Snips of Time News

Just a little random happiness

2012-01-13T06:33:00.001-05:00

Just a very quick post

2012-01-10T18:30:00.001-05:00

Actually this is more of a "test" than a true post. I want to see how easy/hard it is to post from my phone. I'm trying to get a feel for if this will work for quick posts and what have you. You'll have to be patient with me as I go through some "growing pains" in respect to my blogging. I am working at it, I promise you that!

Goodbye 2011, HELLO 2012

2012-01-06T12:34:00.004-05:00

Anyone that knows me knows that 2011 was a tough year for me....oh my gosh what an understatement!! So many things changed and changed so quickly in 2011 that it took me a LONG time to get back to where I needed to be. The changes started in January and continued most of the year. Now in 2012 there are still going to be changes, but now they are on my terms and more in line with what I want for my life!!

What's in store for 2012?

I AM going to be more diligent about blogging. I'm just going to make myself sit down and do it, whether I get up earlier or go to bed later, write a quick post from my phone....regardless...I WILL WRITE.

I will be sharing more pictures of Snips of Time projects and maybe even a video now and then.

Snips of Time is going to be taken to a new level. I haven't decided on the platform yet...at least not completely, but I WILL open an online store this year and I WILL have my handmade items out there for sale!!

2011 was a painful year for me, and I've decided that 2012 is going to be my year of healing. Part of the healing is making Snips of Time work, because being creative heals me, and being a success in my own eyes will make me stronger. Last year I started Soul Restoration (check out http://www.bravegirls.com/ to check it out) but failed to finish it due to the events in my life at the time. I am retaking it this year and will complete it!! I am also taking Brave Mothers and Daughters that is also from Brave Girls. I'm doing this with my daughter Hailey.

I have learned that my creativity sustains me and helps me through all the bad crap life throws this way. I work in retail, 5 days a week....people are UNHAPPY!! I don't want to be one of those people! I don't want to be one of the people walking around with a scowl on my face all the time. I want to be one of the people that are smiling no matter what life throws at them...so I am making a consious EFFORT to bring happiness into my life. I truly believe happiness and joy are choices we make...I'm making the choice to be happy and full of joy!!

So, do I ask anything of you, my readers? YES!! I DO!! Leave comments, ask questions, challenge me. Of course you're welcome to place orders for the things I make as well (hint, hint!!)

In this blog in 2012 you'll see my creations, hear what I'm learning from Melody Ross in Soul Restoration and Brave Mothers and Daughters, see what my favorite sites are for getting inspired, and where my heart is in my life.

I've truly learned that life really is about the little things. Perfect SILLY example...I had to get a new phone as my old one bit the dust. So with the help of Christmas money I was able to "upgrade" a bit. I'm a gadget geek, so having bells and whistles on my phone, while not NECESSARY, brings me a little happiness LOL. Okay, so I have this phone that can access facebook and take pictures and video and I can even watch Netflix on it and read books on it. All really cool right? You know what I got the giddiest about (this is really silly) the $10 phone case I found for it. I had to get a case because I'm a klutz and drop everything all the time. $10 was the cheapest ones they had....and it's PINK and has FLOWERS on it and a PEACE SIGN....it's AWESOME!! See, life is full of little things that can make you happy!!

Yes, my screen shield is uber dirty...I was actually TALKING on my phone with my son who is in Washington LOL and I need to clean it LOL. So like I said, it can really be the little things :)

Creative things

2011-11-24T19:40:00.003-05:00

I haven't been blogging at all, much less about what I'm doing creatively...well, that's about to change! While watching CraftTV the other day I saw a video about altering a book in a way that uses it as a picture frame. I thought, what a GREAT idea...especially for those people in my life that are avid readers. Here is what I made for my dad for his birthday. The pictures are kind of blurry and I apologize, but didn't realize that until after I mailed the book out and couldn't retake the pics. Now my Dad loves westerns and has probably read every Louis LaMour and Zane Grey book out there. Thanks to my stepmom I had a copy of the three of us (from like 1987) where we were dressed up kind of like hillbillies and thought "this would go GREAT in a old western novel. I immediately thought "wouldn't it be great if I could find a Zane Grey novel?! I went to the Goodwill and guess what I found? A Zane Grey novel for $2.49!!! (The books have to be hardcover or the technique doesn't work.) Anyway...I thought PERFECT!!! So this is what I ended up with...

Okay, maybe it's not very modest to toot your own horn, but I think it turned out sooooo cool! And my Dad loved it. It wasn't difficult at all. I printed the picture in a size that would fit on the cover, then traced it on the back of the cover. I then cut the hole a 1/4 inch smaller all the way around to give it a border for the picture to be attached to. I inked the edges of the "window" so that you couldn't see the bare book board and to give it kind of an aged looked. Then I taped the picture onto the back of the cover and covered the back of the cover with appropriate paper. He thought it was so cool and even took it to work with him to show his friends! He has actually read the book before but because of the way you do this, none of the book itself is damaged and he plans on reading it again! It was quick, easy and cheap to make! I have some plans for Christmas presents using this technique.

I hope to be sharing more photos of techniques and even some videos soon. I'm trying to get back into the groove of blogging....it's tough for me sometimes, just to find the time. But I enjoy sharing so I hope I can get back to it.

God bless and go make something beautiful!!

So much to be thankful for

2011-11-24T19:06:00.002-05:00

Today's Thanksgiving and I'm sitting in my apartment with my cat...with no turkey and dressing or the "fixings." I spent about an hour this morning (at work) feeling sorry for myself, that it looked like I would be spending Thanksgiving "alone." After my hour long pity party, I put my big girl panties on and started looking at my life (in between the many customers CVS had today LOL) and realized that what in the heck was I feeling sorry for myself for?! No, I wasn't having a traditional Thanksgiving. There was no family waiting at my house for us to eat a meal together (though I shouldn't say that as I think of my Ellie -my cat, as family LOL.) I was working an 8 hour shift on the register at CVS, waiting on many people that were less than gracious towards me and the fact that I was working while they had the day off and were on their way to spend time with family and friends. But you know what? I have SO much to be thankful for...so bare with me as I list all the things I'm blessed with. They may not seem like blessings to everyone, but they do to me.

I have a job

I have a kitty that thinks I'm the world (hey that matters after a bad day at work)

I have family that loves me even though we don't live close to each other

I have a husband, that even though we aren't living together right now, loves me and is willing to work on our relationship

I have amazing friends

I have a hobby that allows me to make extra money while doing what I love

I have good health ...allow me to explain that further. I have fibromyalgia which is not the most fun thing in the world to have, but for the most part, it's managed very well and interferes with my daily life only a little. I have asthma that is managed very well as is the case with my allergies. There are a lot of people that are a lot worse off than I am health wise.

I have an apartment that I absolutely adore and a landlord that is so very understanding and gracious in working out the rent with me when things get tight.

I have customers that come in to the store and stop to say hi to me specifically, because while we never see each other outside of the store, we have developed a relationship that matters.

I have good health insurance that allows my health issues to be dealt with, including my depression.

Going back to my friends, I have friends that allow me to be me, which is amazing to me. I was always the kid that didn't fit in and now I feel like I while I may not be like everyone else, at least most people love me for who I am.

I could go on and on about everything I'm thankful for. I guess I look at my life and think, "no, it's not perfect....but damn I have it good." Yes, I have financial struggles (who doesn't in this economy) but some how it always seems to work out. I'm amazed everyday at the blessings I have. The computer I'm using right now...my laptop crashed and I was worried as I run my business basically through the Internet...within three days, I had a replacement computer, monitor and was up and running again, thanks to friends and my husband.

I guess I'm feeling a little "preachy" right now about the way people complain about their lives. We all have hardships. There are days I wake up and the pain makes me want to crawl back into bed, but I push on because I know that if I make myself get up and don't give it, I'll feel better after a hot shower and moving around. Yes, so many people have it much harder than I do, I know that. One of my best friends is dealing with some family issues that I can't even imagine having to live through, another friend passed away recently and her husband must be heart broken (we all miss her.) So when I feel "poor me" I think about all the things that could be worse and all the things that are so amazing.

A lot has happened in my life in 2011. A lot of really tough things, things I wasn't sure I could survive through. But I did survive and I'm stronger now and know that when the next obstacle comes (as it will) while it'll be difficult, it will not be impossible.

I don't love my life everyday, but am thankful for it regardless.

One of the things that made me stop and think about being thankful is I saw my "other" children today. Long story short, I had a friend that had three little ones that I fell in love with. While I'm not friends with her anymore, I still love her babies like they were mine. As I walked up to my place today after work I heard them yell for me (they were at their Papaw's just two doors down from me) and came running to see me. It made me realize that they will always love me and they know I'll always love them. It made my heart swell with happiness and love. Another thing is I have a very strained relationship with my mother, but I called to wish her and my step dad a happy Thanksgiving. She sounded happy to hear from me. That made me feel good. Even though our relationship isn't the best, I know she loves me and I could hear that in her voice today.

So now that I've babbled about all that, I guess my point is...we all have trials and troubles, but if we look to our blessings we can see what a good life we do have. Life is what we make it, not what it makes us.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. And be thankful EVERYDAY, not just on Thanksgiving!!

Working my way toward my goal

2011-02-01T22:54:00.003-05:00

Well, obviously I'm NOT blogging once a week LOL, though this might get a wee bit easier since Jamie has gotten his own computer and we don't have to "share" so much. It seemed that I always was inspired to "write" when he wanted to get online...or that was a good excuse my mind put up for me :)

I still intend to work on blogging once a week, just need to find my rhythm I guess.

About living creatively. I'm working on that too. I have gotten better about finding ways to be creative in everything. I have found ways to be creative at work (poor Steve) which means I think the wall in my photo lab looks awesome!! I'm getting better about carving out creative time at home too....it's all a work in progress I'm learning.

The toughest part of the things I'm working toward, is living in the truths my Truthteller gives me (tells me.) The reason I say this is the toughest is I struggle with a lot of self-negativism (is that a word?!!) and just a lot of negative self-talk, which is why I'm working toward living in the truth that my Truthteller gives me!

I think this spins into why I struggle to blog sometimes. I don't want to get on here and be a negative Nancy...I'm really not a negative person, though sometimes I stuggle with how I feel about myself or my own capabilities.

Okay, enough seriousness...check out this cutie-patotie card I made....had to tell a friend I was missing her...

Isn't it just the cutiest ever?!! I made it using my cricut Create-a-Critter cartridge and Punnylious stamps from My Pink Stamper. I think she looks so sweet!!

Just a test

2011-01-19T10:48:00.001-05:00

This is just a test post to see if my blog is coming through on my facebook page:)

2011

2011-01-18T20:43:00.002-05:00

It's January 2011 (and the month is over half over already I might add!!) I don't make resolutions per say, but believe in reviewing my life at the end/beginning of each year to see where I am and where I want to be. This new year I have three things I want to accomplish...

#1) I want to be creative EVERYDAY! That doesn't mean I have to finish a scrapbook layout every day or even a card, but that I want to use my creativity every day. I'm learning that being creative makes me happy and since I want to be happy every day, it just makes sense that I should be creative every day:) I'm hoping that eventually I just WILL be creative every day, without making the conscious decision...as in "oh, I need to be creative now."

