Happy Anniversary

Ok, my week has been so ridiculously crazy that I didn't even get to make my parents' anniversary card until today, which is, coincidentally, their anniversary. Yes, they're getting a late anniversary card. And it took me all flippin' day to make. Sometimes the inspiration just isn't there. Man, I struggled with this thing. But, they'll also be getting a fabutastic, commemorative candle, decorated by yours truly, and a wonderful digital photo keychain, featuring their 3 beautiful granddaughters. See, I figure it's all in the wording. Doesn't it all sound more impressive with a bunch of lovely adjectives thrown in? Yeah, it's still gonna be late. But isn't it the thought that counts? I say yes.

Stamps: Sweet Love, Spiral Bouquet (Papertrey), Ink: Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Palette Noir, Paper: Papertrey white, Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Accessories: Pomegranate Satin Ribbon (SU!), black brads, Marvy scallop punch, corner punch, circle punch

Merry Christmas

Hey there, everyone cruising through blog land. I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and all that jazz. Yep, that's me & Shawn at Monster Park (as a true San Franciscan, it will always be Candlestick to me) for the 49ers game on Sunday. It was a big family thing again this year - 25 of us in all. I just had to point out that we dressed in layers & had a sweater & coat for each person and here we are in t-shirts! Believe it or not, we got there around 10 a.m., and it was so warm we started stripping off our clothes. Well, not stripping. This was as risque as it got, but it was warm. At 10 a.m. In the city. In December. Just incredible. And by the time we were watching the game, it was down right hot! No kidding. And I had to keep my hat on all day, cuz you know, I had hat hair by then. Lovely. Yes, I'd rather have a sweaty head than be seen with flat, icky hair. Love me, love my vanity, people. But it was a beautiful day, the game was fun, and no one stole anything out of our truck, even tho the driver's side window was down the whole time. Ooopsie! I coulda swore I rolled that thing up....Anyways, we survived and here we are. Hope you all had an awesome Christmas!

Pretty Chocolate Love

I love this card. It's just so lovely to look at. How modest of me, huh? Well, the thing about this card is that I would've never been able to do it with mounted rubber stamps. I was lucky I got these images lined up (cuz I'm just not that good at that), but it worked because they're clear acrylic stamps (Papertrey, duh) and I could see what I was doing. And it's kinda funny that I even own this set, cuz it's really like a Valentine's set, and I hate Valentine's Day. Yes, as a matter of fact, Shawn does love that fact about me. But the designs in this set are so pretty, it's a must have, for sure. {Pssst, hey Stephanie, my last couple of cards have used Papertrey stamps. You can check the site out here. And how do you not know this?!} Oh, yeah. I'm working on using new color combinations. I can't help that I love what I love, and pink & brown are just so delicious together. How do you not love Chocolate Chip? Anyway, Darien says I need some new colors. I'll get right on that.

Stamps: Sweet Love (Papertrey), Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink (SU!), Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink (SU!), Accessories: marvy scallop punches, round corner punch, making memories brads, Chocolate Chip ribbon (SU!), dimensionals

New Stuff

Guess who got their new Papertrey stamps today? I was truly in need of some new inspiration, and I finally got it. This set has given me so many ideas, and I'm so excited to be creating with new stuff. In case you can't tell, I love, love, love my new stamps. And, cuz I know everyone's wondering, I got my Stampin' Up! catalog, too. Now, I'm just waiting for my catalogs that I ordered to pass out. Well, I'm not waiting, I've already got mine. teehee. But I've got a few people who can't wait to get their own, have them spiral bound and thumb through every, fabulous page. I will say that I can't wait to get my hands on the Berry Bliss paper in the new catty. Delicious! And be prepared to see lots of cards using the Kind Thoughts set. So cute! But, I'm waiting for Sale-a-Bration (formerly Sellabration) in February (formerly January) before I order anything new, so my Papertrey stuff will just have to hold my attention until then. I think I can, I think I can...

Stamps: Sweet Love, Paper Tray (Papertrey), Ink: Bashful Blue (SU!), Palette Noir, Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Bashful Blue (SU!), Accessories: rhinestones, Marvy punch, Mike's ribbon

Happy For Theresa

Oh man, was last week crazy! Every year at our elementary school, we have a holiday gift shop for the kids, and I worked it all day, every day. What was I thinking? It always sounds like a good idea, but by Thursday, I start to doubt my judgment. Was I on medication when I agreed to this? If not, can I have some now? Oh well. By the weekend, I'm completely fine. And since I'm feeling better now, I'm not going to dwell on it. Especially since there are other things going on. Like, take the fact that Stampin' Up! shipped the complimentary catalogs out to their demos last Monday. And so far, people in Canada, Michigan, Kansas and Southern California (among other places) have gotten theirs. Ok, what kinda crap is that?! I'm in sunny Northern California and we have great weather (no ice storms!) and I don't have mine. So, since I didn't get mine by Friday, and coincidentally, Papertrey had a new release, I made myself feel better by ordering some new sets from them. So there. Of course, I'll probably get my new catalog before my new stamp sets, but that's ok. It's just comforting knowing that I have stuff coming to my house. It's a good feeling. Merry Christmas to me!

Ok, I just have to quickly talk about this card. My sister-in-law graduated from USF on Friday with her Masters(!), and no one in her family could go. Not even her husband. So, when I see him next week, he's getting a good talking to. She said she was ok with this once she got over feeling sorry for herself. Riiiiiigghht. I bet she can guilt a nice diamond out of him for this one. Anyway, since I was so busy last week, I didn't get around to making her card until this weekend. But I didn't want to make a stuffy congratulations card for her, cuz she's not really like that. And she's probably already got a million of them from all the people who couldn't go. So, I made her one that will hopefully make her smile. And can you believe, that with all the stamps I have (it's not that many, really. No, really.), that I don't have a simple congratulations stamp? I was really shocked. Apparently, I don't congratulate a lot of people in my life. How sad. So, I had to piece together a bunch of Papertrey stamps to say Happy For You. And I am happy for her. Congratulations, Theresa!

