Valentine's Day!

Here's just a smattering of things I've made for Valentine's Day!! I've got some cello bags with treats (hershey's kisses and green M&M's *wink* - those are for my hubby) along with corresponding Valentine's Day treat toppers (these things are SO easy and so fun to make!).

I've got some cards and some mini-cards that I'll be using as lollypop holders for a few of my daughter's friends. Her school does not allow gifts to be sent in so I've only made a few for her closest little girlfriends.

I don't have the time to post about the details now but I'll try to later!

Happy Creative Valentine's Day!!

Baby Boy

I've said it many times - I'm blessed to have so many and such great girlfriends. My darling friend Jen is going to have a baby boy in just a few short weeks!! She has a little girl who is 6 months younger than my daughter and they are the best of friends. It's so sweet. They talk about each other when they are not together and luckily they see each other a few times a week...oh and they go to school together!! And we live 2 minutes apart. It's all lovely.

I'm throwing a teeny, tiny little shower for Jen. She's having a boy and I'm a firm believer that just because you already have a child doesn't mean you don't deserve to have a shower for any and all subsequent babies. It's not about getting "stuff" (although that is part of the fun) but it's about celebrating Mommy-hood, pregnancy, life and love. The fact that she's having a boy when she already has a girl just makes the rationalization to have a shower that much more obvious! (as if I needed to rationalize it ;)

So I put together these super fun invitations!!


Jen's style is not fussy and very preppie. I pulled together these designer papers (can't remember the brand off hand) and paired them with SU! old olive, soft sky and chocolate chip. I used the hippo from the new 'pun' set (can't remember the name of that right now either - i'm not in my office). I trimmed the sentiments off of the pun set - I'm not really 'into' puns but I loved the images so I stuck the sentiments on the side of the wooden blocks should I choose to use them at another time. I shaded the hippo with my blender pens using a tiny bit of gray ink from the top of my SU! ink pad. I then used my Sakura sparkly gel pen to color in the toe-nails and bow of the hippo and I used my 2 way glue pen to have some sparkle stick to the little balloon.

I split the DP in half and flipped one piece over so that I'd have a contrasting solid and pattern. I hid the 'seam' where the 2 pieces meet with some chocolate brown with white polka dots American Crafts ribbon.

I used my word punch to punch out the "time to" (stamped in chocolate chip) and adhered it to the front. (i can't remember the set name...i'm spacing today!)

Inside, the sentiment reads "CELEBRATE". Since there are only about 10 women invited and I wanted to do something a little different. So I created a 'tag' with the information about the shower. Where, when, rsvp, etc. I used my chocolate ribbon and some of the silver sparkly elastic cord from the holiday mini. That way the guests can put the tag in their wallet, day-timer, etc. as a reminder!!

I've left the card totally blank with the exception of the word CELEBRATE inside so if any of the attendees has an extra envelope laying around, they'll be able to use this card for something else!! To give with a gift or to send to another friend who has had a baby...etc. Get it? The card doubles as not only the invitation but because the party info is removable, the card can be reused and recycled...which I'm very pleased about!!




I hope that everyone is having a very creative week so far!

Tag! I'm It!

In honor of Valentine's Day coming next week my darling friend Melissa just tagged me to do a marriage meme!! I love Valentine's Day. Not because it's so "hallmarky" but I just love all things girly, frilly, red, pink, spicy, fun and pretty!! I also love to have any reason to eat seasonally colored M&M's and Hershey's Kisses. *wink*

Ok...here goes!!

1. Where / how did you meet?

I met my husband the summer that I had graduated from High School (1991). He had just finished his freshman year of college. I was working at Mass Army and Navy Store on Boylston Street in Boston and he was working a few doors down at The Bank Of Boston as a summer teller. I didn't even own a car yet...my father worked in Government Center so he'd drive me in, drop me off and pick me up on his way home...every night. So...I'd go into the bank to do my banking or deposits for the store and what have you and my husband thought I was cute. He had mentioned so to one of his fellow tellers who then - on a bet - dared him to ask me out. For a whopping $10. So, my husband, on his way back from the pizza joint next door came into the store and just asked me out to dinner. Now mind you...I was all of 18 and had never really gone on a 'grown up' date. I was fresh out of HS where you just kind of went out in groups or met up at parties. So I was floored. And he was wearing khakis and the traditional private school blue blazer...and red tie. I was in navy blue champion shorts, matching t-shirt, giant puffy white socks and white leather Keds. I was SHOCKED. And I didn't even know his name. LOL. So we had pleasant conversation...exchanged numbers and that was that. When my Dad came to pick me up that night, I told him what happened and the first thing he said was "if he's over 21...you're not going out with him!". HA! So that night when my husband called that was one of the first questions I asked him. Thankfully he was only 19...so that made life easy. =) We went out the next night and saw Terminator 2 and then the night after that we had our first real date to J.C. Hillary's Restaurant in Wayland, MA. And the rest is history!!!

