I was working on a couple new bags the other night and had the tv on behind me while the Charlie Brown Christmas special was on. The past couple of years it has surprised me that this classic still makes it to network tv. Pleasantly surprised actually because it seems like the true message of Christmas is something the media has attacked relentlessly over the past year or so now. I just LOVE this scene from the special.

I was busy making 2 bags, one smaller size that I posted for sale at the boutique and then this larger one that I thought I’d post here first for the same price as the smaller one for those that still check this blog even though the posts have been so sporadic the past few months. This is the first time this fabric combo has made it to the boutique/blog. The first 2 I’ve made of these were snatched up before I could even take photos of them. If you’re interested in the smaller version you can find it *here*. Or if you’d like the roomier bag (with an added interior pocket) for the same price e-mail me using the link to the right or leave a comment here. :)

   

And I wrote all the names on slips of paper and drew for the book to send off from my earlier post. And Kimberly, the book is yours. I almost drew again because I didn’t know if it was fair that a family member would get the book but then I thought it wouldn’t really be fair to her to do that either. But, I guess if she reads it soon enough she could always get it back to me and I could draw again. :)

Haven’t gotten back to that post about my ACDSee tags. If anyone’s simply looking for a list of possible categories/tags to use I have that part finished so just let me know and I’ll email it to ya. And I ended up going to the festival of lights parade with the fam Tuesday night so instead of scrapping that adorable photo of Kennedy I was attempting to get new pics at the parade although unfortunately the lighting at night made it impossible to get anything scrapworthy. :(

Off to work. Toodles. :)

So was anyone else disappointed in the Bachelor finale last night? I think I actually cried during this scene. She was a real class act straight through to the end. I actually liked both of the final 2 but I think in the end I was really hoping he’d pick Sadie. For some reason I just don’t see the spark between Lorenzo and Jen. Sometimes after that final rose ceremony they show footage from the show that they had kept under wraps until then so it’s not too obvious who they’ll pick but this time even that footage just didn’t make sense to me. I mean really, what’s supposed to be the most romantic kiss of the show looked completely awkward.   Didn’t catch anything this morning on whether they’re still together or not. If you know leave a comment. I’m really curious. :)

Still workin’ on a post about my categories in ACDSee and how I use the program. Hopefully I’ll be able to post that tonight or tomorrow.

Updated the blog pod (finally!) with some Chris Daughtry tunes and a few others that are my favorites of the moment. Thought I’d start with the Christmas music in December so I’ll be changing it again shortly. :)

I had some requests for a current list of bags available for some people doing their Christmas shopping so I came up with a short-term solution until I find some extra time to work with Kylie on the new website. You can now check *here* for bags currently available. I’ll still be posting updates on the boutique blog with new designs but for the most recent items available and ready to ship keep an eye on this new gallery. :)

I’m hoping to take a little break and do some scrapping just for fun tonight. I got some CUTE pictures of Kennedy the other day and I’m long overdue for a Kennedy Layout so I think I’ll be scrapping this one. Is she not just precious?! :)

Kay, back to work. Happy Tuesday to ya. :)

Oh! Almost forgot, I’ll be drawing tonight for the book. I figured people don’t check blogs much over a holiday weekend so I wanted to give it a couple weekdays before drawing so if you still are interested in reading it (instead of listening to it like I’ll be) then leave a comment on that post today.

Thought I’d list a few places online with great gift finds (for others or yourself) for those of you who haven’t already shopped your hearts out in the shopping malls today. Personally I have never been a black friday mall shopper and don’t really understand the fuss but obviously I’m in the minority there.

First of all, I forgot to mention in my last post that I have new bags up at the Eclectic Whimsy Boutique blog with more to come by the end of the day including another of these (which seem to sell too quick for me to claim one as my own) as well as 2 more of this style but with an added magnetic snap closure. Plus, in the spirit of the holiday shopping season I’m offering free shipping (a $5 savings) on any orders placed before Midnight on Saturday, Nov. 25th. :)

For more whimsical gift ideas you have to check out inspireco.com. Especially loving her gift a day posts.

Or for an endless supply of great gift ideas you MUST check out Design*Sponge.

