School Hard
I took a break from my computer woes yesterday. It’s just too depressing to contemplate the loss of my laptop. It would mean no more scrapping in bed when the living room is in use and no more going to crops with my friends. As much as I enjoy sitting around gabbing with everyone, I really do get a lot done during our get-togethers and this would put a serious crimp in my scrapping goals.
Anyway, the kids started school on Monday and it was Mitchell’s first day. In Germany, entering the First Grade is a BIG.DEAL. There are festivals. There are parties. There are gifts. He received zuckertuten from our neighbors, friends, his kindergarten, his school and, of course, us. A zuckertute is a cardboard cone filled with treats and school supplies (zucker means sugar, so you probably get the idea) and it’s like Halloween without the begging.
So Monday was the first day and he came home excited and ready to return the next day. It’s Friday and he’s already saying he wants to drop out. It’s not the all-day party he was expecting. He has to learn stuff. He spelled “monkey” the first day (in German, of course, not English but I didn’t think all of you would understand “Affe“) and the teacher’s name the second day. He’s all dried up and can’t learn another thing.
So, while I left my kids in this dungeon of torture, I scrapped my most recent trip to Berlin. You know. The one where I got to hear Barack Obama speak and shake his hand. It was a surprisingly hard layout to get right. The day was split into two distinct activities but I wanted them to blend into a cohesive layout. I don’t know if I captured exactly what I wanted to but the journaling should make up for any design flaws.
I also scrapped a visit to Buchenwald. I’ve visited twice, once in 2007 and again last June. It’s a concentration camp but not one that bombards visitors with explicit visual displays so we were able to bring Mitchell along on our second visit. I was amazed at how much he understood about the camp without being told - and a little scared. I explained the prisoner concept and told him about the work crews but he explained the ovens and wall hooks. It was chilling, to say the least.
So, my Family/Europe album is a little bit closer to being complete (not by half, I’m sure but I’ve got to keep plugging along) and I’m off on another Friday Tour this afternoon. More to scrap…
Tschüss!
Credits: Krys Hart, Shabby Princess, TADA, Marcie Reckinger and GinaMaria.
Filed under I Scrapped!, Stuff and Rants | Comments (7)When it Rains it Pours
I’m a little late on posting this but I’ve been having terrible computer problems so I haven’t had time to devote to scrapping, blogging and designing. It looks like my laptop is dying or it contracted a nasty virus. The very same laptop that allowed me to create a whole bunch of layouts just about a week ago. The one I was complaining about. I don’t have a diagnosis yet, but I’ve been working on it for so long my eyes are bugging out of my head. So, here’s the latest from Donnie Hoyle and You Suck at Photoshop…
Enjoy!
Tschüss!
New Moon Rising
I’m still scrapping. I’ve gotten several multi-photo layouts done over the past couple of days - quite an accomplishment when you consider that I used my super-slow laptop for most of it. Yeah. About that. You know how I complain about how slow my desktop and my internet connection are? My laptop is even slower and, since it relies on a wireless connection, the internet is slower still. But I persevered and triumphed. Don’t you think?
Here’s what I completed…
My friend, Karina, organizes tours to nearby locations one Friday per month during the school year and I’ve been working on scrapping my pictures from those. I could probably make an entire album just of these but they’re some of my favorite pictures and I’d hate to leave them out of the family albums. I’ve experienced so much on these trips and learned so much about local culture. Completing the layouts has been really wonderful because I’ve remembered things that I’d all but forgotten. It really doesn’t take long for the little details to slip away.
As you can see, I’ve used my own templates, papers or elements in each of them but I’ve also used supplies by Michelle Coleman for Songbird Avenue, Flergs, Cinzia, Scarlet Heels, Vickie Stegall, Sue Cummings and Carla Gibson.
Don’t forget to check out the freebie from my previous post.
Tschüss!
Filed under I Scrapped!, Stuff and Rants | Comments (10)The Weight of the World
You would think I’d fallen off the face of the planet as little as I’ve been around the internet lately but the truth is just that I’ve been a bit burnt out. I’ve hit a huge stumbling block with my store - don’t ask, it’s just too depressing - and I’ve been worrying over potential health questions that won’t be answered for at least another week.
So, I took some time off from the internet and did some baking and other domestic projects. I baked banana bread (ask a German what they think about banana bread - the answer is just hilarious!), French bread and cookies and tried to make a sourdough starter. I don’t think the mold spores, or whatever, are right for that here, though. The whole thing just smells wrong and the liquid keeps separating and turning an orange-ish color. Probably not a good idea to make bread with it, huh?
