The One with Currently Reading

One of my 27 before I turn 27 goals is to read a book every month. So far so good!

June: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

July: Pompeii by Robert Harris

August: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

September: The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

October: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

November: House Rules by Jodi Picoult

December: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I enjoy most books I read. Likewise I enjoy most movies I see. I'm all about entertainment!
I don't really have a favorite genre - I'll read whatever anybody tells me is good! So if you have recommendations, speak now or forever hold your peace.

As for reviews, I'll leave that to my better half. He reads like it's nobody's business and writes stellar reviews of everything on his blog. His review of The Help will be posted Wednesday morning. I'm curious what he thought of it. I loved it!

Okay, I'm leaving the computer now to delve back into Ender's Game - I'm hooked! So much so, I'm really starting to like the name Ender... Adding it to "the master list".

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The One with Answers

You had questions, now I have answers!

Isha said: Where do you find your inspiration to create such beautiful cards and layouts?
Since I work at Scrapbook Trends magazine I'm blessed to be able to view hundreds, if not thousands of layouts on a monthly basis. I am inspired by so many people! If there is a layout I particularly love I'll save it in my "inspiration" folder and then when I'm about to scrap I'll print off those image and look at them while I'm creating and use bits and pieces from my favorites. Lately I've also found lots of fun patterns and techniques on Pinterest. And, last but not least, I subscribe to hundreds of fellow crafter's blogs and love getting my daily dose of inspiration from them!

Holly F. said: Miss Paige, I have always wondered what Chris thinks of all your craftiness. Is he tolerant, enthusiastically supportive, or a mix of both?
Chris has known from day one that I'm a crafty gal and has been completely and 100% enthusiastically supportive ever since. He's also an artist so he knows what it's like to make something from nothing and the feeling of accomplishment that goes along with it. He's my #1 fan :)

Melu103 said: Have you been outside the USA? If so, where?
I went to Canada once (or twice?) when I was a teenager with my family. I don't remember much about it... Then I did a study abroad to London when I was 20 and also got to travel to France, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Germany during that time.

Most recently we went on a cruise to Mexico. There are lots of other places we'd love to travel to someday, particularly Italy!

Camille said: How did you guys decide on the name Fox? (because I LOVE it)
Once upon a time there was a show called the X-Files and every Sunday night the entire fam would gather 'round the TV to watch it. That was when I first heard the name Fox - as in Fox Mulder.

I fell in love with the name and vowed that someday I'd have a son named Fox. 10 years later my wish came true!

Danielle said (PS - send me a link to your blog!): I was just curious if you will ever be teaching a book binding workshop in Utah?
We don't make it out to Utah very often (much to my chagrin!) - hopefully the next time will be in March for an annual bookbinding conference I attend with my grandpa. If enough interest is generated I'd love to teach one then!

Carolyn (my dear sweet mother) said: What do you love most about your mother? :)

Everything! Now that I'm a mother, I appreciate your role infinitely more. I love how you raised me and everything you taught me and I love all the traditions we share and the memories we've made and I love your personality and how I can talk to you about anything and our daily chats and on and on.

Here's another question: When are you going to have another baby? :)
All in good time Malm! How's that for vague? :)

Erin K said: Does being fantastically crafty pay OK?
I think so. It's just a matter of finding your niche and then getting noticed for what you do through blogger or facebook or twitter. All my jobs revolve around scrapbooking, which I love, so I'm so lucky to be able to get paid to do what I love! One of my favorite quotes growing up was "Choose a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life." I like to think I'm living that to the fullest!

Eliz Gardner said: I am wondering if you are a member of CHA and/or if you have had any fun experiences at any of the shows?
I've gone to the winter show in Anaheim or Los Angeles every year for the past four years either through American Crafts or Scrapbook Trends. The show in 2009 was definitely the most memorable cuz I was literally face-to-face with Paris Hilton.

She's on the left and I'm in the front row in the yellow on the right.

That's also when I met my fabulous friend Reyanna Klein :)

Tanya said: I know how much you love movies. What is your all time favorite movie?!
I actually have a blog post dedicated to just this! My all-time favorite movie is Elizabethtown.