#2) I want to blog at least once a week about this creative journey. I want to share what I'm doing, how it's going and the impact it's having in my life.

#3) I want to enjoy my life the way my Truthteller (God) has intended me to. I'm taking the class Soul Restoration taught by Melody Ross and even only being in the 2nd week, it's AMAZING!!

That's all I'm going to post about right now. Jamie wants the computer and I'm off tomorrow so I will have more time to go into detail about my 3 goals for 2011.

God bless and happy crafting!!

After a long "nap"

2010-12-09T15:09:00.004-05:00

I have been gone for a bit. Not from everything, but from a few things as I'm trying to get done what needs to be done, and still fit a few "wanting to do" things as well.

This post isn't as much about what I'm "crafting" right now as what's in my heart. The Christmas season will do that to you :) My heart is so full that I just wanted to share.

Every year (usually about this time of year) I start to think about what's really important to me and what I want share with people about what's important to me. Everyone knows I'm a mad crafter and making things with my hands to share and give to others is important to me. I have always felt that it's giving more than a gift, it's giving a little bit of me.

This Christmas I'm buying very little. (In this economy, aren't we all trimming down our spending?!) I'm really trying to make as much as possible and even the small things are filled with lots of love and meaning.

As I get older, my "grateful" list is changing. Yes, I'm grateful for the "creature comforts" we all are, but I'm finding I'm even more grateful for the non-tangible things in my life. A perfect example is that I've recently "friended" a lot of creative people on my FaceBook account. Why? Because I'm so grateful for the inspiration they give me. Reading their FB posts puts me back in touch with my creative spirit when I've wondered away from it and I need that "snap" somedays to get me back to where I'm happiest.

Things are changing in our household. Jamie is getting more into his creative side. He's back to playing the guitar, to reading, to working on his pinstriping. That encourages me as well and I hope I encourage him :) I'm enjoying the silence more...which is tough with a houseful sometimes, so I find myself waking up in the middle of the night to create. That's not a bad thing, just something that brings me happiness in the very hectic season!! And we're starting to get ready for Bodhi's move to the west coast....so many mixed emotions with that!!

I'm slowly but surely getting more organized (though you can't tell that from this post LOL as it's ALL over the place!) and that feels good. I'm getting better at dedicating time to things and sticking to that. I'm learning that turning the TV off (though I've preached it for years) really does make you more productive. I'm learning that sometimes silence is my muse.

Now I must get back to some productive stuff....like finishing card orders and getting some Christmas presents finished!!

2010-08-18T11:44:00.003-04:00

Okay, new addiction...well not really new, but just bigger. I'm totally addicted to all the incredibly creative things my Cricut Expression can do. (And NO I don't get paid by Provo Craft!!)

Here is a birthday cake my daughter Hailey and I are working on for her brother Ashton. He'll turn 18 on the 29th of this month and we've been cutting and gluing and assembling for a while now. It takes a while for a 12 yr old to cut all 20 cake pieces, score them, fold them, and then glue them...especially when her favorite TV shows are on LOL :)

Anyway, Hailey used my Cricut (Tags Bags Boxes and More cartridge) to cut 20 cake pieces and she put each one together. Then I glued the "bottom layer" to the cake board (I bought that at Walmart in a multipack...not very expensive.)

Then I cut the "frosting" layer for the middle (which I don't think you can even see) and then the frosting from the top. I then decorated it with his name and all that "jazz." I also cut scallops to use as icing around the outside of the cake on both layers, kind of like the icing is dripping out and over. I can't put those on until after we put the goodies in each cake slice or we won't be able to open them. We're putting things in the slices like candy, happy birthday wishes, and gift cards.

We will give it to him in an actual cake box, also purchased as Walmart for only $2. I think it's a fun way to give something different birthday gift. Especially right now when none of us have a lot of money, but as a crafter, I have TONS of paper (LOL!!) I know it may not be Ashton's favorite gift for his 18th birthday, but he will know that we love him and were thinking about him. He is also a very talented artist so he'll appreciate the time and effort that went into make it.

Some projects I've done

2010-08-16T15:22:00.005-04:00

Here are two cards I made using my Cricut Expression and the Wild Card cartridge. I still like making cards my "old" way, but this is fun too. It gives me more options and I like that.

The clipboard is for a friend of mine and I used vinyl to decorate it (after I painted it pink of course.) I'm going to do a mini scrapbook page about the kitties for her.

My next project is a birthday cake made out of paper for Ashton...pictures to follow. It's a two layer cake (lots of cuts with the Cricut) and hopefully it will turn out really cool. The neat thing is that each "slice of cake" can hold a small gift, so we'll be filling it up with candy and little goodies and some gift cards....it's his 18th birthday. All the cake slices are cut and assembled, now I just need to put them on the cake board and put on all the icing and decorations.

THEN, because I can never be without another project to work on LOL, I am going to do a small window (kind of like the window in my previous post, but smaller) for my grandparents. My grandma is in a nursing home and doesn't have a lot of personal things in her room, so hopefully I can get the window painted tomorrow and then work on the pictures and embellishments so that it's all ready for when we leave on Friday to go up North. We'll get to see them on Sunday. I can't wait. I love giving unusual gifts and especially handmade things!!

I'm so excited!!

2010-08-10T14:02:00.003-04:00

I've been really tired lately (darn fibromyalgia) so I haven't been doing much except going to work and trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to do things around the house. I've had the creative urge, but by the time I get to my table, there's no energy left. While my card orders are caught up (for the time being) my house is a disaster. BUT I'm not writing this blog to complain. I am excited because change is on the way...

I've been thinking of ways to make my life more productive without give up sleep (LOL.) I've kind of broken down the hours in my day...and I'm looking at what I NEED to do, what I WANT to do and what I can throw out. I am not silly enough to think I can/will/want to give up my computer time (at least not all of it) or even all my TV time...but I have a plan. Okay, it's an outline of a plan, but I'm hoping it works. I need a lot of structure and if the plan works I'll have that and can get more done:)

What I'm REALLY excited about it all the great videos I found on YouTube today about the Cricut Expressions and things beyond the scrapbook page and cards that I can do with it. I already have one project lined up to do wall out for one of my good friend's little girl. (Using vinyl for wall decorations...you know, words and things like that.) I also have the stamp material so that I can cut my own stamps with my Cricut....WOW!! I saw videos today of using the Cricut to cut a stencil to decorate (with fabric paint) a t-shirt....I could go on and on.

I'm feeling really creative and that feels good!! The other excitement is that I'm on vacation next week and not going anywhere!! I can't wait!! I will have quiet days to "get my act together" and get my plan rolling.

I'll be posting some pictures soon...maybe even today, of some cards I've been working on and I'll have lots of other things to show you soon!!

A new project

2010-07-20T00:12:00.002-04:00

I'm really excited about this project (for a couple of reasons.) I found this window for sale at a yard sale for $5!! I immediately so the potential for a way to display photos (imagine that!) It needs to be cleaned up and then painted. One of the reasons I'm excited is that Dawn (my husband's ex-wife) is going to help me "antique" it. I know that sounds strange, but I've wanted us to have some sort of friendship all a long. We are very different people and I don't expect her to want to be my best friend, but I do want to have a good relationship with her if for no other reason than for Hailey. In fact, we're going to the fair together tomorrow to take Hailey. I'll keep you posted on how this project goes. I'm hoping to learn a lot about how to refurbish things like this. It should be fun!!

I've been busy

2010-07-20T00:06:00.003-04:00

I've been busy lately (big surprise) and have lots to share...thinking I'll break it down in to more than one post so that I don't appear to go on and on!! LOL!! At least then I won't feel like I'm babbling.

Here is a couple of pictures of a birthday card I did for a friend and coworker. The only reason it's "blog worthy" is that it's my very first gate fold card and I think the Michael Strong stamps on it seem to put the finishing touch on it.

This friend has had a very tough year and I thought an extra special card was in order for her. I hope she likes it!!

Busy day

2010-07-07T10:11:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a busy day for me creatively! I finished two 8.5x11 layouts (I do these and put them on a clip board to display them. I print the pictures as wallet size prints and then can fit two or three on a page. They are just quick little pages of pictures that I want to be able to look at for awhile, before they are put away in an album.

The first layout is my husband sporting a famous passenger while he was riding the scooter. A co-worker of his strapped Mr SquarePants to the back of the scooter while they were working and my husband road the silly thing around like that all day!!

The second layout is for my friend Lisa. Her son's first grade put on a circus and he was the "world's strongest clown!" He was adorable!! I took a lot of pictures that day, but these were my favorites. The page is on a clip board ready for her to take home the next time she comes over!

Looking at the Big Cats

2010-07-02T23:46:00.004-04:00

Today was Hailey's 12th birthday, so we took her to the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center
Point IN. It was an amazing experience and sad at the same time. I have a million pictures...okay, almost 100 pictures of all the cats. Some aren't the greatest as all of the photos were taken through chain link fence.

Please check out their website. They need all the help they can get. It costs a lot of money to run the Rescue Center. I mean, can you imagine what it costs to feed a 600 pound tiger?!!

Being creative!!

2010-06-30T19:33:00.003-04:00

Last night after I made brats on the grill, I looked at the empty beer cans left over from par-boiling the brats and had an ah-ha moment. I remembered an episode on the Scrapbook Lounge where I watched Michael Strong use an aluminum can as a piece of metal to use as embellishments. So I had my husband cut the top and bottom off the cans and there you have some soft aluminum to emboss.

So I took the "sheets" of metal and ran them through my Cuttlebug. The "LOVE" card was run through in a full sized Cuttlebug embossing folder and then colored with Alcohol inks. I use a Heidi Swapp stamp with chalk in. (I'll be honest...I haven't done the inside of the card yet LOL.) This will end up being my mom and stepdad's wedding anniversary card.

This card I made for my husband's ex-wife's birthday. (Yes I know that sounds odd....it's a long story, we all knew each other years before...) Anyway, I took three pieces of the "metal" and first cut the stamps shape with the Cuttlebug and the stamp die. Then I put each individual piece into a small Cuttlebug embossing folder. I started out to just play with this whole embossing metal thing and really liked how they turned out...and this is how I put it together :)

I work on a card project or a scrapbook project nearly everyday. Some days it's because I have a deadline, and some days it's because I have a creative urge. Last night the mojo (urge) was strong and I came up with both of the cards. I guess sometimes the creative juices just flow more fluidly than others:)

Now back to finishing the anniversary card and then on to making Hailey's scrapbook from her vacation in Vermont. It's my birthday present to her. So off I go!! See you soon!!

Go get inky!!
LeighAnn

a couple of happy purchases

2010-06-29T14:40:00.004-04:00

Ahhh, the little things in life!! I finally found my little pump bottles. Just $.97 at WalMart and perfect for mixing tube watercolors to use to spray on paper for a color wash. I can't wait to try it!! Jamie bought me tube watercolors forever ago and I use them, but think I'll use them even more now!

