Around Here....

I stayed in bed for 3 days recuperating - read, sleep, repeat.

I enjoyed chocolate cake post surgery

Did not enjoy fasting and having a liquid diet before surgery

A friend took care of me and brought me flowers

She even hung up the curtains in my daughter's room

I had a sweet belated birthday party on Sunday night - still smiling from that

The kids got a dirt bike, sans helmet.  Such is ranch life

I thanked God for the little things and for strength to deal with the big things

This week Ali Edwards had a 52 lifts prompt on her blog.  What a week to solicit 'what is happening around here' eh?  A LOT happened.  Kid stuff, lawyer stuff, doctor stuff.  Heavy on the doctor stuff.  Three procedures, (happened on Tuesday) and of all three, the only 'visual' evidence is that I now have a scar on my left breast.  I did take a picture. But, I am not sharing it. It hurt for the first few days.  It is jagged.  I guess it is hard to cut a straight line on a blob that wiggles around.  Even a 36B blob! Perhaps down the road I can have it turned into something pretty.. I envision an 'x marks the spot' type of thing.  Like hidden treasure.
Kids:  Jake is now playing football.  Well, practicing.  Hasn't had a game yet (he is late to the party, with any luck we will make it to the end of the season unscathed).  I would share a photo, but I can't find where I loaded them!  Sami got to play on the varsity soccer team today instead of JV. Big stuff.
Home: I love fall.  The light.  The leaves. The Harvest.  We live in a beautiful area.  Busted a squirrel burying his stash in my yard yesterday.  Stinker.  And tonight is the Harvest Moon.  Yippee!
People: Felt a lot of love this week.  An unexpected 'let's celebrate your birthday' party thrown by a gentleman friend who had no idea of what I was up against this week.  Sweet treats left by another good friend, and who texted me daily during my ordeal (drugged up texts are funny to reread later). My sisters, who have my back.  And, an angel that took me back and forth and stayed with me while I slept off the drugs.  And, again, my kids.  All I wanted was to have them near me.  Just to hear them.
Noting a Milestone: It's been a year.  This weekend.  A year I have been 'on my own'.

Feeling Peaceful: I am loving where I am.  Who I am.  And those that are in my life right now. 

Mrs. Claus' Workshop.. Day 2 - Featuring.... December Daily - First 5 Pages

One of my Digi Pages: AE Template & Digi items from Creativity by Crystal

Another Page featuring: AE Template + Mindy Terasawa's Christmas Dreams Kit

Same Formula: Ali Edwards Template + Mindy Terasawa's Christmas Dreams

AETemplate + Creativity by Crystal

AE Layered Template + Mindy Terasawa's Christmas Dreams Kit

Supplies: I am using this 12x12 layered templates kit - and I resized the images to 6x8

Supplies: This kit for my foundation pages -  resized to 6x8  - and I printed the first 5 on vanilla card stock

Supplies:  Mindy Terasawa's Christmas Dreams Kit

Supplies: And, These Freebies From Creativity by Crystal

 My crafty zone is a disaster!  Today's focus (actually, yesterday, Saturday) was purely daily.... As in the December Daily project inspired by Ali Edwards.

Progress: I am on page 6 of 'just' my foundation pages.  Meaning, the 2-page spread that will hold journaling/stuff on one side (foundation page with the number down in the right corner), and a cute, digi page for the right side that I will add photos to in some of the boxes whereI currently have digi papers (Note:  I filled in most of the boxes 'just in case' my photos are smaller, or I want to put something else there, like, ticket stubs, are receipts, or lists... This way I am 'ahead' of the curve!).

Note:  These pages are currently made and printed at 6x8, but, after a night of 'sleeping on it' I think I will mount them on 8.5 x 11 Kraft cardstock and make my finished album at 8.5 x 11. 


And, this album will be a hybrid project.  Meaning, some digi mixed with some real sweet traditional supplies that are in my stash!

So.. after 5 hours, why am I only on page 6?????

I got side-tracked! 

•  I got lost 'loving' on some of the digi goodies I purchased from Designer Digitals (note: purchased during the last quarter sale - no Black Friday stuff). 

• I am LOVING the Christmas Dreams Kit' by Mindy Terasawa.  It's from 2008, and available at Designer Digitals.  I LOVE the patterned papers!  There are so many different things on one sheet - which works great for the whole 'template masking' thing. Meaning, you can use different parts of a page to fill in 'windows' on a template.  Fun.Fun.Fun. Super fun.  

