Blog Archives March 2007

Only one more day left to donate to Ali’s Six Degrees badge and help make a difference in autism research.  It has been incredible to watch this unfold. The generosity of people who are connected across the world from their love of a hobby is mind-boggling.  People are good.  Help make a difference and help Ali get her matching gift from Kevin Bacon.  $10 is the minimum…you can do that, right? As Ali would say, “Go, team, go!”

So, like hundreds (maybe thousands) of other people, I submitted a portfolio of my work to Creating Keepsakes Magazine to be considered for their Hall of Fame.  Calls came out last week and I was not one of them.  Did I expect to be?  Probably not.  I think that (and this is not a confirmed belief – it is merely speculation on my part) that there is some kind of “brand recognition” to being named a Hall of Famer.  Meaning that, if CK gets 2 entries of equal talent and one is from someone that they know from online galleries/previous publications and the other is a relative unknown – I am guessing that the magazine has to go with the the published designer.  Makes sense.  Their ultimate goal is to sell magazines and build excitement over their special publications and if they go with a slew of underdogs, it might not build the same caliber of excitement.  I am in marketing, I get it. This is in no way meant to take away from the talent of those people that won – I am familiar with a lot of the names and those people deserve their recognition!  They are an incredible bunch of designers that have worked really hard to get themselves out there.  I wish them a hearty congratulations and hope to see more of their work in the future.

That being said, I am not bitter and my 10 seconds of disappointment has dissipated.  The be-all and end-all for me is that I challenged myself to submit work that I would have not normally submitted.  It is some of my favorite work to date and I will forever have those pages to look back on.  Sure, a mention in a well known scrapbook magazine would be nice, but ultimately, when I get to create my own pages (not orders for this business) I work for me and only me.  I love my stuff (so does my family + customers) and that is what counts.  Dontcha think?

Here is a sneak peek at some of my submissions.  Will I enter again next year, you ask?  Why not?  It is an excuse to scrapbook and challenge myself to think creatively – and that is what I love to do.

 

I know you are busy making baskets for all the good little girls and boys.  But, if you have a second and feel like dropping off one more basket to my house, please consider these items that I would really love:

1. An iTunes gift certificate, one can never have enough MP3s
2. Some beach trekker shoes from Land’s End in size 9
3. A pink lobster boat and tote bag from LL Bean (medium sized)
4. Cute sticky notes for my home office
5. A book to remind me to Live Good

Thanks, Easter Bunny!

Yes, I admit it – I get spring fever.  I have ever since I can remember.  When I was a little tot, hopscotch in my Dr. Scholls and knickers was a big deal. In high school, I started wearing shorts and flip flops the second it hit 50 degrees.  In college, I took a lighter class load in the spring so that I would have more time to gallivant around campus and work on my tan. Spending one New England winter after another indoors takes its toll after a while – so you start to look forward to things like tank tops, daffodils, flip flops, and a freshly mowed patch of grass to chill out on.

I went out for a bit today and it seems that spring has officially sprung…which makes me very happy.  How’s this for a list of harbingers?

1. Teenagers are out in tank tops, shorts and flip flops.
2. My kids left the house without coats and I didn’t usher them back inside and make them don another layer.
3. Sidewalk chalk is all the rage in my neighborhood.
4. I saw the most beautiful flats of pansies at the store today in vibrant shades of purple and yellow.
5. The cardinals and bluebirds are chirping.
6. My daffodils are about to bloom.
7. Pussy willows galore.
8. Buds on my lilac bush.
9. Daylight savings time – love the extra sunlight.
10. The first hornet of the season woke up from its winter slumber and made its way into my kitchen somehow.
11. I have turned down the heat and opened the windows.
12. I have this incredible urge to feel sand between my toes.
13. I no longer feel like wearing black, brown and burgundy – bring on the pinks, yellows and whites.
14. Lemonade anyone?

Just goes to show you that you can still get a rush of spring fever even when you are in your mid-thirties. Enjoy every little second of it…it will be hot and humid before we know it.

Well, it just so happens that we got a Birthday Express catalog in the mail a couple of weeks ago.  She took it to bed with her for 3 days so she could absorb it all and decide what kind of party she wanted.  At issue for her: did she want a co-ed party or all girls, how many kids could she have, and which theme would come with the cutest favors? After much deliberation, she picked out the Fashionista theme.  I think the deciding factor was the favors: a pink and black cardboard purse complete with cell phone lip gloss, glittery pen, cell phone shaped notebook, a rhinestone tattoo, and these little shoes you can put on your fingers.  Very cute, very girly, and a theme we could have fun with.  I agreed.

