A Few Pages

The 52 More Scrapbooking Challenges project continues.

I made this one for the stick to one color for the layout challenge. I used a Nuts about Sketches sketch (I love them!). The only product I used from the stash is the patterned paper, which puts the stashometer rating at 14%.

I was pretty happy to come up with a use for the blue flowers. The texture is a little funky; it reminds me of the shimmery plastic you would use to make a mermaid costume. Know what I mean? Anyway, I got these flowers as part of a set and decided they would add a nice touch to this water-based layout.

Next up: Baby Clayton.

This layout fulfills the use scraps of fabric challenge. Now, I don’t really use fabric and didn’t want to go out to buy it. What I did have, however, was embossed felt from a Club Scrap kit. Yep, felt is fabric. The stashometer rating is 55%. Love using my Club Scrap kit supplies!

Completed challenges: 11
Remaining challenges: 41

Portraits

The grooming went quite well. I mentioned in my previous post that I was pretty worried about it, but it went smoothly. I had a misconception of the way the sedative would work. It didn’t knock him out–it just helped calm him down. So we are going to do the sedative for the next few times at least. We may try weaning him off it, but first we need to build up some positive experiences.

Yesterday, a friend and I attended the local humane society’s 50th anniversary bash with our pups. Clayton did course-a-lure, I talked to a pet psychic, and had portraits done of the boys. I will give more details about this in the coming days (photos are on my friend’s camera), but here are the portraits.

Cupid’s tail is down, but they actually got a picture with a smile.

Clayton is ready for the runway.

I wish they weren’t looking in different directions, but they are pretty cute anyway.

More to come!

Grooming Revisited

I had a message on my cell phone earlier today: remember your grooming appointment tomorrow . . . and let’s talk about Cupid.

My heart sank.

Several months ago, I got some anti-anxiety medication for Cupid to take before he is groomed. The reason: he was crying, struggling, and trying to get away during the grooming process. I was hoping that the anti-anxiety meds were helping. The groomer had gone home before I was able to pick him up last time, though, so I wasn’t sure. When I called her back and asked how the medicine was working, she said, “He is still very, very anxious.”

So now we are on to the next step: a sedative. I got this prescription from the vet at the same time I got the anti-anxiety medicine, so we are set for tomorrow. According to the vet, this medicine won’t knock him out but will make him very sleepy.

I had a little cry about it before lunch. It just breaks my heart to think of what Cupid’s life was like before I brought him home. At best, he was very poorly socialized. At worst . . . well, I don’t like to think about that. I’m going to stop hoping that he will come to accept grooming. In other words, I recognize that this is the way Cupid is. I was hoping to get him accustomed to grooming without sedation, but he’s clearly anxious when he is groomed, and if a sedative can make that process better for him, then it’s for the best.

So tomorrow he is off to be groomed. Wish us both luck.

Pockets of Organization

I’ve mentioned before that I am a disorganized person. I do, however, have what I call pockets of organization. I have toy bins for the dogs; I also have their leashes and harnesses in one place. I have a basket for my batteries and another one for pens. These things help me bring a little order to the chaos.

I bought a little storage shelf/unit with four sections in it. Two sections are for my cloth bags. Another section holds my notebooks. You can see a picture below.

One benefit to this purchase is that I have stopped buying notebooks. Now I know how many I have, and when I am at the store and feel tempted by a notebook, I ask myself if I really need another one when I have so many at home. The answer is always no. And this way, I know exactly where to find one when I need it.

Every new aspect of organization helps me. I’m looking forward to expanding these pockets.

Sew Pretty

I’ve had a number of elements of this page sitting on my desk for a while. I decided to put the layout together and get it done.

This layout is a tribute to the sewing I used to do. Yes, I actually sewed the dress I’m wearing in that picture. Nowadays, I’m not even sure where my sewing machine is. Oh well.

The paper and rubber stamp are from a 2004 Club Scrap kit, so they count extra for the stashometer rating, which is 47%. This page also fulfills the create your own page accent challenge from 52 More Scrapbooking Challenges. I stamped and cut out the small image in the bottom right corner of the journaling block. Kind of simple, but it met the requirements, so I’m counting it.

