Memory Makers with Hillary Heidelberg

Today's the day!

2007-08-22T09:51:08.0705000-04:00

that the 2008 Masters are going to be announced! I am so excited to see who the talented 10 are! it's been such a wonderful year, and I know that the 2008 Masters are going to have SO MUCH FUN!

I'm still out at my mother's house in Long Island, and have been staying up too late honing my digital scrapping skills, and reading novels. Always so relaxing. We return home next week, and start homeschooling the week after that--I am getting nervous but excited about the whole journey that lies ahead of us. I really think it's going to be a wonderful treat to teach Luca! Also getting geared up for the next One-in-48 Sketch Challenge Class at nycscraps.com These classes are always so fun and productive, and I hope you'll consider joining us!

Whew!!!

2007-08-10T23:05:41.4502500-04:00

So here I sit, out on Long Island visiting my mom (and riding on my neighbour's DSL line to boot). I am out here for the month of August and she has no wireless (it's heartbreaking, really.) I have been doing a ton of digital scrapbooking, which is a switch for me, since I brought no paper supplies with me.

And GASC! What a blast! I got to say hi to some fellow Masters, and also meet my book editor Amy Glander-hi amy!! I also got to reconnect briefly with Katie Hilbert from the magazine--hi Katie!! And my classes were so much fun...and Judy, it's Maya Road that makes those boxes--email me and I will send you one!! My students were kind, open, honest and fun. I am so glad though to be spending a month near the beach--it's so wonderful to simply relax and read books. And maybe not having wireless is a blessing in disguise, since i've read 5 books since arriving last week.....hmmmm.....

I am eagerly awaiting the news of the new Masters for 2008--how exciting is THAT?? 10 brand new designers for the magazine's pages....I have no doubt that whomever they choose, the magazine will continue to rock. I will miss designing as a Master for the magazine though. So many doors have opened for me in the last year, and I am so grateful. So if you happen to be one of the talented 10 who are chosen this year--prepare for a WILD and FUN ride!!!!

Leaving for GASC tomorrow

2007-07-25T09:37:37.8902500-04:00

I am so excited for the Great American Scrapbooking Convention in Grand Rapids, MI! I will be teaching 3 classes each day, and preparing for them has gotten me all excited about the possibilities for each student! I have never been to Michigan either, so I can't wait to meet some scrapbookers from the region.

I will be teaching a class called Say What? where students will make a mini card book of favorite family member's sayings--we're using some fantastic We R Memory Keepers paper, as well as Maya Road Chipboard Card Boxes which are simply fantastic. I am also teaching a sketch-based class where students will explore their own personal style while making a great, multi photo two-page layout. Finally, I will be teaching a journaling class where students will "dig deep" and find out how to express their voice in their layouts.

Today we're having (another) birthday party for Luca, who turned 5 last week. This party is for all his friends here in New York City, and we'll have it outside at a water park near the Statue of Liberty ferry..it should be a blast! I will post photos later!

2007-07-10T18:21:58.0050000-04:00

Spent a great 4th of July weekend out in Long Island visiting my mother. My sis and brother came too, so let's just say it was a full house. Luca and Julian really enjoyed the beach, and now that we're back, Luca keeps asking why we had to leave. After all, it IS 97 degrees here in the city. Ugh....

Getting ready for teaching at GASC Grand Rapids--I hope lots of you are going to join my class!!!!

Last Day of Class.....

2007-06-27T09:32:31.3323441-04:00

So, today is the very last day of class over at my online Computer Techniques for Paper Scrappers class at nycscraps. Lots of energy in the class, lots of students, and I think everyone had fun and learned alot! The brush class in particular seems to have excited a lot of people. Today is also Luca's last day at pre-school, and since we're starting homeschooling next year, it's his last day in a "real" school for quite a while. The school is having a party and lunch where Luca will have a chance to say goodbye to everyone. In truth, he will be visiting next year since Julian is starting in the 2's class. But still, big changes.

Preparing for my classes at GASC in Michigan at the end of July...I hope some of you are coming and I can't wait to meet you!!!

Sharing some fun layouts

2007-06-19T22:33:40.1250000-04:00

What a weekend! Luca's preschool had a Kooky Karnival fundraiser, which Michael headed (which of course entailed many late night email sessions to nail down who would be running which booth). The water slide was DEFINITELY the biggest hit. Then Sunday I scrapped a bit, and we spent the afternoon enjoying the hot weather....but really, I forgot just how tired hot weather can make a person. I feel like crawling into bed every day at 8 pm....

I hope you enjoy these layouts I created recently for Sweet Pea Scraps kit club! I had the pleasure and privilege of designing their kit for June...total blast.

Create, create, create...

