House Selections...

Yesterday was a very busy day. Our house is officially taking its' shape and feel. Here are a few of the items we selected. I don't have pictures of the door hardware, trim, flooring, tile, countertops or carpeting yet, when I get them I'll post them as well.

We selected brushed nickel for all plumbing fixtures, white trim/doors with oil brushed bronze and Knotty Alder with a burnishing stain for our cabinets. These items are just the beginning, I can't wait to show the flooring options we selected. So far, I'd say that our house has a warm earthy, but open feeling. It'll have some great character (at least I hope).

*This is not the exact front door we selected. It is similar. Ours has the two bottom panels and the stained glass appearance comprised of varying squares of glass in clear/textured/frosted with black leading.

No Kids Required...

I know that many of us have children as the main focus of our scrapbooking. Sure, it is easy to understand why. We want to remember every special moment of their lighting fast childhood. However, there are so many aspects to life that we should all take time to document. In preparation for my open house celebration, I created a layout showcasing a few of my favorite photos from my recent photography class. It was a blast to create and I just LOVE the new Boom-Di-Ada papers.I hope that you can see in the photo that I was able to create a shadow by stamping Barn Red and then adhering my cut out letters using the Boutique stamp set. I also, wrote part of the title in my own hand writing, something I don't know if I have ever done previously.
Normally, I am guilty of trying to use my absolute best writing when journaling (or I fall back on computer journaling). After seeing a fellow Consultants pages and noticing that they had such a great personal feel to them due to her wonderfully imperfect handwriting, I took a stab at simply just writing quickly. I worried that I would destroy my layout (I wrote after everything was already attached), but the pressure was a good thing and I am happy with the results.

Super duper good news...

Yesterday morning we received some extra special good news. We are approved for our financing on our home. Now we just have to get them our contract with our builder, a set of prints and the final numbers. As soon as we do that they'll send for an appraisal and as long as it appraises close to what we anticipate that it will, we are ready to go.

It was a bit of a scary situation since we are really pushing the envelope. The lender requested more documents than I could have ever guessed and honestly, if she had asked for blood I wouldn't have been surprised. Since I am a stay home mom and we are going to be on a very tight budget, I had to write a letter explaining that I was employable and if needed that I would return to the working world. The loan officer prepared me that they may say no or ask me to return to work before granting approval. So, when she called and told me that we were approved, contingent only upon the house appraisal, I was beyond ecstatic!

On Monday, we get to go pick out flooring, countertops, millwork, doors, plumbing and more. It is going to be a busy day, but the day that we get to "create" the look and feel of the inside of our home. Sure wish I was a designer, lol.

Are you in the Seattle area?

You're Invited to a Celebration!

Who: You (and a friend!)

What: an awesome time filled with
fun, crafting and prizes!

When: Sunday May 18, 2008 @ 4:45 (until they kick us out)

Where: Round Table Pizza - Lake Meridian

Cost: Come alone and the cost is $5.00
(free w/purchase or booking a party)
Bring a friend and the fun is FREE for you and your friend.
*Cost includes the fun projects shown below, prizes and the New Idea Book.
Plus, your choice of feminine or masculine layouts.I am so excited to be featured in the brand new Close To My Heart Summer Idea Book that a celebration seemed in order! In addition, to the excitement of the new book, we also received our building permit.

You, my dear customers, have a large part in these successes!
I'd like to treat you to a celebration! Join me for fun, prizes, scrapbooking/stamping projects & the NEW Summer Idea Book!

You must RSVP to reserve your spot!

Only a few spaces are still available!

You can RSVP by phone or email: (425) 413-4280 CreatewithChristine@msn.com

Cedar River Water Shed Photography Course

As I mentioned earlier, I took some pictures today during the photography course. Many of these are practice shots, but some of them turned out better than hoped. Shooting in RAW may be more than I am ready for, I just don't know if I have any time to figure out a new process. After actually installing the software that came with my camera, I was able to upload the RAW images and convert them to JPEG so I could edit them. In this case, the only editing I have done is to crop. Enjoy! (Click on Image to See the Entire Album)