Been scrapping a little, sewing at a more relaxed pace working on new designs and as of yesterday trying to get more organized. It started out in my sewing room, organizing supplies, getting rid of things in the room that didn’t really need to be there and sorting through my collection of fabrics for future projects. Then I set up outlook to access all of my email accounts in one place. It was getting so time consuming to check email on 3 different websites. This will be so much easier. Now if only I could get my hotmail account to better sort out junk mail. Maybe using outlook will make that better. A girl can hope.

THEN, I started checking into a program that I’d been seeing mentioned here and there in the digi-scrap forums and I decided to download the trial version. So far I LOVE it. I have SUCH a terrible memory and so often I sit down at night to scrap and spend an hour just searching through my digi-supplies to find an item that I know I have but can’t remember for the life of me who it was designed by. I had tried using scraproom to organize my stuff awhile back but I just didn’t click with the program. But this one works so easily for me and I tagged stuff like crazy yesterday and got a big chunk of my favorite designers stuff tagged already. I have tons more to add but with what I’ve tagged I can already start using the program and scrap so much more efficiently. I also love that I can tag stuff as ‘commercial use’ so that if I scrap for hire I can look at only those commercially usable papers and elements and not be tempted to include things that I’d have to buy another kit to use. So, I’ve only used the program for one day but so far I’d HIGHLY recommend it (and have to just about everyone I’ve talked to). :) Check it out here: ACDSee

Next organizational project is to set up blogroll or something to be able to keep up on my friends blogs without having to check each one to see if there’s a new post. I know, I’m SO behind on this. I think my hang-up is my love for all the eye-candy in the blogs I visit. Is there a program that at least includes the photos within the post? I can’t imagine reading Kim’s blog without seeing the gorgeous photos from her carnival or her latest apron designs. So I’d love to hear what others are using and whether anyone’s found a program that doesn’t just look like a boring dictionary in contrast to the inspiring visual posts of my favorite bloggers.

Speaking of which, one of my new favorite blogs to check in on is Heather Bailey’s. She’s not a digi-scrapper but she does take some AMAZING photos so even if you aren’t into sewing and fabrics it’s impossible not to be inspired by her blog. Well, if nothing else you have to check out her most recent post.

Kay, so I don’t knit and I need another creative hobby like I need another hole in my head but I could relate to it so well that I really could copy her comments about the cartoon word for word here, although I had to look up the word allegory and even it’s first definition I had to read 3 times to understand. LOL Definitely applies though. To paraphrase Heather’s comments – If it’s not the knitting needles, then it’s the scissors – or the sewing machine, or the computer, or the soldering gun, or the paint brush. There’s always something else to fidget with. Clickety-clack, clickety-clack, clickety-clack… the soundtrack of my life.

Today I’ll be doing some more sewing, a little cleaning and tonight I get to babysit Braelynn and Selah and Celena and Andrew are gonna come along to help and then stay overnight to go to church with me in the morning. Thank goodness I’ve got my camera back finally. :)

Happy Saturday everyone!

I’ll be back with photos tonight but I have a minute while checks are printing here at work so I thought I’d post a quick update. The show went great. We’re in a really conservative (and dutch) community so I think in a bigger area like Grand Rapids it could’ve gone better but we sold I think 25 purses and 10 or so keychains and our booth turned out perfect! :) For being at a craft show it really did have a boutique look to it which is exactly what I was going for. There was also alot of interest in the digital scrapbooking so I’ll be calling this week to set up a couple of dates to teach classes at a local place here (see earlier post on my favorite public restroom). :) Not that the classes will be taught in the bathroom. Fortunately the rest of the place is really nice too and they’ve got wireless so it should be perfect. If you read this and you’re from the Holland area check back in the next week or so for dates. I’ll try and add something over in the side margins with dates. :)

I have a few purses that I’ll be posting at the boutique blog later today (including a ruffle purse identical to the one I’ve been carrying for the past week – my newest favorite). I also have some fun fabric that came in too late to use for purses for the craft show so the boutique blog shoppers will get first dibs on some fun new looks. Those should start popping up on the blog over the next week. SO great to have my camera back finally so I can take pics as I finish new purses.

Other than that it’s back to a regular work week and hopefully more scrapping time this week. I’ll be back later to post some pics from the show (probably over on the boutique blog). :)

I can’t believe I’m not tired of sewing yet after the past few weeks. Pretty much every spare minute this is what I’m looking at and yet I’m so excited after this craft show is done to start working on new designs. There’s a messenger bag in the works, interior zippered pockets and I’ve got the ruffle purse design down to a science and have finally found a few more fabric combinations that do the ruffles justice. :) Oh, and laptop sleeves are just around the corner. Hoping to have one for my laptop in time for the Chicago scrappin’ weekend.

A few people have asked about the craft show. It’s at Zeeland Christian School (always strange to go back there and walk the halls where I spent most of my school years). Mel, you’ll definitely have to stop by if you come. Would love to meet you! :)
And LaurieG you should come out too. I could use a craft show pro to let me know what I should do differently next time around. :)

We set up our booth tonight after 5. I’ll definitely get some pictures to post here. We’re really going for a boutique look for the booth. Seems like most the craft show booths are full of metal racks or peg board and that’s just not us. So we’re borrowing a mud-room bench from Dino & Nina that has a wainscotting back with coat hooks. This will have our most special purses hung with others setting on the bench. Plus it’ll serve as storage for duplicate purses to take out as we need them. Then I’ve converted a beany baby poll into a coat rack sort of thing with a distressed black finish and extra hooks to hange lots of purses on. A couple of white tables borrowed from mom. Jill’s mom is arranging some fresh flowers in vases for us. :) And then a small bedside cabinet that matches the bench that I think I’ll actually use to put my printed scrapbook album and pamphlets for Eclectic Whimsy Designs on (remember that idea?). Still would love to do that on the side and I figure this would be a great opportunity to get some exposure for that.

