May 25, 2009

The Prom

My son is in Grade 11.. but a girl that he knows, in grade 12, invited him to take her to her prom. And he said yes. I WISH I'd brought the pictures to the office with me... but I forgot. How did I do that? Busy morning. My son was on air at the local radio station, promoting their end of the year High School Musical to be held at the downtown theatre complex, (he is one of the hosts)... and my husband has a big golf tournament I needed to get him to... I needed to get to the store... I needed to get to the pet food store... and then I had to get Beauregard, the Problematic Puggle of Perpetual Need, and I... to the office. All that before 9am.. of course. I remembered to bring my book around my neck (on a usb key)... and forgot to update it from my laptop... so it's useless. I remembered to bring a layout. Yay me. I forgot my food... breakfast AND lunch... and I'm frazzled. I'm confused at why we do this... Can I buy a vowel?

Anyway... here is a b/w picture of my son, Dana... 16... before leaving our house to meet the girl, and the limo... at her home. Tomorrow, I'll post pictures... and maybe another layout... and this time... COLOUR pics. You should know that her dress was purple... so he bought himself a purple striped tie... and a shiny purple shirt... that would have put my dance partners clothes to shame during the disco contests I was in, in the 80's. lol

HEY!!!

Happy Memorial Day to my American Friends!!!!! Remember well. In memory of those who have served, and lost there life.. from all our countries... Here is the poem by John McCrea (who is from here in Guelph.

In Flanders FieldsJohn McCrae, 1915.
In Flanders fields

the poppies blow

Between the crosses,

row on row

That mark our place;

and in the sky

The larks,

still bravely singing,

fly

Scarce heard amid

the guns below.

We are the Dead.

Short days ago

We lived,

felt dawn,

saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved,

and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel

with the foe:

To you

from failing hands

we throw

The torch;

be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith

with us who die

We shall not sleep,

though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

May 22, 2009

21 Years of Wedded Bliss

and I forgot to take a picture


Ok... so not typically something a scrapbooker would do... but we celebrated our anniversary... and I forgot to take a picture. Go figure. We did, however... go see the movie 17 Again. I know. Schmaltzy. Could I not have found a more grown up movie to watch? Something more adult to do? I suppose. But this is us. It's why we work. We left work... picked up our son from school... dropped him off at home... and headed to the show in another city. (It wasn't playing at our city). We ate at the mall. LOL No romantic dinner for us last night. I didn't even eat. I wanted nachos at the theatre. But hey. Is what it is. As many of you know... Gary and I get up in the morning, and head into the office together. We work together. We then, come home together... and we head to the Y, most nights... yep... together. What about you? What did you do for your last wedding anniversary? What do you plan on doing for your next one? Do you spend a lot of time with your spouse? Do you have similar interests? Work together? Are you completely different? Does he work out of town?

CARDS!!!

I need card inspiration. I suck at making cards. Where do you get YOUR card inspiration from?

ONLINE CLASSES!!!!

I'm in the mood to take an online scrappy class.. maybe on a new technique... maybe with a kit involved... Any suggestions?

Here's a New Sketch I did up for you...

May 21, 2009

Happy Birthday, Mom.

Today, is my Mom's birthday. So I wish her a beautiful day. I can't wish her in person, because I lost her when I was 24 years old. My very bestest friend. She was such a beautiful lady. Loving, lovely, ladylike, and pure of heart. And I miss her as much today, as I did then. I don't have a lot of pictures of her. Our house burned down, and we lost most of them. But I have a few.

Happy Anniversary to My Husband and I!

... or how to make a sad day, one of hope and love.

May 21st, 1988, I married the man of my dreams.... Gary Roberts! It's been 21 years since we've been happily married. He makes me laugh... he makes me feel safe... and me makes me happy. And he helped me make the greatest love of all.. our son, Dana.

I married Gary, the year after my Mom passed away. I married him on her birthday, so that the day wouldn't be one of sadness and despair. It would be a day of love, laughter, hope. So... here's to wonderful days. What are we doing today? Working, of course. We own an Ad Agency. What else are we doing? We're going to see 17 Again, I think. I just want to see it. It looks sweet. LOL

A New Layout

Here's a layout I did last night. It's of my son. He had a Garage Sale at his school, to help Guatemala or some such thing. And Dana donned this outfit to get people to pull into the sale, and help out. Funny.

