Scrapbook Pages and a Very Clean Fridge

THIS is what my refrigerator looks like after all my hard work:


Scrubbed squeaky clean and all ready to be filled with my favorite Passover treats: chocolate covered matzah, jelly citrus shaped candy, matzah with cream cheese and honey, salad ingredients....mmmm.

However, I will mourn the loss of the Barton's kosher for Passover candy company. It just went out of business last year and now I will never have another almond kiss! (If you've ever not eaten normal food for 8 days I'm sure you can relate to the importance of a decent wrapped to-go candy.)


And now, for an actual scrapbook page:

This one documents our trip to--guess where? You got it! Cancun. We went for the weekend to celebrate S's cousins' wedding in February. I'm planning to use this page as an opener for more detailed pages about the trip--hence, the lack of journaling.

I used the Honeycomb add-on from Studio Calico's March kit, with the alpha and sun wood veneer coming from the main. I sprayed the veneer with sunflower mist. I had such fun making this page!

And finally, since the sun fled after I took the above photo, a sneaky of things to come:

Thanks for visiting! Hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Home Equals.....

.....fresh baked challah!

I love challah. A major motivation in making it is that I like to eat it. Not the bakery kind, but fresh, warm from the oven.

I make a GIANT batch (7 or 8 loaves and many rolls) once every 6 weeks or so and freeze them. I put them on our warming plate (we use this in lieu of oven or microwave for heating up food on the Sabbath due to the no electricity thing) and they're hot and fresh-tasting when served.

Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

Which is pretty sad, because my house is being cleaned for Passover TODAY. Goodbye, leavened bread. I will miss you.

Sniffle.

PS: This page is from Studio Calico's March kit, Quilting Bee. Someone on their design team (can't remember which gallery at the moment) came up with the leaf-through-ribbon idea, so don't want to take credit for that!

A Scrappy Extravaganza

During a semester like this one, 2 completed pages in one week qualifies as an extravaganza! Both are with Studio Calico's March kit.

This first one is about headbands. Now, I'm sure some of you might be wondering why on earth I want a scrapbook page about headbands. It's not like I'll hold this page in my wrinkly hands many years from now and weep. Or at least, I don't think so.

I just enjoy making pages where I experiment with design, and enjoy pretty pictures of beautiful things. Breaks me out of my creative box, and I love that!

And my great-grandchildren will know that I liked headbands.

This next one is about banangrams and my husband's love for them. But on a deeper level, it's about how cute I think it is that he loves this game, and how I should really be more giving and play with him more. And in some ways, the headband page above is really about confidence and being "me."

Our great-grandchildren will probably ask, "What are bananagrams?"

I hope each and every one of you has a relaxing, enjoyable weekend! I'm looking forward to dinner out tonight, lunch with just me and the hubby tomorrow, and a birthday party tomorrow afternooon.

What topics do you like to scrapbook?

Suffering and Reward

For those of you wondering, there will be a scrapbook page at the end of this post.

But in the meantime, I have some negative feelings to express:

I hate the dentist.

Now I know there isn't any such thing as "the dentist." They are real people, with thoughts and hopes and desires. You may know them and love them. They may even be reading this blog.

Truth is, I know and love some dentists myself. I like the human being behind the coat, but I do NOT like having sharp metal objects put in my mouth. I also do not like being told that my wisdom teeth have to come out. Or that anything in my mouth has to come out for that matter.

Just making the appointment was a big step. But I decided to pace myself--when they asked me to schedule more appointments at the end, I responded with, "Let me call later." Which really means, "I'm joining the Witness Protection Program, so don't try to find me." I hope they got that message.

That appointment has been part of the "week of pain," aka spring break. Other highlights include getting blood drawn. Yuck.

So, to reward myself today, I went to Crumbs.



Don't those look good?

Another photo for your edification.....

My own special cupcake.

I also got some of these pretty numbers at Ann Taylor Loft. Spent so much money that I'm agonizing about returning something, and plan to never shop again.

Or maybe I'll just join the Witness Protection Program and kill two birds with one stone.


And finally, here's my page! I need to work on the cropping--can anyone recommend a good free program?

The page documents my thoughts about marriage as a mix of these "high," super connected, spiritual moments, and the run-of-the-mill work of daily life. Thoughts?

Hope everyone has had a lovely day (and enjoyed St. Patrick's Day if you celebrate it)!

True Confessions: Scrapbook Style

First, I have a layout that I'm SO excited to share. Unfortunately, the light is terrible today.


Instead, here are some of my deepest, darkest scrapbooking secrets:


1. I still use sticky photo corners. I know, I know. They leave bits of wrapping everywhere and don't even work that well. But old habits are hard to break and the runners seem to run out so quickly!


