Mini Book Mania

Last week, I mentioned that I was mini book crazy... I was making them for a fundraiser for my sister who is walking in the 3-Day Breast Cancer walk in Dallas, TX. It's been a while since I made mini books for others (my mini-books tend to be a little more embellished) so it took me a bit to get going but I am super happy with the results. I still need to put the left over ones up on my etsy shop so look for that soon...

This first style was a general boy book. I love how it came out... very clean lines. I love mixing blue, green and brown... The title says: The Details about a Boy

This is the girl version, called: Super Cute...
I saw this in a class I took and love how they came out... What a perfect size for all those wallets you get from school and with the hard tin, you can just toss it in your purse and the pictures are protected. The insert currently holds 10 pictures, but I am going to offer these in my etsy shop with up to 3 sets of inserts (30 pictures total). This is the "school" one and...
... here's the one for all those little Christmas card pictures you want to save but don't have anywhere to put...
This was by far my favorite book. "A Year to Remember" was taken off an idea I saw in a magazine. It's bigger (6"x6") so there's plenty of space to put a larger picture or grouping of several smaller pictures on each page. Each half page contains room to journal and put in the dates for that year (someone might not want to memorialize 2008...). I hand doodled the frames throughout the book with glaze (raised like embossing) for a fun little touch. What a great gift for a grandparent or parent at Christmas!
There was one more style of book but since I am not completely done with them, I'll wait to post them. Tune in tomorrow for a sneak peek of some layouts I have done this week... And don't forget that a new sketch will be out on Pink Sketches Sunday so don't forget to submit for Sketch 2!

My 100th Post!!

Wow! I didn't expect to get to a 100 so quickly... When I started this blog, I was only doing entries once or twice a month. Thanks to everyone who listens to me ramble on and on and on...

This last week was very scrappy! In addition to 6 mini books I did as a fundraiser for my sister (I'll be posting those that are left in my etsy shop soon), I completed quite a few pages and a mini-book for the Zone.

For Pink Sketches, I came up with this layout & card for the sketch this week. I love this paper from We R Memory Keepers!! It's soooo me: bright and full of colors. There is also layered chipboard tags/words and rubons to match... I couldn't wait to buy them!

I also did this page about Breast Cancer - you guys know from reading my blog how important this cause is to me. This summer, I walked in the Race for the Cure in Detroit. I wanted to do a special page that commemorated why we walked more than just that we walked. I thought it came out cool - I even incorporated items from the walk into the page. The ribbons (side of layout and the tabs under the clock) are actually New Balance shoe strings. The hanging charms at the bottom read "I AM THE CURE" and denote the sizes of typical lumps based on when they are detected. (The description from each is found on a tag that pulls out). I just love how this page came out. I have already had one survivor comment to me that she loved the page so for me, that is the most important thing.

This is a page I did using a picture I took of Annde's running shoes and an older picture of Annde running on the track. I've been hoarding this little picture for a while, trying to come up with the perfect layout. I think it came out awesome! It journals about how Annde has begun to show "Jana tendencies" such as running and how proud I am of them. I also wanted her to know that whatever she decides to do (in the future), we will be proud. And, if she wants to quit or is frustrated, to come to us and we'll work it out together.

My daughter is obsessed with Little Pets - we counted and she now has over 60 of them. I realized that while they might pop up here and there in a layout, I've never done one specifically about them. So, what the heck - Here's my Little Pet Layout...

I'll try to get the rest posted later in the week, including the cute slide mini book I did about Annde's first Camping Trip. It came out super cute... It came with my kit from the Zone, which was also filled with Daisy Bucket, Basic Grey, Bazzill, and plenty of Kaiser Rhinestones. Fabulous!! Chat with you later!

Rock on... It's Scrapping time!

