How much is too much???

Not only is this the name of a popular challenge, but, this is exactly how I feel right now. And, the reason I've been a bad blogger lately. Well, Studio Calico has been keeping me extremely busy, plus a whitewater rafting/camping trip (pictures later) and my real job.

But, since I had a minute, I did want to share my latest LO for the HMITM challenge using my Oct Studio Calico kit.

Going Camping!

Well, if you know me, just the title of this post is shocking. Yes, I'm going real camping, none of those rv's, or electricity or anything like that this weekend. We're getting together with some college friends to go to WV this weekend for some rafting and decided we'd camp out and make a weekend out of it. So, bugs, sweat, and stinkiness, here I come!

I'm sure I'll have some hilarious pictures for you when I come back. Till then!

CHA!!!!

Wow, am I ever tired. Tonight will be the first night I sleep in greater than 4 hour increments since Thursday. But, CHA was loads of fun between seeing all the new product and meeting people I "know" from message boards and such. One person I met was Emily Pitts who was tons of fun. We met at the 2peas reception and had to borrow her cell (Scarlet and I both left ours at the hotel) to call in a pizza order. When we picked up the pizza we noticed it had her # on the receipt, so we decided to prank her -- which I'm totally not good at, I just can't keep from laughing so I give myself away. I called from my cell and said I was Molly from Giordano's and that we had her order ready. Emily was so sweet and said that she hadn't ordered the pizza, but that her friends had and she had no way of getting in touch with us. I proceeded to tell her that we had a pizza that either needed to be picked up or paid for, but she was so sweet, I just couldn't continue. Sorry Emily! You can see a picture of us here and below is my HM group that met at the same reception. (L to R: Sherry, Janet, April, Becky, Christine) More pics later!

Fun Stuff

So I've been in the creating mood lately, especially after visiting some thrift stores this weekend. My hubby and I made a day of it, some of which I can show, but others will have to wait, because we found some goodness for Studio Calico.
Here's some of what we found:

And, I found this cool vintage record holder to make my idea book for CHA this year:

And, if that wasn't enough, we spent Saturday night celebrating our friend, Clayton's 22nd birthday. Count the candles if you don't believe me!

Here's the birthday boy! (Can you tell his idol is Tony Rice?)

Anyway, to end this everlasting post, he's in a band called 'The Farewell Drifters' and they play more contemporary bluegrass music. It has a different sound than true bluegrass. Check them out on their site, if you want, but they have older stuff on there. They'll have it updated on Wednesday when their new album comes out. Oh, and if you're in Nashville this Friday (the 19th), they have a CD release Party at Station Inn, which you can read about on their site if you're interested in going. I would so be there, but I'll be having a blast at CHA instead.

Back to the party..... In true country fashion, after eating cake and homemade ice cream, the guys headed out to the back porch to practice:

Thanks for stopping by!

A couple LOs with some scraps

Just thought I'd get a head start on the weekend by blogging late tonight (early Sat. morning). Here's a couple LOs I did while waiting for the August sneak peek to post.

a tag and a bottle

First off, I need your help. Have you seen this Jones bottle?

If so, our web-designer, Stephen, at Studio Calico took this photo and missed the offering to purchase. So, if you have it or have seen it, please leave a comment and Stephen has offered to pay a ransom for it.

Next, I've been tagged by Caroline, so here goes:

My roommate and I once: got into an argument because I asked her how her day was and she told me never to ask that because "Sometimes it's not good and I don't want to talk about it." That roommate didn't last long. She was living by herself in no time :)

Never in my life have I: smoked a cigarette -- and proud of it!

High school was : over before I knew it.

When I'm nervous : I work even harder.

My hair : is frizzy and wavy and thick and when it's humid it grows, not down, but out -- think Chia pet :)

When I was 5 : I thought I was a ballerina even though I never had a dance class in my life.

When I turn my head left : I see my diet vanilla DP from Sonic

I should be : exactly where I am at this point in my life.

By this time next year : I will have traveled to Egypt and Israel - really looking forward to it.

My favorite aunt is : Jeana - love her and she's the only aunt who reads this.

I have a hard time understanding : why some people don't take pride in their work.

You know I like you if : well, I pretty much like everyone.