May 20, 2009

A New Layout.

I threw this layout together last night... just because I was feeling nostalgic. My little baby... grade 2. His first day! He was so tiny. If you notice him in the lineup, he was smaller than the small boy behind him. I would worry about him ever growing. And today, in grade 11... he's on the taller side of the students. Things change. I marvel at the many many changes that take place in families. How we grow and change and live and die. How we experience life. Which brings me to my next thought...

.........................

1/2 Full? or 1/2 Empty? The same liquid as all others? Or viva la difference?

I've always been a typical artsy person... at least writing-wise. I've always been a 1/2 empty kinda gal. Not that I think "whoa is me", "boohoohoo" etc. No. I've just never been a positive kind of person. I can't be confused for a realist either, though. LOL I'm a romantic, caught up in a 1/2 empty glass of some odd substance, unlike most others. Which, of course... brings me to my next thought of the day...

......................

Are you different? odd? eccentric? happily so? unhappily so?

Do you embrace being different? Or do you feel better not standing out with your eccentricities. (Isn't that a much better way of putting it?) There's a saying... rich people are eccentric. Poor people are odd. LOL I think we can call ourselves what we like. We are... each of us... unique. It's just a matter of degrees. It's also a matter of whether we embrace that uniqueness... or hide from it. Again... as an artsy writer, I've always considered myself different... and haven't always embraced that sense of self. But mostly.. I've been fine with it. Maybe that comes from an inate sense of wanting to be different. Of wanting to be more than. Not more than other people... more than I was. Does that make sense? And this brings me to my final thought...

.........................................

The Scrapbooker!

Who is she (or he)? Does the scrapbooker have an artsy personality? Is the scrapbooker someone who tends to be somewhat eccentric? You can argue the whole "We are all different" thing.. for sure. But come on. You must admit.. the sculptor... this is someone with a unique sense of self. The sculptor has a set of unique characteristics to him/her. Does the scrapbooker? Is it degrees? Does it depend on the level of artistry in the scrapbooker? What are some of the characteristics almost always found in the scrapbooker? Do you possess most of them? Many of them?

........................................

Have a great day! It's 24 here, in SouthWestern Ontario. For you Fahrenheit junkies... that's about 75 degrees. yay! I'm loving it.

May 19, 2009

Scrapbooking and Stuff

I need to revamp my scrapbooking. I don't know which way I'm going... but I need to revamp. It's time to kick it up a notch. What do you do when YOU want to move things up? Change up your style? Do you take some classes? Start perusing galleries? Join a contest? A Challenge? Change up your supplies?
Come on... spill it. I need some advice.

Books.

The Twilight Series. I watched the Twilight movie before I read the books. Then.. I started reading the books with New Moon. After all.. I'd seen the first movie.. and wanted to move on. I finished the series, and then read the final book... Breaking Dawn... two times. It was just that good. I was dissatisfied. You know the feeling... So I went and bought Twilight, the book... and I'm reading it. When I'm done... I'll erad the book she's started... Twilight from Edward's perspective. THEN? I'll read the series again. Love those books.

... and then...

In the middle of reading these books, I continue to write my own book. Gary, throughout our entire time together.. has bugged me to write a book. He's been on my case to stop writing smaller things... and finish my novel. That's what I'm doing. I love having my words in print. So, I can only imagine the joy of having the entire novel in print... sitting on my table... with my name on it. Not an article. Not a short story. But the whole shebang. I can hardly wait to see how things work out. The story is fun... I promise you. And sexy... without smutty. We women need that dark and forbidding man.. to think about. The one who doesn't detract from the love of our lives.. but adds to it. The one that adores his woman until he can think of nothing else. Almost obsessed. That man is our forbidden pleasure. And he is the man in my book. He's consumed and strong and more than. More than what? Just more than. You'll have to read the book to find out. I love books.

Recommendations?

Any recommendations on good books? I especially love series. The ones you can sink your teeth into, and when it's done... continue onto book two. I'd love to hear your recommendations.

My recommendations? The Twilight Series. Harry Potter Series. The Chrysalides. The Clan of the Cave Bear series.

So.. here's some layouts that I did this weekend.

and Last... but not least... Another Sketch!

