A day late and a dollar shorter now

Everything I purchased at Michael's was at least 50% off, then once I got my goods and got home they put a flyer in my bag that said the next day I could take 25% off my entire purchase including my sale items. What are the chances huh? Anyway I am looking forward to putting them to good use!

Making a new obsession

Just going wild about creating earrings. Learning any new craft becomes an obsession for me. Weird. Normally I am a huge clothing girl, but since I am not going to fit into anything for a while or whether or not I will after the babe I have been going crazy for jewelry. And of course silver is my favorite!

Making it myself...

I am taking a 3-D class at UGF and needed a sketchbook so of course I headed over to Barnes and Noble to see what they had. Liked a lot of the books but never fell in love with one. Just grabbed a spiral bound black one that said sketchbook on the front. Also found a book of old pin ups and two magazines I read (I love how they have a selection of NICE magazines) got to the line to pay and realized I left my wallet in my backpack at home. What a doink. So I asked them to hold everything. While I was driving back I thought geez, why don't I make my own sketchbook! Well here it is!! I bought a sketch pad from michaels for a $1.66, cut it to size and slapped it into the bind it all. I am still not comfortable with this little bugger when clamping the wire down. Any tips?? I also dangled a silver charm and fancy black bead that I had to attach with jump rings. Those little puppies are a pain in the neck. So I stopped off at my friendly bead store to say- I need help or am I just crazy!? She showed me this little tool that is the bomb! Jump rings you have met your match!

I took a beading class at High Strung Beads probably close to 6 months ago and learned how to make necklaces. I wanted to do a multi stand necklace, of course it had to be time consuming, and wasn't able to learn how to make earrings because we ran out of time. So ran in there last week and got the run down on what I needed to do. So since we have a pile of snow on the ground I decided to whip out these buggers! I am so excited about them!!

The end of a chapter

Thinking back I have had many last days. What is cool is that there is always a first day to follow to keep you upbeat about leaving. Mountain Title was not the longest place I have ever worked but it definatly was the most life altering.

I was divorced, recently got out of the military, moved to Montana, met my love Josh, had knee surgury, purchased my very first home, became an aunt to my sister's second child, Ella, joined the Air National Guard, decided to change course with my career, expecting a baby...if there is anything I am missing it is only because there has been so much going on. MAN what an eventful 2 years I have had!

I am grateful for my experiences and was very sad to go. I have started with 15 credits at UGF and ready to finally find myself in their art program. So many changes, but I am ready for anything! I made these cards for each of my co-workers and the patterned paper reflects their personalities, or how I see them. What a wild collection of people in one place huh!?

Oh baby I'm a genious!

This only took me three attempts to complete. And two to post. Oye, I am really trying to get a handle on the digital world. It doesn't come easy for me! Elise had this tutorial on her blog that I had to try. I want to be able to do super cool things in PSE 7 with ease.

Well there were some struggles, mainly my lack of computer knowledge (thanks for ALL of your help Toni! )and seeing as though it was the first complex thing I have ever done in PSE 7. But I am glad to say that I accomplished it! Today I feel like a computer genious! I conqured my Everest!!

I feel like once a baby arrives I can say sure I can show you how to put text on a photo using software that doesn't exist anymore. The "oh baby" is my handwriting- Josh was interested in what I was struggling with and said that's your handwriting right? I was just so pleasantly surprised he recognized it!

July 20th, 2010 my life will change forever. It's amazing just hearing that I was officially pregnant my priorities shifted immediatly. And I am sure I am just in for a BIG BUNCH of change everyday FOREVER now! Yikes that is pretty scary.

This quote (from one of the magazines the OB doc gave me) brought me some peace.

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutly new." -Rajneesh

What's your "oh baby" for the year?

More than a replacement

Shannon was my secret santa at work. I got her a gift card to JC Penny's and made her this little altered business card tin and a card. I really like how they both turned out. It was nice to get down and work with paper and glue again. As I was working on it I knew I had made the right choice to move on into art as a career. I don't think I will ever look back, just maybe to wonder what took me so long to go on this path. Shannon is the new "me". She will be the marketer at Mountain Title and is already doing a fabulous job. It is so refreshing to train someone that just soaks up what you have to offer and genuinely sees the foundation you have created and finds it important as well. It made it so much easier knowing that I would leave all of my hard work in her hands. Good luck Shannon!!

