Keeping warm

Most homes in Japan do not have central heating. Some of the newer homes come with a hot water heating system under the living room floor to keep that room warm, but other rooms need a space heater or cooler. When buying or renting a new home, the number one consideration in the average Japanese person's mind is southern exposure. Because there is no central heat, in the winter people rely on the sun to heat up their homes. A living room anywhere but on the southern side of the home brings the value of the home way down. Since people are presumably in their living rooms most of their time spent at home, they want that room to be the warmest. Moving along that same thinking, the bedrooms end up on the north side of the home. No central heat and no sunshine to warm them up, bedrooms can be miserably cold in the winter.

We've had a pretty mild winter in Tokyo this year. Even so my bedroom is down-right cold at night. I sleep in my pjs, with two undershirts and a turtleneck, socks and leg warmers. I am one of those people who sleep on their side with their arm under the pillow so in order to keep my arm from freezing I wear another pair of leg warmers on my arms. If its a particularly cold night I've been known to wear mittens and a stocking cap to bed as well. Yes, I do have fleece sheets, a huge down comforter and quilt on top of that. Even so, every once in awhile I still feel cold.

Several years ago, after my mother retired from her job, my father invited our entire family to celebrate the occasion with a family vacation in Kauai. My husband couldn't get the time off from work - too bad for him - because we had a wonderful time. My son was only two at the time and wanted nothing, absolutely nothing to do with the ocean water. So my daughter and I would spend hours playing in the tide pools and the shallow surf just in front of our rented condo. It was such a wonderful, warm time. I hope to take my children there again one day. Actually, I want to go there today because this beach just looks so warm and sunny!

all papers and elements from Island Dreams by Sherwood Studios
page template from You Complete Me by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs

This is a page I made for the January Artisan Notebook. Our assignment was to write a letter to our future generations. My husband was kind enough to not laugh when I asked him to take a picture of my hands while standing on a chair leaning over me. My journaling, if you're interested, can be read in my gallery.

papers and elements from Illuminated Journal and Old Letters by ViVa Artistry
stacked photo frame cluster by 4 Shades of Blue Design
dried leaf branch from Touch of Spice by Studio Gypsy

Studio Gypsy has a fun new grab bag along with a few other designers at Scrapbook Graphics. Its just SO cute that I needed to find a cute girly picture. This is my daughter several years ago. Seems like just yesterday.

everything here from Sugary, Sweet and Shabby 

by Studio Flergs, Studio Rosey Posey, Studio Dawn Inskip and Studio Gypsy
page template is from You Complete Me by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs

That same little girl has grown up all too quickly. She's a lovely young lady now, twelve years old.

all papers and elements from Vanilla Noir by Quirky Twerp

page template from Easy Breezy pt 18 by Busy Bee Designs

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you are keeping warm. Please come by again.

Love is in the Air

Its February. I wonder how many of you are suffering due to the huge storm that is currently blanketing 1/3 of America in fluffy white snow. I am slightly envious because I really, deeply miss snow. Growing up in Denver I could count on it to snow each winter just for my fun and entertainment. HA  After moving to Tokyo I could probably count on one hands the times I had enough snow to play in.

I'm horribly late posting this, but Busy Bee has a few FREE templates on her blog for MScraps Birthday Blog Hop. While you're there you might as well just go along for the ride and see what other goodies are along the hop.

I thought it being February my blog needed to get out of Christmas mode, so I've updated with a Valentines Day theme for the month. Using the same kit, Love Potion by Shabby Miss Jenn, I made a Lovely page of my two babes.

page template from Snowflake Clusters 6 by Busy Bee Designs

I hope you are staying warm and dry where ever you may be. Thank you so much for stopping by. Please come again.

Breakthrough? Breakdown?

Its hard to say. I'm in a slump of sorts. I've long believed that the best thing to do in the winter is to follow the lead of many animals and hibernate. I think we all need a season of rest. I've not been feeling completely well lately and I think I just need more sleep. How many of you are nodding your head along with me? I am hopeful that with the approach of spring, longer days and warmer temperatures, my mojo will return to me soon.

