A Matter of Memories

:LIFE: Feeling a little tired...

2008-07-25T18:59:00.001-05:00

This is what my next month looks like...

- a rummage (possible two since we're considering leaving everything up for a second run the following weekend depending on how things go)
- a performance by Kaitlin's theatre class

- my sister's bachelorette party (of which I'm helping to plan)

- 2 MemoryWorks home parties (and subsequent scrapbooking product orders to deliver)

- a family reunion

- dance rehearsals for Kaitlin

- the annual celebration called Riverboat Days in my town for which I am helping with a 5K run/walk, Kaitlin is in the parade and will also be performing with her dance group

- my sister's bridal shower (of which I'm helping to plan...just finished and sent off 63 invitations yesterday)

- Kaitlin starts Kindergarten

- dentist appointments for both Kaitlin and Justin (finally...I want to be there to see what the dentist has to say and make sure Justin doesn't try to put things off any longer)

...all naturally within the month of the year that is always the busiest for me at work. We have just four weeks before the semester starts and I still have much to help students complete...some that haven't even inquired yet. Many of my adult learners, bless their hearts, tend to wait until the last minute.

Although this is stuff that makes life interesting and I'm generally looking forward to, I can't help but feeling just a little bit tired thinking about it all. :-)

How is your August shaping up...a crazy fairwell to summer or a relaxing retreat?

:QUOTES: Creativity according to Fromm, Shaw, & Seuss

2008-07-23T17:46:00.000-05:00

ERICH FROMM:

"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties."

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW:

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and, at last, you create what you will."

DR. SEUSS:

"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!"

:LAYOUT: Wishes for my Daughter

2008-07-22T18:15:00.000-05:00

This layout was actually one that I had entered as part of my submission for the Memory Makers Master '08 contest. I wasn't at all surprised that I didn't get a Masters call, but it is still great to see one of my submissions in print.

This one was on page 103 of the MM Scrapbook Idea Gallery 2008.

Supplies:
Cardstock – Bazzill, DCWV
Patterned Paper – Basic Grey
Ribbon – Offray
Gems – Bead Party
Transparency – Office Supply
Fonts – Ariel, Beautiful

Journaling:
~ I wish for you to always see the beauty in nature. ~ I wish for you to forever find joy in dancing and to someday find a partner who makes you feel as though you’re the only couple on the floor. ~ I wish that good fortune and reasonable caution work together to keep you safe in a violent world. ~ I wish that someday you discover a calling for which you are so passionate that it is impossible to tell where work and life cross over. ~ I wish that just once you fall in love so hard with the wrong person that the ride is worth the fall. ~ I wish that despite that fall, you find a wonderful man to marry with a great sense of humor, who adores you and will help you to learn the meaning of true and lasting love. ~ I wish for you to enjoy good health. ~ I wish for you to spend your life in the company of great music, good books and loyal friends. ~ I wish for you to know the value of a dollar. ~ I wish for you to never let material possessions take precedence over the people you love. ~ I wish for you to find a community of faith in which you feel at home. ~ I wish for you to discover it’s more important to be purposeful than happy, and more important to be happy than rich. ~ I wish for you to have at least one child, so you can forgive me my mistakes as a mother just a little bit easier. ~ I wish for you to always have the strength to do what is right, even when it is not the easy road to follow. ~ I wish that you continue to regard flavorful food (in moderation) as one of the great pleasures of life, but to never have to worry about your weight. ~ I wish for you to have many wonderful adventures involving passports, cross-country trips and once-in-a-lifetime sights. ~ I wish for you to hold onto your independent spirit and generous heart. ~ I wish that you always know you can count on your parents` unconditional love, even when we drive you mind-numbingly crazy. ~ I wish you peace and bliss. ~

Comments & Techniques:
I used the rule of thirds to place emphasis on the photo of the eyes and a scripted type and varying shades of blue to highlight key words and phrases. The gems separate each wish and also add a touch of sparkle to the page.

:REVIEW: Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking 2 by Jessica Sprague

2008-07-20T16:08:00.000-05:00

I loved Jessica's first edition of Computer Tricks for Scrapbookers (you can read my review of it and see an example of what I did with one of her tutorials here), so was certainly excited when I heard she was coming out with a second volume.

