currents

time: 9:35 pm location: cozy bed weather: warmer @ 19 degrees and windy again eating: Fage yogurt with strawberry preserves drinking: water wearing: gray tank/shorts feeling: good needing: a few more supplies from Home Depot for an upcoming project wanting: to make a terrarium thinking: I will make a terrarium enjoying: my quiet time blogging currents and watching Dexter wondering: how my meeting will go next week

xot.

(image)

 

 

one snowy weekend

And yet, life goes on. It's funny, you'd think this would slow Alaskans down but it doesn't. We're still zipping around town, doing what we do. People like my brother who actually love these snowy weekends and hit the road with their sleds (aka snowmachines).  I wish I could have just chilled indoors but I had a date with my new hair stylist Saturday morning. I chopped it off folks. It had to be at least 5-6 inches of hair. It's still past my shoulders, right at my collar bone. And guess what? I totally don't have a photo to show. Reason 1. Although I liked my new stylist and the cut, I didn't care for how she styled it. Reason 2. Today when my hair looked like I wanted and I was dressed and make up done, my camera battery died. How annoying is that? me: ok, I'm ready (standing in the snow posing) Jeff: (camera in hand) silence me: are you shooting? (can't hear the shutter) Jeff: nothing's happening me: !?@! Jeff: did I break it? (he's too sweet) me: no, the batteries effing dead me: trudging in the house and pulling off my snowy clothes me: moping because I was finally pretty enough to have my photo taken me: getting back in leggings and one of Jeff's sweatshirts me: fishing out the battery charger and putting extra battery on my Amazon list Anyway. Saturday was pretty sweet since I got to have a few hours of time alone wandering around downtown. I had a few gift cards from Christmas burning a hole in my pocket so I found a pretty top and some photo props at Nordstroms. Then headed over to Ozarks to purchase another bottlebrush tree to add to my collection. I only buy them after the holidays when they are marked down. They're beautiful but I can't spend $40-$50 on them. After getting lost in Ozarks (such wonderful eyecandy in that place) I scoped out a few spots for an upcoming session. At this point the snowstorm was in full effect. I was held up by 2 accidents...sometimes I wonder how these things happen. Oh yeah, SLOW DOWN people. I'm not talking driving at snails pace or anything but you can't take that turn like you can in the summer or stop on a dime at an intersections. Sheesh. Finally arrived at the park I'm wanting to shoot at and wouldn't you know, another photo session is taking place. I could hear them yelling, "look, another photographer!".

Other weekend goodness... *Tyler is walking. Like just straight walking with his arms down, carrying stuff. No more crawling or holding onto things. It amazes me to have this mini person walking around the house. His "boy" mentallity is really shining through as well. He's loves lifting things bigger than himself and does this grunt while he lifts. Funny stuff. Cute as all get out. Not a day goes by without a laugh. Like when I peek around the corner to see what he's up too and he's sitting in the living room with one of his cars and talking to himself. I have no idea what he's saying but it's definitly something. He LOVES music. LOVES it. Dances to it every chance he gets. He's got moves, that's for sure. *How did I not know the new Jersy Shore was starting? This is such a guilty pleasure for me. *Cherry milkshakes. That's all. *No scrapping done but that's ok...needed a break from it. *Perfet parking spot downtown. Love when that happens. *Everything purcahsed was on sale and on gift cards means no money spent! (haircut was even comped!) *Amazing opportunity coming my way in April! (more on this later)

Hope you all had a great weekend! xot

currents: first of the year

time: 9:45 am location: kitchen weather: cloudy, 7 degrees listening: tv in the other room (sesame street is on) eating: cream of wheat (me: brown sugar, him: bananas) drinking: coffee (going easy on the creamer lately) wearing: gray flannel polka dot pj's (these are the ones I bought specifically to wear at the hospital after giving birth, still loving them) feeling: not so great. (caught Tyler's cold) wanting: some miracle anitidote that cures colds within a day needing: some proper Kleenex. thinking: about what I'm going to put in my PL for today. (used tissue? empty packets of Emergen-C?) enjoying: home wondering: why does the body have to shut down this. (ohhh so acky.)