May 15, 2009

Start things off with blog candy. Head over here to win something yummy scrapwise! Whoohoo. Good Luck. If you win... let me know!

Still on a High!
We all got up this morning, still thinking about Dana as the new Student Trustee for next year. What a grade 12 year he is going to have! Today? He's off on a retreat with the Grade 10's. The Pastoral teacher asked him if he'd come along to help out, and he, of course, said sure. It makes me wonder how we get the children we get. You can be an awesome parent, and still get a child who is very troubled. I don't kid myself that I've done everything right and perfect, and that's why he's such a good kid. I'm not so silly as to believe that. I can't count the mistakes I've made. But it does make me wonder.

Lack of Motivating Factors
I know I've been chatting about this a fair bit lately... but I'm truly at a loss. Has anyone else noticed the lack of truly motivating factors out there in the scrapbooking world, lately? It seems as if there are fewer calls for magazines... fewer contests... fewer big events... and I, for one... have counted on these things to motivate me. To push me beyond my self-set limits. I've been brainstorming lately, to try and come up with an alternative. How about you? Any ideas? Aside from motivating yourself... what are you doing to compensate for this lack? Have you found something that helps??? I'd LOVE to know???

Writing, Writing, Writing
I'm home sick today. AND it's the long weekend. big sigh. I feel as if the weight of the world is off of my shoulders right now. AND... I'm going to spend much of my time writing. For those of you who don't know... I am writing a book. I write every day, of course... but being home today... I should get a lot done. I'm in the middle of a really good part, and can't wait to see what my heroin is going to do. Sometimes she makes some choices I really wish she wouldn't make. Here's hoping she doesn't get herself.. and me.. into a mess today.

Have a great day!

one more thing

one more thing...
check out Tina's blog for some yummy blog candy! http://tinawerner.blogspot.com/2009/05/big-news-blog-candy-alert.html

May 14,2009

Congrats to my son, Dana!!!!


Bragging rights here! Dana... my 16 year old son... in Grade 11.. is on the Executive of his School's Senate. He does a lot of volunteer work... and practically runs his school. You know the type. The teachers say routinely... "Dana... no. Someone else can do that. You do too much". His answer is equally routine.. "But nobody else has volunteered, and it needs to get done". lol He ran for Board Trustee for his grade 12 year. It's a paid position on the Catholic School Board. You need to have a letter of reference from your priest.. just to run. He wasn't going to run, but the teachers convinced him. Why was he not going to run? The girl who was already running, was one of the most popular kids in school. So, he just didn't see the point. He considered running for President... but two of his friends were running, and again... one was one of the most popular kids in school. But... he let himself be convinced, knowing that they would probably give him Senate Chair when he lost. He considered that a very important position, and he would be happy with that.


He texted home this morning. He was called down with all the other students who ran... to the Principal's office.


MY SON WON STUDENT TRUSTEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


He is beyond excited. And stunned. He can't believe it. The other girl ran an amazing campaign... had posters everywhere... did a great job... and is miss popularity. And yet.. my son won the position of Student Trustee for his grade 12 year. It is going to be such an incredible experience for him. Forget the few thousand he will earn. It will help him get into his chosen University. It will allow him to meet incredible people. And it will allow him to continue his volunteer work. I'm so proud of you, Dana Joseph Maximillian!!!! And thanks everyone... for letting me brag.

Here is Dana, with his Principal and Miss Toronto, from a publicity shot about a stuffed toy campaign where new and gently used stuffed animals will be distributed to the needy of Madagascar and Uganda, each containing a personal message from the donor. Ms Toronto brought it to the school, and Dana was one of the students to take it on.

What's Happening In Our Industry?


I'm very sad. Memory Makers is closing. We are losing so many wonderful stores, manufacturers, magazines, that I'm afraid at how the business is going to manage to continue... and in what form?

As the owner of an Advertising Agency, we see a lot of these trends. Trade magazines shutting down, or going completely online... newspapers amalgamating, or just shutting down.. or again.. going online. Gone is the feel of the print in your hands. The smell of the hard copy. The sense of something tangible. Nothing against online. I obviously am a fan... look where I am! However... we need both. We need to ensure that we don't lose connection to the past... to where it all began. I've been published, for example... both online and in magazines. Both in newspapers (written) and their online counterpart... and both have their place. I do, however.. love the ability to keep copies on my shelf. I'm a bit of a packrat... so... that matters to me. It doesn't make one better than the other. But there are some very tangible differences to address. The published word or print... has many laws attached... guiding what you say, print, copy, etc. In the offline world. The laws are much less stringent for online work. It's a fact. If we are going to continue moving in the direction we are moving in... than we need to address these lack of protection laws. North American rights etc.