There's not really a big plot line - it's mostly a series of sweet moments, each capped with the right song at the right time. The music is a really big part of my attraction to this movie. It's so different from anything I listen to on a regular basis - it's sort of folk/small town/country music. Also, the chemistry between Orlando Bloom (Drew Baylor from Oregon) and Kirsten Dunst (Claire Colburn from "Loo-uh-vul" Kentucky) particularly draws me in. I think part of me wants to live the "small town" life where everyone knows everyone, houses have picket fences and wrap-around porches, and you can hear crickets and see the stars at night. There's a lot of that stuff in this movie which is another reason I love it. There are also some really great quotes in the movie, such as: "If it wasn't this, it'd be something else." So true. This movie definitely doesn't appeal to everyone - I've recommended it to friends and family who watched it and weren't impressed. I guess I hyped it up too much. If you do decide to see it, make sure you can watch it all the way through with no distractions and in a quiet place where you can really get into the music.

Sandee said: I want to know how Joey is doing after his encounter the other day, and did those people ever apologize or anything?
That's so sweet of you to remember and ask! Joey is doing great. He's still a little sensitive when we touch him where he was bitten, but I'm sure in time that will pass. I haven't seen those people since, though I'm always on the lookout. It was right around Thanksgiving and I'd never seen them before so I'm thinking they were just visiting? I remember they called their dog Charlie though so if I ever see them again or a dog that looks similar I can ask if its name is Charlie and then let them have it!

Mdegraeve said: What made you decide to title your blogs with "the one with"?
We're big FRIENDS fans.

All of their episodes start with "The One with" or "The One when". In addition to naming our pets after FRIENDS characters (Joey the dog, Rachel the cat, Chandler the rabbit, Alice the finch (her mate was Frank Jr.), all of my blog posts start like that just to show my dedication to the best show ever!

Lauren (if you have a blog let me know and I'll link you up!) said: 1. Do you ever get to scrap 'just for you'? Messy. Simple. Whatever. Put it in a book and done. No scanning or photographs. Just for you.
Eh, not really. I'd like to think that I am scrapbooking for myself whenever I'm doing assignments though because I'm using pictures that I want to scrap and that's what it's all about - preserving my memorable pictures.
2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10?
In five years we'll be towards the end of our 4 year commitment to the Army. Who knows where that will be! We'll find out next December. We're hoping for Germany or somewhere abroad. In 10 years we'd like to be settled in Texas. Or Washington. Or Colorado. Somewhere more towards the west coast just to be closer to family.
3. If money were not necessary, what is the one thing you would purchase for yourself? What would you do? What places would you visit? To whom/what org would you give?
That's lots of questions in a single question! I guess I'd buy a big fat diamond ring? Or a ginormous house? Or a nice car? We'd travel all over and document our adventures. And I'd donate to animal shelters :)

Rachel said: I always read your blog and think you look so much like Anne Hathaway! Do people tell you this in real life? 

I've never been told that I look like Anne Hathaway! Back in high school I used to get told I looked like Julia Roberts. Must just be the brown hair and brown eyes. 

Also, how many kids would you all like to have?
4 or 5.

Louella said: I have been thinking of bucket lists at the moment - so what's on your bucket list??
I have a 27 before 27 list that we're slowly ticking things off of! Here's the link to it: http://www.paigeandchris.com/2011/05/one-with-my-26th-birthday27-27.html

Luke and Court said: I'm into shampoo... what kind do you like? Do you use professional stuff or stuff from the grocery store?
I guess I'm boring and just go for whatever's cheapest at Costco! We switch it out every time (since the bottles are so big they last like 8 months) but it's never anything fancy.

Reyanna Klein said: I *totally* was going to ask you the baby question the other day. Because Fox is almost 15 months old... meaning, if you got pregnant next month, they would be two years apart. Just sayin... ;-) 
People people people. We'll have more kids when we're good and ready!!! :)

Melissa said: Remember when we had you and Chris over for dinner a million years ago. What did you think of us? We didn't really know one another and sometimes I just think I'm a big awkward goober. I've always wondered what you thought about that night. Is that strange? You can be honest, no tears will be shed :)
You're so funny Melissa. We totally didn't think you were goobers. We're the goobers for not returning the favor and having you over for dinner! We thought your apartment was cute and the food was delicious and we loved learning more about how you two met and getting to know you better! I'm so glad you did invite us over and that you have a blog so I can keep up with your fascinating life!

Bethany said: I want to know why you think a cursive Q looks like a 2.
Award for the most random question goes to Bethany :) And I have no idea how to answer it!!

