froggymonkey

7.03.2009

12x12 Print Sale!

Scrapbookpictures.com is having a 4th of July sale on their square photo sizes until the 5th :)

So glad I decided to go ahead & upload last nights layouts bc I would have missed the sale. 12x12 are $2.49 instead of $3.49. So I'm going to scrap & send to print this weekend!

And here is a layout I did this morning...
It is based on this sketch, which I usually don't like sketches/templates but I wanted to do something different & I like it.

What's this?

Could these actually be scrapbook pages?! I'm so excited to have actually created something after sooo long. And everything in this kit is so cute & inspiring. I think I did all of these in less than an hour! Now I can't wait to upload them to scrapbookpictures & get them printed.

All 3 pages were created using Michelle's "Sunshiney Day" kit. She is having a sale at Pixel's Art House, so please go check out her new store :D (The fonts are free fonts I found online & have had for a while.)
I used the "Sunnydale" font on this.
"Tweed" font for this.
And the "Calvin & Hobbes" outline font on this one.
We had a crazy thunderstorm blow through yesterday-we really needed the rain! So now I don't have to worry so much about the neighbor's burning down the neighborhood with drunken fireworks :P

This weekend I plan on scrapping some more :D And we are going to a local seafood/art fest. Hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend. Enjoy!

6.30.2009

Congrats Michelle :D

I'm so excited for my lovely friend Michelle-she just opened her own digital scrapbook store, Pixel's Art House!
She is so incredibly talented & I just love every single digital layout she has ever posted on flickr :D I hope to post some layouts this weekend with her "Sunshiney Day" kit.

And if you're on Facebook, don't forget to become a fan of the store :)

6.01.2009

Bye Bye May...

Yes, I've completely neglected my blog for 2 months now. I just wasn't feeling it. The last 1/2 of April & all of May were crazy. And I'm not sad to see them go in the slightest. Lots of family stress. To the breaking point type of stress. But that's life & it can't last forever right?

Anyhow, I actually have lots I want to get off my mind so I'll hopefully be blogging a lot more now. I think that might help with everything. Who knows.

And because everything hasn't been totally crappy, I'll leave you with two of my favorite recent photos...Darren came home from work one day & we took our big dog Katie to the beach. And of course I had to bring a doll :)


3.30.2009

oops!

no, i haven't actually forgotten about my blog-i just seem to spend all my online time at flickr. plus i'm wondering who still reads this thing anyhow?! but i should keep up with it. and get blurb books made. add it to my mile long "one day" list i suppose!

but hopefully i'll have a good post in the next day or two-stay tuned!

3.04.2009

2 days in a row?!

i must be chatty to do 2 posts in 2 days :)

ahhh, 1st signs of spring!
i'm back in a ttv mood. and this guy makes me smile.
<3 these. they're starting to fall apart, wish i could have found more.
and i am loving the new patio furniture.
just wish the weather was nicer & the gnats would go away!
and darren made me a bird feeder today. i'll have a cute pic of that later. that's about it for now :)

3.03.2009

update...

i don't know if anyone is still reading, my updates have been seriously lacking :P anyhow, this is what i've been up to...

sewing a new kitchen valance. i <3 charm packs-thanks amber!
i hate doing self portraits, but this one turned out ok. and i was excited to show off the skirt i'm making-my 1st ever!
our new patio/porch set. yeah for sales!
hi-lites & blue streaks for summer. not quite what i had in mind, but it's a start.
chewwie still likes helping with dolly pics :)
and of course, playing with dolls still :)
haven't done anymore scrapping since those digi pages. i really want to clean out my stash & kind of start fresh. i'd like to donate anything i clean out, so if anyone has a contact email or addy i'd appreciate it!