Plus... we need to support what we want to maintain. One of my favourite magazines was MM. The styles they tended to publish, were closer to my style. I was inspired by the work in that magazine. And hey... what about...................

The Memory Makers Masters Competition


What's left? Where can we go now, to push ourselves for that elusive achievement. Yes.. we can push ourselves for the love of our family... and the love of the craft... but it's not the same thing. These contests.. for those who enjoyed them... really raised the bar. I liken it to going to the gym and being in a fitness class... versus working out alone at home. You are more likely to push yourself to keep up to those around you... than if you are all alone, nobody around to prove anything to. Again.. not for everybody. But for many of us.

May 12, 2009

Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Displaced and Wandering
I'm Feeling Displaced. Truly. No home. Wandering in the desert. Wandering in the dessert too... but that's a whole other story. I still lurk and yak a bit on 2Peas... and lurking on SIS (Scrap in Style)... but I need a home. I need someplace in this big world wide web of ours... to play. To get to know the people. To be inspired. I want a place to call home.
So.. where do you play? Where are their things to do... contests to play... challenges to be had... and nice people to chat with? Where where where? I'd love some input. Some ideas! Please?

Those Picture! You Know The Ones!

I'm up to date on some pictures... and so far behind on others. The ones I don't get done? Christmas! Birthdays! Vacations! Disney! I have yet to scrap one single picture from a Pilgrimmage I did in 1980. I have great pictures of Israel, Yugoslavia (former), The Vatican, Medjugorje, and Rome!!! Not one of them is scrapped!!! why? I'm feeling the burn right now, to run home and do some... but nope. Nothing as of yet. Why is it that some pictures are harder to scrap for us, than others? What pictures do you find hard to scrap? Which ones are easy? I find the day to day pictures very easy. The ones that represent our every day lives. I love those.

Here is a sketch that I did up this morning for you.

May

Have You Heard the News? Oh boy...
http://www.scrapbookupdate.com/scrapnancy/2009/05/memory-makers-magazine-to-cease-publication.html
... I'm very sad.

My Scrapbook Nook
So.. I decided to join a contest at this website. For fun. I haven't been in any contests in awhile, and I usually find them very motivating. Saw it posted on Staci Michaud's blog, and went over. I did this layout, which is a scraplift off of Camilla Ekman's "Way Too Cute" layout.













The Art and Business of Scrapbooking... part II

It's funny... but I got a fair number of responses to yesterday's post. And there were two distinct types of comments. The moderate comments that were empathetic, were posted on my blog. All nice and open. Then there were the ones that were a little bit (um... read a LOT a bit) more emphatic, versus empathetic. They had much more to say... and wanted to do so privately. I get that. I certainly even expected it a bit. But wow. There is a little bit of resentment from some people about the business side of things. They are angry even, that a certain percentage of people seem to *own* the industry. Those were the words of one of the posters, and I'm borrowing them, because they seem to speak for most of them. Most of the posters who emailed me, wished that there was more diversity in the magazines. They also wish that there was more diversity in the design teams. It's the same ole same ole.
I find it interesting that - though this is a very strong feeling out there - that the industry maintains the way they are. It can be argued that they are a business... and those are the best of the best... but there are a lot of great scrappers out there.. equally as good as the ladies who are on several teams... but again... as a society... we create icons. As I said yesterday... we do it to our actors... to our singers... to our authors... etc. And it stands to reason, that we follow the same path in the *business* of scrapbooking!

May 7, 2009

Our New Office Computer
We hired a new Graphics Designer/Admin person, and she started this week. We had to get her a computer, of course... and we thought and thought... and we decided. We bought THIS:

An All-new Multi-Touch trackpad.. illuminated keyboard, slim block aluminum body, super fast... Need I go on?

