Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

cluster made with “I Feel Lucky” by Digitalegacies Designs

Happy St. Patrick’s day to all who celebrate it! I remember years ago the ad agency producers at work took off at lunch and never came back. It was an unofficial half-day holiday. They “networked” for the afternoon. I guess seducing Irish clients at the pub, right? ;)

I am wearing my green today. It’s in my green Irish eyes! That’s where I get those green eyes from, also the freckles here and there. I have a little real Irish blood in me! Of course, the green eyes is where my legitimate Irish green stops. St. Patrick is the Catholic patron saint of Ireland. The Catholic part of Ireland is represented by the green part of the flag. My Irish ancestors are represented by the orange part of the flag. They were Protestant.

I do have one glitzy “Kiss Me I’m Irish” T-shirt in black with green sequins, but on St. Pat’s day, I usually wear my Siena Heights shirt. It’s long-sleeved and green. Now, my school colors are blue and yellow and usually I don’t wear things that are in the “wrong” colors. I support breast cancer research, but you’ll never see me in a pink baseball cap. But, I make a one-day exception for my school shirt in green. I am not Catholic and my Irish isn’t Catholic, but I went to a Catholic university! So, green for St. Patrick with my school logo is totally appropriate!

When Mom was a preteen to teenager, my Great Grandfather used to growl at her on St. Patrick’s day because she wore green to school. He made a point of reminding her that she was NOT Catholic Irish! Dad-dad died when I was very young, but I remember him as a loving man who could rumble the rafters if he was peeved at something. I hope that wearing green to represent the Catholic school where I earned my degree can keep me from feeling that rumble from beyond!


I have a couple of sweet mentions from blog friends I want to share!

First, Edna has bestowed upon me another award to brag about.


Yanno, as a new pro-designer in a new shop, there are many challenges to my ego and general desire to keep doing it. When I only sell one or two things in a month, it’s a little discouraging! But I have to remember that I’m new at this, I’m building my own reputation and also working to build the store’s image as well. (Darlene Haughin has been a GREAT coach!) But all this makes getting recognition for my design work, from a scrapper and designer in her own right that I respect, even more meaningful to me. Thanks, Edna! The encouragement and boost from a friend is a WONDERFUL gift!

I am passing this one one to some great unsung, or not sung enough, heroes in the designing world!

Tirza’s Treasures
mITSYBELLE
Veelana’s Designs
LiviaY Designs
Kim’s Scrappin’
Dinphy

These are all fairly new, not quite pro or not as widely known designers that are just FANTASTIC at the craft!


mITSYBELLE tagged me for the 6 and 6 photo show and tell. Since I’d already done it, I told her I’d show 7 and 7! So, here’s the 7th photo in the 7th folder on my EHD.


The seventh folder is called “Photography” and it’s my artsy-ish shots! This is an evening shot of the CN tower in Toronto in July of 1999.

Okay, now for the eating part of break time. I'm debating between a nice green salad or a splurge for a small shamrock shake. Either one means I go for a ride in the almost 60 degree sun today! Luck of the Irish, huh?

Monday Mug Shot

Corelle Basic Beige Mug

This mug is not plain. It’s classic neutral, perfect for a dream kitchen.

I fell in love with Corelle dishes when my Mom first got them when I was about 13. We had stoneware dishes before that. Those ones had lots of ...character. The were dark beige with a floral design that matched my Mom’s taste in kitchen decor, burnt orange, olive and brown, very style of the day for the mid-70s when the house was built. Mom and I were alike in so many ways, but in the ways we weren’t alike, we were WAY different!

Our aesthetics tastes were very different. I love Andy Warhol, Mom was nuts about Vincent Van Gogh. As an adult, I’d draw pictures of a teddy bear in crayon with and ear missing and tack them up on the refrigerator for her “Teddy Van Gogh.” She gave me a giant Campbell’s Tomato soup can for Christmas one year...full of white cotton underwear. We enjoyed teasing each other about our taste, or opined lack of it!

