a bag of chips

More cards.

Now back to Stampin' Up! again. I made these three cards with more of the Sweet Nothings kit from their Simply Scrappin' section of the current catalog. Using a very standard and simple card formula I made three different cards in about 30 minutes.

I also used their Beautiful Butterflies and Hearts Set dies, the SU! Scallop Edge punch, and SU Scallop Circle punch. 

Today is the LAST day to take advantage of the SU! Sale-a-Bration. Don't miss out!

April SC Layouts.

The April kit Studio Calico is on sale now, and boy what a surprise treat this one was. It wasn't until I had these babies in my hand that I really got excited about the possibilities. I love how I got so many different looks with the main kit and the add-ons. 

And then I made a few cards. Among all the things there is to love and drool over and covet at Studio Calico are their mucho delicioso stamps that are include with the kits and add-ons. They are smart and sweet and versatile. I loved working with the girlie stamp. She's so cute!

Photagged.

My seriously lovely and talented bud Lisa Dickinson tagged me today (and I'll try not to hold that against her).  So here we go:

Take a picture of yourself right now. No primping or preparing. Just snap a picture.

Load the picture onto your blog.

Tag three people to play. Remember, if you are tagged, we will all be heading to your blog to see if you played along.

And here's my lovely big girl, a red moose name, um, Moosie, and me via Photo Booth in my very, very, hugely, extremely, embarrassingly messy studio:

And because it's part of the rules of this game, I hereby tag:

Susy (the most recent commenter on my blog)

Waleska (fellow San Diegan and awesome scrapper)

Nicole Samuels (because she just announced she's pregnant and who doesn't love a glowing pregnant woman?)

So! There you go! (And thanks, Lisa. Still love ya.)

  

Studio Calico's April Kit

Yowza! This kit was very fun and perfect for those scrappers with a boy and a girl. The kit goes on sale and the full reveal of all the design team loveliness is tonight!  Woohoo!

Sweet Nothings.

For March, the sweet folks at Stampin' Up! sent me one of their Simply Scrappin' kits, Sweet Nothings, to play around with. I've been eyeballing these kits in their catalogs for ages, and I'm so happy to finally have one in my hands. One of the things I have always loved about Stampin' Up! (and what is really the best thing about them) is that all their colors coordinate. Every sheet of patterned paper, every sheet of cardstock, every ribbon, ink pad, pen, button and sticker coordinates with something else in their vast collection. And it's one of the awesome features of this kit.

Just about everything on this layout is made with this "Sweet Nothings" kit or with something else from their catalog (except the letter stickers, rhinestones and small butterfly punch). Their Simply Scrappin' kits contain six sheets of stickers, six sheets of double-sided patterned paper, and eight sheets of coordinating cardstock. 

I also used their scalloped-edge punch and the Beautiful Butterflies die. I love how this kit complimented this photo of my darling niece.

And don't forget that the Sale-a-Bration event is still going on until March 31 where for every $50 you spend you get to choose a free item from the Sale-a-Bration catalog. 

Sisters.

Here's proof that biology isn't necessary to make any two children siblings. What makes these two sisters is love, with copious amounts of whining, shrieking, pouting, fighting, mine-ing, crying, pushing and feet-stomping thrown in for good measure.

Taken during a snack at the new San Diego Children's Museum last Friday. I know I'm partial, but aren't these two the most beautiful girls in the whole wide world? 

Photo stats: Canon 5D, 24-70 2.8L, ISO 640, SS 1/250, f3.5, AV mode, natural light, Auto WB, Center-Weighted Average metering.

I love a good example.

I sometimes have a hard time explaining certain things in a coherent and meaningful way. Like why it's okay for mommy to pick her nose but I'm always scolding my kids not to ("Because I'm an expert"), or like why it's okay for mom to have a few fries from the McD's bag but everyone else has to wait until we get home ("I'm just checking to make sure they're not poisoned"), or why mommy can say "holy crap" but the kids can't ("Because I'm already going to hell for all the other bad words I say").

I've also struggled with explaining the difference between my camera - the full-frame Canon 5D - and a non-full-frame camera like a point-and-shoot or a Canon XSi. I try to explain about the sensor size and the difference between what you might see through the viewfinder and what is actually committed to memory. So when I opened the latest issue of "Popular Photography" and saw an article about this very same thing, I knew that I had finally found something that I can share. So here it is:

This scan of page 56/57 in the April 09 issue shows the effect of the smaller sensor on a single photo. As the caption says, "even when both the viewpoint and the lens focal length stay the same" the result is different for different sensor sizes.  Basically, having a smaller sensor acts as almost a zoom factor, which can be a benefit. One example given by the magazine is that a wedding photographer uses her 50mm 1.2 lens on her 40D (an APS sensor) which ends up giving her the effect of an 85mm focal length. 

**ETA** Here's a link to another fine example of what the heck I'm talking about. Thanks, Susie!

Anyway, I'm just a camera nerd and found this particular article fascinating and it helped me to better understand exactly what the differences in sensor size really are. So that I can better explain it to the next person who asks. And this is what I'll tell them:  It's not the size that matters, but how you use it.

Sneaktime, baby!

Friday was the official Sneak for Studio Calico's April kit, Jack and Jill. Oh, man. I don't know how Scarlet and April do it, but every. time. they hit the scrappy nail on the head. I've only got these two to share right now, but be assured many more are coming.

I apologize for the quiet around here lately. I had a busy week last week and then I was away at a women's retreat (totally awesome) which was preceded by a visit with my grandparents (stay tuned for more on that). I'm refreshed in body, mind and spirit (for now at least) and am totally looking forward to some creative time this evening.

Enjoy the sneaks!

The devil made me do it.

Yes, he came to my house yesterday, disguised as a ten-year-old girl with freckles and braces and a green vest. And delivered these:

Or, as my friends at SC and I have discussed, the only other alternative than being the invention of Dr. Evil himself, is that they're made with sugar, flour, chocolate and crack.

My new toy.

I'm a happy girl.

Have a lovely weekend!