I've jumped on the bandwagon and downloaded the Hipstamatic iPhone app everyone has been buzzing about. It is SO much fun! Seriously good entertainment value for $1.99. I played with it a bunch this weekend, and got some great shots.
My favorite combo is the Jimmy lens, Blanko film, and Berry Pop flash (from the Roboto Glitter add-on, which will set you back an extra 99 cents). The yellow tinge of the Jimmy mixed with the pink of the Berry Pop gives the pictures a rainbow sherbet vibe.
Of course, the Jimmy lens is great without a flash, too. Jimmy sans flash yielded my two favorite shots of the weekend.
This one, of Taite draining her Slurpee on the front porch, was taken with the John S lens, Blanko film, no flash.
Roboto Glitter lens, Blanko film, Berry Pop flash - so ethereal!
Jimmy lens, Float film (from Roboto Glitter add-on) and Dreampop flash: This one reminds me so much of my mom! I always knew Taite looked a lot like my mom's childhood pics, but the old fashioned quality really makes the resemblance uncanny.
I only wish my phone camera had higher resolution, so I could get equally great prints. I'm going to try to print some and see how they come out. I'm thinking I'll start a mini album just for Hipstamatic pics.
My fun friend April presented me with a Sunshine Award a couple of weeks ago. :)
Put the logo in your post or within your blog. Pass the award onto 12 fellow bloggers. Link the nominees within your post. Let the nominees know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blogs. Share the love and link to the person who gave you the award.
In honor of my happy little sunshine award, I decided to share five sunshine-y fun things today.
1.
This yummy-looking print is by my friend Linda Woods, and can be found in her Etsy shop.
I'm working on a brand new Big Picture Scrapbooking class for summer, called Kidding Around: A Mom and Me Scrapbooking Escapade. Registration opens May 13, and the class runs July 8 - August 18. If you've got kids out of school for the summer, mark your calendars, because you won't want to miss this six week workshop of fun in the sun & scrapbooking!
Twelve bloggers seems like a lot to tag, so I'm going with three:
Have you seen the February issue of Scrapbook Ellaments? The Editor's Corner in this issue is all about favorite CHA finds, and you can see a page of mine featuring some of my picks from the show - the Fresh Print Clothesline collection by Little Yellow Bicycle, an adorable chipboard vine by Buzz and Bloom, and Liquid Scrap Dots by Helmar.
Here's a detail shot of how cool the Scrapdots are. I used them to adhere the Buzz and Bloom vine flush against the page, AND to pop the scalloped LYB embellie off the page. So versatile!
So what do you think of the Fresh Print Clothesline collection? Do you love it as much as I do? Because Little Yellow Bicycle has been incredibly generous in providing me with bunches of product, and I would love to share some with a lucky reader! We're talking paper, frames, border stickers, embellies...well here, see for yourself:
Just leave me a comment telling me your favorite article from the latest issue of Ellaments, and I will choose a winner Thursday afternoon. :)
(Due to shipping costs, this giveaway is open to US/Canadian readers only - so sorry to my overseas readers! I still love you!)
This was one of my favorite shows so far. As many others have mentioned, there was a definite vibe of optimism and camaraderie on the show floor. Plus, I got to hang out with some of my very favorite creative people!
The super cool Tina Cockburn (who has the same exact phone cover as me) taught me how to "Bump" on my iPhone, which is just about the coolest thing ever. She and Stacy have just demonstrated it here.
I somehow did not get a picture of the fabulous Molly McCarthy, but I logged a few miles on the show floor with her as well.
It's always hard to narrow down my favorite products, but I have managed to condense them into a top pick in four different categories, plus a few extras that I couldn't resist mentioning.
Favorite new tool:
I will admit to being really wowed by the new Fiskars glue gun. It seems like such a simple pick, but I'm a simple girl (who often makes things late at night by the light of the TV), so I cannot resist the appeal of a cordless glue gun with a LIGHT. Yes, I said light. On the glue gun. So you can see what you're gluing. Why didn't someone think of this sooner?
Other cool tools:
The Cinch by We R Memory Keepers. I have been singing the praises of my Bind it All for ages, but I will admit to being swayed by the ability to choose exactly which holes will be punched with the flip of a cute little switch.
The new epoxy & button punch tools by Epiphany Crafts. So excited to see Tricia (formerly of Li'l Davis) back on the scrapbooking scene, and can't wait to get my hands on one of these to make my own custom buttons & epoxies. The flower button was especially fab!
Favorite new adhesive:
Helmar's Liquid Scrap Dots. Think glue dots in liquid form. I love being able to choose the size & thickness, from itty bitty to a big blob that gives lots of dimension. It's like having a huge collection of glue dot sizes in one tube.
Other adhesives that impressed me:
I am always on the lookout for a good adhesive runner, and I was impressed with Martha Stewart's Tab and Roll adhesive - you can choose to stamp down a single, clear tab, or roll a longer strip. Easy to use, and I will be able to get refills at that coupon-friendly big box store. ;)
I am also sold on the new American Crafts This to That adhesives. It looks like they've covered all the bases on the different types of adhesives I use, the packaging is fun & colorful, and the name is cute.
