50% off Sale!

Hope all of you that celebrate had a very Merry Christmas. I enjoyed the holiday but I'm still dealing with this nagging cold. I wanted to let you know that Everything Scrapp'n is having a 1 Day Sale. Everything is 50% off! Just enter the code halfprice at check out.

December Everything Scrapp'n Blog Hop! December Daily: Days Six & Seven

Thanks for playing along in the Everything Scrapp'n December blog hop! This time around, Heather is generously offering up a gift certificate to the ES store. Please start at the store's Blog and leave a comment on each of the blogs. The winner will be picked randomly from one of them.

Here's the line up:
ES Store
Michelle (Me)
Suz
Teresa
Jana

In keeping with working on my December Daily, I worked more with Pink Paislee's Mistletoe line. I just love the vintage vibe and whimsical trees. December 6th I opened the office to find a newly flocked live tree. I was so excited to be greeted by such a wonderful smell.Supplies: Kraft cardstock, Pink Paislee Mistletoe & Co. Naughty or Nice pp, Joyeux Noel pp, borderline stickers, press ons, Hambly Stitches rub ons-off white, American Crafts Thickers Lullaby-white, Studio G "Be Merry Be Bright" clear stamp, Scenic Route Days of the Week clear stamp, Making Memories Metallic colored staples, Staz On Ink-jet black.

The Naughty or Nice paper can be found in the store, in the Mistletoe & Co section. I love that the papers are double sided and I found myself using two sheets of each paper for that reason. Its a great value! Monday night my father brought home our Christmas tree. I did take a photo but decided that it would be fun to mix up the book a bit by subbing it for this beautiful patch. I saw Ali use it for Day 11 of her own album and love the texture. I collect patches everywhere I travel so it seems fitting to include a patch this year.Supplies: Pink Paislee Mistletoe & Co. Naughty or Nice pp, Joyeux Noel pp, Postcards pp, Impressions stamps, patches, American Crafts Foil Thickers-silver, & EK Success Postage punch.

Three designs comes in the pack and they have a somewhat sticky back. I did add a little adhesive anyway. I really like that they include some french too. :D Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to stop by Suz's blog next. I'll have Days 4 & 5 posted up on Tuesday. 10 more days of shopping!

12/12/09 Help Portrait

I found out about the Help Portrait concept through David Hobby's Strobist blog. I think the concept is really cool and I hope to organize something local in my hometown next year. I encourage any photographers that have Saturday off to check out your local forum and see how you can assist.

I am trying my best to help out in San Francisco on Saturday but I'm still looking for a fellow photographer to join me because of the safety of the location. Hope you can join in next year if not this year and Happy Thursday!

Italia 2010 Calendar & Contest

I designed a 2010 calendar of Italy and they are finally here. I've listed it in my etsy store so be sure to get your order in before December 15th for a guaranteed delivery in time for Christmas. These limited editions are not going to last. Check it out at my etsy store.Here is a look at each photo found inside the calendar:

I took the photos are while traveling through Venice (Venezia), Rome (Roma), & Padua (Padova). Locations are listed beneath each photo in Italian. Here are a few examples of the inside of the calendar:

I really enjoy making theses calendars and hope that I can continue. Please let your friends know about my calendars through your twitter, facebook, blogs, and e-mail.

November Daily: Week 5 + December Daily: Days Two & Three

I have two photos from the last week of November to share tonight.

Sunday, November 29, 2009:
Had a normal day at work followed by a fun evening shopping at Target & Christmas shopping at Best Buy with Dan. I picked up lots of Special K with berries (my favorite cereal) and then we had pizza at home with the family.
Monday, November 30, 2009:
I spent the last day of November getting my December Daily together. I decided not to put any numbers on it before hand because I ended up moving them a lot last season.
And now that I have completed sharing photos from my entire month of November, I have two more pages to share from my December Daily album.

I spent the evening of December 2nd printing in the darkroom at Skyline college. I had so much fun chatting with my classmates and professor. I ran out of paper at one point and borrowed some from Sandy. She gave me a sheet she had already exposed (by mistake) and I exposed my image onto it. It came out really dark and messed up but gave us both a good laugh. I also enjoyed documenting the darkroom and the new campus.

