TOPS Chapter Scrapbook update

This is the plan I wrote up yesterday.

I’ve got one project that needs to be as finished as possible before I leave on May 13 for a TOPS State Recognition Day that’s 230 miles from home.  The project is to update the old (as in started around May 1969) TOPS Chapter scrapbook. It was kept fairly well until sometime in the 1980’s.  I’ve got some pictures from the year(s) 2000+ category (I first joined in 1986-9) that I will be adding.

(1) I’ve taken apart the old scrapbook as the cover was starting to wear badly and have put

      the pages all in page protectors in a more modern 3-ring binder scrapbook. I grabbed

      the TOPS related photos I’d already had printed (before I went digital.)

 (2) Go through all the pictures in my Lightroom® catalog and put them in a quick

        collection. [I did this and then hit some keys (butterfingers!) and managed to put the

        whole catalog of pictures (17,000+) in the collection.]

(3) Today I will go through that collection and move just the TOPS related ones into the

       SECOND quick collection – or research how to close a quick collection without deleting

      all the pictures.  I just want to get rid of that collection but not my photos. I’ll try an

       experiment with a collection or fewer photos. [ I went ahead and managed to fix the

       error – turns out that you can remove, i.e. delete, any collection without affecting the

       photos – they stay in the catalog and on your hard-drive or wherever you had them in

       the first place.]

(5) I will go through all the photos (there were 166, several of which are duplicates) and

      pick the best ones and do a quick clean-up of each picture (mainly white balance.)

(6) Then I will print the photos I’ve worked on. They’ll have to dry for a while so I’ll start

       planning the pages.

(7) Make a list of what pages I’ll need. [and what supplies I want to use.]

       A. Colors for bases (no more than 3 different ones that complement each other)

       B. Patterned pages – I’ve got hundreds of pattern papers and most are just single

            sheets in both 12×12 and 8.5 x 11. No more than two patterns per page or double

             pages – prefer one to be either checks, stripes, circles and the other floral.

(8) Create a new title page.  At the same time create a 3×3 title block for the insert in the

       front of the binder.

(9) I have a page designer kit that I bought when I first started scrapbooking but never

       really used.  It’s got page maps (sketches) and templates for cutting the parts.  Since

       I’m planning on using that with the family heritage albums I’ll be creating later, I’ll

        start with this one.

        A. Pick the page map I’ll use.

        B. Identify the card stock and patterned paper to use.

        C. Page Title and alpha die cuts to use.

        D. Put all in LARGE plastic zip-lock bag.

(10) Build the pages.

There you have it.  10 steps. Steps 1-9 I’ll allow one week (Step 9 will get 4 days.) The rest have about 2 weeks to finish.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Actually I managed to do steps 1-6 yesterday – I was really on a roll – so now I’m on step 7. I still have to cut apart the pictures (and may have to spend some time checking the metadata on the pictures to get the dates.) But I can get started on the real work as I just added 4-5 days to what originally was going to be two weeks.

OMG – I’ve only got three weeks before SRD

In two weeks, May 13, SRD (State Recognition Day for New Mexico TOPS Chapters) will start.  This year’s theme is “Thanks for the Memories” and chapters are encouraged to bring their chapter scrapbooks to display for others.

I’m the chapter “historian” now and the scrapbook needs to be brought up to date.  The last entry was sometime in the 80’s, I think. I joined the local TOPS chapter sometime in the 80’s but didn’t really start with the program until the late 90’s or early 2000’s.

I have some pictures from as early as 2007 (166 to be exact but several are duplicates or member pictures for our “Tail-cutting Board.” (I need to get a picture of the board to put in the book.)

BTW – TOPS is a non-profit, International Weight Loss organization that’s been around since 1948.  TOPS stands for Take Off Pounds Sensibly. (You can learn more by checking out http://www.TOPS.org .)

So, I have a plan to get this done and you, my readers, are invited to come along and watch my progress.

 

I have a blog?

It’s now past the middle of April, 2016 and I haven’t added much to my blog.  What can I say – stuff happens.

It appears that my theme might not be WP any more. Correction it is.  The composition screen is different in any case.