Stamps: Paper Tray (Papertrey), Ink: Mellow Moss, Blush Blossom sponged (SU!), Paper: Pretty in Pink, Blush Blossom, Certainly Celery (SU!), Brenda Walton DP, Accessories: Marvy punches, Certainly Celery ribbon, Making Memories brads, dimensionals

Poor Dana

I have a little personal business to conduct really quickly before I, uh...well, I guess this will be my post today, cuz it's all I got. My friend Dana (hey, girl) saw my candles and will probably attempt to do them someday when she's got time. First, I would like to point out that she saw them in person, cuz she hasn't visited the old blog in a while. *gasp* I know! And it will be some time before she has time to try the candles cuz she hasn't even had time to stamp lately. *double gasp* Again, I know! (Well, she did do her Christmas cards.) I mean, after all, this is the person responsible for my even knowing what stamping is, and now she's annoyed with me for having the time to make tins that coordinate with my Christmas cards. People, let me just say that it's all about priorities. See, Dana thinks that what's important in life is working out, cleaning her house, helping at school and feeding her kids. You can't see me, but I'm sadly shaking my head at this. No, no, no, you've got it all wrong. What's important is stalking blogs of the brilliant people, like Nichole. Buying and playing with stamps as soon as they become available, even if it means your kids are heating up frozen snack foods for dinner. Hey, there's nothing wrong with a couple of Cheetos and a good veggie-filled Hot Pocket. Cheese and vegetables - that's balanced, right? Right?! Anyways, my sad, lost little point is that maybe one day (fingers crossed), Dana will find her way back to the dark side, er, find her creative side once again. And should she find time for this fabulous obsession/hobby (tomato, tomahto), I just wanted her to have written instructions for the candles. Here ya go, girl. Click me! Come on back!

Recipe for the card up there. Yeah, I realize it's not candles. Where have you been? They're 2 posts down. Stamps: Spiral Bouquet, Beautiful Blooms (Papertrey), Ink: Soft Sky (SU!), Colorbox black pigment, Palette noir, Paper: Soft Sky, Basic Black (SU!), Papertrey white, Accessories: clear EP

Time Well Spent

K, I'm a little behind on my regular stamping. This is the Time Well Spent stamp set that SU! sent out to their demos as a gift. They sent them out about a month ago. Could be more, I'm not sure. Time just kinda goes by in a blur these days, so I have no idea when anything really happens. I kinda sound like Tiara did a few years ago. Everything happened "yesterday". Like, "Um, remember when we took that trip to Disneyland and then went to Grandpa's house in Las Vegas and then I started kindergarten...yesterday?" Yeah, to me, it was all about a month ago. Sometimes I get daring and say, "Uh, I believe that was last week." I really have no idea. And these days, Tiara's a bit more precise. Now everything is, "I woke up around 5:27 this morning...I think I had lunch around 1:12 or 1:13, I'm not sure." That's usually met with eye-rolling from her sisters, but it cracks me up. It's not really important, but it's a detail she just likes to throw out there. Kids are wacky.

Stamps: Time Well Spent (SU!), Ink: Colorbox black pigment, Pretty in Pink (SU!), Paper: Papertrey white, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black (SU!), Accessories: clear EP, Mike's ribbon, Primas, rhinestones

Christmas Candles

Here I am! I know, I know, I'm a naughty blogger. I've been busy. I'm not sure what I've been so busy with, but apparently it's big enough to keep me from posting. I've finally finished everything I need to do as far as Christmas goes. Well, ok, not the tree or wee bit of decorating I do, or the shopping for presents, but hey, my cards & tins are done. And, so are my gifts for our family. We have a lot of family that we only see a few times a year...you know the people you know, but not well enough to know what they'd want? And they usually get us stuff from Bath & Body works, nice shirts and dolls for the girls. I try to do things for all of these people so that it's relatively inexpensive, but still nice. Last year, I bought ornaments for them, painted them and put everyone's names on them. Not the most original idea, but original for me. So this year, thanks to the inspiration of Splitcoast, I personalized candles for everyone. I did not know that you could print (from a printer) on tissue paper! I love learning new things like this! How sad is my life? So here is my absolute last holiday offering:

Ok, looking at the picture, I really hope it's my picture taking that's a little crooked and not the candle. Oh well. It's too late now. I mean, doing these candles was was fun. At first. But, by candle #8, I was hatin' life. And these are the ginormous candles, so it's the length of a stamp wheel x 2. And of course, I had to do both sides. Wanna see?

No, you're eyes aren't messin' with you. This one is for Shawn's grandpa & it's a different color. The top one is Elegant Eggplant. I did purple on that one cuz my sister-in-law Dawn is the only female in her house, and I would imagine she's surrounded by guy colors & stuff. So, it has everyone's name's on it, but it's really for her. This one is a blue, even tho you can't really tell. It's actually Night of Navy (for those who know SU! colors), but it just fades on tissue paper. And yes, I realize that my picture taking leaves a lot to be desired, but I'm a stamper, not a photographer. And you get the general idea, right? Good enough, then.

Of course, I couldn't end this without showing you the red one. Ok, it's Purely Pomegranate. I just love how the So Swirly wheel turned out on these candles. And I'm so glad I found out that you can print on tissue paper. Could you imagine if I had to stamp all these names? Gag. You think my picture taking is crooked? Holy cow! These gifts would be waaaay less appealing with jagged names stamped on them. Oh, and I can totally feel your concern coming through my monitor - how you're concerned that people will see their gifts on my blog. Yeah, these people don't read my blog. Wait, lemme think. Yeah, they don't even know I have one. And those that do that read it (don't everybody get excited, cuz chances are you're not getting one) don't get to see theirs. Ha ha. I made myself laugh. Well, now I'm off to create some non-Christmas items. I'm so excited. Later.

Stamps: So Swirly Jumbo Wheel (SU!), Snowflake Serenade (Papertrey), Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Night of Navy, Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Paper: Tissue paper, Accessories: candles (duh), wax paper, heat gun, printer

Blue Christmas

Alrighty, here's another photo to make those of you who actually have lives just sick. Of course, there was plenty of laundry and general housework that had to be sacrificed so I could finish all 30 tins and 50 some odd cards. You know, doing a little here & there, in between fighting kids (yeah, angels my butt!), hungry kids (did I give birth to grown football players?!) and bored kids (do I have to say it again: entertain yourselves, that's why I had 3 of you!). Grrr. I do like how all of my projects turned out, but I think the blue is my favorite. It's just so soft & pretty. And while the ribbon is pretty, it's also a major pain in the rear to tie. But it's ok, cuz I'm all done. Yippee! Oh, what's that you say? What's on the nugget labels? Would you like a closer look? Ok.

Hmmm, whaddya know? Those are Nichole's snowflakes on them there labels. Just delicious! The big snowflakes in Snowflake Serenade fit just lovely on the labels. And that, ladies and...well, probably just ladies, is my Christmas stash. Or, is it? Yeah, I got one more thing coming. But, I forgot to take those pictures (and wrapped them!), so that's gonna have to wait for another day.

