the bandwagon.

i used to add to my bookmarks whenever i found something that i wanted to keep track of online. but that didn't work out too well since i never really looked back at my bookmarks. eventually, i started keeping a million safari windows open. that way i didn't lose track of something i'd found online because i would constantly see it. sooner or later, safari would freeze, and i would be unable to recover all of the windows, thus losing cool things! always a bummer.

so i decided to jump on the bandwagon and sign up for tumblr today.

i've barely started, but so far i'm in love. :]

more. more. more.

last night i completely lost track of time and stayed up too late scrapbooking. then i spent quite a while today trying to figure out why my photos wouldn't upload from my camera to my computer. by the time i solved the mystery and realized that i should have taken the photos in better light, there was no daylight left. so here they are in all of their badly lit glory. ha.

all of these layouts were made with the november studio calico main kit called "marketplace" plus the add on called "bazaar".

this one is another sunday sketch layout. i had been waiting for them to make a sketch from davinie's layout, so i'm glad they did. when i got the bazaar add on, i pretty much thought this paper would never get used. but once i remembered taking this photo on our trip to apple hill, i knew it would be perfect. so it was the first thing i used from the kit... i'm glad it got me started because this is a fun kit!
i've been noticing a lot of threadless stitching on layouts lately, and i have to say i love the trend. [see my last scrappy post about hating to make new bobbins.]

this next one really didn't turn out as i'd pictured. definitely not going into the "favorites" pile, but that's ok. i thought the papers would look cuter with her dress, but once i printed the photo... not so much. it was too late though because i'd already cut the papers, and the floral is the backside of the polka dot... so i'd basically ruined the sheet of paper.
the title is a spin off of one of my favorite poems called "solitude" by ella wheeler wilcox. in jr. high school, we had to read a poem aloud one day. i picked this one without much trouble. then before i had a chance to raise my hand for my turn in class, lyle whitaker read the same poem! ack! haha. but i still have the poem on my wall, and i still love it.

that was a really long explanation for me to say "i needed something to write on the little sticker, and this popped into my head." the line is actually "laugh and the world laughs with you", but i had already adhered the word smile.

so in case you haven't figured it out yet... this layout involved very little planning. perhaps it would have made it into the "favorites" pile had i just done a little bit of thinking ahead. :]

this one is seriously better in person. it's a super simple layout, but i like it. i randomly decided to print that photo from new year's eve, so i was really happy with how cute it looked on the doilie paper.
i whitewashed the background a little bit, and painted those thickers. the ones from the kit were green. about half way through painting them, i realized i own the white version. ha. oh well.

this one is also way better in person. it just looks like a busy mess in the photograph, but i promise it doesn't really look that bad. it's pretty simple too... came together super fast. [ETA: see my updated version of this layout here.]
i love that puffy ribbon. it adds such a fun texture. the journaling is written on the packaging from the sassafras paper whimsies. there were little sassafras border strip things included in bazaar, which i used to cover up the product information on the packaging.

that's all i have to post for now. i've been getting a lot of layouts done lately, and it feels nice to be using up kits. i rewarded myself by buying an add on for february. :] hopefully i'll be able to keep this up for a while. this brings the total to nine layouts this year because i have one more that i haven't posted.

well. james and i are going to get some dinner. i hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. :]

wordless wednesday. hair coloring edition.

i made a spur of the moment decision on monday night to dye my hair. i haven't managed to get a good portrait yet, but here's a quick snapshot:
i pretty much love it. the color is "dark mahogany brown". it's just a bit darker with a hint of auburn. so far, no one else has noticed. but james keeps telling me that he likes it, and i should keep it this color. :]

and yes. we still need to take down the christmas tree. but it pretty much blends right in with all the snow that's still outside.

two more.

during one of my sleepless nights i finished two more layouts. i have another one started, but it needs more work.

the first one is for studio calico sunday sketch. i'm going to really try to keep up with these. if i do, i will have many more than 24 layouts by the end of the year. :] everything came from the whodunit kit again, expect for those thickers, the hambly overlay [the brown dots], plus a little bit of brown cardstock from my stash. which reminds me... i need to buy more brown cardstock desperately! seems to be one of my most used colors.