2. How long have you known each other?
This coming summer will be 17 years.

3. How long after you met did you start dating?

Immediately.

4. How long did you date before you were engaged?

about 4- almost 5 years - we got engaged in the spring of 1995.

5. How long was your engagement?

18 months.

6. How long have you been married?

This past October was 11 years.

7. What is your anniversary?

10/12/96

8. How many people came to your wedding reception?

210

9. What kind of cake did you serve?

It was a standard, tiered vanilla cake with raspberry filling. The top part of the cake was carrot cake. It was decorated beautifully...relatively traditionally with real sunflowers around the base.

10. Where was your wedding?

I wanted something big and traditional and just stunning. So here's where we got married!! These photos seem a little bleak...but they are OLD photos (obviously scanned in) and were taken during the off-season as there is no foliage to speak of. We had gorgeous light and foliage as it was early October.

The Lyman Estate, also known as The Vale, was built in 1793 by wealthy shipping magnate Theodore Lyman. Originally used as a summer home, the Federal-style mansion was designed by renowned Salem architect Samuel McIntire. The Estate remained in the Lyman family until 1952, when the five Lyman heirs donated it to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, now known as Historic New England. The property is now a National Historic Landmark and is available for rental for weddings and private parties.

11. What did you serve for the meal?

The house itself is huge but is broken up into many rooms. So with the number of people we invited we had to have stations set up all throughout the house. We had steak and swordfish skewers with roasted peppers, a pasta station with multiple different kinds of pasta and sauces, a gorgeous salad station, roasted veggies, an entire station with rolls, breads and toasts of different kinds, a good friend of mine made traditional Persian wedding rice (for all 210 guests). I honestly think there was more but for the life of me I cannot remember!! My husband and I didn't get to eat due to the immense number of people there. We just shmoozed all night long. Thankfully the awesome caterers packed us up a whole picnic late night dinner for us to enjoy at the hotel. We had the wedding cake but also a whole room dedicated to chocolate fondue with all kind of fresh and dried fruits for dessert.

12. How many people were in your bridal party?

6 on my side, 4 on my hubby's side. I had 3 of my sorority sisters, my sister in law, my oldest friend from elementary school, and a friend from high school. My husband had 3 friends from college plus my little brother...who was all of 14 at the time...and SO cute.

13. Are you still friends with them all?

On my side - yes. On his side...sadly...no. (with the obvious exception of my brother) One of his friends from college married a woman who none of us clicked with (and that's putting it mildly) but despite all of our efforts to bring her into our 'group' she was resistant and it eventually led to a long and drawn out dissolving of the friendship. Kind of the same with one of the other friends...he moved back to upstate NY and we just all lost touch. His friend Mike is a vet on Long Island and while we aren't in touch as often as we'd like we are still friends.

14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony?

No...it's just not his style.

15. Most special moment of your wedding day?

The entire day was very special. I can't say that any one is 'the' one. It was magical and wonderful and everything that I planned it to be!!

16. Any funny moments?

Nothing of real note. But my half-sister was very cute (she was 4 or 5 at the time) as our flower girl. She didn't quite get the concept of sprinkling the rose petals on the aisle and instead took giant handfuls out of the basket that she had and was throwing them in the laps of guests sitting in the aisle seats. Everyone cracked up.

17. Any big disasters?

Thankfully...no.

18. Where did you go on your honeymoon?

We went on a Caribbean cruise. It was amazing. St. Maarten, Martinique, Barbados, St. Thomas and Antigua.

19. How long were you gone?

One week.

20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change?

I don't think I would change anything...back then. But I was 23 and I had an idea of what a wedding should be. My image of what a wedding should be now is different. So if I were planning my wedding today...I would do something more intimate, less fussy and more serene. But don't get me wrong, I loved my wedding.

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on?

If you're in the bed...I'm on the left.

22. What size is your bed?

It's a California King - dark mahogany sleigh bed with chocolate brown leather headboard and footboard. My mattress is from Bloomingdales. I LOVE MY BED. And every night as I lay down I say "i love this bed".

23. Greatest strength as a couple?

Being able to communicate.

24. Greatest challenge as a couple?

Finances.

25. Who literally pays the bills?

NOT ME!!!

26. What is your song?

A good friend of ours wrote a song for us and played it at our wedding. It's called 'Nobody'.

