sunday

A beautiful, windy and sunny day. Took some time to sit outside on my balcony and read. Waiting to see some hummingbirds at my feeder. But none yet. Also took some time to work on an Easter layout. Tried to just go with it and not think it out too much. I tend to do that sometimes and have trouble trying new things. So I just went with it. Not the best picture...but here it is...used ribbons, patterned paper, a ghost butterfly accented with pearlescent acrylic and some buttons.

Here's the baby card I made yesterday. They loved the sweater I knitted....I was so proud of it!

Having a relaxed, lazy day at home with Cary before he goes off to S. Maine overnight in prep for his early a.m. physical for the Army. One of his last preparations before he leaves for the summer in a few weeks. He even made me blueberry panckakes today...which is his specialty!

Now we are off in a few to take a walk and get some dinner before he leaves...

Happy Sunday!

projects and thoughts

Thought I'd share some recent projects. I finally finished the baby sweater I started at the beginning of the month. It is my first official finished sweater! It's for a co-worker whose wife is having a baby any day now. We are having a little baby shower for them tomorrow. I just finished a card to go with it but haven't photographed it yet...I'll try and post it tomorrow.

I also got the paint-your-own-pottery peices back I did a few weeks ago at a Relay-for-Life fundraiser. It was a fun night and I'm pleased with my peices. I'm going there again for a Girl's Night in a few weeks.

I'm waiting for Cary to get back from running so we can go to the movies. I was going to go into the college today and pack up my office. We are moving into a new space at the end of the summer. But I decided I will do that in a week or so because I have to go there for an appt as well. Plus Cary is going to be going back and forth to Maine for the next two weeks and then he leaves for the 2 month training.

The weather here has been so gloomy. I want the sun. And things have been stressful in other areas I won't go into. I hate being a perfectionist sometimes. It stresses me out and when I get any criticism it really hits me hard. Sometimes I don't mind it when it's constructive but when you feel like you put 100% into something and someone finds something to criticize it is hard for me to take. I'm not perfect. I need to keep reminding myself of that fact. It is impossible to be perfect. Lately I've been having this feeling like I just want to make a huge change in direction. I don't know what yet. But something. I need change.

weekend in Maine

I've been an absent blogger...but I've been having a wonderful, fun weekend in Presque Isle, Maine visiting Cary's family and friends. Here's some pictures from our weekend...

First off...on Thursday, before we left for Maine we attended my little sister's college graduation. Here she is with my parents.

And me and my my mom and sister...I look like such a geek in pictures!

In Maine we stayed with friends and this is their new puppy "Emma" a puggle. She was so cute!



Alien land? No...it's Northern Maine! The fields looked so cool with the huge sky overhead.

My first moose sighting. Since meeting Cary I have been going up to that area for 3 years and have never seen one! This one was a teenager...shedding his winter fur.

Presque Isle, ME

The barns, old and new, are so beautiful. History and hard work.

"Midnight." Cary's dad's old dog. A HUGE black lab. He's getting tired but still has a little puppy-ness in him.

It was a great weekend! I didn't want to come back. But now it's back to the regular grind. Cary is still prepping for OCS and has to postpone job hunting til he gets back so he is around more which is nice.

Well...off to work!

Happy Tuesday!

monday gratitudes

Today I am Grateful....

• For the colorful quilt I took out of storage and washed for our bed. It makes me happy.
• To be blocking the baby sweater I need to get finished! The end is in sight...
• To have today off from work.
• To have my family close-by.
• For coffee.
• To have a little money in the bank.
• For plants and flowers.
• For the knitting circle on Sundays.
• For Cheerios.
• That my camera still works a little.
• For the color Spring green in nature, yarn, papers, clothes. It is a color I'm drawn to lately.
• For yellow tulips.
• Cary is getting some time with his friends in Maine.
• To be going to Maine next weekend with him.
• For four day weekends while school is out....it is luxury!

I'm off to do some laundry, drink some coffee, knit and maybe do a layout. I'm waiting for some pictures to come today from Scrapbook Pictures.

Happy Monday!

1st layout in 5 months

Materials: Cosmo Cricket patterned paper, DCWV cardstock & patterned papers from thier stacks, Fancy Pants chipboard shapes, Creative Cafe journaling tag, Collage Press journal card (cut to fit the circle and bracket chipboard shapes), Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas, Carolee's Creations dimensional "laugh" flower sticker, Colorbox Chalk in Dark Peony, Fuschia Sharpie, Black pen, Rhinestones, unknown source black rub-on letters.

