reddy*made

talkin' it up...

tonight at www.theredlily.com.

Join me if you are around!

MMmmmmmm good.

In addition to changes in the world of the working, there are also some big changes in my life on the scrapbooking front. I want to preface this by saying that I adore Autumn Leaves and am forever grateful to Jeff for taking a chance with me 3 years ago by asking me to lead the Me Book. I have made so many wonderful friends, and have worked on what I think are some of the greatest idea books out there. Working with Autumn Leaves has pushed me creatively in ways that I never would have imagined. Been an all around blessing to work for. So very excited to see the remaining two projects I worked on hit the stores. Thank you Autumn Leaves for everything.

I have recently decided to make a move over to a company that in my opinion, is equally as neat-o, Making Memories.  My great friend, and favorite favorite favorite ( did I mention favorite?) scrapbooker extrodinare, Loni is on the team over at MM, and I am so extremely excited to get the chance to work more closely with her, as well as the other ladies on the team. Everyone there has welcomed me with open arms, and I am super stoked to start working on various projects.

So, lots of changes, projects and exciting things to come. I am so lucky to have had the chance to work with Autumn Leaves, and now Making Memories. Looking forward to what I hope is a fantastic collaboration.

just my type.

Been a very busy last few days. Trying to finish up some Guest Designer commitments for a few websites, deep clean the house, and get things in order before the official full time gig kicks in high gear next weekend. NEXT WEEKEND - THERE IS JUST NOT ENOUGH TIME. I find that I tend to seriously overcommit myself. I have the "can't say no" syndrome. I HAVE to get better about that, there is just not time for me to do everything and I end up frazzled and all-around nasty.

I met with Melanie over at Kate's Paperie again this morning, this time at their Soho store, to talk about creating some sort of signage that will go over their "Paper by the Pound" product. Will be creating pages, cards, tags etc that will be photographed and made into large wall displays that will hopefully become permanant fixtures in the 57th street and 3rd Ave. Stores. Neat Stuff.

In other news, got a email from my great friend Candi (should be a link here but there isn't b/c I still cannot get it right using Safari) that she recieved an email from Kelly (imagine another link here) showing her the cover of the DW Type book that she took at the trade show, on which was a layout that I had done using photos of her adorable son Austin. Did you get all that?

Now, I am not sure if this is the final cover, but it was neat to see one of my pages make the front, if only for CHA alone.

(the "hi" on the top there must have been added digitally after the fact)

So, pretty neat stuff to see this afternoon. Thanks for that photo Kelly.

I STILL have not chosen a nanny, I am horrible. I dread the fact that I have to tell two of these women that they did not get the job, I am such a softie. Will make the calls in the morning.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

scrappy.

Got the chance to do some guest design work over at www.scrapologie.com (I still cannot for the life of me figure out how to include a clickable link). The wonderful Ranjini was sweet enough to be super patient with me as I had to postpone working with the kits until this month. Life has a way of catching up with you.

You can see them on her wonderful site, but wanted to share here as well, since we have been having some upload problems over there.

(created using the Basic Grey winter kit)

(a few holiday cards.)

(a card using the Imagination Project kit - botched the typography on this one, so excuse that bad spacing)

We start Nanny interviews tomorrow...wish me luck. Spending the morning cleaning the house to prepare. Happy monday everyone!

me, myself and i.

Firstly, thank you all for your potty recommendations, I am confident that I can go forward with newfound enthusiasm about my child's excrement.

In other news....

Excited.

Got the news today giving us the go ahead to jibber jabber about the two newest Autumn Leaves' releases - Designing with Type, and the Me Book. Me love type. Me love fonts. Cannot wait.

The Me Book was the first book with Autumn Leaves that I led and let me tell you, that leading a book is quite an experience. I bow to all the ladies who came before me and have led books, it can be mentally exhausting. I emailed both Tracy and Tina at least a bazillion times a day with book details, layouts, questions, concerns. They were truly my rock while working on this project, thank you both.

This book is 2 years in the making, and the concept began in early 2004. We have made changes, added artists, and all poured out our hearts and our stories in this book. While this book is different than the "Designing with" series in that the focus is not on technique, but on telling the story, YOUR story - I hope it will be well recieved and inspire readers to really delve deep and scrapbook about themselves. I am already panic stricken hoping that the reader is left with some semblance of inspiration from the book. I will surely need a tums or two (heck I might as well down the whole pack) when it finally does release in May.

I could not have done it without the brilliant contribution of jennifer, margie, renee, veronia, elsie, jen, lisa, tina, carrie, cathy, leslie and desiree and the creative direction of the almighty tracy. All of you dug deep and shared not only your talented work, you shared yourselves in this book. I am forever grateful to each and every one of you.

