The One with the 1st Page


Monday, September 29, 2008

I was writing a post for work about inspiration and I came across this image by the artist Chris Piascik:I agree 100%. I always skip over the first page of sketchbooks/journals/scrapbooks and come back to it later.

The One with Some Things On My Mind


Sunday, September 28, 2008

1. We saw Eagle Eye on Saturday. I really liked it. I think Shia LaBeouf is great.

2. The Office and Supernatural are on at the same time. (I love this Office poster parody of LOST, my absolute most favorite show in the whole wide world.)Talk about a death wish for Supernatural. If you want a show to survive, you don't put it on the same time as The Office. There are 167 other hours in the week that Supernatural could be on, but nooooo, it's the exact same time as The Office. I'm bummed. So I've been watching Supernatural on the internet a few days later cuz everyone watches The Office and I want to be in the know.

3. Nothing else too exciting going on here. Just a nice and relaxing weekend!

The One with the Science Project


Friday, September 26, 2008

Last week at work I was asked to make a science project about the solar system featuring American Crafts Thickers (thick-stickers). I actually had to do some research - thank goodness for something called the world wide web! So what do you think, do I deserve an "A"? :)I found this stuff about planets pretty interesting. And, where have I been the last few years? I didn't know that Pluto is not considered a planet anymore. Everything I learned in kindergarten has changed. What I find most fascinating is how small we are. I mean, 1321 Earths could fit inside Jupiter. And do you know how big Earth is? It takes like 14 hours just to fly to the other side. Anyways. Here are some fun facts about the planets in our solar system:

This is a visual comparison of the first four planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars.
Records of Mercury’s existence date back to 1000 BC. It doesn’t have any moons. It is about half the size of Earth. It is the smallest of the eight planets and closest to the sun. It orbits around the sun in 88 days. It takes 59 days to rotate on its axis. The average surface temperature is 800 degrees. A space probe flyby is expected in 2008 so we can learn more about this planet.

Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love. It is the brightest natural object in the night sky except for the moon. It is sometimes called Earth’s “sister planet” because it is similar in size, gravity and bulk composition. . Venus doesn’t have any moons. It orbits the sun every 225 days and rotates on its axis every 243 days. That means a day is longer than a year! It is the hottest planet, reaching up to 900 degrees.

Earth is the only place in the universe where life is known to exist. It orbits the sun every 365 days (one year) and rotates on its axis every 24 hours (one day). It has one moon. Surface temperatures range from -129 degrees to 136 degrees. The tilted axis is what makes the four distinct seasons. Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago. The atmosphere is 78% Nitrogen and 21% Oxygen.

Mars is named after the Roman god of war. It is often referred to as the “Red Planet” because of its reddish appearance. There are currently 3 space probes orbiting Mars. Mars has two moons. It is about 1/10 the size of Earth. Mars orbits the sun every 687 days and rotates on its axis every 24 hours and 39 minutes. Ice has been found on Mars so it’s possible life exists/existed on it.

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system - 1321 Earths could fit inside it. Jupiter is named after the Roman god Jupiter. It is classified as a gas giant. Jupiter has 63 moons. It orbits the sun every 12 years and rotates on its axis every 399 days. The atmospheric temperature is about -162 degrees. The “Great Red Spot,” easily visible on the surface, is a giant storm that’s been going on since at least the 17th century.

Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturnus. It is a gas giant and the second largest planet in the solar system. Saturn has a prominent system of rings, consisting mostly of ice, debris and dust. 60 known moons orbit Saturn. Wind speeds reach up to 1118 mph. It takes 30 years to orbit the sun and rotates on its axis every 378 days. 95 Earths could fit inside Saturn. If Saturn was submerged in a giant (and I mean giant!) bath tub, it would float.

Uranus is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky. It looks like a piece of blue bubblegum to me. It was discovered in 1871. It takes 84 years to orbit the sun and 369 days to rotate on its axis. The axis is tilted 90 degrees so each pole gets around 42 years of continuous sunlight, followed by 42 years of darkness. Uranus has a set of vertical rings, though not nearly as extensive as Saturn’s. Uranus has 63 moons.

Neptune is named after the Roman god of the sea. It was discovered in 1846. Neptune has 13 moons. It takes 164 years to orbit around the sun and 367 days to rotate on its axis. 58 Earths could fit inside Neptune. Wind speeds reach up to 1300 mph. It is the coldest planet (because it’s furthest from the sun) with surface temperatures of -360 degrees. Neptune has a small ring system confirmed by the flyby of the Voyager 2.

