Sears Has Been Taken Over -- By Zombies!

Sears has gotten into the spirit of Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Christmas Greetings!

Yes, I know its not yet Halloween, but I’m already thinking about Christmas cards.  I’ve only ever sent out store-bought holiday greeting cards, but last year we decided that this year we would send personalized photo cards, like the ones at Shutterfly.  And they have some gorgeous options for Christmas cards:

Hanukkah cards:

And even Thanksgiving cards:

I’ve never known anybody to send out Thanksgiving cards.  Maybe seeing these will spark a groundswell to start this tradition.

They also have some great Holiday Party invitations.  They make me want to have a party just so I can send them out:

But that brings me back to what is missing from my grand plan of ordering beautiful cards and mailing them to all of our friends: the all important photograph.  We don’t have kids, so it has to be Mark and I.  And maybe Ozzy, but he’s reluctant to participate in group shots, doesn’t go outside, and has a propensity to climb the Christmas tree.

To be able to order, receive, address, and mail out the cards sometime before Valentine’s Day, I NEED to get a photo together.  We didn’t visit any exotic location this year, and I don’t think this is the message we want to send:

So does anybody have any ideas for a photo that says “DINKS who like to have good clean fun and have had a great year, and oh, Happy Holidays”?  And if it incorporates “Know anybody who wants to buy our house?”, that would be terrific!

P.S.  Bloggers! Receive 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly http://bit.ly/sfly2010 

Colour or Color? PreClass Tags

I am so excited for Nic Howard's new BPC class to start Thursday.  The other day I showed you the beautiful teaser tags she made.  She gave class participants step-by-step instructions to recreate them.  Here's my try:

 I'm happier with some more than others, but I'm pretty happy overall with my first attempt at making tags.

The Third Saturday in October

Today is my birthday.  Which means it is also the third Saturday in September.  For those of you who don't follow SEC football, this means it is time for the Alabama-Tennessee game.  [My apologies to anyone who is here looking for a scrapbooking related post.  That ain't happening.]

My freshman year at Alabama was marked by 2 football events: Gene Stallings retirement, for which I will never forgive Mal Moore, and Peyton Manning's freshman debut.  For the next 4 years, I endured the DuBose years, loses at homecoming to teams from Saint Mary's School for Blind and Wayward Girls, and loss after loss to Tennessee.

At the time, I thought Payton Manning was the biggest doofus in the world.  Since then I've come to realize he's not only a football genius, but the funniest man on earth.



I puffy red heart Peyton Manning.

But that doesn't make up for how much I dislike Tennessee, as would any good Bama fan, for a lot of reasons.  As Eli Gold once said, UT orange is the perfect color.  It will take you right from the woods deer hunting to picking up trash on the side of the road with the work release program right to the game.

So for my birthday, I wish for a good thrashing of UT by Bama.  Roll Tide.

Am I out of my mind?

Don't remind me that I have a kitchen and bedroom to paint, furniture to move, boxes to pack, and a house to clean.  Don't remind me that I didn't decorate for Halloween and before you know it I'll have to decorate for Christmas, or that I decide last year I would make my own tags and wrapping for the holiday this year.  Don't remind me I need to PACK UP my scrapbook stash very very soon.

Who could possibly resist those gorgeous tags??

I couldn't stop myself, so I signed up for Nic Howard's new class on Big Picture Classes, Colour! Or is it Color?  I guess I'm on a class kick right now, because I'm also looking forward to May Flaum's new class in February. 


This will be my first class with Nic, and based on what I've read and the pre-class materials, I think I'm gonna like it.  I'll be working hard on my version of those beautiful tags in time for the start of class on the 28th.

Halloween: Disney-style

We're back from a fabulous trip to Walt Disney World.  I've never been to WDW at Christmas, but I hear its unparalleled.  But I'm sure Halloween runs a close second at the World.

Mark and I love to dress up and play at the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.  In 2009 we were Alice and the Mad Hatter, and that was all kinds of fun.

