4 Posts in One Day

Does that beat my record? Do I have a record? And I say I don't spend any time on the computer. Last week was my slow week, which means I have some catching up to do.

Unfortunately, I ran out of ink in my printer yesterday. It was beeping and all the cartridges are flashing red at me. Ugh. That means I have to make a trip to "the store" and get some more. There goes some more money into the bottomless pit of scrapping.

Got my latest National Geographic yesterday. and finished reading it this morning. I love that little yellow magazine. It makes me smile when i see it in my mailbox. Even when my hand freezes to the lid when I try to get in it! good articles on an ethnic group in Afghanistan and the looming water crisis in the southwest US. Plus some beautiful photos of Japan and a short article on a Haiku master (now i'm wondering why I don't like to read poetry!). I'm thinking of buying some NG photos online...but I have no idea what to choose! Plus, they will probably be on the expensive side, and I am so not a money-making machine right now! I can only sew so many felties in a week! Maybe I'll just ask for one for Mom's Day or St. Patrick's Day or something.

No layouts in this post. I'll see if there are any printed photos kicking around for me to "do up" before Lucas gets up (not that he's sleeping right now, but I've got my fingers crossed!)

Russ is buying me sushi for dinner. LOVE.

P.S. My challenge kit is due on Feb 16th, which is a tonne of time away and i already have almost all the "entries" back. And they are looking good my friends! I might have to cut down the deadline next kit! Which is going to be awesome as well!

P.P.S. Has anyone ever noticed that I sure use a lot of exclamation points in my posts? I guess I just think everything is exciting!!

Scrapjacked-o-rama

***edit: I removed the scan of the jack. click here for the total submission***

This go-around, Scrapjacked is doing up a major challenge. 6 jacks from the original Jackers. And they are awesome layouts! The prize is a goodie bag from the new Jackers. These are my first two pages. Can you guess their originals??

This would be a good challenge for my readers to take...even if you don't submit your pages, pick a few layouts to jack and just see how things turn out. I know that Chan has mentioned that all her pages are starting to follow the same pattern, i.e. look the same. So people like Chan should try out a challenge and see what comes of it. Sometimes it's good to jump start your creative brain and try something new.

And I am loving my Paint program. It's way fun to make a little title block on the computer, then print it off, cut it out and keep on truckin'. It's still hard for me to make things the right size and colour and I haven't really played around with many of the photo-editing settings, but I'm getting there. Thank you Juli. Thank you thank you thank you.

That's all folks.

hey look it's a layout.

this one has been sitting at the store for days and i keep forgetting to bring it home with me. it is an homage to our former Monday ritual. Gymboree in the morning, then off to Tims and "the toy store" aka TM. Now that Gymboree is done, we need to find other excuses for heading out of the house for a snack and a visit!

snazzy found items, lovely Hambly/Heidi combo and my Love Elsie inspired journaling lines. and the skull is totally a bright shade of red...but you would never know it! there are only a couple skulls left for sale at the store from the pile I brought on Friday, so Chantel's dad keeps telling her to raise the price! But i kike them as they are, and I don't mind making a bunch every week, when I get the time!

smarm

I love the weather we are having! Makes me happy I live in Edmonton! If anybody has any snazzy E-town photos, could you pass them my way. Pics of the downtown "skyline", pics in a park, pics of something that totally makes you think: "that's Edmonton for ya!." (Im doing a layout). Im going to expropriate one of Nadine's ice on Whyte pics for it (if that's okay girl...i can blur your face out if you want!!) I have a couple of shots I can use, but I might have to resort to "borrowing" some online.

OLW for this month is "create". Hello radness! I just did a page with a big create word all up in here. I really liked some of last month's "still" pages, so I'll just keep on submitting until they notice me (why don't they notice me!).

Good class this morning...love Chalotta. No heat in the store so that wasn't cool...it was cold (buh-dum-ching)!! Will take photos, maybe and post them, maybe. Trying to think of good March classes. Are there any big holidays in March, or big life themes that have March written all over them? Am thinking of some altered items (canvas, frames, etc.) and Juli wants to do a hybrid class. Otherwise...don't know. But it's nice to see that Im not the only one having this problem.

Tootles for now my friends. My fingers are getting cold.