Natt Smith said: What do you usually do when you have creative block? 
I get creative blocks every month. Right around the time of my monthly gift. TMI? Sorry. It must be the hormones or something but I always feel sooooo uncreative during that week! The best piece of advice I received recently which has really helped me whenever I'm feeling unmotivated or don't want to do something that needs to get done is this: do whatever it is you're dreading for 10 minutes and that's all the time it usually takes to "get into" it. Try it for 10 minutes. Works like a charm!
Who inspires you? 
Soooo many people. Right now I'm loving what I'm seeing from my fellow AC and Hambly gal Corrie Jones. Just look at my loooong list of "Scrapbookers" links and that's who I admire. And then some :)
How many scrapbook layouts do you have ? 
All my scrapbooks are in Fox's room and he's sleeping right now or else I'd actually count. I'm thinking hundreds though... I've been scrapping for 10 years now so I've built quite the collection!

Jennifer Sanborn said: Who's your favorite Disney character?
Oh this one's easy! Belle from Beauty and the Beast!

Why? Because the gal who plays the voice of her in the movies is named Paige. And she has brown hair and brown eyes just like me!

Meredith said: Since Joey was your baby before Fox, how did that adjustment go for Joey?
Joey was interested in Fox for like a half second and then he went and did his own thing. Now that Fox is older and walking they interact more and are best buddies. Shiba Inus are not known for being great with kids but when Joey was only 6 weeks old we started taking him to obedience classes and have always had him around people and other dogs which has shaped him into the gentle creature that he is today.

Tiffany! (if you have a blog let me know and I'll link you up!) said: What hair product do you use? Do you use a diffuser? Or are you blessed with gorgeous curls that just naturally air dry like that?
I never really paid much mind to my hair as a child. My mom would braid it once in awhile but other than that it just always hung there, straight as an arrow. When I hit puberty at 13 and actually started caring about my looks my hair went and got curly on me! (Same exact thing happened to my dad - his hair got curly at 13!) It took an entire year and like 365 days of ponytails to figure out what to do with it. Now my routine is always the same. I wash it and then lather gel (DEP brand strength 8) into it when it's wet then I let it air dry. Once in a blue moon I'll straighten it with a ceramic flat iron, but it takes forever and a day so I have to have lots of time on my hands. Which is rare. 9 out of 10 days I still wear it in a ponytail. I wish I knew how to do fun and creative things with my hair!

Joanne said: So I'm just wondering, what's your favorite layout of all time because you have so many awesome layouts.
My favorite layout is always changing as my style changes and new product is introduced. Once I create layouts I clip six of them up at a time on the wall and admire them for a few weeks until they're replaced with new layouts or I send them out for publication.

Savannah O'Gwynn said: I just want to know how you do it all? 
I've always been super organized - I lined up all the pots and pans and utensils in the kitchen when I was just a wee baby. And I've always been super self motivated. I think those things combined helps me accomplish everything that I need to all in a day's work. Chris is so helpful and understanding of me and my jobs and watches Fox as soon as he gets home from school and all weekend. And he does all the cooking... During Fox's naps and after he goes to bed at 7 is when I get most things done. I make time to do things that I want and prioritize. I use Google Calendar and make lists for EVERYTHING. I get tons of satisfaction from crossing things off my list.
And I actually thought of this question last night while watching Toddlers and Tiaras (I know I know... I shouldn't watch that show - teaches the kids bad things) and thought, "I wonder if Paige would ever put Fox in a pageant show... he would totally win!"
After I saw this comment I googled "baby modeling in LA" and found dozens of websites. But that's just another "thing" that I can't take on right now, haha. If we're ever approached by a talent agent or something, heck yeah we're all for it, but making it happen ourselves isn't in our cards right now. I'm sure he'll be flattered someday by this :)

Lynley Jill said: So here's my question... I was on an in house design team for years at a well known company but we never got our names put on any of our work :( With years of experience but no name to show for it I can't seem to have any success getting published on my own. What tips do you have for being a successful/published stay at home scrapbooker? 
That's so sad that your name wasn't attached to your work! That's half the fun of it! My tips for getting published: use great quality pictures, not blurry or dark ones but very professional and bright ones. Use current product. Take really good photos or scans of your layout. Submit submit submit! The more you submit, the more familiar your work becomes. Look at what's being published now - does your style match what's "in"? Try scraplifting a few of the layouts in recent magazines and see if you can incorporate the latest trends into your style.

