The Scrappy Bug

Unexpected

2011-03-20T15:47:00.000-05:00

While looking for a curtains for my living room I came upon these wall accents.

I'm normally not a fan of these kinds of decorations but I needed something for a wall in my entry. I needed something that wasn't a show stopper and something that I wouldn't mind covering up. This piece of wall happens to be below my coat rack. These wall accents were only $20 so I thought why not. Turns out I love wall accents. Who knew.

I had a few other pieces left so I thought....

And then I thought, are wall accents just for walls?

A needed something to dress up my already lovely glass toilet paper holder.

So simple and just the right touch.

Thank Ya!

2011-03-10T07:43:00.000-06:00

As I've said before, thank you cards can be the perfect touch to a lovely party. It's your last chance to remind your guests of the great time they had while showing your appreciation for the lovely gift they gave. And if your gift was crappy... they should still get a thank you note. If you make your own thank you cards I suggest you do as I do, give the ones that didn't come out so well to the persons that gave you crappy gifts :)

Before Team Edwards and Team Jacob, there was Team Mator and Team McQueen. I am Team Mator all the way baby!!!

Cha Cha Chia

2011-03-07T11:00:00.002-06:00

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you, I love Michael's craft store. I go to that store more than I go to any other store. The cashiers know my name. We have discussions of my projects as they are checking me out and scanning my coupons.

While roaming the aisles I came across this little fellow.

If you can't tell from the picture, it's a miniature planting pot painted like a bumble bee. The box came with soil and grass seeds. Well I just had to get it.

The instructions seemed simple enough. Plant seeds, water and put in sunlight. Seemed simple enough. Below is day three.

Day five.

Day seven.

Whoever thought of this is a genius. I don't have a backyard but I have grass. This is the kind of lawn I can take of.

My little grassy bee brings a smile to my face every time I see it.

Eat More Shrimp

2011-03-05T09:04:00.017-06:00

I like to believe that I am a pet person. But really, I'm not sure if I am truly a pet person. I had a cat---once. That relationship lasted only a few weeks. It's a long story better left for another day. It's fair to say, I am not a cat person.

I like dogs, but the thought of living my life around a dog's poop schedule is not appealing to me. Now, once I make some real money and can afford a dog walker, I may reconsider. But for now, I am not a dog person.

So I thought I would try and be a fish person.

My friend, clearlytangled, gave me her bowel, rocks, and greenery left over from a beta she had in college. It's best to start small.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to...... CT named after my good friend clearlytangled.

It's been two weeks and he's still alive. I feel good about this. I may not be a cat person or a dog person but at least I am a fish person.

And he's funny. We are a perfect match.

Zoom Zoom

2011-03-03T21:03:00.000-06:00

I am at the stage in my life where everyone around me is married and are having babies. This means our activities are planned around nap times and feedings. It's funny, I used to play truth or dare with these same people. Now we are playing with blocks and telling bedtime stories.

A very close friend of mine asked if i could make her sons' 2nd birthday party invitations. Well of course I said yes. Making kids crafts are super fun. Her son loves cars...the objects on four wheels and the Disney movie.

The pattern paper is from a Martha Stewart paper pack. My friend is all about the sparkle and the primary colors. This paper pack was the perfect fit.

McQueen is a clipart I got off the web. He's popped up with dimensions.

This is my friends favorite invitation. I have to admit, it's pretty fantastic.

These invitations were a big hit. And so was the party.

The Thank You cards are coming up.

Baby Shower Banner

2011-01-30T00:38:00.000-06:00

Ever sense I started paper crafting, I began making banners. I had not given much thought to them before. We would have store bought "Happy Birthday" banners for milestones such as 40th & 65th birthday parties. Now I seem to be making banners for every occasion. For whaterver reason, they are now very important to me. I push them on everyone.

"Oh you're having a baby shower, you need a banner. I can make you a banner. If you're having a house warming party - you definitely need a banner. I have a great idea for a banner. Come on, let me do it."

Now, under normal circumstances my friends wouldn't buy a banner, wouldn't even think about putting a banner up. But when someone offers to make you one, it's hard to say no. Especially when that certain someone is persistent and oh so exited to do it.

As I mentioned in a previous post, my friend had twins - a baby boy and a baby girl. This banner seemed appropriate.

In case you can't see it, it says "Hello Double Trouble". The base of the banner are leaves. The letters are made from safari pattern paper. There are a few animals "strategically" placed throughout the banner. I don't think anyone noticed it but I loved it.

No party is complete without the favors - Part 4

2011-01-25T08:20:00.004-06:00

My favorite Muppet characters from Sesame Street where Bert and Ernie (Ernie especially). A typical Bert and Ernie bit began with Ernie devising a hare-brained idea and Bert calmly attempting to talk him out of it. Usually, Bert loses his temper and Ernie would not know why.

An example of an Ernie and Bert skit is the popular "banana in my ear" joke:

Ernie: Hi, Bert!

Bert: Hey, Ernie, you know that you have a banana in your ear?

Ernie: What was that, Bert?

Bert: (more loudly) I said, you have a banana in your ear, Ernie. Bananas are food. They are to eat, not to put in your ear!

Ernie: What did you say, Bert?

Bert: (shouting) WOULD YOU JUST TAKE THAT BANANA OUT OF YOUR EAR?!

Ernie: I'm sorry, you'll have to speak a little louder, Bert! I can't hear you; I have a banana in my ear!

Comic genius.

Some of my favorite bits where of Ernie and his rubber duckie. I just loved the rubber duckie song as I'm sure you did as well. Sing with me now:

Rubber Duckie you’re the one,

You make bathtime lots of fun,

Rubber Duckie I'm awfully fond of you

Vo-vo-dee-o!......

Ahh, the good old days. In the spirit of Ernie and his rubber duckie, I had to get a rubber duckie to finish off my party favor bag. And of course they couldn't be just any rubber duckie, they had to follow the theme of the baby shower - animal/safari.

Is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen? The people at the Oriental Trading Company have it going on I tell ya. I had a hard time selecting my favorite one.

I mean could you pick a favorite?

They are all just so adorable and rubber duckie like. I will admit to you (but don't tell any one) I almost kept them ALL! I didn't feel like other people would appreciate them as much I would. Hopefully they all found good homes.

I hope this series inspired you to give awesome party favors at your next party.

No party is complete without the favors - Part 3

2011-01-23T23:19:00.000-06:00

It is no secret, I am more of a paper crafting person than a sewing project person. However, I am slowly trying to dive into the fabric world. I have all of these grand sewing projects in mind. Mostly from tutorials I've found online. I love the internet. You can find so many projects online where people were kind enough to give you step by step instructioins on how to create their ideas.

My biggest problem (in both life and crafting) is my lack of patience. When I want something, I want something done now. And since I don't know how to thread my machine and it would be simpler to just go over to my mothers house and have her set up her machine (and get me out of a sewing jam if I get into one) I tend to just go over there. I think I am making progress though. I now own a sewing machine. I haven't opened it but isn't the first step admitting you have a sewing machine....or is the first step admitting you have a problem. Regardless, my third party favor for my friends baby shower was a sewing project inspired but Martha Stewart - a tissue case. Find tutorial here.

Here is my version a little dressed up.

The flowers were cut using a cuddlebug die cut and then sewed on with a button. As a new seamstress, felt has become my go to fabric for projects because you don't have to hem the edges. Felt doesn't fray. Here is what the other side looks like.

Now you may remember, I went for a spa theme for my party favors and you may be asking yourself how does a tissue case fit in? And my answer is - you may have to blow your nose during your spa day. In which case you will need tissue. Makes sense....right?

Stay tuned for final party favor show and tell later this week.

