2011 Resolution Recap

Ah New Year's resolutions. We all make them... but how many do we really keep? Here are my resolutions for 2011 and how I did with them:

• Lose at least 36lbs - Well, I gained weight instead of losing any thanks to some medications I was put on
• Get Pop Hearts Studio off the ground - Maybe in 2012
• Finish my massive Scrapping the Magic project list - Got about 1/2 my planned projects done, got sidetracked by splitting up the site into 3 different blogs
• Start up my personal blog and keep it going - I accomplished this!
• Set up my portfolio website - Not sure I still want to do this
• Create, Create, Create! - I had my ups and downs... didn't do as much as I hoped or planned

Looks like I'll be carrying some of these over to 2012!

Planning 2012

With only 2ish days left of 2011 I guess I need to get planning on 2012. While the server is being backed up in the other room, I'm in the kitchen trying to figure out what to do for the websites in 2012.

I think this might require an Ativan... way to much to try and figure out since the forums are closing on Dec. 31. Sometimes I wish I only had one blog instead of 4.

I Was a Very Good Girl This Year!

Some of my Christmas presents. I can't wait to start using them!

Christmas Baking - Part 3

Rice Krispie Treats and German Chocolate Pie. And this brings my Christmas Baking to an end. 

Merry Christmas!

"Christmas isn't about candy canes, or lights all aglow, it's the hearts that we touch, and the care that we show."

Wishing all my friends and family a very Merry Holiday Season!

Christmas Baking - Part 2

Pistachio Pudding Cake, 3 Dozen Peppermint Meltaways, Carrot Cake Bars, Sugar Free Brownies, and Pumpkin Fluff Pie. Whew... almost done! 

Christmas Baking - Part 1

2 dozen Holly Wreaths/Trees, 4 dozen Peanut Butter Blossoms, 2 dozen Snow Balls, and 4 dozen Chocolate Chip Cookies. And I'm only about 1/2 done with the baking.

Sounds of the Seasons

 Like a lot of people, I LOVE Christmas music. There are only a handful of songs I don't care for (Christmas Wrapping I'm talking to you!). Like most people I have a list of my favorites, not counting Bing, Nat, and Johnny... they are a given. Now my everyday music taste is mostly Top 40 stuff with my favorites being OneRepublic, Maroon 5, and REM, so some of these titles might come as a surprise... but I find with Christmas music the older the better!

A Christmas Together by John Denver and The Muppets - As a child growing up in a Muppet loving family this is a must to listen to many, many times during the holiday season.

Christmas by Alabama - I'm not generally drawn to some of the classic country artist, but my parents are. I grew up listening to this album and the older I get the better they get. Some of the songs are just so beautiful!

Once Upon a Christmas By Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton - Just like Alabama's album, I grew up on not only Kenny and Dolly's album but also the TV special. It was tradition to watch it every year... until the VHS tape died.

Christmas Portrait by The Carpenters - It's the Carpenters... does anything else really need to be said?

Brand New Year by SheDaisy - Some more modern artists make my list too. I like this album because the songs are different, catchy, and their song "Twist of the Magi" with Rascal Flats is excellent.

Acoustic Hearts Of Winter by Aly & AJ - These girls are super talented and their versions of some of the classics are really wonderful.

Merry Christmas With Love by Clay Aiken - The American Idol that should have been. I was a big Claymate during his season and when his Christmas album came out I knew I had to have it. It was even better than I expected, producing two of my all time favorite holiday songs "Mary, Did You Know" and "Merry Christmas With Love".

What are some of your favorite holiday albums? Share in the comments, because I'm always looking for new tunes!

What I've Been Up To...

I've been really enjoying my crafty break! I've done a fair share of cleaning, sleeping, baking, sleeping, and holiday prep. All my Christmas shopping is done and wrapped, my baking recipes are gathered and the shopping list made. I'm ready for Christmas Eve the get here!

Oh, and I've also been doing a lot of this:

Yup, playing Wii. My mother had asked for one for Christmas and when I called my brother for some details on where the best place to get one at the best price and so on, he ended up giving us his! So we've been having lots of fun playing Wii Sports and have bowling matches at least every other day. As a family we are really having a blast with it!

Off to bowl a few frames!

Friend in Me - The Before Shot

Thought it would be fun to show the before photo to yesterday's Friend in Me project, so you could see just how much photo editing was done to it. You really didn't think the ground at a zoo looked that perfect, did you? ;)

Friend In Me

I shot this photo during an outing to a zoo with some friends a couple of years ago. I thought it would be a fun image to use it to try my hand at some digital scrapbooking. I did everything in Photoshop and had the finished image printed out on canvas paper. 

Sometimes You Need a Little Break...

I think I need a little break... a crafting break. Having my supplies split between two spaces and having a flight of stairs in between them, well that just isn't working. So, I need a break to figure out how to fix things. It'll also give me some time to post the backlog of projects waiting to be blogged on here and my other three sites. And I can use the time to try my hand at some digital projects I've been wanting to try. Maybe I'll finally get around to finishing setting up this blog!

I think I should ready to start crafting again by February. At least I hope so. It shouldn't take me much longer then that.

Celebrate Pooh & Friends Card

I made this card a number of years ago for a charity auction. While I'm not a huge fan of Winnie the Pooh, this paper collections is one of my favorites. I just love the sketchy look to it. While you can still by the papers, the matching rub-ons are hard to come by.

Supplies

• Rub-ons - Celebrate: Making Memories, Piglet/Bee - Sandylion
• Ribbon - American Crafts
• Patterned Paper - Sandylion

Women with Head Down

Pen on Newsprint

Workspace Wednesday

While my folks are out of town, I took it upon myself to drag their kitchen table out into the family room in front of the new HD tv and make the ultimate crafting workspace. 80" of table space, Blu-Ray player, stack of Disney and Christmas music, WI-FI for the dvd player to stream Netflix, and a super comfy desk chair. So far I've managed to do 13 scrapbook layouts! And I've watch way too many movies!

Photos of New York City

A collection of photos I took during a trip to New York City on December 29, 2008.

Rollin' in Doh

I've been on a bit of a purging streak lately - eBaying items I don't want, giving toys to children of friends, stuff like that. I was saving all this stuff for a future life that I am no longer seeing in my future. So it's time to go.

In my purging fit I've come across quite a bit of Play-Doh. Man, I love me some Play-Doh. It has to be my all time favorite smell! I love the way you could make anything you could dream of. The way it felt in your hands. The kits to make food or give someone hair. It had to be my second all time favorite toy. (Legos are at the top of my list)

The oldest can of the Doh I found was dated 1987. The newest 2009. As someone with a graphic design background, I was most excited to see the way the logo has changed over the last 20+ years.

L to R: 1987, 1993, 2000, & 2009

The other things that were interesting were all on the 2009 can. Play-Doh has gotten rid of its little boy mascot and added the words "Fun to play with, but not to eat." The 2009 can also added a "Notice to Parents: Contains Wheat." 1987 can... no mention of Do Not Eat. Sign of the times. Another interesting thing... 1987 Doh, still good. Some the of the cans from 2000, hard as a rock. Another sign of the times.

Sometimes I miss the 80s. Clearly, my generation survived them, even without warnings not to eat our Play-Doh. And our playing in the dirt. And playing outside till the streetlights came on. But that's a topic for another post.

Not sure what I'm going to do with all the cans of Play-Doh, other than smell it. But oh the smell... good times. It's my own personal brand of heroin. Yes, I'm also a Twilight fan.

Listen to me rattle on about Play-Doh. Clearly, I need a more interesting life.

Workspace Wednesday

Getting set to do some major scrapbooking next week! Got a 40 page album I need to get done ASAP!

I believe...

Disclaimer: I'm not one for discussing religion or even politics in public, but something has been bugging me. Warning, religion is discussed in this post.

Lately there has been an increase in people on Facebook posting about religious topics... which is perfectly fine and they are totally within their rights, however, some of this postings have been to the point of downright nasty to people that don't agree with the poster's beliefs. I'm all for expressing oneself and standing by what you believe in, but don't degrade or bully people because they don't agree. The most current example that has been causing heated arguments is the keep Christ in Christmas related posts. In fact, in one post it got so ugly that a Jewish friend of mine was basically called an Atheist because she wasn't Christian.  To sum up the post it said something along the lines that Christmas is a Christian holiday and people need to stop taking it away from them and turning it into their own holiday. And it got pretty nasty, on both sides of the discussion.

So why am I telling you this? Oh, right, so I can express what I believe.

• I believe in the Big Bang, Dinosaurs, and Evolution.
• I believe that if you are black, white, purple, gay, straight, man, woman, 6 toed, 1 eared, or a any of those combine you are all equal and should be treated so.
• I believe humans should be able to marry any other human they want as long as both are of legal consenting age and not related by blood.
• I believe that no one should be bullied by another person. For any reason.
• I believe we are responsible for taking care of our planet every chance we get.
• I believe everyone has the right to express themselves and their opinions, as long as it is done respectfully and doesn't bully another person or group. 
• I believe that tolerance is sorely lacking in the world.  
• I believe that Christmas doesn't belong to any one group. It belongs to everyone and it should be celebrated in the way that person sees fit. If anyone demands to know who owns the Christmas, it is the Pagens and their Winter Solstice celebration that kick started the party. It then grew from the traditions of different cultures and religions. 
• I believe that the holiday season kicks off with Thanksgiving and goes through till New Year's. This includes Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Festivus, and any that I might have missed. Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to say Happy Holidays to anyone who you do not know their personal beliefs. Merry Christmas should be saved for the day of (or even the week of) Christmas and to people you know for a fact celebrate the holiday.

I could go on and on, but I'm going to stop there. You really don't want to hear about my thoughts on the current generation, the obesity epidemic or heaven forbid the Occupy anywhere situation. 

Hedgehog Candy Christmas

This is a card I created for Operation Write Home.

Supplies

• Stamps - Stampin' Up 
• Patterned Paper - American Crafts
• Cardstock - Recollections
• Colored Pencils - Crayola

I Need a 12 Step Program for Pinterest

Hello, my name is April and I'm addicted to Pinterest.

I love Pinterest. I love Pinning things and finding new ideas. And I love finding new recipes! I can spend hours on there! There is just a small problem.

This...

Yup... I spent so much time on Pinterest, I never get any crafting done! I always think I've had a creative day, but I never have anything to show for it! I have managed to try a few of the recipes I pinned... some good, some only okay... but I've never done any of the crafts. Someday. Maybe today I set a goal to try one project a week from Pinterest. Maybe then it won't be just time wasted.

Are you on Pinterest? Look me up... you can find me here!

Hand

Pencil on Paper
18" x 24"
2006

Workspace Wednesday

With my dad's help I've been working on carving out space to setup some studio space in the basement. Still a long, LONG way to go, but it's finally started after months of attempts. Can you tell that I like blue and green a lot?

My Little Secret

I was going to title this post my dirty or dark secret, but it's not really either of those. And to my close friends it's not really a secret. But to the general public some of this isn't known. See, I don't work. Not because I don't want to, believe me most days I do. It's because I can't. I can't because, well, I have fibromyalgia AND Crohn's disease AND an anxiety disorder. Fun, huh? Each one alone doesn't stop me from being able to work, but the combination of the three... well I'm just a big old mess.  All this also leaves me without an income. Thankfully, I have really great parents.  Though at my age, that is a big kick to the psyche.

So why am I telling you all of this... well, I guess because it helps explain a bit why I'm so inconsistant at posting to this blog and all my other websites. Somedays I just can't move very well. Or I forget. Or I'm sleeping. I do that a lot, sleep. And sleep is not my friend. I want it to be, but if it was it would be like that friend you want to really like but they just wears you down. Sleep is never refreshing. If you are a fellow blogger you know what it's like to try and write or create art when you are super tired. It's hard. It brings typos. And rambly posts. Kind of like this one. Or no posts at all. And I do it sans coffee. I don't like coffee. And I only allow myself no or maybe one soda a day. So, yeah... I live mostly caffeine deprived. That doesn't help with the always being tired.

I thought with the challenge of NaBloPoMo I would be blogging more... clearly that isn't happening. But it is still early in the month, so I'm going to try and do better. Do better on all my blogs. And I hope to get a burst of energy and some mojo back to make some new projects. Or at least finish posting the ones from my last burst of creativity.

So there you go... my little secret (or four). And with that it's about 10pm. Time to go meet my nemesis the sandman. Maybe tonight will be a good night.

I'm sucking at NaBloPoMo!

Looks like I'm not off to a very good start for NaBloPoMo. Missed a few days just because I simple forgot to post. I'll do better this week... I hope!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

Broke out the Christmas music today as I was working on my wish list for Santa! Seeing we have already had our first snowstorm of the season I thought it was time. Speaking of snowstorms, here is a picture of the Autumn Nor'easter (as the news is calling it) on October 30th. You can see some of the leaves haven't even changed yet! Would be really pretty if it wasn't in October.