Wednesday, September 24, 2008

oh wordles!

Here is my wordle : )
text taken from the Meet Michelle Page at Paper Therapy


That place is super fun! Check it out!
Wordle

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Paper Vineyard Lifted Contest Pages

Finally! Here are the pictures. It's taken me hours upon hours to get this done. I lost all this work - twice. I might kick someone in the face soon.

BUT ANYWAY, here we go. The contest at Paper Vineyard was killer. I have to admit, I was a teensy bit leary about what we might see, just cuz this was the first time we had a contest like this. But let me tell ya, these girl GOT THIS! Each page was amazing and so well thought out. They were so good we couldn't even pick a winner. We had to go to all the girls at the crop to vote for us. It was so cool to see what everyone came up with. I simply cannot wait to do this again! Thank you to Adriana and all the girls over at Paper Vineyard for a perfect night of fun and creativity!

So here we go........

MEET AMBER!!!

Amber took first place and as you can see she NAILED it. She won a signed copy of Lifted, which was cool because she didn't own it (yet!) Amber was fun to watch create her pages because she really got this concept. If you want someone to explain the concept of Lifting, just ask her! She's got it all figured out! I simply cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

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MEET CINDY!!!

Cindy was our second winner and busted her butt getting there. She won this rockin' home decor plaque generously donated from the killer chicas down at Writing on the Wall. Thanks a ton to Tina and Kaelene! Cindy totally rocks and I can't wait to hang with her again, and I know I will. Especially because, even though she gets many, many offers, I'll be the one selected to have her as my adopted Mom!

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MEET HOLLIE!

Hollie is our 3rd winner and is pure sunshine wrapped up with blonde curls. Her prize was a $20.00 gift certificate to our hosting store, Paper Vineyard. If you ever get a chance to hang with Hollie (and her girls) take it! She is great fun and all smiles. And not those fake "get out of my face" smiles. Like real, honest-to-goodness, glad to be alive and talking to you smiles. OH! and ask her about the wedding she WON!

Now, on with the show! Original pages are on the left - Lifted Pages on the right!

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Here is our winner's layout. She really took the concept of the book and perfected it. I'm not lying when I tell you that when I saw this layout I had no idea what page was lifted. I think that's what this book is all about, taking a page and making IT YOURS! Side by Side it's easy to see - this Layout lift is spot on!

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There were two lifts from this one original. The first (middle) is a great example of taking one element, here an Embellishment, and expanding on it, making it a focal point all its own. The curve down the left of my page is lifted, and repeated, making it stand out with nothing else needed for interest. Also notice what this artist did with her photos. This is something I really love, especially when lifting from a page with only one photo. She grouped a series of pictures together, overlapping them. This visually replaces the single photo of the original, but allows for additional pictures.

The second lift (right) is by our third winner, Hollie. She lifted the flower Embellishment brilliantly, expanding on the flower's center. And as with the first lift, Hollie expanded on the curved accent. What I like about this lift is the color choice. My page was high contrast between the brown and printed paper. Hollie's, being a romantic wedding page, called for a lower contrast pallette, done perfectly here with white cardstock and a white backed printed paper.

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This Layout lift is easy to spot. It's the swirls on this page that I find very clever. The swirls on my page are part of the printed paper, an embellishment I added. Kaelene took the concept and location and ran with it, adding texture to her simple cardstock. And just in case you can't tell, the swirls were made with double sided sticker and flocking. If you haven't used this flock stuff, do! it's cool.

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A Color and Embellishment Lift going on here. The circle of brads is easy to spot, and really fun to do if you haven't tried it yet. But this is also a great example of an inverted color lift. Still brown, blue and green, just a different dominant color.

