10 CHA faves + some extras.

l.a. was a weird, but good time! i highly recommend staying in little tokyo when you're in l.a. the amazing sushi, ramen (which i'm still dreaming about) and prime availability of hello kitty goods were all amazing, as well as the nearby yogurtland and weiland brewery! i had a great time with the craft critique girls and loved seeing a bunch of my other fave scrappy peeps. the c.c. girls kept me mostly sane during my flight home drama (4 canceled flights) and had a really great time seeing more of l.a thanks to sarah, and her cousin, who let me crash their family time while i was not-so-stranded in l.a. for an extra day.

the actual CHA show was pretty much a whirlwind, as always, and there was a whole bunch of new & inspiring things! now that i've had time to decompress i thought i'd share just 10 of my favorite new items/releases.

01.SMASH* from ek success - i pretty much fell in love with this the second i happened by the booth. i think my text to sarah went something like this, "ohmygodsmashbookdrooling." you can check out more pictures of the bits and pieces and my article all about it for craft critique here, the main break down is that there are 4 different styles of SMASHbook (at least now) that you use the SMASHpen (half glue stick, half pen) to SMASH things into the book with. then there are a whole score of cute accessories and embellishments to help tell your stories and save your memorabilia! it's kind of like a gateway drug to scrapbooking, or a modern approach to old school, o.g. scrapbooking. my favorites are the awesome date/saying stamp, washi tape with words, metal clips, pockets and the little jotters!

02. wrmk sew easy add-ons - i've already been loving my sew easy, but now there is even more to love; new floss (including bakers twine), new wider heads (including 2 different banner shapes) and a storage case that you know i'm dying to own! check out my full craft critique article here.

03. lawn fawn stamps - i'm loving this little company even more now that i've met the designer and friends who run it, they are so sweet and really love what they do! i really can't wait to get my hands on the "say cheese" & "critters in the forest" sets. i see so many cute paper piecing and copic marker-ing opportunities here! check out how cute their booth was, and some more of their new release in my craft critique article here.

04. hambly washi tapes - i didn't run across any scrappy ladies at the show who weren't loving hambly's brand new addition to their repertoire, washi tapes! they pulled from their new and existing paper/transparency patterns for the washi tape and it's something a lot of people, including me, are stoked to use, plus it was so fun to see a very pregnant allison, so cute!

05. sprinklers from october afternoon - awkward name aside, this mist-able paint, a new product for o.a. at least, is something i'm really interested to try out when it starts shipping. the basics are something i've already seen around the industry, but i'm pretty smitten with this set of colors here, especially "robot blue" which happens to match my nails right now. check out my october afternoon article right here.

06. "campy trails" thickers - it's no secret that i am thickers obsessed, and the fact that i'm picking just 2 new thickers fonts from the new american craft release is a testament to my desire to keep this post short-ish. i love, love, love the colors and fonts that coordinate with the "campy trails" collection. the "meadow" font is printed glossy chipboard, and usually i don't love all caps, but i am obsessed with the fact that these have a cream background. "forest" is woodgrain patterned glossy chip and just super yummy in general. you can check out the 4 new collections, and the rest of the thickers, in my american crafts article here.

07. crate paper's "portrait" collection - this is crate paper's wedding/heritage collection but i just see so many possibilities for this collection that it's crazy! the colors, patterns and chip bits are to die for. can't wait to get these in my mitts. crate paper's entire release from CHA is pretty awesome, if they can make me love a floral, they're doing something right. check out all 4 new collections in my crate paper article here.

08. new "double dot" patterns - the original double dot (tone on tone polka dots on one side, tone on tone distress on the other) has been popular for a while and now they have come out with 3 new double sided basics patterns! i love the new "journal" best and the hexagons on the backside of the "stripe" are pretty cool in some of the colors as well. i just think that the "journal" will make such a rad base for many a layout. you can see the rest of bo bunny's new stuff here in my craft critique article.

09. mme "stella & rose" - this is the newest rack collection from my minds eye and, as always, the colors are so saturated and beautiful i'm kind of drooling over them. 4 different color families, lots of new little bits and the 6x6" paper pads are pretty cool too.

10. maya road mini sets - most of maya road's new mini chip sets are pretty cool and have ideas spinning in my head already, but what really caught my eye were these two sets of mini canvas banners! i know that banners are everywhere, and they will jump the shark soon enough, if they haven't already, but these little canvas guys (they're only about 1.5" long) are really kind of precious, don't you think? how sweet would they be misted with splatters of pigment?!?

there is a ton more CHA coverage up on craft critique including tons of new companies from every crafty persuasion, and here are the rest of my articles from CHA;

* my cute stamps

* clip it up!

* webster's pages

* sassafras

* fancy pants

* making memories

friday (twenty)five #32

as promised, i attempt to make up for my recent (and upcoming) blog neglect by sharing a whole bunch of my cha preview & new release favorites all at once in the form of a hearty "friday (twenty)five."

