STAMPS ARE ON SALE NOW!

Remember those stamps I was talking about before? Here...

Well, I've photographed and prepped enough that I think I can start putting them "out there." I've still got loads to go through, and will keep updating the page as I go.

Please read the info at the top of the page for all the "ordering" info. If you have any questions, please email me.

I am mostly focused on selling these locally, but if you really want one (or more) and you live out of town I will arrange shipping with you on an individual basis.

Here's the link again: not ladylike stamps. I will put it up in the top menu as well, for easy access! HA!

Thanks!!

later loves

I Lurve Sandwiches

I sometimes feel like Homer Simpson in my simple requests & desires when it comes to food. Y'know that episode where he saves that giant sub from a party, and slowly whittles away at it day after day, and then finally it turns purple, makes him super ill, and Marge finally just has to toss it. Homer my man, I feel your loss.

I think I could eat a sandwich every day of the week. If I didn't have so many damn leftovers pass through my house I probably would steal a page from BFF's playbook and take one to work for lunch (in a steel lunch box would be awesome too, but probably impractical!)

And I have hit the nail on the head when it comes to why. It's cause you can put pretty much any ingredient in between two slices of anything - bread, "bread", lettuce - and have an amaze-balls taste sensation course its way through your mouth.

I have a nostalgic centre in my brain that's dedicated to sandwiches. I still remember the ones Dad used to make to take to work. Onion bun, lots of iceberg lettuce, a little salt & pepper. Delish! And the ones that we made at Grandma Connie's house with the sandwich-shapers. So we could eat mini sandwiches in the shape of circles and stars. With extra pickles & olives on the side.

Dude does not share my love for sandwiches, but he does enjoy a good "smorg" now and again. This is pretty much the easiest dinner known to man. Cut up some carrots, lunch meat, pepperoni sticks, pickles, and add a couple of crackers and cherry tomatoes, and you have a deconstructed sandwich! 

Great for snacking on while finishing your spelling homework...

later loves

photos taken Thursday, January 10th. At home.

So Bad it's Good

I have learned, through the trials and errors of life, that I will love any movie with Keanu Reeves in it. It's like, a Law of the Universe or something.

Let's test this...
Bill & Ted franchise. DUDE!
Parenthood. Yep (bet you didn't remember that one!)
Point Break. Yummy, plus Patrick Swayze!
Dracula. You bet, even though Gary Oldman stole the show.
Much Ado About Nothing. Keanu does Shakespeare!
Speed!! Those magic pants...
Johnny Mnemonic. A treasured jr. high memory.
A Walk in the Clouds. Romantic Keanu begins.
Chain Reaction. With Rachel Weisz, his Constantine co-star
Devil's Advocate. Steamy.
The Matrix franchise. Number one is still my fave.
Sweet November. Even if I did want to vomit every time Ms. Theron hit the screen.
A Scanner Darkly. Semi-animated Keanu? Yes please!
The Lake House. A keeper for sure. Love Keanu as the "romantic lead".
Constantine. Demons, hell, redemption. At his most handsome.

Et cetera.

There are some on his master list I haven't seen! WHAT!? I must fix that...who's in for a Keanu Reeves movie marathon??

I've also learned, from checking out this list, that a lot of Keanu's movies fall under the "so bad it's good" genre. But then there are also a lot that are just so good. Go figure.

Netflix is excellent for getting your "so bad it's good" movie quota for the month. I recently watched Teen Wolf with a young Michael J. Fox. I remember watching this many times when I was a kid. Now that is a good werewolf romantic comedy! And I mean "good" in a purely nostalgic sense!

Are there any "So Bad It's Good" movies that you love?

read to me

While we were in the states (in Minneapolis to be exact) we used up a rainy morning at a local Container Store. I lurve this store...but it can be overwhelming. Russ bought more than me, that's how overwhelmed I was!

But I did pick up a set of russell & hazel rubberbands to use on my Smash book and my planner at home. I love these things! They also have some amazing notebooks and planners, with a tonne of page options! A bit on the pricey side, but very customizable, and kind of totally awesome!

And I was excited to see that Two Peas carries russell & hazel stuff! Yay! Not that I am going to be buying any of it any time soon, but it still makes me a happy camper to know it's at least possible with nominal shipping costs! Maybe I should add it to my Xmas list...hmmm...

