it's hot.

Oops. This is what happens when you leave a candle in your garage ... in the summer, in Arizona. It's pretty though, isn't it? The cream-colored candle didn't melt because the plastic wrap is still on. Good to know that packaging really does work.



I've been doing more layouts with my June KOTM (kit of the month). This is my current one in progress ... a summer theme. It's so cute to display these pages on the clipboard that the kit includes.



These kits will no longer be available after Saturday, so this is your last chance to order. At midnight on Saturday night, the new July kit will be available (also super cute). So if you haven't checked it out yet, be sure to click here and see all that it has. Such a great price for everything you get.

In response to a few of your questions ...

- My website really will be a functioning place with lots of content. It will likely be up & running by August.

- Jody asked what I wrote inside the bookplate on one of my CKU Sketches class layouts. Here you go, Jody. On that note, I just have to say how much I love using bookplates. Even if you just handwrite a little something, they look great.



- Lindsey asked about my process when it comes to digital pictures & using sketches, etc. Sometimes I start with a sketch and find pictures that work well with that design and sometimes (most of the time) I have pictures and THEN find a sketch that works well for the number of pictures I want to use. I'll be showing you my whole process of putting a layout together - start to finish - soon. Stay tuned.

- Krista asked about printing in "normal" sizes. Yes, all of my printing is done in standard sizes (4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", etc.). The key to getting smaller prints is to create standard-sized CANVASES in your photo editing software (like Photoshop). Crop your images to whatever size you need, like 3" x 4" and then drag & drop that smaller image onto the 4" x 6" canvas. You can put multiple images on one canvas ... whatever you can fit on there. Your prints will still be 4" x 6" and then you would just cut the images. This is much easier to explain "in person". I hope it makes at least a little bit of sense.

mint brownies

Same brownies. Different color frosting. Both so dang yummy. I get to enjoy back-to-back baby showers for 2 friends that are both having baby girls this summer. Perfect excuse to make these brownies and make them PINK! I took the picture of the green ones years ago, and the pink ones are from Kari's shower last night and there is plenty more for Bri's shower tonight.



[ MINT BROWNIES ]

2 c. butter - melted
3/4 c. cocoa
2 1/4 c. sugar
6 eggs - beaten

Combine above ingredients and mix well. Add the following to the mixture:

2 c. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla

Bake this brownie layer in a Texas sheet cake pan or two 9" x 13" pans for this amount. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (add 8-10 minutes if you use two 9" x 13" pans. Cool completely.

Mint frosting

4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. butter - melted
5 Tbsp. milk
6 drops food coloring
2 tsp. mint or peppermint extract

Spread frosting on chilled cake and then chill again. Melt a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and spread for top layer. Chill.

My friend Rebecca introduced these to me about 4-5 years ago.

PS - I'd love to show you last year's Christmas card but I may be including it in an article I'm working on for Creating Keepsakes. If I end up not including it there, I'll post it here soon.

digital announcements

I'm so impressed. So many people are getting this digital thing figured out! Lately, it seems like about once a week we receive a baby announcement or some other type of announcement or invitation or something. And now, most of them are created digitally.



I think that's so great. It gives "mass production" a whole new meaning. As an avid card maker, I have loved the process - from beginning to end - of mass-producing our Christmas cards every year. This past Christmas was an experimental year for us in this department. I was extraordinarily busy with the book I was working on at the time and knew I wouldn't have time to mass-produce cards as I usually do.

The solution? A hybrid card, designed partly with physical materials - textured cardstock, patterned paper, brads, sewing machine stitching - and partly in Photoshop. The combined effort resulted in a jpg that I uploaded to Costco's one-hour printer ... and the easiest mass-production EVER! I'm telling you - it felt so liberating!

I still haven't "gone completely digital" as many have, but I really appreciate that digital scrapbooking is just as much an art as the traditional paper way of doing things. And I love mixing a little bit of the digital thing into my scrapbooks, namely with photo editing.

