My new favorite page

Made this one of the computer last night/this morning. I love, love, love it. I've been feeling so uncreative, so uninspired lately, that it was just what I needed right now. I'm totally ordering copies of this from scrapbookpictures and it's going on my wall.

The background and quote are from designerdigitals. The font is AL Charisma. I used the photoblast color vivid on all the pictures. 

Fun with actions

All actions are from photoblast. Excuse the imperfection of the color select, it's lateish and I didn't feel like taking the time to make it just right. Good enough for now.


 

Radio Silent

Sorry I haven't written lately (bad blogger!). I just haven't had a lot to say. I bought some actions for Photoshop elements and I'm waiting for them to be sent to me so I'm basically checking my email, oh, every other minute in anticipation.

My mama

My mama is just the best. She's my best friend. I'm not even exaggerating a little when I say she's the nicest, kindest, best person I know. All the things that are good in me, I got them from her. So happy mother's day to my mama, I love you so. 

Checking things off my list

I feel like I got a lot done today.

First, I'll start with the picture off to the side. I take care of the nursery during Sunday school at my church. I took pictures of the kids this morning, then turned them black and white on the computer, fussed with the lighting a bit, and put the text on them. I'm going to print them off and put them in these little frames for their moms for Mother's Day. I think they turned out really well.

I also did a little scrapbooking, I finished up my pages for the circle journal swap we're doing.

I made this hanging ribbon frame thing for one of the Making Memories Home Decor kit for my mom for Mother's Day. I'll take a picture of it after I give it to her, it looks really good.

And finally, I burned my April pictures to a disk, since I somehow forgot to do that on the first (I'm usually so good at it, too!).

 

NSD

Happy national scrapbooking day to all my scrappy happy friends. I won't be around much to scrap today, but I did make this this morning. Just me getting crazy with brushes and photoshop (all brushes are from 2peas and designerdigitals). Have fun today! 

Sometimes when you're doing simple things around the house, maybe you'll think of me and smile

This was a blog challenge from one of the scrapbooking websites I go to: Blog about someone you miss. They may have passed on, they may just not be in the same geographic area anymore, you may have just lost touch. Add a picture if you like. If you had the opportunity to ask them just one question, what would it be??

I've been missing my grandfather the last few months. He died a year and a half ago, right after Thanksgiving. I don't know why I've been thinking about him so much lately, but I have. I don't know that there is anything I'd really want to ask him, mostly I think I'd just want to tell him that I love him and I miss him.

Thursday things that make me happy

My hair. After saying for years I was going to grow out my hair and giving up, I'm finally doing it. It's been eleven months since I had any length cut off my hair. It makes me happy every time I see it.
Picking out flowers. I love walking through the nursery, seeing all the different flowers. So many colors, so inspiring.
This little shelf, which seems very me right now. Love the letters from Target. Love the drumsticks. Love the picture of me and my momma.
This shirt, from the dove campaign for real beauty. A cause and a statement I really believe in. I hope they accomplish everything they've set out to and more.
















And, I don't have a picture for this one, but I'm getting my guitar next weekend. I need to get some guitar playing for dummies book from Borders. 

Just another manic Monday

How I spend my Monday nights...my big head, the prettiest boy on tv, and my current favorite show. 

That's just who I am this week.

I feel, at the moment, like I have too many thoughts in my head, so if this is rambling, sorry. I have issues sometimes, putting myself out there here. It's really easy to talk about how much I love Prison Break (so much!) or the Weepies (ditto) but not so easy to talk about the stuff that really matters (not that Prison Break doesn't matter, because I really think it does. Also, Wentworth Miller is very, very pretty). Part of it is because it involves my family, and my family (well, one half of my family anyway) is really, very private. And that has spilled over onto me, all their secrets became mine even though I never agreed to keep them. I've really struggled with that the last few years, honestly it just weighs me down sometimes.

I've been joking for the last few months that I was trying to be nicer for Lent. In reality, I just made this choice, to try to be a nicer person. I can be very kind and sweet and loving to the people I like, but I'm kind of awful to everybody else, at least some of the time. I can be really warm around the people I love, but I don't think I'm really a warm person. Anyway, I'm not sure the being nicer thing is really working out, but I'm trying.

All this leads me to the point of this entry, though I feel like I've been circling around it for ages without actually landing . I have a great aunt who just recently moved to my town to live in the nursing home after a year or more of a lot of drama in her life (which I don't feel comfortable sharing, because that's my story). And I know that the nice person thing to do is go see her because she's had an awful time and I'm sure she's lonely and there are a million other reasons to go. But I don't want to. Because my whole life, this woman has been awful to me. I mean, don't get me wrong, she never like, abused me or anything, she was just mean to me (not just me, either, my cousins too, and actually, probably, every little kid she ever came across. The woman was not child friendly). I just...I don't know. If I was the person I'd like to be, I'd go. I'd forgive her for things that happened years ago and feel sorry for her and go. But since I'm me...I don't go. And I don't even really feel bad about it, and that's what worries me. I'd like to not be that cold.

