Random Thoughts, Scrap Projects and Oprah's Skype

I can't believe May is almost over already! This year is going by so fast. Oh no -- my birthday is just around the corner - again! So what do I have to show for myself this year? Not much.

I feel like I've been suspended in mid air. Not having a job and not having something to do everyday really begins to drag you down. It's too bad I don't have children to keep me busy. And I've tried to keep myself entertained by actually getting some scrapbooking done, going to crops, hanging out with friends and creating and maintaining this blog, but I still feel empty and melancholy sometimes. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what step to take next. And it's a battle to keep yourself from becoming depressed. But anyway, this post was not meant to be a killjoy so on to my next topic.

I wanted to share a few pages I made.

This first one was made with a Pink Paislee set I've had for a while now. At first, I didn't have a clue what to use the owl page for and then I came across these pictures. Also, a good way to use some of these old "typewriter" letters I've been holding on to. I love to mix old products with new. This is why I hold on to stuff because I know eventually I'll use it.

This next one I combined an old transparency set by MME with "newer" Fancy Pants embellishments (chipboards and pins) and Queen & Co felt border.

This one was also a combination of a newer 3Birds paper kit and tags with older embellishments. Greg's name was created with an old set of cheap foam stamps. I also used a Page Map for the design inspiration. This is not a great picture of the page.

And my last subject: Oprah is addicted to Skype.

Have you noticed how crazy Oprah has gotten over Skype? I think Oprah needs to take her own challenge and give up Skype for 7 days.

Skype is an awesome new way to communicate via video over the internet, but I think Oprah is abusing it. I mean, is it just me or does it seem like her show is losing the Oprah personal touch? Why are most of her guests on a video screen now? Isn't one of the pleasures of being a guest on the Oprah show actually getting to meet Oprah?

So, this poses the question: Is Oprah becoming untouchable or is she just trying to save money on airfare and accommodations? I don't think "little miss billionaire" needs to be hoarding her money during these times. In fact, she would actually be helping out the travel industry which is also hurting.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to say that Oprah should be out there throwing her money away. But if every billionaire and millionaire cut back drastically, wouldn't that also be hurting the economy some more? The Johnson & Johnson heir was on her show the other day talking about how the uber rich are cutting back because it's the "chic" thing to do. But isn't that selfish of them? I mean most people are cutting back out of necessity not because it's the "chic" thing to do. How annoying.

But I digress... Oprah needs to step back in time a little and try to remember what made people love her. It's okay to use Skype every once in a while but I believe she needs to get back to a more personal show.

A couple of weeks ago she stated that she had her feet on the ground. Sorry Oprah, but you've been floating on cloud 9 for quite a while now. I think that if it wasn't for the help of your producers & staff giving you some great topics for your show, I don't think I'd be much of a fan anymore.

Well that's my rant for this week. Tune in next week....or whenever I have something else to share.

Still here...

Well, inauguration day is upon us and no doubt most of us (that didn't go to D.C.) will be glued to the tv screen all day today. This is definitely an historic event that I never imagined I would see during my lifetime. Mr. President Obama, please live up to your promises and do us proud. I also wanted to share a few pics for my Scrapbooking Project 365. Yes I have been taking pictures regularly and I just ordered a bunch from Artscow.com so I will be putting my pages together soon.

Lunch with Michelle and Adriana.

Giving Xena her weekly bath.

At Smoqued with Emily.

And homemade guacamole, yum!


Here's also a couple of pages I created with Inspired Blueprints sketches 6 & 7. The pictures didn't come out so clear but you get the idea.

Also, some bad news for fellow scrapbookers. Simple Scrapbooks Magazine will no longer publish after their May/June issue. Visit their blog to view the announcement. I am so upset about this cause I am mostly a simple scrapper and I really enjoyed the projects in their magazine. It's so sad to see good businesses die because of the state of our economy.

I have not been able to visit blogs regularly these last couple of weeks, but rest assured I will be visiting you all again soon. I'm a blog addict so leave me your blog info and I will stop by and visit soon.

Well, that's all I have for today. I've been cleaning out some of my scrapbooking stash and I will post a giveaway soon, so stay tuned.

I hate being sick!