2. The first scrapbook I ever made was in a magnetic album. Oh, the horrors! And I haven't moved it yet.

3. I have these vellum alphas I bought YEARS ago in my stash. I don't use them and I don't even like them, but for some reason I can't purge them!

4. I admire the people who "stop by" for a few scrapbooking items "every 6 months or so." I am not one of them.

5. I've only made a few pages in my wedding album. And I've been married a year and a half.


6. I used to be REALLY anti-kits. Now I spend just about all my money on them. So much for strong opinions.

7. Whenever I make a page, my husband says he likes it. But, being the difficult wife that I am, I ask, "Well why do you like it?" So the poor man has to come up with stuff like, "I really like how you used that border punch thingy. It adds a lot." He's very long-suffering. But hey, at least I make dinner, right?

8. Speaking of border punches, the first time I bought one it took me HOURS (plus a very nice piece of paper!) to figure out. That sliding technique has taken hard work and practice!
9. My bathroom sink is decorated with a rainbow of misty residue.
10. I bought this Cosmo paper FIVE years ago and didn't use it because I thought it was too pretty. I still have it, still like it, and STILL haven't used it. Oy.

11. I didn't know what "Cosmo" WAS five years ago. Or two years ago, for that matter. I'm a long time scrapper, but apparently I had my head in the sand for a while there. A long while.

So, there you have it. Now don't tell anyone!

What are YOUR true scrapbook confessions?

Sweet and Sour

SOUR:

Starting off with sour, because sweet should always be left to the end!

As many of you scrappers know, there are a lot of design team calls at the moment. And like many of you, I tried out for one. And didn't make it. And was sad.

The "industry side" of scrapbooking has really been a double edged sword for me. On one hand, there's nothing as gratifying as reading comments on your layouts or packing up a page you love for its 15 minutes of glory. But on the other hand, there's nothing quite as deflating as noticing your phone not ring. Or not getting that "We want to publish your layout" email.

So what to do? I'm aiming to get better at not taking it personally. And trying not to think about it until time passes and I remember it really isn't that big a deal.

This was my second DT attempt, and I must say, I think I'm improving! Not one hour of sulking and I was scrapping happily again!


SWEET:

On a totally random note, I bought a gumball on Sunday. I felt about 4 years old and awesome.



And another Baker's Dozen layout (Studio Calico's February kit).

My second layout as of now about Dunkin Donuts, while I have yet to finish my wedding album. Oh well. Gotta follow the mojo--which apparently likes donuts.


Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a spectacular rest of Tuesday night!

Little Bits of Life

Goofing around on the train to school....


Enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner on the Upper East Side....

Side Note: For some reason, I felt compelled to get the creme brulee AND a chocolate tartuffo for dessert. AND a cappucino. To share with Steve, but still! For someone who wants to lose the extra 10 pounds that have joined me recently, I sure don't act like it!

Below is my newest page, about my bridal shower.

"How long have you been married," you ask?

Well, about a year and a half. And the shower, naturally, was several months before that. But better late than never, right?



Excuse the nasty lighting--in the winter, you work with what you got. Particularly when you use a point and shoot!

I've been so crazy busy the past month I haven't scrapbooked nearly as much as I normally do....the Studio Calico March kit should be here next week, and I still wanted to get more done with January, not to mention February! Maybe one of these days I'll get some blissful long stretches of scrappy time. Just maybe.....

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Any exciting plans?

Masks, Candy and a Scrapbook Page

This past weekend was a Jewish holiday called Purim. One of my favorite holidays EVER. Although I think it will be way more fun with kids one day!

Costumes are a big part of Purim! While S and I were lame-o in the costume department, we did decorate some animal masks at a synagogue dinner, as seen above. Not bad, eh?


Another Purim tradition--which I LOVE--is sending out gifts of food and treats to friends. It's awesome because (a) each package comes wrapped really cute, often with a theme--our neighbors did a numbers theme, we did a school one, complete with brown paper bags and juice boxes and (b) You feel loved.

Oh, and (c), you end up with your dining room table covered with candy. I probably should have mentioned that first.

Finally, on Purim we eat these three-cornered cookies called hamentashen which connect to the story behind the holiday. S and I had so much fun making these and filling them with every possible filling I could find in the pantry: a few kinds of jam, chocolate spread, peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, and numerous combinations of the above.

And the finished product (some exploded in the oven, but you get the idea):

And now that you're wondering what sort of blog you happened upon, here's a scrapbook page!

This one, about my grandmother, has been mulling around in my head for a while. I love Studio Calico's new Anthology line and used it below, plus some little tidbits from the January and February kits.

Whew. And that's all folks!

I want to get to know my readers more! What's your favorite holiday?