Mini sneaks of the album...

I am so excited to be sharing this with everyone...I worked hard on it so all comments would be appreciated. So here it is....

It is a total of 6 chipboard pages & one acrylic page. It also has stamping, embossing, and hand-made embellishments (see the apple on the above photo).

I will upload a couple of more pages for the next few weeks. Also I have started to work on other projects that I am really excited about too. But I am loving this little album. It will be leaving my possession and making it's way to it's new home tomorrow afternoon.

Oh, I am also selling sets of the mini chipboard albums on ebay currently. I have them listed at $16 for a set of four. Which would be $4 an album and which also is really not a lot.

Plus I will be uploading a picture of the entire kit. It is huge. There are several patterned papers, and cardstock colors. I didn't even use half of the items that I have in the kit on the album but they match the cover paper so well that I couldn't limit them.

Also I am have been busy debating on what to take to the store to sell in the garage sell. I am thinking tons of my cards, maybe a few mini albums that I did and never listed.

A quick update just for you all that are waiting to see the mini album that I am working on. I plan on getting photos of it taken this week and have it dropped off at the Scrapbook Shop so that you can stop in and check it out.

The photos won't be upload here for a few days but the newsletter for the store will show some of the first pages. I have to say that I packed this album full of all kinds of things that I loved and even things that I had been wanting to use but never did. I also have to say that I pretty much blew my budget on the class two times over! I mean who could decide between one line of papers or any other. Especially when you drive over 50 miles to get them. But its all worth it! I mean this is how I scrapbook and so I have to get the best items even if it means I have to go outta my way to get them.

Let's see what else is going on? Well I have decided that my oldest is going to attend an online school and he is excited about that. More so than being home schooled by me alone. Don't get me wrong he was excited about being at home and being home schooled but we went and checked it out and knew immediately that it might be better for him. He'll still be home but the best thing is he does all of his work on the computer.

But I picked up some homeschooling items for my younger son and he is excited. I just have to do some research and price checking on getting him into some kind of activity in the day. I don't really know what but something fun. And exhausting...he really needs to burn off some energy!

I just wanted to say something also about a great man who passed away this last week. He was my hubby's uncle. And he was amazing! Honestly. He and I never met in person but he rocked with a capital R! I wish I would have gotten to meet him before he passed away. I am not sure of all the details but I know that he had a long battle with cancer and he passed away when he seemed to be getting better. I can remember one of the first conversations that I had with him and he told me that whatever I was doing to keep it up because he could see that Vele was happy. I can also remember thinking wow he is so down to earth and that he seemed so fun, educated, and silly all in one. I think it's because of the relationship that Vele had with him that I was able to love Vele so easily. Ray was Vele's role model. And there were times when Vele didn't know what to do about a situation and he would pick up the phone and call his Uncle in CA. I cried when telling Vele that he had passed on. He was just a truly amazing person. And Vele truly has been changed by his passing but we know he is in a better place. But Uncle Ray will be missed...Surf on Uncle Ray.... Surf on!!

A really quick update...(oops this was supposed to post on Friday instead of today)

Well I have been working on the school mini album class and it is really coming together. I never work on the cover of an album first so there isn't anything that I can show you just yet (or maybe I can give some other details. But it is a lot of fun so far and it looks really cute. But I will stop teasing you for now ;0).

So here is one little detail that I can share with you... this is a mini tag that will be just before the front cover (I think?? I might do some acrylic there also??) but the front cover will be the bracket shape (the pages will be a few different shapes). But the circle chipboard tag show is embossed and inked which both will be done in the class. And I can't wait until some of the supplies that I need come in so that I can get it all together.

Now some family updating....

I had been in the process of searching for a new school for the boys the last couple of months (well once I got off bedrest) and I hadn't planned on making a choice to leave their current school until all the budget stuff came up and also the No child left behind info. I know that the numbers are based on a low # of students but it just bothers me that their school has been on that list and now is on stage 3. I am a strong supporter of public education but I feel like things aren't getting better. I don't want to get into too much because my boys are doing well but I do wonder if the school is failing and their personal scores are higher than the school are they getting enough? Especially when my oldest is in some grade levels higher than his current grade and still comes home with no homework because he finished it in class. Both his test scores and grades have told me for a while that he needs to be doing something more than what he is. And while visiting my 2nd son's class and meeting with the teacher we began to hear some of the same things then too...he is advanced, he can read at a third grade level (he was in first grade) and so on and so on.

