hi.

wrong link?

Okay, apparently something's not right with the link I'm giving you for my font. Will someone let me know if there's a problem going to THIS LINK to download the free font? It's working on my end but then again, so did the one before.

gift of photographs

Candice Stringham (amazing photographer extraordinaire & my darling friend) has posted more fun shots from the recent CKU on her blog. This is another one she shared with me from Nashville. Unknowingly to me, she captured something I would otherwise never been able to capture ... my favorite part of teaching, which is to connect with my students. Thank you, Candice.



This makes me want to throw a challenge out there: Get a friend to photograph you "doing your thing" at home or at work. Likewise, pick up your camera and do this for a friend, co-worker, boss, spouse, sibling, or child. What a gift.

Onto other random stuff today ...



Wanted to mention that if you still haven't downloaded the free "CK Becky" font, you can still do that even though it's not one of the homepage features on the CK website right now. Just go here to do that.

A little shout-out to Rebecca in my album track (you know who you are). Those gifts you made me are so adorable. Thank you for sharing your creativity!

Rachel asked if I ask my husband to take pictures with me in it? Yes, on occasion. I'm afraid my interest in photography has made me a bit of a camera hog over the years and I naturally pick up the camera when I feel inspired. Every time I pick up the camera = he doesn't. So now I have to ask him to take pictures sometimes. And David is really, really good too. He has a good eye and is for SURE more techie knowledge than me.

My brother Kevin (I've mentioned him before since he's my "other" go-to guy for all things techie. David is first on the list.) e-mailed me a link that has a fantastic tip that I didn't know about. For all you Mac users who may not know this little tip about resizing pictures for e-mail (super quick & easy), click here.

thank you, nashville.

CKU was a great experience. A really, really great experience. I left Nashville feeling like I learned a lot. Man, I missed my family. So great being back home to the whining, sippy cups, sticky jam faces, laundry, a little flooding with the hose outside, dishes, too many e-mails, and poopy diaper changes (well, no - I could skip that part).

Seriously - I love this life.

First, a handful of photos:


This is why I don't mind flying. Somewhere over Texas (going from Phoenix to Nashville), I looked up from my book and saw this out my window. Took my breath away. There's something about an arial view that helps me keep everything in perspective.



Thursday night was the traditional tailgate party which really kicks off the CKU event with a very festive atmosphere. One of the dorms had these PERSONALIZED m&m's at their table. Love the school spirit.



Had an awesome album track. Loved my students. Such amazing women from so many walks of life. A Brazilian scrapbook store owner who happens to also be a pediatrician. A few expectant mothers. A couple cancer survivors. Nurses. Teachers. Artists. Homeschoolers. Doctors. Grandmothers. Fantastic women. All with their own strengths & struggles. All there to do their part to preserve personal & family history one page at a time. Totally feel like I could spend hours with each of them and let them teach ME through sharing their experiences.



And this is what my classroom looks like as the busy bees work away on their "Snapshot of Me" album.



And here, a few of my gal pals (who also teach at CKU) ... plus Rusty Pickle's Lance (who, I am quite certain, doesn't want me to call him my "gal pal"). : ) The fact that this is a totally blurry shot doesn't bother me. Bummed that a few chums are missing in this picture though. We had so much fun hanging out. Laughed a LOT. Learn so much about life (outside of scrapbooking) from these guys ... and love them for that.


So grateful for quality time I got to spend with a few friends in Nashville ( ...and in the air. Talking with Candice Stringham on the airplane ride back home was better than reading a book. Love her.) My new friend Grace helped me appreciate my life & my family even more. She lost her husband at the young age of 34 (this was fairly recent) and, instead of living a "why me?" life, Grace seeks for opportunities to bless other people with her service. She is a junior high teacher and contributes to society in a way that more of us should. Selfishly. Optimistically. Proactively. I totally appreciate her way of BEING.

I could go on a lot about the stuff I absorbed from this trip. Feeling extra blessed for crossing paths with people that I probably wouldn't see otherwise. Definitely need to catch up on a lot of other things though. I love Mondays.

Plus, I don't want you spending another second on this blog when you likely have a million things to do today anyway, right? ; )

headed to nashville

Getting all of my ducks in a row before I head to Nashville today. CKU, here we come! Looking forward to seeing many of you there!

kabobs & questions

Speaking of grilling ... one of favorites lately is KABOBS! Grab some skewers, soak them in water for about 20 minutes (so they don't burn on the grill), cut up some favorite vegetables (mushrooms, bell peppers & such) and some marinated steak. Or try chicken with fresh pineapple. Also really good.



A couple of interesting questions came up on the CK message board the other day, in reference to my Start to Finish online article. One reader wanted to understand why I chose the colors I chose for the birthday layout (because she would have never chosen those herself). Another reader wondered if I'm getting sick of scrapbooking after all these years of constantly doing layouts "for work". Valid questions. I'm sharing my message board response here:

--

Why blue? I guess I would answer - Why NOT blue? I don't try to match my pictures. I try to complement them. And since I wanted this layout to feel "boyish" ... that's what I went for.

To be honest, my color selection (and often my product selection) rarely takes much time at all. I just do not dwell on those decisions. I grab colors that "feel good" right then, and just go with it. It's not scientific to me.

Someone asked about me getting tired of scrapbooking. Do I really enjoy scrapbooking anymore? Oh my. Let me be really clear about something: I LOVE SCRAPBOOKING.

Yes, it was a hobby-turned-career for me (never in a million years did I see that coming) but it is first and foremost my HOBBY and I'm immersed in it. I embrace it for what it is - a wonderful outlet that not only allows me to express myself creatively, but allows me to also organize & preserve my family's stories & experiences. It's just a perk that I get to share my work "professionally" as well. And because it happens to be my work as well, I am constantly challenged to keep creating. And I love my job for that.

So no - definitely not sick of scrapbooking. (But it's a great question, because I can see how one might think that!)"

--

And back to a few questions from you guys ...

[ clipboard ]

Luann asked about the double clipboard I used to display my layouts (see July 24th blog entry). That was part of the June KOTM, and it's no longer available. If you're not up-to-speed on the KOTM program, you should definitely check it out. CK offers a new kit each month and they are really a lot of fun.

[ children's journals ]

Susan asked about the journals I keep for my kids. Something a lot of moms do, I imagine. I just have a journal for each of my kids and try to write in it every so often. Sometimes the journal entry is an update of what they've been up to. Sometimes it's a very heartfelt message to them about my love, my personal testimony, the desires of my heart. Sometimes it's a quick note about something funny they said. I know that they'll appreciate these journals as they get older. I started them when they were born and I have no intentions of stopping.

[ baby album ]

Jenny is "desperate" to find pictures of the 6" x 6" baby album that I've made several times over. It can be found in "Our Family Scrapbooks", the book I did with Lisa Bearnson. I'll also give you a glance at Porter's entire little album here.



SO simple. Pick two favorite pictures of Baby for each month of their first year. No journaling, way simple design, super do-able! It's kind of a show & tell type of album, something fun to look at. My version doesn't have journaling because all of that is in Porter's big scrapbooks & his journal (as mentioned above).

BUT - I will note that if this is the ONLY baby book for Baby, then there absolutely should be some journaling. At least quick notes & highlights from each month. If you're doing this as a gift for someone having a baby, they will be so grateful to have an adorable album already created for them. All they have to do is add the pictures. What a perfect gift for a new (overwhelmed, tired) mommy.

Darn it. I don't mean for my blog entries to get this long.

Peace out.

creating a layout & grilling chicken

Ever wonder how other scrapbookers put together a layout? I think it would be interesting to watch the creative process of others. That's one fun thing about scrapbooking with friends, right?

The CK website has a really fun column called "Start to Finish". With pictures and text, a scrapbooker takes you through every step of putting together one layout. This month, I'm the featured artist. So for those of you who have asked me, "What's your creative process?", this is a classic example of how I put a layout together ... from start to finish. Click here.

We had some friends (the Griesers - love them) over last night. David and I tried a new recipe (found it on the Food & Family website) - a very simple version of chicken bruschetta. David worked his magic with the grill and we all loved it. Definitely a keeper for grilled favorites. Here's our modified version of the recipe.



[ GRILLED CHICKEN BRUSCHETTA ]

Sundried tomato salad dressing (we used Kraft brand)
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 small pkg. fresh basil, chopped

Marinate chicken in sundried tomato dressing ahead of time. Place large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; preheat grill to medium heat. Grill chicken on uncovered side of grill about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil and dressing (as much as you desire; we did about 1/2 cup). Back to the grill - Turn chicken over; place on the foil-covered part of the grill, cooked-side up. Top evenly with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill an additional 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Good stuff.

Q&A for Monday

Getting to more of your questions today:

[ NEW SKETCHES BOOK ]

Yes, my new book IS spiral-bound and lays completely flat. It's a bit smaller so that it doesn't take up your precious table space when you're making a layout. Also nice for on-the-go scrapbooking. All set to ship to you soon (September).



[ FAMILY HISTORY WORKBOOK ]

The new Family History Workbook is NOT authored or created by me. It's a follow-up project & idea book to my book that was released last fall. In fact, I haven't seen the new workbook myself. Can't wait! Looks like a good one.

[ PRINTER ]

I use the HP Color LaserJet 3550 for printing all of my journaling. I LOVE my printer. As for getting white text, see my post from 6.22.07. Remember it's not white ink that makes your text white. It's the ABSENCE of ink, printed on white paper. And that's what gives you white text. (Kate, fun to hear that you met my parents in D.C.)

[ LETTER STAMPS ]

The foam letter stamps that I used on my 4th of July layout (see my post from 7.3.07) are from Creative Imaginations.



[ THE WHITE GIRL TANS AFTER ALL! ]

I have to throw in a random, funny question. Meg mentioned that I've been looking tan in my pictures, but somewhere she read that it's hard for me to tan. Yes, it's really hard for my fair skin to tan. Very true. But we've spent more time outside this summer than ever before (thanks to finally having a pool!) and little by little, I guess I got a little darker. I'm sure I'll be back to my fair-skinned self this Winter. :)

CK Becky font

catching up

In the spirit of "catching up", let's get down to business on a few things, shall we?

[PHOTO SHOOTS]

Before vacation, I snapped some pictures for our friends/neighbors who just had baby #2 last month. Say hello to little Kaden. That's his big brother's art on the bed, in the background.





And this is sweet baby Avery, one of my BF's daughters.



[WHERE TO BUY L&B]

Some of you have asked about where to find the Lisa & Becky line of organization & home decor products. Always check your local scrapbook store first. You can also find our stuff at Archiver's & Recollections and even at target.com now too. I'm sure there are many other online sources as well.

[MY FONT]

Of all the fonts I've created over the years, none of them have been my simple, kind-of-sloppy, everyday handwriting. And now it's available ... and it's 100% FREE! Just go to creatingkeepsakes.com or click here. Follow the directions & enjoy your newest font.

[SCHOOL KIT]

I know, I know ... big bummer that my school KOTM (kit of the month) didn't come out this month. The bottom line: unforseen manufacturing issues. But there is plenty of good news! First of all, it will still be available. We're working through the manufacturing kinks, so we just needed more time. We don't want to sacrifice quality. I care a lot about this kit & want it to be PERFECT for you. Other good news? There is another fabulous KOTM available now, so check it out. And remember to check back often, because we release a new kit every month. One more bit of good news: You do NOT need the school kit at the beginning of the school year. You'll see what I mean when the kit comes out. Until then ... Happy Back-to-School for so many of you!

[WANT TO VOTE?]



Many of you are familiar with the CK Readers' Choice Awards. If you want to vote for your favorite products and have a chance at winning a free copy of the newest Scrapbook Idea Book from CK, click here.

[AMERICAN IDOL ... AGAIN]

This is a promise I made to Lisa Bearnson, that I would share a couple pictures from the American Idol concert. She just went to the one in SLC last week. This one's for you, Lisa (she loves Jordin Sparks - and how could you NOT love that girl?).



And a little collection of the performing Idols.



And just a couple more of Blake Lewis, who was OUR personal favorite. Holy talented.



I'll be getting to more of your questions later. Loved reading all of your goals for the week, by the way! Sounds like a lot of you are in "organization mode" right now. I LOVE that.

alive & well

Not missing. Not mad. Not sick or protesting or anything really unusual. Just on vacation. And now ... I'm back. Had a really great time with my entire family and a few friends too. Soooo happy happy to be home. No better place to be.

I'll catch up as soon as my laundry is underway, I've read some books to my kids, and my e-mail is no longer ignored. Until then, tell me ... what is ONE goal that you have for this week? Little ... big ... doesn't matter.

Me? I plan to write in my journal, as well as each of my kids' journals.