KnK

My two latest layouts I created for the Kit n' Kaboodles design team.  This month's kit was lovely and my favorite to date.  It featured Prima and butterflies, two of my favorite things to scrap with.  

About this layout: The cardboard pieces I used behind both pictures are actually the packaging the blue, frosted Prima flowers (which I LOVE) were attached to. I painted the edges with blue MM paint. 

Project 365

After spending the weekend with my good friend Dee my interest and curiosity was peaked. She's been doing the Project 365. It's something I've heard a lot about and many of my fellow scrap buddies are doing it. Until now, I didn't think I was going to venture into the world of Project 365's. After seeing Dee's pictures and her kit, I decided I would give it a shot. Now, I don't have the album and the other materials because they're currently sold out, but they might get more in February. Here's hoping. I spent a few nights sorting through my pictures from the past 3 weeks and uploading pictures onto my computer. I had a picture for almost everyday leading up to the present day. I'm glad I'm doing this. It will be a challenge, but rewarding in the end. 

I started a blog to document the progress of my Project 365. It will also help me keep track of the days. 

http://my-threesixfive.blogspot.com/

Enjoy and show some love!

Today...

...was a day to remember. A day I will describe to my children, and their children. A historical and monumental day. A day, I am proud to have witnessed. And proud to have taken part in. Truth be told, many were unsure we would ever see this day, at least, not in our immediate future. I am filled with so many emotions and look with anticipation for what the next 4 (or 8) years  will bring. What we want: change. Progress. And a renewed sense of hope and enthusiasm for our country which has been lost these past few years. Thank you, America. We made the right choice. 

Obama's inaugural address was poetic, poignant, profound (ha, 3 p's). It was well-written, and of course, well-spoken as I have always thought Obama a great orator. I'm glad that he kept his speech realistic, reminding us that the road to recovery and improvement is a long one. 

"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.

They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met."

I hope that Americans remember this and most importantly, remember the "change" Obama often speaks of will not happen overnight. It's unlikely that it will even happen in his first year in office. Obama has a huge mess to clean up- one that has accumulated over the past 8 years. (Again, thank you, Bush). So, with that being said, I do hope our new President will usher in change. Although, I expect nothing less. I see good things for the coming years...

I saw this picture on my friend, Jen's blog. Quite funny.

I heart Urban Outfitters.

...it's a great store. I love their clothes, although, I'm usually unable to afford them. Their home decor and kitschy items for the office, bathroom, kitchen, etc. are so unique and fun. While watching Damages and American Idol last night, I was browsing the internet, taking a break from Grad School research and came across several items I just love on their website.

Who doesn't need a toothbrush holder that looks like grass? I'm not sure how well it would go with my black and white, Damask shower curtain though.

Monogams are so in! I have a collection of A's started which I plan to display in a grouping on the wall. 

A little play on words...

I love this. Great if you're looking for some dramatic lighting. 

Saturday Recap

Saturday was a good day. I was on call, but much to my relief, at 11 am I found out I would not have to go in to work. So, in place of having to work I decided to drive to St.Pete for an all day crop at Whim So Doodle. I've been to several of their Friday night crops, but never an all day one. It was splendid. I love hanging with Jen and Stacey. They're a funny duo and host the all day Saturday crops (now, they won't be able to get rid of me). I had a great time chatting/eating/scrapping/eating...Jen is quite the cook! I was pleasantly surprised to find Jan at the crop. She formally introduced me to her son, James who asked his mom to give me his phone number after he left. He also requested she not do it around all the other ladies. Haha. It was cute.

I was able to work on the prototype for an April class I will be teaching at Whims. It's a door hanging using Basic Grey's Urban Prairie line. It's rustic and raw with exposed corrugated cardboard and I distressed the edges with some Making Memories paint. I added some Pink Paislee Pixee dust and some beads and wa-la! Makes an *almost* finished project. My only concern is, I'm not sure how receptive the public will be to my using cardboard as a base for the project. It's a little odd and off the wall. My hope was to do something unique that people may not see too often. I hope people can appreciate it enough to try my class! 

KnK Projects

Here are my creations for Kit n' Kaboodles for the month of January. I received February's kit in the mail yesterday. Can I just say, WOW! It's my favorite by far, and Gerri-anne's best. She did a great job and I can't wait to start creating- it's such a "me" kit. 

