The afternoon at the beach yesterday was GORGEOUS. The weather was perfect. Quite warm but at the lake there was a perfect breeze that made it completely bearable. Unfortunately we went for location and chose a beach closer to home which meant teen-age central. Seriously, I think the ladies in the photo above were the only other people on the beach over 20. Ugh! Not so great for the self-esteem, let me tell ya. The sad thing that I was thinking yesterday was that as much as I was looking around wishing I had a body like theirs they were probably all doing the very same thing. Not at ME mind you but at all the other perfect bodies on the beach. If they only realized how beautiful they are but at that age girls rarely do. Sad. Personally I wouldn’t go back to that age for anything. If I did I’m sure I’d do alot of things differently but I actually much prefer 34 to 17. Anyway, I’m really hoping to spend another afternoon at the beach soon and capitalize on the little sun that I got yesterday before my tan is gone again. We’ll see. And hopefully more pictures next time so I can actually have enough to scrap a beachy LO.

Thought I’d post a link to my etsy shop here since I’ve started posting bags over there and I’m trying to decide which shop works out best. I’ve marked down a few of the bags too so go check ‘em out. :) And I posted a couple new bags in Jill’s too. More coming later tonight.

Back to work. Happy wednesday everyone.

 

I know I’ve mentioned this site before (probably a few times) but I love it so much.

I love the gallery…

I love that it’s full of amazing pages that inspire me to create more.

I love how supportive the other scrappers are.

I love that when I hover over a thumbnail in the gallery it expands so that I can see the LO better before clicking on it. I love that when I DO click on it the LO is a great size to see all the little details but even better, depending on the size a person uploads, I can click on it again and see even MORE detail.  Or how some people upload additional detail shots that I can click on along the bottom of the LO. This site has been so generous with their gallery uploading guidelines. I LOVE that.

Or how ’bout that anywhere on the site that I see a tiny avatar of another scrapper I can hover over it and see an actual reasonable size version of the avatar. And if I click on that avatar I’m taken to a page perfectly designed for me to learn a little bit about that person.

I love that the bio pages have fun questions to get to know the users beyond just seeing their scrapbook pages. I love that if they have a blog or website there’s a link right in their bio to get to it. I love that I can see who inspires THEM thru their list of ‘favorite sisters’. Or how poeple can leave little messages right there in the bio page the same as you can in an individual LO.

I haven’t figured out yet how to view others pages as albums. I know I sorted my portfolio by albums but I seem to be the only one who can view them that way. But it’s a new site so I’d imagine they’re still sorting some of those things out.

I love that when I log in and view my profile page it shows me right there if anyone has commented on any of my pages since I last logged in. I love that somehow people seem to comment on pages long after they’re posted. In my experience in other galleries people typically comment only on the most recent LO posted. And even then it seems like after a few days you’ve likely gotten the last feedback you’re going to get on that LO. At SisTV I seem to receive feedback even on pages I’ve posted almost a month ago when the site first opened.

I love that in that same profile page I can also see any new pages listed that my ‘fav sisters’ have posted since I last logged in so that if I don’t have time to browse through the gallery I still don’t miss any new pages from my friends or those scrappers that especially inspire me.

Oh, and the other day I noticed that the location in my profile was underlined and realized that if I click on it I can actually see a list of all the ‘sisters’ who listed Michigan as their home state. There are quite a few AMAZING scrappers who live not that far from me. I swear I’m not at all the stalker type but it’s kinda fun to find out that a few of those LOs I’ve been raving about in the comments were created by people who live right near by. I know, I’m wierd like that. :)

Seriously though, they’ve thought of everything here. And I haven’t even mentioned the little videos that are really what this site is all about. I didn’t think I’d really get into them but I’ve watched almost every one. The most recent one is even about ideas for taking your scrapping outside with it being summer and nicer weather. The ideas they talk about don’t really apply to me but I HAVE been spending a lot of time sitting out on my deck with the laptop. :)

The only thing missing is a slew of digi-scrappers posting in the gallery. Right now there’s just a handful of us. So GO, check it out, set up a bio and start posting LOs and link me here or email me so I can add you to my favorites and send ya some love. You will seriously love it there.