Was Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking 2 going to disappoint??

Well, let me tell you what it's got.

The book is divided into 5 chapters and each one if full of great techniques.

Chapter One - Photographs

*Includes 6 techniques with layout examples as well as a 3-page photo editing workshop outlining 10 essential skills and a 4-page reference section outlining Jessica's personal work flow for processing photos.
*This sections covers basics such as converting a photo to B&W to advanced techniques such as how to create a photo overlay from patterned paper.

Chapter Two - Type

*Includes 13 techniques as well as a reference page w/ Q&A's on fonts.
*This section covers basics such as creating reverse type (white text on a color background) to advanced techniques such as creating a title that blends into elements of a photo - an extremely cool technique!

Chapter Three - Embellishments & Brushes

*Includes 15 techniques as well as a reference page with Q&A's on brushes.
*This section covers basics such as printing a brush photo frame on background cardstock to advanced techniques such as extracting an element from digital patterned paper to use as an accent on a layout.

Chapter Four - Design

*Includes 12 techniques.
*This sections covers basics such as creating a journaling block that's the same width as your photo block to advanced techniques such as creating a shaped photo block with a clipping mask.

Chapter Five - Albums

*Includes 7 techniques.
*This section covers basics such as creating a layout with a digital template to advanced techniques such as creating an entire 8 1/2 x 11 album based on a grid.

I have always been a huge fan of Jessica's scrapping style, but she also included the work of 7 other talented scrap artists in her book including Candice Greenway, Greta Hammond, Jill Godon, Joanna Bolick, Noel Culbertson, Pam Callaghan, and Stephanie Vetne.

There is also a reference section that takes an indepth look at printing options and quick tricks for Photoshop Elements.

Some idea books show you a plethora of amazing techniques, but then leave you high and dry as how to actually perform those techniques. NOT Jessica! With each technique comes detailed, step-by-step instructions that even a novice in PSE could follow!

MY RATING:
5 STARS

YOUR RATING:
??? I am always curious and open to hearing the opinions of others. If you own or have read this book, please feel free to share your opinion of it in the comments below.

WANT TO PURCHASE?

Visit the Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking 2 page at Amazon.com. You can also read more of my reviews for other recommendations.

Upcoming Review:
Photo Freedom by Stacy Julian

:LIFE: What a crazy week...

2008-07-19T21:19:00.000-05:00

This has been a crazy week! Work as usual and something going on every night except Tuesday.

On Monday, Kaitlin had dance and story time at the library.

On Wednesday, dance again.

On Thursday, Kaitlin and I went to Sioux City with Lynn and Mom to do some shopping for Lynn's wedding and went out to eat at The Olive Garden. Hmmmm... It was a late night, though.

Yesterday, I had the day off from work, but spent a good part of the day working on an article for the August issue of the WeScrap newsletter. This time I covered 10 tips for photographing children, so stay tuned. I'll be posting that here as well as soon as the newsletter goes live.

Last night, I had my first hostess party for the new MemoryWorks catalog and that went well. There really are some great products in this catalog! I have two more already scheduled for the few weeks and am really looking forward to those as well.

Today, we had about an hour round trip so that I go get fitted for my bridesmaid dress and Justin could get measured for his tux.

On the way home, we saw some signs for a yard sale so we left the highway and ended up on some gravel back roads.

We never found the sale, but Justin thought it was a perfect time to give our 6-year-old some driving lessons. He ran the pedals and she controlled the steering wheel...with LOTS of guidance. Good thing he never got above 10 miles per hour!!

When we got back, I got some much-needed grocery shopping done and then we headed over to my sister's house for a barbecue with Kristi, Steve and the boys. It was a nice visit.

We just got home and I'm ready to call it a night!

Hope to get back to more regular posting this week.

:PRODUCTS: MORE Summer 2008 CHA Sneak Peaks

2008-07-16T18:14:00.001-05:00

Two more interesting collections in We R Memory Keepers White Out line.

These are my favorite of the new Fancy Pants collections - All Fall and Daily Grind.

Not always a lover of Daisy D's papers; however, ALWAYS of lover of their rub ons. BEAUTIFUL!