2007-06-06T09:13:38.5972926-04:00

Last night I was up super late creating some things for HSN; I am not too great at creating home decor items, but am pretty pleased with how stuff is coming out. Unfortunately, Julian has croup and was up from about midnight until 2 am...sigh...Poor guy. My bet is he'll be taking a loooong nap today, and i'll be right there with him.

Trying to get myself organized and am using an online program called backpackit.com--it's WONDERFUL. Seriously, I am getting so totally organized--check it out if you have the time! And getting ready for my next two classes at nycscraps.com If you're interested in online scrap classes, come visit!

Sharing a layout I did recently...

Sweet Pea Scraps

2007-06-03T23:56:09.7803750-04:00

Just finished up my final layout for Sweet Pea Scraps kit club. I was asked to design their June kit for them with my favorite products and yes, it was an easy kit to scrap with hehe...Definitely go over and check out the wonderful work the design team has done....and the goodies I chose for you!!

My husband arrived home today after 8 days in Spain and Portugal for work (rough life, eh?) and I am so happy to have him home. Okay, so I am not as happy as Luca and Julian, who were giddy with excitement and basically knocked him over when he came in. Luca couldn't get to sleep until 10 o'clock!

Finishing up my book which is up for sale over at Amazon.com ....you can pre-order it now!

Having so much fun creating

2007-05-04T09:55:05.8270000-04:00

I have been so priveleged this year to have the honor of working with Memory Makers. So many wonderful opportunities have come my way this year.

Today I spent some more time purging my scrap space. This has to be one of the very best ways to get my creative juices flowing again. There's something about a clean space that just makes me want to mess it all up again and make some layouts! I highly recommend it.

The weather here in NYC has been so fabulous lately, and I've been spending lots of time outdoors with the boys. The sprinklers have been turned on in the parks here, and the boys are having a blast running around in their swimsuits!

I hope the weather is wonderful in your neck of the woods too!

2007-04-18T19:54:03.7927432-04:00

So.....i got my hair cut today. And highlights. For the first time in oh...a year? and let's just say..it's not pretty. I felt like a mushroom head when i stepped out of the salon. Yuck. I was SO looking forward to a cut!! Doesn't it suck when you're looking forward to looking FABULOUS and you come out looking like a puff ball? So anyway, when I got home I jumped in the shower to wash out all the weird gel and spray the stylist smothered my hair in, and it looked moderately better. Moderately. The original intention was to get a cut like Sienna Miller but somehow it ended up more like a really bad Sanjaya cut. Luckily, Luca saved my mood by coming home and pronouncing my hair 'beautiful." And then he said it again about a half hour later: "Mommy, your hair is soooo beautiful"...see, now why can't men retain that ability to spontaneously compliment?

Tonight we're watching the very last 2 Entourages on the DVD....I totally love this show. You know when you find your perfect bubblegum tv? You know, like it doesn't tax your brain too much, but it's not SO low brow that you're ashamed to admit it? That's Entourage. And it's only 30 minutes, which is even better since I have zero time or stamina these days. And with Michael's pneumonia, he's out cold by 10 pm latest. But these are the last two...so I've sort of been holding out watching them for a couple days, savoring the final moment. On another t.v. note, I am totally bummed that Gina Glocksen got kicked of American Idol a couple of weeks ago. That was when I really began to get pissed off at Sanjaya. I know, it's only a t.v. show, and it's mildly pathetic that I care. But I liked Gina. And come on. Sanjaya's performance last night was worse than my pneumatic cousin sing Jingle Bells at Christmas.

3 more weeks til the final book deadline!!!!!!! Cranking em out....14 more layouts to go.....I am a MACHINE!!! A MACHINE I TELL YOU!!!!!!!!!

Can someone tell me why....

2007-04-13T09:57:57.9140000-04:00

...it's so darn hard to get Julian to smile in pics? based on all the pics I have of him, you'd think he was a solemn little boy--but he's not! The proof is in the pics (okay, so in the second shot he was sad because a little boy had stolen his truck, but still)

So today we're going to Luca's friend Stan's house. It's probably his number one place to visit for a playdate because Stan has what I refer to as "violent" toys, like Power Rangers, lasers, and toy guns. And we don't allow them in our house. So, of course, Luca loves going over to Stan's to play with HIS toys. Luca gets all solemn when we go over there: "Stan has some violent toys, doesn't he Mom." But as soon as we get there, he heads straight for the toy bin and pulls them out. Sigh. What's a mom to do? Reminds me of when I was a kid and my mom wouldn't allow sweets in the house (except for the occasional Nutter Butter (remember Nutter Butters? Do they still make those?) And of course, with my allowance, what would i do? Go to the candy store and buy lots of candy, then stuff it all in my mouth before I reached home again.

anyway, i've had this weird and never-ending headache for like 5 days--I never get headaches, and they truly suck. Now I know better what my migraine patients were experiencing when they came to me for acupuncture treatments. Serious bummer. Probably didn't help that I was up late last night with my friend Melissa cropping...but I tell you, isn't it GREAT to have a scrapper friend come over and crop? It's so motivating. I swear, last night i definitely would have crawled into bed and watched Entourage and not scrapped at all. (DH and I just rented the latest Entourage DVD--anyone else watch this?? It's good. Good trash, that is.) Anyway, I am suffering for my late night this morning.....off to brew another cup of coffee!