No party is complete without the favors - Part 2

2011-01-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

To go along with my spa themed party favor bags for my friend's baby shower, I included little jars of bath salts.

I purchased the jars from Hobby Lobby and the bath salts are from Target. A very inexpensive gift but it packed a punch I thought.

In order to jazz up the jars a bit more I placed stickers on all four sides. Two sides had pictures of animals (the theme of the baby shower) and the other two sides had the initials of the babies (in case you forgot, my friend had twins - a boy and a girl).

I wasn't really sure how many boxes of bath salts to buy so I ended up with an extra box of each. Instead of returning them, I added them to the soap when it was in the liquid state...to help with my color issues...it didn't really help as evident in my previous post. However, my soap did smell lovely.

Next up - tissue holders. "How is that spa themed?" you ask. Well you are going to have to tune in next time to find out.

No party is complete without the favors - Part 1

2011-01-19T08:35:00.002-06:00

For my friend's baby shower I was in charge of invitations, party favors, and the banner. Two of her other friends were also sharing the hosting duties and seeing as how we were in different cities, coordinating the shower was no easy task. I wasn't in charge of all decorations which posed a problem in keeping everything cohesive.

My friend didn't really like the idea of your traditional pink and blue to represent the boy and girl she was having. This information, however, wasn't shared with her other two friends. So when I discovered this little fact (after her friends bought all this pink and blue stuff) I had to alter my color scheme a bit. Which, let me tell you, trying to keep a very pregnant woman and two other people I hardly know happy, is no easy task.

My compromise was to have pink and blue items inside the bags but the bags themselves would be earth toned. The outcome wasn't so bad.

I'm a fan of themes. They provide direction and focus for me. Of course this is not to say I don't go overboard with a theme :) For this baby shower I went for a spa theme. Each bag contained 5 items

Soap
Bath salts
Bath Fizz ball
Tissue holder (ok not spa themed but they are so cute)
Rubber ducky

The little bags you see in the picture above have cookies for any little kids that attended.

For this post I would like to share with you the soap that I made using a soap brick, dye, and animal molds. You first need to melt your soap in either a double boiler or in the microwave. I used a double boiler because it was going to take me a while to mix the dyes correctly and I needed the soap to remain hot.

Once the soap was in a liquid state, I poured in soap dye to change the color of the soap from white to pinkish and blueish.

I then poured the soap into some animal molds and waited 20 minutes for them to dry. The end result was fabulous.

Ok so the pink and the blue didn't really come out pink and blue. But have you tried mixing colors to create pink and blue. No easy task I can tell you. Below is how they looked in their package.

Everything looks so much better packaged don't you think?

Stayed tuned for Party Favors - Part 2 Bath Salts.

Scrappy Bug - Where have you been?

2011-01-17T22:34:00.000-06:00

Have you ever been so busy that you forget what day it is? Your alarm wakes you up and you can't remember why you set it. Well that has been me these last couple of weeks. I've been busy with home improvement projects (which I will share later) that seem to take up all of my free time. Before then....I'll blame the holidays and pure laziness. But I am back with a vengeance. Expect several posts the next couple of weeks.

A good friend of mine was pregnant with twins (she delivered a boy and a girl a few weeks ago) but before these bundles of joy came into our lives, her friends and I gave her a baby shower. I was in charge of invitations, party favors, & banner. Three of my favorite things to make.

We had an animal theme baby shower. Or maybe it was safari theme....I don't remember now. My friend is not very keen on traditional girl and boy colors i.e. pink and blue so her invitations had earthy tones.

In case you can't tell from the picture, these are elephant heads raised with dimensions. Other invitations had monkey heads and giraffe heads as well as an animal combination. These were super simple to make and not your typical baby shower invitation. I loved them and more importantly so did the mom to be.

In a few days I'll share my party favors. They were a little over the top but I couldn't help myself.

Toto, I don't think we won

2010-11-08T21:31:00.000-06:00

Although Halloween has past there is something I have to get off my chest. There was a pumpkin carving contest at my place of work. Two co-workers and I decided to join the competition.

We came up with this brilliant idea.

How cute are they. I don't even have to say who they were right? You can totally tell.

Here are a few other entries. There were 11 in total.

These are lovely pumpkins as well but we felt we had a real shot at winning.....we came in third. Technically we did win something...but we didn't win it all.

I wasn't planning on blogging about this. But I just came across these pictures and wounds were re-opened. I was hoping blogging would help in the healing process.

Addiction

2010-10-17T22:39:00.000-05:00

Addiction is defined as the uncontrollable compulsion to repeat a behavior regardless of its negative consequences. A person who is addicted is sometimes called an addict.

Hello, my name is The Scrappy Bug and I am a Words with Friends addict. A good friend of mine introduced me to this game. It's just like scrabble but better. There is no argument over the validity of a word because the system automatically tells you the letters you played are not a word. You don't lose your turn when you make up a word. And, you can play with multiple opponents at once.

I am constantly checking my phone to see if my opponents have played a word. And because there is no penalty, I check all letter combinations to see if they make a word - Coz, Qi, Raj are all words that have been used and have scored a ton of points.

I was sick last night and didn't end up falling asleep until 4am. I woke up at 10am and the first thing I did was check my phone to see if it was my turn. I still wasn't feeling 100% but I must say entering KURTA for 38pts did make me feel just a little bit better.

If you can, I would recommend downloading this game and inviting a friend or two or three. All addiction doesn't have to be bad. This one is educational...as long as you look up the definition of the word you didn't know.

The Funk

2010-10-14T22:32:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I graduated from a masters program about a month and a half ago. I was a full time student with a full time job and a need to craft. My day was scheduled from beginning to end. At times, this included my lunch hour and my bus ride to and from home. I didn't have weekends. At least not in the sense that most people have weekends - I forgot to mention - I had a part time job that took up my Saturdays. In short, I was busy.

So of course when I graduated, I took some time off. I deserved it. I earned it. So after work, I would come home and do nothing. And I mean nothing. No cooking, little cleaning, no crafting, and sadly, no blogging. I just watched TV and then watched some more TV. My weekends still include work, but on Sundays I do nothing. All day. In my PJs. It's fabulous. Marvelous. The best thing ever.

But all good things must come to an end. I have craft orders I must fill and craft fairs I must prepare for. I have to start cooking or take a third job to pay for my restaurant debt. And the dust layer is starting to look like furniture padding.

I have to get out of my funk. So I am starting with my blog. Hopefully I will have something of interest to post real soon. Wish me luck.

The Story of Larry and Bob

2010-09-20T21:24:00.000-05:00

***PARENTAL ADVISORY****

This story is not for the timid.

I spent the majority of my vacation in gorgeous, breathtaking, Maine. ( I have actually sent a letter to the state of Maine telling them they should change their name to Gorgeous Breathtaking Maine. I'll let you know if they reply.)

Of course, all you hear and all you see are signs saying, "Find the best lobster rolls here." "Fresh lobster here." Even fast food restaurants get in on the action.

So of course I had to try the famous Maine lobster.

Enter the Lucky Catch.

And Captain Tom

We had so much fun on the Lucky Catch. Captain Tom was awesome. He and his staff will take you out and teach you all about lobstering. I can tell you how to identify if the lobster is male or female. I can tell you what you do if you catch an egg laying lobster. I can even rubber band a lobster claw with one twist.

But more importantly to this story, I can also tell you how tasty a fresh lobster is.

Enter - Larry and Bob.

We caught these two lobster just 30 mins before this picture was taken. They were the right size in order for us to keep and they didn't wiggle very much in your hand - two important aspects when picking your own lobster off the boat.

In this picture above, Larry is on the left. Bob is on the right.

In this picture above, we believe Larry is on the left. Bob is on the right.

I warned you, this story was not for the timid.

