(diva)logues

Just pretending to be working around here...

 

Well, I'm still here!  LOL  Just not getting a lot of work done.  Actually I don't think I've accomplished anything creative this week at all, other than to pretend to be scrapbooking during the video shoot.  As much as I love wearing high heels, I would not usually be wearing them to scrapbook.  I'm usually lucky if I've even changed out of my work-out clothes & showered before I get started.  

Anyway, the video shoot is over.  Not sure of the air date, as they still need to shoot 2 more rooms for the segment I'll be in.  And frankly, I'm not looking forward to seeing it anyway.  Pretty sure I looked like a complete dork.  Wasn't aware that I was going to be interviewed and be the ONLY one on camera... giving a tour of my room, answering questions... basically looking like a nervous dork.  At the end they shot some video of Bryn & I in the room... her coloring at her desk, me working on a scrapbook page & then working at my laptop.  Then they shot some video of my kitchen & living room.  Thank goodness I had the whole house cleaned & not just the craft room.  Who knew?!

Other than that, I've been having a lot of fun.  A concert on Wednesday night and Bryn & I have been hanging out with our friends all week.  Bob probably thinks they've moved in, which actually would be fine with me!  Heehee!  Essentially though... no work and all play.  And many, many laughs. 

Life is good.  Very, very good. 

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!  I'm off to Zumba!  YAY!         

"C'mon let's sweat... let the music take control... let the rhythm move you... sweat... sweat..."

 

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Off to Spin class this morning... one of my many favorite ways to sweat every day.   

Then... I may be sweating a bit with nerves this afternoon during the video shoot. 

And just to continue the sweating, we'll be off to see the Journey, Foreigner & Night Ranger concert tonight.  Which will be outside.  And it's like 97 degrees today.  NOT my favorite way to sweat.

May need some electrolytes today.  Just sayin'... 

Gotta love those class photos...

Just a quick post today with another one of my School Is Cool pages that was on Nikki Sivils' blog yesterday.  I used Bryn's school photos from 4th grade.  The journaling is about some of the important things to remember about last school year.  The tiny letter stickers were perfect for making my bullet points...

 

 

Great Day St Louis will be here tomorrow afternoon for the taping... so I better finish cleaning the house.  And I still kinda need to figure out what I'm wearing.  Although Bob reminded me that I have plenty of clothes & probably don't need to buy something new for it. 

Uh huh... ok.   ;-)

"Wastin' away again in Margaritaville... searchin' for my lost shaker of salt... salt... where's the... "

Actually I'm not into margaritas.  Not at all.  I might have one, on the rare occasion that we are in a Mexican restaurant, but it has to be a frozen fruit margarita... like peach or watermelon.  Just not into tequila.  It's bad news.  And that's all I'll say about that.  LOL 

The Margarita collection from American Crafts, on the other hand, is GREAT news!  I love it.  And I've had some of the collection for awhile now, but I've finally had a week to sit down & do something with it.  Yes... I said a week, because it took me that long to create & re-create these 2 pages when I was thinking something's not looking quite right here.  And that paper with the buildings on it... yes, I had to have it.  Reminds me of the paper with the buildings on it from my all-time favorite, favorite, favorite Craft Fair collection... that I probably used on AT LEAST 20 different projects.  And that's not an exaggeration, as you are already painfully aware. 

So, now that we know I can sometimes take way too long to create 2 pages AND I hoard American Crafts paper with buildings on it... let's get to the pages.  On this first one, I used my border punch to create the waves and then made my own flag banner, using the bar code strip at the bottom of my flags to add a little more interest...

 

Love that crab sticker.  And please.  No crabs on trips.  Leave that nonsense at home. 

 

Used my circle punch on the next page to create my border & then used a left-over punched circle in my title.  More bar code strips, too.  Some fun ones in this collection, so I had to use them... 

 

Speaking of the Craft Fair collection, I felt the need to add a couple little bits on here.  There can never be too much Craft Fair, as far as I'm concerned...

 

And... I made a card with this collection, too.  Because that buildings paper goes a long way.  Don't laugh.  You know you all have your favorites, too...

 

 

It's a busy week ahead, but lots of FUN things planned.  There could be some more party pics... just sayin'.  Looking forward to it all! 