I'm sick. Been sick since Thanksgiving and it's a bitch. I was going to put up my Christmas decorations and work on my Christmas cards and do this and that and the other.... but nooooooo....I had to get sick. I've got the krud (sinus and ear infection) and it's taking its time to go away. But I'm grateful. Grateful for great friends and neighbors that bring me soup and stuff to eat so I don't have to make it myself. Grateful for a warm bed and slippers and a warm puppy to comfort me.
Well, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and did some shopping over the weekend (I'm sad I missed the shopping frenzy).
Anyway, I'll get back to posting as soon as I feel better. Hopefully, I'll have some crafty things to post.

Oprah & Dr. Oz Strike Out on Beauty Tips

This week's Oprah Show with Dr. Oz was a huge disappointment for me. For a week the commercials led me to believe that we would learn about new and wonderful tips for looking young, and having clearer skin. Well, I was so excited to see this episode that I made sure I would have uninterrupted time to watch it. However that excitement ended after about 15 minutes into the show.
Most of the hour was spent looking at audience members skin through a Visia Skin Analysis System. Not only was that boring, but showing the Visia did not accomplish anything other than show us the damage that was already there and supposedly is going to surface in the future. That was all well and good to demonstrate once, but over and over....booooring! They were so busy analyzing the ladies' skin for 10 minutes or so and not telling us the solutions or tips needed to correct the problem. So he gave some tips on using vitamins and antioxidants and niacin, so what! That's nothing new. His last tip was to see a dermatologist for other treatments. Whatever! Do you know how much it costs just to have the analysis done with that stupid machine?! Let alone the office appointment and the prescription meds. And most of it is not even covered by insurance! In this economy, not very practical.

Another loser part of the show was the lady with acne. My word, has that lady been living under a rock or something? Did you see her beauty routine?! She is 40 years old and uses hand soap to wash her face with a body puff and uses neosporin and ponds heavy cream to moisturize her skin! I was, as the English say, gobsmacked! Why in the world would you use that stuff on your face with all the acne products and information in the marketplace today? She was causing her own acne! As a lifelong acne sufferer myself, I was totally insulted by her ignorance and the fact that they would show her as an example to the millions of acne suffers out there. Being a skin care specialist I would not insult my clients in that manner. I would assume they were intelligent and knowledgeable about most of the options out there today. Needless to say Dr. Oz did not offer any advice on how to treat it. Another let down.

The only applause I give the show is Paula Begoun. I have her book and check out her website Beautypedia and suggest you do the same. There is more useful information there.

A final note: I love Dr. Oz and love watching him on Oprah. I have learned so much about health and our bodies from him. I just hope he doesn't disappoint us like this again.

Garage Sales & Michael's Event

I'm sooo tired.

I decided (along with my neighbor) to have a garage sale this weekend. Haven't had one in years so I was overdue. But, is it just me or do garage sales seem to be more trouble than they are worth? Don't get me wrong...I love the extra cash a garage sale can bring, but sometimes I feel like I'm just giving things away so why not just donate it?

People seem to want things for next to nothing. You think you're giving them a great deal because you know the value of most of these things in the retail market and even though it's never been used or is hardly used and you've already lost your ass on it, it's still not enough of a discount for some. I tell you, you cannot wear your heart on your sleeve when you have a garage sale. Garage salers are strictly out for the bargain. Okay, I'm off my soapbox.

So, then, what do you do with the extra cash? Why go to Michael's, of course! I mostly went because the Michael's in Hurst, TX had a grand re-opening event. They completely remodelled the store and had lots of scrapbooking events. They had the cutest make and takes and Tim Holtz was there. I hadn't had the priviledge to see him in person until now and it was a blast. Too bad I forgot my camera (ugh!). He presented his grungeboard and distressing inks and stuff. There were so many ladies around him it was a little irritating (just a little). Anyway, at the Ranger make & take table was the cutest Brit (I forgot his name -- goes to show where my mind was) showing us ladies how to make a cute grungeboard butterfly broach. (I'll post pics later).

Then, we also got a cute Slice apron for participating in the Slice make & take. That was a nice surprise and that Slice machine is pretty cool. The new Michael's redo is awesome since it's got tons more scrapbooking than ever before and it's too bad that store is about 20 to 30 minutes from me. But an employee told me all Michael's stores where going to get the same redo (hurray!) this was just one of the first stores to get redesigned. So look for it in your neighborhood soon. Well, I've said enough for one post. I'll post pics tomorrow if I get a chance.

