All it's cracked up to be.

There are so many things in life that don't turn out quite how you expected. That seem all shiny and cool and worthwhile from afar, but when you're in them? Not so much.

But when it comes to marriage, even though it's had its ups and downs, it really has fulfilled my dreams. Sharing your life with someone else is a truly wondrous thing, and I feel so lucky to be part of it.

I made this page to record these feelings--I heard the title somewhere, but can't for the life of me remember.

Love & marriage = everything they're cracked up to be.

I used the Studio Calico May kit, Granny's Cupboard, on this one--I ADORE that kit. I only bought the main and one add-on (plus October Afternoon stickers and journaling cards) and I've made a ton of pages with it so far, but I still have quite a bit left.

Which is good, because I foresee spending more time with Granny in the near future:)


This next layout was made during a day when I was feeling really "down" about infertility. I wanted to acknowledge the "hardness" of this moment, since I usually am so determinedly optimistic that I forget to let myself feel it.


As you can see, I wasn't kidding when I professed my undying love for Granny's Cupboard--here it is again! (And quick question: does the photo look blurry to you? I can't tell if it's just my computer....)

Me and the hubster are on an impromptu vacation to Boston and Newport--keep posted for some fun vacation trips soon!

Are you taking any fun vacations now?

I Am, I Am Not

A few weeks ago, I was feeling down on myself for the design teams I haven't made and the pages I haven't gotten published. So I reminded myself that I am NOT the number of pages I publish or cool little sidebars on my blog (which I have none of at the moment, as the redesign goes on, but in any case....).

So, in case I forgot this important fact again, I made this page to remind me:

This page mostly uses the Footpath add-on from Studio Calico's August kit, Summer Camp + some fabric I ordered from Hawthorne Threads. Since I'm new to experimenting with fabric, I ended up making a huge bubble, requiring 3D adhesive for the photo, but it all worked out in the end! It's also good to know that the random photos I take of myself when bored can end up being useful because they match add-on colors EXACTLY.

The next one is basically an attempt to use all my mists at once. I love Maya Mists, but I just don't use them often enough, so I went to town one day!

I used a sheet of Girl's Paperie chipboard letters as a mask and misted with Seafoam, Sunflower, and Pink (the pink grapefruit was in an uncooperative mood--unclear why). The title, which pretty much sums up what I wanted to say here, reads: Everything I Know, I Learned from a Book.

I'm about to head off to the Big City (ie, Manhattan) for (1) a doctor's appointment (stinker), and (2) various birthday fun with my guy.

Hope you have a wonderful day! What are your plans?

Sketches + The Meaning of Life

In this time of "in betweens," I am trying all the things I've always wanted to try, but haven't had time to. Included in that is playing along with scrappy challenges. (And organizing all my photos and learning how to cook healthier and getting fit and uncovering the meaning of life.....but I'm working one at a time here:). )

You've already seen the results of my scraplifting exploits, and now it's time for sketches! I enjoy reading the Sketchy Thursdays blog, and finally got a chance to tag along!

Here's the original sketch I played with:


And my take:

Journaling reads: We had crazy amounts of tomatoes this year. The average amount was a full bowl!

In other news, I am thinking a lot about life and directions and plans. About how as much as I'd like to see a printout of what's to come, I'm starting to feel more peace about where I am right now.

Where will I be in a year from now? I have absolutely no idea.

Change is scary. Change is hard.

But all of the major changes in my life so far have been for the better.

And so will this be.

Scraplifting: More Criminal than it Sounds

Scraplifting sounds so dangerous, wrong, and bad. But in reality, it's a lot of fun!

Especially when you're in that sleepy mood that makes it hard to get the mojo flowing--you know what I mean!

I made this page as part of a "lift the person above you" challenge over at Studio Calico.

I lifted a beautiful layout by Sarah--go check it out on her blog!

And here's my take:
The journaling reads: This was just the best day--rolling dough, experimenting with fillings, laughing and listening to music.

If you're new to Jewish seasonal foods (which, trust me, you want to be familiar with), hamentaschen are cookies we eat on Purim, a celebration in the spring where we celebrate a narrow escape from destruction in Jewish history(if you want to know more, click the link!). The cookies are a triangle shape and filled with anything from jelly to chocolate.

My friend Adriana and I have a secret plan to start a gourmet hamentaschen business--with upscale flavors like pomegranate-ginger, dark chocolate-cherry, and stuff like that. Thoughts?

Do you scraplift? If so, do you join challenges or just choose layouts you like?

Oh, and PS--My strawberry-rhubarb pie was so-so. Good, but the strawberry-blackberry pie recipe i got off a food blog could kick it's tush:)

We have a Winner!

True Random Number Generator Result: 6

Kathy

Congratulations, Kathy! Shoot me an email with your address and have fun on your travels!

*Normal blog content below:) *

WTG: Neurotic? Who me?

Now, I don't believe I've met Jessica Bree or any of the Who's That Girl girls in the past.

Which is weird, because the prompt for this week's challenge is very....ahem.....apropos. (Quick side note--did anyone know how to spell that word?? I'm generally a good speller, but it took a whole Google search for that one. Intuition just wasn't cutting it.)

What I'm trying to say here is that I'm a neurotic NUT. I check the doors five times before I go to bed, I keep detailed lists for every day including such necessary items as "eat" and "shower," and I go through Post-its like dehydrated people go through water. Or scrapbookers go through adhesive. You get the idea.

So I made this page to document my craziness:


Journaling says: I am that crazy Post-it lady. I keep them everywhere--desk, purse, kitchen, bedside table. I wake up in the middle of the night to write them. I buy the mega-packs. I would be a mess without them.

Any other Post-it addicts out there? Let's unite!

