you bought me dillon mckays car?

October 16, 2008

It's a beautiful day here in the ak. Cold, clear blue skies, white trees.
Perfect.
I cannot wait until I turn off my computer, tuck in my chair and bail out of this office.
Had a much needed girls night last night.
I truly am blessed to have a certain girl in my life that can turn sh*t into something wonderful
like..I don't know....something other than sh*t.
We met up with a couple of other girls who I adored and look forward to meeting up with again.
Their good vibes totally rubbed off on me and I sit here now with a smile on my face instead
of the b*tchy scowl I've been wearing all week.
When things look brighter the day after, I say girls night did the job.
And I was only the tunes tiniest bit hung over but the Piadini at the bucks helped calm
my tummy followed by a few advil.
Funny, I almost flaked just to watch thursday night tv and scrap. Lamo. I do this
every night. So as of now, I vow to make time to hang out with said girls who make me
feel like a twenty-something again and who are so cute, they score us free drinks and who
are smart so convos are entertaining and not make me want to punch myself in the face.

As much as I hate to admit this, I'm so looking forward to catching up on missed shows tonight while
snuggled comfortably on the couch with J and butters and the old bear most likely with a hot cocoa in one hand that contains more marshmallow than cocoa and new magazines in the other. This along
with some scrap time, is my ideal friday night.

Before I end this post, I want to wish Vee the bestest birthday ever. Wish I was there to help celebrate!
And a new Dare is up, one in which KC actually participated in. Amazing, no?

Enjoy the weekend.
Tina

and then it was winter.

October 6, 2008

It snowed today.
Not a whole lot but enough to cover the ground.
Enough to say fall is officially over.
I wanted to be upset, bummed, surprised but it was really quite peaceful watching the first snowfall from my kitchen window while making dinner.
Just wish I was more ready for it.
The snow tires are in the trunk of my car which doesn't do me any good.
Mentally I'm not ready to endure all the darkness. Just not ready to hibernate.
Which has me thinking.
What if I didn't hibernate this winter?
What if I took up snowboarding like I've been wanting to do for like ever.
What if I joined a book club.
What if I ventured out in the snowy forest to take dreamy winter ttv shots.
I just have to remind myself that hibernating is not my only option.
I've got to make the most out of my surroundings and not succumb to the usual winter blues.
welcome winter.
Tina

autumn fallin'

October 1, 2008

Ah yes, October. I know I've confessed my love for fall countless times via posts and layouts
and photos.
I especially love the month of October.
I love Halloween.
I love scary movies.
I love being told scary stories.
I love to scare and be scared.
I adore pumpkins and actually have quite a collection of them. Scary cool ones, not so much the country folk art ones...not that there's anything wrong with those. don't get your panties in a bunch.
And to further deepen my love for Halloween, I found this little gem on the Target site.
http://www.target.com/b/ref=tgt_email_RX810012/602-0072929-3378208?ie=UTF8&node=15676801
Cute huh?
Watch how they make it too. Seriously, how cool of a job is that and where do I apply?
Love those creatives.

Tina.

just another manic monday.

September 29, 2008

September loveliness.

My a.m. started off a little rocky.
A closet full of duds but nothing to wear.
Hair that will not cooperate.
Serious sleep lines on my face that made it look as though I was in a knife fight with my pillow.
J asking "what are you wearing" after thinking I might of found something to wear. I always try to
be a little different than the normal office wear. Guess my skinny black rocker jeans were a little
too skinny. I tried to counter-act the tightness with a long sweater but it just wasn't working.
So now I'm here in a boring outfit and an overflowing inbox.
Just a touch of the "mondays" this morning. I'll get over it.

What I can't get over is that we're already coming into October.
And the frost covering my windshield which reminds me....
dig out ice scrapper and mittens. also dig out snow tires and get oil change.
Ha, how are you liking this eventful post?
All my to-dos and to don'ts. Awesome.

Greetingcardsblog
New goods in the shop!
Decided to make a few greeting cards to celebrate the fall.
I'll also have some pumpkin ttv prints available for your fall decorating pleasure.
Or if you just like to collect pumpkin things.

