ScrapHappy

Life Lessons from Hall of Fame

The other day, I got an email from Christel, telling me she was sorry I hadn’t won CK’s Hall of Fame contest.

“That’s okay,” I answered. “Now I can make fun of it!”

Actually, I was kind of down about the whole thing… but I’m fine now, and well able to poke fun at myself. In fact, a recent thread on 2Peas touched on the topic of what you learned from the HOF process. And I definitely learned a few things:

1. The day the calls are expected, you will suddenly become deluged with sales calls (despite the fact that you are unlisted). So many, in fact, that you will wonder if your phone number is scrawled on the wall of some telemarketers’ bathroom somewhere, with the words “Call me – I’m easy!” underneath.

2. The other 6 billion people in the world have no concept of what “HOF” is, nor will they accept “waiting for The Call” as a viable excuse for not doing the laundry, preparing meals, or completing paid assignments.

3. The whole “melts in your mouth, not in your hands” thing only works if you eat them really, really fast.

4. Your phone IS working and if you do pick up the handset to check for a dial tone, you will then cause yourself more strife and anxiety as you will wonder if Lisa called in the .34 seconds you had the receiver off the hook.

5. Your odds of winning do not increase by chaining yourself to your computer or carrying your cell phone to the bathroom with you.

6. 25 in 550 and 50 in 525 sound like really good odds. That is, until 10 PM on Tuesday night.

7. If you won, they will find a way to get in touch with you. Really.

8. “The Secret” doesn’t work.

Got any to add? Please do – bitterness and snarkiness encouraged. ;)

Daffynition

crop. 1. n. a gathering of scrapbookers, purportedly for the purpose of working on scrapbooks and other paper arts; however, in actuality the occasion is often an excuse for shopping, networking, and social expression (see "stash enhancement").

2. v. The act of eliminating non-essentials from photographs via trimming, using scissors or a paper cutter. Ex: "Don't worry, you can just crop his ex-wife's face out of the picture."

Getting Goofy

I know, I know... you're wondering what I could possibly come up with that would trump last week's Scrappin' Old Skool challenge. Well, if I do say so myself, I think I've done it!

This week, please scrap a page inspired by your favorite cartoon character. From Power Puff Girls to Bugs Bunny, the field is wide open. Here's mine:

Inspired by... you got it, Arthur!

Products were pretty minimal. Cardstock, handcut title, Marvy-Uchida punch for the black and white squares, EK Success circle template, Nick Bartok distress ink for the edges of the circle, American Crafts pen, staples.

Now it's your turn! Scrap in the style of your favorite animated character or show... and post a link to the results in the comments section by Sunday. A winner will be randomly drawn, and you'll get PRIZES!

A Little Elbow Room

I am a big believer in the rules of polite society. You hold the door open for others. You give seats to people who need them more than you do (regardless of age or sex). And at Starbucks you leave the spots closest the electrical outlets for the people with computers.

One other thing that annoys me is when someone takes up a big ole' table at the busiest time of the morning. What are they thinking, staking out a table for four when all they have is their cranberry orange scone and a cup of House Blend (and not even a VENTI cup -- just a dinky little tall)?

Of coures, there are times when I would like to occupy more space than I rightfully feel is mine. In this case, I leave it to others to make the decision not to sit next to me. Here's my secret weapon. Put one of these on the sofa next to you and I guarantee you'll have all the elbow room you need:

(Click on it to read the fine print)
See, there are benefits to having a preschooler! (By the way, when they checked Callie for "sparkles" in her hair today, she got a clean bill of health. Whew. That's one particular bullet I wasn't willing to take).

In other news, our winners for the first-ever Scrappin' Old Skool ScrapHappy challenge... Sabrina and Ramona! Since we only had two entries, I decided not to play favorites. Send me your snail mail addresses and I will get you some goodies.

Good things happen when you ScrapHappy!

I'll post the next challenge tomorrow.

POST YOUR PAGES NOW!

I'll be drawing a winner for our first challenge later tonight... post a link to your layout NOW!

Let's Get Crafty

There are some times when I just cannot face the piles of pictures I have in my scraproom, and all I want to do is sit down and do something with a concrete beginning and end. Like eat a Snickers bar. But today I was able to sublimate that urge and instead create a little something to share with you.

Supplies:

-Unadorned picture frame (I used a $1 wooden cheapo one from Michaels).

-Acrylic paint (I used a $.50 bottle of cheapo paint from Michaels -- are you sensing a trend here??)

