Working on projects...

I started cleaning my scrap room last week...it's a daunting task. I was actually making a dent when my daughter wanted lunch...and my son...and then diaper changes...turning on movies...the dog needed to go out...then it was 5pm. Needless to say, it's been a week and the dent remained a dent...and here I sit hoping to get something done this weekend. Something good came out of my half cleaned room however. I was able to look at what I had and finally decide to finish MANY of the projects I have started. I FINALLY got my Flip Flop done which is such a load off of my mind (I will post photos tomorrow). Now I have to work on my unfinished CKC projects (I finally finished one, there is a photo on day 51 of my Project 365) and the MANY kits I have. Back in December of 2006 Lisa Bearson had a great kit on QVC. It was a "Year In Review" with four scrapbooks, each one delivered at a different time of year. I finally got those books together and it took longer than I thought! I still have to add the photos but just finishing something felt like an accomplishment. As I was patting myself on the back my daughter wondered in asking what I was doing. I showed her the books and all she could say was..."Mom, KITS?? You never use kits...will you still make it your own"? Yes, my 7 year old knows me so well! It's difficult for me to give myself over to the kit BUT I've learned that if I do in fact "make it my own" in some ways, the kit can be an amazing thing!

Tagged!

Ah, it's my first time getting "tagged" on my blog! OK, Carol...here you go!

I'm supposed to:

(1) Say one nice thing about the man in my life . . . Frank...we have been together for over 18 years...my college sweetheart. He has helped me through some rough times. He is sweet and funny and loving. We haven't seen each other much for the past 6 months, his job keeps him so busy. That said...he is still an amazing husband, father and friend and I love him more than words can say! Oh wait, that's more than "one nice thing". ;)

(2) List 6 ways you measure success in your life . . . This is a strange question. I think "success" is in the eyes of the beholder! I think carrying on a relationship for 18 years is successful...raising two amazing children....having a job that lasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (and still standing)...having a close relationship with my Mom and brothers...being a wife, daughter, mother, sister, friend, doctor, shrink, artist, teacher, musician, chef, keeper of the peace and housekeeper. Yep, I'm a success! ;)

Fun with Blocks!

I know I don't post here enough...I guess I'm not sure if anyone is reading! Well, I was waiting to post photos of my new and improved scrap room. Unfortunately, there has been a set back in the form of a double ear infection! Liam is sick so my room remains in shambles. If nothing else, it will have wait until the weekend. In the meantime, I can share a little project I made....

My friend Tracy has an amazing little boy named Eamon. (I dedicated one of my "365" posts to him Day 34). Eamon celebrated his second birthday and I decided to make him a gift. A while back I purchased some small, square, wooden blocks (they are sold at Oriental Trading Co.) and I finally decided what I would do with them!

Side1: Photos of Tracy's three kids

Side2: Phrases as well as a Happy Birthday wish and the date of his birthday

Side3: Quotes...a couple are my favorite and a few are Tracy's favorite

Side4: EAMON spelled out in chipboard

Side5: Various words such as "Love", "Hope" and "Faith"

Side6: Different textures such as fuzzy, rough, soft, etc.

I know this isn't a toy but I really wanted to give him something from the heart....and it was so much fun to make! :)

Alcohol Ink...

It's been a while but I'm back, I've been giving my "365" blog far more attention! I love alcohol ink and I have about 27 bottles. I haven't used it much but I found a couple of cool things to do so I thought I would share...

I have a ton of Heidi Swapp's "Ghost" shapes and letters. Although my son is 17 months old, I'm still lacking in "boy" scrapbooking products. I decided to ink a clear star and I love the way it came out! I chose a blue, a green and an orange color ink and dabbed each color on one at a time. It still looked transparent so to give it a more opaque look, I added a bit of white acrylic paint on the back. I found another interesting use as well. I'm working on a birthday card with a small, slide mount shadowbox. I wanted to add two very small rub-on butterflies. I transfered the rub-on to a transparency but then of course they were difficult to see. Using Tsukineko "fantastix", I painted on a tiny bit of gold alcohol ink...it gave it the pop it needed. I also colored in a dress rub-on. You can really see the difference between keeping it plain and using the ink!