Have a GREAT week everyone! 

Well that's random...

 

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• A couple weeks ago I noticed I had a link to my blog for my volleyball tubes on the Tip Junkie website.  I hadn't heard of this site before, but it's kinda cute!  Thank you, Tip Junkie!
• I'm going to be on TV again.  The producer from Great Day St Louis emailed me and said they were doing a segment on "Mom Caves" and said I had "an amazing one" and asked if they could come back again & shoot some more video.  They'll be here on Wednesday.  Will find out when it will air then.  What the hell am I going to wear is really the only thing concerning me right now.  You can see my other appearance in December right here... fast forward to about 7:30.  Big dork.  
• Bryn is spending the night at my sister's house tonight, along with her cousin, and they are going to be at her boyfriend's studio (he's a music producer)... singing songs (karaoke style) and making cd's.  Ummm... when can I come & play?  I want to sing, too!
• So... of course that means "date night" for Bob & me.  Dinner at a new (to us) restaurant, then spending the night Downtown.  Bob told them it was our "anniversary," so we're supposed to have a special room.  And I'm guessing there will be "treats" delivered to our room as well.  Love it.  ;-)
• My friend told me that if I went to the Fox 2 News website, there was a link to a U2 360 page where there was a 360 degree photo of the stadium.  If you knew where you were sitting for the concert, you could zoom in & find yourself.  Could NOT believe it, but yes... I found myself & my friends right here.  So cool.  And scary.  One just never knows when they might be being photographed. 
• And the heat wave continues.  Will attempt to not look like a sweaty pig on "date night" tonight. 

Hope you have a GREAT weekend everyone!

A little Christmas in July...

 

The new Gingerbread Land collection from Nikki Sivils is adorable... and perfect for documenting winter time memories.  I love the pastel colors in this line, and of course... those clouds had me at hello.  I created my journaling for this page using some of the word cut-outs from the cut-ups page + Word for the rest...

 
    

 

Nikki also asked for Christmas ornaments for display in her booth, so I made one like I made a few years ago... using a foam ball, my circle punch & some colorful stick pins...

 

I found both of these projects on display in Nikki's CHA booth photos.  You can see all her photos here if you haven't seen it yet!  I swear her booth just keeps getting cuter & cuter for every show! 

Brand new page kits...

Back in March, I was given an amazing opportunity to create 3 page kits for Nikki Sivils, along with one of my fellow designers, Liz Qualman.  Liz & I were each sent 3 different lines to work with... and were asked to create a 2-page layout, a single page layout + a card with only the contents we were given.  Then we had to write out the step-by-step instructions for assembling each of our projects.  In May, Nikki emailed us with photos of the finished kits, but today when I was taking a peek at the photos of her booth at CHA... I saw 4 of the page kits on display!  Major excitement to see the finished product, I have to say! 

 

I created kits with My Friend Birdie, It's Your Day & We Are Family. 

Here's the packaging for all 6 kits...

 

And the backs of my 3 kits...

 

And here are my finished projects:

It's Your Day...

 

 

 

My Friend Birdie...

 

 

 

We Are Family...

 

 

 

Interested in purchasing these page kits?  Ask for them at your local scrapbook stores! 

You can see more photos from Nikki's booth at CHA right here and while you're there... leave a comment for a chance to win all 5 of her new collections!  Yay! 

In case of emergency...

Booth set-up began over the weekend in Chicago for CHA and the first official day of the show is today!  So... how about another peek at one of Nikki Sivils' new collections?  Get Well Soon is an adorable way to document illnesses & boo-boo's, as well as making cute little "get well" cards to send!

 

I made a page about the "emergency medicine" we ALWAYS have with us for Bryn's food allergies.  I took a photo of her Benadryl & Epipen, since having that with her is part of her everyday life...

 

I love all the punch-outs that are included in all the new collections this time.  Such a fast & easy way to embellish a page or card...

 

 

I'll be making some Get Well Soon cards... soon!  You can never have too many of those on hand.  And with all these cute punch-outs, cut-outs & stickers... how can it not make someone feel a little better?  :-)

Go here to see the new Get Well Soon collection in it's entirety!  And here's the badge if you'd like to add it to your blog...