-Craft glue (I used Aleene's Twice As Tacky from, you guessed it, Michaels. You would think with the amount of stuff I buy there they would treat me a little better, but no. I still get the fish eye from the white-haired ladies who scrutinize every coupon I bring in, holding them up to the light and doing everything but giving them a pH test for authenticity. You'd think I was the mastermind for a Michaels counterfeit coupon ring, cranking out the puppies in my basement or something.)

-Buttons galore (no, mine were not from Michaels).

Process:

1. Paint frame - you may need two or three coats. Coverage should be even, but it doesn't need to be 100 percent opaque.

2. Let dry (I sped up the process with a craft dryer from... Michaels!).

3. Once dry to the touch, start lining the frame with the buttons. For mine, I didn't worry about color or size, but I kept to all round buttons (no funky shapes).

4. Keep adding buttons in rows, using a dollop of the craft glue on the back of the button. The glue will dry clear, so don't worry about getting dribs and drabs on the frame.

5. Continue until the whole frame is covered. If your frame is going to be hung on the wall, you can have the buttons overlap the edges a bit. If it's going to be propped (like an easel), be sure not to overlap the edges too much, or they'll pop off.

6. Let dry until glue is clear. Place a picture in the frame and enjoy!

Wednesday Daffynition

Scrapbooker. (noun). [skrap·boŏkər]

1. A person (us. female) who tracks her family’s memories in a blank book or album, embellishing the pages with photos, pictures, cuttings, or other material.
2. One with an unhealthy obsession with paper, ribbon, brads, eyelets, paint, pens, stickers, stamps, scissors, doodling, rub-ons, cardstock, and anything else that can be adhered to a page.
3. The coolest people on earth.

Takin' It Up a Notch

Alright, friends and relations... It's time to take it up a notch! Let's have some FUN around here!!! Today starts a new feature on ScrapHappy... weekly challenges! But these are not your ordinary challenges -- these are intended to make you dig deep, search your soul, and FIND YOUR SCRAPPIN' LOVE BONE! Forget those Effer things. Forget ScrapJacking. We're scrapping for one reason and one reason only... SO WE CAN BUY MORE SCRAPBOOK PRODUCTS! Here's how it's going to work. I'll post a challenge every Tuesday or so. You create a project based on the challenge, post a link to your creation on your own blog or in an online gallery, and at the end of the week I'll pick a random winner. The winner will receive accolades and attention beyond all reasonable measure... PLUS some goodies from moi! (Heaven knows I have enough to share...). So, are you ready? This week's challenge is all about "Scrappin' Old Skool." Dig into your piles of Mrs. Grossman's stickers, pull out those Creative Memories die-cuts, and wield your deco-edge scissors... create a layout using some of your old products or tools that you just can't throw away (or that you found under the pile of Bazzill Bling in the back of your closet). then post the link here... I'll accept posts through Sunday, and our winner will be announced on Monday! I'll post my creation tomorrow. HAVE FUN!

ETA: Here it is, in all its Day-Glo glory... remember those neon papers? I cannot believe I still had that green in my stash! Here's what I used: Bazzill C/S, some unknown toxic paper for the green probably bought in bulk at Michael's, Fiskars scissors for the edge (you couldn't tell it was handcut, could you??), Lil' Davis paint, Bo Bunny brads, Mary Engelbreit stickers, and an American Crafts pen (like my dot letters???).

Now it's your turn!!!!!

Post a link to your creation by Sunday. Winner announced on Monday!

Question of the day

Can someone please explain  how I can own virtually every embellishment known to womankind, but as soon as I step foot in the scrapbook store, I see more I MUST buy? Hmm.

Latest LO. Click for a larger view. I've been working on a couple of things, but they're for Simple so if I showed you, I'd have to shoot you with a Fastenator.

I am in love.

I am in love. I am more than ready to move on after a long and testy relationship with my current vehicle (don't ask... I'm not even going to provide a link because according to "The Secret," the more I dwell on what I have, the more of it I will get. And I don't want another minute with this particular car).

The object of my auto lust:

Click on it to get a really good view of that piece of transportational beefcake.

I. Must. Have. This. Car.

What exactly does this have to do with scrapbooking, you ask?

Good question.

This car lust is totally about scrapbooking. Let me count the ways:

1. The yellow just so happens to be the same shade of yellow as Bazzill Bumblebee. See?

2. I am going to get a new license plate that reads "SCRPHPY." Cute, huh?

3. Just think of all the scrapbook supplies I can fit in the storage area. Ah.

Now, I just have to find a way to get out of my lease.