More to come....

A Reward for a Job Well Done

2010-09-15T10:00:00.008-05:00

As I posted earlier this week, I recently graduated from my master's program. As a reward to myself, I took a vacation and visited Boston, Massachusetts and three cities in Maine - Camden, Bar Harbor, & Portland. It was the best vacation I have ever taken and one I will never forget.

Sadly, we only had two days in Boston. Both days rained nonstop. But even in the gray and gloom, the architecture, the history, the spirit of Boston showed through.

Some of our excursions were canceled due to the rain but that didn't stop us from exploring the city on our own. I plan on going back and making Boston it's own vacation.

More to come....

I See The Light

2010-09-13T23:01:00.000-05:00

A journey that started 2 1/2 years ago has finally come to an end. I have successfully completed my master's degree. The light at the end of tunnel was there, just like everyone said. I am filled with emotions; happiness, relief, excitement, uncertainty about the future.....

My family through me a party to celebrate. I of course provided the invitations. I kept them simple yet elegant. It's amazing what some ribbon, pattern paper, and just the right font can do.

Blank Cards That Speak Volumes

2010-08-09T22:57:00.001-05:00

Recently I gave a friend of mine a stack of blank thank you cards for her birthday. Blank cards make a great gift. This allows the person to use the cards as they wish.

Below is the birthday card I made her.

She loved her gift.

Teenagers

2010-08-03T23:33:00.000-05:00

One of my nephews turned 13 this year. He has already exhibited the traits of a teenager. He no longer tells his mother he loves her in front of his friends. He walks into another room when his cell phone rings. And of course, he knows everything.

Let me tell you how difficult it is to design a card for a teenage boy. I don't know that I succeed but at least he said, "This one pops up." It could be worse. He could have said, "This sucks."

It's the little things really.

My first baby shower

2010-07-26T23:05:00.000-05:00

I am rather happy with how the baby shower turned out. I believe the guests had a good time and more importantly the mother to be really enjoyed herself.

Although this was my first baby shower, I treated this party just like my other parties.

Presentation is everything.

Flowers add softness and warmth.

The details matter.

Dessert is very important. These cupcakes are from Sprinkles. They were a huge hit.

If you can add something funny - do so. I purchased these napkins over a year ago, waiting for the perfect occasion to use them - a baby shower works don't you think?

I can't wait to do this again.

Brag Book

2010-07-25T22:34:00.000-05:00

The baby shower I have been blogging about was this past weekend. I'll post pictures from the party later this week. The mother-to-be visits my blog so I could not post her gift until after the party. I made her a Brag Book.

Here are the two covers.

This is one side view.

Here are some of the pages.

And of course each page had tags.

She loved the gift. I can't wait to see it filled with pictures.

Rubber Duckie

2010-07-21T09:37:00.001-05:00

I love party favors. Who wouldn't want a small gift to take home and unwrap. They make the perfect ending to any event.

For my friend's baby shower I had a hard time finding a good party favor. I wanted something cute but with a purpose. I searched many online stores and only one thing caught my eye; soap in the shape of an egg. The egg came in a nest and then wrapped in a box - brilliant but expensive. I thought I could make that happen for half the price.

Sadly I couldn't find an egg mold but a friend (clearlytangled) found a duck mold which matched my invitations. And then a voice from the past filled my head -

Rubber Duckie, you're the one,
You make bathtime lots of fun
- Ernie

(Which sesame street character was your favorite?)

Of course the ducks had to go into a bath.

I know what you are thinking - the duckies are missing a shower cap.

And of course packaging is everything.

Who wouldn't love avocado and cucumber scented duckie soaps.

Clothesline

2010-07-20T21:35:00.001-05:00

The banner for my friend's baby shower is finished. I am so happy with how it came out.

When I was growing up, every single backyard in my neighborhood was filled with freshly laundered clothes by 10am on a Saturday morning. Although doing the laundry is still not my favorite chore, I love the smell of clean clothes on a Saturday morning.

I found these miniature clothespins at Michael's and they were the perfect finishing touch.

Baby Shower

2010-07-15T23:07:00.000-05:00

One of my co-workers is pregnant. This gave me a wonderful opportunity to throw a party. More specifically, a baby shower. This will be the first baby shower that I have hosted and I can't wait to throw another one. All of my friends need to get pregnant this very instant. Baby showers are so much fun to plan. Plus she already knows she is having a girl so I got to use alot of pink and make pretty things.

Over the course of the next week I will post the party favors, banner, flower arrangements, and table scape. But first we must start with the invitation.

I used my New Arrival Cricut cartridge to make the outfit and the duck. I used my fiskars boarder punch for the bottom edge and I rounded the top two corners. They came out super cute.

No two are exactly the same. I used different papers for the base of the card as well as for the outfit. A great party always starts with a great invitation.

The Big 3-0

2010-07-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

My best friend turns 30 today. For her special birthday, I wanted to make her a special gift. I've been dabbing in mini albums lately and came across a tutorial on a mini album made out of No 10 envelopes. I love how it turned out.

It's an accordion style design - 5 envelopes made 10 pockets and 10 surfaces to design on.

Here are the front and back covers...or the back and front cover depending on which way you start.

Here is the side view. Once I added all the embellishments and tags, it got thick.

A view of the inside.

A few of the tags.

I also made her a card

I love the bright colors...although I don't believe the yellow background was the right choice for the picture.

Happy Birthday BFF.

CSI NY meets CSI Houston

2010-07-07T20:32:00.000-05:00

Little monster update - as posted previously, my little monster did not receive another video game from me. Instead he is going to camp at a local museum. For this week, he is our very own CSI agent. Some of the activities he has participated in thus far have been, finger printing, blood typing, sketching a suspect, drawing his own crime scene, and learning about DNA.

As pictured above, he created a double helix out of twizzlers and dots....so which are the nucleotides and which are the polymers? He is having a great time. I can't wait till Friday to find out who done it.

Happy Birthday Mama

2010-07-07T10:15:00.000-05:00

My mother's birthday is this week. We never know what to get her for her birthday. If you ask her, she says he doesn't want anything or need anything. There are only so many perfume bottles, lottery tickets, and Sears gift cards a lady needs. I still don't know what to get her but at least I have her card ready to go.

I picked this patterned paper because she is an amazing seamstress. She doesn't need a pattern to make anything. She just needs to look at a garment, make a few notes, and she is able to reproduce it perfectly. Same goes for knitting, crochet, embroidery etc. I wish I could do half the things she is able to do.

Happy Birthday Mama - I love you.

Got Cake?

2010-07-05T22:14:00.000-05:00

I made this card for my older brother. He is the same brother who started our family's weight loss club (as a family we are down 301lbs since February). He loves receiving my cards. He thinks they are just as good as hallmark. I think they are 10x better but that is his way of paying me a compliment.

I thought the sentiment "Got Cake?" was perfect. His answer should be no on any other day, but for his birthday he should indulge.

Happy Birthday (not so big anymore) Big Brother. Love you!

What's a serger?

2010-06-28T23:36:00.000-05:00

I made this birthday card for a very good friend of mine who is turning 33 this week. I value our friendship more than she knows...even though she says I'm an old lady.

Don't be deceived by the paper design, she doesn't know how to sew. As far as I know, she has never picked up a needle and thread. I fell in love with the colors and the layout.

Happy Birthday dear friend!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-19T23:37:00.000-05:00

There are some men who have that dad quality about them naturally. He may not be your own father but he is the person you look up to, the person you go to when you have a problem, the person you want to make proud. This is the best kind of dad because he can't ground you.

To all the fathers and those who fit that role - Happy Father's Day!

