Too Much Spongebob?

Kevin says he's hungry.
Tommy asks what he wants for lunch.
He replies, dead serious, "A peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich."
Tee-hee-hee!

He realizes what he said only after we crack up laughing!

Yep...too much Spongebob.

Anticlimatic Christmas

When the youngest woke us up at 7:00 AM this morning, we woke the rest of the kids too. Everyone went into the family room to see what Santa left and we exchanged presents. Meanwhile, Kevin had been digging into his stocking (Hershey's miniatures, sweet tarts, peanut M&Ms, etc.) and into the bowl on the table filled with Hershey's kisses. Soon he's complaining of a stomache ache and leaning over the toilet. I convinced him to go lay down and he slept for three hours but when he woke up and he still felt like he had to throw up. So here we are at home. On Christmas Day. Everyone is at my mom and dad's and here I am with Kevin and his Spongebob DVD. Hee-hee. I am so glad the cartoon is taking his mind off of everything he's missing.

Laura sat with Kevin while we brought the turkey over and I brought a plate of food back home with me. After they finish dinner, Tommy is going to trade places andI can go visit for a while. Then we'll trade places again this evening so he can go visit his mom.

The weather is fitting...overcast and dreary, looks like rain.

Deja-Vu

I am making reservations for evacuating! (Same day last year we were booking our rooms in Jackson, MS.!!!) I tried to ignore things at first, but my sister AND my mom called this morning saying that they are booking rooms and our favorite places are already sold out! :shock: Where do I want to vacation now? Destin? the mountains? Sea World in San Antonio? LOL! Might as well make it fun this time!

Well, we ended up booking 8 rooms (big extended family) in Memphis for Wednesday 4 nights. I'm hoping that we really don't need to go. But better to have those reservations and not use them than to be a wandering bunch of gypsies, unable to find a room at the inn! LOL! Been there...done that!

Textbook Costs

This just burns me up! Julie is going to college part time with only THREE courses this semester. She came home with her books today. She was able to get one of them used, but the others she had to buy new. (You know...the updated edition where the only update is the change in the copyright year on the second page. Grrrr!)

$600---Six hundred dollars! That is just ridiculous! And of course when she goes to sell them back she will get hardly anything for them...that is if she gets anything. They are good at changing books every year.

What gives? They are taking students (and their parents) to the cleaners.

Sketchlift a Friend

From the LM Archives

Sketchlift a Friend

By: Franny Lesniak, Design Team Member

It’s still summer, and very likely your scrapping time is at high premium. Did you follow Vickie’s suggestion and tips from her article in last week’s Lifetime Moments newsletter to select a layout or two of your own creation and scraplift it? If so, how did it go? Did the process occur more quickly than the first time around? Are you ready for some more scraplifting tips? Well, stay tuned, as I’m going to give you more pointers to complete layouts while shaving time off of the creation process.

This week, the topic is generating a sketch based on a layout that was created not by you this time, but by a friend or other scrapper whose work you admire.

When you see a layout that especially strikes your fancy, what is it in particular that you like about that layout? Is it the color scheme? Is it a particular use of an embellishment? Did that person make use of a design element that stood out? Or was it the overall basic design - the structural foundation - of the layout that you found appealing? Identifying the specific part of the layout that you might want to emulate will help you in the jotting down and sketching process.

Sometimes all you need to do is to jot down some notes about the color scheme that you liked, while other times you might want to draw a quick sketch of the layout, which may include just the basic bones design, or it may include more detail than that. Whatever the case may be, make sure to always have a notebook or sketchbook nearby so that you can record these inspirations. Some people find it helpful to use graph paper when making sketches. Just remember, you don’t have to be a talented sketch artist to get down the gist of the design elements!

Another point to remember – when perusing the gallery, if a particular layout strikes you, but you feel that it doesn’t really suit your style, don’t be dissuaded from sketching out the design. Focus on the basic bones structure. Keep an eye out for balance. Once you have made your sketch or notes, then all you have to do is fill in the blanks. You get to make the selection of papers and embellishments, which will result in a layout that will reflect your own style and flair.

