DH & the Sil

Gee, this Sil can get rather addictive!

All those shapes that I can make any size and not have to worry about storing!

The ability to create my own shapes.

Scrapping with DH.

Yes!!! DH is a pretty good artist and is willing to help me create special items for use on my Sil. This is wonderful! Something we can share - and now I can have all the martial arts items I need for his & the kids' books. He actually did a search and found two martial arts figures for free!!! He is going to tweak them so that I can use them. My rant from awhile back on this blog has been answered - and in a totally unexpected way!

I am feeling pretty special - my friend's hubby made a face when he found out that DH is going to work with me on this. Friend's DH likes the finished project, but has no patience or interest in working with her. You should have seen his face when DH & I were discussing which alpha I should use one day! (DH has three favorites - my first three alphas and thinks I should have stopped there! The alphas are Star, Indigo & Marisa (all Classic.))

And I need to get working on my other projects. We are leaving for Disney in two weeks and the autograph books are not even started.

The DT projects are also do! The December release was great, and the January is even better!

Too much to do and so little time!

I am now the proud owner of a Quickutz Silhouette. It is the electronic cutter that I have been on the fence about for nearly two years.

Why did I get it? Well, at first, I was not interested at all. With my history, I was sure that it would only be a matter of time before I broke it. See, the Sil needs a computer and our main computer is downstairs, whereas my scrapping area is upstairs. I know that running up and downstairs would be GREAT exercise, I wouldn't get much scrapping done and that if I moved it, it could fall and break. Then there are the blades. Blades are sharp. They can hurt you. I hate getting cut by my tools.

That then was my argument: too much potential danger involved. Case closed.

Then I began seeing all the wonderful creations made by my SRWMB friends. Envy struck hard. Jason made knights using the Sil.

I could really use knights.

The doubts crept in. DH, a major techie, told me that I could have an electronic cutter, but to make sure I knew which one I wanted. The prices are what freaked him out. I would really have to use it. The Cricut was also interesting since it didn't need a computer, and it cost about the same as a Sil, but it requires $90 cartridges - and really how much Disney scrapping am I going to do?

So, I pushed the thoughts of an eletronic cutter out of my mind. Almost $400 for something I am not sure I am going to use is too much.

Then Sherri had Sils for $140 for Thanksgiving. Frank, a absolute genius, is also giving classes. I almost caved, but I had just received the new camera.

Then QK released a cottage for the Sil. A cottage!!! Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and cards all came to mind. I pouted.

The sale returned. I tried to ignore it.

DH, the kids and I went up to pick up my friend's BD gift and for the kids to learn to snow dance. DH saw the Sil boxes. He asked how much. $140. He said "You have money from your mom." I said "Where would I put it? I'd have to clean my desk!"

We went back and forth. I decided to go for it.

So we brought the Sil home. I opened it on Xmas Eve. I had FUN!!!

To be continued......

2009 Calendar

I feel like I just pulled off a marathon! And it is all due to my procrastination.

Last year I purchased a blank 12x12 calendar with every intention of spreading out the work over several months so that I could send it to my mom in early December 2008.

I pulled it out to work on in sometime in November 2008.

Twelve 12x12 pages to decorate, plus other things on my to-do list.

Then I decided I was going to used dies to cut out the numbers. That - no doubt- was a crazy idea given my time constraints.

A few months stumped me: May and June and November. Most months were scenes with spots for the photos. For May I chose patterned paper and squares to put some flower die cuts on. For June I decided I just had to use my exclusive pirate ship from QK. Worked well with the dock I was assigned from Sherri.

My friend Sandy wanted to know why I had Columbus' ship for June. Hope it was the cold medicine she was taking! I then added an orca. Not sure how Mom will take that month.

For November, I had the brilliant idea of setting up a whole Pilgrim feast. You know Pilgrims, Native Americans, a long table, lots of food, houses, trees, etc.

Then reality in the form of a 2008 calendar hit me like a cold shower. So I put on the basic Thanksgiving Day elements and went on to create the December page and the cover. I think using the exclusive Holly border in pink was definitely different!

More Xmas Cards!

I used scraps, inks, a white pen and a wonderful blue Glaze pen (for the windows, I wanted them shiny.)

This church is so versatile! The Gingerbread house is from another die, though!

Xmas Cards!!!

Okay, so I got to work!

The church card is actually from Saturday. I used RW's QK Church die, the QK $1 tree - and a LOT of white ink! I was putting gold doorknobs on the church and the pen smeared ink onto my finger which I then got on the card. I tried covering it with snowflakes and Diamond Stickles (I think).

