Look what I found on You Tube...

I didn't know about this and it's totally weirding me out. I wrote the text for an article on Scrapbooking.com, but I didn't know about the video.

Really awkward listing to my words being read....

Jurra Does More than Just Announcements...

Meet Jeri Lynn.

Jeri Lynn is absolutely amazing. She has a unique independent spirit, and she is brave enough to follow where it leads her. Even when the decisions are hard and ... and even when the decisions are painful. She reminds me of who I wish I had been when I was her age. I admire her so much. She is a very special friend of mine... and very talented.

I LOVE her style.

Jeri Lynn is a graphic designer... just starting out.. but you would never know it.

If you've been to my blog in the last 3 years then you're well aware of how much help it needed. I can handle basic editing, and I can build a design with premade digital elements, but that is as far as my graphic design talents go. And so naturally, I hired Jeri Lynn to build me a new tag and a new background. LOVE LOVE LOVE what she came up with. Made a few changes to the background papers to accommodate my blog format, and wah-lah, Gorgeous. She nailed my style.

So HAPPY.

Jeri Lynn specializes in announcements... graduation, weddings, baby... you name it. Check it out: HERE

http://jurradoesannouncement.wordpress.com

Oh, and here's fair warning: Around graduation time... might want to get your orders in early. Jurra gets pretty busy.

xoxo Cam

Cam... Just Ranting About Bead Caps.

Be warned. This post is lame, and reading it is not a good use of your time... Disclaimer done.

Now please be sure to leave comments. :)

So I'm working on a necklace project, and I ran out of bead caps... you know, these:

Simple, cup the bead without taking up a whole lot of space, and stamped out of a sheet of very thin metal. Extremely inexpensive to manufacture.

I'm extremely short on time, and I am slightly limited geographically to stores I can make it to during my lunch break.

And so on Monday, August 23, I go to this store... supposed to have everything.. I won't name names, but the store has a particular website dedicated solely to pictures of the people who shop there.... Not a single bead cap in the store. Nada. Annoying, but life goes one.

Day two, second try. There is a bead specialty shop... Going to take my entire lunch hour to get there and back, but I don't have any other options. Drive all the way there only to discover they are having an unscheduled day of CLOSED. Not out of business, just a messy hand written note taped to the inside of the door,

{We will be closed, Tuesday August 24th.}

Fantastic. I left my own sign. It said:

{I will not be back, Wednesday August 25th.}

Which brings us to today.. and a special hobby store, that really does not have a lobby so I'm not sure what their PROBLEM is. (Yes, I'm feeling rather annoyed.)

Way to far for me to make it there and back in an hour.. so I'll be making up the extra time at work...

An entire Isle of BEADS and accessories! Yay!! They have to have bead caps.

Yup. They do. I checked, and checked and checked again... ONE style remotely similar to a stamped bead cap...and it's only available in sterling silver. for. 6.00. fricken. dollars. a. fricken. bag. of. 20.....

I hate getting ripped off... seriously, and this is a complete rip off.

But there is a sign!

[Metal Bead Accessories 50% off!]

Okay, I still know I'm getting royally ripped off, but I'm desperate. I grab two bags and head to the register..

Wait... wait... wait... one checker... line... wait...

And then... as it turns out only the brand name: 'Metal Bead Accessories,' is actually on sale.. Mine are full price. I commented to the sales lady that I don't even need silver, but it's all they have. The lady insists they do have them in non silver, and suggests I come back tomorrow and check and see if any come in on the truck....

I'm three days in and I've already wasted 3 lunch hours... So I paid my $12.50 for 40 bead caps and leave

After work I took a short detour to one other large "warehouse" craft store to try my luck. Another huge bead department, same crappy bead cap selection. They did have some bead caps... right style, but quite a bit large than the ones I need, not sterling silver... BUT on sale for $.10 each. $5 bucks for 50 later, and I'm going to make them work... and then make another trip to that lobby store and get my $12.50 back.

Oh... the picture of the bead caps above... Found those on a particular Oriental site that trades a lot... $5.99 for 100....

It's not about the money, is about me being annoyed... and the fact that the whole world should revolve around me and it hasn't this week and that's lame. I hope you feel for me, I really do.

I know.. and I warned you. Don't worry they won't all be lame.. eventually the stars will align and I'll have an unlame post. Until then, just know that I love you.

xoxo

Cam

PS. I have a really exciting changes to my blog coming soon, but I can't talk about them right now... they are too cool, and totally allergic to lame. SOON.

Express the Moment!

My Brave Girlfriend, Kim Rose, over at Express the Moment asked me to do some layouts for her August scrapbook kits. The papers are beautiful, and the embellies divine.

Here's a sneak peak, but you'll have to check over at Express the moment if you want a better look!

This weekend: Camping.