Want to see some more overwhelming book-related things? Then check out this post from Polka Dot Robot: Love for Libraries. Wowee wow wow! Would it be weird to plan a vacation around the best libraries in the world? I'd have to take just the right person with me on that trip! Note...it probably wouldn't be Russel!! Sorry hun!

Speaking of Libraries, here's a memory for you.

I have always loved books and libraries. Mom used to take us to the one in the basement of Southgate mall and we would wander through the kid's section and pick out whatever we wanted. That was a special library. Later, I started going there for fun, taking out books about fairies and mythology, making notes and pouring over indexes so I could stock up on new books when the old ones were due back.

Going to University was like heaven for me...they have a tonne of libraries! I remember the first time I was in the Rutherford Library, which is the "arts" library on campus. Half of the building is a "new" build, and the other half is historical and they are joined by an atrium right smack dab in the middle. I always loved that you could stand inside and look at the old outside of the building!

source

I remember making my way up to the fourth floor or something, on the "new" side and when I got out of the stairwell and into the stacks I just stopped. There were so many books. I couldn't get over it! Row upon row of books. I got a little light-headed!!

And in the "old" library, on the second floor, there is a big study hall that is lined with bookshelves. It is so quiet in that huge room, and packed full during exams!

In the basement of old Rutherford is all the super old books. The roof is only two feet above my heads, and the stacks are super close together. The lighting was so sub-par and a little spooky. That was a special place to be. I bet a lot of makeout sessions took place in the back corners...not that I would be involved with any of that!

Later in my time there, I even loved going to the medical library to find out info about syphilils and other strange medical and forensic anthropology topics. It was a nice, bright library, but it's photocopiers always hated me.

I have a friend who now works at Cameron Library on campus. I am so jealous...

Is that enough chatting for you today?!?!

Are there any places in this world that fill you with breath-taking wonder?

DON'T FORGET to enter my giveaway! Read this post...52 Books

11-11-11...it's coming

This same cool-numbered day last year was commemorated in a terrible video, a cute mini book, and some fun giveaways. I was feeling very melancholy, and nostalgic and it showed.

This year, much will be the same. Hopefully less melodrama, and more excitement!

It falls on Remembrance Day this year, so I'm sure I will be reflecting on the things I am most grateful for, and things that I don't take for granted because life is too short.

a look back...to last year...10-10-10

I wrote (a lot) about the day while sitting on a picnic table behind my housing complex. This is my go-to picnic table when I need a moment. It's also where the neighbourhood hooligans go with their pot and beer, so it's a little skuzzy most of the time, but oh well!

I took some photos. I didn't do my hair or make up. I was wearing a lot of grey. I felt okay.
*****

This year...I am working on a little gratitude journal to celebrate this fun day! We'll see how that goes...I haven't actually put much thought into it and am just now remembering that I wanted to do this. HA!

*updated: I finished most of it last night. It's already mostly decorated, but I have left space (and pockets) for photos and journaling. I'm hoping Russ will be home that day so we can do some fun family things!

Page One: I am grateful for all my blog readers!

P.S. Have you entered the giveaway yet?? Check out this post, and leave a comment! It kind of got lost in the "Lisa went crazy with posts" moment I had the other day...oops! The deadline to enter is midnight on November 22nd! M'kay. That gives you lots of time, and I'll be sure to give you lots of reminders too!

pretty little rumour

there is a rumour floating through the Seibold family that we might be going to Portland for a reunion in 2013. I don't mind admitting that I am over-the-moon excited to have even the slightest chance to go back to the City of Roses. And in the summer, no less! Let's just take a trip down memory lane, to remind myself how awesome it was there...

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this goes through...and if not, maybe I can convince Russ & Amy + the boys to head down there with me and make it a mini family reunion! Convoy!!

p.s. Lucas has his first loose tooth! He's now worried that the Tooth Fairy won't find it in the little pouch on the door, so he is going to make a sign that says "my tooth is in the front pocket" and hang it on the door. Clever boy!



To Remember...

Lucas loves asking me simple addition problems. "What's 100 plus 8?" or "what's 1000 plus 8?". He knows most of the answers from 1 to 10 himself.

He thinks those Franks Red Hot commercials are funny, and every once in awhile I'll hear him say: "I put that on everything!" He doesn't understand the bleep of the missing swear word yet! He does this for a couple of songs we hear on the radio as well.

He's started up on a knock-knock joke phase...again. And he's makes up his very own. His knock-knock jokes don't actually make any sense, but they are still funny!

