What's Happening In My World

I saw this Meme on Rinda's blog and then again over at Deb's World and decided since I can't seem to settle on content, I'd play along!

1. What’s the title of the last book you read?
The last book I finished was The Infinite Sea, the second in the young adult The 5th Wave series. Great easy read and I'm now awaiting the third in the triology. Unfortunately not due out until next May.  Right now I'm reading Rising Strong by Brene Brown. Highly recommend any of her books!

2. What is the last thing you cooked at home?
Cinnamon-Apple Pork Chops.  Paired with mashed sweet potatoes.  Definitely a fall meal! It's fairly quick and easy and Jay really likes it.

3. What is your favorite thing about Fall?
It's a toss up for me between the colors - I love the red, orange and yellow in the trees with the sun streaming through - and the scents. There is something to be said for the scents that are generally only around this time of year!

Layout created with Krystal Hartley's newest kit "Smells Like Fall"

4. Share one thing that challenged you at some point over the last week.
The nasty head cold that I'm fighting. I actually called in sick on Monday and spent most of the day sleeping. I'm still working on getting better!

5. List three hobbies that you actively pursue or want to pursue.
Hobbies that are being actively pursued at the moment include folded book art, upcycling furniture, and our shop at Black Rose.  Hobbies that I really want to get back to include scrapbooking, art journaling, and mixed media. Goodness I miss them!

6. What is the most recent sporting event you watched?
I think I caught a few minutes of an Eagles game last weekend. Seriously I'm not a sports fan unless my own girls are playing - and it has been awhile since they've played in anything I can watch. Sort of miss being a soccer mom!

7. Besides watching "live TV," what service do you use to watch TV or films (netflix, on demand, etc.)?
We frequently use On Demand to watch shows that aren't on until 10 p.m. (like Chicago Fire) - we see them the next day.

8. Have you started Christmas shopping yet? Yes. I actually picked up some Christmas gifts during the Summer!

9. Do you have any upcoming trips? Yes. But that is a story for another blog post - after Christmas.

10. Do you remember your dreams? Yes. But generally only for an hour or so after I wake up. After that the details get lost and become very hazy. Last night's dream involved an alien species trying to integrate with us humans. The last thing I remember before I woke up was walking around spreading carrot bits on the ground for the little alien critters. No, I have NO idea where it came from! I think lack of sleep from this cold is making me loopy.

What's happening in YOUR world???

Social (Media) Butterfly

I got to meet up with Karen and her husband Tracy yesterday! We've been trying for a long time to meet up and it finally happened. We had lunch at The Perk and then went into Philadelphia for the Flower Show.

Layout made with Krystal Hartley's newest kit "Social Butterfly"

While the Flower Show was certainly nice and a great opportunity to practice photography (minus the dark atmosphere and nasty convention floor lighting), the highlight for me was meeting and spending time with Karen! She was just as lovely in person as she is on the Internet. And Tracy is a total sweetheart too. I had a blast!  Can't wait for the next opportunity for us to meet up again.

A Weekend Share

Using Krystal Hartley's newest collab kit "Autumn Reflections".  The only part that isn't from the kit is the "Happy Birthday" wordart that comes from Katie Pertiet's "Another Year Older" template.

Scrapbook Shares

Two layouts in two days! After nothing in over a month!

 Krystal Hartley's new kit "Beat The Heat" is a delight of red, yellow, orange, pinks, and tans. And was perfect for these photos of the family jet-skiing at Key West.

and "Once Upon A Dream" is a softer kit with blues, purples, grey and yellow. Definitely got me in the mood to play. You can find both kits at Sweet Shoppe Designs on sale now!

A Year of Kindness - Challenge Week 17

So last week, true to my word, I "planted" twenty five trees via The Canopy Project.  I still plan to do some planting around here, but as it turns out, it is a bit early yet for the kind of flowers I'm looking for. Spring was late in coming and we are still in the process of having everything just starting to bloom and bud here - which is making my sinuses most unhappy, but I'm loving the sunshine and the colors and the inspiration! I hope you were all inspired to plant!

I was also inspired to create in the past week. Krystal Hartley and Melissa Bennett came out with a new collab kit called Garden Angel:
I used the kit to create a layout celebrating Spring:

She also had a new collab kit with Ju Kneipp called Letters to My Mother:
I used this kit for an art journal style layout to complete the Week One assignment in Brene Brown's "Gift of Imperfections" Part Two class. Of course the class is currently in the break between weeks three and four. Yes, I am gloriously behind in EVERY class I'm taking. And just trying to keep my head above water right now.

The creative bug has hit me hard this Spring. I am feeling so inspired and seeing so many things that I want to be a part of - that I want to play along with. Only I'm having a difficult  impossible time keeping up and feeling terribly like I'm suffering from adult onset A.D.D. at the moment.

What has me in such a tizzy? The Documented Life project for one. This project has me so stinking excited that even though it is nearly May and even though I'm behind on everything else, I've gone ahead and ordered myself a 2014 Moleskine Planner/Journal. So what if I've already missed the first 1/3 of the book?! So what that I'm joining the project late and am already technically sixteen weeks behind everyone else?! I've been shopping at Michaels. And in my stash. I've made some monthly tabs. I'm ready to hit the ground running when the planner finally arrives! I can't wait!

