Why, Thank You

Okie dokie, first I wanna say thank you to all the really cool people who've popped by my little blog and had awesome things to say. You guys are so nice! So, this is my thank you card for you all. A nice, simple thanks.

Now, I had been feeling very loved, but very uninspired the last couple of days. I started 2 or 3 different cards and just couldn't make them work. Pooh. But that wouldn't be fun to write about, so I'm just gonna do that 7 random facts thing that everyone else has been doing on their blogs. And it makes for some riveting reading (haha, that's sarcasm), so get comfy.

1. My favorite color is purple. It doesn't look all that great on me, and it's not on every single card I make, but it just makes me happy.
2. I've had the same best friend for 20 years. We met in high school & clicked instantly. She's smart, beautiful & strong. I don't get to see her that often, but when I do, it's like no time has passed. Hey Rachel!
3. I have 3 tattoos & can't wait to get more. I have a panther on my back, a rose anklet and my husband's name on my thigh (ooh, scandalous!). Yes, the name thing is a really stupid thing to do and I forbid all 3 of our daughters to even think about it. But, I was 19 and madly in love. I don't regret it and 15 years later, I'm still madly in love with him. Awwww.
4. I have Multiple Sclerosis. Now, don't go gettin' all sad & weepy. I'm fine, really. The worst thing about it was finding out. I think I got it confused with another disease & thought I was gonna die. Knowledge really is power. A healthy diet & exercise helps me stay ahead of relapses. If you're interested, you can read about it here.
5. I have 2 brothers & 2 sisters and I'm the oldest. From my mother is my half-brother, Kaleb, who is 24 (tomorrow!), and I wish he knew how cute he is. On my dad's side, I have a step-brother, Saverio (31) and an adopted sister, Loretta (21) . And, last but not least, a half-sister, Ashley, who is 16, gorgeous and learning to drive. This is my official warning to the people of Las Vegas: Ashley is behind the wheel people. Take cover!
6. I love to dance. My mother was a dancer, I dance (ok, I used to dance) and Darien was in dance for years. She may go back, we'll see. And, we watch So You Think You Can Dance, religiously. Go Neil!
7. I love cake. Like, it's not even funny how much I love cake. Not just any cake. A nice, moist, white cake with buttercream icing. Everyone in my house knows the corner piece is mine, (or, maybe all the corner pieces) so don't touch! No, that's not part of the healthy diet. *sigh* So sad. Now you can feel bad for me.

So there you have it. Probably more than you wanted to know, but there it is. Hey Rachel, you wanna go get a tattoo with me?

Stamps: Faux ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Paper: Vintage Violet, Soft Sky, Soft Sky DSP (all SU!), Ink: Vintage Violet, Accessories: silver brads (Making Memories), Tag Punches (SU!), Cricut flowers

I Love Papertrey!

Ok, it's almost the 15th of the month, and that means a new release from Papertrey Ink. And I have to say that I stalk that site starting on the 10th of every month, because that Nichole is a marketing genius. In case you're not familiar, Papertrey Ink is a site that sells stamps, and now lots of other crafty things, as well. It's relatively new, but growing super fast. And one of the founders, Nichole Heady, has a blog, where she always has awesome ideas. But on the 10th of every month, she starts a countdown for her new release, giving hints and showing projects from her new set, or lately sets, that she's releasing. Last month, she released 5 sets of stamps that coordinate with the marvy scalloped punches. So darling. I absolutely love their stuff. I think my favorite things about their stamps are the sentiments. They fit into my SU! punches, and as you can see, I like to layer my punches. Nichole likes the SU! punches, too, which is partly why she does this. This month she's releasing 2 sets of stamps, transparent flowers, clear paint cans, coffee bags and 9 different sizes of treat tins (suh-weet!). From what I can tell, one of the stamp sets is a floral set and the other is halloween-y. And of course, I love them both. My husband, not so much lovin' me lovin' them both. See, did I mention that I'm also a SU! demo? Hehe, well, I am. But right now, I'm just a hobby demo, so money goes out and none comes in. And then comes the 15th and I start doin' the happy dance. And he just kinda does the let's stop spending shuffle. But I think it kinda balances out when his mom's birthday comes along and I have a nice, perty card all ready to send out & he doesn't have to go to the store & get some boring card, that clearly wasn't made with any kinda love. Right? Oh, just go along with me on this one. I've got to justify it somehow. So until the day comes when he says, ok, go nuts & get whatever you want (oh.mah.goodness), I'll just continue to slowly build my "collection of stuff", as he ever so affectionately calls it. And stalk Nichole's blog.