01. crate paper "restoration" doilie paper 02. dear lizzy "enchanted" flower brads 03. mme "alphabet soup" music note paper 04. echo park "life is good" paper collection (i think this will combine perfectly with cp's "restoration!") 05. cosmo cricket "togetherness" chip shapes 06. webster's pages whimsies (dying over these colors!) 07. american crafts "max" alphabet stamps 08. basic grey "wander" papers 09. ranger distress stickles round 2 (crushed olive! pumice stone! chipped sapphire! forest moss!) 10. tattered angels "apple" glimmer mist (this will be on everything porous i own) 11. cosmo cricket "togetherness" bird paper 12. american crafts "bones" illustrated thickers 13. jillibean soup "past fagioli - italian seasoning" paper (i want to line the back of our kitchen cabinets in this!) 14. crate paper "school spirit- report card" paper 15. cosmo cricket yellow "tiny type" alpha stickers 16. studio calico "mister hueys" basics (white & cream are opaque!!!) 17. ek success "doilie" & "cupcake" border punches (the cupcakes are very "hello kitty" to me) 18. imaginisce "cottage christmas" (love pink in a christmas line) 19. american crafts "heart" puffy thickers (love a good tall skinny font!) 20. mme "i believe" papers 21. basic grey "jovial" collection (love the pretty black backgrounds for a christmas line!) 22. american crafts "stroll" glazed chipboard thickers (their glazed thickers are way shinier in person, love) 23. october afternoons "campfire" collection 24. we r memory keepers "sew easy" paper piercing stitch tool (i may finally start stitching on paper as much as i want to!!!) 25. mme "blackbird" chip characters

because i like 7...

... i'll dish on my 7 favorite new products/collections released at cha last week.

01. "the boyfriend" by cosmo cricket -  i think we are all drooling over this one. love the deep red test sheet, paper airplanes, and obviously i'm super stoked on the tone on tone mix tapes! plus, i've already gushed about the chip stickers that go with this line, but i'll say it again! love that they went with a tape walkman instead of an ipod, polaroid instead of a regular camera & chucks instead of newer sneakers! still can't wait to get my hands on those, but i was lucky enough to snag some of this paper when i placed our order, so look for it in something fun soon!

02. tim holtz's "film strip ribbon" - this is one of those things we're all going to be seeing in every kit ever as soon as it becomes available, but for good reason. it's well thought out; 3 yards of transparent "ribbon" that looks like film strip, packaged in a mini film can. plus, it's sized to easily fit index prints in the frames and the holes along the edge are actually punched out. 3 yards gives you a lot of room to play and come up with all kinds of killer uses for it.

03. "doilies" rub-ons from hambly screen prints - so, to me, the last few sets of rub-ons from hambly have seemed thicker and a little shinier than the past rub-ons, and i'm totally cool with that. in fact, i think that is what makes them look so awesome on clear acrylic albums, which is exactly what i have in mind for these new "doilies" rub-ons! the colors are awesome and they've already sent my creative wheels spinning with ideas for a cool class.

04. we r memory keepers' "teen angst" mini stamp sets - the paper line itself is pretty hideous, and 90-ish% of the embellishments terrify me, but the mini stamp sets are ridiculous! the one pictured above happens to be my favorite, because of the mix tape and 3d glasses obviously, but other sets also have scooters, headphones, ipods & other awesome little icons! hopefully we'll have our hands on these soon so that i can get to playing!

05. lifestyle's "home letterpress system" - i'm sure everyone's heard a ton of buzz on this already, but i'll share my love anyway! lifestyle (an imprint of quickutz) is releasing a home letterpress system to be used with their new epic six cutting tool, but from what i hear it will also work with the cuttlebug and other comparable 6 inch crank cutting systems. anyway, i know that most diehards will say that this is a total bastardization of the "art of letterpress", which i love as much as the next discerning design groupie, but with this system you can start letterpressing at home for $70-$150 and it's usability is beyond easy. i was lucky enough to win the epic six at the show, so now i will just eagerly await the release of all the letterpress goodies so i can start cranking 'em out! they are starting with 15 printing plate sets (and will release more every 1 to 2 months) & 20 ink colors (which mix easily to create new colors!) the design capabilities are going to be beyond awesome!

06. "amplify" collection from sassafras lass - music notes, vintage tickets, handwriting sheets and all kinds of sweet geometric patterns & graphic, stylized flowers in rich raspberry, deep teal and yummy mango. i mean, i don't really need to say anything else, right? look for this in class ideas already working around in my head too!

07. ranger's "rock candy distress stickles" - so, the magic of distress stickles are that they are gradient matte glitter chunks in the beloved tim holtz distress colors. much like the "antique linen" distress stickles were our go to distress stickles for snow on old-timey & cream based holiday cards last year, the new clear edition, called "rock candy" are sure to be the go to for everything this holiday card making season! they remind me of antique glitter glass chunks & martha's oversized snow glitter that we were all obsessing over last year, but built into the glue already. so pretty!

obviously, there was a lot of really great stuff at the show, but these are the things that came to the front of my mind right away. lots of awesome things will be making their way into the store, and especially the new location, so get psyched!

photobooth hysteria...