The can of pink spray paint...well, every girl needs lots of pink in her life!! I got the idea from The Pink Stamper www.mypinkstamper.com when she and her best friend spray painted their ATG guns and Robyn did her Cricut spatula. Can't wait to do it myself!!

I will be putting up pictures of my water color creations and my newly painted tools soon!! Too much fun!!

Last Hailey share today!

2010-06-29T11:40:00.004-04:00

Here's a card she made for her Aunt Jane. She used the Cricut Paperdoll cartridge to make the person (she's supposed to look like Jane) the Funky Cricut Lite cartridge for the font. She's making a birthday card for her mom right now!!

A must share

2010-06-29T10:55:00.005-04:00

Have to share this story. This is a card my daughter Hailey (12) made this card for my son Bodhi. I think I said before that he's in WA visiting his dad. I think it's so sweet that she wants to send him stuff too.

On this card she used the Tracerkin stencils (which I have all of and you can't buy anymore!!) I still use them, though the Cricut paper doll cartridges have kind of taken over LOL!!

I don't help Hailey with color choices or anything...I let her have free run of my scraps and most of my tools and supplies. She comes up with some pretty amazing stuff without any help at all. I'll post more of her stuff as time goes on. Actually she's sitting at the table in my living room right now finding stuff to make her mom's birthday card!!

2010-06-29T00:28:00.004-04:00

Here's the front of the card I made for my sister-in-law. I love the stamp set I used, it's LATE4BDAY from the Stamps of Life.

http://www.stephaniebarnardstamps.com/

Check out her site, she has awesome galleries full of examples made with her stamps and her stamps really are fantastic. They are clear stamps that stamp so well!!

Anyway, the card is late (imagine that in my world) so the turtles were the perfect choice. I stamped them with Versamark ink, then embossed with black embossing powder. I colored them in with water color pencils and used a water brush to blend the pencil in. I cut the turtles out and after stamping the grass and flowers (same stamp set) adhered the turtles with foam tape dots and then stamped and colored in the hats with markers and cut them out and adhered them with foam tape dots. I used Stickles on the pom-poms on the hats and in the center of the flowers. The "Happy Birthday" was cut with my Cricut using the Funky cartridge.

Here is the inside of the card. The Happy Belated Birthday is from the LATE4DAY card set and the cupcake stamp is from the regular birthday stamp set HappyBday2U. Really love these stamps.

Now off to bed for me so that I can get up tomorrow and get some more creative work done!!

Mini album for Bodhi

2010-06-28T21:01:00.009-04:00

This is an album I made to send to Bodhi while he's at his dad's. I wanted to be able to send him something that he could look at and remember us and how much I miss him:)

I used name badge albums. I got this idea from an episode of the

Scrapbook Lounge that Tricia Morris.

I used mini prints that I printed at CVS (of course LOL.)

I had a blast looking at some of the older pictures and Bodhi will miss the cats, so I had to put them in there. Of course the picture of Jamie is just him being himself LOL!!

A parting note to tell him how much I want him to have fun, and that I'll miss him bunches!!

What makes me happy

2010-06-28T09:51:00.002-04:00

I'm learning every day what truly makes me happy. Don't laugh...I'm 40 but to me life is a continuous journey and what makes you happy at 20 doesn't necessarily work at 40 (I'm remembering a life at UGA in my early 20's....while the idea of learning still makes me happy, all the partying just makes me TIRED LOL!!)

Oh don't worry, I'm not going through a mid life crisis or anything as dramatic as that...it's more a walk through the closet of my life and taking an inventory. Once again, this isn't a mid life crisis type of thing where I'm getting rid of my "mom car" and getting a hot rod or wishing that my life was more exciting or that my husband had more hair LOL!! It's going through the closet of my life and seeing what I've got in there, and what I want with the things I've found.

The irony of this is that I find a lot of stuff there that makes me happy and always has...being creative is a big one. If I went through the actual closet that store most of my "stuff" I will find things that show I was always interested in being creative. I have cross-stitch things (books, patterns, floss, and other supplies) in my closet as well as lots of other crafting supplies I've accumulated through the years. CREATING makes me HAPPY. I'm glad that's a part of my life that has never changed. I even cross stitched while I was in college :)

Why am I babbling on about this? Well my son left for his 30 day visitation at his dad's this past Friday...that does NOT make me happy. While I struggle with him, as he's 13 and can be a challenge right now, him being away is not a solution for me. Not to mention his dad lives across the country from me so it's not like I can just jump in my car and go get him. My son is a "mamma's boy" and my only biological child. It's always tough for me to watch him get on that plane!!

As my babbling continues...Lillian (almost one of my kids *big smile*) and Hailey (my other kid) made mini albums to slip into Bodhi's suitcase for him to find when he arrived in Washington state. (I'm now realizing I wasn't smart enough to take pictures of those very sweet creations...Lillian is 7 and Hailey is 12.) Anyway, last night I finished the mini album I was making for Bodhi so I could mail it today. I realized that while my heart is so sad because he's so far away, at the same time I felt good...because I was CREATING.

Wow, that's a lot of babbling just to say that crafting makes me happy LOL!! I guess I wanted to tell you the whole story as I didn't think it would have the same impact if you didn't know I was missing my son. Hey, I'm a scrapbooker, not a writer LOL!!

I will post pictures of my mini book and of the card Hailey made for Bodhi last night soon. My Internet has been giving me fits lately (lots of storms in our area) so uploading photos has been a challenge!!

Have to share the pictures!!

2010-06-25T11:52:00.006-04:00

Here is the three dvds that have arrived from NAODS (National Association of Digital Scrapbookers) and they are all about scrapbooking digitally with photoshop. They are amazing!!

Here is Joanna Campbell Slan's newest novel. She generously donated an autographed copy of it. I've read all the books in the sires so far....they are GREAT!! You'll be hooked for sure and there is another surprise from Joanna as well, but you'll have to wait to hear about that!!

Here is what Fiskars sent. Can you say WOW?!! Lisa and I are debating whether to make it into more than one basket or just put it in one huge one!! Ah the decisions we must make!!

There is more stuff on the way and some gift certificates that are going to be in the goodie bags as well. I haven't even begun to list all the stuff from local merchants here in Franklin!!

This will be the third time Lisa and I have done this event and it never ceases to amaze me the support we get from our community and the crafting world. Everyone is so giving!!

Keep checking back, I'll be posting new stuff as it gets here and new news as it comes up!!

Keep being creative!!
LeighAnn

More exciting news!!

2010-06-21T10:26:00.002-04:00

Just got an email from Cheryl Waters from Fiskars and guess what...we're getting a tool goody basket for the silent auction. The whole scrapbooking community has been amazing...so giving!!

Always something going on...

2010-06-14T22:53:00.003-04:00

There are even MORE fun things going on in the planning stages of Crop Out Autism Franklin event. So far we have two confirmed classes, some GREAT prizes coming in and more fun stuff every day! I'm getting so excited I can't wait!! We have a scrapbooking novel to give away, by Joanna Campbell Slan; a set of DVDs for learning how to digi scrap from NAODS (National Association of Digital Scrapbookers); a 6 month membership to Paperclipping; and the list is still growing!! Check back often to see what else we have up our sleeves and if you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to let me hear from you. We love to do what we can to make this crop what you want it to be!!

Thanks for reading!!
LeighAnn

2010-06-09T16:23:00.003-04:00

Well there it is....our very own LOGO!! I'm so excited. A friend of mine from high school who is a logo specialist made if for us. He's so awesome.

http://www.tntomdesign.com/ Check out his website and see what he can do for you!!

Well, I know it's only June, but it seems like the time is FLYING by and that September is right around the corner. We're organizing classes, getting instructors lined up, and have some special people and prizes on the way!

I wrote an article for http://www.scrapbookingmagazine.com/ and am hoping that 1) it's worth publishing and 2) tons of you read it and maybe some people who didn't know about the crop find out about it and want to come. We've also go some postcards we're going to be posting around town and mailing out for some advertising and publicity.

I honestly believe this will be our best event yet!! As Lisa and I do this, and it IS a learning experience, we're getting better and we're getting a better feel for what people want/need. If you have any suggestions or comments, or questions, please don't hesitate to post here, email me at snipsoftime@yahoo.com or call me at

317-507-1166. We want the event to be the best it can be...

Thanks for reading. Now I'm off to make sure all my stuff is packed. Heading home tonight from a visit at my parents' in Wisconsin. Got a HUGE cleaning project tomorrow (God bless Stephanie for being willing to help me!!) and then hopefully Friday I can spend crafting in my nice clean house. It's back to work Saturday and I'm sure Sunday. I'm hoping Lisa can come over for a bit Friday evening too!! Miss her!!

Happy crafting and go be CREATIVE!!

LeighAnn

for my moms

2010-05-21T09:21:00.005-04:00

My mother really liked the book I made her for Mother's day. It was fun and easy and really looked like it was much more difficult to make than it was. And she didn't even notice the part where I put the text on upside down!! Okay, maybe she noticed and just didn't mention it.

This is the card I made for my mother-in-law. I haven't heard if heard whether she liked it or not, but I'm hoping she did.

There is nothig like making something for someone you love!!

I made one for my step mother too, but failed to take a picture of it to share with you.

What I've been making

2010-05-14T18:10:00.003-04:00

I only have a few moments to get this blog post started before it's time to leave and go to my church for movie night and watch "Faith Like Potatoes."

This is the front cover to a mother's day book I made for my mother. I haven't gotten her reaction yet, as I mailed it a bit late, but I'm sure hoping she likes it. I'll either edit this post and add more pictures of the book or start a new post.

I've realized that I'm just plain happier when I'm creating. Sure, the laundry doesn't always get put away, or the house may need to be picked up, but I'm just HAPPIER. It seems like putting together a piece of this and a bit of that and having it turn into something worthy of a gift or something that preserves a memory is very fulfilling!!

I have been paying attention to the "happiness level" or "satisfaction level" of the people in my life. I can tell you, the people who are creative are living happier lives. I'm seeing people with little or no money, material possessions, and things that most people think "bring happiness" being happy and able to deal with the blows life deals them. I'm also seeing people that should be "over the moon" with all the money they have and/or worldly possessions suffering. I can't swear that it's just creativity, maybe it's the whole hobby thing...having something to do that is all your own; but regardless I'm seeing happiness in people that some would think should be miserable.

Enough of me on my soapbox (though I'm sure I'll hop on it again from time to time.) The point is, enjoy the things in life that bring you lasting happiness.

I think I'll end this post here as Lisa should be here to pick me up for movie night any time now, but know there will be more to follow, maybe even tonight.

Happy creating!!
LeighAnn

Crop Out Autism Frankln SEPTEMBER!!

2010-05-13T11:43:00.003-04:00

Passing on the information that we (Lisa Booth and myself) are hosting Crop Out Autism on Saturday, September 25th in Franklin, IN.

This is a charity scrapbooking event that raises money for the Johnson County Autism Support Group.

Date: Saturday, September 25th

Time: 10am-10pm

Place: Franklin IN

Registration is $10 to attend and a minimum $10 donation if you pre-register by August 28th, after August 28th it's $15 to attend and a minimum$10 donation.

