a biker LO

Here comes a little of my yin/yang. I just did a layout about a motorcycle trip. So yes, the biker bitch scrapbooks. After years of doing both, I STILL think it's funny! Ok, so I'm easily amused. Guess I'm tired too... blathering on... and on... lol

I started this LO thinking I would create something I could use for class. But then I got going and I liked my direction so much that I didn't know how to change it or what to add to make it fit one of our class themes. But when I was just about done, I decided subtlety could work.

So THIS bike gang layout has glitter. Now if THAT isn't funny.... roflmao


oh, and sorry about the nasty flash, indoor lighting sux for photographing LOs.

scrappin' about scrappin'

lol Sounds funny!

I put together a layout yesterday about a weekend retreat that we "girls" did last year in the Dells. Somehow, with a large group of scrappers, there were very few pictures. I (shame on me) did not take ANY pics!! :-o

Anyway, this layout was somewhat inspired by the online class I'm taking. The current theme is stickers. wow - that is tough for me cuz I really don't use much for stickers except alphas for titles. But in this LO I used 15, count 'em, fifteen stickers!! I cut them, inked them, doodled on them, layered them, and even used a couple as a photo mat. hmmm.... I may have to use stickers more often!

fun pics from ScrapFest

the obligatory group shot - frog and all...


At the Rain Forest Cafe, I was fascinated by the guy who was making balloon shapes. So Bobi had him come over and make one for me. :-)


The 4 foot eel at the Rain Forest - thanks to the really nice staff guy, we saw this eel do his nightly 2 laps around the tank. Very cool!


this new ride is awesome - you go straight up - IN BETWEEN THE CEILING BEAMS - then straight down... plus the usual rollercoaster curves. woohoo!!


Saturday night crop - none of us accomplished much that night. lol

late night fun

I was up way late last night, as in 3:30am.... I cleaned my studio, put lots of stuff away, woohoo! And then, (drumroll please), I did a layout. I'm such a freak, I just can't scrapbook in a messy area.

I created the layout based on ideas from week 2 of an online class I'm taking: Product Playground 2 from Big Picture. Week 2 is all about the Softer Side - stuff like felt, flocking, fiber, fabric and floss. So my big idea was to use a felt frame - my first try at using felt anything! Well, I love how it turned out!! Not only did I use the reverse of a black felt frame (the outside part that was meant to be thrown away), I also used foam alphas for the title, and (not relevant to class) I painted the paper to create my photo mat - first time for that! Ain't this just SWEET??!! lol


As a side note, the purple and green layout I posted Sept 8 was also for this class. Week 1 focused on edges - meaning papers with decorative edges, lace or cutout paper, decorative edge scissors, etc. So I cut the beautiful floral paper to have scalloped edges and I used my very old scallop edge deco scissors to trim my journaling box.

pics of ScrapFest projects

Here is the cool project I made in Tim Holtz's class, this'll fit oh so well into the downstairs when I redecorate:


Here are the cards, mini books, candy bar wrap, and layout I made at the Make n Take booths:



I almost always use patterned paper in my layouts... so this is a great reminder how nice solid cardstock can look! (fyi- the green sheet will be used to mat a photo, and will get cut to the right size then.)

fun times

at MOA. yep, fun times indeed. Scrapfest is so much fun.

This year Bobi, Dawn and I did some Make n Takes on Friday while Carrie was in class. I usually don't do MnTs (small free projects where we play with vendor products and tools) because the lines are always so long at each and every vendor booth... but it was nice and relaxing and fun, hanging with the girls, chatting - it didn't even seem like we were waiting to do something. We made numerous cards, a couple mini books and a full size layout. As usual, I gawked at Tim Holtz for while - I adore watching him while he does show and tell - the man is so super talented - it seems like total second nature for him to create beautiful cool items.

