How it goes

I love to read about what other people are loving at the moment, so I want to do the same and share what is currently floating my boat.

• The changing fall colors. I think autumn is officially my favorite season and I look forward to October's arrival!
• Speaking of autumn, I have been loving Elsie's posts lately, especially this one. That girl never fails to inspire with her words and photos.
• Absolutely in LOVE with this blog. Christina is truly a wonder for my senses and I am so enthralled with her minibooks!
• Planning a trip to Vegas this coming December. Vegas in and of itself is stimulation overload, I can only imagine what the Christmas season is like!
• Last night's season premiere of The Office . Holy moley, the Pam and Jim bit was the cutest thing ever!
• Gen's Halloween minibook which is even more beautiful in real life! I'm lucky enough to work with this crafty girl and I think we have the same exact taste in scrapbooking supplies - we're constantly swooning over the same products!
• Kerry Lynn's Kenner Road . The layout of the website is gorgeous enough but then you look at the gallery and it is heaven to my eyes! Especially this insanely inspiring minibook...
• School is so busy that the time seems to be flying by - always a good thing!
• Free podcasts on iTunes are just about the greatest thing my ears (and credit card) could possibly experience. I am really loving Morning Coach and Craftcast . I upload them to my iPod and take the inspiration with me wherever I go!

Surrealism.

I can't believe I am already back in school again - what in the world happened to summer break?! Oh well, this is where we are at and we are definitely going to make the most of it. This past weekend I was able to go home to visit my family before the madness of school and work and life combined takes over. It was so much fun, as usual. Got to use the sewing machine. Got to play with paint and glitter mist while sitting poolside. Made (and am still making) a new mini book all about my memories of home. Took a lot of Polaroids. Took a lot of photos with the Nikon. Played with my sweet pup.
I made lists about all the creative ideas I have formulating for the future. I slept in (so nice). On our way back down to San Diego, we stopped for lunch in Aliso Viejo and I just about died over the scrapbook aisle at their Target. They seriously were packing a big punch with all the Making Memories Halloween and Christmas lines and KI Memories Bloom Collection (which I totally snagged). Honestly, all the Targets in San Diego and Moorpark are just slackin' when it comes to wowing me over. What a happy surprise that was to experience the magic of Target. As if Target wasn't magical enough already...(haha).
Check out Jakey Boy. Such a good model for the camera I keep putting in his face, haha.

I'm hoping I will be able to stay afloat with all my school work and actually do things AHEAD of time (novel concept, I know). I say this every semester. But this time is FOR REAL. Life is gonna be good. Yesterday I brought my Ziploc of scrap supplies to school with me. On my breaks I sat on a grassy knoll under the trees and just enjoyed being my nerdy self who enjoys paper.

Life IS good.

Oh yes.

I asked Jamie out of the blue: "Are you a good jumper?" and of course she said yes (not knowing what her answer entailed). Hence, here we are showing off our jumping skills at Heritage Park in Old Town. I feel a new photographic obsession coming on...
And I HAD to bring the Polaroid with me. What's an adventure without the instant gratification I receive from that thing?
And here I am reveling in the fabulousness of the Polaroid.

P.S., I only recently learned what "Shake it like a Polaroid picture" truly means. All along I have been singing to Outkast, not knowing what I am talking about. Now I know :)

I was gone for a minute

Oh my goodness, what a bad blogger I have been! I've been meaning to update for oh-so-long, but just never did it. Sometimes reading about other people's lives is much more fun than sharing my own... But anyways, I have been very busy! I recently purchased a Polaroid camera from eBay and it has made everyday adventures that much more exciting! At $17 for a roll of 10 photos, I have been forced to learn how to set up the most optimal shots so as not to waste my precious film! ha! Recently we went to Disneyland on a whim and of course I brought along my Polaroid and a ziploc bag of scrapbook supplies. You better believe I busted out my bag of goodies while waiting in line! Scrapbooking photos that I just took is quite possibly the most exciting thing ever.

So here is the chipboard mini book I created about our most recent trip to D-Land. I was totally on an 8.5x11 kick for awhile, but I have definitely returned to my first true love: the mini book.



I really love the Maya Road clear journaling spots that I just hole punched and added to my book for interest.

I lOVE the new KI La-di-dah collection...how stunning is that flower paper?


