...{...just a couple of videos...}...

Just a quick post to share two videos.  The first is from a little over a week ago when I was vacationing in Panama City.  And the second is just a quick tour of the hotel I stayed at this weekend while being "kidnapped" by my friends for a birthday trip...enjoy!

 

 

~ Love ya ~ Jessica B.

...{...Birthday Bucket List...}...

Just a few days I ago I had a birthday!...turned 28 on the 30th.  28 feels...idk, just okay.  LOL.  Right now it sounds too old for me.  25 was a bit hard realizing I was half way through my 20's.  26 was a really good fit.  When I hit 27, I realized I was well on my way to 30...which just sounds way too old for me.  But somehow 30 is sounding less daunting the closer I get to it ;-)

Ever since I saw one of these lists, I've wanted to make one and couldn't wait until my birthday to start.  I was actually a bit surprised as I got about two-thirds into the list I had a harder time thinking of things to complete the list.  I'll try to keep it updated as I complete things.  And I'm thinking of adding it to my side bar so it will be easier for you to keep updated!

...now...in no particular order...

1. go to a summer concert (really, really want to go to NKOTBSB)
2. pay off credit cards
3. learn to sew, crochet, knit, ribbon embroider, watercolor
4. create an art journal
5. make youtube videos
06.07.11 my channel
6. ride a roller coaster (never been on one...terrified of heights)
7. read bible through in 90 days
8. memorize one bible verse a week
9. visit a state i've never been to before
10. lose 20 pounds, or more
11. walk/run a 5k (shelly - we need to start training and do this together)
10.22.11 5k walk
12. regularly send greeting cards to friends/family
13. blog 3 times per week (yay!...more postings on here)
14. open etsy shop (greeting cards and collage canvas)
15. visit kansas city (looks like a fun city)
16. start saving for house (want to buy one when I turn 30)
17. start saving for 30th birthday trip (NYC, Europe or a cruise)
18. start keeping a detailed budget
19. buy and ride a bicycle
20. exercise 5 days a week
21. start 401k (I should of done this 5 years ago)
22. make more foods at home and eat less processed food
23. scrapbook several days a week
24. organize all printed pics
25. get published (scrapbook layout or card)
26. becoming more outgoing/make new friends
27. keep a cleaner more organized space
28. learn to accept/love myself

Do you have a birthday bucket list or a monthly checklist?  How about any suggestions for next year for my list?  Share either in a comment below...I'd love to hear from you :-)

~ Love ya - Jessica B.

...{...A Hobby of Mine...}...

One of my favorite hobbies is photography.  In fact I once had this idea floating in my head that I would be a professional photographer.  A couple of years ago I even did some sessions for friends, including a wedding.  One word - STRESS!  It's just not for me.  Even though I was doing it for friends and told them I wasn't a professional, I still wasn't happy if the shot didn't turn out how perfectly I'd imaged it.  I work in a marketing department and off and on I would do some product photography which I really enjoyed.  To me, that is still fun, although I've passed that along to another co-worker now.


By now, if you've ever been to my blog, you are probably wondering why I don't have better pics up on here.  It usually comes down to laziness.  I'm always in a hurry at the last minute to take pics of projects and end up w/ some blurry pics.  But it's something I'm working on - improving this blog of mine.  I want to put more time into it rather than the afterthought it's become lately.  So, that being said, I've got several projects I'm going to share this week.


Today's post however is a few pics I took last summer.  It was a lovely sunny day and I took my camera out with my 100mm macro lens to just play around.  These are a few of this pics I ended up with.  I did some post work on these in Photoshop including applying some actions.

Enjoy :-)

a dead bumblebee on our front porch

...{...Baby Harper's Gift...}...

Back in the end of February I went to a baby shower for one of my best childhood friends.  She was about to welcome sweet baby Harper into her life the following week.  For gifts a lot of times I like to make altered canvas' collages.  Usually I incorporate photos or leave a space for a photo to be inserted at a later time.  The early ones had more painting on them.