Supplies: Hambly 3/4' Graph overlay- white, Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses Evergreen pp, Hambly On Edge Border Christmas stickers, Hambly Elegant label rub ons-white, Elle's Studio Snowflake circle embellishment, Studio G winter clear stamp, Making Memories magnetic date stamp, and Staz On Ink-jet black.

I added the journaling text and number two in photoshop and then printed my photos black & white in Lightroom's print program.

I was completely surprised to walk in the kitchen and see endless glass in Christmas colors all over the back window sill and counter. My mom is working on a project and she's very excited about it. It made me so excited for her. And it has changed drastically since I took this photo. I might have to capture it when its closer to completion. I used a typewriter to journal and I just realized this page is missing the #3!Supplies: Making Memories Mistletoe Snowflake pp, Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses Evergreen pp, Hambly Doilies rub ons-red (mine are limited edition transparencies), TwoGirlzStuff Candy apple long scallop sticker, Maya Road December calendar sheer, Catslife Press merry stamp, Scenic Route Days of the Week clear stamp, Studio G Holiday words clear stamp, Martha Stewart Border punch-scallop dot, Tattered Angels Glimmer mist-marshmallow, & Staz on Ink-jet black & timber brown.

And here is a snapshot of my latest page in my December album:

Tomorrow I'll be posting something that arrived on Saturday that I am very excited to announce.

December Daily: Day One

I had so much fun making a December Daily album last year that it is a new tradition that I plan to continue. I'm working with an American Crafts red cloth 8x8 album this year. You can see Ali's flickr group here.Supplies: Hambly 3/4' Graph overlay- white, Hambly On Edge Border Christmas stickers on, Hambly Elegant label rub ons-white, American Crafts Mini marks Frost phrases rub ons, American Crafts Thickers Vinyl Vera-white, Scenic Route Days of the week clear stamp, and Staz On Ink-jet black.

Yesterday afternoon Lisa grabbed a bunch of lens boxes and constructed a Christmas tree. I lit it with some funky bright lights (photo taken with a Nikon D300s & Nikon 60mm macro lens) and then printed with my Epson 1800 on matte photo paper. Here its is in the album:


I've decided that in order to keep up with this album (unlike I did last year), I must keep things simple. I'll be sharing each page as I complete it. Thanks for stopping by!

November Daily Photos Week 4

The last week of November went by the quickest. Here is a quick review of last week in photos:

Sunday, November 22, 2009:
I took the day off for BorrowLenses anniversary celebration. We took a 2 hour horn blower cruise in the San Francisco Bay. We had brunch and got to take lots of pictures while going under the Golden Gate Bridge and going around Alcatraz (closest I have ever been). Photo by Eva:
Monday, November 23, 2009:
After work I met up with Kristi, Jarid, Jason, Crystal, and Dan for dinner at BJ's brewery. First photo is by Dan.Tuesday, November 24, 2009:
I made a birthday card for my boss Max during my lunch break. I love getting crafty at work. I get to create and it relieves stress. A big plus: I talked with Allison Kreft Abad (of Hambly) on the phone too.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009:
I settled in for some more paper crafting when I got home on Wednesday. I started working on gift card holders and catching up on Vampire Diaries.
Thursday, November 26, 2009:
I slept in! I had a chance to begin the third book in the Vampire Diaries series and spend time with Jenna. Then I drove down the coast with my parents to Princeton where Mavericks Surf contest takes place. We scoured the waves for sea glass. I found beautiful shells but not much glass. It was a windy and beautiful day. We went to my Aunt's house for Thanksgiving dinner.Friday, November 27, 2009:
I spent most of the day scrapping and blogging. I did take a break in the evening to meet up with Dan's friends that were visiting from southern California. It was my first time to meet Mary & Mike even though they are both from Pacifica. We ate at the Olive garden and then played a very long but fun round of Apples to Apples.
Saturday, November 28, 2009:
It felt like a very weird Sunday. I worked most of the day at the Christmas store. Then I edited photos for a couple of hours. Drove in a car full of family to my Aunt & Uncle's to celebrate my grandmother's birthday. I was really happy to see the other side of my family and it felt like Thanksgiving Part II.
I can't believe its December 1st on Tuesday. I'm trying to finish up my December Daily foundation along with several other holiday projects. Hope you have a great beginning to December!

