CKU Reunion Wrap Up

Finally. Here are the goods people....

During the CKU Reunion in La Jolla I took an album track called "Got Your Number." It was taught by Creating Keepsakes creative editor Megan Hoeppner. (Can I just say that it was beyond wonderful to meet her...she is a wonderful teacher and so so sweet.) Her class was THE best. I am so happy that I took it. We made the most amazing album under her guidance.

First I'll set up the ambiance. We enter the room and are handed this huge box of supplies for our album. (Woohoo for huge boxes of supplies!) Megan had a playlist of different songs going and she is so clever that each of the songs included references to numbers. (I had "Jenny I got your number, 8675309iiiyine playing in my head for the first few hours...thanks Megan. ha!) So the scene was set and boy let me tell you it really was all about the numbers... There was cute little banners and decor on the walls...

And a fun table where we would be able to "shop" for layout candy...

My photos really don't do it justice. I seriously die for this apothecary chest. She said she got it at an antique shop as well as the old school flash cards.

 So cool right? She did all of this work to get us into the number mood...

Ok. So here is what I created...the cover of the album...

 I give that stunning ribbon TWO thumbs up and a big Y-U-M.

Title page...

First few layouts...Favorite time of day..

Sudoku inspired layout...

25 ways we have fun...

 Notice anything new and inventive on this page?

Those are cupcake liners, people. CUPCAKE liners! How sweet is that?

This is my work table. I have to admit the clutter during these classes sort of puts a kink in my creative flow...but I just decided to embrace the mess and create in spite of it...

Bucket List layout....

I've always wanted to create a page for my bucket list. This is just 10 of the items on it. But I love the layout and the fact that Megan encouraged us to choose things we haven't and HAVE done. Plus we each made our own fabric paper flower. Bonus!

Remember that table I showed you earlier? This is the layout that ties that all in together. We each got to shop the different number options she had available for our projects...Here is July 26

Megan asked us to choose two significant years in our life and bring pictures that corresponded. I chose these two because they just happened to be on the same date...and one is from our wedding day! Fun concept. I'd love to do more of these glimpses of time.

So that was the class. She had bingo (more numbers), a math game, and other fun numbo jumbo for prizes. It was such a fun time. I'm not kidding when I say I was bummed to have to walk out of there after 8 hours knowing that the class was over. I wanted Megan to teach us for the next day too! But alas, that was not the plan.

Seriously though, I get it. Now I fully understand why women (let's be real, there are no men) go to these events year after year all over the country. You get a chance to meet incredible like minded people. Preserving our families memories is important to all of us for whatever reason....and we all go about doing it in different ways. This is a place to come learn some new and interesting things from some of the best in the industry. And meet great new friends along the way...

I'm talking about you, girls! :)

See you next time. I simply wouldn't miss it!

For the Love of the Kids

Busy, busy, too busy.  Between now and January our family is in over drive. Nakiah has soccer playoffs and basketball overlapping. Evareaux is running around like a mad woman talking in full sentences and trying to make friends wherever she goes. And Aidan has a big birthday coming up next week. Mix in there a trip for me to Ontario for the scrapbook expo and coming off of the inspiration of the CKU weekend (I finally managed to take down the Halloween decor today! Yeah!)....yes we are super busy. I am sure you can all relate.

To tide you over until I can finish up my CK project I will share three things. A layout for each of my kiddos. It is rarely balanced out that I create one for each of them in a sitting...but I noticed the other day that I had actually done it!

"His Future is so Bright"...

"A day in the Sunshine"...

"AB" (my nickname for him)...

These all came together really quickly. I started with the photos, picked out some coordinating supplies and just adhered my little heart out. I'm pleased with each one for different reasons. I love the title on Nakiah's because it suits him so well...the use of a postal pix instagram photo and regular print on Evareaux's...and fun layering on AB's.  Mostly though, I am proud I made one for each kid! No favorites here, no sir. :)

Ok, my allotted 15 minutes of blogging time is up and I am now making us late for the first of a double header soccer game day....man I love my kids.

As Promised

Since I am a girl who likes to keep her word I have some photos of things I made at CKU. But first I want to show off some family photos from last night...

Carving Pumpkins...

 She kept licking the outside...

 Aidan had some serious focus going...

In their costumes...

Aidan the sorcerer...

 Nakiah the Skeleton Reaper...

 Evareaux, terrified of her brothers costumes...

Luckily she got over it quickly and we managed to have a wonderful time trick or treating.

Ok. On to some CKU Reunion goodness. On the first night we were whisked hither and fro to make all kinds of fun little things. The first one was this tray...

Each teacher at the event taught us a square or two. Of course I had to sort of do my own thing with the supplies that they handed out. I'll use it as a nice Fall decoration.

Here is a fun bracelet we made with the help of Megan Hoeppner. It took less than 10 minutes....

On the second night during the crop they handed us this bag of stuff. Random paper, some tickets, maps, book pages, rub ons, stickers, a manilla folder, etc. Then they said to go ahead and make a journal for ourselves. No examples or directions were provided. I decided to embrace the challenge. This is what I came up with...

It was a lot of fun to just do my own thing with these items I had no hand in picking out. I'm pleased with the result and what I learned. This project would be a great stash buster...and it goes to show that you can throw together the most random supplies and make something you never thought of making before. Maybe you should try it too!

One of my core classes on Saturday was called "She Made Today Count," taught by Christy Tomlinson. I made this mixed media canvas...