And no, I’m in no way affiliated with the site. Wow wouldn’t that be a dream gig! I’m just their number 1 digi-cheerleader. :)

Kay, gotta spend some time in the studio this morning and get the car washed and vacuumed out and then it’s off to the beach for the afternoon. Gotta find my sunscreen and load a book and some new songs to the ipod. Current song at the top of my listening list is the new one by Incubus called Dig. Here’s the video since this post is lacking in the images department and ya know how that bugs me. :) 

Ooh, I can post one of these though for this morning (beach day ya know).

Oh and I almost forgot, I finally finished Kimmy’s blog header yesterday. This is what I came up with.

You can find the credits listed in her side bar and she even posted again. Check it out. :)

Have a great Tuesday!

 

It’s completely out of character for me to be this crazy about anything about myself but I really am loving this new haircut. I figure it’s okay to ‘cuz it’s not like I can take any credit for it. I just happen to have the best hair stylist on the planet. This photo totally doesn’t do it justice, nor is it even in focus but I should mention that the photo before it had remarkable sharpness on the rose bushes behind me. :) I’ll have to get more this week while the cut is still fresh but the cut, the color, everything about it is totally me. More me than any cut I’ve ever gotten. I love the blunt bangs and there’s even more of them than what you can see in this photo. It’s the funnest thing. If I pull back the longer pieces around my face like in a bobby pin *ta-da* more blunt bangs! How cool is that?! And even though it’s not long on my neck in the back and not too hot to wear down it’s still long *enough* to pull back in either pig tails or even a ponytail. Plus I can round brush it all under or flip one side up a bit so it’s asymetrical (which I’m a big fan of). Or I can tuck it behind my ears for a completely different look. All that plus enough short layers to give it volume (cuz I hate my hair flat). Seriously! Hopefully people like it cuz I tend to wear my hair pretty much the same for like YEARS and I don’t think I’ve ever liked a cut quite this much. :) Oh, and the color, finally a good combination of red in the top layers and deep dark brown underneath. I like it contrasty and it seems like it’s always too subtle. This time it’s perfect. Only thing that could’ve made it a touch better would be maybe a few subtle highlights at least during the summer but we didn’t have the time. Betcha didn’t expect a huge paragraph just about my hair did ya?! Can you tell I’m excited about it? :)

And Saturday morning I got a package from Maegan and Zoe with the sweetest gifts for Pixel. Thank you SO much Maegan. And thank you sweet Zoe for wrapping it so darn cute. I was so excited to open it that I forgot to get the camera out to photograph the package itself. :( Loved it though and so did my niece who was staying overnight. :) I did get some photos of Pixel wearing her new blingin’ collar and playing with her new ‘Chewy Vuiton’ purse. It’s completely replaced Eeyore as her favorite toy. I couldn’t get a picture of it yesterday but she actually carries it around like a purse. It’s too cute. Here’s a picture of my stylin’ pup…

Let’s see, other than that I ended up having my niece and nephew overnight Friday night, went to Fazoli’s with them and my ex’s mom for lunch on Saturday, went on a fun shopping spree at Target thanks to the generosity of some sweet local girls that I’ve been doing some digi-scrappin’ stuff with, did some sewing, some chatting with friends online, dinner at a great local restaurant and Coldstone ice cream afterward (both wonderful), a quick trip to the mall yesterday and a lot of hanging out with my 2 favorite dogs (had Koda pretty much all week while Scott was up north fishing). Oh and yesterday I had a hummingbird buzzing around that beautiful planter from the post below. I’ve seen them lots at my parents house but this is the first time I’ve seen one at my very own place. Sometimes it’s the little things, right? :)

Wow, I actually had lots more I wanted to blog about but this post is already ridiculously long. I’ll probaby be back with more later. :)

My lens was very kind to me. My roots seem far more obvious when I’m curling my hair in the morning so I’m hoping this better represents how they look to the rest of the world. Thank goodness I get them colored tonight and cut since pigtails is about the only decent looking option lately and it’s not exactly appropriate for work. This is just one of about 130 photos from last night including some amazing shots of our dinner at Marro’s that are worthy of a scrap page all their own. Y-u-m!

