justjohanna

Wondering Where I Am?

2006-12-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

I'm over here on the new blog. If you forget the location, you can get to it from the "news" link on the justjohanna site.

Scrapfriends Review

2006-11-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

Exciting news! justjohanna rubber stamps have been reviewed by the Scrapfriends review team. The girls did a great job. Thank you to Andrea, Catherine, Chris, Terri, and Rebecca.

The review can be found here on the Scrapfriends site. It was also announced here in the Scrapfriends forum. AND it is being featured on the Scrapfriends homepage today with a thumbnail photo and link. Look for a review announcement in the Scrapfriends newsletter later this week.

But, wait. There's more. There's now a justjohanna gallery folder that can be found right here All of the Scrapfriends members are now able to show their work using justjohanna stamps.

Reindeer Bucks

2006-11-05T22:05:00.000-08:00

Start Earning Your Reindeer Bucks at Cat's Craft Cupboard!

Here's how you can accumulate Reindeer Bucks that can be applied towards a future purchase!

Beginning Friday, November 24 through Saturday, December 23, you will receive one Reindeer Buck (yeah, designed by Yours Truly!) for every $20 spent on in-stock merchandise.

Save them up, and then redeem them January 2 through February 28 on any in-stock merchandise purchase!

The fine print: Reindeer Bucks will be earned on pre-tax, post-discount merchandise totals only. Class Fees and Gift Certificate purchases will not earn Reindeer Bucks. Receipts may not be combined to earn Reindeer Bucks.

Reindeer Bucks may be applied to in-stock merchandise purchases only and may not be combined with any other special or coupon. They may not be applied to Class Fees or Gift Certificate purchases and may not be redeemed for cash.

Lizard Venom Used to Treat Type 2 Diabetes

2006-11-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

I love it when we get a mention in the news. It's always a headline with something about poisonous monsters or lizard spit. Here's one from today...

Lizard Venom Used to Treat Type 2 Diabetes

It's pretty cool science. You can read more about it here:

Byetta

Pictures from Distinction

2006-11-03T07:42:00.000-08:00

Here are those pictures I promised from the opening of the new show at Distinction a couple of weeks ago...

Scott's Pictures

There's even the one of the artist with the huge Christmas tree tatooed on her thigh. Pretty amazing.

Halloween Report

2006-11-03T07:24:00.000-08:00

Last year, we were still getting used to having a kid, and it didn't occur to us until very close to Halloween that Jake might need a costume. But we managed to scrounge one up that he was happy with. He even wore it twice.

This year, we had learned our lesson, and as soon as we saw Halloween stuff appearing in the stores at the end of the summer, we took Jake to pick out a costume. Since he seems to have developed definite opinions about what he likes and doesn't, and about what he will and won't wear, we just took him down the aisles and showed him the options. He chose Bob the Builder. Perfect. Obsessed with tractors and tools and all things manly and constructionly.

Over the weekend, I pulled out the costume to show it to him. Immediate and loud and repeated protests of, "No Bob Builder!!!" Ok, maybe he was just grouchy and I had bad timing. I put the costume away, certain that he'd change his mind as soon as he realized I had put it away. Nope.

On Halloween, Jake got to wear his race car pajamas to school (no costumes) for their day of Halloween activities, which included trick-or-treat-ing to the different classrooms, and making lots of little paper projects. Anyway, when we got home, we had about an hour to get dinner, get ourselves ready, and get to our friends' house where a bunch of us were meeting so our kids could go out together. But again, Jake would have nothing to do with the Bob the Builder costume. Except the hat. He was determined to keep his race car pajamas and his race-car-shoes-that-light-up on. Scott's solution to this dilemma was, "fine, he can go in pajamas without a costume." But that just seemed fundamentally wrong to me. I felt defective as a parent - unable to find a creative solution to make my kid happy on this once-a-year special occasion.

10 minutes before we needed to leave, inspiration finally hit, when Jake announced, "No Bob Builder, I race car!" Aha! Much to the chagrin of my husband (who hates to be late for anything at all), I rushed out to the garage to find a cardboard box, then began pulling things out of my craft room and started to make a race car. Pretty simple. Cut a hole in the top big enough for Jake to stand in. Cover the box with red paper. Cut out wheels and cover with grey paper. Adhere the wheels with ribbon. Make over-the-shoulder harness from ribbon. Voila! Race car in about 20 minutes. And a happy little boy. Whew!

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T20:22:00.000-08:00

Fashion tips for the image-conscious witch!

Holiday Gift Certificate Special Offer at Cat's

2006-10-30T05:49:00.000-08:00

To jumpstart your holiday shopping, Cat's Craft Cupboard is offering a special on Holiday Gift Certificates!

During the month of November, you may purchase Holiday Gift Certificates at a discounted price. Gift Certificates must be purchased by November 30, 2006. Recipients may redeem the Gift Certificate beginning January 2, 2007.

Please note this offer may not be combined with any other special or coupon.

$25.00 Gift Certificates are $20.00

$50.00 Gift Certificate are $40.00

$100.00 Gift Certificates are $75.00

Don't miss out on this fabulous offer! With a deal like this, you might just have to get one for yourself!

You may purchase Holiday Gift Certficates beginning November 1, 2006.

Merci Birdcoop

2006-10-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

Look at this cute little card Cat & I got from our friends at Stamp On In in Chicago. They did a great job with the Expo. I can't even imagine how much work it must be to pull that all together. Thanks so much for all your hard work, guys! And thanks for including us!

Sick Again

2006-10-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

This daycare stuff is really tough on all of us. While Scott is working a contract for a few months, we've put Jake in a regular daycare. Up till now, we've only left him with family friends or relatives.

I swear, the place is just a huge germ factory. Kids with grimy faces and snotty noses - snot in all varieties of colors and icky gooey consistencies, the likes of which I don't remember seeing ever before.

So, in the six weeks that we've had him there so far, he had an ear infection for 4 weeks (that took 2 antibiotics to cure), stomach flu for a week, and now another ear infection. I had escaped unharmed from the first illnesses, but this last cold hit me. You know, as many times as you disinfect your hands, there's just nothing that can be done about a kid that sneeze full on in your face. With snot bubbles. Ick.

So, I stayed home with Jake yesterday and took him to the doctor. I didn't get lost this time. Last week, I just could not remember how to get there, and finally had to admit defeat and call my husband. This time, we went straight there. Jake's pediatrician is very old-school. The first thing she did was lecture me about having put him in daycare in the first place. What was I thinking? Then she showed me with her little ear examiner thing what the ear infection actually looks like. Very nasty & red. Poor Jake. No wonder he screamed all night.

The day at home with Jake was mostly uneventful. He slept for a good portion of the day. We had three minor incidents:

1) When we went to the grocery store to get his prescription, there was a cage of large plastic balls strategically located, and he absolutely had to have one. Then he needed to carry it all day, sleep with it during his nap, and even slept with it last night.

2) I left 1/2 an inch of apple juice in a glass on the side board (well out of Jake's reach) and a bowl of crackers on the coffee table for him to munch on. It didn't take even five minutes for Jake to come to the baby gate and announce, "Mommy! I pour out!" And I go to see what that means exactly and discover that he has used the package the UPS guy delivered earlier as a stool to reach the cup of juice. Then he dumped out the crackers onto the table, and poured the juice into the bowl. Then he carried the bowl to the baby gate to show me. And he didn't even spill any until I said, "Jake! What are you doing???" which startled him and caused him to spill half of the juice on the floor. While I was cleaning up the spilled juice, he took the rest of the crackers and smashed them into the glass. Sigh.

3) I was reviewing some paperwork in the living room while Jake watched TV. He kept sticking his hands in his diaper. Since I'm sick too, and can't smell anything, I don't have a sense of poop arrival. So I either have to ask or check. I asked, "Jake, do you have poopy?" Nope. "Get your hands out of your pants." But both hands deeply entrenched in the diaper, but down the front, so I thought he was having some more private time and decided to let it go. But then, just moments later, he whips out one hand, sticks his finger in my face and says, "Uh oh! Hand get dirty! Mommy wipe off." Yeah. Poop.

So, Jake & I are staying home again today. This time, for me to go to the doctor, and for him to have a more relaxing environment in which to recuperate. We'll see how it goes. I intend to get some work done as well.

Congratulations, 5 Stamp Challenge Winners

2006-10-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the 5-Stamp Challenge Winners!

Jacqueline de Groot
Godelieve Tijskens
Debbie Schuenemann (x2)
Claudette Slowik

Congratulations, Card Contest Winners

2006-10-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our Thank You Card Contest Winners:

Debbie Scheunemann (x2)
Godelieve Tijskens (x2)
Sylvie Baschung

Congratulations, Claudette!