... that's a pretty simplified way for me to describe cha this summer! dcwv had a bootleg photobooth  at the show (2 rows of 3 shots on a 4x6 with ads in the center) and the awesome tapas place we went to wednesday night had the real deal. snagged 7 bootleg editions at dcwv and the bunch you see up there at the actual photobooth.  i got back late last night, and haven't gotten to scan my pictures yet, but i got this shot of all our photo strips all lined up at cafe tutu tango and am now thinking i should have figured out a way to steal that desk, cause that color is ridiculous!

i'll actually blog when i get some time to think about all the stuff at the show, promise!

this is the moment...

it's no secret that my austin trip was awesome, and largely due to kerry being the best tour guide ever. first thing we did after we dropped off my luggage was head to south congress to find me some cowboy boots. after we'd walked about a block or so we turned a corner and these are the shop fronts i saw... totally drooling. the colors & feel of austin are amazing, anyway i whipped my camera out and that's the exact moment i fell in love with austin.

this layout was one of those that was kind of like pulling teeth. more use of product i've been stashing away, and i even used the punched out holes from the die cut paper, yay! anyway, i still feel like it needs a little something in that one spot, but for now this is how it'll live for a bit.  p.s. the we-r-memory keepers corner chomper is the best new tool out there. it makes me want to round everything!

i have a bunch of layout ideas in my head, a lot of them using the brooklyn pictures from last weekend, but they will have to wait for a little bit; classes to design and my trip to orlando for cha next week!

ooh! also, i'm planning another fall charity crop for the first weekend in november, possibly, and i'm looking for suggestions for the charity it will benefit. i was thinking save the music, but am now thinking about the salvation army, some sort of animal rescue charity or something else school related. any ideas?

i'm in the o.c. but where's seth cohen?

so, i've arrived at cha all safe and sound! man is that 6 hour flight more than a little boring! i got into the hotel around 9ish and unpacked right away, i totally have to like move in to a hotel room, i hate that living out of a suitcase feeling! the "closet" is full, the bathroom counter is covered and my work station is all good to go. and yes, i am a total nerd. i had a killer quesadilla, a sierra nevada and went to bed early, well early for west coast time, and had an odd time with the feeling of this huge king size bed. at one point i woke up sleeping on it sideways, there's something really disconcerting about sleeping on a perfect square!

my slow morning consisted of  watching "jumper", doing a little preemptive class planning so that i know what to order extras of and going over my notes for the show via text message with dawn. then i headed over to the convention center, making a quick stop at the starbucks in the hilton on my way. much to my excitement they had the hot cup sleeves i need for my class next month, and the barista was nice enough to give me a bunch of them! anyway, i got my pass printed, it's best to beat the rush there will be tomorrow morning, grabbed some of the catalogs that were out on the literature spinny thing and then sat outside enjoying the palm trees for a little while. you just can't beat some palm tree shade in january, it does my state of mind good!

so, right now i'm trying to decide where to have dinner before i head over to the s.e.i. presentation party and then it's time for some more notes and resting up for the first day of the show tomorrow! i should have some way more exciting posts after tomorrow! 

i'm good, i'm (almost) gone

so i've been running around like crazy getting ready to leave for cha tomorrow (well i guess today, legally, eek!). some of you may know this about me, but i love to have things perfectly set up when it comes to stuff like this and pretty much love any excuse to label, make lists & create organizational systems. so, before every show i make myself a little notebook to keep all my notes, booth listings (alphabetical & by booth #)  and any items i need to remember to re-order at the show all in one place. anyway, here's my little notebook for this years winter show, gotta love that bind-it-all!

ooh! i also wanted to share my most recent workout mix for all you peeps with the wii fit, or any sort of workout plan, i guess. this is the latest draft of what i listen to when i'm doing the "30 minute free step". it's just over 30 minutes, and it starts slow, gets more upbeat and then winds back down so you aren't dieing by the end. i usually do nerdy little moves like changing my lead foot & knee lifts during the faster parts of the upbeat songs so that i get the most out of it.  just make sure you are listening to the bass beat on a lot of the tracks or you'll end up going too fast for the balance board to properly read your steps. for the most part though i don't really worry about going to fast for it because it's about the workout you're getting, not the end "score" or whatevs. anyway, here it is;

01. "walking" by the dodos

02. "i'm good, i'm gone" by lykke li

03. "sunrise" by yeasayer

04. "i don't wanna be in love" by good charlotte (yeah, i said good charlotte.)