And the other night I hauled out my wacom to do check marks for a LO I was working on. It’s one of only a handful of times I’ve used it since I got it probably 2 years ago now so I decided to look it up and see once what they’re selling on ebay for now days and decided holy smoley what do I need to keep this thing around for if I rarely ever use it. I think I’d probably use it a ton more if I used a desktop to scrap on but I sit on a love seat with my laptop and usually a dog sleeping next to me so there’s not a lot of room for it. I’m sure I had some grand plans to create digital elements or something to sell online but that idea never really took off. SO, since I HATE ebay and I know a majority of my blog readers are digi-scrappers and graphic designy type people I thought I’d first post it here in case anyone is interested. It’s the 6 x 8 size with all the extra bells and whistles of the intuos line of tablets and is in like-new condition (which is sad really). It sells new for over $300 so for $200 it’s a steal and includes everything pictured here plus a disk with all it’s drivers and everything you need to get set up using it. If anyone is interested just email me or comment here and maybe I won’t have to go through the trouble of figuring out how to list it on ebay. :)

Update: the Wacom tablet sold on Saturday to Nina in Norway. I’ll be shipping it to you right after work today Nina. :)

I’ll be having my niece and nephew overnight tonight (after the haircut and color) and maybe going to see the movie Shrek. Hopefully lunch at Fazoli’s tomorrow. :) And then I’ll be busy sewing in the studio quite a bit the rest of the weekend. Working on some fun new designs and finishing up a couple orders. I’ll be posting in the boutique again on Monday and I thought I’d offer free shipping again on any orders for the bags that are currently listed. If you’re interested in any of them just email me or leave a comment here and I’ll get back to you right away. :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Wow, 2 posts in one day. I realized after my post this morning that I missed a few things. First I noticed that I forgot to mention a great summer wardrobe. My winter wardrobe was getting boring and needed some serious help but as I’m pulling out stuff from the back of the closet I’m remembering that I had a pretty decent collection of summer clothes. Makes me happy. :)

And then my sister Kimberly started her very own blog. I’ve thought for a long time that she totally should have her own blog but never even suggested it because she’s so not the type to hop on a trendy bandwagon but lo and behold she decided on her own to start one. I’ve gotta work on a banner for her maybe later tonight to spruce it up a bit and I’m sure I’ve got a few recent photos of her girls for her to post but go check out her new blog and say hi. You’re gonna love ‘er to bits ‘n pieces. :)

Kay, break over, back to work and then SO looking forward to hanging out in Saugatuck tonight. Hopefully my next post will have some photos in it. Kills me to post here without any. I’ll leave you instead with a little music I’m lovin’ at the moment. Okay, so I always love Ari Hest but Holding On seems to be favorite song lately. :)

Life has still been a rollercoaster for me lately. I wanted to blog while I’m at the top of one of the hills or on my way up and put out there some of the things that are making me happy at the moment. These are just a few of the good things:

Fresh vacuum lines in the carpet (LOVE that)

A clean refridgerator

Flowers on my porch (still look so great out there & I’ve been watering every day)

2 new tables for my living room (my tv & lamp won’t have to live on the floor anymore)

An apartment that I love and feel safe in. Last night I took the dogs for a walk at midnight to drop off my rent check and it’s so peaceful here. (Add to the good things list having enough money to pay the rent) :) Plus I’ve got great neighbors. There’s a young girl who loves playing with Pixel. And then there’s Kendra next door who adores Pixel so much that when her mom from out of town was visiting she told her all about Pixel and when I walked outside with her the other night her mom was leaving and stopped the car and jumped out and exclaimed ‘PIXEL!!!’ Apparently she’s the talk of the neighborhood already. :) But the apartments have such a community feeling and I LOVE that.