For this one I switched canvas' and purchased one that was meant for watercolors.  I like it MUCH better and will probably stick w/ this kind from now on.  I used several of my Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists to color the canvas.  My inspiration came from the American Crafts Dear Lizzy paper that is used on the canvas.  Loved that it was a scene and could be used as the main focal interest.  Stamped some banner images from Papertrey Ink and cut those out.  Also used a Martha Stewart butterfly punch.  "harper" is glittered thickers from American Crafts.  I think the "baby" metal piece is from Making Memories.  I had beaded the wire to hang it.

It was a bit daunting for me to make one w/o a photo, but I was pretty pleased with the way this one turned out.

...{...I'm A Mess...}...

Saw this post on Kristina Werner's blog today and LOVED it...haha.  I'm such a mess when I craft!  Okay, I'm a bit of a mess all the time ;-)  I try to be organized and neat...I really do LOVE organization.  But somehow it still gets messy really quick!  So here you go, a look at my mess...

Oh, how about a little info first about the setup. So I still live with my parents - yes, I'm 27 (almost 28) but it's cool...and way cheaper :-) Anywho, the only space I have is my room. Luckily it had two closets. So I just converted the smallest closet to be my craft space. It works surprisingly well. Although I have been thinking about getting a small folding table to use too as I have to use my paper trimmer on the floor or my bed.

So first, a look at my crafting space (closet) when I first set it up about 3-1/2 years ago.  It's amazing how clear it looks compared to now.

Okay, now on to the space today...

Space between closets.  Ribbon, wood-mounted stamps, paper stacks, cuttlebug dies...and other stuff

Had to share this stamp I got today at Michaels on clearance for $1.09!  See next pic to see size.

I soooo need to organize my ribbon.

Okay, moving on to the closet space.

Yes, I store all my belts on the back of the chair...See my clip-it-up behind the chair...LOVE it! The shelf holds some of my buttons (more on the wall clip-it-up) and all my papertrey stamps.

The storage cube to the left holds all my current cardstock I use, my newest paper stacks, all my 6x6 or 8x8 stacks, recent cards I've made. The cute little decorative box on top of the storage cube holds some of my die-cuts and stickers.

The box in the chair is from a pair of boots I bought this winter. I thought it would be perfect to use when I spray glimmer mist. All the things in it are from a project I worked on the first day I had my cast on. I kept knocking into things so I never put the things away, waiting until my cast came off...and yes, it's been off for a week, but I've not quite got everything back in order yet ;-) It also has some new items I recently purchased.

The floor leading into the closet space.

See that brown bag (top right corner)...that's a bunch of new stuff I've bought over the past month...check out the last pic to see the contents of that bag.

This box (sitting on floor in above pic) came from TJMaxx. Thought it was pretty cool. Still not quite sure what I'm going to store in it.

Okay, now on to the actual closet... The top shelf holds all my jewelry making products. There's also some odds-n-ends products. Next shelf holds a few books, some old cardstock, pre-made card bases, chipboard, lots of thickers and my albums.

Next shelf has all my glitters, copic markers, prismacolor markers, acrylic paints, pens, pencils, some inks, a few buttons...other stuff...

And this is my working space...ugh...over-run with all kinds of product. It definitely needs a good cleaning/organizing before I can do anything in there!

And the bottom space is those storage cubes...holds paper, paper and more paper...books, cuttlebug, stickers, rub-ons, die-cuts...below the pink atg is the rest of my adhesives in a small plastic container. In those binders my clear stamps. I've got a couple pulled out to put new stamps in...although as many as I've bought lately I might need to buy more.

And this is all the product that was in that brown bag in the floor...

Wow...yep, it's a mess :-( But I'm having serious crafty withdraw, so I MUST get it back in working order...Oh yeah, I have a big purchase coming from Two Peas that I've got to make room for too!

Well, happy crafting...try not to judge my space too harshly ;-)