Scrapburbia

Do you know who this is?

I was checking out the Allister Ann Blog because Elsie Flannigan linked to it on her blog... and I saw this picture. The post was about a newly decorated home and studio space (and we all know I am a sucker for a cool studio)... it included this picture of Dan Layus.

In my mind, the fact that I recognize him and know his name and of course the band he's in... must mean I am not as old as I feel some days, in fact I'd say it makes me pretty hip. (I wonder if using the word "hip" makes me old, maybe I should say something more like "the bomb-diggity")

Anyway... Dan Layus, Augustana...I saw them a couple years ago in Salt Lake City at a record shop and in concert later that night, they are one of my Flav-o-rite bands.

Apparently Allister Ann knows Augustana, cause there were lots more where that came from!

Just Made My Day.

Sounds like they've been working on a new album, though there's no mention of it on the website. But... you do know, a new album means a tour... and sometimes that means Salt Lake. I am gonna cross my fingers, eyes and toes and hope the rumor is true!

 

The 4th of July around here

These guys were being a particularly bad influence for all the kids watching. They were laying on the ground tying all the fuses together....

It was really dark Sunday Night too, so pictures of kids and fireworks were not a great success. But I grabbed my tripod and waited for fireworks to start a couple of streets over. The shutter on my camera was open for about 30 seconds on this one, I love that the stars show up!

We are super busy around here... we'll be moving in the next couple of weeks, which of course means moving the business too, heaven help us. 

I've also been photographing and posting LOTS of new products in the Scenic Route Store, like....

and...
and...

Now all I need is more time to scrapbook...

I did actually get to spend a little time scrapbooking this weekend. I finished the layout that has been sitting on my table, literally collecting dust for a couple months now. I managed to photograph them today so i'll get them up through out this week.

I gotta get some sleep, I've got a long day of packing ahead of me!

~night

San Diego overview...

For heavens sake.....I have had this post about 85% done for a week, and one thing after another grabs away my attention.

San Diego was so much fun, we sure packed a lot into those few fast days. We have done so many of these crazy scrapbook shows, and yet I don't think I have any pictures...

Here are a few from CHA 2006, proof that we did pull out the camera every once in a while...

Aaahhh, those were the days. Wow, what a whirlwind of emotion... it was so much fun, yet so hard.

ANYWAY... back to San Diego.   

 

We spent Sunday playing at Coronado Beach.  Cute little Christopher spend a good hour exploring the beach and digging in the sand before he conked out all bundled up under the umbrella. He only tried to eat sand once or twice before he gave up and decided it was more fun to let it fall through his fingers.

 

Day two (of the vacation part of the trip) was spend at the San Diego zoo. I was shocked that my kids preferred the zoo to Sea World. We saw panda bears, polar bears, tigers and climbed about 42 hills. And i'll tell you what, by the time the park was ready to close, we were SO ready to go back to the hotel.

 

On Tuesday we stopped by the Birch Aquarium before heading home. If I had a billion dollar trust fund I know exactly what I'd do with it.... I would build a gigantic aquarium and grow a kelp forest. There would have to be a motorized wave/slosh/tide machine to make the kelp sway in the water. Just walking into this room at the aquarium made my blood pressure drop 20 points. I could have sat staring, comatose for hours... loved it.

And of course, my tough guys. (I think my mini tough guy was asleep at this point so he missed the photo op) Then we finally, regretfully, climbed back in the car and made the 15 hour drive home.

And... I've been playing catch up ever since. We didn't get as much school done as I'd hoped and getting back on that schedule has been a little challenging. I am SO ready for summer!

Stay tuned next week(hopefully) for some exciting news from Scenic Route...
     

I am NOT a seamstress... (I'm not even sure I can spell it)

No one would ever mistake me for a seamstress...ever. Aside from quilting, which to me is very different than sewing I only use my sewing machine for scrapbooking. I can count on one hand the number of things that I have made... A pair of pants, a couple of Halloween costumes and... well, that might be it. Oh yeah and stockings, for which I had to run up to my seamstress neighbors house and ask for help to interpret the directions. 

For Halloween 2006 Amelia wanted to be Mrs. Clause and of course that isn't a costume option in any retail store I have visited...so we bought the stuff, which I'm sure cost WAY MORE than a pre-made costume would have. I don't usually buy patterns,  I just pretend to know what I'm doing and figure it only has to last one night...right?

Okay, so have you seen Disney's Sleeping beauty when the fairy godmothers are planning a party for the princess without magic? They swirl together fabric with long stitch and eventually it just slumps off MaryWeathers cute chubby self... that my friends was my inspiration. 

I put  big square of fluffy red "fabric" flat on the floor, cut a circle out of the middle, then cut the whole piece into a circle. I then had Amelia put it on and we trimmed away until it resembled a skirt. 

I kid you not.

In the end it looked just fine and Amelia was very happy with it... so who needs a pattern anyway?

Unfortunatly I didn't take a good picture of the skirt, but here is a darling Mrs. Clause.

I'm not sharing this story just to shine a spotlight on my lack of talent in the sewing catagory. But rather to spotlight a couple of women who could probably sew a new wardrobe in one day with one arm tied behind their backs. They must have been born with a sewing machine in tow... they just make it look so easy.

First...meet Meg McElwee of Sew Liberated.

Now while her sewing is lovely and effortless seeming... it is the photography that inspires me here. I know the sewing would too if  only I could sew. Check these out...

I may know better than to think I ought to try to sew something... but my goodness she sure makes me want to go on a field trip with my camera! 

If you are a seamstress, Meg has published a book of her patterns which you can find along  with individual patterns of fabulous things like baby carriers, book bags, and wouldn't you know it...twirly skirts.

I think I'll share my other favorite seamstress tomorrow... while I imagine she probably considers herself a sewing diva first... her designs have ventured into the scrapbooking world!

hasta mañana!

Sarah

Guess who's 8 Months old today?

 

This little guy is 8 months old today, I realize that 8 months really isn't a major milestone, but I wanted to show-off just how cute he is! He's starting to really get around and loving it... what I can't figure out is why he can be in a room full of bright flashy toys and the tiny scrap of paper across the room becomes his mission.