** I ran across this today when I was looking for something on my computer and I thought it would be perfect to share here. :) **

1. What are your favorite scrapbook manufacturers?

-Right now I am really into Bo Bunny. Their stuff is so fresh and the colors are vibrant and fun...not to mention all the fun new accents. For cardstock, I am a Bazzill girl through and through. It is pretty much the only brand of cardstock I use. I love all the textures and I can always find cardstock to match my layout. I also use lots of Basic Grey, Hero Arts stamps, Tim Holtz products, American Crafts Thickers, and of course my Cricut.

 2. When did you start scrapping?

- I started scrapping back in 2000, when I was a senior in high school. I went on a couple of trips that year and I also had all of those high school memories to preserve. :) I went and visited my aunt and she introduced me to scrapbooking. That next week I headed to my local scrapbook store and picked up some supplies and created my first page. I was hooked!

3. How has your style evolved over the years?

-Looking back through my scrapbooks, I realize that my style has always stayed pretty consistent. Most of my layouts consist of multiple photos and each page has a story to tell. I like to use multiple patterned papers and a few key embellishments to tell my stories. Over the years, I have played with lots of different techniques on my scrapbook pages.  I think that this comes from working at various scrapbook stores throughout the years where I had to learn about all the latest and greatest.

4. How often do you scrap about yourself (or scrap pictures that you are in)?

-Most of the pages I scrapbook are about me. Since I am single, I scrap about my life. My family, holidays, travels, fun nights spent with friends, and even my dog. I try to hand off my camera to someone else or get pictures from friends and family to ensure that I am in at least some of the pictures. :)

5. Do you have any other crafty hobbies?

-I love to make cards. I make 75 cards a month for my church’s birthday card ministry, so that keeps me pretty busy. I also have dabbled in cross-stitching and miniatures but paper crafting has pretty much taken over my life.

6. Where do you get your creative inspiration?

- Most of my creative inspiration comes from sketches and other people’s layouts.  I usually end up altering some part of the design but it gives me a springboard for my ideas. Then  I am free to plug in my own pictures, patterned papers, colors and embellishments to create my layouts. Sometimes I will design my own layouts from scratch but most of the time I just want to concentrate on capturing my memories in a stress-free manner. 

7. What size pages do you normally scrap?

- I am definitely a 12x12 scrapper. Many of my layouts are double-page layouts. I love having the larger 12x24 inch space to play with and scrap multiple photos.

8. Do you have a favorite technique that you use on layouts or something that you think of as your signature?

- I love experimenting with different techniques on my layouts but a few of my favorites are using lots of photos on a page to tell my story, using border punches to add pizzazz to a strip of paper, and the ‘rule of 3s’ which is using 3 clusters of like objects on my pages, such as flowers, circles, or other embellishments. This technique is on just about every layout I make and I love how this look completes my pages.

9. Are you on any design teams?

-Currently I am not on any design teams. I was on the If It’s Groovy Blog design team from September 2009-May 2010 and I loved being challenged every month to create new layouts for the team.

10. Where is your favorite place to scrap? Is there a certain time of day that you prefer to scrap? (or when do you get the most scrapping done?)

-My favorite place to scrap is my scraproom because everything that I could ever possibly need (literally) is down there. I can go down there, turn on my favorite tunes, and get lost in my own little world. Right now I scrap whenever I have time.  Since I work retail, my hours are a bit crazy so some days I am working in the afternoon while everyone else is at work and other times I am working late at night when everyone else is asleep.

11. What does your scrap room/area look like?

- My scrap room is located in the finished portion of our basement. I have basically taken over and turned the space into my giant creative space. My desk sits facing another desk and a table so I can invite lots of people over to scrap with me. To the side of my desk is my computer and printer. Since I print all my own photos I use this quite a bit.  Then behind me is shelving that stores all my supplies, including patterned papers, stickers, ink, stamps, flowers, letters, chipboard, and my scrapbook albums.

12. Any tips on keeping all those scrap supplies organized?

-Organize the way you think about scrapbook supplies. For me I know my companies, so I tend to organize the bulk of my supplies by type and then by company.  If you scrap by color, then organize by color. If you scrap by event, organize by events. For example, most of my patterned paper is organized by company, but I do have some that is organized by event (holidays, birthdays, Disney, etc) and a little bit of it is organized by color.

Also always be on the lookout for new ways to organize your supplies. You never know where you will find the perfect organizing solution. For example, I keep all my border strips organized by color family in silverware keepers that I found at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  And compartmentalized tackle boxes hold my ribbon, eyelets, and brads.