There will be a light lunch and an evening meal as well as snacks and some drinks provided for crop attendees. There will be a silent auction, a scrapbook supply rummage sale, and classes. (For the rummage sale, you bring your unloved scrapbooking supplies, packaged for a rummage sale with prices on each item and they will be placed on the rummage sale table. All the proceeds from the rummage sale will go directly to the Johnson County Autism Support Group.)

You aren't a scrapbooker? You can come and learn about scrapbooking, use the supplies provided by the crop, and learn from all the other scrapbookers that are at the crop. (See "Have something else to do that day" for other ideas how to help.)

Have something else to do that day? Consider donating to the cause, donating to the rummage sale, making or donate something for the silent auction, sponsor someone else to come to the event.

How do I register/donate? Reply to this email and I'll send you an invoice that you can pay via paypal or with a credit card through paypal. Send me an email or call me (317-507-1166) and I'll send you registration form and you can mail a money order back for your registration.

Why should I pre-register? By pre-registering, you let us know to save you a spot! We can better plan for attendance and make sure we have enough goodies and prizes!!

Please feel free to forward this post and to pass on my email address and phone number!!

Looking forward to hearing from you!!

Feel free to contact me with any questions

LeighAnn Rebillard

317-507-1166

snipsoftime@yahoo.com

Crop Out Autism Franklin April

2010-05-13T11:15:00.006-04:00

Okay, I blew it. I didn't blog AT ALL about the event in April . I should be beaten with a wet blogging noodle or SOMETHING. But the event was a success and we raised OVER $500 for the Johnson County Autism Support Group. I'll add some pictures to this post to show you how much fun we had:)

We also made some decisions about the event. As you know, this was only the second time Lisa and I put this event on. We're new at this and just learning how to plan and organize events. So last year we did it in September and did okay. We wanted to move the event to April this year to go with Autism awareness month. We've now decided that doing it in April makes it more difficult as with the weather finally turning nice and spring like after winter, people don't want to be indoors and have a lot of outdoor commitments to things like baseball, soccer and things like that. So we have decided to go BACK to the September date. So we have decided that the crop will OFFICIALLY be the last Saturday in September from now on.

With that decision came the discussion of "do we do it again this year or do we wait 18 months and do it next year?" With the help of a brilliant friend we decided to do it again this year to that there is no chance of people forgetting about the event and we'll be at it again Saturday, September 25th.

So with all that being said, enjoy the attached pictures from April's crop and start looking for other blog posts telling you ALL ABOUT the upcoming Crop Out Autism Franklin event in September.

This is Julie, she was our "Queen of the Crop" as she was the first to arrive and the last to leave. We'll have a new Queen next event and some other categories and maybe a Princess or two as well.

This is Barbara and the FIRST time she ever scrapbooked!! I think we might have given her the scrapbooking fever so many of us suffer from!!

Please subscribe and check back often!! I promise (as I have so often done) to be better about blogging!!

Time gets away from me

2009-12-27T19:51:00.002-05:00

I really think the name of my blog should be "and time gets away from me again." I mean really!!! Okay, I'm done with school for this quarter (was on the 19th) and am gearing up for next quarter (January 11th.)

I didn't really make Christmas cards this year. I was exhausted when I was done with school and work both. I did make 13 cards for work, assembly line style, very simple for my co-workers. Now I'm doing a few New Year's cards to try out some new techniques to take with me up to my dad's for New Year's. One for my dad and Sue, one for Aunt Kathy and Uncle Rick, one for Aunt Karen and Uncle Mike and one for Grandpa and Grandma...hope they all can make it.

I haven't had time or energy to just be creative. These four little cards I'm making for New Year's are really for me. I mean I'm giving them away, but they are for me to be able to play a bit. I've fallen in LOVE with one of my Ranger embossing powders. It's a clear embossing powder that has GLITTER in it. It looks amazing to make snowflakes with...subtle but elegant (kind of .)

I also just got the latest stamps by Michael Strong...AMAZING of course!! They are paisley and I can't wait to use them!! I'm thinking maybe a birthday card soon.

Oh, and as I'm wrapping this brief little entry, I have to tell you that while I'm not a big TV watcher, I'm in LOVE...L-O-V-E with Glee!! I'm a total Gleek, have downloaded both season 1 CDs to my Ipod, have downloaded all season 1 episodes to my Itunes account as well...watching them on demand....love them!! It is totally my "happy" show. Every episode makes me smile!!

Got to run now, time for the kids to call their Grandma and say thank you for the books she sent them!!

sharing some photos

2009-11-23T13:53:00.008-05:00

Thought I'd share some pictures I took in the studio this past Saturday. The one of the buildings is acutally outside (like you needed me to tell you that) of my school.

This month...

2009-11-23T13:40:00.003-05:00

I really don't want this to turn into just a once a month thing, but life sure gets in the way of what you "want" to do sometimes!! Lots is going on in my little corner of the world. I'm still in school (quarter doesn't end until the middle of next month) we've taken a friend in with her three kids, I'm still working full time and I'm just trying to stay caught up with things. I'm still happy in school, though sometimes I allow myself to get a little overwhelmed. I'm looking forward to next quarter as well as my classes look pretty cool (more on that later.)

I've gotten A's on my color theory projects, which REALLY makes me happy as we are mostly working with paint and I am NOT a painter. They are beautiful pictures, but they are showing that I do understand the concepts, whether I do them pretty or not LOL!! This one was using a monochromatic and an achromatic color palette.
My photography class, of course, is my favorite. Rocky is so encouraging and really enjoys teaching us how to take pictures and get the most out of our cameras. No matter what I do when I graduate, what I will have learned from him will be priceless.

This is the week of Thanksgiving and things are hopping around here for sure. My work schedule is crazy as we'll be busy at CVS, and I only have one day off of school (because of my schedule) not to mention cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Hopefully I'll get some good pictures of all the festivities!!

A long time coming

2009-10-27T14:31:00.003-04:00

I promise I've been trying to write this blog post for like, well FOREVER. It seems every time I sit down to write it all the "quietness" in the world disappears and I lose all ability to concentrate. So, right this very minute I have some quiet, so I'm going to write as much as I can!!

I know it's been forever since I've written anything...I think I'm still recovering from the Crop Out Autism event. It was so incredibly awesome and yes, really wore me out. But there are new and exciting things happening in the Snips of Time world and that's what I want to share!

I've mentioned before that I've made the decision to go back to school. Last quarter was what they call a "short quarter" where you do a quarters worth of work in 5 and a half weeks and it was an Internet class besides. LeighAnn will not be taking an Internet class again unless she absolutely HAS to. For one, it takes half the fun out of it, not being in the class room setting and being able to "share" with your classmates and instructor; but the hardest thing for me really was that because you couldn't share by talking to each other and your instructor, everything was a "written" assignment. I don't have a problem with writing assignments, but because everything was written, everything had to be cited using the MLA format...that was a minimum of 3 discussion questions, a PowerPoint presentation, and an essay every week.

But NOW I'm into the fun stuff...I'm taking classes on campus at the Art Institute of Indianapolis and am LOVING it!! This quarter (which started October 5th) I'm taking Principles of Photography, Color Theory, Fundamentals of Design and Computer Applications. Being that I'm a creativity driven person, this quarter ROCKS!! I love my instructors, and you can tell they really are passionate about what they are teaching.

I'm not going to bore you with me going on and on about how much fun I'm having, but I will post pictures from time to time of what I'm doing in photography, color theory, and design.

Here is a photo I shot for one of my photography assignments. The assignment was to shoot something with a long focal length and short depth of field (if you care about the technical stuff.) I picked it because it's the "hood ornament" from a '34 Packard V12. This is the only hood ornament that is still out there and there are only maybe 3 to 5 of these cars left. A little bit of interesting trivia about this car is that Al Capone had three of these, one of which was the same color as the car in this actual photo. Oh, the hood ornament is worth about $10,000!!

Well, that's all for today...I'll try to be better about writing and keeping you posting on all the Snips of Time "going ons." I know the news won't be as much about things I've created for scrapbooking and cardmaking as before, but hopefully things will still be interesting and creative.

Have a creative day!!

The Crop Out Autism Franklin 2009 crop

2009-10-02T00:08:00.005-04:00

I have to share how incredibly AWESOME the Crop Out Autism Franklin was. We had a small turn out, but we had a BLAST!! That's Tricia Morris and Michael Strong. All I can say is, I don't know if we can top our "instructors" for next year!! I'm already brainstorming in who we can invite. Do you think Becky Higgins or someone like that is aiming too high?! To be honest, I really don't know if even she could top Michael and Tricia...what an incredible combination!!

We took a fantastic card class from Michael and Tricia taught us Assembly Line Scrapbooking. Both classes were amazing. I used to watch them both on the Scrapbook Lounge on TVWeekly, when it was still available ( a weekly webisode) and fell in love with them there. To meet them in person, well...there are no words and they both were so patient and real people!!

The croppers who came to support this worthwhile cause were very generous with each other and our charity. We raised a total of $519 for the Johnson County Autism Support Group and can't wait to set the date for the next crop...looks like April!! April is Autism Awareness month.

I have more to share about the crop...but I'll give it to you in bits and pieces as I don't want to go on and on in one long post and because it seems I can't sit still very long to write. So much always going on!!

School on campus starts for me this coming Tuesday and things will get crazy from there on!! I'm taking four classes this quarter and each class meets once a week for four hours each. I have two classes on Tuesdays, one Wednesday evenings and one Saturday mornings. I'm still working full time as well! I always like a challenge!

Well, now I really need to get off to bed. I have to be up at 6:00 as I have to be at work at 7:30 tomorrow morning!!

God Bless and happy crafting!!

I've been sooooo busy!!! I'm sorry!

2009-09-05T14:11:00.003-04:00

Well, the intent of this blog was to keep you up to date on the "Snips of Time" world and what have you...I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to keep you updated!! So I'm MAKING some time right now and here's what I have to tell you about.

We are still having the crop (Crop Out Autism Franklin) on September 26th (that's a Saturday.) Things are moving right along and we're looking at it to be a blast!!
http://cropoutautismfranklin.blogspot.com/ There is the link to the blog, check out the details!!

Now in Snips of Time world, I have the crop of course, but I've always taken the plunge and went back to school. It's been about 17 years since I graduated from college!!! Yes, my brain cell still work and this old dog is learning new tricks. I'm attending the Art Institute of Indianapolis to get a bachelors in Photography. This coming quarter will be filled with Fundamentals of Design, Color Theory, Computer Applications and Principles of Photography! I'm totally excited!

Other than going back to school, work, the kids and just life in general keeps me busy. I haven't been crafting much at all lately, but that's mainly because I've been focusing on my school work!

Speaking of school work, I better get off of here and start working on my next assignment.
God Bless and happy crafting!!
LeighAnn

Check this out!!!

2009-07-14T14:52:00.002-04:00

I haven't been posting much lately as I've had a lot going on, but this couldn't wait and I hope all of you check it out.