So, it's been a really scrappy week... so much that my hubby accused me of getting behind on the housework. AHAHAHA! Of course I will chose to scrap before I chose to fold laundry! DUH! My excuse: I was actually watching the Olympics and just scrapbooking on the side, not just scrapbooking. I am so excited track has started! Plus, my August kit (Vegetable Garden) has been totally rockin' my mojo - I've already done 3 pages with it! I'll have to take some pics soon...

Here's some things I have done lately:

The OLYMPICS page... I totally love this page! It's so me... I used very minimal products because I wanted to really focus on the topic. Plus, I didn't have any pictures of my own. I used the web to find the rings and the pictures of Amy (off her website) and Jackie (from wiki)...

Don't forget - if you do a layout and post a link, you will be entered to win the prize pack posted below...

This is my first sketch page for Pink Sketches. The website debuted last Sunday with almost 700 hits! Fabulous!! I did a layout about Steve's trip to the PGA for his birthday. The white rickrack pulls a journalling tag out for his memories. It was an expensive week but it was totally worth it! Because they don't allow cameras on the course during play, the pictures were from the practice rounds (M-Th). Steve did a good job, eh? I went with him on Saturday and we sat on the fairway of the 1st, the green of the 9th (which allowed us to see the tee boxes of 9, 1, and 10), and the green of 5. I could have reached out and patted several players' bottoms on 5 but it would have gotten me ejected, eh? Might have been worth it! On Saturday, we got POURED on (hence the rain clouds on the map over the 5th hole) and ran for the club house but didn't get there - instead we stood under a tall pine tree... (Smart, eh? Judith Gordon Lowe is probably rolling over in her sleep and telling the Girl Scouts to revoke all my badges!) I was cheering for Phil but it was still such a fun experience! I'd love to do it again some time...

I also went to Tracy's 3rd fundraiser crop for her Breast Cancer 3Day walk. I hadn't planned on going because it was going to be difficult to fit in timing-wise but I am glad I did. I got 1 1/2 pg done which I will post when I get a chance. It was fun and successful! Look for information coming out in the next week or two involving my fundraiser crop in October for my sister's 3 Day! I hope you all can come!!

Well, I am off... I have work stuff to do. I should have some more scrappy stuff to post soon so come back soon, y'here?!?

One last note: Congratulations to Carol, the winner of the Pink Sketches RAK! I can't wait to see what you create!

Rock on! It's Sketches time!!

Tomorrow's the Big Day... tomorrow, Pink Sketches will official be open for challenges. I am so excited because I can't wait to see how the other DT ladies rocked the sketch and to show my own creation!

Come join in the fun! Our first challenge will be posted tomorrow and will have a prize of a $10 gift certificate to Two Peas in A Bucket!! What a fabulous prize just for doing a layout and posting it...

So click on over ---> Pink Sketches and let the fun begin!! Tell that that I sent you (in a comment) and you'll win a little prize from me!!

"Around the World..." the fans are cheering!

So, it's Day 5 of the Olympics and I haven't been to bed before midnight yet!


I stayed up last night to watch Michael Phelps kick butt in 2 more events, winning 2 more gold and setting 2 more world records. Man, he and the rest of the swimteam rocks!!

I also watched as our women's gymnastics team was forced to settle for Silver and I want to say to the federation who is in charge of this "new" system - it's broke and you need to fix it! It shouldn't take 10-15 minutes to judge a 2-3 minute routine! The US lost the gold because poor Alicia couldn't maintain her high level of adrenline and maintain focus for 15 minutes. The US Olympic "in charge" guys say it was due to TV issues but here's a clue from someone watching the show: you showed her standing around for 10 minutes ON THE TV buddy... it wasn't to line it up - you kept cutting back to swimming because she was STILL waiting... As a former athlete - I know how hard it is to wait for that period of time, standing on a stage waiting to start. It's not like she was able to put her headphones on or talk to her coach... she was forced to stay up there and walk around which is difficult. It messed with her head and her start and ultimately affected her floor exercise as well. Good job, judges, you handed the title to China again... Plus - I would love to know how Shawn got almost an identical score with the Chinese chick when she had only one bobble... only one on that sideways flip... and the Chinese girl was checking her balance all over the beam. What a crock! Home team definitely has an advantage - especially when it comes to using underage athletes. China - please! Look at your girls and tell us with a straight face that they are 16. The little one looks like my 10 year old neighbor. Same body figure, same missing teeth... Don't assume the world hasn't figured out that you faked their passports. It will come out, like the steriod usage has. And then you really will look like a bunch of cheaters!