Stamps: Looks Like Spring (SU!), Faux Ribbon sentiment (Papertrey Ink), Ink: Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa, Accessories: Jumbo Pebble Brads (Making Memories), Oval Punches (SU!), Michael's ribbon

What's In A Name?

Ok, time for a little factoid. I had a reader wonder (hey, I have a reader!) what's up with my name. Ok, it was Amy over at Heartfelt Greetings doing the wondering. Alrighty, let's get this out of the way.

First, lemme just say I was born in the 70's. Like, the picture over there doesn't give that away. My daughter finds my accessories to be painfully hilarious. I'm sorry, we didn't have scrunchies waaaay back then. And I like my hair ribbons, big as they are, thank you very much.

Here comes the painful part. When my parents were trying to come up with a name for me, my mother thought something different would be fun. A kick, if you will. This is a woman who legally changed her first name as an adult because she hated her "different" name so much. If I or my brother so much as utter it, we get "the look". You know, the Mom Death Ray Look. Yeah, it's not pretty. So my parents started brainstorming, and when it came down to it, they had to choose between Mentoria and, I'm guessing on the spelling here, Frizzetta. I know, right? Look at that picture. Could you imagine that poor child being strapped with the name Frizzetta? Not to offend anyone out there who may actually have that name, but come on. Ok, so where would they have gotten Mentoria? Well, my dad had a friend (I believe from high school, but totally not his girlfriend *nod, nod, wink, wink*) with that name. And my mom, being possibly the most open minded person in the world, thought, hmmm, that sounds nice. Alright, now you want to know what it means. Supposedly, it's Seminole Indian for Princess. Yeah, that's fun. Little did they know, I would go pretty much my whole life with people calling me Victoria. Which is why I now go by Mint, which most people can pronounce and remember.

Happy Birthday Everybody

Hey there! Happy Friday. K, first off, I've gotta say Happy Birthday to my stepmom, Virgi, who lives in Las Vegas. No, that's not her card I posted here. Her card is posted down below. I sent her a purple version of the butterfly card under "Substitution".

Today, I'm posting another card that is for my brother, Kaleb. His birthday is next week, and I don't think he's frequenting my blog, so it's safe to post his card. Ha! A big fat "so there!" to my one-track-mindedness. Or obsessiveness, I haven't decided yet. Whichever one paints me in a better light is the one I'm going with. I told you I'd put up something without "that other" set. I won't even use the name in this post, that's how dedicated I am to not using it. Of course, I had to stretch and do a guy card to avoid using "Pri-", er, I mean, "that other" set. I'm gonna go out on a limb here & say I don't think he would've wanted swirls or butterflies. I don't see why not, they are pretty fabulous. But he can be picky like that. I blame my mother. {kidding mom!}

Just so you fully appreciate the effort here, I struggle with the guy cards. I mostly make cards for girls and women, so it's always a tug of the imagination to make a card for a guy. Hey, turns out there is a purpose for that beigyish-River Rock paper, after all. Phew, thank goodness for guys!