P.S. my Christmas tree is still up. No decorations, but the lights are still on. Im leaving that for Russel, because he put them on all crazy and am not looking forward to that tangled snarl!

"Weeze the juice...bu-DDY"

Don't these guys just make you happy? I haven't bought one yet...I saved one in my cubby for later!

Haven't been up to much lately. I wanted to re-organize my scrap space, but with the crappy weather, I haven't been able to get out and buy the things on my (short) list. So I have to find another project. have been fooling around with Corel program Juli gave me. It totally gave me a major headache this afternoon, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. Am submitting a page for the layout contest at work (for funsies only...i will still make sure V and N get all the votes!) and added a couple of digi-elements (see below). I'll post the page maybe later, once I get the scan done.

Am teaching another class at the store tomorrow (thank G for Chalotta!). Have started another Blog ("Lisa where do you get the time??") to post layouts for all the classes at TM. Will need to get up mighty early tomorrow to defrost car, and make sure I've got my stuff together, which I never do! Am bringing Lucas along...with lunch...for him and his "babysitters"! The girls rock so hard for watching him while I teach (or run errands or just hang out!). And it will be nice just to get out of the house. I think he is going a little crazier than normal!

ta ta...have been checking out some CHA sneak peeks (thanks Juli!) and boy is it going to be an awesome next few months in the world of scrappin. I hope my budget improves!

P.S. If you have never seen the movie Encino Man with Sean Astin and that other guy and Pauly Shore, go rent it. It's an oldie but goodie and I swear you will laugh!

Here I am

Not for long though. Lucas isn't napping and I still have to shower before the crop tonight. Smarmm. Thought I'd show you what I've been up to this week...And skulls too! They are impossibly rad-tastic! Check them out at the store tomorrow...if you dare! Aren't they just so cute and growly!

P.S. Updated ...and other song titles...

OLW: "Still"

I must admit that I had a hard time with this word. "Still" reminds me of a mountain lake, or a breeze-less day. Not necessarily my 2.5 year old! But he does have his moments!

Journaling reads: "I think to myself, please just sit still so I can get this one shot. Just one good picture, that's all I ask. perhaps I ask too much. You are a blur of colour in photos and out of the corner of my eye. You are movement and life. you are not a still life. And then my patience is rewarded and I get that one good shot. That perfect shot of Lucas. And then you are gone again. And I am up after you. And so it goes."

The title is from a Chantel Kreviaziuk song. Surprise Surprise! Lisa uses a song lyric for a title. Who-da thunk it!?!

And the circles in the background are inspired by this page. But instead of using foam stamps, I just freehand painted them. And they look rad! I'm planning on using the same technique in one of my upcoming doodling classes. It was surprisingly easy to do, and fun!

Hi Jill!

Love Ya!

More class stuff...

I know I know. I'm beating the dead horse here, but I think these pages are beautiful, regardless of if they're not my best, or if I'm not even doing them for myself. This is another page for the layering class. All silver and black and uber-cool. And the best thing about this page is you can add colour to it wherever you want: Use coloured bling instead of black. Or a coloured heart. Or paint the Paintables. The third page I did for this class is all orange! It makes me very happy just thinking about it!

Hey, at least I'm getting some scrapping done!

Scrapjacked Gretchen

I am finally getting my butt back in gear challenge-style! I got my Goodie Box page done earlier this week and here is my Scrapjacked page. Woot!

For those of you interested in my Challenge Kit, it also serves as a sneak peek for next month's kit! Mwahahaha! Teal and red...man am I ever predictable! And Juli, I know you hate red, but the back of the paper is brown so you should be able to handle it!!

You Like?

Here are some pictures for a couple of classes I am teaching at TM in the coming months. If you are interested please call the store (780-414-1540). And if not, please just enjoy the eye candy and jack away!

I am so not above pimping myself out here on my blog!

(classes are as follows: Ranger, Hambly, Hambly, Doodle. You can find the schedule for them on the TM blog)

More classes you say!?!

Chantel would be proud to know that I'm spending nap-time creating layouts for upcoming classes at TM. Hopefully Anam will be posting (on the TM blog) the photos of the layouts/projects I've already completed so we can drum up some interest...maybe I'll just post them here!

