A Gift of Memories

It's Official!

 Today was a special, ordinary day. 

You see ... today the sun came up, Leo and I went for our morning walk, and I settled into my regular morning routine.  I didn't feel different.  I didn't love my granddaughter's any more or less than last night when I went to bed. The calendar was still full of obligations, appointments, and chores to be accomplished. It was an ordinary August day.

But something special happened today.  We went to court this morning where the Honorable Peter A. Thompson announced that my precious granddaughter, Tori, is officially a Bate.  There was little pomp and circumstance.  Raise you right hand and swear ... your name is Justin Craig Bate.  You reside at this address. You swear that the documents you filled out and the statements you made are true.  That Victoria's middle name is Rene' ... with an emphasis above the last 'e' ... and that all parties have agreed.  And, it's nice to see such a large gathering of family showing support for this action.

 

Although the tears welled in my eyes ... from the overwhelming pride I felt in my heart ... and a tiny bit of sadness that Craig wasn't here to share this joyful occasion ... I didn't love my son or my granddaughter more today because it became official. You see, I love my son without any reservations.  And, I've always felt like Tori was my granddaughter ... even back when she was barely walking, when we celebrated her birthdays, when I watched her dance in her recitals, when she would ham it up for the camera.  Tori was the first granddaughter who went to school and I never thought she was anything else when I would drive the golf cart to pick her up after school. She had her first sleepover with Craig and I, she jumped off the rock waterfall into our pool when she was four. And, Tori was my subject when I learned to scrap pages about little girls.  

But, I'm very happy that all the i's are finally dotted and the t's are crossed. 

 

Grandma and Grandpa Hacker drove in from Las  Vegas.  Grandma Jean drove in from New Mexico.  Uncle Bob, Aunt Duana, Jordan, Uncle Ron and Auntie Chrissy came down from Scottsdale. And, Aunt  RaKell took the day off work to share in the joy of this very special family event.

Yes.  Today was a special .... extraordinary day.

Combinations

Most of you already know how terribly busy the past few weeks have been for me.  And, frankly the next few months don't look much better.  In brief, my children have both sold their homes and are currently in the process of moving into their new homes ... in the same neighborhood, just a few doors away from each other. This activity comes at a time when Tori is starting 4th grade in a brand new school ... an ASU pilot program for gifted children. This is the first 'first day' that I wasn't with Tori as she began a school year. She's adjusting to the new atmosphere, new people, already making a few new friends ... she's so smart ... and I'm confident that she's going to thrive in this highly structured, competitive, challenging new program. Besides ... she's already got her eye on a cute boy in class ... just like her Mammy ... hehehehe

We were all so proud of RheAnna when she made the competetive dance team at Dance Connections Too ... but, they just announced last week that she has also made the elite Knockout's team as well!  All that dancing and practicing is paying off in big rewards for her as she begins kindergarten in her new charter school, Ben Franklin ... which is just a couple blocks away from her new home!  I accompanied Bill and RaKell as they took RheAnna to her first day of kindergarten. 

 

I was struck by how grown up she looked ... cautious but not afraid ... so ready to begin this new adventure.  Was is just a few weeks ago that I was carrying her around in the mall, tucked safely away in the Snugglie, holding her tiny hands in mine and whispering in her ear what a wonderful and exciting life she is going to have?  It was easy to hide behind the lens of my camera ... trying to stay out of the way of the scampering new kindergarteners ... hiding the tears that welled in my eyes.  It wasn't quite that easy for RaKell ...

Not to be outdone, Breckin (who is the most adorable three-year-old you'll ever meet) has started her adventure in PAKK ... the Performing Arts Kids Klub at Dance Connections Too ... and she's taken to it like a fish to water and is loving every minute!  Her sister is an alumni of their innagural year and Breckin is so proud to be following in her sisters footsteps. Trying to juggle these schedules and help assist with carpooling when I can makes for some hectic days.

Add to all this excitement that I'm having a new home built in Justin and RaKell's neighborhood ... nearly next door to the little girls!  I'm told it won't be ready for me to move in to until February ... but in the current real estate market the sooner I can get my house 'ready-to-sell' the better.  So, in between everything else I'm cleaning out closets, touching up paint, packing away non-essentials ... to get this house 'show ready'.

There's even more going on ... business obligations for the upcoming year, classes I'm teaching, a trip to New England in October to celebrate my mom's eightyieth birthday!  Well, unfortunately I just don't see how I'm going to have much scrapping time.  Because of this I have asked my 'bosses'  at Scrapbook Obsessions, JR and Chantele, for some time away from my design team obligations with them and they have graciously said they understand.  And, I didn't realize that all of this was going to be happening when I agreed to launch the new PenPals Challenge blog with Beverley.  We've only just begun and I want it to be a huge success ... reaching out to scrappers everywhere to inspire them to journal their stories.  So I'm going to do my best to scrap a little (with limited resources since most of my scrapping supplies will be packed away for a while) to keep my commitment to PenPals Challenge.