2006-10-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

Our very own justjohanna design team member, Claudette Slowik, has a card featuring justjohanna rubber stamps in this month's issue of the online magazine Ready Set Create. Congratulations, Claudette!

2nd Saturday: Natalia Fabia, Blaine Fontana, Jarrod Eastman & Company

2006-10-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Escondido's 2nd Saturday Art Walk. It's our one night out together every month. Jake usually goes to see his grandparents, while we hang out in Scott's studio at Distinction.

Distinction Gallery is really establishing itself as home for modern art, particularly the Urban Surrealism movement. This is fantastic for us, because we really love that style of art, and Scott's photography fits perfectly with the genre. If you're not familiar, but want to learn more, Juxtapose magazine is a terrific resource for what's happening in that art community.

Saturday was the opening for the new show called Channel Nine. The entire gallery was alive with fascinating and creative people. It was Jarrod's birthday, and he made the trip all the way from Montana to be there for the opening. Also, Natalia was there, with her amazing energy and fabulous Christmas tree tattoo. Blaine and his girlfriend came down from LA - they are always lovely to talk to. I'll have to post pictures later.

Still, Kelly Vivanco ranks high on my list of favorites. We bought one of her small paintings, called No Quick Moves, on Saturday. I'm thrilled with it. Can't wait until we can afford one of the larger ones.

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7...

2006-10-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

Hooray, the wood has arrived! I've had the stamps for quite a while now, but was out of a lot of the wood sizes and couldn't finish some things people really wanted, like the "I love cake" background.

When we got home, Jake walked up onto the porch while I got things out of the car, and I could hear him counting: ooone, twoooo, threee, fouuur, seven, threee, five, six, seven!

Jake's Art Project of the Day

2006-10-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

Almost every day at daycare, they do some sort of art project. It's really fun to check his bin of stuff when I pick him up to see what little creation might be in there. He seems to especially like the gluing projects. Today was coloring, and apparently he was in a black mood. This image certainly seemed to correspond to the mood he was in all evening.

Sandy, Utah

2006-10-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

Had a one-day trip to Sandy, Utah, on Wednesday, for my regular job (you know, the one that pays the bills). Stayed at a surprisingly nice Mariott Courtyard with an incredibly uncomfortable bed.

Good day of meetings followed by 5 hours of waiting at the airport to finally get back to San Diego.

Would have enjoyed the trip more with a little more buffer on either end to head over to Park City and reminisce about when Scott proposed...

Never a dull moment

2006-10-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Scott went to Arizona with Paul on a photo shoot for the weekend. So it was just me and the two-year-old. Kinda like a bad episode from a sitcom, where my role would normally be played by the dad that works all the time and has no clue about kids but is suddenly left alone with one. Kinda like last week when I had to take Jake to the doctor:

Doctor: How long has he been sick?
Me: Ummmm... since last time he was here?
Doctor: And he's on amoxycillin?
Me: It's definitely pink. And smells like bubblegum.
Doctor: And he's taking it twice a day?
Me: Not sure - I think so.

Anyway, Saturday morning was that kind of clueless-ness plus Jake's natural mischeviousness magnified. He kept taking his pants and diaper off and disappearing into a little tent we have for him in the living room. Having some “private time” but announcing it: “I take off diaper, mommy! Moooooooooommmmyyyyyyy, I take off diaper!” Several times, I retrieved the pants and diaper and replaced them.

A friend stopped by to drop something off and Jake went to hide in his tent again. Just as she went out the door, I heard, “Uh oh! Ow! All wet!” Darned if he didn’t pee all over the inside of the tent, then fall down in it, then run through the living room tracking pee all over the wood floors. Not kidding.

So I stuck him in the bathtub to contain the mess. Him and his pee-soaked shirt and bare from the waist down. How much trouble can he get into in the tub? I went to clean up the living room. Which, by the way, was covered almost entirely with post-it notes from earlier today when he got into my stash of post-its and covered the room and himself.

When I got back to the bathroom, he was pooring body wash on his hair and rubbing it in: “Mommy – I wash hair!” At least he wasn’t shaving his head, right? I hosed him down. Got him dressed. Usually he insists on wearing his “tractor shoes,” which are sneakers with a picture of a tractor on the sides. But he saw his black patent leather shoes and today he just had to wear his “tap shoes.” And from the moment I put on those shiny shoes, he couldn’t stop dancing. Khaki shorts, blue t-shirt, white socks, and dress shoes. Sigh.

We had something to eat, then went downtown for a couple of errands. We stopped at my friend’s scrapbook store and it was super-crowded. Of course, Jake escaped from me and ran up and down the aisles screaming at a high pitch. I quickly piled my would-be purchases behind the counter and promised to come back later. We stopped briefly at Cat’s to terrorize her customers as well.

He fell asleep on the 1.5 mile drive home (how is this possible?) and slept for 3 hours. What a relief. But woke up full of energy and ready to take on the world. The afternoon’s only disaster was that I left my coke unattended, so he dumped it on the brand new leather couch. Sigh. At least we got leather and not fabric this time. Another trip to the bathroom. Another hose-down.

justjohanna Design Team Announced

2006-10-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

Our current Design Team is still on the throne until the end of November. But we're already ramping up the team for the following six months. And the first step of ramping up is: selecting the team. So, here they are:

* Cathy Arenzana
* Toni Armstrong
* Sylvie Baschung
* Kim Frantz
* Michelle Geller
* Emily Gunnell
* Michelle Guray
* Linda Huie
* Nancy James
* Debbie Scheunemann
* Claudette Slowik
* Godelieve Tijskens
* Cathrine St. Clair
* Jennifer Woodward

Thank you to all who submitted applications for the team. You all certainly made my job more challenging.

justjohanna Fall 2006 Mini Catalog Supplement

2006-10-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Debbie, who found “Christmas” spelled as “Chirstmas” in the last Winter 2006 Catalog Supplement, we now have a Fall 2006 Mini Catalog Supplement. I figured, since I had to have a new plate made, I should go ahead and release the images that I cut from the last release.

You can download it here: fall-2006-mini-supplement.pdf

Halloween: Altered Mini Take Out Boxes

2006-10-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

I saw a similar project in a recent magazine and decided I had to try it for myself! But I have to say - I'm a bit disappointed in the results. I think I tried to incorporate too many disparate elements without success. I would have been better off sticking with a simpler design for Frankenstein. The gravestone box I think could use some flowers along the base or around the handle, but I didn't think of that till just now. It just looks unfinished to me. BUT they were a lot of work, so I'm sharing them, darnit!

Cat's boxes turned out better than mine, and if you run into the same frustrations I did, you might consider taking the take-out box class at Cat's Craft Cupboard on October 12. Click here to see the class samples.

Self-Addressed Saturday (October 22)

2006-10-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

I'm way behind on my blogging - there are a few of you that are very good at reminding me!

2 Saturdays ago, a few of us got together for our monthly Self-Addressed Saturday. Jill & Lora were sick. But despite our chatter, Chris, Cat, Sue & I managed to actually accomplish a few projects. Chris escaped before I could get pictures of hers - but they were really cute!

Here are my favorites from the rest of the gang:

New Twinkling H2O Colors

2006-10-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

I used to be completely intimidated by water coloring. But one day, about 2 years ago, I was looking for the perfect color - marker, pencil, pigment powder, anything. But the color had to be right. And Cat pointed me to Twinkling H2Os. Coolest thing ever, in their pretty little lipgloss jars. 12 new colors were released October 6. Totally worth the $20 investment. I picked up my new colors yesterday at Cat's Craft Cupboard.

New colors are: Baby's Breath, Warm Pecan, Meridian Blue, Navajo Pearl, Godlen Bamboo, Fairy Plum, Hunter Gray, Mallard Green, Vanilla Bean, Purple Sage, Celestial Sun, Dragonfire.

National Cardmaking Day

2006-10-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

I love made-up holidays. If it was a weekday, I'd be lobbying to have the day off. Happy early Halloween. This was a fun card to make. Happy National Cardmaking Day. Hope you made lots & lots of cards.

Happy Birthday, Chris!

2006-10-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Today is my friend Chris' birthday! I crashed a class at Cat's Craft Cupboard (that Cat was teaching) to drop off her birthday present.

Wednesday Stamper: Clowns

2006-09-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

This week's Wednesday Stamper challenge was clowns. I know it's Tuesday already and the challenge is nearly over, but it took me a few days to even think of an idea... and then a few more to get around to posting. Maybe tomorrow's challenge will be easier.

About the Author

2006-09-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

How cool is this? My dad's new book, 12 Steps to Congregational Transformation: A Practical Guide for Leaders , (to be released Nov 30th) is listed on Amazon.