There ain't nobody looks like you. 
Your hair and your eyes and the curve of your thighs. 
I know every inch like a mile. 
I know every crack in your smile, 
and every nuance of your style, yeah it's true. 
There ain't nobody looks like you.  
 
There ain't nobody has your taste. 
Even from under the shroud I could pick you from a crowd.  
And just one drop upon my tongue, 
like an elixir, keeps me young, 
and breeds inside of me a hunger that never never fades. 
There ain't nobody has your taste.  
 
Hard lines, steep roads, troubled times, heavy loads. 
These are the things that can make your heart cold. 
These are the things that can make you feel older 
and leave you with nothing left to hold... 
 but I'll remember,
   yeah I'll remember.  ...   
 
There ain't nobody smells the same way. 
Like flowers from a brook on a crisp autumn day.  
A scent from which no righteous hound would ever stray. 
It's true, through and through, 
that of the many and the few,
there ain't nobody like you. 

27. What did you dance your first dance to?

See #26.

28. Describe your wedding dress.

Very much like the dress that Kimberly Williams wore in Father Of The Bride. Except not quite so...fussy. It was very early-mid 90's. No one was wearing strapless or halters or anything like that. I wish strapless had been in...I love strapless wedding gowns.

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding?

Sunflower topiaries with tiger lilies and other fall colored flowers. They were GORGEOUS!!

30. Are your wedding bands engraved?

My husband's ring is engraved with the date. My bands are dotted with small diamonds so there is no room for engraving.


Thanks Melissa!! This was SO fun!!

Now - I am going to tag - Nita, Kristyn and Joanne!!! Feel free to play along and if you don't want to that's ok!!!

I hope that everyone is having a creative Friday!!!

XOXOXO

Girlfriends...They Make My World A Better Place To Be In...

I'm very blessed to have AMAZING girlfriend relationships in my life. I've forged through and fought hard to find them, keep them, nurture them and foster their development and growth.

My mother has unfortunately not been present for the last 20ish years of my life and she passed away 2 years ago. It wasn't her choice not to be there for me. But not having her created a HUGE void in my life that I've filled with the most amazing women. I've mentioned them before and you all know who you are. Before we all had kids we'd throw each other parties, throw ourselves parties, go out on giant party buses into the city to bars to celebrate each other's birthdays, etc...you get the picture.

But now, we all have kids and there's no time for any fun...really. We try, try, try to see each other as much as we can but it's few and far between. I know it'll get easier as the years go on but I miss celebrating my girlfriends.

I made this card for 2 of my very special girlfriends. It wasn't out of laziness that I made the same card for both. I normally wouldn't do that but I loved it so much and the colors and overall design really felt like it belonged to both of them!!

Kristin - happy almost birthday tomorrow!!! and Nita - happy birthday again!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXXXXXXXXXXXXXX




I used SU! Cool Caribbean, Groovy Guava and Bravo Burgundy. I also used the SU! Designer Prints paper in Old Olive. The other paper is Love, Elsie that I purchased from EP. I'm obsessed with that line. It just screams me!!! The sentiment is from the new SU! L1 Hostess set...which I love! I used SU! taffeta ribbon in chocolate, the double stitch ribbon in Guava and the blue ribbon is from American Crafts. I used the SU! photo corner punch to add a little extra detail and added 2 tiny square brads for a nice finishing touch.

I hope they love this card as much as I do!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLFRIENDS!! ;)

Recycled Products - GREAT FINDS!

YAY! check it out...

http://www.actionenvelope.com/ae/control/recycledShop

if SU! won't give me something recycled in the way of cardstock and envelopes...i may have to start buying some of my stuff elsewhere...

Foot? Phone?

hahahha...so my son is getting to the age where he LOVES to play with the phone. it started out as the actual phone...meaning he'd only use the real phone to play. and then he'd take things like the remote and use it as a phone, or anything that was kind of shaped like the phone. but as he gets a bit older his imagination is just taking off so he'll now use just about anything as a phone. it doesnt even have to be remotely resembling a phone...

so after naps yesterday i desperately needed to put away 4 baskets...yes...i said 4 baskets of laundry from the aftermath of sickness from the last 2 weeks. so i brought snacks and drinks up and let my 2 watch a show in my bed while i put the laundry away in various rooms. while I was in my daughter's room i heard my son saying:

"hi...daddy? blah, blah, blah, (insert baby babble here), blah, blah, blah. i love you daddy!! bye-bye!"

so i knew he was playing with something as the phone...

here's what i came into find him using as the phone:

seriously? is that not hysterical?

that kid man...he's seriously awesome..

only 3 players??

So my Pay It Forward post wasn't as popular as I'd expected it to be!! Oh well...it made my job of picking 3 people to pay it forward to very easy!!