Life has gotten in the way

2007-04-10T11:18:07.4915537-04:00

of my blogging......turns out my poor husband has pneumonia--he's been working way too hard, and logging alot of late nights, it was bound to happen. Let's just hope the kids don't get sick.

I am reaching the home stretch of my book submissions....final deadline is at the end of this month, and I've been scrapping like crazy. I want to give a shout out to my fantastic contributors: Severine Di Giacomo, Tracey Odachowski, Amanda Probst, Nichole Pereira, and Celeste Smith. Their wonderful contributions mean so much to me, and I know with their help the book will be a huge success.

I've just begun the April round of One-in-48 over at nycscraps.com....We have about 100 obsessed scrappers joining in the fun this time around, but I have to say, I don't know if anyone can beat our current record of 192 layouts completed in a month!!!! Of course, that's not the point LOL....getting the 15 layouts done is my hope for everyone, and I do believe about 90% of the students meet that goal each month...so GO GIRLS!!

I am off to the Museum of Natural History with the boys today; it's still pretty cold out, so I think an indoor day is the way to go. Speaking of which , what is UP with this freezing weather in May!???

Okay peeps--until later!

Unbelievable.

2007-03-24T14:20:38.6974243-04:00

So...my WRMK goodies came yesterday. I was lucky to make the DT a few weeks back, and I had heard the owners of the company were generous to their DT...but come ON! This is nuts..check it out:

Tell me that's not more WRMK goodies than you have at your LSS!!!!! Seriously, there's like two of everything, and four of every paper. Shannon included all the new Double-Dipped alphas, which are amazing. And of course, the designer snaps:

Gotta give some snaps to the snaps!!!! Yowza!!! I was so inspired I stayed up late last night scrapping with the new goodies. Wonderful stuff. Period.

What a day!

2007-03-19T20:48:26.1136230-04:00

Whew....spent a lovely day with the boys..Julian got his very first "real" haircut at Supercuts on St. Marks, and would only sit still when he saw Luca getting his hair cut too. That boy has to do everything his brother does! Then we went to Luca's TKD class, and on the way home, picked him up some new crayons at Staples. Of course, it turns out the only reason Luca wanted new crayons was so he could get at the crayon sharpener in the back of the box. And of course, when we got home, it turns out the sharpener was broken. So I spent $4.50 for a broken crayon sharpener...

Anyway, calls went out today for Creating Keepsake Hall of Fame 2007 and I am pleased to say that a friend of mine got a call! I am totally thrilled for her, but can't reveal her name until CK announces the list of winners on their site. Let's just say the girl is talented :)

I am working away on my book, and actually finding I am (gasp!) running out of photos! I never in a million years thought that would happen. Okay, let's be honest here; i am not running out of photos. But I am running out of GOOD photos. Most of my pre scrapbooking photos were of, like, the back of someone's head. Not very fun to scrapbook. What would the title be..."Luscious Locks"....."Someone I Don't Know".....hehe.

okay, off to watch Dancing with the Stars--hoping Heather doesn't lose her leg!

Warning: do not shop at Century 21 on thursdays

2007-03-15T16:09:46.2700000-04:00

For anyone even vaguely familiar with NYC, the store Century 21 should ring a bell...it's probably the most well-known discount department store in NYC...they sell really high-end goods for like 75% off--great prices. Well, I am not a shopper by nature, but we do happen to live about 3 blocks from the store, so sometimes whenI need something, I swing by. Anyway, if you're a mostly-SAHM like me, the concept of "rush hour' and "busy days" doesn't really resonate. I mean, it's always rush hour around here..So little do I know that Thursdays at Century 21 is a "busy day" for them...that means "crazy day". I bring Julian there thinking I'll get him some new sneakers and maybe some spring sweaters....and man....that place is a TOTAL MADHOUSE. I suppose Thursdays is a "busy day" there because everyone's getting ready for the weekend. You know, that time when normal, non-parents actually go out. And wear new clothes. Yea, okay so you get the picture.