So anyway, here’s a peek at the tags we’ve made for the purses and one of the newest fabric combos for the ruffle purses. Each bag is numbered and already entered into the database (LOVIN’ that thing – OH, Filemaker by the way for Kari who asked a LONG time ago). We put the bag # and price on the back of each tag and then as we sell them we can just take the sticker off and put it with our copy of their receipt to keep track. We’ll see how it all works tomorrow. :)

Kay, gotta run. Jill will be here in an hour to finish getting ready. Happy Friday everyone.

…watch Grey’s Anatomy last night hoping that they changed the ending and Denny would still be alive? I wasn’t even really watching it, just had it on in the background while I was sewing and it still had me in tears at the end. So looking forward to the new season starting tonight. (Updated the ipod & #6 is my favorite song from the finale) Oh, and Mel, What About Brian season premiere is Monday, October 9. Six Degrees starts tonight (I think from the creators of Lost) and Brothers and Sisters starts Sunday. And watched Jericho last night and it seemed pretty good, I was watching it way too late trying to get some computer work done so I may watch it again to see if it’s one I’ll need to watch. Quite honestly I could use for some of these shows to be disappointing to narrow down my list of must see tv. :)

My camera arrived a day early. I was so excited because I was supposed to go with my sisters on an all day shopping trip today but I just can’t pull it off. I was actually in tears when I called my sister Tam to let them know I couldn’t join them. Crazy how when you need a day away the most is when it’s impossible to take one. I REALLY hope this craft show thing goes well because the past couple weeks getting ready for it is making me a wreck. I really can’t wait for Saturday and I’m SO excited about how everything is coming together but I’m equally excited for about 5:00 Saturday when the 1st show is behind us and we can relax for a bit.

Kay, back to work. Didn’t have time to even play with my camera yet but I’ll try and snap a few pictures today to post. Normally it kills me to post to the blog without some sort of image in the post but I’m cuttin’ myself some slack on it for today since I did at least update the music on the ipod. :)

I’m up to my eyeballs in purses and getting ready for this weekend’s craft show but I had to post this email I got last night. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. I have really missed having a camera the past few weeks. I have a new niece and had to borrow my brother and SIL’s camera to get pictures of, swapping cards just to get a few shots. I missed out on pics of Ainsley cuddling with Andrew and Corbin asking him ‘what if’ ?’s that were just begging to become a scrapbook page. Not to mention loads of REALLY fun new purse designs that I’m so excited to post. SO, hopefully I’ll have my camera back in a few days, just in time for the craft show this weekend. So YAY!!!!

On another quick note, Gina, YES I’m watching Dancing with the Stars this season. :) The one I’m most interested in watching is Joey Lawrence. Now, for those of you reading who don’t remember what he looked like before the whole Mr. Clean look THIS is what Joey Lawrence is SUPPOSED to look like. And I’m hoping somehow over the past week he’s magically grown all this hair back. So far seems like he’s really giving the dancing thing an effort and I thought he was fun to watch. As far as the girls the only one I was interested in seeing at all before the show is Sara and it seems like she’s gotten a pretty bad wrap on the show and it seems that it may have alot more to do with her politically conservative views than her dancing so I’m still curious to see if she makes it at least a little further in the show. So far I’m happy with the results of the first vote with Tucker Carlson going home and I’m hoping this week Jerry Springer gets the boot.

Other thoughts on the new fall tv line-up:

Rarely watched ‘the View’ before because Barbara Walters drives me crazy but Rosie O’Donnell drives me even MORE crazy. I have no idea what they were thinking on that one. Elizabeth is the only one I like and the rest of them barely ever even let her talk. And then I tivo’d the new Rachel Ray (sp?) show and so far I’m not all that impressed with her guest line-up for this first week. Diane Sawyer for her very FIRST show?! Huh?? She did have a really fun stage set though and I like the idea of the variety. We’ll have to see about this one. The other thing is it’s on the same time as Ellen and even though the new DJ isn’t the same as Tony I still love that show.

Other shows I’m loving so far:

The Class , Men in Trees, Standoff, Studio 60 (but the verdict is still out on that one)

Looking forward to:

Jericho, The Nine, Six Degrees, Brothers and Sisters, the return of Grey’s Anatomy, What About Brian and the Bachelor.

Thank goodness for Tivo and having tv finally in my hobby room. Which by the way I’m thinking of upgrading to be called my ‘studio’. I’m not sure what the technical differentiation is between ‘hobby room’ and ‘studio’ but I like the sound of studio and  I’ve got it finally organized for the most part how I like it. Even found some shelving for my picture frames to get them off my workspace and hooks to hang the finished purses on. It’s nothing fancy but another thing I can take pictures of once I’ve got my camera back to make up for lost time. :)

Finally got my camera set up to transfer photos via the USB cable before it hopefully goes in for service today. I was really hoping to have it at the craft show in two weeks so hopefully they’re speedy.

Actually got a picture of Isa with her eyes open. Tough to tell if they are blue or brown yet. They definitely seem darker than Eva’s were though so we’ll see. :) Anyway, thought I would post this to sortof balance out the somber 9/11 post.

ETA: WOW that photo seems huge on the screen here at work. Unfortunately I uploaded the photo at home this morning and then published the post while printing checks here at work so I’m not sure if I remove the photo that I’ll be able to add it back in from this computer at a smaller size. For now you’ll just have to live with the life size photo of me and Isa. LOL