Making Memories...making more beautiful papers. I just can't get enough of their die-cut stuff lately. This is their Falala collection.

Some VERY interesting colors and designs from Bo Bunny...I'm really liking the white on one side and the black on the other.

Another new line from Webster's Pages...

:PHOTOGRAPHY: Fireworks - Part II

2008-07-15T17:25:00.000-05:00

Here's part two of my favorite fireworks shots from the 4th. Hope you like them!

:LIFE: Coolin' off...

2008-07-13T15:29:00.000-05:00

Kaitlin and I walked to the kiddie pool last night so she could do a little swimming.

She gets to go swimming a couple days a week during JFK and she really is getting quite the little tan.

I love these pics of her dumping water over herself.

CHALLENGE: My July WeScrap Challenge

2008-07-12T15:34:00.001-05:00

Here's the July challenge that I posted yesterday at WeScrap! Hope you're inspired...or challenged...

This one's a little different. I almost called it an ad challenge, but that's not really what it is. This is the title page for an article in an issue of Martha Stewert Living a few months back and I was immediately struck by it.

I loved the colors. I loved the layout. I loved the division of the letters.

Your challenge is somewhat open-ended, but I'd like you to use this article title page as inspiration for a layout.
Perhaps you're most inspired by the colors and use them in your layout. Perhaps your most inspired by the title treatment itself and decide to use a similar design for the title on your page. Perhaps you're most inspired by the design and convert each letter of the word summer into a photo to create a photo block.

However you're inspired, I can't wait to see what you create!!

Be sure to link your page creations in the forum by the end of the month.

:PRODUCTS: Summer 2008 CHA Sneak Peaks

2008-07-11T18:12:00.001-05:00

Sneak peaks are popping up in greater frequency lately with the Summer 2008 CHA convention only a week away.

Here are a few of the sneaks that I've seen and REALLY like (as in they will be on my wish lists as soon as they are in stores!)

I just never get tired of Karen Russell's Narratives lines. They are just so beautiful! Here's the new papers for her Bloom line and, of course, there are all kinds of goodies to go along with these stunning papers:

I had never even heard of Webster's Pages until recently when I saw a layout that had some really beautiful papers and the credits listed it. So, I looked it up online and it seems their exclusive designer (at least for now) is Terri Conrad.

I've been wanting to do a little mini-album of some of my favorite (and easy) recipes and this new Bon Appetit line by Teresa Collins might be just the ticket!!

I'm really into date, calendar and generally time related products lately and this new Luxe line looks interesting!

I just recently ordered my first Little Yellow Bicycle products and they are beautiful!! I'm likely the look of the new Love Letters line also.

Dream Street Papers, another favorite, is releasing NINE new collections although they've only revealed a few so far. As of now, this one's my favorite:

I never purchased any Urban Lily before, but this sneak peak has me thinking I may just have too experiment with their new lines:

Last but not least, a favorite new company from the Winter 2008 CHA release was certainly Pink Paislee and they didn't disappoint me with their two new lines, Pop Fashion and Vintage Moon!

Super cute stuff and will be keeping my eye out for more peaks.

If you've seen other sneak peaks of items you just have to have, I'd love to hear from you!!

:LIFE: Life sometimes lands you in the emergency room...

2008-07-10T17:45:00.000-05:00

Yesterday evening I had plans of taking Kaitlin to her dance class and then to the last performance of the circus here in town. A nice evening, no?

I was on my way to pick up Kaitlin after work and Justin calls.

Justin: "Are you coming home?"

Me: "Yes."

Justin: "Are you coming home right now?"

At this point, I heard the pain in his voice.

Me: "What's wrong?"

Justin: "I don't know, but I'm in pain and I need you to take me to the clinic."

Me: "I'll be there as soon as I can."

First of all, Justin hates doctors, clinics, hospitals and just about anything else you can associate with injuries or illnesses so for him to actually ask me to take him to the clinic, I knew that this 'pain' had to be serious.

I quickly got Kaitlin signed out, in the car and rushed home.

Justin was lying on the bed, wheezing. He said he had pain in his chest with every breath, was having a hard time breathing and his arms were going numb. The pain had started two hours earlier and had gotten progressively worse.