So it was with kitchen decor. I often commented about the backdated, flower-child kitchen in Northville. She informed me that she was of the flower-child era and had every right to have a flower-child kitchen. Of course, it wasn’t my kitchen, so I wasn’t going to change anything, but after all, SHE was the one who raised me to have an opinion and speak it.

Eventually, in fact pretty quickly after Mom and Dad moved into their dream home with their two preteens, the old stoneware was pretty well chipped. It was “movin’ on up” not to be eating dinner on the old melamine set we had, but the heavy clanky dishes weren’t so durable. Enter the dishes that did NOT match the 70s kitchen.

Corelle is virtually indestructible. We had a bright white set with a whispy green pattern. Mom liked them well enough, but I KNOW that if they’d had olive-green plates with an orange floral design she’d have gotten them, I just know it! She did swear by the brand for the quality though. “You don’t wear out Corelle, you give them to your kids when you want new ones.” I told her not this kid. I had ideas in mind for my dream kitchen by about 16. I wanted a sage green and peach country kitchen in a home with an ultra modern living room. That all works together when you’re 16.

When Corelle started making the “Forever Yours” pattern, I was in love. Beige plates with peach hearts and green accents. The obsession with the peach and green kitchen and the Forever Yours pattern went on for a few years. Mom feigning choking every time I looked at it or talked about it. When Mom saw a few items in that pattern on a clearance shelf, she looked at me and asked if I was really serious about it. I think I was about 20 and had been dreaming of my peach and green kitchen nearly half a decade. I was serious. So, Mom started buying me a few pieces of Corelle and the coordinating corning kitchenware for every gift-giving occasion and some occasions she made up when she found them on sale.

I had decided that I wanted the basic beige base set with Forever Yours accents. I reminded her what she told me about Corelle not wearing out and I didn't want to HAVE to have kids if I ever decided that I wanted a different color scheme! So 2 sets for four of the beige Corelle were a Christmas present. It included the dinner plates, soup bowls and mugs. She also added eight dessert bowls.

Today, the peach and green accents are in storage waiting for the day we can build our home over David’s dream train layout. The preview of the kitchen to come is in the set of nesting bowls that includes my popcorn bowl. I had chipped one of David’s bowls when I was washing dishes before I even moved to Toledo, so for the safety of his not-so-durable dishes, we do use the virtually indestructible beige Corelle in the kitchen today.

I have so many mugs that have pictures and words and character of their own, but what’s true in life, is true in my mugs. Never overlook the simpler things. What may seem like one of many and a plain cup, has one of the warmer stories that brings a sweet memory of Mom and a smile to my face when I tell it.

I'm Ready For The Sun - and BASEBALL!

A couple is on vacation and having a disagreement about how you pronounce Kissimmee. So when they stop for lunch, they ask the teenage girl working at the restaurant to help them out.

“Can you pronounce the name of where we are, and say it slow!”

The girl looks mystified and says “BUR---GER---KING”

It’s smack in the heart of Florida and home to so much! There’s more to eat than just Burger King and way more to do than argue about how to say it, it’s Kissimmee, Florida!

It’s free or carefree or both! You can enjoy a vacation without breaking the bank and find a ton of fun!


The free part is pretty obvious here. If David and I went for a trip to Kissimmee, we’d of course do some railfanning. Amtrak and CSX both have tracks in the area, but I would have to give my camera some bird time too! Kissimmee has the largest population of nesting bald eagles in the continental US! There are many areas that are wetlands or woodlands, habitats that are perfect for many species of birds. I would love a card full of pictures of those birds that you just don’t see in Ohio or Michigan!


As far as carefree or to splurge a little, at this time of year, the heart of Florida is the heart of Grapefruit League Baseball! You KNOW I’d have to take a break for that. Florida during spring training has long been my dream vacation getaway! The Houston Astros play their spring games in Kissimmee at Osceola County Stadium. What a great opportunity to get one of those more intimate and closer to the players seats and work on recruiting Lance Berkman for Cincinnati!

I’m just sayin’, I could...