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Our second place winner, Cindy, really hit it with her Layout and Embellishment lift. Oh hey, it's a Color lift too, didn't notice that before. This really is a great example of not letting a change of product stop the process. She couldn't find the fancy cut paper I used as a make shift bracket around my photos, so she used a series of swirl embellishments, interlocked together, for the same effect. And take note people, she also couldn't find the Heidi Swapp clocks, so she made her own. Nothing was going to stop her from completing a beautiful layout!

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I have to admit, I've never really seen a Layout or Embellishment lift quite like this before. Nor have I ever thought to do one like this myself. That's going to change, though, as I'll be lifting pages for all my mini books from now on. This is simply GENIUS! You might not be able to see, but she added short journaling spots on the stems of the flowers - clever! And the layers of flowers and buttons is even more inspiring.

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I love this lift and it's a great example of how to lift the Color of a page, as well as a Layout. My lighter color pallette, being mostly white, red with a hint of hot pink is switched up in the lift with black and the focal color being the hot pink. This changed the entire feel of the page, which supported the "passion" title she chose to name her layout.

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This lift might be hard to see at first, but keep looking. It's a Layout and Embellishment lift through and through. I spoke with Sta in detail about this lift and she explained her thought process to me. Rather than using rows of flowers above and below the picture, Sta used postage stamp stickers. These stickers were larger than my flowers, and her photo smaller, so she overlapped them. Exactly the concept of this book! I also really like how to revised her "Sta" title. She didn't have the negative of this photo of her as a child, so adding stickers over it wouldn't have been a good idea. She she stacked the letters of her name, preserving the photo, but still lifting the title location.

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This is a Layout lift for sure, but in my opinion, it's a Photo lift as well. Both these photos have a similar feel about them and this clean and simply layout enhances that feeling. I love how she used the geometric sticker up the right side of the page, rather than the ribbon I used on the original.

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This is a great Layout lift - exactly the type of lift I do all the time. If you notice, she mirrored the single photo and the row of 3 photos, leaving the title in the same place at the original. Her pictures looked more natural in this position, a perfect example of adapting your layout to work for your photos.

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And that's all folks. A huge thanks for everyone who participated! Until next time - HAPPY LIFTING!!!

if you were wondering...

no, I haven't forgotten the pictures of the contest....I can't get blogger to work right and save my work.

ERRR!!!!!!


So i just lost 2 hours of work on that blog entry and now I don't dare restart it because it doesn't seem to be saving my changes. It's telling me it's saving. It looks like it's saving. But when I close my draft then go back to work more it's back to what I had yesterday.

In the meantine wanted to let y'all know I'll be at a signing THIS SATURDAY out on the north west valley. The fun girls at Scrap Happy Sisters are having me out there from 2-4. SHOULD BE A BLAST! It's their birthday too so they have lots of fun things going on.

best 2:48 minutes you'll ever spend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5-TpSm1HDE

I love this. Loved every second. It is RICH with quality entertainment. Watch the background singers groove. And the lead singer's mouth, head bobs and dancing. Check how the chorus changes ever so slightly at each pass. I could watch this again and again.


BRILLIANT!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

talking to angels

Every weekday morning is about the same, give or take some paniced moments and/or general grumpiness from at least one person in the clan. Okay grumpiness from, well, me. I wake up to Kate petting my arm. I then shower, make sure noah's up, get clothes for the girls, make breakfast and pack lunches. Noah leaves to his carpool. Peter brushes teeth. I brush hair - and sometimes even put in a clip or pony. Peter takes kate to daycare and I'm left with Sarah to get ready under semi-calm circumstances.

Today was exactly that. Pretty standard day, until I overheard Sarah talking to herself. She was behind me intense and focused, something rather rare for this bundle of energy. This is how it went.

"I have to call Grandpa"
......picks up phone...
"hello, grandpa? Are you still dead?"
......listening....
"you are? okay, well what are you doing?
......listening....
"okay, bye"

I know. adorable huh? I managed, somehow, not to cry.

.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

2 very fun things!