The website for Crop Out Autism Franklin is up and ready to take your registration info
http://www.scrapbookroyalty.com/crop_out_autism.html. So GO THERE and register for the best crop EVER!!

We have three, count them THREE amazing people coming to teach us fantastic techniques. Ana Cabrera, Michael Strong and Tricia Morris. I'm as giggly as a school girl I'm so excited!! Please register soon, we only have 30 spots total for the event, so seats are limited.

Elena from Scrapbook Royalty is just as excited as I am and we can't wait for the special Saturday to get here so we can have fun with all of you.

Check my blog Crop Out Autism Franklin to see other details.

God Bless and make something!!
LeighAnn

Just an update

2009-06-10T21:21:00.003-04:00

I haven't been writing much, that's because of computer issues, but I think those are mostly solved. Now it's just day-to-day stuff that has been keeping me busy.

I did have an order of 40 wedding invitations. I got those done and in the customer's hand on Monday. They turned out really cute. She is having a simple wedding so they weren't "elegant" but they did turn out pretty and Danielle (my friend and customer) was happy with them...that was the most important thing to me.

I am "attempting" to get more organizing (no laughing please) because there are some things I really want to accomplish. I want to be able to get some inventory created so that I can stuff on handmade.com and maybe on some other sites. We'll see.

I always have "ideas" but it's getting the actual stuff accomplished that I have trouble with sometimes!!

I don't have much else to tell you about right now. So I'll end it here for now. I'm hoping that day-to-day I'll have more to tell you about!!

God Bless, and PLEASE go be creative!!
LeighAnn

Updates

2009-05-11T00:20:00.002-04:00

I don't really have much to tell you about. My life is pretty much the same but there IS something I want to tell you about.

It's about a charity event my friend Lisa and I are planning for September 26th, 2009. It's called Crop Out Autism Franklin and it's a Scrapbook Royalty affliated event. Check out the blog I've dedicated to it and become a follower of the blog so that you can stay up to day on all the info!!

http://cropoutautismfranklin.blogspot.com

Thanks for looking!!

Just a thought

2009-04-16T12:58:00.003-04:00

I follow a lot of other blogs...just check out the list I follow. There might be something there that interests you. I've found tons of inspiration from other blogs as well as sketches for layouts and cards. Check them out and make sure to give the bloggers feed back...we all like to hear from you!!

God Bless,
Be Creative!!
LeighAnn

Sharing my love

2009-04-16T12:07:00.004-04:00

I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite things. The only problem I'm having is where to start. Do you want to know about my favorite scrapbook products? my favorite TV shows? my favorite anything?

First I'll sing praises to a podcast I think I've sung praises to before...but sometimes I can't help myself. You HAVE to check out Diva Craft Lounge. Diva Danielle and Rayme the Duke of Crafts are FANTASTIC!! I try to listen to them live on Wednesdays when I'm off, otherwise each and EVERY podcast is saved in my Itunes and my favorites are on my Ipod. They interview the BEST guests and they always inspire me to keep creating. PLEASE check them out and let me know what you think. Let them know what they think as well...they have a blog too
http://scrapbooksrubberstampsandcrafts.blogspot.com/

Now on to magazines. Now, I'll admit I subscribe to EVERY scrapbook magazine on the market (I think) but I do have a favorite or two. Scrapbook Ect is my favorite. To me it's a middle of the road scrapbooking magazine and would work well for the beginner or the advanced scrapbooker.
Check out their web page and all that they have on there. It's almost as good as the "paper" edition http://www.scrapbooksetc.com/ call me old fashioned...I still like paper and books. However their website has TONS of information on it and there are paper piecing templates galore on it as well as all kinds of tips.

Now on to product. Right now I'm totally into bling. So, when I'm speaking of favorites I'm not even talking name brands here, I'm just talking what I like. I ordered some awesome adhesive mini pearls from Paper Wishes (I'll talk more about Paper Wishes in a bit) that I love and I have all these little adhesive rhinestones that I think are from Doodlebug Designs. I know I dropped a name there, but with a name like Doodlebug, how can you NOT like them? Anyway, I've been buying little "jewels" here and there. I have some rhinestones from Heidi Swap too that I can't wait to use. Part of my whole favorite thing right now is bright and cheery as well. Can't tell I'm over winter can you?!! After all the gray days we've been having, I've had to do layouts like the ones I posted in my last blog. It goes back to the happy vibe thing...who doesn't need a happy vibe?!

Now I really believe in shopping at your local scrapbook store. I don't mean the "box" stores either, though they are nice. I mean your local small business scrapbook stores. However, they are closing left and right. Here in Franklin, we don't have any and the ones that are a reasonable drive away are closing faster than I can get to them. Even my very most favorite store in the whole world Scrap N Nook that was in New Berlin, WI has closed...that one brought me to tears!! Anyway, without those stores to go to I've had to find alternative ways to find my favorite products. I tend to turn to the Internet, as with gas prices and time it's much more convenient, if you know what you want, to click a button and buy it. So, my FAVORITE online store is Paper Wishes. Check them out at http://www.paperwishes.com/ . There's a lot of reasons I'm really impressed with them. For one, they carry an amazing selection of product AND my favorite part is that they do weekly webisodes showing you how to USE the amazing products. How can you not love that?! Their customer service is bar none and if you email Sara Naumann she will email you back!! After you watch a couple of webisodes you feel like friends and they really teach you some awesome things. I highly recommend you check out their templates!! I've never seen anything like them anywhere else and I own ALL of them!!

I have many more favorites, but I think I've babbled enough and given you enough web addresses to check out. I do intend, at some point to actually write a blog that gives you all the web addresses I have for videos, and so on so that you can bookmark them and check them all out.

I have so many things that inspire my creativity that I want to share with you. I think we have so much to share with each other. So make sure you share back!!

Be creative,
God bless,
LeighAnn

Just a fun layout

2009-04-15T20:00:00.004-04:00

This is nothing extraordinary in the technique department, it was just a fun layout. I think the colors were my favorite part...I've been in a pink "phase" for quite a while now. Which, is really funny if you know me, I'm really not a girly girl at all. Anyway...the colors in the papers made me HAPPY so I like looking at the layout. Does that make any sense at all?

This part is actually the right hand side of the layout. I love the paper...and if you ask me who it's by, I've already forgotten...I'm so not a "name brand" person. SORRY!! But I do know it came in my Memory Works Express box!! Hope that helps. :) Anyway, I was just enjoying the colors and the "happy" feelings from the paper and the picture and I HAD to use this cool acrylic word from My Acrylic Albums. I colored it with Ranger Alcohol Inks (meadow.) I thought it just look cool together. And look at this picture...look at the smiles...doesn't it just make you feel good?! It does me. We need more of this in our lives...happy pictures...happy feelings...happy thoughts!!

And look at these smiling faces!! This whole layout is just happy, smiley people!! Sorry, that's the lyrics from an REM song...but that's how it makes me feel!! So I hope you look at this layout and feel the same way!! Smiley and HAPPY!!!

So, go have some fun, go smile at someone and be HAPPY!!

Don't forget to be creative!!
God Bless,
LeighAnn

Some more to show you

2009-04-09T19:49:00.004-04:00

I showed you the Glimmer Mist layout as I thought it really had some pop. Now I want to show you what I did with a stencil from Club Scrap.

This is just a plastic stencil (if it's made from more high tech stuff than that, forgive me Tricia!!) and basically, I just laided it down on the paper, held it securely with my left hand (I'm right handed) took a make up sponge and loaded it with dye based black ink (Whispers was the name brand) and pounced it on the stencil until it covered the paper that was exposed. On the "The Great Outdoors" I hand tore the paper around the image and attached it with foam tape. On the tree image I then took the Marvy Velvet Markers and put some white here and there, kind of where it looked like it should go, and then used my heat gun to make the markers kind of puff up a bit.

All if it was quite simple. The end result I think was pretty awesome though. The papers were from Club Scrap and I can't say enough about the quality of their papers and the idea for the marker came from Michael Strong of Michael Strong stamps. (His stamps are out of this world amazing!!) Anyway, let me know what you think of this as well!!

I hope that I've inspired you to make something. Go be creative!!
God bless and show me your creativity!!
LeighAnn

A burst of creativity!

2009-04-09T17:53:00.007-04:00

Well all 34 pages of the scrapbook is finally finished. No, I didn't have it all done by the 6th, but they were all done by the 8th (at 6:00am on the 8th!!) I basically did almost all of it in 3 days. That's crazy I know and I don't recommend that anyone do that. I should have spaced it out a bit...but it was fun all the same and thank goodness I had three days off in a row so that I could do that. I'm not going to post all of the pictures at once. I'll kind of spread it out, maybe base it on what I want to talk about or show you (show off LOL.) I'm also going to pick a photo sharing site and put them all there and post the link here so you can actually see all of them at once. You just won't get all the crafty tid-bits there that you will here.

The reason I put "a burst of creativity" as my title of this specific blog entry is because of how making all those scrapbook pages made me feel. Yes, I got tired, but I felt so energized at the same time. I look back at the pictures of the pages and I love the way I feel looking at them. Some of the are just PRETTY!! It makes me feel good that I made something pretty. Okay, that may sound funny, but it works for me!!

This is the left hand side of a two page layout...okay, yes they are all two page layouts LOL!! Anyway, these are pictures of the girls in Santa Fe NM. I loved the paper's bright and cheerful feel and guess what...it's Dollar Tree (Miss Elizabeth) paper!! The title was done with just orange paper sprayed with Glimmer Mist in Terra Cotta. I cut the letters out with my Cricut (numbers for 2004 as well) in the Storybook font. The hat was cut out with my Cricut as well, I think it's the cowboy hat from the Paperdoll Dress Up cartridge.

This is the right hand page. The plain black square is for my friend to put her journaling in. I can't give you a "great" reason for the buttons, except that I wanted some color and something to put a little division on the page. Some fun and funky I guess!!

These close ups of the title are just to show you how beautiful the Glimmer Mist is. It's not a cheap way to embellish paper for sure, but it is beautiful. It really gave the title some pop.

I tried to use things like this through out this album. I decorated and embellished with Glimmer Mist, chalk, and little things here and there. I wanted it to be special. I know that I was getting paid to do this album, but it was about four women who travelled together every year and basically their "journey" over all these years. It meant a lot to me to be entrusted to make this scrapbook. I hope the girl who is getting it enjoys reliving all the memories that pictures bring back and that Becky's journalling reminds her of!!

That's all for this entry...just think...only 32 pages to go!! Oh some entries will be mostly pictures. Some will be more wordy. Some days will have multiple postings. Please feel free to comment and give constructive criticism. I'm always looking for ways to improve!!

God bless and go be creative!!

LeighAnn

Just a few pictures

2009-04-06T02:55:00.007-04:00

I don't have all the photos loaded on to my laptop yet, so I will have to post more later. I don't know if that's easier for you...for me to spread my creativity out :) But here are a two layouts that I've done recently and one close up of a embellishment on one of the pages.

This is a two page layout for the album my friend hired me to create. It's of all the vacations she and her friends have gone on. It sounds like it'll be an on going thing for me...every year to update the album.