The class I'm working on right now is a layout class, in which you get to learn how to combine the art of layering with the rad Hambly papers and transparencies. And since I can be sort of lazy, most if not all of my class layouts have real-life inspiration from my own layouts. I am discovering how difficult it is to take a perfectly planned 8.5 x 11 layout and convert it into 12 x 12 (that's what my class layouts are). All of a sudden you have a whole bunch more inches (or centimetres...whatever floats your boat) to work with. It can be frustrating to try and "fill" gaps that weren't there before. But I think the final result of this guy is going to be pretty pretty.

But unfortunately, Miss Juli-Awesome is right in her estimation of the clientele that would take a class. In that, they just aren't scrapbookers like I am...read: they don't like Embellishment Fairy vomit all over their pages! And I respect that, and I understand that. But isn't the best part of ART the part where you TRY NEW THINGS, and step out of your comfort zone. I know we are most likely to choose classes and projects that incorporate things we are already comfortable with, but I am willing to bet you would get more out of a class in which you were learning new techniques and using product you've never used before, etc. etc.

But what do I know!?

Anybody else got an opinion about this? What kind of classes do you take, if any? And what are the reasons you wouldn't take a class, or just don't take classes in general? These are the questions that fill my mind and give me a complex. But Kara says don't get a complex (and Juli says: what is a complex?) and so I won't and I love my pages irregardless of whether anybody else does or doesn't (Jill...this means you!!).

And isn't it funny when the page that you weren't totally keen on is the one that everybody loves? Ain't that just a hoot!?

Found a neat-o new Blog through Scrapjacked then Veronica Jennings. This is Ashley Wren's brainchild (you might remember her from the Dares...at least I think that's where I first ran into her stuff!?!?) and she is issuing a photo challenge...of some random and everyday thing. You can choose to scrapbook this photo (and she gives you some rad and thoughtful prompts), or you can just take the photo and share it and move on with your day. The first challenge was to take a photo of your favourite coffee mug. And with this I realized that while I drink 3+ cups of coffee in a day, I don't have a favourite mug. So now I have to go buy a favourite, rad, awesome, totally Lisa mug.

So there!

Almost forgot to put the link up! Duh!


Overlooked

Also, Ashley has an awesome new paper line/collection of snazzy things over at Scrap in Style Tv so check it out too! It's called Rainbow Sushi and I am so in love! There are flash cards, and goofy hearts and fortunes (did you know I keep every fortune I get from any restaurant!?) and it is full of radness. Wouldn't it be so cool to design a scrapping line of stuff and what nots and whirly gigs? I would die and go to heaven, I would. Booyah! Maybe Chantel will sponsor me! HA! She's already putting up with all my Felties and "no-one-wants-to-take-my-classes-what-the-heck-is-up-with-that" nonsense. She is too good to me! Have I mentioned that she's started a blog as well? The link escapes me at the present, but there's not much to see yet. I'll keep you posted as more develops!

Staff kit c/o Jilly B.

I love doing challenges. Have I mentioned that lately? This is one for the staff board at work. Jill put together a lovely kit with some Hambly rubs, new MK paper, and some Jenni Bowlin goodies. The challenge was to use at least 1 hand cut paper embellishment (I think I have 3).

I took this photo, a long with a bunch more, one night when I was feeling particularly rad looking, which is a rarity in my life! I just don't have enough beauty shots. Unfortunately all the other pics in which my eyeballs have a starring role, the glare on my glasses is enough to blind the man on the moon. garbage...since I don't have a good photo editing program (read: I don't have any photo editing program!)

Speaking of editing photos, my hero Adrienne Looman is running an online course in which she shares some of her well-earned tricks of the trade. And she has some neat-o gorgeous pics! Would one day love to figure it out for myself, but until then I can pine away and visit her site daily for my fix!

P.S. The journaling reads as such: "ladies and gentlemen...Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded...in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagined."

This is from a much longer quote that many of you will recognize by it's starting line: "Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it." It is a rad little quote, and I recommend you look it up if you haven't already! (by Mary Schmich)

I Resolve & TM kit & Goodie box submission

It is so nice when one layout serves three purposes! This is not only from the kit I put together for the girls at TM, it also serves double-duty as my Goodie Box submission and my New year's resolution page. And it is totally a break from the standard Lisa fare of lime green/teal/red/orange. Pink and Black!?!?! Who'd have thought!