Stamps: Snowflake Serenade & Holiday Treats (Papertrey), Ink: Night of Navy & Bashful Blue (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy (SU!), Avery full sheet labels & address labels, Accessories: Mike's ribbon, Marvy punches, 8 oz. & hinged tins, nuggets & kisses

Christmas Card #5

Ok, here it is. My last Christmas card. Phew! I've got them all done. I was just waiting for my Snowflake Serenade set to arrive. I don't know why it took me so long to realize that I needed it. Ok, I do know why. I hadn't been hit by inspiration yet. But then I saw a card on Nichole's blog, (ya gotta scroll down a bit) and then I had to order it. Then, before I actually got to make the card, I saw another card on SCS. So, I merged the two, and here we are. I believe I can take the credit for my other Christmas cards, but not this one. Whatever. I'm just glad I'm done. Now I get to finish the tins that go with this card and then I'm all the way done. Woohoo!

Stamps: Snowflake Serenade (Papertrey), Ink: Bashful Blue, Night of Navy (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy (SU!), Accessories: Mike's blue ribbon

Happy Birthday to my Mom

Well, first off, I've gotta say Happy Birthday (a day late) to my baby sister, Ashley. She turned 17 yesterday and I miss her terribly. I hope she had a fantabulous day! On a more serious note, the state of Nevada thought it was a good idea to give her a driver's license, so when in Vegas, watch your step, people. Just sayin'.

K, now to my mom. If you know my mom, this card is so her. First off, there is no other color you can use to describe her besides red. It is bold and very hard to ignore. Much like my mom. She appreciates clean lines and elegance. And like this card, she is one of a kind. Of course, this was the second card I made for her. Uh, the other one was soft & pink. (Worth noting: it also uses the new Spiral Bouquet!) When the girls saw it and heard it was for her, they laughed at me. Well, Krista swears she thought grandma would like it, but I don't remember that. I was pretty sure she'd like it, because it was also elegant, but they were convinced otherwise. Fine. So, here it is. BTW, she liked them both. Ha!

(top) Stamps: Heidi Grace, katie & co., Ink: Palette noir, Real Red (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black (SU!), Accessories: Designer label punch (SU!), primas, Mike's red ribbon, Making Memories brads, round corner punch, red squeezy bottle paint (come on, you know what I'm talking about!)

(bottom) Stamps: Spiral Bouquet (Papertrey), Ink: Silver pigment (Colorbox), Pretty in Pink (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink (SU!), silver (?), Accessories: Iridescent Ice EP (SU!), Mike's pink ribbon

Happy Birthday Chance

K, I've taken better pictures, but this isn't a standy-uppy card. It's one of those flap jobs, so it lays flat & this is what you get. Hey, I'm a down-to-earth girl, no fancy-schmancy photos here. Well, not today, anyway. This is a boy version of a card Nichole did a while back. I loved it when she did it and thought it was so clever. These are great to put gift cards in, which is what I did for my buddy Chance. He is one of the smartest and most entertaining kids I know, so I hope he had a simply fantabulous day. {Hang in there, Angie. We just have Christmas and then we can breathe!} Well, I actually have my sister's birthday on Thursday & my mom on Friday. Then I can concentrate on all the holiday happenings, which are coming so fast this year. Are you ready for the holidays? Yeah, I'm not even close.

Stamps: Borders & Corners (Papertrey), Ink: Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke (SU!), Paper: Very Vanilla, River Rock, DSP (SU!), Accessories: clear button, dimensionals (SU!)

Christmas is Coming!

I realize, as I sit here looking at this explosion of Purely Pomegranate holiday offerings, I may have taken coordinating projects to a disturbing new level. First, you may have noticed, I redid my card. I'm much happier with this version. And, of course, all my labels go together. I won't go into detail here about what I used on everything and how it all comes full circle, but boy, I am proud of myself. Now, for those of you who are thinking, "Man, that girl has got waaay too much time on her hands," (and I know some of you, personally), I have to agree. But, this is how I relax. Plus, this is probably one of the most affordable mass gift givings I've ever done. I got 30 tins for just over $30. I already had the paper & ink and, believe it or not, I had most of the stamps already, except for the Papertrey. And you know, I would've bought those anyways. Come on, it's Papertrey. Oh, you haven't even seen my blue card yet. But, I'm still fine tuning that one, and I should have that whole project up sometime after Thanksgiving. Oh, you're excited now, aren't you?

Card Stamps: The Snowflake Spot, Many Merry Messages, So Swirly Jumbo Wheel (SU!), Ink: Colorbox pigment white, Paper: Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White (SU!), Accessories: circle punch, white ep (SU!), silver brads (making memories)

Hinged tin stamps: Holiday Treats (Papertrey), So Swirly Jumbo Wheel (SU!), Ink: Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Paper: Whisper White (SU!), Avery mailing labels, Accessories: Hershey's nuggets, Purely Pomegranate ribbon (SU!), clear top hinged tin (specialtybottle.com)

8 oz. tin stamps: Season of Joy (SU!), Holiday Treats (Papertrey), Ink: Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Avery full sheet labels, Accessories: Hershey's kisses, Marvy scalloped punches, Purely Pomegranate ribbon (SU!), 8 oz. tin (specialtybottle.com)

Happy Birthday Shawn & Krista

K, I'm squeezing this post in between laundry, making dinner and getting things ready for tomorrow. 2 birthdays, picking up a cake for home, cupcakes for school, Nichole's release tonight(!), Tia's field trip (mental note: gotta make a bag lunch) and remembering to actually say "Happy Birthday" to my loves, because I've got a slightly faulty memory. I make post-its to remind myself of daily things, but should I really have to write a note reminding myself that it's my daughter & husband's birthday? Gee, I hope not. Tho, I'd probably lose the post-it. I'm famous for losing my reminders. I'm the one who was packing for the cruise and couldn't for the life of me remember what I did with the passports I just had in my hand. Yeah, I packed 'em. I guess enough time has passed so we can laugh at that one now. Phew!

So, I'm just pleased as punch (hmmm, I don't really say that in real life, not sure where it came from) that I actually got Shawn's card made. It was such a challenge, being a guy card & all. Plus, I had just done a bunch of guy cards & green was so overused. I'm really satisfied with this card. I'm always afraid they're gonna think I put more effort into other people's cards than my own family's. So, it had to look like I put some thought into it and that it was made with love. awwwww. It might not look like effort, but I struggled. Really. No, really. Anyways, I hope Krista's makes her smile:

Her favorite color is green, but I was really feeling soft sky, and sometimes it's just more about me. Well, not really about me, but I wasn't feeling inspired by any kind of green at that moment. And it's really a fine line with her, cuz she's not into girly stuff, so I thought the black would balance some of that out. Ok, I used a flower, but she's my baby! My 10 year old baby. I won't get into how old Shawn is. But let the record show, he's older than I am. Ha! Happy Birthday Shawn & Krista. Hope it's a good one for you 2.

