Saturday/Sunday

Saturday...CKC portland. Cause like I need an excuse to shop for scrap supplies. maybe more buttons. And ribbon. Eyeing a crop a dile...because what's old is new again yes...no? can't wait to meet folks at the dinner. should print out directions for that--at least it is in my state. Which, unfortuantely, means sales tax.

No classes this time but this time I might (only because I planned on doing it today and didn't so might is looking very iffy now) get to enter the contests. Just the layout ones...I've about given up on cards (smile).

Sunday though, Crop Addict is having the one year anniversary party! I'll be hosting an online crop from 2-4 pm Eastern...11-1 Pacific (my time) just after getting in the door. It will be fun...promise. It's hybrid so make sure to have your computer handy (I promise, it will be easy and only as "digital" as you want to make it...think "print off a journaling block" if that is how you need to roll) and rummage through your stash with the CA store up so that you can see what you have from the shop. That will be a requirement (hint/hint). You'll have 2 hours to complete the challenge and I'll have some regular scrappy happy fun games too...so definiteyl come on by and chat, scrap and win some FANTASTIC prizes!

See ya Saturday in person in Portland or Vancouver. See ya Sunday online at www.cropaddict.com. I'm Imanisasa. Fun it is!

Really...550?

So...life is as it is. Come to find out HOF only had about 550 entries this year. 550. Which is so great and so bad. Great in that that is about the same chances of winning a spot (HOF or Honorable mention) as it is to get admitted to my law school. Bad in that there are about 9 out of every 10 folks who get turned away. Sure the numbers make you feel better about being able to stand out in the sea, but if you ain't got it you just ain't got it.

Some things that stood out for my "application" if you will:

All digital
All 8.5 x 11
All graphic, clean style

Some things that stood out looking back on it that are just either love it or hate it
So totally not CK style
Innovative...so subjective--innovative to me, tried and done by others...
Not every layout was a total WOW--collectively...they flow...some really are my faves, others are not my faves, but then again, every piece I've ever had published (so far) hasn't been my fave either...it's been me, but just not a "wow, look at that technique or that journaling"

Anyhow...overthinking. So to that...such is HOF. About two weeks before they call some really happy folks. And the other 475 of us bemoan that even in a small pond, we didn't have what it took to be CK material.

Alas.

See...I told you...

(smile)...that's why once I've done it okay, I don't do it again. Didn't make it as number 49 this year. Went from Top 20 to...don't know where but not Top 50. Alas. Some of my fave folks did make the 50 so I'll be rootin' for them.

Got asked today what I want to do after work this week. Not like a life "what do you want to do with your life" but a quickie, what are we up to this week. Thought about work and doing more of it. Thought about scrapping and doing more of it. Then really sat down and thought about it. And what I want to do is spend more time living. Now if only I could figure out what in the heck that means!

lol

Anyhow, March 3 -4 Crop Addict is turning 1! Totally cool right? But wait for it.

I'ma host a totally cool hybrid challenge. And of course there will be Crop Addict (aka, coolest kit club EVA) prizes to go with it. So...be on the look out. www.cropaddict.com. Right....So I'll be hosting likely Sunday night in between a hop and a skip here and there. Saturday, I'll be at the CKC-Portland and the dinner that evening. Soon enough we'll get introduced to the new Hall of Famers too...no chance in all get out at that. My style was way too simple once I shipped it out all proud and what not and then thought to myself really...get a grip. Alas...I can stick em in some really great blurb books (seriously--totally cool "print on demand"...check them out at www.blurb.com) and FINALLY get my mama that book of photos she wanted from waaaaaay back when.

Seriously.

Ooops...I did it again.

No silly...I did NOT shave my head. And I already talked about entering HOF again. What I did do again that is the subject of this blog thread is that I entered MMIDOL Season II. Yeppers. I hate doing something well enough the first time and going back and trying again because then I think I'm jinxed and can't top it. So it was quite a push to even get me to submit something. Because this time around people know they have to go big or go home and there were some really neat tips on the blog that gave away my secrets to success (number 1 being that 99% of life is howing up and the other 1% is presentation)...alas.

Lots more talented folks than me out there. I'm still a bit shocked I lucked up on a Top 20 finish out of the thousands of entrants. Here's hoping I might slide to number 49 this time--that would still get me on to the next round because they are taking the top 50 this time. In honor of that, I think a RAK is in order.

