steph's stuff

A stray arm and other musings

Man, I hate it when this happens.  I glanced over, saw Em sitting like this and quickly snapped the picture before she moved.  Arg - my mil's arm is behind her.  I hate it when that happens!  I can try to get it out with PSE, but I think it would be too noticeable.  Feel free to let me know if you have any ideas? :( 

And, as for my friend, Steph - grrrrrrr, I know Alaska is a long ways away, but I know for a fact that you have email, woman!!!!  Check in with me!!!!

****ETA:  I got an email from Steph!!!!!  Thanks for helping me channel her!!!! :)

I got Super Scouted (denied access from posting messages), but here is
what
I wrote:

I don't know if this is going to post correctly in the right spot, but
here
goes.  This is blog is fantastic!!  You are sooooo creative. I love
your
layouts and color combinations.  These pages are going to be so special
to
the kids when they grow up.  I can't belive how beautiful your children
are.
I am so looking forward to seeing you guys and hanging out for a week. 
I do
a little graphic design here at work, maybe I can help you out with
Photoshop while I'm there.  I'll be saving the link and looking forward
to
new postings.

Looking forward to seeing you.

Love,
Me

Channeling Steph

Okay, so my best friend lives in Alaska.  And, her name is Steph.  And, she's also tall and blond.  She was my maid of honor.  I was her matron of honor.  We haven't spoken much in the past year or so and haven't seen each other in 2 1/2 years.  But.......she's coming to visit me for a week in July!!!!!!!!!!!!  I sent her a link to my blog and told her she has to comment.  I haven't heard back from her yet, so I'm asking for some help in channeling Steph. 

Steph?????  Steph??????  Where are you?????

Morning adventures - in haiku

Wandered aimlessly

Through sites, groups, and many blogs

Waiting for the pub.

*******ETA:  Look in the comments section for a Haiku from L-stand!!!!!!*******  ;)

Getting out of my comfort zone

Getting out of my comfort zone.  Trying something new.  Something to mix it up and get my creativity flowing again.  I've been stuck on one-page layouts for months now and decided to go with a two-pager.  And, then....way out of my box....turn it on its side and make a stacked layout.  It's a very strange size to work with - much larger rectangle than I'm used to creating with.  Still stuck with the clean lines, though.  I wish I hadn't - I really need to push myself more and not just get out of my comfort zone, but get out of my comfort galaxy - do an Ali-inspired artistic layout perhaps.  I always feel that I need to learn more about PSE3 before I can do something artsy, but I think that's just an excuse.  I don't need a computer to be creative, but alas, it's part of my comfort zone, isn't it?  I haven't stamped a title or journaling or really used anything else but the computer for ages now.  And yes, it's clean lines, but I can do more.  I know I can.  Maybe next week?  Anyway, the one on the left is mine. :)   (And I really need to get a scanner - using the digital camera for submissions is getting old and I'm really tired of the crookedness.  As I always say, IRL this is straight. )

Journaling reads: 

Good friends take awhile to become good friends. You’d think Emily and Erica would have been best friends from the beginning, but no. Only 6 months apart in age and they live directly across the street from each other. And there are no other girls their age on our street. Should have been love at first sight. But it wasn’t. When we first moved into the neighborhood four years ago, they did play together a lot. But, they clashed a lot, too. Both first-borns and natural leaders – they both wanted to be “the boss” and that just didn’t work. One of them would get mad at the other, tears would follow, doors would slam, and back home across the street one would run. And, then they’d take a break for awhile. A couple of weeks would go by before they’d get together again. Inevitably, though, one of them would knock on the other’s front door and ask to play. Something just wouldn’t let them give up on the friendship. I’m not sure what it was, but I sure am glad that they persevered. Now, four years later, a lot of maturing later, and they are good friends. Barely a day goes by when our doorbell doesn’t ring or Erica’s doorbell doesn’t ring. And it’s a very happy sound in our house.

New pictures

Drat!!!!  I didn't realize that I lost all of my pictures when I went public with this.  So, here's one I took last weekend at Conner Prairie.

My Liquid Inspirations Info. Sheet

Since I'm thinking of going public with my blog, I thought I'd re-introduce myself.  And, since I already had this written up to go with my Liquid Inspirations layout.....why reinvent the wheel, right?

My name is Stephanie and I’m proud to be a Pubster. My peaname is StephPea. I realize that it’s not the most creative peaname in the world, but it suits me. I started scrapbooking in March 2004 and I have found that it is the most creative outlet I’ve ever had. The only creative outlet I’ve ever had, if I’m totally honest. I never dreamed that I could become a crafty sort. My life has always been about maintaining order.

In a former life, I obtained a law degree and quickly went to work teaching legal writing at a midwestern law school. I helped students learn the “right way” to analyze a case and how best to communicate their argument to the court. I was teaching them to be creative, but I never realized that I could also create. Until I stumbled upon scrapbooking with the help of another attorney friend. Not a day goes by that I don’t create now.

I found twopeasinabucket.com by accident one day while searching online for scrapbooking sites. It took me six more months to stumble into the Pub and it changed my scrapping life forever. The inspiration I find in the Pub on a daily basis blows me away. And not just inspiration – I have found friendship, support, and a network of women who have become a huge part of my life. Becoming a Pubster has been one of the best experiences of my adult life. I am honored to call these amazingly talented women my friends.

I created my Liquid Inspirations page based on a Strawberry Margarita. The theme is sweet and strong – two attributes of my own, I think. As you’ll notice, it has fairly clean lines and a graphic feel, which is really my style. (Still can’t quite get away with the need for order around me.) I played off the “S” in Steph and strawberry to create some type of link between the two, as well as with the words sweet and strong. The photograph is of a strawberry margarita that I made and was taken in my kitchen against a backdrop of a black wool coat.

{I realize that the last paragraph makes no sense without seeing the actual layout, so consider it a sneak peek. :)}

Published!!!!!!

Finally!!!!  Two months after I started submitting LOs for publication, I got an email asking for a LO!!!!!!  Woohoo!!!!  May 23, 2005 - I will remember that date! :)

Now what?

Got the computer back yesterday and spent 8 hours loading all of the systems and programs onto it.  I was getting really excited to have it back and thought we'd be right back in the swing of things.  And, then I went into my favorites and guess what?  It was empty.  A big "oh yeah" yucky moment.  It's my computer, but it's empty.  Nothing on it.  Everything is still gone.  So, now what?  {large sigh}  I guess we just keep going and have hope that we'll recover the contents of the old hard drive.

Here's a funny LO I did while I was waiting for the computer last week.   The journaling reads: Every night before you go to sleep, you "read" books to yourself. You just turned four, so you can't really read the words yet, but you always enjoy looking at the pictures and figuring out the story line. For some reason, you chose one of Sissy's books to take to bed with you tonight and, I'm guessing, that you found it less than stimulating without any pictures to look at.