Nocember Devember

November 30? December 1?

In no time at all,

November gave way to December,

JUST as I was getting used to writing

11/10 rather than 10/10.

The change also happened without bringing me

my JBS December kit. Waah.

Why hast thou forsaken me, Mr. Postman?

Actually, after seeing the December JBS kit,

I suppose I can understand

how it might have become "lost" in the mail.

Hopefully I'll receive it in time to contribute to the the mid-month gallery,

but in the meantime,

do join me in drooling over these brilliant pages and projects.

I KNOW, right?

I do have a Lily Bee page to share, though, ere I go!

I created this layout to show my love and appreciation

for one of my favorite people in the whole wide world, Laverne.

She and I taught next door to each other for seven years,

and although we were co-workers,

I think of her as my teacher, a mentor

who showed me that teaching really is a calling.

Every day she says "yes" to that call.

In fact, make that an emphatic "YES!"

That's how much she loves teaching.

In case you would rather not go blind

trying to decipher the words on this layout,

this is what she taught me:

that to speak of dreams

is not to succumb to rhetoric

but to embrace an untapped power

that in a teacher’s gentle cursive

both hand and heart send a message

that teachers must keep growing

if we expect our students to do so

that there are other ways to be heard

aside from raising one’s voice

that while we cannot control

what happens outside our classrooms,

we can control what happens inside them

that the details, facts, and figures fade

but the memory of being loved remains

that we are human, imperfect,

and if we are honest about this,

then we are ready to teach others

Yep, I got schooled,

in the best possible way.

Lately-ing

I've been

wondering whether my resolution to make handmade and homemade gifts will last through the holiday season...

reading Dark Places. It's intriguing, but I keep feeling tempted to just skim the rest to find out whodunnit...

scrapping a whole lot of layouts, though I can only share this one for now...

watching lots of Modern Family, including reruns of reruns -- that's how good it is...

listening to...

spending way too much at Studio Calico. Yesterday was the December kit reveal, and boy, did it reveal itself in a big way to me. There'll be lots of scrappy goodness headed my way in a few weeks. Woo hoo!

wearing "movie clothes" -- lots of layers -- since we went to see Tangled and Unstoppable this weekend. The former was more enjoyable than the latter. Hair with regenerative powers outmatches a runaway train any day...

looking forward to Christmas break!

The Morning After

After spending Thanksgiving evening indulging...

I spent much of today sleeping off the carbs.

This year, since most of our family was on the mainland for Thanksgiving,

it was just the three of us,

which wasn't a problem: more turkey for all!

We stayed in our pajamas all day.

It was terrific.

A moment ago,

over a piece of apple pie,

I realized that a true Thanksgiving meal takes about four days to finish.

I cannot stress enough the importance of naps in building endurance.

I realize, though, that not everyone agrees with the

eat-then-sleep-then-eat-some-more-prior-to-even-more-sleep approach.

Some people carbo-load on Thanksgiving

as if preparing for months of hibernation,

only to sap themselves of all of that stored energy

in a single Black Friday morning.

What a waste.

Today, I exerted myself in creative bursts here and there,

replenishing my energy stores via leftovers and sleep.

I did not finish the leftovers, but I did complete

two pages and a holiday project.

Hopefully I'll be able to share those soon.

Gosh, writing this took a lot out of me.

Time for a nap.

Throw Your Love Around

Every single time I play with Shimmerz

(and yes, I do mean play)

the song "Shiny Happy People" pops into my head.

This time was no exception,

and for good reason:

Isn't it shiny? And happy?

With some help from Shimmerz,

I created this layout in the spirit of gratitude

for my *great* love.

Although finding my inspiration was easy,

I dug deep for this one creatively,

rummaging through my stash

and emerging with neglected items

that needed some loving.

I swear, 50% of the act of creating pages

is just NOTICING stuff.

Noticed: a button on a Sassafras flower

begging to be free of that flower.

Noticed: a blue Prima flower asking to prove

that flowers can TOO be on guy pages.

Noticed: a Studio Calico house stamp willing to redefine

the term "negative space" as really quite positive.

It's really the odds and ends

that I find most delightful about the whole process of layering.

Everything fits together,

but each item has its own separate identity on the page.

If you're in a need of a shiny happy creative boost,

you might be sort of kind of crazy THRILLED

to discover that Shimmerz will be having a Black Friday sale this weekend,

with 30% off for customers, including a chance to win a Vibez six-pack.

While I am NOT a fan of Black Friday,

I suppose I can make an exception for online sales,

which tend not to support the tradition of stampeding and bloodletting.

If you will be one of those brave souls heading out into those crowds,

may God go with you --

along with a helmet and football pads.

Weakend

As much as I love weekends,

I am not a fan of weakends --

you know, those busy Saturdays and Sundays

when the time is already spoken for,

when "have to" trumps "want to,"

and sleeping in isn't allowed?

This is one of those weakends.

I'm busybusybusy, with a monstrous "to do" list,

and I'm really trying to fight off the procrastinator within,

who's telling me that it can all wait until tomorrow.

She's probably right.

That settles it: I'm off to take a nap.

Ere I go, however, here's a quick share

of a holiday "anticipation album" that I put together

using a bunch of JBS goodies and some May Arts ribbon.

Can I just say how PERFECT these products are for the holidays?

What a family pic, huh?

Yes, my brother is sticking out his tongue.

At least it wasn't his middle finger -- that phase came a few years after this.

Oh, the memories.

Yes, I know my eyes are closed.

I'm not unlike Earl Hickey, in that respect.

Yes, my mother is smiling through our silliness.

