A Hodge Podge of Activity

Wednesday had me schlepping my laundry out to do. On Tuesday as I was piling it in my van, my wonderful husband had a great idea of me trying to get passports for myself and the kids. Sometime in our future, we are planning to visit an area where the border of MI and Canada is so close it would be a shame to not pop across. I went to the designated place to find out the information needed: Hubs and I both would need to be present to get passports for the kids. So I went home, filled out the forms, grabbed the proper identification, and snagged up the family. It was really quite an easy and painless process, well, except for the pocket book which is still groaning and moaning over the cost of 3 passports. Then we had a bit of an unexpected adventure afternoon which included a ride up the peninsula with a view of the lovely wineries, a library book sale with 5 stuffed bags for $10, and an antique shop. Super fun and relaxing afternoon that makes you forget that you had to go to the laundromat. (The piece for my washer came yesterday, so hopefully I won't have to do that again soon.)

Great view, huh?

Yesterday, had me cleaning off that mess of a desk I shared on Wednesday. You know, so I can make a bigger mess. 

This meant I had to put away all of lines by Shimelle (AC). I put all of the papers in one bin, including things from cutaparts and all of the embellishments in another.

 My new purchases needed to be put away too. These are from a scrap store. No more than $4 for the lot.

 A sale at Joann's, plus a coupon led to the above. Yes, all I needed was the fabri-tac glue so that I could fix a lampshade. The stencils were all clearanced at 1.97 and have 2 sizes in each.

The latest layout that I finally finished. I really hate when real life gets in the way of my play time.
Photos are from 2009. I even spent some time yesterday afternoon organizing all of dd's layouts in her albums.  And started a new layout. However, then I decided I really need to get messy. So I cleaned the desk off again. Some mixed media backgrounds to follow.

WOYWW 374 - A Mess I Tell Ya'

Getting Straight to the Mess this morning.

Although I did finally finish the layout that has been setting on it for the last 3 weeks. I couldn't find the right color of glitter paper but did find the right color of glitter. So after using my silhouette to cut out a cursive welded words, I applied glue and glitter. The glitter does come off a bit. I should have mixed it with gel medium instead. I think of that for art journaling but not for scrapbooking. Smacking myself in the head now.  The layout is under my composition book (that is where I keep my to do lists). I have some foam veggie trays that can be used for making my own stamps or for relief prints.

I have a clear container that I thought I'd see if all of my Shimelle collection would fit into it. The 12x12 pads don't work so well in it. Not to worry, I have a different container that I think will work. I just didn't have any more time. I still have the papers from the page kit I was working on and 2 more photos to do with those papers.

But I'm itching to get some mixed media going. Peggy aplSEEDS shared a site called atcforall when I was so excited about my first ATCs for the 7th anniversary. I just joined the site and am seriously anxious to get in on a couple of swaps.  (Thanks Peggy. I know your on holiday and probably won't read this.)

That's it for me. I will be visiting everyone tomorrow. As my washer has broken. The rubber seal needs replacing. I ordered the part yesterday, but it will be next week before it comes and hubs can repair.  So I am off this morning to the laundromat. ugh.

Visit all the work desks by jumping over to Julia's blog.

WOYWW 373

Welcome to my workdesk. If you want to join in the fun of seeing everyone's workdesk, please see Julia's blog.  She started this fun Wednesday sharing many, many moons ago. There is never any pressure, it's just when and what you want to share of your workdesk. I joined, took a couple of years break, and just started back this year again.  See no pressure.

Alright, on to my workdesk.  It looks exactly the same as 2 weeks ago, except that a bin of alphas is now on top. The same layout still sets there unfinished.  I will say after getting back from our trip last week I did have my travel art/Bible bag, my camera, a few things I picked up at the stores scattered on the top too. These items were cleaned off yesterday as I was determined to finish this layout. I'm usually a "just get it done" type and not a "I have to have the perfect thing to do it" type. Well, as I was working up the title yesterday, I realized that it would be so much better if I cut a cursive font out of glitter pink paper for part of the wording. I had the perfect color, but with glittered flower designs. I don't want flowers. I want solids (temper tantrum thrown in here). I've since pulled out pink flock and AC spark! tinsel in cotton candy that I could use and "get it done". BUT...NO. I just can't pull the plug. I guess it will wait until tomorrow. We have dentist appointments, so I'll hit the Michaels or Joann's afterwards for some pink glitter paper. (shaking my head at myself for being that way, but the heart wants what the heart wants.)