Stamps for Shawn: Rubber Stampede, Ink: Colorbox black pigment, Paper: River Rock, Basic Black, Le Jardin DSP (SU!), Accessories: black ribbon (Michael's), paper piercer

Stamps for Krista: Katie & Co., Looks Like Spring (SU!), Borders & Corners Square (Papertrey), Ink: Basic Black, Cool Caribbean (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Soft Sky CS, Soft Sky DSP (SU!), Accessories: ribbon (Michael's), Jumbo Pebble Brads (Making Memories)

Christmas is When Again?

Aaaah, how was your weekend? We here all had a 3 day weekend, and I got so much done, I feel much better. I was really stressing out cuz I've got 4 birthdays before the month is up (big ones, too! Krista, Shawn, my sister & my mom. Phew!), Thanksgiving, half days at school coming up (conferences - I hate half days, but I think we already covered that), Christmas cards, these fancy schmancy tins, another gift for family that I'm making (you'll see it soon enough, relax!) and of course, Christmas itself. Wow, looking at all that, I guess I didn't really get that much done, after all. Ohhh, I feel my stress level rising! I'm doing 4 different designs for my Christmas cards (ambitious, I know, but I hate the repetition of 50 of the same card), and I did 2 sets. Well, I already had 1 done, so I've only got 1 set to go. And the tins aren't really that big of a deal. I've got 2 sizes going - the one above will have kisses in them, and the labels coordinate with the different cards that I've made. I've also got the hinged tins that Nichole did (Click me!), and those will have nuggets in them. Yeah, I haven't quite started on those yet, but they sure look like fun! I'll post more pics as I get them done. At least I have Krista's birthday presents ready. Almost. Kinda. She's really hard to shop for. But not as hard as her dad, whose birthday is the same day. And actually, that's the perfect gift. You know, the gift that keeps on giving. Shawn is notoriously hard to shop for. And every year people ask me what to get him. Hey, if I could think of something, don't you think I'd be buying it myself? I'm not just giving the good ideas away here. Really, what do you get the guy who has everything he wants, and if he doesn't have it, he's got to research it to death, so you can't just go buy it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. But really, what's better than getting a beautiful daughter for your birthday? I say nothing, so I guess I don't have to go shopping for him.

Stamps: Season of Joy (SU!), Holiday Treats (Papertrey), Ink: Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Paper: Whisper White & Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Avery full white sheet labels, Other: Purely Pomegranate ribbon (SU!), 8 oz. square clear top tins (bought at specialtybottle.com), Marvy scallop punches, white gel pen

I Love the 80's

Ok, yeah, I'm aware that this card looks suspiciously like the last one I posted, but I can't work under pressure. Dana asked me to make a card for someone at school who's leaving (and a man at that!) and it was a rush job. So, I used my own work as inspiration and came up with this. Sure, brown & green can be a little cliche for guys, but hey. She asked me this morning and we needed it ASAP, since his last day is Friday.

Hmm, I sure thought I had lots of witty things to write about (finally, right?) but I'm sitting here watching the top 100 songs of the 80's and I've gone & lost all train of thought. Yes, I am an 80's girl. Totally. Oh my goodness. Tainted Love? Come on Eileen? INXS, The Bangles, Bon Jovi, U2... Man, we had really good music. And the funny thing is, Darien loves most of that music. She thinks she missed her decade. Poor baby. Luckily, she's got me and my huge library of all things 80's (Tear for Fears? Oh, come on. Great stuff!). Ok, they're about to play "Walk This Way", by Run-DMC and Aerosmith, which Kaleb used to walk around singing. This was hilarious, cuz he was about 3 or 4 years old and he just loved this song. Oh, yeah, good times. Good times. Oh, I will definitely have to revisit my love of the 80's. Aren't you just on the edge of your seat with anticipation?

Stamps: Papertrey, Ink: Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip (SU!), Paper: Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery DSP (all SU!), Accessories: Circle punch, Chocolate Chip ribbon (SU!)

Ah, the Real World

Ok, now that we've been home for awhile, I guess it's back to the real world. Or, the real world according to me. My real world includes a lot of time feeding my kids. You've never seen anyone eat like Tia. If her metabolism ever slows down, oh man, she's in big trouble! So, I have to say this was one of my favorite parts of the cruise - the food. There was food 24 hours a day and I never had to make any of it. All we had to do was decide what it was we wanted to eat and go for it. Krista, who's notoriously shy, even got so that she would order her own food at the sandwich counter. That was a miracle to see. She generally doesn't talk to people. Yeah, you snicker, but I'm serious. So, now we're home and I'm back to constantly preparing food. But I don't mind, it could be worse. We could all be sick.


Stamps: Papertrey, Ink: Always Artichoke (SU!), Paper: Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, DSP Certainly Celery (all SU!), Accessories: Oval punches, circle punch, AA ribbon (SU!)

Hola!

We're back. Ok, so it was more like 2 weeks that I was gone. Sorry about that. Well, physically I was gone for a week, but when we got back I was sick again (don't you just wanna be my friend & catch all my cooties?!). My family and I (and 9 other relatives!) went on a cruise to Mexico. Yeah, now you feel really bad for me being sick, huh? Right before we left, Tia caught a cold and I was worried about her getting worse, because she's prone to ear infections and, recently, pneumonia. Well, of course she almost instantly got better and I caught her cold on day 2 of a 7 day vacation. Darien caught the cold somewhere in the middle and also discovered that she gets sea sick. Niiiiice. I have to say that thru all that, we did manage to have tons of fun, and here's a picture to prove it.

Ok, well the picture doesn't prove tons of fun, but gosh darn it, we never all get dressed up & look this nice at the same time. And I'm finally feeling better, so I should be able to get back to creating something. Well, I hope so. November is chock full of birthdays for me, so I've got a lot of work to do.

I Need A Break

Ok, I'm just poppin' in to say that I won't be posting for about a week. Haha, I can hear the jokers now, asking, "But how will we ever be able to tell?" Yeah, I know my posting has been a rare thing, but this is my busy time of year. Come to find out, that whole summer thing I was complaining about before, was my not busy time. And that one person who asking herself, "Is she going to jail?" Uh, no, they haven't caught up to me yet. See, I've been slammed with craziness and my body's still mad at me for the field trip from hell - what's that you say? I didn't tell you about all the fun I had hiking in the rain with 3rd graders, listening to the environmentalist/docent pointing out (very excitedly, I might add) the berries he could see in the random pooh we happened to be walking by in the regional park during tarantula mating season? Well, silly me. But that will have to wait for another time. Now that I've got you on the edge of your seat with suspense, I'm taking a soooo well deserved break from it all. But I'll be back soon to regale you with my fabulous tales of thunderstorms in 90 degree weather and thoughts of "Does Tia's cough sound pneumonia-ish to you?" Ah, yes, it does sound like paradise, doesn't it?

