Holiday Cheer, Frames, Food

I had a WONDERFUL, relaxing Christmas Eve & Day. Christmas Holiday 2007 production took up my entire week last week and the performance this past weekend went AWESOME. I will post some pictures (with me in it) soon!!

Christmas Eve, Matt & I ran a few errands and in the evening we went to his parents house for dinner. It was lots of fun. They opened their gifts from us and were so happy. We got his dad a photo printer (one of those little ones) and his mom a fish tank. They were super happy and it's exactly what they wanted!

Christmas Day, Matt & I made a huge meal... I don't think we've every cooked like that before. It was soooo good! I'm proud of ourselves. His parents came over and we had so much fun playing games, eating, playing with Matt's new Keyboard and relaxing.



I have been doing some scrapbooking again as well. I WISH I could share the one project with you - but since it's for the design team I'm on - I can't share. But when they post - i will share the link!!!

Other wise - here is another project I worked on the other morning. I made each girl in the FM Ballet Company a decorated frame. They turned out so cute! I used the Love, Elsie - Noel paper line.

Here are my results!

Sleep Deprived...

I'm so tired - but I have so many things to get done. I have no clue when I will sleep.

It's go go go right now - with the show opening on Friday! Dress rehearsal at the theatre tomorrow and tonight a run through of the show at the studio.

I still need to:
1. lengthen my Soldier pants and re-hem
2. Sew the furry stuff on my rockettes costume
3. Take in the top of my Mouse costume
4. Make the Company girls ornaments (with their initials) (not sure when I'll have time for this)
5. A mini album for another women

3 of the 5 need to be done by tomorrow
2 of the 5 need to be done by Saturday night

EEKS!!! I'm tired.

More pics

The show is in less than a week now! Rehearsals have kicked into high gear (literally)! Read the previous post about the show that I wrote. One of my pictures is in one of the artsy publications here in town.

Below are some more rehearsal pics!

Arabian

China Dolls

Russian (this one is a little blurry - bleh)

Christmas Holiday 2007

This is going to be an ADVERTISING post...lol Not really advertising - but information about the upcoming Christmas Holiday Production!

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY 2007
presented by the Fargo / Moorhead Ballet Company and the Jazz Arts Group

Christmas Holiday was and still is a tradition and performance that has been gracing the stage for many years. It all started when Kathy and Eddie Gasper started a ballet company in the early 80's. You can tell the love they have for the holiday season and the passion they have for dance. They choreographed many pieces that are now "famous" in this area and throughout the midwest. These pieces include: "Be A Santa", "Toy Shop", "March of the Wooden Soldiers" (tap number), and "Rockettes" - there are many more - but these are the numbers being brought back this season!

Sticking with tradition and adding his own flare - their son Matt has now taken on the responsibility of Artistic Director of the newly formed Fargo / Moorhead Ballet (in which he is also a principal dancer). Matt loves the numbers his parents choreographed and with the help of his mother Kathy they have reconstructed the numbers for this years performance. Matt also wanted to introduce something new into the mix - Duke Ellington's Nutcracker. At this time the company is only doing the "Suites" version, but in the coming years you better watch out - because the full Nutcracker will grace the stage.

Duke Ellington's Nutcraker has a jazzy twist on the classical piece. Other dance schools in the area already perform the classic Nutcracker, so Matt wanted to try something new. Traditional ballet (on pointe) combined with jazz, shows the versatility of the FM Ballet company and the complexity of the music.

All-in-all you will not be disappointed by this one-of-a-kind performance.

Not only am I performing - I am still amazed by the beautiful dancers in the company - I am proud of Matt and his accomplishments, hardwork, and passion for this art form - and his mother for creating this monster years ago and who still has the fire to choreograph these amazing peices!

Performance Dates & Times
Friday, December 21, 2007 @ 8:00pm
Saturday, December 22, 2007 @ 2:00pm
Saturday, December 22, 2007 @ 8:00pm

Performance Venue
NDSU - Reineke Fine Arts Center (Festival Concert Hall)

Ticket Cost
$20.00 (Adults)
$10.00 (Students)
$15.00 (Groups of 15 or more)

Tickets Available At
Gasper's School of Dance
Ph: 701-234-9440
524 7th Street N / Fargo, ND

Jazz Arts Group
http://www.jazzartsfm.com/
Ph: 218-359-4JAZZ (4529)

Ticketmaster.com


See you at the ballet - you'll be coming back for more!