Gotta run before my 'puter freezes up on me!
Enjoy your day,
Tina :)

oh screw it.

September 22, 2008

This will be the 4th time trying to post.
My patience is running really thin right now.
But.
I'm not going to go off on a tangent.
This will just be simple.

found at urban outfitters.

First, thank you for all the great music recommendations!
I am looking forward to some quality time with Itunes this week.
Oh and Shahnnen. Yeah girl, you're the lucky winner. Email me with your info and i'll send you a print.
Second, shop has been updated. More fall inspired stuffs later this week. Stay tuned.
Third. check out this sweet deal.

Fourth. Just 2 teeny tiny peeks for you.

Ok, that's all for now. I need to get this up before my computer craps out on me again.
Here's to a good, positive, mind blowing week.
Tina

what the.

September 16, 2008

Right now.
Homemade minestrone soup bubbling away on the stove. Perfect for a day like today. It's freezing and the rain hasn't let up at all. I figured this would also be the perfect time to blog, catch up on some things.

First, tv talk.
Have you seen True Blood on HBO? Now if you're going through Twilight withdrawals and you've always wanted things to get a little more.........adult with the twi-series, it's worth a watch. There are a lot of similarities between the two stories and it makes me wonder who inspired who. True Blood is based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries. Definitely on my winter reads list along with another go at Twilight. Be warned: when I say adult, I mean adult. Not something to share with your daughter like her battered copy of Twilight.

Ah, the Hills and all their "duh" faced glory. As of now, Lo has surpassed Heidi on my hills hate list. Spenc is still #1 on said list.
Lauren. Boring.
Audrina. Seems to be a wee more endowed in the chest area, no? she's still a fav.
And I'm all team Whitney. I'd love to see a show based on her and her career with Revolution. I respect her professionalism and she seems like she's the type of girl that can laugh at herself. I really like that quality about people.
JBob, fake. cute but fake. The Brodster, still cute but the whole player aspect grosses me out. What's he going to do when he gets older? And that new guy, not really diggin him at all.
Oh and for the record. ShePratt is f*ning genius. "she use to be a hamster, now she's a guinea pig." Moments like that is why I keep tuning in.

***soup refill***

Ok, I'm back.
So I've got the shop up and stocked with a few things. I'm also running a little "new kid on the block special." For a limited time, I'm offering free shipping with the purchase of two or more prints. I'll also have some new prints up tomorrow afternoon. I've got some other fun stuff up my sleeve so don't be a stranger and check back! :)

Studio Calico. Seriously, if you've been thinking about subbing, now's the time. October is, for lack of a better word, cool. They've got some sneak peeks on the site. And now they're well equipped and taking cc's on the site. No more PayPal.

Dare 108'sup. All about seasons. It's a no-brainer for me.
Me and Autumn are like this.
Sweaters, and leather boots, and scarves...oh my. Still searching for the perfect leather boot in black AND that can fit around my big ass calves.

What else can I yammer on about.....................
*Indulging feels so good. camera purchases, hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows, cozy fleece pants, taking a day off just to be with J. All worth it.
*Just thinking about the upcoming holidays makes me tired.
*Looking forward to some time with SIL and the kiddos. That girl is nothing but the truth and that's refreshing to be around.
*In need of new music! What are you listening too now?Any recommendations? I'll take anything. I'm too lazy to fart around with Itunes right now plus it's been disappointing, music wise, as of late.
*light bulb*
post some tunage and I'll pick a winner on Friday for a print of your choice along with some other ttv goodies. Sound like a deal?
:) :) :)
Enjoy today, tomorrow will be sweeter.
Tina

revamp.

September 16, 2008

excuse the mess here. I'm trying to revamp the blog.
hope you're having a lovely week!
Tina

misc.

September 8, 2008

good morning and happy tuesday.
a bit on the chipper side this morning.
new clothes do that to me.
big meetings at work today.
listening to the adam carolla morning show.
true blood was so good.
need to catch up on the hills.
opened up the shop! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
more to come soon.

good day to you.
Tina
:)

thanks.

September 2, 2008

I appreciated all your lovely comments that past few days. :)

The winner for the free print is....KG.
Please email me KG and I'll let you choose a print.
The shops almost ready!

