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. :]