Congrats

Posted on | March 31, 2011 | 12 Comments

I’m not very good with flower names. Actually I’m not good at all with plants. I am just lucky that there’s no penalty for killing plants (by accident of course) because if there’s such a thing I’d probably be in prison right now.

I had to Google to find out what these flowers are. I felt kind of silly after knowing what they are because they’re all around our house…

I took the photo above a week ago or so. I love the photo of Jovie (she LOVES smelling flowers) and it was this image that inspired this card. I love her fluffy soft coat and the colors in general. I chose blue for the base of the card because it was such a beautiful day – blue skies and all.

I made this card using WPlus9′s two new sets: A Special Lady and Filigreed Frames. Both lovely sets on their own but once combined… oh, the possibilities!!!

If you’re wondering about the flower: No, I didn’t color it. I stamped the flowers once on white card stock and then I stamped the flowers onto pattern paper (an old Sassafrass was what I used) and trimmed around the petals. I used dimensional foams to adhere the petals to the white card stock and then used some Copic markers to color the stem and the one bud (I figured I’ve got enough skills to color some stems).

I’ll make this sweet and short. Do check out the other ladies’ work. They’re all GORGEOUS!! Tomorrow is launch day and I’ll have something to share with you (not sure what yet cause I haven’t even made my project).

Elise Durenberger
Hannah Craner
Jinny Newlin
Kerrianne Gwin
Lea Lawson
And our April guest designer: Paulina Nakamura
Dawn: Owner!!

Oh, let me share a few more pics… a close-up of the card and the girls while I was creating this piece.

M making a card for her pen-pal.

Jovie drawing. This kid draws on anything. Reminds me of my brother who’s now he’s a commercial interior designer (is a graduate to the #1 university in Indonesia). M is quite good too I think.

Here’s a small bit of details. The Prima flower has a bit of sparkle to it, came that way.

A Thank You

Posted on | March 30, 2011 | 12 Comments

Is it Wednesday already?

Since the girls let me sleep in yesterday I felt quite awake last night and I got to making the above and did a tiny bit of desk cleaning. I haven’t cleaned my desk since a few projects ago and it’s quite a disaster. On top of projects I’ve added mail and tax papers to the pile. Hopefully after today I won’t see anything that’s related to our 2010 tax returns!!

Today’s project is brought to you by WPlus9. The oh so talented Dawn has given the stamping community two more gorgeous sets for this month. I haven’t played with the one set Dawn and the team have been showcasing (blame it on USPS) but oh I can’t wait to get my ink on them!!

For this card I used stamps from the Filligreed Frame set AND a matching die. LOVE that WPlus9′s offering matching dies!!! Love that tag? I do!! You can’t see it that well (will take better pictures when the sun comes out) but there are paper piercing in between the “Thank You” and “For All That You Do”. To get it centered, let me share with you what I did…

First I stamped the “Thank You” onto the Stampin’ Up piercing template.

Then I aligned everything, set it the way I want it, and then paper pierced.

After I completed the piercing I stamped the sentiments.

I hope you like my little project today. For more inspiration and peaks do do visit the other DT’s blogs:

Elise Durenberger
Hannah Craner
Jinny Newlin
Kerrianne Gwin
Lea Lawson
And our April guest designer: Paulina Nakamura
Dawn: Owner and usually the one with the blog giveaway!!! Visit NOW!

Chicken Pox, Not!

Posted on | March 29, 2011 | 2 Comments

Hi again! I was wanting to post something yesterday but M’s school called because they were worried the little red marks, which hubby and I thought were bug bites, were chicken pox. After consulting with the pediatrician we all concluded that they’re not. BUT, even so, M got to stay home for two days (to monitor and confirm). They were two glorious days for her because apart from a few itches here and there she’s healthy. Jovie had two extra glorious days too because that little sister LOVES to play with big sister. Me… well, I can’t complain because I slept in until almost 11 a.m. {::GIGANTIC SMILES}. Emma’s been into babysitting lately. So on weekends, and today, I’d get up, get Jovie’s milk, change her diaper, get their cereal and when they’re done they’d go into the playroom and play. Me… I go back under the covers and snore (my room faces the playroom). I have been blessed to be able to roll back to bed and fall back asleep. I can sometimes even continue a dream. On a bad day I’d get an extra 30 minutes – I wake up to the first scream. On a good day, I get a couple hours. Today was a good day! So good that we made these:

Glorious dough that turned into glorious cookies! I used this recipe for the above (this if I have no pudding, it’s slightly crunchier too).

I need to buy some cookie sheets. I have some but they don’t fit this (tiny) oven. The above was done on a pizza stone. I had to warm the stone up first before I put the dough on it. The rest were done on cake pans… got tired of reheating the stone.

Today I have a layout too. It’s Miss M, almost a year ago, on her first day of British school. She was so excited to go! It was a relief because I thought I was going to have to deal with a kid who’s missing her friends in MO. But she adjusted so so well and now don’t want to think about going back to America. She loves it here!

For the layout I used some fabulous pieces from the Scarlet Lime March’11 Frugal Fab kit. Do check it out! It’s awesome for those with school age children or somebody who wants to reminisce about school. If you do go to Christy’s store, do check out the rest of her stuff. LOTS of yummies and if you haven’t taken it or signed up, you should take her workshop! They’re FABULOUS!!! Hundred of people took it the first go around and hundred more are signing up for the next ones — yes, she has more than one workshop! The cost of the workshops are VERY affordable and you will learn so much! I need to finish the She Art workshop but I’ve already learned so much from the few videos that I did watch.

Here are some close-ups of the page. Just a little bit of embellishments here and there to spice things up.