I am super proud of all our athletes and how well they are doing - USA rocks!!

Phew! Now that I've had my 2 minutes on the soapbox, onto other stuff...

A couple of days ago, I mentioned a contest for the Olympics.
Last night, I put together the prize pack with over a dozen sheets of paper (patterned and cardstock), rubons, buttons, felt and acrylic shapes (flowers, stars, etc...), tags & journaling blocks, and over 7 feet of ribbon. All you have to do is post a link here showing your pride in teamwork, sports, the Olympics... Here's a pic of the summer themed prize pack...

So get those entries in before the closing ceremony on the 24th of August and I'll post the winner in the 25th.

So, back to fun stuff...

Today was Annde's Preschool Olympics Celebration. They "competed" in various events (egg walk, water balloon tossing, pie throwing, obstacle course, sack race, balloon tennis, fishing, bean bag toss) to win prizes (as well as get tattoos and faces painted). These are the medals that each kid received at the end of the day for participating and they were very excited about them. Annde and I made them last night as well as the celebratory cupcakes (chocolate frosted with 'olympic' colored sprinkles in the batter and on the frosting). The cutting(mom) and glueing(Annde) was a little ragged on the medals but they came out so cute and Annde was so proud of her work that I didn't go back and fix them after she went to bed.

Annde had fun participating for the most part. She was sad because her 'boyfriend' Jeff was also partnering with Zoe, another buddy. Since Jeff is no longer at her Preschool (he goes to Kindergarten in the fall), she doesn't get to see him like Zoe does (she lives across the street from Jeff). And Zoe was being very territorial about Jeff. So there were a lot of tears about 'I want Jeff to be my partner and Zoe isn't sharing!' I actually got a picture of Zoe, Little Jackie (another girl), and Annde all pulling at Jeff and saying "I want Jeff to be my partner!" Sigh! It's already began, eh? Jeff's dad and I just shook our heads. I'll put some pics up later in the week of all the fun. Actually, the funniest part was when I turned around to help one of the teachers and Brandon (That little stinker!) hit me smack dab in the stomach with a water balloon... The whole middle of me got wet and it looked like I had an accident! And, I didn't have time to change before I had to go back to work... Luckily, it somewhat dried quickly and stopped being noticable.

Lastly...

This weekend, Pink Sketches premieres and I am super excited about the page I did for the first week... You will have to wait until the weekend to see it but here's a little peak about it... The page involves the last week of fun from the PGA. It's a traditionally Jana page with lots of embellishment and memorabilia from the weekend. The page is a bit on the busy side and I am still waiting on Steve to write his notes from the experience to put on the hidden block (see below) but I LOVE it and hope you will too! Check the site on Sunday for the big reveal!

Have fun tonight and catch the swimming tonight at 11pm EST as Michael Phelps goes for some more gold! I'm off...

PS: While there are probably a bunch of songs named "Around the World"... the one I picked off my IPOD is by the Red Hot Chili Peppers...

Dah... Dah... Dah, dah,dah, dah dah... DAH DAH DAH DAH... dah dah dah dah dah dah dah... (Olympic theme)

Don't you just love the Olympics? I do...

As I child, I dreamed of standing on the podium. As a teenager/college student, I tried to make it happen (and wasn't all that far off). It's cool to see people I knew and competed against out there on the track running and jumping and throwing. So, I just LOVE every 4 years when the Summer Olympics come back. I am glued to the TV/Internet watching results and cheering on my team...