Gift Card holders

We are approaching the holidays fast and the Everything Scrapp'n Design Team is sharing some ideas for DIY gift wrap using Pink Paislee Mistletoe & Co line. Post a link in a comment on the Everything Scrapp'n blog post by December 6th for a chance to win a prize. I made 4 different types of gift card holders after researching online.

This design is inspired by a gift wallet seen on Martha Stewart's website.
Products used: Pink Paislee Mistletoe & Co. Naughty or Nice pp, Postcards pp, borderline stickers, Impressions stamps, & Staz On Ink-jet black.
This was probably the easiest of the gift card holders to make.

1. Cut two sheets of double sided paper down to 7 3/4" x 3".
   
2. Trim one down so it measures 7 1/2"x 2 1/2". That will be the inside pocket.
3. Round corners of outside wallet & bottom corners of inside pocket.
   
4. Fold both in half and then glue around edges of inside pocket. Be sure to leave enough space to you can fit a gift card or some cash.

I have some cute manila mailers that I love the shape of that inspired this guy. I found a template that helped me realize the design here.
Products used: Mistletoe & Co Postcards pp, Press ons, Impressions stamps, Stickles-baby blue, burgundy, & Staz On Ink-jet black.
I used an Artist Trading Card envelope as my template. The printout is not to scale so I did some simple math and then used a ruler to draw out my own template.

1. Measure out the bottom tab 1" long, the top tab 1 1/4" long, the left tab 2", the right tab 1 1/2" and the length of the body 3 3/4" long and the width of the body 2 1/2".
2. Cut corners out and round so your template looks like the above.
3. For a little extra special look, cut a half circle out of the top edge of both left and right tabs when then are folded over properly. The gift card will slide out more easily.
4. Use your choice of adhesive and go to town.

As I was searching around, I found a really unique kids gift card holder and I loved the rounded edges and shape. Dan helped me adjust it a bit to make it work with the cut punch outs.

I adore these press ons and how well they coordinate with all the papers.
Products used: Pink Paislee Mistletoe & Co Santa's Workshop pp, punch outs, Cat'slife press handmade stamp, Staz On Ink-jet black.The template that I linked for this is pretty close to the accurate size. I printed it out, Dan cut it out and I found it was a little short in the width, so the gift card wouldn't fit. When making the template above, I traced the print out and then made it 1/4" wider. This just needs to be played with a bit before you get it looking like the final product.

Pink Paislee's punch outs are great for journaling, embellishments, layering, and many more cool crafty things. I love them and have to get them every time now.
This is my own simple creation. I had some left over scraps and came up with this:Products used: Pink Paislee Mistletoe & Co Naughty or Nice pp, Santa's Workshop pp, punch outs, Stickles-burgundy, Mini ric rac-baby blue, Staz On Ink-Jet Black.
The how to is simple.

1. Cut paper 8 1/4" x 6'.
   
2. Fold in half so it becomes 8 1/4" x 3".
   
3. Fold fold in 3 3/4" and then again.
4. Fold the left over flap over.
5. Punch hole for ribbon, ink, and add embellishments.
6. Use double stick tape to add gift card inside.
   

Before I dug into the Mistletoe & Co line, I was using the Amber Road line. We celebrated two birthdays last week at my work and I had fun making these cards during my lunch break. Pink Paislee makes some great embellishments that work well for a variety of your paper crafting needs. I adore the paper punch outs and the border stickers that the released recently.
Products used: Amber Road Harvest Hayride pp, Bonfire pp, Postcards pp, Borderline stickers, punch outs, Hambly Elegant Labels rub on-black, Pink Paislee press ons alpha-black, Staz On Ink-jet black.
And the back of the card:
Products used: Amber Road Harvest Hayride pp, Autumn Blossom pp, Postcards pp, Fall Festival pp, Expressions cardstock alpha stickers-chocolate, Amber Road Impressions stamps, Staz On Ink-jet black.

