[serendipity]

happy anniversary baby . . .

Got you on my miiii-iiinnd.

Love is in the air. Can you feel it? For most of you it’s Valentine season, but for me, it’s the 21st anniversary of being married to my best friend . . . today. What better way to say “I Love You” than to post a page about it on your blog? ;)

Love you hon! Thanks for 21 amazing years and here’s to many more!

This is another page for that cardstock kit. Look closely at the black. It’s got a red base so when you sand it, the red underside shows up. Very cool! You all really should turn into QVC Wednesday night and get this kit . . . and I’d suggest picking up two because it’s just too darn fun and lots of great colors! (White is not included though.)

I used Graphically Speaking to cut the red cardstock background and whipped up the “xoxo” border in Illustrator and cut it using my Silhouette (same with the "21 years").

silhouette or cricut?

That is the question. And the answer is . . . ummmmm . . . both? :) I get asked this question from time to time, and for me, I enjoy having both. I love Cricut for it’s portability and it’s TWELVE INCHES of delicious cutting space! But I love Silhouette for it’s versatility in cutting whatever I want. So what it boils down to is, what meets your needs?

Buy a Cricut if you:
...like taking the machine with you to crops (or wherever).
...like buying all your art on one little cartridge with a little book to show you images.
...don’t like having to use a computer.
...like having a 12" cutting space (if you buy that one). LOVE that!
...don’t mind using a third-party program to cut your own fonts. (I don’t know much about SCAL or Design Studio, but I know they can expand on Cricut’s capabilities, like cutting any font, but you need it attached to your computer to do it.)

Buy a Silhouette if you:
...don’t mind using a computer to access images and fonts.
...like cutting any font you want. And with the new software, you can now weld your words (make it all one image).
...if you like having the flexibility of instantly buying individual images (24/7) and not an entire cartridge for just one image. And now they have a monthly-download program where you pay xx dollars for a subscription to download however many images you want. I can’t find how much for sure it is on the QK website, but I read about the download program in a post somewhere on the Two Peas in a Bucket website.
...like taking the machine with you to crops using a computer or using the new "computer-free" SD version. (You can copy your images onto an SD card and take it with you with the new Silhouette SD.)
...know how to use Illustrator and cut directly from it, which is what I do and I LOVE!

Now see, for me, I like having them both, but I can afford to have both. I know that not everyone can afford to do that. We’re all watching our pennies. So I’d even say look at the images that each company has to offer too and see what floats your boat. Each cutting system has its pros and cons. Both would work excellent for cutting large titles, but with Cricut, you’re limited to the fonts you’ve purchased on your cartridges and Silhouette you have all your fonts available to you.

P.S. Go check out this QK blog post that I ran across while looking for some of this info. It's actually kind of funny...they are a very talented bunch over there! Quite impressive. LOL

And on a completely unrelated note, this was my horoscope yesterday. I don’t normally get into reading them, but they’ve recently caught my eye on the opening MSN screen over the past couple weeks, so I’ve been curious as to what it says. This one nailed it on the head for me yesterday! There was puh-lenty of “petty squabbles” I was dealing with yesterday. It’s been pretty weird to read the horoscopes lately—they’ve been very apropos for this time in my life. It’s actually kind of freaky. LOL

Focus on your creative mind, dear Virgo. This is a very fertile time in terms of planting hearty seeds that will be sure to grow up healthy and strong. You have the ability to be very prosperous, but it will certainly not come easily. The key for you is to maintain your cool. Don't overreact to the little annoyances that come your way. You are above and beyond petty squabbles. Don't waste your time on them.

graphically speaking guest artist: lisa bearnson

As I bring the guest artist segment to a close, I couldn't think of a better way to round out the week than to ask the amazing Lisa Bearnson to create a page! This girl is such an inspiration to many and a great friend to me. Just love her! I remember meeting her for the first time two or three months after winning Hall of Fame almost ten years ago (wow, ten years?). It was just a quick introduction at the office one day. I never in a million years would have guessed at that moment that we'd be working together just a couple years later--along with Miss Kristy. Getting Lisa, Kristy and myself together is a recipe for good times indeed!

So here is Lisa's "sweet" and fabulous page! I LOVE Lisa's philosophy when it comes to scrapping. She'd rather spend more time making the memory than making the page. While my style has become more simplistic over the years, I still have a hard time being quick--I'm quicker, but not as fast as I'd like to be. I envy that about her! Her pages are classic and timeless . . . and . . . I LOVE that she always uses her own handwriting! If you read this post on her blog where she attended a crop for a person that recently passed away, you'll see what a treasure it is to use your own handwriting. She talks about the son saving his mom's signature from a check. My mom passed away four and a half years ago and you'd be amazed at all the receipts, lists, notes, and poems we found and kept because it was in her handwriting. We even kept gum wrappers that we found in old wallets because that was so her. I think handwriting is a key element to scrapbooking and I don't do it near enough.