I love that vintage looking frame. Makes the page rich… kind of makes it feel like M’s going to some posh private school he he… The letters all around the page came from 7Gypsies ATC acrylic pages, A-Z. I don’t do ATC – tried and not my thing – and so I just used whatever letter I liked and used them as embellishments.

You all have a great one and hope your Tuesday’s fabulous! Laters!!

50th Anniversary

Posted on | March 26, 2011 | 18 Comments

This was a conversation after our friend’s parents invited us to their 50th anniversary celebration…

Hubby and I: (looking at each other)
Me: Can you imagine us together 42 years from now?
Hubby: That’s a long ass time.
Me: I know, right? 50, wow!!
Hubby: I’d probably be living in the shed by then. You girls would have driven me nuts.
Me: I’d probably be dead and you’d be out dating.
Hubby: (dirty look) That’s the last thing I want to do at 74!

We’re lovely that way {::SMILES}

Happy Saturday! Today we’re going to our friend’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary and for their special day I made the card above. I think they’ll like it, or she will at least. She likes pretty things and I think this is up her alley.

For this card I used more of the Jillibean Soup paper that I bought a few weeks ago and Waltzingmouse’s sketch for this week. The papers were laying around my desk from last week’s project and the one piece fit the middle banner size so well and so trim trim trim I went. The banners came from one rectangle piece. I just marked the center on one side and aligned the top right corner to the marked center and trimmed. Then I used the two leftover pieces for the left and right banner. After the pattern paper were adhered I trimmed the sides so that my card will stay 4.25×5.5″.

If you look at the below image you’ll see that I didn’t adhere the right banner. I did that on purpose so that it’ll fold up a bit. I kind of like it free that way.

For the top, besides twine, button, and seam binding I added a piece of bright color paper and trimmed its edges. It gives the card a pop of color and something fun for the eyes to look at.

M’s “In Love”

Posted on | March 26, 2011 | 8 Comments

M: Mommy, I’m in love
Me: Oh, with what?
M: A boy in Owls (think Harry Potter, classes have names besides the grade year)
Me: (holding a snort and giggles) Ooooh, and who’s this?
M: It’s “…”
Me: Oh M, he’s probably stinky, dirty and naughty
M: No he’s not, he’s cute and nice
Me: M, do you know what in love is?
M: Yeaaaaaaa (unsure and questionable tone)
Me: If he’s thrown up on you twice and you still love him then you’re in love (from personal experience here!!). You think you’ll still even like him if he throws up on you?
M: Hmmm…. I dunno (more unsure tone)
Me: M, you have a crush, not in love
M: What’s a crush?
Me: When you like somebody now, thinks he’s adorable and cute and then two days later you like somebody else
M: Ooooh… (long pause) Well, I’m still in love because he hasn’t thrown up on me yet and I’m going to like him tomorrow
Me: (Damn, I could have sworn I had great answers!!)

So here’s me –> OMG, OMG, OMG. I so wanted to LOL because my little girl ? this (younger) little man. But of course I had to keep my serious face and made sure she knew she can always tell me anything and it’ll be ok. I’m not sure if I should give hubby an FYI but I think for now it’ll be M and I’s little secret.

NOTE: I thought I’d use some of Oxford Dictionary newly approved words and the ?. Seemed appropriate where I placed them LOL.

Aaah, my baby’s growing up! The “boys have cooties” doesn’t quite work anymore. I remember my first crush. I was in 3rd grade. His name was Mario. He was adorable but of course the feelings weren’t mutual. I didn’t tell my parents though, especially when a guy actually liked me that same year. They’re not open to those kinds of things and my dad would have flipped out. I remember when I was in middle school a couple of guys supposedly liked me. My dad heard and one day when my friends (one of the boys included) and I were doing group work at my home my dad came charging in and started berating the poor guy. Everybody already knew I have a scary dad but that day made it official. It was not only embarrassing but nobody really knows if he actually did like me. The guy never spoke to me again and it was awkward because we were always in the same class. I was so so glad to finally graduate and go to a different high school!!

I didn’t have parents I could talk to even though I’m close to my mom. This was why I was very close to my grandpa because we’d have actual discussions. Due largely to my own experience, I want to do whatever I can so that our girls can talk to us about anything. I love having talks with M because not only do I feel like I am teaching her I also always have memories of my grandpa and I. I learned so much from him and in the process felt special because he treated me like a grown-up and not a because-I-said-so-child.

Here’s something interesting… You know where I learned about sex for the first time? It was Kentucky Fried Chicken in Pocatello, ID. I was a sophomore and out with my college roommate and this guy that I was casually dating (we didn’t even kiss). He explained to me what sex was using two chicken nuggets. There was no 5th grade video or sex ed. teacher, just chicken nuggets! Each time I see a KFC I think of that night. Thanks KFC, or chicken nuggets!!!

Granted hubby and I are not looking forward to that day I know for sure that I don’t the girls to learn about sex from two chicken nuggets.

The layout…

I used some YUMMY new goodies from Pebbles. This line is called Happy Go Lucky. I love all the new stuff from Pebbles but this is by far my favorite because the colors are so vibrant and the design so fun. Do visit the Pebbles blog and when you’re there check out the awesome giveaway. Do enter because you never know, you might be their next lucky winner!! There are also a lot of inspiration too using this line. A MUST see for your!!

Here are some close-ups of the page… I LOVE these dimensional stickers. They make for some really fun embellishments. While each of these stickers have dimensional foams on them I like to layer them a bit more. To do this I just stick another piece of foam (1/8″) onto the foam that’s already there and voila, like the bird, a bit taller.

Isn’t this flower beautiful? Not only are they fun, they are also light and airy!

Then the buttons… HEART!! The colors are so vibrant and can’t beat matchy matchy!! A bit of twine and glue made the “o”s more interesting. Oh, don’t forget the sparkly candy dots. They add an extra punch of fun to the layout!!