More often than not, he still climbs into bed with us first thing in the morning before heading downstairs. Sometimes he'll ask me a simple math questions (like this morning), but usually he asks how I slept, and what was my favourite thing from yesterday. That's something I use to ask him a lot before he went to bed, his favourite thing that happened that day.

This morning he was excited about his spelling test today, but wanted to practice the words again as we were headed out the door. This week it's: me, my, I as, on, with bonus words of November, pencil & Thursday. He was very excited about getting 100% again!

*****

This is the month to Remember. Yesterday, Lucas asked me why they get a PD Day on November 11th. I tried my best to explain that it was to give people time to remember and be thankful for those who came before us. We take the day off to be respectful of the sacrifices that were made, and the times now lost to history. My Grandma once told me that when she was little, Remembrance Day was not only about celebrating military heroes and veterans, and remembering great wars. It was for visiting family, both dead and alive. For celebrating our relatives that had passed on, visiting their gravesides, and maintaining their plots. Kind of like a North American "Day of the Dead", but probably without the sweet costumes and parades! I like this grandma-historical view of things! I'm not sure if she was referring just to her small corner of the world, but it's still a good idea. I think Lucas is still too young to appreciate a lot of what Remembrance Day signifies, but I also think that he appreciates what it means to have a wonderful family, and maybe I'll just have to push the Grandma-Historical view of things until he's older!

In honour of Remembrance Day, and because I was going back through my Blog Archives yesterday, I want to share some old memories and layouts with you this month.

Starting with 2006.

From the top:
Everyday. April 26, 2006, Lucas is 8 months. I still remember this day. Lucas wasn't yet crawling, but he was very mobile. He would roll around the living room floor until he got close enough to the X-Box and stereo, so he could push the buttons and make the tape deck (wow!) open. Then he would roll around to the couch, or over to his toys, and then back to the stereo. This layout makes me happy because of the multiple-word title, the writing on the photos, and the circle cluster on the left side there. I took so many photos that day, and was happy to get a lot of the best on this layout.

Lucky. April 2006. I still think he is super lucky to have great-grandparents in his life! Grannie still loves to play with him, and read with him. She used to "babysit" him when I worked or when I needed a "day off", or just when she wanted to see him and I didn't have anything planned! An early example of me using a "found object" on my layout: the cardboard bracket.

Grannie's Piano. April 2006. The piano now lives at Grandma Arlene's house, and Jacob is the one banging on it! I love this layout! So colourful, and I still consider that title to be a work of genius!

Is There Something on my Face? April 2006. Lucas is still a messy eater, but not this messy! He loved to get right into the food dish and try to help me feed him. I had to "disguise" the carrots with chicken, and while it looks like he was feeding himself, none of the food on his hands made it into his mouth! Layout-wise: Heidi Swapp ghost frame, and that amazing Scenic Route paper. Oh, and a lid from a jar of baby food! Nuff said.

Pizza Pizza. Fall 2006? Lucas is at least 1 year. Fast forward from the layout above, Lucas is walking and talking and feeding himself. This includes sneaking the pineapple off the leftover pizza in the fridge! Sneaky!!

B is for Bath. Flashback again to April 2006. Lucas loved bath time so much when he was a baby. He did this funny frogger-thing to push himself backwards and forwards in the tub. I remember he always talked and laughed a lot in the tub, and "swam" so much he would splash most of the small amount of water right out the sides!

One Plus One. I love these pictures of Lucas. He seemed so small against the large playground equipment. This was back when he loved balls of any size. He would throw the ball up a slide and watch it roll back down. He also really loved the feel of the sand on his hands, and would push them into a pile and then slowly let the sand fall off his fingers.

*****

That's all for now, peeps. These layouts may be dated now, but I still remember the feeling of accomplishment and excitement when I finished each one of them. They capture those moments so perfectly, and so clearly that I can still remember when those photos were taken and why.

Isn't it fun to take a stroll down memory lane, and wander through our old albums?

Nostalgia

Memory is a funny thing. I can remember the faces of the custodians at my elementary school (and one name!). I can remember the names of all of my teachers back then, and what t-shirt I was wearing in Grade 6 when we made a video for our class pen pals (it was a Beverly Hills 90210 one). And there are a lot of things I can't remember that I wish for desperately.

Now, many of you may know that I am a bit of a hoarder. Speaking with my step-mom about some of my dad's odd behaviours, I know I come by it naturally!! This is my way of retaining physical things that prompt my memories that can't surface naturally. I cling to those moments of remembering, and they are more important to me than so many other things. Nostalgia is a powerful feeling.