13. Why do you scrap?

- I scrap because I love to preserve my photos and stories for me and my family. Before I started scrapping, I took lots of photos but they were always just sitting around in boxes or in photo albums. I never actually got them out or looked at them. When I started scrapping, I got those photos out of the boxes and added my personal story to them. I also love playing with paper and being creative. Scrapbooking has been a wonderful outlet for me to share my thoughts and feelings.  I am able to put what is in my heart onto my pages and record and remember the little things that make me who I am.

Long time, no see...and some favorite websites and blogs! :)

Wow! I am embarrased about how long it has been since I have posted on here...so sad!

So today I just have a few quick shares with some of my favorite websites and products that I just shared with a friend of mine and I thought I would send it out there for all of my blog readers....if I still have any left!

http://nicholmagouirk.typepad.com/things_that_really_matter/

This is Nichole Magouirk’s website. Amazing scrapper and stamper!  Lots of awesome tutorials on scrapbooking and stamping and the Silhouette.  You will love this one!

http://www.valeriesalmon.com/

This is the home of the Got Sketch blog, sketches, and sketch classes. I get TONS of inspiration here and I have taken every.single.class that she has offered! The best part for all of you is that you can get her classes in instant download form. 8+ sketches, directions, multi-photo, a mix of single and double pagers, and lots of inspiration and extra tips. :)

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/fonts/freescrapbookfonts/category/all/

Throwing this one in here because some of my favorite fonts are on here.  And the best part is that some of them match the fonts from like Doodlebug and KI Memories. J

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Crumpler+5&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

Link for my camera bag! J It’s called the Crumpler  5 Million Dollar Home. It is awesome for those of us who need a camera bag that holds up and protects our camera but doesn't slow us down. :)

https://www.the-whole-kit-n-kaboodle.com/storefront/c-20-places.aspx

These are pre-made Disney kits from Andrea Deer. They are so stinkin’ adorable! I definately reccomend if you have Disney pages to scrap!

http://www.jennifermcguireink.com/

One of my all time favorite blogs by Jennifer McGuire. I give her the credit for making me fall in love with stamping and Hero Arts. There are some awesome tutorial videos on here with Ranger and Hero Arts products.

Last day in Israel....catch up

Hey there my blogger friends. I cant't believe it, but in the craziness of being home, I forgot to post about our last day in Israel.

It was a slower day compared to many of our other days but it was one of the most impactful by far. Our day started with a view overlooking Bethlehem and the shepherd's field where the shepherds saw the star and were surrounded by angels singing "glory to God in the highest." We didn't actually go to Bethlehem because like I said in an earlier post it is in the West Bank and it is entirely under Palestinian control. So definitely not very safe. There was this huge, imposing wall surrounding the city...freaky kinda. It reminded me of like a high security prison and people choose to live there...crazy if you ask me.

Then we headed out to the field where David fought Goliath and the Philistines. Tyler read us the scriptures and we walked along the path, picking up stones and imagining what it would have been like to be there. It was so awesome to be in the place where David and Saul would have been and be reminded of how great our God truly is.

Our next stop was at the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. We spent a few hours there, taking it all in and remembering the horrors and injustices that were done to the Jewish people during World War II. It was very moving, especially seeing the room with the names of all the known people who died during the Holocaust. Row upon row of books filled with page after page of names in a room 2 stories high...it really hit home just how many lives perished in that awful stain on our history. There was also a memorial set up for all of the children who died during the Holocaust. It was a set of three lights that were reflected around the room by mirrors, making hundreds upon hundreds of lights. The room was completely dark and silent, except for a voice reading the names of children who had died, with their country of birth and ages. That was probably the most heart-wrenching part of the whole thing. Innocent children who hand't done anything to hurt anyone were murdered just because of who they were by birth. It was awful. Afterwards we all just spent some time processing all that we had seen and heard and remembering those who had died.

Our next stop was one of my absolute favorites of the trip. It was the Garden Tomb, one of the traditional sites where Jesus was said to have been buried. This site seemed much more authentic and lined up with the gospels much better than the other place we saw. First we sat in a little alcove and just sat and remembered what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross for our sins and then raising again to live with God the Father. We took communion together and spent time in prayer. We then walked around the garden with our guide and she showed us the things that make this a good candidate for the crucifiction and burial of Christ. First we saw the side of the cliff that looked like a skull, and in the scriptures Golgotha means "the place of the skull". Then our guide explained to us that the place that we were at was a garden in Jesus' time, which was basically a walled-in place where they grew crops. There was a giant cistern and a winepress, so they probably grew grapes in that garden. Then there was the tomb, the only one built there and carved out of the rock. We were able to go inside and see the tomb and on the inside of the tomb in really old writing there was a symbol that said that meant Jesus, the son of God, the Messiah. It was really cool to be there and I think we were all overcome with emotions at being at the actual site where our faith became so personal and where Christ died to save my sins. Nothing on this trip can could ever come close to topping this experience and it is one that I will always carry with me.