Okay...I asked him if we should be going to the emergency room and he said, no - just the clinic.

We went to the clinic for convenient care hours and it was obvious that we were going to be waiting awhile.

I filled out the sign-in paperwork and all the while his breathing was getting more and more labored.

Justin: I think we need to go.

Me: Okay...

And off we went to the emergency room.

Seconds after we arrived, they determined he was hyperventilating...NEVER would have guessed that's what he was doing. Weird! That's actually what was causing the numbness, dizziness and so forth.

It took quite a while, but they finally got him back to breathing normally, but the pain in his chest/lung area (which had started it all to begin with) was still pretty severe and so they did some blood tests and took an x-ray and determined that he most likely is suffering from pleurisy.

Basically, the thin layers of tissue that surround his lungs and rib cage are inflamed and are rubbing against each other which is causing the sharp pain every time he breaths in and out. When he coughs or sneezes, it pretty much doubles him over.

So, they gave him some antibiotics to fight whatever bacterial infection that brought this on in the first place and some good drugs to help keep the pain under control.

By this time, Kaitlin had missed her dance class completely and it would have been too late to go to the circus and Justin kept apologizing for ruining the evening. She had the sweetest and most sincere response: "It's no big deal, Dad. I just want you to be okay."

Awwww...

Once he was looped-up on his pain meds, he kept thanking me for taking him and apologizing for the inevitable bill that will ensue from this little adventure.

Although I'm certainly not looking forward to the bill, I would certainly rather have gone to the ER and found out it was something less serious than we feared than not go and needed to.

The doctor did say that sometimes pleurisy can get worse before getting better, but we're hoping for the best.

:LAYOUT: 'K'

2008-07-09T18:14:00.000-05:00

Here's the first of the four layouts published in the recent Memory Makers Scrapbook Idea Gallery 2008 issue on page 33.

Although I like all four layouts chosen, this one is my favorite.

Supplies
Cardstock: Bazzill
Patterned Paper: Creative Imaginations
Rub ons: Basic Grey
Font: Georgia, Susie’s Hand
Paint: Apple Barrell
Staples: Office Supply
Square Punch, Corner Rounder: Marvy

Journaling:
Kaitlin’s spirit inspires me each and every day! Her smiles are precious and her laugh is contagious. She finds wonder in the ordinary and believes in the fanciful side of life. I am so proud that she seems to be growing into an insightful young girl that thinks of others and not just of herself. She is so conscious of others’ feelings, that she won’t choose favorites...not even in jest...she loves everyone in her family and she is very much adored in return.

Comments & Techniques:
This layout troubled me at first because I could see it in my mind, but had a difficult time bringing it to reality as it is not really my ‘usual’ style. I was inspired to create the journaling within an outlined letter (a jumbo monogram) after seeing a Moen ad recently that had a similar treatment to the ‘M’. I edged the ‘K’ with teal paint to help it stand out further against the white background and the ‘v’ of the ‘K’ directs the eye to my daughter mouth open in joy and laughter. The black rub ons create a visual triangle. The layout edge is the decorative edge on the teal paper (the black is the background on which I took the photo).

:LIFE: First dance class...

2008-07-08T19:53:00.006-05:00

Kaitlin has wanted to take dance for a long time, but it can just get so expensive.

When I saw that one of the studios was offering 8-session course this summer at a reduced price, I figured now was my chance to give her a taste.

Hmmm...not sure 8-sessions is going to be enough for her! :-)

:PHOTOGRAPHY: Fireworks - Part I

2008-07-06T15:30:00.001-05:00

Here are some of my favorite fireworks shots from the 4th!! Some pretty neat keepers!!

:LIFE: 4th of July

2008-07-05T15:33:00.003-05:00

I hope you all had a great 4th of July!

We certainly had a good one. I started the day with some scrapbooking and laundry and later in the day we headed to Justin's parents house for the annual supper get-together and fireworks over the Springfield Marina.

Before is was time to head down to claim our spot, we were able to get in a few fireworks at the house and Kaitlin certainly got more into shooting off a few herself this year.

Justin was careful to show her how it was done.

