July 03, 2009

The winner of a scrapbooking kit from The Scraproom is…

Sponsor logo

UPDATED: The Random Integer generator gave me the number 32. And the winner is:

My favorite red thing is the gift of life - blood! Have been a blood donor for years, and love the idea of helping someone in need. Favorite blue - the sky in all of its hues...white being the clouds that fill it. Feeling poetic today!

posted by Pat.

Pat, Email me to claim your prize! Thanks everyone, and have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

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If your goal is to get more pages done, you should check out The Scraproom, the company behind today's sponsor giveaway. The Scraproom is an online "coffee house" that provides you with supplies, and inspiration delivered conveniently to your door each month.

The Scraproom offers a really cool Coffee House of Ideas gallery, featuring numerous ideas for using their kit. And today, they're giving away the July 2009 "Flavors of the Month" kit.

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In addition to the kit, you'll also receive one of their exclusive stamp sets.

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Read more about their July kit on the Scraproom Blog.

TO ENTER:  In the spirit of America's birthday, leave a comment today telling me your favorite red thing, or white thing, or blue thing. Or all three, if you like.

Here, I'll start: My favorite red thing is a box that some thoughtful person has painted red and in it is an iPhone 3GS with a two-year contract all ready to go!

(I didn't say the red, white or blue things had to be based in reality!)

I'll draw a winner at 9 p.m. C.S.T.

July 02, 2009

Pure magic.

Up-1

(Please note: there are no spoilers in this post, that said…)

Yesterday, I saw Up. Now I'm not usually given to make statements of hyperbole—or wait, maybe I am—but I'm just going to say it: it's one of the best movies I've ever seen. Ever. In my entire life.

Now before you weigh this statement, you should know my top five films:

1. The Shawshank Redemption

2. E.T.

3. Silence of the Lambs

4. Forrest Gump

5. Aliens

And, you should know that at the time of seeing the film—yesterday—I was in that special time frame just before Aunt Flo comes a'knockin' and at 43, that basically means the simple act of breathing can send me into an emotional tailspin.

Still, I stand by the statement above: it's one of the best movies I've ever seen.

This is a movie that, until I read a review by a local critic who said simply: everyone on the planet should see this film, I had ZERO desire to see. Who wanted to see a movie about some old curmudgeon?

Um, hello? That would now be ME!

Every minute I sat in that theater, I felt that I was part of something that transcended magical. It was like someone had sprinkled animated pixie dust on my grey matter.

I laughed. I cried. It became a part of me.

Thank you Disney, and Pixar and the people who conjured this story from their ripe and creative imaginations.

Two-thumbs off the charts way, way Up.

Get it? Up?

And if you go, take Kleenex. You will need it.

July 01, 2009

Registration opens today for Me: the Abridged Version

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Registration opens at 10 a.m. P.D.T. Click here for more info. Remember, the first 50 people get a Happy Mail package from Big Picture Scrapbooking, and there is no limit to registration for this class.

If you have any other questions that aren't answered in the registration page, email me at czmetav@comcast.net.

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In other news…I'm going to be tweaking the look of my blog today, hopefully, so if it starts to look all wonky, remember: it's me. It's all me, baby.

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PLEASE NOTE: Big Picture Scrapbooking will be letting the Happy Mail recipients know as soon as they can. Hold tight! And welcome aboard to all who've registered!

June 30, 2009

Registration for my new workshop opens tomorrow

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Registration for my new workshop, Me: the Abridged Version, opens tomorrow, July 1st, at 10 a.m. P.D.T. Cost of the four-week workshop is $35 and the first 50 people to register will receive a fun Happy Mail package from Big Picture Scrapbooking. There is no class size limit to this workshop, so if you're not ready to sign up just yet, no worries, you have the rest of the summer to decide.

The workshop runs from Sept. 3 to Sept. 30. The class details and supply lists are up now. Feel free to take a peek!

We'll be making a 28-page album that's all about my new favorite subject: you. Okay, so I may not know you per se, but the idea of women (and men) taking time to tell their own stories is one of my very favorite scrapbooking subjects.