Now, this is where my lightbulb is short a few watts.  As I was ordering the plates, favors, and thank you cards – I could have very easily added the pre-made invitations to my order.  But, no! I have to make all the invitations myself.  As if I don’t have enough to do with a full time job, an internet business, two kids, a dog, a house, a husband and the day-to-day “stuff.”  But, where I am different is that I actually LOVE making invitations and putting a hand-made touch on my daughter’s special moments.  So, I went to the local scrapbook store, stocked up on some coordinating goodies and began making invitations.

Um, I love them.  Probably more than any other invitations I have ever made before (and there have been LOTS).  They are cute pink and black purses that open to reveal the typewritten invitation.  The outsides are adorned with a pale pink flourish stamp, gigantic black rick-rack, a pink and black flower, and a button brad.  The invites are tied shut with grosgrain ribbon and I will mail them in tiny boxes from the USPS. I think I will see if the bakery can make a pocketbook shaped cake to match.  Aaah, I know I am insane, but this is so much fun!  Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We love St. Patty’s Day.  When I was a kid, my mom was big on altering food to match the holidays: pink milk and pancakes on Valentine’s Day, green milk and bagels for St. Patty’s Day.  One year, we may have even had green eggs, but I am a little fuzzy on that one (could have just been too much Dr. Seuss).

I hope my kids pick up on these traditions and pass them along to the next generations.  Love family traditions…a lot!

Have a great day and may you all have the Luck of the Irish!!

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I subscribe to Jenni Bowlin’s monthly scrapbook kit.  Love it…each and every month it is chock full of goodness; rich patterned papers, a bit of vintage tossed in for good measure, and unique embellishments.  It is the only kit I subscribe to and it is well worth the money.  This month’s project kit came with the cutest clothes hangers and I sat down right away to get to work.  What a great idea to perk up my office!

Here are my designs.  They differ from Jenni’s and I adore how they came out!  I love how one paper combination is decidedly masculine, while the other is softer and more feminine. I actually chose handwritten journaling vs. typewritten and I used extra embellishments as well: a Heidi Swapp heart, a rhinestone crown for my husband, a felt flower. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sometimes life is stressful. We’ve all been there.  In high school, we stress about grades and crushes and varsity sports and what social circle we fit in with. Move on to college, and there is still much of the adolescent, sophomoric stuff we obsess over – but then we also have the pressure of jobs and apartments and what we will do with ourselves once we fling our caps into the air and hang our diplomas on the wall.   So, fast forward 15-20 years and here I am.  Life is far from effortless!  I am smack dab in the middle of 30-something adult stress. I can’t turn the clocks back 15 years and crawl up in my tiny, paper-thin mattress in my dorm and sleep until noon, then toss on some sweatpants, meet my friends in the cafeteria for some gossip and a carb-laden lunch, maybe hit the gym or go for a run, and then go to some incredible party.  So, what do I do?  What do we all do when we are in our prime and being pulled in a million different directions?

Tip for today: take a few deep breaths and think about how you have coped or will cope with stressful situations and the demands of your everyday life.  Sometimes it helps to be prepared, so here is my list of things I like to do when the pressure is insurmountable.

 

1. Go to the ocean.  The ocean is my happy place.  It soothes me.  I like to just walk along and collect the treasures of the sea: sea glass, shells, driftwood.
2. Play with my kids.  Not adult play, but unabashed kid-play.  The kind where you are goofy and silly and you lose yourself in laughter.
3. Read something.  A book, a magazine, a blog.  Lose myself in a quiet activity.
4. Listen to music.  An hour or two with my iPod can lighten my mood dramatically.
5. Garden.  When the weather is nice.  Playing in the dirt is so therapeutic.
6. Scrapbook.  When times are tough, it helps to focus on some happy moments for a while.  Makes me remember that the bad moments are fleeting, at best.  It also helps me regain focus on what my biggest priorities are: my family and friends.
7. Take pictures. Anywhere.  Any subject.
8. Exercise.  Some good old fashioned sweat makes a bad mood melt away.
9. Eat.  When all else fails, Reeses Pieces and Tostitos soothe me. (I try to make this an absolute last resort)

What are your stress busting activities?  Feel free to post on my blog or shoot me an email.  I would love to hear from you.