She lit them very carefully...

and once that sucker was lit, she was outta there!! She has a healthy respect for fireworks.

The 4th just isn't the 4th without a few sparklers, is it??

I did get a few keepers of the big fireworks show as well...will share those soon.

:PUBBED: Memory Makers & Scrapbook Trends

2008-07-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

So, here it is!! I found out several months ago that I was going to have 4 layouts published in the Memory Makers Scrapbook Idea Gallery 2008 and have been anxiously awaiting its publication ever since then.

They posted the cover of the special issue on their website just the other day and stated that it is set to hit newsstands on July 8th.

I received my subscription copy in the mail yesterday! Of course I had to immediately flip through it on my lunch break to find my pages! I can't wait to look through it a little more leisurely as I could see that there were a ton of other beautiful layouts in there.

I will be sharing the published pages with you here soon!!

I did request a few extra copies and plan to give away one or two copies here on my blog, but not exactly sure when I will receive them. It may not be until I get my layouts back, so we'll just have to see.

I got some other good news last week.

I received an email from Holly at Scrapbook Trends requesting one of my layouts for their November 2008 Issue, so am quite excited about that. I have been submitting to Scrapbook Trends for quite some time, but this is the first time that I will be published by them.

:LIFE: What's wrong with this picture??

2008-07-03T18:15:00.000-05:00

Do you see it?

This is the cake that my husband brought out to me after dinner last night.

How sweet, huh?

Unfortunately, there's something not quite right about this picture. (If you need a hint, visit yesterday's post. Between the post title and the second sentence, you should be able to see the problem.)

I'm pretty sure that I have always been (and always will be) four months younger than my husband, but it seems that somehow I managed to become four months older than him since my last birthday - therefore aging TWO years since my last birthday!

It's true that time does seem to go faster as one gets older, but let's not get carried away now. This is not a 2-for-1 deal that I'm interested in!

This has me wondering just exactly what he's trying to say to me.

He assured me that it was an honest mistake because he was in a hurry.

Kaitlin said, "Mom, I TOLD him you were only 32!"

It's the thought that counts, right?

----------------------------------

Conversation with Kaitlin on the morning of my 32nd birthday:

Me: Do you know what today is?

Kaitlin: Nope.

Me: Are you sure?

Kaitlin: Yup.

Me: (feigned sniffles)

Kaitlin: Is it a stay at home day? (Kaitlin REALLY likes weekends!)

Me: No...(feigned sniffles)

Kaitlin: Is...it...your birthday?

Me: YUP!

Kaitlin: Happy birthday, Mommy!

Me: Do you know how old I am?

Kaitlin: 32. (without hesitation)

(This leads me to believe that she knew all along what the signifigance of the day was. She's a sneaky one!)

Kaitlin: You're getting old, Mom.

Me: Hmph! Older than you, you mean?

Kaitlin: Yeah, that's what I meant. Just older than me.

:-)

:LIFE: 32 Random Facts About Me on My 32nd Birthday

2008-07-02T17:07:00.002-05:00

It's my birthday today.

32 years old.

So, here are 32 random facts about me.

1) I have had 8 jobs since I started working at the age of 16. The shortest amount of time I've been on a job is 3 months (one college summer job) and the longest is 8 years (current job).

2) I've always wanted to learn how to play the piano.

3) I have been to less than 10 states in my entire life and they are all connected. Sad, I know.

4) I dream of traveling. My top destination of choice would be England, but there are many places I would like to visit. I would also like to visit the country of my ancestors - the Czech Republic.

5) I am by nature an introvert, but must be an extrovert for my job.

6) I don't like beer...unless it's in a red beer. Heavy on the tomato juice and with green olives.

7) I have never had a broken bone. I'll be knocking on some wood now.

8) I do not enjoy shopping for clothes for myself, but I love shopping for clothes for my daughter.

9) When I was little, I used to sneak into my brother's room, play his 45 of Living on a Prayer on his record player and make up dance routines.

10) I love cheesecake.

11) I love to read, but I am a very slow reader.

12) I hate it when people don't use their blinker.