Lisa's enthusiasm and passion for preserving memories for posterity is infectious. You can't help but feel inspired after listening to her talk (and I've heard her a few times ;) ). If you ever get the opportunity to hear her speak, I highly recommend it!

Lisa, I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to participate in this fun event on my blog! You're amazing! And to everyone else who played this week--Kristy, Erin, Loni and Robyn...thank you again! You've made this an incredible week and I appreciate you all sharing your fabulous creations with everyone! You are all so talented and inspiring!

[from cartridge: "sweet", "&" and scallop edge. love how big that "sweet" title is!]

If you haven't entered the drawing for one of the three Graphically Speaking cartridges, make sure you do it in Monday's post here. I will close the contest Sunday night and announce winners first thing Monday morning.

P.S. To the gal that asked about the "Adventure" text on my Ireland book. That's actually a white rub-on from the KOTM: Travel Journal that came out in September '07. However, if you want to get a nice clean stamped image, try using a chalk ink, like ColorBox's Cats Eye Chalk Ink. Those work pretty well--much cleaner than paint.

graphically speaking guest artist: loni stevens

Today's guest artist is none other than the uber-talented Loni Stevens! I have had the privilege of working with this girl for almost two years, but we’ve been friends much longer than that and I just adore her. The way this girl’s mind works . . . you just have to sit in awe . . . I know I always do. :)

I LOVE this page she did! It’s greatness is in the simplicity with which it was made—a Loni Stevens trademark. I’ve always said she does “simple with style.” It’s the tiny touches she uses that makes her pages wow! And how foxy does she look in that photo?

Thank you so much for playing this week with me Loni! You da-man! (or wo-man ;) )

[from cartridge: "Ten" border]

So here’s an amazing coincidence. Loni is good friends with the talented Robyn Werlich and so of course she checks her blog. I actually had lunch with Loni and Robyn (and Maggie Holmes) a year or two ago, so we do “know” each other too. :) Well, Loni checked out Robyn’s blog just a few days ago and found this little number (no pun intended–LOL):

Robyn created this project for a recent Two Peas in a Bucket event and used Graphically Speaking for the white background cardstock (with the dots). LOVE it! So of course I had to ask her if I could share it with everyone here. What perfect timing! Would that make Robyn my “special” guest artist? ;) Oh, and I have to tell you, she bought this cartridge for that ONE image! Now that’s my kind of girl! You can read a description and see the rest of this project on her blog here. It's encased in glass, so that's why the image seems a little wonky.

Oh, and look what else I found on her blog! On this page she used the 12345... border. So fun! Thanks for letting me share these pages Robyn! You did a fantastic job!

If you haven't entered the drawing for one of the three Graphically Speaking cartridges, make sure you do it in Monday's post here.

‘what to use’ wednesday: starting my ireland album using GS

Today I thought I would share a newly-started project for the regular ‘What To Use’ Wednesday spot. Of course it’s using Graphically Speaking. ;) The background pages on this cartridge are perfect for this style of a clear album! Eventually I will finish this album and share it with you all . . . it might take me a month or two though. LOL Ideally, I would love to work on a segment of it every weekend and actually complete a whole travel album for once! I've got plans to use the cartridge a ton more in this album too! I'm very excited to get this done!

By the way, if you haven't entered to win one of the three Graphically Speaking cartridges, make sure you do it in Monday's post here.

On this spread I created (below), I just had to include the map we used . . . and well-used it was! We actually did very well navigating with just this map. Notice the color of the roads. Remember what I’d said in my Ireland post? Red, pretty good. Orange, okay . . . most of the time. Green? AAAAAHHHHH! We got very few of the blue roads, which were freeways.

I apologize for the quality, or lack thereof, of these pictures. It was a gloomy day all day yesterday and so I tried to take pictures of them on my desk under some lights . . . and uhhhh standing on my swivel chair. Kind of hard to be still for photos—the ol' back's a little out of whack now. ;)

[from cartridge: rolodex card—which I still need to journal on.
it's actually two cuts—one lined paper and one cardstock for support.]

[from cartridge: polka dot page]


[from cartridge: "that way" and arrow]




[a few extra pages that I cut with GS to use in the album...eventually]

graphically speaking guest artist: erin lincoln

Today’s guest artist is the lovely Miss Erin Lincoln! Erin is such an amazing designer! I just love looking at her pages, they are always so cleverly done—she just has such a wonderful style. I love how she put trees over the As in the title of her page. And even though he's not pictured here, I love her son’s name, Hank. Is that cool or what?

If you haven't entered the drawing for one of the three Graphically Speaking cartridges, make sure you do it in Monday's post here.