Stamps: Lexicon of Love (SU!), Faux Ribbon (Papertrey), Stampendous, Rough Around the Edges jumbo wheel (SU!), Ink: River Rock, Bashful Blue, Basic Black (SU!), black craft (Color Box), Paper: River Rock, Bashful Blue, Basic Black (all SU!), Accessories: Round Tab punch (SU!), black eyelet (making memories)

San Francisco

I love San Francisco. I've always considered it to be my home. Right now, we live in a suburb outside of San Francisco, but I visit it every chance I get. I grew up there, for the most part, graduated high school there, met my husband there and Darien was born there. I love the people, the food (mmmm, chinese), the weather, how there's always something to do or somewhere to go and the culture. The main downsides are the traffic, there's never anywhere to park and it's so very expensive. But I love it and I'd move back in a heartbeat. Of course, I'd have to give up stamping, so let's just pack that little pipe dream away for awhile, shall we?

We left the city to buy a house and to have a regular ole neighborhood for our kids. And we have it. The suburban house, the neighborhood schools, the same friends from kindergarten to high school. We've had it for 10 years. And it's very nice. But it's not San Francisco. Everytime we go back, I take in everything that I miss about it. The smells (ok, maybe not all the smells *shudder*), the buildings, the people, the childhood memories. Even public transportation. It's just so easy. People out here just can't believe I didn't drive until I was 25. First you think, who drives in the city? And then you realize, enough people so that there's no parking spots!

Aaah, the things we do for our kids. Maybe one day we'll move back, when the girls are done with school, or when my husband retires. We'll see. Until then I guess I'll just have to make do with visits every now & then, so I can get my fix of city sights and real Chinese food.

Both pictures were taken at Twin Peaks in San Francisco. It's not usually so sunny up there, but it's usually that windy. This is my husband, Shawn, and our daughters Tiara, Krista & Darien.

Is There a Rehab for Stamping?

Nevermind. Even if there were such a thing, I'm not interested. I kinda enjoy this illness. But I've also discovered that I'm addicted to a particular stamp set. Wow, a double addiction. That can't be good. Now, if you just scroll down the page, I'm sure you can figure out just what the set is. I'm really feeling the set "Priceless". The swirls in there actually make me giddy. Yes, giddy. That's sick, isn't it? And they can be used so many ways. And how precious is the little butterfly? And then, SU! had to go & make that darn, yet oh so gorgeous, jumbo swirly wheel. Well, I'll be darned if it just doesn't go perfect with my little swirly friends from Priceless. See, this is where the sickness creeps in. You start referring to your stamps affectionately. So, so sad. But how can it be sad when it makes me so happy at the same time? I dunno. Here's the good news for you. I've decided not to continue to torture my fans - all one of you - by continually using this set. So, I'm gonna branch out. That's right. I'm going to use some of my other sets that I love. I'm not sure which ones, but just know I'm going to do it. No, really, I am. Why are you laughing? Of course, I guess I should at least post the other cards that I have using that set first. What, you didn't think I meant today, did you? Yeah, right!

Stamps: Priceless (duh!), Looks Like Spring, Reason to Smile, Ink: Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Paper: Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery, Accessories: Certainly Celery Ribbon, small & large punch tags (all SU!), eyelets & brad (Making Memories)

I also wanted to add that the card under "Substitution", I totally CASED from Sherry Cheever, whose blog can be found over there --->

Ooh, Aah

K, here it is, as promised. And, I'm switching everything up by putting the picture on the other side. Fancy schmancy, isn't it? Yes, making a card with the split in 3 styling is a bit of a pain in the butt, cuz I really like things to be symmetrical & painfully even. I had a hard time knowing where to start, since it was for a 16 year-old. But black & white is definitely more appropriate for this particular 16 year-old, than say, pink. And I copied the embellishment from the other card below. Really, why reinvent the wheel?

Stamps: Circle of Friendship, Priceless (again!), Jumbo Swirly Wheel, Ink: Basic Black, Soft Sky, Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Soft Sky, Accessories: Circle Punches, Scallop Punch, sponge (all SU!)