But it was also all kinds of hot!  This year we wore our Alabama (me) and Auburn (Mark) jerseys and went as football players/fans/hey-its-football-season-and-I-want-to-wear-my-jersey.  MUCH cooler!

 

The party is a lot of fun, even for us grown-up kids. And of course there was candy.

We also participated in the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival.  Also a really fun party for us big kids.

We're lucky to live within driving distance of WDW.   This year we had annual passes and went several times, and we found new things to do every time.  We probably won't be back for a couple of years, but next time we go will definitely be during the fall season!

Halloween is on its way

Although I'm not decorating the house for Halloween this year due to the current state of chaos that comprises my house from renovations, I couldn't resist taking a stab at my take on an altered printers tray.  People have posted lots of beautiful ones, like on this post.  The example that really got my heart racing was this one created by the incredibly talented Kerri Bradford:

So I ordered a 7gypsies tray in black, dug out my Halloween paper scraps, and downloaded a bunch of cute Halloween designs for the Silhouette.  Because I used scraps, I can't really tell you exactly what products I used, but I know there was alot of Basic Grey Eerie papers and rubons, some My Minds Eye and Making Memories papers, and lots of Martha Stewart glitter and Tim Holtz Rock Candy stickles and crackle paints.

Here's the big reveal!

I thought it might be next Halloween before I got this thing finished!

If you want to know what a specific item is, just ask and I'll try my best to remember!

Travel, Travel, Travel...whew!

The beginnings of fall has been a travel whirlwind!  Don't let anybody fool you.  A job that requires a lot of travel is neither glamorous or fun.  It's exhausting, and can take up all of your scrapbooking time, not to mention time to clean the house!

First, a week in Portland, Maine for a work conference. This was Larry.  He was yummy.

And a visit to Portland wouldn't be complete without a visit to the home of LL Bean.

Then, a week vacation to Walt Disney World!  WDW was welcoming Fall.

And of course a little shopping...

And, if that weren't enough, a work trip to New Orleans.


I am so glad to be home for a while.  I can get some scrapping done, and some painting.  We do have a house to sell, after all!

A Blast from the Past

Does anybody remember the World's Fair?  Once upon a time, they were THE premier events in the world, and they only happened every four years.  Back in 1984, New Orleans hosted the World's Fair, and my parents and I traveled the two hours to visit.  I still have vivid memories of the Fair, and how exotic all the booths of the various countries seemed.

I came across a picture of my dad and I at the Fair in a giant stack of photos from my childhood that I have to scrap.

I have no idea what pavilion it was taken in, or what that car is supposed to be.

Christine Middlecamp had inspired me with her layering techniques, and I'm trying to incorporate that more into my pages.

Supplies used:
Basic Grey: patterned paper, sticker numbers; Making Memories: chipboard shapes, Pink Paislee: chipboard letters; Maya Road: chipboard; Elle's Studio: journaling tag; KI Memories: chipboard shape; Tim Holtz: Grungeboard; Bazzill: cardstock; unknown brand: felt sticker shape; brads

Tools used:
Dew Drop VersaMagic ink; Tim Holtz Distress Stickles; Diamond Glaze

Using More Stash

Even though the Use Your Stash class is over, May Flaum continues to inspire me to use up my stash.

  Birthday Boy

 

 Supplies Used:

October Afternoon: patterned paper; Martha Stewart: journal sticker, felt banner; American Crafts: letter stickers; K&Co: journaling tag; Studio Calico: sticker; Pink Paislee: rubon; Creative Chaos (etsy): calendar tag

Tools Used:

Tim Holtz tiny attacher

Giggle Laugh Enjoy

Supplies Used:
American Crafts: patterned paper, stickers, paper flowers; K&Co.: stickers, paper tape, rhinestone; Jolee's: stickers, jewel stickers; KI Memories: patterned paper; Making Memories: word stickers; Scenic Route: patterned paper; Handmade Goodies by DeeJan (etsy): journaling tag; Fancy Pants: rub on; Colorbok: chipboard flowers; Target Dollar Spot: layered chipboard flowers

Tools Used:
EK Success punch