Book Description

Based on years of providing guidance to churches seeking transformation, David Laubach has identified primary principles and top priorities for churches that are searching not only for the right answers, but for the right questions. Tofacilitate the process, Laubach condenses his recommendations into twelve direct

About the Author

David Laubach is Associate Executive Director for Program Ministries, National Ministries, American Baptist Churches, USA. He has devoted much of his life’s work focusing on evangelism, renewal, and transformation. He serves as chair of the Church Renewal Workgroup of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), and also is a member of the BWA Evangelism and Education executive committee. A former pastor in Pennsylvania and New Jersey churches, he holds a D. Min. degree from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, an M. Th. degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, and an M. Div. degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Vote for Olga

2006-09-23T05:09:00.000-07:00

Last night, Cat and I attended Olga's Campaign Kick-Off Party for campaign supporters & volunteers. Good food, good music and good discussion on the future of Escondido.

We're so excited that she is running for City Council and breathing new life and a fresh perspective into our community. If you're interested in donating time or money to support the campaign, or if you're interested in learning more, here's the contact information.

email: info@olgadiaz.com
web: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=m5tikybab.0.pmuogybab.me84fybab.29&ts=S0208&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olgadiaz.com

Last Week's Wednesday Stamper

2006-09-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Godelieve and Jacqueline (from the justjohanna design team) for having their artwork selected to display on the Wednesday Stamper site. Click here to see the rest of the fantastic bird-themed stamp art.

First Day of School

2006-09-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Jake (who recently turned 2) went to his very first day of daycare at an actual daycare facility. As Scott worked on and off over the past year, Jake has been with various babysitters who are family friends. A largely unstructured day of playtime and a little socialization with 1 or 2 other kids. But Scott is starting a new contract (through the end of the year) and we decided that Jake is finally ready for a regular structured daycare environment.

Jake & Scott did a test visit for a couple of hours last week and Jake loved it. He made a little art project and that's about all he could talk about when I got home: "I make this. I glue glue with paintbrush. I paint glue. I that one. I this one. I paint glue, yeah, glue, paint. Jakob's paper. Jakob's glue." Very proud of it.

Scott's report on the visit was that as soon as Jake started having fun with all the new stuff there to discover, he said, "bye-bye, Daddy."

Yesterday, when Scott dropped Jake off and then got ready to leave, it was a different scene: "I all done, Daddy! I Daddy's truck! I all done. I bye-bye. All done!" Of course, accompanied by large crocodile tears. But last night, Jake seemed okay and this morning when he woke up, he said he wanted to put his tractor shoes on and go to school.

Design Team Testimonial

2006-09-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

Well, since we're (loosely) talking about religion this morning (St. Joseph statues), how about a justjohanna design team testimonial?

If you haven't been over to Michelle's blog in a while, today's a good day to go check it out. She has photos of some stamps that she designed as well as a couple little samples of what you might do with them.

So, have YOU ever buried a St. Joseph statue?

2006-09-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

Scott emailed me a link to this article this morning, wondering if we should do it too, as we prepare to sell our home. I'm not Catholic, so the whole statue thing is a bit of a novelty to me. But I'm hearing more and more stories of home-sellers burying (BURYING!) a St. Joseph statue upside-down (UPSIDE-DOWN!) in their yards to invoke a higher power in the hopes of a quicker sale. In fact, when you buy a St. Joseph statue, it comes with instructions:

Bury him upside down or upright, in the front yard, backyard or near the "For Sale" sign, facing the home, the heavens or the street, and saying a prayer or making a simple request for a buyer.

The Scrapping Cottage

2006-09-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

Lucky us, we have The Scrapping Cottage right here in Escondido. Not even 2 miles from my house. And they were having a huge sale today, free make-n-takes, plus they have the new Halloween shapes and are offering a special deal if you buy them all. Who could resist?

I finally got a Fastenator and one of those cute little Heidi Swapp craft irons. I also picked up a few Quickutz shapes, including the Halloween shapes. Too too too cute.

Lucky for me, Chris and Lora were there, too. Lora was doing make-n-takes and Chris was shopping. They entertained Jake, kept him from running into the street, and fed him lots of brownies - so I could shop. But it was close to nap-time and Jake did more running-through-the-store-bumping-into-people-and-screeching than I generally prefer. Then Cat showed up and between her and Betty, they managed to ring up my purchase and send me on my way. Chris even took care of my errand to Cat's (to pick up the latest justjohanna Design Team entries and assignments) and brought it to my house. How's that for thoughtful and helpful? Thank you!

So, while she was here, I showed Chris the new stamps. Yep, that's what I said. New stamps. I finished them last night. Debbie kindly pointed out that I'd mispelled "Christmas" as "Chirstmas." Okay, maybe not kindly, but in Debbie's good natured way:

Would you like me to make some Christmas cards, or as you say, "Chirstmas"? And she further emphasized with a sketch including the mispelled sentiment with a big arrow pointing at it and the label "wrong."

So I really couldn't live with that. And decided that I should fix the problem by making a new plate, and since I was making a new plate, I should include some more of the images that I couldn't fit on the recently released plates. And so I did.

Go Mall, Ride Rides

2006-09-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

That's about the extent of Jake's current ability with regard to sentence structure. But he does manage to get his point across.

After I got home from work last night, we went to the mall. Had dinner at the food court. Then Jake & Scott entertained themselves at the play area while I investigated the Fall offerings at Lane Bryant.

I'm getting much faster at scouring the racks for what's new, finding my size, and getting it to the cash register before Jake's tolerance for the play area is exhausted. Luckily his tolerance for the play area is growing at the same time I'm working on increasing my shopping efficiency.

I managed to find 2 bags of things that were interesting. When I got home and tried everything on, I netted 1 bag of things I actually like that fit well and I think will be nice additions to my wardrobe. I'm starting to become a bit more selective again as wearing a normal clothing size becomes more and more attainable, I find my interest in trying different fashion styles and colors re-emerging. Fall always brings out the East Coast conservative in me. Even though it's still quite hot here in Southern California, I found myself drawn to crisp white shirts, and various shades of brown and black.

Wednesday Stamper: Birds!

2006-09-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

This week's Wednesday Stamper challenge is BIRDS! Who could resist? Thanks for suggesting this very apt topic, Kristy!

I think I'll just have a rest

2006-09-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

This morning I had a fitting for my new crown (for the root canal I had last week for the broken tooth I had a few weeks ago). Then I stopped at my favorite coffee shop, Blue Mug.

As I was driving along Center City Parkway towards the freeway, I saw a little cat walk out in the road. I could tell, even from a distance, that it was scared - its tail was puffed up. All the cars stopped to wait for the kitty to finish crossing the street or to run back. But it sat down, and then laid down. Right in the middle of the road. In my lane. So I turned on my hazard lights, got out of my car, walked over to the kitty (who was wearing a collar) and picked it up and put it back on the sidewalk. Then got back in my car and went on my way. So happy that no one ran into me or over the kitty, because it was really foggy this morning.

Hi, Daddy!

2006-09-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Scott called me when he got back from running errands. He put Jake in the house, along with the keys and some other things. And then Jake exercised his new skill of being able to manipulate the deadbolt on the front door. Locking Scott out of the house. And Jake thought it was pretty funny to have Daddy outside and be able to run amok inside the house without the baby gate. After about 10 minutes, Scott was able to convince Jake to unlock the door, and Jake opened the door, and said, nonchalantly, "Hi, Daddy."

Spies at the Expo

2006-09-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

Here's the reconnaissance that my spies (thanks!) sent from the Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo in Chicago, IL, today. This was the last day of the Expo. Here's their report:

We went to the show and saw the large display of JustJohanna stamps at the Stamp On In booth...it was really marvelous and they seemed to be selling. Beautiful stamp boards all around the stamps....got a picture on the phone...will send it soon.
VERY COOL!!!!!

Looking forward to hearing a full report of how it went.

Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO

2006-09-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

One of Scott's photographs has been selected for the current show at the prestigious Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado. We weren't able to go to the reception. But Scott's parents will be in Colorado later this week (house-hunting) and promised to investigate for us.

We were able to look through the show online last night and the work is AMAZING! You can see it here.

Terry's Birthday

2006-09-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday, Terry!

Poodle Pillow - Ooh La La!

2006-09-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

Here's one of the projects Mom & I worked on while we were at the cabin. I found this poodle applique at Walmart and I knew right away it would be perfect. Stamping the ooh-la-la along the side of each Eiffel Tower was Mom's idea - I LOVE how it turned out.

It's made from a vintage pillow case and some buttons I found at the Antique Barn just up the road a couple miles from my parents' cabin, along with some ribbon I had in my stash from my Self-Addressed kits.