This was by far my favorite non-scrapping class. We did use a lot of scrap supplies....rub-ons, ink, stamps, patterned paper, glue, pens, and markers. Any time I can just layer and doodle and anything goes I am so in. This class was totally inspiring, I didn't want to leave! ...and I don't consider this piece finished by any stretch of the imagination. I plan to add my texture, shading, and tons and tons of doodling. I totally recommend checking out Christy's site cuz she's got a lot of rad stuff going on over there.

Ok. That is enough CKU talk for one day. There is more to share but that will have to wait for another day. I am still recovering from all of the fun. :)

This is Halloween

The CKU Reunion in La Jolla this weekend was A-MAY-Zing. And I will tell you all about it and show you what I made...just as soon as I unpack my bags that is.

Since it is in fact Halloween that is what I am going to focus on today. On Saturday night I raced home from the event so that Hottie and I could attend an adult Halloween party....

Grrrr, baby, very grrrr.

It was more fun than I could have imagined going as Austin Powers.

I think in the future I will always try to wear something I can be in full character for, accent and all. I was hitting on all the ladies. (Please ignore the mess behind me in this photo...remember I was out of the house for 3 days...so it's all Hottie's fault.)

Here is all of us last year...

 Obama got a ton of laughs while trick or treating...Ev wasn't so sure what to think.

 Flashdance and self explanatory pirate, arg...

Looking forward tonight (as are the boys who keep talking about butt loads of candy...so inappropriate). We will carve pumpkins after school, bob for apples, and be hounded until the sun sets no doubt. Happy Halloween!

Road Trip

Woohooooo! Today is the day I get to leave my family in the dust (sorry guys, you know I love you) and head for La Jolla. CKU Reunion here I come!

Sweet Countdown

My kids are on an official Halloween countdown. Looking forward to their sugar high oblivion no doubt. In honor of that I figured I should post some layouts from last year.

"Minnie" (big shock that she was dressed as Minnie last year.)...

Here is a layout I did in about 15 minutes flat, "Maniac." I made my own Flashdance costume last year complete with a rocker wig that I gave a hair cut. I kept hearing that song.."she's a maniac, maniac on the floor...and she's dancin' like she's never danced before." What a fun outfit...

Here is a layout from the year before, "Best Friends." (another super quick page)...

On the left is Nakiah as a sumo wrestler. This is quite possibly the funniest kids costume I have ever encountered. You should have heard the people answer their door on Halloween. It got a lot of giggles...and needless to say I got of lot of hilarious photos (sorry to my 20 year old Nakiah in advance). On the right is Aidan as Freddy vs. Jason...I think? You know boys, they always want to be scary.

This final project is "Bootiful." On Evareaux's first Halloween she had two hand me down costumes and  then of course I went and bought her one as well. The project features her in each outfit...:)

I called her "boo-boo" for a long time when she was first born. Looks like she enjoyed being Tigger the most, what do you think?

Well that is it for now. Hottie and I are off to pick out some costumes for our adult party on Saturday. Not exactly sure what we will choose...but I have a feeling it will be groovy, baby.

the Results are in

In a post last week I told you all that I am on the juice. I also said I would let you know what the results are. This feels a bit funny because in no way do I see this juicing experience as coming to an end. Hottie and I have found a way to incorporate it into our daily lives. We have plans to continue this well into the future if not indefinitely.

But here are the results thus far...
Total weight lost after 20 days for Hottie: 17 lbs.
(his goal was 20)
Total weight lost after 20 days for Me: 19 lbs
(20 or so more to go....this would be my pre-kids weight)

What we did for the first 15 days: Juice fresh fruits and vegetables at least three times a day for 15-20 ounces each juice. Eat only fresh fruits and vegetables as desired.

What we didn't consume: Dairy, Meat, Beans, Grains, Breads, Condiments, Caffeine, Alcohol, Sugar (that one was the hardest for me) etc.

After 15 days: We continued to juice for at least two meals a day. In addition we ate things like mixed greens salads with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar.  Hummus and carrots. Chips (very small amount in comparison to what we would have previously eaten) and homemade salsa. Lentil Minestrone soup. Fresh stir fry with low sodium soy sauce. We even managed to go out to a restaurant that just opened in our neighborhood. During this lunch we shared our favorite appetizer, avocado egg rolls, and a small lunch portion salad.

How I feel: Energized, clear headed, healthy, optimistic. I sleep well and have no desire for caffeine or a pick me up in the middle of the day. Naps are no longer on my wish list (which is CRAZY for me cuz I normally love naps) When I run I feel lighter...but not because of the weight I've lost...I think it's because my system is working better. I am burning the fat that I have stored up over time instead of the junk I just ate like I would have previously.

Hottie says he feels amazing as well. Since he had a lot less weight to lose than me it has made a huge difference in his appearance. All of his coworkers have noticed the changes in such a short amount of time. They compliment his skin glowing and how big his clothes look. He appears trim and as young as the day I met him 8 years ago.

I know this probably sounds a little wacky to the random reader out there. And I am not gonna lie, the first few days were terrible...and the rest had their challenges. It was one of the toughest things to stick to that I have ever done in my life. Really. There were so many temptations, and so many chances to fail. But we have come out on the other side feeling better than ever. We are figuring out how to balance real life healthy eating habits with juicing and exercise. I am excited to continue to shed the pounds without feeling like I am "missing out" on something.

In a way I feel like we have stumbled on the secret. The reboot made me realize what it feels like to genuinely be hungry. I crave vegetables, and fruit tastes as sugary sweet as candy used to. I have no doubt that this is the answer to connecting my great running habits to a consistently healthy diet.

So I will keep you posted as we continue on this fruitful journey (hehe). As you know the holidays are upon us and they are not exactly the best time to be trying to lose weight. For us it's about striving to be healthier no matter what time of year it is. Wish us luck! And happy juicing!