Hey! Too Cool Fire & Ice!

I am sitting here this morning enjoying my coffee and finally taking a rest. It has been go, go go! Hubby has come home after a three week stint in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. This is where the bulk of his work has been happening lately and will for a good long while. The funny thing is that every time I mention that to someone from home, they always ask if we are gonna move back.

No, sorry, it don't work that way. They just send him there, but it doesn't mean I can't come visit. If I have my way, I'll come visit more often.

I also want to thank all of you for the well wishes and support on my new Prima teaching venture. Just a few more arrangements and I'll be posting classes soon! It has been a bit of a trail to get things started and organized, but I am feeling encouraged and motivated! So thanks!

Also, I really want to thank Michelle and Trisha from Fire & Ice for featuring my album on their blog.

This is just one page, I can't show you everything! I am particularly happy with the cover though. So go see if I peaked your curiosity or if you just want to see what a whole lot of talented artists can do with the Build-A-Books. It will blow your mind!

The War of the Duelling Canons.....

My husband and I are at war.

It is competitive and it is extremely territorial. We are pulling out the Canons and I tell you it ain't pretty. Or maybe it is. At least the our pictures, anyways.

Trevor and I have been in a battle of picture. When we entered the world of digital cameras back in 2004, my husband brought home a nice, handy point and shoot Sony that served our purposes quite nicely. However, as I became consumed in scrapbooking, we found that I was taking over that camera and felt it was time for a sweet little upgrade.

We needed bigger. Better. So off I went and opted for a nice Canon A640.



Perfect! 10 megapixels, 4x Optimal Zoom and a schwack of options to play with.

It has great settings and did pretty much everything I wanted to do. It is a great camera to get started when playing with different settings. But again, considering the whole "scrapbooking focuses on pictures" thing, here I go hogging the thing. My only beefs were shutter lag time and a lot of settings required that you stand like some ridiculous mannequin to avoid blurring. It did get some great shots with it.

This camera hogging, of course, frustrates poor Trevor. You have to understand that all his life, he has been a little shutterbug. I came to this conclusion looking through his mother's picture stash, where a large majority were taken by him. His particular interest is landscapes and wildlife with a peppering of familiar family faces.

And he truly believes I am just a "point and shoot" kinda gal that purchased too much camera for her "knowledge".

So, with all that said, if you consider that I have marked the family camera as *my* territory, you can imagine this poor guy frothing at the mouth to try and steal it away from me, which wasn't happening. Considering his job, he ain't taking it away from me for extended periods of time.

Keeping in mind that he loves pictures and has a mean streak of not being outdone, he saved up his spare change for a darn long time and non-chalantly came home with this. Just to re-establish his role as the one who wears the picture taking pants in the family. And let it be known that he has proclaimed it as "his toy" and now his pet project to get the most of this specimen.



JERK!
Let my envy begin. He knew it too.
You know, I simply cannot have that level of smugness oozing out of him.

In the spirit of this war, I pulled out a weakening blow. Camera knowledge. Oh yes, Sweetheart! Right now, I know more about this camera than you do. Ha! Take that!

So now, this only motivated him more. His shots have been A.MAZ.ING. But just to throw in another jab, I have fun flaunting my Photoshop knowledge by tweaking the photos.

So where does this leave me? I was in a tough spot. To be honest, the Rebel is too much camera for what I need. I just want good pictures for projects. My good ol' A640 had served me well, but I was thirsty for more.

And so, alas I am ashamed to admit, I upgraded.


Don't judge. It was on sale. If I am going to lose the arsenal race, I sure as heck am going to go down with Canons ablazing.

12x Optical Zoom, Image Stabilization (the clincher) and again a schwack of settings to choke Ansel Adams. Ok, not, but close.

And no we haven't shelved the A640. In fact, we passed on the enthusiasm and gave it to good friends with a new baby and an awakening passion to take a million pictures. If Trevor and I can pass on the enthusiasm, the war was is a means to an end.

Introducing..........

Prima Hybrid Products:
Sweet Notions by Meredith Fenwick
White Papers and A Little Magic 3 by Vera Lim Designs
One Sweet Day by Corina Nielsen
Gem Shiloette Baubles by Iron Orchid Designs

Here it is! I am so excited to be included as part of Prima's Endorsed Instructor Program!
So, what does this mean?

One, I am joining a great group of uber talented ladies. Prima has got some of the best and well repected instructors in the industry.

Second, I'll be out there teaching folks how the latest and greatest techniques with Prima products.
Build-A-Books, Paintables, mini albums and more! I have a few classes up my sleeve.

If you are interested, I could be teaching at a retail store or retreat near you!

And if you are a retailer or retreat holder that is interested in a class taught by me, you can contact me through the sidebar on this blog. Come see the benefits of having a Prima Endorsed Instructor has in mind for you.