Goodbye to another...

Made these for Kelli's last day at the office, she is going to be a stay at home mom to her three children. Good for her huh!? I used the left over letters from the heidi swapp class for the canvas. Everyone was overwhelmed with the canvas. And Kelli was glad to see the roses from her actual wedding on it since her cats tore up her bouquet.

Zoo town and Ste-vi

I would love to live in Missoula. That town is so darn artsy. Here are some purchases I made a while back at the Scrapbook Hideaway and Country Scrappin.

Where chaos once lived...

Goal of 2009 is to get a grip on what I own. Organization is really taking over in my craft space. That's a good feeling since it has been a place of chaos for so long. These are paper covered chipboard dividers that I created to divide my completed cards. They are in a microfische file cabinet that my boss gave me for FREE. Gotta love that!

The categories include...

baby boy

baby girl

boy birthday

bummer

christmas

congrats

fall

friend

get well

girl birthday

just a note

lady birthday

love

manly birthday

manly congrats

manly thank you

misc.

prego

sorry

sympathy

thank you

travel

So far every one of my cards fits into one of these categories. But they are easy enough to add or remove a few. I have found using my cards I have already created so much easier because there is no question about what the inside says. It save me time because I am always grabbing a card as I am running out the door to meet someone or go to an event. I have not made cards really in a year so my stash is really taking a hard hit.

Gee I think I LOVE it!

Inspired by Elise Blaha to complete the same number of goals as your age. I took up calligraphy because I love kwerner's writing. So two muses that got me to a new hobby I love. I have the most amazing instructor that will forever be my friend, Ruth McDonald Gates. I think it's safe to say I'm addicted.

As for my 27 things to do before I turn 28...

I started this on August 6th, the day I turned 27.

Try new restaurants-tried 2 so far one of which is a keeper

Take photos of everyday people in my life

Get my passport renewed- have the papers

Have a six pack- did 25 sit ups one day, pretty pathetic progress but it is just that progress

Make my own purse

Learn how to cook Shrimp Alfredo

Organize Photos on computer- using photoshop to tag everything...a work in progress...every new set of photos are tagged and if I have time and stay off the internet I am plugging away at the million old photos

Paint walls in house- have paint color pick out and mixed now putting it on the walls is the goal

Paint a mural- want a cherry blossom branch in my bedroom and an old world map in my bathroom

Teach Shelby how to scrapbook- just need to set a date she's ready she has already been asking

Stop feeling intimidated by people- have not really documented why I let people do this to me, but seeing myself stand up for what I believe in here lately makes me think there has been some sort of progress

Read 7 books- two down, the forgivness formula and sacred hoops which I recommend both to everyone I know now.

Learn how to proficiently use Photoshop Elements 7- learned how to make sepia tone, tag, upload and resize. really looking to dive into the computer tricks 3 by Jessica Sprague

Stop assuming what others feel- not exactly comfortable, but definatly making steps with the help of my good friend Liz.

Make headway in geneology

Utilize the stories in hand to document

Finish a degree- looking into UGF and the COT with plans to begin in 2010 full time

Join a volleyball team

Complete 270 layouts- not one started, eeek!

Bike for 3 miles straight

Learn how to slolam

Have full range back in my knee

Throw a frisbee more

Learn Calligraphy- lowercase lessons completed, beginning on uppercase

Learn how to BBQ- Josh taught me how to do steaks and corn in the husk- Yum, where is summer?

Meet 30 people a month- not tracking this very well at all, hmmm not sure on the progress

Be more comfortable with emotionally intimate relationships

I can say I am really impressed with my progress. Now creating the book to put them in, perhaps that should have been a goal as well. 12 out of 27 is not a bad start...and I still have 9 more months to go!

An Accomplishment

80 years on earth. Wow my gram has always been my hero, but now she is untouchable! My gram has always felt like she was not a MacDonald- don't know why since everyone is a quarter of her! So I made this book to remind her.

