Taking the IDOL Journey Part 1

I never thought that two months had gone by so fast.
It felt as if it was yesterday when the ScrappinMom's announced the ScrappinMoms Idol Challenge and Joanne texting me to join. Never in my wildest dreams as a scrapper have I thought I would survive! As Nita mentioned, it's our comfort zone. . . to be happily scrapping as we please, which is how it should be. But if we want to advance in our craft I guess there comes a time when we just have to push ourselves to the limit.

My mom was hospitalized the week of the Elimination Round, I really wasn't in the mood and as I kept on telling Mia my mojo was on the low side. But nonetheless, after much prodding (thanks Mia!) I relented and gave in. It was a respite really, to take the pressure off mom being sick even for a little bit. And on that fateful day began a scrapper's whirlwind.

Every week for two months, my scrapping schedule was always the same:

Wednesday: Panic . . . as I stare blankly at my empty craft table. Thursday at 1:00pm was the deadline to upload our layouts, and I often have board meetings on Thursdays. Need I say more?
Thursday: Looking like a racoon from staying up late making my layout, I finally email the challenge requirements. Just 24 hours to hold my breath and perhaps the only "break" from total brain drain for the upcoming challenge IF I was still in the running. Watch the SM Idol gallery like a hawk until it's updated! And I often marvel at the beautiful creations of all my co-contestants and say to myself . . . that's IT!!! this is my last round!

Friday: 12:00AM i'm watching the contestants gallery, ever so slowly scrolling down and screech to find my picture still there! My last name starts with a Y, all my life i've always been at the end of the list, the last seat in class, pretty much always at the end. The SM Idol Contestant Gallery was no different, although they did base it on the first name . . . my real name starts with a K, but everyone knows me as Tin. Apparently, that didn't help either. Later in the day, the next challenge is issued and met with WTF?! And so my sleepless nights begins once more!

Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday:
In the Evenings ---- I scrap in my dreams. I kid you not. I'm a night owl and I have insomnia so I often force myself to sleep so I can get up early in the morning. I excercise like a maniac during the day so i'm out like a light by 12, only to wake up at 2 or 3AM wide-eyed and think to myself: OMG! I could stitch on my Hambly's! I lay awake for another hour or so, imagining the sketch in my head. I fall asleep thinking if I my Infuse papers will work with Scenic Route stickers.

Early in the AM --- Wake up, groggy from a nights sleep filled with sketches and ideas I head off for work. . . sneaking in studying sketches by the famous scraping diva's and plotting out my layout on Photoshop. I design slippers for our company, so if they were to find me with Photoshop open I could always pass it off as work hehe ssshhhhh!

By mid-afternoon --- As I return from work or if it were a weekend from a day out with the kids, I attempt to catch a bit of the afternoon sun to take the required photos. Or, if my 17-year old daughter was in the mood, have her take photos for me. Child exploitation? I think not. *wink wink* start 'em young I always say!

Bedtime --- settle in to sleep in my comfy bed and start to doze off then wake up only to realize it's . . . Wednesday!!!! Start the crazy process all over again. . .