Un Cafecito

The other morning I decided to make some of my Mom's "cafecito". I'm not a coffee drinker, but I was so sleepy and I saw the can of Bustelo and thought I would give it a shot. Wow, what a flashback! As I put the coffee and water into the "greca", the sounds, smells and the actions took me back to my childhood when my Mom would ask me to make her or her company "un cafecito". This overwhelming desire to see her and share this "cafecito" with her came over me.

This one is for you Mom. I love you. Hope I get to see you soon.

Scary Times

The state of the economy today terrifies me. Turning on the tv to watch what is going on with Wallstreet reminds me of 9/11 and how I felt when I turned on the tv just before the 2nd tower collapsed. It's gut wrenching.

How did the country let the economy get so out of control? My theory is and has been - GREED! Everyone got too greedy. Everyone wanted to have it all at the expense of others. How could people do this to others and their country?

We are supposed to be the ones that take care of others...that come to the aid of those in need...that help their neighbors during times of crisis. But something went horribly wrong....

So, now who helps us if we can't help ourselves? And, where do we go from here?

I'm truly disappointed in my country and ashamed of our government.

Check out other comments on this crisis at this link.

Fall Is Almost Here!

Yea! I love the fall season. The crisp cool air and the vibrant colors the season brings. And, I love the wreaths, the pumpkins, the trees and the fall fashions. It's my favorite time of year because it brings us the anticipation of the holidays; Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We got a taste of fall this week in the DFW area (not as cool as up north but it's been such a nice relief after the long hot summer) and I just had to decorate. This not professional decorating -- just things that make me happy.

Did I mention I love Halloween things? They are so cute!

Have a good weekend and I hope this inspires you to do your own fall decorating.

I Don't Like Mondays

I did not touch my computer all weekend long and when I go to my reader to catch up on blogs this afternoon, I find out that Aleida Franklin passed away. She was killed in a car wreck in Dallas on Friday. I've been stalking her blog for the last few months and was just getting to know her personally. She was kind, friendly, creative and will be missed by her family and so many people in the scrapbooking community. She was my inspiration for finally creating my own blog. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.

I've been busy looking for work and doing research for my business plan. I will post another sketch layout soon. I promise.

Drama and other stuff

Over the weekend a couple of my neighbors got into a huge argument. I don't know why since I wasn't there but I did hear one side of the story. Now, I'm stuck in the middle of this and don't know how to make it better. I just decided to stay out of it and wait it out. What gets me is how these ladies were really good friends for a while and now they are sworn enemies. What happened? Why do we (girlfriends) do this to eachother?

I went through somewhat the same thing recently except I was betrayed by people I thought were my friends. I don't know what happened since no one confronted me about anything. What I know for sure is they weren't really my friends to begin with.

This was the first time in a long while that I opened up and let people in with the intention of having real friendships and it backfired on me. I'm not giving up hope though. Somewhere out there, I know there is someone like me who is just looking for a real, fun, and trustworthy friendship.

On another note, I signed up for the Got Sketch 102 class today. I love to scrapbook from sketches and this seemed like a fun course. I can't wait to get my passcode and get started.

Ugh! So many grays!

Okay, so I've been giving my hair a break and not coloring right now but it's been a horrifying reality check. I'm about 75-85% gray! Talk about a wake up call. I know I'm getting older (late 30s) but this puts it into perspective. Wow!

So, on top of the fact that I have naturally curly, unruly hair, now I have to keep up with my haircolor! Does it ever end?!!

Changes

I've been online looking for a job today and am not having any luck. You see, I never expected to be out of job. It just happened in June and without warning.  I enjoyed it. I was there for six years and gave my best everyday, but I guess that didn't matter.  So, I've been thinking about returning to a field I had given up on -- Esthetics. I've got all these grand ideas to open my own business but I need to finish writing it down on my business plan. I hope I can get it done soon. Let's see what happens.



Also, I've been struggling with my scrap space for a while now. I organize and reorganize and purge and reorganize but I can't seem to get it together. Here's a shot of my messy table area.



I'm frustrated because I think I spend more time organizing than actually scrapping. I'll post some more pics soon. I'm still trying to get used to this blogging stuff.