V.I.P.

Tonite we are having an impromptu kit reveal in the all new Bad Girls VIP lounge! Grab your drink of choice (mine tonight will be a wonderful Pinot Noir) and come chat it up with us starting at 9pm PST in the VIP lounge. Our kits go live at 10pm AND if you buy an addon kit (excluding cardstock add on) you will be entered in for a drawing for a FABULOUS Making Memories prize valued at over $125! Wanna see this bad boy?
Awesome huh! Ok so you know what to do. Get your drink, come chat it up, do some shopping if you feel so inclined ;)
Hope to see ya there!

FFF

Before I start of my 5 faves list today, I have to share a little story written by none other than Miss Zoe herself. Our conversation prior to her "novel" went a little something like this.

Z- "Mom, I am going to be a writer just like Nora Roberts, you know her right?"
Me- "umm yes I know her, but what the heck do YOU think you know about Nora Roberts my dear?"
Z- "Well she is a writer AND her favorite color is PINK!"
Me (rolling my eyes)- "Now how on earth do you know her favorite color is pink?"
Z- "It just is MOM! and I want to write books just like her"
Me- "ohhh because you have read soo many of them right"
Z- "well you wont let me because they have bad words in them, but when I get older I am going to write books and they are going to have bad words in them too!"

At this point I just give up. There is no winning here. So without further adieu or editing, I give to you........
Tittle: BLOOD CASTLE (written in squiggly scary handwriting of course)
By Zoe
Rated R
Illistrated by Zoe

Dedication- To my mom who taught me to write and read and do math. She loves books!

One day Sara Robertsons lay in bed. She had a bad dream, not even a dream...a NIGHTMARE.
She did NOT(underlined 3 times!) come out of her dream. She was in Blood Castle!

She found dust all over the cielings and doors and hallways. Spiderwebs were on walls. Then mist and darkness came.

Blood Vain who was bad, took the girl into the dundeon (dungeon). As the went further, the more the light went away. Blood Vain locked Sara Robertsons in a gloomy dungeon with bars most like a jail.

The End!

What can I say to that? My kid is HILARIOUS.

Now a segue into my 5 faves:

I have 2 lists today

First my 5 faves from CHA:
#1. PRIMA PRIMA holy heck PRIMA- I have to say their releases were the BEST. While I am not wild about some of the papers, the embellishments they added this release are nothing short of spectacular. I can't list all of my faves from them but the Artistry Tins, the Flirty Little Secret line, Artful Cardboard and Donna Downey's fabric are all at the top of the list for me. And I just remembered, Wendy has some of the new DD fabric in the store right now! CHECK IT OUT!

#2. Pink Paislee-I love their new Enchanting line and the new accessories they have added to the mix. The new sticker books are at the top of my list of must haves.

#3. pictures of the Graphic 45 booth- WOW! Did they ever do an outstanding job. Their booth looks like a store I would want to shop in. And wouldn't you know, I just went over to their site and they WON Best in Show! Well deserved! Check out the photos here.

#4. Tattered Angels- I really like the look of their new Glimmer Glass. I would love to try it out!

#5. The Making Memories blog party- Making Memories throws THE BEST blog party during CHA. It is always a ton of fun, they are so generous with their giveaways and there is ALWAYS something going on. So THANK YOU Making Memories for giving those of us stuck at home something to do and a way to feel involved.

2nd list-
#1. Man vs. Wild- Bear Grylls visited none other than OREGON! Who woulda thought? He was dropped off in Hell's Canyon, which I have never been to. So it was kinda cool to see that part of Oregon. The episode had the usual eating of a rotten deer carcass and all around insanity, but was pretty cool to watch. Plus he is EASY on the eyes, if you know what I mean ;)

#2. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella- This is the first book of hers that I have read. And just like I knew I would, I LOVED it. The book was funny and quirky and I can't wait to get a hold on the Confessions of a Shopoholic series :)

#3. Fat Tire beer- I can't remember if I have already listed Fat Tire as a favorite but if I have then it must REALLY be one of mine LOL. A fantastic amber ale and when you add a little slice of orange, ahhhh it is pure heaven in a bottle, or glass as I drink it.

#4. yahoo radio- seriously where on earth have I been that I have not been listening to this while I am on the computer?!??! My favorites are the 80's rock, 90's alternative and every once in a while for a good laugh I hit the Power Ballads!

#5. kirin notebook blog- love the clean design she has going on over there. Great highlights and funny writing. check it out :)

Ok so my mile and half long post has come to a close. Have a fabulous and safe weekend and as always, if you posted a list today let us know! Still on the fence about participating in 5 Faves? TODAY is the day, try it out. You can do it! Think of 5 things that you loved this week or heck it could be 5 things you hated, but try it on for size. I think you will like what you see ;)

Must wake up...Need more coffee!

