online croppin' last night

... and i made a skinny. i probably could have gotten more done... in theory, anyway. it's just that it takes me so long to do a project, and challenges are posted every hour... how am i supposed to get anything done that fast?! are you kidding me? lol

anyway, here's my little fairy. if you'll notice, i used glitter. pink glitter! sooo not my usual thing, but i did it, and i like it. i also used basic grey Euphoria paper, and MM doodle rub-ons (just the swirly-curly stuff on the left - the rest i did myself).

My Garden

my latest scrappy creation - a 2-page layout, with 3 pictures and DOODLING!!! i could really get hooked on this doodling thing. it still takes me forever - i want it "just so" - but i think i'm starting to get the hang of it. oh, and did i mention, i didn't use a sketch! and pam, check out all that journaling! are ya proud? lol

how did this happen?! oh, yeah, i'm a slob.

ok, so, we all remember why i started this blog. or, maybe you don't, in which case, may i suggest you go back and check out the first few posts. you will note that one of my reasons for this blog was to inspire me to organize - and use - my scrappin space (hence the name of the blog). and hopefully, to keep me accountable and organized, due to the likelihood of my desk showing up in pictures on posts.

well, that last part hasn't really worked, thanks to the genius who invented scanners. and so, in the spirit of openness and transparency (and blissful semi-anonymity) that can only truly exist in cyber-space, i am coming clean (oh, the irony) and showing you what has happened to my desk in the intervening months. so, brace yourselves, and take a look:

well, even i cannot work like this! so, i decided to clean up my mess. and here's my progress, as of a couple hours ago:

see? look closely - you can see the desk! woohoo! here's some of the changes i made:

1. i bought another shelf to put on top of the desk. i left a space between them for books that i consult frequently, current magazines, my vintage children/fairy pictures, and my crop-a-dile.
2. i bought a couple more photo boxes to put my stamps in. i already had a box with some random stamps, but i put all the SU stamps i'm keeping in another box. (these boxes are now on the shelves.)
3. i put the multitude of gel pens in the cupboard.
4. i call them, "catch 'ems." i acquired some baskets to put on the shelf, as well. one is for my acrylic stamps (i don't have many at the moment, so they fit in there). another one is for scrap paper. the third one is my miscellaneous basket. little what-nots (random embies and such) that are lying around, but that i plan on using in the next couple of minutes, go in there.

that's about all i've done in so far. still a lot to do, like where will i put my funky black box which keeps my skinnies and such. probably along the short side of the desk, but i'll get to that later this afternoon.

so, there you have it. i'm a slob. but at least now annie can forget any ideas about an "intervention." i'm not disorganized. i'm just lazy! lol

look! a layout!

and i didn't use a sketch! and i doodled! and i put a ton of journaling on there! could this be the start of a new era in my scrappin'? i just told a story and used a minimum of "stuff" on the page (other than chipboard and funky flowers, of course!). such a simple page, but i think it's my favourite one. a new me, a new style, a new reason to scrap. to tell my story.

Scrap Faith

a friend sent me this link this morning: http://scrapfaith.blogspot.com/

if you're interested in scrapbooking/preserving your beliefs, this is a great challenge blog to inspire you. i'm really diggin' it, and a couple of the layouts on there have (almost) inspired me to do a layout or two. maybe tonight. i'll post when/if i do. anyway, enjoy the site.

ps - it's not just a "christian" challenge blog - they challenge you to scrap your beliefs, no matter what they may be.

where are they all coming from?! oh, yeah, utah.

so, i'm moving a bookcase up to my room this afternoon, and that means i have to empty it first (kinda awkward to carry a bookcase up the stairs when it's full. don't know if you've ever tried it, but i wouldn't recommend it... not that i've ever tried, mind you, but i digress...). well, i cleared off the first couple of shelves, then i look at the bottom shelf, and what do i see there? yup, you guessed it! more stamps!!!!! arg!!!! it's like they've been breeding, making little baby stamp sets, which in turn breed and create still more stamp sets!!! what's up with that?!

well, i'm posting my most recent discoveries on the sidebar, and removing the ones there that have been taken. thank-you, everyone, for your enthusiasm and help getting rid of my stuff. what great friends i have (or maybe i just hang around people who are as much the obsessive SU! collectors as myself).

i will likely have bundles of paper in the near future, as well, as i will be dealing with all of that in the week to come. so much purging, so little will... ah, well, so it goes. ttys! :)

i have a biggie SU thing to get rid of, now, too!