Carved from a single block of aluminum, the new MacBook Pro unibody enclosure is slim and streamlined with a soft-brushed surface and stunning contours. And durable. So she can bring it anywhere! It's pretty cool. And nope. Not a paid spokesperson here. I'm a pc gal. But.. I am seriously considering... get ready for it... SERIOUSLY considering... going Mac. Once Mac, you'll never go back. Isn't that the saying? I just don't know. But I'm considering it. No more viruses. No more worms. No more trojans. Ugh. Consider that, for a second. And it's so pretty. Some also come in very pretty colours. I'm thinking pink.

================================================================

The Business or Art of Scrapbooking

We are all into the art of our scrapbooking. We do it for several reasons. We use it as a creative outlet. We do it to keep track of our world and our lives. We do it for our kids, and their kids...

But let's look at when we take it beyond that. Those of us who submit to contests, and to Design Teams, and to Magazines... Then, it becomes the BUSINESS of scrapbooking. That doesn't take away from the art, unless you get really busy in the business side of things. What then. How many times have we seen scrapbookers that we all know and love.. and admire... give it all up. I mean.. stop scrapbooking altogether! They became so enmeshed in the business side of things, that they could no longer enjoy the process. When do you cross over that line? Is it similar for all of us? Is it because these scrapbookers who are talented, and market themselves so well... they oversaturate the market? They burn out? Perhaps it's because I own an Advertising/Marketing Agency... but this question is burning inside me lately. We've all seen it. These scrapbookers are on several teams. Their pages fill our magazines... both online and hard copy... and they teach the classes, do the conventions, and have several appearances at scrapbooking stores around the world. What makes them oversaturated? Why do we insist on making stars out of a few people who are good at marketing themselves? There are so many talented people out there that there is plenty of room to have them all. But we insist on creating scrapbook heroes. We do that as a society for everything. We do it with certain actors, with certain singers, authors... and scrapbookers. What does it say about us? And them? Is it worth it? To lose the craft in the end?

What are your goals in this craft? How far do you want to go? What do you see creates a breakout star in this business of talented non stars?

May 6, 2009

Hey! Check out the footer to my blog page! I've put in a couple of slides. One for my layouts. One for my sketches. Should I put them somewhere else on my blog? Where do you put yours?

I'm HOME! It Must be Wednesday!

It's such a lovely day out today. Warm, sunny, blue sky. I think it's 18 right now.. at 9:16am. That's celcius. Which is around 65F . I love the warm weather. I can be found with a sweater in the dead of summer. No blood pressure here. I took my puggle Beauregard, on his morning walk through the park. It's so beautiful in the morning. There are deer off slightly in the trees... the smell of dew fills the air... and it's crisp but humid and warm... all at the same time. ahhhh. I love these Wednesdays spend at home. I get to clean my house... cook a nice meal... spend time with myself. It's a good day.

I would love to find out cool storage ideas for my scrapbooking room. I need to attack it... and make it liveable. If you have a great storage idea that you use... please let me know? I need all the help I can get.

Slip, Slide- n Away

Did you notice the lower part of my page has a slide with tons of my layouts on it? I decided to add it to this page... I see it on a bunch of other pages... and it looks so good. I enjoy seeing people's style, and thought I'd add it here. I'm also putting a slide of all of my sketches on it too. If there's one you like, grab it there. Let me know if you've used one?

NEW SKETCH!!!

Hope you like it!

May 5, 2009

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding.

The music went off, when the store clerk ran the ticket through the terminal, and I was all excited. i knew I'd won $20 or even $40! yay me!!! I looked up with a smile on my face, and there it was. The scowl on the clerk's face as he said... "You'll have to wait for me to have enough money to pay you", was the first thing I saw, as I immediately moved on to the terminal screen, and the big, fat, flashing $300.00 Winner sign repeatedly flashed a pretty smile in my direction. yay. $300.00!!! Very nice. Scrap supplies!

We hired a new graphics person at the office, and I bought a new Mac Pro for her. I got to thinking that I might want a Mac for myself. I imagine not having to worry about my operating system collecting viruses like I collect scrap paper. I wonder if it would work. Should I go for a Mac? Or should I stick with my PC? What happens to all of my programs then. I have to replace them all for Macs? I can't decide. I need others to help. What do you h ave? Mac? PC?

I did up a couple of layouts. I don't r

eally like them either. But.. here they are, at any rate.

A New Sketch for you! Enjoy!