The One with The Point


Thursday, September 25, 2008

In ten years, the point of the mountain between Salt Lake and Utah counties is going to look very different. That's because THE Frank Gehry (architect/designer of the Guggenheim in Bilbao Spain,and the EMP in Seattle (and more)) is giving the area a serious makeover. On Wednesday he revealed his plans. Wooden and metal blocks stacked Lego-style resemble the future 2.1 billion-dollars-to-build town. "The Point" will include of a five-star hotel - which could become the state's tallest building at 450 feet - and a 12,000-seat arena. Stores, condos, offices and restaurants will make up a town center. On the outside edges of the man-made water features, there will be more housing for folks who want to live near downtown but not in it
Looks like something straight out of Dr. Seuss book if you ask me! But, I'm all for modern designs so I'm excited that this is going to be built in Lehi, UT of all places.
You can read more about the project here.

The One with the Scrap Room Files


Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Drum roll please....Here are the plans I made in Adobe Illustrator for my mom and sister's scrap room! Click on the images to enlarge. And keep in mind this is the first time I've done anything like this so it's not perfect :)



The One with My Mom and Sister's Scrap Room


Tuesday, September 23, 2008

My dad needs a new project so I am helping him design a scrap room for my mom and sister. There are three bedrooms upstairs in their house - one for my sister which used to be my brother's room, one used to be mine and is now a guest room, and my sister's old room is now going to be my dream room. Here are some images that inspired me. Now if only I could figure out how to add the pictures of the designs I made in Illustrator! I'm too tired to mess with computers though so I'll try again tomorrow.

The One with, "We Did It Again!"


Monday, September 22, 2008

Have you ever seen Home Alone 2, specifically the part when somehow their alarms don't go off and they wake up screaming, "WE DID IT AGAIN!" That's what I'm saying to myself right now.

I booked flights to Washington for Thanksgiving at a very reasonable price. Too good of price. Yep, I booked them for the wrong week. Are you kidding me? What is wrong with me? Do I not have eyes? Can I not read the little "Thanksgiving" clearly printed at the bottom of the 27th of my much-loved, much-needed, but not-helping-me-in-the-ways-it-should Franklin Covey planner? Obviously not! luckily I was able to change our flights for the right dates and we're good to go. So yay, we are going to Washington for Thanksgiving!

The One with Battista Sforza


Sunday, September 21, 2008

Once upon a time when I was at BYU we played "dress up like an art piece." So I made myself look like Basttista Sforza. Chris took a profile picture of me, I took a picture of Provo and I photoshopped myself into the foreground to look more like the painting. And in case you're interested, here's some info about the painting:

Battista Sforza, 1465-66
Piero della Francesco
Panel, 47 x 33 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

During the Renaissance, profile paintings were the norm. In this depiction of Battista Sforza, Piero della Francesca epitomized the Renaissance ideals of humanism by depicting a women standing high above the background landscape; this suggests wealth and prosperity which was not typical of the average women. Other symbols include the broad forehead as a sign of virtue; women would shave their heads to achieve this look. The ivory skin signifies that she is not a woman of the world, because a woman of the world would have darker tanned skin. Her outfit has an abundance of detail and ornamentation with a focus on fabric, texture, and jewelry - the source of her income. Even her hair is a work of art suggesting she has many maidservants to help her with this tedious work. In this piece Battista becomes an object, or a mode of display. City walls enclose her suggesting women are circumscribed. Piero was considered a master of foreshortening and reality. The Montefeltro family in Urbino was Piero's most generous patron beginning in 1465 and commissioned this painting.

The One with R.A.K.


Friday, September 19, 2008

I've got some extra scrapbooking stuff that I'd like to give away! I need some help though - I'm working on a countdown to Halloween project and I'm trying to find 31 things to do in the month of October, one thing each day until Halloween. So, leave a comment about what your Halloween/October traditions are by Wednesday and I will randomly select one winner to receive all of this Maya Road goodness - kitty not included :)

The One with the Moldy Sandwich


Thursday, September 18, 2008

"Stealing your co-worker's lunch is a downright contemptible act, that is, if it's perpetrated by someone other than you. But, if you've ever had your lunch stolen, you know the the frustration and anger it causes. You know the revenge and ill-will it inspires. And you know that no matter how well you try to hide your lunch bag at the back of the refrigerator, something's gonna be missing when you open it. Well, lament no more. The Anti-Theft Lunch Bag to the rescue . . .

