a bag of chips

The Big Reveal

Last night was the big reveal at Studio Calico, which included some craziness on the chat board and a few Irish coffees on my side on the screen. Since reveal happens and the new kits and add-ons go on sale at midnight East Coast time, many were a bit delirious (including Kirsty, our DT gal in England - it was 5:00 AM for her!).

I don't exactly know why, but I was quite nervous about the reveal and my first SCDT projects. I guess it's only natural for to be nervous your first time. I'm in awe of the amazing creations the rest of the team made with this kit. I'm in awesome company there! I can't wait to see what the rest of the SC community does with their kits. Even more awesomeness.

So, without further delay, here are my creations with the Garment District kit (which has already sold out but they're working on making more available) at Studio Calico (which you can also see on the SC website in the Gallery):

I'll make more stuff with this kit and the add-ons over the next week or so. 

And don't forget to leave a comment in the previous post for a chance to win something.

Give away! Give away!

A few months ago I received a box of goodies from CK Media full of their various books, many of which are collector's items now that Simple is getting ready to print its last and final issue: 

Donna Downey's "Fabric Scrapbooking"

Donna Downey's "Designing Layouts"

Elizabeth Dillow's "The Scrapbooker's Almanac"

Lisa Bearnson's "50 Moments - Scrapbook the Pages That Matter Most"

Stacy Julian's "Photo Freedom"

Becky Higgins' "Family History Scrapbooking"

Lisa Bearnson "Ten Things I Love" album kit (a CKU item)

And since I already have at least one copy of many of these things, I'm giving them away - mama needs more room for scrap crap.

So, since there are six items, I'll pick six random winners to each receive one of these fabulous books. So, comment away, my friends! I'll pick the winner next Wednesday, March 4 around 9:00 pm San Diego time.

Good luck!

*ETA* Elizabeth Dillow herself has requested that I send her the copy (one of the last few it seems) of her book, which means I'm no longer giving that one away. Well, except to her. But I did include another one in its place. Sorry to disappoint!

Please. Watch this.

I saw this on my buddy Deb's website. Brilliant is right, Deb. Thanks for posting this. It starts a bit weird, but please keep watching. If you're a photographer or any kind of artist, you'll relate. Trust me. Time well spent.

Okay, one last look.

Here's my final sneak before the big reveal over at Studio Calico:

I've got some other stuff I'm still working on but that's all I'm gonna share before Friday night's reveal.

And here's a photo I took of Aidan at the new San Diego's Children's Museum several weeks ago. They have this fabulous padded room with all kinds of great soft things to bounce and jump on. This kid had a freakin' blast:

For any of you who have followed Aidan's struggles over the past few years, he's doing very, very well right now. Praise God! 

Today I *hate* Adobe.

If you're not in the mood to hear my rant, kindly come back in a day or two when I've posted something else.

If you've been here in the last two months, you might remember my plight in upgrading my Photoshop software from CS2 for Windows to CS4 for Mac. The process of obtaining this cross-platform upgrade started on December 19, two days after I received my new iMac. I paid for the upgrade and I was told it would be about 30 days, and that I could download the CS4 trial version and use this until my software arrived.

The trial version expired over 30 days ago.

I called Adobe on January 20th to check on my software since my trial had only one more launch left. I was told by the customer service department (located, no doubt, in a windowless room in a foreign country and clearly manned by people whose first language is NOT English) that they would expedite my software and I would have it in 3-5 days.

Ten days later, no software.

On February 4, I call Adobe again. Again, I speak to the same foreign customer service office and am told again that my software was ready to ship and to call back in two days for a tracking number. Seriously. They wanted ME to call THEM back in two days for a tracking number. 

Today, I still have no f-ing software. 

So today I called the actual order-by-phone number and talked to someone else there (this time, thankfully, talking to someone I actually understood and who understood me) who, once again, has assured me that my software would ship in 24 hours and that I would receive it in 5-7 days. IF I get my software in 5-7 days, that will mean this whole wretched process took 74 days.

This might not seem too unreasonable, but you must know that prior to the process of getting the upgrade can begin, I had to sign a letter saying that I was destroying my CS2 for Windows software. Which left me with no Photoshop. I have not had Photoshop for over sixty days. Im a freakin' photographer for cryinoutloud. I depend on this product for my business.

