The Birthday Cake, Answer

Posted on | July 10, 2010 | 7 Comments

First of all, I’ve been getting emails again on how to subscribe to my blog. If you look up, top right, you’ll see the search box and two icons above it. If you click on the elephant’s butt you’ll be taken to the subscription page. Yes, I have a thing for butts — one of my favorite college time song is by Sir Mix-A-Lot (ha!!). You can also click here. I am starting to feel it, not yet but it’s coming, of the need to update my blog. I like the design just fine but I need to make it more web and user compliant. I whipped this baby up in a few hours cause I was working and all that junk and I want to now dedicate more time to it. Plus, it’s the only way to keep up with my geek skills.

As for the birthday cake… I have this lady friend, Susan, whom I can rely on to ask (silly) questions about Britain, the folks, the culture, etc. She’s my go-to gal basically. I asked her about the cake deal and she said that a lot of times there are food at the party, even a 2-4 p.m. one, and by the time it gets to the cake the kids are full. Another reason would be because they just didn’t have time to eat the cake at the party — too jam packed with activities. Due to the two main reasons parents just got into the habit of putting the cake in the children’s party bags. That seems like a logical answer although it didn’t quite fit one of the last party. M ate ice cream at the end of the party but the cake was in the bag. Susan said she usually serves her cake at the party and assured me that whatever we decide to do for M’s party will be just fine.

Here’s another birthday card that I did. You all better tell me this looks boyish!! I like this the best but I think for a little kid it’s a bit too formal. Whatcha think of the fish? I love this new set, Hooked on You, from WPlus9!! So fun, fun, fun! It’s my friend Kerianne’s first design and I think she did a FABULOUS job!! I love her graphic style, just so clean and solid! I hope she does more in the near future!!

Materials:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink and Bazzill
Stamp: WPlus9 Hooked on You and Waltzingmouse vintage label #10
Ink: Stampin’ Up! and Copic markers
Accessories: Martha Stewart ribbons and staples
Tools: Cuttlebug template and Crop-a-Dile

Home

Posted on | July 9, 2010 | 8 Comments

I was about M’s age when my family moved from Indonesia to the U.S. By the time hubby’s UK tour ends in 2014 M would have been my age when my family went back to Indonesia. I was young and I should have adapted but I never really felt like I was back “home” after our return. I’ve always wanted to go back to the U.S. and when the opportunity arise, I jumped on it. Then I got restless again. It’s not that I didn’t feel at home but it was more of me wanting to experience more. Somehow my wish was granted and here we are.

Emma loves it here. It’s quite surprising that she’s able to adapt so well. We had parents day at school the other evening and her teachers said they felt like M’s always been there. I asked M if she wants to go back to the U.S. and she said no. She wants to go to school here she said. I wonder if she’ll feel the same in a few years. Or, when we go back she’d feel the way I felt.

It hasn’t been a full three months for the whole family to be here but we feel very comfortable in our new environment. Of all of us I thought that hubby would be the one feeling a bit homesick but he’s not. He’s quite enjoying life in our new village. Ha ha, yes, we’re the village people now!

I was reading Tina’s blog the other day and she mentioned how America just didn’t feel like home anymore despite all the goodness it has to offer. I wonder if we’ll feel the same when we go back? The good part of all this is that we have the opportunity to live outside the U.S. after the military. I’d like that… actually I’d love that! I know Miss M would too and Jovie… well, she’s too little to have a say. Hubby… another surprise… he’s now open to the idea.

I don’t think you have to move to another country to feel this way. For example hubby doesn’t think Mississippi is home anymore. He still claims it as the place he grew up and came from but not where he’d want to go back to. It just doesn’t feel the same anymore each time he visits. This is great for me. I don’t mind visiting now and then but I’m a tad bit too liberal to live there. I don’t think this comes across in my blog but if you really know me I can have a big (sarcastic) mouth.

Have you been in my situation? Where do you feel like “home”?

We have a few years to decide what we want to do next and hubby still has at least 8 more years in the Air Force. If we can have it our way we’d love it if we’re overseas until he’s done. Germany, Italy, Japan, Turkey, or extend our stay here. In the meantime we’re going to enjoy every minute of our time in the UK and we hope the next place will be as exciting!!

The card…

I’ve been making boy cards! URGH! Decided that Savitri doesn’t like doing boy cards. Just not as fun. Very little frills, limited on the ribbon and embellishment usage, etc. I told hubby I’m not taking anymore boy/man card orders. He said I couldn’t just tell people I only do girl cards. Well, I think I can. If I don’t enjoy the process there’s no point for me doing it. I do have to thank Sarah Martina for helping me “fix” my sewing machine. It was bunching up all the time and she told me to clean it. I don’t know if blowing = cleaning but that’s all I did. I blew on the bottom where the little bobbin’s at and it works again. Whoohoo!!! Thanks, Sarah!!

Materials:

Cardstock: Stampin’ Up!
Pattern paper: American Craft
Stamps: Practicing Creativity, Clear and Simple Alpha Block II, and WPlus9 Hooked on You
Accessories: American Craft chipboard, Annie42 (Etsy) twine, sewing machine

The Birthday Cake

Posted on | July 7, 2010 | 41 Comments

M’s been to three birthdays now and each one of them we noticed that the birthday cake was never eaten at the birthday party but it’ll be wrapped in tissue paper and sent home inside the goodie bag. The first time it happened we thought it was because it was not a sit-down party but one of the last party was a sit-down one and the children did have ice-cream but the cake was still in the goodie bag. M’s been to a few birthdays in Missouri and all the cakes were eaten at the party.

