Sigh.............Failure.

Failure.  That about says it.  I know hard to believe that someone as swell as me could even get close to being a failure, but alas it is true.  Well, at least in terms of my goal to use up all the November Studio Calico kit before the December one arrives.  We are about halfway through the time allotment and I have done one layout.  ONE.  Crap.  I'm not totally to blame.  Do you like how I conveniently shove the total blame off of me?  Hold on.  Watch this.  You'll love the scapegoat.  Here it comes....It's the weather's fault.  Didn't see that coming, did you?  So it snowed.  A LOT.  Well, a lot for the first snowfall of the season.  

On top of it being the first snowfall, it was also sticky, which means excitement .  Here's the equation:

Excitement + sticky = snow fun = snow man = no time to scrap.  Oh well, scrapping is about photos, too.

  

So we built forts and snow families and even a snow dog, because everyone knows a well-rounded snow family needs a snow dog.

She attempted to bring the snow dog into the garage for the night.  Has she not seen Frosty the Snowman a million times?  What happens in the poinsettia greenhouse?  Ugh.  Thank goodness for Santa.  I couldn't promise Santa could make a special trip to apply magical Christmas fix potion for a snow dog   So he stayed outside with his frozen family with a lesson about removing creatures from their natural environments.  A science lesson revolving around a snow dog, that is one for the books.  And, yes, the dog has antlers.  So does Mr. The Grinch's dog.  Her exact words.  Cute.  

With chilly toes and nose we made it here.  I don't drink coffee.  I am all about the hot chocolate.  Caribou usually has the best hot chocolate.  They let you order it in white, milk or dark chocolate.  Three choices...three times the fun.  However, Starbucks has salted caramel hot chocolate.  I am sorry Caribou, but right now the drink love is with 'Bucks.  I will return soon though.  I promise.

Because I am a nerd, I was excited to wear these:

 And these:

Oh and I might as well confess. We made it here, too.  The girl loves her tacos.  Not sure if this is a good thing yet.  She thought this was a happy meal and all for her.  A quick lesson in portions.  I bet you thought Taco Bell was only good for making butts expand.  Nope.  Now you know the truth.  Nutritional education.  HA!

Oh and that one layout I have done.  It was a team effort.  I did the layout and she did the journaling.  She wanted to write on the layout.  I had to let go of my OCD perfectionistic behavior.  It's hard.

The layout was for the Studio Calico Sunday Sketch based on Waleska's Big Adventure layout.  

Lest you believe she has no brothers.  She does.  One was spending the day with grandma and grandpa. 

The other:

had his head stuck in a snow bank due to the continual bombardment of snow balls at us.  We will thaw him out next spring.

Long Time No Type

So long time no type.  What can I say?  I wish it was that I have been busy, but in truth it is called laziness.  Add a capital L to that and that makes it seem more fitting.  My scrapping has taken a back seat to my Facebooking.  Seems silly to say that as a majority of my Facebook friends come from the field of scrapping.  LOL  So before the Google or Blogger Gods confiscate my blog name and deem me past history, I thought I better do a quick update.

I created one thing in October.  This is it:

Photo stinks, but I think you get the gist.  Even though I didn't create a lot in October I sure added to my hoards of supplies.  I bought the Tim Holtz Sizzix Paper Rosette die.  I  know you can make these doodads by hand, but think about who is making this - Me.  Need I say more?  I am the shortcut queen and this die short cuts it enough to make me want to make rosette banners for every holiday of the year.and then make up some holidays just so I can make more.  We all need a St. Denise Day, right?  Maybe not.  Anyway, I love it.  I am currently in the midst of making a Thanksgiving banner.  It will look exactly like the one above. I am a slave to avoiding change.  Gah!

After making the rosette banner I figured I might as well go all out for Halloween.  I gathered my nephews and niece.  The nephews pretty much ran for the safety of the TV once I told them it was craft time.  Good thing neighbor, Henry, showed up and I was able to rope him into my plot.  We made these:

The idea came from the Halloween issue of the Betty Crocker cookbook.  It can also be found here.  The real recipe called for licorice strings for the legs.  I was working with an eight year old.  She doesn't like licorice even though she has never tasted it.  Huh?  Chow Mein noodles worked just as well even if the color wasn't as dramatic.