05. "get myself into it" by the rapture

06. "shut up and let me go" by the ting tings

07. "pot kettle black" by tilly and the wall

08. "electric feel" by mgmt

09. "for emma" by bon iver

a little random, but it totally works. i'm sure i'll need a brand new one in a couple of weeks, but for the time being, this is one is totally doing it for me.

anyway, i'm off to finish up the packing i can do tonight, dvr all my shows for the week, and then it's off to sleep, if i can stop making lists in my head that is! my flight leaves at 5:30 tomorrow evening so i still have time! i'm not sure what form it will be in yet, but i'll definitely be blogging from the show, promise!

oh yeah... i blog.

so, to sum up the past few months, i've been working, movie-going, rocking, shopping, creating, reading & a bunch of other things, but i was definitely not blogging, or even keeping up with people's blogs for that matter. sorry guys! (if anyone still reads this.)

anyway, this is what my table at home looked like on sunday. i have a new work form home day that i'm totally loving. and since i'm heading into philly tommorow, which would be my normal work from home day, i switched it to sunday. at this point i was taking a little break from class prep to check on the status of some orders and search for more cha release sneak peeks (has anyone else noticed that there really haven't been many this show?)  

ooh! and that's my brandy-new macbook aluminum in the photo, which i am on as we speak and still totally adjusting too! there are a few things i miss from my pc days (y'know like last week) like cutting and pasting and ms paint, which although a little ghetto, got me where i needed to go, haha. i'm really excited that's it's nice and light and it will be so much easier to travel with than the 20 pound dell.

speaking of travel, i leave for the winter cha show in anaheim friday evening and i'm kind of nowhere near ready. eek! or at least i don't feel ready. i'm probably closer than i think. i'm definitely curious about a lot of the manufacturers that haven't given any sort of peaks. i was thinking about doing a little video blogging from cha, but i'm not quite sure about that yet. i did a little test "filming" today and i'm a little spazzy and not very articulate, haha. but maybe i'll get used to it. who knows if anyone would even watch, haha.

well, i'm off to have my lean cuisine before the my class starts. i'm teaching the first of two sessions of "maximizing your 6 x 6 paper pads" heavy stuff, i know, haha. you can kind of peak the samples in that photo up there. : ) 

i promise to be a better blogger! 

...oops!

yeah, umm i guess i forgot that i'm a blogger? eek! i'm so not even going to attempt to catch up on things from the last few weeks, there is waaaaaay too much! suffice it to say, cha was awesome and i was all business in chicago, getting lots done and spending time with some of my scrappy ladies too. the product is already starting to roll in the doors in a major way and i've been playing with lots of new goodies already! to the left there is part of one our displays with two mini books i did using the new american crafts. i used a TON of "moda bella" for the "seeing stars" album (yes, there is an album in that box, see the be-ribboned ring sticking out of the top?) and spotlighted some of my celeb crushes/inspirations. i used the new "travel" line for the incredibly mini mini (the page protectors in there hold 3 x 3 layouts!!!) with pictures of some of my favorite jaunts into the city. i love how they both look on their little shelf amongst the product!

here's a card i was playing around with at the store the other day, i used the new cosmo cricket "haunted" collection, an imaginisce "snag 'em" stamp and lots of twinkling h20's & spica pens to make this little guy. add some fun velvet ric-rac and a "pumpkin" memory box card and you've got that cute little guy overe there! i love making and sending halloween cards, and it tends to happen more than christmas cards for me! they are unexpected and halloween papers are always beyond fun! i'm not sure if this guy will make the cut as the mass send out card, but he sure is a rad idea.

i've also done some new layouts for the store using the "moda bella" and "mr. campy" from cosmo cricket. "mr. campy" is one of my absolute favorite new releases, along with basic grey's "urban prarie", october afternoon's "hometown" and pretty much all their other lines and about a billion other fun things.


speaking of cha, remember when kristina created here themes for scrapblog? well, when she sent in her final artwork, she also sent some random pictures she had taken to be used in sample layouts for the site. so, imagine my surprise when k called to tell me that i was a postcard being passed out at the show, haha. i stopped by the booth and they very nicely gave me a packet of them to send out, haha. i would love for it to be a better picture (i'm not quite sure what that face is!) but i love kristina's themes! the white cedars painted on woodgrain? totally gorgeous!

let's see, what else? oh how about a totally random song thought? i'm a little bit obsessed with the song "i'm not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance" by the band black kids (don't get the band name). this song cracks me up and totally makes me want to bounce around like a dancing charlie brown character (ashley, by the way, is the most amazing charlie brown dancer ever! really, you should see it!) anyway, listen - love - bounce - youtube search charlie brown dancing - fall in love!

and on the movie front; the batman movie was totally amazing! i ventured down to the imax at king of prussia mall with rick, ryan, ian and some other people the day after i got back from cha and it was so ridiculously awesome in imax, as we the preview for "watchmen", which i also need to see in imax! then on friday we went to see "pineapple express" which was pretty hilarious (lagged a little before the very end) and quite the experience. let's just say i'm glad i was a couple of drinks in as it seemed to be a high school reunion in the theater, ugh! our next adventure? rock band on wii party in philly inevitably followed by dancing at 7hundrend club, sal's or the khyber because it has been waaaaaaaay too long since i crazy danced on a sticky, bouncing dance floor!


also, my thickers addiction has reached the point of complete craziness, wherein my thickers no longer fit in one bin. oops (again)! however, kitty likes that there is room in the second bin for him. he also doesn't seem to understand what is quite so funny about him being there, as evidenced by the look he was shooting me as i took this picture!