Thanks again,
Tina

a feeling.

September 1, 2008

Can you believe it's the first day of September? The summer has passed with a blink of an eye and I'm left wondering if I let these months go to waste. The heat has been turned on and that's a sure sign of fall. I even mentioned snow tires to my husband the other day who growled at the thought of snow. I'm gong to miss slipping on my white, now a dirty cream flip flops and leaving the house without a coat, scarf, and mittens. But then I remember that really cute winter coat I saw at the store and now bundling up doesn't seem so bad. :)

I feel a change coming on. Not just with the changing season but within myself. I really, really like this feeling. It's almost a high. I've never been afraid of change and welcome it with open arms, good or bad. But this I feel is going to be positive. I can tell with the butterflies in my stomach that randomly flutter at any moment, to me, a sign that I'm headed int the right direction.

Since I'm going to be away most of the day and I don't have prints of my photographs yet, I'm going pick a winner tomorrow night for the free print. You'll have another day to leave a comment.

Enjoy your holiday and the first day of September!
Tina

let's catch up, shall we?

August 27, 2008

oofta. blogging seems to my least favorite thing at the moment. blog hopping too. i use to love to skip from blog to blog and leave nice comments but my enthusiasm for reading other's blogs has gone down. Just feeling overloaded with information, inspiration and everything in between. I also feel as though I'm being influenced more by what I see on the internet rather than what's inside me. Doesn't mean I've quit reading blogs, just taking a break. Please don't take any offense to this. It's not you, it's me. :) And if you feel like my blog is of no interest, by all means, click out and move on. It's all good, no harm done.

I'm in a big "simplify" kick right now. Clutter makes me crazy. I realized this when I was struggling with a layout last week. I was sitting at my desk and pushing around little pieces of cut paper and embellishments, trying to find the perfect placement on my layout but nothing made me want to grab the tape and stick things down. I stopped in frustration, crossed my arms, kicked back in my chair carefully balancing on the back legs and took a good look around my room. I saw nothing but chaos around me. I thought about taking a big box and swiping everything I had on my desk in one single motion but that would of created a bigger mess for me to sort out. After a few deep breaths, I began to pick apart the objects on my large-surfaced desk. Take away baskets that hold various things, crystal bowls that hold buttons, letter stickers that I took off a layout and didn't return to the sheet, stacks upon stacks of new and old 12x12 papers, stacks of current projects, stacks of "make something with this because you had a cool idea but forgot about it".

Very calming to have a clutter free desk now. I don't need it all, I really don't. It's not only cluttering my space but clutters my thought process. So done with that.

Simplified my music, streamlined my morning routine to get a few extra minutes of sleep, tossed out clothing that I would never wear again. hello? Tees that hit above the tops of my jeans, PJ's that are riddled with holes, an old high school sweatshirt that clearly marks my age. They found a better home in the garbage.

So that's what I've been up to. SIMPLIFYING. It's going quite well.

Headed to the Alaska State Fair tomorrow. Argus and my crazy contraption will be in tow. Hoping the sun peeks out for a little bit but I highly doubt it. I think it's been sunny 2 of the past 15 years of fair going.

Studio Calicoreveal tonight. Some of you may of already gotten your reveal via the SC newsletter. It's definitely worth signing up for. Go here to get the reveal a whole day early. There's also a featured SC member each month which I think is very cool. Joy's picked out an oh-so-lovely avatar theme for tonight.......worst school photos. Should be fun.

A few more shout outs here....and because I watched that Ali G movie the other night....
Big ups to my girlwho is now a MMMaster. Well deserved. Congrats Vee!
Big ups to my dad who celebrated his 50some birthday yesterday. Love you dad!
Big ups to my husband who will celebrate his 30some birthday tomorrow. He'll be the new owner of a Playstation 3. Can't wait to see his expression when he opens it.

This is getting quite long so I'm out for now.
Bye!
Tina

{PS} The above image is just a sample of what I will be offering through my Etsy store which will hopefully be up by the holiday weekend. To celebrate my act of motivation towards my creative goals, I'm giving away a 5x5 print of your choice. Ttv photos ofcourse. Just post something here like, "I'm really into this now" or "Yo, I like your pictures". I'll pick a winner on Tuesday, September 2nd.

because that's how I roll.

