Last New Release Ever! A Collab with Ruby Lane

Posted by Aaron aka Sir Scrapalot on Apr 22, 2011 | View Comments

Well, for my very last kit, I have a collab I’ve been working on with Ruby Lane over at FPD.  It’s not part of the Retirement Sale, but you should check it out as it’s super fun!!

Here are some layouts my incredible CT girls did, for the very last time!

Also, don’t forget most of my store is still on sale for 60% off!!  Make sure you check that out before all of those products say goodbye for good!

Who Says – New from Sir Scrapalot Designs

Posted by Aaron aka Sir Scrapalot on Apr 15, 2011 | View Comments

I started out making this kit with a whole other theme in mind.  However, as it came together, I started to notice how girly, but powerful it was.  Soft and strong at the same time…slowly, the new Selena Gomez song “Who Says” became the theme of the kit.  This may be due to the look and feel of the kit, or the sheer fact that I have two girls who would listen to that song on repeat if they could.  Whatever the case may be, I give you “Who Says.”

My team was SO excited to have a new kit to work with, they really went above and beyond with this one.  I even scrapped with it!  Check out our layouts.

As always, “Who Says” is 20% off this weekend!  Make sure you check it out!

Something Special is Coming Tomorrow…

Posted by Aaron aka Sir Scrapalot on Apr 14, 2011 | View Comments

I’ve been working hard on something for you guys, and it’s going to make it’s debut tomorrow.  Instead of a traditional “Sneak Peek” I thought I’d show you some inspiration and what I put together using it.  Let me preface this by saying, Selena Gomez (Alex Russo as Keira calls her) is HUGE in my house.  My girls love absolutely EVERYTHING she does.  This song is really good, though.  I find it stuck in my head all the time, and it’s a great message.  And, it’s my inspiration this week.

Now that you’ve seen my inspiration, I wanted to show you what I put together with the kit.  A huge thanks to Zinnias and Swallowtails for the awesome template.

Check back tomorrow to see just what I have up my sleeve!

A Day in the Life of Sir Scrapalot

Posted by Aaron aka Sir Scrapalot on Apr 12, 2011 | View Comments

I write a lot about time management, mainly because it’s one of my greatest struggles.  Juggling a young family, a full time career, and Sir Scrapalot Designs is hardly easy, and I am always looking for ways to save time and get things done in a more efficient manner.  Often times, like today, I don’t get to sit down and engage in the internet until early evening, and spend a good amount of time playing catch up.  Ever wonder what my typical day looks like?  Today I’m going to share with you one day out of my crazy life.

• 5:00 am – Up and on the treadmill.  This is something that I’ve really just started doing again, but it’s getting my day off to a great start.
• 5:30 am – Showering and getting dressed for the day.
• 6:00 am –  Breakfast, a quick email check to delete or deal with anything that can be done quickly.  If I’m lucky, I get a chance to scan     my Google Reader and see what’s going on.
• 6:30 am – Help get everyone else ready to leave, get things together for the day, make coffees for my wife and I.
• 7:00 am – Departure.  We all load into the car, and head down to drop me off at school.
• 7:15 am – At school (what a commute!).  I check my mail, and then head to my room to get it set up for the day before my friends arrive.
• 7:30 am – Morning Meeting in my classroom (actually, this is just my friends gathering to chat and get ready for the day)
• 8:00 am – School Starts – My first class starts at 8:15, and my second class starts at 9:30.
• 10:45 am – Prep and planning period.  This is usually for meetings, time to work with my grade level co-teachers, or plan upcoming lessons.
• 12:00 pm – Lunch.  Another meeting in my room, during which my friends and I all try to talk, eat lunch, and check our phones for messages.
• 12:20 pm – Third Class begins.  Yup, you read that right.  I have a 20 minute lunch.  It’s not so bad since I have prep and planning right before, but the other teachers truly have 20 minutes to eat.  And that’s on a good day.
• 1:40 pm – Last class of the day.
• 2:52 pm – Dismissal.  Otherwise known as “my favorite time of day.”
• 3:00 pm – Office Hours, Extra Help, and After School.  If it’s a down day, I have a little time to check in on the internet and see what’s going on.
• 4:30 pm – Leave School.  Run to the grocery store, and return home to get dinner started.
• 5:15 pm – Dinner.  Discussions about what happened during our days, what we’re looking forward to tomorrow, and general conversation.
• 5:45 pm – Family Time.  Watching TV Shows, going for a walk, playing Barbies…whatever else the little ladies want me to do.  I also do the things that I’ll need to get done for the morning like ironing and packing my bag.  Occasionally, I get a little time to catch the news or start hopping online.
• 7:00 pm – Online Time begins.  The girls are usually in bed, and I can get started with the stuff that I need to get done.  Some nights, I am great about this time, and I’m really productive.  Other times, I sit here starting at the same websites, getting absolutely nothing done.
• 8:00 pm – TV/Online Time.  I have a few shows that I watch religiously, so usually around 8:00 is when I watch them and work, or I leave the computer and just watch TV.
• 9:00 pm – Back to the computer to wrap up whatever I’ve been working on for the night.  I usually try to get the things that I need to get done the following day together, and do another round of checking in before I head off to bed.
• 10:00 pm – Bed.  I usually read a little bit before bed, but if I’m really tired, the reading is usually short lived.  After that it’s lights out, and sleep until the next day starts again!