• Colleen
• Kristyn
• Nita

I have all of your addresses so I'll be sending along a little nifty gifty soon!! Your job will then be to Pay It Forward to 3 other blogging people!!!

Thanks for playing!!

I hope that everyone is having a very creative rainy Tuesday!

Boo Hoo!

There's not much to say about the Pats except:

WHAT A HUGE, EMBARASSING, HORRIFIC DISAPPOINTMENT!! FOR SHAME!!! FOR SHAME!!!

18-0...and it all means nothing without the Superbowl title...

sigh...maybe next year!!

Girly Birthday

My darling friend Kristin's daughter is about to turn 4. 4!! I don't even know how that happened. "Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future..."(ya I know it's only February...but a girl can dream of summer time Steve Miller Band concerts!!)

She is a darling little girl. Sweet, sassy, spunky, and girly beyond girly!! She loves any and all princess costumes and all things Disney. She refuses to wear anything but tights and skirts/dresses, regardless of the season. She is beautiful inside and out. She's sweet and lovely to her older brother as well as her younger. My friend is blessed to have 3 wonderful children. But right now I'm wishing a very happy (and very early) birthday to her *almost* 4 year old daughter. YAY!!

I wanted something in pink, purples with sparkles. I chose Taken with Teal as my base, matted with 3 subsequent, 1/4" smaller mattes. The first one is a pink polka dot that I've had from an old jumbo pack of 12x12 paper from scrapbooking, the next down is Lovely Lilac followed by Regal Rose.

I used 2 different princessy ribbons purchased during a ribbon spree at Michael's a long time ago and sandwiched in between is a piece of 5/8" grosgrain ribbon in light pink.

I then used Shimmery White to create the double scallop effect - to which I punched a tiny hole in each scallop and then inserted the tiny brads from Making Memories. It uses about 18 brads but it's just so cute and reminded me of button candy so I just couldn't help myself!! Not sure if button candy is just a NE thing...but I think they're made by NECCO...which is Boston based...hmmm.....?

Irrellevent...and I digress.

I used a 1 - 1/2" strip of the LL to stamp this perfect cupcake stamp on! I stamped in classic Basic Black SU! ink. I then used my Sakura stardust pens in pink, purple, white and teal to color in the cupcake image details. I then went over any areas that were not colored in and I used my 2-way glue pen to coat the rest of the image. I used my Dazzling Diamonds sparkle dust to really make the cupcakes pop.

The 'Hugs and Kisses' sentiment is from the last catalog. It's a hostess set...level 1. I just can't remember the name of it right now and I'm being too lazy to walk upstairs to my studio to get it. Oh and I'm watching the Patriots beat the Giants right now so I'm a little busy *wink*. I punched it out with my word punch and then adhered it to a piece of Shimmery White and trimmed it around just a little bit so it had a little more dimension to it.

I used a piece of SU! Whisper White on the inside for the Happy Birthday (Warmest Regards) sentiment and I roughed up the edges a little bit with my Regal Rose inkpad.

I hope that she has a tremendous birthday and another wonderful year!!!

SPRIG

now THIS is the website i've been looking for!!!

SPRIG

check it out...

Pay It Forward

My darling blogger friend and fellow sassy mommy, Melissa, received a little gift from a friend of hers and was asked to share in the spirit of "Paying It Forward". She chose 3 names randomly (or I should say, her sweet daughter Pea did the drawing! so cute!!) and I was one of the names! YAY!! Thanks Melissa!

So now it's my turn!! If you'd like to play you need to do 2 things...

1. Leave a comment on my blog revealing one thing about yourself that people may not know! (only if you're comfortable doing so!! *wink*)

2. Agree to participate by "Paying It Forward" on your blog/site by passing on a little something to 3 people. It can be purchased, made, found in your home, re-gifted...whatever!

It's the perfect time of year for this because everyone in everyone - whether you live in a cold climate or not- is cooped up and a little ray of sunshine in your mailbox is always fabu!!

Thanks Melissa for 'Paying It Forward' and for being such a great 'virtual' friend!!!

I almost forgot...I will choose 3 names out of a hat on Sunday night!!