So I'm curious. Those of you who have gone completely digital with your scrapbooking, what was it that pushed you in that direction? What would you say to those contemplating digital scrapbooking?

happy weekend

As we head into another weekend (so happy about that!) ... I wanted to answer a few more of your questions:

[ photography backdrop ]

I'm really not professional by any means. You know this, right? But since you asked, I'll tell you that I hang an old white sheet from my roof on the back of my house and THAT is our very fancy backdrop for photo shoots. I'll show you a picture of this sometime soon. In the meantime, I'll share a sampling of another shoot I did this week for another brother- and sister-in-law. More adorable nephews & a niece. They're moving to New York tomorrow, and we're going to miss them!



[ wall colors ]

Babette wanted to know the 2 shades of green in my last home office. That would be Asparagus (410D-4) & Scotland Isle (410D-5) ... Behr brand from Home Depot.

[ phoenix convention ]

I am teaching a couple different classes at this CK Convention in mid-September. I will be doing a Sketches class (12:30 - 1:30 pm on both Friday & Saturday) and a Backstage Party (1:50 - 3:20 pm on both days). Click here for more information. Registration for this convention is now available on that website.

[ printing color ]

Erin asked about my color printing. In a Word document, create a text box: Insert | Textbox. Then click & drag the curser until you have the size & shape box that you want. Double-click on the box outline and the Format Text Box window will pop up. This is where you would choose your fill color & line color. In the example below, I chose a dark brown. Click ok and then you will see your box filled with the chosen color. Then you highlight your text and change your text color with this button show on your bar at the top:



Here, you can select white for your text (if you want white on color) or choose another color. For the example below, I chose a pale green.

last of cku pics

Just when you thought I was done with the CKU pictures ... I wanted to share a few more. These were taken by the fabulous Candice Stringham, who I have mentioned before.

This is my "Snapshot of Me" album track class. (Get it? We're taking snapshots of ourselves.)



And this was Candice's perspective on another class shot:



These are the CKU teachers ... we have a hard time being serious:

little cutie

I recently took some pictures for my brother- and sister-in-law. They recently added another boy to their little family - Jonathan. Adorable, isn't he? Don't you love it when a newborn who "isn't smiling yet" smiles?



And I love that Grandma was there for the photo shoot too. I could tell how much she adored her grandsons.

cku faces

Speaking of CKU, I wanted to add that we've got great a really fantastic staff behind these events and I really appreciate what they do to pull it all off. When you think about how much coordination goes on between sponsors & thousands of products & student registration & prizes ... they are awesome. And cool teachers too. I love seeing everybody at CKU. Just to mention a few that I have pictures of ...

[ Carrie Owens (left) and Jessica Sprague ]



Both super talented and lovely people, and great examples in many ways. I love how Carrie's "big-scale" scrapbooking style is so striking & dramatic & clean. Totally inspires me. And Jessica helps people branch out & reach into the digital scene. She's so fantastic at helping scrapbookers go hybrid. One day she may even push me to the digital side. : )

[ C.D. Mucowsky (left) and Britney Mellen ]



C.D. is the CK Scrapbooker of the Year and Britney is the newly appointed Creative Editor for Creating Keepsakes magazine. Both darling as can be. Wish they were my neighbors. C.D. and I had a fun conversation about how different our scrapbook styles are (she's more "free-spirited" and I'm more "orderly") and how great that is about this hobby ... that everyone finds their place, their style ... but there's always room to play and try different things. Britney is going to be SO great in her new role as the "face of CK". She is a long-time scrapbooker & has added so much to the CK family for quite a while.

[ Candice Stringham (left), Ali Edwards (crazy in the middle), and Ana Cabrera ]



Great, great girls. The talent keeps oozing out of people! I honestly wish I could capture the way Candice captures with her camera. Such a gift. Ali is a magnet for attention. She has this really fun blend of goofy & sentimental going on in her soul. I love her. And Ana - my new friend - is super adorable and, from what I hear, did great with her classes this weekend. I would love to sit in on one of her classes some day!

Next stop for CKU: Nashville in August. If you want more information about attending, click here and look at "Events".

back from anaheim

Had a great little trip to Anaheim. I shouldn't say that. I didn't really SEE Anaheim, but I can tell you all about the inside of that Marriott! From sun-up to sun-down, we packed a lot of fun into this CKU. I'm proud of my album track students. Look at these busy little bees.



Most of these gals came very close to being done with their "Snapshot of Me" albums when class was over on Saturday at 5pm. And I'm HOPING that most of them actually finished the album at the post-commencement crop that night.

Now all they have to do is the journaling. Girls -- I know you're reading this & you know who you are. You know you held your pinky in the air and made an oath ... a promise that you will complete the journaling for your album SOON. Without it, the album doesn't really mean a whole lot. Get this done soon so that you have NO GUILT. It will feel so good to have this time capsule of your life COMPLETE. If you have, good girl. Post a comment & let me know.

This is my class while we were getting our class picture taken by the fantastic Candice Stringham, photographer extraordinaire. (PS - If you haven't watched her online video clips, check them out on Creating Keepsakes' website. Great tips.)



This was a group of really, really wonderful women - all unique & talented & fabulous. It was a pleasure to spend the day with them.

The best part of traveling? Coming back home & being with my family again. So much to catch up on today. I'll be back.

CKU-Anaheim ... here we come

I'm headed to Anaheim tomorrow and so are a few of YOU! Yes, time for another CKU and this one promises to be a lot of fun. I'll be teaching a couple classes - one focuses on the Sketches concept and the other will be making an entire album called "Snapshot of Me". The concept is that the album will be glimpse into your life right here, right now. It's like a time capsule - scrapbook style. Anyway, I'll be sure to give you a CKU update later this week.

chex muddy buddies

It feels like it's been a while since I've shared a recipe and since I just made these recently, I thought I'd add this in here. Not sure where I got this recipe, but I do not take credit for it (I wish I had the gift of creativity in the kitchen! Actually, I am totally content following someone else's recipe.)

Warning: These are finger-licking good so don't try to eat while you're scrapbooking. Always, always wash your hands before handling your pictures.



Chex Muddy Buddies

1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. butter*
9 c. Chex cereal (any variety)

Measure cereal into large bowl; set aside. Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in 1-quart microwavable bowl, uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal in bowl, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into large plastic food-storage bag; add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

*Do not use spread or tub products.

And ... more answers to more of your questions:

[ online articles ]

Melissa asked about my interview-based article on the Creating Keepsakes website and if there are additional articles posted online that are not in the magazine. YES, that's correct. You can always find bonus features and fabulous online articles on CK's website. There are always video clips to watch, too, and the web hostess (what a fun title), Erin Lincoln, is awesome! If you haven't checked out CK's website lately, take a look.

[ album type ]

Adrienne wants to know why I prefer 3-ring albums over post albums. The truth is, I love both and I use both. Most of my theme albums (and the majority of these are smaller, like 6" x 6" or 8" x 8") are post albums. Theme albums are pretty "concrete" and once they're done, they're done. My chronological albums, however, are on-going and family-journal-style. These volumes contain layouts that are event-related and theme-related. Because my hobby & my work are overlapping, I often have layouts going in & out of my albums so I need to quickly and easily be able to do this ... another reason I prefer the 3-ring.

[ camera lens ]

Kelli wondered which camera lens I use on my digital SLR (I'm using a Canon 10D). I love the Canon 28-200mm lens for everyday use, and the Canon 75-300mm with image stabilizer for my big zoom needs.