And if you’re looking for digi-deals I think the deal of the day has to be sweet Miss Jenn’s $2 sale. Wow! She’s got a new kit called Pomegranate Street and I’d have paid more than $2 for the alpha alone but there’s soooo much more fantastic stuff. And I picked up her new templates (an almost $12 value) to give as a special bonus to one lucky student at my class tomorrow since I’ll be demonstrating digi-scrapping using templates. :) And have you seen how great Jenn’s store looks?! I’m looking forward to working with Kylie Clark (scallywag) on a new design for the Eclectic Whimsy Boutique and I’m just lovin’ what Miss Jenn has done with her little shop. :)

Happy shopping! :)

I’m also working on a post about my system of organizing my digi-stuff in ACDSee. Have you picked this up yet?! I can’t say enough about it and I’m sure my digi-friends are tired of hearing me gush about it but I’ve had a few questions on what categories I use and about my little trick for keeping track of items I’ve used on certain LOs for giving proper credit once I’m done. Huge time-saver for me. :) So, hopefully I’ll have that ready to post in the next day or so. :) 

Kay, strange title but it oddly makes sense to me so here’s my ‘sunny-side up’ post. For some reason I find it the most difficult to post here when I have the most to say. I’m not sure why in my mind I have to have time to post ALL of it instead of just taking a few minutes to post bits here and there. I’m sure it has alot to do with a personality flaw of mine that I’ve been working really hard at changing and maybe this blog would be a mighty fine place to start. Even my own mom is threatening to stop checking this thing if I don’t update more often so I promise to post more mom. I love that she is so supportive of my creative endeavors. Love ya too mom. :)

So…where to begin. I’ve scheduled two more classes on digital scrapbooking at my favorite little cafe in town. I’ll be demonstrating the basics of putting together a scrapbook page digitally specifically for use in making a digitally designed calendar with your favorite photos but the same steps can be used to make any type of digital project. I have a few people signed up for the class already but the more the merrier so just e-mail me or show up to either class if you’re in the area and interested. :)

You knew I couldn’t do a post without some sort of visual, right? LOL Which reminds me of another thing I had been meaning to post about…Tracy Ann’s stuff at SBB. WOW! I am loving her stuff lately. Especially these and you’ve gotta check out this fun collection and the amazing color combination in this kit. Right now I’ve got my eye on this fun notecard collection and these great arrows. And the best part is she’s having a huge sale that goes through this Sunday so go stock up! :)

Other random stuff that I’ve been meaning to blog about:

Music

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this album and it does not disappoint. I love every song so far and did the first time through listening to it which is rare for me. I’m hoping he’ll be touring soon because I would LOVE to see him perform live.

And then, speaking of concerts, my boss and I are going to see Josh Groban in February. We got GREAT seats and I’m so excited. I’ve been to a couple of concerts with Mary before and although they were great performances and fun to see, they were both a bit embarassing to admit that we went to. Not the case with Josh. No disputing he’s an incredible artist. I was lucky enough to see him with my sister Tammy the last time he was in town and it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. :) Yup, I’m a Grobanite.

Television

I haven’t posted about my favorite new tv shows at all yet and I’ve been meaning to for months now. My favorites, now that I’ve had a month or so to see if they held up, would be (in no particular order): Six Degrees (okay, maybe that one is in order by being my favorite of all), The Nine, Brothers & Sisters, and The Class. And then for shows that aren’t new but they’re on my must see list: The Bachelor (love that it’s in Rome and I think he actually kept 2 really great women through to the end which is rare), Grey’s Anatomy (of course), Dancing with the Stars (which is sadly over but I love that Emmit won), What About Brian and The OC. I know, totally random list and thank goodness for Tivo so I can watch these shows whenever I want and in half the time. Not to mention the number of times I have to rewind to catch the 15 minutes that I missed because I was having too much fun chatting with friends online or desperately trying to create a LO for a magazine deadline.