I was cleaning out some boxes in my basement full of stuff that never made it upstairs with the rest of my scrapbooking stuff. In some of these boxes are what I like to call "memorabilia", things I can't bear to throw out in case I lose the memory associated with that item.

Things like, pieces of scrap paper with random notes written on. Brochures from travel destinations. Bookmarks from a childhood Reading Fair. Receipts, ticket stubs, stationary sets, you name it.

I want to share some of them with you.

This first item is a collage of photos. My friend Cheryl made this for me for my 18th birthday I think. She made one of these for all of our friends that year. It's covered in precious high school memories.

Halloween party at Sarah's house. Celebrating Ashley's 18th birthday at her house, drinking cola with Scott. Grad ceremony and party. Hanging out at Andrea's after the grad party. Camping that summer at Michelon Lake.

I am still friends with most of these people. We see each other a handful of times in a year and it is not enough.

 A clown stationary set I got from an aunt. I didn't want to just use it to write letters on and give them away...it was considered too precious. I wrote lists of books I wanted to read on some of the pages. I also cut out every "recommended reading" article I could find in magazines. The bookmark is possibly from one of those Reading Fairs we use to have at Menisa, where you could buy new books or bookmarks right from the group that set up in the library. My love of reading started early.

My University of Alberta ID card. Up until a couple of years ago, I still remembered my ID#. The password I gave myself to access the UofA net is still the one I use today (with a few security additions). My Kindergarten "yearbook" and photo. Dad painstakingly printed the names of all my classmates in under their photo. When he got up to take a break, I grabbed the book and wrote in my own name. We forgot it was "picture day" that morning, so I was just wearing a regular school outfit, nothing fancy. I look like Lucas (no smile!)

Do you other Canucks remember two-dollar bills! I keep things with my grandparents writing on it. Birthday cards, notes, letters, anything I can find. I already cherish those things, and I know that when they pass I will cherish them even more. This note is from my Dad. It's a typical dad note. His nickname is Skye because he was born in Montana: Big Sky Country.

Do you hold on to things? Are you a nostalgia junkie like myself?

Crafty Thursday

These layouts were originally meant for the TM Inspiration Blog, but due to some technology setbacks, they aren't going up there. But I still want to show them off! So I present to you the

Jenni Bowlin Challenge Layout Series

I think this might be my favourite layout from the batch I did using the newest Jenni Bowlin line (Haven). I added some old Jenni Bowlin in, as well as some Webster's Pages (the cabouchon), Basic Grey "lace" paper, and Copic doodles (the circles and flowers).

I've got a bunch more layouts to post this month, and I think my newest Challenge Kit layouts will go up on the TM Inspiration Blog this month as well. Chantel has a great plan to revamp this blog and get it up to "TM Standards". I can't wait to see what she has in store!

On a side note, I've already finished putting together my September Month Kit for TM. I will admit that I'm kind of being a "keener" here, as it's not technically due until the 15th. But I couldn't wait! I love choosing papers and colours that no one else might have put together, and showing our customers how to use their supplies in a new way. I haven't decided on a name for the kit - the rest of the girls are so much better at this than I am - so I might have to enlist Jill, Kirsten and Victoria's help on that front!

Thanks for stopping by. I'll see you next Thursday for another edition of the Jenni Bowlin Challenge Layout Series.

busy bee

mONDAY

this week is a busy week for me. meetings two nights in a row. work two nights in a row. am teaching a class at TM on Saturday (hooray!).

I miss posting to my blog. Friday I was at home, so no posting. Saturday I posted to my Technique blog (sweet prize included, so check it out!!) Lucas & I got to hang out so much this weekend, it was heaven! And Poppa too! We pretty much spent all of Sunday vegging inside, even though it was so nice out. Lucas just wanted to cuddle on the couch with Russ (and me) and watch golf.

Now that I am "so organized" with my scrapbooking stuff, I find it easier to just pull out some things, do a layout then put everything back in it's new home. We'll see how long that lasts! I acutally "lost" a bunch of new stuff the other day because I had put it away in a real permanent home, and couldn't find it! Ha! I did up a couple of layouts of Lucas' first day back pictures. He is getting to be quite the adorable little man. And still saying some very smart things. Friday it was: "Momma, we had two days of playschool. our brains are growing."