Don’t forget, a sketch doesn’t tie you to any commitments. If as you create your sketch you think that this round element in the original design would look better in that location on your layout, and maybe as a different shape entirely, don’t hesitate to make the changes that you feel would work better for you. The sketch is only a starting place. You are free to take creative license and make it your own.

Once you get into the habit of sketching, I am willing to wager that you will find that this little bit of effort may make a significant difference in your creative process. You may begin to find inspiration all around you, all the time. But without making sketches and notes of these moments of inspiration, they can easily slip into the part of the universe where uncaptured inspirations go, sad and unused. Don’t contribute to the waste of perfectly good inspirations! Make sketches!

If creating sketches just isn’t your thing, but creating layouts based on sketches does work for you, then be sure to take a look at these books by Becky Higgins (“Creative Sketches for Scrapbooking”, and “Creative Sketches for Scrapbooking2”). Her sketches will certainly provide you with some great inspiration!

On a final note, there is truly nothing like the good feeling that comes from asking a friend if you can scraplift her layout. Just try it, you will see. :wink:

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Design Team Examples

To view all layout ideas and products used, please be sure to visit the Design Team Gallery: Sketchlift a Friend

Or Click each image below to see a larger view!

Sonya		Scraplifted From ConnieT
		Scraplifted From Mestebla
		Scraplifted From Purplbtrfly
Franny		Scraplifted from Scrappin Jenn
		Scraplifted from Debbie V
Susan		Scraplifted From Deblew
		Scraplifted From EdFred
		Scraplifted From Annalee
Miranda		Scraplifted From RJNetta
		Scraplifted From Debbie King
Madeline		Scraplifted From Joannie
		Scraplifted From LaLunatique’s
Nancy		Scraplifted From Clairbug
		Scraplifted From Melissa in SC

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Scrapbooker's Summer Survival Guide

From the LM Archives

Scrapbooker’s Summer Survival Guide

By: Madeline Fox, Design Team Member

“99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer. Take one down and pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall!” Endless rounds of the aforementioned song would drive just about anyone nuts, so before embarking on a family road trip, most parents pick out a few well loved CDs (or DVDs) to stash in the car. Since a little preparation can make a big difference in the outcome of ANY summertime activity, family photographers, scrapbookers, and memory keepers would do well to heed this advice and do a little prep work before getting too caught up in the lazy hazy days of summer.

Remember that old scout motto, Be Prepared! Good advice if when you want to capture the season in photographs! Have that camera easily accessible and always ready to go, with fresh charged batteries, extra film and/or a clean memory card. (Kate keeps her camera and an extra memory card in the kitchen near the door, charger plugged into the wall, so that as she goes out the door she can “grab and go”, and not have to worry about dead batteries or full cards.) If you are leery about taking your good camera to the beach or on a boat, purchase a water resistant disposable, always a good choice for events like canoeing or snorkeling.

Along with the change in temperatures, summer brings a change in schedules and routines. The days are longer, the nights shorter and for many kids it’s a welcome respite from school and homework! This is a magical time for children, but while filling their summer with memorable moments, you may find that there is little time left to scrap them! You will need to set up a new schedule for your scrapping as well. If evenings that were once relegated to creating are now spent at the ballpark, try scrapping in the morning while the kids are sleeping in. Prepare a little tote bag to take with you to the beach or pool, and include idea books, magazines, notebooks and pencils. Do your planning on the go so that when you finally sit down to work, you can make the most of your time. Journal events as they occur instead of waiting until you get the photos back. It feels great to have that task done ahead of time!

While looking forward to summer activities, take a moment to look back at the milestones that have just passed. Now is the time to create that special page honoring a favorite teacher, scrap school memorabilia, and create a layout or mini-album that provides an overview of the past school year. Summarize the year while it’s still fresh in your mind! Or, for an unparalleled perspective, ask your child to take over some of the journaling duties.

