Eeegads!! It's been 3 1/2 weeks since my last post here and I find myself feeling deeply ashamed. Not only because I haven't scrapped much, but because I haven't posted about what is going on in my life!! *sigh* So, let me see if I can give updates without putting you to sleep with boring details...lol
Hubby & I went on an all expense paid vacation to Marco Island, Florida with hubby's best friend and his girlfriend. Won't go into details, but hubby and I came home after a week instead of almost 2 due to unforeseen complications between me and the best friend's girlfriend. *eyebrow raised* Did take lots of pics though, during the more pleasanter times and even managed to scrap most of them. (Will share in a future post...here is a photo of me and hubby on our first night there.)Not sure if the Spring Cleaning Bug hit me or I found myself so bored that I began looking for things to keep me occupied...but I actually CLEANED my house. NO...I'm not talking just the regular, run of the mill cleaning. I'm talking MAJOR PURGING here. Hubby's sister and her fiance' came for a surprise visit a couple of weeks ago. Stayed for nearly a week. While here, they helped hubby get motivated enough to clean off our back porch, do some major yard work...and that led me to do the major cleaning indoors. It's been 3 weeks and since then I've purged/cleaned & redecorated my den, my kitchen & turned my unused dining room into a livingroom/office for me!!Didn't realize how much of a pack rat hubby & I were until I started donated all of this stuff to the local thrift store. So far, I've removed 8 pair of curtains, 1 box of kitchen utensils, 8 boxes of country decor, 4 boxes of kitchen chef decor, 15 pictures, 60+ salt & pepper shakers (collection started with my mother) 2 chairs, 1 coffee table, 2 end tables, 1 lamp, 3 decorative glass bowls, 4 candles, 5 complete sets of plates, bowls, coffee cups, 2 sets of cannisters and the list goes on and on!!While hubby's sister and her fiance' were here, OS, hubby & I got tattoos. (I'll take a brief pause while you pick your mouths off the floor)......................................
SIL's fiance' owns his own tattoo shop and brought a lot of his equipment with him since he was already planning on giving hubby a tat. The last 3 nights they were here, we ended up having a tattoo party. OS invited all of his friends and everyone sat around and watched as OS got his first tat. (Something OS designed himself) Bless his heart, took 3 hours because he passed out a couple of times due to lack of food for much of the day, and the fact he kept holding his breath from the pain he said he was feeling.
I received my tat the following day around lunchtime...I chose one of his original black & gray scale faeries, but tweaked it and had him add color. For the most part, it felt like someone had taken a ball point pen and was drawing really hard on my back. It was only when he was doing the tip of the wing and the water it felt like someone sticking me with a needle.
Hubby got his later that night...because he took ALL DAY combining the Elliott Clan Crest & the tartan colors. Afterwards, he gave Kudos to OS for being able to stand the pain on his chest, because where he received his on his forearm, he said it felt like someone was taking razor blades across his arm. EEEK!!
OS just celebrated his 21st b'day!! Hubby and I hosted the party. At final count there were 15 guests not including our family...and yes...each of them were getting plenty intoxicated. The rules were if they planned on drinking they had to give me their keys upon arrival, stay the night and then get keys back the next morning. For the most part, everyone stayed on the back porch and kept the mess to a minimum. Only once did I have to put my foot down and make a group leave due to it being 3am, beer long gone, OS off to bed and this group wanted to continue the party until dawn. Sorry, but my tired butt was heading to bed and I wasn't leaving anyone unattended. They left, those that had made plans to stay went to bed, and I locked up. (Will share photos once I get them uploaded.)I'm sure I've forgotten something among all of this...but that's how it goes when you go so long without blogging. OOOPS!!
I can't believe I've made it to Challenge7 & 8!! Normally, by now, real life has gotten in the way and I end up having to drop out of these types of challenges early. (Maybe having a partner helps...I don't want to let her down AND I really am having fun in stretching my mind in new ways to scrap.)
HOWEVER, this week was TOUGH!! Challenge 7 literally brought me to tears while reading the rules...
Team Member #1 - ONE DESIGNER - MESSY - No Journaling
Using the correct number of items as listed below, you must scrap using only ONE designers products. Pick your designer carefully and make sure they have all of the things listed on the list below, remember only ONE designer. (this does not include the use of drop shadow actions but does include the use of templates, mattes, shape files etc.) Once you choose your ONE designer you will be required to scrap in a Hodge Podge style, a little artsy and messy. No Journaling, ONLY TITLE WORK.