I did, however, manage to make a kit. As far as paper goes, it’s huge. I really went to town with the papers this time. I think I’m finally getting the hang of it there. And I’m totally in love with the alpha I made to go with it. Here’s a preview and a sample (the sample doesn’t have the same stuff as the preview - it’s just a tiny bit of stuff that coordinates with the main kit) to give you a taste of what’s to come.
Click on preview for sample download
In other news - great news, in fact - I’ve got a new Creative Team! Three wonderful ladies have agreed to join with me in bringing my creations to life in layouts. So, please join me in welcoming Katherine Lent, Tisha Weber-Jones and Mara (Nachtsturm) to the team. I can’t wait to get rolling with this talented group of ladies!
And for those of you who wait for my updates to seek out Donnie Hoyle’s “You Suck at Photoshop” series, he’s got a new one posted.
As you know, I take no credit for the language or subject matter when it comes to Donnie, so you enter at your own risk.
And - would you believe it? - I even managed to scrap a few pages. I’ve been pretty motivated since I finally got to see one of my digital albums printed by Shutterfly. Everything I’ve done, thus far, has been saved on my EHD but not printed, with the exception of my first pages which were for a gift album and another gift album that went directly to the recipient with no stop here for a peek. So, I’ve never really had the opportunity to see my work as I’ve envisioned it until my daughter returned from her trip to the US with the album I made for her. Well, let me tell you, I’m just bowled over. Intellectually, I’ve known how nice a bound album would be but I wasn’t prepared for the results emotionally. It’s just so wonderful to have all those memories in that slim book.
So now I’m trying to get caught up and I’ve been hopping from subject to subject getting things done. The first layout is the recreation of one layout that was lost when my cat broke my old EHD. I couldn’t find everything I’d used before but I came close with a few items I had to make myself. It’s funny how much faster things can come together now that I’ve grown more comfortable with Photoshop.
I’ve been too prolific this past week to keep track of individual credits but the designers featured most prominently are Katie Pertiet, Sue Cummings, ON Designs, Gina Marie Huff and Dani Mogstad. There’s also a bunch of stuff by me.
Anyway, I’ve missed you all but I hope my small gift makes up for my absence a bit. I’ll try not to be a stranger again.
Tschüss!
Filed under Creative Team, Freebies, I Scrapped!, Stuff and Rants | Comments (7)Living Conditions
There’s pretty much nothing going on around here right now. We’re finally having weather that could be described as summer-like, so everything is currently moving at a snail’s pace. No one wants to move more than a couple of inches in any given direction, though that could be attributed to our sweaty skin sticking to leather furniture.
For those who don’t know, we live in Dresden, Germany. The place where air conditioning may as well be pornography because no one wants to admit that they have it or use it.
All summer long, we’ve been on the verge of freezing because we put all the winter sweaters, sweat pants and coats into storage (as we do with all our seasonal clothing since we have very limited closet and drawer space) and our heat was shut off in April (we share a steam heat system with everyone in the building.) Each time I’ve contemplated pulling out the warm clothes, I’ve rationalized it with reminders that there’s no room and that the cold weather can’t possibly last. Well, my rationalization has borne fruit.
We’re now miserable, sweaty, cranky and tired. The temperatures have soared into the 90s (farenheit) and I’m stubbornly refusing to allow the air conditioner out of the basement because … well, maybe it’s because my brain’s fried but I thought I had a good reason when I told my husband to leave it there.
So, fried brain and all, I’ve got nothing creative in my head right now. It’s too hot to scrap or create and the problems I’m having figuring out a shopping cart have temporarily stalled my plans for a shop so I’ve borrowed a clip from my favorite lady, Cathy Zielske. She posted this outrageously funny video about fonts and I just couldn’t resist sharing it here. She’s a big fan of Broadway but I’ve got to admit to a fondness for Zapf! Dingbats.
Okay - I can’t get the video embedded so here’s the link. Go see it - it’s really great.
Tschüss!
Filed under Pure Fun, Stuff and Rants | Comments (5)As You Were
For those who thought yesterday’s post was way too far off topic for my blog - well, it’s my blog and my life and I’ll talk about whatever grabs me in the moment. But now I’ll return you to a subject that you’re familiar with and may even enjoy - anticipate, even. Donnie’s got another tutorial to share with the photoshop-deficient rest of us. Today’s subject is Displacement and it looks like a very interesting lesson. As always, I’m not responsible for Donnie’s behavior, so proceed at your own risk.
Tschüss!