My ideal breakfast is : yogurt Cheerios and skim milk (I get on these kicks where I eat the same thing every morning until I get burnt out on it, wierd, huh?)

If you visit my home town : you'll discover the first capitol of TX.

If you spend the night at my house : you'll be treated very well - we call our house the Foster Hilton.

My Favorite blonde is : don't really have one.

My favorite brunette is : my husband :)

The animal I would like to see flying besides birds : my dog

I shouldn't have been : at Banana Republic this week, or Archiver's for that matter.

Last night I: hosted a dinner program for my company.

A better name for me would be : hmmm...I've never really been thrilled with my name, but I don't know what I'd name myself.

I've been told I look like : Lindsey Lohan (pre-weightloss and massive drug use) Oh, and my identical twin gets told that too :)

Michelle Hill is Awesome!!!

I love watching Scrapbook Lifestyles. They have such cool ideas and this week is even better because Studio Calico's guest designer, Michelle Hill, was featured. I'm sure you remember her scraproom, the pink one with green accents and so much product it will blow your mind. Anyway, she is amazing and gave great tips -- my personal favorite being to only get out the product you are going to use so that you're not so overwhelmed. So take a look and see if you can spot the Studio Calico LOs, there's 3!!!

And, because it's my favorite, I'll share one with you.

Happy 4th!!!

Happy 4th of July everyone! I will be spending my day of freedom scrapping and doing laundry and cleaning the house and I couldn't be happier!!! Here are some fun little things in honor of the holiday:

this one is for my grandfather who served aboard the USS Alden. The journaling discusses him escorting ships to the Normandy coast on D-day.

this one is a fun little photo-folder using a picture from last year's hot, humid 4th of July in Texas with my family.

More SC goodness + some willpower

Okay, so here are some more of my Studio Calico layouts. I just loved playing with this one!

my sister and I at the Grand Canyon - such a perfect label to use for this page!
Just a fun, quick card:

Another card using those super cool crochet flowers - made for my husband's grandmother. The '80' came from the Imagination Project paper. I used a regular hole-punch.

This is Caroline's birthday card:

One of Greg and I - not too sappy.

Now, on to the will-power. I have had such good intentions about working out while I'm on the road for my job, but something always creeps up and I make excuses and don't do it. I am, however, better at working out at my own gym (mainly because I'm a treadmill snob and I like the fans, the padding, the settings on certain ones). Anyway, tonight, while in Lexington, I made up my mind to work out and I did 3.5 miles on the hot, nasty treadmill here. That's a full mile over what I have been doing at my gym. (I did have the room all to myself and was watching America's Next Top Model) Anyway, I'm so proud of myself, I just had to brag to someone....now to continue this habit....

Up and Running

I've been a very bad blogger lately....

Anyway, today I thought I'd post some of my Studio Calico LOs. I'm so excited by the response we've received so far, and if you haven't been there to check out the DT gallery, please leave this post immediately, look at it, then come back :)

LO and Some Randomness

As promised, here's my LO for the Journalers' Junction challenge.

This time, we had to use our journaling as a design element. Fun, huh?

7 random things...as tagged by Nicole!!

1. i got addited to Guitar Hero while making an office call with one of my reps. This doctor had the game hooked up in his personal office, challenged us to a 'concert' and from that point on, I was hooked.

2. i never made a 'B' in school. I was the geek who thought I had to make an 'A' or my life would surely end. I came pretty close to making a 'B' in accounting, though, but luckily (or unluckily for some) a tornado came through our area, and the last week of school was cancelled. No final meant an 'A' for me!

3. i have an identical twin. No, we're not telepathic.

4. i sleep like a ballerina, according to my husband. Laying on my back, with one leg at a 45 degree angle, making a triangle (or ballerina pose) with my legs.

5. i eat raw okra. I even did a scrapbook page about it for my HOF entry!

6. i never make new year's resolutions because I can't stand the swarm of resolver's that hit the gym in January. If they're still there in May, that's respectable.

7. i've been to a Christina Aguilera concert, and before you judge me too much, I've also been to a Jessica Simpson one, too. (now, feel free to judge)

Who to tag on this one????

Caroline

Scattergories Challenge

I got this challenge from Scarlet, who got it from Nicole.

