what this is about…. You are only teaching classes to get people to read your blog”
Me: “So what… I really want people to read my blog!”
Ok so that isn’t totally true… I am not ONLY teaching classes to get people to read my blog. And I can’t really even tell you why it is that I really want people to read it…. It’s not like I think I am any more interesting then anyone else or that my projects are any better. It’s just that I have a HUGE list of blogs I read and I want to be on other people’s list of blogs that they read…
But really one of the main reasons I blog is because I saw somewhere once this great little album someone made on shutterfly or one of those photo sites where you can make the photo books and she had all the text and photos from a year of her blog in this book. I thought “HEY COOL!! That’s like a little digital scrapbook of sorts of her life for a year, I WANT ONE OF THOSE!!!”. So hence the reason I blog as often as I can… so I can make one of those books…. And oh yeah I’m dead serious!
So essentially I scrapbook so that I can blog about it so that I can make a scrapbook…. yeah maybe I’m a tad bit crazy….
In other news… I had the day off from work today so it was nice to just relax. Dustin and I had brunch at Weezies Kitchen in Carytown which FYI is like my FAVORITE place… even though I’ve only been there twice… and then we went to Maymont Park … we didn’t take that many pictures though because it was hot and there were lots of screaming kids… but here are a few oh and fyi squinting and talking and taking a picture don't really mix:
Me:” And I need to do blah blah blah and blah and I need to write a blog”
Dustin: “ You NEED to write a blog??? I don’t think you need to write a blog”
Me: “Yes I NEED to write a blog! I am going to hand out those cards I made at the kick off and I want my classes to be on my blog. “
Dustin: “ Ok that makes sense….. I see what this is about…. You are only teaching classes to get people to read your blog”
Me: “So what… I really want people to read my blog!”
Ok so that isn’t totally true… I am not ONLY teaching classes to get people to read my blog. And I can’t really even tell you why it is that I really want people to read it…. It’s not like I think I am any more interesting then anyone else or that my projects are any better. It’s just that I have a HUGE list of blogs I read and I want to be on other people’s list of blogs that they read…
But really one of the main reasons I blog is because I saw somewhere once this great little album someone made on shutterfly or one of those photo sites where you can make the photo books and she had all the text and photos from a year of her blog in this book. I thought “HEY COOL!! That’s like a little digital scrapbook of sorts of her life for a year, I WANT ONE OF THOSE!!!”. So hence the reason I blog as often as I can… so I can make one of those books…. And oh yeah I’m dead serious!
So essentially I scrapbook so that I can blog about it so that I can make a scrapbook…. yeah maybe I’m a tad bit crazy….
In other news… I had the day off from work today so it was nice to just relax. Dustin and I had brunch at Weezies Kitchen in Carytown which FYI is like my FAVORITE place… even though I’ve only been there twice… and then we went to Maymont Park … we didn’t take that many pictures though because it was hot and there were lots of screaming kids… but here are a few oh and fyi squinting and talking and taking a picture don't really mix:
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Classes
I'm off to class kickoff. Here a list of the classes I will be teaching this quarter:
25 Days of Christmas $48
Love the holidays and want a way to document the season in the midst of all of the busyness? Join us to create a mini album perfect for capturing your special holiday moments, traditions, memories and photos. In addition, this class features a daily inspiration email December 1st through 25th with a journaling prompt to keep you on track and recording what matters. Participants can share their projects on a private www.flickr.com site.
• Brandermill: Sunday, November 15th, 1-5pm
• West End: Sunday, November 1st, 1-5pm
Holiday ATCs $20
Come and learn the art of creating ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) in this Holiday ATC class! We’ll explore heat embossing and Dimensional Pearls, and apply those techniques to ATCs we make in class. Then, in the true spirit of the holiday season, we’ll give and receive the ATCs we just created with our fellow classmates! This class is perfect for advanced ATC makers as well as beginners!
• Brandermill: Thursday, November 5th, 6:30-8:30pm
• West End: Monday, November 16th, 6:30-8:30pm
Pocketful of Memories Mini Album $20
Whether you went to grandma’s house or the Grand Canyon this summer you want to share those memories with your family and friends. In this class, you’ll create a mini book perfect for those special summer memories using eclectic patterned papers, Stickles, ribbon, brads and the Slice™ from Making Memories. Get your pocketful of memories today and learn a great technique you’ll use again & again!
• Brandermill: Wednesday, October 14th, 6:30-8:30pm
• West End: Wednesday, September 30th, 6:30-8:30pm
Terrific Techniques: Distress Inks $20
Want to get the most out of your distress inks or are you new to distress inks and want to know what the hype is all about? This class will expose you to a variety of techniques including inking patterned paper, water color effects, using masks and stencils, and much more. Create embellishments that can be used on your scrapbook pages and play around with your favorite techniques to make two beautiful cards.
