Crossing our fingers and toes...

If you could cross yours as well, that would be great! Anyone willing to send a little good luck vibe our way, send it now! My husband has a job interview today! The market is really tough at the moment, but we are VERY hopeful that they will choose him. This is his first interview since completing his certification program, and it would just be so good for him to get a job in his "chosen" field. It would also be great for our family, as it has a much higher (long term) earning potential and a place for him to grow. I hope, I hope, I hope...

What else is happening around here? Well, not a lot of sleeping, that is for sure. Monday night my daughter woke me up at 2 am, and I was not able to go back to sleep, so I drug my butt around in a daze all day yesterday. Last night she slept, but I tossed around, finally waking at 4am, and decided to get up at 5am, since I wasn't really resting anyway. I have a long list of things on my to do list this week, so I guess I will get a jump on them...

Hope you all have a great day - and don't forget to cross your toes!
KP

Princess Layout

Okay, so this page layout turned out NOTHING like I had envisioned in my head. Frankly, it really frustrates me, but I have decided to let it go, and be satisfied with what it is. I have decided to do a mini book with these photos, since I think Lauren would really like it, and I really like the pics!


Patterned Paper -Fancy Pants
Rhinestone words - Me and My Big Ideas
Rhinestone crowns - Heidi Swapp
Some flowers are Petaloo, but the giant flower and flower ribbon source is unknown.
Stamps - making Memories
Ink Stampin' Up!
I also used a scrap of the fabric from her dress behind the photo.

I did include a page two, just because I wanted to include the photos in her scrapbook, but obviously no design involved.

WhooooHooootieeWhooooo!

Okay, I had the VERY BESTEST time last night EVAH!

My dear friend Charissa and I went out on the town - a birthday celebration, and all around great time. We went for dinner - Thai, my favorite (YUMMY!) and then we went to see SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE!! Oh my heck was it ever good. I admit, I am a reality TV junkie, and I know most (or many) people probably think this is on the cheesy side, but trust me, this was entertainment at it's best!

We had amazing seats! I really can not believe how fantastic these performers are, and how wonderfully they danced for over 2 hours. My voice is gone from screaming so much! If you are a fan of the show, I really recommend trying to catch the tour! I already can't wait for next season!

The best part last night - well funniest anyway, was when local boy Dominic stripped down to his undies and then mooned the audience as he exited the stage - he was such a ham all night, but I laughed so hard at this I nearly fell out of my chair!

I am so grateful that I got such a fun opportunity! They really CAN dance!

Thanksgiving wishes and a new Layout to share

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I know, it is actually the day after Thanksgiving, but I did not get a chance to wish it sooner. Unfortunately I came down with a NASTY bug on Wednesday, and slept through most of the day -- so needless to say I am a little behind! I felt better yesterday -- enough to enjoy a day with the family, but still moving slower than usual. Oh well - that is what holidays are for, right!

I had a lovely, relaxing Thanksgiving dinner with my family - we did it here, but everyone else cooked - how great is that! My mom wanted pics taken with all of the grandkids for her Christmas cards, so while they were here, we went across the street to the park, and I tried to get some --HA HA HA! I swear, trying to get 5 kids and my silly mother all looking cute at the same time is simply not a possibility. Sweet little Lilly, my niece, did NOT want to play! Here is what we ended up with - not horrible I guess.



I hope you had a lovely and relaxing day as well!

The kids let me have a little scrap time this morning, and I got a layout finished...

This is of my boys at our Disneyland trip (I am really trying to finish scrapping this trip!) - Getting Goofy --it was really cute - Max stole Ethan's "Goofy" hat, and then played keep away while Ethan tried to get it back - they were so playful and silly, and the boys were just cracking up!



(You can always click for a larger image)

Patterned paper and Die Cut letters - Paper Loft; Solid Cardstock - Bazill and Stampin' Up!; Big Brads - Hot off the Press; Rub Ons - Making Memories.

I am hoping to get in a few more hours over the long weekend! Hope you get to do something you love this weekend as well.

Hugs, KP

A Cinderella Story

I finished this layout last night. I really enjoyed playing with the colors and textures in this paper, and thought the softness of it with the gorgeous flourishes and birds made it very "fairytale" like. So what better to use it for than a visit with royalty. These photos are from our Disney trip in July - Lauren LOVED meeting the "real" princesses and getting photos and autographs with ALL of them. Cinderella was a favorite of course...