Anti-Theft Lunch Bags are regular sandwich bags that have green splotches printed on both sides. After your sandwich is placed inside, no one will want to touch it.If you're interested in getting your hands dirty with these bags, send an email to skforlee@gmail.com and they'll let you know when they become available."

Hardy har.

The One with Folded Books


Tuesday, September 16, 2008

I want to learn how to fold books like these people. Visit 2pear, Citizen Katya, and WHIMSYlove shops to see more pictures of these works of art. I wonder how long it takes to make one book.
Here are four different folded books mounted to the wall - very unique home decor.
This books is selling for only $15.00!

This one is my favorite.



The One with ScrapFest


Monday, September 15, 2008

My poor neglected blog! Here's what I've been up to since Thursday:

Thursday September 11th 2008
I woke up Thursday morning and watched a couple episodes of Supernatural. I love that show. It's the modern-day version of X-Files, it even has one of the same producers - Kim Manners. Then I turned on the cable and watched some footage of September 11th 2001. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was driving to school from seminary listening to 107.7 THE END and the radio hosts were talking about the disaster. When I got to school we were rushed into our advisory class where we watched the events unfold on the television. Then we were sent to our regular classes and my math teacher actually made us take the test scheduled that day. Like I could concentrate!

Back to 2008. Chris and Art dropped me off at the airport and I made my way through security and to the gate. I was an hour early so I started reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows for the second time. I was tempted to read Breaking Dawn again since I've already forgotten most of it, and I wish I had brought it instead of Harry Potter.

I had an assigned aisle seat but since the flight wasn't full and there was no one in the window seat I sat by the window. I HAVE to sit by the window to remain sane on airplanes. However, a weirdo came and sat next to me, told me I was in his seat, but that it was okay to stay there. That's the one nice thing he did for me the whole flight. He ordered about three cups of coffee (spew), had his music playing so loud I could sing along to it, took up the middle arm rest the entire time, and was so strange that I didn't feel comfortable enough to ask him to let me go to the bathroom. I had to go so badly by the time we landed three hours later; but of course there was an airplane already at our gate so we had to sit on the tarmac for several minutes. Then there was a huge line in the bathroom. TMI?

Mike and his wife Lenore came to help out at the booth and my mom flew all the way from Seattle to be with me. Once we grabbed our bags we walked to the car rentals and upgraded to a nice Envoy.
We made our way to the hotel and relaxed for a little. Then we went to THE Mall of America. It's like a city. There are so many stores. It's huge. There's not just one roller coaster in the middle like I thought, there's an entire theme park! Naturally, being in a mall all I wanted to do was shop! But alas, I had to work and like I really need more clothes.

My mom and I walked around and around and around. Her favorite store was Department 56. She seriously screamed a little when we turned the corner and saw it. We looked at the Halloween stuff that she collects. I love Halloween and seeing all the decorations in that store made me giddy. Side story: Last year's Halloween was a disaster (although now it's kinda funny). I had no idea what to expect since it was our first year living in the apartment. I bought tons of candy, put it in a special cauldron bowl, downloaded the Harry Potter soundtrack and played it really loud so everyone could hear it, dressed up in my Renaissance dress, and basically decked out the place. And how many trick-or-treaters did we get? One. And where was I when that one trick-or-treater knocked? In the bathroom. Yeah, this year will not be like last :)

Anyways, at about 9:30pm I helped set up the booth. It was quite a complicated set-up but with everyone's help we got done by 11pm. Our location could have been better - we were right across from the Rain Forest Cafe so there was constant mist drifting towards us and obnoxious animal sounds drowning our conversations. But it's all good. Back at the hotel, my mom and I watched some more September 11th footage. Words cannot describe my emotions about this tragedy.