(Below is a cover shot, not sure if it will be the final cover, or if it a working cover. Heck, there could be a picture of piece of poop on the front and I would be just as excited.)

So, exciting things ahead indeed. In the middle of some other changes, both in my scrapbooking career, as well as the job hunt. Excited about both. More (hopefully positive) news to come.

FOUND.

Both my sanity and my package. It is in NJ now and on its way to Tracy, arriving by the 10th.
No Fedex man has to be mortally wounded, although if I do ever see him again, I have a few choice words. Well, to be honest, I have more than a few.

Back to work on the remaining layouts for this project. SO very glad that no re-creation of pages needs to be done - that is, if they get to Tracy in once piece, seeing as they have been out of my hands since the 20th.....

THAt, my friends, is a whole other story.

Heads will indeed roll....

..if Fedex calls me tomorrow after "investigatng" the whereabouts of five of my most favorite pages for a new Autumn Leaves book that have not made it to dear Tracy in Canada yet.

In tears now, but tomorrow...oh boy. They better find my pages or I might be absent from blog posting for 20 to life because I will be carted off to prison after I hunt down the Fedex Ground gentleman who took said package and did not put shipping label immediately on it and stick it to him with all that i've got. Stick it to him good.

oh yes. heads will roll.

Off to cry some more, and maybe scarf down a few wheat thins admist the sobs.

Meet and Greet

Memory Trends is going on in Las Vegas this week, as most of you equally obsessed paper artists very well know. While I was not able to attend this go-round, I am excited to share the newest "Designing with" book release from Autumn Leaves, Designing with Greetings. Lisa Russo was the lead on this wonderful project, until Baby Ava decided to make an early debut, so we all pulled together under Tracy's creative direction and worked through while she took care of herself and her new sweetheart.

I don't do cards. Well, I don't do them that often, so this project was initially quite the challenge for me. A fun one nonetheless. There are a lot of cards in this book. A lot. Hopefully it will bring you some good inspiration, both for your cards, and for your scrapbook pages.

(By the way, if anyone knows the html code to include clickable links as my Mac does not show me how to include a link when I create my posts, that would be stellar. As you can see, I still have not figured it out.)

I print. I print big.

I bought a new printer this weekend.

The canon 19900.

You know I must have really wanted it becuase I was prepared to hear my husband go on for what seemed like an eternity about the cost, how it did not have a pop up screen, some bluetooth this or that, or a card reader. Or be able to serve smirnoff ice on demand.

I have been creating square pages for at least a year now for various assignments, and I never thought I would say it, but I now feel more at home with this large format. It was only right that I embrace what I used to lovingly call "the dark side" and go large in full force.

So, thank you Canon. For your next big idea.

where the magic happens...

Have you ever watched MTV cribs where this or that celeb is giving a tour of their palatial estate and invaritably arrives at the bedroom and says "This is where the magic happens." leaving you with an instant headache and the feeling that you want to throw up in your mouth a little because it is so gosh dern cheesy that you cannot possibly stand to watch another minute yet your eyes are glued to the tele waiting for more.

Yeah, like that.

Well, hopefully this is not quite as painful, but it certainly very well might be equally cheesy.

My sweet sweet mama and "second mama" as I like to call her, Roberta suprised me with an early birthday present last week. The Daily System rod unit from Pottery Barn to put under my shelves and directly over my tiny work table in the corner of our living room/playroom/home office/dining room. A blessing indeed. I love you both so much.

What is equally as fetch is that the folks over at Pottery Barn forgot to gift wrap one of the items, and forgot the whiteboard pen and magnets in the packaging, so they have refunded my mother and are sending me a $25 dollar gift certificate. Sweet. Kudos to you Pottery Barn.

I decided that I would take a photo of my "workspace," if you can even call it that. Living in New York comes with many sacrifices, one of them being space. And quiet. And the ability to walk in the city at a normal pace without bumping into someone. And your sanity. Nonetheless, you try to make the best of what space that you have. So i decided to build up. Well, my husband built up and I just nodded with gleeful approval.

I am one of those people who does not like to actually "see" my stuff. I don't want jars of ribbon out, I don't want old bookshelves overstuffed with product. I want it all hidden. Tucked away. Neat. The pencil jar on the table and the inspiration pegged to the corkboard is just enough for me thank you.

So, there you have it. Where I spend my nights hunched over. Meeting deadlines. Goofing around online and trying to make some semblance of a living. Where is the rest of my stuff you ask? Well, like I said I don't like to see most of my things, so it is hidden away in the closet, and stuffed under the futon. And that my friends, is for a whole other post.......

Where the magic happens? I like to think so.