Completed challenges: 9
Remaining challenges: 43

A Word from Cupid

There’s something you might not know about me. I love food. Last week, Mom put down my bowl of food, and instead of playing fetch before eating, I dug right in. The bowl had new food in it, so I was very happy to eat it! I hoped this would be my new food, but I was back to my regular food that night. (Side note from Mom: I ran out of Cupid’s food, so I gave him a little different kibble I had received as a sample. Then I went to the vet and bought his usual food.)

I am also good at getting into garbage cans.

My mom doesn’t like it when I do that—I don’t know why—so I make sure I do it when she’s not around. I just wait until she leaves the room. I like to lick plates clean or get food she puts there. If it’s in the big bin, it must be for me.

Yesterday was a very special day. Mom was on the computer when she heard something crumple. She said my name and I didn’t turn, so she knew I had found something. Turns out it was my mom’s Hostess blackberry pie.

I had taken a big bite right in the middle, through the wrapping. Mom took it away, but some crumbs spilled all over the floor, so I got some of those. The other dog, Clayton, ate some, too. I don’t think that’s fair, because I did all the hard work. Mom didn’t seem too happy, but she gave us a Kong later, so she must not be too angry.

I also got some milkbones off the counter somehow. Mom thought it got pretty quiet all of a sudden, and then she heard me and Clayton munching. I know how I did it, but she hasn’t figured it out, so I’m not going to tell. A guy has to have secrets.

Mom wants me to post this page. She said it is from a sketch by Jana Eubank.

This is one of her favorite pictures of me.

Gotta go. I have to see if I can get into the garbage . . .

DVR Update

I had someone take a look at my DVR tonight instead of tomorrow. Turns out that my VCR/DVR combo has the wrong tuner. In other words, it’s too old to make it work with my TV. I’ll need a new DVR to start recording things.

Of course, I first have to get my car mirror fix, my car inspection done, pay for car registration . . .

In other words, it’s probably going to be a while before I can get a DVR. Not the best news ever, but at least I know and can stop fiddling with cords and trying to make it work.

Broken

It’s been a bit of a bad weekend for things breaking. I brought my VCR/DVD recorder upstairs to hook it up to my new (in January) TV. I had it hooked up to watch DVDs, but I couldn’t record anything. So I was playing around with it on Saturday to try and get that working. No luck, and now I can’t watch DVDs either. I want to fix it but I’m scared if I do anything else, I’ll mess up my TV-watching ability and I don’t want to miss Lie to Me. I’ve got someone coming to look at it tomorrow, and hopefully we’ll get everything sorted out.

In other depressing news, I was bringing up one of my garbage cans from the curb, and it slammed against the side mirror of my car. It’s now connected to the car only because of the cord running through it, and I can’t put off repairs because I have my state inspection this month. *Sigh.*

Send good thoughts my way for a better week coming up, OK?

Now, a happier topic. I made this layout for another of Elizabeth Kartchner’s 52 More Scrapbooking Challenges. The challenge: use older products with fresh finds.

This one has some new products (the rhinestones and ribbon) mixed with some that have been in the stash for a very long time: the flower stickers and magic mesh. Stashometer rating: 48%.

Completed challenges: 8
Remaining challenges: 44

Another Feature

I’m very late in posting this. I’m not sure how long this page will be available, but one of my scrapbook pages was featured as one of last week’s gallery gems at Scrapbook Challenges. The page was this one, which I’ve shown before but will show again.

Yay!

Kiss

After a bit of a break, I’m back to work on my mission of taking all the challenges in 52 More Scrapbooking Challenges. My latest page fulfills the use black and white and color challenge. I used a Scrapbook Challenges pick of the week as inspiration for the design.

I’ve had this patterned paper for ages. I kept going to it and wondering when and how I would use it. Looks like I figured it out. The stashometer rating for this page: 75%. Might be my highest percentage yet.

Completed challenges: 7
Remaining challenges: 45