I do like to keep these posts short, but have to share my next endeavor. A lovely lady at the client site my hubs works for gave him some zucchinis from her garden. Since we got our deer fence up this year, but no garden out, I'm ever so thankful. Zucchini Relish will be started today and finished tomorrow. Yummy!

 

And crafting has been really at a minimum for me as we clean up the house and play in the pool.  

For those that want to stop with the crafty related only, stop here.

My daughters health:  

Thank you all for the well wishes for my daughter. She has been fighting something for years which I thought were food related, but could not isolate, but it was only once every so often, maybe 1x a week to 2x a month depending. In the fall of 2014 things escalated and she became sick most of the time. Traveling one day would lead to her being sick all week. We found out she was hypothyroid and have that straightened out. We took her off gluten, dairy, egg, soy, green beans. She still had some issues. We were able to add soy back in, but had to take out most food preservatives and all artificial colors and watermelon???, seriously, out. Still her tummy would hurt and her motion sickness did not improve. She had allergy testing. Allergic to 19 of the 29 common allergens. She is now on claritin for allergies and doing immunotherapy drops to see if we can desensitize her. However, she is suppose to be at 3 drops per day and is still at 1. They say it takes about 5 years for the therapy and 6mos to 1 year to see any real improvement. But at only 1 drop, I don't know how long that will be pushed out.  For her motion sickness, just to run to town she has to wear the patch that people wear on the cruise ships, but it's been working. She now may have a slight belly ache in the morning sometimes, and almost always has one at night, but she has been functioning during the day quite nicely. Blessings!  The dr. thinks that she suffers from abdominal migraines. 

This was a diagnosis that we had earlier, but the medicine didn’t work. The diagnosis changed and that med didn’t work. The neurologist took her back to the migraine diagnosis and put her on a different med, and we are keeping our fingers crossed. He’s also suggested a counselor for biofeedback techniques. He made several other suggestions which we were already working on, so at least I feel we really have been on the right path.

Happy Wednesday to all.

Sandcastle Conundrum

If you read Friday's post, you know that I'm working with all of Shimelle's lines which is how I typically work with Shimelle's collections.

I struggled with these photos and how to put them together. I had a portrait photo of both my son and one of my daughter working on their respective castles. I had a landscape of each of their respective castles. I was originally going to try to put them all on one page. I couldn't make it work. If I separated them by child, then I could go with my go to design of an L or reverse L when working with one portrait and one landscape. But, I just wasn't feeling it. It took me hours to finally cut some papers down and arrange them. I still wasn't crazy about it. I left the layout unglued out until the next day.

Upon waking the next day, I did my normal routine and checked the computer. I'm trying to catch up on the blogs having been away from the computer for 3 weeks. I've been picking a blog and just reading up through the posts. Well, I chose Michelle's lovely blog Scrapthology to peruse. I have to say she puts out sketches every Sunday that are super, and I'm not really a sketch person. When I came to her July 3rd sketch, I was like why didn't I check her blog sooner. Then I could have used this sketch instead of struggling all last evening. I thought I was too lazy to go back and redo the pages, I know they weren't glued down, but I'd have to repick papers, recut papers, ugh, it just sounded like too much work.

Well, I couldn't put this fantastic layout out of my mind and ended up totally using this sketch.  Here are my layouts.

I love how they turned out. The Destination Adventure titles are cut from 4x6 cut apart PL styled cards that I cut in a label shape on my silhouette.  The journaling reads the same on both cards, as I thought they might want them in their individual books, however, it's part of our overall family day experience. If I put them in their individual albums, then I have to go back and write more information on page 3 of my outings layouts (posted Friday) or I could just make another page with just the sandcastles for the family album.  See my conundrum??  I just don't know what to do!  If you have any ideas or a preference, let me know.