This layout is from Bar Harbour with the title being the spoof of the way the people in Maine say Bar Harbour...Baa Haba.

Here is the second two page layout of Bar Harbour.

And below you can see the shell embellishment I made using a Micheal Strong stamp with stazon ink on shrink plastic. I just stamped it and shrank it and there you have it. I did two and they are on the first layout above. I think they turned out pretty well.

Well, I'm off to work on a few more layouts. I promise I'm taking pictures of each and everyone I'm finishing now. I will post them all as time permits. I'm trying to stay "crafty" as it really does make me feel better and when I feel better, life is better.

Go make something beautiful!!

God bless,

LeighAnn

Scrapping space

2009-03-28T13:27:00.005-04:00

I don't know if you need the "perfect" place to be creative, but I do need almost perfection in my surroundings to feel the creativity flow. So, I have once again rearranged my area and in doing so now have only taken over one wall of the living room. My desk now faces a window (can't ask for anything better than natural light!!) and I think it makes the whole deal more appealing. I've also created my own "clip it up" to hold a lot of my embellishments so that I can see what I have and don't NOT use something because I forget I have it. I know NO ONE is guilty of ever doing that.

I love all the natural light, when I open the front door it's even better. I really do have everything almost at my finger tips and it's more efficient. Even my husband is a little happier with it. It seemed to open the living room up a bit more.

There's all my ribbon and paper. The ribbon is just on a cheapy curtain rod attached to the shelf. I highly recommend those paper keepers from Cropper Hopper.

My homemade "clip it up" is just another cheapy curtain rod that I used cup hooks to attach to the shelf and then used cheapy shower curtain hooks to hook up the embellishments. I LOVE it. I put the stuff I use most on there and basically anything that had a hook on it. In the other picture you can see I have clear shoe boxes with other embellishments in them. I like that as I can kind of see what I have in there.

I have also labeled the "crap" out of everything. That way all I have to do is look at the spine of the book or binder and I know immediately what's in it. I love it!!! I have all my Micheal Strong stamps in one binder, and so on.

Well enough about all that. I'm off to finish my 34 pages by the 6th. I better get on it!!

God bless,
and PLEASE go do something creative!!

LeighAnn

A silly blog

2009-03-28T13:25:00.002-04:00

Okay, in these tight financial times, I have a favor to ask all of you. I have finally given in and am allowing google ads to be placed on the side bar of my blog. I won't make a mint, but you know, every bit helps. I get paid for you clicking on them, so please, just click on them. I know it's a pain in the butt, but if you knew how tight we were, you'd understand. I appreciate every little bit of help you can throw my way.

That's it, no more groveling LOL!! Have a great weekend.
LeighAnn

Here's the latest

2009-03-26T13:12:00.002-04:00

Well, this past Monday I spent the day scrapbooking for/with a dear friend of mine. She wanted a scrapbook of her trips with these three specific friends...they go somewhere together every year. I whipped out 17 pages that day!! Whew...today I start again and have about 34 pages to get done by the 6th of April.

For those of you that have been following my life a little more closely than this blog really talks about...those 17 pages and the time with a dear friend was better than any therapy could have been. I THINK and HOPE and PRAY I've come around the corner back toward my happier self. I'm inspired again (I thought I had lost my creativity during that black period) and am ready to dig into those pages!!

I have NOT forgotten about the address book project for my friend Christina and all supplies have been purchased and as soon as I'm done with this scrapbook it's all about her!!

It feels good to have creative goals again and to be able to lose myself in the process. It was so hard for a while...now I really think I'm back!!

I don't have any pictures of the first 17 pages, but should have pictures of the rest. I'm starting on them right now, as soon as I'm done writing this, and I'll do my best to take pictures along the way!!

God Bless, thank you for prayers and thoughts and
GO MAKE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL!!
LeighAnn

Checking in

2009-03-15T21:21:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still around. It has taken me a bit (understatement) longer to get things organized than I anticipated. But I am working very diligently to get things done tonight as I got a phone call for an order for a scrapbook that's due in a WEEK!! So tonight I'm knocking myself out in the organizational department and WILL have it all done!! I'll be posting pictures SOON. (Tomorrow maybe even.) I like how it's coming together too. I can be kind of crazy when it comes to having things organized so while it can be a slow process, everything will have a place.

I am excited about this project and I also have another project (an address book) for a dear friend that I REALLY need to get working on as well. My only excuse for that one is that I just recently got the supplies needed to put it together. For what it's worth, I did go to Archiver's today and pick up some bling and flowers and adhesive I needed/wanted for the project as well. So I have NOT forgotten about you Christina!!

I'm not going to spend anymore time on here as there is a lot of stuff for me to get done and I'm not getting it done writing this. So, hopefully the next post will at least have a post of the "uber organized scrapbooking area!!!"

God bless, and thanks for reading!!
LeighAnn

I'm back home!

2009-02-24T09:14:00.003-05:00

I'm back home and getting ready to get my desk put together and get CREATIVE!! I'm off today and plan to actually get the whole living room cleaned up. Then, I'll feel FREE to create again. It will be wonderful to be able to get my hands dirty in my inks and cut up some paper again!! I have so many ideas, I don't know where to start. That's one of the reasons I have to clean up the living room first. I'm afraid once I get started nothing else will get done LOL!! Not to mention there is a huge pile of stuff in front of my desk!! LOL!!

So hopefully, my next post will have pictures of something I made!!

God Bless,
LeighAnn

Hellloooo

2009-02-20T02:18:00.005-05:00

Hello to everyone out there. I know some of you have been wondering what's been up with me that I've been gone for so long. Well, unfortunately, LIFE happened. Most of you know that my step-father fell and broke his hip last month and it was a harrowing experience for all of us. He dealt with a lot of obstacles in his getting out of the hospital.

His first hurdle was that he takes blood thinners, namely Comidin and Plavix. So while he broke his hip on a Friday night, he wasn't able to have surgery until the following Wednesday!! He lay in a hospital bed all that time in traction!! That led to the next problem..."hospital psychosis" which is a condition, more prevalent in the elderly, where they get delusional and basically get a bit "crazy." In all honesty, I think this was harder on my mother than him. He remembers almost none of it. My mom remembers it all vividly.

Then came the surgery, more crazy stuff with the "hospital psychosis" and then off to two weeks of rehab. He did really well in rehab and came home Friday the 13th of February. I arrived in Augusta on Thursday the 12th and was ready for his homecoming. He has continued all the physical therapy and occupational therapy that was started in rehab. This picture was taken just two days after his discharge from the rehab facility!! So, for all those that prayed for him....THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH AND PLEASE DON'T STOP!! He still has long way to go, but you should see him trucking with his walker from bedroom to family room. It's absolutely amazing!!

And here is a picture of all the cards from everyone. Thank you so much to all of you for all the cards you sent and all the well wishes and prayer. I know that it made a big difference to him and I know to how he felt. I cannot say thank you enough. There really aren't words to express it. He was absolutely amazed at the work that went into the handmade cards and the fact that all these people who don't know him would bother to send him a card...and some from overseas!!!

I don't know if I will say my life will be back to "normal" shortly...I hesitate to call my life normal at ANY time, but I should be back in my more creative mode if nothing else. I am really ready to get back at my desk and CREATE something...get my hands dirty with some ink and some glue...just get back to it. I have missed my creative "mojo" and I hope at least that is back soon.

So to all that missed me, I'm back. I should be back more regularly too. Still looking for comments!! Let me hear from you ALWAYS!!

Now go be creative!!

God Bless,
LeighAnn

Where I've been

2009-02-01T20:16:00.003-05:00

First off, I'm really sorry I've been gone for so long. There has been a lot of things going on that have really knocked me for a loop and changed the whole schedule of my day, my life.

First and foremost my stepfather fell and broke his hip (he's 85) and it was very stressful as they live in GA and he's on blood thinners so he had to lay flat on his back for 5 days before they could do surgery. To add to that, he developed a phenomenon called "hospital psychosis" which is apparently common in elderly patients. Common or not, it didn't make things easier to deal with!! He has since made it through surgery with flying colors and is now currently in rehab and doing well. It'll be a long road for him and my mother, but but they will get through it. I will be going to GA as soon as he's discharged from rehab to help my mother help him to adjust to being at home.

The other "happening" was the "death" of our laptop. Well, it's not really dead, but definitely in intensive care!! My husband is really hard on things and had dropped it a few times and after breaking the screen finally broke the port that you plug in an external monitor. I got fed up with all the problems with it and went and bought myself a new laptop with our tax return money. I think he's a little frustrated with me...I have it password protected so he can't use it without me know it and signing him in. Well, if you know him and computers, you'd understand why. We are getting the other one fixed, but until then he just has to suck it up.

So with all that being said, the next "slow me down" issue was moving my scrap area around. It's still in the living room, but I wanted to move it to facilitate room for a couch. We now have the couch, but my area is far from done. I figure a few more days though and it should be okay. It just creates such a mess to clean stuff up...know what I mean?!!

Now on to HAPPY NEWS. I have been in touch with Elena from Scrapbook Royalty and she is going to help my friend Lisa and I get our crop fundraiser for the Johnson County Autism
Support group rolling. I'm VERY excited about this. We have a teleconference with her this Tuesday night. Scrapbook Royalty helps plan fundraising events for scrapbookers and I'm SO excited to be working with them to get this moving. Our hopes are to have our fundraiser here in IN the same day they have the Autism Speaks crop in CA. I figure we can do a live web feed back and forth and have a blast with it!! So, we're looking at September for the time frame I'm hoping Elena can give me lots of good ideas to go with and how to get the ball rolling!!

Other than that, I haven't really been creating much. My desk has been a shambles as I've been moving everything AND babysitting for my friend with a 22 month old. I can't wait to get my desk back in order so I can start pumping out the Valentine goodies. Pink is my favorite color so these are some of my FAVORITE things to make. I'm also kind of stoked about reorganizing my paper into vertical storage and hoping that helps me use up more of my stash.

I DO have to tell you that I've made my first project out of Designing with the Divas and it turned out fantastic!! I emailed a few pictures to Diva Danielle and she really like it. I'm sure once they figure out how to post pictures to their blog you'll get to see it there. I would love to post a picture of it here, but the pictures I took of it are saved on the other laptop which is in ICU, so they will have to wait :) I plan to make many other projects from the book and they are all completely doable. I'm telling you people....pick up your copy today, it's an amazing book!!

OH and I had my 15 minutes of fame!! I called into the Diva Craft Lounge and can be heard talking to Diva Danielle and Rayme the Duke of Crafts. If I was really with it I would tell you what episode, but to be honest, I'm too tired to look it up right now (I have had a long day and have to be up at 3:00am for work) so I can't remember it. But it was incredible talking to them in person and they can be assured they WILL hear from me again!! They are terrific people and so genuine.

The other thing that I'm so touched by is that there are so many giving crafters out there. My stepfather has received a minimum of 10 handmade cards from around the world all wishing him well and a speedy recovery. He is tickled pink to get them and is amazed at the workmanship/creativity of each as well as the fact that these "strangers" care enough to send him a card. So if you are one of the many that have been sending him cards....thank you so much...it's meant the world to him!!