With all the possibilities that summer holds, you’ll still hear it eventually…”I’m bored.” No reason for that! Give your kids their own spiral bound sketchbook and let them in on the fun! A summer journal is something that will give young ones much needed practice with scissors and writing, while affording older children the chance to work on organizing thoughts and creating something that will be a keepsake well beyond their childhood. Have them use these pages to keep track of books read, recount family stories, list favorite activities and places visited. They will enjoy including ephemera such as brochures and ticket stubs and are sure to feel quite special when you let them use some of your supplies.

While there’s no shortage of scrapbooking subjects this time of year (pool play, beach vacations, road trips, ball games and outings to the park or zoo), you may want to take a fresh approach when photographing these events and don’t forget to include everyday reminders of the season. While photographing your little one with Popsicle dripping down his chin, don’t forget a shot of the ice cream truck as it comes down the street. When at the beach or pool, get a picture of your tote bag brimming with colorful towels and sunscreen, sunglasses clipped to the side. Photograph your favorite shady spot in the yard with your tea glass sweating on the table. And don’t forget to get yourself in those pictures! Ask another parent along on an outing and take turns photographing each other’s families.

Hope you have found some of these tips to be helpful! When you’re searching for papers to scrap those memories, check through this list of summer-inspired collections in the Lifetime Moments store:

• 7-gypsies-lots of fun florals and gorgeously colored patterns in these island-inspired papers.
• Carolee’s Creations-a plethora of papers specifically geared towards some of our favorite seasonal subjects such as Camping, Graduation, BBQ, Summertime, and Freedom.
• Daisy D’s sidewalk chalk collection…funky collection of beautifully patterned papers in a bright palette toned down by its scuffed-up look. And just in…the new Girlfriend’s line, awash with summer color!
• Doodlebug-The Summer and Uncle Sam collections from their Spring 2006 release include papers and accents (buttons, jellishments, flowers, and clips) sure to mesh with your seasonal photos.
• Flair Designs-Additions to their popular Summer fun collection include the most precious swim suit papers, bright tropical patterns of fish or flowers and a sunny towel stripe paper, rubons, tags, and scrap beads.
• Foofala Going Places collection-beautifully colored collection of travel papers and accessories (printed twill, buttons, rub-ons, epoxy stickers and tags)
• Paper Salon’s Cabana and Palazzo papers speak of summer fun and travel respectively.
• Pebbles, Inc. has you covered with the most precious BBQ, Outdoors, and Zoo themed papers, stickers, market tags and their new unique magnetic clips.
• Nunn Design Decorative Details Summertime Embellishment Kit -includes mini frames, flower brad accessories and decorative paper clips.

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Mini Feature: Bazzill Shadow Box Frames

By: Nancy Thomas, Design Team Member

Home décor products have exploded in the scrapbooking industry this year, and one of our favorites is the new shadow box frame by Bazzill. These freestanding quality-made boxes have hooks inside the top which hold a plastic sleeve where you slide in your layouts for display in your home! What a fun gift for grandparents too! They come in both 8x8 and 12x12 sizes!

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Design Team Examples

To view all layout ideas and products used, please be sure to visit the Design Team Gallery: Scrapbooker’s Survival Guide

Madeline Susan 

FrannyMiranda

Nancy Sonya Tracy

Beshka

Beach or Bust

We LOVE to vacation with our extended families and have been renting a succession of condos/townhouses on the beach in Florida for many years. Some years it all pulls together and we ALL can make it and it is a blast, kids running everywhere, poker games way into the night. Well, the place we had been booking was wiped out two years ago in a hurricane, so last year we didn't go anywhere...except that unplanned 3-week evacuation/vacation. Kinda good we had money set aside for that little adventure, huh?!

Fast forward to this year! We finally found a place that had 5 condos available right on the beach with a pool, on one of our favorite beaches. Everyone had their vacations set aside, my sister that lives in Jupiter is driving in. We have been looking forward to this for so long! Can't wait!

Then we get a call from the Realty office..."So sorry, but the pool (which had been toppled during the aforementioned hurricane) will not be ready." BUMMER! While it's not the end of the world for ME, my sil won't go now. She said they will only go somewhere with a pool. Guess we'll miss them!

It is nice to have a pool for those times when there's thick seaweed or jellyfish swarms, but just give me white sand, gulf breezes and a good book and I'm happy! Destin, here we come!