Doggie Daddy

2010-06-18T23:47:00.000-05:00

I do not own a pet so I don't always understand the relationship between pet and owner. There are some pet owners who truly see their pets as their children - their babies. They have professional pictures taken of their pet which are proudly displayed on their mantels and hallways. They pay for expensive doggy daycares and groomers that massage scalps and rub bellies, they purchase only the finest gourmet doggy treats and food. Then there are the truly special who refuse to move to go to the bathroom because their precious pet is napping on their lap.

For the two special doggie daddies in my life, these cards were made for them - against my better judgment :) Happy Father's Day!

Patience Dad

2010-06-15T22:33:00.000-05:00

Everyone has heard their mother tell them, "You wait until you have children of your own." or "I hope your child is just like you so you can see what it's like." Inevitable, our mother's curse dose come true and we end up with children who don't listen, who talk back, who never clean their room or brush their teeth, or can stand still for more than two seconds.

My brother was a rambunctious little boy who would never listen. Mom had a hard time keeping up with him. Now the tables are turned and his little one is just as antsy as he was. My brother has somehow found patience we never knew he possessed. He hardly ever loses his temper and he always takes his time with his son. He has become a wonderful father. Looks like he was paying attention to mom after all.

Happy Father's Day Patient Dad!

Super Dad

2010-06-13T23:07:00.000-05:00

Some fathers are, shall we say - special. They tend to be forgetful, have the attention span of a five year old, and have poor listening skills. But they love their family with all their heart and are there for them when it really counts. Their children wouldn't have it any other way. Given their short comings, I would say this makes them just a little bit super.

Happy Father's Day Super Dad! You may not be able to leap builds in a single bound but you show up to track meets after only two reminders.

Kid at Heart

2010-06-11T23:22:00.000-05:00

Some of the best fathers are those who are kids at heart. The ones that look forward to racing home to play with their children. Although they realize the importance of doing homework and completing chores, they love to play everything from Wii to Candy Land to a game of basketball with their little ones. This card goes out to the biggest kid at heart I know.

I have seen him play video games with his 11 year old son and 15 year old daughter. Taunting them the entire time, even laughing an evil little laugh when he won. Then he hugs them, kisses them on the cheek, and asks them to play another game. This time, in between taunts, he asks about their day. He knows how to be their friend but still their father.

Happy Father's Day to the Kid at Heart!!!
The next time I am in town, I challenge you to a mean game of Pac Man!

My Friend

2010-06-09T08:30:00.001-05:00

Fathers, like mothers, should be celebrated and praised for all that they do. This series of cards will honor the fathers in my life.

There is no guide book, no manual, or perfect way to raise a child. Bringing a new life - a new soul into this world is not an easy decision. Fears, doubts, and the uncertainty of the future all way on the hearts and minds of soon to be parents. Being the man of the house, the provider, these fears way more heavily on the the father.

The father that is receiving this card is a new father. His wish is not unlike the wish of many new father - to be the best father he can be to his son and to be a better father than his father.

No matter how tired he is, how stressed he might be, he always greets his son with such love and excitement. His day is made 100 times better by seeing the smile on his son's face as he enters the door and hearing his son's laugh. He loves spending time with his baby and often spends a full day together, just him and his son. Although my friend has only been a father for a short period of time, he has already fulfilled his wish - he is the best father his son could ever ask for.

Happy Father's Day friend!

Cards that say thanks and a whole lot more

2010-06-07T18:35:00.000-05:00

Graduation is more than just celebrating the accomplishment of an individual, it's a time to thank all of the people who made graduation possible. As part of my niece's graduation gift, I made her 10 thank you cards. These are cards she can give to her closest friends and family.

Two words - Thank you - can help you show your appreciation to someone for always being there for you, for supporting you and your dreams, for loving you no matter what, and for telling you can do it when you didn't believe in yourself.

Hats off to the Graduate

2010-06-01T19:15:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite times of year - graduation time. There are only a handful of events that can compare to the feeling that comes with graduation. The bitter sweet feeling of knowing a part of your life has ended and a new life is fast approaching. Thus far I have graduated 4 times - kindergarten, middle school, high school, and college (soon that number will be 5). Each time I felt the excitement and fear of the unknown. What a great feeling.

This year one of my nieces is graduating from high school. She lives out of state so I only get to see her once or twice a year, but I swear she was 12 only yesterday. I am so very proud of her; of the young woman she has become; of the wonderful person she is. She is going to college in the fall - studying to be an engineer. She is one of those people who knows what she wants, works hard to achieve her goals, and doesn't settle. I can't wait to see how she takes over the world.

Congratulations to all the Grads!! Job well done.

Baby Banner

2010-05-31T16:35:00.000-05:00

Along with the party favor tags below, I also created a banner for the baby shower. A banner is a lovely addition to any party. I used my cricut machine to make this one but you could make one out of any shape you like. The bottles and babies were from the Everyday Paper Dolls cricut cartridge and the letters are from the Robtz cartridge. The wonderful thing about this banner is that it can serve a dual purpose - the parents could place this in the baby room after the baby shower.

Tags make a party favor

2010-05-27T20:10:00.000-05:00

Of course when the BFF asked me to make invitations for her friend's baby shower, I couldn't just stop there. Especially when I found out there was not a theme, or color scheme, or meal plan - I new I had to do something. So I offered to do what I could from 200 miles away - decorations.

No party, especially a baby shower, is complete without party favors. But not just any party favor, I'm a fan of those you can eat, have true purpose, and look cute at your party. Coasters and koozies have never been high on my list. It was agreed that they would make brownies or cookies, wrap them in cellophane, and I would make the tags. No party favor is complete without a tag.

To go along with the invitations I created tags in the shape of the animals.

Of course no tag is complete without a sentiment.

Decorations are not always balloons and streamers. The smallest details make a world of difference.

Hungry Hungry Hippo

2010-05-25T22:20:00.000-05:00

My best friend was roped into co-hosting a baby shower for a friend of hers. The BFF does not do parties. She doesn't feel comfortable in the kitchen although she can make much more than what she gives herself credit for. She has a fear that no one will come to her parties which of course has never happened. And, she says she doesn't have a creative bone in her body...that I agree with.

She called and asked if I would do the party invitations - I of course jumped at the chance. Who could say no to the opportunity to make cute baby themed invitations. I began to ask your standard questions: what is the party theme, what is the sex of the baby, what colors should I concentrate on etc. I was given a few pieces of information to work with. Her friends were having a baby boy so I couldn't make it too pretty. The soon to be parents wanted a couples baby shower so the invitation had to be appealing to both male and female guest. I was also told they needed the invitations in a week. "Ahh nuts", I thought. Creativity takes time, perfection patience. "Not to fear" I told the BFF, "I got this".

I recently purchased the Create a Critter Cricut cartridge. This was the perfect cartridge for this project. Adorable animals scream baby. I made four different invitations - the hippo (showed below), a giraffe, an elephant, and a lion. The hippo is what attracted me to the cartridge in the first place.

As a young child I always wanted the game - Hungry Hungry Hippo. Sadly, I never got it. The letters and numbers were made with the Robtz cricut cartridge.

Not the first thing that comes to mind

2010-05-17T22:34:00.000-05:00

My mother is a special little woman. As I have mentioned in a previous post, she is over 70 years young. About three times a week she visits a senior center where they do group exercises, play bingo, have dances, conduct yearly miss senior pageants - your regular senior citizens activities.

From time to time they have craft fairs where any senior may sell items they have made. This is how they discovered that my mother could knit and sew. Every since then, they bring different clothes for her to mend or hem and every once in a while, she will get a special request. For the most part they have been your normal items - a pillow case, a hat, a table cloth. But every once in a while she gets that extra special request.

When you first look at this - what would you think this is used for?