I think that's about it. I can't think of anything else "exciting" to share with you. Please feel free to comment (as always) and please don't hesitate to share this blog with others. I would love to have a lot of readers!!

I do intend to post pictures of my finished scrap area (I even found out how to hide those rough edges of the shelves when you cut them) and will be looking forward to hearing what you think. By the way, I'll tell you the secret of hiding those rough edges after I post the pictures:)

That's enough for this evening. It's only 8:30pm but I know I have to be up early tomorrow morning and I need to start winding down to so I can go to sleep. Hope all of you are crafting and having a wonderful day/evening.

God Bless,
LeighAnn

It's been a little bit of time

2009-01-04T13:12:00.002-05:00

Well hello everyone, sorry it's been so long. The holidays really kept me busy this year and I managed to fall behind on just about anything and everything! But...I do have news. So sit back and relax and I'll tell you what's going on. Please feel free to comment and give me suggestions. With what I've got going on, any help would be fantastic!!

It's kind of hard to know where to begin :)

I'm a Fiskateer now. Please check out www.fiskars.com to find our more about that;) Actually, I'll explain it to the best of my ability. Basically what a Fiskateer is, is someone who is a crafting ambassador for Fiskars. No, it's not a PAID position, but aren't the best things free;) So I'll just get to keep doing what I'm doing and that's telling people that I like Fiskar products and whatnot. "Sharing the Fiskars Love" as we say.

The other big news is that I'm starting a chapter of Delta Phi Scrappa here in Indiana. Check out their website at www.deltaphiscrappa.com to see what we're all about. It's really about fun! It's a sorority for scrapbookers. How cool is that?

I'm still busy making cards and I'm about to start on a scrapbook page that is about my family's latest "addiction," Itunes!!

I'll be sure to update you more soon. Right now I need to act on that creativity bug and I'll post some of what I come up with:)

Have a crafty day!
God Bless,
LeighAnn

Other creative endeavors

2008-12-20T14:08:00.011-05:00

I write about my paper crafting quite a bit. That's where I express my creativity the most. I'm a very tactile person (hence not really getting into the digital rage for scrapbooking) and love touching the papers, cutting them, manipulating them into works of art. Lots of people think I'm crazy when I do some of the hand cut items I make because there is a lot of tedious hand cutting involved, but I LOVE it. It relaxes me. I get into my own little zone and can forget about what is driving me crazy, can let my mind wander and problem solve kind of on it's own. But you already know about all of that...

So what else do I do to be creative? I take pictures. I've always loved having a "record" of things and people. I've always loved looking back at pictures and saying "oh remember that!!" I loved looking through my Grandmother's photo albums, so it made sense to want ones of my own. Now I have scrapbooks of my own.

I've jumped from taking pictures for the purpose of visual memories, to beautiful visual memories. Now I don't just want a picture of my friend's little boy I want a beautiful picture of my friend's little boy that tells a story!! (This is where scrapbooking takes over other parts of your life and you get a little crazy LOL!!)

So now I work at taking beautiful pictures and thanks to digital photography I can keep the good, the great and delete the ugly!! I enjoy the process of finding the great shot and what I've learned, especially with children is pick a sunny day and let them play. Here are some great pictures of my friend's kids that they have NO idea I took. I mean they know now (and yes the mom knows...I'm not a like a kid stalker or anything) but I put on my telephoto lense and took a step back and let them be kids. I just kept snapping and after a couple of hours, and 80+ pictues I got around 50 good shots and some of them were GREAT!!

How do you not love this picture?!! Isn't he just a cutie?!! There's more of him too...

And his sisters were total cuties too!!

So, that's another way I'm creative. I love taking pictures and then giving them to the people I take them for. For Christmas I gave their mom a collage frame that holds three 5x7s and put a black and white of the little boy laughing, the blonde as you see above and a different one of the brunette. (If you are wondering why I'm not using their names, it's just because this is a public blog and and while I don't worry too much about posting pics on here, putting kids names with the pictures --especially when they're not MY own kids, I think may not be the smartest thing to do.)

Anyway, I get a lot of enjoyment out of taking pictures as well. Eventually you'll see some of my scrapbooking on here as well, which showcases my photography!!

Enough rambling from me today!! I'm off to shower (I know TMI) make some cards and hopefully put up our little bitty Christmas tree!!

Go make something!!!

God bless and if I'm not back by Christmas, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

LeighAnn

My answers to you from my previous post

2008-12-16T15:57:00.002-05:00

I hope I'm not boring you with all the posting. But, I'm off of work with my son being sick and that means computer time I don't usually get. I guess I'm trying to get all the stuff out here that I can before I go back to work tomorrow and lose my computer time LOL. Can't wait until I get my new laptop!!!

Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

How do you "close the door" and if you do WHY, and if you don't, why NOT?
Okay, sometimes I "close the door" and sometimes I don't. You already read in my last post how I close it when I do. Sometimes I need the "door closed" as I am using my crafting as "therapy." Sometimes that time is "my time" and sometimes I'm just plain crabby and it having that "door closed" keeps me from taking out my mood on others. There ARE times that I don't feel the need to "close the door." Lots of times I don't listen to my Ipod and enjoy the conversations that are going on around me. I often have a friend over to scrapbook and then we are chatting away and listening to the radio. My daughter is often busy at the extra table we set up in the living room for crafting as well and then we are comparing what we're working on (and she's borrowing my stuff....which is a topic for a whole different blog!! LOL!!)

Is there anything you ALWAYS do while you are creating?
Okay, this is strange, but I ALWAYS have a drink in my drink holder for one. It's usually Mt Dew or a white tea mix (the kind that you mix with a bottle of water) or coffee (cappachino) from the gas station. It's funny but I don't drink a lot of fluids normally...none of that 8 glasses of water for me, but when I'm at my craft table I drink like a fish---good think no alcohol is involved!! I also like to snack when I craft, but I have been trying to break that habit as I've been trying to lose a little weight:) And another thing, though not a complete always, is there is usually an audio book playing in my ear or a podcast...but that's only when I'm crafting alone. OH and there is this one, and it IS an ALWAYS...I get MESSY!!! If I'm inking, it's all over me, if I'm using acrylic paints, it's all over me, if I'm using liquid glue, it's all over me....you get the picture!! LOL!!

If you don't have a designated crafting room with a door to close, would you like one? WHY?
Yes I would like a designated crafting room with a door. BUT I have basically had that before and my requirements for that has changed after having my first one. I'd like it to be very close to the center of the activity in my home, so now right off the living room (my daughter's room would be perfect.) I like the door so that those time that I need the solitude I could have it with a closed door (people are less likely to bother you if they have to go through a door.) I would like to have a designated room for the space as well. It's hard to not make the living room look like a craft room when I have taken over a corner of it, and it's hard not to make my craft corner look like a living room....know what I mean? I like organization and I would love to be able to organize a whole room to fit with my crafting style and be able to "decorate" it to inspire my creativity further.

Is solitude important to your creativity?
Absolutely!! But, with that being said, it doesn't mean that I need solitude to create. I find times of silence and solitude and a lot of those times feed my creativity. I spend time alone quietly reading in my bedroom and that feeds it (usually one of my many magazines or idea books.) I sometimes get up early in the morning before anyone else so I can sit in the quiet and think. I can physically create with chaos around me, but sometimes I need the solitude to think through the creative process. And sometimes my solitude isn't being totally alone or in the total quiet, but being without my family and friends. Weather permitting I like to walk and listen to the birds and look at the trees and flowers. I have pictures of flowers, squirrels, birds and the like I never intend to scrapbook (unless I do a layout about my creativity LOL) but that I like to just LOOK at because they remind me how incredibly creative God is and how beautiful the world can be. (Great, I just had a fantastic idea for a mini book for all those pictures to keep on my desk...ANOTHER PROJECT!!!)

I hope my answers gave you a bit of an insight into me. I believe the creative process is an incredibly personal thing. The process can be so different for everyone and there is no wrong way to get your creative juices flowing. Find what does it for you and USE that to the fullest. I know that if I'm stumped and I'm on a deadline, all I have to do is pick up one of my magazines and that's it, I'm back in the game. Find your muse and use her!!

God created you, so go create something!!
God Bless,
LeighAnn

Questions for YOU

2008-12-16T06:54:00.002-05:00

I have some questions for you today. I really want to hear (read) your answers, so please feel free to leave many comments!!!

Okay, I'm a card maker and a scrapbooker. While my "studio" is in the living room amidst the hub-bub of my family life; I've found a way to kind of "close the door" when I need solitude to create or for a break. I scrapbook and make cards 90% of the time while "attached" to my Ipod. I also don't just use regular headphones, or ear buds, I use the ones that go inside your ears like ear PLUGS so whatever I'm listening to is all I can hear. -----I've been known to miss phone calls and be startled by someone walking up behind me talking to me LOL!!

I typically listen to my favorite podcast (especially DIVA CRAFT LOUNGE) or audio books. Sometimes it's very upbeat music. I have to be careful with the music though, I like to sing along and that tends to irritate the other people in the room!!

So here are my questions to YOU!!

How do you "close the door" and if you do WHY, and if you don't WHY NOT?
Is there anything you ALWAYS do while you are creating?
If you don't have a designated crafting room with a door to close, would you like one and why? Is it to be able to close the door or just a designated place to store you things and to be able to leave your projects out?
Is solitude important to your creativity?
Would you rather craft alone or with others?

Okay, that's all the questions for today...oh, do you want MY answers? Next blog, so this doesn't get too long. Just know that I'm creating everyday and am a better person for it.

So until next time...keep creating, go make something, go play with your supplies and

BE HAPPY!!!

Just a quick message

2008-12-13T11:33:00.002-05:00

If there is anything you think that would be interesting for me to write about, please leave a comment or send me an email at snipsoftime@yahoo.com so that I can oblige. I want to make this blog interesting and useful. I don't have all the answers, but if I don't have the answer I might know where to look. Besides, I just like feedback in general!!

Waiting to hear from your readers!!

God Bless,
LeighAnn

Inspiration

2008-12-13T10:44:00.002-05:00

I actually wrote this blog out in long hand Tuesday night. My husband is a big World of Warcraft (WOW) player and I was kicked off the computer. So I sat down in my quiet bedroom and wrote in my little idea notebook so that when I finally got to sit down at MY laptop again, I would have a blog to post. Hopefully, when we get our taxes back the first of the year, I'll be getting my OWN laptop (funny how both are supposed to be mine) and then I won't have to wait to use it anymore:) Anyway, on to the Inspiration blog.

Inspiration can be found anywhere. Because of what my interests are (scrapbooking/cardmaking) and because being creative in those areas makes happy, I subscribe to A LOT of magazines that cater to those crafts. I subscribe to Creative Keepsakes, Simple Scrapbooks, Memory Makers, Scrapbooking Ect. (my mother-in-law gives me this subscription every Christmas) and Papercrafts. (I think my sister-in-law is getting me a subscription to Cardmaker for Christmas!!) To be honest, the magazines and books and websites I look at for inspiration are really just the easiest place to look (for me) and feed my creativity with the smallest effort on my part. (It doesn't take a lot of work to look at beautiful cards and scrapbook pages and be inspired to try to create beautiful cards and scrapbook pages!!)