Meeting my mini sister

Meet my niece Ella, I just did myself. She is a firecracker. Looks exactly like her mom.

My nephew Scott on the other hand is finding more out about me.

-Bought him a red gatorade. My sister says look at what Lindsey bought you. He gets really excited and is asking his mom how I knew it was his favorite. I said it's my favorite too. He is shocked. He quickly asked me what my favorite color was and I replied Blue. His eyes got wide and said MINE TOO! Still simply amazed that we would ever have similarities.

-He looks at me, then looks at his mom, looks back at me and says you look a lot like his mom. Then he squishes my face with his hands perhaps thinking it is a mask. Then gives in and says you really do.

-He has howework to finish and I say that I will help him, he kinda scoffs at me and says my mom will help me. I said let me try, what do you have to do. He replies I have to write ALL of these letters and I don't know how many to do! I said right here it says 3 with two spaces inbetween each letter. He snatches the paper back and says my mom will help me. I said I can read and that is what it says right there.

Soon there will be a day where we may only have red gatorade and the color blue in common, I'm sure I will always look like his mom, but one day he will think his mom doesn't know everything. A little bit sad, but for now she is Queen.

Totally Inspired

This woman is inspiration, boxed with inspiration, in a bag of inspiration, you get the idea. Heidi Swapp has made me fall in love with the art of scrapbooking again.

And for the retreat, a little shopping, great giveaways and 126 embossed clocks for Nicole's invitations!!

Birthday at the Office

My boss LOVES lime green. Thought it was appropriate.

Summer, why did you leave?

Last group of photos from the summer. Snow has only showed it's face a few times, we'll see how long it can hold out! Looking back at the warm days of summer is almost painful.

Goodbye now, goodbye.

I do everything in the last minute, why would these good luck cards be any different!? That is my reasoning for the poor photography, it was done right before they went into the envelopes. I really need to break that habit for sure. These are goodbye/good luck cards for our Romanian receptionist that went into the army and Guitar playing title searcher going off to college. Maybe I should have made a good luck card for my 'kick procrastination in the butt' movement. I guess I put that off too. Well GOOD LUCK Andrea and Mike!

Bittersweet

My cousin came home from some 'stan' place. It was good to see him safe at home. He came home early because his brother-in-law passed away in a car accident. Ugh, my heart goes out to them. It's nice to have my cousin home. But knowing why he is here makes it a bittersweet return. When he got off the plane everyone was waiting to greet him. He mourned with her family first, was welcomed home by my family and finally the guard thanked him for his service overseas. So many things are swirled with good and bad. There is good in everything. Sometimes it is just hard to focus on that good because the bad is staring you right in the face. I hope they find the strength to keep moving to find the good.

Elk Saddle- Floweriffic!

Josh took me up to Elk Saddle. I walked up a small hill and found all of these flowers. Wow. So I have quite a collection of flower photos and I have finally decided what I will be doing with them. I will keep you posted on that little project. Oh yeah, there was also some swimming since it was so hot and one guy was sporting maroon briefs.

Eventful Fourth

Alright the fourth...

-first time to Hay Canyon in the Little Belt Mountains

-great food, mmm I love food.

- music, amazing music by the thanks to hitch hiker Brian

- Carol saying how she loves to look at all of the faces around the fire, so many have come and gone

- Carol, Bonnie and Josh have been keeping the tradition alive with perfect attendance for 28 years

- drove down to Stanford

-forgot keys to the banana and bag

- waterskiing at Matt and Tammi's

-Tammi burned her leg with boiling water then spranged her ankle trying to get out of the truck

- Brent's boat sucked a rope, then later almost sunk

- Gerald's boat wouldn't start and a 100' 80 year old tree fell 8 inches away from it

-found out that Hitch hiker Brian fell 30 feet while rock climbing and was rushed to the ER

-went safely to sleep in my own bed, geez that was the only safe place

Just 3...I can do that.