Love is in the air - can you feel it? Quirky Twerp has been feeling the love lately and has some gorgeous Valentines Days designs. I made this first page of my sweet Grandma and her 2nd husband. I sadly never knew either of my Grandpa's on my father's side.

most elements and papers from Valentines Retrospect by Quirky Twerp
some elements from Vita Fortunata by Quirky Twerp
ledger paper from Noel by Mari Koegelenberg
worn album papers from Illuminated Journal by ViVa Artistry
page template Prefab tagbook square by Studio Dutchie (no longer available)

And aren't these just the most beautiful vintage tags? So fun for hybrid projects.

Vintage Valentine Tags by Quirky Twerp

One of my all-time favorite scrappers also designs templates, you may know her as gonewiththewind and she designs under the name of Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs. I've used her templates soooo many times in the past. Well, I just happened to ask around digi land for some templates for school portraits and she stepped right in and offered to design some! She is such a dear! This is just the first of many pages to come using school portraits.

papers and most elements from Lilac Mist by Jennifer Labre Designs
various elements from After the Rain by Jennifer Labre Designs
page template from Fuss Free Portraits Set 1 by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs

This last page is also a Fiddle-Dee-Dee template using Studio Gypsy's latest and greatest madness called "Do That Thing." I am so lucky to be able to scrap using these wonderful designs!

all papers and elements from Do That Thing by Studio Gypsy
page template from Fuss Free Contest Series 1 by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you are staying warm and healthy. Please come again soon.

My two babes

Time flies. Wasn't it just a few days ago that I was carrying around one or both of these little kids in my arms or pushing them in a stroller. Guess not, they grow up too quickly.

My daughter is turning 12 this month. In general we get along quite well and have lots of laughs. But every once in awhile we get on each other's nerves. I know this is part of the growing-up process, but that doesn't make it any easier.

I made this page for The Color Room challenge #41. Here is the original color pallet, followed by my page.

papers and elements from Spring Sonnet by Holly Designs

page template from Fuss Free Set 8 by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs

My son can come off as being a wild child. He's rough around the edges because he's always moving and noisy. But deep down he's a great kid.

This page is made using a very tough new collab between two of my favorite designers - ViVa Artistry and Studio Gypsy.

papers and elements from Industrial by ViVa Artistry and Studio Gypsy

page template from Honey Pots 5 by Busy Bee Designs

That's all for now, real life is still calling and I think that is a good thing. Thank you so much, every time, for stopping by and visiting my little corner of the web.

Feeling lucky

I've been lucky lately. The layout - Sweet - that I made for The Color Room challenge #40 was chosen as a feature layout for the newsletter and homepage. I am SO honored because you would not believe the talent there. These ladies are serious scrappers and I am so thrilled to be chosen.

One more awesome thing was that I won the January edition of the Grow With Love - Letters series of templates by Zinnia's and Swallowtails and Crystal Livesay. Their templates are always so fresh and fun, but its their journaling prompts that they encourage you to write that are my favorites. I love to journal when I actually have something to say.

As for the latest releases, here are my pages for the week. This page is a collab between ViVa Artistry and Miki Ferkul called All About Me. I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but ViVa is one of my all-time favorite designers. So artistic, so beautiful and always so easy to make a gorgeous page with.

All About Me by ViVa Artistry and Miki Ferkul

page template from Fuss Free Just Journal by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs

The other page I was able to get done this week was with the latest Snowflake Clusters by Busy Bee Designs. Sasha (Ms. Busy Bee herself) is constantly on fire with such fun and playful templates.

Snowflake Clusters part 5 by Busy Bee Designs

One True Thing by Kelley Mikus

This last page was my take on the January "Play it Again" feature on The Daily Digi blog. Each month Katie the Scrapbook Lady sends a few chosen scrappers her photos and journaling along with a few simple guidelines then sees what we each come up with. This month her photos were all about snow. The Digichick Designers just happened to have the perfect new collab kit called Winterberries that I used for this page.

Winterberries by The Digichick Designers

I always enjoy the quiet times after the holiday rush. I like to think of myself as hibernating in these cold winter months. I hope you are all staying warm and healthy.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Please come again.