Use the following items: (Please remember this layout requires all pieces to be from the same designer)
1 - paper (only ONE paper, no other paper for mattes page borders, nothing)
2 - ribbons
3 - buttons
4 - glitter/gems/sequins or bling pieces
5 - frames
6 - pictures
7 - alphas (different but from the same designer unless created by you, we made an exception to this but alphas cannot be made of paper.)
8 - flowers/stars/cardboard pieces
9 - staples
10 - random elements of choice (all by the same designer, no more no less)Team Member #2 - MULTI DESIGNER - CLEAN - Journaling "A letter"
Also using the correct number of items listed below, you must scrap using NO MORE than 2 items from the same deisgner. You will need to use many different designers for this layout. Again, no more than 2 items from the same deigner. You may use collab kits and mega kits as long as no more than two items come from any one designer in the kit. This layout needs to be done in a CLEAN style. Use of negative space is important however you will still need to use all of items listed below in the correct number assigned, so plan carefully. An alpha is considered one element, so you may use more than two of the same alpha pieces for any title work you may be doing. This layout has a theme attched so please read the journaling challenge slowly. The pictures MUST go with your layout and you MAY use stock photos or other pictures that clearly helps express the idea of the Layout. Please remember this is to be a clean minimal style layout but must also contain ALL of the items listed below, this includes the random elements of choice. You cannot choose to not use 5, you MUST use 5.
1 - photo matte
2 - staples
3 - pictures
4 - stitches
5 - random elements of choice
6 - flowers/stars/cardboard pieces
7 - papers (may be pieced) - your photo matte is NOT included in this count.
8 - buttons
9 - glitter/gems/sequins or bling pieces
10 -no less than 10 lines of journaling (may be more but no less)
Journaling: In this layout we are asking you to write a letter to your 16-17 year old self. As an adult now, give yourself advice on things you remember happening during this time or shortly after that would have been beneficial THEN. You may include information about your family and situations now to inspire hope. (You may also include pictures of now if that fits in with your journaling.) Picture cannot be the same image three times, must be three different pictures.ACK!! I spent 7 full hours searching through all of my scrap files on my laptop, CD's and External HD...only to discover that I didn't have all of the required elements to do #1. Tears flowed and I stressed...finally contacted my partner. I ended up going with #2 since my partner had all of the required elements from one designer to do #1 and she doesn't feel comfortable at journaling. *WHEW* That took a load off of me!!
Took me 2 1/2 days, but once completed, it was definitely worth it!!
Full credits can be found HERE
Next was challenge 8...
Scrap about your most memorable vacation or trip. It can be memorable for being everything you dreamed of, like your honeymoon or that magical Disney cruise, or it can be memorable because the airlines lost your luggage, the car rental place gave you a car that broke down on the way to the hotel that gave your room away to someone else because you were late checking in and the only room they have left is the one next to the ice machine and it's making noise all night long.
And because we love a good challenge, here are your restrictions:
1) Use only B&W Photo(s)
2) Do not use any travel themed elements or papers (i.e planes, trains or automobiles, postcards, etc.)
3) Use only ONE word as your title
4) You must incorporate the lyrics to some song in your journaling somehow. You don't have to include the whole song, just a line or even a few words. Just let us know what song it is in your credits.
Though still challenging not being able to use "travel themed elements or papers" it one was a LOT easier than number 7!! ROFL!! I chose to scrap about our 2 week visit to Chicago in 2002, because it was the last place that we all went together as a family.
Full credits can be found HERE.
Hubby & I went on an all expense paid vacation to Marco Island, Florida with hubby's best friend and his girlfriend. Won't go into details, but hubby and I came home after a week instead of almost 2 due to unforeseen complications between me and the best friend's girlfriend. *eyebrow raised* Did take lots of pics though, during the more pleasanter times and even managed to scrap most of them. (Will share in a future post...here is a photo of me and hubby on our first night there.)
SIL's fiance' owns his own tattoo shop and brought a lot of his equipment with him since he was already planning on giving hubby a tat. The last 3 nights they were here, we ended up having a tattoo party. OS invited all of his friends and everyone sat around and watched as OS got his first tat. (Something OS designed himself) Bless his heart, took 3 hours because he passed out a couple of times due to lack of food for much of the day, and the fact he kept holding his breath from the pain he said he was feeling.
I received my tat the following day around lunchtime...I chose one of his original black & gray scale faeries, but tweaked it and had him add color. For the most part, it felt like someone had taken a ball point pen and was drawing really hard on my back. It was only when he was doing the tip of the wing and the water it felt like someone sticking me with a needle.