Yeah, first cold of the year. Thanks 2012. I shouldn't say that. This is more of the inevitable rather than bad luck. I always seem to catch some kind of virus in December or January. Nice that I get to stay home from work but the other job...the mommy job, doesn't get to call in. My arms always get the achiest when I'm sick and of course Tyler is going through this "pick me up, PICK ME UP NOW" phase which I'm trying to not give into. I actually crashed last night at 9pm. I don't even remember going to bed that early..had to be before Tyler. And you know what? It felt sssooooo good. I should do that more often. In fact, it's going on my list. GET MORE SLEEP. Feel so much better when I'm rested.

I have to say that I've throughly enjoyed all your comments from my last few posts. I'm glad you could enjoy a bit of humor at the expense of me looking silly in my winter gear. :) I also received a lot of request for future blog posts and several questions on some things like the fonts I use. I'm working on the fonts thing today and will have a post up by tomorrow, sound good?

For now...check out the new Effer Dare's Tumblr. Just a little somethin somethin we're doing differently.

xot.

what i wore

ok so this is kind of a play of all the "what I wore" blog posts out there. these girls are beautiful and I admire that they can get themselves all dolled up and take a ton of awesome selfies. me on the other hand, not so much. My wardrobe is pretty bland, nothing crazy or vintage. Nothing expensive or trendy. Just regular. This outfit is a joke. No really. The story behind the jacket is my mother, who thinks I'm heavier than what I let on sent it to me last month. A size LARGE puffy coat. Bless her, she tries. She knows I've been uncomfortable with the extra baby weight I gained and still have not lost. Truth is, I haven't really tried. GASP. Shame on me, right? Uh, I just don't want to do the diet thing anymore. I feel as though I've been dieting and watching my weight since I was 12. Anyway, back to the ginormous puffy jacket. It's a Burton and I love that but I wish it were a size smaller and several inches shorter. Jeff said, and I quote "it looks like you're wearing a sleeping bag". This was with the hood on. I was like, "stop, now you're just being mean" and then I looked at myself in the mirror and almost died of laughter. This after a few beers on New Years Eve. I needed something warm to put on so we could watch the fireworks and thought, ok..perfect time to pull out that coat mom got because I would never wear it in public. I think he was just jealous because I lasted a lot longer outdoors in subzero temps than he did. Ha! So fast forward to the next morning when I ventured out to get us a couple of lattes. The coffee press wasn't cuttin the mustard after staying up WAY past my bedtime. It was even colder than the day before...my poor car almost didn't start. I wore the ugly coat out. In public, granted I was in my car the whole time. I looked a mess that day...I didn't even run a brush through my hair. Yes! Embrace messy hair ya'lls! Nope, it wasn't the good messy hair look. On goes the beanie and sunnies because my dark circles are looking fierce. And this is how this glorious Alaskan ensemble came together. I ran in after my coffee run and begged Jeff to take a photo of me outside and I'm not sure you can tell but I'm trying desperately to hold back my laughter.

This is an attempt to not take myself so seriously. Another resolution added to my 2012 list. :)

And look! My PL is coming along!

The only thing missing is a photo of Butters. Can't believe I left him out! I've got a little spot for him though. You know what I'm loving most about this project? That I'm not able to use my stash of coveted papers and Thickers. This is going to be so much fun. Great way to kick off the new year!

xot.

a good start

We've been hunkered down this weekend due to extremely cold temps. (currently -9) New Years was really really nice. Just being together and watching the fireworks from our deck is all I can ever ask for. Tyler slept through it all which amazed us. Butters (our nervous nelly of a dog) on the other hand was buggin the whole time. Alaskans usually go all out with their fireworks on New Years since it's darker than dark out. It's pretty much daylight all summer so 4th of July is nothing but a lot of boom and bang. I love seeing the night sky all lit up with magic. The mountains are especially pretty with all the hillsiders lighting off fireworks. I almost gave myself frostbite by not wearing gloves and taking photos the whole time, no joke. My finger tips were throbbing after 10 mins of being outside. Freezing my ass off and watching the lights really got me thinking about my one word for the year as well as my resolutions. (Are resolutions not the "it" thing anymore?) Oh well..I still make them. They make me hopeful for what lies ahead. I'm excited. Above are my resolutions, I especially like the "spend less, make more" which leads to my one word. I pondered it for awhile and thought, duh..

It's really crucial that I stay on track with these goals as they will play a big part in my future. Some things are long overdue and I have no excuse to not move forward. I can no longer sit back and let opportunities and ideas slip through my fingers and shrug it off as it not being meant to be.