Heather Leopard said: So this is The One with Would You Rather... Sky dive or scuba dive?

Scuba dive for sure. Just thinking about skydiving makes me have vertigo. 

Go mutton bustin' or ride a bucking bronco? 

Mutton bustin' cuz that sounds less painful than riding a bucking bronco. 

Eat live scorpions or live roaches?

I'm not even gonna answer this one! Ewwww!!!

Nicole Martel said: How did you meet Chris? High school sweethearts?
I've blogged about this many-a-time cuz it's a story I love to tell :) Click on that link to read the entire story. But basically, in a nutshell, we met in 2006 when we were 18 as freshman in college in an art history class. Turns out we lived right across the street from each other. So convenient! We dated for 9 months, then he went on a mission to the Philippines for 2 years, he got back July 2006, we got engaged November 2006, and were married in May 2007. There's a lot more funny details in the long version though!

Heather said: How did you learn Morse Code?
I've actually blogged about this too - one of my very first posts! In high school we all had to do lengthy, extensive, ambitious senior projects. My dad suggest I get my ham radio license and I didn't have anything better in mind so that's what I did!

The 2nd best license (which was my goal for my senior project) required learning Morse Code. There were some simple programs available on the internet which helped me learn. My dad knows Morse Code so well it's scary so we'd pass notes back and forth in church all in Morse Code to help me practice before the test.

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The One with the Hambly Design Team Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Hambly Design Team Blog Hop!

We'd like to introduce you to the new design team members through a blog hop (and giveaway). Visit all 16 designer's blogs, where you can read a little bit about each member and see a project and/or tip about Hambly products. Leave a comment on each of their blog hop posts, then go to the Hambly Blog and leave comment. On Dec. 19th 2011 at 12 noon PST we will randomly pick and announce the winners on the Hambly Blog.

Angela Gutshall PA
Corrie Jones GA
Felicitas Klink Germany
Iris Babao Uy Philippines
Janna Werner Germany
Jaz Lee Soo Hui Singapore
Jennifer Rzasa MA
Karine Cazenave France
Kirsty Neale UK
Leeann Pearce Australia
Leah Farquharson FL
Maisa Mendonça Brazil
Marie Ramirez CA
Mou Saha FL
Paige Evans CA - you are here!
Pearl Lui NY

Here are 10 random facts about me:
1) I've been scrapbooking for a decade now, ever since my first job at a scrapbooking store when I was 16, and I think it's the best hobby on earth!
2) My favorite things to eat are Thai food and candy - any kind of curry and anything fruity and chewy!
3) In the 2+ years we've lived in Southern California, we've been to Disneyland 40 times...
4) We have a dog named Joey, a cat named Rachel, a rabbit named Chandler, a finch named Alice, and a chinchilla named Li'l Chinchilla. I really like, no, love animals.
5) I know Morse Code.
6) Apart from scrapbooking I also enjoy fine arts like painting and drawing, bookbinding, photography, and crafting.
7) I've eaten over 17,000 bowls of cereal in my life.
8) When I was little I wanted to be a veterinarian. After I failed my first chemistry class in college, I quickly changed career paths to Art Education.
9) I blog almost daily - it's my guilty pleasure and totally therapeutic!
10) Our son Fox is named after Fox Mulder of the X-Files.

Without further ado, here is my Hambly hop project:

RIVERWOODS MALL

Journaling says: The Riverwoods Mall is so much different than when we lived there! It's closed off and was completely festified for the holidays. Eric, Tanya, Allie, and our little family loved walking around and seeing all the twinkle lights and sparkly trees - we even went in Santa's house! Fox seemed to really enjoy it and even pointed at the bright trees. To top the night off we got the most delicious apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. I may have anew go-to flavor: peanut butter cups. It was a fun night with family.

How to: Cut a diamond out of chipboard then use it as a template to cut out dozens of diamonds from all kinds of Hambly papers, transparencies, and vellum. Arrange the diamonds into "snowflake" patterns on a lime green cardstock background. Apply snowflake rubs ons across the layout and top them with mini jewels. Sew around the snowflakes using white thread then write around the largest one using a black pen. Apply round rub ons to kraft cardstock, cut them out, and adhere them to the center of the snowflakes using pop dots. Place letter stickers around the rub ons to create a title. Add three photos to the bottom right corner, using pop dots under one of them.

Supplies: Patterned paper, patterned transparencies, patterned vellum, rub ons (doilies, snowflakes): Hambly Studios; Cardstock, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Jewels: Pebbles; Letter and number stickers: October Afternoon; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

Thanks for "hopping" by!

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The One with the Hambly Xmas Frame

I've got my first tutorial on the Hambly blog today! It's an "XMAS" frame - perfect decor for the holiday season!

Make sure you visit the Hambly blog to see how to create it from start to finish.

Bonus - more Hambly tomorrow!

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The One with Q&A

My SIL is the inspiration for this post - she comes up with awesome blogging ideas so I'm totally copying her. Hey - that's the most sincere form of flattery right? (Well, let's not open up that can of worms with the bunch of creative types that read this blog :)

Do you have questions? I've got answers!

What do you want to know about me, my life, what I do, what I think, what I believe, ANYTHING, EVERYTHING - let's hear what you want to know! (Let's keep it PG though :) I'll do my best to answer every single question in a near future post. This oughta be fun!

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The One with Fox at 14 Months

It's Fox's golden month birthday! 14 months old on the 14th of the month!

Length: 32" (75-90%) 

Weight: 23.2 pounds (25-50%) 

Head circumference: 19.25" (90-95%) 

So he's a tall skinny boy with a big head. People always ask if he's two years old. Nope, only 14 months. (Mystified looks from said persons. I don't know where he gets his tallness or bigheadedness from! I'm sure he'll even out eventually.)

As soon as he woke up from his nap today we took his 14 month pictures... sleepy much?

Queue cats meowing and dogs barking (also known as parents making obnoxious noises to get their kid to smile) - hey, it works!

We love that Fox can walk. It makes him seem like such a little grown up to have him meandering all around the apartment and he goes wherever he wants to go. He's a little person! We're still boggled that we're parents and we are to Fox what our parents are to us, if that makes sense.

It's been pretty cold outside lately but when we do venture outdoors the first thing he does is find a pair of leaves. He's O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D. with leaves! Why must he walk with them? Hopefully he can tell us one day.

When he drinks his bottle he lifts his pinkie finger like a little gentleman. 

Fox has a built in radar that finds water of any kind - puddles, rivers, creeks, what have you. All he wants to do is splash and play in the water!

Fox does this new sad thing. TANTRUMS. When he doesn't get what he wants when he wants it he bangs his head on the ground or smacks his toys on his forehead repeatedly until we make him stop. The poor boy. Is this normal? His head is one big bruise :(

Not to mention he's always running into things. He needs whiskers like cats or something.

Fox gets his groove thang on now whenever music plays. He bounces up and down and bends his knees all cutely. I didn't even know knees could be cute! But Fox proves they definitely are.

Occasionally Fox walks backwards when he's being shy or cautious. It's the funniest thing to behold. He slowly, timidly, takes a step back. Then another step. Then another. Other times he spins in circles. He's learning how to use his feet in more ways than just forward motion.

Sleeping and eating habits are about the same from last month. He might be phasing out his morning nap. He goes a few days without one then takes it again for a few days. Afternoon naps are still in full swing though. Naps are good.

Fox can climb up and down from the couch! It's amazing that in just 14 short months he went from a helpless being to a full-fledged boy capable of so many things.

One thing is for sure - he's a handsome little boy!

Happy 14th on the 14th my little man!

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The One with Christmas 2011 Family Photos

We hired my friend Megan of Megan Papworth Photography to take our family pictures this past Saturday. 48 hours later and we already have an entire CD full of beautifully edited photos! Talk about a quick turnaround - which is so(OOOO!) much appreciated - now we can send out our Christmas cards before we leave for the holidays! We decided to take pictures at the Pasadena City Hall, which, if you're a fan of Parks & Rec, is the same building they show as the Pawnee City Hall. Megan showed up right on time - bonus points! Fox was a great baby for the first five minutes. Then it was all downhill from there. The only thing that would console him was his pacifier, and we didn't want it in the photos, so I'm pleasantly surprised that there are so many great photos of Fox and our fam without a paci and a smiling happy face! Another reason Megan's a great photographer - you'd never know we had a screaming, crying, temper-tantruming baby between takes, she managed to snap at the perfect opportune moments.

I'll never be able to pic a favorite... That's a good thing :)

Thanks so much Megan - you rock!

Christmas cards coming soon!!

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