13) My first car was a powder blue Plymouth Horizon. My second car was a white Ford Escort. My current car is a dark green Dodge Stratus. I bought it new (will probably never do this again) and have been driving it for almost 10 years. It just passed the 100,000 a couple months ago.

14) I went to high school prom three times. Each time was with the same person (my husband).

15) I collect postcards. People bring me postcards when they travel because they know I have to live vicariously through others (see #3).

16) My sense of humor tends to be sarcastic in nature.

17) Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love the decorations, the music, the get-togethers.

18) I don't like to wear a lot of jewelry. I wear two rings (wedding ring and a birthstone ring that my dad brought for each of the girls in our family), a watch, and diamond studs on a daily basis. I may were a necklace for a special occasion.

19) My favorite subject has always been English. History interests me (I read a lot of historical fiction), but I'm not good at remembering names and dates. I've never enjoyed math or science, but could do it...sort of...if you force me.

20) I have kept over 1,000 photos this year. I've probably deleted twice as many - I'm getting more selective on what I consider a keeper. Ahhh, the wonders of digital.

21) I addicted to the internet. It is fairly difficult for me to go a day without going online.

22) I am not a fan of re-watching movie I have already seen, but have watched Dirty Dancing and Top Gun AT LEAST 15 times each.

23) I was nearly late to my own college graduation becaue both of the cuff buttons fell off my shirt.

24) I got a degree in Secondary English Education and ended up only teaching for one year. I now work for a college as the Assistant Director of Admissions.

25) I am a published scrapbooker - 5 layouts already published and 5 layouts yet to be published. Hopefully many more to come.

26) I love the smell of alfalfa, vanilla, and rain.

27) I read the entire Anne of Green Gables series (8 books) when I was in grade school. I also used to read my mom's V.C. Andrews books without her knowing (I think? But not anymore!) and hide them under my mattress. I got tired of them though...they all have the same plot line. I think the author was obsessed with insestuous relationships - ick!

28) My daughter and my younger brother make me laugh the most.

29) When I hear a song I like, I can listen to it over and over without tiring of it. I will usually sing along if no one else is around. Favorites right now are Apologize by One Republic and Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis.

30) I have a fake tooth. It does not glow under a black light.

31) I don't like fishing. I take something something to read when my husband makes me go along with Kaitlin and him.

32) I like pickles with cottage cheese.

:ARTICLE: How to Take Great Fireworks Photos with a Point & Shoot

2008-07-01T18:53:00.008-05:00

Getting great fireworks photos has to be hard, right?

Not necessarily. The pros want us to believe this, I think, but scrapbookers and photography hobbyists can still get great results without loads of equipment and studying aspects of aperture, shutter speed, focal length and such for hours before the event or spending the entire show trying to get your settings just right.

All of the photos in this post were taken by me last year with my Canon S3 IS and I'll give you my 5 basic steps to how I got my results.

1) Scope out your location.

Try to arrive on site while it's still light out so that you can make sure that you get a good position for shooting. Try to avoid areas where trees or other obstructions may hinder your shooting. You want to have a clear view of the area of sky where the bursts will appear.

2) Use a tripod.

Okay, so you will need this one other piece of equipment to get good shots. With fireworks, it is an absolute must considering the length of time that your camera's shutter must be open to capture the brilliance of fireworks. The camera must be PERFECTLY still during that entire length of time in order to get a good shot. But it doesn't have to be anything too fancy. The one I use is actually one my husband picked up at an auction for around $5.

3) Use your self-timer.

Articles of this type will generally suggest that you use your remote release to trigger the camera to avoid camera shake when pushing the shutter release. Although some P&S cameras have a remote release option, most do not. The easy way around this is to use the self-timer. My camera has a 2 or 10 second option, so I set mine on 2 seconds and will generally hit the shutter release when I hear or see the firework trajectory leave the ground. It's not full proof. Some fireworks take longer than others to burst, but it works enough of the time to get some great shots.

4) Frame your shot.

Take a variety of shots. Use your zoom to get some shots that will zero in on the burst itself and zoom out to get some that take in some of the scenery as well, such as the shot below where you can see a bit of reflection of the firework on the water. If you're attending a show within a city, you may actually want to include part of the cityscape in your photos to give them a greater sense of place. Also, don't assume that if you don't get the entire burst within your frame that it's one for the recycle bin. Some of my favorite shots are those that only show part of the burst against black sky which actually makes for a very interesting photo in terms of composition.