One step further.  I carved pumpkins.  OK...I always carve pumpkins and go way overboard with research on what to carve and patterns for doing so.  Well, it was one hour to trick or treating and no research had been done.  I just went willy nilly on five pumpkins and had them done in about 45 minutes.  Sure it isn't my usual Spongebob, Chicken Little, five car Thomas the Train or stacked pumpkin heads, but still it got done and no one attempted to smash them due to ugliness.  Here's the outcome:

 

In hindsight I should have have pumpkin seeds and "guts" spilling out of the mouth of the little in the mouth pumpkin.  Maybe next year.

Finally, I will close with a few layouts I did this past weekend and finished this morning.  Hopefully, this means I am back into the swing of scrapping.  OK...I am giggling at the comment.  Fingers are crossed though.

I feel they all could use some pizzazz, but I patoot in the pizzazz department.  Anyone have extras?  ;o)

Twin Cities Film Fest

My godson, Dave's, band, Postina,  has been given the opportunity to be a part of the Twin Cities Film Fest.  Before every film shown during the festival they will be playing Postina's music.  I am not sure of all the details.  Nonetheless, it is very exciting.  Below is a blurb found on the Twin Cities Film Fest blog and a promo video with background music by Postina.  Saweet! 

The Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) is a Minneapolis–based 501(c)3 non–profit arts organization that will have its inaugural event, a major mainstream 5-day film festival in downtown Minneapolis, during the fall of 2010. The goal is a simple one: To offer audiences’ access to the best films the global industry has to offer, to stimulate economic activity in the Twin Cities and to offer filmmakers a premiere venue at which to premiere their work.

Twin Cities Film Fest Promo Trailer from Sammy Sarzoza on Vimeo.

Back to the Grindstone/School

This font reminds me of school and makes total sense to use it in honor of today's layouts.  They are all about Back to School. I didn't go for the extra credit points, so they are pretty minimal and simple, but that's the way I roll.  Come to think about it I should get extra credit.  I scrapped in the dark.  Crazy road crew working on improving the streets around my home feel it is ok to turn off the power whenever they wish.  Even when the most important elements on a layout is being contemplated. Gah! So there I was - perched on the edge of my seat vacillating on the placement of a die cut thingie and whammo the lights went out.  Whatever.  I continued and sadly I have to admit, I scrap better in the dark.  Go figure.  Here's what I came up with:  

Working with the same kit - Studio Calico Continental - that I have been using for over two weeks.  How many layouts can you make from one Studio Calico kit?  Well, it is endless.  I think I have enough supplies for two more layouts. 

In regard to the layouts, the top layout is Emily.  Grade 2. It seems Hello Kitty is her new best friend.  Either that or she is hiding the fact that she has to wear a uniform.  The second is  Jake.  Grade 6.  He had a rough start this year.  Someone stole all his school supplies the first day. All is good now, but it was touch and go for a few hours on whether he was going to go back for a second day or drop out.  He chose wisely.  Truly, he did not have a choice, but what matters is that he thinks he did.  OK...the third layout is Nick.  Grade 8.  Holy cow....grade 8. I had to be sneaky about taking photos at the bus stop.  The kids go to a charter school, which is grades K through 8.  This is the only reason I still have photos of Nick.  We blame it on  the Fairness Factor.  I have to be there to take photos of his little sister.  Fair is fair.  HA! He's just lucky I don't chase the bus to school and wave like a mad man like I used to. Now that is embarrassing. 

The Hmmm Pose

Did a bit more scrapping this week.  I thought I might as well scrap, since the Vikings were being trounced by the Saints.  Not that I watch football that much, but my little scrappin' friend, Judi, was poking me with a stick ...I mean a Super Bowl ring all day long saying her team was all that and a bag of beignets.  I had to back the Vikings with the fervor of a....ummmm....drunken Viking.  Skol Vikings!  A quarter into the game and I realized scrapping and watching Destination Truth was probably a better way to spend the evening.  If only I had one of those beignets, my night would have been complete.  

So I whipped out the remaining pieces of the Studio Calico kit I am trying to eradicate and worked on the current Sunday Sketch.  Here is the sketch based on Nicole Harper's Just Be Still layout:

Nice, right?  You can see Nik's original layout by clicking on the Sunday Sketch link above.  It is a gorgeous layout.  Here is my take:

 

OK...what the hummingbird has to do with anything on the layout I do not know.  I just thought he needed to be slapped on.  In other words he was the right size.  Let's say it is a metaphor for living a life with a little poser.  Does that even make sense?  In my world it actually does.  Scary.