So, here's the layout of what it will look like when completed. Before assembling the pillow, I'm going to over-dye it pink. I hope the dye doesn't remove the fabric ink. If it does, I can re-stamp on the other side.

Happy Birthday, Sue!

2006-09-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Auntie Stu! (Yeah, I know it was yesterday, but I didn't know until today).

3rd Annual Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo in Chicago, IL

2006-09-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

Our favorite Chicago stamp store, Stamp On In, will be taking part in the 3rd Annual Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo!

September 9 & 10

at Tinley Park Convention Center

at the Holiday Inn

Design Team Call Posted on PubCalls Blog

2006-09-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Our call for new design team members has been posted on the Pubcalls Blog & calendar. Check it out right here.

New justjohanna Design Team Call

2006-09-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it, but we’re ready to begin the search for new talent to add to the justjohanna design team. The official call has been posted. The deadline is September 30. You can read more about it right here.

New justjohanna Images!

2006-09-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

There are over 300 new justjohanna rubber stamp images available now. Lots of Fall & Winter images, some really fun cupcake & birthday stamps, and even some pirate stamps. And of course some new birdie friends!

You can see the new supplement here (working' on fixing the typos, but please let me know if you find more): http://www.justjohanna.com/winter-2006-supplement.pdf

There are samples featuring some of the new stamps here: http://www.justjohanna.com/gallery.htm

Cat's Craft Cupboard is taking special orders through September 8. Read about it here.

Happy Anniversary!

2006-08-31T07:08:00.000-07:00

Today is our 4th anniversary. Happy anniversary, Scott!

Hand Stamped Fabric

2006-08-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is one of the projects my Mom and I worked on at the cabin. A holiday motif. We stamped Fabrico/Versacraft ink on an old pillow case and heat-set it with an iron. Mom is going to tea-dye the fabric. I'll be interested to see what she does with it.

Project Runway - Catching up on TV

2006-08-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

So I watched the 2 episodes of Project Runway that I missed while on vacation. Let me just say that I can't BELIEVE they kept Vincent over Alison. She was so fun and playful and creative and he's such a has-been egomaniacal weirdo! I'm sad. I knew she'd be the one out when it was down to the 2 of them, but I'm disgusted. And how did they not pick Jeffrey to win. His dress was fantastically creative and beautifully executed.

And the other episode. How could they not eliminate Jeffrey after his outfit sucked soooo bad. Robert's was boring, but his customer was happy and he did a good job on it. Jeffrey's was equally boring, and it looked like it didn't fit her. Or like she was wearing it over her regular clothes. And he made his customer CRY!

Makes me almost want to stop watching the show. But I want to see the challenges and the creative process. Maybe I just won't watch the judging part next time because I just get too annoyed.

Back in California

2006-08-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

We got in very late last night. Here's just a quick update on the craziness of the past week. More details to come later.

The 4-plus hour drive from Mystic, Connecticut, to the cabin in Pennsylvania was brutal. Sitting in the back seat of a four-wheel-drive vehicle for 4-plus hours on winding roads was brutal. Scott and I both had a bout with stomach flu or food poisoning or something along those lines that lasted a couple of days. Had me in bed for the better part of 24 hours with nausea and cramps. And actually resulted in a day spent at the hospital for Scott.

The rest of the weekend at the cabin was pleasant enough, but it poured down rain the entire time. Keeping a 2-year-old couped up is a bit like shaking a soda bottle and unscrewing the lid only a little.

The last night there, Jake kicked all night (sleeping between us - he managed to do this kick-one-parent-while-simultaneously-head-butting-the-other-parent-thing repeatedly for hours), and some kind of critter scratched and scampered all night inside the wall over our heads. (Later, we found out from the exterminator that it might be a flying squirrel, rather than mice as we had assumed. He says we should hope for mice because if the squirrel dies in the wall, it will stink to high heaven.)

Our flight back was fairly uneventful. In the airport in Philadelphia, while eating pizza, one of my teeth broke. I spent most of the morning at the dentist today having a temporary crown put on.

Jake is on East Coast time and having a hard time with naps today. He's super-tired right now, but it's bright daylight still, and he wants no part of going to bed just yet.

Will fill you in on the fun stories and whatnot & share some photos as I have time.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2006-08-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday was my Dad's 60th birthday. It was a pretty low-key, uneventful birthday as far as birthdays go.

Dad made pancakes for breakfast again. He seems to enjoy the ritual of being responsible for breakfast at the cabin, though he doesn't usually cook any other time.

Mom, Dad, and I went to the Antique Barn to scout for anything new. I got two tins of old buttons, as well as some vintage linens to experiment with.

Back at the cabin, Mom and I watched Jake and worked on sewing projects, while Dad and Scott went to track down the Wayne County artists' annual open studio tour.

It took us a while to figure out how exactly we should combine rubber stamps and fabric, but we eventually figured it out, and were able to come up with two 9-patch pillows. I also worked on several other projects that I'll have to finish up myself - because we ran out of time.

Mom made 2 chocolate birthday cakes. One black forest cake for Dad. One cake with white icing for Scott & Jake. Both were thoroughly enjoyed.

We gave Dad a journal I bought in Mystic, so he'd have something to unwrap. He wants to document the wild flowers, the changing landscape, and what they do during their time at the cabin. I've never known him to keep a journal, but he enjoys both reading and writing, so as he finds himself with more and more free time, it does make sense.

The real gift was a new digital camera. We got him one 2 years ago, but there were both features and limitations of it that he didn't like. So, we all piled in the car and headed to Walmart to look for a new one.

We found one he wanted, but they were out of them. Mom and I had some success finding a bit more fabric to go with a project we'd started. I also found a really cute pink poodle applique and a couple of packs of decorative buttons.

I Catch Bears!

2006-08-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 25, 2006

Mom had planned to pick Tim up at the airport in the morning and then come up to the cabin. They learned too late last night for her to come up then, so she got up really early, and arrived around 8:30 this morning.

Dad made pancakes for breakfast. It rained most of the day. During the breaks in the rain, we played outside. Mom & Jake & I caught fish, while Dad & Scott went to the store and investigated some smallish cabins for sale locally.

I found a very small frog and caught it for Jake to see up close. He was fascinated. I put the tiny frog (maybe he was an inch long) in a small bucket for Jake. He was able to catch the little critter, and we had to remind him a few times that it was ok to touch the frog, but not to squeeze him. I was taking pictures of Jake discovering the frog, and Jake put his face right up to the frog's face and said, "Smile, froggie!" (which came out rather like, "Mile, foggie!")

At one point, Jake tried to go back into the house, claiming that he was scared. When we asked what he was scared of, he shivered, pointed to the woods, and said, “I scared bears.” There weren’t any bears, of course, but my parents have a little bear-crossing sign up that I think came from Alaska, and Jake must have seen it.

When they returned, we headed back to the house, Jake chattering all the way, practicing what he was going to tell Daddy about his day. “I catch bears!” he announced. “Oh yeah, big ones!” We questioned him thoroughly, and he insisted that he did catch bears. When we got back to the house, we urged him to tell his story, but all he said was, “Daddy, I see fish. I throw rocks.” No mention of bears. So we asked him if he caught bears, and he nonchalantly said, “No,” and then went to play with his toys.

We had turkey sandwiches for lunch. We tried unsuccessfully to give Jake a nap. Then Scott & I went out, leaving Jake with my parents and some clay, which apparently entertained him for well over an hour.

We went first to my new favorite antiquing place – Barbara’s Books and Ephemera. I got a Victorian scrapbook for a song, a few postcards, and some other Victoria era ephemera. Scott got an earlier edition of a cabin book that he has at home.

Then we went to Walmart to get another memory card for Scott’s camera (he forgot his card reader), as well as some cardstock for me (I forgot to bring plain cardstock). Then we headed back to Honesdale to the Himalayan Café. An odd combination of urban coffee shop, new age retreat, and hippie open mike night. With bad coffee. Don’t think we’ll be going back there.

On the way back to the cabin, we stopped at Connie White’s house to inquire about the 1949 Dodge car that was for sale in the yard. She was full of all kinds of interesting information both about herself and the car. Her husband had worked as an engineer for IBM for 40 years. Worked his way up from being a janitor. He held 8 patents and loved to tinker with things. They raised 10 kids between them. She was a nurse for 30 years. He died in November. Went to walk the dog, had a heart attack, and never came back. Very sad.

Mommy sick. Daddy sick. Papa sick. Firetruck sick. Motorcycle sick...