XOXO

An Inconvenient Truth

oh and my darling hubby and i finally watched An Inconvenient Truth...if you havent seen it...RUN. to get it and watch it now...seriously...and tell EVERYONE you know to do the same...

and ya ya whatever....so i'm hopping on a bandwagon...it won't be my first time! but this bandwagon is going to change this planet...or so we hope...and it's changed me forever...which is indeed the point...changing the planet...one person at a time...

a few months ago i switched from the grocery bags that they give you at the store and started buying the reusable ones. i have about a dozen or so from various markets and i keep them bundled in the back of my car and i bring them into any store i go into - grocery or not. i mean...what's the difference??

and you should see the looks that i get when i go into any non-grocery store, like CVS or AC Moore. like i'm some crazy madwoman because i want to use a bag that i already have versus a plastic one that i don't need! yikes...no wonder al gore (who by the way is a very handsome man!) has such a hard time convincing people!! i can't even use a recycled bag without getting funny looks...jeesh!!

my hubby and i agreed that when we run out of any HABA product we're going to seek an organic - preferably in a recycled package - product to replace our conventional stuff. it'll take some seeking out i'm sure, to find the stuff that we like that won't completely break our one salary budget. going to Whole Paycheck (Foods) isn't the option, really. They're just SO expensive. But I know there are plenty of alternatives...perhaps on-line is a better way to go. If anyone has any great organic products (HABA or otherwise) please let me know!! I'm treading into VERY foreign territory here!! I'm used to going to MAC and Bobbi Brown...not so much organic those brands...*sigh*. That would make life easier! i do use Mrs. Meyer's lavender all purpose cleaner and i LOVE it!

ok...i'll climb down from my organic soap box now ;)

not 100%...but better...

my headspace is so clogged with stuff it feels like it may split open!! so much, so much. some bad and thankfully some good!!

my son was hospitalized mon into tuesday for dehydration due to the dreaded stomach flu. we're home now and he's much better. but i'm kind of scarred...not just by the hospital but the entire last 8 days. i'm hoping that after a good nights sleep for all of us tomorrow will bring a better day...a better week. i know it will.

i hope that everyone is having a creative week and that you're all doing well...

sick...

i MISS creating...

but my entire household - myself included - have been sick. really, gross, icky, sick. the week started with a sinus infection for me sun-wed and the dreaded stomach flu for my husband mon-tue. he went back to work wed. wed night at around 930 both of our children (3 and 22 months) woke up and proceeded to projectile vomit every 20 min until about 5 am. and so it went - off and on - until we decided to take them to the hospital yesterday because they still couldn't even hold down water.

THANKFULLY they weren't as dehydrated as i feared so they did not need IVs. but they did receive anti-nausea medication which allowed them to finally hold down baby sips of water and frozen pops.

but im telling you...my husband and i are spent. every single towel, tshirt, blanket and sheet in my house has been washed in excess of 3 times each...buckets have been scoured, every surface disinfected, sprayed, wiped and sprayed again. my hands - which are usually cracked - are now cracked and split beyond belief from using so much hand sanitizer. my kids are better...not nearly themselves...but definitely better. they still sleep a lot and when awake my daughter is content to do quiet activities like puzzles and dolls but my son wants to do nothing but lay on me.

and this is just a virus people...it will move on and we'll be fine...

i couldn't imagine having a child who is *really* sick...i know it may sound a bit melodramatic (you weren't here with us this week...i promise you it's not) however i have a whole new perspective on parents who have children dealing with any kind of long term illness...they must have wills of iron...i mean i lost it in the ER seeing my children in those tiny backless nightgowns - jonnies. it was the saddest sight ever...

anyway -i'm hoping to blow the dust off of my studio this week and get back to it...

i hope everyone is having a more creative weekend than i am!!

This is a card that I've made for my in-laws for their 40th wedding anniversary. I posted one the other day that I made for my SIL to give to them using chocolate, vanilla and red. So I wanted to do something opposite of that. I used SU! Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White and the new Bali Breeze designer paper - it's GORGEOUS!! I've had the larger SU! envelopes in 6 1/2 x 4 3/4 lying around for a while now - never used...so I figured I'd try a new size. I LOVE how it turned out!

I used a double matte with the BB paper and then I created another image for the right side using the WW with another double matte of the BB using different patterns. For an accent I used the photo corners punch (love that thing!) with double tiny brads (making memories) in each one. It still looked a little blank on the left side so I finished the card with the Purely Pomegranate double stitch ribbon. I used the new "For A Friend" hostess set colored in with white gel pen and red sparkly Sakura pen.

I hope that everyone is having a very creative Tuesday!

Play Along!

I've never really been one to conform. It's not that I'm against being a team player or anything like that...it's more that when I can...I like to march to the beat of my own drum. With that said...I think - like anyone - inspiration is sometimes difficult to find within yourself.

I like to think that I'm good at color selection and pattern matching - or as I like to call it 'mismatching'. But I'm still learning about layouts and how to best arrange a card or scrapbook page. I attend 2 different stamp clubs monthly to learn, learn and learn!! (and to hang out with my girlfriends and drink wine) And I've seen the sketch challenges all over the place and I think I was just a little too intimidated or thought that I haven't done a good enough job if I use another person's idea. But I just had to get over it because the layouts that are out there are just so fabulous - especially from Beate! - that it was silly not to take inspiration from others and run with it.

