still me

more smiles.

So I got serious today and re-vamped my scrapbooking table…just to streamline, and make things more efficient. i had to evaluate what things were the most important to have close to me. and on the table, and behind me, and in my closest drawers. I suddenly realized, that I didn’t like walking across the room to sew. How dumb is that. I also realized that I was moving my craft mat, and my cutting mat all the time. that was bugging me too. I have another mat that I do my actual work on… SO. I moved my sewing machine right next to me, on the right. Fit perfect. I adhered my craft mat to the table top on the left, and then adhered (I used double sided tape) my cutting mat on my right. That leaves the middle for my work mat. I decided there were a few things that I use enough, that I would like to just keep out, instead of fishing around in my drawer everytime. So far (today) this has worked out really well! and look how clean it looks! (that probably won’t last). But it’s so refreshing to feel like it is more ‘efficient’ space.
So, I did put the finishing touches on my July calendar page. cute connor is the star of the month! I love this fresh, summery scenic route paper.
Connor has been getting so much play lately.. so I caught this photo of Capri while I was shooting connor…she has learned to say ‘cheese’.. and while this doesn’t mean that she is willing to look at the camera, she is getting the fact that she is supposed to smile. Since my ‘smile’ stamp was still on top of the stack, and this summery collection from Scenic Route was still out, this was the result.
You might be noticing this stamp set on some of my stuff lately…? The ‘and say cheese’ is a new stamp set I am releasing at this show.. it’s so cool.. it’s got a whole alphabet of this serif font, that is a mix of upper and lower case…and then there are a few select letters that are this more fancy, frilly script. I love the mixture. It’s a clear alpha set, so it’s just super easy to use!! It’s a steal at $9.99.  I am going to try to post some more peeks! I leave in a week from today, and still have so much to do! check Janet’s blog for some peaks she posted last night.  SO cute!

birthday boy

this was my favorite shot of the evening! while we were waiting for our guests to arrive, we put on music and were having a bit of a dance party. capri and connor LOVE to dance. they especially like to stand in front of the TV (with it off) and see their reflection while they dance. (they aren't the only ones who do that actually)... lol. i have to say that Connor has the best smile. and he just has no hesitation flashing it around. i love it.
i did make a cute calendar page as well... but i haven't finished the whole gig.. so maybe i will post that tomorrow. i am having a scenic route blitz! i have always LOVED SR paper... and even more.. the creative mind behind it... and i just unearthed a whole box that i have been looking for! so... i got right to work with this graph paper. they have a whole collection of these background papers, and i just love them. you might spot a little hambly on here.. and some distress...! and even some of tim's stampers anonymous stamps. tim made me this really cool stamp binder.. have you seen these? Tim Holtz designed this specifically for unmounted stamps. he has a bunch through stampers anonymous... (i saw that he is posting some new stamps on his blog..sneaky). this comes in brown, and of course, knowing me- glammed it up w/ pink paint, bling and a black grunge board 'h'. (it's a prized possession!) smile.
it's cool because... can you see that the zipper comes up on the spine and snaps? well, when you un-snap that, it unzipps completly and lays totally flat while you are working. it's really cool. i need more of these... they are great for my acrylic stamps as well. you can buy the clear pages that they adhere to for storage. love it. if you look on that page that i have it open to.. that corner swirl stamp is one of my all time favorite stamps! you can see i used it on this page of connor. also, can you spy that july calendar stamp? love that one too..

pagodas..