Scrap Kits and Bob Barker...Let's Discuss

I'm on a quest.  Sounds ominous, doesn't it?  Well, basically I am on a quest to once and for all use up every single item in a Studio Calico kit.  I bet you thought the quest was going to be something serious and important, like ending world hunger or boarding the Bob Barker and saving the whales.  Ummm....you need to watch Whale Wars on Animal Planet, if you don't get that last remark.  Speaking of Whale Wars, I get why they named one ship the Steve Irwin, but why is the other named the Bob Barker?  If anyone has an answer, please tell me why?  It can't be all about spaying and neutering cats and dogs.  Or can it?  Anyway....the layout below is the sixth layout I've made with the Continental Kit.  Seeing that some of my kits sit unused this is stellar in the book of Denise.  I came across a challenge posted by Waleska and Celine that intrigued me.  The challenge was to use themed items on a non-theme layout.  Check it out HERE.  This is my take:

 

In non-scrapping news, much like almost all of the US, today was the first day of school.  A few snaps of how my morning went:
LOL  OK...that is funny.  Lots of yawns and sleepiness.  They went to bed early, but couldn't fall asleep due to first day jitters.  Poor kids.  Hopefully they will sleep better tonight.  Here are a few better shots:

Well, that's that for today. River Monsters is on.  I have to go learn about Killer Snakehead Fish.  Who am I kidding?  I am watching it to catch the hot host - Jeremy Wade.  Don't hate.  Good lord...what an accent.  This dang Animal Planet Channel.

Labor Day Smabor Day

I totally loathe Labor day.  Not the fact that I get the day off from work, but the meaning it has in my head - the last hurrah of summer.  I guess it is plain to see that I am not a fan of change.  I whine about every season change.  Then once immersed in it it becomes my favorite time of year.  Right now my favorite season is ending.  On the other hand my favorite season is beginning.  Nah...let's not go there yet.  I need to mourn the loss of the hot, sunny weather.  So long sun drenched moments of lounging by the pool clad in bikini.  Well, that was gone for me at the age of ten.  Let's amend that to say just lounging.  Adios relaxation time sitting on the patio with friends.  Ta ta gardening.  Goodbye serene moments of watching Nick mow the lawn. Au revoir watching Dana pick weeds. Arrivederci to the little signs Jon leaves once he has fertilized the lawn.  Uhhhh....did I mention I am the lazy gardener?  My tip for a successful garden.  Know friends with landscaping and fertilizing businesses, have the best, hardworking, money hungry nephew on earth and a sister with ADHD (not really).  But I digress....oh summer 2010, how I will miss you.  Sigh.

Whining over.

This Labor Day weekend resulted in a miracle.  I moved furniture that resulted in me being able to squeeze into my scrap area.  Do you hear angels singing?  Yes.  Yes, you do.  Here's the results:

A couple of weeks ago Studio Calico had a challenge to use mini photos.  I knew I would never finish it on time.  HA....I thought I would never even start it, but here it is. I used my usual trick of using a while package of rub ons exactly as it is on the rubbing sheet.  Why work against what a designer already set up for you?  I guess I am the Lazy Gardener and Scrapper.  Whatever.  I probably should have included journaling, but the title says it all.  He is one of a kind.  The best kind of one of a kinds...Mine.

This layout was done for a Lift A Favorite challenge.  I lifted 12 by Jill Sprott.  I thought I was being totally original.  Well, as original you can be when lifting someone.  I thought all I could remember as I scrapped was the patchwork of pattern papers.  I had an a-ha moment and said I am going to do Nick at 13. When I went back to look at Jill's layout I had a good laugh when I saw that I had  subliminally lifted her theme as well . So much for my originality.  Oh well...I love the layout and all thanks go to Jill.

Finally, a kind of double layout.  Kind of in that my idea of a double layout is matching everything down to cardstock.  So I matched everything, but the card stock and number of photos.  This reminds me that I do not wish to do double layouts ever again.  Too taxing on my feeble brain.

 

 

So this isn't my favorite layout, but it documents what I needed it to document.  The soccer season was a hoot.  Nick and his best friends were in search of a team as the city they live in only had three players in U13. My sister searched high and low and finally found a team in Minneapolis that would gladly take them.  The Chivas.  Coached by a professional soccer player from Mexico the team consisted of twelve Spanish speaking players and three players that spoke only English - Nick and BFFs. Somehow they all knew what was going on and the team went on to win the state championship.  They so need to make a movie based on this. Kidding people.  The best part of the season was me telling Nick what chivas meant.  Yes, Nick you are a goat. Go Goats!

Well, that ends today's edition of Whine and Scrap.  Enjoy your Labor Day or join me in the whine fest.