Here it is! I don't love it, but I do love that I got to make it! I used a lot of my new goodies and some old favorites like rhinestones. Last night was actually another Girl's Night. We had our fundraiser. I forgot how fun glazing pottery can be! When I was in high school I took a clay class and my first job as an Art Therapist I worked in a studio that focused on clay. I love the sculpture aspect. But glazing a peice and working on a design is so fun. I have decided it. My dream business.

Handmade by You: it will be a place where people can come and glaze a peice of pottery and make a handmade card to go with it. Make your own gift if you will.

-or-

Creativity Studio: a place for all ages where they can come and create. Cards, collage, canvases, glazed pottery...keep it simple. Girl's Nights Out, Birthday Party. It could be a studio based art therapy program crossed with a Paint-Your-Own Pottery feel. Similar to my other idea - just expand on the materials while still keeping it simple. Maybe have little designated areas for 4-5 types of creations. Canvas, pottery glazing (Instead of the clay sculpture part I would just do the glazing aspect), cardmaking, and maybe a fourth...hmmm....

Well...back to my real world...

Today I am going to spend some time in the morning trying to get the 2nd sleeve started of the baby sweater. I now have a deadline. May 30th is the shower. Uh Oh! I still need to block it and piece it together and knit the edging and sew on buttons. All of which I have never done. And I am going to Maine with Cary next weekend to visit his friends/family and will probably have no time for knitting!

So tonight at my LYS's knitting circle I will be doing more knitting -less talking :)

Happy Sunday!

CKC finds

Thought I'd post about my finds from CKC-Manchester yesterday! I started at Dollar Scrapbooking's booth - my favorite for three years because I can usually find a lot very inexpensively. Have to sort through a lot of things I don't want though. Every time I go to these it is so tempting to just buy things without thinking but now I ask myself if I really want it and will I use it! Also picked up some things at a few other random booths. One of which (I can't remember the name!) also had a lot of my finds for $1-$4. Then I picked up a page set at a smaller local store's booth Scrapbooker's Dream.

All my finds! All-in-all I only spent around $40 - my budget!

From A Scrapbooker's Dream: My Mind's Eye - Penny Lane. I loved this paper and embellishments! The rub-on tree is what caught my eye initially and then the bird. Now...what to use it for?

Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas. My favorite! Dollarscrapbooking had them for $1.50 and they were buy 3 get one free! I LOVE these. I got a few last year and told myself I'd buy more this year. I especially like the raw chipboard set because you can really make them to fit your page perfectly and try out different finishes.

These were my first find. I told Cary about them last night (he's in Maine) and he was teasing me...saying "are you going to make a scrapbook about them!" I said, "no...I'll make one about YOU!" I just loved them!

So there were my finds. I had hoped to find some more clear stamp sets but I didn't really come across any that were significantly discounted. Anyhow, I had fun putting my new treats away last night and purging some old stuff. I think my desk is finally back in some order and I can start working. I have been keeping many things still in the ziplocs in my desk (don't ask) for awhile. But that actually makes it easier if I want to grab a bunch of stuff to work.

Well..I'm off. No scrapbooking for awhile. At least this am. Off to the laundromat to wash blankets, the bank and later meeting friends for lunch/dinner and our fundraiser at a local Paint-your-own-pottery place.

Happy Saturday!

today's highlights

How can this be called a weed? - May 2009

Highlights of my day today...

• Spent the day at CKC-Manchester in NH today. This is my 3rd year. I go alone and it's great because I can wonder around as much as I want! I got some great stuff and only spent about $40 on scrapping stuff. But now I'm too tired to get started! I can't wait to start! It's been almost 5 months since I last scrapped.
• A strawberry-rasberry-orange smoothie.
• Yellow tulips from Trader Joes.
• Comfort food I made last night - Tuna Casserole. I was starving when I got home at 4:00pm so I had some early dinner! I used to hate this recipe as a kid but recently started making it and I love it.
• Puppies Behind Bars - was profiled on Oprah. What an amazing organization. Check it out!
• Time reflecting on my sister's upcoming graduation. She is getting her Associate's in Travel/Tourism. I am so proud of her and picked her up a few gifts at Barnes & Noble.
• Excited to be going out for lunch/dinner with friends tomorrow before our fundraiser for Relay-for-Life at a paint-your-own-pottery place in town.

