:: news, other funness and a layout ::

As promised I'm back with some news...and other funness.  I know, funness isn't a word.  It autocorrects every time I type it. Annoying.  :-) On with it...

First, the news:  I am going to be a grandmother again! My oldest daughter, H., is going to have a baby in early October! I have known pretty much since she has (Feb. 1st -- which is  really long time (for me) to keep a secret)! She has now had an ultrasound, and all is well, so I've been informed that it is now "Facebook Official", which means, I can also announce it here!  I am so excited for our whole family. Baby's are good, and we needs some good!

Other funness #1: I finally took the plunge and joined the Scrap Happy community! It has 'the happiest scrapbookers on the web' (so I've heard)! I've participated in a few events that Lain Ehmann has hosted/organized/etc. and that is what lead me to Scrap Happy.  If you haven't heard about it, you should check it out here. I've only just begun to participate, but so far it's rather enjoyable.  :-)

Goal update: (I would also say this is more funness, but then autocorrect steps in...) I talked about my goals a bunch here and here.  March is nearly finished and I haven't updated my February goals! The Pinterest challenge for February was met by making some really awful cookies!  LOL  I made some good ones, too, but the worst where these three ingredient peanut butter cookies (they were still eaten, so...). Major FAIL. Oh well, I won't make them again, instead I will make these (more than three ingredients, but all the fat, sugar, and yumminess required for good cookies). I also met my photoshop/photography goal...more on that in another post!

A layout: I find that since I have been purchasing kits, I usually work out of a kit for the most part...leaving all the lovelies that I have in my stash behind. This is especially true when it comes to patterned papers! I've been stalking CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration for probably over a year, but until this year I've never actually submitted anything! I know, right? I really have no idea why. In fact, when I submitted a layout for the first time, I was shocked that I didn't have anything in my gallery there (because I hadn't submitted anything, and I didn't even realize it)! I think I've always had so many other things going on, that even when I see an awesome case, by the time I get to it, I know I won't get done in time to submit, so I don't do it. Silly. I love recipe-type challenges! Why haven't I done them more? Ok, ok...getting to my point. The point is, I've submitted a few now, (this week's is on my desk waiting to be finished), and I find that I have to venture out of the kits, and into my stash more often, which is nice. I will be doing this much more often.  Here is challenge for last week (it came with a sketch):

As soon as I saw the sketch I knew that I wanted to use these photos that my One True Love took at B.'s first park visit of 2013.

I apologize, the red looks orange in this photo, but really, I did match the colors!  ;-) I painted, I embossed on vellum, I gesso-ed,  I used a mask with alcohol inks, I used washi over patterned paper before cutting circles, whew...there is a lot going on here.  Truth be told, this isn't one of my favorites. I almost didn't share it. But it isn't horrible, just missing something, or something. It's done, it's recorded and I've moved on.  ;-) AND I used up some stuff from my stash!

Tomorrow is Friday...you know what that means...another reveal at Scrap Your Story!  Here's my sneaky sneak...

See you back here tomorrow for the reveal!

:: another goal ::

I shared a couple of goals with you in this post and this post, and how they link to my one little word in this post.  I have another quick one to share with you today!

In 2011 I set out to get better at taking photographs. The biggest action step that I took toward that goal was to join a 365 group on flickr.  Although I didn't complete the 365, I did take a lot of pictures and I watched my photographs get better over time. So I consider that a success, not a failure.  This continued in 2012, and I added a few lenses to my arsenal along the way (thank you, honey!).

Now, I want to step outside my comfort zone once again and learn a few more things in the areas of taking and editing the photos.  To accomplish this I've purchased a few books and magazines to get me started, and visited several websites. Here were the things I started working on in January:

• taught myself how to make a banner in Photoshop (FUN)
• experimented with black and white photos
• used manual mode more often (will be upping this now that I feel more comfortable with it)
• experimented with contrast -- specifically during processing, mostly black and white photos
• more selfies and "in the process of ____" photos (like while cooking, for example)

A few results:

It's difficult to believe we are already over halfway through February!  Coming soon: project life share (still lovin' it) and Silhouette Cameo fun (plus a few little projects I'm working on)!

:: my pinterest challenge | taped table ::

In this post I talked about how this year I am challenging myself to actually do something with all those lovely things I am pinning on Pinterest!  I find myself pinning, and pinning, and pinning, but not returning to the pins and doing, doing, doing them! My not-so-lofty goal is one per month.