Making a 365 kit...

I received an e-mail yesterday confirming that I'll be getting my 365 kit. Unfortunately it won't get here until mid-February so I'll definitely play catch up for a while. All of that said, I recruited my friend Lusya to take the challenge with me and she is doing great! She's just getting into scrap booking and loved the idea of this project. Of course I only ordered one kit, which as so many people know, was hard enough to get! I often order extra and then I'm stuck (I have extra school kits and expansion kits) and this time thought I would be "good" . Darn!! Instead of waiting to see if they will make more available (and who knows when that will be) I'm making a kit for my friend. I purchased an American Crafts 12x12 D-Ring cloth album (they also make leather and even corduroy) and We R Memory Keepers 4x6 photo sleeves (25 in a pack). The album is from Ritz Camera (which is running a 20% off sale until the end of January) and the page protectors are from Scrapbook.com . In the next couple of days I'll attempt to print the journaling cards whch were provided by Becky Higgins and we'll see what happens. I'll post photos of my progress just in case there is someone out there that wants to put one together!

Hope

I love three day weekends, that extra day takes the edge off the rest of the week. That said, I think this should have been a four day weekend. It would have been fantastic if Emily could see the inaguration tomorrow. When you can witness history being made you need to cease the moment! Yes, school is important but life's lessons are important as well and I think this is a great lesson. We had a long conversation today about Martin Luther King Jr. and why this inauguration day is so special. Em understood as much as a seven year old could understand, and sighted "Hairspray" when I explained rights and equality. I know that's a musical...but it had an important message...and she was paying attention. :) We are entering a new phase in this country and I am getting on the "HOPE" bandwagon. I hope things get better, I hope we move in a positive direction, I hope we feel stronger...I hope our new President will stay as calm, cool and collected as he appears to be. I have faith in him and I wish him all the best as he jumps in with both feet. In less than 24 hours Barack Obama will be our 44th President and I look forward to watching him take the oath of office. Although my daughter will be in school, my Tivo is set and I'll happily watch it again with her so we can share and discuss this historical experience.
(a friend of mine told me about this website http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fobamiconme.pastemagazine.com%2Fentries%2Fnew.html&h=a31992173cdc283ca8131a5e731c9aa8 where you can set up that poster. I thought it was cute and gave it a try. I then realized that this is the only photo I have posted of myself so far...so yes, that's me...maybe I'll post a more traditional photo soon) :)

This is why I scrap

You never know what the day is going to bring. This morning while heading to school we were slipping and sliding on the road. As I turned the corner there were two cars and honestly, this was an accident about to happen. I gently hit the break and headed right back home. There was no way I was risking the lives of my children...or their mom. It just wasn't worth it. We hung out at home, warm, safe and sound. At about 3ish I was listening to the radio and they mentioned that a plane had crashed into the Hudson River. My first thought was that it must be a tiny plane right? It wasn't. It was a commercial plane with over 150 passengers!! I could not believe my eyes when I saw a GIANT plane in the water. (I found this photo on Yahoo). Amazingly enough they are reporting (as of 7pm EST) that all of the passengers, including an infant, survived. UNBELIEVABLE!!

When those passengers got up this morning, they had NO IDEA that they would go down in a plane. They were lucky. When I got up this morning I had no idea I would slip uncontrollably on the ice and almost crash my car. I was lucky. You just never know what will happen. Each day really is a gift and we have to appreciate what we have (I KNOW that's not always easy). This is why preserving memories is so important to me! I want my kids to take the journey of their childhood through my books and projects. I want them to see who they were and what they were doing. I want them to see how much they were loved, not only through my words and actions but through my photos and journaling. It's so important that I do this because you just never know what the day will bring .