I had three classes on Saturday - so it was another leisurely day. I've been too pressed for time at previous Scrapfests, so I opted to slow it down this year. The only class project I finished (being slow with my finger injuries) was my Tim Holtz class - a cool framed mirror that we decorated as travel themed. My other two classes are super cute projects that I just couldn't keep up with. One class was with Me And My Big Ideas - omg, MAMBI was so very generous with product!! And that is very smart for a vendor, because scrapbookers love to play, and if we love what we play with we buy more. And of course we tell our scrapper friends about the cool product we played with, and how generous xyz company is, and then they go buy from that vendor. So it is a total win-win for vendors to be generous with their product giveaways.

We four girls opted to only attend one evening crop this year, so we... um... had a few beverages Thursday and Friday nights at the Cantina. hehehe 'Twas fun, even tho the music sucked. We enjoyed a fab dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. And then after we finished dining, one of the workers told us about the eel in one of the fish tanks. Whoa - this was cool. He told us that the eel comes out of his hiding spot only once a day, at 9pm, and he does two laps around the tank and goes back into hiding. It was 8:52, so we decided to wait. At 8:58, the FOUR FOOT eel came out and did his two laps. Cool - talk about creatures of habit! lol So we thanked the worker guy for the info, and he talked to us at length about some of the fish and the tanks and stuff... very neat and very interesting!!

So then on Saturday night we went to a crop sponsored by Little Yellow Bicycle at the Roseville Archivers. LYB gave us each a packet of stuff to make 3 cute projects - it was their brand new Christmas line - sweet! Then they gave us each a cool rockin' tote bag with more Christmas stuff, plus their new Halloween line and a little of one of their current lines. And they had lots of prize giveaways too! We were super pleased with the quality and quantity of their freebies - LOVE IT! :-) And then the Roseville Archivers was generous too - everyone received a bag of goodies, some older stuff, some more current stuff, but definitely good overall packages. Plus they had a grand prize giveaway at the end - and CARRIE won it! woohoo! We think we definitely got our money's worth from going to that crop - always a good feeling. And I am now totally in love with LYB product - I can't wait to see their next lines - hoping they are more generic in the future, as I don't generally scrap holidays.

So now hopefully in the next couple days I'll take and post pictures of my MnTs and finished class project... and also soon finish up the two other class projects!

scrapfest '08

yay - by this time tomorrow I'll be in the Twin Cities for Scrapfest '08! Most of the event is held at the Mall of America, including classes and Make n Takes (mini free projects). It's sponsored by Archivers and has been fun in years past - this will be my third annual.

I have taken lots of classes in previous years, and not left myself with enough time to enjoy my friends and the MOA. So this year I only have 3 classes. I should have plenty of time for R&R, chatting, window shopping, etc.

hmmm... it was pointed out

that I hadn't updated my blog re: my work status.

As usual, things have changed. I will not be returning to my last client. :-(

Instead, I'm staying on this team project longer than originally expected. :-)

another quick pic

Tonight I finally finished a layout I've been working on this week. yay!


I have to apologize - all my LO pics have been a bit blurry, some worse than others. I'm looking forward to getting another "good" digital camera to replace the one damaged in our accident. The old camera seems to be having problems...

... cuz you know it can't be operator error. roflmao! (rolling on floor laughing my a** off)

way fun

Last weekend, as in the weekend before Labor Day weekend, I had a super fun time with "the girls." We rented a retreat house for scrapping - it's a fabulous place called Bridge Creek near Eau Claire. I didn't expect to get a lot done, since I still don't use my left fingers... but wow! I proved myself wrong. I finished 12, count 'em, TWELVE layouts! woohoo!!! I almost ran out of stuff to do, and that would have been a first! lol

Without further ado, here are snaps of the LOs I did:

cool beans

A work update - my company, Jefferson Wells, has me in the office working on a team engagement that deals with a business continuity plan, so a bit different work than I've been doing since starting here. BCP is interesting - basically a lot of "what ifs" - ie, if a tornado goes thru your facility, is there a plan that allows work to continue, perhaps at a different location? Are there backups of computers and data offsite? Lots of variables.