August 20, 2008

The past few weeks have been such a blur. I'm finding it hard to prioritize. I want to do everything in a day and then move on to the next. Just never happens that way. Yesterday's to-do's spill into the next, bump a few of things from that day, and so on and so on. I've said it before and I'll say it again, my full-time job really gets in the way. For instance, we had the most beautiful sunrise over the mountains the other day. I wanted to grab my cameras and take some shots. The light was so beautiful. I wondered how that field of daisy's would look with the warm sunlight spilling over them. I turn around, take a deep breath, and continue on with my workload.
Time after work is gone in a flash. Before I know it, I'm in my pj's about to crash and wonder where my precious free time has escaped to. I'm complaining again. I'm aware of this. It's not my intention to post such things but this is my life at the moment and I can only be truthful. Not that things are going badly. Very much the opposite. That line in the movie The Devil Wears Prada where Nigel tells Andy,"Let me know when your whole life goes up in smoke. Means it's time for a promotion." That says it all for me right now.
Continuing my journey through the viewfinder.

Current playlist:
Modest Mouse
Raconteurs
Thom Yorke
Portishead

Dvr'd shows I have yet to watch:
Project Runway
The Hills
Generation Kill (just caught up with this one and love)

Still haven't finished Breaking Dawn. Pathetic. I'm almost there though. This is the reason why I've been avoiding several blogs and threads......to avoid spoilers.

Working on:
Studio Calico, September. I'll have some peeks by the end of the week.
Dare #105
My Etsy store, LifeLovePaper. Grand opening will be September 5th. I'll also have a little give away too.
Updating ye ol blog.
Possibly partaking in the UrbanNomad competition.

C'est la vie!
Tina

I survived!

August 15, 2008

I'm always a little pleased with myself when I survive yet another hellish work week. No heads bitten off, no overwhelming feeling to join the smokers. Just coasted through countless tasks and to-do's. *sigh*

No huge plans for the weekend. Just the norm. I was going to venture out at lunch today and take some ttv shots but being the bone-head that I am, I forgot my friggin' memory card. ah well. I should have a back up but too cheap to buy one.

And because I'm a good sis/friend, I'm taking my girl to see the traveling pants sisterhood whatev movie tomorrow. I'm not huge on extreme chick flicks but I'll suck it up and enjoy it. She's in dire need of some adult time since the birth of her second. I swear, she's the only one I would sacrifice such things for.

Currently pursuing some things that I've pondered for quite some time now like opening up my own Etsy store. Should have her up and stocked with goods by the end of this month. Also pursuing possible promotion at work. Possibly. There's been talk of me moving up several times in the past few years but nothings happened. Still busting ass as if it happening though. The joys of working for a small company.

New Dareskys up. #104 KC dig. Lovely stuff to work with.

Enjoy the weekend!
Tina

a new toy.

August 4, 2008

Meet Argus, my new toy. Found at a local antique shop last week, I hesitated buying it until today. I went back to said antique store thinking if it was still there, it was meant to be.....kismet. Being the most terrible haggler ever, I was only able to talk the nice lady down 4 bucks. I could of found it cheaper on ebay but who wants to deal with the shipping and wondering if the the sellers a flake...yadayadayada...so it's safely home with me now, all cleaned up and ready for some ttv action. I quickly constructed a light blocker thingie and shot a few things around me.

*sigh*
I'm so in love with him. I foresee lot's of adventures around Anchorage with Argus. I'm sure I'll get a few stares as the light blocker contraption is not a pretty one. Hopefully I'll have more to share soon.
I did get my film back from my first go with the Diana+. She, unlike Argus was a a little more sketchy. Out of the 12 shots I took, 1 came back half-way decent. And it wasn't cheap to get them developed. I'm not going give up on her though.

Other than my happy purchase, not much else to report. I'm only on chapter 12 of Breaking Dawn so I've been avoiding certain online spots. No spoilers please. I'm taking my time with this one only because other things like a serious house cleaning were on the top of my to-do list this weekend. I still didn't get half of what I wanted to get done around here. And I know you're dying to chat about it Vee, I know.....I'll try to get it done by the weekend, maybe. :)

Oh and here's my very first Dare as a Dare.