Patterned Paper, Die Cuts, Letters and Rub Ons are Basic Grey (Periphery); Ink and ribbon are Stampin' Up!

Ethan's New Smile :)

My cutie pie Ethan got his braces off yesterday! He was so excited. And honestly so am I - keeping teeth clean with braces is a lot of extra work for a kid (and for a mom if you want them to actually get clean!) He still has baby teeth, so we may have to do more work in a few years, but they sure are a huge improvement so far!

Here he is before and after - now isn't that a great smile!

Two in one day...

And I am feeling pretty great! I get such a sense of accomplishment when I finish a page layout, and to finish two in a day feels awesome. Today the kids were so cooperative, my husband had the day off and helped keep things under control, and yes - I scrapped the day away (well, with only a few minor interruptions anyway). It was the most relaxed day off that I have had in a VERY long time, and I am thankful for it.


I finished this layout of the boys on our Hawaii trip last summer. We were at the Halona Blowhole on Oahu South Shore - quite lovely!

Patterned paper, Die cuts and Flowers - My Mind's Eye; Solid Cardstock and buttons- Stampin' Up!; Journaling - Signo white gel pen.

I am on a roll, almost hate to clean up - but at some point I gotta get the kids to bed. Hope your day was as lovely as mine!

"Miss You" Layout

I completed this layout today. This one took me a few days - both because I ruined the paper once, and because the subject matter was a little emotional for me.

I decided that since I am trying to stretch myself creatively, that the best way to do that was to really challenge myself. And since most of my layouts are of happy beautiful children playing, this was indeed a challenge. But one that has been in my head for quite a while, and since I am scrapping for ME, this made the most sense to start with. I caught myself crying quite a bit over the past few days as I worked through this, but I am really happy with the results.

Patterned Paper, Die Cuts and Stickers - Cosmo Cricket; Chipboard letters - Heidi Swapp; Chipboard Flourishes - Deluxe Designs; Ink - Stampin' Up!; Journaling font - Anke Calligraphic

Journaling Reads:
The Truth is, I am all right.
Sometimes we lose the people that we love,
And it is difficult and painful,
But we move forward, and it is okay.
I am okay.

But that does not mean that I don't miss you.

When one of the kids laughs or smiles, and the expression
Reminds me of you...That is when I miss you.

When I think of something funny, and I know that it
Would make you laugh...That is when I miss you.

When I think about how truly amazing my children are,
And I think how proud of them you would be, and I wish that
I could share them with you...That is when I miss you.

When my computer is having trouble, and I NEED you here to
Help me figure it out...That is when I miss you.

When your beautiful granddaughter, who never had the chance
To meet you, but so very clearly KNOWS you, starts crying
Because she "misses her grandpa"...That is when I miss you.

When I am walking in a store, or at work, or around the neighborhood
And I see someone with a moustache like yours,
Or hear someone with a laugh like yours,
Or catch the scent of someone with a scent like yours,
That is when I miss you.

Every Day. That is when I...
(MISS YOU)

Shopping...again :)

So, if you remember, the first part of my "creative goal" for myself, was to buy what I like. It turns out that this part of the goal is really not going to be any trouble at all! Since I just bought all I could carry at expo over the weekend, you would think that I was good for a while, yes? No.

Yesterday I was working on (and almost finished with) a layout (yay Kristine!) when I blobbed brown ink all over my journaling. Well, of course I had to start over, and of course I only had one sheet of the paper that I was using, so of course, I had to shop. I guess it really HAS been a while since I have shopped for scrapbooking supplies, since I just discovered yesterday that the store I usually go to in such scrap emergencies is gone. And they were not just closed, there was an entirely different business up and running. Imagine my surprise when I pulled up to the soccer store!!

So I had to head across town (like to the other side of Elk Grove) this morning to a NEW store. I say new, but they have been in business at least a year, I have just never been there. Probably never should have gone in there. I just needed one sheet of paper, but somehow my basket filled up...crazy! I did have a coupon, so I don't feel TOO bad. AND I got home and there is a birthday check in the mail, so I guess is was fate! And just in case my husband ever decides to read my blog --It really wasn't bad at all, honey! (LOL)

Off to finish the page I messed up! Have a great night!

Expo Photo

So, at a table with six scrapbookers, all six of us forgot to bring a camera (duh!). One of the sweet ladies helping out at the crop was kind enough to take a photo of us and email it to me. Here we are!

From left to right: Charissa, Michelle, Me, Sonda, Christina, Jenn.