The next card utilizes the Frame/Sign from Hobby Lobby's exclusive QK. I used the QK Season's Greetings GB on the frame. The house is QK Gingerbread and the people are from the QK Gingerbread Family.

The Snowman on the card is the one from Archiver's.

As you can tell, I love that tree!

I had to make several what I call secular cards because we have friends who are from other countries and do not want to offend them.

The simple card with just trees is for a friend who tosses my cards. She is not interested in scrapbooking and rarely saves any card anyone gives her. No sense in doing alot of work!

I will post more cards, maybe tomorrow.

Get to Work, Debi!

I am SO behind on everything that I do not know where to begin!

I have to:

-finish my mom's calendar (I have 8 pages to go, plus numbers!)
-a gift for my father (I am thinking a hand-made book for photos of his dog)
-Xmas cards
-Martial arts pages
-more Disney layouts than I want to admit to
-autograph books for Disney (a month away!)

So, instead of sitting here working on my blog, or surfing the Net - I need to get myself over to my desk and GET TO WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Layouts!!! (At Last!)

I cannot believe that it has taken me this long to figure out how to put a photo in my blog, not just on the side! I am psyched! Now I can show what I have been doing while trying to use all my dies.

Above is half of the simple Belle layout that I still feel needs something, but I am not sure what.....





This layout is from our first trip to WDW when DD was chosen to be the co-pilot. It took awhile to decide how to do this. I have a page full Disney characters on this ride, so I made this page to match. Donald came in the back of the book, so I cut him out. I am really proud of this layout.

Paper, Paper, Paper

Okay, now that I have my scraps organized, I can really get to work. And that I did today. I made two layouts and they took me most of the day. I used at least four QK dies on each one, but my real stumbling block was the paper. For the one of Belle's Storytime I chose plain blue cardstock with brown for the mats. I used some Belle-themed dies (open books, a watch) and journaling blocks, but it was not coming together. Finally I added in the tree with lots of leaves along one side and that seemed to do the trick. Maybe I should have made a border with the books?

The Ariel page was easier. I used 8.5x11 patterned pages on top of solid cardstock with contrast for the mats. I added in several ocean-themed die cuts (waves, dolphin, lobster and sand dollar), but something was still missing. DH suggested a star fish. I don't have one. He was of the opionion I could make one with one of my stars - no need to buy one. He was right. I used the center of the Archiver's Multi-star REV die, aided by scissors and a marker. It was perfect!

However, as I looked at those layouts and the ones for Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty I have made this week (can you tell I am trying to get caught up on our Disney scrapbooks?), I have come to the conclusion that I use too much plain cardstock. Actually, I started to feel like this when I was working on my November DT projects. The pages just needed something else, so I added some stamped owls as a subtle background. That was the problem with Belle's pages, I left them plain and then felt I had to add something, hitting a major block.

But, the paper cannot be too busy. I used a Sleeping Beauty paper with stripes that I cut into strips and spread apart on a plain 12x12 sheet of cardstock. Once the matted photos and the journaling was in place, it was TOO much. I need to find a happy medium - but first I need to use up what I have, even if it for mats.

And I need to not add too much to my scrap bags, some of them are pretty full!

Scrap Paper Organization (At Last!!!)

I am a big believer that you should keep your scraps when you are a scrapbooker. Not sure if it is my upbringing, my nature or that the first show I watched on scrapbooking (DIY's Scrapbooking with Sandy Genovese) kept pounding in the uses for the left-over pieces - I have accumulated a ton. I am on my second rather large box where I toss them when done with my layouts. I then dumpster dive when I need a small piece for something. Actually, it is sofa-diving because I need to lean over the edge of the love seat to get at the box where it it wedged.

That is not a safe thing to do when you are as klutzy as I am!

I had to get a better system. A safer system.

I thought about it. I went to some stores. Saw lots of boxes.

Then I bought 1-gallon plastic bags.

I pulled the box out of its corner (of course losing my balance in the process!) and dumped the contents on the floor. I then started separating the pieces by colors. There were alot!

Then DH came home. The look on his face - well it was not quite priceless.

Surprise and quasi- horror would be better adjectives. (Guess I shouldn't mention purchasing more paper for awhile!)

It took me a few days, but now I have all but the biggest pieces cut and bagged.

It feels good!

Now I really have no reason not to start the Christmas Cards........