in other exciting, scrapbook related news, i fixed my typewriter!!! i won't even embaress myself by telling you all what the issue actually ended up being. we'll leave it at the fact that i'm way psyched that all is well with it because typewriter + mini photo printer + cha freebies = a very happy, scrappy, i-remembered-why-i-scrapbook morgan!

well, i am teaching my sassy summer acrylic mini album in a couple of hours, and again tommorow night, so i'm going to finish up the class kits.

i won't make any promises about regular blogging, but i will try. i also have mucho blog reading to catch up on! i don't know what anyone in the internet world is up to anymore, not to mention all the necessary portfolio updating! for the last time, oops!

i'm heading out!

just one sleep until i head out for cha in chicago tommorow morning, yay! pray that my travel is easier than it was for last years summer show, haha. i can't wait to hang with kristina, vee and the sis ladies, not to mention all the yummy new product to drool over, plan classes around and order! eep! can't wait! catch you on the flipside (mmm.... must watch boondock saints soon!)

oh, and speaking of movies... just finished watching penelope. i thought it was really cute and her bedroom was total eye candy, not to mention her amazing dress! i def reccomend it for a cute quick flick. the day after i get back from chicago i'm heading to the king of prussia mall with rick, ryan, ian and some other people to see batman: the dark knight at the imax theater, should be fun, even though they are total crazies and want to hang out at the mall for like 4 hours before! haha.

i'm sure i'll have lots of lovely pictures when i come back!

mucho fun in the sun!

so, i spent wednesday night at nicole's enjoying a little impromptu surprise belated birthday celebration while scrapping (she made me my fave cupcakes, funfetti, and got me the cutest little mustard colored purse evs!) nicole of course got some major cute-ness finished and i kind of pushed things around forever and then gave up and pulled some different stuff out and banged out a cutie layout in about 30 minutes. love when that happens!



while i was at nicole's marykate called to see if i wanted to head down the shore the next afternoon for the 4th of july weekend. after a little mental inventory of what clothes i actually had clean i said "of course." so, after a little late night laundry i got some sleep and headed to meet mk at her house and we headed down. maggie rode on my lap the whole way down and mostly just slept.


we had a lot of fun. lots of reading, really awesome food, some beers, a couple of days out on the boat, some mini golf and TONS of fireworks. of course charlie had to set off the professional ones from the back deck and everyone along the lagoon had one type or another. we played a ton of "left, right or center" too! i totallly need to pick me up some of those dice! it's a really fun game to play, especially with a big group. you can play with $3 for a really long time, haha.


so here's a little list-y of things i've been doing, digging on and dieing over;


* rock band for wii- hello! i totally knew i was going to love this! i spent 6 hours singing all the songs at the too of my lungs the first full dya i had it. now to perfect those pesky drums! my highest score songs are def "i think i'm paranoid" by garbage, "say it ain't so" by weezer (that one was bound to happen, i've been singing along to it for 10 + years, haha) and "dani california" by the red hot chili peppers.


* "lamb: or the gospel according to biff, Christs childhood pal" by christopher moore - pure hilarity that is def not for the overly serious! i'll let you know if i still love it when i'm done!


* cute new bags - they're everywhere right now! what's up with that? total torture! i had another one in my hand last night and i just had to say no. i am loving my fossil one though and the bag switching is getting out of control!


* major etsy love - i haven't really been exploring etsy lately, but when i went on to get kristina's awesome mini kit i started doing some browsing and holy heck! i came pretty close to getting myself into some trouble! i got a couple of things though. obviously i needed this typewriter necklace from boygirlparty and i threw it's octopus counterpart in as well. then, while i was on the necklace kick i grabbed this cute bird on a swing! eek! so cute! pluse the custom wallet and business card holders i'll be receiving from dear sukie any day now. seriously though, how could i pass up a wallet made with that beloved sassafras lass dear paper? there was no way! i'll have to blog about the other items i'm lusting after someday soon!


* cha - i've been mentally packing for about a week now, haha. that's not saying that i won't find some things i "need" when i'm in philly tommorow getting my hair did, but y'know. i bought some more travel toiletries yesterday at target. that travel aisle is totally evil! i always end up buying things i will never need because they are cute and tiny! and has anyone else noticed the total lack of peaks this year? i've seen american crafts, pink paislee and a couple of other really tiny peaks, but where are my precious basic grey, hambly and sassafras? the suspense is killing me! also, i have been wondering about a SIS meetup for forever, so i just checked with jj and picked a place and set a date & time, haha. someone had to take the reigns, right?


alright, i'm off to work on my class sample for august. it's one of those projects that i'm so excited about that i just can't seem to really get it done! there is too much pressure with all the cuteness involved! i'm using the prima acrylic build-a-book and the sass "sunshine lollipop" collections with touches of thickers, hambly, bling and bunches of bling!

the new cha product breakdown.

are you ready? okay, here we go...