It seems like we haven’t had any fun Chinese adventures in a while… that is if you don’t count driving in the torrential rain on the 4th of July coming home from the most ‘american’ thing we could think of: pizza at Kro’s Nest! It rained out any chance of fireworks, or cook-outs… I have to admit being very depressed on the 4th… feeling further away from home than usual. So I took a nap, that seemed to ease my mood a bit! smile.
Today (Sunday) was easily the most beautiful day that we have had in months. It was crystal clear…we could see blue sky and everything. And it wasn’t even deathly hot… it was a nice, bearable temp! when you live with poor air quality, it seems like you just notice IMMEDIATELY when it’s improved. So today after church, what would normally be ‘quiet time’… (naps for mom and dad), we just couldn’t waste the beautiful sunshine. I have been wanting to venture out to this place called ‘Yinshan Taling’ or ‘Silver mountain pagoda forest’. We have this book called ‘the insiders guide: Beijing’, and it’s an awesome book that has almost everywhere you can go in there! the photo in the book looks really cool. so we set out this afternoon. we wound up pulling it up on the GPS, but the roads were all changed and different.. so we had qutie an advneture trying to trust the GPS.  It’s way up a canyon, and the greenery is just beautiful, lush and full. We have had 2 weeks of straight rain, so the plants are so happy.
One thing we always laugh at there are the translations on signs. Here, you aren’t supposed to walk on the grass.. but I got a kick out of this sign… and what is considered ‘luxuriant’!
The ‘pagoda forest’ was about 10 minute walk from the parking lot, and situated in such a beautiful clearning. It was used by Buddist monks, and has some kung fu history- so of course the kids were drawing from all the moves they have learned from ‘kung fu panda’. I thought it was spectacular. Each pagoda was wrapped in these brightly colored prayer flags. I couldn’t read what they said, but I thought they were so pretty and interesting. I wished that I could read them! after we got a good look at all the pagodas, and it was becoming too great of a temptation to climb on the ‘cultural relics’, we decided to follow a stone trail on up the mountain. We came across various worship sites, and other ‘tranquil spots’… as well as tons of places to sit down and look out to contemplate the views. Again, we felt SO lucky that it was such a clear, beautiful day. we wound up hiking for about an hour, up to the top where there was a bell tower. Don’t worry, we managed to do a lot of bell ringing… and I am sure it was completely inappropriate…but again, it was too great a temptation… I mean: huge bell, top of a mountain, no one around! The babies love to be carried along and be part of the action. It was such a fun outing.

We were starving when we got home, and never fear.. I was having a ‘mother-of-the-year’ moment today… and this morning I put a roast in the crock pot. Now this was my first attempt here in china… I wasn’t really sure what cut of meat I should ask for, or what I would even want. So I just selected something, and figured we’d have a back up plan if it was no good. it turned out fabulous! So tender and delish! And get this, Colton even ate potatoes, gravy and carrots. (he is SUCH a lame eater) it was a huge accomplishment, and I vowed that I would make it more often! After dinner I introduced everyone to Yatzee.. that is a fun game! And the kids loved it. eric won.
I am loving our photos… I will need to make a little book..
Connor is one tomorrow. It’s amazing. we are having a ‘fiesta’, so that will be fun… hoping to get some cute pics to share.

yellow.........

I stayed on track last night, and completed my APRIL calendar page… I was further behind that I thought! I still have MARCH, and then JULY! I am saving the JULY page for Connor’s first birthday that is Monday… (gasp). i can’t remember exactly when I took this photo, but it was in April some time, and I think that I could scrapbook it 20 times. I love it. here is the issue w/ the calendar… it’s so hard turn the page sometimes! So the July one has to be really cute to get me to turn off this one. or, I will just have to rotate! Revisiting the months! Lol. this time I am using Cosmo Cricket paper. And it’s just so beautiful! I like doing the 9x9 format so much cause you cut the paper down, and then have little pieces left over to work with! For example… the background paper I used is that more neutral color..w/ the turquoise green on the back. I wanted the turquoise color to be prominent, so I created a border w/ my off cut! Then you can see that I used scraps for the bottom of the calendar as well. I did some stamping, and distress inking…I decided to cut a slit in the  page protector to let the bow/ribbon come out of the page so it didn’t look so squnched. April was such a busy, insane month… this makes it look so serene! I think that it’s interesting the phases I go through. I can tell in a small way by the color thread that I have in my sewing machine. I am super lazy, so I hate to change out the thread… let alone the bobbin. It about ruins my day when I have to change the bobbin! (so dumb) anyway…in the past it’s been pink… everything goes with pink! And then there was a long lime green time period.. and now, it’s yellow. I can’t remember when I put the yellow on there, or why. But it’s been really versatile! I like it! and I have used a lot of yellow tones lately. And interestingly enough, look at what I picked up at the corner florist nook… gorgeous yellow flowers.

cory has something new that is yellow as well… he has been mastering the unicycle. As if we don’t have enough injury potential w/ NORMAL bikes.

