Sometimes The Simplest Things Are The Best

Sick of the Dry Embossing yet? Well, this card is probably the simplest of the bunch of cards I created and I think I like this one the best. The combination of debossing and embossing makes it quite elegant. I added eyelets in the center of the flowers with my Cropodile, love that thing and Voila! Easy, fast and pretty card. It also opens on the right in case you can't see that. For this affect, cut paper 4.25 x 11 and score at 5.5.
Whatdaya think?

They Say It's My Birthday

Yes, it is my birthday.
Every year as I get older and older, I have come to kind of dread these years just flying by. Lucky for me I have great crafty friends that have made me the most fabulous birthday cards, ever. Just the thing to cheer up this old broad.

This first card is from my buddy Carol who is always making the most fabulous cards. She should, she has a scrapbook store in her own house! She runs an online ebay store, Craftfancy, that carries the latest and greatest supplies, which I am lucky enough to get to advise her about every summer at CHA. That way I am guaranteed to find the stuff I want. LOL

And I have to apologize for these pictures, Yuckola! These are in no way a good representation of the awesomeness of these cards.

This card is from my buddy, April. I was so touched because I haven't seen this girl actually craft something with real paper in ages. She is a digi-girl true and true, so this was a huge suprise. Sorry about the blur of the picture, but those rub on letters on the front are awesome looking but I hear not so awesome to work with.

Connie brought me this lovely card with a coordinating present. I swear if gift wrapping was an Olympic sport, she would take the gold every year. I feel bad opening things she wraps because they are so pretty. I, on the other hand, always wrap at the last minute and not very well.

My blogging pal, Mimi, was so kind to send this card all the way from Washington and I can't say thanks enough. It is beautiful and I was so tickled that you remembered me, I don't think 1/2 of my siblings will even remember to call me today. Ever, know someone you've never met and just think that they are super...That is exactly what I think of Miss Mimi.

This last card is not a Bday card, but a Thank You card from Carol's neice. She comes to my kids stamp classes and made me a card to thank me, how cute is that?! On the inside it said, "Thank you for teaching me art"

The cutest!!

Carol can talk bad about this little girl til the cows come home, but she will always be a little angel to me.

No big birthday plans, which is always good with me. My mom is coming over tonight to make me my favorite childhood meal, Italian Meatloaf. I don't think I have had this since I was 17, so that was a loooonnnnggg time ago. I looked for a recipe online, but couldn't find one, all I know is that it is in the old Betty Crocker Cookbook, the one with the red plaid cover. I am not a meatloaf fan at all, but this is really like a lasagna without the noodles. Perfect for that low-carb diet plan! It has a meatloaf layer made with tomato paste and seasonings and then a cheese layer, like the cheese filling of lasagna and then meat again. Yummy! Just getting someone to cook me dinner is a huge treat.

So, I am definitely older, or so I am starting to feel older, but not much wiser than I was at 30. And I am having a sort of mid-life re-evaluation. I wouldn't call it a crisis, just a check up. There was so much I wanted to do before I got this old and I need to get back on track and just do it.
Thanks for all the birthday wishes!!

So much better than Max this morning, "Happy birthday mom, man, you're old now."

CHA Sneak Peeks

I was telling the girls Friday that I had seen some of the CHA releases online last week and of course everyone else wanted to see them as well, so I thought I would give y'all the link up!
Plus, the computer has a broken fan and thank heavens I didn't burn down my apartment because there was definitely a burnt smell going on in the place on Sunday! Just my luck and another thing to fix....UGH!!

So, for now, here are some peaks at great projects and great products!

• Art Warehouse Fresh line - This little flower pot combo is too cute!
• These papers from Dream Street caught my eye.
• Around the Block has diecut ribbon, which doesn't intrigue me but their Uber Luxe Paper Line is pretty cool.
• Does anyone remember those little fortune telling folded paper we used to make in grade school? Pick a color. Pick a number. Well, appartently they're called Cootie Catchers (news to me) and Prima has a line of them. Why?? They aren't hard to make, in fact I still remember how.
• Everyone has paper with a bird on it....Basic Grey...Urban Lily...Scenic Route. Way too over done!!
• Maya Road has the cutest little bags to alter.
• This new type of "ribbon" from Queen and Co. is definitely unique.
• Brackets...Very Hot!
• I need this like a hole in the head, but yet, I want it.
• Now this looks very intriguing...Cuts the paper all by itself???
• More Chipboard products.

That's about all for now, but here are a few new Projects with New Products that caught my eye!

• Fancy Pants Stamps
• Fancy Pants Jumbo Flourish
• This mirror is too cute!
• The little hippo on this card makes me smile.
• This piece is cute, wonder where I could find one?

That's about it. I have to say there is a ton of new stuff I really don't like very much and so much stuff that all kinda looks the same. So many Basic Grey look alikes and MME copycats, blah! I did see some of the make-n-takes and there are a few that are fabulous, so I am sad I couldn't go, but I hear it was quite pricey to stay in Anaheim, so I will wait til CHA comes to me in July!!
What is everyone else psyched about

Love Notes

I was having a hard time coming up with little love notes to put inside my tin because frankly, I am not a fan of Valentine's Day at all. In fact, I refer to it as Black Wednesday or whatever day it may fall that year. With my distaste for the holiday, it was hard to make up sweet little gushy notes celebrating said holiday but these cute little Pocket Notes made the job a little easier. Plus, I am loving the Diecut sticker that came inside the Accents and Elements Tin because you can stamp on them! Plus, they are nice and sturdy and there are a ton. It makes me actually use them instead of hoard them as I do all my other products.
The second little card is made with the double sided Loves Me paper so that you can see both sides. The card is 8.5"x4", scored at 4" and then round the corners. The accents on the front were from the tin and then stamped with the Taggers Dozen Stamp set. It is hard to tell, but that strip on the front tucks neatly inside a slit punch underneath that flower. Just another use for that great little tool.
Not too shabby for the anti-Valentine girl!

Reviews and Views

Shirataki Noodles
Start of every year, especially in January, I go all out and try to eat better, healthier and lose a little of that winter fat. I like to think that this year it is just another step in the year of "new".
So, I had heard about these amazing noodles that had only 3g of carbs and only 80 calories in a huge bowl of them and I just had to check them out.
They are called Shirataki Noodles. I found them at the Trader Joe's but I hear that they sell them at Whole Foods as well. When I was inspecting the noodles at the store I over heard too Lincoln Park Trixies refer to them as "taki noodles", so they must be pretty popular to have their own nickname.
Well, first off, I have to say that the label that read Tofu, scared me right away. I usually stir totally clear of anything Tofu or Meatless because in past experience it is just plain bad. I was also taken aback by the fact they come in a packet with water. But the 40 calories per entire bag kept me thinking...."This is gonna be good, real good."
I had plenty of recipes to choose from that I found online on this great website Hungry-girl.com. But I went crazy and cooked up my own concoction. I made the noodles the way it said on the back of the package. I rinsed the hell out of 'em like it said on the website and took some tips from them as well. As I was taking all these steps just to make the noodles for my dish, I noticed that the regular spaghetti (that I was making for Max) had 210 calories for only 2 oz. and these noodles that I was practically jumping through hoops to prepare were only 20 calories for 4 oz.
AMAZING!
I added meat, a little Trader Joe Marinara sauce (no sugar) and a tiny bit of parmesan for taste.
I was quite excited.
All my fear about them being horrible was gone in the time it took to pull together this 200 calorie dish.
Then I tasted them.
It is the consistency that got me. Like I was chewing on rubberbands. Ugh! Not noodle-like at all. I had the fettuccine type noodle, so maybe the spaghetti is better, but not anywhere near a noodle. For the first couple bites I was sure that I was on Fear Factor eating a bowl of worms and I had to do everything in my power to get my mind off the consistency.
I ate the whole bowl. Every last noodle. Figured I wasn't going to let all that time and energy to make them go to waste. So, they are that bad. But I don't know if I would eat them again. At least the fettuccine type. I may try the other, after I get over the ewwww factor I am still feeling.
Taki Noodles: Great low calorie alternative with a terrible taste.

Rocky Balboa
Over the holidays I saw two movies, and Rocky was the first.
Max and I were totally psyched about seeing this movie because, besides Rocky V, we love the movies. I remember as a kid seeing all the movies with my dad and since then, Rocky has had a special place in my heart. Plus, he beat the Russian in the 80s and I always thought that was the coolest.
For the first half of the movie, I kept waiting for something to happen. And laughing at the dialogue. But then, once the training got started, we were all geared up. Max was throwing punches in his seat, getting totally excited. And then the montage, got quite a few eyerolls from my brother, but I thought it was great. And the music....It was like I was a child again.
So, yes, for the most part it was quite cheesy, and it could have easily been a TV movie instead of the big screen. But I was still happy I paid movie price to see it.
Rocky Balboa: 2.5 stars, a definte rental

Pan's Labrynth
The second movie I saw was on a night I found myself childless. No, I hadn't sold him on the black market as I am always threatening. I wanted to do something that require no dressing up or primping and my brother was in town. He is a bigger movie snob than I am, so I knew it would be fun to see a great movie with someone I could talk to about it detail for hours afterwards.
The movie was only playing at two theaters and we opted to return to the theatre where we saw Sideways in Evanston. They have incredible seats that tilt back and the most amazing popcorn you will ever taste for $7.
I had watched the trailer before going to this movie because up until that point I hadn't even heard of it and boy did it look scary and good. I asked my brother if it was in english because the writer/director is from Spain and he didn't know but thought it was. Well, it wasn't and at 10:30 at night, I have a hard time staying awake much less reading a whole movie.
I was worried.
About 10 minutes into the movie, I was so enthralled in the story and the cinematography that I don't think I even blinked in the whole movie. Only once I closed my eyes because of the gore, but I didn't miss any of the storyline. The film is billed as a "grown-up fairytale" and just as it claims, it truly is. Waaaaayyyy scarrier than any fairy tale I have ever seen and had me on the edge of my seat every second. And not scary in a Saw II kinda way, but more of the Rosemary's Baby/The Shinning kinda way.
Loved it!
Totally not for children!
But waaaaayyyy Good.
Pans Labrynth: 4 stars!! Highly recommend, especially on the big screen because it is visually stunning. The trailer is great too, check it out!

And I leave you with a card.
Made with the Bodacious Bouquet Brass Template for all the dry embossing. And the stamped inside is from All in a Row. All the colors are In Colors which were new this year and all coordinate really well, especially for this spring-like card.
The buckle is a piece from the Hodge Podge Hardware and that is Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon.

New Projects and a Plan

Like most people do at the beginning of each year, I have come up with a little bit of a resolution. It really got me thinking when I read about Ali Edwards' idea of picking a word for 2007. I kept coming back to my list of things I wanted to accomplish in this brand new year and kept hearing myself say...I want something better....different....fresh....good. So, it hit me...New! All new! Not what we used to do or eat. Not the same grim attitude. Not the same misfortune and poor choices. All new! New is always a good thing, and new is what I will be aspiring to this year. I am sure that by March I will be teetering on the line of quitting and this month with my impending birthday just a couple weeks away (which is a huge dread), it will be hard to keep up with the positive attitude. But, by golly, I am going to try and work at it. At least as long as it is working for me.
That is just one of the things I have been doing while I haven't been blogging. The other is making a ton of samples for an upcoming training in March in Holland Michigan. If you are a demo, and you are near this fabulous event, I recommend it highly. I, myself, haven't attend it yet but I hear that it is fabulous. So fabulous in fact that the reason I did not attend last year was that it was sold out!
My upline and I will be demonstrating some dry embossing techniques and projects, so I have been immersed with classy brass templates and my light table has never been used so much, ever. This is more of a warning than a brag, because all my samples for the next couple of weeks will feature this technique and products, just bear with it.
The first project is a cute little notepad that is dry embossed and uses pieces from the At Home Simply Scrappin Kit. I bought this kit as a challenge to myself and found that I really loved it, I made Connie's christmas swap gift with it and have used it on a ton of projects.
This is one of those projects that I had the whole thing planned in my head before I started and then about half way through almost flung it out the window! I really wanted it to be able to flap open and also have the pen holder at the top but the measuring and scoring was just not working out for about 20 minutes there, but in the end it is exactly what I envisioned.
Am I the only one that this happens to.
Probably would have been simpler to just give up and make it less complicated....oh well.
More details on the project: Notebooks from the Dollar Tree (5x8), Simply Circles Classy Brass, Chocolate Chip Ribbon and the scalloped circle was made with the slit punch and then embossed (although you can't see it in this picture).