A Tree & An Owl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so EXCITED!!!

Finally QK has developed a tree die that is big enough for my needs. It is 12 inches long and has lots of branches. I am finally going to be able to work on my Animal Kingdom layouts since I really needed a big tree for the Tree of Life photos ( I have lots of them.) A giant bamboo would be a fantastic addition, but this tree is perfect and it is MINE.

I am putting the finishing touches on a Disney layout with the tree. It is for Snow White's Scary Adventures. I cut out the trees in black and put them on a turquoise background and the photo mats and title are also in black. The journaling is on velum with a blue-inked stamp and black writing. I just need to cut out some small apples and maybe an owl.

Oh, those owls!!!!!!! I have so many uses for those owls. They are perfect!!! The 2x2 owl is probably going to need to have a back-up at some point because I am afraid that I am going to wear him out. It is the perfect size and like the tree, extremely versatile. Family photos and birthday cards are just the beginning........

A New Camera and New Projects Mojo!!!

Well, we found a new camera! It's a Canon PowerShot A6501s. It shoots 12 megapixels, but only 4x zoom. Our old camera was 6 mgp and 12x zoom. Hopefully the increased details will overcome the lack of zoom. Today I tried it and it seems to take close-ups of flowers pretty well. I need to practice so that I am totally comfortable with it when we go to Disney in 62 days.

We will be staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, where there are animals on site, so we are going to have TONS of photo opportunities. I know we will not be able to see the animals from our room (couldn't see paying for the view), but there are lots of viewing areas. BTW, the reason we are staying at AKL is due to the Buy 4 Nights, Get 3 Free Promotion. For $15 more than Port Orleans, we got a major upgrade. All of us are really psyched!

Of course, I still have not scrapped the photos from our 2005 or 2006 visits, so maybe, just maybe I should get working on those. Something tells me that soon I will have ambition for that. :) DH is hoping that MAJOR mojo overtakes me. :)

In fact, I just got a major brain storm! Unfortunately, the needed paint smells so bad that DH asked me to leave the project outside to dry. I hope that it turns out as well as I can see it in my mind. Next time I am going to use Tim Holtz, but I was in a hurry and couldn't get to SRW. With any luck, I get to go next week: there is a release in the air and a holly border die waiting for me!

Our Camera Died!!! (*&%$@)

I just do not get it, is someone trying to tell me to scrap the pictures I have before taking more? Our Canon Powershot is dead, Jim. We got a "Lens Error" and it is as bad as I thought: about $150 to repair. DH is all for replacing it and with Christmas two months away, I guess I could ask for a new one as my gift. I am just pouting because we have only had that camera two years and one month. And I know I never dropped it, so it must have been a bump that did it in. GRRRR!!!

I am especially upset because Halloween is coming and I want lots of photos of the kids and DH. Not much I can do except borrow DD's camera and use the photo function on our camcorder. That worked today at the Pumpkins on the Prairie at Grace Avenue Church this afternoon, but I have not actually downloaded them yet. I might just change my mind.....

At least the new QK dies I was assigned can distract me a bit! (And no, I am not telling!)

How a Layout Helped My Sanity!

I finished a layout that was Halloween-inspired that sounds pretty out there. I found photos of DD when she was 5 wearing her ballet outfit and playing with our talking skeleton, and I knew that I just had to scrap it.

I really thought long and hard about how to showcase these adorable photos. I then hit upon the idea of using the QK skeleton and the QK Ballerina. I used two different fonts and a few other dies, plus the Martha Stewart Owl punch. I was really proud of my finished 2-page layout. I posted it to the Remember When Message Board where I received the sweetest comments. I think it was PattiO who told me it was my best work yet and Frank told me that he had not known this side of me.

Secretly, I was afraid it was too much, that people would call it 'morbid' or question my parenting. Afterall, how many parents let their kids play with skeletons at night, in the dark, take pictures of that and then scrap them and publish the resulting layout?

Somehow, though, I managed to impress people, people whose opinions I respect, whose work I admire. My self-esteem got a HUGE boost, something I really appreciate - and to tell the truth- needed. Between DH's illness, his company's downsizing (he survived), my friend's medication-induced illness and my grandfather's death, I have been been on the edge. I still see myself as a beginning, not very talented scrapbooker, so the compliments really helped. And man, I really need something that uplifts me. Too many crises are soul-draining.

So, thanks to all who helped me feel better about my skills.