This story had Jill and I laughing hysterically. We were busy setting up Jill’s Etsy store so that she can start posting bags any time. I’ll be adding a link to the sidebar to it later today. :) She’s been doing some FUN applique bags and by request some BIG bags that would be great for taking to the beach this summer. Anyway, the story totally shouldn’t have been funny but we have a tendency to laugh at the most inappropriate things (especially in movie theatres). Check out the news story though. You won’t believe it. Thank goodness the guy wasn’t hurt in any way. Yikes!! LOL

This gallery that is just full of amazing scrapbook pages (paper and digital – although not nearly enough digital so get postin’ girls). For an inspirational gallery on sterhoids check out the catwalk. Such great stuff in there. I love that when you hover over a LO it expands so you can see it better. I keep hovering over LOs in other galleries expecting that to happen now. LOL Also love that when I add favorite scrappers to my list it lets me know every time I log in if they’ve posted anything new. They’ve done such a great job designing this site.

Scrapping again. It’s been a long time but it feels great to get back into the digi-scrapping again.

Sewing again. Really enjoying spending time in the studio sewing lately. Mostly been working on orders but will be posting more bags hopefully this weekend. Fun stuff in the works and gorgeous fabrics to play with. :)

Great audio books to listen to while sewing. Listening to 3 actually at the moment and kinda surprised how easy it is with audio to just listen to a chapter or 2 of one and then switch. I guess because if I were actually reading a book I can’t imagine hopping from one to another and back and forth. So far of the 3 I’m listening to I’m finding Rob Bell’s Sex God most interesting. Sounds much more scandalous than it really is. LOL It’s actually much less about sex than you would think. I found myself quickly scribbling down quotes that struck me from it though. One that hit me that seems to be a theme that keeps coming back in my life is this one. He says:

"Repressing and stuffing and refusing to acknowledge never works, whether it’s a friend or a group of piers or a priest or a pastor or a counselor we have to get it out. You are not alone, whatever you struggle with, whatever you have questions about you are not alone. It doesn’t matter how dark it is or how much shame or weakness or regret it involves, you are not alone. Some of the most comforting words in the universe are "me too". That moment when you find out that your struggles is also someone elses struggle. That you’re not alone and that others have been down the same road."

Doing pilates again. Although rather challenging with a puppy who thinks you’re trying to play as soon as you’re on the floor.

Pixel - a bundle of energy half the time and driving me nuts but my sister watched her for a day and a half this past weekend and man did I miss her like crazy. She really is a great dog but that puppy stage can be a challenge at times. I’ve gotta get more pictures of her today ‘cuz she’s starting to grow.

Getting my hair cut and colored. Not yet but I’ve got enough $$ left after the rent that I don’t have to wait till next week so I’ve put in a call to my miracle worker hairdresser and I can’t WAIT to get a new ‘do. You know it’s pretty bad when I’ve been trimming my own bangs. She probably won’t be too happy about that. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do though. :) I’m loving what I can see of this (cute shirts too). Hard to tell from the cropped photo but it reminds me of a waitress at one of my favorite restaurants that I wanted to photograph the last time we were there. Definitely want to still be able to wear pig tails this summer but looking for something a little fun and different. I’ll keep ya posted. :)

Been accomplishing alot this week which feels good. Taking better control of my life and figuring out what that means for me. Some things I’d like to accomplish by the end of the week:

Clean car inside and out

Paint new tables for living room

Thoroughly clean master bath

Spend more time in studio (sewing & listening to more books)

Keep scrapping

Take more photos

Take a long walk or two

Focus on the puppy training (might take you up on the advice offer Audrey) :)

Kay, off to work today and then to one of my very favorite little nearby towns for some great food, hopefully some great pictures if the weather holds and maybe some celebrity spotting at the film festival. The sun is shining, there’s a nice breeze. It’s gonna be a great day. I can feel it. :) Hope everyone’s having a great week.