enJOY it by Elise Blaha Cripe

photography sharing.

Am taking Black and White photography this semester.  Learning how to work my big camera.  In high school, I used it as a point and shoot and got about 5% of its value.  Making up for it now.  For sure.

Coincidentally, I am stumbling upon so many cool photo sites.

So here are some shares.  Good, good stuff out there.  So inspired.

• 3191 photo blog : Every morning, two friends that live 3,191 miles apart from each other take a photo.  And they post.  And we go "Duuuuuude."
• Alicia Bock : The only word I can think of is pretty.  Or delicate.
• The Image is Found : A Professional Photographing Couple.  I want to be them/be in their photographs.  I need at least $4000 and a wedding.
• Super Capacity : One word: "I want."  Link is to her site.  This is her Etsy store.
• Ali's blog post today : I want that stack of photos.  Preferably with people I know in the images, but to be honest, I would take hers. In the least creepy way possible.

yesterday = graduation + 100.

A.K.A. "Whoa, dude."

We celebrated 100 more days of school at Traddies.  And then at Mardi Gras (apartment complex, not New Orleans).  And then at 9-0.  And then I believe some celebrating went on in the hallway.

So what this really means is 99 more days.  I cannot believe that.  I cannot believe that I am almost done with 17 years of schooling. 

That is so fantastic and horrifying at the same time.

Happy Trails.

cha-ching.

I have officially been to ScrapbookLand.  Like Disneyland, it is very brightly colored.  Like Disneyland, there are a lot of fake flowers.  Unlike Disney, there is a lot of chipboard shapes and stamping ink.

And a lot of rolling suitcases.

I am overwhelmed and so glad that I do not have to worry about determining what to buy to stock my store.  Instead, I just get to wait until April-ish when all the beautiful products make it to the shelves. 

And until then, I will just be inspired by all the pretty stuff I saw.

Loved Elsie's new line, Love, Elsie.  Loved Elsie's booth:

It was a kitchen  There was a refrigerator.  With photos on it.

And Heidi Swapp will forever inspire me:

Of course I saw 700 million other things, hence the sense of overwhelmedness.  Too much stuff to have in my head without supplies to capture ideas with.

But very cool.

And Jess, I think I saw you around Elsie's booth.  But I was not sure, so I dorked out and didn't say hi.  Pathetic, I know.  Hope you had fun!

scrapbooking.

If you are reading this you are either: a. me; b. my parent; c. Paul; d. my friend; e. my extended family; or f. someone who stumbled across the blog because there was a link to it on something scrapbook related.  Regardless, you know I enjoy scrapbooking.  Although you probably have a varied idea of what that means.

Scrapbooking is my passion.

For me, it is so much more than photos and paper and pen.  It is how I express my ideas, my feelings, my present.  And while it is totally fabulous that I get physical products out of the hobby, it is so much more about the process.  About the gluing of the photo to the paper.  About the complete and total isolation from everything else not related to paper.

Okay.  So that is a little background that seemed totally necessary before typing this behemoth of a blog post.

Last night, I went to Kristina Contes "Right Now" class at Scrapbook Oasis.  I had absolutely no idea what to expect.  I have never before been in a room filled with scrapbookers.  I have never really talked with people who know the differences between product lines.  Oddly enough, I have never heard some of the product line titles spoken outloud, just read about or discussed them online.

So it was a little bizarre.  And a little like I found a place.  Very cool, to connect, even for a night, with people who are "like me" in that they share the same passion.  Very, very cool.

And Kristi?  She was fantastic.  I loved seeing her projects in real life.  Totally inspiring to see the texture, the rough edges and her personality come through from her pages.  She saves the same stuff as me.  She incorporates the same pieces into her designs.  That was so bizarre, but fun to see.

I know that scrapbooking will be part of my life forever.  I know I need to continue it to feel complete.  I know that I want it to be part of my job.  And it will.

Because it is me.

[And the images are pages from the mini book we created in the class.]

it is one day away from being friday.

Five Fabulous Friends of Mine:

1. allrecipes.com:  Specifically the recipes for Red Velvet Cake.
2. Blue October:  Specifically their song "Into the Ocean."
3. Sprinkles Cupcakes:  First for their products, second for their website.  Or maybe it's a tie.  Tough Call.
4. BAMPOP! scrapbook stuff.
5. Dryer's Slow Churned American Idol Flavors: Specifically the Take the Cake flavor.

And also: I think this dress is very pretty.

Fantastic.