And today I picked up the kit Jill made for us and have already brainstormed some neat-o ideas for it. Heck I even have a photo printed, so hopefully I will get to that before the night is over. Later gators!

Lisa's Challenge Kit #1

Kit is "due" Saturday February 16th. I will post all of the submitted layouts/projects that weekend.

Challenge is: Use a Found Item

I have 4 kits available (4 were already scooped up by some of my more "loyal" fans!). If you want in, please email me (lisakercher@telus.net) with your mailing address and I will get your kit to you right away. You can also arrange to pick up a kit at Treasured Memories (or my place).

The kit contains the full instructions and a list of all the items that should be in the kit. If you're missing something, let me know and I'll try and get a replacement to you. (your kit might not be exactly as shown in the photo.)

Have Fun!

P.S. If any of you have some ideas for future kits, whether it be a challenge, or a suggestion of product, post a comment or drop me an email. I'm sure I'll run out of ideas eventually!!

Lisa's Challenge...if you choose to accept it!

As most of you who know me probably know, I love a scrapbook challenge. Both the giving and the receiving. I usually get my fix on any number of challenge Blogs or websites, or by asking my scrap-girlfriends for their photos or to give me some random stuff to use. The past couple of months I have been creating challenges for the girls at the store, by way of our staff kit for the month. I had a blast putting together some embellies and paper and goodies from my stash to put in the kit. But there were some complaints that I was giving them TOO MUCH STUFF and that made all of the pages look the same (as if that's even possible). But I heard the talk, and have stepped down from the role of Kit-maker. At the store. That doesn't prevent me from making kits for you, my loyal Blog readers!

So welcome to the first ever Lisa Challenge Kit. I will be doing these semi-periodically (whenever I get the inkling) and offering them up to you on a first-come-first-served basis. There will be no winners (and therefore no losers!)...just consider it a gift from me to you!

The standard rules apply:

You must use all of the items in your kit, or at least part of each one

You can do any size layout, or other project

Email me a photo (or scan) of your layout and I will post it here on my Blog.

There will be a "due date" for each kit, but I'm willing to be pretty flexible with this rule and will post your pages regardless of when you get them back to me!

There will be a separate "challenge" component with each kit in addition to whatever product I include.

All of the "rules" will be included in each kit you receive, in case you forget, as well as a list of all the items in the kit and the challenge.

I will post a photo of the first kit once I get it all together. If you want in, just email me (lisakercher@telus.net) with your name and address so I can send it out to you.

Remember...I am doing this for the fun of it all, and to get you guys scrapping more, and so I can see more of your work (for those of you without Blogs and the like). There is no commitment to take each kit. If you want this one, but not the next, that's fine. And I will be giving you plenty of time to complete your layouts, as I know how slow some of you work! and that not everyone has the kind of time I have to commit to scrapping random stuff!

P.S. for those TM employees out there reading this, I have a separate challenge for you, but you can still totally participate in the Blog kits! There are 2 "staff kits" at the store RIGHT NOW...and since Jill doesn't want to play, they're up for grabs. Chan already snagged one! And they are not for the store wall (there will be a separate kit that Jill's putting together) so you are not obligated to do one. They are totally just for you to have fun with...and I will be posting the finished products here as well!

Hi Nadine and Jill!

Congrats to the Misses W. for finally joining the blogging world. Link up to Nadine's site here and Jill's site here (or on the side bar.)

Finally something new!

Is what I'm sure you're all thinking! I know I have been lax in my scrapbooking lately, but I have been busy creating. I made 78 little Felties to sell at Treasured Memories. Get them while they're hot! I keep forgetting to take a photo so I can post it here and on the TM blog. One day! So far the only people buying them are non-customers, i.e. staff! Plus Chantel's Dad really loves them and thinks we should be charging an arm and a leg for them. I love Chan's dad! We've already sold out of the skulls (don't worry Veronica...I made a pink one especially for you and will one day put it in the mail so you can see it!) They take up a lot of my spare time to make, so I'm going to take it slow this week and then start up again next week.

I've also been busy designing classes for the store...we'll see how it goes this time! We have a whole boat load scheduled for Jan/Feb. So if any of you have an inkling to do a Lisa-Ranger or Lisa-Hambly or Lisa-Doodle, come on down!

Enjoy the layouts.

I have a major headache

so this will be a short post.