50 years of the Doctor

I've been nerding out over Doctor Who these past few years but it's been around a lot longer than me! In honor of the show's 50th anniversary, BBC America has been airing tons of specials and favorite episodes leading up to tomorrow's special episode. And it's like Christmas has come early.

I really can't wait to see David Tennant and Matt Smith together tomorrow. I'm going to a little party thrown by one of my college friends. And then I'm going to see it again on Monday in 3D at a movie theater. 

Right now, I'm watching An Adventure in Space and Time - a movie about the beginnings of Doctor Who and I'm just fascinated. I didn't realize the show's first producer was a woman, Verity Lambert. 

I'm so glad I discovered Doctor Who - I blame Craig Ferguson, who was always talking about it and finally had Matt Smith on the show. People used to look at me like I was crazy when I first started talking about it. And now I just saw an Amy Pond action figure at Toys R Us. I think I've got lots of company now. 

Warning: Lots of pages ahead

I just went through my files to see what I've been up to since my last roundup in September and I see I've been on a roll! I did all seven of the Lily Pad challenges in October and scrapped a few more for their Digital Scrapbook Day challenges. I have done a bunch of pages for Big Picture Classes (three of them! I think I'm addicted!). And my creative team designers have kept me busy too.

But I've had lots of adventures the last few months and lots of new photos I just had to scrap. I went apple picking with the big kids and pumpkin picking with the little one. There was Comic Con and Halloween. Lots of stuff to enjoy this fall! 

These first two pages are my first ones from NYCC 2013. (That's two more pages than I've scrapped for NYCC 2012. D'oh!) Adventure Time seemed to be everywhere this year and this bunch of cosplayers was pretty cool. Then this Headless Horseman photo - I didn't realize until later that he was from Sleepy Hallow (I've seen two episodes - so cool, but I haven't had time to watch more) seemed to work with one of Amy Wolff's new kits called Sleepy Hallow. Seriously love the alpha! 

This is a round up of pics (there weren't too many!) from Derek's third birthday party. Also a challenge from my left/right brain class. Multi-photo pages: that was an easy one for me! Derek really loves Jake and those pirates.

My little buddy also loves Buzz Lightyear (check out that hoodie I got him for Christmas!). And he was super excited to ride a pony when we went apple picking. This is Amy Wolff's Goodbye Summer kit.

I love this photo so much. I didn't do a thing to it. I love how the overcast sky made all my pics looks this day when we went pumpkin picking! This was one I did for a TLP DSD speed scrap.

Penny and I have been going for lots of walks lately. Trying to enjoy this fall weather while it lasts. And on Halloween, we took a walk on Bergenline with Penny dressed as Wonder Woman. She got lots of smiles from all the trick-or-treaters. 

My friend Joy is getting married in Jamaica - I think today! - and since I'm not there, it was nice to celebrate with her at her shower. It had a really pretty sunflower theme.

Some pics of Kylie playing basketball. I think I need some new sports titles! I think I've used this one along with (Name of Sport here) Star several times. At the rate she's going, I'm going to be doing a lot more sports pages! She's on two soccer teams this fall - and I haven't been to a game. Bad auntie! She's the only girl on her travel team - and she's the youngest one - but she's been a great asset to the team scoring some goals and assisting. (Is that what you call it? I don't understand soccer!)

My sister is being a good documenter and she's taking photos of Maddie just like this each month! This was the first one. Maddie just turned 5 months old! 

Maddie LOVES this little Ernie doll that I got for her. And I really love my little Ernie dude that I drew using shapes and paths. I am so proud of this one! Hee!

Maddie thought sitting next to pumpkin was hilarious.

My sister and I went to Rutgers Gardens - which I had never been too even though it was pretty much across the road from where I used to live! This is one of my favorite shots.

Maddie and her great-grandma during a little dinner party we had for her 4 month birthday.

Maddie's hospital portraits. Screen grabs! 

I started a new class at Big Picture called Process. I was really curious about it because the instructor is a newspaper designer and from what I can tell she is like me in that my work and hobby overlap! The first week was about photo editing (more about selection than say photoshop) and I don't think I did much focusing on that. The challenge was to use your "process" to select your photos and then use a multi-photo template. These photos are terrible, but they're so cute I wanted to scrap them all. 

This one was a right-brain challenge on using shapes. This is when the big kids met the mini one. 

This was a left brain challenge. We had to put some journaling on a journal card. I really don't even like journal cards - but it wasn't too hard for me as a digi scrapper to get everything I wanted in that space! 

One of my faves from pumpkin picking. Using Amy Wolff's Hoodie Time.

Maddie loves her little gym. These pics were from a few months ago - now she twists and rolls over. It's so much fun to watch her grow!

This is my dog Pickle. That's her name according to my sister.

Right-brain challenge to paint over your photos and not use a background paper. Not too hard for a digi gal, but also fun since this isn't my usual style.

This is a little deep and art journaly. I'm taking a class about happiness and this was one of the challenges. 

Hey that's me! I was looking all fancy for my friend's shower so we took a pic. Lots of fun goodies to scrap with from Kim Jensen and Amy Wolff for one of the BOYCs at TLP.  

Another fave from Rutgers Gardens. Using Michelle Godin's Golden Days.

More BOYC scrapping. I won mapple syrup at work! And Penny with daisies in my yard.