Oh, Baby

Ok, so now that most of my friends are done having kids, I've got this nifty, new baby stamp set. I've always just kinda made do with what I have, which is just random baby stamps. But I have a teacher at school that I just adore who was having a baby, and thought, this happy occasion deserves a new stamp set. Ok, part of that was just me wanting more new stuff, let's be honest here. But most of the teachers at our elementary school have seen my baby stuff. We've been there for 9 years already, yeesh! But the bad part is that I didn't really stay on top of the situation, and I got the stamps on Thursday. Well, she may have gone into labor on Friday. I didn't know exactly when she was due. Turns out, it was this Monday. I have no clue how I didn't know this, but I didn't. She looked, maybe, 6 months pregnant. I also wasn't sure if the baby was a boy or a girl. I heard she was having a girl, but it would be just my luck that I made her a pink card and she had a boy. Now, either way, I've got it covered. (Don't you love how this turned into an "all about me" situation?) Anyway, I'm a firm believer in better late than never. So when she comes by the school to check in, I'll be ready. And here's hoping she had a happy, healthy baby - and a nice, quick labor!

Stamps: Bundled in Love (SU!), Ink: Chocolate Chip, Basic Black, Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana (SU!), Paper: Papertrey white, Almost Amethyst textured, Pretty in Pink textured, Close to Cocoa, Barely Banana (SU!), Accessories: Blender pens, Whisper White ribbon (SU!), corner punch

All Better

Alrighty, well my back is feeling much better. I even felt good enough to make this card. Apparently, I'm on a black/white/pink kick. Not sure what that's all about. Sometimes I start making one card, and it comes out a completely different card. Oh, well. As long as it doesn't suck, I guess that's ok. It's all in the creative process. Or just dumb luck. Whatever.

It's amazing how the work piles up when you're only off your feet for a couple of days. The laundry alone is making me crazy. Oh, and the bathrooms! Do I live with animals? It's crazy. So, while catching you all up on my riveting world has been tons of fun, I've got a house to clean. Hopefully something interesting will happen and I'll have more stuff to tell you soon. And by interesting, I don't mean hurting my back again from cleaning like a maniac!

Stamps: Priceless, Labelicious (SU!), Ink: Colorbox black pigment, Paper: Papertrey white, Basic Black (SU!), Accessories: Clear embossing powder (SU!), Primas, Marvy punches, scalloped scissors, Making Memories brads

Oh, My Back!

My nephew, Payton (who's almost 3), says that, and it's hilarious. He's always doing things for attention, and faking pains is one of those things. That in itself is not very funny. But when he says "Oh, my back!", he's usually grabbing his leg or his head. That is hilarious. So, here I am, spending the last 2 days in bed because of my back. Not quite so funny. This happens occasionally - they say it's muscle spasms. I'm so not one of those people who can just lie there & do nothing. Maybe it would be easier if my house were perfectly clean, the laundry done, and we had plenty of lemonade on hand for Krista. But there was none of that happening here and I get sooo bored. There's never anything good on t.v. and I just got my new stamps and tins and wanted to play. So my stuff is just sitting there waiting for me to come & play. I can hear it all the way from downstairs calling my name. "Miinnnntt, come ink me up." Hopefully I'll be good as new tomorrow.

Stamps: Circle of Friendship & Priceless (SU!), Ink: Basic Black & Regal Rose (SU!), Paper: Papertrey white, Regal Rose, Basic Black, DSP (SU!), Accessories: Circle punches, scallop punch, black marker (SU!), Michael's ribbon

Is It Fall Yet?

It finally feels like fall. I love this time of year. I love when it starts to get cold and you can finally wear jeans & sweaters. I love when the sun is out, but the air is crisp. I love that in- between weather that's not too hot & not too cold, but no allergies, like in the spring. I even like the rain, once you get past the first couple of rains where people realize that they can drive in the rain, they just need to not go 90 mph. Of course, I'm allergic to weather that's too cold (say 50 degrees and a strong wind), and break out in hives occasionally in places where there's exposed skin. Was that too much sharing? My bad. Another drawback is there's more laundry to be done. But still, this is my time of year. And, Christmas is coming and that's my absolute favorite time of year. So, as my own personal tribute to fall, I made this card. And I used Pumpkin Pie for the very first time, ever. I have never stamped that orange-y color before now, and I have to say it's not bad. I might even do it again.

Stamps: Beautiful Blooms (Papertrey), Priceless (SU!), Ink: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie (SU!), Paper: Papertrey white, Close to Cocoa (SU!), Accessories: Marvy Punches, Chocolate Chip ribbon (SU!)

I'm Still Here

K, it's been a few days since I posted, and my mom had to call me to make sure we were all still alive. We normally talk every couple of days, but she couldn't seem to get thru to us this weekend and, I was...well, I don't know what I was doing. Busy doin' nothing, I guess.

Let's see. What have we been up to? Um, well, Tia's hand is all better. Nice & normal once again. Oh, yeah, we had back to school night at the high school. Yeesh, no wonder Darien hates school. Some of those people are lunatics. Some of them are pretty cool, but I see why she's unhappy. We'll have to do something about the bad apples she's got. Ooh, fighting the system! I'm gonna have to start eating protein.

And, apparently I'm a little slow. See, when I saw the last Papertrey release, I couldn't find anything that was for me right away. (I know, right?!) But I tend to do this. I fall in love after I see what everyone else does. Don't get me wrong - I loved everything, but I was pretty much already set with my Christmas cards. And, I print the insides, cuz it's just easier that way for me. But then I got to thinking, gosh, those tins are just so neat. And I love the Holiday Treats set, but I don't bake. Seriously, it's bad. My family only gets excited when I bake so they can eat the mix/batter/dough before it hits the oven. Once it comes out, it's avoided like the plague, so I just gave up altogether. It's just better this way. So, now I'm on the bandwagon & I've ordered the (backordered) Holiday Treats set and a bunch of tins. Who knows when I'll get them, but when I do...oh, yeah, you'll know.

BTW, while I was doin' a whole bunch of nothin', I seem to have misplaced my mojo. So, I'm posting a card I made a couple of weeks ago and just hadn't put up yet. I'll try to find it so I can get back to creating. Cuz if I can't create, I must clean. And we don't want that now, do we?

