So there was this Historical Lighthouse....

And I wanted to see it, because it I have never seen one before...I don't think...(apparently if I have, it didn't leave much of an impression). Anyway, my friends, Stephanie, Jillibean and I had just left Mount Vernon (more on that at a later time) and were driving down this road and saw a lighthouse across the river. Well, on my GPS system, there was a Historical Lighthouse, so we figured, this had to be it....RIGHT???? I mean if the GPS system says it...it HAS TO BE TRUE. Well, we followed all the wonderful turns to get us to the lighthouse and as we are about .4 miles from it (according to the GPS) we found THIS SIGN.

Well, not one to show defeat...Jill and I get out of the car and walk under the bridge. (Dodging joggers and bike riders along the way) Oh and Steph? Steph stayed in the car...which we thought was sad, because she would miss all the fun.

Well, as we get to the other side of the bridge, we see a sign that says 'Lighthouse' with an arrow pointing down a path. Jill and I can't decide if we should go down the path or not, because we don't know how far away it REALLY is...and we have been walking most of the day, and well, let's face it...we were verging on the edge of exercise here and that is something I don't do often. (BUT, that's another story) Well, this skinny lady comes up out of one of the construction trailers (oh did I mention that the bridge is under construction? If not, 'the bridge is under construction') and we ask her how far the lighthouse is. She says, oh it's just down there and across the soccer field, it's not far at all.

Well, I'm ready to opt out at this point (that whole almost exercise thing) and Jill says, "There is no damn way we aren't getting a picture, I'll go take it". So she takes off down the path. I'm standing there visiting with this lady and all of a sudden out of nowhere there comes a HUGE gust of wind, blowing up dust into our faces and the it just starts POURING buckets of rain....The lady and I jump back and as I'm trying to get back under the bridge. Another gust happens and a stop sign falls over and misses me by inches.

Well, Jill has been gone 3-4 minutes by this time and then there is this big roll of thunder, well it scares me and I'm thinking....I thought it was just down the freaking path where is she. Well, I got scared about Jill being down the path by herself in this storm and the rain coming down and the thundering, etc. So I looked at the lady and said, "I have to go find her, she is going to be scared" And I take off running down the trail (Picture this: Fat lady, running down walking path in pouring rain to rescue her friend....it is NOT a pretty sight) I have to SAVE my friend. Well, I'm walking down the path....and walking.....and walking.....and walking......................AND walking...well, you get the idea, it WAS NOT close. So it wasn't a 'little' like exercise it was 'alot' like exercise.

Well, I FINALLY get to the soccer field and I see Jill across the way heading back towards me. Now remember it is POURING this whole time. We are not talking about a nice gentle warm rain, we are talking BUCKETS of cold water. We both have our camera's tucked under our shirts to keep them dry....(kind of like leaving something in your pocket to wash and hope it stays dry...not hugely successful). I cut across the soccer field to get to Jill. And this is the conversation that took place.

Jill: It was a damn SHACK with a glass globe on top.

Klo: WHAT?

Jill: Yes, a damn SHACK with BOARDED up windows and a glass globe on top.

Klo: You have got to be kidding?

Jill: No, but I took stupid pictures anyway.

What a FRIEND. Can you believe she did this for me. Well, we began our 1/2 mile (yes, you read that correctly...the 'short' path was a 1/2 mile) trek back to the car. Still raining by the way.

Before we got to far, we realized we better take some pictures....since the camera's were really staying to dry under our clothes.

HOURS later...okay, maybe a few minutes later, we FINALLY get back to the car, and where the aforementioned Steph was.

Steph after the rain, nice and warm in the car.

Klo and Jill after the rain...DROWNED RATS...literally wringing water out of the clothes.

Well, we are determined there HAS to be another Lighthouse somewhere, because didn't we see one ACROSS the river??? Well, this guy was jogging by and Jill tries to stop him, to ask him about the one across the river. Well, he kind of jogs by and then realizes Jill was stopping him and he goes to stop and instead TOTALLY wipes out, his iPod goes flying and he basically lands on his face. He jumps up with the "I meant to do that" spring in his step, comes back and lets us ask about the lighthouse across the river. He says, "There is a lighthouse just down that path over there" pointing to where we had just come from. He then proceeds to tell us, the other thing we thought was a lighthouse is not one.

All in all, I don't really think I can consider this lighthouse a HISTORICAL lighthouse....however, maybe it could be a HYSTERICAL one. And the rain gave us a really pretty rainbow.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it...HOWEVER, if you would like to see JILL's Side of the story, go to her blog and read more on our adventures.

My Mail Day ROCKED Today

Look what I got in the mail today....Roxanne, a wonderful lady I met in Seattle last year made this for me. It is two sided, so I can choose the mood I want in there. I will have to be sure and share the 'squirrel' story of how Roxanne, her daughter and daughter-in-law REALLY met in a way that we will NEVER forget.