Geeeez, what is it with me and mornings? We have got to work on building a better relationship because this is just PATHETIC!

Well the Webster's Pages chat went well last night. Thanks to all of you who showed up. I was bummed I didn't get to stay and chat longer than I did, but duty and naproxen called. My head STILL hurts today. Tammy Kay was our winner in our quarterly drawing! So congrats to her. She does wonders with Webster's products. Well pretty much anything she touches is gold!

Here are a few layouts I made yesterday as well as a little birdie courtesy of Maya Road. They were kind enough to send the Webster's team some fun new books to play with! So a huge THANK you to Maya Road!

First up: Beautiful Birdie

This bird was part of a Maya Road acrylic birdie album but I had to take him off and do a little something special with just him. I covered him with some Hello! Beautiful paper. Drew and cut out the wing and then lined it with some fabulous Websters trim to mimic feathers. Then added some hand cut work, button eyes, and some more trim for a hanger.

How cute are these pictures of my Mom in her baby buggy. They are small I know, but not much can be done about that. She looks all cute and chubby. I used the Hello! Beautiful line again on this layout and added some Webster's trim as well.

So can you tell I am into heritage photos right now? Webster's paper is just too perfect for them! Here is my Grandma and her friends all dressed up in their furs. I have no idea where they were going or what they were doing but Gram wrote a little message on the back saying that something must have been really funny but she couldn't remember what it was.

So there is Hello! Beautiful for ya! Perfect for Valentine's Day projects as well ;)

And before I leave...How about a couple of peeks at this month's Bad Girl kit? It is glittery, girly and FUN! True Bad Girl form.

Also there is about 2 weeks left on the Bad Girls Design Team call if you are interested at applying! Get your info HERE.

Have a great Wednesday!

Sooo whatcha doing tonite?

If you need something fun to do, Here is your official invite to the Webster's Pages chat at inspireME! We are having a fun little party over there tonite and if you want to win some of the brand new and gorgeous goods that Webster's debuted at CHA this week, than you had better be there.

Here's the details:

Time- 6pm PST
Place- inspireME simply click on the chat link located at the top of the page
Grab a drink and some chocolate and you had better do a few finger exercises as well because it goes FAST!!

So I hope to see you all there :)

Come check this out!!!

Are you sulking? Feeling sorry for yourself that you are not at CHA having a blast with everyone else?? Well so am I....
So I decided to have a little fun while my boss Carrie from Paper Trunk is having a time with some of the Paper Trunk girls down in sunny CA!

Come check out the blog if you want some goodie treats!

Happy Monday!

As I down my 2nd cup of coffee and try to ignore this pounding 3 day long headache I have had, I try to think that it is CHA week, time to be HAPPY! I have been scouring online looking for CHA show photos, so far www.lifetimemoments.com is the only place I can find anything. So head there if you want to take a peek at the few photos they have up!

Since it is Monday, it also means that it is Project 52 day as well! Today's project is brought to you by Jeni Boisvert. She thought of something really fun and inspiring. So head on over to check it out and leave a comment to be entered for a drawing!

Now I have some work to do but I will be back later with some goods!

you know what day it is....

5 Faves Friday! And guess what...we have a few new people playing along today so make sure to stop by their blogs to check out their lists. Please welcome: Gina, Pamela P. and Gine.

Are you new to 5 Faves Friday and want to be added to the sidebar, just holler :)

So on to my list for today:

#1. American Masters with Bob Newhart on PBS- so this week I haven't done much but scrap and watch TV, really exciting I know...I watched this show on Bob Newhart last night and it was fantastic. I remember as a kid having Bob Newhart on in the background and wishing that he was my Grandpa for some reason. Not old enough to understand how funny he really was, I now wish that someone would put the show on syndication. People had nothing but kind things to say about him.

#2. Annie Lennox- John had told me several weeks ago that he saw Annie Lennox on T.V. and that she gave such an incredible performance and that I had to keep my eyes peeled out for it so I could see it. Well we ran across it and it was every bit as good as he said it was. One woman, her voice and a piano. The entire auditorium was in a reverent hush, captivated by the power of her voice. She is one of those performers that you can NOT take your eyes off of and there is no way that you are going to be able to avoid having a tear slip down your cheek. She is just that damn good. Ohhh and I can't go without saying the woman is a powerful writer:

Why can't you see this boat is sinking
(This boat is sinking this boat is sinking)
Let's go down to the water's edge
And we can cast away those doubts
Some things are better left unsaid
But they still turn me inside out
Turning inside out turning inside out

#3. A little feast for the eyes and ears in the form of Lenny Kravitz- Short hair, long hair, NO hair....doesn't matter this man is BEAUTIFUL.