Obviously it's a pouch. It's meant to hold something - i.d., cash, keys.....dentures? Yes folks, my mother was asked to make a pouch that could hold dentures. Apparently one of the seniors from her center is always losing hers. She puts them down and then forgets where she puts them. So now, she has a pouch that she can wear around her neck and always keep track of her dentures. For course, the next question is - why is she taking off her dentures? But that is for another blogger to report on.

Dentures - not the first thing that comes to mind.

The Loss of a Fighting Irishman

2010-05-11T22:40:00.000-05:00

The loss of someone you love,whether expected or unexpected, is very difficult to bare. Going from one day having that person in your life to the next never seeing him again is more than heartbreaking, it can change your soul.

Recently, one of my sister-in-laws lost her father. Although she was surrounded by loving family and friends (she lives out of state), we wanted to be there for her, my brother, and my niece and nephews. We all called and tried to put into words what our hearts were feeling but words failed us. We knew nothing we said would bring him back or ease their pain. We simply said we loved them and we were thinking of them.

I am not a fan of sympathy cards but I felt I should send them something. This is what I came up with. I hope it warmed their hearts - if only for a moment.

Favorite Mama

2010-05-09T09:10:00.001-05:00

I'm sure you guessed it, I saved the best for last. My favorite kind of mama is MY MAMA!!! Now I know that most people think their mama is the best. But hands down, my mother can beat your mother in a mother contest....whatever that would entail.

I always tell her she is my favorite mama to which she replies, "But I am your only mama" (my mom is smart as well as adorable). My response is "But if I had other mothers, you would be my favorite." And it's true. She would be my favorite.

She is the cuties 4 ft 10 inch - 73 year old - nicely round and squishy mother you will ever come across. She is soft in all the right places; the perfect partner to snuggle up with. She makes the best tortillas this side of the border. And she has this laugh.....I can't explain it, you have to hear it to fully understand what it does to you. No matter what we are doing - whether it's playing Wii bowling (yes, she is in an senior citizens Wii bowling league) or playing cards (you better watch her - she cheats) or just sitting on the couch talking, I always have the best time.

Happy Mother's Day to my FAVORITE MAMA!!!! I love you!

And Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. Thank you for being your child's favorite mother!

Special Mama

2010-05-06T10:25:00.003-05:00

There are many different ways of showing support for your child. You can be on the sidelines of every single game, you can give a standing ovation to a performance you know sucked, or buy a violin after you were promised (for the 4th time) that this is the one. But there are a select few who go a step or two further.

It's instinctual to want to protect your child. It's in a parents DNA. When you see your child hurting, all you want to do is fix it. Kiss it and make it all better. Unfortunately, there are situations in which a kiss won't fix it. And there are situations in which perhaps, a mother should not get involved. This story could possibly be one of those situations.

Rumor has it, there was a lovely girl who like a boy. The lovely girl told her best friend that she liked this boy. Evidently, the "best friend" also liked the same boy and began telling the boy lies about the lovely girl. The lovely girl found out what was happening and was understandably very upset. She went home crying and told her special mom what had happened. This mother did what any..what most....what some...what few mothers would do -she called the "best friend's" mother. The outcome is not relevant. Sufficed to say, there was yelling, perhaps naming calling, a few tears shed - but in the end, the lovely girl went to bed knowing her mother had her back.

Happy Mother's Day Special Mama. You are in a class by yourself.

Working Mama

2010-05-05T22:24:00.000-05:00

Stay at home mothers are never fully appreciated for all that they do. They not only run the house, they are taxi drivers, coaches, tutors, and sometimes medics. They do so much for others that they often forget about themselves and their needs. As if all of this was not enough, there are those mothers that also work - they must be superhuman.

The woman that is recieving this card rejoined the work force after more than 15yrs as a stay at home mom. She was nervous at first. Unsure if she could handle the stress and demand of a job. She wondered what skills she possessed and what she could offer an employer. Turns out she had nothing to worry about. She is hard working, reliable and capable of anything.

Happy Mother's Day Working Mom!!! I always knew you had it in you!

Adoptive Mama

2010-05-03T22:27:00.000-05:00

Adoptive parents are wonderful souls. They open their homes and hearts to another human being and become a family. Some people adopt a baby because they can't have one on their own. Others adopt because they want to share their family with someone who lost theirs.

The lovely lady that is receiving this card adopted a beautiful baby girl, not because she couldn't have any of her own (she gave birth to three babies) but because she fell in love with this little girl the moment she saw her. She new this little girl was family from day one.

Love is thicker than blood.
Happy Mother's Day Adoptive Mama!

Godmother Mama

2010-05-01T22:44:00.000-05:00

I admire women who give birth and raise nothing but boys. To be the only woman in a house filled with dirty stinky boys takes a certain type of person. Someone who isn't afraid of washing a load of whites - which haven't looked white since the day they came out of the package. The type of woman who has learned to no longer ask where a stain came from or why a pair of tidy whities with three holes is in the laundry basket instead of the trash. Between stories of video games and gross bugs they find outside and bring inside, I am amazed at how a mother of boys keeps her sanity. But they do because that is a mother's love - to love what others wouldn't. To see the beauty in bugs, the poetry of the stories, the humor in the laundry.

My godmother is a mother of four boys. She raised them practically on her own. They have grown up to be wonderful young men who are kind and giving. They love her so much and would do anything for her. They are no longer dirty or stinky, however I doubt it very much if they throw underwear away once there's a hole in it - its some kind of guy thing they never grow out of. I would be willing to bet that Adam had holes in his underwear and Eve couldn't convince him to throw them away either.

Happy Mother's Day Godmother Mama!

New Mama

2010-04-29T22:40:00.001-05:00

Motherly instinct is a wonderful mystery. Although modern medicine and science try to explain the phenomena of instinct there are no words or definitions that can nail it down. When a woman becomes a mother she somehow taps into a psychic and connected power with her child. That's how they know you are sneaking Oreos to your room and that you are dating your ex for the third time. Most mothers worry whether or not they will be good enough for their baby. They worry about organic vs processed baby food, Barny - is he really worth it, and will their child love them more than they love their father. They will read many books on parenting hoping that someone has the answer and is willing to share. But in the end, all they have to do is follow their instinct.

This card goes out to a mother of one adorable baby boy. She is a new mom and like most new moms she was worried for nothing. She is perfect. She spoils him just enough (and allows the grandmas to spoil him rotten like every good mom should), she talks to him in English instead of baby gibberish, and she is not worried if he stands up and bumps his head on the table - according to her, how else will he learn to be careful.

It is my firm belief that in the end, all that mothers have to do is love their child more than anything else in the world. As for the rest - let psychiatrists figure it out.

Happy mothers day New Mama. You're doing great!

Salsa Mama

2010-04-28T22:46:00.001-05:00

Mothers can make you feel better when you are having a bad day.....or make you feel like you should have worn a cardigan over your v-neck shirt even though you ARE leaving something to the imagination. And then there are those mothers that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside....by feeding you chips and salsa when you go visit.

I will never admit this out loud and I will swear on a stack of bibles that I did not type this on my blog, but there is one lovely lady I know who makes salsa better than my mother. I can (and possibly have), drink this stuff.

She is a mother of three and there is nothing she wouldn't do for them. Her two oldest are grown but always go to her for advice and guidance. Her youngest has the energy of three little boys (and the sweat to prove it). She tries her best to keep up with him and most of the time she is successful. There is however, this rumor going around that she watched and cheered her heart of for her son during a football game....only the little boy on the field was not her son.....nor was she watching the right game......nor was she cheering for the correct jersey number. But you know what they say about rumors - the funny ones are always true.

I made this card for her because after I eat her salsa all I want to do is give her a big hug and kiss....and drink a big cup of water.