I was reminded, and not so delicately, by the person I spoke with today that if I had needed my software so quickly that I should have just purchased the full version of the software for Mac and that would have eliminated all of this. Really? So I'm being penalized for purchasing the cross-platform upgrade? Really?

I'm so flimflam freakin' tired and disappointed and ANGRY at how all of this has been handled. In the day and age when you can download your software and receive your serial number for your purchase by email, there is no excuse for how this process is handled. None. And Adobe is a pretty progressive techno corporation. Why does this suck so bad??? WHY???

Okay. I feel just a smidge better having ranted. Just smidge.

I need a hug.

A sneak and a pic.

(Sounds like a song about nose picking. Ahem.)

Here is another sneak for the absolutely gorgeous Studio Calico March kit, Garment District. I am so happy that I came onto their design team with this kit. Maybe it's because this kit and all the yummy add-ons are so happy and fresh. There isn't one thing in the whole shebang that I don't absolutely love. Oh yes, I'm feeling all kinds of lucky right now.

So here's my next sneak:

And, not to keep you hanging, here's me with the president:

He looked a bit thin and worn and even a bit flat after only his first month in office. But he was nice enough to just stand there and let us grab a picture.  

I'll have more photos from our DC trip to share in the next day or so, and hopefully another SC sneak or two as well.  

Happy Monday!

SC Sneaks!

My first sneaks at my first Studio Calico layouts. YAY!  

There's more I'm working on right now, but here are the first two:

Stay tuned for another bunch of sneaks in the next day or so, as well as some photos from our DC trip. I got a photo with the president!

DC in the AM

Tomorrow hubby and I head to Washington DC for a few days to take care of some business. With a projected high tomorrow of 39 degrees in DC, it's this San Diego sunset on a warm January day I'll be thinking about when I can't feel my fingers.

My job while we're there is to see things and take lots of pictures, including at least one of "Oback Obama's big white house" for Mr. Aidan. Will do, buddy. Will do.

See you next week with my first Studio Calico sneak peeks!

Someone had a birthday.

Makena turned five on January 28. Yes, five. She starts kindergarten in the fall and then next she'll be heading off to college far, far away. 

We had planned on a party here at home, but she insisted on a Chuck E. Cheese (AKA Hell On Earth) birthday party. And, because we're suckers for her dimples and huge sparkly eyes, we agreed to it. It was good on some levels because the party happened somewhere other than our house and where someone else had the pleasure of entertaining and cleaning up after 20 kids hyped up on bad pizza, soda and cupcakes and their weary parents. But $250, indigestion and an armored-truckful of tokens later, we were wishing we'd stuck to messing up our own house, feeding our guests Costco party packs and drinking ice-cold cold beer from a known source rather than something resembling beer in a flimsy plastic cup that because you'd rather not be wearing it drink it down quickly and then regret it mere moments later. 

But anyway.

The important thing is that she had a blast, and so did all her friends. She got a ton of fabulous gifts and lots of hugs from everyone, including the big Cheese himself:

She really did have a good time, such a good time that I fear we'll be having all our birthday parties here from now until 2025, and where we'll probably have her big send-off party before she goes to college far, far away. Because as far away as it sounds, 2025 is right around the corner. And, despite my constant pleading and begging for them to stop, these darn kids just keep on growing. 

We love you, Makena, big five-year-old princess girl. 

(BTW, I know how bad I suck and how many Bad Mommy Points I racked up for posting this nearly three weeks past her birthday. I know, I know.)

Doors and windows.

Whenever I think of closing doors and opening windows, I see in my head, through the cobwebs and with the aid of my remaining brain cell, the scene from "The Sound of Music" when Julie Andrews says something like, "Whenever God closes a door, somewhere He always opens a window." Amen, Sister.

When Simple announced its last issue (slam!!!) I started to wonder about what, if anything, the Scrapbooking world had to offer me in the middle of this scary economy. I felt a bit like a free agent at CHA, even though I was there as a member of the Simple team. And, while there, I had the immense pleasure to hang out with a few of the gals from Studio Calico, including owners April Foster and Scarlet Namvong. I have long been a fan of their kits and the inspiration provided by their incredible design team. Are you starting to feel the breeze from that opening window? Because guess who the newest Studio Calico DT members are? AAAAAAACK!  ME! And Maggie Holmes!

But, really, the best part of all? The kit on deck for March freakin' rocks. I'm giddy like a school girl, and, at nearly forty, that's sayin' something.  Looking forward to being part of something so fabulous. Thank you April and Scarlet!