One thing I want to work on is making my night time online time more productive.  In a day, this is usually the only extended time I have online, so I need to make sure I am really making use of it.  While this is important, I also want to make sure I am taking time to do the things I want to do, like watching TV shows, and not spending all my time working.  And so, the battle rages on…maybe one day I’ll learn how to balance my time and get stuff done!

What does your day look like?  Let us know in the comments!

Spring Cleaning Your Facebook Profile

Posted by Aaron aka Sir Scrapalot on Apr 7, 2011 | View Comments

Recently, the school system I work for instituted a Facebook Policy.  As a teacher, I understand the seriousness of what appears about me online, so I took this as an opportunity to Spring Clean my Facebook Profile.  With the number of employers and other agencies that are using Facebook as a viable source to research someone, I feel like it’s always prudent to be aware of what you are posting, and how it reflects on you.  Here are some of the things I did to clean up my profile.

Know Your Friends.

Over the last year or two, I had accumulated a lot of Facebook friends.  Some are genuine bona fide friends of mine: my sister and brother, my wife, my good friend Brian from work.  Others, however, were people who knew me through someone else, or because I “am Sir Scrapalot.”  I always felt bad turning down someone’s friend request, so I would just say yes to anyone.  I know you’ve done the same before….but think about it.  Isn’t this the start to a John Hughes’ movie?  Joanne is going to have a small get together, but sure you can bring your brother’s friend’s sister..and before you know it, the party is out of control and everyone is pretending some dead guy is still alive while John Cusack holds a boom box outside the door.  Accepting everyone as a friend is like having one of these parties.  The first thing I did when I cleaned up my profile was “defriend” anyone I didn’t know.  I felt awful doing it, and I am truly sorry about it, but I needed to keep my friends list to people I knew (even if it is still crazy big).

Un-Tag Photos of Yourself.

As a teacher, this one is really important to me.  I can only control the pictures I post online, and I am always very careful of what I post.  I can’t control when someone posts a picture of me.  Once they “tag” me in the photo, anyone can see it.  I urge you to click on your photos link, and scroll down to the “Photos and Videos of You” section.  Here you can see what pictures people are tagging you in.  If there are any pictures you would rather not be associated with, find your name in the list of people in the photo, and click “remove tag.”  It won’t take the picture down, but it will at least remove your association with it.

Go Over What You’ve “Liked.”

This is another way that people can learn more about you, so make sure that the information you are providing is what you want out there.  Sometimes we click “Like” just to get access to other features or because we are interested, but we don’t want to forever be associated with “Stamp Lovers of Massachusetts.”  Look through what you “Like” if there’s something there that isn’t “you” anymore, then get rid of it.

The bottom line is this: everything you post online is online forever.  No security measures are foolproof, and you can never know who is in possession of what information.  Make sure that what you are posting and sharing is what you want out there about you.  In the long run, you’ll thank yourself for it.

How do you keep your Facebook Profile clean and up to date?