This will only be for a couple weeks because one of the team members is shifted temporarily to different work on the same engagement and I'm taking over what he's been working on. Then he'll shift back to his role, and I'll go back to my last client when another budget deadline is coming up and they have more work for me.

So yay! - I don't have to deal with first day at a new client jitters. I have work to do and am billable. And I get to go back to my last (peaceful) client and learn more about Retrieve and essbase while working on budget/forecast, which I enjoy. So this is a cool, rockin' win/win/win/win - for me, Jefferson Wells, and two clients!

is there such a thing as being too efficient at work?

I was really enjoying my work at my new client... I was learning a bit about Hyperion Retrieve and Essbase, great skills to have. I was working a lot with budget and forecast spreadsheets - fun stuff also.

But I kept surprising them by finishing my work/projects so quickly. (and still accurately!) And they just never seemed to have enough work to really keep me busy.

So they let me go this week.

I'm sad, because I enjoyed working there, in a quiet peaceful environment without shouting and f-bombs flying around faster than mosquitos in a swamp at dusk, doing interesting (if not overly challenging) work. I'm puzzled, because there is usually a bit more notice than just a "sorry we don't have enough work for you, please don't come back tomorrow." I'm nervous, because I don't know yet who my next client will be - where I'll be driving and what type of work I'll be performing. I always get first-day jitters, wondering if the new manager and co-workers will like me and my work, if I'll be proficient at the work (I can't handle being only mediocre, I must excel! lol).

But I have to remember that I took my job with Jefferson Wells over eight (yes EIGHT) years ago because I like to job hop, have lots of variety, learn new things. And wherever I go, it's only temporary - there is always a light at the end of that tunnel. So I'll be fine. I will be ok.

the Olympics

omg, I have been spending almost every spare moment watching the Olympics... gymnastics, volleyball, beach volleyball, synchronized diving, and of COURSE - swimming. WOOHOO Phelps!! Show those naysayers up! I am in absolute awe of Phelps' ability. And way to go to our guy gymnasts who pulled off the bronze after both Hamm brothers pulled out of competition. And yay to our stellar gal gymnasts going one, two in the all-around. Of course our gal beach vball players May and Walsh are phenomenal, so fun to watch.

I am so proud of our U.S. Olympians, doing so well against all others in the world, including the Chinese. I abhor the practices of the Chinese - in particular, how they take 3 year old toddlers away from their homes to train in gymnastics. That is their life, that's it. No family. No friends outside of their teammates. No playing like children should. From the age of THREE. The Olympics committee should put an end to this barbaric practice!

I have supreme respect for our U.S. (and other countries) individuals who train intensively for the Olympics and other huge competitions OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL. To have a goal that they are so focused on that they spend hours upon hours every day practicing, exercising, etc... whatever they can do (legally) to enhance their performance - amazing, absolutely amazing.

You Olympians set a shining example for the world!

wordle... what's that?

Saw this on a blog, kinda cool, so thought I'd make my own...

Go play and have some fun HERE.

no turnin' this off!

I'm hi-jacking a topic from another blog again... this time it's Cathy Zielske's blog. As she says, "I have a confession, which is neither deep nor scandalous in any way, but I believe it definitely says something about who I am: there are certain movies that, when they come on the television, I cannot NOT watch. Period. No matter what scene I'm joining in on, be it the first, the middle or the last. I simply cannot turn away." Oh, how true!

Here are some of those movies that I cannot NOT watch:
1) Twister
2) Volcano
3) Dante's Peak
4) Starship Troopers
5) Con Air
6) any Austin Powers movie
(hmmm... a trend of stupid movies!)
7) any of the Lord of the Rings trilogy
8) any Terminator movie
9) any Star Trek movie
(and a trend of sci-fi, of course)
10) Forrest Gump
11) Braveheart
12) The Shawshank Redemption
13) The Hunt for Red October
(finally, some serious stuff!)