Happy Mother's Day Salsa Mama! Your salsa rocks but it is NOT better than my moms ;) Hi mom! I love you mom!

Buffalo Bills Mama

2010-04-27T21:02:00.002-05:00

Mother, mom, mama, ma, madre, however you say it, the feelings and memories that follow is almost always the same - love, warmth, cuddly, soft, judgmental, hugs, kisses, safe, laughter, busy body, cookies, your favorite sandwich with the crust cut off - I could go on. Mothers are superhuman. They know everything, see everything, and can do anything. Being a mother is a full time job they will have for the rest of their life. I am over 30 years old and I still call my mother when I have a bad dream. What?.... she makes me feel better.

This year I have decided to show my appreciation to all the mothers in my life - sisters, sister-in-laws, and friends - by creating and sending them a card for mother's day. Here is card 1 of 8.

The lovely mother that is receiving this card has a very giving heart. She always makes you feel right at home when you go over to visit. She'll make your favorite food, play your favorite card game, she'll even let you watch whatever you like on TV. But come football season look out - she is a wonderful hostess up until the Buffalo Bills lose. Then she is in a bad mood for the rest of the day and it is best to stay out of her way. Unfortunately for her family, that's almost every Sunday from August to January :)

She has one child - a teenage boy. He is polite, giving, smart, and will undoubtedly become a wonderful young man. But for now he is a teenager which means he can be a butt-head. I love how she reminds him that no matter how cool he thinks he is, she can still tell him to put his underwear away...loud enough so his girlfriend can hear in the other room. Cracks me up. She is awesome.

Happy mother's day to my Buffalo Bills mama.

He made it!!!

2010-04-19T22:30:00.000-05:00

Check - the MS 150 is off my brother's bucket list. I will be the first to admit, 6 months ago when my brother first brought up the idea of riding his bike 180 some miles, I took one look at his sausage roll of a stomach and thought - you're not going to make it son. But he did. And he looked so good doing it. I could not be more proud.

It's a shame this picture wasn't in focus. You would have seen a very tired but a very happy brother.

The crowd at this event was great. For some the end is bittersweet. They are happy to have accomplished this goal but they are sad it's over. For others, the end is a welcome release to throbbing muscles and a sore body. The cheers, the bells, and the signs of the crowd is what help some riders pedal those last 100 yards.

What's on your bucket list?

97 miles down - 85 left to go

2010-04-18T00:19:00.000-05:00

I am very happy to report my brother made it through the first day without having to use the butt cream. He breezed through the first 97 miles in just five hours. Once the riders arrive in La Grange (the half way point), they are told to take a shower and sign up for massages. There are several shower trailers lined up but the lines are still long.

Each team has a tent where the riders and their families eat lunch and dinner. For those riders who were not lucky enough to reserve a hotel room they sleep in the tent as well - my brother was one of them. Some of the teams have the most interesting bbq pits. This one belongs to a sanitation team.

Unfortunately there is a flash flood watch in La Grange this evening. My brother was told to remove any items from the floor to avoid getting wet, which was very funny seeing as how his blow up mattress was on the floor. But looking on the bright side of things, he could turn this bike ride into a triathlon if the flood waters do come. That is on his bucket list as well.

Below is a card I made him for the second day just in case he needed a little pick me up.

MS 150

2010-04-17T09:42:00.001-05:00

The MS 150 is a bike ride from Houston to Austin. It takes place over a two day period. Riders ask for sponsorship to help support this great cause. Although it is called MS 150 the ride is over 180 miles. My brother has been training for the MS 150 since October of last year. He took it up as a form of inexpensive exercise. Little did he know the bike, the shoes, the gear, the training classes, the butt cream, and cycling classes would add up to over a $1,000 - but he has loved almost every minute of it - the times he has had to use the butt cream - not so much :)

This will be his first year in the event and he is so excited - I am nervous. There are thousands of riders every year and unfortunately its raining and a bit yucky this weekend. I know he is well trained and he will be carefully but it's the people around him I'm most nervous about. He is part of an awesome team The Hammer Heads. His team leader has been doing this event for many years and is very detailed oriented, qualities both my brother and I admire in a leader. For example, below is one of many emails my brother has received leading up to this event - notice this is a MINIMUM packing list.

Here is the suggested minimum packing list...

Bike and both wheels

Helmet

Cycling clothes (both days)

Cycling shoes

Cycling gloves (2 pairs)

Cycling socks (2 pairs)

Cycling sun glasses

Change of Clothes for after ride (both days)

Change of shoes

2 Towels

Toiletries

Cool weather clothes (jacket, tights, etc.)

Ride packet (including numbers)

Cell phone - please leave it off while riding unless you are on call or need to make an emergency call

Plastic grocery bag (for bike seat in LaGrange)

Rain jacket

Bike computer

Saddle bag

Water bottles

2 (or more) spare tubes

Prescription or reading glasses

Aspirin, Advil, Tylenol etc. (we will have Ibuprofen in the tent and a first-aid kit for small items)

Medication (as needed)

Lip balm and sunscreen

Cash and a credit card

Copy of Identification & insurance card (put this in your seat pack)

Cable & lock (optional, if used, be sure to NOT lock or block any other bikes)

As of 9am (central time) he has completed 38 miles and has 62 left for the day. There will be a small group of us meeting him for dinner in La Grange. I can't wait to see him. This will be such a wonderful accomplishment for him.

Below is a card I made for him to help kick off the event. Hopefully it helped calm any nerves he might have had this morning.

The sentiment was stamped using two different stamp sets. The dragonfly is a brad and the border was made using a fiskars border punch. I really liked how it turned out. I hope he did too. I will be taking pictures of the event throughout the day and posting them this evening and tomorrow. I have no doubt he will successfully complete this bike ride and be able check it off of his bucket list. GO HAMMER HEADS!

My Little Monster

2010-04-11T20:45:00.001-05:00

One of my nephews is turning 11 tomorrow. As is typical with this generation they are glued to their TV playing whatever is popular nowadays - PS3, Xbox, Wii... Gone are the days of playing outside, riding your bike, and getting mud on your pants. Now when I was growing I happened to do none of those things either but at least I wasn't playing Atari 12 hours a day. Mostly because it would overheat and quit working but still. Give me a good book and I would lock myself in my room until I was done. Granted I didn't have a lock on my door and I shared a room with my older sister until I was about 15 so the room was more hers than mine but you get the point.

I come from a big family. And my big family reproduced in big numbers as well. There are 16 or 17 nieces and nephews (it's hard to keep up) so needless to say a girl can go broke buying gifts for every single one of them. Especially when a PS3 game is $50 a pop (which is the only thing on their wish list) The only reason this little rug-rat is getting anything from me is because he is also my godson. My brother (his godfather) called me to coordinate this year's birthday gift. He found out that my sister (my nephews' mother) was getting him an itouch. My brother's idea was to get him some kind of accessory to go with the itouch. I couldn't believe this. I don't have an itouch. Why should I contribute to further itouch happiness for a little kid who doesn't work. NO. NO I said. I had to draw a line. A line had to be drawn. (I feel that when you repeat yourself you further make your point) I was determined to come up with a gift that had substance. One that I could be morally proud of.

