Noodle Soup

Unpacking

I am still working on unpacking and sorting through the two tote bags full of catalogs and stuff I collected at CHA Winter. Stay tuned...a full report with trends & favorites will be coming this weekend.

And speaking of unpacking, the first promo email went out during CHA for my latest Self-Paced Project at Big Picture Scrapbooking  - Unpack Your Vacation Memories.

This was a super fun class to put together. If you're looking for a clever solution for narrowing down and showcasing your favorite vacation photos, go check it out. Scrapbooking your vacation photos in a suitcase is not only different and fun, it's a definite conversation-starter!

To celebrate the "official release" of the class, I've decided to do a giveaway. Leave me a comment and let me know what type of vacation photos you have waiting to be scrapbooked, and on Monday afternoon I will choose one lucky winner to receive a medium suitcase in red, just like the one I used in one of my bonus class projects. I'll even pack it with a few fun goodies. ;)

 

Edited with a winner!

I put all the names into the little red suitcase, and had Taite pick one...and the suitcase o' fun goes to...

TamiV!

I'm planning ahead with this class and would love to create an album for a trip my son is taking this summer with his Nana to Washington D.C. I think that little red suitcase would be adorable with the new Girl's Paperie "On Holiday" line. It would be great to have the project done before he even leaves on the trip so I can just pop in the photos! I especially love that I can store trinkets in there too! Feeling super inspired right now!

Posted by: TamiV | January 31, 2010 at 10:35 AM

Congratulations, Tami! I love the idea of making it ahead of time, and I agree that the new Girl's Paperie "On Holiday" line would look fabulous! I will be emailing you for your snail mail address. 

Heading to the Craftiest Place on Earth

Just popping in quickly to post the winner of A YEAR IN THE LIFE...

Let's give a round of applause for Lizzie!

I too have become more selective in what photos i scrapbook. when it became i "have to scrapbook" is when the pleasure went away. i took about a year hiatus and have recently been loving to create again, i absolulty love scrapbooking it is my passion. my goal is to go with the flow a little more and create my pages with happiness.

Posted by: lizzie | January 21, 2010 at 12:45 PM

Love that comment! I will be emailing you a code for your free eBook, Lizzie.

Thanks for playing, everyone. And now I'm off to wrap up a few loose ends before I head up to Anaheim for the first day of the CHA Craft Supershow. Be sure to follow me on Twitter to join in the fun if you aren't able to go! I'll be sharing Supershow tidbits today and tomorrow, and then starting on Sunday, I'll be tweeting live from the trade show floor about all the latest and greatest scrapbooking releases. Let me know what you'd like to see pictures of!

Scrapbooking goals & a giveaway

January is traditionally a time of taking stock and making adjustments. As we usher in a new year, we are inclined to reflect, reassess, and refine.

For those of us who record the stories of our lives in words and pictures (scrapbookers, art journalers, photo book makers, bloggers...) that means taking a look at what memories we did and did not succeed in chronicling over the past year, and setting goals for what we want to accomplish with our memory-keeping in the coming year.

For me, 2009 was a year of particular personal enlightenment about what I choose to photograph and scrapbook, and why. I don't know if it's because my forties are making me more practical (or possibly more lazy), or because my kids are growing up, or because my life just keeps getting busier, or because Library of Memories has brought out my scrapbooking Zen, or because I have eleventy-seven thousand photos and albums in my house from 12 years of scrapbooking. 

Whatever the reasons, there has been a steady decline over the past couple of years in how many pictures I take and which pages I make the time to create. I no longer have the patience for pages I feel like I "should" make. Instead, I have been focusing on the memories that truly inspire me.

Is it just me, or have your priorities been evolving, too? Leave me a comment and let me know what your memory-keeping goals are for the coming year. I will choose a name on Friday morning to receive a free download of A Year in the Life from the Write.Click.Scrapbook collective and Ella Publishing. Chock full of inspiring layouts and ideas, this eBook offers "a creative and doable way to highlight the challenges and joys of an entire year in just 24 layouts." Definitely something I could use...how 'bout you?  

 

And the winner is...

Ahh, I am so glad that we don't live in Cali anymore! My oldest is in 4th grade, and UT history has been pretty easy so far!

Most exciting thing in my life, eh. Well, My baby sister just got married this past weekend, so the excitement is over for a bit..but to be honest in a house with 5 kids, the excitement is never really over...it just morphs from thing to another!

Posted by: Christine Jensen | January 18, 2010 at 09:38 PM

Congratulations to Christine Jensen!

Break time over

Hang on just a sec...I need to switch off this soap opera and pop this last bon bon into my mouth. Yep, that's how I've been spending the past several weeks.

 

(photo by Mandolindsay's)

Or not.

What have I really been up to? I have actually been working on a few super exciting things that have been monopolizing my time. 

Topping the list is my very first four week workshop for Big Picture Scrapbooking. It's going to be so much fun! More details will be forthcoming very soon.

I have also been getting ready for CHA (the big Craft & Hobby Association trade show). If you're local, consider heading to the Anaheim Convention Center for the Craft Supershow that kicks it all off this weekend. The Supershow is open to the public, and there will be a ton of booths with make & takes and fun stuff for sale. Or sign up for a class - Wendy Smedley and Angie Lucas are teaching a great scrapbook journaling class on Friday evening, based on their Quick & Creative Quizzes book. And on Saturday evening, Stacy Julian is teaching her renowned Finish Line class for the very last time live and in person. You'll complete an entire album in 2 hours AND have a bunch fun doing it. For reals! You can go here for more info on the Supershow & classes. And if you want the scoop on the latest and greatest products in the scrapbooking industry, keep an eye on my Twitter feed. Starting on Sunday, I will be tweeting pics from the show floor.

My good pal Lain is running her famous Layout A Day (LOAD) challenge in February, and I am assisting her once again. If you haven't heard about LOAD, come on out from under that rock and go here to learn more...and then join us in making 28 pages in 28 days!

In local news, I am chairing the Variety Show once again at my kids' elementary school, which is always an adventure. And it's 4th grade Mission report time for child #3 at our house. California Mission reports are the bane of 4th grade existence in this state. I tried to convince the hubs that we need to move to Hawaii before we have to go through this again with child #4, but so far he isn't buying it. For whatever reason.

So that's mostly what I've been up to. How 'bout you? Leave me a comment and let me know the most interesting or exciting thing going on in your life...or your favorite TV show and what type of bon bons you like to eat while you watch it. ;) Tomorrow night, after I dull the ringing in my ears from Variety Show auditions, I will choose one lucky commenter to win a free spot in February LOAD.