I love how many alphas come on this one sheet and its such a great deal too. It was perfect that they come in circles as well since Happy would have made for a tight fit on the card.
If you have any cool links to DIY handmade projects, or gift wrapping projects, please share them! I would love to see more unique ways to decorate and wrap things up for the holidays. Hope your weekend is great.

Here is the order of the blog hop:

Jana
Suz
Teresa
Kimberly

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope your meals were plentiful and with loved ones. I am thankful for the family photo I took this afternoon. I am also thankful for sleeping in, two days in a row. I have Friday off due to the holiday.

For those of you out shopping, Everything Scrapp'n is having a Thanksgiving/Black Friday sale until Sunday, November 29th. Get some last minute stuff for your handmade holiday and December albums! Just type the word THANKSGIVING into the coupon code section when checking out. I'll be back with some gift wrap ideas on Saturday morning.

November Daily Photos Week 3

I'm back to share this past week's photos from the November photo challenge.

Sunday, November 15, 2009
I met Econ Eric, a friend of Jenna's, and spent time dancing with the family in the living room. I love impromptu dance parties. I edited some photos and uploaded them to facebook. The tagging box cracks me up.
Monday, November 16, 2009
I was making some birthday cards for my co workers and left this mess on my bed. Its a pretty common sight around here these days. Tuesday, November 17, 2009
I photographed the Millbrae Bart station after work. I desperately needed to print something for my photo class since we only have 2 more classes before finals. I had a blast shooting Black & White film at night. Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Josh from the advertising department offered to do a Starbuck's run. A bunch of us placed our orders on Vin's desk with post its. Thom was writing all kinds of silly requests, so I captured Vin playing with some of the post its.Thursday, November 19, 2009
Kristi picked up pizza and came over to scrap after work. We started working on the foundation of our December Daily albums. Can't wait to work on this more this coming week!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Celebrated Kent's birthday by picking up delicious cupcakes form Mazetti's Bakery here in Pacifica. he had fun playing with his food before eating it.I did go see New Moon on Friday as well. I arranged for Kristi to buy the tickets nearly a month in advance. Kelly, Jenna, Laura, mom, Kristi & I had so much fun. I wasn't a fan of the young screaming girls. Next time I'll go during school hours... I loved that special FX were so much better. It was apparent that the budget was a lot better this time around. You won't be disappointed if you see it.

Saturday, November 21, 2009
I wasn't feeling 100% so Dan & I decided to stay home and make delicious burritos instead of going out to ice skate with some friends. I'm still going to try going ice skating, just a little later on this season. Dan makes the best chicken burritos and I have become expert can opener and bean stirrer. I think I might move up to cutting the meat next. Ick!
This coming week is going to be busy, then I'll get a few days off for the holiday. Hope you and yours have a happy one!

Paramore @ The Warfield

Dan gave me tickets to see Paramore for my birthday. Their October concert was post-poned due to the lead singer Hayley having laryngitis. We went to the rescheduled concert, last Tuesday, November 10th. My favorite part of the night was right after we arrived. We ran into our friends Natalie & Mark, who are at nearly every concert we go to. Dan hadn't mentioned that they were going so I was quite surprised when we were walking up to our seats and ran into them.
We had fun chatting while waiting for the opening bands to finish playing. We got there a little late due to work and didn't feel like climbing over people to get to our seats in the dark.

I was most surprised that Hayley's hair wasn't orange, but blond. Their stage was beautiful. I had to squint to see what they had positioned in the frames-light bulbs. Sometimes they would light and pulse to the beat of the song.Their set list was perfect. Mostly fast paced songs with a few slower songs. One of my favorite things to do at a concert/event is to look around and see how many people are there. Isn't this incredible? I love that Paramore has so many great fans. Even more, I love how everyone is taking photos.
The Warfield is one of those venues that is absolutely beautiful inside. I cracked up that they mentioned how scary it is outside. San Francisco can be rather educational in that part, especially at night. I have two new songs that I've been listening to on repeat since the concert: Ignorance & Misguided Ghosts. I hadn't really listened to the new CD Brand New Eyes before the concert, but I'm completely in love with it after hearing it live.

Here we are riding BART home after the concert: