Today’s the Day

Posted on | September 1, 2010 | 7 Comments

For you to get yourself a WPlus9 Ever After stamp set and for me to get a Chip and PIN (EMV) bank card!!!

Yes, I am going to be like the Western Europeans and a lot of other countries (some Asians too I think… not sure about African countries and E. Europe) and no swipe and sign when using my debit/credit card. Half the time it’s been a stinkin’ hassle keeping our American bank card.

How does one use this chip card? You use a chip card like you’d use your credit/debit card at an ATM station, the machines that don’t swallow your card. Stick it in and enter the PIN. It’s less paper too. There’s no paper to sign and that extra credit card receipt. Also, there’s no international transaction fee. We’re lucky that our bank, USAA (BEST bank ever!!), waives ours (at least for a year) but most don’t. The fee ranges from 1-3%. If you ever overseas, check your statement. You’ll see the charge AND the transaction fee. It adds up!

Weeks ago I made an appointment but I had to cancel. I made another one two weeks ago for today. I know, right? Two weeks to schedule an appointment to open a bank account!! In the US one can just walk in to a branch and 45-minutes later walk out with a bank account. Hopefully tomorrow I can get everything taken care of and in a week or two have a shiny new card that I can use anywhere. We can’t even use a self-service anything now because they don’t take swipe cards. Sucks!

Card details…

First of all I love the color combo. I used sky blue, purely pomegranate, kraft, vanilla, mellow moss, and yellow. I had a lot of fun with this card because I used a lot of my favorite things on here. The best part was that I did a lot of sewing. I think my machine and I are buddies now! What did I do? I cleaned AND loosened it up. I guess that’s what that little knob was for. Before the thread was too tight and that’s why the thread always broke mid-way when I did zig-zags.

I’ve been loving layering my bows too. The base is PTI twill yellow ribbon. After I made the bow I tied another knot and bow, the crumpled seam binding from Etsy, over the twill knot. Then over the two I tied another knot and bow with the baker’s twine. To cover all the layers I added a button. The sentiment came from two different sets: Magical Moments and Funky Flowers.

Here I just want to give you a side view of the flower layers. I used dimensionals on the Gardenia and the leaves I just put a dab of glue on the bottom edge so that the only the edges would stick and not the whole leaves. I like it this way to give the card a more fluffy/3D feel. The rose, kraft paper, I glued on to the card base. It’d be too thick if I used dimensionals on everything.

The pattern paper that I used came from Paislee Press which is available tomorrow at the DigiChick. She’s guest designing and I couldn’t be happier – LOVE her!! I can’t wait to make a scrappy page with the kit!!

Ok, that’s it! I’ll be posting in a little bit too for another Sept. 1 release. Stay tune!!

What a Month!

Posted on | August 31, 2010 | 12 Comments

One more day of August! Can you believe it’ll be September tomorrow? Where did the time go? Tomorrow’s also the release day for WPlus9’s Ever After set and if you like what you’ve seen the last few days then you gotta get it! It’s a great set!!

If you’re not convinced, check out the other DT’s creations!!

The card design is based on the current 2Sketches4You challenge.

August… August could have been better if hubby’s around BUT, I’m not the type to complain or count down the days until I see him again. I always try to make the best of every situation. Plus I don’t want to make anyone suffer through my countdown, via this blog, Twitter or Facebook. Four days of countdown to a new stamp set if fun. Six weeks of counting down until the hubby’s back will probably make you vomit {::SMILE}. Despite his absence, August has been great because I got to spend the whole school break with the girls. M’s been taking horse riding lessons and it felt wonderful when I could tell the girl that I will be available anytime to take M to her lessons. M also enjoyed the fact that she doesn’t have to go to daycare. We’ve had so much fun together doing whatever she pleased (so far she hasn’t asked for anything unreasonable) and exploring the areas around us. As much as I want to go back to working full-time, or at least part-time, I know now is not the time. Sometimes my brain would complain and we’d go job hunting and bookmark a few but each time I’ve managed to tell it to be patient. At least until Jovie starts pre-school, which is next school year. I know I have all these different activities to keep me busy but it’s not the same. There’s no regular adult interaction. I miss having daily adult conversations! I miss going to conferences and presenting now and then — granted I can most likely do this on my own it won’t be as fun.

August was also cool because I got a new phone. I got an Android OS and a Google Nexus One phone. It was tough, I’ve always wanted an iPhone. I was going to get one and glad I didn’t because we found out soon after that we’re coming to the UK. So I waited. But after much research and looking + feeling I thought that the Droid would be a better fit for me. Sure enough, I LOVE it! Yes the iPhone still looks good and the camera + video is a lot better looking than the Nexus but the multi-tasking feature (ok, the iPhone is starting to do this too) and the ability to tweak it if I want to was what got me. I am an Open Source girl at heart.

In a few days, Friday, M will be back at school. We did all her uniform shopping and she’s ready to see her friends and new teacher. First grade or year two. My baby’s growing up! Each day I look at her I see a bigger M. It makes me want to hold Jovie so much tighter while telling her: Don’t grow up too fast, don’t grow up too fast.

I hope your month has been wonderful! Right now I am very much looking forward to September. There’ll be many more memories to make and I am, we are, looking forward to each one of them!! Have a great one!!

I Went to the Airport

Posted on | August 30, 2010 | 7 Comments

I mean IKEA. I did my virgin IKEA visit and my thought of it as I was paying and confirmed as I walked out towards my car: IKEA is a mini airport.

Since this is a long post let me get to the card first since it is WPlus9’s countdown day. Another card with Ever After. I think this is becoming to be my favorite set! Now you can’t really tell but I did layer the flower which I learned is Gardenia. The card is pretty simple. Just stamping and a tiny bit of (digital) pattern paper with embellishments. I LOVE the ribbon. It’s vintage. Found it, yards of it, at an antique store. They’re Offrey when they were still made in the USA. nice, shiny and thick.

Back to IKEA… The one that I went to is at Lakeside. If you’re looking at London on a map, Lakeside is on the right east side of the M25 motorway, or Interstate, before the river. It’s basically the last exit before you get on the toll bridge to go over the Thames river. This place, Lakeside, is not only the home of IKEA but also a gigantic mall, Costco, and other huge stores (building wise) which names I didn’t recognize.

Now, I’m not sure if all IKEAs are like this but the Lakeside one, once you enter you have to go upstairs to the main showrooms to shop, kind of like an airport. Most departures are upstairs while the end of the arrival areas are usually downstairs or on the same level as the street.

Since this was our first time we didn’t know where to pay. We went back downstairs thinking that’s where it’d be — near the exit ya know. But the lady said no, we needed to go back upstairs and then go down to the self service furniture area. Mind you this was our third time going up. We had to take money out of the ATM the second time because the lady at the food court said that their card machines only take chip cards (I’ll save this for another post) and my card is the regular swipe card. I asked if the main check-out registers only take chip cards and the lady said yes. They just changed their machines recently she said and only take chips.

Up we went again and I saw the check-out arrow. Keep in mind that our IKEA visit was one of my “let’s wing it” kind of ordeal. I didn’t research IKEA to death but then I never thought that IKEA would be the indoor, expensive, version of a corn maze. Have you read that book Who Moved My Cheese? I felt like that stinkin’ mouse!

To get to the cash register I had to go up the elevator, pass the children’s section and food court, go through the kitchen area, then to the rugs, thankfully there was a shortcut and I went through it to the lighting section (if not I’d have to go through the whole rug section, bathroom, bedding, and something else), the frames, and finally the end which had other knick-knacks. You’d think that’d be the end but nooooooo… we had to go downstairs!!!! Now, I am on a daily basis a good with words kind of person but when I saw the flat escalator going down I had to say in my head: WTF?!?! So we went downstairs. We had to. After coming down the elevator we passed the murder section (plants… not Savitri friendly… I kill all house plants), the baskets, and the rows and rows AND rows of furniture. Still, no cash register!!! Finally I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and ya know what the cash register looked like? The customs line at the airport. If you’ve never gone overseas you won’t know what I’m talking about but if have, you’d get the picture. It was the customs line after two airplanes spit out their passengers. If you haven’t gone overseas and you’re American, think of Costco near Christmas. Maybe it was a weekend, a bank holiday weekend, so everybody and their dogs were at IKEA but after all that walking through the maze of consumer-able goods I was not ready for a long line at the register. If it wasn’t because the purchase was for M, I’d dump the one piece I had and walk out. But, M really wanted this furry bed piece and so we stood in line. To make my time worthwhile I grabbed a dust pan or the Blaska. No it wasn’t an impulse buy, I need one. There was no price too but I figured it’s IKEA, it can’t be more than $5. Sure enough, it was only £.99.

Here’s the best part. It was my turn to pay and I saw the card machine. I asked the lady: “So, can you use a regular swipe card?” She said: “Yes, you might have to try a couple of times but yes.” Me inside: {not pretty words were coming out of my brain – words I wish everybody could hear out loud}. So we left IKEA with a throw for M and a £.99 dust pan for me because that was all the cash I had.

As I walked out I had a little chuckle. The outside of IKEA looked like an airport. The blue signs hanging from the ceiling looked exactly like those airline signs to tell you which door you need to enter the airport to check-in. Walking through the car park, or parking lot, I had more laughs. The IKEA maze got some of them and these people were trying to stuff their car (think Euro cars not gigantic American Ford/Chevy trucks) with IKEA goodness. One time I had wondered if the family will be able to fit their little girl into their vehicle. Just for your information, some do take things out of the boxes right there in the parking lot so to fit in their vehicles — this isn’t just an IKEA thing either. We haven’t had to do this but we’d probably have our share sometimes in the next few years. You just have to adjust and make do sometimes.

Walking through IKEA’s showrooms was fun. They really do set things up well. Some of the things I’d get but others I wonder how long they’d last. I liked the kid’s section and the wooden toy. There’s a kitchen for £89 that’s nice. It’s not super cute like the Hamleys one I’ve been eying but I can save a few bucks with the IKEA one. There were some pretty throw pillows too. Very Swedish looking!

I will come back, with hubby, and a chip card. I have a bank appt. Tuesday. I’ve been approved but I need to bring paperwork to finalize it.

Alright, need to see more Ever After? Check out the other DTs stuff!!

Fun Sunday

Posted on | August 29, 2010 | 9 Comments

At least I hope it’ll be. The girls and I are planning on going to IKEA and a beach nearby it. Then on the way back we’re going to drive through the town where the summer 2012 Olympics will be. I dunno, just curious I guess. So, hopefully the weather will be decent and we can all have a nice shopping + outdoorsy time.

Here’s my day two of WPlus9’s Sept. release countdown project: A fun card AND I colored!!!! I used water pencil, Prismacolor, for the coloring and SU’s blending pen. I dunno about you pro colorers but I think it looks pretty dang good. If not, amuse me on this one and just tell me I did awesome, ha!

The background of the card was texturized using Tim Holtz’ embossing folder. I have four now since two comes in a package and love how crisp the textures are. Then I added some digital paper, both by Zoe Pearns at Sweet Shoppe Designs. See how vibrant the paper colors are? My cheap laser did it. LOVE that little thing!!! For the tag… well I found it. I have no idea where it came from but oh so perfect for my rose! Then I added some Martha Stewart’s double sided satin ribbon (I always try to go double sided if at all possible, just prettier), twine, button which was threaded with pink baker’s twine, and a little petal. Stamped the rose, colored, and added a sentiment. Oh, don’t forget the little extra petal on the bottom right. See? Oh, see some sewing too? Likey my sewing machine better now!

So that’s it. Wish us girls luck and if we don’t go, Ill tell you why. Do visit the other chick’s blogs if you haven’t done so. Lots of goodies to look at!!

Have a great one!!!

Little Black Dress

Posted on | August 28, 2010 | 8 Comments

I use to have this little black dress which I could dress up or down. I could wear it to something a bit formal or I could wear it to go to the clubs. Yeah, I was young once (those were the days, ha!). A good stamp set should be like that little black dress. Versatile.

It’s been such a pleasure being in the WPlus9’s team because its stamps are just that – a little black dress – which works out really well for me because I like experimenting with different styles.

Today I want to share with you a CAS – clean and simple – card that I made using WPlus9’s latest set. A very fun, gorgeous, and like most of WPlus9’s stamps: very versatile, set. It’s got a bit of everything for everybody I think. Solids for people like me who can’t color well and outlines for those who has killer coloring skills. Tomorrow I want to show you a different style of card using this set. This way you can see what I’m talking about.

Do see what the other DTs are doing with this new set. VERY eye candy!!

Until next time!