iBead Designs

Carnelian Bracelet

Pink-ish Bracelet

Blue Lantern Bracelet

Lunar Observations

Alex is doing a project called "Lunar Observations" for science class.  Every night, he is supposed to look at the sky and observe what phase the moon is in.  Since he's been doing it, we haven't seen the moon.  Tomorrow night, according to my GPS, it's supposed to be visible, like a thumbnail. 

I took the dog out a few minutes ago for her to do her "thang", and I noticed how gorgeous the sky looks tonight.  The sky is so clear up here - I think every star is out tonight.  The constellation "Orion" was so crystal clear.  There is also a very tiny constellation that is nearby that I am going to have to look up to see what it is called. 

Green Gaia Glass Bracelet

I created this bracelet using Gaia Glass beads created by Cathy Brown, Sundancer Glass Studios, bali silver beads, boro donut beads, and a sterling silver bali style toggle clasp.  I just love this look!

Scrapping Digitally

Over the past week I have gotten back into Scrapbooking, specifically, digital scrappbooking. I have been spending a lot of time working on an album for my brother and SIL's wedding pictures.  The pictures are great and a lot of fun to work with.

So, in my scrappiness, I have also been on a quest to find new and exciting papers, etc., to use in my layouts.  It's been a while since I've made digital purchases, and I had no idea that so many cool things have been developed since my serious digital scrapping shopping days!

I have absolutely fallen in love with the "new to me" Layered Sketch Templates that designers are developing to make my scrapping life oh-so-much easier!  Just load the template in Photoshop (or your editor of choice) and simply "copy, paste, and clip to mask" on the applicable layer.  The templates vary with the photo editor, but you get the idea - it's very simple that even a Photoshop novice like me can master it in only a few mouse clicks.

And, new personalities have emerged into the digital scrapping world.  Not as in "new people" even though these people are new to me, but I had a couple things happen over the weekend that did not happen before in my world of multiple (I mean multiple!) digital scrapping purchases.  One new designer, Ashalee Wall, emailed to me a personal thank you for purchasing her papers and kits.  I mean, I had no choice but to buy just about everything once I saw her incredible, vibrant designs!  This gal has a lot of promise and I'm anxious to see her future offerings.

Also, Vicki Stegall of Oscraps.com (owner) and designer at Plain Digital Wrapper emailed a coupon to me for a future purchase after I bought some items from her before they went on sale the next day - how thoughtful! 

Now let me tell you, I started buying digital scrapping stuff almost 2 years ago, and then took a hiatus for not quite a year when we moved to a new house that didn't have high-speed internet.  And in my many, many, many (did I say Many?)purchases during that time, I don't recall ever receiving a personal thank-you from a designer.  The only company that I received anything from during my "buying hiatus" was ScrapGirls (which is also a favorite place of mine to visit).

So there you have it.  I hope you visit the sites I mentioned.  And have lots of fun!

My house, my hobby?

I just got back from taking a walk (for me and for my dog) through part of my neighborhood.  Nellie, my dog, is quite wore out since she hasn't been walking for a few days.  Well, I haven't walked for a few days, either, but she was tired of walking before me. 

While walking, I noticed a neighbor working in her yard, quite intent on making sure her kids didn't get out of the yard while tending to the shrubbery in the backyard that needed trimming.  I reflected on my own shrubs that were in major need of being trimmed, that I have been promising my husband for two weeks that I would take care of.  But I have put it off because I have other, more important to me, things to do.  Like working on my website. Like posting my first blog. Like trying to figure out where my kids are after calling all the neighbors I can think of (why can't they at least check in like I ask them to?). Like working on my next bead project. Like getting around to the laundry and dishes once in a while. Like just relaxing after working all day. Like counting my Weight Watchers Points faithfully so that I can stay on track. Like trying to squeeze digital scrapbooking in to my schedule every once in a while. 

You get the idea, right?  I mean, am I alone in this?  I do love my house and like to keep it looking nice, well, at least when I'm getting ready to have company (I live by the 2-day rule for guests).  And I enjoy decorating and browsing through magazines containing the latest design trends and paint colors, but there are so many things I want to do and only so many hours in the day.  So while my house is not a hobby that I would list in a profile about me, it is one facet of my life, that I try to squeeze in like everything else.