I'm sure there are a ton more, but I'll just leave this at lucky number 13. So what about you? What movies are YOU not able to turn off?

back 2 work

yep, I'm finally going back to work this Monday. I don't know yet what I'll be doing. I've given my office warning that I am limited in what I can do. I still can't use my left fingers, and probably won't be able to for a while. And I still have minor issues with my right wrist and elbow. So it's hard for me to type (essential for an accountant), drive (essential to get to work), and, well, lots of other things. But I guess I'll go in and see what's up. For those folks who saw my earlier wound pictures - these show how much I've improved:


My fingers will take the longest to heal completely, since they were definitely the deepest. I believe that's the hand I used to try to stop myself from rolling down the road. They are still considered open wounds and are barely touchable.

My wrist looks fabulous, and should have no scarring. At least, that is, if I continue to be cautious with it. It needs to stay really moist/moisturized, and I need to be careful how much I bend it, so that the new tender skin doesn't crack in the joint crease.

Even tho we had some "road rash" and bruises and wear and tear, we were SO VERY fortunate.

The sheriff who was first on the scene told Greg that we were his 3rd motorcycle accident in the past week. In the first, a guy lost his life. In the second, a guy with only 2 weeks experience was driving with his girlfriend on back - she was in shorts, a tank top and flip flops - they were just screaming from the pain. The officer couldn't bring himself to tell the girlfriend that she had lost her toes.

About two weeks ago, a member of our bike club put his bike down. His ribs were fractured 17 times, he had a collapsed lung and a ruptured spleen. He is expected to have a full recovery - but it will take months.

Makes me happy to be alive, walking and talking. :-) And that is precisely how Greg and I have felt from the moment we picked ourselves off the pavement. Happy and oh so fortunate to be alive!

what's in your suitcase?

My good friend Carrie posted a question on her blog, from an online class she's taking. The question is "What's in your suitcase? What are your traveling must-haves?" I'm hi-jacking that question, cuz I think it's pretty fun...

Out of necessity (motorcycle trips) I have become quite a minimalist while traveling. For example, for this last 8 night trip we just took to Canada, Greg and I COMBINED had one carry-on duffle bag, a laptop bag, and my shoulder bag. That was it!

I always have a camera when traveling, and am getting used to taking my cool Clix2 mp3 player. I take at least one book plus a mag or two for "downtimes." I need my Mary Kay face products and a brown eyeliner. And my hand lotion - Suave Natural Oatmeal. Plus typical toiletry items, including both Advil and Aleve. Other than that, it depends on what type of traveling I'm doing.

For biking, I need appropriate clothing, such as rain gear, leathers, gloves, protective eyewear, riding boots, etc. Sunscreen is also a requirement.

For cruising, I need nice clothing, including formal wear, for evenings onboard. I need comfy but nice-looking clothes for shore excursions. Plus a swimsuit with coverup for lounging on the deck during at sea days. Sandals and tennies are required. And I need girly stuff - more makeup, hair product, jewelry, etc.

For scrappy vacations, all I really need are comfy clothes plus my scrap tools and supplies!

misc. Canada trip pics

Takakkaw Falls in Yoho Nat'l Park


another bear sighting! - really near the road this time. :-)

Hell's Gate tram and suspension bridge

Banff Nat'l Park pics

Lake Louise

Moraine Lake (featured twice on the back of the Canadian $20 bill)

from the top of the Lake Louise gondola (ski hill)

Banff Springs Hotel

Johnston Canyon (rockin' hike thru the canyon and on catwalks over the river)

pics from the Icefields Parkway

Sunwapta Falls

another waterfall... name? don't know

Columbia Icefield, Athabasca Glacier
the glacier is too unstable this year, so we couldn't walk on it. :-(

Peyto Lake

scene from the road (pun intended)