Finally to celebrate the end of our trip Leor treated us to a fabulous dinner at a little restaurant on our way back to Tel Aviv. We feasted on chicken kabobs and these delicious french fries, along with some other more traditional dishes. It was my favorite meal of the entire trip and we all had a great time reminiscing about some of our favorite parts and relaxing around the table with our good friends.

Jerusalem

Jerusalem

Hello again my blog friends. Today was probably the most intense and grueling day we have had on the trip so far, but also one of the most powerful. We spent the entire day in Jerusalem following Jesus' footsteps during the Passion week.

We started our day at the top of the Mount of Olives, looking over the city and the Temple Mount. Leor explained the general layout of the city as well as a brief overview of the history. We then headed down the Palm Sunday Road, which is close to the path that Jesus would have taken on Palm Sunday into Jerusalem. It afforded some beautiful views of the city. As we walked, I remembered how the Jews cheered for Jesus and shouted "Hosanna!" and then a week later turned on them. We then stopped at a chapel commemorating where Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem.

We then continued down the road into the Garden of Gethsemane. Inside the garden are these ancient olive trees that are believed to be dated to the time of Jesus. It was so special to be there and know that this is where Jesus prayed and wrestled with what was going to happen, but knowing that it was God's will. It is also the place where Judas betrayed him. Next to the garden is the Church of All Nations, which commemorates the betrayal and arrest of Christ. It was very beautiful inside and it was the perfect place to sit and reflect on all that Jesus has done/gone through for me, a lowly sinner.

Then we headed to the Temple Mount and entered through the Joppa Gate. We wandered through the old city and the bazaars. It was so fun to see the different shops and all the unique wares they were selling. I loved the colors and textures there. It was super busy in the marketplace and so our group got separated for a bit, but we eventually found the rest of the group. We then visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is the more traditional churches' view of where Christ was crucified and buried. It was a nice site, but I didn't really enjoy it. There was a lot of ceremony with it and it didn't have the authenticity and realness that so many of the other sites that we have visited have had.

After that, we headed to the Wailing Wall which is probably the most recognized site in all of Jerusalem. The wall was separated int a men's and a women's side, so the group separated and us girls went to tour side. We worked our way up to the wall, passing many different people praying. Some were sitting in chairs and many were at the wall praying. There were lots of Jewish women there praying with their Hebrew prayer books. Laying my hand upon the wall was special, knowing that this was one of the places that Jesus taught and prayed. Being there among so many people who do not have a personal relationship with Christ, who needed a book or the wall to pray, made me realize how special my relationship with my Savior is. I can turn to him with my thoughts worries, prayers and concerns whenever and whereever I need to and He is always there listening and loving me. There is nothing I have to do or say, or a specific place I have to go to talk with Him. It was a sweet revelation.

Then we toured the Rabbi's Tunnel, which is a series of underground tunnels below the Temple Mount, where we could see some of the original foundation stones from the Second Temple. It was a series of small tunnels and at times they were vey small, which brought out the claustrophobic in me, but it was definitely worth it.

We then stopped in a small church, which was the site of one of the stations of the cross, which remembered the beating of Jesus before He was crucified.

After lunch, we continued our sightseeing with Saint Anne's church, which survived the destruction of Jerusalem. This church was plain and mostly unadorned but it had beautiful acoustics. We were able to have the church to ourselves and so we just started singing different songs, praising God. Now if you remember from a previous post, our group is not the best at singing but in that church with our voices amplified we all sounded beautiful. We sang songs like "Amazing Grace", " Holy, Holy, Holy", and "Jesus Loves Me". It was such a sweet time and we all were moved by what took place In that small, unadorned church. Then we visited the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed a lame man on the Sabbath in John 5.

We then walked around the Temple Mount starting at the Lion's Gate. We stopped at the Temple museum and we learned about how the ancient Jews made sacrifices at the temple. What really struck me there that like those ancient Jews, we Christians now travel to the Temple Mount as pilgrims, wanting to draw closer to Christ. But unlike the Jews, our sins are already forgiven by the blood of the Sacrificial Lamb, who is Jesus.

We also stopped at the Southern Gate, which is where the steps going into the Temple Mount are and sitting there imagining that this is where Jesus walked. It is an actual recorded event in the Bible and we were sitting on those very steps almost 2,000 years later. That was so incredible and it has been moments like these that have brought the Bible to life for me on this trip and has helped renew and strengthen my faith.

Well, I am signing off my friends. Tomorrow is our last day in Israel and we will be boarding our flight home tomorrow night so my final Israel post will actually be from home, although I will probably write it on the plane. So shalom to you my friends and I will see you all soon. :)

The Lowest Point on Earth

Good evening again my blog readers. Today (Saturday) our group headed out to the region of the Dead Sea to explore. First up was our baptism on the Jordan River. The spot we went to today was much more secluded and far less touristy feeling. Plus it is most likely closer to the actual spot that Jesus was baptized in. It was a sweet time to be together in the Lord's presence and remember our faith and be baptized in the same waters that Jesus was. Everyone agreed that it was the highlight of the day.

Then we headed to Masada, which is this giant fortress built on the top of a mountain by Herod the Great and it was later used by the Jewish during the revolts during 70 A.D. To get to the top we had to ride cable cars like the ones you see in the Alps. I am not a huge fan of heights, and Adam and Alan found about it when we were driving through the Golan Heights the other day and kept teasing me about it...good-naturally of course. :) it was really interesting to see and once we got to the top it didn't really seem so high up so I was great.

Then we stopped at Ein Gedi, which is the site where David and his men sought refuge when Saul was chasing them. David also used these settings as inspiration for many of his psalms. It was a beautiful nature park with walking paths and waterfalls. It was at one of these waterfalls that we stopped to read about David and Saul and also to read some psalms. The psalms really do come to life when you can actually see and experience the things that David is writing about.

After that we stopped at the Ahava store, which is the maker of all the Dead Sea skincare products. We bought a few things before heading down to the Dead Sea for a swim. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth and is over 30% salt, compared to only 3% in the oceans. Swimming in the Dead Sea was on my bucket list and today I accomplished that. It was awesome to get into the water and without even having to try, be completely buoyant, floating in the water. The edges of the shore are also extremely cool with salt formations along the edges. The only bad thing is that the shore is extremely rocky and it kinda hurts getting in and out of the water. We also slathered ourselves in the Dead Sea mud and took some really fun pictures. The mud is right there along the shore. It is super rich in minerals and is so good for your skin. It was an adventure getting it off though and we had lots of laughs as we played in the mud.

Then our last stop of the day was Qumran, which is where the Dead Sea scrolls were found in the 1940's and 1950's. The park was officially closed but since Leor is so well known they let us in to explore a bit. (well I guess we kinda jumped the gate....:)  There were caves built right into the sides of the cliffs  which is where the scrolls were found. We loved just getting the chance to explore this awesome place that is so important to our history.

Back at the hotel, we headed to dinner and also visited a little grocery store in downtown Jerusalem before heading to our beds for the evening...which is where I should be so goodnight!

Heading South

Hey there blog readers! I didn't get a chance to update my blog yesterday because we signed into our new hotel and it costs $9 an hour for Internet. Boo.... So here goes Friday's activities.

This morning, we packed up and said goodbye to the beautiful Ma'Gaan resort at the Sea of Galilee. I have absolutely loved staying there with it's spacious rooms, gorgeous grounds, and amazing lobby that we hung out in. We then began our trip south to Jerusalem and we stopped at many places on our way there.

Our first stop was at Gideon's Springs, which is where the story from Judges 7 takes place with Gideon and his army being made smaller by God so that God could be glorified when the Israelites won the battle. It was very pretty there and we took lots of great pictures.

Then we stopped at an oasis and hot springs in the middle of the desert. It was beautiful there and the water was so clear and blue. This might have been a spot where Jesus stopped to rest on his long journey from Capernium to Jerusalem.

Our next stop was at Beit Shean, which is one of the oldest Roman settlements in Israel. The city was buried in an earthquake and many of the structures were left unharmed. It was Fun to explore, with ancient marble mosaics and huge limestone pillars. It was a major metropolitan area in Jesus' time.

Then we headed into part of the West Bank. It is divided into 3 zones: A, B, and C. C is the safest and is controlled by the Israelis so it is pretty safe. We drove pretty close to the border of the country Jordan and in the buffer zone between the two countries we did see some mine fields with active mines...from a bit of a distance. We were safe, don't worry. Our tour guide is exceptional and knows where it is safe. We actually might end up not going to Bethlehem because it is in the West Bank in zone A which is under Palestinian control. I would love to go, but definitely not if it isn't safe.