So here's what I've come up with by using the sketch that she put forth. I actually found it and became inspired to participate by my friend Joanne. And thanks Jo for the really cute trick using the corner rounder!!!

This particular card is for my SIL to give to her parents (my in-laws) for their upcoming 40th wedding anniversary!!! Can you imagine...40 years! It's just so wonderful.

I hope that everyone is having a creative weekend!!

Easy Peasy!

My Grandmother (known as 'The Doctah' to those of you who know her...or me) loves beige. Beige house, beige clothes, beige accessories, black car - beige interior. We're headed down to visit her this morning and I've whipped up these ridiculously easy, 2 second, monogrammed notecards for her.

The base is Very Vanilla, with a River Rock matte and I chose the striped pattern from one of this years holiday designer papers (the name is escaping me right now and i'm in a rush!). I stamped her M (for marilyn) in Chocolate Chip on Very Vanilla and matted it with a scallop punch in River Rock. They are blank inside so she can use them for anything. Simple, neutral and easy. She'll love them!!

Hope everyone has a creative weekend!!!

GO PATS!!!

Great Finds - Paper!

Is this not THE cutest paper for a card or scrapbook page for a child? I love it!! I also bought this at Border's. Such a great selection!!

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Erica!!

My darling friend Erica and I have been friends for something like 28 years now. She's been there with me through everything...good and bad. I love her madly and am EXTREMELY grateful that she's in my life. We met, along with our fabulous friend Patrick, at the new Cheesecake Factory at the very ostentatious Natick Collection (whoever came up with that name for the mall is a moron, i mean seriously...get over yourself - but i digress) last night for dinner.

Her birthday is Tuesday so I made her a few cards and a fun frame (thanks for the inspiration jo!!) as a little gift. She LOVED the colors and I couldn't be happier!! YAY!

I used the new Ginger Blossom paper from SU! and it really is stunning. I paired it with River Rock and Regal Rose cardstock. And for a little embellishment I used the Guava double stitched ribbon. I used the Wild West Alphabet for her monogram.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY FRIEND!!! HAVE A GREAT ONE!!! LOVE YOU!

XOXOXOXO

Great Finds!!

For Christmas my SIL gave me a sticky note pad that says "Less is not more...it's just LESS!" and it cracks me up every time I use them! And if you know me, you know that it couldn't be more true as far as I'm concerned.

I am ALWAYS on the hunt for new stuff, new products, new bling, new papers, new embellishments, new EVERYTHING! So when I find new fun things it thrills me to no end! I am going to start posting under 'Great Finds' to share my treasure hunt finds with you!

I found these awesome bulldog clips and teeny-itty-bitty clothes pins at my local borders. They have an awesome section of Paperchase brand items. All kinds of embellishments, pre-made scrapbook kits, raw journals/boxes/albums, stickers, papers, and other fun office supply kinds of things.
I especially love the bulldog clips because they have a hole in the top for ribbon, twine, twill tape or whatever!!

Enjoy and I hope that everyone is having a creative day!!

Happy Birthday to my Little Brother

My little brother is turning 26 on Tuesday. It's amazing to me that he's 26...cause that means I'm 34!!! YIKES! =) I remember the events of his birth as if it happened yesterday. He really shouldn't even be here but there was a miracle going on that day - the 15th of January, 1982 - and it was all for my brother.

I have to preface this all with the fact that my mother was a raging alcoholic and drug abuser. And being pregnant didn't stop her. Oh and she smoked Marlboro Reds...just to add insult to injury.

She went into labor roughly 9 weeks early and in 1982 the technology was not nearly what it is today. My dad was out for the evening (with no way to reach him seeing as cell phones really hadn't been invented yet!!) and I was home drinking a chocolate/banana shake that my mother had made for me in the blender...they were one of my favorites as a kid. She was on the phone with a friend when her water broke - she thought the refrigerator was leaking.

Thankfully and surprisingly enough she was sober and able to drive me down the street to a friend's house and drive herself to our local hospital. They took one look at her and decided that the best decision was to airlift her to The Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston for the type of care that she (and my brother) were going to need. They tried to stop her labor - and kept her in labor for roughly 72 hours. Nothing they could do was stopping him from being born. He was born somewhere in the ballpark of a couple of pounds and proceeded to lose weight until he was about a pound and a few ounces. He was so small that he fit in the palm of my dad's hand.

He received the BEST care possible and I am still thankful to the entire staff that worked at the Brigham back then for saving him and keeping him healthy. He had to have 6 hernia operations due to the stress of being born so early, he was fed intravenously through the soft spot in his head because his veins had not fully developed yet and he lived in an incubator for weeks covered in tubes, wires, sticky nodes and all kind of tape.