5) Use the fireworks setting.

Yup. It's allowed. That's why it's there. Camera manufacturers didn't create all those settings so that you could feel guilty about using them. They created them so that more people could enjoy the art of photography! I used the fireworks setting for every picture in this post, so no time was wasted trying to figure out the perfect settings.

PLUS 3 more little tips:

1) Take a flashlight. Always good to have when trying to take photos in the dark.

2) Charge your batteries. You'll be taking lots of shots to get your keepers in this type of shoot. Make sure your camera doesn't die on you half way through the show.

3) Empty your memory card. Again, lots of photos, so you'll want to have as much room available on your memory card as possible.

I hope that these hints and tips are helpful to you as your venture out for fireworks later this week! I would love to hear from you if you have any other fireworks photography hints and tips to share.

:PRODUCTS: Little Yellow Bicycle & Rouge de Garance

2008-06-29T15:39:00.000-05:00

I had a package of goodies from Two Peas in a Bucket waiting for me when I got back from my trip the other day. This time it included items from two companies that I've never purchased or used before, but as soon as I saw them at Two Peas in a Bucket, I fell in love!!

Rouge de Garance
These sets come with 1 sheet of double sided patterned paper and 1 sheet of the die cut cardstock. The patterns, colors and designs are absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to play with them!

Little Yellow Bicycle

I saw this line awhile back and new that it would be great for spring, summer and or girl layouts. The paper pack is full of precious colors and designs.

And the line has tons of little extras to compliment the papers...here's a few that I got:

Great stuff!! Now I just have to find some time in this super busy summer to get scrappin!!

Youth Business Adventure 2008

2008-06-28T15:01:00.002-05:00

I just spent the past week at DSU in Madison, SD as a Company Advisor for Youth Business Adventure (YBA). This is my third year as an advisor and it was a great time, as usual.

The program is basically a way to open up the world of business to high school students going into their Senior year. The whole week is set up as a competition between companies. This year I was assigned to Company G and twelve students - 8 girls and 4 boys. The YBA staff groups these students VERY carefully and is always sure not to have students from the same school in any one group, so they are often all strangers at the beginning of the week. It is great to watch them connect and develop lasting friendships as the week progresses.

Each company comes up with a company name and develops an idea for a product. Company G ended up being "Global Golf" and the product they came up with was the 'Galileo', a golf ball that you never loose because it has a built in GPS locator and is also bouyant. Neat idea, huh?

There are 10 major competitions throughout the week:

1) Junk Production - They have to create a product out of, you guessed it, junk and present it infomercial style.

2) Bowling Competition - It's a team thing. Each person in the team bowls a frame and the game just keeps going for over an hour. The team with the most points wins.

3) Business Bowl - A quiz bowl using business terms.

4) Company Cheer - This is when you hope you have an experienced cheerleader on your team! :-)

5) TV Comercial - The team creates and films a commercial advertising their product.

6) Company Logo - The team designs a logo for their company.

7) Emerging Entrepreneur Project - The team prepares a formal 15-minute presentation to give to a group of 'investors' (judges).

8) Management Simulation Game - This is a computerized money game where each company makes financial decisions for their company (price, production levels, marketing expenditures and much more) over 8 quarters (two years) to see how their company will fair in the industry of the 8 other companies.

9) Community Service - Throughout the week, the companies complete various service responsibilities to earn points.

10) Public Relations/Networking - Team members can earn points by interviewing company advisors, teacher assistants, speakers and other staff associated with YBA over the course of the week.

If you think that sounds like an insane amount of stuff to complete with a group of kids in 5 1/2 days, you're absolutely right. The time just flies by because it is such a super busy week.

Even though their is a lot of 'work' built into this week, there is certainly time for some fun as well with pizza parties, movies and a dance. The kids generally have no problem letting out their goofy sides either!

Although it is a ton of fun, it was a long time away from my little girl and I have to admit I'm happy to be home again. Today I've been doing a whole lot of nothing...need some time to just regroup after such a week.