 

And... check out Nikki's blog for the chance to win the new collections!  She's been doing a lot of give-aways!   

Sunday SWEATY Sunday...

Oh my gosh. What a fun night. U2 is probably one of my all-time favorite bands and this concert was amazing. And HOT. 52,000+ people, packed into Busch Stadium. I was sweaty & gross by the time I got home at almost 1:00am, but it was worth it. I've seen a lot of concerts in my life. And I have to say this one ranked right up there in my top 5 concerts ever.

 

 

I was supposed to go to the show with my friends, Sally, Stephanie and Stephanie's husband, Curt. But Steph texted us yesterday & told us she was REALLY sick and was going to have to miss the show. One of their neighbor friends that Sally & I both know, stepped in & took her place. Just incase you were wondering who the 2 men were and... where is Bob? We had a blast though. Lots of laughs. Missed you, Steph! Hope you're feeling better! Excuse the partial recording of one of my fav U2 songs, but the battery on my iPhone was almost dead by the end of the show. You get the idea though! And thank you, Sally, for singing on my recording, too. LOL

"Step up, step up... let your hair down... pop, drop & lock... it go all out..."

Yes, I'm still here... just having fun.  LOTS of fun.  Haven't created anything in 2 days, but I did manage to get my craft room cleaned since it looked like a tornado ripped through and left paper & product all over the place once I finished up all my projects for CHA. (Which, by the way, is already next week!)  And since I invited my friend & her daughter to come over yesterday, it's always motivation to actually clean.  

Note to self:  Invite friends over more often, so the house gets cleaned regularly.  Or... become rich & famous and hire someone to clean for me.    

Anyway... was cruising through Piperlime (one of my favorite online stores) and made a couple purchases...          

 

 

Gotta love a little retail therapy on a Friday afternoon. 

Got a sneak peek at a new zumba song last night.  Although we were drinking some wine when I learned it, so it remains to be seen if I can actually remember it in class tomorrow.  I'm loving the song though.  In fact, Bryn asked me to stop playing it so much.  And is Jennifer Lopez hot or what?   

Have a great weekend!  I'll be back with more of my projects for CHA next week...    

One + one = one straight A student...

Bob brought home some old photos from his Dad's house awhile ago... quite a few school photos + photos from when he played basketball & football.  When he brought them home, Bryn was in 3rd grade.  I decided to go hunting for a photo of me from 3rd grade, so I could compare them all.  I don't think there's much doubt who she looks like, and it's not me.  Also, it appears I may have missing front teeth, so maybe this isn't really my 3rd grade photo?  Hmmm. 

Anyway, I've had intentions of creating a page with all 3 of our 3rd grade photos for over a year now, but just never got around to making it happen.  Until... I got my hands on the new "SCHOOL IS COOL" collection from Nikki Sivils, that is...     

 

I made 2 different pages and a card with this new collection for the CHA Tradeshow, but we'll start with this one for today.  Another typical page that took me FOR.EVER. to create.  Can't begin to count how many times it changed before I ended up with this.  Why do I create like that?  I don't know.

 

On a similar subject... I posted the "My Monster" page in the 2 Peas gallery this morning & it's the most "bookmarked" page there right now.  I have to wonder how that happens though, considering it only shows it's been bookmarked four times.  The other day I had one that had been bookmarked 17 times & I couldn't even find it in the gallery?  HUH???  Perhaps there's been a mistake...

 

But I'll take the recognition... even if it's not really deserved.  ;-) 

"It's a beautiful day... don't let it get away..."

Have you stopped by the SRM Stickers blog lately?  They've been posting the brand new sticker sheets that are making their debut at the CHA Tradeshow next week.  Something that's brand new this time around, are the Fancy Sentiments... for cards + projects requiring "a little more elegance or sophistication."  I wouldn't say that creating elegant & sophisticated cards are my forte, but I think these stickers can also work with something a little more cutesy...    

 

I used the new Thank You sentiments to create my card, along with some Pink Paislee Hometown Summer and a little pink crepe paper...

