Having breakfast

with the GM. Yep, the GM of the Los Angeles Kings is holding a breakfast this morning. The fans will finally get to meet him and hear his plan for this sorely lacking team. Of course, the regualr people will be there to ask questions and make him squirm. I'm getting a seat up front so I can see the beads of sweat on his forehead as he and the other front office members try not to get caught in a lie......

Attn: Janna H!!!!

Here is one of the letters I ordered. I painted the 'k' a green color and stamped pink flowers using the Heidi Swapp flower stamps and then went over them with Lil Davis Designs Glitter Glaze. (I swear I would paint the walls of my house with this glaze if my husband would let me!!) I finally have a few days off after a hectic month so hopefully, my 'e' will get done this weekend. I'll post pictures of that when I'm done.

If you haven't checked out her website (which is up and ready for ordering(YEAH!)), check it out. http://www.lettersbyjanna.com. I'm about ready to order some more letters. These things are 24 inches tall people!! Thats one big letter. But, I've started a collection of "E's" and this is one of those unique finds. She has them in other sizes if the 24 inch ones are too big for you.

Just picked up......

...some of the new Junkitz Laguna Boy and Teresa Collins Halloween papers at The Scrapbook Oasis (link to blog under my links). I love this store. Always carrying the best stuff. Of course, my friend Karen owns the place. :) Friends in the biz. :)

My new toy from Target.com came today. Wish it came in white, but at this moment, I don't care. I need something to organize my smaller paper collections.

I'm off Friday - Guess what I'll be doing??? :) My scraproom is a mess! I couldn't have anyone over even if I wanted too! With two of these things, its going to look like a store!!

43 days people! 43 days! With a new position at work to keep me VERY busy between now and then, I'm hoping time flies. Of course, it won't because I'm actually counting.......

45 Days....

.....until this!

And this!

45 days until I leave for Copenhagen on the cruise. 45 days. When I booked this cruise last year, the countdown started at over 400 days. I hung a countdown on my wall next to the intinerary and my coworkers all laughed at me. I sent weekly reminder emails to the family so they knew how many days we have left.

In 45 days from now, I will be on a plane to Europe to catch this boat:

Isn't she pretty?

***Note to Janna! I'm trying to find where I put the pictures of the letters. I'll post them when I find them. *** :)

Ahhh!! Someone take my wallet away!

Like now! Just take all the credit cards out. While you're at it, take all of my frequent buyer cards and internet access away. These CHA Sneak Peaks are killing me. I shouldn't look, but I do. The worst part is, no one will have any of these awesome papers and embellishments for at least a few weeks.
My LSS and favorite store, http://www.thescrapbookoasis.typepad.com/ is posting Sneak Peeks all the time. Karen and Wendy are awesome!! Now if I can just get my hands on that new stuff.......

Waves crashing on the beach in Santa Cruz, just north of the boardwalk.

Cute British Pub we stopped at for lunch near Half Moon Bay.

Update coming....

I'm working on uploading the photos to Photobucket and then I'll post some on the blog. Had a great weekend in Santa Cruz for my cousins wedding.



Foggy coastline near Half Moon Bay









Natural Arches Beach, Santa Cruz







More foggy coastline.

My little cousins....

...are all getting into Scrapbooking because of me. I have two little ones that live in Kitty Hawk. I give their grandmother, my Great Aunt, any scraps and old stuff I don't want and she sends care packages back to them. They're going to be at the wedding this weekend so I made something for them. Just something small to puts pictures of this weekend in. I ordered 2 extra Projects kits from the Jenni Bowlin July kit and made them. Aren't these cute? I love Jenni Bowlin's stuff. I have a ton of glitter and shells left over. I made two books using the supplies for one. I coated the shells with Little Davis Designs Glitter Glaze to give them a shiny look and painted the book with light blue glitter paint from LDD. I wrapped each one in a bag with a one time camera for them to use. I love when kids take pictures - you get a different perspective on things.

Driving up the coast.....

...is going to be relaxing. A nice quiet drive up the coast for my cousins wedding in Santa Cruz. I'll post pics when I get back.


Cute picture except for my husband coming out of my dogs head. I had to take this picture before the dog moved. He gets nervous when people start moving around, like he's going to get left alone or something. He's sitting on my mothers lap - grandma. Yes, I need to have children. But how cute is this? He's more like a person than a dog. Seriously. I'm just waiting for him to open up one day and talk. He will, I know it.

So, I made this for my cousins wedding present. Its another altered box with a mini chipboard album in it. Not sure who makes the box, but the paper is all Paper Salon Palazzo.

Projects

I also have a few projects I finished. One of them was a box for my grandmother. I used the June Jenni Bowlin kit and project. I glued swarovsky crystals to the Bazzill Brad in the middle of the flower and made a little mini album for the box.