Good Mail Day

Guess what came in the mail today? Laura's DIPLOMA! We have a college graduate now! One down...four to go! MawMaw doesn't understand why she didn't go to her graduation. But since these last couple of semesters were on-line because of Katrina, she hasn't set foot on campus in over a year. So it's not an emotional kind of thing like in high school. She's just glad to get it done...and I was wondering if I'd ever see the day. She has dragged this out for 7 years! But in her defense, she has been working full time also. So good for her! I'm proud as can be!

Volunteering...do you?

"Each day I arise torn between the desire to improve the World & the desire to enjoy the world. This makes it difficult to plan the day." -EB White.

I have always loved doing things with the kids' school, being daisy leader, room mother, etc., but I started on a new endeavor recently. When we came back home after Katrina, I vowed to do something more. First, with the kids all tossed around and enrolled at different schools with platooning, etc. I was unable to do ANYTHING but play taxi driver. Now that things have settled down, I began volunteering with the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. Although my first wish was to work on site, that's not where they needed me most. So, although I don't drive nails, I have been doing something that is even MORE challenging to me. Yesterday, I was given a list of things they really need to have donated....BIG things...forklifts, skid loaders, heavy duty trailers, utility carts, etc. Eeeeek! I think I bit off more than I can chew! I have a hard time asking someone to buy RAFFLE TICKETS and now I have to respectfully ask these big companies for THIS! Ooops.

Your Vacation Spot

From the LM Archives 

Product Feature: Your Vacation Spot

By Vickie Brown, Design Team Member

Spring is officially here and the unofficial beginning of the vacation season is upon us! From Spring Break in Florida, an anniversary trip to Sedona or camping on Memorial Day weekend, vacation plans are in the works!

This week, the Lifetime Moments Design Team would like to aid in your vacation photo planning and scrapping. As a child my family took very few vacations, so vacations and their memories are really precious to me. I always feel a bit intimidated and want to do just the “right” pages and take just the “right” photos. I’d like to share a few ideas with you that might help during this vacation season.

• Take lots of photos. The more you have to work with, the happier you’ll be! Have plenty of film or space on your memory cards. It’s also a good idea to download onto a laptop or have disks made every few days, just as a precautionary measure.
• Get photo ideas from postcards and brochures! They have certainly looked for the most scenic or exciting spots for their advertisements!
• Get closer! Professional photographers suggest that you get twice as close as you think you should get to take the photo…you’ll often get better photos if you zoom in close to your subjects.
• Zoom in from afar! Do you have a child who enjoys cheesy grins while being photographed? Being further away allows you to get “real” shots of people. These are often my favorite photos!
• Get in FRONT of the camera! Hand the camera to a friend, your spouse, your child or even a stranger… I have done this on several occasions and I’ve never had to chase down the person running away with my camera (this is what my husband envisions happening…) I often see someone taking a photo of their “group” and ask if they’d like me to take a picture of the entire group for them, then will ask if they would do the same for me. It’s a win/win situation!
• Take your tripod! You’ll want to practice this at home, but once you’ve gotten used to it, it’s a great tool!
• Plan your wardrobe. It might sound silly, but this suggestion serves two purposes—not only are your subjects “coordinated”, which makes choosing papers MUCH easier, but it’s also easy to spot your family or group in a crowd.
• Take notes! Journaling is easier when you have detailed notes. Spend a few moments each day jotting down the highlights—names of places you’ve visited, funny things that have been said or that have happened. It will make journaling a breeze!
• Keep it together! Take a folder or large envelope to hold ticket stubs, postcards and brochures from the places you’ve visited.
• Get a fresh perspective! From photos to journaling, get the input of others with you. Ask your child what stands out to him and take a picture. Hand the pen to your husband for his thoughts on the day.
• Be real! Did you get lost on the way to the hotel or have a flat tire while traveling home? Take photos of these unplanned events that happen to us all! It will likely be a funny memory later!