I also made a few new samples that will be featured in upcoming classes. This is one of my favorites, it is the Accents and Elements Tin all decorated with cards inside! Love how this turned out. The tin was wiped clean with windex and then completely covered with the embossing buddy. I opened the tin and then inked up my On The Spot Background Stamp with White Craft Ink. I laid the tin (opened) lid face down on the inked background stamp and used my finger to rub the inside of the tin to ensure that I got a good print. Then I sprinkled it with embossing powder and heated. That was tricky because, Man, that little tin got Hot!
Then I created the belly band that slides off with the Loves Me double-sided papers and some of the diecut stickers from the tin. The heart is actually my design. I took a small piece of the paper and adhered it to the cardboard that comes with the paper pack. I then sketched out a heart on the back and cut out. Voila! Chipboard look for free!
Most of the cards that are inside the tin are in this post, but there are a couple more that I will share later this week.
The last project I just had to share is this cute little borthday purse. I love it because it is made with a free Stamp Set all demos got as a little Christmas present (gotta love free) and the purse itself is from the Dollar Tree (12 for $1). I bought these little boxes in the wedding section about 3 months ago with great intention of using them and they just sat with everything else that also has a great idea behind it. And it just hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday. Voila! Little purse! It is held closed to give the purse look with glue dots. So simple and cute. The little purse is only about 3 inches tall, so I figured it could be a great way to give a gift card or the perfect gift...Cash! As you can see I just love that Loves Me paper.
I also wanted to send a shout out to my buddy, Elizabeth! She sent me some hair clips and rings that she made before Christmas and being the dorkwad that I am, I forgot to shoot her a thanks and a paypal...duh!! So, huge apologies and will send out the paypal tomorrow at work and to make it up...Huge Plug for your fabulous etsy store. I love love love the hairclips and everytime I wear one, I get complements. I had Max take this picture of me wearing the hairclip that I love the most, because it is green. I'm also wearin the cute little green ring too, but it is hard to see. And of course I look like a goof in this picture because he was screwing around when we were taking the picture.
"come on mom, work with me, work with me"
What a goof.
And apparently from this picture I am too.
Maybe this isn't the best free advertisement that I had planned. Oh well.

So, in the year of the New, I am trying to post more pictures, more projects, more me and less boring.

SWAP REMINDER

After my 2 week psuedo-vacation, I am so busy I have to remind myself to breathe.
I just wanted to shoot out a quick reminder that Swap deadline is quickly approaching. Swaps are due February 1st.

If you need some reminders you can view all the Swap details from my previous post. The participants have changed slightly, so pay attention to the magic number!
But here are a few facts:

• You need to create 14 6x6 recipe pages
• You can use any supplies you want
• Pages can have hand written recipes or printed
• Have fun, this is a no sweat swap!

I think that is all for now.

I have so much to blog and no time to do it, but I have been trying to catch up on all the news of my blogging buddies and will try to post some new projects and news this weekend.

Back to work.

Happy New Year

This time of the year time just races by doesn't it?

Well, I have been on "vacation" for the past week, although I use the term loosely because besides having house guests for 6 days straight, having to family gatherings and Christmas, I have also been to work on one of the days. Yes, I am a girl that works while on vacation...stupid...YES!!

I am a one woman operation at my office and the biz just can't slow down because I need a break, so off to work I went, with my brother to help, and worked just like any other day. I think I will have to do it again this week as well, that really sucks!

We had a lovely Christmas, even though I am not a fan. I got some lovely diamond earrings from Max, third year in a row and some other stuff equally good but not as lovely.

Max and I have been celebrating for the past couple of days.

It all started 11 years ago when I spent my New Years Eve in a hospital bed waiting for my little guy to make an appearance. 1996 was a new start for me, new year, new baby, new life. Every year since, I think about how in that one night everything changed and everything was new and exciting. And just like everyone sees each new year as a new start, I remember that particular year we always try to celebrate his birthday big.

He thinks that when everyone in Time Square screams Happy New Year!...they are yelling Happy Birthday to him. And I would never disagree. Back when he was younger, he thought all the decoratins around the city and the fireworks were for him and I would always agree.

So, it has been two days of celebrating. Now, he is off visiting with his dad's family, giving me a moment to sit down.

Happy 11th Birthday Max!

I was looking through pictures this week and came upon these from Max's birthday in 2004. He looks so much younger in these pictures, I can barely remember him being this little. It brings a tear to my eye this year so much more than in the past because it seems as though time is really racing by and before I know it he will be a man and off to college. (and yes, those are Krispy Kreme donuts forming his "cake" that year, his request)

Man, how time flies.

I also wanted to wish everyone a great New Year filled with fresh starts, new experiences, love and joy.