Metava 

This class was inspired by a class I taught at Creating Keepsakes University in 2006 called, "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life" based on the amazing memoir of the same name by the delightful and talented and wickedly wry Amy Krouse Rosenthal. That year, 150 women took my class, and each time our two days in class were finished, I seriously thought to myself: every person should have this experience.

Why? Because we don't tell our stories. Okay… maybe some of you do, but the majority of time we spend scrapbooking is to make certain we get everyone else's story down. It's somehow seen as moderately selfish or narcissistic to just focus on ourselves. (And sadly, it's like that in our culture as well… woman take care of everything else before they take care of themselves.)

This workshop is designed to let you focus on you, and all of the random things from a to z that make up who you are and what matters. From the really profound to the seemingly insignificant, and everything in between, it's a chance to tell stories from your unique life.

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You'll do a lot of brainstorming and writing, and then we'll do a lot of digital step-by-step instruction to build this truly hybrid album project. You can read more about the computer/software requirements by reading the class description and supply list.

I spent all of May creating my album for this workshop, and I can honestly tell you that if this were the only type of scrapbook I ever did again, you'd hear no complaints for me. None. Just simple stories and photos that capture a slice from my life right here in 2009.

My sweet One-Three is also presently working on her own Abridged Version. This would be such a cool class for mothers and older daughters to do together. I can't wait to see what Aidan comes up with and can't help but think what an amazing record of time it will be for her to look back on. All I have from when I was 13 are angst-ridden boy crazy diaries. But there I go, reminiscing on the good old days again…

If you have any specific class questions that aren't answered by the registration info, feel free to post here.

I will point out that I'm also providing fully layered digital templates of the album project for you fully digital scrapbookers, and for those of you who do not have Photoshop Elements or Photoshop, you can use Microsoft Word templates to format  your writing, and I'll provide PDFs for all other class content. Further, for my European students, I'll be providing all templates to work with A4 sheet sizes.

Here's to telling your story!

P.S. One more thing: tomorrow, i'm going to be futzing with my blog. It's time for a change so if you see things shifting and moving, it's not you. Really. It's me.

June 29, 2009

Haven't weighed this much since I was 6 months pregnant! HOLLA!

Ugh

It was just over six months ago that I came on here, all full of vim and vigor, talking, apparently out of my ass, about gettin' fit and losin' weight and bein' all that I could be.

You remember… I made the funny cover of me on my own version of O magazine. It was shore 'nuf funny stuff. Good times. Woo hoo. That Cathy. What a wackadoo!

Late last week, I found myself in for my annual "Ladies Business" exam, which means in addition to making uncomfortable small talk while having my nether regions reviewed, I also got to jump on the old doctor's office scale, also known as the Evil and Blinding Messenger of Truth and Ego Destruction.

And you know, and I know, and EVERYONE knows that the doctor's scale is always WAY more than your typical home scale, right?

So when she stopped on 179, I just chuckled, and said something to the effect of, "Is this thing stoned?" and quickly stepped off.

Then I launched into my, "Did you know I quit smoking three years ago, and used to weight 140 pounds and thought THAT was heavy" litany, the same one I also like to give anyone I haven't seen in a while, and the nurse just smiled, and patted the back of my hand and said, "I used to be skinny too!"

Sigh.

I'm stuck. And I don't feel all that witty or clever or fun right now. Just puffy and round and on the verge of jumping into the 180s and beyond.

I wish there was a pill I could take, just one time, to solve this issue. Even if it meant I'd immediately grow a tail.

I know what it takes to do what it is that I seem to want, but right now, I seriously just want to throw up my hands and say: TO HELL WITH IT! GIVE ME THOSE PRINGLES NOW!

I'm sure when I'm thinking clearer I'll regret this post, which is beginning to feel a bit like a drunk dial.

At the same time, I just needed to piss and moan a little about this. I don't feel cute. I don't feel strong. And I don't feel like I have what it takes today to do anything about it.

Thank God for tomorrow, right?

Whine session, over. Thank you.

June 26, 2009

I was a fan

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I've been looking since last night to see if I could find my high school yearbook from 1984, the year I graduated. For some reason it has gone missing so I can't quite recall what I wrote in the short paragraph seniors were each given in the back of the book. I'm 99 percent sure I wrote that I wanted to do something with Sting, and to also be Michael Jackson's personal secretary.

I grew up with Michael Jackson's music. One of my first records, other than Bob McGrath Sings Sesame Street and The Partridge Family, was the Jackson 5's first album, that blue one, that looked like it had a frame on it? Remember? The five of them we're on it, and the tracks were "I Want You Back" and "ABC" and "I'll Be There"?

I was a fan.

Do you remember when he performed on Motown 25? How freaking COOL it was? I remember going to people's houses who had VCRs and had taped it. And we watched it over and over and over again. Bad lip synching damned. It was magic.

We all know in the latter part of his life he seemed, for all intents and purposes, a little bit bat shit crazy. And then the courts of law found him innocent of all those horrific charges. Still… his contribution to music is undeniable.

His story is so American, and so amazing, and so bizarre, and so tragic, all at once. I for one do hope he rests in peace.

This is such a great vocal on one of my favorite songs…bear with Bill Cosby.


June 25, 2009

They can't really do the accents, but still…

I know this is a stupid video, but it made me leak tears from my eyes from its unique stupidity. (Thank you, Mr. Bubby.)


June 23, 2009

Everyone's Doin' It!

Saw this yesterday on Ali's blog, and I thought: Hey, I can do that. It's far more interesting than what I had for lunch.

TODAY
June 23st, 2009

Outside my window... The sun is slowing making its presence known.

I am thinking... about how I need to keep the air conditioning at 73 all day, even though my sweet hubby would much prefer I keep it at 75. 

I am thankful for... air conditioning on hot and humid midwestern days.

From the kitchen... last night was delicious kebabs, shared with our good friend, Christine. Tonight, I'm thinking fish.

I am wearing... horribly mismatched pajamas and flip flops.

I am creating... content for my upcoming online class.

I am going... to lace up tennis shoes at roughly 7 a.m. and force my tushka onto the treadmill, whether it does me any good or not.

I am reading... the latest Sookie Stackhouse book, which is taking me a surprisingly long time to get through.

I am hoping... that Cole turns the corner and starts to feel better soon. It's not strep, and we don't bring up the phrase "H1N1" in our house.

I am hearing... Men in Black on Demand. (What else is a sick 9 year old going to do at 6:05 a.m.?)

Around the house... there is a kitchen in desperate need of a cleaning and small piles of stuff on nearly every surface.

One of my favorite things... air conditioning.

A few plans for the rest of the week... work on class content, go to two different doctor appointments (it's mammogram time! YES!), shuffle kids to various places, and stay cool. (Cool as in temperature…I stopped being "cool" in the classic sense months ago.)

The winner of a spot in Jenni Bowlin's class is...

382. I love to take a BPS class in the comfort of air conditioning, and taking Jenni's class for free would be super duper.

Posted by: Sheryl

Congratulations Sheryl! Email me to claim your spot in class.

Registration for Jenni's class, Re-Purpose, Re-Think, Re-Invent is open until July 8th.

June 22, 2009

Win a spot in Jenni Bowlin's 12 Week Workshop

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If you want to spend 12 weeks starting in July, rethinking your creative process and rediscovering how to parlay inspiration into beautiful results, then you should enter today's giveway. One blog reader will receive a free spot in Re-purpose, Re-think, Re-invent, Jenni Bowlin's new workshop over at Big Picture Scrapbooking.

If you love vintage style and finding ways to incorporate your finds and treasures into your craft, you'll love Jenni's ideas and how she'll encourage and guide you through her own creative process.

I may be a little biased in saying this, but Jenni is a delightful human. Period. And she's an insanely creative person. Learn more about her on her blog.

To enter, leave your name in the comments and tell me one thing you love about summer.

Here, I'll start: Air Conditioning.

Comments will close at 9 p.m. C.S.T.

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