And while we're at it, check out the awesome pages by the other WTG ladies--you'll learn a lot of dark, dark neuroses:).

PS--GIVEAWAY STILL OPEN IN THE POST BELOW. I will pick a winner tomorrow (Tuesday) morning:)

The World is so big.....and a BIG giveaway!

Popping in from the kitchen again this week--I've been experimenting with rhubarb this week. Experimentation is always potentially dangerous, so if you're my guest tonight, beware! Hehe.

When I agonize about my new off-the-plan stage of life (which happens a few times a day--I think the hubby can say "Oh, sweetie, what you're doing is SO valuable and you'll figure it all out!" in his sleep by now!), what always relaxes me is to remind myself of this: The world is so big.

There are so many potential jobs and opportunities. So many different kinds of lives I could create.

I made this page so I wouldn't forget:


The world is so big, and I will find my place in it.

And now.................

the reason you came (if you're new, welcome!): a giveaway.

When my hubby was buying me my Studio Calico goodies while I was taking the bar, I warned him in no uncertain terms that Sugar Woods was going to go quick. So in his rush to get me this add-on, his fingers were a little too sticky and we ended up with two!

In honor of my upcoming 100th post, this lovely kit is going to be one of YOURS.

The kit is packed with beautiful papers, including a new Dear Lizzy fabric piece, fun embellishments, and this cute little alpha stamp



Feel free to check out the Studio Calico site for a list of contents.

To ENTER, please leave a comment below. If this is your first time here, or you have a private Google blogger account, please leave your email address so I can find you if you win. If you are at a non-US address, we can work something out with the shipping:).

Comments will close Tuesday morning at 9am.

Thanks, and have a wonderful weekend! What are your plans?

And more importantly, have you ever had any disasters (or smashing successes) with rhubarb?

A Year in the Life

S's cousin will be welcoming a baby in just a few weeks. This is the first little one of the next generation, and I'm so excited.

I love babies. Except when you're holing them and they just want their Mama (which is not you) and there's nothing you can do about it. Things tend to go downhill from there.


For the past two days, I've been working hard on a little album for this baby, whose name is going to be named Micah Benjamin after his grandfather.


I used a ton of baby and boy-themed products I had around my room, including MANY October Afternoon journaling cards. Do any of you use those? I love them and always buy them, but they rarely make it onto my pages.

Without further ado, here's the album........

I left a spot on each page for a 4X6 photo and some journaling.







So there you have it. A little baby book:)

And check back later this week for a GIVEAWAY here celebrating 100 posts!

Trust me, you won't want to miss it!

Monday evening, 6;34 pm

It's a Monday night at 6:34 pm. For once, I'm not getting ready for school tomorrow or relaxing after classes today. But life is still full of good things. Learning. To-do lists. Time with friends. Plans. Phone calls to return. Emails to send. Packages to open. Scrapping.

Nice to know that life can still go on (fairly normally) even with all this change.

I made this page to record my feelings on finishing school:

I used the Studio Calico July kit, Continental, on this one. The journaling reads: 12 years of high school + 4 years of undergrad + 3 years of law school. School is all I've ever known. I wonder what the next step is going to feel like.

If you haven't figured this out already, I'm having MAJOR withdrawal from school. Yep, I'm a nerd, through and through!

This next page documents a good friend on her wedding.


This page was VERY inspired by Debee Campos' blog, which is gorgeous!

What changes have been going on in your life lately? How did you adjust?

I'm alive!

My disappearance from blogland can be blamed on several things:

1. Bar exam

2. Recovery from said bar exam

3. Trip to Michigan

4. Wild, rockin' wedding

5. Trip to the Jersey shore

6. Drive to the heart of Brooklyn

7. Wild, rockin' wedding # 2

8. Studying for ethics exam

9. Taking ethics exam

10. Lots of cooking

Phew! Makes me tired just remembering all of that.

Since this is a scrapbooking blog, after all, here's a page I made a few weeks ago:

The photos are actually from a Pebbles sticker sheet! I haven't used photorealistic products in a loooooong time, but these were calling to me, and I'm very happy with the result! The journaling reads: I need to create every day to feel like myself.

And finally, a shout-out to the coolest addition to my wardrobe: a modest bathing suit. Since I don't wear regular bathing suits, swimming in its various forms has been difficult to manage in the past few years. But with this little number from HydraChic, I had the real beach experience for the first time in ages!
I'm completely besotted:)

What have you been up to lately? What's been the best new purchase you made?

Scrappy Sunday-- Post-Bar Edition

This past week has been a crazy whirlwind. First, the bar on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then, a huge amount of pushed-off errands on Thursday (including a bday gift for my hubby, part of which mysteriously disappeared from my bag. So if you live in Elizabeth, NJ and see a stuffed penguin, please call me.). Then, flying to Michigan on Friday. Where I am now, soaking up the sun from inside a Starbucks. My kind of summer livin'.

First up, a little card. As I mentioned before, I have NO IDEA what to do with these guys. Maybe if I wasn't so abysmal at remembering birthdays, they could be useful. Hmmmm.....


This next layout somewhat contradicts my post from last week, but that's life--inconsistent sometimes, right? This one is an ode to my "inner Martha," evidenced by a handmade tag adorning a big basket of homemade cookies. I've only done this once in my life, mind you. But nevermind that.

And in other news, my hubby's garden on our terrace has been yielding fruit......a lot of it.

Our beautiful tomatoes:
And us with our little harvest:
Really nothing like eating tomatoes fresh and toasty from the sun. Especially when you don't have to travel to a special tomato-picking farm to experience it.

So that's it--my four day summer in a nutshell. Because it's not really summer when you're holed up indoors studying New York civil procedure. Yech.

What have YOU been up to this week? Do any of you have gardens, too?