And although the memory is fuzzy for me (I was only 9 at the time) I believe he was in the hospital for a couple of months.

The gravity of the situation didn't hit me back then and it didn't truly occur to me how lucky he is to be alive until I was an adult. But it really hit me when I became a mother myself. My anger at our mother rose to my surface with a vengeance and I just wanted to rage at her for doing what she had done to him in utero and causing him such potential and life threatening harm.

My Mother with my brother - maybe around his 1st birthday...probably a little before...he may have been 10 months or so here:
When I had my daughter my mother was about 49ish. She was in a long term care facility in a vegetative state where she'd been for the previous 15 years due to the effects of drugs and alcohol. (too long of a story to get into the details) But that wasn't the time for me to rage against her for it was too late.

She died 2 years ago when I was pregnant with my son. She was buried on her birthday, January 26th...she would have turned 52 that year.

But my brother and I are - in my opinion - the spitting image of her. I look at him and I see her, I look at her in pictures and I see him. I look in the mirror and I see her all the time. And I look at my son and I see her...I see her in his eyes...all...the...time. So I know that all of the good things she had and embodied are with us. (including my craftiness!! she LOVED art, crafts, and fun projects)

My Mother with my brother - he was probably 5-6 months old here: (this picture lives on my fridge and always has)
Her antics, her bad behavior, her demons and her pain all went with her.

Here's a shot of my brother and I 5 years ago at my SIL's wedding:
Celebrating with me at my 30th Playboy Mansion Pajama party:

Wow...this post didn't quite go where I had envisioned!!! Sorry about the intensity of it. It started with this beautiful card that I've made for my brother!! He means as much to me as my husband and children. He is a part of our core family unit - here - in this house, he is a part. I talk to him 2 or 3 times a day. He is almost a daily part of my children's life - which is a must. I want him to truly know them and visa versa. It killed me when he lived so far away...I didn't know how much so until he moved home last February. I sobbed (happily) when he told me that he was coming back. Having him here and in our lives is worth everything I own and then some.

Having just flown in from NOLA to come to the hospital to meet his niece for the first time:
Being a brother to my husband - who has only one sister...
Along with my SIL my brother is teaching my daughter to play skee ball at our Aunt Mary's house on Christmas Eve...it's a tradition...

Being the best Uncle that my children could ever have...

Ok...sooooooo enough, enough. =)

Card details!

Everything I used is SU! except the fleur-de-lis stamp. I got that a long time ago at the Paper Source. Oh and the hemp twine I got at Michael's. I used the following cardstock: Real Red, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, and Whisper White. My brother went to Tulane and I think of NOLA whenever I see a fleur-di-lis image and that always made me think of him when he wasn't around so it was an easy go to choice for this card. I stamped the image in Versamark and then covered it in SU! red embossing tinsel. I heated it with my heat gun and set the images.

I then scrunched up the Cocoa, Caramel and White to give it a distressed look. I ran chocolate grosgrain ribbon and the hemp twine around the caramel layer and tied it all on the left side just so it would pop out from the edge. I punched the open photo corner punches on the caramel so that I could thread the white through. But before I did that I ran my SU! chocolate inkpad over the entire sheet of both caramel and white to distress it even further.
I am so happy with how this all came out!!!
I hope that my brother has a WONDERFUL birthday and the best, best, best year ever! He deserves all the best that this life has to offer.

I love you little brother...always...

Thinking Of You

My darling SIL is in need of a few 'Thinking of You' cards for a dear friend of hers. They need to be quiet, muted and reflective. I think these cards fit the bill nicely.

I was talking to my girlfriends in our stamp club meeting the other night at my friend Joanne's house and I was saying how the art of papercrafting - in my opinion - is very whimsical, frilly, fun, cheerful, light-hearted, and fanciful. So when it comes to creating cards or gifts for a more 'quiet' occasion or for the men in our lives it can be a bit challenging.

My 'go-to's' for anything tend to be bold and boisterous. Including wild colors, lots of patterns, ribbons and embellishments...but those things are definitely not appropriate for situations that require a more pensive and meditative feel.

However, I am very pleased with these and I think she will be as well.

And now for the administrative stuff. Both card measurements are the same - just about 6 1/2" x 4 3/4" and they all say 'Thinking of You' on the inside using the sentiment from the Three For You punch box set.

