Musical Scrapbook Idea?

It's been a very long time since I posted to this blog, but I felt an OVERWHELMING urge to do so today. Why? Because music has graced my soul today.

While music THIS GOOD always brings me back to the painful reality that I so badly MISS being a part of the music industry; it's also SO GOOD that it is too good not to LOVE "truly. madly. and deeply (savage garden)!

Today - music speaks to me simply by being there - in the background, fueling my work and providing inspiration. I will someday piece together a scrapbook on the music that touches me most...and in that scrapbook it would include thoughtful tributes to artists like:

1. Lauryn Hill
2. Corine Bailey Ray
3. John Mayer
4. Colbie Caillat
5. Jagged Edge
6. Jodeci
7. Craig David
8. Lilly Allen
9. Mariah Carey
10. India Arie

and many more...

I am TOUCHED to the absolute core by all of these artists. From their soulful voices to their lyrics, music production and over all uniqueness...all it takes is the first BEAT or the right NOTE in their voices to take me over the edge.

For this I am forever grateful. My musical scrapbook will be entitled, GOOD LUV (which is the title of one the best Jodeci songs EVER made)! This scrapbook would emphasize exactly what it is about each of them - or the most favored songs they sing...and it would be a constant reminder to me EVERY TIME I opened it - what it feels like to FEEL something so good that you can feel it in the deepest corners of your soul!

For now (without the time or patience to create this scrapbook album)...I wish to simply thank you publicly Colbie Caillat for creating Bubbly. There is something about that song that takes me WELL BEYOND THE EDGE! Its such an amazing song and it definitely takes hold of my soul!

Feeling this love of music on a SOUL level is what GOOD LUV is all about!

Stacy Julian - Big Picture Scrapbooking - New eBook

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Filled with eloquent observations, energizing exercises, and enticing projects (inspired by the bigpicturescrapbooking.com workshop of the same name), this eBook condenses Stacy's inspirational message into a portable creativity guide, illustrated by beautiful pictures and projects—some new, some tried-and-true.

THANK YOU STACY!

Our Vancouver Olympics Moment

So the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is in my backyard this year. Needless to say the buzz in the entire lower mainland is nutty! The energy and excitement is unprecedented. The pride we share as a province is without a doubt going to last us a lifetime.

AND....to my extreme joy and excitement - the olympic torch came to my childs school too! The entire relay team got out and mingled with us - before AND after they finished. Not only did I get FANTASTIC group shots of them all - I also managed to snag family photo's WITH THE TORCH in our hands.

Of course I photoshopped the background out and turned it into my own personal scrapbook page.

Just for the record though - I am not trying to infringe on any copyright laws by using the background image which I got here (http://www.vancouver2010.com/img/00/08/91/graphic-identity_38original-aE.jpg) .....

I simply feel lucky and blessed that the Olympics are here and we were able to capture a moment like this on camera. Thank you Vanoc; thank you Olympics.

Bottom line/moral of the story....

Not everyone gets to touch and hold the torch for the olympics. It brings a little tear to my eye knowing that all of us got to this day. This so far has been the highlight of these events. But we are only 1 day into the festivities and there is much more to come!

Tonight I will be taking photo's at the Richmond Ozone. I look forward to this and many other moments from the 2010 Winter Olympics as well!

Come Interact with Us

For quite some time now, as we have been developing the home site for Scrapbooking Directions.com we've had the comments sections turned off. This was for many reasons - but mostly to build out a robust spam blocking system so that when our visitors got to our site they would get valuable content in the scrapbooking articles we share but also within the comments sections.

This was not without errors. As with any site (especially new ones) there are bound to be little issues, bugs or fires to deal with here and there. Yesterday we fixed one of those and as a result our comments sections are now LIVE!

That means that if you visit Scrapbooking Directions.com from this day forward - and you are inspired, intriqued or even confused about something in our Scrapbooking Articles, you can leave a comment and we will answer it!