#102:Nisa's digi. Her little template was cool..made for a quick layout. I freaked a bit when digi was mentioned but this I could handle.

Off to get a little reading in before I hit my pillow hard and pass out.
laters-T

a week of goodness.

July 31, 2008

1. jumping (again). day 85, 2. Surprise, 3. Untitled, 4. 1, 2, Jump!, 5. We Laugh [out]doors, 6. Scream *lomo*

goodness....are we all getting a little tired of adding "ness" to everything? whatever. I'm still riding it for every things it's worth. so onto the goodness....

Monday. Glorious Monday. Have you ever heard me put the 2 words together? Usually Mondays are sh*t for me but not this particular Monday. Not when I get an email from this lady about joining this motley crew.I sh*t you not. No words people, none. Just expressions. See above Flickr mosaic. And because I have no scrappy friends near to scream my good news to, I had to settle for my man who has no f-ing idea who or what the Dares are but was still super excited for me. Yeah, he's a keeper.

So yeah, I am effer now. Crazy.

Tuesday. Still high from Monday. Found new under eye concealer. Resisted the temptation to buy more shoes. Chatting with my Twi-girl about the daily quotes.

Wednesday. The high is still lingering. Downloaded some new music. Doves, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Silverspun Pickups, Nicole Adkins....all a little whiny, weird and moody, just the way I like it. Found awesome new mag to read: JPG.

Thursday. Yes, still high. It will probably continue for awhile. Can you blame me? Fit back into my skinny black J Crew jeans I've been holding onto. I was weary when I pull them up one leg, remembering that I couldn't zip them up 6 months ago and neatly tucking then away with hopes of losing the tire around my waist. Knowing that in 2 days I will be fully immersed with Breaking Dawn. If you don't hear from me, it's because of that.

Best of all, tomorrows Friday. (enter big sigh of relief) Works been crazy busy, my inbox doesn't seem to ever be empty which reminds me that I need to stop blogging and get started on the stack.

Take care! Oh and I guess I should say that Dare 102 is up tomorrow. My first. Like, whoa.
Tina

I live in Forks.

July 27, 2008

No, not really. Still in the great state of Alaska. It's easy to get swept away in the Twilight series when this is my environment. 6 days people. 6 days. Ok, enough of the Twi-talk. This is going to be a tinee tiny post as I'm amped on coffee and inspo.
Today:
-finishing up on some things for the Studio Blog. will be posting later today.
-finishing up the 100 dare and starting 101 dare.
-editing photos.
-laundry
-work out
-finish rd season of Weeds.
-read a few chapters of The Host.

That's all.
Happy Sunday
Tina

say hello to my little friend.

July 24, 2008

Welcoming my new nephew Mason! Born July 23, 2008 at 4:34 a.m at a whopping 9lbs!
Being there for the birth was highly emotional. My sis-in-law did so well....she made it look all too easy. And seeing my brothers face light up was also a big highlight. I'm so glad they invited me to share their personal and joyous moment. I couldn't be more happier for their growing family.

Photojojo had the funniest and truest line in their newsletter this morning about Flickr.
"We loooove Flickr. We want to marry Flickr."
I whole-heartedly agree. I want to marry Flickr too. I am continuously inspired and in awe of the amazing photographs, to see the world through a million different lenses. Here's some things that make me happy.

1. <a href="i'>http://flickr.com/photos/69112375@N00/2508695260/">iwant to name them ~ one is definitely shirley</a>, 2. <a href="One'>http://flickr.com/photos/38047620@N00/1758628132/">OneMore Slide</a>, 3. <a href="Taken'>http://flickr.com/photos/38047620@N00/2428868238/">Takenby the wind</a>, 4. <a href="Untitledhttp://flickr.com/photos/72296542@N00/2626537363/">Untitled</a>, 5. <a href="j'adore">http://flickr.com/photos/57852006@N00/2494593681/">j'adoredior</a>, 6. <a href="Yesterday'>http://flickr.com/photos/13080291@N06/2678706027/">Yesterdayneeded better shoes</a>, 7. <a href="Amyhttp://flickr.com/photos/68095902@N00/2571202566/">Amy</a>, 8. <a href="Ninahttp://flickr.com/photos/68095902@N00/2668547544/">Nina</a>, 9. <a href="landofshoeshttp://flickr.com/photos/22811474@N07/2653260358/">landofshoes</a>