Stamps: Priceless (SU!), Inkadinkado Thank You, Ink: Basic Black, Certainly Celery (SU!), Versamark, Paper: Certainly Celery, Basic Black (SU!), Accessories: Michael's ribbon, blender pens

Go Ahead, Smile

Life does indeed give you many reasons to smile. I was sitting here trying to have a clear thought, while fighting this head cold I've got. I'm sitting here with this headache and my whole family is in the other room screaming. No, the good screaming. Shawn is in there with the girls playing the Wii, and they really get into it. They're competing against each other on Brain Age, and I hear some accusations about cheating. I'm not sure how one cheats at that, but I don't doubt it's really happening. I just realized that as much as I'd like a little quiet so my head isn't throbbing, throbbing, throbbing...sorry, it's actually got a little rhythm going. Anyway, I realized that I have a husband who's home & not out with the guys (he's not into that anyway), a teenager playing with her sisters (she's really not into that), an eeyore-ish child who's laughing, and an 8 year-old not pushing anyone's buttons. And just as I really start to enjoy it, it's over. Apparently, Darien was losing, so she turned off the game. *sigh* Kids. Oh, and btw, Tia's hand is healing nicely. Well, not nicely - it's still gross. But, it's getting better.

Stamps: Reason to Smile (SU!), Ink: Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa (SU!), Paper: Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa (SU!), Papertrey white, Accessories: Michaels's ribbon, Marvy punch, SU! scallop punch

I Love Mondays. Not!

Let's really try to appreciate this card, shall we? This is the best I could do after being sick all weekend. Yes, in bed sick. But, just so I wouldn't be lonely, Krista was right there with me. Oh, you haven't lived until you've experienced Krista being sick. She's almost 10, and still, everytime she gets sick, she's dying. She hates to blow her nose, so she carries around a hand towel, holding it to her nose. She's always done this. Everyone thinks it's hilarious and they even call her Wilson, cuz of the guy on Home Improvement. You know, you could never see his face? Yeah, that's her. Our own little Wilson. And if you know her and you're reading this, mention it and you're out of the will. But she moans and she groans and is just all around pitiful. And we love her for it. But, miraculously, we were both well enough today to go back to our normal lives. That was super great for her, cuz she hates to miss school. Phew. So, today I go back to my routine, a little grocery shopping, cleaning the house since I was out of commission all weekend, and then a little "me time". An hour before "me time" is over, the school calls. I hate when the school calls. I wonder which child it is this time. Ah, yes, Tiara. Seems she tripped and scraped her hand. See, you should know that anytime Tia can get out of school (polar opposite of Krista, btw), she will. 'Ooh, a hangnail? I think I need to go home.' She actually left school once because part of her gum was hanging in her mouth. Don't ask me how this even happened, but she was talking without closing her mouth, so the gum wouldn't touch her mouth. It was a little creepy. Ok, it was very creepy. I thought about telling her just not to talk for the rest of the day, but again, if you know Tia, that's really like asking for the moon. Yeah, I'm a sucker. But it was pretty gross. We had to take her to the dentist, and even she was baffled. Yeah, it's just my kids, people. So, today...the scrape. The school secretary was telling me that she was ok, but there was blood. So, I asked how hysterical she was, since I couldn't hear her in the background. Well, it did take her a while to calm down, but she's fine and she's gone back to class. I'm sorry, wha? She doesn't want her mommy? After being sort of let down for half a second came, Woohoo! I couldn't believe it. Don't get me wrong. I was concerned, but shocked at the same time. So, just in case you're not grossed out enough, when I saw her hand after school, it was a nasty little gash. Blecchhh. I'm not one of those moms that handles that stuff well, so I cleaned it the best I could and told her Daddy would take a better look when he got home. Yeah, good luck keeping that thing clean. Hey, people, it's only Monday! Have a nice week.

Stamps: Paper tray, Beautiful Blooms (Papertrey Ink), Ink: Cool Caribbean (SU!), Paper: Basic Black, Cool Caribbean (SU!), Papertrey white, Accessories: Marvy Oval Punches, Word Window punch (SU!), Making Memories eyelet, white gel pen

Happy Birthday Darien

Yesterday was so long and crazy, and I was so pooped by the end of the day that I didn't even get a chance to post Darien's card. Nothing exciting, tho, so I won't bore you with the details. But anyways, here it is. And it seemed like she really liked this one. She's been really hard to make cards for lately, because she sees all the cards that I make. I run everything by her when I'm done to see what she thinks. Maybe I should stop doing that. She has a tendency to compare the cards that she gets to all the other cards that I make. When she saw this one, she said something like, "Wow, this is actually a really pretty card, mom." Um......thank you? Does the actually part mean she was surprised by this? Hmmmm. Whatever. I'll take what I can get from my kids. But she had a great birthday, really made out in the gift department, and topped it all off with some really good cake. Ok, that last one was my favorite part, but it couldn't go without mentioning.

Since I can't really put this part in the card recipe, (well, technically I can, since it's my blog, right?) I'll just put it here. I'm not sure if you can even tell, but there are little rhinestones on the big pink blossom with the sentiment. There are clear ones, 2 purple ones & a pink one on there. Well, in case anyone cares, they came out of a nail decorating kit, but I have no idea who makes it. When I saw the kit, I knew it would be perfect for my cards. Yes, inspiration really can come from anywhere.

Stamps: Beautiful Blooms (Papertrey Ink), Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Pale Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Lavender Lace (all SU!), Paper: Papertrey white, Lavender Lace & Elegant Eggplant (SU!), Accessories: Marvy punches, rhinestones

For Alyssa

How much do I love my new stamps? So very much. Those Beautiful Blooms really are just that. I've barely had time to play with them, but the time I've had has been fun. I told you there would be more boxes. This one is for a super sweet young lady that I just adore. It's got a gift card and a little something extra in it. It's amazing that there's a picture of it available. I sort of, accidentally, lent out my camera. It was one of those moments where I was aware of what was going on, but not really. You know how your kids will ask you for something when you're on an important phone call, or when you're half asleep? And if you're on the phone, you just kinda nod your head and shoo them away so you can concentrate? Yeah, this is what happened, but I was not asleep or on the phone. I guess I just wasn't paying attention. And it occurred to me at 5 this morning as I was lying in bed, trying to avoid starting my day. "Holy cow! I don't have my camera! How ever will I blog?" So, I was left to use Shawn's "scary" camera. The big, technical kind that I barely know how to turn on. It's just not simple like mine. It took forever for me to realize that the blurry pictures were from the lighting (I had to turn the flash on at noon!), and then getting the angle just right was nearly impossible. Man! For such a fancy pants camera, it sure is hard to figure out. I can't wait to get my camera back. I should have it back in time to photograph Darien's card on her birthday, which is only 2 days away. Fingers crossed. I don't wanna have to use that beast again.