Roxanne....I don't even know how to say thank you for this amazing gift. So THANK YOU. I TRULY LOVE IT....BOTH SIDES.

A New Addition to our Family

Well, we are adding to our family. As many of you know, we have a son, Jared, that is mentally handicapped with autistic tendencies. Anyway, he does not like to have alot of people around, but we want to make sure he doesn't become a hermit and completely anti-social. So we have been trying to figure out a way to help him. Just by chance, my daughter, Heather, found a little yorkie the other day and she brought her to us to watch until we found her owners. (We contacted the Humane Society and local vets), anyway, while she was here, we noticed Jared coming out and being more social and interactive with the family while the dog was there. So after the yorkie found it's owner, we talked about it and talked with a counselor who thought it would be a great idea. We ended up driving by some friends house that happened to have some puppies for sale. Well, the puppies aren't ready to go to new homes yet, but they are ready in about two weeks. Long story short...we bought a puppy...Her name is Elora Danan Oxford and she will be moving in on July 1st or 2nd. Here is a picture of Elora Danan.

I guess I better get busy making cute cutouts for puppy pages.

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go...*sing it with me*

Well, I'm off to GASC-Arlington, TX tomorrow. I'm so excited. I will be working in the Pazzles booth and teaching classes on Friday and Saturday.

I'm so excited to 'work' with my buddies, Steph, Jill B. and Dona. They are some of my amazingly talented friends. So if you are at GASC....stop and see these talented women and say hi.

Using the Cut Line and Mirror Functions

On one of the groups I belong to, Robyn asked how to get the cut line and mirror to work for an AWESOME file she has been cleaning up. Instead of trying to type it out, I decided to show her how I do it, then I could share with everyone. Thanks Robyn...you are very talented and this is a beautiful file.

Creating Your Own Rubber Stamps

Have you ever wanted a stamp but couldn't find exactly what you were looking for and when you did, it cost $12 (more or less)? Well, now you can make your very own rubber stamps on your cutter. Here is a fun tutorial showing you how to create them and put them together. If you want to do this and don't have rubber stamp material yet, you can get it from Pazzles. If you don't need the acrylic blocks, you can also order the stamp sheets single, for this you will need to call Pazzles or email them direct.

Embossing, Engraving and Pen Fills, Oh My

I show how to create a 'fill' item in your software, so if you want to have engraving, embossing or even your pen tool fill in between the lines you can. Have fun and enjoy!

Another Cool Overlay

I didn't intend to create this. But, I was just messing around, trying a bunch of things and my husband walked in and goes, "Did you make that?" I just said yes, and he says, "Well, it is my favorite so far". So, I decided I better cut it out and add it to my store. The more I look at it, the more I love it. If you like it too, the file is available for download at my store.

Add an Image to the Image Gallery aka Blue Book Tutorial

I'm someone that does alot of designing away from my cutter. I was thrilled to find an easy way for me to be able to save files to my Image Gallery (thanks Melinda) along with organizing them there. This took the stress off of me needing to go hook up to my cutter every 5 saves (although, I love having those saves too, without having to worry about losing a dongle security key)

Anyway, this is a very basic tutorial on adding your designs to your image gallery/blue book. Remember though, if you want to share your file with a friend, you will need to save it in the wpc format in another file area.

Live Class Announcement

I'm going to be doing another live class via Live Video on Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 8pm CST (central standard time), you are welcome to join us.

I am going to be demoing how to create and cut your own rubber stamps, plus there will be question and answer time as well, so we can hopefully learn a lot of great stuff all together.

If you want to join us, you will need to do the following well BEFORE the class.

1. Go to www.livevideo.com (don't be alarmed at some of the pictures)
2. Search for scrappingklo Channel
3. Click on Live Show

If you have not signed up already, you will need to sign up, then go click on my name and request me for a friend. I will check for 'new friends' until about 10 minutes before I start, anything after that and you will miss out. I'm looking forward to seeing you all.

Overlay Obsession

Well, for some reason, I'm having a blast creating these paper lace/mesh overlays. I really love the challenge of them. They aren't really hard, but they are time consuming...anyway, here are two that I did today. The cutting files are at my store.

Out of the Box Tutorial

This should probably have been my very first tutorial. I discuss how to change your blade, how to prepare your mat for it's first use, load and unload the mat and the basics of using the actual Inspiration machine. I hope this will help some of you that haven't actually started using your machine yet....get it out and start cutting, you have an amazing machine and you can do amazing things with it.

Pregnant Lady

I was scrapbooking with friends a while back and one of them needed a pregnant lady that was tall and skinny (obviously, this is NOT a self portrait). So I created this for her. It was so fun to do this and it was so quick to put together. Anyway, I decided that someone might be able to use this too, so I added the cutting file to my store. I may have to do one that looks more like ME when I was pregnant...LOL....or not

Fun, Fun, Fun

Well, I have been working on a few tutorials and having a blast with them, but I think I'm ready to start doing some projects and doing a little more creating, so keep an eye out, I hope I can create and share something you might really like.