#4. Elle's Studio: It has been so fun watching how she has just caught on fire and how fast her business is growing. What amazing talent. And her blog is hopping with fun this week, so you better check it out. Free giveaways and downloads, all kinds of good!

#5. Scrappy Fave of the week- CHA baby!! the sneaks, the beautiful new products, the madness. There isn't anything quite like CHA week. Even for those of us who remain at home instead of being able to help out at the show, there is something for everybody to participate in! So for those going to CHA, good luck and have a blast. And for those of us here: we can make it! I know we can :)

So there is my list for today! Make sure to take the tour of 5 Faves blogs and say hello!

Coming up in the next few days: goodies from Paper Trunk, a chat at inspireME and I may have to put a little giveaway together as well with some all new goodies ;) You know, share the wealth!

Have a fabulous weekend!

introducing Project 52!

It is finally here, the launch of Project 52 at Bad Girls. A combined brain child of Tracie Hudson, Jeni Boisvert and Wendy Rago, Project 52 is a new blog meant to inspire you creatively. Here is some of what Wendy has to say about Project 52: "Welcome to Project 52!
Or should I have said…welcome to a whole new world of art? Because that is what you are in store for here week after week as the BAD GIRL DESIGNERS and I tantalize your senses with lots of gorgeous artistic creations that will enable you to unleash the hidden artist in you. Make no mistake…we will push the envelope…we will help you to rethink….to reinvent art…to tear it down to its bare bones, to analyze it, but most of all to set your soul free and learn how to enjoy the process…that is what art is all about. This is not a challenge Blog….this is a Teaching Blog…an Inspiration Blog if you will…and we do wholeheartedly encourage you to be inspired and then to create your own inspiration and share it with us….
My goal with Project 52 is not only to help you to be inspired, but also to help you learn how to unleash your fear. Most of the barriers that hold us back from being the best artist we can stems from that nasty little critic inside of you that taunts you every time you sit down to create….do you know who I am talking about??? The evil little voice that always convinces you that “you suck”….”just give up…you can’t create art”……”that doesn’t look good, maybe a different color would be better”….”you know you can’t work with that medium…give it up”…”what the heck are you thinking??? Are you crazy??? You can’t mix those elements and colors together” and the banter goes on and on until your soul is worn out and you truly throw in the towel….no mojo…and you stop creating….or if you keep creating, you feel unsatisfied and your art is lacking from what you truly want it to be…and why??? Because you shut down…because you are not creating from the depths of your soul….you are listening to the critic and he is winning the game. It’s time to make a change….and that is what Project 52 is here for…so roll up your sleeves and get ready to create…

So if this sounds like something you would love to check out, head on over to PROJECT 52!

Five Fave Fridays and some CHA sneaks

well it is that time again already. I am going to make a super quickie list because I am running out of time here today here we go:

#1. Wedding Singer- Love this movie! One of my faves and no matter how many times I watch it, it never gets old. Ever!

#2. American Idol- is back on yeahhhh! One of my guilty pleasure shows and yes I think Simon is HOT!

#3. shepherd's pie- the perfect comfort food. Of course I made it and noone but me ate it. The ongoing story here at my house.

#4. Millstone Vanilla coffee- I have had a pot a day, every day for a week now. Keep in mind my coffee maker only makes a few cups of coffee though. So I am not THAT bad now.

#5. Scrappy Fave of the Week- It's CHA sneak peek week. I LOVE this time of year. So much fun to see all the new products coming out. And with that I have my few peeks to share with you.

Earlier this week Paper Trunk posted a few small peeks at scrapbook.com. Carrie has been working so hard the past few months and has 2 new paper lines and finally her cute alphas!

Last night Webster's Pages posted their sneak peeks at our 2 new lines plus new alphas, diecuts, vellum overlays and trims. Make sure to stop by the inspireME site to leave a comment and be eligible to win some new goods! Also we will be having a LIVE CHAT at inspireME Jan 27th at 6 PST. So be looking for more details later on.

sorry so short and sweet today but I must be moving on. Booster Club calls ;)

Bad Girls...Bad Girls....whatcha gonna do?

