My digital camera

I've owned a digital camera for about ten years, it has registered over 5600 pictures taken.  I take a lot of pictures.  I love the ease of the digital camera but must admit, using a digital camera was the downfall for my scrapbooking.  Without having to print the pictures to see them, I don't develop very many and therefore, when I go to scrapbook unless it is for a specific event or person, I don't have a plethora of pictures stacked anywhere.  When I have the actual pictures in my hands, I can plan layouts and such with them.  I also digitally store my pictures on Shutterfly.  Which brings me to a happy note. Twice in the last month, I have qualified for 50 free prints from Shutterfly.  I just placed my second order and they were shipped last night.  That gives me 100 pictures to organize and to begin thinking about scrapbook layouts. 

I've been working on a few Halloween cards lately.  I'm having surgery mid-October and am not to sure what my mobility will be so I want to get a jump on things.  I'm hoping to make a few Thanksgiving cards this weekend. Here are a few of the Halloween cards I made.

I also made a Get Well card for someone at work who had major surgery.

Hopefully I'll post some Thanksgiving cards after this weekend. 

New Year...new roommate

Daughter #3 moved off to college late last month so that meant new memo boards for her and her roommate.  Just finished them earlier this week for the roommates birthday.

This is the roommates board.  Her bedding is a light green with white stripes so I went a little girly with hers.  Not sure if it is a good fit, she's a lacrosse player but I liked the look of the light green and pink.

#3 Daughter is into black and white and damask prints (that is what her bedding is) so I went with a black and white theme but added raspberry fleur de lis' to it. I also blinged it out with a rhinestone monogram and shimmery ribbon!

I've also been making Halloween cards, once I finish all of them, I'll post.

I'm a collector

Yep, I collect things, all types of things. Now, this is not to say I am a hoarder.  I think I know the difference between trash and memorabilia. (Just don't ask my husband.)  I collect ticket stubs, appointment cards, magazine articles, recipes, web site addresses, grocery receipts (I think this goes back to my rebate days), cards from all the flowers my husband (of 29 years) has sent me, corks, buttons, every card that my husband or four children have given me.  I use to save wrapping paper but decided that was silly (??).  I even collect scrapbook paper...

I am a self-confessed paper junkie.  I see something I like and I buy it.  I have an entire collection of papers for children layouts but, my youngest is 18!  I see it and think "Oh that would make a great lay-out for" (insert any event in the world, I have a paper or embellishment that could cover it). I also collect embellishments for much the same reason. I'll see something and think "hey I could do a lay-out of this (insert event: birthday, vacation, zoo, etc)  and add this (any variety of embellishment I happen to be holding) with that paper (that I have at home) and have a cute layout".  But then I'll think about using that embellishment or that paper and think "Wait! What if I want to use it for something else?" so I will buy all new paper, etc for a layout I don't necessarily know of.

But I digress; I collect. So when K&Company came out with the Smash Book I though my dreams had come true. Well I didn't exactly think that, but I did think "now I have a place for all that crap I store in my calendar". And that it what I am doing. When I see a website that I want to visit, I write it in my Smash book. When I see a creative idea I like, I put it in my Smash book.  When I think of a cute scrapbook page idea, I sketch it in my Smash book. My calendar is a little thinner and my purse is no longer full of ticket stubs, receipts, etc. that use to accumulate there.  I was reading about how to use the Smash book and many are using it as a chronological type scrapbook, I stressed myself out trying to figure out how I wanted to use it and decided just to use it and not worry about an end product. So far...so good.

Below is a picture of 2 pages I have in my Smash book with ideas for my sons' upcoming wedding.

I bought the "black" Smash book. I can't quite remember why but, I remember that I either wanted the black, red or pink one.  And being a collector, I also bought the large rubber bands that you keep around the Smash book so nothing falls out, the cute little packet of Smash tabs, Smash stickies, Smash pockets, and not one but 2 Smash pads. I even bought the rubber stamp but have a hard time wanting to carry it around with me. Yeah I collect. I'm sure there's a support group for this sort of thing but, until I start creating paths in my home with my "collections" we're not going to worry about it.