Here's to a brand new year of positivity and awesomeness.

xot

Winner

Thanks for being so patient with me! I hate doing this...choosing just one so I decided to choose 2! DOREEN OBRIEN - I tried to take a photo a day but ran out of ideas so this class would be great! Thanks for the give away

SHONA - I would love to win a place in the class. I always seem to need an extra little push to get going, and lately I keep looking at my camera and thinking I should take pictures, but I’m just not getting it done. My scrapping supplies are getting out of hand so I need something to Scrap

Please email me at lifelovepaper@gmail.com asap so you can get started tomorrow!

Honestly, I haven't spent much time reflecting on the past year. I've seen some great posts out there on how awesome their 2011 was but I'm all about 2012. It's been a great year for us with only a few minor bumps in the road. What would life be without them? I've got some huge decisions I'm putting into action in the next month. Something I've thought about for awhile now and I'm damn fearful about them. The good kind of fear though. The fear that is exciting and exhilaration and hopefully doesn't involve much regret. God has been so good to our family and I know if I keep trusting him and what my gut tells me, I'll be golden.

Wishing you all the best for 2012!

2011=DONE

xot.

make it work

I bit the bullet and purchased a Cameo a few weeks ago and I have to admit I was regretful at first. It sat on my counter top for a good week before I even plugged it in. I thought to myself, "did I just buy this because everyone's talking about it?" I read tons of reviews on this. How awesome it was. How much you could do with it. I already own a Slice which I never use. Why do I NEED this? So here I was with SC's January kit staring at me. What to do, what to do. I finally took all the styrofoam bits out of it, skimmed the instruction manual and purchased a few dies through their online store. We (me, Jeff and Tyler) gathered around after inserting a 12x12 sheet of patterned paper. (The Denim Crate paper in the Ring Toss add on to be exact.) Tyler was startled by the noise at first but we all ooo'd and aahh'd watching it cut. Pretty cool seeing this machine at work. And then it's done. Being impatient and not realizing just how sticky the blue mat was, I forcefully pulled up the paper only to rip one my of cuts. Ooops. Newbie mistake. So I gingerly unstuck the rest of my die cuts, laid them all out and stared at them admiringly. I take back any regretful feelings I had before. This machine is really really cool and it will change the way I use a kit for sure. I will no longer put aside papers I never thought twice about before. (like said Denim paper) Is it worth the money? My honest answer..yes, it is. (this coming from a girl who fears big purchases and is a bit on the thrifty side) It's built really well and more importantly, it cuts like butter. I'm able to utilize a full sheet of 12x12 paper now or maybe just a smidgen of it. My only complaint is the tackiness of the blue mat and what it does to the rest of my paper. But again, that's a very minor complaint.  Overall, I give it 5 stars. The online shop makes it that much cooler. I think I may have Cameo'd on almost all of my layouts. I will be getting some great use out of my new machine.

Ready for the giveaway I talked about?
I've got one free spot for the first ever Studio Calico class!

Class starts January 1st! Post your comment here and I'll choose a winner on Friday!
xot

I told myself I wouldn't let my blog go into sleep mode as Christmas nears but it did of course. Too many things to get done not to mention just enjoying the time, you know? So that's what I've been up too as many of us are. I'm working on a couple of giveaways next week, something to kick off the new year. :) Merry Christmas everyone! Tina

progress!

My December Daily is now in the works...I think not having a cover or size nailed down was keeping me from moving forward. I had this freebie Starbucks cd in my car for a few years, still wrapped in plastic. While waiting at the bank drive thru, I finally opened it up and listened to the few songs on it. I looked at the cd cover and thought....hmm...this could be of use for the inside pages. I never thought of making it the actual cover until this weekend when I told myself to get this thing started now or you'll regret it. So here it is and I'm loving the process, even if Christmas is less than a week away.

Evidence of the process. My messy dining room table. I no longer find it inspiring or productive to create in my designated scrap room. I hate being away from my guys. Everything in that room...all the supplies and over abundance of scrap stuff is weighing me down big time. I purged quite a bit already but I'm thinking of taking it even further. It's just hard to let that stuff go, especially when you start going through it. I think "oh, I can use that" and "I love this paper, I can't part with that". Creating here is working for me now. I basically have everything I need in a carry tote...simplicity is the best inspiration. That combined with a view outside and a pretty bouquet of flowers.