From Saturday trips to the park to Alaskan cruises, this is the season for fun photography while having a little “down time”. Have fun with your photos, be sure to journal your thoughts, and check out the Design Team gallery for ideas on scrapping those precious vacation photos!

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Design Team Examples

To view all layout ideas and products used, please be sure to visit the Design Team Gallery: Your Vacation Spot

Nancy  Wendy

BeshkaMadeline

 Vickie Susan

Franny Miranda

Stitch It Up

From the LM Archives

Product Feature: Stitch It Up!

By Margaret Winters, Design Team Member

When you hear or read the word 'sewing', what comes to mind? Maybe fond memories of your Grandma or Mom sitting at her sewing machine making clothes for you when you were a child? Or perhaps you, yourself, love the craft.  I would almost bet, though, there are several persons who could admit they had never used a sewing machine or hand stitched anything until sewing became a popular trend in the scrapbooking industry.  For several years now, sewing has been an enduring technique used in scrapbooking and card making.  Whether by hand or machine, the look is classic and timeless.

What if you don't have a sewing machine or the room for one? Or you just can't justify spending the money on a machine just to be able to use it for scrapbooking?  Over the last few years there have been several scrapbooking companies who have offered wonderful alternatives to get the look of stitching without the machine such as hand stitching templates, patterned papers with stitching, and rub ons. Just recently, to add to that list, several manufacturers are offering stamps with faux stitching patterns. This week, it is my pleasure to introduce to you, four new stamp sets that offer unlimited possibilities of creating the look of stitching without the needle and thread.

• Leave Memories Clear Stitch Me Stamps . This new set of clear acrylic stamps offers nine different stitching patterns including a herringbone pattern plus two different distinct zig zag stitches, one of the more popular stitches among scrapbookers. While this set doesn't mimic the perfect seamstress line, it can quickly and easily add that homespun feel to any layout! This set also includes a few bonus images of stitched hearts and an envelope clasp.
• Technique Tuesdays’ Hanging by a Thread stamp set . With 12 different stitches to choose from, you can put your sewing machine up for sale! You are sure to find the stitch you are looking for and get that perfect stitched look with these detailed stamps. Because of the pliability of the soft acrylic, both the Leave Memories and the Technique Tuesday stamps can be bent to go around corners or provide even more versatility in your scrapbooking or card making.
• Fontwerks debuted seven new stamp sets at CHA in January. One of those sets is devoted to the faux stitcher in all of us! These stamps will soon be added to the wonderful collection of Fontwerks stamps in the store here at Lifetime Moments.
• Sassafrass Lass has several new stamp sets that have been up for preorder for several weeks now and are expected to arrive any day. The Stitched Borders set includes patterns of straight stitches, zig-zags, flowers, dots, and several more fun patterns. The Blooms N’ Stalks set has several different fun flower patterns to use on little girl, spring and Easter layouts or just to add a little extra pizzazz to those everyday layouts and handmade cards. Sassafrass Lass went one step further with the stitched look with their two new lines of alphabet nesting stamps. The Sew Simple set is a fun sophisticated lower case font including a shadow and a stitched pattern of each letter, while the Jumbo Stitched set is also a lower case font featuring more of a bold classic font that includes four fun background blocks that can be layered behind the letters for a fun creative look.

Sassafrass Lass has really outdone themselves, because not only are they offering four new stitching stamp sets, they just released two new patterned paper sets that adorn wonderful fun colorful stitching patterns. These new lines, In Stitches and Sew Fine , can help you achieve the look of stitching without the fuss of a sewing machine! The colors and patterns make them perfect for adding a homemade feel to spring, heritage, or just about any kind of layout!

When you don’t have the energy to drag out your clunky old heavy sewing machine, or don’t have a machine, these new stamp sets are sure to help you achieve the look of stitching without having to get out the needle and thread. What is even more exciting is every ink pad you own offers you another color of 'stitching' to choose from! No need to change the spool and bobbin. You can go straight to the stitching fun! 

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Design Team Examples

To view all layout ideas and products used, please be sure to visit the Design Team Gallery: Stitch it Up!

Margaret Beshka

 GayleFranny

 Sonya Madeline

 Wendy Vickie