Then I seriously owe Teresa Collins... Seriously.

And I've gotta make Jennica a dress.

xoxo Love ya, Cam

My Bestie - Beware it's Gooshy...

This evening a friend of mine asked me, "What was your favorite part about Australia?"

No question. Ali.

My Best Friend, my Bestie, my Most Favorite Friend in the whole wide world.

I wish my Ali lived next door, or even in town, even 200 miles away, or 500 miles away... but no, she's about 13,000 - 14,000 miles away... and really what's a 1,000 mile difference when your talking about that kind of distance? It takes about 20 hours on the fastest available forms of non billionaire transportation to get together for a cuppa. Shes always 18 hours ahead of me - convenient when she comes to visit here because the clock when she lands in Boise reflects about the same time her clock said when she left home in Australia... not so convenient on the way back... And, huge plus... she can always let me know ahead of time if the end of the world is coming based on whether the sun rises.

[Ali and Cam July 2010 - Magnetic Island, AU]

TRUE friends are so important. I don't know how I survived before her, and I can't imagine how it would be to lose her. There is no topic off limits. We can trust each other with our opinions, decisions, and feelings because we love and care about each other unconditionally. Even when we don't agree. She can give me objective advice about the most sensitive topics without offense. She already knows everything so I'm afraid that part of our friendship is one sided... No joke.

[Cam and Ali - July 2010 Northern Australia Outback.]

[This picture taken moments before Ali dove into the water and wrestled a crock. REALLY.]

So when asked what my favorite part about Australia is, my mind goes straight to Ali's kitchen table, crafting together, watching Glee, and being about to talk, just talk, nonstop for hours, face to face. Ali and I have been best friends for five years, total time spent in person: about 4 weeks - total.

[The outdoor catalogue pose]

Ali is Australian, I am American. We met through eBay of all places. After several transactions we started emailing and just never stopped.

[Ali and Cam - July 2010 Cairns to Townsville lookout point]

I remember after one transaction that occurred probably months before we ever started to email as friends. The package I mailed to her never showed up. It was several weeks late. Usually when this happened I would offer to replace the merchandise, if the buyer would agree to pay shipping for the new package. Ali would not... She would not allow me to replace the merchandise without paying me something for it. That was a first... and it really impressed me.

((I wouldn't have done that. I would have wanted my seller to feel responsible, and probably tried to get extra free stuff out of them for my inconvenience of having to wait extra time for the replacement... I know, right? I need to be more like Ali.))

[Cam and Ali - July 2010 Beach in Cairns]

By the way, have I mentioned Ali is 6ft tall, gorgeous and has a fabulous accent (and a fabulous husband... so leave her be)? Meanwhile, I am 5'5'', and have an American accent.. and American manners... need I say more?

We balance each other.

Love you Ali. xoxo

Cam

My DIY Version of the Baby Crib Mobile.

My latest project. Hope you love it.

Supply list:

Teresa Collins FREESTYLE Papers

1 12x12 Green Cardstock

Sheer 1 inch ribbon in pink and orange, approximately 4-5 yards total

24 - 3/8 inch multi facated clear beads

24 Oval or cylindar shaped green glass beads

Approimately 32 inched metal strap.

20 gage wire.

Baking paper

4 Inches sheer green ribbon

2 3/4 - 12x12 peices of Memory Makers Baroque Thick Molding Strips.

Check it out on Two Peas HERE... and remember, I love comments. :) Expecially when they are nice comments!

For the How to's, Jump on over to Teresa Collins Blog!

Hope you love it.

xoxo Cam

PS. More about my FAB trip to Australia later.

AUSTRALIA

Here I am.. Sitting in my lovely room, made available to me by sweet, sweet Emi. Completely awake and ready to take on the day! I've had a good sleep, and feel great.... and oh.. yeah, it's 4:15 am. Dang it. Well at least by tonight I should be mostly adjusted... and if not, there is always Ambian.

Still can't believe I made it.

My trip started out alright. Left Boise without a problem, had a very short stop in Reno and were back on the tarmac inside 35 minutes. Just needed approval from traffic control in Los Angeles to take off.. (btw, I had no idea the receiving airport also had to approve a plane's take off.) The pilot informed us we were waiting for approval... and then informed us we were still waiting for approval.... then informed us that it appears Air Force One is at LA and flights are being held, hopefully it would not be much longer. Then after about 45 minutes on the runway we were told it was going to be at least another hour before take off. We returned to the gate and deboarded. After about 35 minutes or so the flight crew made an announcement at the gate that we had approval from LA to take off, but only had a 15 minute window to do so... so they rushed everyone back on the plane and we took off. Mind you by now it was 9:35pm pacific time.. which was when we were suppose to be landing in LA.