Lastly, I will be taking over the Studio blog starting this Sunday. I'll have some fun things that feature all the lovely exclusive stamps Studio Calico produces. So swing on by. I'm also planning a give-away here. I'm still clearing out my stash. Why I end up with doubles on certain things is beyond me but hey...you get to be rewarded for my mistakes. I'll post some pics of the give away stash soon.

Have a great one!
Tina

Some things.

July 21, 2008

Pretty things.

Hit the Nordstrom sale Friday thinking if I went early enough I would avoid the masses. Oh was I wrong.

Scrapy things.

A layout I had on my desk for awhile and finally finished.

100 Things.

Dare #100. I'll have this baby finished by the Friday.

Cool things.
Free downloadable stamp from The Small Object. I will be getting one made very soon.
Daily quotes from Breaking Dawn.

I love this graphic. It's currently on my desktop. So very true.

Sneaky things.

Studio Calico peeks for August.

Take care!
Tina

July 14, 2008

Eeeppss.....I really hate going this long without blogging. How can we possibly be in the middle of July already? It's been chilly, grey and rainy here for the past couple of weeks but I'm still enjoying the summer. As long as there's green grass instead of cold white snow, I'm good.

No scrappage to report. Have not touched anything in my scraproom since the last kit from Studio Calico....which reminds me. I don't think I ever posted those layouts. humph. I'll get on that later this week along with some peeks of the upcoming August kit. I like to describe next month as sweet & juicy.

Happy to report that I'm still headed on my path of happiness and fulfillment. Thinking of other things I want to accomplish. Possibly taking piano lessons? I don't know yet. That would entail a purchase of piano that I neither have room or money for but it's something I do see in my future. Korean lessons also high on the list as I have no way of communicating with my grandparents.

I've been having so much fun filling my new ipod with new music. I had the old mini for so long and kept it in pristine condition until my husband jacked it since his nano ended being a piece of dooky. Oh how I love all the videos and podcasts. Something to play around with when the boss isn't looking at work.
Currently on the playlist:
Bat For Lashes
Radiohead
Dashboard Confessional
St Vincent
Muse
Santogold

What other random sh*t can I blog about today. Let's see...
-looking forward to all the new fall fashions and big fat fashion magazines coming out.
-enjoying talks about moving out of state. just talks though, no immediate plans.
-thinking of how quiet it's going to be with everyone headed off to the fabulousness of CHA. I won't hate.
-19 more days until the release of Breaking Dawn. still not sure if I'm team edward or team jacob. can i be team both?
-thinking I'm in dire need of a manicure and pedicure.
and a random glimpse of the past few weeks.

That's all folks!
Take care,

Tina

be safe.

July 3, 2008

1. Happy 4th of July to all of my USA flickr friends!, 2. DC Fireworks

Thank you for all your supportive comments and emails to my last post. I'm always delighted to hear that I can inspire someone or make someone feel at ease about a similar, if not the same situation. Still balanced...sort of. J has been on his "guys trip" since Monday and I've had the hardest time sleeping. Even when I do sleep it's restless, no dreams which I hate. Even if it were a bad dream, I'd be ok with that. It is nice to have the house to myself though, do whatever I please which is mostly reading. I think I've only watched tv an hour since he's been away. I'm savoring the last of Eclipse. I don't think I can wait another month for the next book. Think I'll start them over again. I remember Veesaying she read Eclipse 2 already and I thought, could it really be that good? It is. Oh and thanks for setting it straight for me girl. Can't believe I was about to start with the 3rd book! I would of been so lost.

Busy at work today so I'm off.....have a safe, long weekend!
Take care,
Tina

Hello & Welcome!
My name is Tina and I'm an illustrator and product designer residing in Anchorage, Alaska.