Substitution

Alrighty, I'm posting today cuz I (gasp!) told my mom about my blog. Well, I've told people about it, but I haven't actually given out where it can be found. But my mom is different. She's probably my biggest fan and she'll actually tell me if something sucks or not. I'm not sure what the advantage would be to that, but it's there somewhere. Hmmmm. Anyways, I was telling her about this other card that I made, but I don't have a good picture of it, so I threw this one in there instead. {Mom: I'll post Tomika's picture sometime this weekend, if I actually remember to take a picture of it before I send it out. I've forgotten before on some really good cards and I hate that!}

And, hopefully, sometime this century, my brother will find the time to design me a banner that's all pretty and girly. That wasn't a dig at him, cuz I haven't actually asked him yet. But can I just say that he is the bestest, smartest, most fabulousest gosh darn computer designery guy out there, and I know he'll give it his all cuz this request is his life's wish come true? {Think that's overdoing it a bit, mom? Lemme know, cuz I can do subtle. =)}

Anyhoo, a big bloggy welcome to my mother, and my brother who I'm sure will think this is all lame. Oh, and I'm seeing what the picture looks like centered, instead of off to the side with the text wrapped around it. What do you think? Lemme know, k? Thanks.

Stamps: Priceless, Circle of Friendship, Ink: Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, Accessories: Circle Punches, Scallop Circle Punch (All SU!), white gel pen, sponge

Hmmm, well I don't have anything exciting to add today. Not that what I've got so far has been riveting, but I'd like to add stuff as often as possible. So, I think I'll just post a card that I made and call it a day. I guess I really like that designer series paper by SU! Of course, I've got a stack of cards that I've made with the Priceless stamp set, so I must love that one. The swirls are just lovely. Yes, lovely. But this paper is perfect for all the little girls I make cards for.

Stamp: Labelicious, Ink: Regal Rose, Paper: Regal Rose, Whisper White, Flowers for You Designer Series, Accessories: Certainly Celery ribbon, clear button, designer label punch, circle punch (all SU!)

August (Phew!)

Well, it's August already. I say already even though July kinda dragged on around here. See, this is my family's first official summer break. Ever since our oldest daughter, Darien, started school, we've had year-round school. By the time she started middle school, which was traditional, her sisters were attending the year-round elementary school. So, for the last 3 years, we've had someone in school everyday of the year, except for the regular holidays everyone gets off. And when she had summers off, she spent them volunteering at her sisters' school with all the teachers she had. As Darien goes into high school, her sisters also start a traditional school year schedule. As a stay-at-home mom, this change is a little strange for me. The good part is that they're all on the same schedule. When someone is off, I'm not still getting up & getting someone else ready for school. They're all off at the same time. The weird part is they're all of at the same time. And as good as our girls are, and they are good girls, they want to be entertained. Yeah, I'm not so good at that. For some strange reason, they don't find watching mommy making cards all that fun. Personally, I find it fascinating. But, that could be just me.

They spend a lot of time in the pool, which is good. They're moving around and getting fresh air. They play with each other, which is always good for me. When they come to me and complain about being bored, I am known to respond with, "Play with one of your sisters. That's why I had 3 of you, so you can entertain yourselves." If they don't finish the sentence for me, they just respond with a big *mom-is-so-lame-sigh*. Keeping them entertained is tough at times, but in just a few weeks we already have back to school shopping coming, and registration for high school and orientation. All those things signaling the end to summer. So instead of waiting for September 4th to hurry up & get here, we'll be complaining that summer is almost over way too soon.

One of my many August birthday cards: Stamps: Dilly-Dally SU! Jumbo Wheel, Happy Birthday (Rubber Stampede), Inks: Regal Rose Craft & Lavender Lace Craft (SU!), Paper: Lavender Lace, Regal Rose, Whisper White & Flowers for You DS Paper (SU!), Accessories: Clear Embossing powder, Stampin' Pastels, blender pens (all SU!)