The game is SCATTERGORIES...it's harder than it looks!Here are the rules:

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the questions.
They MUST be real places, names, things...NOTHING made up!
If you can't think of anything, skip it.
You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Your Name: April
1. Famous Singer/Band: Aaliyah (does this count as double points? :)
2. 4 letter word: arch
3. Street: Adams St, where my husband used to live
4. Color: aquamarine
5. Gifts/Presents: apparel
6. Vehicle: Acura
7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: artwork
8. Boy Name: Aaron
9. Girl Name: Adrienne
10. Movie Title: A Walk to Remember
11. Drink: Ale8 (if you're from Eastern KY, you'll know what this is)
12. Occupation: administrator
13. Celebrity: Adam Brody
14. Magazine: Auto Trader
15. U.S. City: Atlanta
16. Pro Sports Teams: A's (is that cheating?)
17. Fruit: apple (if you're Gwenyth Paltrow, this could also be a girl's name)
18. Reason for Being Late for Work: argument with spouse
19. Something You Throw Away: apple (i'm running out of ideas)
20. Things You Shout: Away!!!
21. Cartoon Character: Arthur

Let's see if Cathy can do this one....

I'm Surprising Myself

Wow, I can't believe the number of LOs I've completed the last few days. These challenges are fun and I'm definitely going to continue.

This one is from the OLW challenge.....The word this week is 'my'

And this one's for the new Pronoun Challenge. If you haven't checked it out yet, there's a great prize!

Challenge Me

This weekend, I've been consumed by challenges and have actually gotten some done. This one is for Journaler's Junction, which Emily Pitts turned me on to. The challenge was to create a LO using the title "Hello My Name Is..." Don't you just love that?The next one I did is for How Much is Too Much. Loved this challenge too. This week, the assignment was to use at least 50 brads/eyelets on one LO. I promise they're all there.



This last one was kind of an unofficial challenge for myself base on Ali Edward's section in the lastest CK. She used a square punch of different items on her desk and scrapped them. So here's my take on her idea:

Busy as ever!

Wow, I can't thank everyone enough for such a successful launch of Studio Calico. I'm just feeling so extremely grateful at this point, I can't sleep, too excited, so I'm rambing, but I think I'm doing pretty good for about 25 hours of sleep the whole week.

I've met tons of cool ladies
erin
anilu
nichole
nicole
joanne
rebekah - i stated yesterday that she had yet to post on her blog, but now she has - check it out!!!
tonya
vee
lisa
cathy
lee

plus many many more, but I'm losing track. Thanks everyone for your support!

Oh, and I've tried to get around to all those who have linked Studio Calico to their blog, so if I haven't commented on your post, let me know. We love having friends!

Studio Calico is Here!!!

Come by and check it out....I know you'll love it. Here's the link: Studio Calico

The winner of the RAK is.....
kimosabescraps -- Her non-traditional scrapbook supply is a Dunkin' Donuts cup! How cool is that! I definitely want the link to that LO once it's complete!

Final Countdown to Launch Day!

This is it... the final day of the countdown! Tomorrow night at this time, the Studio Calico website will be live!
Since I don't have any more sneak peeks to share, would you like to know what manufacturers will be featured in the July kit? Here's the list:
Bazzill Basics Paper
Catslife Press
Cavallini & Co.
Circus Rose (Imagination Project)
Heidi Swapp
Lil Davis Designs
Project Essentials (Imagination Project)
Scenic Route
SEI
Studio Calico (you know we saved the best for last!)

I hope to see you tomorrow night. And just to ease any confusion since this posted at 12 o'clock on the dot, find your time zone in the list below and get yourself to Studio Calico:
Eastern time zone: Thursday at Midnight/12:00am
Central time zone: Wednesday at 11pm
Mountain time zone: Wednesday at 10pm
Pacific time zone: Wednesday at 9pm
Alaska time zone: Wednesday at 8pm
Hawaii time zone: Wednesday at 6pm

Also, my RAK in the below post is still up for grabs. I'll be drawing a winner at 12:00ET tomorrow night!