Anyway, we managed to escape the madness with a cute pair of sneaks and a little blue pair of sandals for Julian and way too many cute boy clothes for Luca (lime green shorts with chocolate brown piping? How could I resist??) Now it's time to clean up the house from the massive Thomas train set that Julian and I built through the living room..

2007-03-12T10:01:43.3888858-04:00

So Michael calls me from Europe-he's finally started to read Freddy & Frederika by Mark Helprin, a book I'd recommended about a year ago to him. In fact, it's a miracle the man is even reading something other than the London Review of Books or the Wall Street Journal. He simply has no time when he's home. So anyway, I was glad to hear he was taking some time to read...and of course, he loves the book. Why? Cuz it's just about the funniest book I've ever read. Mark Helprin's books are pretty much all unbelievable..I remember reading A Winter's Tale in my 20's and thinking "who IS this man?" Good stuff.

So, today it's hitting the low 60's in NYC, so off we go to the park--I cannot tell you how psyched I am...just have to find something cute for the boys to wear so I can get some good shots :) (only so many layouts you can do of two boys bundled in bright blue and red snow suits...limits the paper possibilities just a bit). We're meeting up with some of Luca's friends: Stan, Charlie and others, and it will give him a chance to let off some steam. Luca is thrilled because Michael is finally returning home tonight...Luca has been counting the "night time naps" til Papa comes home, and knows that we're down to numero zero....He made Michael a rocket ship Welcome Home card and will tape it on the front door of the apartment...

2007-03-10T10:32:21.3579244-05:00

Off today with the boys to see some shorts at the New York International Children's Film Festival Should be really fun-I always intend to do this sort of thing with the boys. I mean, we live in NYC so I am supposed to be culturally enriching them on a daily basis, right? But half the time, we just hole up and do crafts or play Sequence. Quite the mom, I am...

Yesterday Luca took his placement test for K12.com. K12 is an online curriculum for home-schooling started by William Bennet, former secretary of education. He has this rather conservative idea for schooling children based on "cultural literacy", but his politics aside, I actually like alot of his ideas. Anyway, we're probably going to be using the curriculum as a jumping-off point next year when we start homeschooling, so I had Luca take the placement tests. He did great, placing in Kindergarten Language Arts, and 1st grade Math. What was exciting was to see how he could really focus on the questions; we tried doing this placement test about 4 months ago and he could barely sit still long enough to listen to the questions, never mind answer them.

I got my April Memory Makers yesterday, and let me tell you ladies...the issue is great. Amazing readers' gallery, great articles and lots of inspiration. Much fewer mongo ads. And it featured my first article for the magazine entitled Simply Stunning--so cool! And Debbie Hodge's article is really excellent-it's clear she put a lot of work into the article,and her layouts...well, what can I say :) There's a reason that woman is going places (I am pulling for you next week Debbie!!!!!) My fellow Master, Lisa, has a great article in there too...I love her style-lots of layers and stitching.

Okay, I better round the boys up and get them ready for our big day at the movies!!!

2007-03-08T12:16:55.8027562-05:00

I am thrilled to have been asked to join the Die Cuts with a View Design Team. Along with my DT spot with WRMK I think I am just about filled up!!! Love both company's products so much, so I am a happy camper.

The March One-in-48 Class over at http://www.nycscraps.com is going really well. We're well onto our second sketch (due tomorrow) and it looks like everyone is having a good time. Have also been working hard on my upcoming book for Memory Makers, Scrap Simple, which will be coming out this fall. Deadline is the end of April so I am trying to keep the mojo flowing, while keeping the family happy and myself sane, all at the same time! A challenge, to be sure!

Michael is still travelling in Spain, and won't be returning til next week. Unfortunately, the girl who was helping watch the kids a couple of afternoons a week needed to fly to LA unexpectedly this week, so I am alone with the kids. Which is totally cool, but puts my schedule for writing a little out of whack. I think I see some late nights in my future :)

Until tomorrow!

2007-03-06T22:34:02.5770000-05:00

Wooohooo! Digi Scrapping! Never say never, i guess!!! I decided to try my hand at digital scrapping as I was researching some stuff for an upcoming article for Memory Makers...and I found myself downloading digital papers, as though in a trance...had I ever digi scrapped before? Nooooooo...so why, might you ask, was I filling my shopping cart with digital papers, brushes, and alphabets???

So of course, to justify my purchases I had to MAKE something, right? Anyway, this is what I came up with. Luca was (and is) so totally in love with the beach--and this photo, to me, perfectly captures his excitement.

So anyway, I LOVE learning new things, and there is definitely a steep learning curve for digiscrapping! Wow! But it's so much fun to experiment, y'know??

A Few Photos to Share

2007-03-01T17:10:47.7270000-05:00

Thought I'd share some shots from our trip to Florida...man, it was warm there.....