Let it snow....

Well no not really - i'm not too fond of the snow. Something fansinating though - is how they clear the streets off. During the day when there are cars out - the snow plows just come through...but at night is when the REALLY clear the streets out. They have dump trucks and a BIG bobcat like vehicle. It actually is really cool how they do it. The pile ALL the snow from both sides of the road to the middle... Then they come through again and with a BIG snowblower they take the snow from the middle of the road and put it in the dump truck. It's cool. Anyway

I have pictures!!! Not of the dump trucks - but of the snow.

BEFORE the snowfall


Saturday - after the 1st big snowfall


Tuesday - after the 2nd big snowfall

Notice where the snow line is on the metal gate... CRAZY - also the wall top and the huge stack of snow up there. Matt & I were thinking of making a snowman - i really doubt it will happen though b/c we both don't like being outside in the cold weather.

Alright - it's time again for more production pictures. Right now we are in rehearsal for Christmas Holiday 2007. I took these pictures after I had rehearsal on Wed.

I love this picture for some reason. I just think it looks cool

Matt is in focus here (green shirt), his mom is in the orange and one of the dancers in the snow in the white

Another picture of Matt & his mom - and company dancers in the background


I actually did these photos for a publication in town who interviewed Matt and they wanted some rehearsal shots. So Matt asked if I would do them. I hope he likes something. There were many more (of course). But these were some of my favorites - because it is rare to see Kathy (Matt's mom) dance anymore...especially at a rehearsal. She was filling in for one of the characters at this rehearsal. And capturing Mother & Son dancing - it was just cool!

Okay - time for bed! Enjoy! Thanks for looking (and reading)

Thanks & more snow

Thanks for the comments on my banner. I like it - i was unsure about the weird color combination i chose though... aw well. I'm not sure if the ornaments match the background - they really don't.

I hope to post some projects or pictures soon. Christmas concert rehearsal is in full swing and Matt asked if I would start taking rehearsal pictures - for an article that will be in one of the million publications here in town! That would rock if they used one of my images. So Wed. night after my rehearsal I will stay and take pictures of the rehearsal after. I will share some shots when I'm done.

Weather Update:
And Leah - I am super jealous of you! 84 degrees!!! Your temp is 74 degrees warmer than mine! AGH! Again today, I woke up and the snow was coming down - and it hasn't stopped and it isn't suppose to stop. We already have probably 7+ inches from Saturday and we are suppose to get another 5 - 7 inches today. My bosses said it is starting to be like 1997 (the year of the really bad flood).... that isn't very good! I hope it doesn't turn out that way.

Holiday Banner

What do you think of my new banner. I thought I would be festive and have a holiday banner! Do you like? Let me know!

We are having a snow storm today!! It has not stopped since I woke up at 8:00am and it is now 4pm.

I have a feeling it will be a snowy winter.... bleh.

Bad Day

Grr...... I'm having a bad day already - not like REALLY bad - but my car didn't start this morning and my boss had to come pick me up to bring me to work. Thank God I don't live far. Too far to walk in this COLD weather - if it was summer I would have walked.

And Matt had to teach this morning so he was gone before I left.

Now lets hope it's just the battery. I can't afford a new car for a few more years.


Oh and thanks Leah & Sarah for the comments on my Christmas card. That made me smile!

Happy Holidays

It's still November - but not for long. This month has FLOWN by. I thought October was never going to end and November just ran past. Not sure if that is good or bad yet! The holidays are coming quickly and I am ALMOST done with my Christmas Cards. I need black ink. Below is the card I need ink for. I made a photo card this year!! I actually have 2 different card designs. Less than the past years.

For the card below I used BasicGrey Fruitcake. Left over scraps from last year. I cut up as many 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" cards as I could and used scraps for the bottom strip. This one is a demo card. The rest are just waiting for photos.

My other card this year is using Scrapworks holiday line from last year. And I will use a christmas tree stamp with those.

I've already made 36 cards for my parents friend as well. Those are sent in the mail already. I think she should get them today or tomorrow!

Well enough rambling. Here is the card!