2006-08-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Scott woke up sick to his stomach around 4 a.m. and got progressively worse throughout the morning, and around 11:00 a.m. Dad took him to urgent care. Jake was pretty good all day, considering I had almost no energy. We played outside briefly, but spent most of the day inside. I slept on and off, and each time I drifted off, Jake would come and kiss my face and wipe my nose with a Kleenex, saying “Mommy sick.” By the end of the day, everyone was sick, according to Jake. “Mommy sick. Daddy sick. Papa sick. Fire truck sick. Motorcycle sick. Truck sick.”

At urgent care, they hooked Scott up to an I.V. and gave him anti-nausea medicine. Then did a bunch of tests, including bloodwork and a catscan, in order to rule out appendicitis. After six hours, it was pronounced to be stomach flu and they sent him on his way with a prescription for Imodium. He went to bed.

Dad & Jake & I played outside. We jerry-rigged a short-handled fishing net with the ever-useful collection of spears and dowels my parents bought at an auction with the Chorltons. With the longer handle, we were able to catch fish from the bridge without having to wade into the water. We put them in Jake’s little yellow wagon. Each time I got one, Jake would exclaim, “I catch fish!” as though he had done all the work. Then we had to teach him that it is not nice to shake the fish, squeeze the fish, or hit the fish. He had to settle for watching them and occasionally petting them.

Tim called in the evening to say that he couldn’t come after all because he had to work through the weekend. Everyone was disappointed.

We attempted to watch the Disney movie “Brother Bear” with Jake, but he was too scared by the initial scenes with the bears, and then too cranky to sit that still so close to bed time. After I put him to bed, I finished watching the movie myself.

Looooooooooong Car Ride

2006-08-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

We were too tired on Tuesday night to do anything that involved leaving the hotel room. I stayed up later than everyone else, but was still in bed at a decent hour.

In the morning, Jake was the first one awake, as usual. He seems to have easily adjusted to the time difference. It’s going to be rough when we get home & he wakes up at 3:30 am. Dad, Jake & I had buffet breakfast in the hotel lobby area while Scott slept in a bit.

Then Dad took Jake to the aquarium, while Scott and I headed back to downtown Mystic. We did make a quick stop on the way to confirm my suspicions that the rubber stamp store was no more. It would have been within walking distance of our hotel. Bummer. We split up right away, so Scott could take pictures and I could shop. I went first to the stationery store. I found a few graphically interesting greeting cards, a journal for my Dad, and a notepad with an accordion folder just the right size to hold the cards I’ve been trying to churn out on this trip.

I looked briefly in a couple of other stores, but didn’t find anything. So I headed to Peppercress and Tulip, which had really caught my fancy the day before. I got a bunch of lovely decorative & sparkly items that will be perfect for a project I’m working on. Really looking forward to putting it together.

Scott & I headed back to the hotel room to pack up our things. Dad & Jake came back just as we started loading the car, and we were off to our next stop. Jake was very excited about having seen whales at the aquarium. “Mommy, mommy, mommy, whale! Daddy, whale! Mommy, I see whale! Daddy, daddy, daaaaaddyyyy, I see whale!”

Luckily, the whales had exhausted Jake and he slept for the first 2 hours of the trip. When he woke up, we stopped at McDonald’s for a bite to eat. I was feeling carsick already and couldn’t eat much. It was a little over 4 hours driving in all. It felt like 2 days. Near the end of the car ride, I gave Jake a couple of peanut butter crackers, and he kept trying to get me to eat one by sticking it in my face, saying, “Try, Mommy. Just try.” Exactly what I do to him when I want him to eat something. It’s annoying. I thought I was going to vomit. We were wiped out when we arrived at the cabin in Pennsylvania. But we unloaded the car, took a walk to assess the changes in the property since the flood shortly after our visit earlier in the summer, and then Scott & Dad went to get some groceries and some dinner. I was still quite ill, I thought from the car ride, so I skipped dinner.

Heading to Mystic

2006-08-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

We joined Jake & Mom at the park and took turns pushing Jake on the swing. Higher. Higher. Faster. More swing!

I went to check out the Christmas shop called Thru the Years, while the rest of the family went back to the rooms to pack up and check out.

They had some really cute things, reasonably priced, many of them hand made. Much better than your usual tourist junk fare. I picked up a cute little felt stuffed pumpkin, a stuffed bird, a pillow with a bird on it holding a star from his beak, and a couple of cute journals with bird images on the covers.

We packed up the car and headed out. An hour to Boston to drop Mom at the airport. Then more than 2 hours to our next stop: Mystic, Connecticut. We listened to Yann Martel's Life of Pi on CD. It's as entertaining as it is fantastical. Can't wait to hear what happens next with Richard Parker.

We arrived around 5:00 pm in Mystic. We moved our tons of baggage into our new hotel room. Then Dad and I headed over to a parking lot "estate sale" we'd passed on the way to the hotel. I got a tin box of buttons, a rhinestone tiara, some star jewelry findings, 2 vintage broaches, and 8 Power Rangers for a mere $20.

Back to the hotel to pick up Scott & Jake, then to downtown Mystic for a little slice of heaven at Mystic Pizza. Yep, the same place that was the setting for the Mystic Pizza movie that starred Julia Roberts in 1988. We got our pizza "to go" and headed back to the hotel. We were all worn out from the long day and decided to stay in for the evening. The little bit of town exploration we did while waiting for our pizza has us curious enough to want to go back tomorrow morning and explore more thoroughly. I got really excited about a place called "Everything but the Stamp" which appeared to be a rubber stamp store at first glance, but turned out to be a stationery store. I may still have to check it out - they might have some cool greeting cards.

A quick internet search reveals that there IS actually a rubber stamp store right here in Mystic, called Mystic Stamp and Stitch. I will be definitely trying to squeeze that in tomorrow.

Morning in Sandwich & a Little History Lesson

2006-08-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Still in Sandwich, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. Incorporated in 1637, Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod. Originally settled by the English, Sandwich became an agricultural community, the main export of which was timber sent back to England. Even during the American Revolution, it remained a primarily agrarian community, supplemented by coastal fishing. But in 1825, the landscape of Sandwich would drastically change because of Deming Jarves, a Boston businessman and former agent of the New England Glass Company of East Cambridge, Massachusetts.

We all went to breakfast at the restaurant at the Daniel Webster Inn (where we were staying). After breakfast, we walked over to the Dexter Grist Mill and pond. The Mill was built between 1640 and 1646. Our intent was to feed our leftover breakfast toast to the ducks. I did this as a child and loved it, and my family was really looking forward to experiencing Jake feeding the ducks. But there were no ducks to be found. We had to settle for throwing crumbs to a few fish that weren't very interested. Jake did see a few fish snatch breadcrumbs from the water surface and he was pretty jazzed about it. "Slurp! Fish go slurp! Yum!"

We gave up on the ducks and walked across the street to the Sandwich Glass Museum. The Sandwich Glass Museum exhibits nearly 5,000 pieces of glass produced at the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company between 1825 and 1888.

Jake was getting tired and crazed, but we wanted to keep him awake until we left Sandwich, so he would sleep in the car. So, Mom took Jake back across the street to the playground at the public library. The rest of us stayed and walked through the museum and watched the glass-blowing demonstration.

The most interesting thing I learned from the glass exhibits was about cup plates. We received a Sandwich Glass cup plate as part of our package deal at the Daniel Webster Inn. But they just seemed like small decorative trinkets. Turns out, they actually had a purpose.

Cup plates are small glass or china plates that held the cup while a diner of the mid-nineteenth century drank coffee or tea from the saucer. The most famous cup plates were made of glass at the Boston and Sandwich factory located in Sandwich, Massachusetts.

Sandwich Starfish Rescue Society

2006-08-22T04:28:00.000-07:00

Scott & Mom got up at the crack of dawn and went back to the beach by Sam's Seafood. Scott walked all the way to the pier and took lots of fantastic pictures of the sunrise. Mom started the Sandwich (as in Sandwich, Massachusetts - the little town on the Cape where we're staying) Starfish Rescue Society... finding starfish that had been stranded on the beach as the tide receded and gently moving them back into the ocean with a seashell.

ETA: Ha! Y'all are too quick for me. I was just posting the skeleton of what I wanted to write about later - I always forget that there's an audience! Updated with details.

Sam's Seafood

2006-08-22T04:27:00.000-07:00

Jake napped, my parents rested, and Scott went out exploring for a couple of hours. Then we went to Sam's Seafood for dinner and had Lazy Man's Lobster (which is lobster that someone else has pulled from the shell). It was delicious!

Eating lobster with my parents nearly always prompts the lobster story. We all have those stories that we tell over and over about shared experiences. The lobster story is about me, when I was six years old, and had just learned to read. We were living in South Jersey at the time, and my family was out to lunch after church on a Sunday afternoon with my visiting well-to-do but penny-pinching Great Uncle Harold. He offered to buy lunch for all of us, and very proud of my new skills told me that if I read the menu myself, I could order whatever I wanted. So, not having yet learned to look at the prices, I ordered lobster. The most expensive thing on the menu. And although the adults had a good laugh and I didn't understand why, they didn't stop me. And I ate it. And liked it.