Stamps: Beautiful Blooms (Papertrey Ink), Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Pale Plum, Groovy Guava, Apricot Appeal, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Pixie Pink, Lavender Lace, Almost Amethyst (all SU!), Paper: Papertrey white, Accessories: Making Memories eyelets, scallop scissors, Michael's ribbon

Christmas Card #4, V 2.0

Ok, I'm sure you're wondering why this bit of deja vu. Well, my mind is a strange one. I have tons of cards that I've made that you will never see. What happens is, when I make something, I can love it right away, but then as time goes on, I'm just not as thrilled as I once was. I'll find things about it that I just don't love, or, it just gets old. Gosh, I hope I never do this in any other apsects of my life. Now, don't get me wrong. I still like this card, but when I was doing it over for my swap, things just bothered me. The background was just too plain, so I added the snowflakes. And, I didn't like the tag, partly because the ribbon was soooo not the same color as the paper, even tho they're both very vanilla. So, I just tweaked it a little and I like this much better. So, I hope this goes over well tomorrow. If it makes anyone barf, I'll be sure to let you guys know, cuz I know you like to be on top of all the truly riveting events going on in my life.

And, as far as the posting the "same" card twice goes, I promise not to make a habit of it. In fact, I just got another fabutastic box from Papertrey. I know, I know, they just had a release last night. Well, I was just trying to catch up on sets that I didn't already have, and didn't want to wait for the new release. I'm just not a patient girl. So, I should have some new Papertrey creations coming up soon. I'm busy this weekend, but I can't wait to play with my new stuff.

Stamps: Perfect Presentation, Season of Joy, Ink: Always Artichoke, Paper: Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke, Accessories: oval punches, clear embossing powder (all SU!)

Birthday Wishes, Angie!

Alright. I'm so glad I get to finally post this card. I had to keep it top secret until I gave it to my friend for her birthday. I love this card. And, as you can see, I've reverted back to using that Priceless set again. I couldn't help it! I just love it so much. And I love adding "little somethings" to the swirls. It just makes it that much more fun. I must say, I also love black & white with a nice, bright color thrown in. This card was fun to make and it was nice to see Angie enjoy it when she opened it. Fun, fun, fun! That's why I do what I do. Not that I'm out saving the world or anything, but making people smile and feel special for a minute really feels good. Especially when you have a day where your child gets detention at school for being less than 5 minutes late. Are you kidding me?! I have to add that while my summer was eternally long and I couldn't wait to get back to school, I didn't miss being knee deep in homework. We're already doing a family tree project and geometry homework that boggles the mind. K, now I'm no dummy, but I did take geometry twice in high school, and still never really got the hang of it. Yeah, it doesn't get any easier almost 20 years later.

Oh, and for anyone who hasn't been paying attention, Nichole has been counting down for this month's Papertrey release, which is tomorrow night! Pop on over & see what she's planning.

Stamps: Priceless, Looks Like Spring (SU!), Faux Ribbon (Papertrey), Ink: Basic Black, Regal Rose (SU!), Paper: Regal Rose, Basic Black (SU!), Papertrey white, Accessories: Jumbo Pebble Brads (Making Memories), Oval Punches (SU!), Michael's ribbon

Apricot & Pomegranate

K, you know how when you go to make a card, and you have an idea in your head, then you make it and it comes out nothing how you imagined? That's what happened here. I mean, I don't hate it or anything. In fact, I really like the colors together and I'll have to try them on another project. But, this just isn't what I had pictured. Hmmm, oh well. It's not the end of the world. I'll try to get it right, and when I do, you'll be the first to know. And, it's not a total loss. Darien loves this card and I told her she can have it. Well, not to keep it & stare at it (golly, that would just be silly), but have it and give it to someone else. You're welcome.

Stamps: Delight in Life, Pretty Princess (SU!), Ink: Apricot Appeal, Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Paper: Apricot Appeal (SU!), Papertrey white, Accessories: Making Memories brads

Back to School, D'oh!

Ok, I'm back. Man, what a crazy week. I really thought there'd be nothing but joy (no offense, girls) when the girls went back to school. But it's just been chaos. And not the organized chaos that I'm so fond of. I had to deal with new release times for all the girls, that silly first-day-half-day thing (what's the point, really?), Tia getting hurt on her second day and me running to the school to reassure her that she was going to be fine {honest, honey}, and me showing up an hour early to pick up Darien on an early release Wednesday, which wasn't actually happening on that Wednesday. It's only some Wednesdays (which is also new), and good luck figuring out which Wednesdays it is!

Amazingly, I did find time to make a couple of things here and there, but that's only because Thursday & Friday my kids stayed at school all day and nobody got hurt or sick. Plus, I do have lots of things happening this month. I have birthdays (Darien turns 14 this month!) and I have my swap next week. I have things that need to get done. I found this 2, 5, 7, 10 box on Splitcoast and decided I had to make one. It was a lot of fun to do and it was really easy, so I think I'll be making more. It could be my Christmas "thing". I do something for some of the teachers and staff at our elementary school every year, and this would be very cute. Yeah, something else to work on. Like I don't have enough going on. Eh, you can always find time to work on something cute & fun. Hopefully things will get back to normal around here and I can get back to posting on a regular basis. Fingers crossed.

Stamps: Priceless, Pretty Princess (SU!), Ink: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum (SU!), Paper: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum (SU!), Accessories: Tag Punches (SU!), Michael's ribbon, Provo decorative scissors, Making Memories eyelets

Back to School!

I'm wondering if it's a bad thing to be excited about our girls going back to school. Today was their first day back, and I did the tiniest little happy dance. Not in front of them, mind you. That would be cruel. It was actually just in my mind, but it happened, nonetheless. I do have to add that by the time it sank in and I actually thought I might enjoy myself, it was time to pick them up. I would just like to know who's bright idea it was to have the first day of school be a half day. What kind of sick joke is that? Ha ha, you get your life back! But only for 3 hours? Oh, come on. And out here, we have minimum release Wednesdays, which I surely don't remember having growing up, but it seems to be the norm nowadays. An hour earlier, just because it's Wednesday? Sheesh, for all the time they're actually at school, they may as well be home schooled. Teehee. Just kidding!

So, Darien's first day of high school was pretty bad. It just seemed that everything went wrong. The lunch times are confusing - there are 2 times, and they never really made it clear which lunch you have. So, today she had 2 lunches and missed her math class. Great. And they have the even/odd days, where you only have 3 classes a day. Confusing. Then, they moved one of her classes, but didn't make an announcement about it. It's a good thing she thought no one else looked like a freshman and asked someone. It took everything I had to convince her that in a month, she'd love it. Really. She was just amazed at how different high school is from middle school. Yeah.

Well, the other girls had a pretty good first day. They both have great teachers and are looking forward to a pretty good year. And since it's a new year with new backpacks, I thought I'd make them some name tags for their backpacks. Yes, I asked Darien if she wanted one and she passed. Shocking, huh? Not a lot of thought went into these, since I wasn't sure how long they'd last. But they end up having their backpacks outside, mixed with other classes, so I thought the tags might help out in the beginning. Well, here's to the beginning of a new school year. And our first traditional school year. Day one is officially over. I'm goin' to bed.

