Cathy Zielske's Blog, page 219

A preview of a very cool online event, Spawn of True Scrap

My friend and former Simple Scrapbooks magazine colleague Lain Ehmann is bringing back her awesome online scrapbooking extravaganza, True Scrap. If you've ever wanted to attend a scrapbooking weekend event similar to Creating Keepsakes University but couldn't figure out the logistics of a flight, hotel and expenses, then True Scrap might be exactly what you're looking for.

I've invited Lain here today to fill you in on just what this event is all about, from the way it works to the seriously amazing group of instructors. Heck, there's even an interview with yours truly featured as part of the whole shebang. Listen to Lain for more info:

 

For more information on True Scrap, click here.

Cozy Fall Mornings

While I realize there are many places in the country where the term "hotter than hades" might still apply, in Minnesota, Fall is most definitely in the air.

From the first official switching on of the heat (last Wednesday) to the first switching on of our instant fireplace, I absolutely savor those sweet, first days of chilly air that come every September.

Uggs trade places with flip flops for the morning bus stop runs, and yoga pants make their triumphant return. (Muffin tops everywhere cheer for Fall temperatures!)

Hats and gloves come out of storage, finding their way onto a 6th grade boy's head who in turn makes goofy faces when his mother insists on taking a picture. (Taken on the first day of school.)

No. He won't live to regret this one at all.

In celebration of Fall, however, Cole has decided to take advantage of his insanely huge hat collection, vowing not to wear the same hat twice during the entire month of September. So far, so good. In fact, to make sure he doesn't mess up the order, he's using one of his many journals to track the hat wearing.

I think he's onto a new Fall tradition of his own.

Here's to cooler temps coming soon to a climate near you.

 

Rain Chain

So we've been wrapping up the finishing touches on a home remodeling project that began nearly a year ago. Soon enough, I hope to share the before and after photos. In the mean time, one of the last lingering projects has finally been completed: adding a rain downspout to our front gutter.

The original design called for a very stylish galvanized steel gutter, but no adjoining downspout. During every rain fall, the water came crashing down on our yard, pounding out a divet of earth that was getting progressively deeper with each storm. Subsequently, part of our yard was washing out down the street, settling no so attractively in front of our neighbor's house. We needed to figure out a solution. Enter, the Rain Chain.

The rain chain hangs off of the gutter and guides the rainwater down into a small rock garden (which we haven't really finished yet, but this is a start), and thereby reduces and possibly eliminates the soil erosion.

It's pretty and it's peaceful and hopefully, as long as no meth addicts decide to steal it (apparently they're fond of copper), we're golden.

Besides, it's rather peaceful. Don't believe me? Here, see for yourself.

Reach for the Stars? from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.

 

 

Namasté, y'all.

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Thanks so much for all the ideas and comments about subjects to teach in 2012. I'm going to be putting my nose to the grindstone during the next several weeks to begin putting together classes for Big Picture's 2012 calendar.

What would you be interested in learning about?

Note: this photo has nothing to do with today's post.

Now that we've cleared that up, I've got a question for you today, especially those of you who like to get your scrap on in an online setting.

After teaching online in 2009 and 2010 for Big Picture Classes, I've been notably absent from teaching this year and have been brainstorming concepts to present in 2012. Presently, I'm working on a type class designed to help scrapbookers like you create layouts with awesomely executed type and to become general type masters.

And that got me thinking. What else, if anything, would you look for in an online class? I know a lot of you have some really great ideas and aren't shy about sharing them.

I'm all ears.

 

Celebrity Sightings in St. Paul

The one and only Bill Murray is a part owner of the St. Paul Saints baseball team. And every so often, he drops into town to catch a game.

Last week, the Saints began their run at the Championship Series against the Grand Prairie Air Hogs. Bill showed up for what was the final home game of the season, as the Saints then hit the road to finish out the series in my third favorite state in America, Texas. (Sadly, the Saints did not emerge from the series as victors.)

Cole's met Bill in past years, back in his Mini Fan days, but make no mistake, when a national treasure like Bill Murray hits town, it's still a big deal.

