Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Tough Times

I just wanted to say we've hit some rocky roads.

For those of you who don't know, my mother-in-law has Multiple Sclerosis. You can read her story here ... https://msors.mssociety.ca/Walk2007/Sponsor.aspx?&PID=926934&L=2 It is such a destructive disease...we have not really known the full impact until now.

Our Dianne is in the hospital in Regina. We've had some not-so-great news, so we are taking the kids down to Regina to see her, and spend some time as a family.

Please, if you are so inclined, say a few prayers for Dianne...for strength, for courage, and for hope.

Thank you...and ((hugs))

Monday, April 16, 2007

Pumped!

Well, the Just Cre8 May kit was revealed yesterday...and...WOW! I'm lovin it. :) I ordered a part of the kit and it should be here soon for me to play with! This is a peek at what it looks like:


It's the Basic Grey Scarlett's Letter collection, plus items from 7 Gypsies, Making Memories, Bazill Basics and more. Plus it comes with Just Cre8's own line of acrylic stamps and a new product, SkribblzArt Designs. I am still learning the ropes as a new Cre8ive Crew member at Just Cre8, but so far it is a fantastically enthusiastic and positive place to be! I feel right at home.

So come join us! It rocks!

Friday, April 13, 2007

At last!

I can finally announce that I have made the Just Cre8 Cre8ive Crew design team!

Yaaaaaaaay!

This is the first time I ever applied for a DT, and I am so excited to get started.

This site is so unique, I just love it. The kits are amazing -- tons of product and they include more than just paper and embellishments. What struck me most, was the creative use of "8" through the whole site and the range of styles and talent in the gallery.

You have to check it out...www.justcre8.com

Working with Sue, Kat, Tammy, Lori, and Melanie is going to be such a great experience. And I can't wait to see my first kit, the June kit!

Today is a great day. :) :) :)

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Inspired???

Mo & Jo have left the building.

You see, Mo & Jo bring me insight and creativity. They push me to take risks in my scrapping, like just cutting into that new piece of Basic Grey I've been saving for a special occasion. They get the journaling for a LO rolling around in my head, and form my words onto the paper.

I love my scrapping MoJo. It is exciting and absolutely uncontainable. Like a cartwheel in the middle of campus after 4th year final exams. And sometimes the tiniest little things will set them into motion. A great photograph or a fresh bottle of Glossy Accents. New chipboard. An ad on television. A conversation with a friend. Chocolate.

But when MoJo is gone, scrapping is the most difficult thing in the world. I could have a whole weekend to myself and not get a stitch done if MoJo isn't close by. Just ask my friends at Friday night LSS crop night. I could work on a LO for six hours and it just never looks quite right. I could have four free and clear hours to work in my scraproom, but I don't because I feel no direction. When MoJo is missing, scrapping doesn't have that fire or that spark that I love so much.

Today, I am looking for MoJo. MoJo will show up sometime today and I know it. Once I fold those three loads of laundry. And tidy my kitchen. Shower. Make some phone calls. Go get the mail. Then I will unpack from my class and start looking for that sneaky MoJo. Maybe it's under that pile of paper............paper............that new Fancy Pants paper right over there on my scraptable............hmmmmmmmmmm........

They're baaaack!

Happy Scrapping!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Where's Your Pen?

I was working on a layout yesterday afternoon. The layout, "Papa's Patch", was complete except for a 5"x4" rectangle I had left for journaling. So I cropped a 5"x4" piece of co-ordinating cardstock and began to write. There wasn't much room, so I stuck to the highlights of why my grandfather's raspberry patch was so important to me.

Four sentences. Yep. That's it.

Wrong! I spent my childhood in that raspberry patch, following my grandpa, my hero, around. I listened to him tell stories for hours and hours. The raspberry patch impacted my life in incredible ways.

And here I sat, confining my journaling, my feelings, my memories, to less than 20 square inches of handwritten text.

Why? Because it fit on the page. That's where I "left room" for journaling.

I cut two more pieces of that cardstock and I wrote. On both sides. And then I cut three more. And wrote again. I wrote until I was finished. I wrote until I told the whole story of that raspberry patch. And then I bound the pieces together into a little book that I will tuck into a pocket on that page.

That is what scrapbooking is about. Capturing the memories. Don't just "leave room" for your journaling. Your page is about your pictures and your stories. So tell them. Long or short, just tell them.

If you want to see incredible stories of journaling, check out DawnDawn's blog link on this site. She has an incredible gift for journaling, and she will inspire you to express yourself fearlessly.

And after that, pick up your pen. Journal. Relive your memories. Share your stories. Write as much as you can and want to. Because that's why we scrap.

Monday, April 9, 2007

A-Tidbitz-A-Day

I've been meaning to get back into blogging for a while now. Things seem to have changed so much for me in the last year or so, but the constants in my life still remain the same. Somehow, though, my life seems so different than it was just a few short months ago. I think my perspective on a lot of things has come 180 degrees.

So what is new with me?

I've lost 30 pounds. I feel like a whole new ME!! I did it on purpose, if you are wondering, with good food choices and exercise. Not a lot, just a little. And slowly I am getting into the shape I never was but have always wanted to be. What a huge difference this has made in my life!

I try to scrap every day. It is my therapy and my creative outlet. I don't understand why I ever let it slide for weeks at a time. I've also made some attempts to come into the scrapbooking industry in a professional way. I teach at an LSS. I applied for an online Design Team. I submit to magazines regularly. It is time for me to take some risks and put myself out there...which is scary, but it is good.

My kids are growing up. I guess this is inevitable! Renee is seven and Curtis is four. My baby is going into Kindergarten this fall. Renee is getting more and more independent every day. I feel like I am preparing myself for a new stage of parenthood. The "SAHM with no kids at home" stage. There are so many things to look forward to and so many things to fear.

I am thirty. There, I said it. My 30th birthday was hard in many ways, and so much fun in others. I've finally realized, I think, that I am an adult getting older. And that I ought to seek out opportunities and goals while I can. Because life is short. I'll say that again. Life. Is. Short. It can yank you back by the shirt collar when you least expect it. Even at thirty. So, whatever I have always wanted to do, I need to do it now. Now. While I am still able to. And that is how I want to live my life from now on.

What is not new with me?

I am loved. By my husband and my children. By my parents, my family, my friends. By God. I have support and encouragement. I have shoulders to cry on and people who will help me up when I fall. I am blessed. And I am thankful for those blessings.

I am important. Every day I am here, I will touch someone's life. It's up to me whether it will be in a positive way or a negative way. Even though I often don't realize it, I am making an impact on this world in one way or another. This may not be new, but I think remembering this every day will make a huge difference in my life.

I am Me. I am me. I will always be me. And I do not need to measure up to the person next to me at dinnertable, at the supermarket, or at the Friday Night Scrapbooking crop. I am unique and irreplaceable. And I do have something special to offer in my lifetime, even though I am not quite sure what that is right now. All I can do is be the best Me I can be. This is the hard part!

Now, I am inspired and full of fresh thoughts. I am going to go clean my scraproom!

Happy Scrapping,
Mandy