Plus, I'm still working on my mom's 80th birthday album (ok, ok, more like THINKING that I NEED to be working on it...since the party is at the end of June....good thing for the last minute, or I'd never get done....)

Don't forget, if you want to be able to download the tutorials, you can go to the Kloriginal Designs™ Store. I also have some files there and I hope to be adding some more over the next week 'between creating and designing' *grin.

Print and Cut Tutorial Part 2

The first part is the setting up the page and printing it out in the Inspiration Software, this is actually doing the cutting part....Have fun!!!!

Print and Cut Tutorial Part 1

Here it is, the long awaited Print and Cut tutorial. Thank you so AMANDA at Pazzles for helping me learn this...You ROCK GIRLFRIEND.

Girl of the 70's

A friend sent this to me and it really brought back a huge flood of memories...I hope you enjoy this as much as I did

IF YOU WERE A GIRL IN THE 70'S...

You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it. Mine was actually orange, but I had it and I LOVED it



You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels. But when you fell with these...it really hurt...*grin



You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!) I also wanted to be Captain Stuebings daughter so I could be raised on the ship



You had nightmares after watching FantasyIsland. Nightmares? I don't think so...maybe I watched different one....hmmm, maybe time to break out some old shows.




YEAH! You owned a 'Slip-n-Slide' , on which you injured yourself on a sprinkler head more than once. And I have a scar on my knee from it too...LOL

You owned 'Klick-Klacks' and smacked yourself in the face more than once ! I still have mine (sitting right next to my original rubics cube)...and I didn't smack my face so much as smash my fingers...OUCH...I think they ended up outlawing these because they were so dangerous


Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession. Confession time, I still have my Holly Hobbie drinking glasses and I have a cool Holly Hobbie plate that hangs on my scrapbook wall.


You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers. And don't forget the the coolots (or however you spell it) and the zip up 'faux leather' boots

You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once. And then you would try to 'dig' a hole, so it wouldn't do that anymore
You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color. (Oh yeah!) With 'streamers' hanging off them

You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the
Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture;
And you despised Nellie Oleson! I actually wanted Nellie's ringlets and to be Mary (she was prettier)


You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink! While 'slow' skating....him going backwards and you going forward (or vice versa)

PONG! ('video tennis' ) was the most remarkable futuristic game you've ever heard of ! I remember going to my brothers and he was playing this AMAZING game....I sat and played this with him for HOURS.

Your hairstyle was described as having 'wings' or 'feathers' and you kept it 'pretty'
With the comb you kept in your back pocket.
When you walked, the 'wings' flapped up and down, looked like you were gonna 'take off' I remember my mom telling me to flatten my wings....LOL....and don't forget the comb had a handle and 'big teeth'


You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie. I was more of a Holly Hobbie girl...but my daughter loves the New Strawberry Shortcake.

You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic.
With the thermos inside some were glass and broke the first time you dropped them. Ok, true confession here....I had a GOMER PYLE lunch pail and yes...I BROKE my thermos.


You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend. They were BOTH mine....and of course, Uncle Jessie....


It was a big event in your household each year when the 'Wizard of Oz' would come on TV.
Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags! AND, you got to pick out soda at the store and have a candy, we would plan on this for weeks.


You spent hours wondering : 'Who will I marry.
Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or David Cassidy?' David for most of the time...but Shaun did make a pretty good play there towards the end of the 70's.

You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record album. And the 8 track, then the cassette and now I have the CD. Afterall, Grease IS THE WORD.


You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes, decoupage,
Or those weird potholders made on a plastic loom. The potholders were wierd???? Gee, I thought grandma loved getting them for gifts....


You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker. And then you would get really mad at the DJ for TALKING through the beginning and end of the song...DON'T THEY KNOW, you are trying to record it. Plus, trying to get everyone to be quiet in the house...


You thought Olivia Newton John's song 'Physical' was about aerobics. (?? Its not??) REALLY, it's not????



You glopped your lips in Strawberry Roll-on lip-gloss till it almost dripped off.

Of course, Bonnie Bell was the very best....

Two Ways to Scallop a Square

I have used a new technique while recording this tutorial....let me know if you like the new style...or prefer the old way.

A New Look

So, I decided to play with the look of my blog today....sorry for the temporary 'faux paus' that happened while trying to view the tutorials....but I do believe they are all fixed now.

My right brain and left brain kept arguing about having my picture, etc on the left side of the screen, so I finally had to switch it around and I must say...I do like it better...still not sure who won the right brain, left brain argument...so we will call it a draw.

I'm hardly working today and having a wonderful time....have a great weekend.

Mesh Overlay

I have been having some fun creating an overlay. This is my first 'mesh' style. I have the file on my store website now too, if you like it.