I hope you're looking forward to a fantastic weekend!

love this kit

Have you seen the Kit of the Month for June yet? You can learn more about it here, and see a lot more sample pages by various scrapbook artists. I had a chance to play, and I love how quickly and easily the pages come together. This is the layout I have currently displayed (and yes, the cute double clipboard comes with the kit).

don't knock them 'til you try 'em

On a lighter note today, these chips are my new fave. Have you tried them?

I would have never thought the combination of salt AND pepper with chips would be good, but oh MY. Totally love them. They're sold exclusively at Target. Anyone tried the other Archer Farms chip flavors?

caught the family history bug?

I want to introduce you to my friend, Laura Vanderbeek. Super cute, mother of two, scrapbook extraordinaire, editorial board member with Simple Scrapbooks and Digital Scrapbooking magazines ... and a cancer survivor.



Laura was diagnosed with Stage 2B Hodgkins Lymphoma when she was 30 years old. Her son was 4 weeks old, and her daughter had just turned 4. Can you imagine the shock for her and for her friends & family? During her treatment, she struggled to scrapbook, but it wasn't because she didn't want to. When you are that sick, it's just hard to do. There were weeks that she couldn't even see well enough to read or watch tv.

Laura has been in remission for 6 months now. Check out that great hair that's growing back (with some fresh highlights even!) As her strength returned, she began to scrapbook more and her focus really turned to family history scrapbooking. I don't know how many of you have caught the family history scrapbooking bug yet, but Laura's story inspires me and that's why I wanted to share it with you today.

She's got a system down for balancing it all. She has begun focusing on her Dad's side of the family first. Quite often she will create a few pages with as much information as she has and then she will email them to her Dad with a list of questions. While she's waiting for a reply, she switches her focus to scrapbooking the busy lives of her little ones. Once she receives the information back from her Dad, she completes the pages and starts the process over again.



Laura says, "As I started working on my family history pages I began to realize that it doesn't take long before the story of one's life can become completely lost, unless it gets written down. There is so much strength and insight we can gain from someone else's struggles, accomplishments, their loves, and their victories. All of my life I heard stories about my Dad's sister, Little Pat. She was beautiful and had a great sense of humor. Her junior year of high school she was Prom Queen and tied an Olympic track record ... all while she struggled with terminal cancer. She died when she was 17 and so I never got to meet her, but her story encouraged me to be strong through it all. You can bet I want my children and grandchildren to know her story and what great strength and courage she had and how she inspired me. We each have our struggles, obstacles to overcome, as well as things that inspire us and help us to thrive. My greatest hope is that the stories I share through scrapbooking, whether they are mine or that of a family member, will someday help someone else."



Here's to Laura and so many others that we know (including some of you reading this now) who inspire us to do more with our life -- such a precious, precious gift that we have. Are we doing our part to record our story, and the stories of our loved ones ... before it's too late?

S.P.A.C.E.

Happy Monday! This will be brief, but I'll try to "drop by" every day this week. More questions, more answers:

[Organizing method]

Yes, I love Julie Morgenstern's formula for organizing. Totally applies to just about everything, whether you're organizing a closet, a pantry, your garage, family history pictures, or even scrapbook supplies. It's S.P.A.C.E. and you can click here to see exactly what that means. She talked about it on Oprah quite some time ago.

[ Album mystery ]

Becky asked about the album that came with the Ultimate Card Kit, which Lisa Bearnson & I did for QVC last year. That album was produced with all the other kit components, so it is not manufactured by anyone else ... it was just for that kit.

[ June Kit of the Month ]

Speaking of Lisa - Have you seen the new KOTM? It's available for purchase now & you can check it out on Lisa's website.

[Remember that any green words in my blog are direct links so you can click on Lisa's website and it will automatically take you there.]

Back to the kit, it's darling and I'm getting ready to put a few of the layouts together for myself. Stay tuned. I'll post them this week. In the meantime, here are the kit contents piled up, waiting for me to play.



There is a TON of stuff. It's a super great deal.