BUT THOSE AREN'T THE ONLY PLACES I FIND INSPIRATION!!

Sometimes inspiration isn't even in the form of something I've SEEN. Sometimes I get inspired by listening. It could be lyrics on the radio, one of the wonderful podcasts I listen to, or even an overheard conversation.

Inspiration can come from anywhere!!! All I need is that little spark and BANG
I'm at my table, off and running with an idea.

A perfect example is that we got something in at work a couple of months ago, with brown paper packing on top of it. I saw that paper and immediately (BANG) saw "primitive" cards. I haven't used it all up yet, but I've made many focals for cards with it and so far everyone has liked them. Now the irony is, "primitive" is not a natural style for me, but for some reason I saw the paper, the possibility of crumbling and wrinkling and ironing and inking-----now the rest is creative history:)

Seriously, don't limit yourself when looking for ideas and sometimes you get the best ideas when you aren't "LOOKING." I wasn't looking for crafting materials at work. It just so happened I got the packing paper and was hit (BANG ) with the idea and away I went. I guess what I'm telling you is don't just open your eyes and ears, open YOURSELF to find inspiration.

Here are some things I find very inspirational...
If you have an Ipod:
*look up the Diva Craft Lounge. I listen weekly...and I think with them, you don't actually have to have an Ipod you can listen on your computer. I personally like to download them and listen while I'm working on a project.
*look up other craft podcasts. I find it very inspiring to listen to them while I work on projects. I also listen to them while I go for walks or work out at the gym.

For the internet:
Now I could go on and on and list a million sites, but if you are internet savvy enough to have found my blog, you probably have a list of your favorite sites already. I'll just add a few that I'm very fond of in case you haven't found them yet.
*www.TVWeekly.com they have webisodes every Friday that will blow you away and you will fall in LOVE with Tricia and Michael right away (I own EVERY one of Michael's stamps!!)
*www.paperwishes.com this one has a webisode every Wednesday that shows how to use their products. Some would say it's a "commercial" for what they sell, and maybe that's what it is, but I love it because it shows me how to USE what they sell. I love to buy stuff but often get it home and go "now what do I do with it?!" Paulette Jarvey and Sara Nueman walk you through many card making and scrapbooking ideas with whatever their feature product is (I own ALL the templates they sell!!)
* I think everyone knows about www.scrapbook.com and I like that place as I feel comfortable browsing the gallery there.
* I just joined Technique Junkies. It's a subscription only kind of deal, but if you are looking for new ways to use your supplies and get AMAZING results it's worth the money. They have incredible designs and it's not really the designs that are amazing but the techniques you'll learn. Go to http://www.techniquejunkies.com Just check it out and see if it's for you.
* there are also many GREAT yahoo groups out there that will help you get inspired. There is one just for Michael Strong stamps and so on. You can browse by topic in the groups and find one that you like. Or email me and I'll tell you the ones I belong to and you can see what you think.

Don't forget that the world holds inspiration just by what God has put in front of us. Go for a walk and look at the colors and the sounds and EVERYTHING. Look at your significant other, your kids, your pets (I so want to do a layout about my cats) your siblings, your parents, your friends, YOURSELF!!

If you have something that inspires you, please leave a comment, or if you have a favorite website, podcast, magazine, anything like that that you go to a lot for inspiration, please leave a comment so we/I can share it.

I'm off to be creative....well, actually to finish a Christmas card order!

Now go be CREATIVE, I know you can!!

God Bless,
LeighAnn

Crafty Chistmas

2008-12-10T18:20:00.003-05:00

This isn't my typical blog post, but I got this in an email and it was cracking me up so I had to post this to share with anyone that isn't on my email list!!

Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree. I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me. Could it be cardstock or chipboard or lace? Or a Cricut, I said, with a smile on my face. And that's when I heard him, "Hi Santa, " I said "You know....good little girls should be in their beds." "I know I should Santa, and now I've got caught. But I was just so excited To see what you brought." "Well, let's take a look in this room where you work. He shook his head quickly, And left with a jerk. I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear. "You've got enough crap, I'll see you next year!"

Now tell me you aren't cracking up!!

God Bless,
LeighAnn

I want to hear from you

2008-12-03T00:47:00.002-05:00

I had this crazy idea, while this is a blog where I write to you, I wanted a little feedback...if you feel like giving it. I'm going to write about some of the things that inspire me to be creative, and I'd really like to hear back from you about what are some of the things that inspire YOU to be creative. You can respond to me here, in the "comments" section, or if you don't want your comments to be seen out there by everyone, you can respond to my email snipsoftime@yahoo.com and I'll just paraphrase you and you can remain nameless! I love to hear about people's creativity and where it comes from.

First off, let me explain to you that outside of a few scrapbooking classes here and there and maybe a card making class or two, I've had no art education. I've never taken a graphic design class, a color theory class, or anything like that...I don't think I even took an art class past elementary school. I cannot draw a stick figure, decorate my house or even really match my clothes (those that know me know that I wear khaki or jeans...everything matches then!!) My point in explaining that, is just the fact that there is no formal training in my creativity.

To become "inspired" I read magazines about what I enjoy doing...card making and scrapbooking. I think I have a subscription to ALL of them LOL!! I've learned a lot from all of them. I also watch a lot of webisodes and (thanks to my dad who video tapes them for me) PBS shows on my paper passions. Whenever I feel "out of ideas" I go to my favorite websites and browse the galleries and see what everyone else is doing. Sometimes it's a color combination or the way they used a picture, a stamp, or even a piece of paper that gets me going. I've been known to clean up my work table to get me "going" or even just rearranging or reorganizing my stash (that's my crafting stuff to those who aren't die hard crafters) to get jump started again.

Sometimes I see a picture of one of my kids and I think...."this is PERFECT for a layout" and that's all it takes. Sometimes I have a product I'm dying to use or a technique I want to try.

I will be honest, I don't get scrapper's block or card maker's cramp (okay I made the last one up) very often. I seem to have more ideas than I have time, but sometimes I feel like I'm in a rut (everything looks the same) or that I could "do better." Those are the times I go to my "inspiration" websites, magazines, idea books, DVDs and so on. There are also a few friends I have that inspire me as well. Here's another thing that tends to get the ideas flowing...help someone ELSE do a layout or make a card. It seems like when you are teaching/helping someone else, you forget about what YOU can't do while you are encouraging them in what THEY can do. Does that make sense?

So enough about what I do...what do YOU do? Let me hear from YOU and tell me your tricks to get motivated, to get inspired, to get CREATIVE!!! Leave a comment or email me at snipsoftime@yahoo.com

God Bless,
LeighAnn

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

2008-11-30T11:31:00.006-05:00

I just wanted to say hello to everyone and tell everyone that I've been staying very busy with Christmas card orders and life in general. I had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving with friends coming in from Wisconsin and lots of good food. Let's just say I ate more pumpkin pie than any one person should!! :)

Like I said above, I've been busy with with Christmas cards. I've been creating and creating and feel GREAT. I've been working on a lot of new designs and the one you see on the left has become a favorite of mine and of others. My stepmom just ordered 10 of the design on the right, the "Believe" stocking. I like the look of it, I don't know if you can tell on here, but it has kind of an old fashioned look to it. It's an easy design...just brown paper (mine was the packing in a package at work) I crumpled it up and than ironed it flat...that still left the wrinkles in the paper, then inked it with pigment ink and heat set it so it would dry. I did that with the red on the bottom as well as the white for the stocking top. You'll find that I love my pigment inks. After everything was dry I used a dye based pad to stamp over the red to show the wrinkles in the paper and then stamped the red and white snowflakes again in pigment ink. I also stamped the Believe in pigment ink. I've found that you can layer them so easily after heat setting.

This card (on the left) is made with a Micheal Strong tree stamp, and then I added some color, some gold pen and some glitter pen. The round ornaments on the left side are the small circle Michael Strong stamp, stamped on shrink plastic then colored with markers, punched out with a circle punch and the shrunk with my heat gun. I then made the "hangers" with gold wire.

Making a wide range of cards is a blast. I have some card orders that people ask for very specific designs that they have seen on my MySpace page (which is www.myspace.com/snipsoftime ) and other emails, and other just let me decide what to send them. I will admit, it's "easier" to complete an order that has strict specifications, as then I just get in there, do what I am supposed to do. When I have a lot of freedom, sometimes I get a little crazy designing the cards...that's just the designer in me LOL!!

This is the last card I'll show you today. (Mind you all three cards are from the same order...see I just can do plain if you let me do whatever I want!!) This one looks elegant, but is super easy to do...just two stamps, using the essential glue pad, and gold leaf. Actually, it's left over gold leaf from my husband's pin striping supplies. Anyway, you just load your stamp with the glue, press it to the paper for a good image, put the scraps of gold leaf on it, pressing the leaf down with your fingers, then brushing off the excess with a stiff brush. (Keep the little pieces you can pick up with your fingers, they can be used again.) Then I just added some black ribbon to match the matting on the card and I was all done. I think it looks a lot more difficult that it is and certainly looks elegant enough for a "fancy" Christmas card.

Well, that's all for this post. I've got cards to finish and ornaments for my tree to make. God bless to all, get crafting and yes, YOU are CREATIVE!!

Love,

LeighAnn

Getting to know me

2008-11-14T14:17:00.002-05:00

Hello all!! I just wanted to say hello to everyone and introduce my blog. I'm LeighAnn, I own and operate Snips of Time, a small business that makes handmade greeting cards, scrapbooks for others and teaches scrapbooking and card making classes. I live in the great state of Indiana with my husband and two children. I also work full time at our local CVS as the photo lab supervisor (fitting don't you think?! LOL!!)

I'm very passionate about scrapbooking and card making. I've always been involved in crafts and hand making things since I was a little girl. My Paternal Grandmother crocheted and did embroidery, as did my mother. I was always "trying" to sew something, then it was cross-stitch and now it's all about PAPER!! I love paper and all paper crafts. I'm totally immersed in this medium and craft and really want to share it with everyone, the world!!

To be honest, sharing is why I created this blog. I want to share what I've learned and the sites I've found to feed my creativity. I've learned that a lot of people think they "can't BE creative" or that they can't "CREATE." That is simply not true. There is a creative side to all of us. If you are interested in finding that part of you, you are in the right place.

If you live close by, I would love to teach a technique or two to you. If you aren't close by, at some point I will be doing videos as well. I am more than happy to teach via the web on webcam, and/or IMing too.

I feel so strongly about people finding their creativity. I believe self-expression aides in self-esteem and a better feeling of self worth. It goes back to being a little kid and saying "look what I made!!" Ask my husband, he hears me say that on a daily basis :) Life is short and we need to find ways to positively express ourselves. This is my way. Knowing that the card I'm sending a friend or loved one will bring some happiness and joy into their lives, it just makes me smile.

Feel free to email me at snipsoftime@yahoo.com !!

So until next time, go MAKE something!!

God Bless,
LeighAnn