Another one is a Facebook Group that I came across via some other facebook groups...isn't that the way it always happens?  It's called Art Abandonment and the purpose behind the group is to make art to give away. To spread kindness and make someone's day through the unexpected and generous gift of a piece of your art. Members of the group "abandon" their art in public places - waiting rooms of doctor's offices, grocery stores, art stores, public park benches - there are definitely creative ideas about where to leave art! They abandon everything from jewelry to hand painted eggs to mixed media canvases to bookmarks to postcards - pretty much if you can make it they are abandoning it!

Which brings me to the challenge for this week - make something to give away! Whether you give it to a friend, family member, or abandon it in a public park doesn't matter to me. I'm challenging myself to do an anonymous public park style abandonment. Anyone care to join me? Just spread a little of your MADE BY ME love around! If you want some ideas check out The Rock Fairy's blog. Or drop by the Art Abandonment Page. There is no shortage of clever ideas and inspiration. I've been thinking about this ever since I ran across it. I think I'll paint some rocks to leave along the walking trail by the creek. I've been meaning to do it for a long time. Maybe this challenge is the push I need to get brave and just do it. What about you? What art will you make to abandon? Just one simple piece. Nothing big or expensive or time-consuming. Just a little something to bring a smile to a stranger's face.

Not Your Damsel

 Krystal Hartley's newest kit "Not Your Damsel" is available now at Sweet Shoppe Designs on sale 20% off regular price.

Here's what I created with it!

A New Layout

Created with Krystal Hartley's new kit Me The Magnificent, available at Sweet Shoppe Designs.

Goodness! I haven't done a layout in what seems like months! This was fun, a little tongue-in-cheek, a really cute kit.

Spread Your Wings

Using Krystal Hartley's newest kit "There She Goes" on sale today at Sweet Shoppe Designs. 

My Happy

My latest digi layout using Krystal Hartley's new kit "See Jane Smile".  This kit includes lots of pink and yellow and an adorable She Art style doll that just didn't fit this particular layout.  Photo was taken by Becca on her iPhone during our Capitol Tour.

Anatomy of a Simple Layout

 +   =

The Mixed Media MashUp is an art-journal style background template. You simply clip papers from a kit to the template in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements to create your own unique background paper.  I could use the same papers but clip them in a different order and have a completely different look.  This background took less than five minutes to create!

Once the background was complete I added my photo and some elements from the kit to complete this layout:

This layout was made with Krystal Hartley's "A Happy Thought" and "Mixed Media MashUps4"

Longwood Gardens

Jay & I took a day off work and made our second visit to Longwood Gardens for the Orchid Extravaganza. These flowers are beautiful to photograph. I thought Krystal's newest kit Being Jane was a perfect choice for scrapping these photos. Of course, the theme of the kit is really all about female empowerment, so I may just go back and make a journal page with it!!

Complete

Today's layout uses a template from Rosey Posey's 52nd Avenue collection and Krystal Hartley's newest collab kit "Story of Us"

More Layouts to Share

I'm not even going to try to post credits for this one as I used little bits and pieces from a lot of different designers... and NO template! :)

I have blogged about this particular Christmas before, so the story isn't new, but I'm happy to have it documented.  This is Krystal Hartley's "Naturally Merry" kit and C.Schneider's Everyday Template.

Dream Big

One of my dreams came true. 

A dream I didn't even know I had until two weeks ago. 

You all know that I digi scrap. Not exclusively, but it is a major part of my scrapping life.

I've made no secret about the fact that I have some favorite designers out there.  

The Creative Team call went live on August 17th at 6:00 a.m.  I saw it via Facebook. I didn't even know I wanted to be on a Creative Team.  I'd never considered it before.  I mean, sure, I love recognition when I do work that is worthy, who doesn't???  But to be on a team?  The thought had never crossed my mind.  

Until I saw HER call. When a designer who is on your top five GO-TO list (arguably even your favorite designer of all time) puts out a Creative Team call, well, what's a girl to do?  

By 2:00 p.m. that same day, my application was completed and emailed.  

That is, of course, when I started second guessing myself. Would my skills be good enough? What was my competition like? How many applications would she get?  Was I crazy to think I had a snowball's chance in hell????  And so it went, for twelve excruciatingly anxious days.  And life was still happening all around me. Nothing had slowed down while I was pondering what her very polite rejection letter would say.

As it turns out, I wasn't crazy.  

On Wednesday, August 29th at 12:25 p.m. an email came into my in box. I saw it almost immediately.

After a quick perusal, I was wearing an idiot grin the size of Texas. Yes me. Grinning from ear to ear. Well, at least as far as my small mouth will grin anyway.

The email said (in pertinent part):   "I think you'd be a terrific addition to my creative team. I hope you'll accept this enthusiastic invitation to join me."   

Hell, yes!

The email also said:  "Please keep this news to yourself until I've officially made the announcement on September 1."  

Say WHAAAAAT???  

But I want to go shout it from the stinkin' mountain tops! 

Thankfully, I didn't have to keep my big mouth shut for too long.

And here is my first Creative Team layout:
  

Created from the "Lovers, Dreamers, Me" collab kit by Krystal Hartley and Traci Reed.

available here

This post is submitted in conjunction with Sian's Storytelling Sunday.  To read more stories, check out the links at Sian's blog.