I came up with a brilliant idea. This kid is going to summer camp!!!! He needs to do something other than playing a video game or watching a movie or listening to his ipod. He needs to interact with other kids and have conversations that don't revolve around level 343 and saving the princess from a giant talking squid. No I never went to camp. I had no idea they existed when I was his age and it's a good thing I didn't know about them. Do you know that they have camps where you can dissect and learn about animal organs? There is another camp where you can learn to be an animal vet or be a zookeeper and learn to clean, feed, and train zoo animals. There is even a camp where you can pretend you are CSI agent and you learn how to take fingerprints and cast shoe prints. How cool is that? After reading all the choices I went back to make sure the age limit was 13 and not 31. I wanted to go. (Ok, ok - I'm not 31 either). So after I gave him a list of camps (from a list of camps I had already pre-picked. Some camps are not made of substance - Learn How Slushies Are Made - no thank you, I am on a substance mission.) he selected the Forensic Scientist camp. My heart was over joyed. Finally a gift of substances. I gift I could be proud of. Perhaps because of this camp he will grow up and become a forensic scientist and solve important cases, discover who steals my coke from the community fridge at work, although my name is clearly written on it, or finds out who really killed JFK - what? It could happen.

Turns out substance is just like healthy food - all the good stuff for you is expensive. Instead of spending $25 on an itouch caring case, I am going to spend over $100 on a 5 day camp. That is only one third of the cost. My brother and sister are going to pay the rest. Substance camps are not cheap.

Here is the card I made him for his birthday. I really liked how it turned out. It's one of my favorites

The sentiments and stamped monster images are from the Hero Arts Monster stamp set. The tree trunk was from a different Hero Arts stamp set - Whoo Loves You. The stars above the monster's head are outlined in white stickles. I used patterned paper on the left hand side and wrapped embroider thread around the center. I didn't like how the bow turned out so I placed a yellow brad to secure the ends. The sentiments were stamped using charcoal chalk ink and mounted with pop dots. I colored in the characters with copic markers. Since the card base was kraft card stock, the copic marker colors came out a little different than intended but overall I really like the card. The corners were rounded using the corner chomper.

Do you have kids? What are they doing for the summer? I won't judge if they will be playing video games all summer :)

Laugh

2010-04-09T21:57:00.001-05:00

One of the ladies I work with has a very unique laugh. It's the kind of laugh that makes you jump a little because its loud and unexpected. The kind of laugh that would make a person with a weak bladder wet themselves just a little (my bladder is very strong - case you were wondering).

I work in a suite across the hall from her and although we are more than 30 feet away, I can hear laugh through walls and hallways. It makes me smile every time. She has a wonderful sense of humor and finds something to laugh about every day - even if it's herself. If I haven't heard her laugh by 9am, I know she is either in a meeting or not in the office.

Sadly, I didn't hear laugh once today. She had a four hour presentation and she was a bit nervous. Although I was confident she would knock their socks off, I thought a little note wishing her well would bring a smile to her face.

The sentiment and image are from Hero Arts. The yellow flower on the sentiment is a brad. I embossed the flower design above the striped paper with clear embossing powder. For the sparkly centers I used white stickles*. The blue flower in the top left hand corner is a punch out and a yellow brad was placed in the center. The white swirly dotted line was made with a white pen. For the border I used the Fiskars scalloped punch.

*If you don't know what stickles are or have never used stickles before - you have to buy some. I love it. It has become one of my new favorite craft items. Stickles adds a little glitter without adding the mess. They come in all kinds of colors and you can find them at Michael's and Hobby Lobby.

Needle and Thread

2010-04-07T21:50:00.000-05:00

One of the blogs I follow - clearlytangled - is written by a friend of mine. She is one of those people who I wouldn't like because she is creative (and I would be jealous) but I do like because she is a great person. She is the kind of person who designs her own graphics for her cards, makes her own fabric, and would quit her job to learn how to make paper if she could. She is also the kind of person who needs to wear a hard hat to get through the day safely.... which makes me feel better about her having all this talent :)

About a year ago, she showed me a bag she made. At first I was confused because it looked like a wallet....and then she unfolded it. Genius - a bag that folds into itself. I wanted one so bad. But she quickly described how long it took her to make this one bag and how she didn't think she would make any more. So instead of asking if I could buy one from her, I told her that these would sell well if she ever decided to make them again and she should think about it before she made any rash, final decisions......I really wanted on.

Fast forward a few months later and look what I got for my birthday.

Here is the bag laid flat.

You fold up the sides.....

then you fold up the ends.

Then snap it up to look like....

This was done with needle and thread - genius!

Want one of your own - visit her etsy shop.

What is your favorite childhood book?

2010-04-06T20:39:00.000-05:00

A good friend of mine was having a party for her son. She wanted to do something special for his first birthday party but she didn't want gifts. More specificaly, she didn't want toys or clothes. Her son is her first and the first grandchild on both sides. Believe me when I tell you he has more toys then he will ever play with and more clothes then most adults. For example, I am pretty sure he has more shoes than I do.

She loves to read. She read to him almost everyday he was in her womb. So I thought, why not have everyone bring him their favorite childhood book. Great idea right? His library would grow and their gift would last longer than if they bought a simple toy or piece of clothing. This little boy made out like a bandit. Guests brought varies children's books as well as young adult books. I personally bought him the Percy Jackson Series. I did not read this as a child, but I truly loved the series as an adult.

Her theme was monkey. I helped make her party invitations, which came out super cute. We did a waterfall card (similar to a previous post). A few days before the party, I decided to make a gift for her; some thank you cards.

These were so easy. Here is what I used:

The cuddlebug was used to emboss the leaf background. I used my cricut (everyday paper dolls cartridge) to cut out the monkey and a 2 inch round punch was used to add some interest to the card. I decided to use white on white because I wanted the monkey and the thank you sentiment to stand out. She loved them. I hope you do to.

What was your favorite childhood book?

Big Brothers

2010-04-06T20:36:00.000-05:00

I come from a big family - both in number and in lbs. :) My oldest brother discovered the South Beach Diet about three months ago. This is a man who drank diet coke for breakfast, loved his pizza, and could finish a bag of chips in less than 10 minutes. Three months later, he as lost over 45 lbs and he feels and looks great. So great that he started preaching the word (or words I should say) South Beach. Now, 9 of us are either doing South Beach or at least reducing our fat, calorie, and sugar intake. As a family we are down over 200lbs. It is truly amazing. The least likely of us is showing all of us how to live a healthy life. We send in our weekly lbs lost (and rarely lbs gained) to him on Sunday mornings. Throughout the week he sends us encouraging text messages and makes phone calls, seeing how we are doing. He always gives words of encouragement and he never makes us feel more guilty if we say we ate a brownie :)

Sometimes big brothers can be a pain in the butt and sometimes they care about making your butt smaller. So I decided to make my brother a thank you card.

The sentiment is a stamp image and it says "You are beautiful - inside & out'. The card itself is a standard size 4.5"x 6"made of kraft paper. I used three patterned pages from DCWV- The green stack. My embellishments are a button with a thread tied through and a yellow flower brad. What looks like twine is actually embroider thread. It's a manly card but its still adorable. I think he is going to love it.

Turning the big 30

2010-04-06T08:39:00.002-05:00

A very good friend of mine is turning 30 this week. Normally we only go out to dinner to celebrate but with this year being such a special year, I decided he deserved a special gift. So come football season we are going to see his favorite football team - the Texans. He has never seem them live so this should be fun. Below is a birthday card I made for him. I think I might have overdone it with the embellishments. It seems a bit too busy. What do you think?

Pumpkin Doughnuts

2010-04-04T19:00:00.002-05:00

Last night was my dinner party and we had a great time. I tried a new dessert recipe - pumpkin doughnuts. I know what you are thinking - doughnuts for dessert? I would agree that doughnuts are not the first thing to come to mind when you think about dessert but the recipe seemed simple and fast so I said why not. The recipe came from Cuisine at Home issue no. 71 October 2008.

Cuisine at Home is one of my favorite food magazines. Instead of annoying and lengthy advertisements they have product feature pages. They explain the difference of a particular product - for example, a cast iron skillet. They will discuss the features, price, and uses of several name brand cast iron skillets out there.