I left my iPod at home today...oops...so I can't add anything to my to-do list. Does anyone know a good planner/schedule app? All of a sudden my life has become very complicated and I really need one!

Check these out! Aren't they to die for! Kitschy floral placements! I don't think they'll match my seafoam green tablecloth.


MY CONTEST: Please check out my Techniques Blog and enter to win the sweet Prima Prize Pack. As of right now there are only three comments/entries and three prizes, so your chance of winning is great...the odds are with you!


TUESDAY
I forgot to post yesterday before I left, so I'll just keep adding to this one.

I haven't done any embroidery lately. I had finished a bunch before we went to Vegas, and I really missed it while I was there, but I haven't pulled it out since we got back.

Here are some patterns I want to try:
- woodgrain
- leaves



And this post is very helpful.
This next picture makes me giggle. I know for a fact that my Grannie has this book, because up until the kitchen reno, Mom had the Rooster hanging above her stove. And Lucas has the Rainbow hanging in his room (it used to hang in mine).


Am very hungry, and so don't feel like working today. The birthday is in one week and one day. And I have no plans as of yet. I'm busy this weekend and next...looks like it will be another boring year for me. I have been fairly good at keeping with my 29 Days project. But it has mostly just shown how boring my life really is. Work. Home. Torchwood. TM. Blog. Read. Scrapbook. I'm trying to spice it up by getting my hair done this week. But I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, so it might not even happen. Although maybe this picture will be helpful. I so love all the pictures of the bright blonde hair I see, but I'm just not sure that's me anymore. I like the darkness I've been cultivating.


I heart this girl. Her stuff. Her style. Her photos. Her.



I wish I would remember to write/draw in some of my journals. Elaine's stuff is really cute and fun!


She makes me want to make a bunch of rad bows for my hair and buy turquoise moccasins. And her drawings remind me that I wanted to do a little comic book for all the funny things Lucas tells me. Maybe I should make a bigger note book and start it up!

I was looking for some clipboards the other day and came across a pile of sheets of chipboard letters that don't have the letters in them anymore. When I get a moment I am putting them with my art journal supplies (which I haven't touched in forever, but let's not talk about that right now...) so I can start playing with them and the new Glimmer Mist I bought yesterday. This was my exciting TM purchase: Frosted Lake, Turquoise & Pumpkin-something Glimmer Mists, 10 sheets of Kraft 8.5 x 11 cardstock and 25 sheets of white. woo hoo. I can see very productive things happening with those simple supplies. I should teach a class...HA!


Am still thinking about taking an online class. This one caught my eye. I do love fall. I can already feel it coming and I'm quite excited. I just wish Lucas wanted to spend more time outside. Maybe when it's not so hot he won't mind going for a walk with Momma through the leaves.



"everytime you say my name, I fall in love again"

to do this week:
- complete one thing on my to-do list from last week. yay me.
- not get swallowed up by the world
this photo on this blog...


{one hour left of work...it's just 2 pm now. I am going crazy. I wish I could just slip out the back and go home early...yes we have a "back door"}
been sneaking some peeks of pics on Facebook...my best friend from elementary school. seeing her with her sisters all grown up makes me ache for the "good old days". It's so weird to see people all grown up when you only really new them as a child.
k...im going to just post this now. want to check my email before I go and I can't do both at once.
later skater alligator

this girl

i actually had to set this one aside, walk away and come back with fresh eyes. and i like it just as it is. really, i just couldn't figure out what it was missing. so made me think maybe it's not missing anything!

totally loving pink and green for some reason right now. go figure!

this is a pic of me in my first year of life.

So I lied...

About that last post being my last post of the day. I finished a page just now and wanted to post that along with a couple a did up last night. It will be my last for at least a couple of hours!

Enjoy the pics of us at Russ' office party at the Museum. It was a total blast! I printed off a bunch more photos that need scrapping, so I hope I can get to those tonight or by the end of the week at least.

The first page: Title comes from a Boney M song (the band that made "Rasputin" famous on all the wedding dance floors around the world!). And I realized after I wrote a bunch of nonsense lyrics in the middle of the record that I could have put some useful journaling there. Oh well!

The middle pic is of myself when I was a little tyke, getting into trouble and such!

The 3rd page: of myself and two coworkers of Russ', who also happen to be girlfriend and wife of other coworkers of Russ. They are a couple of awesome ladies and I was glad to have them at my table! This page is very heavy...with bling, brads, chipboard... You name it, I used it!

Merry Christmas Eve!