Now I’m getting the urge to write but it might not be the best use of my time right now.  I have a convention to go to in less than a month and I need to update a scrapbook before then to take with me. My craft room is a total disaster and I have nowhere in that room to do any scrapping which means I really should get in there before I go to TOPS this morning so I can truthfully say I’m working on it.

Since the first of January I have completed 30 Days of Lists in March. I got the taxes done before we left on our cruise on April 9.  We’re not getting any refunds; we had to pay. And we went on a cruise with Bobby Box, our favorite “Disk Jockey” on the radio station 98.5 Big Oldies. There were 35 of us and we stopped at two places we’d never been to, Rohatan Honduras and Belize plus one place we’ve been to twice before, Cozumel. There were some hiccups along the way but in general everything went fine.  Our largest piece of luggage should arrive by Friday. Luckily the dirty clothes were in my large suitcase and I’ve washed them and put them away. But my make-up is in the large suitcase; but I seldom wear make-up so that’s not an issue other than I don’t have it.  I think my real gem jewelry is in that bag as well.

So, far warning, I may not post again for a while.  I’ve still got three trips to take before Christmas and have to do things to prepare for them.

Sometimes being retired can be rather stressful.

Happy New Year 2016

A new year and a new start.  I turned 67 today.  Hopefully I’ll post more this year.

 

September 23 List

Prompt: How I indulge myself.

A local co-op deals with a New Mexico farm for it’s goat cheese.  I especially like the Figs ‘n’ Cream.  I don’t buy it often because I’ll eat the whole 2.5 oz in one sitting if I’m not careful.  It’s a goat cream cheese with fresh figs in it that I mix up so I have a taste of fig with each bite.

I guess I shouldn’t say I indulge myself with the massages since I’ve been having them for something like 5-7 years.

I’ve been buying Reba brand blouses for 3-4 years now.  I really like her style.

That non-dairy coconut cream ice cream is delightful.  Also filled with calories.  Don’t buy it too often but when I do, I usually buy 2 pints.

September 22 List

At least this one is being posted on the day it’s for.  That’s progress.

All the extra embellishments are from one of the first digi-kits I bought:  Inch Loss Plan by Dawn Inskip.

 

September 21 List

Prompt: Books that make me cry

I don’t usually read books that make me cry.  Black Beauty was the first one to make me cry.  I felt so bad that Beauty had to suffer with many different owners.  There were spots in The Incredible Journey where one of the three almost died (and I loved that Siamese.) I seem to remember feeling sad in Wuthering Heights.  I think he was the first man that I just knew I could change and make happy. (Mr. Spock came later – I was sure I get through to his humanity.  Me and 100,000 other women, I’m sure.)

By the way, today, September 21 is my daughter’s birthday. Because I’m a kind and loving mother I’ll only say she’s somewhere between 20 and 100 years old.

September 20 List

Perfect Combinations

 

September 19 List

Prompt – How I stand out in a crowd

1. I’m not the quiet one.
2. I’m usually not afraid to state my opinions. (unless it’s to my father or maybe someone important like a Rabbi, Priest, or Preacher.)
3. I use reasoned logic and precise English in my arguments (I don’t want to be misunderstood.) The more obtuse or nasty my opponent is, the more proper my English becomes.
4. I don’t suffer fools (period!)
5. I will admit when I am wrong.

Not listed, I give credit where credit is due and I don’t appreciate others take credit for something they didn’t do (whether I’m the one who deserves the credit or someone else is.)

List 18

Prompt – My Travel Essentials

None of mine are very odd. I will do laundry on a ship if I have to; but I’d rather not. And since the ship uses industrial washes and dryers, I’m leery of letting them wash my bras (I may wash mine in the washer (in warm water) at home – but I hang them up to dry. They last longer that way.) On one trip we went on, we (my DH and I) got out the full trip’s worth of matching t-shirts (a favorite souvenir) a few days before we needed to pack. When we got to the hotel after the flight to our departure port, we discovered that DH hadn’t packed his.  So we had to buy two matching t-shirts for each of us  (for our first day at sea and first day in port) in Ft. Lauderdale and two matching on every island that we stopped at.  Another time, I forgot to pack his underwear. Ooops! Good thing it wasn’t a cruise and there was a WalMart handy. The rest is just what we’d need normally.