Countdown to Launch Day (Monday)

At the end of this long day, I'm feeling blah when it comes to inspiration. So, who's up for a fun RAK and a challenge that gives inspiration to others? All you have to do is post a comment and share a non-traditional scrapbook supply that you have used (or are planning to use) on a layout or project. If possible, link us to an image so we can check out how creative you are! I'll get us started....

Here, I used twine as the closure for this minibook.

And, here, I used a marquee letter as part of the title for my layout.

So whether, paint, lace, or masking tape is your thing, feel free to post. Repeats are okay as well. From the comments, I will draw a winner Wednesday night at midnight ET, right before the launch of Studio Calico.

Oh, and don't forget to check out Scarlet's blog and Caroline's blog for sneak peeks and fun things to come in the days ahead.

Countdown to Launch Day (Sunday)

When I first saw Cindy Tobey's work, I was so impressed. Her attention to detail is amazing and she always has such innovative ideas in using products, so it was no surprise to me when she was recognized by Creating Keepsakes as a 2007 Hall of Fame Honorable Mention. Later, I discovered she is talented with crochet and knitting needles as well. (Check her out at www.briarrosefibers.net.) She graciously agreed to create this Studio Calico exclusive for July's add-on kit. Perfection! And, if you like this one, be sure to check Studio Calico on June 28 for the reveal of Cindy's other creations.


Don't forget to check out Scarlet's blog where she posted our inspiration for Studio Calico's premier kit.

And, I must share our first big news story here at Studio Calico.....


Well, I can dream, can't I?

Countdown to Launch Day (Saturday - aka early Sunday a.m.)

Yes, I'm a little behind in my posting because I was doing this today - celebrating my husband's grandmother's 80th birthday! A crowd of people were there to help her celebrate, and even at 80, she was still getting presents! One of those presents came from a lady named Carol, who was a childhood friend of my mother-in-law. She brought this picture as a present and boy, did that start the reminiscing!!! She is pictured on the far left and my mother-in-law is the ballerina in center stage. I just love how magical this picture is.....makes you wonder the thoughts of those little girls. Did they dream they would grow up to be prima ballerinas, performing for thousands? Old pictures are just full of inspiration, aren't they?

So, lest I forget, Scarlet has a new sneak peek posted on her blog, with a chance for a RAK! Don't miss out!

Also, tomorrow she'll be posting our inspiration for the July kit and I'll be introducing the designer who was commissioned to create a Studio Calico exclusive for the July add-on.

Countdown to Launch Day (Friday)

So, tonight I went to dinner with Scarlet, who is my business partner in this creative endeavor. Her son, Noah, who is four and wants the world to know it, told me this story while we were eating Mexican food (my favorite):


Noah: Once upon a time there was a little dinosaur - his name was Littlefoot - and he had friends.

April: Who were his friends?

Noah: Cera, Spike, Petri, and.....and.......and (he's thinking) Ducky!!!!

April: What did they do?

Noah: Littlefoot played with his friends. [proudly] BEGINNING!!!!










So, to tell you about Scarlet, I'll begin with Noah's "beginning" (which is actually the end), because although we've been friends for a long time, it's the friendship with her now that I value most. So, here's the top 10 list for things I love about Scarlet:

1. She is absolutely meticulous about every thing she does.


2. Her eye for detail on her LOs is amazing and she always wants at least one page element to be "inventive."


3. She makes the most awesome birthday cards!


4. She loves her children.


5. She is a hard worker and always strives to do her best.


6. She has a Canon SLR!!! (and good lenses, too!)


7. Her writing skills are top-notch (I love reading her journaling).


8. She is the most loyal and thoughtful person I know.


9. She likes Mexican food.


10. She puts up with me!
    

This is why I'm proud to be launching Studio Calico with her.

Countdown to Launch Day (Thursday)

6 days to go....and I want to share with you our logo

Pretty cool, huh?

So, you might be wondering, why "calico" (I'm assuming the "studio" part is self-explanatory),

Very simple. Both Scarlet and I love using neutral colors as the background for many of our layouts. We love how the pictures and journaling "pop" on the page when it's on cardstock that doesn't compete with the colors in the photos. Calico consists of black, white, and brown, all neutral colors. Since we will be including at least 3 neutrals in every kit, "calico" seemed an appropriate choice. What do you think?

