Taste of New Paltz is Coming!

This Sunday... rain or shine (looking like rain though... dang it). I still plan to be there no matter what! Here's another sample that I will be bringing with me (oh, looks like another Surprise Photography masterpiece in the background!). I'm looking forward to Sunday and getting to meet some new people and just having a fun day in the Hudson Valley.

Day of Rememberance

My thoughts this day, and every day, are with the families of the victims of 9/11. As the daughter of a retired Captain and sister of 2 FDNY firemen and 1 NYPD lieutenant, I am always thankful for the courageous work put in everyday by these hardworking men & women.

Scrapbooking Tip #7: Know When to STOP!

Many people say to me "Oh, I love your work... I wouldn't even know where to START". My tip is not for those people. My tip today is for those of you that love to scrap but don't know where to STOP. I believe it was the ever wise Cindy Crawford who once said (about fashion) something along the lines of "when you're done getting ready to go out, look in the mirror and then take OFF 2 things" (in other words, you've overdone it). The same can be said about scrapbooking.

With all the wonderful pictures from my photo shoot with Melissa, I know I want each one to be absolutely perfect little works of art to display. As I work on them I am making sure to pick the best papers and embellishments in my arsenal. It would be very easy to me to just be completely over the top in my decorating. I played with this layout for a long time and finally just decided that simple is better.

The Little Black Cloud

I have always said that the weather hates me.... well, when it rains on your outdoor college graduation AND on your wedding (planned for indoors.... I know not to mess with that) as well as at other various planned outdoor activities you do start to wonder if Mother Nature has it in for me. Sunday's forecast for the Taste of New Paltz is showers (of course) and the planners say it's Rain or Shine. Easy for them to say.... all of my stuff is made out of PAPER. I know Sunday is far away so the weather can change but I'm more despondent because there is rain on the calendar from Saturday to Tuesday (not much room for things to shift around). But since I paid an arm and a leg for my table on Sunday, I'll be there even if I have to go with just myself and some business cards!
So, to try to get on Mother Nature's good side... here's a gift I'm giving to her:

A Blast from the Past

I found some undecorated vases in my basement that I had forgotten I even had so, naturally, I just HAD to make them all fancy. These will be on display and available for sale this Sunday (where? Oh, I'm glad you asked... at "The Taste of New Paltz" of course!). Any of my out of town fans can certainly request that I hold any items that they just have to have.... get in touch with me before Saturday.

Just Like Santa's Workshop

I had posted earlier about my "assembly line" method for creating a larger number of layouts in preparation for "The Taste of New Paltz" (Sun 9/14 11-5 Ulster Fairgrounds). I also made Christmas layouts this way. Now I have so many samples and one of a kind pages to sell at the craft show. Hope to see you there!

BOO!

Hope I didn't scare you!

Here's a fun little album I put together as a sample for my craft table next week at the Taste of New Paltz. It can be a nice decoration in your home for Halloween and can become a family keepsake once you add your own pictures.

Finally! A Great Guide for Supplies & Ideas!

I can't believe it took me this long to find such a valuable resource! Scrapbookingroads.com features many online shops and even gives coupons (scroll down to page 52 of the file for coupons) to many of the featured shops. There are other guides available for stores in local towns and cities (none available for NY yet... gotta get on that!) so for now I'll stick to online deals!

We Go Together Like Peanut Butter & Jelly

As many of you know, my good friend Melissa is a great photographer. Before either one of us had "gone pro" we used to joke that her pictures and my scrapbooks would look fabulous together. Well... it finally happened! This photo of Brynne is one of the many great shots she took this summer of the girls. Check out her website to see more of her terrific photos (www.surprisephotography.com) I wish she had been here this morning when I was trying to photograph her photograph!
I added some great paper from Wild Asparagus. I chose green for 2 reasons: 1. It is Brynne's favorite color and 2. I felt the bright green in the hair bow needed to be accented. The brown flowers along the bottom came from KI Memories and I've been keeping them for just the right occasion. I'm glad I did! I also added some dew drops to the center of some of the flowers. No page is complete without some Daisy D's so I used rub-ons to create the small title around the photo.

Yes....Another Name Album:

Definitely the hot ticket item!

I am in love with this Thomas album I made for a local client. She gave me some direction but basically said she trusted me to do it so I was free to "do my own thing". I love these colors. Maybe it's the time of year, but I find myself gravitating towards all things fall.