Artsy

Since I got my camera, I've been trying to learn how to take better pictures. It's sort of a one step forward, twenty steps back thing, for everything I learn and manage to remember, there seem to be a dozen I forget about. Or stuff I don't exactly forget forever, but forget to do in the moment.

Anyway, I took this picture last night (don't worry, I wasn't driving) and it pretty much turned out exactly how I wanted it to. So, happiness. 

Quickly

Going out of town (shopping today, yay!) so I though I would leave you with a link to my twopeas gallery: http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/userprofile.asp?user_id=105904

Happy friday!

Meme

I got this from one of the girls who shops at the same scrapbook store as I do, Kris.

Five minutes to yourself:
I'd paint my toenails.

Five bucks to spend right now:
I'd like to say I'd work on paying off my camera, but I think I'd probably buy more cheap flip flops.

Five items in your house you could part with, right now, that you hadn't thought of already?
Old clothes, books I'll never read, hair stuff I'll never use, some of my old playstation games, computer programs I don't use any more

Five items you absolutely, positively could never part with in your house?
My camera, a pair of flip flops, my computer, tv, and a copy of either the Lovely Bones or the Time Travelers Wife.

Five words you love?
Discombobulated is my favorite word...i don't know about the others...

Things

In no particular order:

• I'm obsessed with The Weepies cd right now. Can't stop listening to it. Good, good stuff there.
• I'm also obsessed with Prison Break. I think Wentworth Miller is my new George Clooney (not that I don't still love my old George Clooney) in that I'd watch him in anything.
• The layout I posted at 2peas got the most response of anything I've ever posted, which is cool, because I really love the page.
• My car has a flat tire. I knew my tires were getting bad, but put off getting new tires.
• I need help from all my bloggy readers, for a scrapbook page I'm doing. I need you all to describe me in one word. I promise I'll post the page when I get it done.

One cool {Ali} cat

I love this girlie. Miss Ali E. For so many reasons. First, because she's just one cool chica. Second, because she's so easy and fun to just hang out with. And third, because I've just learned so much from her.

I met Ali for the first time last summer and I've been in touch with her ever sense. I really believe in her whole philosophy about scrapbooking, embracing imperfection, not making things harder than they are, letting things go, it is okay. I'm really inspired by her.

I have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). And I want to say right now, that I feel really lucky, because while I have it a lot worse than most people know, I know that it could be so, so much worse, and I am really grateful for that. And I met Ali at a time where I really needed to hear what she was saying, where it's really helped me a lot in fighting this disorder, as much as one can fight something like this (perhaps overcome is a better word). It is okay.

And I'm a little better, just from knowing her. 

freebies

I have an XL pink life artist shirt from Ali Edwards cafepress store that doesn't fit me. I contacted Cafepress and they're sending me the right shirt, so I'll send my shirt to the first person who askes for i. If nobody responds by Monday morning I'll give it to one of the girls I crop with Monday night. :)

I do my own stunts

There's so much I could talk about. I could talk about the pretty flowers that are getting ready to bloom in my front yard. Or I could talk about my job searching. Or I could talk about getting ready to go to Ali Edwards classes this weekend. Instead, I'll tell you my daily walmart story.

I was loading up the back of my SUV today after I got done shopping. I have one of those SUVs where the spare tire swings shut behind the back door thingy. So I got everything loaded and went to swing the tire closed and it didn't catch and swung back right into me. I kind of stumbled backwards (but didn't fall!) and started laughing. Then this other guy who was in the parking lot started laughing too. I should have taken a bow or something. 

24 on the 24th

Today is my birthday. I can remember being a little kid and feeling like there were two things that wouldn't come for forever. The year 2000, when I would graduate from high school, and turning 24 on the 24th which is totally magical, of course.

I've been really excited for my birthday all week (the presents!), so last night at midnight (this morning, actually, I guess) I had my little birthday cupcake. Tonight I'm having dinner with my parents and grandfather, Sunday I'm having a little party with some friends. Good stuff. 

Excitement

At least for me.

1) I got tickets to see Stars on Ice in July. We're going for my mom's birthday and Michelle Kwan is supposed to be there. I'm super excited, because she's my favorite skater.

2) Rent and Hairspray are coming this summer to this outdoor ampitheater that has musicals in the summer. Can't wait to get tickets.

Pretty good day, all in all.

What goes around comes around

I'm going to be in a circle journal group. I'm really excited about it. I was nervous, at first, about being in charge of the whole thing, but I don't think I've screwed up anything so far (granted, though, we haven't even really started yet, so it's probably too soon to tell). It's with a bunch of the girls from the forum for the scrapbook store I always go to. My theme is favorite quotes because I'm so obsessed with them. The other themes look like they're going to be super fun to do, too. I just need to get my book, I already have all the plans in my head.