On the way back to the inn, we stopped at Paul's Bean & Bagel at Russell's Corner for coffee and some gourmet chocolates. Jakob got his very own piece of chocolate ("choc") about the size a 1/2 candy bar and was determined to eat all of it. "Yum! Yum! Mmmm. Yum!" The coffee was delicious and there was a nice selection of children's books that Jake really enjoyed flipping through while we all chatted.

Then Jake had a giant poo that was so stinky that Mom & Scott opted to walk back to the inn, rather than riding in the car with us. Eeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww!

Ice Cream Sandwich

2006-08-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

In our room, there were some freebie recent issues of a local magazine called Cape Cod Life. The August 2006 issue has a terrific guide to homemade ice cream on the cape and islands.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped for ice cream at Ice Cream Sandwich, which I'd read about in Cape Cod Life magazine.

Recommended favors:
Bear Claws: chocolate ice cream with chocolate covered cashews and a caramel swirl

Hazelnut Coffee: coffee ice cream with hazelnut flavoring

B.K.'s Special: peanut butter ice cream with Oreos

Green Monster: mint ice cream with chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candy

I opted for the nonfat Coffee Heath Bar. Yummy and not at all diet-ish. Dad had peach, which actually had a chunk of peach in it that was the size of a 1/2 peach along with all the smaller bits. Mom had Almond Joy. Scott had basic chocolate. Jake enjoyed sticking his tongue out for a constant rotation of licks from everyone else's ice creams.

Heritage Gardens

2006-08-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

In the afternoon, we went to Heritage Gardens and explored the grounds. My parents said I was there when I was little, but it didn't seem familiar. Jake really enjoyed the chance to actually run around.

We walked the labyrinth, reminsicent of the one we saw in Chartres last Fall. Dad has a friend (former colleague) who is writing a book on labyrinths.

Jake particularly enjoyed the antique car museum on the grounds. There was even a car that kids could climb on and sit in. Jake "drove" it for a while, but we had to pry him away so some other kids could also enjoy it.

We all rode the carousel, which featured hand-carved horses. There was an interesting art display in the carousel building. A collection of amazing art made from seashells. And a collection of children's portraits from the 1800s. I learned that boys and girls had similar hair styling and it was common for boys to also wear dressed through the mid-1800s.

Antiquing

2006-08-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

We came back to the hotel for breakfast. Then Scott took Jake back to the room for napping. Dad decided to nap too. Mom & I went shopping. Mom is on the hunt for a butter dish - the round kind with a domed lid. I just like looking. So we went to several antique stores.

I picked up a little book of "gummed papers" that I've not had a chance to study very well yet, so I'm not sure what it is exactly. But it looks old and interesting. I also got a handful of interesting early 20th century postcards. Then we went back to Wicked Goods and I bought the little papier mache Halloween figures I'd seen the day before. So cute!

It's always fun to see things in antique stores that are similar or the same as things we own. There were quite a few Royal Daulton ladies selling for around $200 a piece. And we saw a cross stitch sampler nearly identical to one that may parents have in their living room. The one in the antique store was not dated but was tagged with an estimation of being from the 18th century. It was priced at $550. Ours is most likely from the early 19th century, is in much better condition, and we even have a photograph of the person who made it.

Oh, Big Water!

2006-08-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

I wanted to look for seashells and beach glass, so we all piled in the car and headed to the beach early in the morning.

The beach mainly had rocks. And stones. And pebbles. And boulders. And crushed shells and seaweed. I found one small piece of beach glass, and a handful of small shells. Not much of a haul.

But Jake hasn't been to the beach much (yeah, I know, we live on the coast in California and we have no excuse), so his reaction was entertaining. After parking the car, we had a long walk along a boardwalk that crossed the marshlands and led up to the beach and over the dunes. Just beyond the dunes, is the beach. Jake said, "Oh, BIG WATER!" And then shivered and clung to my leg, claiming to be scared for about 30 seconds. Then he forgot he was scared and dug in the sand and pushed his Matchbox car through the sand and picked up stones to throw into the ocean.

More New Home: Sandwich

2006-08-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

In the morning, Mom & I took Marion and found a laundry mat so we'd have clothes for another few days.

Who is Marion, you ask? Well, she's my GPS. Dad said she sounded like a librarian, specifically like Marion the librarian. And since "the nice lady who travels with you" was no longer sufficient, she has been dubbed Marion.

After laundry, we loaded up the car, checked out of the hotel, and headed to brunch at Laurie's parents' house. We stayed very briefly, then headed to Sandwich on Cape Cod. It took about an hour to get there. We had fun laughing about the Sandwich Police, the Sandwich Fire & Rescue, Sandwich's Sandwiches, and other places with the name of the town included - all these Sandwich places that don't serve sandwiches!

Jakob has rationalized the hoteling experience as a "new home." For the portion of the travel time that he was awake, he demanded, "New home!" repeatedly.

We're staying at the Daniel Webster Inn. We arrived around 1:30 but weren't able to check in until 3:00, so we left our luggage and went in search of lunch. We ate at a Victorian former parsonage that has been reinvented as a restaurant called The Painted Lady. Service was terrible. The food was okay. The place attempted to have personality, but didn't quite hit the mark.

After lunch, we checked into the hotel, got ourselves cleaned up, explored the town a little, including a fun little home decor and gift place called Wicked Goods. Then we had dinner in the hotel dining room. Fancy dinner that was pretty tasty, but again terrible service. It took nearly 3 hours to have dinner, and Jake only lasted about the first hour. So Scott took him back to the room while the rest of us finished eating, then Mom went back to the room and Scott came back and sat with us for a while.

Wedding Details & Reception

2006-08-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about weddings is all of the choices people make... how formal the ceremony is, what they wear, what colors the bridesmaids wear, whether everyone wears the same shoes, what the flowers look like, the decorations, the favors... I love to take it all in.

John & Laurie's wedding was primarily blue, with green and purple accents. And the theme was beach, mainly seashells.

The wedding programs matching the invitations, featuring a blue scallop shell that Laurie drew and painted herself, with an L and J in the center. The wedding "logo" for lack of a better term. It was repeated everywhere. Wreaths on the two church doors featured an L in the center of one and a J in the center of the other. The tins of hydrangeas hanging from the pews along the center aisle of the church featured the shell logo as well.

At the reception, the tables had pillar candles with real shells glued to each side with the L & J initials on them, inside glass hurricanes. Then a little wreath of blue beads and shells, also made by Laurie, around the hurricane. There was beach glass scattered on the tables. Turns out Laurie really went all out. She made all the jewelry for the bridesmaids, selected every detail of their outfits, including their wraps in case it got cold. Even their cake featured their shell logo on the top of it.

Wedding Day

2006-08-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

We went to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, just a block away from the hotel. Then we split up. Jake, Mom & I walked around town exploring the shops a bit, while Dad & Scott went to a museum.

We discovered a darling little gift shop called Priscilla's of Plymouth, full of eclectic gift items, many of them obviously hand-made and/or one-of-a-kind. Just the kind of thing I like. I bought 2 FABULOUS and completely useless tassels - one with a cat and one with a flamingo. I adore them. And I found some very unusual greeting cards that I think I can use as templates for cardmaking. I did bring crafty stuff with me and hope to eventually find some time to play with it.

We ran into Scott and Dad just when we were looking for a place to eat lunch, so we all had lunch together at a pizza place. Then Scott took Jake back to the hotel for a nap, and the rest of us visited some antique stores. I found a few things that were kind of interesting, but nothing was must-have. Of interest was a series of late 19th century prints of bird eggs. They were really beautiful. But they were $45 each. No thanks. And there were lots and lots of postcards, but definitely overpriced. I'll wait until we're in the Pennsylvania Mountains where I know I can find ephemera more reasonably priced. My mom is on a search for a butter dish for the cabin. But my dad vetoed all of the ones we found.

We headed back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. I wore a long black dress with spaghetti straps and sequin detailing that I'd found at the Burlington Coat Factory in Revere. Scott and Jake were in dark grey suits. Adorable. Will share photos when I can.

We walked the 2 blocks to the Church of the Pilgrimage. My dad - church history buff - told us the story of the 2 churches next to one another. The gothic church at the top of the hill was on the site of the original church that was built in Plymouth - probably the oldest congregation in the US. That church is now Uniterian Universalist. When the church shifted that direction, the congregation actually split and a group of them built the church next door (where the wedding was), claiming to be more aligned with the spiritual beliefs of the original settlers. So apparently now they bicker over which is the actual successor to that original congregation that moved here to the US as a group in the 1600s. Can you imagine that?

The wedding was nearly 1/2 an hour late getting started, and Jake used up all his capacity for sitting still and behaving, so Scott took him back to the hotel. The wedding itself was fairly short and succinct. It was a United Church of Christ church. When they exchange rings, they did her wedding ring, then his wedding ring, then her engagement ring. I'd never seen the engagement ring actually part of the ceremony before. Then, at the end of the ceremony, the pastor said a few words about his research into Irish Celtic early Christianity, and a concept he learned about called a "thin place" a momentous time, such as a wedding ceremony, where the barrier between human and divine is so thin as to be indistinguishable.

Plymouth Pebble

2006-08-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

After our Boston adventures, we headed back to the hotel, checked out, and got on the road to Plymouth. It took over 2 hours to get there - we were caught in the weekend rush of beach-goers on their way out to Cape Cod. Luckily, Jake slept for a good portion of the trip.

Plymouth is a charming little town. We basically got there in time to check into the John Carver Inn, get a little something to eat, clean ourselves up, and walk down to the Harbor for the wedding rehearsal dinner cruise.

On the way to the boat, we passed Plymouth Rock. Yep, THE Plymouth Rock, which the locals lovingly call "Plymouth Pebble," because it's so small. Over the years, so many people have chipped away pieces of it and worn it down by touching it that it's actually just the size of a small boulder now. And it's now sheltered from weather and out of arm's reach.

It was a three-hour paddle boat cruise with Texas BBQ. Odd fare for New England, but it was a good time. The hosts had very thoughtfully put together little gift bags for the kids that attended the event.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace

2006-08-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

Friday morning we didn't do such a great job at getting up and about early in the morning. We opted to sleep in a bit. Then packed up all our things so we'd be ready to load the car right after check-out.

Then we headed back into Boston to Faneuil Hall Marketplace (also known as Quincy Market). Faneuil (rhymes with Daniel, as best I can tell from listening to the locals) Hall is four places in one location - Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, North Market, and South Market, all set around a cobblestone promenade where street performers from all over the world entertain the passers-by.

In 1742, Boston's wealthiest merchant, Peter Faneuil, built Faneuil Hall as a gift to the city. The building was home to merchants, fisherman, and meat and produce sellers. George Washington toasted America's 1st birthday there. The market remained a vital business hub throughout the 1800s, but by the mid 1900s, the buildings had fallen into disrepair. The 1976 renovation was the first urban renewal project of its kind.

There was lots of food to choose from, but we decided it would be best to stick with local cuisine. We had New England Clam Chowder. Then we walked through the marketplace shops. I found a rubber stamp store called Stamp of Approval, which was tucked in among several shops in a sort of craft/tourist mall area. It's about the tiniest stamp store I've ever seen. More like a booth at a trade show. Probably about 6 feet wide and maybe 8 feet deep. Inventory was packed in, but there didn't seem to be much that was fresh or recent. I was specifically looking for acrylic blocks, but the woman that worked there didn't know what an acrylic block was - she tried to sell me some metal tins instead. Despite her "help," I did manage to find one long acrylic block. I was a bozo and left ALL of my blocks at home, but brought LOTS of rubber stamps on EZ Mount with me. So, the one block will have to suffice, unless I manage to locate another rubber stamp store.

After shopping, we stopped to watch the street performers. They were fairly entertaining, but could use some practice before they hit the big time. The funniest joke one of the performers told was when he was explaining to the crowd that they are trying to earn enough money to go back to England. And if they don't earn enough money, they'll have to stay here. And marry one of your daughters. Or sons. Because this is Massachusetts. And that's legal here.

Map of the World

2006-08-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

My Mom arrived by plane this evening and joined us. She and Jake had a fantastic time playing cars on a large canvas map she painted for him. It has our house, their house, their cabin, my in-law's house, my brother's house, the fire house from the town where my parents live, a barn & tractor, and lots of roads and parking places. She did a great job on it - I'll share a picture when I can.

Boston Common (Public Garden)

2006-08-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

Our rooms at the hotel are just across the hall from one another. When Jake woke up this morning, he asked for Papa right away. So I sent him right across the hall. My dad took Jake down to the breakfast buffet, and Scott and I joined them once we were up and about.

After breakfast, we piled in the car and headed over to Boston Common. We first went to see the famous swan boats. Jake was really excited about the swan boats until we got in line to ride one and then he said he was too scared, so we didn't get to do that activity.

Instead we went back to the part of the park where you can walk on the grass and let Jake loose. He quickly discovered the frog pond. It's a huge, but very shallow wading pool. In the winter, it freezes and people go there for ice skating. Jake had a terrific time splashing from the edge of the pond. I got soaked. It took some coaxing, but when Papa took his own shoes and sock off and waded into the pool, Jake finally consented to having his tractor shoes removed and splashing his feet in the water. My dad held Jake by his arms and twirled him round and round till they were both so dizzy they could hardly stand up. I think Jake would have been happy just doing that for the rest of the day. He also enjoyed stomping any leaves he could identify on the bottom of the wading pool.

After we were all thoroughly soaked, we headed back to the hotel for naps and dry clothes. Jake was tired, but not giving in to the new schedule and he wouldn't go to sleep. So he and Scott stayed and relaxed in the hotel room, while my dad and I walked over to Burlington Coat Factory.

We got Jake some cute new clothes, so he'd have something nice to wear to the rehearsal dinner. And we got him a pair of shoes to wear with his suit for the wedding. I found some really interesting jewelry, a small camouflage purse with embroidery, and some clothes, including a dress for the wedding that I like better than the outfit I brought with me.

All Done Airplane

2006-08-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

We're on vacation! We traveled all day Wednesday to get from San Diego to Boston. Usually, we take a red-eye flight and are able to sleep for a good portion of the trip. But there were not red-eyes available when we booked, and also no direct flights. The whole day before we left, Jakob couldn't stop thinking and talking about going on the airplane, flying up high in the air.

The first leg of our trip was between San Diego and Phoenix. Just the right length for Jakob to get a pretty good nap. When we landed, he woke up and immediately said, "more airplane!" He really likes the taking off and the landing. The riding part is a little on the dull side. About an hour from Boston, he said, "Mommy, all done airplane. I down."

My dad drove up to Boston from Philadelphia and picked us up at the airport. Thanks to my dad's brilliant planning, we're staying at a hotel very close to the airport, so it was just a short jaunt to get to our sleeping quarters.

Hello, Mom...

2006-08-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

... I'm in jail...

Thank for the Thanks!

2006-08-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

Look at this cute card I got in the mail this week from Stamp On In in Chicago, IL. We had a great time hanging out with the owners when we were in town for CHA. I'm definitely on the lookout for opportunities to go back to Chicago.

Illustration Friday: Capture (My Own)

2006-08-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

So, I finally was able to come up with an idea... though it's too late (and too embarassing) to link to the Illustration Friday site, I'll share it anyway. It seemed like an ok idea, but I think the hearts are scaled too large for the cage. Maybe I'll re-do it later with smaller hearts.

2nd Saturday Reminder

2006-08-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow night is 2nd Saturday* in Escondido. Distinction Gallery will have a new show featuring artwork by Christopher Polentz. Scott will have a new show up in his studio (upstairs at Distinction) featuring pieces from his Abandoned Americana collection. AND, it's Distinction's 2nd Anniversary.

Hope to see you there!

*2nd Saturday: A free, monthly, self-guided "culture crawl" through Escondido's arts district, including historic walking tours, working artists, writers' workshops, and gallery openings. Second Saturday of each month from noon to 7:00 p.m. For more information, call 760-480-4101.

Illustration Friday: Capture (Creative Thursday)

2006-08-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

Once I start looking through the illos, I have to see ALL of them. Even though it takes several days for me to get through them all. Here's one I found this morning on Creative Thursday's blog, while having coffee. Great colors. So cute with the little birdie inside the bigger birdie. Love it.

It's heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!!!!!

2006-08-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

The new rubber arrived today, in record time! I'm sooooo excited about the new images. Here's a little peek.

Illustration Friday: Capture (el Dodo Purpura)

2006-08-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

This week's Illustration Friday topic is "Capture" - I'm having a hard time with it. I usually don't look at the entries until after I've created my own interpretation, but when I'm stuck, to the blogs I go. Love this one with the dragon on

Self-Addressed August Kit

2006-08-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

Got my Self-Addressed kit for August last week and was able to play with it a bit this weekend. The kit colors this month are really fresh & fun. Though none of it is anything I would normally select for myself, I actually LOVE the kit. I've already used up the cards & had to order more!