I had so much fun making this album while in the moment of it all. Just give me a Ziploc bag, some random scraps of paper, buttons, ribbon, a glue stick, and a corner rounder and I am good to go! OK, I am off to work! Have a great day everyone :)

Countdown to Christmas!

I have been really pining for the Christmas season lately! I can't wait to bust out the decorations and the gift wrap and spend time in crowded malls! I would say I'm excited for the music too, but I listen to that year round - nothing like a little "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Ella Fitzgerald style) to keep me breezing through a summer workout :) Haha! I know I should just be content with the summer, but this is totally the way I am. I always need to have something to look forward to if I want to enjoy the present moment. Sounds kind of backward but it's how I roll :)

Also, I have really been loving iTunes lately. I go through music-buying phases where I'm on it everyday and then all of a sudden I abandon it for weeks at a time. Nothing better than finding music that you LOVE and keep hitting the back button so you can hear it just one more time.

So today is my day off from work and I am loving the freedom. Last night while shopping -ahem, working at the store- I snagged a few new things to play with and now I'm so excited about them! The buttons were such a great deal (shown above): you fill up a mini-Gladware container with as many buttons as possible and it's only $5! If you want to buy an individual button, it's 15 cents. So being the mathematician I am (ha! I wish!) I determined that $1.00 would only equate to 6 buttons...not good enough for me. So the Gladware it was!

I love the American Crafts Remarks pack - I think bold letters always tie a page together so I'm excited to dig into those. And the cute little girl icons actually came from a keychain of about 7. They're acrylic and I already painted two because I love them so much! The mini tags are just too cute. Even though I could make them myself, their minature size was just bowling me over so I caved and bought 4, haha.

Last night I came home from work and John was making orange chicken for us - it was so good! What a guy ;) He's become quite the Emeril lately and I sure as heck do not mind!

Today I'm going to workout, pick up some groceries and lord knows whatever else catches my eye at Target, and play with my new scrap supplies! :)

Always thinking...

I'm always thinking about what's next, where I'm going, what I'll be doing, what I'll be wearing, and most importantly, where i'll be living. I don't feel much of an attachment to San Diego. Don't get me wrong, I think this city is fabulous. There are so many awesome things I love about this place, including the swap meet, the weather, Fashion Valley, and even touristy stuff like Old Town and Seaport Village. But I don't know if this is where I want to plant my roots, so to speak. Come graduation, when it's time to make some real decisions about careers and real estate, I want to start fresh and move somewhere new. I have so many ideas: Mission Viejo, Carlsbad, Redondo Beach, Irvine, Agoura...the list is endless! I even think it might be fun to move up to Mammoth Lakes for a short while and experience the mountain life. But then again, that would take me away from my beloved D-Land and lord knows that would be pushing it (hahaha):

So for now I'm staying in SD. Actually I kind of have to if I ever want to get my degree (ha!). And I'm gonna live it up while it lasts :)
This past week I spent some time at home with my family (another reason why I want to move out of SD - 3 hours is too far away!). I got some scrapbooking done which made me feel happy. I'm into using old photos right now that I have had tucked away for too long.

In other news, I won a contest on Kristina Contes' blog! Woo! I was so psyched and still am! Alright, I'm off to workout before I work tonight. Have a great day ;)

Estoy aqui.

Oh my goodness, why am I so bad at updating? I'm always putting it off like it's a ten page paper or something...not quite sure why I do that? So anyways, I have been super busy, working all the time, making money to support my hobbies, haha. In fact, I actually work at a scrapbook store! It includes a LOT of restocking and pricing and doing things you don't normally associate with the glamorous world of scrapping, but it is money in the bank nonetheless. AND there just so happens to be a sweet discount on all merchandise for employees, which I am ever so pleased about, haha. And every once in awhile, when I return home from a long day in the scrapbook world I actually find the time and energy to create!

I was thinking that another one of my friends needs to get married STAT because last summer was so much fun with all of Heather's bridal festivities. And no, it won't be me, hahah! I was going through all my old photos yesterday, just looking for something new and excting to plan scrapbook pages around, and I found so many fabulous things! I love when I forget about what I have and then rediscover it in all its glory - its like finding money in my pocket! Yessss! Tonight I am heading home to Simi to see my family which I am so excited about. It's funny how when you move away, you suddenly feel so nostalgic for home and all the things you took for granted for so long. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, perhaps?