welcome july

So.. it’s officially july! We are settling into a routine around here… I mean, after all I have been home for like 2 weeks, and I have 2 more weeks before a leave again… so that is all kinds of time to have a short stint of regimen! lol … so what is new? The kids are enrolled in a bilingual school for the fall. We just made the decision and commitment, and I am really excited for them. it’s going to be awesome. We have a tutor that is coming to help get them ready for Chinese classes. Setting a foundation. This will continue through the summer. They are already speaking a ton, and their written Chinese is pretty impressive! Can you believe this? It’s shocking how quickly kids learn. It’s not clicking like that for me. (shocker).  We also have a new pet… a bird! His name is Valiant, and we are in the process of training him… we have had him for a little over a month and he seems to be very happy here! Very vocal, very friendly and loves to be involved…it’s so cute. We had a cockatiel when I was growing up, and we all just loved him! It’s so fun. (sorry Emily).
And..this is my accomplishment from last night. I decided to make it a little bit interactive! I cut some of the days so they became flaps and printed up some small photos to put behind. The kids are loving it.

june... GONE

I forgot how QUICK a 9x9 page goes… especially with a 5x7 photo! this photo was taken Scrapbooks, Etc. in mesa w/ a bunch of my favorite people that I got to hang out with while I was in AZ! My sister, Katie (the one on the left), even flew down from SLC to play for the weekend… she is going to be a volunteer at CE, so that was awesome! I love hanging out with her. She is pregnant!!! So I am going to be an aunt again! A girl friend’s page is always the perfect place for that yummy chandelier stamp (top left). I am amazed at what a blip june was. Flew by…
The 29th was my parents’ 38th wedding anniversary! I am so impressed and inspired by them. I can remember when I was young, and they had their anniversary… I didn’t really think much of it! Since I have been married, I have marveled at what a great marriage they have…and what an accomplishment each year is! I am so thankful for their great example, and how hard they work at keeping each other in that top-priority position…they totally support each other’s interests and are always thinking of each other first. It’s funny, cause when I talk to one, they are always considering the other. I am thankful for their dedication to each other.  It was so great having them in our home for 3 whole weeks. I am a firm believer that grandkids need to be around their grandparents.

And to the Aussie girls out there… I have created a new blog and posted infolkj about my December trip… the dates are posted here:
www.heidiswapp.typepad.com/create08hks

monday happiness...

Ah, Monday.
I love it! I took some time last night to write a to-do list and set some goals for the week! I have a full week work-wise…the older 3 kids have a Chinese tutor in the morning for 2 hours, and then they are going to an afternoon day camp! Busy is good. I went out for a run this morning and for the first time I used this!! What is it you ask? And why do I have a piece of scrapbook paper on my shoe? I had to use it to make a little make-shift holder for my nike+ipod sensor. I don’t have the ‘official’ shoes that you are supposed to put it in, so it’s on this cute little pouch. If you haven’t seen one of these little beauties…this sensor goes in your shoe, and tracks how far you go, and how fast (it's about $29USD). Then you plug a receiver into your i-pod, and in addition to groovin’ along on your run, your time, distance and caloric expenditure is being tracked and stored. There is a nice voice that tells you how long you have been running how far, and how fast! I was quite delighted with it. I ran 4.11 miles. And I burned 430 calories. I have been trying to get back into running shape…I had a little foot injury, but I am feeling good again.  It’s always a bit of an adventure running here- but I am happy just to get out of the house. I really look forward to the time to myself. the weather really reminds me of running at the beach. It’s really flat everywhere here…it’s totally humid, and nice, but not HOT. As I run, I try to imagine being in Newport, running along the boardwalk…I think I just need to download some ocean sounds and I would be there… my own little escape! (can you tell I am missing our beach trip?) ocean or no ocean... this makes me happy! so easily entertained!

a peek inside...

So I have been working on things I can’t share.
Rude. I know! So I thought I would share a little about my Beijing studio- it’s always a total disaster…especially when I am creating. but I did clean up a bit this morning, and so I can see my table. That makes me feel good.  what I would REALLY like to have in here are hot pink walls… but I haven’t made the time to do that. I do have a few inspiring things hung on the walls… and I always get asked about some of my organization tips.
This is the wall above my computer. I have my 9x9 calendar that I am 2 months behind on (that is my project for tomorrow!) and some simple frames from IKEA that I have filled w/ some things that inspire me. I read them every day. I have a photo that was taken of me at Memory Trends a few years ago- the hotel was in renovation, and there were all these signs that said ‘the best is yet to come’…I love that motto! I think that it’s something I like to tell myself…as I am always pushing and wanting to grow, progress and learn…I like to remind myself of that. the other stuff I designed and printed onto photo paper, and stuck in the frames. Really easy, and I really like them. then I got 3 clocks at IKEA… they are set to 3 different time zones. You can imagine, they are very important! 
Love this big  frame from ikea. I just made a simple photo collage of my fav. Photos to go in it. the size is a little weird…so this seemed like the best option…
And this is my little piece of home. My ‘goodbye AZ’ photo. taken the day before we left. I admit to having a little pang of homesickness everytime I look at it. but when I look at it, I am also filled with amazement at the change, growth and adventure that has filled the last 9 or so months.