Jake's 2 Year Check-up

2006-08-09T08:17:00.000-07:00

Jake turned 2 about a month ago, but when he had his doctor's appointment, they were out of the vaccine that he needed. So he had to go back yesterday to get his shot.

And he was such a big boy, he didn't even cry! The nurse was impressed enough to give him three stickers - a very big joy for a 2 year old.

I checked in with them by phone, and Jake told me all about going to the doctor (I go doctor), seeing the big fish (oh, big fish) in the waiting room, get stickers (I sticker doctor), and the rest of their day's adventures. He even showed me his band-aid. Yep, over the phone. He definitely understands talking on the phone now, and even asks frequently, "I talk phone?" The other day, I was talking to Cat on the speakerphone and Jake walked in the room and said, "hi, Cat." But he doesn't seem to understand yet that you can only hear on the phone, but not see. So he shows new toys, nods, kisses the phone, and shows mommy his band-aid.

Last Class

2006-08-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

Whew! Taught my last class at Cat's Craft Cupboard on Saturday night. We had sooooooo much fun! We made Poppet self-portraits. Even Cat played along. I have pictures that I promise to share as soon as I get the chance. In the meantime, you can go to Jill's blog and see her project.

How did a whole week go by?

2006-08-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

I've been busy, busy, busy!

There are new stamps coming, and I've been working hard trying to get the web site ready and the catalog supplement ready. I've also been making lots and lots of cards with the new images. I'll be sharing them very soon.

If you're not signed up for the justjohanna email updates, make sure you do that, because I'll be sending out a sneak preview of all of the new images some time during the next week. If you haven't actually signed up, then you are not on the email update list.

Stamp On In

2006-08-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

After our quick stop at Stampology, we got right back on track heading into the city to Stamp On In. Love the store. Rick and Terry were both there. I'm making it a very bad habit to keep them open late. But they were so friendly and there's so much cool stuff at their store.

I picked up some Chicago stamps, a Chatterbox embellishment kit, and I was a piggy and bought all of the little mystery bags they had placed around the store. When I finally got around to opening the bags up (around midnight the next night), we were amazed at all the goodies I scored. Thanks, guys!

We persuaded them to join us for dinner, and even had Terry making the dinner reservations for us. I didn't know at the time, but Terry has amazing taste in food. If he recommends a place to eat, definitely go. We had dinner at a place not far from the store called Sappori Trattoria. Yummy!!!

Left to right in the photo: Rick, Johanna, Terry. Aren't they adorable?

Stampology

2006-08-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe it's already been more than a week since Cat and I got back from CHA. I haven't finished unpacking, haven't put away my new goodies, haven't finished looking through my photos, haven't finished blogging. I know I say this over and over, but there just aren't enough hours in the day.

Day 2 of CHA, we got there first thing in the morning. Cat made a list of must-see stops and put them in order by location. So we spent the day visiting all those booths, collecting catalogs, and absorbing information. By mid-afternoon we were on serious overload and were ready to go do something else.

I had the addresses for several local rubber stamp stores. We knew we wanted to see Stamp On In, but on the way there, I realized we'd be driving right past another of the stores, so we quickly decided we should stop. Who can drive past a stamp store without stopping, really?

It's a lovely store, and the girls that worked there were very friendly. They had lots and lots of amazing card samples throughout the store, and they carry The Cat's Pajamas unmounted! There's a whole display of them near the register. I don't know why I didn't think to take a picture.

New Cat's Pajamas Stamps

2006-08-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

The new Cat's Pajamas stamps arrived at The Cupboard while we were at CHA. I had to have them right away. Soooo cute they are! Here are the ones I got:

Tim Holtz

2006-08-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

Magenta

2006-08-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

Paper Flowers

2006-08-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

We R Memory Keepers Storage

2006-08-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

Flower Card

2006-08-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

Fontwerks

2006-08-01T06:31:00.000-07:00

Waste Not Paper

2006-08-01T06:29:00.000-07:00

My Heart's Return

2006-07-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

Bought this piece of art today from Kelly Rae Roberts. It's so cool to see something you instantly love and then be able to buy it. Just like that. You can see more of her art for sale on Etsy.

Monday Morning Update

2006-07-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

My weekend was mainly consumed with getting the new rubber stamp images ready to send to the manufacturer. Friday night, I finished refining the images and sizing them. Saturday, I sorted the images into sheets of images (plates) & decided which could be postponed for a later release, and Sunday I arranged the images on the plates (rather like putting a puzzle together). One of the challenges that I have constantly is that as I look through and refine/resize images, I come up with new ideas. Lots of them. So, even though I might set out to just create a couple of plates of images, I'm my own worst enemy with regard to scope creep. So, I have 7 new plates coming for this release. And I have 2 partial plates already for later this year.

Saturday morning, Scott met with his friend Paul to work on their project collaboration. So it was just Jake & me. Scott built Jake a fort in the living room, out of the couches, blankets, and a chair. He loved it. "I hide! Oh yeah, a fort!" When Scott got home, he went to Toys R Us and got Jake a little tent that he can use inside the house.

Saturday night, Jake and his new tent went to my in-laws' house while we went to the Escondido Center for the Arts for the opening of Kelly's show. Her work is all beautiful, as always. And we went through the exercise of picking what we'd buy if we could actually afford any of it and had a place to hang it.

My favorite pieces from the show were these... the pink molecules are too girly-cute. And the girl with the bird on her head. Clearly I have a thing for paintings of girls with birds on their heads. My favorite painting from the show was a huge one of a girl with a large top hat, with a tree growing out of the hat, and a bird on a branch of the tree looking down at the girl. It was called Fringe.

Illustration Friday: Clean

2006-07-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

This week's Illustration Friday topic is Clean. I just happened to be working on this image tonight, and it fit nicely. It's Comet the reindeer, all ready to clean the house with her Halley's Comet Cleaner.

CHA Day 2: Prism

2006-07-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

CHA Day 2: Junkitz Boards

2006-07-27T08:17:00.001-07:00

Very cool new product from Junkitz. First of all, these are really good size boards... the smaller ones were like 8x8. And they're thick - like the weight of a pressboard clipboard. And they have the holes already punched in them. Way cool. So many altering possibilities! You could make a photo album. Or a flipchart. Or a wall hanging. Or a cubicle hanging. I want 'em. I'm pretty sure Cat ordered 'em.

CHA Day 2: Junkitz Glitterz & Halloween Paper

2006-07-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

I gotta have that sparkly! One of my favorite movies is the Secret of Nimh, and Jeremy the crow with his sparkly obsessions has stayed with me for many years. So, every time I see something sparkly, he comes to mind. I'm soooo excited about these new SPARKLY letters from Junkitz. I love the font, the vintage glass glitter color, the size. Very very cool. And their new Halloween paper - to die for! Cat emailed me today and said she placed an order. Wonder what she chose?

CHA Day 2: Junkitz Circles

2006-07-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't ever paid much attention to Junkitz before. They had some really interesting things in their booth this year. This circle pattern paper really caught my eye - and reminded me of the justjohanna circle dot background.

CHA Day 2: Basic Grey Birdhouses!

2006-07-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

Among the Basic Grey projects were these adorable altered wooden birdhouses. Cat and I saw them at Michaels a couple of months ago, and I purchased one of each style, but haven't done anything with them yet. I'm feeling freshly inspired to work on them. Especially since they are so similar to some of the justjohanna birdhouse stamps. See for yourself. The two-level birdhouse altered with Urban Couture (which Cat still has at The Cupboard - my personal favorite current Basic Grey line) and the tiki birdhouse altered with Hang Ten (which I think Cat may order soon - she seemed pretty excited about it).

CHA Day 2: Basic Grey

2006-07-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

Basic Grey has two new lines of paper: Gypsy and Lily Kate. And I LOVED their booth display, especially the huge framed pieces of paper. Facing the aisles, there were these large vignettes of home decor items, each featuring a paper line. Then the interior of the booth held display shelves with their product, and lighted display shelves featuring projects.

I didn't care for Gypsy at first glance. But I got used to it quickly and it seemed fresh and bright. I like that they did something different than the other manufacturers in terms of embracing the "boho chic" trends. Seems like nearly everyone had a line of gypsy, bohemian, boho chic, and other variations on that theme. But most of the products were dark colors, lots of distressing, and very brown. But the BG line managed an eclectic feel with bright modern colors.

The Lily Kate collection seemed very similar to the Oh Baby Girl collection (Cat still has some of this paper at The Cupboard - but I think she's sold out of a few of the patterns already. There's a really cute banner project using this paper & justjohanna rubber stamps - it's hanging from the register counter - make sure you stop by and check it out). It's different colors, but the same very soft, washed out palette. It's pretty to look at, and will be great for very girly projects, but not something I think I would reach for over and over.