I stayed up late last night to watch the *PHENOMENAL* 4x100 freestyle Men's competition. It really was the race of the Olympics. They broke the world record by almost 4 seconds! (Actually, I think 4 different teams actually broke the record...) The US won by 0.08 seconds! And, they were behind with only 20m to go... I was jumping up and down going "GO! GO! GO!" (quietly as I could since I was the only one still awake)... It was SOOO AMAZING! (Especially after they beat the French, who had predicted that they would "smash" the US team... AHAHAHA)

Also amazing were Men's and Women's gymnastics. Now you might be saying, well, they aren't #1 going into the team competition. The truly amazing part is that they are both still in it with 2 members of the original team either at home or injured. This is what "team" is all about. The Men had to complete without the Hamm brothers - very integral to the success of the US team in 2004. Both pulled out before the games and the two alternates packed their backs and booked to Beijing- what true heart they have to come out with very little warning and work as hard as they have been. And the women - 2 injured on their team, 1 of which was during the warmups! The four members who could compete did so in each event (with all of their scores counting, instead of being able to pick and choose the best of the team to actually compete and drop the lowest score like every other team). Sure, they had bobbles and falls (and I want to take the judge from the balance beam out back and kick his *** - he clearly was not paying attention - he scored 2 of the 4 at almost a full point lower than than the other judges on the event! I mean, what was he thinking...) but they pulled it together and with the tremendous power, still showed up and did really well. I think that's what the Olympics are all about!

So ...

*HERE'S MY PRIZE CHALLENGE FOR YOU*

Do a page about your feeling about the Olympics, sports, the US... or anything that is related to teamwork. Post a link to your layout here in the comments. I'll have Annde draw the winner during the Closing Ceremonies (Aug 24) so your link has to be here before that date.

I'll post the fun prize you can win with my layout tomorrow or Wednesday... (I would have done it today but I just came up with the idea...)

Feel free to enter it into other challenges/contests such as the ones at Coordinate Collections or Scrapdango GDT challenge ("Using Numbers on your page") or head over to Pink Sketches and use their sketch for the week (will be posted on August 17th). There are links to the right if you want to find these contests/challenges... Enjoy!!

And GO USA!!

(BTW - John Williams wrote the Olympic theme that you hear when the coverage starts on TV... and the pictures posted are from the Yahoo Olympic coverage...)

It Brings Me to Life!

Don't you just love good news?

For a while, I have been looking for the right fit. I love my position on the Zone's DT. Kelley gives me awesome things to work with an amazing freedom to create what is in my heart. Every month, she challenges me with products that I wouldn't normally pick and I love what I can come up with...

I also really fit into a couple of online communities, like Coordinate Collections and Scrapdango. These women are talented and supportive of EVERY scrapper, regardless of skill level. They provide me with feedback, challenge, and fun conversation. And, a prize or two isn't bad either! :)
But, I was looking for something more... As a former athlete and current overachiever, I was looking for another challenge because honestly, I really thrive on them. Really!! In that Business writing seminar, we were challenged to come up with 3 words to describe ourselves in 30 seconds. Can you guess my 3 words...

Energetic
Organized
and... Competitive!
{Tracy, stop laughing!!}

You see, my friend Tracy told me that life will give you all the challenges you need and point you in the direction you should go. She told me that there was a place for me somewhere. I was feeling down in the dumps this week and she was letting me know that I will find that place, eventually. I just needed to keep the faith and keep looking for that challenge... and I am happy to report, I found it! And, it came about because of a special woman I know.

Recently, I have been helping a few very creative women get going in scrapbooking. One such woman is very special. Without going into her personal details too much, she is the mother of a young son with seizures. She's been battling for years on the seizure front and I am so happy to report, her son has been seizure free for 6 months. This is huge! I am so excited for the whole family. Recently, she decided to scrap the process of the last few years - from diagnosis to seizure free. I am serious, folks, when I say to you that the woman is soooo strong!