• Brandermill: Wednesday, September 9th, 6:30-8:30pm, Thursday, October 29th, 6:30-8:30pm
• West End: Wednesday, September 23rd, 6:30-8:30pm, Monday, October 12th, 6:30-8:30pm
25 Days of Christmas $48Love the holidays and want a way to document the season in the midst of all of the busyness? Join us to create a mini album perfect for capturing your special holiday moments, traditions, memories and photos. In addition, this class features a daily inspiration email December 1st through 25th with a journaling prompt to keep you on track and recording what matters. Participants can share their projects on a private www.flickr.com site.
• Brandermill: Sunday, November 15th, 1-5pm
• West End: Sunday, November 1st, 1-5pm
Holiday ATCs $20
Come and learn the art of creating ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) in this Holiday ATC class! We’ll explore heat embossing and Dimensional Pearls, and apply those techniques to ATCs we make in class. Then, in the true spirit of the holiday season, we’ll give and receive the ATCs we just created with our fellow classmates! This class is perfect for advanced ATC makers as well as beginners!
• Brandermill: Thursday, November 5th, 6:30-8:30pm
• West End: Monday, November 16th, 6:30-8:30pm
Pocketful of Memories Mini Album $20Whether you went to grandma’s house or the Grand Canyon this summer you want to share those memories with your family and friends. In this class, you’ll create a mini book perfect for those special summer memories using eclectic patterned papers, Stickles, ribbon, brads and the Slice™ from Making Memories. Get your pocketful of memories today and learn a great technique you’ll use again & again!
• Brandermill: Wednesday, October 14th, 6:30-8:30pm
• West End: Wednesday, September 30th, 6:30-8:30pm
Terrific Techniques: Distress Inks $20
Want to get the most out of your distress inks or are you new to distress inks and want to know what the hype is all about? This class will expose you to a variety of techniques including inking patterned paper, water color effects, using masks and stencils, and much more. Create embellishments that can be used on your scrapbook pages and play around with your favorite techniques to make two beautiful cards.
• Brandermill: Wednesday, September 9th, 6:30-8:30pm, Thursday, October 29th, 6:30-8:30pm
• West End: Wednesday, September 23rd, 6:30-8:30pm, Monday, October 12th, 6:30-8:30pm
All classes are taught at Memories Galore at the Brandermill, Midlothian Virginia and West End, Richmond Virginia locations. For more information or to reserve your spot please call the store at 804-744-6500 (Brandermill) or 804-565-2000 (West End). Please visit http://www.memoriesgalore.com/ for information on lots of other wonderful classes!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Almost there....
Almost ready for class kickoff tomorrow. Remember yesterday's post? I turned those sheets into "business cards" to hand out at class kickoff tomorrow with my contact info and website. I'm pretty excited about how they turned out!
Wish me luck! Hopefully I'll get at least a few sign ups!!!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Class Kick Off
Just a sneak peek at what I am working on while preparing for Saturday's class kick off:
More to come...
More to come...
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Procrastinating...
Should I be working on class kick off stuff? Yes. Am I? No. I am scrapbooking though... so that kinda counts... except not at all. Here is a layout I made tonight... my first layout in a month. My latest obesession is trying to incorporate little collages on my pages. 
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Our Road Trip Adventures...
Ok, so I know I have been gone for a while. I had every intention of coming back from my vacation last week ready to post about our adventures and the travel journal I spent so much time working on. But then I had to get stuff ready for classes I will be teaching and I got busy with that and work that when I did have a free moment I didn’t want to even think about scrapbooking or blogging or really doing anything other than sitting on the couch watching tv… but now I’m back!
Here are the highlights of our Road Trip:
1. Seeing Much Ado About Nothing at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton VA. It was the best play I’ve seen there so far. We deliberately sat in the second row so that the actors wouldn’t talk to us…. Which was good in theory… what I didn’t account for was that it was a weekday therefore not sold out and noone sat in front of us….
2. This conversation:
(we were jotting down things that happened on Day 1 so that we could remember them to write in our journals later and feeling the need to come up with an excuse for our poor memories)
Danielle: “I have short term memory loss due to being pregnant”
Me” “Yeah well I was in an accident so that is my excuse”
Mom: “What’s my excuse?”
Danielle: “You’re old!”
3. Being left alone in a cave and screaming as a bat flew around us (ok not really “around” us… but in the general area… sorta)
4. FUDGE
5. Daniellle’s golf cart driving skills and acting as tour guide at the Frontier Culture Museum
6. Going to cute little movie theaters and seeing Julie & Julia and 500 Days of Summer. Even if the lady in front of me at Julie & Julia rocked over my foot and the entire theater clapped at the end of the movie.