Holiday Tags & Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year. Matt & I spent time together (just the 2 of us) at home. We ate cheesy potatoes, put up our christmas tree (and decorated it), watched tv, looked at advertisments, and relaxed! It was a great day.

Here are some holiday gift tags i made yesterday

and here are some pictures of setting the tree up!!

Matt Singing into his wine glass

Me fixing the lights (Matt took this - even he can work my camera - sort of)

One of our Xmas pictures

Ornament Directions

Here are the directions for the ornament I made below (in the previous post).

Supplies
Glass bulbs - (the biggest ones) at Michaels (came in a case of 4)
Snowflake acrylic stamp
Ink (i used colorbox - not the chalk type - just regular it doesn't dry fast)
Glitter embossing powder
Heidi Swapp Acrylic Snowflake (i'm not sure if this is in her current line - i bought mine last year)
Heat Gun
Tweezers of some sort
Damp Paper Towel

Directions
Interior
Ink the Heidi Swapp acrylic snow flake piece with Red ink on one side (or any other color you would like to use). Sprinkle the glitter embossing powder on the snowflake. Tap off Excess.

With your tweezers hold a corner of the snowflake (embossing the snowflake with a heat gun gets hot - this will prevent burning yourself). With your heat gun set the embossing powder. WARNING: you are working with acrylic - it melts. So be patient and do a little at a time.

Once the embossing powder is set. Let cool, and repeat the process on the other side.

Exterior
Using an acrylic snowflake stamp, I place the stamp on a soft surface (to make stamping a round surface easier). Ink the stamp and carefully place the glass bulb on the stamp. Gently roll back in forth - being careful not to move the bulb from it's place (other wise the stamp will drag). I re-inked between each stamp. I stamped 1 - 2 images before applying embossing powder to make the process go a little faster. I inked and embossed 4-6 before I set the embossing powder.

Tip: Have a damp cloth or paper towel near by to wipe off any mistakes.

To Complete
Pierce a hole in the tip of the acrylic snowflake that will go inside. Thread clear or color thread through the hole. Place the snowflake inside. Since it is acrylic it is flexible - gently bend the edges to make it fit through the hole. Place the metal top piece back on the top and tie the thread to secure the snowflake around the metal loop.

To finish it off - tie a piece of ribbon around the metal loop to make it easy for hanging (this is not shown in my picture below).

If you have questions - let me know! :D

Halloween & Christmas

Yes, sort of a weird combination...but hey "Nightmare Before Christmas" did well.

Here are a few projects I have been working on.

The ornament - for the holiday swap. This was my test one that my boss got for her birthday.




It is a clear glass ornament and I stamped on the outside and embossed. The inner snowflake started off clear acrylic and i inked and embossed

This second project is the cover of my halloween album. View my website for a supplies list. I will post more as I complete it.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Yes, it is cold out side and we have snow flurries...eeks - ick!

I really can't believe it's already the middle of November, Thanksgiving is next week, and December will be here before we know it! This month is cruising by!

We've started Christmas Holiday rehearsals. First rehearsal "Soldiers". A famous tap number Matt's parents put together MANY years ago. It's not an easy one...and I have a lot of practicing to be doing.

I also made a ornament for the Holiday swap on the MW board. I hope to post soon. The first one (my trial one) I gave to my boss for her birthday - she LOVED it. So now i'm going to make more including one for my Secret Santa person I have, 1 for my grandma and 1 for my mom. Than I'll probably buy more and make some for myself! I will share soon.

okay i'll share more later and hopefully have pictures!

Winter

It is sooo cold outside. brrrr...and i know it's not even close to the coldest it will be. But brrrr... i don't like winter! I'm sitting at the dance studio right now waiting for class - in my sweater, shorts (i'm going to jazz class), tights, leotard, legwarmers (made by my mom) and fingerless gloves (made by mom mom). It's FREEZING IN HERE!!!!!

Is it summer yet?

It's suppose to rain / snow tonight too...ick!

What to do....

EDIT - I'm fine now. I'm just an emotional girl (go figure)


I hate struggling with decisions I need to make. I don't really want to get into it too much - but I am just stuck and don't know what to do.

And today it is affecting work - since i can't think of anything else. BLEH!