Tracy asked me to work with her and another new scrapper at a recent crop, one on one, to get them going on the hobby. I used a magazine to demonstrate how to create a page by having them each pick out a layout they liked and teaching them how to break it down into a sketch and then bring the sketch back through their page. This strong woman is doing her whole book on the seizure experience this way.

Any-who, this lesson got me back into using sketches. I have always loved them... I love how you can take one and fill it, dip it, and smack it down to create something new. I try not to be too strict in following it but I do love to create the sketches and use them on pages...

Now, you're saying, Jana - SPIT IT OUT!! What's the good news? Well, now that I've punished you through tons of text, here it is:

I have been selected as a sketch designer for a new challenge site named:I decided to apply today after tossing it back and forth for awhile. It felt like a great fit because I am totally lovin' sketches and you all know my fascination with anything PINK! Seriously though, this site will have a weekly sketch posted. So, think of all that FUN challenge for me! I love the fact that this site will keep me scrapbooking weekly. How fun is that?!?!? I challenge all of you to bookmark Pink Sketches and participate with me! There will even be some prizes involved...

{BTW - Guess the song artist yet? It's by Evanescence...}

Do what you ***GOTTA** Do...

So, I finally ran out of room in my design book. This required me to buy another little book to keep my challenges, DT stuff, quotes, and other assorted fun stuff in. {You know me - little Miss Organization!!} I found this perfectly sized little recycled paper book in kraft color. I loved it - as well as it being on sale - so I bought it. Then I got home and decided ... I need to cover this because, while perfectly sized, brown is boring.

So, here's what I came up with:
I love the bright colors and the ribbon tie on it. The brown paper is pretty cool too. It is really bright and cheerful, which makes me happy. I am trying to find a cute quote about making your own happiness to put on the cover. Suggestions? Throw it in the comment section.

In the front, I doodled a little saying I heard yesterday in my Business Writing seminar that I really connected with... It was
Don't let your EXISTENCE rob you of your ESSENCE...

{We spent some time discussing this. I know, I know... Business writing? But, the professor, Dave Robey, was a really terrific lecturer. He had all kinds of great sayings that I kept doodling in this mini book.} But, back to the statement... Existence is what you do: your job, your commitments, your actions... Essence is who you are as a person: your heart, your mind, your choices... To me, it reminds me that life is all about balance. My existence (job) has taken over my essence (life) a lot within the last 10 years. The corporate world can be very hard on a woman - constantly trying to earn respect in a male-dominated field in order to receive equal pay and equivalent promotion. A lot of times, I find myself giving up to much of that balance - stressing myself out because a build is going poorly or a project is a minefield - to the existence side of things. I put this statement in the beginning of the book because Scrapping is more than just a hobby... it's a balance maker. It allows me to step back and reevaluate my life, my role as a parent, my relationships. It goes hand in hand with another one of his good statements:

Money is a motivator, not a satisfier.

This is sooo true. Yes, money can motivate you do to a lot of things but can you ever truly be satisfied with just money? I say no... I would love to have it (Think of all the great things you could do with it) but the problem with money is that once you have it, you just want to have more and more. So, you are never truly satisfied.

Well, that's enough philosophy on my part. I would have a bunch more stuff to post tonight but I ran out of adhesive... Yep! I ran out of adhesive! I can't believe I did that. I haven't done that in like 5 years! I had all these mini books prepped and nothing to put them together with. Guess they will have to wait until tomorrow, after I can pick up some more glue. Sigh! I'm such a dork!

I guess I should go to bed. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow - looks like I have another double ear infection (2nd time in 6 months). Wonder if they put tubes in at my age? :)

I guess I'll just continue to "do what I gotta do"... {Guess the singer yet? He's my favorite! Good ole Garth Brooks!}

"I am just a blank sheet of paper..." - Nope! I am a BOOK!!!