Friday September 12th 2008
I bring my pillow with me wherever I go so I can sleep well. And I did. We ate a good breakfast of French toast and yogurt then we went to the mall for day one of ScrapFest. We set up the make-and-take and the craziness began. Most of the women were really fast and were in-and-out in under two minutes. Others took their time and tried to make their own card/layout using the supplies. Whatever floats their boats. Our line was probably the fastest of them all. Women thanked us for having such a fast line because they stood in other vendor booth lines for up to two hours! If I were to do it all over again, I'd probably provide a layout instead of a card and I'd make our booth display more fancy. I loved Doodlebug Design's eye catching booth.During lunch I met up with my mom and her life-long friend who lives in the area. I got some baked Zitti from Sbarros and it was good. After lunch Kelly taught the two classes and did a wonderful job. As I walked around helping the class attendees, it was funny to see how many people STARED at us. Like we were some kind of freaks. What's scrapbooking? Where are all the men? What are they doing? It was funny. Even Blogger underlines "scrapbooking" as a mispelled word!
Right at 5 we packed up our stuff and headed to the Archiver's in Maple Grove. We did a lot of giveaways, ate some dinner (more pasta, but I love pasta) and quickly taught them how to make this card. I bought a cute 25-day countdown calendar box from Karen Foster Design to alter for Christmas.Back at the hotel, my mom and I watched Overboard. Such a cute movie.

Saturday September 13th 2008
I had another delicious French toast and yogurt breakfast then it was back to the mall.
Saturday was exponentially more crowded than Friday. I've heard that bad weather gets more people to the mall and it rained all weekend. Saturday was a repeat of Friday, just more people. I got an amazing Nutella crepe for lunch. So healthy! Crepes remind me of my days in Paris. This is an actual picture from Paris and he's making a Nutella crepe.
After the booth closed my mom and I hung out. We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant called Tucci's and I got margherita pizza. Mmmmm. It reminds me of my days in London. I would get margherita pizza every time we went to this Zizzi's place. Then we went and saw The Women. Don't see it. The only thing I liked about it was Meg Ryan's hair. There wasn't anything worth watching on TV at the hotel so we went to bed.

Sunday September 14th 2008
We got to sleep in on Sunday but I still got up early to say goodbye to my mom. It was so fun to hang out with her. If she hadn't come, I would have been so lonely! And my wardrobe wouldn't have doubled in size (I'm totally exaggerating :)

We only had one class on Sunday which went well. As the final minutes of ScrapFest came to a close we gave away practically everything we had at the booth. That made women happy. Free stuff is always a good thing.

The plane ride home was interesting. When I checked my bag the lady gave me a ticket that said I needed to request a seat. Uh oh. I was getting bumped. I got through security fast and found my gate. It said gate E15 on my ticket but when I got there it said E11. The lady at the counter where I needed to request my seat had a sign that said "position closed" and when anyone tried to talk to her she said in a rather stern voice, "I'm not open." In the same terminal three flights to Cincinnati had been canceled so people were running around frantically trying to revise their plans. And Delta likes to overbook all of their flights so they don't lose money, which means either people voluntarily give up their seats for compensation, or people get bumped... So I was trying to figure out whether or not I needed to find a ride back to the hotel. Finally someone announced that the flight to SLC had switched planes and was now going out of gate E13 and that it would be "open seating." I quickly got in the semi-line that started forming after the announcement. Once the women said she would start boarding, the line was non-existent. People were pushing and cursing and it was like being at a concert. I wasn't the first one through the line to board the plane, so when a little ticket with 1A on it popped out of the machine I thought everyone's ticket said 1A on it because the computer was screwed up. Since she said it was open seating I assumed that meant I could sit anywhere. I walked by the First Class seats because there were quite a few older people I thought deserved it more than me. I found a nice window seat not above the wing and close to the front. Then one of the stewardesses asked me for my boarding pass and I said I didn't have one. She said, "You need to come with me." Oh no, I was getting bumped. I stood at the front of the plane while everyone walked by. Then the pilots got on and asked me what I was doing standing there. I said the lady told me to. Blank stares. The flight attendant looked down the aisles and saw there was only one seat left - 1A. I pulled out my little ticket that said 1A on it and handed it to her. I should have given it to her in the first place but I didn't know that's what she wanted. So, I got to sit in First Class which wasn't different from sitting Coach except there wasn't anyone sitting next to me. The flight wasn't too bad as far as turbulence. And I don't think I was the only one afraid to fly on that plane. While I was standing at the front a guy knocked three times on the outside of the plane, patted it like a dog, and traced an "x" on his chest with his fingers before he got on. I attribute all of this badness to the fact we flew out of gate 13 - chalk another one up to my triskaidekaphobia.

Now I'm home and my life is back to normal. At least for now!
Paige Taylor Evans © // Quinn Creatives DESIGN