7. Danielle getting in a fight with an elk over a bucket of food at the Virginia Safari Park. Danielle yelling “ Give me back my bucket” (playing tug of war and ultimately jerking bucket out of the elk’s mouth). Me yelling “ Go Go GO!) Danielle won. Don’t mess with her!
8. Great food in Asheville.
9. Telling people “She’s not bloated, she’s pregnant!” (in reference to Danielle)
10. Shopping in downtown Asheville and checking out all the cool local art that I want to go back and buy… just as soon as I have a house to put it all in.
11. Collecting charms, postcards, stickers, and pamphlets along the way and filling our travel journals each night.
Here are the highlights of our Road Trip:
1. Seeing Much Ado About Nothing at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton VA. It was the best play I’ve seen there so far. We deliberately sat in the second row so that the actors wouldn’t talk to us…. Which was good in theory… what I didn’t account for was that it was a weekday therefore not sold out and noone sat in front of us….
2. This conversation:
(we were jotting down things that happened on Day 1 so that we could remember them to write in our journals later and feeling the need to come up with an excuse for our poor memories)
Danielle: “I have short term memory loss due to being pregnant”
Me” “Yeah well I was in an accident so that is my excuse”
Mom: “What’s my excuse?”
Danielle: “You’re old!”
3. Being left alone in a cave and screaming as a bat flew around us (ok not really “around” us… but in the general area… sorta)
4. FUDGE
5. Daniellle’s golf cart driving skills and acting as tour guide at the Frontier Culture Museum
6. Going to cute little movie theaters and seeing Julie & Julia and 500 Days of Summer. Even if the lady in front of me at Julie & Julia rocked over my foot and the entire theater clapped at the end of the movie.
7. Danielle getting in a fight with an elk over a bucket of food at the Virginia Safari Park. Danielle yelling “ Give me back my bucket” (playing tug of war and ultimately jerking bucket out of the elk’s mouth). Me yelling “ Go Go GO!) Danielle won. Don’t mess with her!
8. Great food in Asheville.
9. Telling people “She’s not bloated, she’s pregnant!” (in reference to Danielle)
10. Shopping in downtown Asheville and checking out all the cool local art that I want to go back and buy… just as soon as I have a house to put it all in.
11. Collecting charms, postcards, stickers, and pamphlets along the way and filling our travel journals each night.
Speaking of which here are some photos of my finished travel journal. I loved the way it turned out and I will most likely do this again. I am also glad that I took the time to fill it out daily instead of relying on my memory because it would have never gotten done and I would have forgotten everything that happened. I have some great ideas for more mini books I want to make in the same general style. More about that later...
I'm back....
I'm working on a post ... look for it soon... as in today... maybe in the next hour.... maybe by the end of the night...but definately today. And you know it's going to be good because Cinnamon is helping me write it:
Don't let the sleepy look on his face be an indicator of how exciting this post will be....
Ok... now I have to come up with something exciting.... hmm....
Don't let the sleepy look on his face be an indicator of how exciting this post will be....Ok... now I have to come up with something exciting.... hmm....
Friday, August 7, 2009
ROAD TRIP!!!
We are officially on day 2 of our road trip. 
And here are a couple pics of my travel journal in progress:
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Busy Busy Busy
Our road trip is coming up soon (we leave on Thursday!!). And I have SO much to do before then!!! Three of my class proposals were approved so I will be working like crazy today and tomorrow trying to come up with samples before I leave!! In addition I am participating in the store's first ATC Swap. I did finish those yesterday. The theme was summer. Here is my contribution (it's a little blurry...get over it!):
Also I had a "huh?!?!?!" moment at Food Lion the other day and wanted to share:
Thanks Food Lion... I'm not sure what I would have done if I had forgotten to pick up honey, chocolate syrup and.... corned beef hash?!?!?!?!?Saturday, August 1, 2009
Travel Journals
The travel journals are for the most part done. So YAY for that!! Here are some pictures
They ended up far bigger than I expected. The inside of the covers have a little pocket for storing things. The inside is made up of divider pages for each day (see pink sheet on the right below) 
The backside of the dividers have a pocket as well. Behind each divider is two white sheets for writing stories and one patterned paper for adding pictures (not shown) 
They ended up a little thick but the pages are easily taken out. I plan on picking up things along the trip like postcards, pamphlets, and tickets and including them in the journal each day. I also want to spend a couple of minutes a day to write in things we did that day and any funny stories, I also plan on having Danielle or mom include little bits of journaling in the book too (in addition to filling out their individual books)So there they are. I will post more pictures in a couple of weeks once they are all full!!