We have seen fantastic success since this feature got enabled and we would love to see more. But we do need help. Just check out this page referring to our Interview with Cathy Zielske (formerly of Simple Scrapbooking, now with Big Picture Scrapbooking and Designer Digitals); and this page "A Public Review of Die Cutting Machines" - they are both great examples of how others just like you are getting involved. And getting value!

You see we are here for YOU! Unlike other scrapbooking sites out there (not all)....what you want from Scrapbooking right now, is what matters to us. We're not just throwing up our own latest creations or trying to feed YOU with product suggestions or project confinements that you don't need. We want to give you a VOICE. You can search the entire site using the search box in the top right corner when you get there, and you will most likely find what you are looking for...and if you don't find EXACTLY what you are looking for - we will deliver it by way of answering your comments. So....in order for this to work...

We need YOUR comments. We need YOUR questions.
We need YOUR interaction.

If you like what we share here on this Scrapbooking Mini-Blog - just wait until you get to the big site, Scrapbooking Directions.com. There is a lot more in store for you there. And there is a lot more to come.

So please visit the home site of Scrapbooking Directions.com and let us know how you feel. You can even comment on our site if you wish, simply pick a page to comment from and go for it.

We are devoted to your needs in scrapbooking.

Happy Scrapping, Cijaye DePradine.

The worst day ever!

So, I am pretty sure that if there was a contest for the worst day ever - I believe today for me takes the cake and I had to share it.

So my morning starts of with my childs schoolbus flat out leaving us behind. We were one minute early for regular pick up - but due to a series of circumstances that lead to this I had to then take my daughter to school myself which is not exactly close to my home - in fact it's approx 20 minutes away from my home; so I had to take a leave from my work. (When time is MONEY - I also LOST money on this one!!!)

So, okay...the 20 minutes had to be done, and would have been fine at the end of the day had I NOT taken the wrong turn onto the highway and overshot the distance by nearly 40kms! YIKES! Now we tack on another 15 minutes to the drive! OUCH!

Then after I drop my daughter off, I proceed to take my son to his father so that he could get him to emergency (due to a growing bug that kept getting chalked up to a traditional virus) while I go to meet the executives at my office.

I was late for this meeting - which is never a good idea anyhow. One executive must bow out. :o( OMG as if this could be any worse!

By the time it's all said and done, meeting is over I am making my way back home - - it's now 4 hours since my son has been at the hospital and still no real results.

Now I know that some of you may be thinking aw no big deal - stuff happens and we just have to deal with it - but it does get worse.

I get home from my meeting to find a plastic wrap and green painters tape temporarily patching up HOLE in the celing of my main hallway!

We had a contractor working in our attic while we were all away: he tripped over a wire and BAM! Through the roof his leg goes. I had to laugh at this point or I'd start to bawl! Then I move further into the house to find another crack in the celing (luckily only where the hatch to the attic is)... I will post photos very soon (after I scrapbook this whole ordeal!)!

THEN....I have to do the errand dance for after school drop off's and gymnastics - which once again I take the WRONG road for and off I go in a direction I don't belong and I am late for this class too!

Finally - when I had the chance to settle - I crash. (Not the car...I guess that would have been the icing on the cake though - wouldn't it) ....no instead, I take a nap in the car because all of the composure I kept throughout the day ....

Coming home to no dinner and a sink and counter full of dishes wasn't fun either.... but I sucked it up and made it work - all while running myself a LONG OVERDUE, WELL NEEDED bubble bath!...

Thank goodness for the peace and serenty of candlelit soaks alone!!!!

But for now - let me ask you - how was your day?

I need a new CuttleBug Machine!

Ladies and Gentleman - I am on a mission! I need a new Cuttlebug Die Cutting machine but cannot find one ANYWHERE! It's incredible how popular this genius of a paper crafts machine this is!

Had I known they would be sold out everywhere - I would have bought 2 or 3 last time so that I would never ever be without one.

If anyone knows of where I can get one at an excellent price (they currently range between $50 and $100 out here) - please let me know....

Thanx - you are all wonderful!