M’s not too fond of the birthday cake in goodie bag. So not a fan that she said: “Mommy, on my birthday I want the kids to eat the cake at the party. I don’t like cake in the goodie bag. I want an American birthday!” Ha!

I keep forgetting to ask about this cake deal. I’ve been learning quite a bit from the ladies at school each day I drop/pick M up from school. The latest was on tea time and buying real estate. Quite interesting!! Can anybody enlighten me on this birthday cake deal?

This is why we chose to live off base so that we can experience things that are different than what we’re used to and have silly things like this to ask people about {::SMILES}.

On to the card…

I made this card at 3 a.m. for a challenge at the Shabby Tea Room and the Color Throwdown. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of this color site! Lately I’ve been paying more attention to challenge sites and some of the color challenges that I’ve seen are just BEAUTIFUL!! I will be doing more different types of color challenges for sure but for today let me just focus on this!

If you’ve never participated in a Color Throwdown challenge this week is a GREAT time to do it. It’s they’re 100th challenge celebration and they have loads or prizes to win, about $1700 worth!! Clear and Simple is sponsoring one of the prize, a $25 gift cert to their awesome store!! So hop on over there right now to check out all the details. The deadline is the 12th!

For my participation I created this card using their colors, they use Stampin’ Up! color names but you can use whatever that’s close to those colors: Baja Breeze, Real Read, Certainly Celery, and Regal Rose. For my color I used all those colors but the Certainly Celery. For my green I used Mellow Moss. I got my SU stamp pad set before Certainly Celery came about. For the embossing I used one of the Nestabilities label #10.

I hope you all have a great one! More crafts and stories later!!

Materials:

Cardstock: SU
Pattern paper: My Mind’s Eyes
Stamp: Clear and Simple Kind Deeds and Waltzingmouse Very Vintage labels #10
Accessories: Martha Stewart ribbon, American Craft butterfly and rhinestones
Tools: Nestabilities labels #10 and Sizzix

Launch Day: CSS + WPlus9!

Posted on | June 1, 2010 | 15 Comments

I can’t believe it’s the first of June!! This means it’s three more days until Jovie’s birthday!! Yes, she’ll be ONE! Wow, how time flies!!!

In the mean time, two of the companies that I design for are launching some great new sets today! If you EVER need any sports related stamps Clear and Simple is the place to go. Have you seen their sports section? Loads and loads of sports related stuff!! Today I used one of their new golf set: Golf Pro – which on my card doesn’t quite look golfy although the card can probably go masculine/feminine. Whatcha think? I’m not very good at masculine cards and I am also not a huge golf person. Besides Laura at 2S4Y and one of my old co-worker I really don’t know anybody else who’s into golf to give them a golfy kind of card. Because of that I wanted to I create something that’s not golfy while using a golf set.

I used 2S4Y’s sketch again for this card. I figured since yesterday’s card was a bit more imaginative I’d do another one that’s more like the sketch. This month CSS is launching a new color (buttons, ribbon, paper, and ink): True Blue Fan which I love – just a really nice blue color!!!

If you’re wanting something more girlie and fun check out WPlus9’s two new sets: Hearts background and the Birds and the Bees. Very very fun and versatile sets, perfect for many occassions!! You’ve seen my creations with the two sets and I’ve only used a little bit of what’s in there!!

That’s that and more later!

Materials:

Stamps: CSS Golf Pro
Ink: CSS True Blue Fan
Cardstock: CSS True Blue Fan, PTI white
Accessories: Bakers Twine Annie42 (Etsy), buttons CSS, ribbon CSS, embossing powder Hero Arts clear, versamark

Day 3: More WPlus9

Posted on | May 31, 2010 | 10 Comments

Having a great long weekend? The UK and US folks are enjoying a long weekend here. Today’s a UK bank holiday and also Memorial Day for the US. We didn’t do much besides cleaning, a little Cambridge outing, and me taking pics of horses. Yeah, I got a new gig… race horse picture taker. I know, right? Faaaar from children’s photography but my friend hooked me up with her friend and so off the girls, hubby and I went this a.m. Goodness, have you seen race horses up close? They’re just beautiful! We learned a lot about horse racing too. It was fun and educational despite the chilly day. The friend who introduced me to her friend said that who knows I might get into the racing community. Hmmm, I doubt that although I wouldn’t mind being the Shiekh of Dubai’s photographer (HA!!) — he’s got a stable near the one we were at. According to the news he’s got 700 race horses! WOW!!!

I do have a card too… it’s my last before WPlus9’s release these sets tomorrow (you can check out the sets on Dawn’s blog now)!! For the design I used 2Sketeches4You’s sketch. Yes, it’s their sketch I used!! Something on top, three things in the middle and a strip on the bottom. Do you see it now? For the soil I used one of the cloud’s, pretty soil lookin’, no? The clouds I embossed. It was my heat gun’s first run here in the UK. It doesn’t mind the transformer although I thought it heated up a bit slow. I dunno, maybe it’s just me feeling things.

Ok, gotta go. Before I go, here’s one of the horse I took a photo of:

I should, next time, know the names of my clients. I mean I would if they were humans so what’s the difference, right? These horses are like children in boarding school. They don’t see their parents/owners. So the trainers wanted me to take photographs of them (running, hanging out, etc.) so that they can show the horses’ owners how they’ve been doing at “school”. This one in particular was a sniffer. So I thought it was appropriate to photographer her from the nose {::SMILE}.