Thank you so much Erin for creating this fabulous page! You’re awesome!

[from cartridge: 3Words/Location and clouds]

the big GRAPHICALLY SPEAKING giveaway!

Oh my freakin’ heck! I am so excited for this week, I can hardly stand it! When I first thought about doing a giveaway, I was hoping that Provo Craft would be generous and donate one Graphically Speaking cartridge. Well, not only did they give me one, they gave me THREE to give away! Woo hoo!!!

One of these babies could be yours!

Of course I have to limit the contest to the continental US. I’m so sorry for those of you outside the area. Leave your name and where you’re from in this post and I’ll draw the winners first thing Monday morning (November 17).

Now, if you have a Graphically Speaking cartridge already, never fear, I’m planning a page contest within the next couple weeks. So get ready, pull out that cartridge, and start making some wonderful creations. I’m excited to see what you all will make! The winner will receive a cartridge of their choice! More details to come on that soon.

As part of this exciting week, I asked some super talented ladies—and friends—if they’d help me celebrate this cartridge by being a guest artist here on my blog. Each day this week I will post a new page by one of these ladies, so be sure to check back every day and see what fabulous creations they made using Graphically Speaking.

Today’s guest artist?

The one and only KRISTY BANKS!

I tell you what, you have to be a pretty good friend to get Kristy Banks to come out of retirement and do not only a page, but an entire mini album?! She must love me a lot. ;) I sure love her! She never ceases to amaze me and this project is no exception. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Can you believe how big Alix has gotten? She is five years old now, in kindergarten, and has even lost two teeth! She is just the cutest thing ev-er! And don't you just love her long curly hair!

Thank you soooo much Kristy for making this beautiful album! I owe you big time! ;)

from cartridge: memories, top 10 "10" and flower w/center

from cartridge: "the list", flower, "10", "08", numbers and arrow

[all the little tabbed card inserts are the rolodex image from the cartridge.]

above: open spread w/out insert

above: open spread w/out insert

above: open spread w/out insert

above: open spread w/out insert

above: open spread w/out insert


....and that she is!

[the comments for this contest are now closed]

'what to use' wednesday: october 08

So, I told y'all I felt a page coming on with that 'random thought' list the last day of October. ;) It was the perfect subject matter for recapping what October was all about. This might be a cool thing to do at the end of each month. Hmm...

Once again I used my Graphically Speaking cartridge for the '08' license plate tag and the tree. I love that tree. Not only is it good for outdoor pages, but how cool is it for a Halloween page?

And by the way . . . that chili dog? It's Zach's, not mine. ;) I had to add "chili dogs on every Halloween night" to my list.

 

'what to use' wednesday: oregon 2008

On Monday I mentioned the color scheme that made me happy this week and told you that I would share a page using those colors for my 'What To Use' Wednesday page. So, here it is:

   

   

I had a lot of fun making this page because I finally really used my Graphically Speaking cartridge. Woo hoo! The "Fresh Air", polka dot cardstock with rounded corners, and the "2008" all come from GS. I also used Printing Press for the "Oregon."

The color scheme made me think of a beach theme, so it happened to work perfectly for highlighting some photos from our Oregon trip. To add another twist to my creative process, I thought I'd make this trip album in an 8 1/2 x 11 format. I haven't scrapped a page that size in years!

I love mixing it up!

knock knock...

    Who's there?

    Orange?

    Orange who?

    Orange ya glad I'm such an amazing color?

I know, dorky. But can I just say how much I am inspired by this color??? I’ve been drawn to it for several months, and now, everywhere I look (mostly at magazines), I see orange! Loving it! It’s such a happy color. Is orange the new red? GASP! I hope not! I LOVE red! Even better . . . put them together!

Feeling so inspired by this color has caused me to look through my stash to see what orange supplies I had to create for my ‘What To Use’ Wednesdays page. I’ve bought so many ribbons in orange (actually, I’ve just bought so many ribbons in general, but that’s another story). Such yummy, yummy orange ribbons . . . and flowers! And since I haven’t been scrapping much lately, I’m very excited to use them both . . . finally! I’ve also had these KI Memories Ice Candy forever—they stare at me through their little home in the clear drawer on a daily basis, just begging to be used. This was one item I couldn’t ever part with. I’ve also finally created a brand-new page using my Graphically Speaking cartridge! Woo hoo! I finally did it! I have this thing about doing tone-on-tone items, so why would this be any different. I cut a few of the jumbled "Together" words to make the bottom third of the paper. I also cut the red number strip. That’s a fun one—if I do say so myself. ;) As for the patterned cardstock, I couldn’t find just the right combination, so I used a polka dot pattern I had in my Illustrator stash and made my own.

So my challenge to you is to pick a color that inspires you, peruse your stash, and make a page!