• And I am loving the free Christmas goodies from Creativity by Crystal.  The Write.Click.Scrapbook blog hosted some of Crystals goodies and tons of giveaways from her.  They are so adorable! You might recognize 'her style' on my blog design.  Yep.  Her goodies!  You can find more of her goods at the Jessica Sprague store... Yum.Yum.Yum. 

Technical Things that delayed my progress:

•  Ali's instructions in her template files do not work with my version of PSE6.  I use Cathy Z's instructions instead.  Which work perfectly!

• When it came time to print... I had 'issues'.  My printer hates cardstock.  I have to feed one sheet at a time, and print real slow and on super best quality.  Pffft.

• I ran out of my very favorite photo paper,  (HP - Premium Semi Gloss, 6.5 mil) and had to use what was in stock at our local office supply store, which is Kodak glossy stuff, and my colors are not printing right!

These things are enough to drive a girl crazy and make you want to ... scream!

But, I thought I would share with you my progress and what I have been doing!   


Thanks for the visit:)

Hybrid Layout - Cathy Z. Template meets My Minds Eye Lost & Found

Step 1:  I created a digi layout using Cathy Z's 'The Monthy' Album Set - Available at Designer Digitals

Step 2:  I printed the digi layout, then created a 12x12 with the MME Lost & Found "Boy" Collection

Oh friends....
I am in crafty heaven!!!!  Between three different tutorials, and some wee hour video watching (3:30am this morning!)  I think I have finally gotten this whole digi hybrid thing - well, at least using templates! 

Confession:  I have tried digiscrapping several times.  I have purchased three different online classes, all very good, and from very talented instructors, but the LIGHT BULB just wasn't turning on!  And, I have purchased some lovely kits, only to get frustrated when my computer would not do what I was telling it to do (actually, it was doing exactly what I told it to do, but I was of course, doing the wrong wrong wrong things over and over.. Mainly, when using the templates and trying to get my photos into different layers and CLIP them!)  

Here are the links that helped me, which are all free, and are all on blogs that I subscribe to, that finally master clipping, and get to the layout you see above:
1.  This  past week's featured theme on Write.Click.Scrapbook was hybrid scrapbooking.  Francine Clouden has several great tutorials on creating a hybrid page using layered templates! And, she had some links to two other great tutorials...
2.  Here is the one from Cathy Zielske, which also includes a free template. I watched her video over and over.  THEN, the light-bulb finally went on!  I got it!!!!! 
3.  And, the icing on the cake... Ali Edwards has an awesome 40 minute long tutorial that takes you step by step through all things layered in templates!!! LOVE that one!


And, here are the products that I used:
1.  8 1/2 x 11 Monthly Layered Templates kit by Cathy Zielske, via Designer Digitals
2.  My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Kit:  Portobello Road.  Patterned Papers, button, twine, bicycle stamp, and sticker embellishment.  LOVE LOVE LOVE this kit!  Thank you MME!!!!! (I won the entire Lost and Found collection one fine day, when stalking their blog!) 
3.  Ink:  Stampin' Up Going Gray.  See that little bicycle down near the September title?  The color matches this collection perfectly!!!!!!! 
4.  HP Premium Plus Photo Paper:  Soft Gloss.  11.5 mil.  The weight is very important!  I was upset when I first opened it because the paper is 'thin'. But for this type of work - layering onto other papers, I LOVE IT!!! 


Journaling Reads:  24! That is how many miles you rode your bike for the school bike-a-thon for the Newport Trip!  The route was 5 miles.  I thought '5' would be it!  YOU raised $200 dollars!  WAY TO GO JAKE!

 ***************

Background story about my layout:  My son was in a bike-a-thon for school one fine day in September.  I found out on a Monday, or Tuesday, that he was expected to ride his bike (on one of my market days), to raise money for his class trip to Newport, Oregon (in May of 2011) that Friday.  I was having a lovely conversation with his 6th grade teacher about him not being prepared, and that I had to drive 60 miles for work that day, etc.  First, I was a bit peeved about the lack of communication from the teacher.  And, that we had to get pledges (it's always a 'we' thing) for the ride, and this was just poor timing.  Anyway, we 'manned' up.  The course was 5 miles.  I got all the pledges within 24 hours (thank you family and friends!).  My son rode 24 miles!  This is a boy that does not ride his bike - hardly ever (on a ranch, nearest paved road is a highway and I do NOT allow the kids to ride w/o me).  I was so proud of him!!!  He did it, he was exhausted afterward, and he raised $200!!!!! 

Thank you for visiting!  And THANK YOU so much to the blogs that helped me finally 'get it'!