october afternoon's new stuff is totally killer, i pretty much need all of it! obviously their first collection, county fair, went really well, because this time around oa has realeased two awesome collections and has started making soft rubber embellishments (think ki softies) and chipboard letters. i can't find a picture of the collections anywhere online, but i can tell you that the little paper swatches they were giving out will most likely be finding their way onto one of my layouts asap. i need to curb my appetite for their stuff until it hit stores! the line with the deer is totally my favorite! the best part about oa is that their colors are so rich and saturted, no faded colors for them.

i love that the new chatterbox is totally different than what they have ever done before. the mini kits are pretty cool, that's the mini book kit for the botanico line over <-- there, all the pages are pre-printed with the patterned papers so you don't have to worry about cutting anything to the shape of the book. the artsy.licous line is pretty cool too, it's all tone on tone, monochromatic patterned papers, some flocked, foiled or other fun finishes. i see them being perfect for invitations, cards and things like that. some of the colors are really gorgeous.

elsie's forrest line has some pretty yummy patterns and embellishments like the woodgrain paper, fabric paper with trees, some really adorable chipboard frames and of course that funky little owl who's kickin' around on a few different products in the line. i know marykate will be psyched for the daisy line, it's cool to see puppy stuff in different colors and the shaped chipboard buttons are really cute. you can see all of her new stuff here on her blog.

hambly's houndstooth stripes, atc, grandmas wallpaper, broacade & icon papers and overlays are pretty killer, and i'm loving their new, smaller rub-ons, especially the crafty sayings and frames.

american crafts you never let me down! i am in love with the new poolside vinyl thickers! look at those numbers, totally slinky hot, right? and hello remarks journaling books! and there is something about this set of details that i love, i scored them at scrapbowl and can't wait to put them on something. has anyone else noticed that the indie ribbon collections are named after people in in indie rock? there are collections called tegan (& sara), (leonard) cohen, and my fave halstead. okay, that's enough gushing about american crafts for now.

tinkering ink's peek-a-boo albums will be really fun to play with too, they are a mix of chipboard pages with windows in them and clear acrylic pages! they also make rub-ons that are meant to fit around the windows on the chipboard pages, so fun! you can see one of tinkering ink's design team members' book right here. i love the mix of see through and solid!

bam pop's new line is really fun too, i can't wait to play with it! it totally reminds me of juno and rushmore combined, the colors are like exactly where i'm at right now.

ooh, and jenni bowlin came out with minature versions of her die cut scallop papers that are perfect for journaling, they come in a pack, 3 each of 6 colors so when we spotted them at scrapbowl we split the pack 3 ways and it was a good deal.

prima came out with some really cool full 12 x 12 sheets of felt alphas.. they are all this font, which is a nice basic one, but they come in like 10 or more awesome colors, need them! they are also coming out with some more really cool iod tapes, like barcodes and stuff.

sassafras lass came out with these really fun 12 x 13 papers, the extra inch of which is a fun shaped edge so you can either cut that off and use it on the page or a card, or cut off an inch of the patterned paper and leave the decorative edge on. there are some really cool small patterns and then each line has an awesome graphic page, like this little dear. my fave lines are sunshine lollipop and my dearest. i want to play with these so bad! michelle made a really cool layout using the cover of the catalog because she couldn't wait, and i'm about to go down that road too, haha. it is brighter than most stuff that i get into, but it just hit me right, i was totally gushing all over this booth too!

well, that's all i can think of off the top of my head, but that's a significant amount of scrap candy for now.

i'm hoping that we will just decide to be closed tommorow before i leave tonight. the storm that's coming looks like it's going to be pretty yucky, i would much rather be home scrapping and going on a crazy cleaning spree in jammers.

and i'm back.

here's what's been happening...

* i've been settling into being home for realsies. and even had a day in jammers with nothing but down time to keep myself sane.

* i'm teaching this little fave 5's book at scraptasia in new providence on march 10th. i'm so psyched to be teaching there monthly. dawn is the best, the store is fully of yummy temptations and everyone is always so welcoming. i had so much fun teaching there last time!

* cha was fun, filling, fanatical and pretty photographically fabulous. there is a lot of the same from a bunch of companies, but i am also pretty psyched on a bunch of stuff too. that will have to be a seperate blog entry, i want to give y'all a bunch of links to yummy pictures, and the full run down!

* i got my round 3 project in for scrap in style's project fashionista and will just have to wait to see how it all turns out. i have to admit, i kind of love this exciting little bit of time when you have turned int he project or taken the test and it's all out of your hands, you've done what you can and know you just get to excitedly wait for the decision. good luck to everyone, especially jj, no idea how she is going to decide it's looking tough!

* i managed to not gain back any weight on my two trips, which is pretty amazing because can you say double mashed, chicken critters and beer? haha. the next step is to join the gym, or at least play a little more dance dance revolution on wii!

* does anyone else feel like lost a is a different show this season? i'm at least stickin' in to see who the oceanic 6 are and then we'll see how i'm feeling about all of it.