Happy Friday!

paper sculpture

Here are the paper sculptures I tried out today at work. I was inspired by the newest issue of Somerset Studios. I was thinking of using them with one of my art therapy groups - but I'm not sure yet. They are very time intensive and may prove very frustrating. But they sure are pretty!

I adapted the instructions somewhat and just improvised. The first one is all white - my first flower. I used the stylus as it said in the instructions to form the "petals." The second one I started by sketching and then watercoloring an image of a flower and then cut out the petals. Then I cut out additional petals as needed, bent them to form the petals and glued them all down.

Happy Monday!

monday gratitudes

dark purple lilacs on Mother's Day at my parent's - May 2009

Monday Gratitudes:
Today I am grateful for...

1. The chairs on my balcony so I can sit and read - enjoying the sun and my flowers.
2. Lilacs at my parent's house.
3. My mom.
4. The fact that school is over, graduation was Saturday, and I now have a summer of long weekends and short work weeks.
5. Quiet.
6. Pay day.
7. The scent of fresh cut grass coming in the window.
8. Scrapbooking supplies I have.
9. My computer and internet.
10. Cary being home.

Today I am beginning to have some inspiration for scrapping. It has been months. Since January when I had to pack up all my stuff. I recently sort of unpacked my desk and today was reading through my last 2 issues of CK. Getting ideas. For all those months I didn't really read my scrapping magazines because it just frustrated me that I couldn't really do any scrapping. But now I'm getting excited. My old scrapbooks are still packed. But that means I can give myself permission to start fresh. Start now with any subject, photo, event I want. Later I may order some photos of recent things.

Happy Monday!

more questions and answers

I finally uploaded my recently finished ATC's for the 52Q project. I enjoy doing these. I take a few minutes some days at work and make them.

I'm so excited that the sun is out today and it will be warm. Cary finished work last night. Still many unanswered questions about what lies ahead but we have the day to spend together and I am so looking forward to it!

Happy Friday!

1. Wk #13 - Best & Worst hairstyles to date - front, 2. Wk #13 - Best & Worst hairstyles to date - back, 3. Wk #15 - What makes me me? - front, 4. Wk #15 - What makes me me? - back, 5. Wk #14 - What is the last good book I read? - front, 6. Wk #14 - What is the last good book I read? - back, 7. Wk #17 - What is my superpower? - front, 8. Wk #17 - What is my superpower? - back, 9. Wk #16 - What is the truth? - front, 10. Wk #16 - What is the truth? - back, 11. Wk #18 - What is on my to-do list this week? - front, 12. Wk #18 - What is on my to-do list this week? - back

wordless wednesday

spring at home - May 2009

monday gratitudes

ripples in the sand -low tide - Wingaersheek Beach, MA - April 2009

Today I am grateful for:

1. lemonade
2. having my job(s)
3. Cary still having income from guard
4. kind co-workers who knit :)
5. washing machines
6. double-stuff oreos
7. grocery stores
8. plants & flowers
9. the little balcony patio we have
10. breezes coming in the window
11. new shoes
12. my brother who turns 21 today
13. my sister who graduates from college in a few weeks - no small feat.

saturday

Wingaersheek Beach, Gloucester, MA - April 2009

This has been an up & down week. I have been so busy with pre-graduation/end-of-the-semester stuff. Haven't been home many nights this week. Cary got bad news this week that we are trying to figure out. He is being laid-off as of next week. Fortunately he has some good pay coming this summer while he is at OCS for National Guard but that also makes it hard to be looking for a job. I hope something works out for him. He works so hard.

As for other news...I spend the day with friends for a yard sale to benefit the Relay-for-Life here in town. It was a good day outside. Got some knitting done on a baby sweater for a co-worker. After I had lunch after with friends...a good ole' Gloucester Haddock sandwich...hmmm. After I went shopping because I needed to find something inexpensive to wear to the college graduation and my sister's upcoming graduation. Found a few things and splurged on two pairs of shoes. I feel guilty about those. But they are very cute and really weren't that expensive. Picked up a few groceries at Trader Joe's and now I'm relaxing and taking a break.

Exhausted.

Happy Saturday!