Filed under How To, Plugs & Reviews, Stuff and Rants | Comments (2)Some Assembly Required
Barack Obama made an appearance in Berlin, Germany yesterday and I was there to witness it. I was in the “inner circle” along with the press corps and I saw him as he strode down the walkway toward the podium with a confident smile and a cheerful wave to the crowd.
My friend, Karen, and I drove from Dresden to Berlin early in the morning and spent the morning and early afternoon walking from one historic site to another. We started at the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe, walked onward to the Brandenburg Gate, attempted to visit our recently completed American Embassy (we were turned away), walked past the Landstag and ambled down Unter den Linden until we reached Humboldt University where we stopped for a moment to rest and cool down in a courtyard overgrown with climbing ivy. We continued toward Neue Wache, the old armory and Museum Island before turning back to see Bebelplatz (which was in disarray because of the recent Fashion Week) and Gendarmenmarkt, then on to Checkpoint Charlie, the SS Headquarters, Berlin Wall, 17. Juni Memorial and the Luftwaffe headquarters.
Along the way, we were interviewed by a Polish TV station for their coverage of Obama’s visit. They asked us a few questions - clearly interested to know what our opinion was about the intention of the senator’s visit - then filmed us walking down the sidewalk, cutting to a shot of our backsides. Just what I need - my butt on Polish television. I hope they’ve got widescreens.
So, the two-cent tour over with, we stopped for lunch and learned afterwards that we were just around the corner from the hotel where Senator Obama was staying. We walked toward the Tiergarten through the crowd gathered outside the hotel, noticing a lone McCain supporter in the crowd. 
We stopped to rest and change the batteries in Karen’s camera and ended up having the “best seats in the house” as the cavalcade left and the senator waved from his vehicle. No pictures, though, we were fixated on the cute, German police officer snoozing in the open door of the Polizei van.
Deciding that we’d seen most of the historic sites within walking distance, we strolled through the Tiergarten and exited near the gates to the event. I stopped to complete a request for an absentee ballot after we entered the first set of gates then we joined one of the lines for the security checkpoints for admission to the “inner circle.” We passed through and found ourselves so close that we questioned our luck. We endured another filmed interview then looked around for a spot to begin our wait for the main event.
While waiting, Christiane Amanpour joined the crowd and allowed fans to have their pictures taken with her and I was even asked to snap a shot with her for a man from Africa. She’s an amazing woman and showed great kindness to those who approached her.
We met a young computer animator from Brooklyn visiting his girlfriend in Berlin, a lovely French woman who laughed about her “crazy president” and asked what we thought of him, a high school history teacher from California eager to witness history in the making and a young black man from Bonn who claimed that Barack Obama has changed his life. We all laughed and applauded as the man from Bonn was interviewed repeatedly - his enthusiasm and vigor energizing the crowd around him.
Lest you believe the reports from the mainstream media, this crowd was not predominantly “young and pierced Germans.” We were young, middle-aged and elderly, families with children, law students, professionals and self-employed businesspersons. 
We were American, German, African, French, Czech and Polish (those were the people I met, personally) and our reasons for being there had more to do with our belief in the need for change than the promise of a festival.
After three and a half hours of waiting, the moment finally arrived. Senator Obama walked toward the podium with grace and confidence and a certain affability that made it seem as though we were going to engage in a casual chat between friends rather than listen to a historic speech designed to unite continents. The crowd - people of every nation - loved him.
He spoke about tearing down the metaphorical walls between race and religion and the crowd went wild with approval. He spoke of nuclear disarmament and the furor was so intense it felt like a physical presence. This man had this crowd of thousands (police estimates suggested 200,000) eating out of the palm of his hand.
He promised that, ideally, the U.S. would join with the rest of the world to reduce emissions and that the war in Iraq would be resolved as quickly as possible but he promised no speedy resolution in Afghanistan and, in fact, suggested that more commitment from our Allies might be necessary.
At the end, Senator Barack Obama, candidate for the highest office of the United States of America, went to the crowd and personally greeted those gathered to see him. The surge of bodies nearly crushed me but I reached out and I found my hand grasped by the cool, sure grip of the man who would be President.
To be honest, I was transported to the day when I was a little girl and I shook the hand of then-mayor Margaret T. Hance of Phoenix, Arizona. I felt honored, privileged and, most of all, connected to something bigger than me. He’s just a man but he’s a man with a plan. A plan to repair the damage done to the reputation of the United States. A plan to make Americans proud again. A plan to embrace a better world for our children. I want to feel connected to that plan.
I wish you the best in November, Senator Obama. All the best.
Tschüss!
Filed under Stuff and Rants | Comments (8)