Roses

So Matt and I were suppose to have a "Date Night" last night. I haven't really seen him lately. I'm usually sleeping by the time he gets home. Well yesterday and friday he said he didn't have anything going on Saturday night. No rehearsals or anything. I was so excited. But, that was short lived. He had to go choreograph the finale at Concordia. He said he'd be done by 8:30pm - but that came and went. I went to bed around 11pm and he still wasn't home.

I woke up this morning and watched TV for a little bit and than went to go scrap. Well - look what I found on my scrapbook desk! With a sweet note (and icecream in the freezer!) - I LOVE icecream!








Aren't they pretty!!! :D

4 hours

It took me 3 hours today to sort through all the pictures I took for "Spooky Ballets" and decide which ones will go on the photo CD. It took another hour to design the CD cover for both the booklet and CD itself (they are both the same design - the text is placed in different spots).

I'm really happy with the results. The cover design is below! The CD has MANY pictures on it! I think everyone will be pleased with it.

Below are more photos from the "Spooky Ballets"

CD COVER


Witches: There was a magic trick during this number :D


Stepping Into the Bad Side: Patrick (Left), Matt (Right)


Nightmare Before Christmas: Halloween Town

They're here

Alright here are some pictures I promised. I just picked these really quickly - i still haven't had time to sort through all the photos.

Let me know what you think. Some of these pictures were taken during the performance... which is NOT easy (as I found out).

JACK & SALLY hug (Matt - my boyfriend is Jack & Sally is Mikal - a beautiful dancer in the company)


"Step Into the Bad Side"
Matt is on the left and Patrick on the right


"Nightmare Before Christmas" - Boogie Man (Patrick), Santa (Ashley), Nasty Nabbers (Mara, Caitlyn, Sarah), and Boogie Man backup Girls (Courtney, Renee, Tevia, Rachel)


"Spider Woman" - Courtney (Amazing Dancer, on swing in this picture)


There you have it. A few pictures from the show. Let me know what you think.

Exhausted

So I'm sitting at work - with NO motivation AT ALL! Drinking a REALLY GROSS latte - not sure what is wrong with it - but it doesn't taste right. I should just stop drinking it - instead of figuring out what the weird taste is. I've had not so good lattes - but this one is BAD...like there is an ingredient that doesn't belong. BLEH!

I will post some pictures tonight. I was going to last night - but my computer was being slow and dumb and I got frusterated and was tired - so I went to bed. So tonight I have a few picked out that I would like to post.

On that note I need to prepare for the accountant visit here at work. I just love fiscal year end (sarcasm)!

1200 +

Yup, I took over 1200 pictures this weekend of the "Spooky Ballet", which I must add was AMAZING. There is still a performance tonight. I think I'll bring my camera - but not sure if I will take pictures - I may just sit back and watch.

I will get some pictures posted soon. I have to weed through them and do some editing. Figure out which ones are the best and should go on the CD i'm selling. I hope I got some amazing shots. But we'll find out. The ones I took from dress seemed pretty good. And last night I sat in the first row of the balcony (great seat! to take pictures).

So on that note.... keep checking back this week for pictures from the Ballet!

For now - i'm exhausted. Little sleep - lots of activity!

Picture DAY!

Below are pictures from yesterday's "Spooky Ballets" rehearsal (10/24/2007) and some pictures I took on the way to the dance studio. I walked (since the studio and my apt are both located Downtown!)

Bras On Broadway (as I promised from yesterday's post)




Tracks (walking from my apt to the dance studio I cross over 2 sets of tracks - crazy I know!)




Here are pictures from "Spooky Ballet Rehearsal" - these shot are action shots - the girls are actually dancing and I didn't use a flash.




And Matt dancing with the girls...

Bras on Broadway

This is the 2nd annual "Bras on Broadway" Benefit. It is to support breast cancer research. Okay the cool thing about this. A MAJOR sponsor is - The Hotel Donaldson. It's a swanky high end hotel here in Fargo and it's located downtown. Anyway... So women have been dropping their old bras off at various locations and the bars are now hanging from the Hotel Donaldson. There are ROWS of bras hanging off the building. I am hoping to get a picture tonight - since the even is tomorrow and I"m not sure when they are taking them down. Also, in the window they have a clothes line of really nice looking bras (the Fancy ones). So hopefully I can get some good shots tonight.