I *finally* used some of my new Tim Holtz distressed stickles in red on the chipboard key.

Flowers are backed with small, wood medallions I purchased from Michaels. I was able to use my Crop-a-Dile to punch holes in the middle for the pipe cleaners. On most of the flowers, I had to use 2 pipe cleaners to support the weight of the flowers.

I purchased a simple terra-cotta pot at Michaels for $1. I painted it with one coat of black, outdoor paint. I used a piece of foam used for making floral arrangements, cut it down to size with a knife, and put it in the pot. The pipe cleaners slid into the foam easily.

Thanks for looking!

Isn't she a beauty?

I love her. I really do. I'm so happy I went with the Mazda 3. Now, I need to come up with a name for her. I realized, the day I had to say goodbye to my Jetta, that I had never named it. In fact, my car didn't even have a gender. I find that sad. He/she was a good car to me through the years, minus a few pricey repair bills (thank you, European cars). She's already in a need of a bath. Ahhh, the joys of having a black car. It's what I wanted, so this is NOT me complaining. 

Hello 2009, Goodbye Jetta.

Happy New Year to everyone! With a new year, comes new year's resolutions. I'm not sure I've ever actually formulated a list of resolutions. I'm sure it's because deep down I know the list would get lost in one of my many piles of papers and never looked at again. With that said, what do you hope to accomplish, change, or begin this new year? Do you...need to lose a few pounds? Would you like to start eating healthier? Or do you need to get organized? Perhaps spend more time on YOU. Whatever it is, I hope you truly work towards reaching your goals!

In other news, I got a new car on Tuesday! The decision to say goodbye to my Jetta crept up on me quicker than I had planned for. Dad mentioned I should trade in my car at about 90,000, which it was at now (another thing that happened too quickly thanks to my weekly drives to Orlando and drives to Wesley Chapel multiple times a week for work). Dad wanted my car to be in good enough condition to trade in for a reasonable amount of money. So, a few days before Christmas, dad and I visited Honda and Mazda dealers in Brandon. We looked at the Honda Civic and Mazda 3, both comparable to one another and comparable to my Jetta, except for the fact that neither of them are diesel which my Jetta was. I welcome with open arms never having to search for a gas station that has diesel gas. On the other hand, I do not look forward to my average 21-23 mpg car. My Jetta averaged about 43 mpg. Before even looking at cars with my dad, he had visited both dealers. He told me he knew I would prefer the Mazda 3 right away and he knew I would ultimately choose that car over the Civic and he was right. He knows that few things matter to me in a car- mainly, I care about the sound system and the aesthetics (do I like the way it looks?). Of course, I need to feel comfortable driving the car and it needs to drive smoothly as well. We decided on the Grand Touring, Mazda 3 Automatic. It's black with black leather interior and a 6 CD changer, jack for my iPod, moon roof, the works. Dad knows me well and knows that I would appreciate all the bells and whistles and miss them if I didn't have them. One of the greatest things about my new car- everything is automatic. And I mean everything. The wipers are rain-sensing, so with a drop of rain they will turn on. My lights- also automatic, so I don't have to worry about turning them on at night. 

Somehow, I will be paying my dad back for this car. Seeing how it's my second, and he paid for my first as well, it is how it should be. I will be paying a percentage of my bi-weekly paycheck to him and that will go towards my car payments. I'm very lucky to have a family willing to buy me a new car when it wasn't an absolute necessity (IE: my car breaking and not running anymore).

The car drives SO differently than what I am used to. I'm used to a diesel, or as I affectionately called my car, the "putt-putt" since it sounded like a lawnmower once up and running. The Mazda has incredible pick-up which for me, could be potentially dangerous as I'm notorious for having a lead foot. It's handling is a lot more sensitive than my Jetta and it's a easier drive. Passengers' heads are still hitting their head rests, as I'm still getting used to how lightly I need to touch the gas pedal to accelerate. I feel like I'm learning how to drive all over again! All that's left are some all-weather mats and window tinting which will hopefully happen soon as the Florida heat is not kind to black cars with black interiors. Regardless, I had my heart set on a black car for my next vehicle so no words of logic or wisdom were going to change my mind. Sorry, mom, dad, AND sister. ha.

I'll be posting pictures of my car shortly. I know Dee is dying to see it! :)