Bling!

Okay, I used to hate this word, but now I love it. Just a little 'bling' on the layouts, you know? I'm a swarovski crystal freak and tend to look for ways to use them on my layouts.....
So, about those flowers I mentioned in my previous post. Here are a few more pictures. You just can't see the amount of bling on some of these but let me assure you, its there.

My mom and I did all different sizes
and colors. Loved the way they all came out.







Now, on to the Kings Prospect Camp. I was very impressed with some of the prospects and look forward to seeing them in a Kings Uni:

1 Richard Petiot - already technically played with the Kings, but I think he's developed over the last few months and he has a solid future ahead of him.

2. Konstantin Pushkarev - saw him on a line with Kopitar and O'Sullivan. For three guys who haven't played together before, they seemed to 'mesh'. O'Sullivan is the only one with speed on this line, but the other two make up for it in skill. I can see this as being one of the Kings top two lines in the future.

3. Anze Kopitar - pretty big. Not as fast as I thought, but I think he was a bit confused by some of the drills. In fact, I think a lot of them were a bit confused by what Marc Crawford was drawing on the wipe board. I liked what I saw though, he's a good finisher.

4. Patrick O'Sullivan - while I'm disgusted with the trade of Demitra, I can't be disappointed with who they got in the trade. O'Sully fits in well. He was the only one with any amount of speed out there and totally clicked with his Camp linemates Kopitar and Pushy. Hopefully this kid puts on a Kings uniform instead of a Manchester one this year.

5. Matt Ryan - I didn't see much of anything from him. Did not stand out on the first day of camp.

6. Petr Kanko - I love his grit and determination. He reminds me of Jeff Giuliano. There is heart and determination, but the skills are lacking. Most of the time, I saw him picking himself up off the ice and hustling back into the drill. I know the ice is bad, but no one else had this problem.

7. Brady Murray - He's small with a big mouth. It's always open and it seems he has a bit of Sean Avery Syndrome. He likes to be in charge and it constantly telling everyone else what to do. I didn't see any leader qualities in him, but I do see someone who likes to be the center of attention.

8. Gabe Gauthier and Dany Roussin - not much from either of these two. Someone commented that Roussin looked like crap because he was wearing Pavel Rosa's number. I don't think that was it.....

9. Brian Boyle - can you say drool? He's massive. At least a head above everyone else. He's not too bad on skates either. Most people his size don't skate well. He can skate. He's not drowning in finesse while on these skates, but he's god skills. A wicked shot and he uses his size to get in the middle of the situation. Several times I saw him planting his behemoth frame in front of the goalies. Now if that isn't a screened shot, I don't know what is. Oh, and he's probably the best looking (yes, I mean HOT) of the rookies. Sorry, Cammy, but Boyle has the tall, dark and handsome features. You're just dark and handsome. I like my men TALL and Mr. Boyle is tall. I'm glad he decided to stay with Boston for his Senior year.

10. Trevor Lewis - the other draft pick. Not too bad, but I think he needs some time in Manchester to develop.

11. Patrick Hersley - okay, so here's another one that I'm very interested to see how he does in the NHL. This kid has a wicked shot from the point. Corvo like shot, but he's fairly accurate. I liked what I saw, but I'm not sure if he's ready for the NHL level. Maybe another one to sit in Manchester for development.

12. Everyone else I haven't mentioned (Greg Hogeboom, David Meckler, Ned Lukacevic, Contantin Braun, Ryan McGinnis, Bud Halloway, Martin Nolet, Peter Harrold, Paul Baier, Joey Mormina, Joe Ryan and Niclas Anderson) - None of them stood out of the crowd. Some I can see being sent to Manchester for development and re-evaluation in a few years.

13. Goaltending - 6 goalies in attendance.

13a. Ryan Munce - not too bad. A little slow to recover on the butterfly.
13b. Barry Brust - still not NHL level.
13c. Jeff Zatkoff - nothing special
13d. Jonathan Bernier - defintely worth the draft pick. Could have some serious potential.
13e. Daniel Taylor - very surprised by this one. Very quick post to post. Made some awesome saves on the Sully, Kopitar Pushy line.
13f. Jonathan Quick - Manchester material.
13g. Matt Zaba - Not bad. Not great either.

So, once I upload my pics I'll post them. There are some good ones over at http://www.letsgokings.com.

I also spoke with Dave Taylor who seems to still be with the team in some respect. Rumor has it, hes a consultant. I didn't see any of the AEG brass walking around although from what I heard, they were there earlier.

Prospect Camp 2006.....

Oh, the Kings prospects look good. Not all of them, but most of them. I'll post more on that later with pics.

Check this face out.