Christmas Card #4

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. I thought I was done with Christmas cards, too. Then, I had this panic attack realizing that my meeting with my upline in a few weeks was also a swap. I've never done a swap before and I didn't think anything I had was swap worthy. Plus, it has to be all SU! stuff, stamps from the new catty or holiday mini and has to be able to be made in 5 minutes. Well, my purple one did qualify, but I didn't go back & check it out because...well, I'm not sure why, but I didn't. K, the brad in the purple one isn't SU!, but it could be. I was probably just lookin' for an excuse to make another card. Like I need an excuse. Please, it's what I do. And to make it look all fancy, I thought I'd step away from the white binder on my white drafting table as a background and use our Winnie the Pooh crib blanket (yeah, it's a little old) flipped around backwards. It's all about appearances, people. And speaking of appearances, the tree does look like it matches in real life. It's embossed and photographs a little wonky is all. K, now I'm off to work on this month's birthday cards. No, really. I mean it this time.

Stamps: Season of Joy, Perfect Presentation, Ink: Always Artichoke, Paper: Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke, Accessories: Clear embossing powder, Very Vanilla ribbon, Tag Punches (all SU!)

Christmas Card #3

K, technically, this is the third Christmas card I'm posting, but it's the first one I made this year. Poor thing, I guess it was just getting no love. See, I made it so long ago (gosh, way back in July) and I wasn't gonna post it at all. I wanted it to be a surprise for the people I was gonna send it to. Then I decided to make a couple of different cards to send out, so who cares who saw it. Then I started posting the other ones & forgot about this one. I mean, I still love it. After all, this was the inspiration for the last one I posted (are ya still with me?). But after I posted the black one, Darien said she likes this one better. Oh. So, I thought I'd just put it out there. And there it is. I think I'm done with Christmas cards, at least until September 15. Who knows, I might get inspired all over again. For now, I've got a few September birthdays, so I've got to get back to making those.

Stamps: Faux Ribbon (Papertrey), The Snowflake Spot & So Swirly Jumbo wheel (SU!), Ink: Colorbox white, Paper: Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Papertrey white, Accessories: White embossing powder (SU!), Oval punches (SU!), Michael's white ribbon

Christmas Card #2

Ok, this is my second one. It's actually a variation of one I made earlier, but this one is more dramatic, I guess. I love black ink embossed. It's so shiny and pretty. You probably can't see that, tho. Well, since I'm pointing things out, the snowflake is embossed, too. I'm working on another Christmas card, and I have an idea in my head, but I'm having a hard time putting it down on paper. This one could take a while. But I know it's gonna be blue. I think. Maybe. I dunno. Nevermind.

Well, I'm off to bed. The schedule in our house has changed and instead of waking up around 8:15 a.m., we're waking up at 5:45. Did you know that it's still dark at 5:45? My goodness, that's early. But I don't see that changing any time soon, so now I have to get used to falling asleep earlier, too. I mean, when the girls are in school, I wake up at 6:30 anyway, but that's not until next week. So, I thought I still had some sleep-in time. But no. I'm on week 2 of 5:45, and I think I'm over the I'm-so-tired-I'm-delirious phase. I think. Maybe. I dunno. Yeah, I think I've run into the indecisive phase, which I don't think I can actually blame on my lack of sleep. But as long as it doesn't mess with my card-making abilities, I think I might survive this.

Stamps: The Snowflake Spot, Many Merry Messages, Jumbo So Swirly wheel (SU!), Ink: Colorbox black & white, Paper: Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black (SU!), clear & white embossing powder (SU!)

Thank You, Squared

Again, it started with the square. I just decided to go nuts with the Borders & Corners set and just layer what I could. Yeah, this is me getting wild, people. Nah, I just can't get away from the simple. When I do, Darien always says, "Wow, that's an interesting card, mom." She's so sweet.

This card is actually for my mom, who stayed with Krista & Tia while Darien & I went to registration. Not that it was a tough job, but she took the day off from work. Tiara's pretty easy to be with, as long as you keep the food coming, cuz she really likes to eat. And Krista was asleep the whole time we were gone. She's not a big fan of the a.m. Plus, Tia loves when my mom babysits. She really thinks she's going to get over and get tons of sugar. See, we limit the amount of sweets that they get. Don't need rotting teeth & kids bouncing off of walls. However, when Grandma's in charge, she can have whatever she wants. So, when she knows Grandma's coming, she gets all singy-songy and excited. "Grandma's comiiing, so I can have all the sweets I wa-ant. Oh, yeah." Only, she never actually does it. When we came home, she was eating popcorn. Yeah, go wild, girl. Gosh, I guess my house is just chock full of party animals. Anyway, thanks again mom. You rock!

Stamps: Borders & Corners, square (Papertrey), Seeing Spots (SU!), Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU!), Paper: Very Vanilla & Chocolate Chip (SU!), Chocolate Chip ribbon (SU!)

Surviving

Ok, we survived high school registration. Barely. We were both a little nervous. Plus, it was so hot, and I don't do well with heat. It affects my MS, mostly by just making me really tired. {Another reason why moving back to San Francisco would be a good idea *ahem*. Sorry, just a little side note to my DH} And this is an outside campus, so we walked all over. And it's a biiiigg campus. It's way bigger than either of my high schools. Although, both of my high schools had 2 gyms like hers. But they each only had 1 cafeteria. This school is supposed to have, I don't know, 4,000 kids. That's a lot of teenagers. Teenagers who drive. Oh my. That's another difference. When I was in high school, a handful of my friends actually drove. It wasn't really a priority. There's so much traffic in San Francisco, driving isn't much faster than public transportation. Out here, it seems to be the norm. That's crazy talk. When we were leaving the school, I saw a boy who didn't look much older than Darien get into the driver's side of a truck with his mom. Hmmm. Now I know that boys grow a little slower than girls, but seriously, he looked like he was 14. So, of course being the totally nonjudgmental and logical mom that I am, I sat there & waited for Junior to pull out of the parking lot before me. I see no need to take unnecessary chances. After all, I'm about to have 4 years of this place, and I'm pretty sure there will be more than 1 teenager behind the wheel. Oh boy.

Oh, yeah. I am aware that this card has nothing to do with my post. (Do my others? I'm not sure, I don't really keep track.) But I just thought I'd put it up there, cuz I really like my pick a petal set. I'm still working on lining the petals up, but there's a lot of options there. Just my 2 cents for the day.

Stamps: Pick a Petal, Simply Said, Happy Everything (SU!), Ink: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Blush Blossom, Cameo Coral (SU!), Paper: Perfect Plum (SU!), Papertrey white