Pretty Paper Blog

This week has been super crazy. I feel like every time I turn around all my time is scheduled…sometimes even double-scheduled.

Izabelle stayed home from school today…that meant I had to stay home from work. I suddenly found that I had some extra time while Izabelle was resting in her room. No, not time to fold laundry, do dishes, vacuum, walk the dog, or go grocery shopping…none of that boring, time consuming stuff for me. Instead I picked up the box containing my new 7 Gypsies ATC Holder and cracked it open.

I’ve decided that I’m going to do a “Year in Review” for 2007 - while it’s still somewhat fresh in my mind. I finished the first Month. I’ll post the ATC card photos as I complete them.

Click on photo you would like to view. When the picture appears you should be able to hover your mouse over the upper-right hand side of the photo, the word “next” will appear. Click on “next” and it should take you through the remaining photos.

January 2007

I bought the new Teresa Collins paper and 7 Gypsies paper & rub-on’s at PSB the other day. I finally squeezed in some time this morning before work and finished my “Marley” mini book. There’s a lot of little pages and tons of little details. It was so fun to do!

I have so many projects stuck in my head…sometimes I just don’t find the time to do all the “fun” projects when “life” projects seem to take up most of my time. I drove up to PSB today and bought one of those new ATC holders from 7 Gypsies. Believe me that is the project that I want to be working on. Instead, today is filled up with work, kid’s homework, cleaning stalls for my parent’s horses, driving to the airport…yeh, it’s pretty packed full.

I needed to do something creative so I threw together a little hanging flower arrangement. After all, I did buy the silk flowers earlier this week. The arrangement didn’t turn out as “lovely” as I imagined but it’s a little something pretty. What’s not pretty about flowers, right?

I love, love, LOVE clear albums. The first time I ever saw a clear album was in Karen’s scrapbook store “Paradise Scrapbook Boutique“. I’ve bought several clear albums and made several, it’s always a challenge because I have to think about the back of the page as well as the front. Clear albums are fun because you get a sneak peek of the pictures/pages to come. You can even place pictures in a position to fit in layouts on multiple pages…can you tell I have fun playing with these albums? The first class I ever taught at PSB was a Christmas Clear Album class. It was a hard class to teach (because of all the detail) but I had so much fun making it and the women who took my class were so patient (they’re awesome)!

Here’s some pics of the first clear album I ever attempted…it was mostly rub-on’s and rhinestones! Not my best but still cute (I was still trying to figure the “see-through factor” out).

I came across my box again…

I made this box several years ago. It was an old box that originally cards came in. I decided to make it in to a keepsake box. I lined the inside and covered the top with a collage of things that I love. I keep copies of my very favorite photos and letters from my family and friends inside. I love discovering my box time and again. This time it was up high in my photo closet collecting dust. I blew on the top and opened the lid…

Hidden treasure. My most prised possessions…I came across a letter from my dad, a couple from my sister and brothers, and a card from my mom. There are notes from my grandparents and friends; Photos of me as a child, photos of my children, husband and friends that are dear to my heart. I really love this box!

There was something inside me today was SCREAMING to create. I wanted to make something new, something pretty, stretch my mind and think of a new creative way to do something. I had an idea to combine paper and flowers to make a hanging flower arrangement. I drove to the store in the middle of my busy day and bought some silk flowers. I got home and instead of making the flower arrangement I end up re-arranging my entire living room. It happens.

My husband says I get the “itch to switch” about every six months (I don’t think it’s quite that often). When I asked him how he felt about the current state of the living room he mentioned to words: awesome, cozy, nifty, nice…I can’t believe this man puts up with me!

As for the flower arrangement, I hope I’ll get to it sometime this weekend…

For now my dining room table still looks like this:

A letter arrived in my mail box…it was in my Grandmother’s handwriting. Immediately my heart felt warm, I felt her love from afar.

My Grandmother, Louise Hobbs Crabtree, instilled a passion in me for photography. Grandma always had a camera in hand and was snapping away. Her family history is very well documented by photographs.

Through the years Grandma has sent me countless photographs that she has taken, her handwriting is on the back of each one, showing the date it was taken, who is in the photograph and how old they were at the time. I wish I had her skill for organization.

I have developed quite a fondness for my Grandmother’s handwriting. I save everything that has her handwriting on it; the letters she sends, the photographs she takes, the articles and recipes she sends…I love them all and can’t seem part with them.

I feel her love and thoughtfulness every time I see her perfect handwriting.

Here I am…a girl who dreams about paper and what to do with it!

I love taking photos and I love paper so…naturally I love to scrapbook.

I teach some scrapbooking classes at a store in Paradise, CA called “Paradise Scrapbook Boutique”

I love it there…I feel so inspired each time I walk through the door. I was lucky enough to tag a long to CHA in Orange County with Karen (the owner of PSB) and her sister Deb. It was my first time to CHA ever and OH BABY it was so fun! I came right home and started working on my new class…check it out:

I picked up some Easter paper today and worked on some projects with my kids, we made cute little paper-covered eggs…the egg probably would have been really cute if I would have used mod podge!

I am going to be starting my own website “Prettypaperbook.com” where I will be selling hand-made albums (mostly 6×6, 8×8 and shaped albums). I’m excited to get it up and running.

My husband (computer genius that he is) and his designer friends are still working on how the site will look…I think they’re really just buying me time to make more albums. Hopefully it will be up and running by the first week in March! Keep your finger’s crossed!