Delight Workshop Day 5

I was able to finish these 2 pages on Friday night's crop at Scrapbook Territory. There was a great group of gals there that night so we had a lot of laughs. Besides chatting, I spent the rest of my time there getting messy. I misted, inked and sprayed a new mini-book because I loved playing with these new techniques from Vee's class.

Tim Holtz came out with a new demo video showcasing the new distress Rock Candy Stickles and clear distress crackle paint. I need to get my hands on the stickles. Love the vintage glass-feel it gives your projects! Check out the link below.



So tomorrow we are off for 5 days of camping in Big Sur at Fernwood Resort. It looks amazing. I'm just hoping the weather is nice enough so we can all enjoy the water.

Delight Workshop Day 4

OK - I'm a day behind but here's what I finished last night.

I'm halfway done with today's page but am heading out to Scrapbook Territory in Berkeley for a crop tonight. It should be a good time as Alison from Hambly will be there doing make and takes as well as the ever-spunky Suzy West from My Little Shoebox.

I'm planning on bringing all of the inks, paints and mists that I own and an entire roll of paper towel! This book is fun to make but it is definitely a very messy process!

Hmmm...now I'm wondering if I can get Bruce to bring home some rubber gloves from the lab so I don't keep adding layer after laying of ink to my fingers which are currently turquoise. :)

Enjoy the weekend! What are your plans?

Delight Workshop Day 3

This class is getting better by the day! Here are my 2 newest pages.




I also ran 5 1/2 miles this morning - which is my longest run yet!

Delight Workshop Day 2

I'm slowly layering my pages. Can I say that water + re-inkers + mini-misters make me giddy? :)

Delight Workshop Day 1

Vee Jenning's online technique class started today. I couldn't wait to get home from work to see what was in store for me!

We created a mini-book using watercolor paper (I'm loving the paper already!) and started the first step - I am sure of many! for the cover and some glimmer misting of chipboard negative pieces. This is where I am so far. More to come tomorrow!

A "Vee-lightful" Workshop

Today I am starting an online creative workshop with the uber-talented Vee Jennings. I follow her blog religiously! Love her creativity and style. {sigh}

I am not exactly a user of "negative space" and masking so I figured this workshop should get me out of my comfort zone. Plus, I have a whole lot of paint, inks and what-not ready to be put to use in my overflowing scrap room!

If you're interested in the class perhaps it's not too late. Registration ended yesterday but perhaps a 'pretty please!' would get you in the door! I plan to post my work daily here

So what are you waiting for? Sign up and join me!

Let's hope this is a better week!

I pride myself in the fact that I am normally a really good sleeper. My husband is jealous that I can put my head down on the pillow and be asleep within 5 minutes. Well, that certainly wasn't the case this past week.

I was up on Wednesday until 4:30am and managed to sleep for about 1 1/2 hrs. And this was after taking a melatonin to help me sleep!

I was a zombie the next day and still managed to get a terrible night's sleep on Thursday. By Friday morning I was beside myself. I took some advice from a friend {you know who you are!} and went to Walgreens and bought myself some Nyquil. Aaaaaahhhh!!! Talk about a GREAT night's sleep!

So I've been out of my regular workout schedule due to my sleep issues but managed to squeeze in a run this afternoon. The 85 + degree weather didn't help matters but it felt good to get out on the road!



Any runners out there? What are your favorite motivating songs on your iPod when you run? I need a new playlist!

This and that

A bunch of randomness for today:

the ATC I finished yesterday for a SisTV swap. The theme was "GO Green" so I tried to use as many recycled materials as I could. I used extra kraft cardstock, a Starbucks eco-friendly mini-newspaper that came last winter I had saved, I cut up packaging from some scrapbooking supplies to use as a 'tag' and cut up some currogated cardboard from some packaging box. The flower is made of some old Basic Grey patterned paper from my scrap bin, a crossword puzzle from the day's newspaper and a vintage bingo marker. My 'leaves' were made by cutting up a plastic water bottle and using alcohol ink to make it green. I think the only non-recycled material was the RECYCLE text I used with my Dymo label maker.




I did a 5K run this morning and focused on speed since I ran a shorter distance. Anyone know of a 10K run in the Bay Area in the next month or so? I can't seem to find one!



Nikki Peterson had a fun quiz on her blog today where it asks you to pick out your favorite colors and decor to determine your decor style. Mine came back as Family Modern which seems about right. My decor seems to be family-friendly since I have a 7 year-old who likes to tear up the house. Try it out here.

Duran Duran Appreciation Day

August 10th - Duran Duran Appreciation Day!

I'm just sayin'! :)

Come on, I am a Duranie after all!

Happy Duran Duran Appreciation Day!

Milestone!

I've never been an athlete. Never played a sport in school in my life. I've never claimed to be a good runner. I actually hated running until I was forced to run outside last year thanks to my trainer. I realized that I loved the fresh air, the trees and the blue skies and the moms walking their babies in strollers and the pet owners walking their dogs.

I think I used to run a 12-minute mile on the treadmill at the gym. Mind you, running on a treadmill is WAY easier than running on a road or trail. You only have your own body serving as momentum! As of last year I hadn't run further than 2 miles without having to stop to catch my breath.

For those of you who follow my blog you might remember that I ran my first 5K last November. It was a goal I had set for myself to keep myself motivated to continue improving on my runs.
It was such an exhilarating experience being out with other runners of all ages and abilities. I ran the 5K (3.1 miles) in 32 minutes. Since that run I decided that my next goal would be to run a 10K.

So the race is still another 4 months away (I'm going to do the same run in SF - "Run Wild for a Child" which benefits the SF Firefighters Toy Program but I've been focusing on running on a more regular basis.

Today I ran my first 5-mile run!



Granted, I'm not the fastest runner in the world but I've managed to cut 2 minutes off of my mile since I started running. It's a start and now I can start to feel a bit more confident about being able to finish a 10K.

A special thanks to Donna Downey for giving me the low-down on the Nike + i-Pod sensor so I can keep track of all of my runs!

Bono and Camping...

Yeah, the two don't go together except in this post. Ha! ha!

Just a few crafty projects I've been working on.

First is an ATC I did for a SisTV swap based on your favorite music lyrics. This was a no-brainer for me. I love the lyrics to "Running to Stand Still" from U2's The Joshua Tree album. This lyrical phrase always stands out to me:

You got to cry without weeping Talk without speaking Scream without raising your voice

I consider myself to be an emotionally strong person (well, except for when I watch "Extreme Home Makeover Edition" as I will cry rivers every. single. show!) and I think that this oxymoronic phrase means that despite running into what may seem to be the impossible is just something that we need to work to overcome and that it will serve only to make us stronger.

OK - enough of the deep stuff. ;)

Here's a campin' mini-album I finished using currogated cardboard, a tag, some chipboard, an old game card and a Hambly overlay. I finally decided to use the Crate Paper I've been hoarding since last year.

So, can you believe it's August???

I'm a Sassafras Lass Winner!

...over on their blog! I won their ENTIRE Sweet Marmalade line!


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are you ready for today's list of winners?

ready or not...

LEXI wins all the embellishments!

VICKY wins all the felties!

SEBBY wins all of monstrosity!

NEEN wins all of amplified!

DIANE B. wins all of sweet marmalade!

congratulations! thank you for loving sassafras and for commenting on our blog!

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Yay!!!

{does the happy dance}

My Second Grader

Here he is on his first day of school on Tuesday.



Dad and Darren in the classroom.



How did my baby grow up so fast???