* recent netflix; "eagle vs. shark" - engh. funny in a napolean dynamite kind of way, and much like napolean dynamite, would have made a better short than movie. i loved the stop animations parts though. "bobby" - holy casting. sheesh. this was okay too, but i didn't really care as much about the characters as i should have for it to be awesome. "year of the dog" dog named pencil = adorable, movie = not as good as i thought it would be. eesh, i'm a total netflix downer!

* scrapbowl was fantastic, obviously! i wish that natalie hadn't been so ill, we missed her on our little mellow night trips, but it was really awesome to have natalie time during the days atleast! i wish we had a huge group pictures of all of us! the closest we probably came would have been while 10 of us watched juno on pay per view in our hotel room. i am so glad i finally got to see it! i was getting nervous for a little bit there! i did, indeed, love it like everyone said i would. the classes were fun and full of sway, the drive down was hilarious and quick, getting to finally hang with some of my internet girls was waaaaaay overdue, the aforementioned eating was horrible for my body but awesome for my appetite, laughs, giggles and guffaws were aplenty and my soul was all the better for all of it!

* i have had a general urge to scrap since i got back from cha, and i'm really psyched that tonight, and the whole rest of this week, and subsequent weekend actually, i will get to do just that! can't to wait to play with the little bits of things i snagged at cha, scrapbowl and the things i have re-discovered while cleaning out the scrap area.

p.s. if you are the super rad girl i met in the sassafras lass booth, hillary maybe?, get at me girl! comment or e-mail because we are so staying in touch!

back and off again.

back from this;

and off to this;

can't wait to relax with my fave girls! catch you on the flip side, with all the actual updates, hehe!

im out.

you can bet i'll be listening to this on the plane! check you after cha!

make it work, son!

yeah, that's a combo of tim gunn and rob & big, haha. i totally feel like i'm on project runway this week! so much to do before i leave for cha saturday morning. i am working both days and my mum's birthday is tommorow so we are going out to dinner and then to see juno. and, it seems so silly, but i kind of feel like i've been hit by a bus with this whole complete computer re-write thing. it just doesn't feel like my laptop still and it's making easy-peasy things not so easy-peasy.

anyway, enough complaining because that's really not what i want to be doing. i am so lucky to have so much stuff going on and i'm looking forward to all of it. i just have to make it work, son!

anyway, here are some things that are making me happy these days;

* taking my little 100 calorie pack of teddy grahams to the movies
* putting together my next class at scraptasia
* using two of my new fave papers in that class, fifth avenue and tiffany's.
* scoring some really cute tops, jeans that actually fit right and 2 new pairs of fun shoes that i can be comfy and cute in at cha and scrapbowl.
* especially these red moccasins!
* the assignment for the next round of the fashionista search. it's a big one, but it's a really fun one! i can't wait to work on it between cha and scrapbowl!
* that colin almost cried, in a good way, when i gave him his book. and that he later texted me about something new he noticed and loved about it when he looked at it for the third or fourth time. : )
* how cute charlie looks on the season premiere of lost.

alright, back to inventorying the store. ::bleck::

someone find me a helmet with flames on the side!

maybe i'll just always update in list form, it seems more fun that way. especially since i'm sure that no one needs a play by play of my life! so, lately;

* made a quick run to philly for my haircut at american mortals, a quick stop into a doggie boutique and a magazine run into my old borders. why is it that they hire the cute boys after i leave? haha. p.s. i'm not quite sure why i look so angry in that picture other than the fact that it was pre-coffee. the next decision is wether i want to dye it dark, dark brown again and not go orangey red 'til summer, or do i dye is an auburn closer to my natural color, but with a little more pop?

* my class at scraptasia was awesome! i totally had no reason at all the be nervous! the ladies were awesome and picked up on the exacto so quickly! i can't wait to teach my next one! especially now that i have an awesome apron that rhian made me! my next class there will be in march. i'll totally post when i have a sample done and a defenite date. it really is a gorgeous store.

* kristina came jersey side and we finished up her kits, watched factory girl and some my so called life. factory girl was a defenite, "ooph" kind of movie. so good, but so sad! i want her body and subsequently her wardrobe as well. did a little shopping, some scrapbook painting and took kristina to her very first jersey diner, next i'll take her to her first truck stop diner, haha. watch out girl!

* ummmm... could i love kirsten dunst anymore? if anyone sees these miu miu ads anywhere, i would kill for them! i want to hang a couple of the pictures us in my re-done room (when that happens after the crazy month that is february)

* i am officially eating waaaaaay better and have given up soda. i just started sunday, but i seemingly have lost two pounds already, which is good because i hate all my clothes and refuse to buy new ones for this body i have now. i'm thinking of buying a cute pair of flats that will make a couple of outfits and a couple of basic tops to hold me over for cha and scrapbowl. and then after those two events i'm joining the 24 hour gym that just opened up near me. can't wait to work it all off. i'm making a "work it out" mix, haha.