This is my big magnet board. I love magnet boards. It gets out of control, filled with ideas and tidbits that I don’t want to forget. I put inspiring stuff up there, and when I look at it, it seems to drive my creativity. Really cool that way. right now my new website is feeling consuming and overwhelming.. but we are plugging away. i probably should have cleaned this all up and made it look really pretty, but i just snapped it tonight. so imagine it really pretty! wink.

This is my cool mirror. It’s a favorite quote of mine, that I found in the ‘bloom’ book (compendium)- “may you be truly blessed to always glitter with a radiance that shines from deep within you.  Barbara Becker Holstein”. I got this mirror at Ikea, and Emily has a friend that has a vinyl cutting business, and they did this for me. those of you from my year-long BPS class will recognize this! I LOVE it.

Whenever people ask me how I organize my stuff, I have to laugh a little to myself, because what seems organized to ME, and what IS organized to other people is not usually the same thing. if I can find it, it’s organized!! So, here are just a few of my solutions… they mostly involve Cropper Hopper. I LOVE 12” vertical storage for my Bazzill  cardstock. I don’t really like it for printed paper. I have paper trays for that, and I have it stored by manufacturer, then I can usually find what I am looking for. And I admit to having favorites. (a lot of favorites!). I also use 12” vert. storage for my new lines, as everything comes in 12x12. I put the lines together in a paper envelope (also cropper hopper) and then in the vert. storage.
  as for embellishments, I have switched drastically. Since my space here is way more limited than it was in AZ, I totally revamped my system. I used to only store ribbons in little baggies on rings. now, I store EVERYTHING that way… it’s SO great for me! I keep same things on same rings, so they are pretty easy to locate. Easy to get on and off, and add to. And I just throw the bundle in a drawer. It
would be better to hang it on hooks, but the drawer is better at the moment.  i feel like i can keep a TON of stuff in a very small place
The other thing i use a LOT of are chipboard letters…I like to keep them handy. you know those photo storage boxes that you can get really cheap-? But they are heavier-duty than just a shoe box? Well, they fit the alphabets perfect. you can see I have an abundance of them. I like to mix and match styles, and colors… so it’s just nice to have them all together. this comes out everytime I scrapbook. 
Another favorite Cropper Hopper item is the 7x12 expo, and the 5x7 expo… I can put all kinds of things in the 7x12.. but ESPECIALLY the masks… stickers, silhouettes, rub ons, paper scraps.. all kinds of things. I think these are great to have! I sing their praises all the time. if I print  photos, this is where I put them  minus the stack, that is out to taunt me. for my work station, I bought 2 chest of drawers from Ikea, and put them back to back to make an island in the middle of my room. It’s nice and big… and I have a total of 16 drawers, that are just really perfect. I am very happy with it.
my rub-on alphabet comes w/ a little pink file folder to keep all the fonts organized...i keep them together with the other rub-ons in this very glamorous 'glad ware' container! it just happen to fit in the space available, and worked out great. i like to keep my regular rub on sheet in their packaging and cut out what i need from there, and keep the rest of it intact. so i just store like this...
Speaking of inspiration… and just fun stuff…
Here is what I am in love with that I found at the market:
Silver converse and hot, bright colored purses! SO cute. I have been carrying the green one! I like to buy bright silk scarves and tie them on to fit my mood. It’s almost a bowling bag style bag.. but is working great for a diaper bag, as well as for travel. love it.

sorry, are those not the cutest funnest colors?
so inspiring. and i love the SHINeY!

on my list...