When Tim Holtz gives a shout out to you! This month the Jan Main Bad Girls kit contained a package of some Tim Holtz grungeboard and the girls went to town on this stuff. Really if you haven't seen Jeni's AMAZING grungeboard book, well you HAVE to go check it out. It really is incredible. Well BG's somehow managed to capture the eye of a certain Tim Holtz who was kind enough to post a little BG lovin on his blog. Pretty cool huh :)

That isn't all the Bad Girls news though. Yesterday also started the launch of our 2009 Design Team Search! Wendy is looking to add a few new design team members to the group. The call is open from January 14th to February 11th at midnight PST. You can find all the details HERE!

We will also be launching the Bad Girls Project 52 blog very shortly! So keep an eye out for those details. Wendy has something pretty incredible up her sleeve.

So now I bid thee farewell as I must hop in the shower so I can go scrapbook with my friend Pammy Mac!

Five Fave Fridays Baby!!!

Well my 5 Faves post is coming up a bit early because tomorrow I am busy with some Booster Club madness ;) I get to pass ice cream out to cutie Kinders and 1st graders tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it.

So this week has been a busy, stress filled but fun one. I think I have compiled a pretty fun list of faves. So here are the things that rocked my week.

#1. Independent Lens "Helvetica"-WOW! This show totally had me enraptured. I sat there with a pen and paper and was literally taking notes. Talk about inspiring people. As much as I love hand journaling on my layouts because I feel it adds a personal touch to the pages, man I love typography. And if you are into typography then this show on PBS is a MUST WATCH. The whole show was dedicated to the Helvetica font, its derivation, its frequency in its use, etc... The show had on all kinds of marvelous designers (who if I had ever gone to art or design school would have known I am sure LOL) but two designers and their quotes really captured my attention:

Massimo Vignelli- "The life of a designer is a life of fight, fight against the ugliness, just like a Dr. fights disease. For us the visual disease is what we have around us and what we try to do is to cure it somehow with design."

" A good typographer always has sensitivity about the distance between letters. We think typography is black and white. Typography is really white. It is not even black. It is the SPACE between the blacks that really makes it. In a sense it is like music, it's not the notes, it's the space you put between the notes that make the music."

Wim Crouwel- Wim uses a grid in creating his typography and seeing him use it was eye opening. He said " I am always interested in clarity (in typography). It should be clear, it should be readable, it should be straight forward...For me it is a tool of creating order and creating order is typography. The meaning is in the context of the text, not in the typeface."

Now both of these men are modernists in design. Clean, straightforward, simple. The show also featured designers who thought the Helvetica font was basically of the devil. Boring, out of date, constricting. Hell just watch it and be marveled for yourself. I can only sing its praises so much LOL

#2. Simon Pegg- Dude, I love this man! He is HILARIOUS. John and I watched Shaun of the Dead for about the 20th time this weekend and every time we watch it, we find little tidbits that we missed the time before. He is kinda cute in his own dorky way. But most of all he is smart, witty and hilarious as all get out. Other movies by him that you have to watch are Hot Fuzz and Run Fat Boy Run.

#3. Deschutes Brewery Obsidian Stout- I am actually drinking one at this very moment. Super dark, creamy and just down right delicious....this is one of my favorite beers. Now if I could only find someone who will drink it with me LOL. And hey, I just found out via the website that this beer won World's Best Stout at the 2007 World Beer Awards plus 23 others...so I am not entirely cra(x)y!

And in the words of Homer Simpson "mmmm...beer.....ahhhhhhhh"

#4. Counting Crows "August and Everything After"- This album is fantastic. So beautifully written and sung and performed that it will bring tears to your eyes. Round Here is such an amazing song that it gives me chills every time I hear it.

#5. Scrappy Fave of the Week- Well, I am tied between Somerset Studios magazine and The Dares book. I have been reading both of them on and off all week long and absorbing everything they have to offer. Somerset (any and all) of their magazines are works of art in their own rights and The Dares book has made me want to get a little more funky and primitive with my scrapbooking.

And from inspiration from both of those publications, I tried my hand at the Prima's Build-A-Page challenge for January. Here is the sketch if you would like to take a crack at it too:

Here is my take on it. I tweaked it a little bit to suit my design but the general idea is still there. I used bubble wrap as a stamp on my background. I used a Prima flower bottle cap as a "stamp" by putting brown paint on it and stamping on my background to mimic a coffee cup stain. Then I followed the basic design of the sketch and journaled about how I was feeling crappy about my style and skills as a scrapbook designer one day. I bought a Starbucks one particular day while I was feeling especially awful and I happened to look at the quote on the cup and it said the exact words that I needed to hear. Stupid and lame I know, but it was just the right words at the right time, ya know!

So there you have it. My 5 Faves of the Week. What are yours? If you are new to 5 Faves and want to be added to the official sidebar let me know. Half the fun is reading everyone else's 5 Faves.