* speaking of mixes, i'm also making an. "eat mosaic" mix for k & j's 'straunt and a "jetsetter music letter" mix for the plane ride, all breezy and funky and some about california, one of my top 5 states, haha. perhaps i'll post it when it's all done. i was having a total, getting tired of my music stage, but then working on these mixes has made me remember all the rad music on my i-pod, not to mention all the cd's i can load once i finally move my stuff upstairs and all the way in (yeah it's been a year, i know.)

* i'm starting to get my pictures together for the classes i'm taking at scrapbowl and getting all those plans together too. it's all just making me more and more psyched!

turning my day from argh! to yay!

i did not have a lovely morning. at all. but as to not nurture the parts of my life that make me want to off myself i am going to concentrate on the happy making things, in list form of course. because seriously, is there any better way?

* this quickie layout i did last night of nat and the rad pictures she always gets. using the shaped 6x12 was really fun because i just refused to worry about what is going on the protector behind it. flat out.

* pop off! the soup is totally a huge laugh out loud highlight of my week. i want to marry joel mchale and adopt his puppy.

* the fact that i was totally resigned to not going to cha and a certain evil genius in my life had me convinced and booked on a flight within an hour, out of nowhere. now i leave in just over 2 weeks. hehe. watch out o.c.!

* i found the perfect haircut online! it even looks like the girls hair is the same texture and volume as mine, so it should work. can't wait to get it hacked tommorow!

* i just called to double check what time i should be at scraptasia to teach my class monday and found out that my class is one seat short of full! i am so excited and totally nervous to be teaching at a new store!

* scrapbowl is getting closer and closer and i can't wait to hang with everyone; marykate, katie, nicole, natalie, vee, kristina, sara, aimee, colleen, shelly and lots of other fun ladies! so psyched!

* speaking of miss shellyb, i totally jacked this idea off her -> yeah to my thickers being in color order! i don't really know what i was thinking with them being organized by material and then font, i go searching for them by color anyway. now they look so pretty!

* i am also psyched/freaked by the fact that scrapbowl, and now cha a little bit before, are the perfect kick in the @$$ for me to drink the correct amount of water, eat healthy and join that gym so that i can live on the stairmaster when i'm not working! i know that once i start i'll stick to it and enjoy the working out, i just need ot start!

* and last but not least, i'm really excited about awesome opportuinites for awesome friends!

typing your way into my heart

i need a typewriter! i've been wanting one for a few months now, but haven't really been in an insane rush to find one, until now. i am working on a project for a friend and i want to type everything in the album. it will look awesome, it will fit perfectly and it will be muchly appreciated. now if only i had acess! the ever so awesome katie has offered her house up for some scrapping and typing tommorow after i get out of work, but i'm worried that i won't have everything i need to type on figured out by then. eek! so, i've been checking out craigslist, and there are two promising possibilities that i e-mailed about, so we'll see how those turn out.

so, as for the project. it's tippy top secret. other than the fact that i've posted the cover over at scrap in style, hehe. you never know who is reading your blog, y'know? check it out if you want a peek. i just about sliced my finger off with the acrylic knife cutting that piece for the cover! i'm really excited about this project though! i love giving the perfect gift!

and so yeah, christmas is in a week and a half, and then december is just about over, you know january will fly and then we hit february! who all is going to cha in annaheim? scrapbowl in dulles? i'm totally psyched for these back to back events! i'm signed up for 4 scrapbowl classes and i'm really looking forward to the cali weather at cha! anyone want to go to disney before cha starts? i've never been to any disney parks!

also, driving home from checking on my aunts dog last night i saw like 4 or 5 really bright shooting stars. like the biggest and brightest i'd ever seen. i looked it up when i got home and, sure enough, there was big meteor shower last night. you were supposed to be able to see over a dozen meteors flying across the sky at a time, but there is too much light by my house for me to have seen that many. it was really rad to see the ones i did though! and i was glad to discover it was an actual astronomical event and not me having an anyeuresm or anything. it would have been really tragic if my final moments on this planet were spent singing, "livin' on a prayer" at the top of my lungs while driving home because it was the only station i could get. haha.


..::UPDATE::.. this little lovely, 1969 olympus manual typewriter is mine mine mine! yay! gotta love craigslist! i can't wait to play. it's tape is good, but i'm going to go grab another one from staples on my way home just in case. can't wait to play! she's so cute, and she will need a name asap!

back in the jerz

i got back last night but i sooooooo needed some major lounging today! i spent some major time going through catalogs, free goodies and purchases from the show and windy city scrapbooking. i have no idea where it's all going my scrap area is crazy overfilled and i think it's time for a major clean out and some sort of new system for added storage. i also want to do a monster rak after i reorganize things.

here is the elsie picture i promised;



the ordering and new product and all was really awesome at cha, but a huge part of how awesome cha was has to be meeting and catching up with rad scrappers. sara berry, kristina contes, elsie flannigan, breanne, laura fiore, michelle ramirez, laura fiore, gigi kennedy, adrienne looman, big SIS and about a million otheres! so fun!

so, it's back to work tommorow and i have to pack some scrappy stuff! then i want to head to wal mart after to print some of the awesome pics from cha! can't wait to scrap them!