Then we stopped at Leor's house on our way into Jerusalem to meet his family and have some refreshments. He actually lives in the West Bank: zone C.
We then drove through the Jordan Valley and the regions of Samaria and Judea. We drove through the desert and saw lots of beautiful things like camels, rocky cliffs, and cacti. Then we stopped for lunch at Abraham's Tent. We dressed up like they did in Abraham's time and rode camels to fet to our destination. Riding the camels was such a new and different experience and we all had so much fun trying to get on and stay on our camels. At the tent, we ate lunch. It was delicious. They had chicken with a date honey glaze, rice, and many other foods. The chicken was so yummy that we all had seconds. It was a ton of fun to eat in a tent reclining on cushions around the table and the view outside the tent was spectacular. It looked out on the mountains of Judea and out the Jordan River Valley.

Then we drove into Jerusalem for our first view of the Temple Mount from the mountains. Then we wove our way around the city until we reached our hotel. It is much more fancy than our other hotel, but I don't like it as much. It is interesting though. In order to turn the lights on, you have to insert your room key into a slot. I guess it saves them money and electricity, but it is kind of a nuisance. Then we also arrived on Shabbat (the Jewish sabbath) which started at sundown. Dinner was a grand feast, all kosher of course. Lots of salads and weird Israeli and Jewish foods so I didn't really eat much.

After dinner we all hung out in the lobby,  just chatting about the days events and bantering with each other. This is probably one of my most favorite things about this trip, just hanging out with our group. I have gotten to know all of them so well and I know that I will be sad to see the trip come to an end in a few days.

Well, I gotta go. See you all soon. :)

Note: This post was from Friday, March 11th.

A Change of Pace

Hello again blog readers. Today's post will be a little more laid-back than the previous few posts. We headed north into the Golan Heights area which encompasses most of the northern part of the country. Our first stop was Dan, home of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. We saw some ruins as we drove but since it was still raining we weren't able to go see them. We did stop briefly at a nature preserve there and saw one of the springs that feeds into the Jordan River. It was super pretty.

Then we started our ascent up into the Golan Heights. Leor explained about the 6 day war in Israel as we drove and showed us different places of interest. We then stopped at Caesarea Phillipi where they had another natural springs and ruins of a pegan temple. The place was interesting but I wasn't very fond of it, it was where Jesus Called Peter a rock of faith and said "Upon this rock I will build my church.

After that we Drove along the Lebanon border. It was quite menacing with electronic security fences and a guard there watching. There were also mine fields everywhere. They were fenced off of course  but it is just a completely different world over here. Until now I really hadn't seen much evidence of it, but today was definitely different.

Then we stopped at the Nimrod Fortress and explored a bit. It Wes pretty slick because of the rains but it was fun to see this huge fortress up on top of the mountain. I stayed to the outside of the fortress but everyone else went inside and explored. It was just a bit too slick for me.

Then we drove up to Mount Herman, which is where many believe that Jesus was transfigured on the mountain. We didn't actually stop because at that high of elevation the rains had turned to snow. There was probably at least 2 inches in some places which made the roads kinda slick. It was funny because everywhere we looked there were people outside throwing snowballs, sledding, or making a snowman. There were even people who had pulled off the roads in order to play in the snow.

Then we headed off to lunch at this little pizzaria. The food was delicious and I had been hungry for pizza for awhile now. :)

After that we continued down the Golan Heights to the valley below. Leor told us of the stories about when the Jews returned to Israel after WWII and the only land left was not suitable for farming, but through their faith on God, the land became the most prosperous in the nation. We also saw our 6th rainbow today as we were driving through the mountains.

Finally we stopped at Leor's cousin's house to visit. We were able to see what a typical modern family house looks like in Israel. We also learned that at the Jewish feast of Purim the children dress up in costumes similar to our Halloween costumes.

Then back at the hotel I headed down to the shores of the Sea of Galilee for some quiet prayer time. I came away feeling so refreshed and rejuvenated, even though most of the time it was raining.

After we ate dinner, we all hung out in the lobby for awhile because that is the only place we can get internet access. This is without a doubt one of my favorite times of each day...just relaxing, processing the day, and teasing and joking with one another. I really feel like I know each of my traveling mates so well and many of them I only met on this trip. Everyone is so completely awesome and I feel so comfortable with them..it is truly amazing!

Well, off to bed so I can rise early I. The morning. We are packing up and leaving the Sea of Galilee for Jerusalem and all the awesome things to see at the southern end of the country. And I get to ride a camel tomorrow...should be fun. :)

Oh and I forgot to post this earlier but the Internet is pretty slow here so I haven't been able to upload any pictures...we are hoping the speed in Jerusalem is faster and I can upload them then.

Until my next post, see you all soon!