I have been wanting to tape a table like this since I saw it on Elise Blaha Cripe's blog last June! There were a few obstacles in the way, but it's done and I like the final product!  Obstacle number one: I wanted to do it, but I had no tables or spaces that needed it at all!  My work desk at home is in great condition and it's rather "pretty" wood that I didn't want to cover, and the only other thing I could think of was Bea's work table (which still might happen).  My concern with using Bea's table is that I'm not sure that it will withstand all of the water ('tea') and paint that gets spilled all over it! However, I knew I wanted to do it, so I went to every Target within an hour or so of my house to look for the tape that Elise used.  Obstacle number two: None of the Targets within an hour of my house had the tape.  They had similar tape (same brand) but it was patterned and wouldn't work for me.  So, I kept looking every time I was in a Target, but never found it.

How this table came to be. So how did it happen?  Well, without going into it all, my job description was tweaked a bit this year and I am seeing more students than I have in the recent past (as a Literacy Coach, I work mostly with teachers).  So I have been trying to make my room more inviting for students and I switched out some furniture recently.  I ended up with three tables, all with black tops and in good condition, but not exactly inviting.  Enter: perfect opportunity to make a taped table! With this renewed motivation for the project, I set out to get that tape.  Not available from Target online, or anywhere else online that I could find, I decided to see just where the Target Store is that has the tape (you can do that on Target.com).  Bad news. Nothing for three to six hours away.  That would be expensive tape!!! Enter: casual conversation that turned magic.

I was telling a colleague about my predicament. She and her family just happened to be traveling that next weekend to visit family about six hours away in a city that had this tape. And she said that she would be going to Target anyway and would pick some up for me.  Score.  I got the tape on a Monday, and a half hour later I had a taped table!

in progress

in use

Before I felt like I could really use it, I felt like I needed to seal it.  So, I purchased some of this Mod Podge to seal it and make it a little bit more durable (especially because there will be kids using it).  I gave it four coats, drying about 15 -20 minutes between, and now it's done.  Pinterest Challenge for January...check!

Coming soon:  Project Life Weeks 2 & 3 (almost ready to share) & OLW blog hop (on Feb. 1st).

~ to manifesto or not to manifesto ~

It's all the rage, I'm sure you've heard of it.  Seems like everyone is doing it.  Ali, Elise, Kirsten, to name three.

..::The Summer Manifesto::..

It seems like many of the summer manifestos popping up in my blog reader are inspired by or have some connection to the great Ali Edwards.  (Remember, I am totally addicted to Ali Edwards and Elise Blaha Cripe).  But, believe it or not, as wonderful as they all are, I am NOT going to create a manifesto!!  Why? Well, it's almost the end of June, for one reason!  Here are a few others...

Why no Manifesto :: (say that out loud, it's awesome)

1. I have such a difficult time making decisions that by the time the list was finalized, the summer would be over!
2. I am overly optimistic about what I can accomplish and it is quite likely that the list would be far to long!
3. I hate it when I don't finish things.
4. Taking classes and finishing up stuff at my job takes most of June, so July is really my only month that isn't super busy and I hope to spend it with Bea and friends in a flexible manner.
5. IT WOULD TOTALLY STRESS ME OUT!

So what instead :: there is always an instead

I decided that I would simply attempt something new in most (if not all) of my projects this summer.  I mentioned it briefly in my last post, but now it's officially part of my non-manifesto (which technically is a manifesto, but pretend with me).  I hope to be able to do something, even small, in each of my projects to stretch myself.  I think that's doable, and fun!

Preview :: something I'm working on

This was meant to be a practice piece! However, I think I'm going to have to use it in some way because I like it! I'll wait to add it to my list of "new' attempts until it actually makes it in to a project, though.

Paint (new) + mask (new) +  spray ink (new).

Fun!  I like this new, non-manifesto!  What special summer goals are you working on? Did you write a summer manifesto?   

..::non-manifesto progress::..
stamped on washi

~ instagram ~

This week is a week that is always quite out of balance; class late Tuesday, parent-teacher conferences late Wednesday and Thursday.  But my one little word continues to find me.

Taken while reading the "I Quit Sugar" eBook

Thank goodness for iPhones (and I'm LOVING instagram)!  I would've completely messed up my 365 project without it this week!

Next week, spring break!  We aren't going anywhere in particular, which means I get to be home!  My goals:
1.  Complete at least one layout (more would be deeee-lish)
2.  Get some photos printed and organized, ready for layouts
3.  Work on a few household organization projects
4.  Do a little work (but not too much)
5.  Work on my March prompt for OLW
6.  Last but most important, spend some time with B. and C.

Follow me on instagram, I'm orangegearle, dontcha know!

eBook can be found here