First, before I forget, we had a little "lifting" contest this weekend at the super cool scrapbook store Paper Vineyard. Had a BLAST!!! We actually took a bunch of great pictures which I'll post as soon as they are edited.

but WAY MORE COOL than that, my UBER BEAUTIFUL, both inside and out, neice Emily was a model on the Detroit News She's she gorgeous blondie. Peter and I will have aching faces tomorrow for all the smiling we're doing!!!

WAY TO GO EM!!!! We are so proud of you.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Just a couple random thoughts

I've been thinking of making twitter my main blog cuz I can only handle that. So with that in mind I'll "twitter" some things here.

1. I'm officially sick of the non-recession. I'm sick of having no money. Sick of my friends having no money. And sick of everyone not being able to borrow any money. Let's get on with it already.

2. How about Peace for a change. I'm even over saying "one nation under God". How about "one Nation" "one continent" "ONE PLANET". How about having race, gender, nationality AND/or religions beliefs play NO PART is PEACE.

3. I have disturbed friends who have even more disturbed friends who took my blissfully niave mind to places today where should-be-unthinkable thoughts raced through my brain all day. Oh how I miss the last set of 'unthinkable' thoughts... and no, don't ask. I mean unless you don't want to ever sleep right again.

4. I really with I could go glom onto Cathy Z tomorrow at the scrapbook convention. Here's to getting my work done in time to get over there. and here's really to not looking like a complete nut job if I do get over there.

5. oh yeah! I'll be at Paper Vineyard for a quick Lifted Inspiration Class this Saturday from 4-5 and then at the crop the same night for fun, and to judge the lifted contest, from 5-11. Drop in and say HI!

6. ya know, it's like my children save up all their angst, anxiety, misdirected energy and overall bullheadedness during the day just for me. Like I like it when they spew it out all over me when I pick them up after work.

7. despite #6, this happens every single day. I look at Noah and think "oh my God, nothing could be cuter than this" then I look at Sarah and thing "oh my god, NOTHING could be cuter than this." Then I look at Kate and think, "OH MY GOD, NOTHING could be cuter than this," Then I look at Noah and think, "OH MY GOD, NOTHING could be cuter than THIS!" Then I look at sarah and think...........

8. Copy #7 but replace "nothing could be cuter than this" with "nothing could make me as happy as this"

9. copy #8 but replace "nothing could make me as happy as this" with "I couldn't love anyone more than this"

10. copy #8 but replace "I couldn't love anyone more than this" with "no one should be as luck to have you"

and there you have it. my twitter blog attempt. Sucky I know but all I can handle right now. Randon little fleeting thought that require no deep thought and zero pictures. Althought pictures are always good.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Book Signing - the first one!

Hey y'all. I will be at Paper Vineyard doing my first "official" book signing today from 1-3pm. Please come see me. I'm incredibly nervous - won't lie. : )

Here's a map

wish me luck!

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

some new things going on

I've been crazy busy over here. Doing things like:

REBUILDING MY WEBSITE

and

ADVERTISING THE BOOK (scroll down a bit on her site)

so hopefully that explains why I've been MIA for a while. oh and there's also the fact that my boss is completely over me being flighty and worthless, go figure, so I'm having to work my ass off during the day. crazy huh?

Oh and just wanted to post the ad picture here, you know, for giggles.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

because I have no life...

...and this was funny, and quick. Got this from Becky Too cute girl!

1. YOUR REAL NAME:
Michelle Meisenbach


2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: {first 3 letters of real name plus izzle}
Micizzle


3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME:{fav color & fav animal}
Pink Turle


4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: {middle name & current street}
Lynn Carla Vista


5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: {first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of mom's maiden name}
MeiMiKoh


6. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME: {2nd fav color & favorite drink}
Green Diet

7. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: {mother's middle name & father's middle name}
Ann Joseph


8. YOUR GOTH NAME: {black & the name of one of your pets}
Black Rascal


now go & do it! (: