It's a family thing.......

Another digital layout and one more for the albums. All this creative talent in the family is amazing! My darling niece had an artist's show last year in Portland and I captured the image plus added a photo of her from her facebook page (hope that's okie dokie with you, El). I love that photo! An assemblage art piece that is well balanced, esoterically pleasing and captures a stable collage format. More family treasures to come --- it's a family thing.

rolling the credit line for the digital scrapbook page: Jessica Sprague's pattern paper, Katie Pertiet's tree (and tweeked by me). Photo credits: artist photo-Andrea Nelson of Lotus Photograpghy, artist-Eleanor Williams.

Oh! Oh! I think I'm Hooked ......

Although my scrap room has morphed in the last couple of years (got me some new toys, better cubbie holes that are filled with more stuff and a screamin' new puter) I found these pictures from 2007 and scrapped them digitally. I've been a cut-n-paste scrapbooking gal for 7 years and have over 60 albums to prove it --- but I gotta tell ya, digital scapbooking is F-U-N! I won't go totally crazy and just do digi from now on, just sneak some into the albums here and there. Try It, You'll Like It!

I did this layout for a challenge at an on-line weekend crop at SAS (Start A Scrapbook) or has the hubby called it: E-crop. Here's the required mention of product used on the above layout: Shabby Princess' Festival buttons, Fresh Air flower, Pattie Knox acrylic alphas, Katie Pertiet photo frame and tag, background red paper by ME. I actually folded a piece of paper, sanded the day lights out of it and distressed it, then scanned it into the puter to use. Easie Peasie

Today's Assignment: Make A Love List

What makes you all warm and tingly? Places that you love, moments you want to capture more of, things filling your comfort zone. What makes you feel good? What's on your love list, today?

Post it on your blog or post it here in the comments. Or do both! Either way, really focus on what brings you a smile and I guarantee you'll feel happier afterwards.

Here's my love list: I love my nap times (or quiet times for those in the know). and my warm, red blankie. I love starting a great mystery series. I love being surround by family, playing board games. and discovering new ones. I love walking the Mall in D.C. at night. I love walking the Mall in D.C. I love road trips with my sons & discovering those little dotted lines on a road map. I love early morning photo shoots. I love mornings. I love the southwest Navajo red rock. I love scrapbooking and creating a safe place for the memories. I love Mexican & Greek foods. I love moonlight shining through our windows. I love Santa Barbara. I love girl chats with my daughter. I love to dance. I love my children's laughter. I love connecting with friends, old and new. I love Bellingham, it's mountains, it's bay, the peacefulness of it all. I love Saturday Market. I love cupcakes. I love to travel. I love Oxford, Maryland. I love lilacs. I love the color red. I love a juicy, everything on it cheese burger. I love ice water. I love moon rises over the Canadian Cascades (again for those in the know). I love Canadian geese. I love whales. I love BISON. I love Teddy Roosevelt National Park. I love daisies. I love Lake Pleasant in the Olympics on a sunny day. or any day. I love the smell of a freshly opened bag of potato chips. I love chicken salad sandwiches from Our House, and sorry to see that spot close. I love walking on an Oregon coast beach. I love the ocean. I love exploring lighthouses. I love campfires when created with only one match. I love ferry rides - it doesn't matter how long or to where. I love to create..........

Just musing a bit ~ while recently reading Brian Freeman's book Immoral, I found this passage that sorta just sat in my mind for a bit. I went back to the marked page again and again, re-reading this little bit of wisdom and thinking about this man's observation.
"How the course of our lives can change so quickly if something is said or not said. We feel one thing and say another, because that's how we're brought up. We have our dreams and our fantasies though we rarely act on them. We all are, I think, more frightened than hopeful and more self sacrificing - the children, the spouse, the job, the community - than selfish. And that, I suppose, is good in the larger sense of maintaining the civilized society."
However, I like to remember, it's always best to follow your bliss.
Just musing a bit ~

Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the moniker placed on that fear of Friday the 13th. Author Charles Panati, one of the leading authorities on the subject of "Origins" maintains that the superstition can be traced back to ancient myth:

The actual origin of the superstition, though, appears also to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil - a gathering of thirteen - and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as "Witches' Sabbath."

Today, may be the day to grab those rabbit foot charms, four leaf clovers, rub your pet rock, wear your lucky shirt or keep the salt shaker handy --- cause you just might need it, today, or on March 13th or November 13th, 2009. Happy Friday the 13th!

A daughter........

"A daughter is a little girl who grows up to be a friend" (author unknown). Ah, so true, so true. Not long ago, Andrea emailed me some pictures she had taken of herself -- arm extended self-portrait snapshots. And as you know "if you give your mom a picture ~ it's going to be scrapbooked" (see January's article If You Give A Mouse A Cookie).

It wasn't until I saw these recent snapshots that I saw the resemblance --- she looks like me! I always saw the Mansfield features. Her thick, dark hair, brown eyes and that beautiful smile that captures your heart. But, there it was in black and white: a mini ME. But, she is just a tiny reflection of me. She is her own woman. A woman who is refreshing, kind and full of magic.

sidebar: the layout pages I did are directly scraplifted from Cathy Zielske's book, Clean & Simple Scrapbooking, a very favorite scrapbook artist of mine. Thanks, Cathy, I needed a lift.

You.........you are AWESOME

Let's Talk Fonts

font (fant) n.; A design for a set of characters. A font is the combination of typeface and other qualities, such as size, pitch, and spacing. For example, Times Roman is a typeface that defines the shape of each character. Within Times Roman, however, there are many fonts to choose from -- different sizes, italic, bold and so on. (The term font is often used incorrectly as a synonym for typeface.)
I love fonts - they are the expression of the written puter word. I have hundreds at my disposal and I use most of them weekly. The Serif, the sans-serif, the cursive, the fantasy, the old stand-bys. Check out the bottom of this blog for a daily font you can download. Have yourself some fun by create your own handwriting into a font at www.yourfonts.com (a tip: it's best to do a print instead or cursive handwriting - the connecting lines (serifs) won't match up.

Remember the pangram, The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. - ? I found a couple of others that are just funny and wanted to share:

The job requires extra pluck and zeal from every young wage earner. And
Ebenezer unexpectedly bagged two tranquil aardvarks with his jiffy vacuum cleaner.

And, although there are no English words that contain all the letters in the alphabet "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" will always put a smile on your face when sung out loud.

I've been tagged (click on photo for an up close look)

I've been tagged by Cassie - the challenge is to go to your photo storage, to the 6th folder and then the 6th picture. Post it on your blog and talk about it, then tag 6 more bloggers to do the same.

Since I'm scrapbooking my 2007 pictures, the 6th folder was our California Spring Break photos and the 6th picture was one that my son, Bruce, took of his brother, Scott. It doesn't matter where we are or what we're doing, Scott always has his camera out and ready to shoot. I love this photo - a candid study of a photographer on California's northern coast, just California Dreamin'. I had already created a scrapbook page using this photo, so it was easy-squeezey to post. Tag, your IT!

Andrea
Eleanor
Gail
Sara
Barb & Donna
Cindy

Remember: Your 6th photo folder and the 6th photo then tag 6 bloggers. Have Fun!

It's DAISY DAY!

According to Everyday is a Holiday, today is DAISY DAY and you have to know I'm in love with those little rays of sunshine. It's white and yellow coloring compliments all that surround it's willowy stems of simplicity. As a scrapbooker, I use the daisy as my accent all the time - what's not to love ~ I just can't get enough. So here's to you, DAISY, a day just for you to be admired, spoken of and enjoyed. And in the words of William Wordsworth, To the Daisy:

Bright flowers, whose home is everywhere
Bold in maternal nature's care
And all the long year through the heir
Of joy and sorrow,
Methinks that there abides in thee
Some concord with humanity,
Given to no other flower I see
The forest through.

RED RED RED

The before and after pictures of our new kitchen island color --- RED. It matches the back wall, the fireplace and the drapes in the dining area giving a bit of a punch to the room. I like it, but I think I'm done with adding RED to the kitchen (and staging for pictures - LOL) --- now on to the bathroom paint job.


According to the Paper Source's ColorScope the color RED tells us about our self with this definition:
You know who you are and what you want. Popularity, money and power are all yours. You are kind and generous to your friends. You love to have fun at parties, especially if you are in charge. You are also a perfectionist and you state your opinions boldly.
Yup, that's me -- LOL! Are you seeing RED?

It's My Party ............................................

This is what's in the stars for me today, January 24th birthday celebrators ~ Innovation is your normal approach this year (well duh!) You'll turn old methods on their ear and earn new fans along the way (oh, goodie I've got a fan club, coming). A vivacious valentine makes February one of your favorite times of the year (r-e-a-l-l-y-?) The money comes from different places in March (it's about time! I'm feeling - lucky) You'll be made a leader because of how you handle stress in April (oh good more stress). Sagittarius and Pisces adore you (as they should - LOL). Your lucky numbers are 50, 1, 24, 39 and 18 (I better hit those roulette wheels or buy a lotto ticket today).

Sounds like Neil, Edith, Ryan and I
are in for some good times ahead!

"A New Birth of Freedom"

Teddy Roosevelt once said, "The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life."

From Semisonic and the song, “Closing Time”: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” We can do more than just hope for a better America. We can all do our part, how ever small, to make a change in our country and in our lives. It not only takes a village, it takes a whole society to get us back on track and today is the day to start anew with our President Barack Obama's Inaugural theme The New Birth of Freedom.

"Let the watchwords of all our people be the old familiar watchwords of honesty, decency, fair-dealing, and commonsense."....."We must treat each man on his worth and merits as a man. We must see that each is given a square deal, because he is entitled to no more and should receive no less."...."The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us." Teddy Roosevelt, September 7, 1903.

I'm Feeling Project-ity

I don't do new year resolutions (just cause) but come the middle of January, I start to feel project-ity. I get organized (even more than usual - yikes), sort out the file cabinet, weed out the closets, do a little scrapbooking, clean the house (still getting rid of those pesky pine needles, everywhere), crochet a couple of blankies, entered the blogasphere and start looking for some project(s) to do for the rest of the winter.

Well, it's the middle of January and that project itch has kicked in (or was that the kick in the butt I needed?). I've picked my project - PAINT. I love to paint! Rooms, Walls, Furniture, or as Bruce claims "when you get like this, anything not moving is going to get painted -- I can feel it coming!" as he quickly walks away. It's cheap, it's fast, and it makes a world of difference when it's all said and done.

I've zeroed in on what's going to get a fresh coat of paint this year, collected my paint samples and found some inspirational pictures to get me started. This year, two places: the master bath (for it's size it should be called a mini-me bathroom) in a soft ivory palette with gold fixtures. And second, the kitchen island is going RED (to matchy-matchy the kitchen's red wall).

Wish I could say, "Hey, do you like our new kitchen?" (see photo below) --- NOT! But, this is my inspiration to do the kitchen island, since our kitchen looks sorta like this one (minus the cool glass cabinets, the neat lighting, the wonderful corner windows, the huge sub-zero refrigerator and our chef preparing our evening meal) well OK, it kinda looks like our kitchen (if you squint at our kitchen you can see it --- or is it just me? hmmmm (but, we do have the granite counters and white overall look -- really).

I'll post pictures of my finished project(s) --- soon, very soon (I hope). Are you feeling project-ity? Let me know what you're getting into this winter. I'm still looking for more to do and may need to borrow, copy or steal your ideas, too. Have a super mid-January day!

Water Water Everywhere!

Robbie and I went exploring our city of water. Whatcom Falls was simply amazing - the width and breadth was beyond belief and the deafening roar of the water echoed throughout the park. The downtown creek was a creek no more - but a river that runs through it. A rush of water that claimed it's banks, sluiced through tight channels and quickly made it's way to the bay. The mist rising above the water's flow joined the rain of the day. We felt that being in the rain to view this spectacular event was fit and proper --- there was water, water everywhere and not surprising with all the snow we had starting to melt and the rains that came soon after.