i have a full set of Rich Regals Classic Stampin' Pads, never been opened let alone used! they're still in the box, which also makes it handy for storing. Stampin' Up! sells this for $73.95 (plus shipping and taxes). you can have mine for $20. this is 12 brand new stamp pads in beautiful colours. but i already have the ones i want, and i already got rid of the rest. so, yeah, full set of Rich Regals classic (dye ink) pads for $20, complete in box.

leave a comment, or email me (address on the sidebar). thanks! :)


UPDATE: the pads are spoken for. thanks! :)

still purging....

check the sidebar for the updated list of available stamp sets. i'm trying to be brutal with all this. i have too many stamps, not nearly enough use for all of them. but i like them so much... i mean, really, there's a reason i bought them all... so sad to see some of them go... but alas, i don't use them. so, someone should get some use out of them. enjoy! and be greedy... it's ok, i don't mind! :)

HELP!!!! I HAVE TOO MANY STAMPS!!!!!

ok, so some of you may know this. i collect stuff. somewhat obsessively at times. this was especially true of Stampin' Up! stamps at one point. if it was pretty, or funky, or cool, or less than $100, i bought it. but, um, i don't stamp that much. and i never really did. (sad but true confessions of a former SU demo.) i'm in the mood to purge lately, and i figured it's better i get rid of stuff than, say, husbands or furnaces (don't ask - just some recent frustrations). so, i'm getting rid of some stamps.

here's the deal. some are for sale, some are free. depends. depends on usage, how much i like them, or how desperate i am to get rid of them (regardless of nice-ness or style or whatever). keep in mind, they are all in excellent shape, some used only once (believe it or not!). any staining on the wood or rubber does not affect the quality of the stamped image (some people don't realize that!). so, here's some of the list, at least for today:

1. Noteworthy (set of 9) - taken
2. Fleurs peintes (set of 8) [words are in french, but the flowers are beautiful!] - taken
3. Holiday Blocks (set of 8) - taken
4. Mini Messages (set of 8) - taken
5. All Year Cheer (set of 11) - taken
6. Alphabet Soup (set of 4) - $5
7. Best Blossoms (set of 6) - $5
8. Fun With Shapes (set of 13) - $10
9. all caps alphabet (plain & simple? i forget the name) (set of 28) - $10
10. Shapes & Shadows (set of 12) - $10
11. Treat Yourself (set of 13) - $10

there's the list for today. i'll list it as well on the sidebar, so you won't have to keep referring back to past posts. i'll take them off the sidebar as they disappear.

and, i know the list seems short at the moment, but don't worry, it'll get longer. these are just the ones i had already sorted to sell on ebay (but i can't be bothered to do up listings on there right now). thanks for looking! :)

ps - if you need to know what they look like, you can either pop over, or email me and i'll try to send you a pic (or at the very least, i'll describe them to you).

can you believe it?! i actually did a layout! 8x8 just seems so big anymore!

a dear friend is moving away, to winnipeg. no, i'm not talking about dr p or dr b. no, our pastor couple is leaving and moving on to direct the emm conference, based in winnipeg.

it is also this friend's birthday this week.

so some of us ladies decided to throw a little surprise b-day/goodbye shindig for arlene. and our gift? a lovely 8x8 scrapbook, with pages done by (most of) us, telling of what she has meant to us over the years. this is my contribution. if you'd like to read the journaling, click on it, and it'll get bigger for you.

you may have realized that it's been a while since i've done a page. yup. i'd actually forgotten how long i take to do these things. i can whip up a skinny or an ATC in about an hour, but a layout? average time spent: 3 hours. that's right, folks, this simpler-than-simpler page (based on a TOTW sketch, no less! it's not even original!) took me roughly 3 hours. but there you have it. i'm a wee bit anal about this stuff. but, i hope she enjoys it, because i've really enjoyed knowing her.

goodbye, arlene, and God bless you in the next part of your journey with Him.

a heads-up for all you stampers and scrappers out there

as some of you may know already, i'm in the process of purging my home. and now that i'm refining my creative style and organizing my scrappin' space (that's right, i'm still in the process), i am also purging my space, and therefore, supplies. so, in the next few days, i will be doing an on-line yard sale, of sorts. i have WAY too many stamps and page kits, and i am NEVER going to use them all. stay tuned for great deals on stampin' up stamps, idea books, and paper/page kits.

We Dare You! - challenge 7 - gifts

these are 3 skinnies that i made for the paediatric cardiology team in london. liz is awesome, so i made her the rusty girly card. the other ones are for the cardiologists, who are leaving at the end of the month. those two men have saved asher's life countless times in the last year and a half, and we will miss them terribly. they have been more than doctors: they have been friends, comforters, teachers, providers of coffee (thanks, dr B), and so much more. they have cared not only for asher, but for me, as well. i love these men, truly, and they will be missed. :( farewell, old friends.