My hubby and I have decided that homeschooling might be the way to go. I am now looking into it and trying to make sure that I do all the legal things to make sure that I can home school them as well as get the best programs for each of them. Plus now that means lots of things will change, and I am trying to be brave lol lol as well as confident that I can continue to give them what they need. It's scary but exciting, maybe it's more intimidating than anything because I started to second guess that I could do this and still have my sanity. After all them heading off to school was a great thing. But now they will be with me A-L-L day long A-L-L year long. I hope we will survive it!

We have worked with homeschooling materials for years that I got from a neighbor but I am going to have to get the best materials available. So my search for that has begun. And although I say that I will home school them, I still haven't written my letter of intent to the Principal. I called her to today and she began to tell me how she will miss us and how she knows that the boys are going to do great.

Mini album madness!!!

The album is done and I am so finished with it...ok I might add some more ribbons but here are some of the pictures for it. I am trying to list it on ebay but keep getting kicked out?? That has never happened before but the error says it has something to do with ebay's gallery? So whenever that is up and running I can list it and you all can bid on it.

Well here are the pictures of it...I am so excited about the album but at the same time I am going to hate to see it go. It has tons of my favorite papers and embellishments on it but it needs a home where it can be loved and used! I am thinking that with all the stuff that I have left over I could surely make another two of these, but I don't know?

The front cover is embossed (the white circles) and painted (the red). I added tons of ribbon and still think that I need to add some more yellow to the album?

You can get more details about the pages and products I used here... I can't upload all of them because my new little one is fussy right now, she just got 2 month old shots!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tracyross98/sets/72157621868098153/

Also here is the link to the actual auction

http://cgi.ebay.com/Premade-summer-mini-album_W0QQitemZ230365818090QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a2df6cea&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

What an exciting day!

Today truly was exciting. I was so glad to be able to meet with Rhonda and discuss me becoming a teacher for The Scrapbook Shop... And of course I am going to work there! I can't wait to get started on the class mini album project that I have planned!

The summer album is complete, minus so minor details that I just gotta do! So when that is complete I will be listing it and getting tons of pictures of it added to the blog. I have tons of things that I have to get done in the next couple of weeks. But it is all great and fun things to do... and to give you some ideas of some of the things that I have been working on, I redid the cherry hello card. The first version was ok, but buttons really made it look much better. So here is a little look at the redone version...

Also I wanted to add that Rhonda (the owner of the store) is so nice! I have worked as a teacher before and had to work in the box, but this seems like I will be able to be completely creative. And that is what I love! Plus the store is one of the greatest (despite the long drive...lol) because it has some of the most unique items available. You can get tons of hard to find, completely unique and wow I would have never used that on a scrapbook items there. You should check it out if you ever get a chance! Here is the site http://www.scrapbookshopofstpaul.com/

I hope everyone is having a great day! ;0) Tracy

Summer mini album (under construction)!!

I wish I had an under construction banner or some type of clipart that said that because that is how my desk looks right now. It is a mess! I have tons of things out because I have started making this super cute summer mini album that I plan on selling on ebay. I am also thinking about making some kits of the album as well. I love the colors and the embellishments and even the diecuts that I have been making. I would take a photo but someone would surely think I kept a messy house if I took a photo of that space! lol lol lol

I am going to start showing pics of the album later this week. I don't want to give the entire book away before I completely finish it (like I do with so many other projects). But I could share some of the names of the products that I am using on it...so far I have used Basic Grey's lime rickey papers and buttons, Chatterbox, Fancy Pants, Making Memories, Cosmo Cricket (the kitchen line...love it!), WRMK, and Creative Cafe. And tons of Quickutz, Bosskut, Spellbinders and Sizzix dies which I backed most of them with chipboard.

But I am hoping to finish it up by Wednesday and have it listed on Thursday. But if you have been following my work, I always seem to find a way to make products that I am creating just to list more complicated. I never can walk away from it when I say that it is done. This isn' t an issue when creating custom work for a specific customer because I have pictures or themes set, but that isn't the case for this mini album. It takes more time to make something that anyone could use instead of something specifically for a person. So far I have been working on this mini album for about 17hours (or a period of 2.5days) and I am a little over half way done.

But be on the look out for pictures of the mini album...I am off to get some dinner!