more Tim - it just never stops!

Hello all!
Okay, I promise, I'll stop.....well, I'll try anyway. Check it out - there is a picture of ME on Tim Holtz's blog!!!! Well, ME and a bunch of other ladies, but ME. You can tell it was of ME 'cause I'm looking at the camera! Well, okay, okay, it's ME from a distance and you have to find ME among lots of ladies, but I'm there. Tim Holtz has a photo of ME in his camera!!!!!

I'm off to one last wonderful scrapbooking get-away (Thank you Michele! Thank you Yvonne!) this weekend and then, (gulp) I am back to work on Monday. But it's okay....can't say I didn't get a lot done :)

Love to all and I'll be back to share what I made,
Melle

more Tim Holtz goodness....

I thought I had a photo! Now you can probably see why this afternoon class was 4 hours and you can probably see why I'm not quite done yet. This class was called "Patchwork Pandemonium", each one of those pieces has been either, painted, inked, stamped or sanded. My fingers were covered and I loved it!
(If you are just now checking into the blog, be sure to scroll down just a little more to see me with you know who!)
Melle

Dreams do come true!

OMG! Look who is standing next to me......Tim Holtz! Yep, really. I did not "photoshop him in"! :) It was a wonderful day. Tim is just as funny, patient, kind and sincere as he seems in his videos, website and blog. The only thing missing was having a friend w/ me. You know me, it was hard not having someone next to me to talk to. Next time, someone is goin' with me!
The morning was a 3 hour class that I wasn't really sure what it was about but I signed up for it 'cause there was an opening. Well, lucky me, 'cause I am so TOTALLY hooked on this "IDEA-OLOGY". "Fun stuff" (as tim would say). It's like jewelry making, but better. Or you can use these things and techniques in other ways. We had 5 things to make....yep, FIVE! So cool! Here's what I made.




I know! I MADE! And Tim Holtz showed me how. Okay, well, me and 49 other giddy women....
The afternoon class was 4 hours, and well, of course mine still isn't quite done yet, and I must have worked right up to the end 'cause I forgot to take a picture of what I have so far. When I'm done w/ it I will post.

Love to all and well......"Live the life you imagined"!
Melle

TIM HOLTZ!

He's on his way and so am I!
If you check out his blog today he mentions his trip to Orlando and his class tomorrow at Rubon Rouge! I'm on my way tonight to have a girl's night with Sue :) and then I'll be in two classes all day tomorrow with TIM HOLTZ! Yippee!!
I'll post my projects by Sunday night - promise!! :)
Love,
Melle

Thank you!

Thank you Yvonne for posting info about Jessica Sprague's free photo editing classes; thank you Jessica Sprague for offering free classes; and thank you Kendra for taking us on a wonderful trip to the beach and Ponce Inlet yesterday!

I played with a few photos this evening. Don't forget you can click on any for a closer look. :0)



Peace
Melle

Never, Never Land....

May I NEVER return!
This is what my scrapbook space looked like back in November when I tried to keep a table for me in the garage!

What sent me to the edge of no return was when I saw this; not only were tools laying on my scrapbook table, but right on a scrapbook page! I couldn't believe it.

When I recovered slightly, I realized we needed to clearly define, "my space" and "your space"!

BEFORE:

AFTER!
(I do have plans to add a curtain around the table to help hid the boxes underneath.)

My scrap space BEFORE:
and AFTER! This table is a "spare table". A place to set on going projects while they dry, etc. It is a community table for McKenna and I....these are the supplies she is allowed to share with me. They are all organized and labeled in the drawers.
This is McKenna's side of the table where she works. Note, she is working on a list for Santa (now that she has all this new room) and notice the Littlest Pet Shop motif!
And space for me to work.
I suppose it still looks like a garage and I suppose this "studio" will never make it into a Creating Keepsakes issue, but it is MY Creative Space and I love it! The best part is, we ALL worked on this space....I like to believe we ALL will help it stay this way.

The girls already have helped me get a few brushes wet!
Peace
Melle

Updates....

Hello all!
My "studio" is almost finished. It now has space to work in and I find that I just can't motivate myself to finish the last few boxes to sort (and pitch), now that I'm so inspired to work on more creative things! I'm going to try very, very hard to finish just that last of it today, so I can share photos of the finished space. :0)

What I can share is this photo:
In my on going battle w/ myself of what digital photo program to use. I finished this design last night. I'm still torn between my Corel Paint Shop Pro, or trying Photoshop Elements (which is probably what I should of purchased in the first place) or my scrapbook software by Lifetimez (which I like, I just can't edit the photo as much as I can in Corel.) Anyhoo, let me know what you think!
Love to all,
Melle

Happy Independence Day!

From our house to yours, Happy 4th of July!! It's one of our most favorite holidays around here. Not only do we get to count our blessings and thank God that we live in the most wonderful place in the world, but we also get to celebrate Grandma Gail's birthday!

Can you believe it? This photo was taken only 3 years ago in 2006,

and this photo was taken just last year, in 2008.

May you have a day filled with lots of wonderful memories and....great photos! :0)

Love,
Melle

Eyes Wide Open

To many of you I've mentioned that I really don't care to blog when I don't have a photo to include and I try hard not to blog on and on about personal feelings, but today.....I just have to share a quick one.
My eyes were opened today. I can't imagine I'll forget it for a long time.
As many of you know, my girls swim every summer at Perry's Swim School, as did their daddy and uncle when they were little. Now, I've never cared for the water. In fact, I'd say close to a fear of it really. I just didn't want that for my children. Perry's has a long history here in Ocala and I imagine the number of children they have taught how to swim is almost unmeasurable. It's amazing really.

This summer, McKenna swims twice a week and Andrea is swimming almost every morning for an hour helping her get ready for the high school swim team. Now I'm not exactly sure how this transpired, but I returnd one morning to learn that while I had left early the day before it was decided that Ms. Perry will have a swim class for the moms. Not really excited by this idea, but I did think to myself, "okay, I can do this, after all, I've been walking every day this summer...."
Well, let me tell you that I was close to DEATH this morning!
Oh my gosh, it was the hardest thing I've ever done and if there is anyone who thinks that swimming is an easy sport, I dare you to try a 1/2 hour class with Ms. Perry in her pool!
I cannot believe that my McKenna at 7, swims the length of that ginormous pool!
I cannot believe that Andrea, at 14, swims almost 60 laps every morning!

As I walked back to my car this morning, after the lesson, still trying to keep from tossing my cookies, the last thing I hear (probably from one of those younger moms) was "we're doing it again on Monday". I shock my fist in the air like "you bettcha", but what I was really thinking is "yeah, right"!

Thought you'd enjoy,
best wishes,
Melle