Landed in LA at 10:33pm... then had to wait 15 minutes for a gate to be available due to all the flight delays.. 10:45...flight to AU was still on schedule to leave at 11:35pm and I still had to deboard, get my luggage from baggage claim, get a taxi to the correct gate, check in, check my luggage, get through security and get on the flight... (yeah right).

Got my luggage, which mind you I had 4 bags totalling about 120 lbs, and somehow navigated them alone from baggage claim to a taxi, and then to the gate and Qantas counter.. the whole time on the phone back and forth with Qantas telling me, "you will not be making the flight, but head to the Qantas counter were they will rebook you." Luckily, there was a gal on my flight from Reno trying to make the same AU flight, whose husband is a Qantas pilot, and was logged into the Qantas system, and he was telling us not to listen, but to RUN.

Get to the counter and the Qantas employee is a little smug, and telling us, the plane is closed.. if only you'd been 15 minutes earlier.... We discuss that Southwest should put us up in a hotel for the night, and then he starts working with my friend to get her rebooked onto a flight tomorrow night. (Oh yeah, did I mention the next flight to AU would not leave for another 24 hours?) Then he turns to me and says, "Okay, lets see what we can do for you. Name Please."

In the meantime Southwest is arranging a hotel for me, and at 11:36pm I texted Ali to let her know I did not make the flight.

I give the Qantas agent my name... he enters it, and then says, "OH! You are already a confirmed passenger on this flight, let me see if we can get you on." I responded with, "what?? on THIS flight?? Tonight?"

The one that's suppose to be closed already?

He calls and I hear him say, "what do you think, Connie? should I send her up?"

So naturally I start yelling in the background, "YES, PLEASE Connie! Say Yes!"

And so Connie says the most beautiful word in the entire English Language. (Leaving me with a little bit of guilt for my friend and another mom with two small children who were not being allowed through.)

Once again navigating 120 pounds of luggage to the TSA luggage security screening... the security check point had just closed... so they send me to another 200 feet down. Got the luggage check made it to the escalator to get up to security screening, and the escalator was closed... Luckily, now I only had about 40 pounds carry on luggage... Back the other way to the other escalator..

Got to security, there was NO line. Amazing.

Half way through the security people asked me if I was Camille and started rushing me through.. At the other side of the metal detector a Qantas employee is waiting and asked me for my passport, then ran to go get me checked in while I collected and put all my carry on baggage back together. Ran to the gate, and was rushed onto the plane... which was completely packed with lots of passengers that did not appear all to happy to be waiting for me. I overheard a Qantas employee mumble something about holding 400 for one.

The passengers chilled when we were delayed another 30 minutes or so before take off, due to the back up at LAX from Air Force One.

((The moral of this story is ALWAYS check in online ahead of time.))

13 hours later (I think our pilot was 'speeding' because the flight is suppose to be 14 hours) we land in Brisbane, AU at 6:30 am local time. My flight to Townsville leaves at 8:30am. And oh, guess what? According to the customs officer, once I finally got TO a customs officer, it is the busiest travel weekend in Australia all year... including Christmas. And it showed.

Luckily, due to my late arrival in LAX my baggage did not make the AU flight so I was called straight over to the Qantas baggage claim desk and given a ticket to verify my baggage had been mishandled, as well as an express ticket so I could use the flight crew security check point... it still took about 1:15 to get through customs. Then another 20 minutes to figure out how to get to the correct gate... so glad I did not have luggage to check. Got to the gate at 8:10, and the flight to Townsville had been delayed till 8:55. PHEW.

Called Ali and let her know I was not in America, but had made it to Brisbane, which she had already figured when she could not reach me.

Flight into the Townsville went without a hitch. (Thank you!!)

Everything is lovely.. Ali is lovely, her girls are lovely, and well, Matt... Matt offered to let me borrow his underwear till my luggage arrives... in about 36 hours... so Matt's lovely too.

I managed to stay awake till about 6:30 pm... I'm trying to figure out how many hours it was from when I woke up to go to work Friday morning.... Um..

Got up Friday at 5:30am, arrived at Boise Airport at 5:30pm. 12 hours

Left LAX at 12:00, which would be 1:00am Boise time. 7.5 hours

Flight to AU - 13 hours.

2.5 hours till flight to Townsville

Then the flight was about 1hour 20 min

Arrived in Townsville about 11:30 am AU time. (I think.) and stayed up till 6:30 pm. 7 hours.

43 hours 20 minutes? Granted I did get some sleep on my Au flight... I'll be optimistic and say 5 hours... off and on.

And so. Now you can see why even though I packed my camera on my carry on so I could get pictures of the trip over, my camera has not made it out of the bag.

But I am here. :) and it is now 5:30 am Monday morning. I promise to take pictures today.

Lots and lots of pictures.

But first, I need a shower.

xoxo
Cam