Pic

Here is a few pictures from yesterday's rehearsal. I love these pictures! Not sure why. Let me know what you think and what I could improve on. Thanks!

I would post more - but don't have permission yet for the little kids.

I am also working with watermarks I like. that is why there are 2 different ones.



This is one of Matt giving direction

power outage

Well the power went out in my whole block. or 2 or 3. The power was out in my whole area where i live. Today at lunch. I couldn't even cook lunch today! AGH! So it may not be till the weekend till the pictures are posted. I'll do my best - because I'm excited about them and excited to share them!

SPOOKS!

I'm getting super excited for the "Spooky Ballets" this upcoming weekend. I stopped by rehearsal yesterday to take pictures and seeing them in their costumes was GREAT. The costumes are awesome for 'Nightmare before christmas' I can't wait to see the show on stage with the special effects!

I will try to get some pictures posted tonight of last nights rehearsal. I didn't get any of the girls in costume - but I did get them rehearsing!

I am starting to learn a lot about my camera. I have been reading tons and practicing on stupid stuff like the TV stand. Great thing about digital - i can just delete it.

Stay posted for pictures tonight (hopefully)

Posting Queen

I have been a posting queen these past few days. It's the excitement of the new camera!

Below is the layout I made for Leah's Circle Journal. Topic: Favorite Color


hidden journaling tag

another angle

Pictures!

so I finally took some pictures tonight. The first one is for a circle journal I am involved with. I got Leah's journal right now. I took the picture on my patio wearing a white shirt and white polkadot hair scarf. I than turned it black and white and applied the color purple. Her topic is Favorite colores!

These pictures were taken with my new Canon Digital Rebel XT and the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 lense




This is another picture - I don't really like. but it was one of the first i've taken.

Camera, Auditions and other junk

My lense came yesterday! Wow it's so nice! I'm super excited. Afterwork it was waiting in the mail box! Than I had to go get a memory card so I could actually use the camera! That set me back $70.00. EEKS. I also decided since I was spending money - might as well get a tripod as well. So that is what i did! I bought a tripod too. I think i'm done spending money for awhile.

I hope it doesn't rain all weekend so I can go out and play with the new camera! It is so awesome and I'm way pumped about it!

On Sunday I'm going to audition for the "Holiday Show" at the dance studio. Well it's for the FM Ballet... but auditions are at the dance studio. I miss performing and really dancing. So we'll see. There are so many great dancers though - so i'm not going to get my hopes up. It's just something I was interested in doing. Change of pace in life...right?!?

"Spooky Ballets" open in a week and a few days. So if you live in Fargo - get your tickets. It's going to be an awesome show! I can't wait to see the completed show with costumes, the stage and lights! It's going to be so exciting. Plus there is a costume contest. I will not enter - b/c i don't really qualify... i know the entire board and am dating the Artistic Director. TOo much favortism. But it's fun to just dress up! So I'm going to.

Watch for pictures this weekend!!!

I'm Excited!!!

My lense is finally here!!! It arrived today. I haven't used it yet - because i had to go get a memory card and now I'm at the studio waiting for dance class. so hopefully tonight I'll take a picture of SOMETHING!!! Just so i use it today!!! OMG i'm super excited!

It's FINALLY here

YEs, the camera arrived TODAY!! I'm soooooooo excited. Except. Mine lens won't be here till the end of the week or monday of next week. So boo on that. But that gives me time to read the manual and stuff. Right :D I should be doing that right now instead of typing this blog.

I still haven't found a camera bag i love. WEll besides the Jill-e bags. Maybe i'll ask for one for Christmas! Hum... yes I should do that!


I'm so excited to play with it i'm bursting! I guess it's better to have a camera and no lens than a lens and no camera...right?

TOMORROW, Tomorrow...

The Camera base comes TOMORROW! OMG I'm so excited!! I can't believe it's almost here! The lense won't be here till later this week or early next week - so I will just have to admire the camera base for a few days. Hopefully I get it by the weekend - so I can practice and play!

So now the task is to find a camera bag. I want something cute and girlie. On one site someone said Jill-e has cute bags. But they are out of my price range (since i just bought a camera and lense).