All three of the pieces I submitted are somewhere here on my blog. If you can guess the three I turned in , you're a winner! If no one guesses all three correctly, I'll give it to the person who guesses two...or the first person who guesses one. In that order. And what the heck, I'll throw in a RAK randomly as well.

Guess as many times as you like and have your friends guess too--if a friend team (they have to say in their comment or their email to me since every other time I've run these contests I get far more entries via email than comment field--that you referred them) wins, then I'll send a RAK to each of ya.

Happy guessing!

Remember when...

...way back in the day...I told you I had style? Well you have sooooo got to check. this. out.

That's the style book.

And if you go to

http://www.layoutblueprints.com/StylePreview.html

and scroll threw a couple of clicks (page 29 of the actual book, page 2 of the preview)

you might see someone/something you recognize in the top right corner.

How absolutely sweet is that?!

15.95 on pre-order right now.

You better head over to

http://www.layoutblueprints.com/

to pick up a copy now.

Tell them I sent ya.

Not that you'll get a discount or anything...but it's cool in any event!

38 what??!?

38.52. I about smallowed my tongue. So much for keeping promises to self. "No...you can't enter if you can't get it done in enough time to mail it regular. Or priority mail". Yeah...I actually finished last night and maybe could have pushed for earlier. But I hit a bump in the road (the nomojo bump) and was crying a storm that I just couldn't figure out what to do. I did a pure digi entry and I don't know how to incorporate other "crafts" into my work on this kind of timeline. Sure I can do my hybrid beauties, but I so wanted a full digi entry all in 8.5 x 11 so I finally got unstuck with the crafty combo option and instead chose to go with a color layout.

Which scared me at first because they just did a helpful little bit in the Top 10 issue on color and I was like...can I really evoke color in my love of all things streamlined and white? I mean really...I was a finalist in a major color contest by KI Memories (LOVE that album by the way and can't wait to share it!) and here I was afraid of color. Terrified of it as a matter of fact. But it came out to be one of my fave layouts of my entry.

Looking back on it now, there isn't a single layout that I don't love. And across all 10 of the assignments/faves, there is a definitive "style" going on. And I dare say it is like nothing else I have seen before. Which isn't really saying much. Because I've seen little, but it is definitely a different "digi" style than the current stuff. I mean, there's the whole "It doesn't even look digi, it looks 3d" thing that folks love. Me, if I'm doing digi, I'm doing digi. As you see a bit below, I don't try for the 3d deal because it comes across as 2d to me. The eye sees what the eye sees. So instead, I go for a cleaner, more graphic look. We'll see how that goes off.

Regardless, I've got some great pages I can slap in my Christmas book this year. And the assignments, though I was crying over them, challenged me and got some really cool results. I especially love my journaling layout. But then again, unlike most, I love to journal. So...there that is.

tomorrow...before 4:30 pm. 857359988850. Track it with me now.

Got it, get it, good

So...they got the doodle layouts. All is well there and very liked. I figure if the doodle layouts for the Doodle Book got all the way to AL already, then the Simple style layout should have arrived up the road for the Blue Media Style book. This is all so exciting. Being published. In books. That are sold in stores. Totally cool. I can't tell you how cool it was to pick up the first book I was pubbed in. I was walking through the downtown Seattle Borders store and there it was. I was giddy with excitement! For my first pub ever I stalked JoAnns for the Simple Scrapbook issue. And then the so totally nice cashier actually asked for my autograph. I felt so silly and we laughed so hard but hey...it's not everyday you get to see something in print and say "hey...I KNOW that person."

But you know what? Of my pubbed layouts, Simple, CK, the Blue Media book--they were all "me" layouts. And then there is now the doodle layouts. Both are actually rafting pictures. Both two of my faves. I say that a lot. but I like what I create. I was in a groove (smile). Cause my total all time fave layout (and most creative in my opinion) will be in Legacy. That should go over well. I should get back in touch with Alex and let him know he'll be pubbed. Or something.

And more scrappy happy things

And because life is good when you can scrap some, I leave ya with a few fun digi uploads for the night!

Sledding and more sledding--pretty sure you can click to get it bigger and read the journaling.

Gorgeous couple, great wedding. Love how this layout came out. Glimpse it now, it's coming down soon.

Just how most of my relationships start. This one ironically enough, started when Match.com had the Friends version of their site which was really cool. Oh how it bloomed into so much more when I found out the profile was coverted over. Ahhhh...it was so meant to be...

