Happy Sunday

Hey! I thought I'd share a picture from hiking Hatcher Pass with two of the llamas on our anniversary. I think this just might end up on our Chirstmas card this year!

Paul's been gone all week on a moose/caribou hunt, so I've been doing some scrapping. When he gets back with the camera, I'll share them here. And I've got a new haircolor for fall! Oooh, I love how it turned out. It's chocolate, mahogany with a tiny splash of honey right in the front.

OK, the llamas are staring at me from the gate...I think they're waiting for breakfast!

Oh, before I forget, there is still room available in the Amy Butler album class on Saturday...call Heather at 376-4430 to sign up!

Time to feed the llamas. :)

I ♥ Alaska Flipbook

Last night's class was so much fun! We shared some funny stories about embarrassing things our kids have said....whoowee, there were some doozies! This is the book we made...it's 12" tall x 6" wide. What a fun size to work with!

My next class is Saturday, September 22nd (I think the time is 1:00) and we're making the Amy Butler fabric album. The "twist" is the pages are all transparencies! It was really hard to photograph, but hopefully this will give an idea of how cute it is in person. :) I love how it turned out! And all the journaling is done with a white pen....so cool on the transparent pages! The pen is included in your class kit. :) There are a few spots left for the class, so call Heather if you'd like to sign up.

Thanks for the anniversary wishes! We took the kids and two llamas and hiked Hatcher Pass...so much fun!

Jenn, I don't really post my work anywhere consistently. There are links on the sidebar to a couple of my galleries. I need to get better about keeping them updated, though. :) Thanks for asking!

OK, I've gotta go feed my wet llamas. I'm grateful for the rain...we certainly needed some...but man, are they stinky critters when they're soaking wet!

New Schtuff...

So I put up a new banner and I can't decide if I like it or not. I'll let it sit for awhile and see. Sometimes I have to walk away from a project for awhile and look at it with fresh eyes before I know if it's a keeper.

And sometimes I know right away...like the two new projects I made yesterday. I'm BEYOND excited about them! I unexpectedly found myself alone in my house for the day, and after bumping into the walls for a few minutes, trying to figure out what to do with myself, I headed into my craft room and started to fiddle with a couple ideas I've been wanting to try. Poor Heather, I kept caller her, telling her how stoked I was about what I was working on. Sometimes I wonder if she lets me teach classes just to shut me up? heehee So I have my next two classes lined up!

The first is an "I ♥ Alaska" tabletop flip book. Super cute! It stands 12" tall, and is made to be displayed on a shelf or table, with sturdy chipboard pages that you flip through, and can view from both sides.

The second combines my love fabric and paper, using the Amy Butler Sola collection from K & Company, in a handmade, fabric-covered album that's round. The pages have an unexpected "twist" that you'll love!

Both albums will be on display at The Scrap Shack this week, and I'll post pictures here as well.

Happy Monday!

Winding down

Happy Friday! Whew, what a crazy, hectic week. Here's the new cushion I made for my garden swing a few weeks ago.

And a closer view of the fabric. I love the soft colors.
Last night's class was so much fun. We did the patriotric and "Today I Am" layouts...both fairly clean and simple.
I showed everyone how to create their own arrows using basic shapes in Word Art and how to make fabric covered brads (the green checked brad on the black heart).


Tomorrow I'm planning on sewing all day, with all the fun new fabrics I picked up today. But for now, there's a bottle of Alaskan Oatmeal Stout with my name on it. Cheers!

Class Layouts

I thought I'd share the two layouts we did for the class I taught at Scrap Shack last week. Next class is July 12th. I'll post a sneak peek of one of the layouts later this week.

Just for fun, I thought I'd share some of my favorite blogs with you today. I have a handful that I read daily. They've become my morning news, to savor with a nice cup of coffee.

By now, you've seen The Pioneer Woman over in the sidebar. Well, she just started a second blog called The Pioneer Woman Cooks. The recipes are simple, delicious and my family has loved them all. I especially love the step-by-step pictures with each one. You HAVE to try the Marlboro Man sandwich. It is SINFUL.

Heather D. White is another favorite. She's a scrapper and crafter and posts a lot of great project ideas. She also shares her remodeling projects, awesome recipes and the best gift ideas ever. I don't know how she does it all! Her blog is updated frequently, so I visit her a lot.

I love Heather Bailey's blog for her stunning photos. She's actually a textile designer, but has a real eye for photography. I got hooked after seeing her studio. She doesn't post often, but it's worth the wait.

Wendy Smedley always shares tons of great links full of inspiration. Updated sporadically, depending on how busy she is with work for Simple Scrapbooks.

So that's where I can be found early in the morning, watching the birds flit around the yard out the big window in front on my computer. Oh, my blog list is over a hundred strong...but I'll save some for another post!

Class Sneak Peek

Here's a little glimpse at one of the layouts we're doing for the June 14 class at Scrap Shack. This one's called "My Alaska" and has all kinds of stuff going on. I was totally in the mood to experiment for this class, and really worked outside the box (for me!). We'll be stamping with ink and paint (those who know me know I RARELY stamp, so I promise this'll be totally painless for those non-stampers out there like me!), doodling with pen, mixing b&w with color photos, trying out some new picture placement ideas and using lots of photos. Both layouts are 2-page and this one has 7 photos.

The other layout is called "EveryDay Hero" and can be used for any special man in your life. Plan on using 4-5 photos on this one of that special guy. More painting (EASY stuff, pinky promise!), funky freehand cutting, stamping.

I'm excited about the class! If you want to sign up, call The Scrap Shack at 376-4430.

And speaking of Heather (at The Scrap Shack)...her husband just came home last night for his mid-tour leave from Iraq!!! I'm so excited for her, you'd think it was MY husband. lol He left when their baby was just a few weeks old and Heather has been so amazing while he's been gone. I'd have fallen apart, I think. Anyway, I am so, so happy for her and her family. I'm resisting the urge to call her and get all the details of the reunion at the airport, so they can enjoy his first day back together. :)

Alrighty, I'd better go pay some attention to my house. It always suffers a little when I'm getting ready for a class...I get tunnel vision until the projects are done. And hey, I am ready a full WEEK ahead of schedule. Unheard of!

Have a great weekend.