Tyler slept over at his aunt and uncles Friday night as we enjoyed a night out to ourselves. Oh the holiday office party was ok...food was good, desert was even better but we didn't stay too long. We made our exit after shots of Crown were being poured. It just gets too crazy around there and from what I've heard today, a few fellas were actually cut off and escorted out, another man's wife was aggressively kissed and some not so kind words were exchanged. Yes, this is a company Christmas party I'm speaking of. Jeff and I had a much better time getting home and watching a movie. I know, we sound like a couple of duds, right?  Think what you will but this was one of the best nights we had together in awhile and although we missed our baby boy immensely, it was so nice to be able to have the volume up as we watched Fright Night and kick back a few beers and not worry about waking the boy. I was grateful for the night but Tyler was super clingy the whole weekend. I couldn't step anywhere without him being right next to me. I missed him so much, I even smelled his blanket before going to bed that night. Crazy momma thing I suppose.

You all ready for Christmas?!?! I sure am. :) I even purchased myself a little something from my own list and use them in these photographs. It's the Visual Supply Co film presets for ACR (available for Lightroom too). I told myself I would never buy another set of actions again but I couldn't say no after seeing the before and after. Love the grain and it's so spot on to film, it's not even funny.

xot.

currents (and a sneak)

time: 8:57 pmlocation: in bed (I really love blogging in bed, esp. in the winter) watching: Top Chef (again...it's background noise) eating/drinking: nothing/water (I'm on a must drink as much water kick) feeling: tired. (my body feels like jello) wondering: if the free ship option from Amazon will arrive before Christmas. (better not chance it) loving: how white it is outside (the roads are crap but the beauty of my surroundings makes up for it) thinking: about what I'm going to wear to the Friday's Christmas party. (I've purchased 3 dresses...none of them make me feel good)

a quickie peek before I turn in...

There's not one thing I don't love about this particular add on. The colors, the alphas, the Amy Tan stickers and the stamp. Oh..the stamp. xot.

edited...I had to pop back in to post the release of a new class starting January 2012 at Studio Calico.

check out that line up! It's going to be amazing guys and if you're planning on starting your Project Life for 2012, I would highly reccommend this class. And for $12 there's really no excuse not to sign up!

it was a good thing...

...that I took a some time away from blogging because all you would be reading is ranting and crying and rage.That is how the past 6 days have been. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad but I've just felt as though the universe has been against me. Being a true believer in karma, I had to have done something wrong to deserve all this bad luck, right? It's all good now. (knocking feverishly on wood) I will be minding my p's and q's from now on. No testing fate any time soon. I know, this all sounds vague but trust me, some things are best left unblogged. In the meantime, I still have not fully done my December Daily in the scrapping sense. In the photo sense, yes...I have been partaking. And note taking. And ephemera keeping. It'll all come together soon. Maybe during Christmas break. Pffft. Who am I kidding.

Day 10: My niece stays over and after she leaves, we breath a sigh of relief and now feel like Tyler is a breeze to handle. This girl is a ball of chaotic energy. Zoom, zoom, go there, now I'm here, what's this, why that, etc, etc, etc. Love her though. She's still my little photo muse. Always will be.

Day 12: I have a 1/2 hour of daylight to work with and I've been wanting to get this bokeh shot for like ever. He wasn't feeling it so much, mostly because I was rushing the process and held off on lunch for said daylight. Also because his jumper was too tight but he got it for his birthday and I loved it. There's a moose printed of the front which of course is being covered by the tree. It's been an exhausting week and it's only Tuesday! oy. xot

currents: december edition

 

time: 11.08pm location: in bed weather: getting colder, snow is in the forecast. ( we had some nasty wind and rain this past weekend. looks ugly out now) watching: Top Chef (not really into it this year but there's nothing else on) loving: white twinkle lights (I should say obsessed) thinking: about how awesome I am for getting the majority of my Christmas shopping done early and online. wondering: if the dress I ordered will show up in time for next weeks office party. (MYHABIT is addicting) enjoying: this quiet time by myself. (I love my boy and my mans but I've really grown to appreciate the little time I get to myself.) drinking: water eating: nothing. (tummy is a little upset from the pulled pork. I over did it but it was so tasty!)