Favorite new product line:
There were bunches of manufacturers that wowed me with things I loved, but Fresh Print Clothesline by Little Yellow Bicycle was hands down my favorite overall line. And I have to say that kind of surprised me. I am not usually a shabby chic or vintage-y kind of girl because the colors are usually too washed out for my taste, but the addition of gray as a neutral and the bright accent colors put vintage in my realm. And the extensive collection of unique accoutrements really grabbed me...especially this piece:
Seriously so fun, and what a great thing to build a page around!
Other papers I went gaga for:
October Afternoon remains one of my top favorite paper companies, and I was particularly wowed by their "Go Fly A Kite" line.
Cosmo Cricket's Joy Ride - loved the colors & the whimsical look. Great for vacations, yet still versatile enough for everyday layouts.
On Holiday by The Girls' Paperie - Margie Romney-Aslett outdid herself on this line (and with her darling booth decor!). Once again, vintage + bold color = swoon!
Favorite new page additions:
Jenni Bowlin butterflies and buttons
"Benny" alphabet stickers from Paper Trunk - fun font & good size
Brightly colored alphabets from My Little Shoebox (I especially love the minis!)
Pink Paislee Artisan Tapes
Stay tuned...my trend report is coming in the next day or two!
Yesterday I watched this video by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
and it inspired me to think about 9 things that I’m excited about right now.
1. Kindergarten. The kindergarten year is such a special one, and this is my last time to experience it as a mom. I know all too well how fast the years tumble by once they start "big school" (hello, daughter in college who I swear was just in this very same kindergarten classroom!). I plan to savor every moment.
2. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs opens today! We have plans to see it Sunday.
3. Putting together a workshop for Big Picture Scrapbooking. I can’t share the details yet, but I’m having so much fun working on it!
4. Ella Publishing – so much to look forward to from this fun new company!
5. Going to the Nordstrom cosmetics trend show tomorrow morning with Kendra & her college roomies. Fun girl time + goody bags + makeovers. Yay!
6. This camera strap that I just bought from vmjess. Adore her stuff! I have had one of her straps for a long time, and have given a bunch of them as gifts. I decided it was my turn for a fun new pattern.
File this under the category of using your scrapbook supplies in a unique way. Look at this font-tastic chair makeover I saw on the Junior Society blog today:
Painting over alphabet stickers for a carved look – is that inspired or what?? I wonder what else I could pimp out with alphas and a can of paint…a shelf, a wall…the mind boggles!
Good stuff! These last lines resonate with me so strongly:
Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or a subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys, and nose plugs, and uneaten Danish, and soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things – the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties which we assume only accessorize our days are in fact here for a much larger and nobler cause. --Stranger Than Fiction
(Of course, you must read it with a totally awesome British accent, a la Emma Thompson.)
Folks, THIS is why I scrapbook. Scrapbooking is certainly not the only way to examine and find comfort in the larger and nobler causes of those nuances, anomalies, and subtleties which accessorize our days. But it's my way. Combining photos and stories is how I stay aware and keep from losing myself in the minutiae of to do lists, and raising kids, and living life in the fast-paced digital age. It's how I ground myself and remind myself what matters in the scheme of who I am and who I want to be - from family connections to meaningful traditions to my obsessive love of notebooks.
What accessorizes your days that you might not be paying attention to? Think about it.
I interrupt my regular blog-genda for today to bring you my latest find.
Sometimes it's the absolute simplest things that can totally make my day. Like today, when I popped into the grocery store Starbucks to grab an iced tea on the way home from preschool pickup, and found this:
Look again. It's an insulated, reusable cup that looks just like the clear cups they use for iced drinks. I think I might have actually squealed aloud when I saw it. I have one of the reusable travel mug thingies for hot drinks, but iced tea just isn't the same to me if I can't see my ice cubes clinking around. I know, I have my quirks.
The other really cool thing (no pun intended...or maybe just a little pun intended, 'cause I like to be punny whenever possible) is that because it's insulated, the outside of the cup doesn't get wet. Which means no more trying to wedge my iced tea into the cardboard drink holders that don't really fit, and that eventually get soggy and fall off.
Total bright spot in my day! I am actually excited to go show it off at my PTA meeting. And believe me, this particular meeting is not one to be excited about. We will be talking about what programs will and won't make the budget for next year, now that the state funding has put so much on the chopping block. Give me strength, clever little insulated cup of caffeine!
Just a few random things making me smile on this last day of April:
1. Pop-up vase from Target dollar spot (with coral gerber daisies from Trader Joe’s).
It comes like this
and pops up when you fill it with water. How cool is that?? I totally wish I had a drawer full of these when I was teaching. My students used to bring me flowers from their yards all the time, and I had several vases that took up a ton of cabinet space. I highly recommend these for Teacher Appreciation Week. They’re only a buck, and your teachers will love ‘em. I bought several!
3. This conversation with Taite… Me, picking her up from preschool: What should we have for lunch today? Taite: Cake! Me: We can’t eat cake for lunch, silly! Taite: Yes we can. Today is Random Lunch Day.
Okay, hello? Can anyone say 5 going on 15?? (And no, we didn’t have cake for lunch…mostly because I didn’t have any on hand. But we did make Amish friendship bread later.)
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