Have a great day all!

Wake me up....

Before you go-go. Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo...

For the love of all that is holy someone come smack me in the face and help me wake up. UGH. I have had a pot of coffee and am still not fully awake. You know my relationships with mornings by now.

Well last night was the reveal of the January Bad Girls Kit Ma Petit Masion.

This kit features goodies from Webster's Pages, Jenni Bowlin and Making Memories. Here is what I made with the kit this month.

My annual year in review layout. I followed my same design as last year. I just love this Jenni Bowlin diecut paper. Or any die cut paper I guess I should say.

Zoe sure has grown in 3 years. I found these pics on my computer a few weeks ago and thought how cute and adorable she looks. A tiny, chubbier version of her now 7 1/2 year old self. Webster's Pages paper meets Tim Holtz Grungeboard on this layout. Ohh and I snuck some new Webster's trim in there as well!

Wendy challenged the designers to do a layout about resolutions. I used a combination of Making Memories paper, a trimmed out edge from the Jenni Bowlin diecut paper and I love that Daisy D's hinge. Been a long time since I used one of those!

My last layout is a tribute to my Aunt Claudette. She passed away several years ago from brain cancer and I try to make a layout every year in her honor. The Webster's Pages paper was absolutely perfect for this picture and for the feeling I wanted to convey in this layout.

And last but not least is my little birdie ornament. I bought a little nest for 1.00 at M's and then added some Spanish Moss and the ribbon included in this months kit to make a nice little home for him. For the bird himself, I simply painted him with a mixture of glitter mod podge and some Pearl Ex pigment. When he was dry I added some Basic Grey rub ons.

So there are my goods for January. But wait........what is this I see?

Hmmmm. I wonder what this could be all about?!!? Stay tuned to see what Miss Wendy and Bad Girls has up their sleeve!

Five Fave Fridays New Year Edition!!!

2009! Holy Cow. Can you all believe that? Seems that just yesterday the world was up in arms over the fact that the world would end in Y2K LOL. If I was an organized type of person, I would have tabs on how many Five Fave Fridays posts I have made, but well I am not. I have to say that FFF has been such a fun ride to be on and I am glad to have a few friends who have joined the ride with me! So Cheers to 2009 and a WHOLE YEAR of 5 Fave Fridays!

Up first in my 2009 edition:

#1. Christmas fun- Ok now bear with me and my HORRID photos! Zoe woke up somewhere in the 4 oclock area and I was mostly asleep, my flash wasn't working and everything happened sooo dang fast. I figured really awful pictures are better than none at all. But watching her unwrap her ipod for Christmas and the look of shock on her face was fun. Every year she has something that makes her do the "Happy Dance" and the ipod was the clear winner there.

Before:

After:

Another awesome Chrismas moment was watching my sister cry as she looked at the scrapbook album I made for her for her present. Now THAT is the reaction I love from a homemade gift.

For Christmas I got to go to my first NBA game! Blazers vs. my team the Suns! Now this may sound like kinda a lame present to some of you, but I can't even begin to explain just how much fun it really was. We scored some awesome seats (row 12!) and we were right behind the Suns bench, so I got to see my fave Steve Nash up close. No one could have fully prepared me for how stunned and shocked I was going to be. I can't wait to go again. I am hoping to get to see LeBron in action this time round ;)

#2. Watching movies at home with the fam- With everyone being on vacation in this household, we got a LOT of movie watching in. There is just something so enjoyable about cuddling up on the couch with the fam and just relaxing.

#3. Lean Cuisine Enchilada Suiza- My friend Jamie turned me on to those. Zoe and I went to visit her and her lil pumkin for Christmas and she said that the enchiladas were awesome. So I picked one up at Alby's the other day and I have to agree. They were packed with flavor and quite a bit of food too, I couldn't finish the whole thing.

#4. Tale of Despereaux- THE BOOK, not so much the movie. Auntie Sasha got Zoe the book for Christmas and we have been reading it ever since. I have to say that I enjoy the book a lot more than I did the movie. The movie, while beautifully animated, it really was, just didn't capture my attention like the book has. What a fun story and Kate DiCamillo is a WONDERFUL writer. WOW!

#5. Scrappy Fave of the Week- The Pink Paislee DT Announcement- I was so shocked and excited to see my name on the GDT list. And am even more thrilled to be sharing a spot alongside some great friends and designers such as Leslie, Kimberly and Jolene! I really love this company and the people behind it and am honored to get to share in the fun.

So there we have it, the first 5 Fave Friday of 2009. May it be a fun and blessed year!