So, just before I decided to change my entire life I found zenhabits. Thanks Ali! This site has inspired me to make many changes in my life. I am a list maker. A MAJOR list maker, they should probably have a 12 step program for me, but writing out the 12 steps wouldn't help me stop writing lists! Anyway I have searched the blog high and low for the post that has inspired this and had no luck...so here goes...my to do list is longer than I am, so zenhabits says to break it down and complete 3 tasks each day that are moving toward your goals. This is my little book 'just 3' to keep me on track. It's the smallest book I have made to date. Awww....ooooosheee boo boo do boo. Used some of the chipboard I cut at the Scrapbook Hideaway, new Martha Stewart stamps, the bind it all for the second time AND a new in color for '10. All of that jam packed into this little book for "make progress on my to do list" motivation.

Sweet but not great on the feet

Kyle, or Ryan (I have no idea why I keep calling him Ryan when his name is Kyle) brought me these great smelling flowers. They have been alive in a glass of water for days!

Ryan, I mean Kyle busted his knee and had to be Mercy Flighted off the mountain this past weekend. Maybe these flowers will make his knee feel better.

Broken knees suck. I would know.

Oh the colors of home

Taking the photos for my pieces of home mini book is a blast. Perhaps putting together the mini book will be just as fun. Better put down the camera, set up my new printer and get to creatin'! But taking the photos now is good because a lot of these flowers have already come and gone. Plus my mom needs to get a real feel of where I call home these days.

Soon to come "living photos" what my house itself actually looks like. Geez, seeing all of the pieces makes it look grand huh!?

hollyhock.light switch.poppy.house.columbine.poppy.toilet paper dispenser (he peddles when you pull on the paper!).bleeding heart.address.light above sink.downstairs cutout.columbine.mailslot. purple flower budding out.wood.red flower.back yard.more red flower.arched doorway.red flower in full bloom.

River Rats

Water. It's cool. No matter what your age.

Mountain Title says THANKS!

Thank you's for work I created. Simple, since we send out a lot of them. The mountains are our logo and I

had the stamp created here.

Simply. Amazing.

Glacier. Must see. Really.

Yum

Another image from the Digi Shack. I'm lovin' these sweet little treats! Another SCS sketch challenge #174 too.

Had a great mail day. Walked up the steps to find:

Private Quarters Pillows
Photo paper I got for free from Canon
[P]Hot Tub filter cover and dummy how to sheet
[P]Free Glamour Magazine
Pizza Coupons

[P]Sorry I wanted everything on my list to start with a [P].

Graffiti

When the digi shack came out with this little fella I knew he had to be mine. So many sentiments can go with him! Inside I put the sentiment "Maybe the hokey pokey is what it really is all about" Put your giraffe arm in, put your graffiti arm out.

So funny story about that...

My sophomore year of high school I walked into my language arts class and I saw giraffe on the chalk board. I asked Mr. Moore what it was doing there. He said "a freshman asked me what a "gear-ra-fee" was." I started laughing, once the second person walked in they asked what I was laughing at and I said read the board. She did and said...oooooh graffiti.

Groovy things I have learned lately:

Deer lose their antlers every year, each year adding a point.

Canon will give you a discount on product even after your warranty has expired if you fall into their loyalty program. I got this (a refurbished one) for 135 dollars!

Find some great free stuff from here.

If you are parallel with the water while water skiing, you are bound to get a nostril full of river.

And my creative challenge update...

Right now I am finding my creative 20 minutes when I should be doing something else, and late at night. It has finally warmed up in the basement so I want to be down there. What I accomplished:

[5] cards

[25] thank you's

[28] gift certifcates

[3] 3x3 cards

[1] My idea of home album, just waiting on finishing touches for the cover

And have a serious plan for Nicole's wedding invitations, now just cutting and glueing need to take place.

With that I am challenging myself again. 20 minutes a day and see what I can produce.

[3] Goals:

Complete Nicole's Wedding Invitations

Create an easy to find stamp index of all of my stamps (currently just stamped randomly on pages with their set, I want categories so if I need to find a bird stamp they are all together).

Double my card and scrapbook pages from last month. The scrapbook pages goal should not be hard at all! I know I set the bar high!

Golden Girls

One of my girl scouts from Japan received her Gold Award and this is going to be sent to congratulate her.

I love SUMMER!