This one still needs a bit of tweaking but oh my WORD there has to be an easier way. But I refuse to go to the dark side--photoshop is for pros. I am no pro. I don't have the patience for the learning curve. But in the meantime...I came up with this. Those curved lines were close to impossible. There has to be an easier way...maybe with my Wacom tablet (smile). Had it for over a week and still have not cracked that baby open... more pro stuff I guess.

This is one of my faves. I will likely use the pictures in this neat idea I have but for now, this here fella is one of my fave people in the world. That's him prepping for his climb of Everest. Really now.

So, I've gotten a pretty good thing going so far. Got to chat about a new venture in scrapping that may just be pretty cool. We shall see. In the meantime, enjoy the goodies for the patient among ya! Tomorrow, I should have some stuff up at Diversity Designs as I'm on the Feb rotation. End of next week, the midmonth at Crop Addict will go up and I'll post some really neat stuff there too. Loving paper scrapping again. Pulled out a not seen fave today when I was mailing off layouts for the Doodle Book call (I get two layouts published in that one!) and resending my layout for the Blue Media Style Book (one of my fave simple layouts of all time--CK even liked that one...it was third place at the WA CK Convention in 2005). Anyhow, I kind of sort of had a layout potential for the CKC Portland, but it is way too busy so I'm going to redo it. I have thoughts of redoing another paper layout as a digi but I'd wanted to do it for something else which I'm running out of space for. My last thoughts on that is that I have this neat album idea that I have to get going on if I want to feature it for my next go rounds in March where I have a full kit with Crop Addict. Time to get on the ball scrapping that!

Good night!

Finally...kit 1

So it is finally up on Ebay. Starts at .99 for ALL of that! All of it! Bid now or forever hold your peace. Only up for one week!

Have fun and be on the lookout for more this week! Sorry...the flat rate shipping is only within the U.S. Shipping outside the US is actual cost.

You can bid on it here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270082160684

Recent Scrap Stuff

Yeah, and so I do indeed still scrapbook. Lots more digitally nowadays but I have a couple of paper kits to work with as well. In the meantime during the move, check this out and have fun!

Where Does Love Bloom?

Love this one...trying to keep it simple.

But it all just started flowing from the layered papers

to the tabs to the inked edges. Love it!

And on that Day, Forever Arrived

This one was quick. Just one photo so it was more about journaling

Not sure if you can read it, but I so love this picture.

Some simple brush work, some thoughts...

simple!

Boy Tired

For the longest time, this was my FAVE layout.

Probably because that is my fave person in the world.

And it was my fave week of my life having him

and my mom here for a visit.

Another very simple layout.

Picture, geographic, journal.

Simple!

The Nuptial Crew

I submitted this one for the CK Wedding layout call.

Love journaling from a different perspective

and I love how well that boy cleans up (smile).

Any Day Now

Not so simple (lots of elements and what not)

but did this from an Amy Teets template

And so love how it turned out

cause, as I said earlier, I love that boy.

See...I still scrap!

Still chugging

So yes, I do still scrap. I'm just in the midst of a move as well.

I owe people some scrap stuff and if it would ever thaw here so that I could get down the hill to my place without having the boyfriend see just how much scrap crap I have (and that's just the stuff I'm keeping!!), I promise, it is coming. It is even boxed up and on my table. It's coming...truly.

I sold out all the pre-packed kits. Yippee! Now, on to the ebay postings. I hope it thaws tomorrow so I can get hom eand get the scrap stuff I'm selling online. Everything from a Sidekick (with alphabet), sew mini, quickutz tool, Ott light...so much stuff. And then I decided to purge one of every two from my PERSONAL scrap supply so I have 14 MORE kits (and lots of idea books in them and what not) that I'm going to post to ebay. I'll start the bidding at like .99 so that everyone can have fun. If a kit hits $40, I'll ship it for free. Otherwise, shipping is $10 first kit, $8.10 each additional one you win. They are all packaged in the 8.10 one price priority mail packages. And they are stuffed FULL of stuff--so full there is no need for "filler" to keep everything from bouncing around. Seriously good stuff. You want an example you say? Stay tuned tomorrow. One more post tonight with pictures of scrap happiness lately.

Postponed

Yeppers--likely, if you asked, you are on my jury. I wanted to get together a mini portfolio to mail to you with the "thank you for offering your services, let's get to work email" but alas, we have no power. Lovely.

I'm at work trying to blog with no walls...living in the fishbowl. Not working so well. Supposedly we get power Monday so I'll get back to you then!

Till then...thanks!

Jury Duty

Your summons just might go out tomorrow. Still looking for a few interested jurists...

Looking for a few good jurists

well, the time has come. I've got a slew of stuff to show and no one to show it to. Why? Because I think I will give HOF one last shot. So this is where you might come in.

See, I'm in need of a jury. Not just a mentor, but a whole jury of folks that I can share my lovely work with. You don't have to be local, I can email it to ya, but I will have to have you sign your first born over to me. Not really, but seriously. I'll need folks who are willing to look at my goods and be honest. Sometimes, I'll send you a slew of stuff and say "pick your fave and tell me why". Other times, I'll send you a few things and a link to the assignment/rules and tell you to tell me which you think stands out within the parameters. No matter. I just need folks who are:

1. honest. Both in regards to telling me what does and does not work, but also in regards to not grabbing and running

2. reliable. I procrastinate. So if you procrastinate too and won't get back to me with feedback, then I'ma be in a world of hurt. Let me tell ya.

3."good" now this is relative. I'll want a link to your gallery of work. I want my jury to consist of folks with various styles/attention to detail and the like. Because I know what I like, that will be on the jury pretty heavily because I want to keep to my style. But I do want input from others as well. So if I don't pick you don't fret--you can look at my public stuff and let me know what you like/don't like and be an unofficial jurist.

What's in it for you? Aside from good karma (word of the moment evidently) all my jurists will be handsomly rewarded for their scrap helpfulness. I won't say with what just yet (cause I don't want you to submit your name just for that), but I promise you WILL NOT be dissapointed.

Okay--so if you want in, you need to email me at henderso@seattleu.edu.

And be sure to link me to someplace where I can see your work and tell me why you want to be a jurist. Let me know if you can do it in person (I live in Seattle) or if you want to do it via email. Most of the work will be during January--expect to do weekly communication via email, daily towards the end of the month. Duties will end January 31. You will be held in strictest confidence--meaning I don't even want you to let folks know you're on my jury. After Jan 31, all is fair game. Including scraplifting of any cool ideas I may throw your way. I would just ask that you not post said scraplifts until March 1.

Be sure to tell the world--you also don't HAVE to be a scrapper to be considered for this. Non-scrappers should let me know such (as you won't have a gallery to link me to) but definitely let me know why you are interested in helping out.

Kay. we're off.

Oh my freaKIng goodness!

So there are those (who know me well) who would say:

"She only entered for the Ipod"

And really, those folks would be so dead on.

But they, nor I, knew what all this would REALLY mean!

Holy good KIness!! I am so in love.

I already loved the letters and "photo corners" (ie, arrows to me)

But the ribbon

and the big box of good KI ness!

Totally cool!

Coolness - Legacy!

So it's official. Legacy has selected my most favoritist piece I've ever created for the August/September issue. I've posted it here before. And online at 2peas. I've santized for the "newness" but if you've been observant, you'll of course know which one it was (smile).

Congrats to Sue T and Jen for their RAK wins from CKC-Seattle (well, Bellevue really but we won't get into that just yet). They join Andrea in the rak winnings. Two more rak winners (or, perhaps, yet another double winner like Andrea and Jen), a scrapbook photos gig to give out and then the major prize winners.

Fun times!

Now if only I could skate to the post office and get those gifts sent out.

So here we are

A year later, we're still here!

Yippee!

Lots of great things in life to be happy about. Most of all, that a year ago, I was pretty miserable--not in the traditional sense, but just kinda surreal. Not with anyone, just kicking it with really no idea about this whole scrapbooking thing. I mean yeah, I had been pubbed in Simple Scrapbooks at that point and I had just come off an amazing weekend at CKC-WA. But even then, after that weekend, I had no idea of what I was capable of. I never would have dreamed that I'd actually get as involved with this as I am, much less that I'd be having fun doing what I'm doing. I mean scrapping started off diferently and for different reasons than for most folks. But still.

So a year later I'm at a point.

I've just made my third design team.
I've just been asked to pub in my third major magazine
I've just been asked for a submission in my third idea book publication.
I made finalist in my third major manufacturer national contest.

For thost that know me, those threes are very significant to me. Back in high school (seems so long ago), I had a fave teacher who told me of the power of 3. Everything in life, for good, for bad and for indifferent, happens in threes. I have no illusions about having "done it all"

No illusions at all there.

And I'm not typically the type that settles or gets content.

But I'm at a point. A point where I don't look at others and think "I can do that".

A point where I don't see the new list of calls at pub calls and think "WOW, I have to do that too"
A point where I'm not trying to kid myself into making a living with this.
A point where I can look in my scrap room and honestly say "I have enough. I don't need to go out and buy x" A point where "x" luckily, oh so luckily, comes to me by way of friends, family, and just play old moxie by looking for ops that matter to me. Really matter to me.

I'm at a point. A good point where the opportunities that I'm lucky enough to come across really mesh with who I am and match my goals. A good point where I'm super excited about living life--not just scrapping it. I love it. I really love everything this hobby has done for me. But I honestly need to keep it just that--a hobby. What that means, we'll see this coming year. Just thinking about it now cause I have some resolutions to get together and this should be fun. It is fun and that is why I feel a renewed committment to this, but I want to make sure that that committment isn't misunderstood.

Till then.

choices

well...choices to make. And I think I made the right one. It's odd. You get to points where you think you know what you are walking into, you walk on in and it is really quite the house of mirrors! Which, by the way, was my FAVE destination at Western Playland until they moved it into the middle of nowhere...bummer.

Totally happy right now. Got a call I've been hoping for a long time. Cept that it was a call with conditions. Sigh. Now I know how it feels for the students I waitlist cause in a way, that's what I'm faced with now. Accept the offering with hopes that more will come of it. Honored of course that they think highly enough of you to even give you the shot, but scared to death that you won't be able to measure up. So is me in the moment. And then I get another totally unrelated call about something I cannot share until Monday and though this is not modeling that by posting this vague teaser here, that call I just got is testament to patience and compromise. And it works so well for me. So totally well. So just more to contemplate and be totally happy about. More on that latter one on Monday.

It will work out. That I'm confident of. Even better, I'm now so totally motivated to get cracking! Just posted 7 more challenges for the CKC-WA dinner and I'm pretty excited by what the ladies have done there so far.

Really thinking of doing CHA-Anaheim this year...but have to figure out what's what and then some what.

On a somewhat side note--woke up this morning to a pretty severe accident on the East Side--construction crane crashed down through like three buildings right out by the Convention Center where I was just at for CKC-WA. Kinda crazy. Kinda close to home.

Alas...lots of scrap stuff at the BF's house. I should scrap something. Digitally at the very least. Reading up on HOF for Creating Keepsakes and just not sure. I like the challenges but I'm really for some reason or another getting to the point where I'm like...kay...I like me and that's okay. Less competitive if that is even possible (smile).

We'll see but thanks for asking. Promise...besides my own little mind knowing...I'll post the breaking news here if I decide to go for it. Messin' with ya...

And in a month's time...

Wow...not like I have done nothing scrap related for a month.

Most notably, got to meet some fantastic, amazingly talented online scrap friends (some for the "again" time) at the 2peas Pub Dinner at CKC-Seattle.

It really was a blast being in touch with mf's to get donations and I can't wait to see all that the women do with the products. I even gave away a super rak!

So aside from that...what else? Got my first call for Legacy and shipped that off this week! I really hope they like it in person and pick it up!

Been getting some good progress on some other assignments and I'm really looking forward to hearing back about a DT call this week that I have really, really REALLY wanted to be on for some time now. If I don't make it, the time isn't right ya know what I mean? I truly believe it with this particular one because of some history there, but definitely would be a thrill to work with them.

Oh and back at CKC...got to see the "innards"...the sausage being made. I helped set up one of my most fave mfs of all time at the show. Not biased at all (smile). I worked with Deb from the Fiber Scraps booth. I have to email her to get her to send me the pic we took but I was more than half a wreck. She called just as I was getting out to Azteca to make final arrangements on Thursday and I was like "yeah, I can help". Well...cause I'm not a no girl (smile). This was one of the thousands of reasons why I am happy to be a yes girl--met a really great person who was in a bind and I was so happy I could help her out.

Last trip on the road so I get to play with my CKC goodie bag and create some great stuff for the challenges to post here and at 2peas. Be on the lookout!

I've got style!

Blue Media style that is. Got a call for a layout--number 12...the infamous Moments. I love that layout. So simple, so clean. Love it. And it got picked up for pub. Finally.

Much love to all.

So I have a whole bunch of layouts I did on the road. Didn't take the scrap supplies as I wanted and that is probably a really good thing. But did do it to it digitally. Got lots to share and hope to have lots of internet time thsi coming week to get some of it posted.

Till then!