This is August's book for the Coordinates Collections Book Club:

Made popular by the recent movie based on it, this book is about a book club who reads nothing but Jane Austen books. The club, 5 women and 1 man, discusses Jane Austen books while learning/hurting from real love. I read all the Jane Austen books in High School so it's kind of interesting to see what I remember... So far, I like the book but I am not done yet. Join in the conversations by visiting Coordinates Collections or check out the background at the book here: Amazon's review.

This month's Scrap Happy bookclub is reading this one:

It's the second book by Maria de Los Santos I have read and while I didn't *love* it, it was entertaining. Feel free to join in the conversations over at Good Reads or Coordinates Collections or check out the background on the book here on Amazon's review.

We got ambitious over at Coordinates Collections... we picked three books (the previous two and this one!)... I am a huge Nora Roberts fan - I've read almost every book she's written (not too fond of the J.D. Robb ones) and of course, I had to get this one as soon as it came out. I was not disappointed! Definitely a great one! I can see where she might spin this out to a series of trilogies... Great characters and plot...

So, join in the discussion on this one by heading over to Coordinates Collections or check the background on the book by checking Amazon. I highly recommend this one...

Happy Reading everyone...

Did you guess who sings "Blank Sheet of Paper"? It's Tim McGraw... It's a song about asking for forgiveness and how hard it can be... Its kinda slow and bluesy and matches my mood right now...

"And so it goes..."

Well, the weekend didn't go according to plan... AT ALL. Not one thing happened that was supposed to. That happens when the kid gets sick and doesn't get better.

As a parent, it can be super frustrating when your kid doesn't get better. Thank goodness I have great insurance because 2 trips to the Dr (1 conventional, 2 Urgent Care) and 3 different prescriptions only cost me $80. But, she was seen by 3 different doctors and had 3 different diagnoses. The only things that I know for certain are:

1. She still is running a fever (101-104) constantly (the tylenol & motrin keep it down most of the time) after 5 days,

2. She sound HORRIBLE - she so congested... and she snores when she's sick - REALLY loudly,

3. She hates to take medicine - no matter what kind, what flavor, what amount...

and ...

4. If she didn't open her mouth, you wouldn't know she was sick.

She acts normal, completely normal. It blows my mind! When I am sick, I mope and complain. I drag around the house. As for Annde, she is playing and coloring and reading and joking around. The only thing that's off is her eating. Since she can't breathe through her nose or taste the food or swallow very well, she's not too interested. I guess it takes a 104 degree fever to slow her down. I have to say she's a trooper. So far, she's been diagnoses with an ear infection (100% gone 2 days later), a sinus infection (duh! Her nose is completely running and she can't breathe through it), and now tonsilitious (which also didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out since they are HUGE and red). No strep, no mono... all tests negative. Anyone have any suggestions for me because I would really like to crack this fever! It's been 5 days already...

Onto "much more funner" (Annde's phrase of the month) stuff...

While Annde was napping, I was scrapping. I got a page or two done as well as this really cute message board. I am using it for work to keep my TO DO tasks at hand.

I making them as a fundraiser for my sister as well. So, if you want one, they are a bargain price of $10 (+shipping, if necessary). I will make it to your choice of colors and topic (to do, calendar, appointments, etc...). The board itself is just shy of 9"x12" and is magnetic. It comes with 4 matching square magnets and if you want the cute little tasks (you can use dry erase markers on them and they have magnets on the back) tabs, I will throw them in for free. Just contact me via email (tallgirl_msu@yahoo.com) and I will make arrangements with you. 100% of the profits will go to the 3 Day walk by my sister. I am making mini-books of different sizes and shapes, too. Some premade magnet boards and mini books will be in my new etsy shop in the next week or two so watch for the link... Don't forget that you can donate directly to Susan (my sis) or Tracy (my BFF) at their links to the left.

Well, that's all for now. I am still waiting to hear who the lucky winners are of the Scrapdango DT Challenge. Everyone was so talented that I am glad that I don't have to make the decision!

PS: Did you guess who the song is by? It's one of my favorites from when I was in college and is song by Billy Joel. Kuddos if you got it right!