:PHOTO SHOOT: Field of Yellow

2008-06-25T19:32:00.000-05:00

Okay...so maybe they are weeds, but who cares. I still think it made for some cute pictures.

:GIVEAWAY: Final 'A Page Out of Life' Winners

2008-06-24T21:15:00.004-05:00

Here they are...the two lucky winners of the final random drawing:

Janell was commentor #11...

and Lisainok came in at #29.

Congratulations, ladies and be sure to email me with your addresses!

Thank you to all those who submitted comments - some wonderful reflections, indeed. I may just have to share a few of my favorites in a future post!

:REVIEW: PageMaps by Becky Fleck

2008-06-23T22:56:00.000-05:00

I don't always use sketches when scrapbooking, but sometimes they can be just the boost of inspiration needed when in a rut or simply to help a busy scrapper who's short on time.

When it comes to sketches, Becky Fleck has been a long-time favorite. I was lucky enough to have one of my layouts featured in her PageMaps newsletter last June and have featured several more of my layouts created from her sketches on this blog in the past.

So, I have to say that I was pretty excited when I found out that she was coming out with a book - Scrapbook Page Maps: Sketches For Creative Layouts.

The book is divided into four chapters:

1 - Using Sketches & Making Them Your Own
2 - The Versatility of Sketches
3 - One Sketch, Three Ways
4 - From Simple to Savvy

In this book there are 60 sketches featured in 5 common scrapbook layout sizes:

8 1/2 x 11 vertical
8 1/2 x 11 horizontal
8 1/2 x 11 double
12 x 12
12 x 12 double

Every sketch has at least 2-3 very unique examples - with totals up to a whopping 144 inspiring layouts in a wide variety of sizes and styles!

The book includes many layouts by Becky herself, but also features the talented work of 14 other contributors as well: Marla Kress, Mindy Bush, Tiffany Tillman, Judi Vanvalkinburgh, Denine Zielinski, Shawna Martinez, Amy Goldstein, Dawn Inskip, Kim Kesti, Patti Milazzo, Becky Heisler, Sheredian Vickers, Vicki Harvey, and Connie Petertonjes.

You can tell that Becky really does admire her designers. Each layout is accompanied by a commentary from her about how it is unique and highlights any special elements or techniques that deserve a little more attention.

There are also a few other fun little features in this book. Eye spy's call attention to creative little details on layout that really help it to stand out in the crowd. Tips come from the artists to help you create more successful layouts. Give it a try's are step-by-step instructions of how to achieve some of the techniques featured in the book. There are over four dozen of these three features throughout the book.

Last, but certainly not least, the book comes with a deck of sketch cards! The laminated cards featuring each of the sketches in the book are ready to be popped out and put into the box (also included and super easy to assemble). The sketch box is PERFECT for taking to crops or anytime you need a little on-the-go inspiration!!

MY RATING:
5 STARS!!

YOUR RATING:
??? I am always curious and open to hearing the opinions of others. If you own or have read this book, please feel free to share your opinion of it in the comments below.

WANT TO READ MORE OR PURCHASE?
Visit the Scrapbook Page Maps: Sketches For Creative Layouts page at Amazon.com. You can also read more of my reviews for other recommendations.

Upcoming Review:
Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking 2 by Jessica Sprague

:LIFE: Kaitlin's 6th Birthday Party

2008-06-21T18:14:00.000-05:00

Finally some pictures from Kaitlin's birthday party last weekend. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather...it was about 85 and sunny. Of course, Kaitlin couldn't wait to get the sprinklers going.

Kaitlin got this scrapbooking kit from her Aunt Lynnie and Chris. Hmmm...maybe now she won't be 'borrowing so much of my stuff! :-)

Games have been huge at our house lately...so it was time to add a few new ones to the mix - Connect 4 and Mancala.

Kaitlin's cousins Emily and Rachel gave her a teddy bear with some 'bling' attached - a necklace and butterfly pin.

Grandma & Grandpa Pechous satisfied Kaitlin's Hannah Montana fetish.

No surprises on the theme for the cake this year! :-)

It was a great evening and thanks to all the friends and family that shared it with us.