And before I forget, a very Happy 40th Birthday to DH, the love of my life!

QK Exclusives

I do not know what has come over me, but I keep vacillating on the QK exclusives. At first, I bought most of them because they were unusual such as the Gypsy Heart. Some, however, just did not call to me. Then, the weirdness set in. QK started coming out with regular release dies after the exclusives had been released. And now, QK has released scarecrow heads at the same time it has an exclusive release Scarecrow, as well as having Archiver's release a very similar Rev spider web to the general release one from last year.

Makes my head spin! Should I pay extra for a die, sometimes up to $40 when I may just find a very similar die for much cheaper weeks or months later? Some are no brainers: the RW church is probably the best die ever and I found the exclusive scarecrow much cuter -especially since it came with a hay bale and corn stalk.

The most important thing, of course, is that I use the dies. My Halloween dies got a great workout for my design team submission, so of course I had to get more. Yesterday my mom mangaged to get me the A's spider web border and zebra. Guess I really need to make more Halloween layouts to justify the former. As for the latter, well I do love Eeyore.....

Scrapping on Hold

DH is very sick with diverticulitis and in the hospital. I got so much scrapping done lately, but right now he is my main focus. We have been together since college, almost half of our lives and he is my rock. It was so scary being in the ER, not knowing if he was going to have surgery, what exactly was happening.

Thankfully he appears to be on the mend. I am so relieved. I am so thankful and happy.

I will be taking some journaling squares for DS's Zoo book that I really need to finish.


Hopefully my next post will be back on track. I also need to list the dies I have been using.

Yesterday DD and her best friend decided to get creative. They used tape, pipe cleaners, paper, a shoe box, ribbon, markers and cardboard. Not sure what exactly they created, but they had a lot of fun. They were only a few feet from where I have my sewing machine set up on the dining table, and unable to use the kitchen table because I had some items on it that I used to make my DT submissions. You would be right if you said that we like to be creative. I put her in a high chair when she was a year old and let her paint t-shirts with her hands. DH was apoplectic. She was covered in t-shirt paint, and giggling.

Years later, her preschool teacher told me that DD was lucky to have a mom who let her be creative. I replied that she had no choice: she comes from a long line of crafters.

I never really thought of myself as creative, just crafty. I like to sew, used to crochet and obviously love to scrapbook. Maybe it is genetic. My mom sews - mainly quilts and has an embroidery machine. She has put cabinets in her root cellar to store crafts, mainly material. My late stepfather had a large metal garage to store his truck and other vehicles and Mom has turned half of that into a large sewing room because there is not enough room in her basement sewing room.

Her mom, my Grandma Maizie, was an excellent cook (her cookies are the stuff of legend), she sewed, refinished furniture and I don't know what else. If she were alive, I know she would have become a scrapbooker.

So, it MUST be genetic, something that carries along our X chromosome, but it also has to be nurtured because my female cousins on that side are not that crafty, but the never-married-aunt is.

Guess I am just lucky that I inherited my creativity and that it has been nurtured and I plan to keep doing the same with my daughter - and if I am lucky, my granddaughters.

Martial Arts Dies Wanted!!!

DH, DD & DS all take Martial Arts classes and I have been working on the first album. I need more dies!!! My friend Cheryle led me to Delta Cuts that has a Hapkido die in two different sizes that I have purchased. It is a guy doing a side kick and very useful, but I need more! Other

I really owe one to Cheryle, she is a die detective and can find ANYTHING. When she first offered me some cuts, I was unsure. As soon as I saw it, I sent the link to DH. He told me to go ahead. I even talked to the owner of Delta Cuts and asked her for more. I really hope she comes out with more and I would love it if Quickutz would come out with some.

I have become frustrated with the QK kimono, especially since DH keeps telling me that it doesn't look right. I would love some Korean or Japanese characters for strength and perserverence.

So, that is why I have no new numbers on my list: I have few QK dies to use on what I am doing!

Halloween Cards Done!

Whew, I finished the cards for Vanessa's Halloween Swap. I had a ton of fun and felt rather creative. I really hope that the recipients like them.

I used vellum for ghosts and vapor, I love how putting vellum through the Xyron helps the vellum to take on the texture of the paper it is applied to. I also decided that black bats didn't show up on the black background, so I used embossing powder to make them shiny. They came out with a strange texture, but I like it.

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Today my aunt and uncle that live in Arizona met us for lunch and then came to the house for a short visit. They travel during the summer, visiting several different states and this year we were lucky that they chose to return via North Texas.