The thing that's cool about Bill? He is so gracious and funny to every one who comes up and wants a photo, or to shake his hand, or to just bask in his comedic presence. Aidan hung around after the game to meet him. She's a big fan of his cameo in Little Shop of Horrors. He shook her hand, asked her name, and was incredibly kind and approachable.

As a parent and a human, it made me feel good about the state of humanity.

I mean, it's Bill Frickin' Murray! (Thank you, Zombieland.)

p.s. He's taller than you'd think.

 

The winner of the spot in Ella's Boot Camp is…

Janice, you are the winner of a spot in  Boot Camp 2011! Email me at czdesign at comcast dot net and I'll hook you up with your free registration code.

 

What the heck, let's give away a spot in Ella's Boot Camp!

I'm going to give one blog reader a chance to get their scrap booty in shape! Leave me a comment today, and I'll draw a winner tonight after 8 p.m. CST.

ANSWER THIS QUESTION: (which has nothing to do with scrapbooking per se) What would Sir Mix-a-Lot say about your booty? In other words, does baby got back?

I will start: um, yes, hello? I invented booty.

Good luck!

 

Want to get in a different kind of shape?

My friends over at Ella Publishing want to help you get into tip top scrapbooking shape this fall!

Introducing Boot Camp 2011! And just what is Boot Camp 2011? Well, here happens to be a straight answer from Angie and Wendy, two of the no nonsense drill instructors who will be getting your scrap booty into fighting shape!

This might be just what you need to get your scrap mojo a-rollin' for the fall months!

The cost of this online event is just $33. Right now, you can save $3 off the registration price until Sept. 17 by using the code YESMAAM when you register for Boot Camp 2011.

WHAT YOU'LL GET:
–12 exclusive video drills to get your scrap-bootie in shape! (one each morning, one each evening)
–4 expert drill sergeants (in the areas of journaling, stamping, photo effects, and design)
–6 bonus lunch-time inspiration sessions with Wendy Smedley
–40 minutes of coached scrapbooking challenges per day
–a place to upload your work and connect with other scrapbookers
–concrete challenges that result in meaningful layouts
–daily challenges, bonus downloads, sponsor prizes, and more
–email reminders that it's time to suit up and get ready to scrap!

WHAT YOU WON'T GET:
–Court-martialed if you fail to complete your drills on time
–More tasks than you can reasonably complete in 40 minutes each day
–Complicated projects and directions that leave you with more questions than answers
–Overwhelmed by your options; each drill is bite-sized, inspirational, and doable!

Now I'm off to see if I can sweet talk them into sending me one of those adorable pink camo hats…

Blink revisited.

Last week, I'd posted some of my favorite journaling pages and realized that I wanted to do a Blink page about my boy. To this day, the concept of this page remains one of my favorites. Whether you're documenting the passage of time for a person, a place or a thing, taking two photos separated by the passing of several years can lend itself to a very inspired layout or two.

One thing that I didn't write about on this page but I was thinking quite heavily about on this weekend was the passage of time since September 11, 2001. Cole and I watched quite a few hours of coverage and spent time talking about it. He was just two years old at the time of the attacks, and I clearly recall changing the TV channel over to Bob the Builder, because I wasn't sure how it would affect him, and I wasn't sure how to process what I was seeing myself.

Yesterday, we talked about the incredible bravery of so many men and women and I was overcome with emotion several times during the day. It felt like it was truly just a blink in time. The sadness and the rawness of it all. The inhumanity of the acts themselves, and yet the humanity that Americans responded with time and again that day and have continued to do so ever since.

I'm not sure how this page and 9|11 belong in the same blog post, other than my belief that time and memory are extremely powerful things.

 

 

The giveaway winners are…

The winner of a spot in simplify's upcoming workshop Organize Your Paper Clutter with creative organizing expert Aby Garvey is:

The winner of a spot in in iShot That! The art of iPhone photography from ReneePearson.com and taught by Jim and Molly Newman is:

Ladies, email me at czdesign at comcast dot net to claim your workshop seats!