i've been using up already printed photos, and i was happy to finally figure out how to use these. with my bright shorts and james' bright shirt, i had been a little stumped. but as i was putting this together, i decided these photos would work just fine. i wasn't going to add any red, but i thought those sassafras flowers tied it together pretty well.
i was also happy to use the dotted swiss white cardstock that came with the kit. i usually feel like i need to give it special treatment, but it's subtle texture worked fine just by itself here. :]

after completing the above layout, i started looking at what i had left in the kit and thought the red dots and solid pink [it's the backside of a paper i was pretty sure i wouldn't use] would be nice for a valentine layout. but i didn't have any photos of james and me printed. instead, i found this photo of my sister and me and thought it would be perfect. it was leftover from when i scrapbooked about the san francisco trip, so i decided to use it to just talk about being sisters. :] this whole layout is made with the whodunit kit.
i was happy to find a way to incorporate the october afternoon wild card ["learn"] because i had no idea how i was going to use it when i first saw it. and i used up the last of those sassafras flowers between this layout and the one in progress. it's not in my nature to use something entirely. i don't know why, but it's like eating the last piece of chocolate or the last cookie. i always leave it for someone else. ha. i'm getting to the point in scrapbooking where i actually enjoy finishing off a package though. maybe because i'm increasingly aware that i have too much scrapbooking junk!
oh! and i used one of the maya road pins that came in the kit too. i have to say it looks a lot more cute in person than in the photos. we didn't have the best light today for taking photos, but i wanted to get these posted.

like i mentioned, i have one more layout in the works. i can't figure out what it needs, so i have a feeling it will be a while before it's completed. i'll share it when i do though. it has one of my favorite photos ever on it.

i also just have to say that i think it's kind of fun and interesting that when i show james a layout, his attention goes straight to the journaling. he doesn't seem to spend a lot of time looking at the little details or the paper choices, which are my favorite parts. instead he just looks at the photos and reads whatever i've written. ha. i guess that should inspire me to write better journaling on my layouts. :]

i went to fallon again on friday to hang out in the pharmacy. i appreciated being out there more than usual this time because i actually felt safe. that's one big thing that town has going for it. but being in the pharmacy brought about a new trigger in the form the IV bags. seeing them took me right back to eric's hospital room, where i analyzed his IV. a little mind over matter got me through restocking the IV room with the tech though.

i hope you're all enjoying the weekend. james went snowboarding today, and i'm going to look for some new photos to print and hopefully make a few more layouts over the remainder of the weekend. :]

recovering.

i wrote about fun challenges in my last post. i anticipated that my next post would be all about the disneyland vacation, but it's hard to write about that after this past weekend. now i'm facing a different kind of challenge.

i'm still trying to recover from last weekend when i witnessed the most terrifying event i've seen. my friends and i were about a block from the car when we were approached by two boys. i don't even know what happened next, but before i knew it james' best friend, and one of my favorites, had been stabbed. everyday i think about what happened. and the whole thing plays over and over in my mind. i know it will take a long time to process it. i still can't comprehend what happened or why someone would commit a random act like that. i don't think i'll ever understand it.

i never used to feel unsafe, but now i struggle to feel safe. i kind of like the snow on the ground right now because i can check it for footprints. i used to enjoy my alone time, but i don't like being alone at all anymore. i have helix here with me all the time now because he gives me a little extra security if i am by myself. walking to my car after lab is another story. and there are all kinds of new triggers that make my heart start racing, like if i catch a glimpse of cuffed jeans. and when i think about any of it for too long, the tears start flowing.

i'm thankful that i've been able to talk to my parents about it. my dad was the first person i told, and i just completely broke down. he's been able to ease my fears and reassure me a bit.

