Just passing a little time...

This week has been cuh-razy...

We have taken on a new project (and it is a BIGGGGG one!) but more on that later. So, there has been little time for projects, but I did manage to squeeze in one little fun one using this fabulously orange wool yarn that I couldn't resist last time I was at the store.  Isn't it just oh so yummy and cheery?!?

So, I went and pulled out my crochet needles that have only been rarely used since college.  And, yes, I know what you are thinking... and the answer is yes - I was *cool* enough to crochet when I was in college.

And I got to work on a new pattern that I had never used - a big, bulky, fluffy, wonderful flower.  It took a few tries, but I finally got it.

I do have to admit that I could not figure out how to close the center of the flower, but that was nothing a little vintage button could not fix.  Projects like this have a way of keeping you on your toes!

By the way, what do you think of my favorite new little find?  That box was $5 - yes $5! at a flea market lately with my wonderful sister.

After finishing the flower, I sewed up this little pillow that I made out of material that coordinates with my little girls bedding to give it a quirky little pop of color.

So much fun... Where else can I possibly attach one of these suckers because I am totally addicted to making them!

Beautiful waste of time...

This time of year is undoubtedly my very favorite.  I love the changes that plants, the weather, and the environment goes through.  I even love Spring Cleaning, but I am a bit of a sicko...

You can literally watch things come back to life after months of dormancy which is one of the most beautiful things one can witness.  So, the other 10 or 11 months of the year I paint and reno, but for this couple of months, I don my camera and do my best to capture the scenery that I so dearly love.

It is a waste of time, but I love it...

These are beautiful trees captured near my sister's house.  Aren't they grand? 

You have to look close, but you can see those miraculous signs of life.

And this tree should truly be the inspiration for a room. 

A little girl's room would be so beautiful in this combo of turquoise and pink. 

Are you inspired yet?

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of great photo books...

I used to be a scrapbooker.  I would pull out all the boxes of paper, special scissors, specific adhesive, stickers, and die cuts.  I would set it up meticulously so that I could be as creative as possible. Inevitably, as soon as I would do this, my kids would wake up from their naps and I would have to put it all up again with little progress made.

This predicament led me to try out digital scrapbooking, and I have to tell you I have now seen the light.  I am a full-fledged Photoshop using, PNG creating, clipping mask addicted digi convert.  But, with digital scrapbooking comes the dilema of where to print...

There are TONS of options available for this, and I have tried several.

And, here is what I think of the ones I have tried:

*SNAPFISH*

Snapfish was the first option I tried.  I loved the price, and the peek-a-boo window that was offered with this book.

The matte finish of the cover was great, and was not prone to finger prints or smudges.  However, the rectangle shape did not fit on a shelf very well for storage.

The binding is sewn, and does not lay flat.

and the pages were fairly thin... And, so, the search continued.

*INKUBOOK*

From Inkubook, I started out ordering the square photobooks.  The outside of the book is available in matte and shiny.  I had a slight preference for the shiny book, but it smudges and fingerprints really bad.  My girls love to look at their books, so the prints were a real problem for me.

The binding here was glued and leaves this white strip on the inside and back cover.

The binding does not lay flat, so if you use Inkubook be careful about the huge gutter that might some of your hard workin' digi-scrapbooking time!

However, the paper was thicker, and being a bit of a paper snob, that made me ridiculously happy!

Also, unlike Snapfish, Inkubook always stamps their back cover with their logo, which might deter some people from ordering with them.

Obviously, the quality was better than Snapfish, because I stuck with them for quite a while...

But, there was still some issues, so the search continued...

*ADORAMAPIX*

I finally found my digi-scrapbooking soul mate the day I received my first Adoramapix photo book - it was a little more expensive, but beautiful enough to make up for it!

 It had a beautiful and thick cover with printing that is similar to metallic photo prints. 

Here is the comparison of thickness - these two books are the same number of pages... Inkubook on bottom, Adoramapix book on top.  It is a serious heavy weight!

The binding is glued, which allows "true flat" pages with no gutters (woohoo!!!!!) which equals no loss of your designs...

The pages are thick, almost as thick as a toddler board book.  I let my kids look through this book and never had to worry about them tearing...

If anyone is thinking of ordering from Adoramapix though, I would like to offer one tidbit of advice.  If allowed, Adoramapix will begin printing on the first page.  This is a concern because of the creases left by gluing the binding.

So, my suggestion would be to implement plain black pages for the first and last page, or even possibly a dedication page, such as this...

I think I finally found the one to stick with... Anyone else have a preference?!?!?