design.commit.create

You've Got Mail

Hi everyone!! this blog post is coming at ya from Sarah (mitch's sister)!

Mitchell is away in Paris, so I thought that I would steal his blog for a few days. Mitchell and I usually get along really well. A little history lesson on us... we are only 18 months apart. We both love to scrapbook and take photos, but personally i think he is the better at both than i am. We grew up in small town Minnesota. We like to be crazies when we get together and take our picture using photo booth. The photo on the top left is my favorite!!!

So, while Mitchell is on vacation in Europe I am in charge of the ATC swap!! I got all the cards counted out tonight, and in the envelopes. Hopefully, I will make it to the post office tomorrow...if not they will be sent out on Monday. If you see your name below, it means that i have an envelope of cards ready to sent to you.

Amy Castellano
Veronica Noechel
Carlee Murphy
Sara Robinson
Tami Wood
Valerie Myers
Kerri West
Regina Eid
Bettye Branton
Jenifer Cowles
Bonnie Palmer
Michelle Cummings
Genevieve Matthews
Bonnie Rose Kempenich
Laura Casey
Heidi Dilley

I know that Mitchell closed the registration to the swap, but I still have a few cards left if you did not register in time and would like to you can shoot Mitchell an e-mail and I will get them to you!! I can't wait to see all of the wonderful creations you ladies have in store!!!

Thats all for now... if you have any questions feel free to leave me a comment!!

I think i am beginning to like this blogging thing!!

24

The number of days until Spring Break. I could so use a break right now. I feel like I can't stay caught up on anything at the moment. School works just keeps coming. It seems the more I do, the more I get.

Twenty four is also the number of days until I depart for Paris. I elected to go further in my Art History education and take a Spring course call Art in Paris. As part of the class we spend 10 days abroad actually seeing what we have been discussing. The trip is my first international travel experience. Each day that passes, I get more and more excited.

I haven't been sharing many photos lately. I am the type of person, that when I visit a blog, I look at the pictures first and read second. I don't care for posting without sharing a photo. However, my 50mm f1.4 is out for repairs. I got this dream lens of mine, a mere 8 weeks ago. About a week and a half ago, I pulled the sucker out of my camera bag and there was a crack in the side of the plastic. Luckily, I am covered under warranty, yet it could take 6-8 weeks for repair. That's means, it will possibly not be back before I head overseas. I do have two other lenses for that particular camera, but the 50mm was my favorite. I have looked into renting a lens for Paris and might go that route.

So cross your fingers for me and hope it arrives repaired and ready to go soon.

If you are a customer at The Scrapbook Shop, look for the newsletters to hit your inboxes tonight or tomorrow. We also have some news to share. The Shop officially is a blogger. Check it out here. Gina and I plan to do some fun video post soon!

"Winner Winner Chicken Dinner"

Its time to announce the winner! Thank you everyone for the comments! Gina and I had a fun time doing this, we have chatted, and are planning on doing something like this again!

I have to say that Krista O' had the most creative comment! "Winner winner chicken dinner." I don't think that creativity can let that go unrewarded. So Krista, I put other a little prize pack for you! Shoot me an e-mail and we can get you your package!

The envelope please...or bucket, in our case...

Get excited! (Which I guess means act cheesy.)

Who do you think it is?

Congratulations Bonnierose! Send me an e-mail and I will get your your prize!

I cut the wrong comment and name...but Gina and I decided that before we drew, we were going to go with the name on the sheet, not the comment. Just want to make sure we set rules before everything went wrong. Check out Gina's blog if entered her drawing. She posted her winner, too.

In health news. Today I finally started feeling better. Some symptoms are still lingering, but overall I am feeling much better. I am just about caught up in school, too. I missed a couple of days as I was trying to get well again.

Lastly, I want to share this. It is one probably the coolest shirt if I have ever seen. I had to get it.

A big thanks to Gina for taking the photos for today's post.

Is Print Dead?

It just won't go away. No matter what I do, I just can't get this darn cold to kick the bucket. I bought some Cold Relief meds today. They did nothing but make me dizzy and nauseous. I have been drinking a ton of fluids and trying to rest, but this cold is stubborn. I am hopeful, though. I will be gone soon.

Been listening to Mika lately. My favorite is Grace Kelly from Life in Cartoon Motion. That album is great. Not a bad song on it. Its upbeat and high paced. It makes me want to bust out some moves. He was in town performing on Wednesday, but I missed it. I wish I could have been there.

iPhone users should definitely check this out. I love the designs they have to use as wall paper. This site is a great place to get some fresh ideas and good inspiration. Sign up for their mailings, too. I am such a sucker for print media. I love to hold design in my hands. Veer sends out some of the best mailers.