Reading

Kay, I’m not much of a reader (AT ALL). I buy books with good intentions and books that I know I would enjoy reading but I just never find the time and when I do I have a zillion things going through my mind and it’s just too quiet to concentrate on the pages. So sometimes you just have to recognize a weakness and stop fighting it. For me, that means audiobooks. Blogs on the other hand I seem to have no problem reading. How do the two relate you might ask? Well, I’m particularly inspired by Melody’s blog (which if you haven’t read you really should). And in her most recent post she recommended a book which I already own and I believe I even posted about it quite some time back when I purchased it and had good intentions of reading it. Well, I still have it and it is like brand new. The hardcover binding of it hasn’t even been broken in. The beautiful paper covering doesn’t have a single wrinkle or crease. But I know I just won’t read it so I found the audio version of it and I’m going to listen on my ipod on my commutes to work. Now, if you made it this far through the post and you’re interested in reading this book (while I on the other hand listen to it) then post in a comment here and I’ll draw a name and get in touch with you for an address to ship it to. A good book shouldn’t go to waste, right?

Okay, no promises to post more often but I truly intend to. I have lots of creative stuff to talk about and tons of great links to share if you’re looking for something a little special to give for Christmas this year.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Kay, I know it’s been AGES since my last post and I would apologize for my absence here but my brother Dino made it known on Sunday how silly he thinks it is for people to apologize for not posting to their blog. SO, I’m not apologizing but I HAVE missed posting and I DO appreciate the fact that there are so many of you that continue to check after weeks and weeks of nothing new here.

Long story short, ‘cuz I have soooo much to post about, I returned from my Chicago weekend (which was SO much fun and I’ll definitely be dedicating a later post to that subject alone) but within 24 hours of getting home & trying to catch up from being gone for 3 days my laptop screen just suddenly went completely grey. Spent WAY too much time on the phone with tech support the entire next week trying to figure out what was wrong with it. Meanwhile, it was completely unusable. Then spent the next two weeks back and forth to the store with it having it sent in to their off-site technicians who replaced everything BUT the part that was diagnosed to have the problem. Finally after 3 weeks of messing with an extended warranty that was anything BUT ‘hassle-free’ as the brochure stated, I walked in last Friday with my laptop (which qualified only as a boat anchor at that point) and walked out with a receipt in hand for this baby… It’s exactly the laptop I would’ve picked out if I could get ANY laptop that they sold (unfortunately they don’t carry mac’s). And on top of that they threw in a new laptop bag and a new 2 year extended warranty INCLUDING accidental damage.

Also, on the bright side, I was able to back up everything from the old laptop in safe mode before it went in for service (unlike last time). And I have now transferred everything to the new one and I’m an even BIGGER fan of the ACDSee organizer because all of my work was not lost. Every single tag is in place and it works beautifully on the new machine. :)

I’m still catching up on emails so if you’ve emailed me I should be getting back to you by the end of the day. I’ve also had to set-up my outlook for my various emails for the store, etc. so if you don’t hear back from me today just holler, I may have missed a few in the transition.

Aside from the computer problems I’ve been busy sewing and getting ready for another craft show this Saturday. I’ve posted some of my favorite bags over on the Eclectic Whimsy blog and I’m offering free shipping on any order placed before midnight November 9th. The new bags all feature Amy Bulter fabric and they’re part of a new line inspired by our last craft show. Check ‘em out! :)

I was also able to finish 2 pages for the Digital Artist Magazine JUST before my laptop bit the dust. The magazine was just released and I honestly don’t know how each issue keeps getting MORE inspiring but it truly truly does. I was blown away by this issue (again!) and it comes with a kit by Kim Hill that has a gorgeous color combo, my new favorite stitches (that I intend to recolor when necessary to use them over and over) and even a gorgeous photo action. This kit alone is worth the $6. AND you have to see the featured photographer section. Unbelievable photos and a great interview. If you pick up a copy (and you’d be crazy not to) check out my LOs in the Thanksgiving LO section and a cute one of little Eva on the Take Four page.

Kay, I have tons more to post about since I’ve been savin’ up for a month but this post is already crazy long so I’ll be back with more in the next day or two I promise. Who knows, maybe I’ll post twice in one day to try and make up for the severe lack of posts. :) Not that I’m apologizing for it though (dino). ;)