Some things never change. :)

I stand by this statement.
I so love these journaling cards.

This was my last one, though. Bummer.

There are a BUNCH of incredible projects being posted daily

on the JBS Inspiration blog, so be sure to stop by for a visit!

Baby Steps

I am card-challenged.

I can count the total number of cards I've made and shared on one hand,

seriously.

I'm not sure why I find card-making so intimidating.

It seems simple, on the surface --

a few scraps, maybe a stamp, a couple of letters,

maybe a little stitching here and there.

When making cards, though, I don't really feel

the same satisfying "click"

that I feel when creating layouts.

Maybe it's because cards need to remain simple,

and I tend to work in layers.

Cards seem to involve a "cleaner" process,

and I am all about the mess.

In any case, whatever the reason for my card-phobia,

I pushed through yesterday

in order to create a baby shower card for a family friend.

I used some Studio Calico stamps

as well as bits and pieces from past SC kits.

I riffed on an idea that I'd seen way back when

on the Kenner Road blog,

piecing together strips and sewing over them.

Amazingly, the mommy-to-be liked it! She really liked it!

So maybe I'll attempt another card again,

and start counting on my other hand.

That Time of Month

It's go-time for the the JBS Mid-Month Gallery!

This is one of those kits that miraculously cooperates with every photo. After all, it worked with photos of my lovely grandmother, my sweet pup, a bunch of rats, and now, mountain apples.

Also, you will definitely want to stop by the JBS Inspiration Blog, which features some wonderful new daily and monthly features, like Mercantile Monday and Word for Word Wednesday.

35.

Ground Control to Major Pain in the Butt

I can be a total space cadet,

as this layout for Shimmerz attests.

At times, I can also be a really good listener,

but not if there is a book in my hands,

a layout in front of me,

an open email message before me,

a TV on in the room,

or something else on my mind.

In other words, I'm usually not all ears.

People tend to have to repeat themselves around me,

and I know that it becomes pretty annoying pretty quickly.

Maybe my inattentiveness

comes from being hyper-attentive and observant

while teaching all day,

so that when it comes time to interact with others off the clock,

my attention span has been depleted,

and my ears become ornamental.

Sometimes, my poor husband has to insist

that I face him and make eye contact when we speak,

because once I turn away...

I'm on Mars.

This trait has served me well as a reader and a writer,

as no sound can distract me when I'm in the "zone,"

but it makes me an awful conversationalist.

I'm working on it, though,

and somewhere between

in one ear

and

out the other,

I will learn to break this awful habit.

For the Win!

Thank you all so much

for posting such LOVE-ly comments

on the blog hop post.

I know that it can seem immodest

to share what you love about yourself,

but I, for one, enjoyed every single comment.

We are all "fearfully and wonderfully made,"

and the litany of comments confirmed that for me.

From physical attributes such as

frizzy hair,

stunning eyes,

long eyelashes,

lovely hands,

and a pregnant belly,

to personal qualities such as

honesty,

gentleness,

optimism,

determination,

resiliency,

and faithfulness,

to talents such as

cooking,

organizing

crafting,

and, um, procreating,

there was seriously

so

much

to love!

There can only be one winner, though,

so just as love is blind,

I picked the winner at random.

Let's all give it up for...

Nancy said...

I love that I have a kind heart.

November 2, 2010 9:20 PM

Congratulations, Nancy! Send your mailing addy to doris.sander@gmail.com.

On the JBS Blog Hop Trail

Now that you've done your civic duty today

by casting your vote and making your voice heard,

it's time to do your crafty duty

by embracing paper, accents, and the pursuit of scrappiness!

You don't even have to muddle through partisan politics

or get out of your pajamas

in order to WIN big with JBS!

Between now and Friday,

all citizens of the blogosphere can exercise their rights

to participate in the time-honored blog hop tradition, courtesy of JBS.

It all begins on the JBS Inspiration blog,

where you will find a list of participating blogs (like this one).

By stopping at designated sites on the blog hop trail,

you can enter to win a bunch of JBS products,

including the new Red and Black collection!

Check out the die-cut journaling card pad...

and this set of journaling cards...
and the new papers, including a set of 12 x 12 papers, and mini papers.

You can see all of these items featured in the JBS Mercantile November gallery.

We're also giving away a new mini Bingo card set:

So how do you cast your vote in favor of crafty awesomeness?

Just leave a comment below,

sharing ONE thing about yourself

that you absolutely LOVE (yes, please brag),

and you will be entered to win!

The results will be announced on Friday.

In the meantime,

be sure to stop in at JBS headquarters to say hello on the new message board!

While you're rallying with the JBS proponents,

you will definitely want to check out the General Store,

where Ranger paint daubers, ink pads, and re-inkers are now available,

and will no doubt help you exercise your right to free expression.

Happy hopping!

What's Black and White and Red All Over?

Why, the new JBS November kit, of course!

You simply MUST check it out.

Not only is November one of my favorite months of the year,

but it is also my first month on the JBS team.

I fell hard for this month's kit,

not just for the incredible colors and textures within it,

but also because it works with all sorts of themes --

from the silly and bizarre

to the homey and cute,

to the heartfelt and nostalgic.

The rest of the design team gallery is further proof of this kit's amazing versatility.

If your scrappy fingers are tingling at the sight of all of this JBS goodness,

then you will definitely want to partake in the JBS blog hop

(which starts tomorrow afternoon),

especially if you're a fan of crazy awesome GIVEAWAYS.

Be sure to stop by the new message board as well!

It's also black and white and read all over. Tee hee.