A pretty flower from Valentine's Day! This page was a GSO! 

My friend Diana and I were in book nirvana at the BEA convention.

And some summer fun stuff. Summer Shandy and Taco Tuesday! 

My New York Comic Con 2013 Adventure

I’ve had “blog about Comic Con” on my to-do list for a few weeks now and tonight I’m going to make myself sit here and write! I am going to need some notes when I finally get around to scrapping the epicness that New York Comic Con 2013!

Day 1: Thursday, October 10

My day was busy before I even went over to NYC. I got a hair cut and then I went to see Gravity with Randi and Maddie. They have Baby Pictures screenings at one of our local theaters and it was all pretty cool. The movie was so crazy and intense. Great job Sandy Bullock! And the babies were all pretty chill!

I got into the city around 3-ish and walked over to Javitz.  And then I practically walked all the way back to New Jersey because the line for will-call tickets (I bought a last-minute single day pass) went all the way down to the West Side Highway and almost back up to 11th Avenue. But some smart people working for the con, came out to the midway point, where I happened to be standing and started giving out badges.

Cool Doctor Who vinyl figures!

Mega Blocks display.

I spent most of my first day checking out the show floor. One of the first things I saw was the Monster High booth and I picked up the exclusive Weberella doll for my friends Mommy & Gracie. There weren’t as many cool displays as in the last years (no Lego, lame DC & Marvel displays!). But there was still lots of awesomeness to be found, cool cosplaying, and I actually bought a comic book – a graphic novel version of  Doctor Horrible. 

Then I got got check out a screening of some new shows - Almost Human (which was really cool) and The 100 (which I can’t wait to see more of!). Then I went to see a screening of Zero Charisma, which I found out about because of Nerdist. It’s about a dude who is into a dungeon & dragons-type game and he’s just a loser in life. It was really funny and the director-writer team and star were there to do a Q&A.

  

Hallmark's display was awesome!

Day 2: Friday, October 11

I got to NYCC before it opened and was waiting at the gates when my pals Mommy & Gracie (and Daddy, too!) arrived. We headed straight to a Mattel panel, thinking they’d have some Monster High news, but it was all about collectible clubs and mostly He-Man. We didn’t know that was such a big thing. Then I made a futile attempt to see the Geek & Sundry panel – you need to get to things early and sit in a room all day if you really want to see something! So I went back up to the floor to meet my friends.

One of the cool things I saw was a display for a graphic novel called The Fifth Beatle, which is about Brian Epstein, and I got to meet the writer and artist. More shopping and checking things out. Pony card collecting for Gracie. Custom Lego mini figs for me.

Then we headed back to the Mattel booth where a shaking little girl came up to Gracie and ask was all “Are you… are you…” It was the cutest thing ever. Then the fans started lining up – and it was really just amazing! M&G did an interview with MH creator Garret Sanders (I did the filming!). And he and all the people there were so super nice. You can watch the interview here. (You can see more Monster High stuff and more videos from the con on their channel!)

After all that, we went to Carmine’s for lunch. We were all pretty beat, so we called it a day.

Day 3: Saturday, October 12.

M & D picked me up and we took the ferry over to the city. We also ran into my friends Laila and Anton. I knew lots of people going to the con, but I didn’t even see any of them! There were just too many people there!

Our first stop was the Doctor Who 50^th Anniversary panel, which featured some bloggers, artists and podcasters talking about the show as well as Nicholas Briggs, who writes/directs some of the audio plays and who is the voice of Cybermen and Daleks on the TV show.

Then we hit artist alley – which is probably my favorite thing about the con. It’s like walking through Deviant Art. So much awesome stuff on display and the artists are just such cool and nice people.  We really loved meeting Kellee Riley, who also draws for Monster High, and JK Woodward, who did the Star Trek/Doctor Who crossover comic books. M totally geeked out on him because these are two of her favorite things in the world and it was totally awesome. I got lots of new prints and even some cute stuff for Maddie’s room.

My nickname in high school was Chucky!

Back up at the floor, we checked out some of our favorite stuff: Vamplets and the Doctor Who store (where Colin Baker the 6^th Doctor was signing).

Then we found my friend Jaime, who was doing a signing of a comic book that he illustrated called Prey.  I was so excited for him.  I gave him his first job as an illustrator for our high school newspaper. He’s an amazing artist.

After all that fun, we headed back to Jersey, and had some dinner at a Cuban restaurant here in town. We had such a great day! 

Day 4:

Got to the con early again. I’m not sure if it was because the crowd was bigger or because it looked like rain, but they had us herded up in Hall B, where I waited for like an hour! Then I waited an other hour to get into the Adventure Time panel. It was so worth it!!!! Penn Ward, John DiMaggio and Jeremey Shada (aka the creator/LSP, Jake the Dog and Finn the Human) were there and the panel was just so cool. It was great to here Penn talk about how inspired he was by The Simpsons (his mom took him to Matt Groening’s house!) and how he based characters on weird friends. Best of all, John DiMaggio sang the Making Bacon Pancakes song!

I took lots of pics of Adventure Time cosplayers if you haven't noticed.

I spent the rest of the day taking photos of all the cool cosplayers, buying more stuff, checking out The Block, making another round at Artists Alley. It was exhausting but so incredible.

The best thing about the con this year was seeing my friends get recognized for doing things they love. I’d rather spend time with them than wait on line to see celebs any day!