I was going to explain why I love this quote so much but I'm getting teary...in a good way and in a sad way. The good? Knowing that vacancy in my heart is now occupied with kisses and full belly laughs and the tightest hugs from my baby boy. The way he wraps his arms around my neck makes me week in the knees. The sad? Knowing this will be the first Christmas since my Grandmothers passing this fall. I pray that my family, mostly my Grandfather will be able to cope with her absence. This was her time to shine with the numerous recipes under her belt  apron that made so many people happy. I miss her Divinity...that stuff was so sweet and fluffy. I see it at the grocery store but I know it doesn't come near what my Grandma made. I've been doing what I can in her honor. Like bake Tyler's first birthday cake from scratch. No way I would buy a cake. She would be so dissappointed. I wore one of her vintage aprons while I mixed and frosted. She's here with me, I know it. I feel her, I can still smell her distinct smell, I hear her voice in my head like she were in the other room. "Tina!" in that thick Georgian accent. It's strange and comforting at the same time. Leave it to the Holidays to bring out this range of emotions. You miss loved ones who are gone. You find happiness in the loved one who are here. You reconnect with friends. Your heart feels lighter but heavy too. Christmas is so much more than decorations and presents. It's certainly a state of mind. Hmph. Guess I ended up explaining myself after all. :) xot.

p.s. the "currents" method of journaling is a quick and easy way to add to your December Daily. Give it a try, especially great on days when your mind is buzzing with all the holiday to dos.

feeling a bit uninspired at the moment.

When you live for shooting in natural daylight and you reside in a state where it's pretty sparse several months out of the year,  it kind of puts a damper on ones mood. Every time I try to take a photo, it's too dark or too yellow. And with all the lovely December Dailies out there, it's been hard to be fully inspired to go forth with the project when you dislike everything you upload from your camera. Thank goodness for my Iphone and Instagram app. Seriously.I'm not giving up though. Just waiting for that aha moment. I'm sure it'll come soon. :) Some examples of unispired photos: Failed photobooth attempt at Tyler's first birthday party. In hindsight, I should have started at the beginning of the party. I also should have placed the backdrop in a different location and I needed to be back farther. All things I've noted for the next round. My undecorate tree. Partly because I know Tyler will tear down any decor I put up and I'm afraid he'll break the glass balls. I'm in the process of fringing up some felt for the garland. I want a simple tree this year. For now, star shaped bokeh will have to do.

Let's go Monday! (this is my attempt to be positive this morning. not working so much) xot.

a year?

It feels like I just brought my guy home from the hospital just yesterday. I know time goes by too fast but I'm happy to say that I've enjoyed and documented almost everyday of his first year. At a year old, he's walking. Not like walking walking but taking about 5-6 steps. His vocab consists of Dad, Mom, Jesse (our dog), baba (he babbles this a lot) and nini (night night) Clothing size is 18-24 months. His limbs are long and I already foresee the same problem his dad had with clothing. Eats just about anything I make him. Loves Chicken and Peas. Favorite toy is his walker. Has grown very attached to his boo (gray elephant his cousin gave him) Loves watching Sid the Science Kid in the mornings with his dad. Loves his dog. Loves making silly faces and sounds. The boy in him is really shining through. He makes car sounds when he plays with his cars and roars a lot. Our little photoshoot didn't go off as planned but I'm all about improvising and loving the end result of what's really going on. He's not the kid that sits still, even for a brief moment. All he wanted to do was rip apart the felt garland I worked on for 2 days.

He's such an awesome little man. How did I ever get to be so lucky? xot.

make it work

Confession: Baker's Twine is not an easy embellishment for me to work into my scrapbook layouts. Doesn't mean I don't like it. I use it in my packaging and gift wrapping but when it comes to scrapbooking, I'm always at a loss. I adore the twine that came with the Snow Cone add on and I had to make it work. Here's how I did it. First, ***tape down your letter onto some scrap cardstock. Straight lines work best but I'm sure if you're careful and determined enough, you can manage a curvy letter. :) Snip pieces of twine and place onto your taped letter as shown above. You want your twine to extend beyond your taped letter. Get your sharp scissors out (Honey Bees work great for this) and snip out your letter. Fun, right?

xot.

Ha...did you think I forgot about choosing a winner for Maggie's class?? Fooled ya.

NANCY - This is my first attempt at a Dec Daily!! Need all the help I can get. Can’t wait to see your full reveal!

Nancy, please email me at lifelovepaper@gmail.com by Tuesday at the latest to claim your winnings. The Studio Calico blog is giving away another spot so be sure to comment there for another chance.

**The ProGlide Tape Runner is great for this. It's nice and tacky. I wouldn't recommend any other plain tape runner for this. You can also use that redline tape as well...will probably be better if you are creating O's and S's.