2.18.2009

more scrappies...

i did some more digital pages. not sure if i'll continue to do them this way bc i looked at scrapbookpictures & saw their 12x12 prices are now $3.49. i haven't had that size printed in at least a year but i remember it being way cheaper. so i guess i need to get back to paper scrapping & use up some of my crap.

did most of this last night in bed, minus the title & journaling. my computer only had 4 minutes of battery left & rather than get out of bed to find my cord, i just went to sleep.
did this one in bed last night too. guess i'm a lazy scrapper! which is quite a pparent since i haven't done any since mid dec :P anyhow, this one was less than 30 minutes from scratch. darren showed me a tip that has made this so much faster & easier for me! it's good to live with a graphic designer :)
this one is from yesterday. 15 minutes from scratch. seriously.
but i was basically a scraplift of a kit example.
anyone know where i can get more of these? HL doesn't have the red & they're sold out everytime i look at different places online. my last one, which happened to be for '08 is full. i like these so much i really don't want to switch again. i used to have mismatched albums til i went to these AC ones & now i prefer to stick with these. in red of course :) it would be great if HL did have them so i could stock up when they have a 40 or 50% off sale!

2.17.2009

apparently 2009 isn't my year for blogging or scrapping so far :P but i hope to get better!

i haven't totally forgotten how to scrap. only getting 1/2 way thru the dec daily really took away my motivation :( anyhow, here's a page i did today using a digi kit i forgot i had.
i did most of this one last night & the journaling this morning.
and this one was last night, but it was a template. i wanted to start back slowly!
yes, they're all blythe pages but that's quite ok.
she's such a ham! had to include her :D
darren made me these awesome wood buttons using scraps from a branch off my fave tree that had to be trimmed bc it was damaged months ago in gustav.
i'm a little addicted to facebook flair
bummed we only get 2 "boards"
saw this & i <3 it. i loooooove 3d. and the opening sequence had me mesmerized. it was just very visually intriguing even though i thought the story narrative/pacing was a little slow. now i want the coraline doll with the button eyes :D and i bought the book so i could read it too.
saw the trailer to this before coraline. i'm not a will ferrell fan. the only thing i like with him is stranger than fiction. i love that movie. anything else with him in it, not so much. well, not at all really. but this looked funny. and chuck from pushing daisies (anna friel) using her real british accent was super cute.
saw the trailer to this before coraline. it kicked ass. very excited to see this.
that's about it for me right now!

2.16.2009

HELP! Missing Circle Journals!

This was a 13 person CJ we started in June of 2007. It hasn't gone exactly as planned & most of the journals are unaccounted for (including mine). For the scrappers that read this, you know how important it is to get these back to the originals owners. So if you could, please help spread the word! No hard feeling, we just want to get this wrapped up for everyone.

Here is what I posted on the Story of My Life message board, where the journals originated.

Hi Everyone-I made a list of everyone participating & am in the process of sending emails & pm's to each person. I'm missing some emails so I hope everyone will receive the pm.

PLEASE, if you have received your personal journal let me know so I can mark it off the list.

PRETTY PLEASE, if you have someone's journal let myself or Sara know so we can arrange for it to be returned to the original owner.

I'd really like to get this wrapped up for everyone!

Thanks so much!
Aimee


Feel free to copy this & use it on your own blog or msg board. I REALLY appreciate everyone's help with this :D

2.11.2009

Confession...

Confession. I have Hyperhidrosis & it SUCKS. Hardly anyone knows because I've tried my hardest for 31 years to hide it. I know there are worse afflictions to have in life, but this is something that affects me every single day. It's embarrassing, gross & a plague I can't get out from under.

I've seen multiple doctors & dermatologists over the years. When I was a kid, my mom was told I was a "nervous child" & that I would grow out of it. I've had to do most of my own research & present it to doctors & dermatologists because most have no idea how to treat me.

You're not supposed to have it as a really small child but my family says I had sweaty palms when I was still an infant. My mom used to put washcloths in my backpack so I could wipe my hands during class at school. I tried to hide it though & usually left the cloth in bottom of my backpack where they gathered crayon & marker stains. I would get in trouble from my teachers because my pencil writing would smudge and the papers would be damp or crinkly once they dried.

I never wanted to hold hands with friends or boys & was terrified all through High School band that I would drop my Color Guard flag because of sweaty hands. Sweat would drip off my hands while I played clarinet onstage during band concerts.

Over the years I've tried many different treatments. When I was little my parents bought an Iontophoresis unit on a doctors recommendation. It basically shocks the shit out of you for 30 minutes. I remember sitting on our old green couch trying not to cry. I thought I was being punished for having sweaty hands. I didn't know which was worse, the shocking or the sweating.

I've used Drysol (Aluminum Chrloride) the most & the longest. It doesn't really help, but just makes it less intolerable. God knows what the long term side effects will be from all the chemical seeping into my body. I can't really think of any alternatives though & will deal with the consequences, if any, later.

There are short term side effects from the Drysol though. Most of the time it doesn't even decrease the sweating & it's a big waste of time. But nearly every time I use it, I get a type of chemical burn/rash on my hands. I have one on my right hand now that is healing. Moisturizers just make my hands sweat more, so it's a moot point trying to heal the burn. And of course all this torture makes my hands look years older than they should.

There were even times back in the late 90's where I would have sold my soul for a trip to Switzerland. Doctors there were performing surgeries where they would go into your side under your armpit & cut sweat glands. There were 2 major drawbacks-1, lots of people ended up with collapsed lungs & 2, you usually end up just sweating someplace else (compensatory sweating). Sweaty hands are easier to hide than a sweaty face :P This type of surgery is now more readily available, even in the US & not as invasive but the compensatory sweating is still the #1 problem.

When I was 21 I brought a pile of research to a new doctor. I had found a new pill (forgot the name of the exact one I took, it's been 10 years) that I wanted to try. It was almost certain to cause liver or kidney problems but I didn't care. I was going to be in a play & not only where there the super bright stage lights, but I had to hold hands with someone onstage & the audience was on stage with us (arena theater). I would have literally given a kidney to get rid of my Hyperhidrosis at that point. I stayed on the drug for 9 months but it gave me awful cotton mouth & I had to have blood tests nearly every month to make sure there was no internal organ damage.

I've never been able to try Botox though, because of the cost. It's up there on my "When I win the lottery" list.

I have Primary Hyperhidrosis, which means there is no reason for my condition. I have no other medical condition that causes it, no prescription drug to blame. Just simply a case of bad luck I suppose.

Hyperhidrosis is not a case of heat or nerves. Although I am an anxious person (made worse by the Hyperhidrosis) & living in Hell's Kitchen aka The Deep South doesn't help. But it can be 32 degrees & I'm sweating. I can be reading a book or riding a bicycle, physical activity worsens it but resting/relaxing doesn't lessen it.

Most days my hands will literally drip if I let them. I always have paper towels (which can usually be wrung out after 5 minutes) or I constantly wipe my hands across my pant legs. I have to rotate my mousepad in a circle because it gets damp & I'm surprised I haven't shorted out keyboards! Usually my fingers are pruney as if I've spent too much time in a tub or pool.

Everything is a challenge-playing a video game, scrapbooking, using my camera, even reading a book. Sometimes I can't use the touch screen on my phone because my hands are damp. I get frustrated with myself a lot even though I didn't do anything wrong & try to deal with this the best way I know how.

The worst part? It's not just my hands but my feet & underarms as well. I can't wear cute flip flops or sandals without fear of sliding around or having gross sweaty feet. I change my socks like crazy, I have a drawer full of antiperspirants & take 2 or 3 showers a day in the summer.

All of my clothes are picked out to minimize gross sweaty arm pits. No cute summer tops for me. Even my wedding dress was picked out for this reason. No adorable strapless gauzy frock for me.

You know when I really, truly knew I loved Darren? It was the summer of '00 a few months after we started dating. We decided to take off for Disneyworld for a few days. Orlando, middle of July, hotter than Hell. That really is my own personal hell with Hyperhidrosis. Every time I tried to pull my hands away from his, he just held on tighter. Either it didn't bother him or he was trying to score some serious points with me! Even now though, when I start pulling away he won't let me. He makes me comfortable even when I can't do it myself.

Now don't get me wrong, everyday isn't miserable. Well, it kinda is, but some days are better than others. Some times the Drysol works & I go a week without grabbing a paper towel to dry my hands. Or I find a great pair of flip flops with a lining in the bottom so I don't slide around. Or I can scrapbook without putting on stupid latex gloves. Those days make me think I'm almost like everyone else.

And I don't know why I decided to spill all of this other than the simple fact that I'm older & being weird or embarrassed simply doesn't mean the same thing it did to me 10 or 20 years ago. Plus it is really freaking exhausting to try & hide all of this & live with it at the same time.

So there you have it. This is me & something I live with everyday. It's not fun or pretty but it's not the worst thing to deal with either.

1.30.2009

the usual...

got a wii fit a couple of days ago-it rocks!
think the pup is trying to tell me something? :D

gave this girl hair. now she's even more awesome.
need a gnome to live in the gnome home.
this is the wallpaper i ended up with. and i went to see twilight 1 more time in the theater before it eft. so glad i did, i enjoyed it so much more this time!
have a great weekend!

1.21.2009

i'm such a dork...

yep, if it wasn't official before, it is now-i'm a big nerd! i'm obsessed with woodgrain & i got it in my head that my new laptop NEEDED a twilight wallpaper. couldn't find what i wanted, so i'm making one :) but i keep getting stuck on the 2nd polaroid. plus i want to change the quote. but you get the idea.




and my dolls need cooler tshirts, so i decided to make those too. dresses are easier for me to make because tshirt material is too stretchy even using tissue as a stabilizer. but i'm slowly getting better. this was my 1st time working with iron on transfers too, but it wasn't hard at all.

"hope ever fear"
and of course i was glued to cnn all day yesterday. i'm so ready for change-for the country, the economy & personally. the next 4 years are going to be very interesting & exciting ! (the doll on the left has a shirt that says "hope big", so fitting!)
i hope everyone is having a great week so far! til later....

1.18.2009

oops...

i didn't mean to wait nearly 3 weeks in between blog posts! i've been busy trying to sell a few dolls & misc doll stuff to save for a new laptop & vet bills. now that things have settled, i'll get back to regular posts. hopefully :)

speaking of my new laptop....i got a 15" refurbished macbook pro for the price of a base model 13". i love it! now i'm not stuck in the computer closet when i want to be online while darren is home or stuck without a computer when he needs our desktop to work from home.

and i made a laptop sleeve last night & today. i've been in the planning stages for at least a week. wanted to make sure i had a good plan since i really didn't know what i was doing! but i love the way it turned out :D
i took some cute pet shots recently. i'll have to go through & pic a few faves. and poor chewwie had a bad week last week-long story & crazy $$$ vet bill :P
got this fab necklace from etsy. someone i know from the blythe comm made it. i also received an amazing handmade necklace from my friend gina for xmas, but i still need to take a pic of it. and it was a total coincidence that i was wearing the owl tee when i got the owl necklace in the mail!
sold a few dolls to pay for the new 'puter & the crazy vet bill, now i'm down to 7. which may seem like a lot but it's not compared to some! i don't have any more of the vintage ones. just the newer ones & all but 2 are customized. i think that's more what i found i like over the past 2 years of collecting.
i was busy for a few days making mini twilight books. first i made 1 set just my my dolls then made a few more for flickr blythe friends.
even blythes need their edward fix :D

that's about it on my end. just busy selling doll stuff. going to the post office most days, answering pm's & packing stuff. it's been a good dolly month/year so far. wish we could have avoided the vet though :P but things looks ok, chewwie's test results came back good & her paw is healing (that's part of the long story).

i'm even keeping up with my 365. i know we're only 18 days into the new year but i'm just not good with the daily stuff. my december daily lasted all of 13 days i think :P oh well! there's always this dec :)

1.01.2009

goals for 2009...

happy new year!
*take more film pictures. i have all these great cameras that need to see a lot more mileage!
*back up photos every month. i'm still not over losing all of my feb '08 photos, including my entire DC trip :(
*attempt another 365. use my camera phone to help on days where i just don't want to deal with it.
*run more. my foot isn't getting any better or worse so i might as well try jogging again.
*find more strength to make changes.
*read more.
*get back to work.
*ride my bike more.
*use canvas shopping bags more & more til it's just habit.
*scrap more. or create more. doesn't have to necessarily be sb pages but that would be nice.
*get a tattoo :D no more chickening out!
*live more. stop waiting.
*breathe.

i'm not making resolutions because they make you feel like shit if you fail along the way. goals on the other hand are something you strive for. if you stray then you just get back on track & keep striving. no guilt. because guilt is a bitch. and resolutions are like little boxes. i'm tired of being boxed in.

i hope everyone had a good new year! i hope today isn't an indication of my year to come. tomorrow is always a new day right? i think i'll start my new year on the 2nd this year :)