On that topic...we discuss this quite a bit in school. It often reminds me of the discussion about digital vs. paper scrapbooking. Is print dead? As technology become more advanced people are turning more toward the internet and e-mail to gather their information. Interactive media is a huge part of our education in design school and old techniques like print making are becoming less and less. Can print die?  Will people ever not read the newspaper? Will magazines become extinct? Will websites be the focus of most designers?

For me, there is such a sensation difference between print media and interactive media. Print is 2D (for the most part). You hold it in your hands. You can feel the textures of the different papers. You can smell the ink. Its a very physical experience. This is lost with interactive design. Yes, you can click buttons and interact with the media, but the physical sensations are all lost.

As a designer, I think it is important to know how to do interactive work. It is part of the future. But do we give up on paper? on print?

The discussion of print vs. interactive media always lead to other topics, like going green. I am a huge advocate for going green. I try to do what I can help the environment. The truth is landfills are being filled with paper and products of design. There are things we can do. Soy based inks are becoming more popular. The manufacture of recycled papers is becoming more efficient. Sustainable design is an every growing market. Even scrapbook companies are beginning to make the switch. Creative Imaginations has recently taken a huge step in the right direction.

What are your thoughts on the topic? Is print as alive as it once was? Is interactive media the way of the future?

**Don't forget to enter the drawing in my last post. Check out Gina's give-a-way, too.

Irresistible Look

I woke up this morning with an awful head cold. Throbbing head, running nose, sore throat, and even my eyes hurt. I have been drinking a lot of OJ and trying to get some rest so I can kick this cold quick!

I dropped little Dexter (well not so little anymore) off at the vet today to get neutered. The vet said the surgery went well and he can be picked up tomorrow after 3 pm.

I did an interview with the Salt Lake City Tribune early last week. The article is available online here.

I was able to get a layout done today while I was resting. I played a bit with the new 5th Avenue line from Making Memories that I picked up last week. The colors in this line are so me. (Sorry, the photo is a bit blown out. I will take some new images in the morning)

Lastly, I want to share this photo I got of my pup. She's so camera shy, so I rarely get any photos of her. This is my Photo-a-Day for today.

How Can this Happen?

How can we go from 43 degrees one day to -14 below the next? You have got to love Minnesota's ever so predictable weather! Temps dropped more than 40 degrees in one day, falling an average of 3 degrees and hour overnight on Monday.

Here is a blurb form out local Kare 11 news:

The Twin Cities Metro area and the rest of Minnesota is under a WIND-CHILL WARNING until noon for Wind-Chill temperatures down to -45 below which means frostbite is possible in just a matter of minutes to exposed skin. Winds in the Metro will be from the Northwest at 10 to 20 mph this morning then decrease to less than 15 mph this afternoon producing Wind-Chill temperatures of -20 below. Skies will be sunny today with increasing clouds late this afternoon. Temperatures will be near -14 below ( Wind-Chill -38 below ) at 8 A.M. then -8 below ( Wind-Chill -30 below ) at noon and 0 degrees ( Wind-Chill -18 below ) at 5 P.M

Lets just say, bundle up rugged Minnesotans.

*ETA: I uploaded some recent photos to Flickr. I am going to get back on the Photo-a-Day horse.

Lots to Report from a Productive Day

Got a lot to share today. It was a somewhat productive day. I am back to school again. Had a great winter break, but have to get back to the book work. We started last Tuesday with classes again. I love all the classes I have this semester, but am not a huge fan of how my schedule is laid out. I end up having 3 and 4 hours breaks in between a few courses. Its not enough time to go and do something, but it's too long to just sit around and wait. I am sure I will find someway to fill the time.

Today I just had one class and it didn't start until 3 pm. My morning was fairly productive. A good friend of mine, Gina, and I met for lunch at my favorite coffee shop. They make the best Chai Latte around! Great soup and sandwiches, too. It's delicious! Can't you tell? There's not much left.

After lunch I went and got my car washed! That was a must for the day! If you are from the Midwest or anywhere that gets snow...You know about the salt issue. You can't leave it on your car or it will rust faster but up where it's cold out you can't always wash your car or your doors will freeze shut! The weather today was perfect for car washing!

While I was out, I picked up a little something for myself. I have been trying to keep up with a Photo-a-Day. I have not been the best at it. I want to document the everyday and just plain old take more photos. I decided the reason I was not doing it, was that I don't bring my camera with me enough places. Here is my solution. A nice small camera bag...not too big. Perfect to just hold my camera and able to grab and go!

Last I want to show a little peak of my miniBOOK class for February. I teach a monthly miniBOOK class at The Scrapbook Shop in Saint Paul. For February I went with a Cupid's Arrow theme.

Trial Two.

I am going to give this blogging thing another go around. Hopefully this time I will be more apt to keep it updated. I like the features and look of TypePad. I look forward to sharing projects, photos, and random bits about my life.

So here is to a fresh start.