WOYWW 372

Wait! What do you mean it's Wednesday already?!  I just was visiting some desks yesterday. Yeah, I'm that far behind this week.  Oh, heck, I'm that far behind THIS YEAR. ha.

Today my desk was beside the pool at the hotel. We're going to the neurologists this week for my daughter. So again this week I will be late to some desks.The doctors office is in the same town my husband has a client that he goes to each week. So we just tag along for the extra days - swim in the pool, sometimes sightseeing, and today -- Dave and Busters.Both of my tween and my teen are excited.

What did my work entail?  Hand lettering. What I realize is that I need more practice. Hand lettering is an easy on the go practice and activity.  I tend to not do it so much at home. It's great when I have down time at co-op or waiting for the kids at catechism, but it's summer and neither are going on.  I need to make more time for it.

So that's me this week. Happy Wednesday!

WOYWW 371

I've been wanting to share the lovely ATC's that I've received for our anniversary swap, but life has been too busy of late. Today I'm making the time to share them.

They are all so beautiful! I'm just thrilled with them!! I can't wait to work on mine for next year. I'll be including the cute cards, but not the fancy envelopes for mine next year.

Moving on, you're here to see my desk.  This is my Monday afternoon. I have some bits and pieces that need to be put away from my last crafting session. The box of stamps that I just paid shipping on, but otherwise, fairly clean as I do like to clean up between projects.

But as of yesterday, I had moved the stamps aside and pulled out another page kit. There is a page in progress with my bin of alphabet stickers setting on top of the desk to choose my title. I have 2 other photos with a different story that were in with the collection for the page kit propped up. In between the alphabet bin and the photos are the little leftover bits that have yet to be put away. From this view you can also see my computer desk with the silhouette and the stack of papers that always seems to be piled upon the corner. The pile changes, but always a pile. yes, I blurred it as the stack does contain medical papers for my dd's neurology appointment next week, and some bills. It also includes homeschool papers, blank midori styled inserts, a magazine and a joann's flyer.

That's how my desk looks this morning with the addition of my purse atop the pink alphabet stickers. Today I take my hubs to the dentist to have a tooth pulled. I don't see visiting many desks today, but will get to them tomorrow!  Happy Wednesday!

To view more desk, visit the lovely Lunch Lady Jan's blog!  (until next week when you'll be back at Julia's. Hurray!)

For the Joy of Page Kits

I used to call my scrapbooking style "Batch" scrapbooking, as I seemed to do things in a batch styled process. I'd edit and print and bunch of photos. Then my next block of time I'd work up some journaling on the computer for the photos. This would help me solidify the story I wanted to tell if there was one or might help me decide to break photos up for multiple stories. A plus is that it also usually gave me my title as well. Then I'd match the photos with paper, grabbing individual sheets from collection packs and tearing each sheet out from paper pads if necessary and bagging them together. Then I'd grab embellishments that I thought would go in each bag. I'd have a nice stack waiting for me.

I loved being able to just grab a bag. I don't scrapbook chronologically, so I could still go through my eclectic mix of photo bags and choose what was calling to me at the time.  However, over the last couple of years I fell away from my batch scrapbooking process and my page kits.

Recently, I've rediscovered the joy of page kits. 

I forgot to do the journaling before and just paired photos with papers. This is something I will go back to in the future. I realize I don't use a lot of titles when I don't work on the journaling or if there is no real story.

What I tweaked, just because I'm lazy, was that I didn't tear sheets from the paper pads or separate collection packs. If I was using a pad or pack, the whole thing went into the bag.  I would include any photo that I thought went with the collections feel. So I might have a photo of my son to talk about a quirky habit, a family outing, and my great niece (where generally there is no story since we don't see her often).  I didn't worry about embellishments unless I knew there was ephemera or an item that I really wanted to use. I like pulling those things in the moment.

With the Fancy Pants Collection "What A Wonderful Day", I ended up with 2 different photos of my niece in the bag. These are the pages I came up with.

What makes this tweak so AWESOME!  I liked that the paper pieces go back in with the collection pack and get put right back on the shelf for a quick and easy clean up.

I'll be adding even more page kits to my future. (happy dance).