After the trains, birds and baseball, I think we’ve had a full day without spending a lot of money. Now we can splurge at a nice seafood restaurant for dinner. Remember, heart of Florida - fresh seafood in almost every direction!

Now, hit that Kissimmee link and read about the Freedom to Enjoy Sweepstakes! Totally cool. They are giving away 3 weekend trips for two and 2 week long trips for four! Two drawings will be held in April and May. No Grapefruit Baseball then, but Florida Minor League ball. I’m still putting my email addy in! See you in Kissimmee!

One Step at a Time Freebie

Just a quick coffee break note this morning to give a gift! One Step at a Time is officially available in my store as well as part one of the sampler! So here is part two!


In the blog freebie you get a flower, a word art brad and a glitter-trimmed award ribbon. The password is optimism. Click the preview for the download page.

After you download part 2 of the sampler, if you haven’t visited the Scrap Bird store for part one yet, make sure you get the rest of the freebie! Part one is a paper, another flower and a bracket frame. If you haven’t joined Scrap Bird yet, when you stop for part 1 of the freebie, why not join and PM me for the free add-on for newcomers?

Enjoy the free sampler and as always, I appreciate your comments at The Chronicles of Nani!

One Step at a Time

As the regulars at The Chronicles of Nani know, I’m not a full-time designer by any means. My “day job” is the full-time task of finding a day-job in a very squeezed market! I find great relief from the stress and looming cloud of gloom that the job market presents in my hobbies. My scrapping and design time is pretty much in the evenings, worked around doing my Donna Reed duties and spending time with my husband and on the weekends when we aren’t out doing something else. That means that it is sometimes a task to get a kit finished! I figure I’m doing well if I get 2 new kits a month, my rent contribution to the Scrap Bird Mega Kits and a few templates or quick pages. Oh yeah, I do still scrapbook too! **wink**

I fell in love with a song and video the first time I saw it. That video on TV (Thank goodness for my taste in teen-TV!) was my first introduction to the song and I was totally hooked! One Step at a Time, by Jordin Sparks is such a upbeat song with fantastic lyrics! And in the video, I LOVE HER DRESS! That you see many colors in common with the video in my new kit is not at all a coincidence!


One Step at a Time is filled with bright colors and sparkle. There is a lot of word art with positive words and sayings, award ribbon tags and flowers. There is also a Digitalegacies Designs signature piece, the photo-journal card!


The papers are full of rich textures, flowers and sparkle. You’ll also see some papers and elements with a fade reminiscent of that dress I love so much. In all, there are 12 papers and 35 elements, more than could be shown on just one element preview!

One Step at a Time will be available this week at Scrap Bird. Make sure you check back at The Chronicles of Nani for the freebie! When sampler part one is available for free in the store, sampler part 2 will be free here!


See the video that inspired this kit at the Jordin Sparks You Tube page!


New Members Bonus!

I’m looking for more people to participate in the I Wanna Talk About Me challenge at Scrap Bird! So, I’m offering a freebie bonus to members who join between now and the end of the month! It’s simple, join Scrap Bird for free and PM Nani and ask for your bonus!

Wanna see the bonus?


This add-on for One Step at a Time won’t even be in the store until April, but you can snag it for free when you join before March 31! Just send me a PM asking for the free add-on and I’ll PM back the link! If you are already a member and want the freebie, just recruit a new member and ask them to mention you in their PM to me. I’ll send you both the link for the freebie!

Now, I’m not saying you HAVE to do my challenge if you join and get the freebie, but I’d love it if you did! In the I Wanna Talk About Me challenge you must use at least one item from a Scrap Bird designer. That item can be from the store or a freebie, so, here’s a good start! You can put together a pretty nice layout just from the add-on and if you use any Digitalegacies Designs kit for your layout, you’ll not only get the challenge bonus, a set of quick pages made with Crimson and Clover, but you’ll get the blog bonus for using my products too, the full Crimson and Clover kit! So, you could end up with THREE freebies!

So come on over to Scrap Bird! The company is great and feeders are full of seeds to make your creativity grow!

The freebie offer expires at 11:59PM EDT on March 31, 2009