Here is the site: http://www.jill-e.com/index.html

I like the:
Small Red Leather bag ($159.99)
Small Brown Nylon bag ($129.99)

Super cute! I also like the yellow small bag!!

If anyone else has a suggestion for a camera bag i'm open for suggestions. I would really like some color to my bag.

I bought it

Okay post #2 for the day. I BOUGHT MY LENSE!!! It should arrive later in the week next week or monday the following week! OMG this is soooo real - i'm finally getting my DSLR!!! This is super exciting.

Next I need a camera bag & i want a tripod!

I'm super excited!!!!!!

Halloween Coasters

I love Halloween and the older I get the more fun it is!!! It is such a fun holiday. I recieved my MemoryWorks Express Kit a few days ago and there was a sheet of paper with circle images on it. I had the perfect idea for them - COASTERS!!! I cut the images out and coated both sides with Mod Podge for protection. I than adhered them to Self Adhesive Felt in orange & black! I think they turned out super cute!



I also want to share some pictures from the wedding (Emily's Wedding).
The Girls - College friends!



It was a blast and so great to see my friends from college again at one time! It hasn't been that way since we graduated college! I am so happy Em invited us to her beautiful wedding and she made a STUNNING Bride! oh the 2nd picture - we are crazy!

I did it!

I ordered my camera today. I'm so excited! It should arrive next week. I will order my lens later this week or this weekend! I can't tell you how excited it am!!!

The wedding this past weekend was beautiful. Emily looked stunning and super happy! It was so much fun and to see the college girls again! I will post pics sometime this week or weekend.

So that is the update in my life.

Remember if you live in Fargo come see the FM Ballet first performance of the season: "Spooky Ballets"!

Almost there!

I am so excited. I almost have enough money saved up for my new camera!! And once I sell my old camera I will have enough for the lens. I seriously can't wait. I've been reading about the camera and lenses and DSLRs...and it just excites me so much!!!!!

Okay enough about that. I'm going to Em's wedding this weekend. I can't wait. I know she is going to look stunning and it's going to be so much fun! Becky, Kate, Beth, Jodi and myself are sharing a hotel room! That will rock!

That's all for now. I should have wedding pics posted after I get back!

Ghosts, goblins and Nightmare Before Christmas?

As I have said many times. Matt is the Artistic Director (and principal dancer) of the Fargo Moorhead Ballet Company. Last year was their first "Spooky Ballets". It is a really fun event that takes place at the Fargo Theatre - in downtown Fargo. This year the show has a featured performance of "Nightmare Before Christmas - Suites". It is going to be an awesome show! The Fargo Moorhead Ballet also has a larger company than last year...so the really good dancers will carry the performance! It's going to be great for those younger kids in the show and watching to see if they work hard how good they can be!

Anyway. A big part of the show is advertising. And well it's October and there hasn't been much advertisment yet. So I made this design that i'm printing on little flyers. They are like wallet sized. I will be putting them at coffee shops, having Matt bring some to the colleges, and bringing them to other little businesses around town. I hope the seats fill. If you live in Fargo (or close by). The performance has a costume contest, the Fargo theatre has refreshments (popcorn, pop, candy), and the performance is going to be AMAZING!! I seriously can't wait.

here is the flyer:


Also, i have posted some items on Etsy. It's not going to well right now. I think I may need to start focusing on Christmas instead of Halloween. I haven't sold a thing yet. Or maybe b/c I'm so new people are afraid to buy. Hopefully it will happen and I find my nitch on Etsy.

Here is my latest post. If you love them - go to my etsy account and purchase them!! I have 2 sets and the images are hand drawn!

It's ready!

I have set up my Etsy account and posted a few Halloween Cards to it. I will be working on more items this weekend to post to the site. So make sure to check it out and tell all your friends!!! Here is the link: www.laceybugcreations.etsy.com

I have also posted my layouts for the Holiday Challenge on the MemoryWorks Board. Here they are!




I really love how the first one turned out. The challenge was to make a layout based off the card sketch made in week #1. here is the card sketch again:


It's been a fun challenge!

This weekend I hope to work on a lot of scrapbooking!!! Get some projcts done and other things! Next weekend is Emily's wedding. I can't wait...it's going to be awesome and I know she is going to be a Beautiful bride!!