My absolute favorite thing about the magazine are the recipe layouts. They are very simple to follow with detailed instructions and pictures. Most of the recipes also come with a short history lesson about that particular dish which can be fascinating.

This particular recipe was fairly simple to follow. I made a few substitutions - Splenda instead of regular sugar and regular brown sugar and low fat buttermilk.

They came out ok. They were not as flavorful as I thought they would be. Full fat might be the way to go next time. I was also thinking about adding in some cinnamon or some cayenne pepper for a kick.

Recipe
Makes about 18 doughnuts and wholes
Total time: 1 hour

1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 T unsalted butter melted
4 t baking powder
2 t pumpkin pie spice
1 t table salt
1/2 t baking soda

Fold in; Pat Out
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Fry in:
Vegetable oil

Whisk egg and yolk together in a large bowl until frothy. Add pumpkin, sugar, buttermilk, brown sugar, and butter; whisk until combine. Stir in baking powder, pie spice, salt, and soda. Fold flour in gradually until a sticky dough forms; cover with plastic wrap and freeze 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 2" oil to 370 degrees in an electric skillet, deep fryer, or straight-sided pan over medium heat. Pat out dough on a well-floured surface to 1/2" thick, then cut with 3" and 1" biscuit cutters dipped in flour. Transfer doughnuts and holes to a floured baking sheet using a spatula that's been dusted in flour. Fry doughnuts and holes in batches in the oil until browned, about 3 minutes, turning once. Drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Coat in sugar if desired.

Simple Invitations

2010-03-30T20:20:00.001-05:00

I love dinner parties. I love everything about them. The preparation, the selection of a theme, the invite list, the invitations themselves etc. I do have one rule; never serve the same thing twice. Of course this means I serve my guest new recipes...ones I haven't tried before....once that may require us to order pizza (that has happened only once...ok maybe twice). I look through every single cookbook I owe. I post-it all the potential appetizers, sides, main course, and of desserts. I normally have about 20 to 30 choices which get dwindled down to 10 -12 and then finally down to 2 choices of each course about a week and a half before my party. The week of the party I make my final decisions. I know this is a very tedious process but I never know what I want to eat until the week before. Then there is the table setting, the flowers, entertainment... I could go on. Basically, I love the details of a dinner party. The details make me happy.

Currently I am planning a dinner party for two friends who share a love for crafts like I do. Well, one of the two shares a love for crafts, the other is coming along because she likes to hang out with us. This will be the first time they will be visiting my home so everything has to be perfect. Beginning with the invitations.

I thought about doing a digital invitation but how lazy would I be if I couldn't make two invitations? These are simple in nature in that they are a pattern repeat - circle and square. I stamped "you're invited" with versa mark ink and then embossed it using white embossing powdered. The butterfly and dragonfly are brads. I of course rounded the corner edges. And did you notice, I used two of my kraft envelopes from maya road. I love them. I think they will too.

New Goodies

2010-03-28T19:06:00.001-05:00

As with many crafters, I purchase more supplies than I will every use. And if it's on sale - forget about it. I love visiting craft web pages like papertrey ink, twos peas in a bucket, and hero arts. I torture myself. I go through all the new product and add what I like to my cart (as if I could afford to buy all that my little heart desires). Once I am done, I look at my grand total, almost have a heart attack, and close the web browser. I will never understand why I do this to myself. But once in a while, once in a blue moon, when I think I see a pig fly, I actually purchase what I put in my cart. One item that I recently purchased, and absolutely love, are these maya road envelopes. Ten came in a packet - two of each size:

How cute are these?!! They are made of kraft paper which I am loving more and more. The scallop edge is to die for and the closure makes them perfection. They are small; ranging from 5.7"x 2.5" to 3.8"x 5". They would be perfect for a gift or a small card you would hand deliver. I am so excited to use them. The great thing about new products - they inspire you to creative something wonderful with them. If you are interested in purchasing these envelops you can go to either maya road or two peas. Enjoy!

Surprise Pop-up Card

2010-01-25T22:24:00.001-06:00

YouTube is a great resource for ideas and can be used as a learning tool. There are a number of wonderful and creative individuals out there who take the time to video tape a fun and exciting project. The card below is from Stampfest (link is below). This cute little card slides up to reveal a message inside. This would make a cute valentines day card for a loved one or an invitation to a kids birthday party. Change it as you see fit and make it your own. I embossed the front cover to add some visual interest and texture to the card. The best thing about this card is that it fits into a standard size envelope and was relatively easy to make. I do suggest watching the entire video first before attempting to make one yourself. Let me know what you think.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN7uDfqtADA&feature=related

Thank you for stopping by.

Patterned Paper

2010-01-19T14:57:00.001-06:00

Patterned paper has multiple uses. The primary use, in regards to cards, is to add some visual appeal. In this post I will discuss a second use.

The images themselves can be used directly. In the card below, the square cutouts were punched (using 1.5 inch square punch from fiskars) from two different types of patterned paper and lined up in two rows. They were adhered with raised pop dots to add interest to the card. The scallop border on the bottom of the card was cut from a patterned paper that consisted of nothing but scalloped lines. I selected a brown scalloped line because I liked how it looked with the pink card stock. I adhered it to the bottom of the top flap with tombo mono adhesive. The top flap was cut a bit shorted to accommodate the scallop. The sentiment, hugs and kisses was added using a stamp and brown chalk ink.

Take a second look at your patterned paper and see what images you jump out at you.

Pattern Repeat

2010-01-14T20:40:00.001-06:00

Cards do not have to be complicated. Sometimes the simply cards make the perfect statement. For this card, a onesie image was stamped four times (on white paper), cut out, and colored using the blender pen method. Every other onesie was raised with pop dots to give the card some dimension. The card itself is a simple 8 1/2 x 11 purple card stock cut in half, scored, and folded. I added the round boarder image below the onesies because I felt the card needed something more. If I had to do it again, I would add patterned paper instead of the stamp. Perhaps even ribbon. Either one of these options would keep the card simple yet add more interest.

Thanks for stopping by.

Just a Note

2010-01-12T22:38:00.003-06:00

I am experimenting with different weight, texture, and types of papers. For this card I am using kraft paper. One of the other blogs that I follow (kwernerdesign) absolutely loves kraft paper. So I purchased a 20 pack of cards from Michaels (at 50% off - coupons are your friends). I figured, worse case, I can use them for template cards. I have to say, I am not impressed. I loved all the cards kwerener designed with kraft but it was not inspiring to me. I think it's all the brown. Maybe it will grow on me over time.

The card below is a very simple card. I used a floral punch from fiskars on the green card stock to add a decorative element. The owl is a stamp that was cut out and raised using a pop dot. The dotted "flying" line was created using a fine tip 0.5mm black pen. A rounded corner punch was used for the bottom two corners and ribbon was added for interest.

A note about stamping - it is important that you go straight down on your paper. You don't want to rock or push too hard down on your stamp. It could cause your stamp to bleed or not stamp correctly. As you can see, I had some issues with my sentiment.

(Lighting is getting better I think)

First Entry

2010-01-10T20:50:00.001-06:00

Hello. Thank you for visiting my blog.

Over the past several months I have spent many hours viewing other people's blogs and learning from their creative projects. They inspired me to start my own blog and post my ideas. I hope you too are inspired by my creations and learn from me.

My very first card is a birthday card. I used 8.5 x 11 regular cardstock - cut in half 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 ; then folded in half using a bone folder. The cupcakes were stamped with stazon black ink on white cardstock. The images were inked using the blender pen method. Two of the cupcakes were raised using pop dots. A piece of ribbon was added for interest.

I hope you like it and thank you for stopping by.
(I'm sorry about the lighting, I'm still learning)