 

 

I'm already finished with Spin class this morning.  And it's hot & nasty outside, so we'll be inside today. I sweat enough this morning, thank-you-very-much.  ;-) 

Bob sent me a link to this article this morning... U2 360 Tour preps begin at Busch Stadium.  I'll be one of the 50,000+ fans, along with 3 other friends, in the crowd on Sunday night.  The tickets were purchased almost a year ago.  Florence & The Machine opened for them on part of their tour.  Really, REALLY wish they were going to be here this weekend, but it looks like we'll be seeing Interpol for the opening act instead.  I don't think I'm familiar with them, but U2 should be phenomenal.  Can't wait! 

 

Happy Monday everyone!  Hope it's a great week!

Strong is the new skinny...

 

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"I've never seen one like that before... Don't look at me like that..."

Yesterday on the Nikki Sivils' blog, all 5 of her brand new collections were revealed!  All my projects I created with her new products are getting packed up tonight & ready to send to Nikki for her booth at the Summer 2011 CHA Trade Show.  So... little by little, I'll be revealing what I've created.  You'll be able to see them in person if you're attending the show.  I attended the show last summer... what a fun experience!

I thought I'd start off with "My Little Monster."  I wanted to take a different approach with this line to show it's versatility.  It's obviously great for some crazy kid or pet photos, but I decided to use the Lady Gaga song, Monster, as the inspiration for my page.     

 

 

Strange, I know, but that's me sometimes.  A little off. 

In fact when Bob looked at the page, he said, "My Monster?" 

I said, "Umm, it's lyrics from the song.  And I need to showcase as much product as possible.  Just go with me on this."   LOL...

 

I love google eyes...

 

So, yeah.  He's not really a monster.  It's a page about our anniversary this year.  So... it's a page about love.  "He ate my heart." 

Just go with me on this, ok?  ;-) 

And if you haven't done so already, go here for a chance to win all 5 of Nikki's new collections before they hit the retail stores.  But hurry, because you only have until this evening (Thursday) for the chance! 

How about a chance to win...

 

Nikki Sivils has just posted images of all 5 of her BRAND NEW LINES today.  Check out her blog for details on how you can win all 5 of the new lines before they hit the stores!

Just do it...

 
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4th of July weekend...

 

Our weekend so far... 

• Fun with girlfriends & our daughters (minus Sally's daughter).  We seem to have passed on our love for pyramid-building to them.  
• A short time at the pool, due to some kid puking in the pool.
• A LOT of creating in order to meet a deadline coming up.  And yes, I have a lot of work space in my craft room, but somehow I always end up with everything on the floor.
• Spin class & running.
• Some popcorn & wine. 
• A trip to watch my sister's boyfriend's band perform, with a fireworks display at the end... cancelled due to lots of RAIN tonight.  Poo...

 

... and tomorrow remains to be seen!  Hope you're enjoying your weekend, too! 

"Just dance... gonna be okay..."

Happy "4th of July" weekend.  July 1st already.  So much going on in my world right now.  Some good... mostly good... some not so great.  My mind is elsewhere.  Big time.  I am lacking in motivation & creativity right now, too.  And with CHA coming up & a deadline looming... this is not a good combination.  I keep staring at product & thinking...  I got nothin'.  No photos.  No creativity.  Nothin'.  Calgon... take me away. 

So...in attempt to get my mind off reality, I thought I'd try to get the creative juices flowing again by doing something just for grins.  And just so you can get a small glimpse of how I roll sometimes (or... who am I kidding... it's ALWAYS how I roll), I thought I'd show you how many times I made changes to this page before I settled on the end result.  I'm still not completely thrilled with the result, but I have to say it's better than it was.  I spent HOURS on this page.  HOURS.  And Bryn was at her friend's house for 2 of those hours, so I wasn't ignoring anyone.  Not then anyway... ;-)

 

 The final result...  

 

I used Elmers Craft Bond Tacky Glue & Glue Spots for my buttons & orange twine...

 

My SRM "Summer" sticker sentiments were added at the last minute, too.  Somehow their stickers seem to finish off all my projects these days. 

No big plans for us this weekend.  I'm entertaining some friends from grade school tonight & their daughters, but the rest of the weekend is still tentatively planned.  But that's just fine with me.  I don't wish to be traveling this weekend... I'm happy to be at home! 

Have a safe & happy weekend everyone!