Turns out that my aunt is a scrapbooker! My poor uncle said that they were hitting every Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's that they saw. They have lived in so many countries (Morocco, Spain, Japan, Turkey, The Netherlands) that they would have the most incredible scrapbooks - but I am not sure she is willing to do all that work. Forty years of scrapbooking is probably just too much to contemplate.

1st DT Assignment!!! (& A Dragonfly Stabbing)

I got the box yesterday, but we had plans and so I didn't get to work on it as much as I would have liked. Today will be different!

I am really jazzed about this: it is so exciting to know Frank & Sherri trust me enough to represent RW.

As soon as I am able, I will describe what I have been creating.

One thing I will say however, is that Dragonfly has some sharp corners. I have been cut by alphas, but never stabbed! I was just moving some things and the upper right corner jabbed into my hand, hurting like Hades. It even drew blood. DH was present and offered sympathy - along with a query on how the heck I managed to hurt myself like that.

Ooo, need to get to work; Frank wants this stuff asap!

Contest and Swap Work

I thought it was going to be more difficult using my dies than what has been - at least this week. I decided to participate in Remember When's 'Win It Before You Can Buy It' contest for its newest die. Remi is hosting and we need to create a layout of some fun on a trip that Remi has taken, along with a story. I decided to go with a Six Flags theme. I used a lot of dies (listed to the left with the 8/18 date), some that I think I have never used! I know I will not win, but it was fun creating memories for Remi. I cannot wait to see what Sherri's Useful Unknown is! I decided to christen the die with that moniker because Sherri stated that it would be very useful and it is unknown.

In addition to the WIBYCBI, I joined Vanessa's Halloween post card swap. I am having a blast! Last night I made my first one ( I will post them later) while DH and I were giving each other a bit of the silent treatment. Satisfied with my creation, I turned around to show it to him. Let's just say he gave a visible start and wanted to know what was up - it definitely broke the ice! (I wonder if it was the skeleton or the tombstone?) I am still debating on doing just two designs or three. DS saw the second design and is not agreeable to my giving it away

I need to get as many done as possible before my first SRWDT package arrives since I have no doubt that the turn-around time is going to be short.

I Woke Up in Oz!

Okay, not really. I had applied to the Remember When Design Team earlier this month and today was the big announcement. I had figured that I didn't have much of a chance, especially with people who have been published applying. I applied because I adore Sherri and Frank wanted lots of people to try out.

I read the post and there was my name. Shock is a mild word to describe my state. I let it sink in, then I went running to call DH who was already at work. I got his voice mail. He was surprised and proud. DD is thrilled: she wants Sherri to have a Junior Design Team.

So, now I am taking a interesting route that I had not planned on. I am excited, and nervous.

And, just in case you are hoping for nuggets on the new releases, you are out of luck: I am keeping my secrets! I will not be listing any dies in my Challenge list until they are officially released, either!

My Die and Paper Challenge

HOW did I get SO much stuff???

I have:

-paper I do not remember buying.

- dies I bought for a reason, but have never used.

- half-finished albums.

-empty albums.

-page protectors for aforementioned albums.

-page protectors that go with no albums.

-so many brads and eyelets I dare not count them.

-Disney stickers up the ying-yang.

-dozens of O-wires for my Bind-It-All.

-ink pads and stamps that may have never been used.


I cannot go on: the list is too horrible to contemplate!

So, I devised a plan: I must use a new die everyday on paper I already have. To keep myself honest, I will post which die I used; if I use more, that is great. I will also post my creations.

And yes, I will also post my accidents!

So It Begins

Top Ten Reasons I Am the Scrapklutz

1) Had a Squeeze topple off my desk and land on my foot
2) Stepped on a Fastenator staple
3) Cut my fingers with Quickutz dies more times than I can count
4) Almost stabbed myself in the stomach with my Scraparatus while trying to set an eyelet
5) Dropped my new 12-inch Revolution plate as soon as they handed it to me
6) Tipped over my previous scrapbooking cabinet full of stuff (yes, onto me!)
7) Went to adjust my Bind-It-All and had the little arrow go flying
8) While using my Squeeze, a spring went flying and nearly hit David (6 feet away)
9) An experience with Adirondack liquid stain didn't come off of my hands for DAYS
10) Broke a brand-new Revolution cutting mat with the first cut


Needless to say, my Remember When Message Board Friends are rather surprised when I go for long periods of time (a couple of weeks) without injuries!