Countdown to Launch Day

7 days to go...

Well, it's really crunch time now. I can hardly believe that Studio Calico will launch at midnight, one week from tonight. And, just because I'm so excited, I must show you another sneak peek, which is a compilation of items from the main kit, add-on and freebie (for those who sign up for a subscription).

Preorders begin when the website goes live, so if you don't want to miss out on Studio Calico's premier kit, you may want to stay up late with us next Wednesday night!

As we count down the days until the website launches, Scarlet and I will be sharing information about Studio Calico. Please feel free to ask any questions, as we will be checking our blogs regularly.

Now, drumroll please......Today I'm going to announce our first guest designer. (And, you may want to check out Scarlet's blog for the design team announcement!)

We are so excited to announce that Michelle Hill of Lil Davis Designs will be our first guest designer. Here is what she had to say when she received her kit in the mail. (and, you can check out her blog to hear more feedback and hints)

Michelle: I love it it looks awesome :) I can't wait to play with it....and thanx so much....super excited....

She can't wait to play with the kit, and I can't wait to see what she does with it! Scarlet and I have both been working to create layouts as well. On one LO, Scarlet used chipboard in such a cool way, I can't wait for you to see it!

Oh, and I can't leave this post without sharing Stephen with you. He is our graphic designer and marketing guru, for lack of a better word. Studio Calico is so inspiring, that he created an ad for a nearby hospital that basically mimicks a scrapbook page.

Not bad for his first LO, right?

Something Exciting

Studio Calico is the newest community dedicated to inspiring creativity with the most up-to-date scrapbooking supplies along with unique finds from a variety of sources. This, all without leaving out the basics.

Monthly kits include:

• neutral + colored cardstock


• patterned paper from a variety of manufacturers


• journaling aid(s)


• at least one alphabet


• variety of embellishments which may include vintage items, chipboard, ribbon, stamps and more!

Studio Calico will feature the work of noteworthy designers as well as providing online support and encouragement.

The site will be completely live and kits will be available for preorder on June 14th. We can't wait and we hope to see you there!

And, just because we can't wait any longer, here's a sneak peek of the good things to come...

If the first anniversary is paper....

the 2nd is cotton


the 3rd is leather


the 4th is linen


and the 5th is wood,


What is the 6th???





At our house, it's the GUITAR HERO anniversary!!!

Yep, that's right. Call me crazy, but I've been fiending for this game ever since I played it while I was working at a doctor's office one day. I was with a rep for a lunch and the doctor asked us to come back to his private office to play guitar hero. The challenge was on!!!

Trust me, if you play this game, you will be addicted and I don't even particularly care for video games. Anyway, by the time the weekend was over, I had rocked "Free Bird" and am now a true hero (at the medium level anyway!).

Even more exciting news is the stuff I scrapped with this weekend for the new kit club that will launch on June 14. Can't wait to tell you the name of it, but until then, I can tell you I'm in cahoots with Scarlet on this one and we have some amazing designers lined up! More on this later.....

Auction to Benefit Caroline

A friend of mine, Alicia Story, has a close friend whose daughter, Caroline, was diagnosed with cancer. A group of scrappers have made cards to auction on eBay to help with the bills. Here is the link if you'd like to help out! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=270122472621

This Weekend

On Friday, Greg and I went to his mom's retirement party. She taught special ed for 27 years (I think) at Bristow Elementary. We are so proud of how many years she dedicated to teaching, so here's some pics of the occasion.

My friend Amber stayed with us Thurs, Fri, and Sat because she had a training in town, which was definitely fun! On Saturday, her fiance, Trevor came up from Nashville and they bought the board game "Battle of the Sexes." (By the way, check out Trevor's band "The Farewell Drifters" if you like bluegrass - http://www.thefarewelldrifters.com He's the 2nd one from the right with the khaki pants). Anyway, back to the board game. The guys kept complaining that our questions were easier than theirs, but we still loved the taste of victory! (Don't you just love these game pieces?)

I also had time to create this and 3 other Halloween things for upcoming calls. Can't show you yet!

Oh, and I almost forgot, but Scarlet came over and we worked on something exciting! I wish I could tell you all about it, but pretty soon I will. Can't wait til then!