Isn't this pathetic?? My Rascal in his chair while I scrap. I turned around and saw this and couldn't miss this photo op. Sorry ladies, I don't have kids so this is the closest to cute I have. And he is CUTE! I love love love this dog.




I can't say enough good things about Lil Davis Designs Glitter Glaze. My grandmother and her knitting group have a booth at the Orange County Fair this month and the theme is Flower Power. She didn't know what to do to decorate the booth. Well, my always scrapping mind starting thinking up ideas and after a trip to Tall Mouse for silk flowers (large, very large silk flowers) and a tube of glaze, I came up with these:

My mother helped out with these. We sat at the Scrapbook Oasis in Irvine covering silk flowers in glaze and mixing and matching the centers. These flowers are blinging!!! Bazzill brads in the center, those polka dot ones. I put swarovski crystals on each dot to bling out the centers.

My mother took them to my grandmother and reported back that the ladies loved them. Can't wait to see the booth with these flowers. I'll post more pics later. I'm starving after sitting at the Kings training center all day watching the newbies.

Busy Day!!!

Just got back from Ever After down in San Diego, CA. Took two classes with Michelle Hill from Lil Davis Designs - I just love her! We dia cute summer album made with cake circles. Yes, those cardboard dealies that they put cakes on. She makes albums out of everything. She said she's been known to dig through the trash after a CKU looking for things to make albums out of. Very clever.
The other class was the "BE" book. Pink and Brown. I need to make this blue and brown for me - not much into pink, but I think I'll give the pink one to my mom. She's a pink person. So cute. I'll post pics tomorrow.

2 Peas Blog Question of the day is what music or movies do you listen to while you scrap?

I usually have XM Radio on (80's, 90's or the Mix) and if I'm feeling specific, the iPod gets plugged in. We have surround sound in my studio so I can plug them in and listen to them REAL loud if I want too. :) I'm tone deaf so its probably a good thing the music is turned up loud. Since I just got back from a Counting Crows concert, I'm really into my Crows. Once the hockey season starts up again, I'll probably put my hockey mix back in.

Speaking of Hockey, lots of rumors floating around about the Kings and Brendan Shannahan. I could handle seeing him in a Kings uni, but we'll see. One of our three goaltenders has got to go. We can't keep all of them. Its going to be Clotuier (from Vancouver) and Garon or Labarbera. I want to keep Labarbera but my friend likes Garon so I guess we'll see. One of us will be disappointed when this is all over!

4th of July

Happy 4th!

2 Peas blogger question of the day - Do you have any traditions on the 4th?

Yes, we do. It's my grandmothers birthday so we celebrate. She was born on the 3rd but we all over look it and celebrate it on the 4th. She usually makes home made ice cream (I love this stuff!) and we have a cake for her. We used to have a huge fireworks show on their street in the old neighborhood, but that was a long time ago.

So, only 65 days til the cruise. I checked the Bridgecam again todaya nd the ship is still docked in Copenhagen. You can check out the Bridgecam's for Princess at http://www.princess.com/bridgecams/. A lot of the ships are in Alaska right now and a couple of them were sailing past the glaciers yesterday. Got a good glimpse of Glacier Bay. If you've never been to Alaska, you need to go. The ships sail right up to the glaciers and just sit for a while and let you watch the activity. We took the first sailing up there in May 2 years ago - amazing stuff. I want to plan a trip for the week of June 21st the next time I go so I can see the almost 24 hours of daylight. How cool would that be?
So, 65 LONG days til we leave. I'll be busy with my new position at work so it shoul keep me busy. Lots of traveling - to Salt Lake City and Plano TX. Never been to SLC before but I hear the scrapbook shopping is to die for! Guess I'll have to make it a point to get out one night and shop.

Monday Notes

First, the 2 peas Blogger Challenge:

Q: what scrapbook paper line (or company) do you find yourself using often and what do you love about it?

First, I love Bazzill. I love the colors, the textures everything about it. Its seems to go with just about anything these days.
As for patterned paper, I'd have to go with Scenic Route or Basic Grey. I've been working on smaller books for other people and these papers seem to make the best books.

---------------------------------------
So, I tried some new shampoo this weekend. I had a coupon for a free bottle of shampoo from Bath and Body Works. I guess they have a new line of shampoos and conditioners in the same scents as some of their body soap. It comes in Coconut Lime Verbena, one of my favorite scents. So I picked up a sample and I loved it. I smell like Coconut Lime Verbena from head to toe right now! They're supposed to have Gardenia scented stuff too. The full sizes come out on July 10th, so you know where I'll be that day.

Only 66 days til the Europe Cruise. Very exciting. I'm trying not to think about it so the time doesn't drag, but thats so hard to do. I keep thinking about it and counting the days. I have a countdown going in my cubicle. I hung a picture of the cruise itinerary and every few days I change the number of days until we leave. 66 days as of this morning. This is a big family cruise we have planned so its even more exciting. My parents, grandparents and my Aunt and Uncle are all going. My mother and I are obsessed with checking the bridgecam on the ship. We've been watching it for a few months now. When I checked it this morning, it was docked in Copenhagen which means that the cruise is over for some and just starting for others. In 66 days, it will be my turn.

Sunday Blogger Challenge....

on 2 Peas today. What is your favorite holiday and why?

I love Thanksgiving and Christmas. The family is together and the food is awesome. Plus, I'm a winter girl, so I try to find snow somewhere at least once during the season. I usually go to New York for a few days to get into the Holiday Spirit. Nothing says Christmas like walking around New York City. And hey, its a chance to get away from California. I can't seem to get in the mood here. How could you when its 90 degrees the day you pick up your Christmas tree. I seriously need to move somewhere that has 4 seasons. I can't handle the all of 2 we have here. Warm and Hot with the occasional nasty August thrown in there. No thanks. Give me a nice round year with a perfect spring and a fall. I miss those two seasons, but when you live in the 'desert of the coast' this is what you get.
For Thanksgiving, we've rented cabins in the mountains which is fun. The whole family has gone and just Bryan., Rascal and I. Lots of fun. Just take your own food and hide out in a cabin for a few days. The holidays are a perfect way to get away from everything.

On another note, Ranjini at Scrapologie released the Sneak Peak of the July kit. If you haven't seen her stuff, you need to head over there and check it out. It goes on sale tonight for members. If you aren't a member, head over there and inquire. Get your name on the list so that in September, you can get the kit. She's taking August off since they will be at CHA but she left us all with an amazing kit - Urban Gypsy. http://www.scrapologie.com

Free Agency begins

So, the first big free agency deadline after the lockout was yesterday. I was a little shocked and surprised by a few of the signings.
First of all, the Kings signed Rob Blake to a 2 year deal. First, this guy wants out of LA so badly that he badmouths the fans and management, heads to Colorado where he continues to snub LA (and the fans subsequently booed him - I'm not a booer, but I don't like his attitude.) I have a feeling we're going to start seeing a lot of the old players come back now that Andy Murray is gone. So, welcome back Rob.

Two players that were hard to see go were Mark Parrish and Joe Corvo. Corvo is a heavy duty blueliner that the Kings need. He paired well with Lubo last season. But now he plays in Ottawa, which sucks. I hate when players are traded to the 'other' Conference. It means we'll never see him play. That occasional game every three years thanks to the moron who is running the league now and his new schedule. Parrish only played for the team for a few months, but he would have been a great fit under the new coaching staff. He loves hanging out in front of the net, which is something the Kings need. But, he wanted to play in Minnesota.

The Kings also signed Scott Thornton - I wanted Joe, or both. Can we have both of them? And while we're at it, we need to sign Marleau and Cheechoo too. Okay Dean, lets go.

Still a lot of free agents out there so we'll see what the next few days brings us. JR hasn't been signed by anyone yet and the more he opens his bog mouth, I think he'll find that no one wants him. he played horribly last year (hard for me to say because I was REALLY excited about this trade). He wants to go back to Chicago, but they don't have any interest in him. No one seems too. I have a feeling he'll get some mercy offer from someone and begrudgingly take it. I'd love to see him back in LA but only at a lower salary and a promise of public flogging if he prances around on the ice whining about skates again.

One good thing came out of this, the Kings FINALLY sent out some information regarding Season Ticket renewal for next season. We've all been waiting. Lots of dates included in the email: Breakfast with the GM, Select a Seat etc. Very excited about the upcoming season and to see what Lombardi and Crawford can do with this team. Also excited to see if Bill Ranford was indeed signed as the Goaltending Coach.

A few things.....

So, I took a break from the blog. I've been busy. Friday, we went to see the Counting Crows and Goo Goo Dolls in concert. It was my birthday present. Love the Crows. I make it a point to see them whenever I can. I've loved them since they were the Himalayans. Yes, that goes back to pre-1993 Mr. Jones.

Their interim album is out to appease the fans while they finish up the next studio album, which yes, I am anxious to own. The last release was 3 years ago and their last tour was 2 years ago. Let's just say it seemed like a lifetime before they hit the stage on Friday. I like the Goo Goo Dolls (especially Johnny Reznick *sigh*) but I wanted to see the Crows. They could have played for 6 hours and I would still want more. They are an awesome live band and if you've never seen them, you should. Adam Duritz is an amazing storyteller and a great entertainer - not to mention his cute dreads. He looked like Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons this week - all of the dreads piled up on top of his head.

So, a shameless plug for the interim album. New Amsterdam: Live

And here's a little Johnny Reznick......

yes, he is yummy, isn't he?