I'm ready.

I'm ready. I've been preparing for a while. Now I have to jump in and just do it.

For a bit more than a year, I've been periodically dabbling in some paper craft. I dread to say 'scrapbooking', because that sounds like such a pigeon-holed word. I'm not into the frilly frou-frou that the word can sometimes call to mind.

I've purchased some of the basics upon the advice of my very artistic, very experienced, artist friend, Jennifer. The nice thing about Jennifer, is that she never tells you how to do something. She'll show you a technique, she'll tell you about something she's done, she'll suggest a path, but she won't say you have to do it this way. Jen also has a beautiful home filled with creative inspiration, makes time fly when you're spending time with her and has 4 handsome men in her life that lend themselves to amusing and interesting anecdotes.

With my basic supply of paper, ink, stamps and some other odds and ends I am going to attempt to create Christmas cards. I even attended a Card Making Session this very weekend with the talented and aforementioned Jennifer with the hopes of kick-starting my creativity. Not one to start out small, I am also undertaking a gift project, funded by and on behalf of my mother (a small scrapbook detailing a trip taken by my brother) as well as a birthday project for K. I figure the birthday project should have an imposed timeline just to up the ante a bit. I'll start in about two weeks and hope to be finished by the 23rd of December. Wish me luck. To muddy the waters a bit, I'll throw in a few more Sunday afternoon 'crops' (I think that's that you call them...) at my house. My mom and sister have been joining me the last few Sundays to create various projects using my collected supply of paper, inks and stamps. It's fun.

Even my wonderful husband, B has been getting in on the action. We've been watching eBay for good deals, Brian snipes them for me and then I wait patiently at home for the delivery man to arrive. He arrives consistently a half hour before I am dressed and ready for the day. Lucky him.

So hopefully I'll have some nice visuals for you soon. Pretty Christmas cards, manly scrapbook layouts and K's birthday timeline. If I don't, someone please email me and tell me to get my butt in gear. Really.