All of this brings me to the title of this post.  Combinations.  While I was working with the August Scrapbook Obsessions kit, the new journaling blog was in the back of my mind.  And, one of the pages I completed for the newsletter was actually one I anticipated using for a challenge on the new blog ... combining a couple of assignments into one.  Challenge #2 went active this morning ... and the page I created to illustrate the challenge was using the BoBunny papers from the August SO kit!

The journal challenge is How Do I Love Thee? ...  Let Me Count The Ways ... and on this page of Breckin I've made a short list of things that I love about her right now ... at three-years-old.  I really gave my edge distresser a work on on this layout.  hehehehe  It's currently my FAVORITE tool.  But, I also tried something new!  The butterflies you see are American Crafts Rubons ... that I rubbed on to the clear plastic packaging!  Then, I trimmed out around them  and voila!  They have a dimensional quality and actually can be massaged to look like they just landed on the page!  

 

So ... I don't think I'll be blogging alot for the new few weeks ... while I'm trying to find the right combination of schedules, tasks, and passions. But, I hope you'll stop by from time to time to see what kind of progress I'm making as I endeavour to get things in order.  In the meantime, you'll find plenty of inspiration by some incredibly talented women if you browse around The Places I Go From Here listed on the left.  And, I'll be sure to share any little goodies that I can conjure up.

And, don't forget to stop by and check out the latest PenPals Challenge!  I appreciate your support and encouragement more than you know ... and I absolutely LOVE reading  your stories and getting to know YOU better, too!

PenPals Challenge #1

The new blog is ACTIVE!!

The PenPals Challenge is over on blogspot ... here ... and we're already getting some incredibly inspiring entries!  Beverley has done a fabulous job organizing the blog and our first challenge just might be what you need to kick start your scrapping mojo! She was inspired by her 40th birthday this week, to challenge us to pick and age .... any age ... and journal/scrap about it.  And, WOW!!  You should see the pages that we've gotten already!

I gave you a sneak peek a few days ago, but here's the actual page I completed for the challenge.  You can read the journaling and see all the fun details on the page by visiting the challenge blog.  I hope you'll be inspired to join in the fun and play along!  Just journal about an age ... one you were, one you are, or even one you will be someday.  Then, post the journaling to the challenge.  It can be via a scrapbook page with photos and fun embellishments like mine ... or it can be a blog post, in a personal journal ... even on an altered project!  How you get it to us doesn't matter.  What matters is that you just DO it!! And, who knows.  You may even be chosen to win the coveted Pen Pal Of The Week Award!!

And .... the winner is ..... drumroll please ..... Timi Mercado!!

Yep, Timi's fabulous page titled The Land of 2 Princesses is the winner of the 40 Day Celebration Challenge!  Timi's page received the most compliments .... and, they were well deserved!  So, Timi ... email me with your mailing address and I'll get your prize package in the mail to you this week!

Now ... I'm not one to play favorites ... and I may have inadvertantly made Timi's page appear a little more 'special' by giving it it's own position on the blog.  Aubree, Leahann, Vanessa, and Bibiana are also WINNERS in my book!  So, let's just say that ALL OF YOU ARE WINNERS!! Email me with your mailing addresses and I'll get the prize package out to you this week, too!!!

My thanks to all of you for playing along ... thanks, too, to those of you nice enough to leave compliments to these awesome scrappers!

This was so much fun ... keep checking back and maybe we'll play another 'game' for a fabulous prize package again soon!

Above The Fold

There's nothing better than creating something that requires interaction. 

I love making scrapbook pages that invite the viewer to untie a ribbon to reveal a hidden photo or pull on a tab to remove a tag covered with handwritten journaling. It draws them in and causes them to become another element in the design. 

The same thing with cards.  And, yesterday at my C-3 card class we took interaction up to another level. I designed some cards using the Cosmo Cricket Fleuriste papers and different folding techniques and had a blast demonstrating them for the ladies  at i-Scrap AZ.

Although I loved all the cards in this collection, I think my favorite one was this adorable double pocket card with the popped up stamped image on the front with tags tucked into the pockets on the inside.  The card was created using 1 sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper and my treasured Fiskars Wide Colonial deco-edged scissors.

This card was made from 1 sheet of 12 x 12 cardstock and decorated with some patterned paper triangles.  I love using slides on cards ... again, requiring interaction from the recipient ... and this simple slide with the ribbon and flower embellishment just finished this card beautifully!

This adorable bug stamp from the folks at Art Gone Wild was just irresistable and the focal point of this card using the joy fold technique. And, of course I had to use my new favorite tools ... my Tonic Edge Distresser and Fiskars' Treading Water border punch to create the too fun double scalloped edge detail! 

And, probably the trickiest folding technique of all ... this little gem with a not-so-masculine fisherman that was dipped in UTEE reeling in the catch of the day!

It was a lot of work cutting, scoring, and assembling all the elements for each card needed for the large class, but it was a ton of fun and the C-3 gals sure seemed to enjoy themselves.  It's a challenge for me to work with this awesome group of ladies with varied skill levels and personalities. But, they are patient and appreciative of my efforts.  And, I love the change of pace from designing scrapbook pages.

To end the class we folded up a quick little box tied with a ribbon for the cards to tuck in to.

Thanks to all the wonderful gals from the C-3 group who were able to join us yesterday. And, my thanks to Patti, owner of i-Scrap AZ, for all her hard work and for providing us with such a relaxed, friendly and creative atmosphere to have our class!

And ... did I hear someone suggest Brighton Handbags as our card theme for next month?  (wink, wink)

 

Still Lookin' For Love

Timi Mercado joins us from The Phillipines!  She sent me some pictures of her favorite layout of all time.  It was one she created for a local online contest, but ... sadly ... didn't win the recognition she was hoping for.  On this beautiful page, Timi has used one of my favorite ways of scrapping multi photos on a single page layout.  She's created a mini-accordion book that's adhered directly to the page.  Love the color combination she chose here ... it really compliments the color in her photograph.  Awesome job, Timi!  And, thanks for sharing it with us.

Be sure to leave Timi some praise for her awesome contribution.  And, we'll continue this adventure for a couple more days.  If you have a page or project that didn't get the kudo's you think it deserved, be sure to email a copy of it to me at desertrts@aol.com .  I'll post it here and the project that receives the most compliments will be awarded the Bizzous prize package!

Don't wait!  The time is counting down ...

First Words

Ask any of my friends or family. 

They'll tell you the same thing.  I have a difficult time getting to the point. Whenever I have a story to tell or a memory to share it seems like I go on forever, wanting to be sure the listener 'sees' the same vivid details that I do while I'm telling my tale.

Back in the day (this page was done in 1984)  I would put together scrapbooks filled with memorabilia and  photos of our vacations and I always added some narration ... and a few colorful comments in quote bubbles. I wanted whomever was looking at the pages to know the story behind the photos in case I wasn't there to tell them.  And, it helped us to remember some of the details of those trips that often became 'fuzzy' after a few years.

When I started scrapbooking 'the new way' back in the late 90's, I got caught up in the wonderful papers, colors, embellishments, and newly learned techniques. My scrapbook pages were works of art meant to highlight a few photos, but often the story was missing.

A couple of years ago I resolved that I wanted to preserve my memories in my scrapbooks.  Not just the pictures and the pretty supplies, but also my thoughts and feelings. I want my beautiful granddaughters to look at the pages and read the stories of their years growing up. I want to look back and know that we didn't have just 'a fun time' ... instead, I want to remember that the tears welled in my eyes when I stood in the dark on Main Street while Breckin slept in the stroller.. holding my mother's hand ... remembering Craig ... as the choreographed fireworks thundered above Sleeping Beauty's Castle.  For me, it's about preserving the memories. And, happily, these pages have quickly become my family's favorites.

I was thrilled last year when I was chosen to be on the design team for a new website focusing on scrapbook journaling.  Knowing that my thoughts and feelings were going to be 'shared' with the world on the website was intimidating to say the least. But, I also welcomed the challenge to improve my journaling. The gal who began the site had to step down after seven months and I thought my scrapbook journaling adventure had come to an end. 

But, one of my Journaling Junkie teammates, Beverley Todd, contacted me and asked if I'd like to continue my journaling adventure with her ... on a new website.  She will tell you it took some coaxing on her part.  My schedule is really full these days and the thought of taking on one more responsiblity concerned me. But her enthusiasm and excitement about the new blog was infectious ... and I wasn't creating for the Journaling Junkie anymore ... so I agreed.  And, a new journaling website was launched.

The new website is named PenPals Challenge.  Beverley chose to call it PenPals because .. you see ... she lives across the pond in Great Britain.  She is one amazing lady and a prolific blogger with a huge following.  And, Beverley shares my love for words.

We are so excited to be launching this new challenge blog all about journaling. For many of you, the journaling is the part that is often nothing more than who, when and where.  But, Beverley and I hope we will inspire you to join us on our quest to preserve your memories, thoughts and feelings. Unlike other journaling challenge sites you're not limited to scrapbook journaling,  We encourage you to journal anywhere that you like.  It might be on your blog, in a journal, on a card you might create, or even via an altered project. Frankly, it's not important to us HOW you journal ... it's only important that you DO.

Each week (we have an extended deadline for our first challenge) we will post a journaling topic & post our examples (either or both of us). The first challenge is underway!  I posted my challenge page this morning and I'll try to entice you with a little sneak peek.  I hope you'll click here to see more ... and perhaps you'll even want to join us and play along!  Who knows, you may even become that one special person whose winning words will warrant the 'soon-to-be-coveted' title of Pen Pal Of The Week!