Scrapbook Expo

Are you having a great weekend? I am. I had the opportunity to go yesterday to Scrapbook Expo, and had such a nice day! I spent the day with my dear and fabulous friend Charissa, which always makes for a nice day. I had an opportunity to see friends I don't see nearly often enough - Jenn, Christina and Tonja - and thoroughly enjoyed their company. And I got to shop - which was amazing - I have limited myself so much with shopping that just being surrounded by new and fabulous products made me giddy - At one point I literally broke into a sweat with the excitement of it along with the anxiety of trying to decide which of the MILLIONS of things I wanted that I could possibly narrow it down to. I picked up some great things, and am very hopeful that they will actually get used - soon! And got a nice list going for all of the things I want when I can budget for them...boy are there ever some amazing new products available!

I took two classes. The Rusty Pickle class was fast paced and really fun, and the layout is beautiful -- I need to find some photos to compliment it, and then I will share -- we used Burlap on the page - a new element for page design for me, and a VERY messy (but cute) choice. I also took an S.E.I class that was sadly not as wonderful. I had fun, and shared the class with Jenn and Christina, so I enjoyed laughing with them, but the page is simply ugly, and I am doubtful I can salvage enough to even keep the page - just a crazy, busy, loud design - not at all my style. But I learned a little, I guess. I won a delightful "booby" prize - seriously I can't imagine where they got this - left in a warehouse since 1984 maybe...it is a iron on velvet page element that includes igloos and polar bears - truly hideous. I couldn't give it away! IF anyone out there has a love for the obnoxious and enjoys winter cartoon scenes on their pages, let me know and it is yours! LOL

The crop was a lot of fun - heck, just an opportunity to be out with the girls and surrounded by paper is a truly exceptional thing. And I have some truly talented friends - the layouts they made were just lovely. I got one layout finished, and started a second. I was a little off my game...it has been so long it may take a while for my creativity to start flowing freely I suppose, but I am happy with the layout I finished, and even more happy that I got a layout DONE.

Here is what I worked on:

These are photos taken of Lauren last month at the pumpkin patch. I used the following to create this layout:
Stamps: Fabulous Flowers, True Friend
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust
Patterned Paper: Apple Cider
Inks: Chocolate Chip and Really Rust Craft
Accessories: Chipboard - Blossoms and Basics and Lots of Letters, Build a Brad, Chocolate Satin ribbon, sponge dauber

Hope you had a great day as well! KP

Thoughts on my CREATIVE CRISIS...

Okay, so I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. Serious thinking about where I am in my life "creatively". This might sound like a silly thing to be thinking about, but if you know me at all, you know that my NEED to express myself creatively is one of the things that really drives my life and defines who I am. Without it, I am not me. And frankly, I am not happy with the place I am creatively. It has been gnawing at me for a while, and really hit home recently. I think I finally got a handle on it, and got to the heart of what is bothering me this week when I met my dear friend Nic for coffee. We really had a good chat, and it really got me thinking. (Thanks for listening Nic).

If you know me, you know that scrapbooking is my passion. Creating an artistic representation of the memories that are important to me - I NEED to do this. And yet I have found that in the last year, I have done virtually NO scrapbooking. I think about it, I want to do it, but I dont get to it. I am deeply saddened by this, and by the time that has been lost while I have been too busy to do what is really important to me. I am really busy, and this is not likely to change soon. And what creative time I have available to me, I spend planning workshops and preparing for classes, which brings me pleasure,, but keeps me from my TRUE love.

I love stamping - really I do. But I started stamping to supplement my scrapbooking - to add a little more to my pages. And somehow over the past few years, it has taken over. I love Stampin' Up, and think the products are fantastic, but being a demonstrator has put me in a place that makes me feel that all of my available "free money" should go to SU products, and this keeps me from truly expressing myself creatively - if I were true to my creativity, I would just buy what I liked, regardless of how it would affect my "business". I am not really sure how or why I have allowed "business" to affect my art, but it really has. I love card making - LOVE it. I love teaching classes, sharing what I love with others, and especially inspiring people to create. But the time that I spend thinking of class projects, preparing for classes, etc. keeps me from being able to really create for me, and I am feeling stifled, stuck, and I NEED to break out of this place and move my focus from "business" to creativity - and really focus on MY memories, MY scrapbook pages.

About 3 years ago I set a goal for myself that I wanted to be published before I was 40. Guess what. I am a week away from 39, and have progressed nowhere in those three years. I have not grown in my art. I have not produced the kind of amazing pages that I KNOW in my heart live inside my head - in fact I have produced relatively few pages at all! This is a goal that I want to accomplish - maybe not by 40 (since I waited so long) but someday. If I don't work, and don't try, it can't happen.

I want to work on a design team. I want my art to be an inspiration to others. But if it stays here in my head, it can't. And I can't enjoy it, and my children can't cherish it. I have to scrap it.

So what does this mean? Where is my rambling caffeine induced monologue taking us? I am not entirely sure. But I know that I have reached a point of change, and the direction that I go from here will define my creative future. I know that I need to step back from my "business" and not allow it to direct my creativity. I need to not have all of my creative time be spent on cards, workshops and classes - it is not enough for me. And the change needs to happen now, while I am motivated, inspired and driven.

My goals for NOW:
1. Buy what I like, and USE IT. Whether or not I can sell it or demonstrate it will NOT be what directs my art.
2. At least 50% of my creative time is for ME, and will be spent scrapbooking for me (the rest can be for classes, gift making, card making etc. )
3. Learn, grow and progress with my art - get out of the rut, think creatively, and do what I like, not what will sell.
4. Build confidence so that I will submit work for design teams, contests etc., and then SEND IT.
5. Learn how to say no - my time is important.

And why did I share all of this with you? Because if I write it down, and I put it out there, then I am accountable for it. I know that there are a few of you out there that will push me to meet my goals, and I need to be pushed. I need to be reminded of what art means to me. This is important to me. I will do this.

Another photo to share...

No, it's not stamping...not yet. I am DEFINITELY getting some scrapbooking done this weekend, though - so next week will have plenty of stuff to share - really! I am going to Scrapbook Expo this weekend, and I am so excited. I am taking two classes, and can't tell you how thrilled I am to get to be the student for a change. I am doing a Rusty Pickle class (i LOVE Rusty Pickle) and a technique class by SEI. Then I am cropping the night away. I need to find some time this week to put together some stuff so that I go prepared and get some pages done! Hopefully I will finish some pages that are cute enough to show off!

I did want to share this cute pic of my youngest. You know, she looks so sweet in photos. It is so deceiving...she is such a handful! (okay, more like two hands full). But I just adore her anyway... We are out the door to Hula class. Have a great night!

Updates...

Wow. Can you believe it has been a whole month since I have been able to post. Obviously I can't start every post with an apology, but that seems like the way it is working right now. Not sure why life has gotten away from me - things just seem to get busier every day!! But in November and December I am taking a break from SU workshops and classes, so that I can focus more on some of the projects I want to do around here. Hopefully that will translate into more things to share with you!

I HAVE been stamping, but mostly for workshops and gifts, and did not take photos! I enjoyed making halloween treat bags for my daughter's preschool. This is what I came up with this year:
I used the Batty For You set, Batty wheel, Arachnophobia wheel, Creepy Crawly paper, Pumpkin and Black paper and ribbon, Circle, Scallop and Key Tag punches. I used 4 x 8 paper bags, and created front and back panels. They were pretty quick and easy, I like the way they turned out, and the kids enjoyed them.





My kids had a great time on Halloween this year! We went to a local church Harvest Festival - the kids got a TON of candy! We enjoyed spending time with our friends the Arch family too! Here are my cuties:


Lauren was Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). She was so lovely. She has been wearing the costume daily since the week before Halloween - she LOVES to dress up! Isn't she just the cutest EVER! (yes, I am biased).


My boys (Christian and Ethan) were Mario and Luigi. They had so much fun, and enjoyed the attention of being "recognized" by the gaming public.















Here are the photos with their friends Kean and Miriam...


In other news... Hmm, what else can I share?? My son Christian's soccer team will be in the Championship playoffs this weekend - even though the team lost every game of the season - go figure. They dominated at the tournament - came through when it counted I guess. He is excited. He also had his first Band Performance last week - he is LOVING band!

The other kids are busy with activities, and keeping me busy daily! Ethan is off track, so I am trying hard to keep him occupied. He learned how to Pogo stick this month, and can easily pogo 1000 times in a row! And Lauren is LOVING her new Smart Cycle - wow is that a great invention!

Me? I am focused on my weight loss and "life changes" and doing really well. I am quite proud of myself. I have lost 13 pounds so far, and still motivated.

I promise that next time I update, it will be with stamping to share!