Inspired by the Splitcoast stampers sketch #51, the image is from the digishack. What is it about icecream and me, I have to have a gallon of Schwan's icecream in my freezer at all times.

Life is GRRReat!

Let summer begin! Josh and I went camping in Dry Wolf to start out the season. Man it felt good to get outside. Bonnie (Josh's Mom) took me on a hike where we hit a huge snow bank. I stopped and thought we were turning around. Oh no, she climbed up the snow bank (meanwhile I am thinking of how hard it would be to pack her 4 miles back) and said "You commin?" So I climbed up the snow bank and found an amazing view that was totally worth it! I am glad she didn't let me turn around without the payoff. She slid down the bank on the way back and we enjoyed campfire food and washoos. Great to be amongst great people, great food and the great outdoors.

Ooh la la New la la

These are the new colors from SU! this year. Yum, they are so fresh! I created these little gift cards for my cousin Cimberlee.

Just one of those days. Ugh.

Some days you just want to end. Ugh. Where nothing can go right. I should have turned around and went back into the house when I dipped my jacket in a blob of butter. Oh no, I kept on moving forward and got my hands super greasy putting my air filter back in. Then a crappy day at work followed. Just as I was driving home I thought, my great day can start NOW. So I started mowing the lawn. I couldn't get it started because it is really hard to pull. Once it did after about 300 trys, it ran out of gas halfway through the backyard. Of course it would! Happened to have a little can in the garage. Pheew. Get the back yard done, get half of the front done, and wouldn't you know the handle broke! Ugh. Some days just need to end. But I couldn't help but laugh at how stupid it was. Just as I am trying to drag it into the backyard my friend Liz calls and I tell her about my crappy lawn mowing experience and she laughed at me and my broke down mower. This is Square Butte on one of my drives to Stanford a few weeks ago. I would like to say I want to go back to this day, but that means that this one would replay too!

Thank you, thank you very much (in an elvis accent)

These were my thank you's for coming to my House Warming. I got this embossing folder and had to try it out immediatly, and the vision in my head came to life. I used up the card bases that I had cut for classes. So used some new product, got rid of some scrap, and sent off the thank yous. I know, I know I am really making large strides here. I think I am starting to like it!

Basket of must haves...cheap must haves

• Went to Bozeman.

It snowed.

Found a basket full of stuff on clearance at Michaels that wanted to travel back to Great Falls with me.

Life is good.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Or a June wedding in Montana!

Pieces of home

This is my start of the pieces of my home I love. I will be making two mini books of these, one for Lynn the previous owner and one for myself. I am sure mine it will grow over time too! I am really excited to start making my mark in my home. Home Sweet Home!

1.Fish Light Switch Cover 2.Bird house in tree hole 3.Purple Columbine 4.Wood floors 5.Wroght iron planter decor 6.Lilacs 7.Flowering bush 8.Front Door 9.Textured ceilings 10.Note on garage door 11.Hallway light 12.Split door 13.Pink Columbine 14.Lilly of the Valley 15.Onion plant

SA-WEET!

I believe these Digi Shack images are no longer available, but too cute none the less! I love icecream cones. Here's to summer!!!!

Why I shouldn't have a debit card!

While in Billings for a friend's wedding, Josh and I hit up some stores. Let me tell you I had some great finds! Friday night we hit up the wedding, Troy and Camela were both in the wedding. Then it was on to Michaels, TJ Max, Hobby Lobby and Scrapbook Legacies. The blossom picture will hang in my living room, the 5 frames will hang horozontally and I will swap out photos with what moves me, I am hoping the seasons for now. The door pulls are for my kitchen drawers and cupboards. And of course the leather tote is for my color coordinated embellishements. I picked up some goodies from scrapbook legacies for Nicole's wedding invitations.

At the Gap

1.Old siding 2.Judith Gap Windmills 3.Berry 4.Donnie and Princess 5.Black Baldie Babies 6.Old house at sunset 7.Rain clouds 8.Josh 9.Roof 10.Snowy Mountains 11.Fence post 12.Tin Roof 13.Flower on berry plant 14.Dead cow 15.Sunset and fence post 16.More old siding