This is cleaned up enough for me to get started on actually putting some photos into albums. I've got one drawer full of photos to be dated and put into baskets, and we just won't talk about the other 5000 still on the pool table in the basement. Those photos can be sorted when I get closer to scrapbooking the albums, or this fall when football season starts up again. My goal right now is to get them all in one place, then sort, toss, date the keepers and put them into the basket for each album I've planned. Enough planning already - time to get moving while I'm still motivated!


Our kids' anniversaries this year will be #11, #7 and #3 - and not a wedding photo was in the $52 album I bought from Creative Memories two years ago. I decided to put all the photos into one album, to bore company much more efficiently. Just hand them the whole kit and kaboodle all at once and watch them squirm! When I tried to get started, I realized I didn't have any more wedding scrapbook supplies. I'd used them all to make the kids' wedding albums. The one page I did was at least in the album, but B.O.R.I.N.G., not to mention cheesy. What's a girl to do?

Head to the scrapbook store. I found out it changed hands four years ago, moved locations a year ago. $47 later, I had three piles of paper, letters, etc. to do three different wedding displays. Mrs. Proprietor was even nice enough to put my purchases in three separate bags, so I wouldn't have to go through the make-me-a-little-crazy fun process of picking everything out for three different ceremonies. I decided I'd start with an announcement page, their big photo that had been on our living room walls. I unframed them yesterday. They'll make a great first page for each wedding. The store had such gorgeous supplies, and I figured ~ $15 per wedding was pretty reasonable to actually get these photos into the book. I started with this album since it's a 'done deal' - when I'm finished there won't be any additions to this one. Starting with our family chronological album would have been overwhelming. A book that has a beginning and an end seemed a better one to get back at it.

The only other item I added to this room was a Clock / Radio / CD player so I can break the boredom with listening to the radio or playing a CD while I scrap (or iron for that matter - it IS the laundry room after all!) and keep track of the time so I can still have dinner ready, be somewhere on time, etc. It's easy to get lost in scrapbooking, look up and the day is almost over. I had trouble finding a regular ole CD player - everything is iPod docking station, etc. but I wanted something to just pop in one of my favorite CD's now and then. $49.00 at Radio Shack and I'm set. This room - almost done. Just move the pegboard to the sewing room, clean up a few boxes, bins, etc. and it's good to go.

Next, I've been asked about my knitting project. I finished the chemo caps for a friend, even found yarn to replicate the highlights she lost to the bathroom floor! Since she has a great sense of humor, I think she'll enjoy that. This afghan is the Block of the Month project I'm doing with my yarn shop, Bloomin' Yarns. I'm doing the 'winter' version, by using all 12 different stitch patterns, but not the color scheme. I went with warm and cozy colors that will work in any season. This afghan is costing way too much, and taking too much time, to only have it out one season of the year. In my zanier moments, I've considered leaving instructions to wrap me up in it when I die...

So the first 12" block is done, in a checkerboard pattern. The photo doesn't come across great in blog-friendly pixels, but it's gorgeous and was easy to do. I've already knit the top six rows of the next color, but don't know how to do the 'cross-over lace' pattern it calls for. We meet once a month, tomorrow night, so hopefully Michelle can teach me. I'm tickled that I actually got this one finished with a day to spare. The yarn is from Uraguay and is so smooshy and comfy, I think it's going to be great to curl up with in about eleven months.

So that's it for now - we actually have walls up in the basement, and they'll tape and apply the joint compound this weekend, and then we'll shop for closet doors, etc. I'm hearing the basement should be done in about two more weeks, just in time for spring when we head outdoors to begin the yard spruceup, fence painting, etc.

Today though, we're supposed to get 2-3" of the white stuff, so I'm staying inside and scrapbooking photos that are almost eleven years old. That's me, Miss Up-to-Date!

Labels: Busy Buzz, Creative License