Ok,  blogging is on my to-do list, but I have to be quick since there are also 42 other line items. I have crossed off 11 so far, and feeling good. and it’s Thursday……. I am thankful for the energy. I will tell you this- I think that it’s energy that comes from creating. I think that this week is a realization for me that creating-actual hands on, time to create and think and PLAY is necessary for well-being. It makes me happy, relieves my stress and lightens my mood. Even though I am totally operating on small amounts of sleep…I need creative time. and because my scrapbooking is also my ‘work’, sometimes it is really hard to separate that time, and the energy needed. I find it hard to justify just ‘creating’ because there are so many actual tasks that are required of me, in a smaller and smaller available time slots. It seems weird that I am just now realizing it. or maybe I have experienced it in the past, but with my different set of circumstances, i am learning new coping mechanisms! Chuckle. Whatever the case may be… I just feel happy and energetic and it’s a welcome change.
so last night we got to go and see the BYU ball room dance team which was a really fun and clever show. My favorite part was that the womens’ shoes were sparkly. That really did it for me! smile. We got home a little late-ish and I was so tired, but as I was getting ready to go to bed, an idea for a page layout popped into my mind, and I had the perfect photo for it (though it was not in the stack). This is my sweetie niece Aspen. She is just a few months older than Capri. She is a tough one to catch too! I love this photo, for me it totally captures her little vibe. She is an on-the-go-girl. Chuckle-this layout was inspired by a combination of monopoly and again,  jen lowe (wink). I love how she cut up the paper (she used the turquoise version of this paper) and got so many cool unique looks. I wanted to make a bit of a ‘gameboard’ layout. I cut up papers, used journaling spots, writers block and then just put little embellishments here and there.  This could go so many different ways, and be so fuN! seems like a fun idea for a travel page, or just a daily life page…   By the time I finished this one, I was wide awake, and flipping through my printed paper stash again.
This photo of Connor on valentines day WAS IN THE STACK! This page I used Scenic Route, and Daisy D’s paper… mixed with some black chipboard pieces. I cut up one of my CHA winter overlays- just cut the corners off.  Such a sweet photo of him.
Ok, blogging, check!
next: clean up desk:

I did a little more scrapbooking last night… still riding the wave of creative flow offered from the basic grey ‘recess’ line…I love how both of these turned out. first I did the ‘beach trip’ one- this is one of my very favorite photos from last year’s beach trip. it’s the first shot I snapped when we pulled into town, and the kids rip out of the car and onto the sand. I recall not even asking them to pose… chuckle. So classic. I just kept coming back to this paper, and I really wanted the vine from my carefree line on there- It’s the perfect color… so I BROKE DOWN and cut it out with an exacto knife. Not usually something I make time, or patience for, but I wanted it! I really love how it looks there…the ‘broken china’ is my favorite color of distress ink, and matches perfect with this paper- I inked the edges, and did some dots w/ a mask. I really love how you can control the distress ink. without fail, when I am working on beach/summer/pool photos, my first instinct is to reach for my jar of tapes… yea- they are old, but they are good. I love all the colors on this one. And then the stark black and white. This one really makes me smile; and I am missing the beach in particular! Both because I LOVE beach trips, and because I get some of my most favorite photos at the beach. Smile. I am thankful for the good memories to draw from.
This second page is 2 photos that I LOVE, LOVE. I think that I am choking back the tears EVERY time I look at it. I feel my heart in my throat, and just melt. It’s taken on Connor’s blessing day- a day that I just wasn’t on my a-game, and didn’t hardly take any photos. (regrets). Grammy Swapp gave him that precious white knit outfit. Quincy has been so sweet with him from day one. i decided to go w/ 2 different methods of emphasizing the photos. the first was to enlarge, and print it as a 5x7. The second photo, I decided to shrink, and repeat. Same photo, 4 times. Again, note that I was making use of stuff on the table! (same chipboard letters, jar of tapes, dots mask, distress inks). And you can tell I was on a kick w/ that label shape- this layout I used the font werks stamp as a frame, on the other one, I just free-handed the label shape for the title.

I broke out a new journaling pen…it really makes a huge difference to use a new pen. Buy one, you’ll be happy you did.  (pencil first, wink). I hadn’t had my colored pencils out for awhile…used the red on both layouts- lettering for the beach trip, and to fill in the stamp frame on the ‘adore’ layout.

It’s only 11pm, and my eyes are burning. It’s been a full day,i was up way too late last night.. so no scrapbooking tonight. sigh. Sweet dreams.