i'm also incredibly thankful that our friend was able to go home from the hospital yesterday. i'm just so grateful that he is ok. his intestine and bowel were both perforated, so he had pretty major surgery and a long stay in the hospital. my heart just breaks every time i think about him. he's such a nice guy, always in a good mood, and so fun to be around.

going back to school has been sort of nice. just having an agenda to carry me through the day helps a bit. my anatomy class is essentially a continuation of last semester, but i think it will be easier since i've figured out how the professor works for the most part. as far as teaching the molecular lab, i don't know many of my students at all. i feel like last year i knew a lot more of them beforehand. we'll see how it goes.

anyway. sorry for the sad post. i've been avoiding writing about it, but it's pretty much the only thing that's been on my mind. i promise to come back soon with a happier post.

challenges.

i recently set a goal to make 24 layouts this year. i guess that might seem low. it definitely is low compared to how much some people scrapbook, but i think it's realistic for me considering there might be a month or two where i don't make a thing. i'd love to make way more, but i'll be happy with 24. i've already made my first two. studio calico is hosting various weekly challenges, so i decided to participate this week. i spent thursday shadowing in the pharmacy. when i got home that night i was ready for some "me" time. these challenges were the perfect way to spend the rest of the evening. :]

this first layout is for a challenge to make a tiny banner. these cute little banners have definitely been rising in popularity it seems, and after making one myself i can see why. i loved stitching it together, then admiring it when i was finished. i almost didn't want to put it on the page because i was having so much fun with it. so don't be surprised if you a few more of these from me. [i've also seen some cute sneaks from jenni bowlin and maya road for mini banner products that will be released soon. can't wait.]this layout is definitely on the simple side for me, but i wanted the focus to be on the photos. once i added the banner, i just didn't feel like it needed much else. i've had that piece of white cardstock that i used to test the lemon maya mist sitting on my desk for a while now, and i'm happy that it was pretty much perfect for this page. i need to mist more, it can add a subtle touch that i like.
everything is from the studio calico december kit called whodunit, except for those making memories bamboo alphas. i have four packages of those, which you'd think would allow me not to hoard them, but that's exactly what's been happening. i'm glad i finally used a few of them. :]

the next layout is for the sunday sketch challenge. every time i use a sketch it makes me wonder why i'm not more into using them. they can be a great starting point. i didn't follow the sketch exactly, but i think that's just fine. this layout came together pretty fast, and i'm sure i have the sketch to thank for that... it eliminated my usual paper pushing habit for the most part.
this one was also made with the whodunit kit, but i added that brown velvet scalloped trim from my stash. and the yellow twine is from the studio calico shop, not from the kit. i'm sure it becomes more and more obvious that i hate making new bobbins for my sewing machine since i use yellow thread exclusively. it seems to work on basically any layout i make though. i used it one both of these. :]
the scalloped chipboard is part of a mini album that came in the kit. i'm still planning to use it to make a mini, but i thought the shape was perfect for a journaling spot, so i used one of the pages. i added the lemon mist over the chipboard a little too excessively. it ended up looking gold. not the look i was intending, but it works. and i think those sassafras button flowers are some of my favorite embellishments ever.

i'll be back soon to post about our disneyland trip. i enjoyed getting away, but i was ready to come home once it was time.

for now i'm off to find some tights. carol's bachelorette party is tonight. i "accidentally" found two cute dresses yesterday, but i want some fun tights to wear also. they seem to be sold out all over town. one sales girl said that new year's eve wiped them out, and they haven't been able to get a shipment yet. so hopefully i'll manage to find some today!

hope you are all enjoying the weekend. :]

bits of excitement.

i still need to pack, but i have done SO much laundry this week that it's going to be a breeze. one would think that i could translate my love for having lots of clean clothes into a love of doing laundry. but that hasn't happened yet.
i'm so excited and ready to get away for a little bit. and since my pharmacy application is complete, i feel like i can go on this vacation and really feel stress free. it's going to be awesome to have time with my family and time away from home before heading back to school and teaching. plus, disneyland always makes me feel good. :]

i'm going to try to make a scarf as a surprise for my sister during the flight. i bought some really pretty yarn today from jimmy bean's. it's dark purple, and i have a feeling that i'm going to want to keep the scarf for myself when it's finished. :] but i'm more excited about the idea of giving something handmade away since i didn't do so well on that with my christmas gifts this year.

my d80 seems to have disappeared for good. i have searched and searched for it, but it's no where to be found. so this past weekend, i got a new dslr camera. i haven't had time to play with it yet, but i smile every time i see it or think about it. i'm so excited to learn the ins and outs of my camera and experiment with manual photography again. it's been almost two years since i've shot in manual.
oh and kudos to best buy because i told the camera salesman that i hated my current point and shoot camera because it consistently takes blurry photos. he asked me which one i had, so i pulled it out of my bag and handed it to him. he took a photo, which was blurry. imagine that. he told me that something was definitely wrong with my camera, and they could probably upgrade it to the newer model because they don't have mine anymore. so i got a new point and shoot too! i'm pretty sure it was just because i was buying the dslr, but still. it was really awesome that they did that for me.
so yeah. i'm a happy girl.
now i'm seriously debating getting one of these bags. i think the lola one is so cute. and i think we can all agree that there are basically no other cute camera bags. so i'm definitely excited about the potential of these.

ok. well there are plenty more things that i'm excited about, but i'll have to save them for another post. it's time to pack! :]

bits of the holidays. part three.

here are the new year's eve highlights.
i met up with james and a bunch of friends, then we headed over to one of the boys' houses for a little while. i had the adventure of duct taping my pants because they were too long and i couldn't handle it. thanks to danny for letting me use his bright red duct tape. :]sarah stopped by for a little bit. always fun to see her.

we decided to go downtown in order to watch the fireworks. it was ridiculously cold outside, but we survived. this was the first time i had been downtown in reno for the celebration. the fireworks were actually pretty good, and it seems that the cold kept some people home because there weren't tons of people there.

that's tiffany and amanda with me. tiffany just started dating one of james' friends in october. i've been having such a good time getting to know her. after the fireworks, we ended up going to a lounge for a while where tiffany and i talked while all the boys reminisced.
eventually we ended up at china diner. i haven't eaten at a china diner since i was little, but my sweet and sour chicken was much better than i anticipated. i saw aaron schneider there too. it was so random. after he ordered his food, i told him to sit with us, and before i knew it, he and james were talking about snowboarding like they were best friends. hilarious.
all in all, it was one of the best new year celebrations i've had. i'm happy that i decided to go out and celebrate with friends. :]

bits of the holidays. part two.

here's a tiny bit of christmas. i didn't take very many photos, and most of the ones i did take are blurry thanks to my fabulous camera. more on that in a bit. :]

i always feel bad throwing away the cool bows that adorn gifts. so i repurposed this one into a beard for my dad. :]
i can't believe i didn't get a better photo of my parents together. and i didn't get a single photo of myself. like i mentioned before... it was a strange christmas.

these next two photos are from a few days after christmas when james and i opened our gifts to each other.
i decided to get him a big canvas because when i invited him to paint with me one night, he said he wanted a big canvas. i only had medium and small ones. so now he has no excuses. he wasn't expecting me to get him a gift, so i told him not to worry... i just got him something small. i guess i threw him off a bit once he saw the huge present by the tree. ha.
i'm so in love with my present from james. i've been wanting a gray leather bag for so long now, and we found the perfect one. :]

that's basically all i have to share for christmas. i thought i would have a few more photos to share, but this is it. better than none, i guess.

bits of the holidays. part one.

i'm going to attempt to get caught up on my holiday blogging complete with photos. since i blog primarily for myself because of my terrible memory, it needs to be done. :]

first up is thanksgiving.
james and i arrived in denver the day before thanksgiving and had an amazing dinner with my sister and jamie at brio. i still think about that meal frequently and crave the artichoke encrusted filet medallions that i had. i will definitely request that we eat there during my next visit. after dinner, i really wanted a photo with james because the setting of the restaurant was so cute. we took several, but my camera wouldn't cooperate. here are some of the results:



the next day, which was thanksgiving, was a very low key day. i mentioned that i found a family tree that my grandpa had made... here's a look at part of it:james and i ended up going for a walk to a nearby shopping center so that we could get out of the house for a bit. there was a noodle place that james really wanted to try, but none of the restaurants were open. the movie theater was open, and we're both still wishing we'd gone to a movie to pass the time. oh well. we got back to my grandparents' house as they were arriving from their thanksgiving party that was hosted by some of their old friends. my dad's cousin charlie was at the house too, so my grandma made us some really yummy potato soup. it's always fun to see charlie when i visit. he's an interesting guy. he lives alone up in the mountains and builds these amazing organs for churches all over the country. and sometimes he tells funny stories about my dad from when they were growing up. :]

that evening, we decided to venture out to a mall for some midnight madness shopping. katie and jamie were on their way back from their thanksgiving party in colorado springs, so we met them at the shopping center. there was a huge christmas tree and all kinds of pretty lights there, but not much else besides a two hour wait to go inside the coach store and various other long lines.
i'm not sure what we were expecting, but it was just so cold outside and so busy that we didn't buy much at all. james found some kitchen set thing for his mom, and that was basically it. i guess it was worth experiencing one time, but i don't think i need to participate in the day after thanksgiving shopping anymore. :]

on friday, it was time for our thanksgiving celebration at my uncle's house. i really wish i had a group photo. here's my sister and me after the feast though:
during the meal, there was lots of story sharing. i learned that my dad's nickname in high school was "stein" after einstein. i called him stein on christmas day, and he got a good laugh about me knowing that it used to be his nickname.

we went to see a christmas carol in imax 3D that night. it was the best movie experience i can remember! [well. aside from the rude popcorn guy. ha.] i always struggle with those 3D glasses over my glasses, but it was worth it for this experience. i'm definitely going to see alice in wonderland in imax 3D, even if i have to drive to sacramento to do it.

saturday was our last day in denver. we had breakfast at ihop, which was actually fantastic. they had seasonal pancakes, which were all pretty yummy. i was never much of a breakfast person until i met james. he loves breakfast. anyway. after breakfast, we did some shopping. it was james' and my three year anniversary, so we celebrated by spending a small fortune at teavana. we have since become total fans of loose leaf tea. i haven't purchased a tea from starbucks since the trip. i was a little bit shocked over how much we spent, but once i considered that i was paying two dollars nearly every day for an inferior starbucks tea, i felt much better. i'm pretty sure that i've already paid for my teavana investment with my starbucks savings, and i'm drinking better tea. :]

we had dinner at my grandparents' favorite chinese restaurant that evening. i was actually sad that i didn't get to spend very much time with my grandparents during this trip. my great aunt [who's not officially my aunt, but that's what we call her] came to denver on thanksgiving, and unfortunately she ended up in the hospital. so they were pretty occupied with that. it was nice to be able to have a dinner with them before leaving though.

at the airport, we had a gate change that we didn't know about, so we hurried to the new gate as they were beginning the boarding process. we got on the plane just in time for them to tell us to get off due to a mechanical error. so we had a pretty long delay waiting for a new plane to come. we managed to get some food about five minutes before the food court was closing.
i guess this is the happy anniversary photo. :]

finally.

i clicked submit on my pharmacy application.

i'm nervous, excited, happy, and just in disbelief all at the same time.

james submitted his tonight too, a few hours ago.

i really hope things work out for the best. i'm trying not to let my imagination run too wild, but it's hard. good scenarios, bad scenarios, and everything in between. for now, i'm trying to focus on excitement, without getting too excited. but tonight during dinner james was watching boise state play football, and i said "babe. next year we could be living near boise!" ha. it's fun to think about it, but like i said... i'm trying to be careful not to get my hopes up.

people keep asking me what happens if we get in to different schools. i say, that's better than not getting into any schools. :] but honestly, both of us put school first. so we will go to school and see how everything else unfolds.

so. 2010. please be good to me.