I based the first card in SU! River Rock followed by mattes in decreasing size in Bravo Burgundy and Very Vanilla. The DP is from Cosmo Cricket - pattern is Love Notes - Darling. I then used a very pretty fern stamp that I bought at the Paper Source years ago - stamped in Chocolate Chip onto a River Rock scrap matted onto True Thyme. I used a scrap of olive ribbon from a spool that I bought at JoAnn's to wrap around the True Thyme. It's popped up on SU! dimensionals.
The second card is based on SU! Kraft with mattes in decreasing size in True Thyme and Very Vanilla. The DP is Basic Grey from the Stella Ruby line - the pattern is called 'Tea With Jane'. I used the 'friend' stamp from the Three For You punch box on True Thyme punched out with the SU! word punch. I used the same olive ribbon as the first card tied around simply in a knot.
Along with these cards comes thoughts of strength and love and white light for my SIL's friend. She's a fabulous and strong woman and she will be ok.

Pretty Mama!

I'm headed to a baby shower of a good friend tomorrow. She's an AMAZING young woman who has been through more than she should ever have to go through in her very young mid-twenties life. She's grounded, solid, strong, loving, and above all nurturing. She's married to a WONDERFUL man and are sharing a blessed life together. Now they are about to welcome a baby girl into their world and I really can't think of 2 more deserving people.

I papercraft because I love giving beautiful things to all of the beautiful people in my life. I work hard to create something unique and special every time I sit down at my desk...but this one felt close to my heart and I really tried hard to make this extra, extra special for her.

I can't wait to meet her little bundle!!!

And now or the administrative stuff!! I used the '06-'07 In-Color - SU! Cool Caribbean as my base pulling from the shades in this Basic Grey DP that I had and was dying to use!!! It's from the PHOEBE collection and this print is called Haight Street. I then chose my textured Purely Pomegranate ('07-'08 In-Color SU!) cardstock and created a 'belly band' around the middle of my 5 1/4" x 5 1/2" card. I was dying to use my pregga-Bella stamp! I paper pieced her outfit using the same Basic Grey DP as I used on her shirt and I used the Cool Caribbean as her jeans. I colored her hair dard brown - same as the Mama to be and colored her belly and face using my Prismacolor markers. I used my Sakura stardust pen in dark pink for her sneakers and to put a few shiny streaks through her hair.

I stamped her in Staz-on in Jet Black on Shimmery White SU! cardstock. I layered her with the complimentary colors Purely Pom, Cool Caribbean and a little pink polka dot scrap that I had lying around. I felt that the stamped image needed 'something' and tried using an SU! rhinestone brad but the back prongs were too long and stuck out from the edges of the stamped image so I decided to create a row of equal holes and thread this adorable tiny-dot light pink ribbon through. (it reminded me of the lacing cards that I do with my daughter!!) I finished the card with some light pink 5/8" SU! grosgrain ribbon and I popped the entire image up on SU! dimensionals.

The sentiment on the inside says "So happy for you" - from the new Nursery Necessities set. (thanks Sarah!!!)

I really couldn't be happier with the way this turned out. I hope she loves it!!!

I don't know about you but I have a hard time creating anything really masculine. I mean, I can pick a color palette or appropriate papers but even when I go with all dark/cool colors it *usually* comes out looking...somehow not masculine enough.

HOWEVER!! I think I got it right on this one! I just ran it by my husband and brother and they both agreed that it was 'guy appropriate'. And they are both all boy!!!

I went with Old Olive as my card base - I just LOVE this color!!! The 5/8" grosgrain ribbon in Old Olive is just stunning! I then used the retired SU! Enchante paper as my first layer. I then used a couple of the retired Spring Showers DP from SU! (the dark strip as well as the blue circle). I stamped the 2 circles from the So Much set and used my Warmest Regards (surprise, surprise!) as the center for Happy Birthday - all stamped in Chocolate Chip.

I then used my corner punch (I love that thing!!! - really...such a great touch when you need a little extra embellishment) and used the retired Oxford paper and Linen Prints as the corners in alternating color arrangements.

I finished this off with a few twists of hemp twine and 2 jumbo SU! rivets on the bottom.

I hope that everyone is having a creative night!!

Oh - I have 2 of the basically same photo - one with flash, one without. I couldn't decide which one looked more true so I posted both. If I have time tomorrow I'll snap one in natural daylight - that's definitely the most 'true'.

Brrrrrrrrrr!

This is the first of a pack of cards that I'm making for my friend Alison. It's a girly, wintery birthday card. I LOVE how it came out!! I used the SU! Winter Bright Simply Scrappin' kit. And just because Christmas is over doesn't mean that all of those fabulous wintery pinks (pretty in pink), reds, and greens (certainly celery) have to go away!

I used the SU! scallop and tab (?) punch to add some interest to the opening of the card. I used all coordinating papers but making it a little 'messy' my having it be not TOO matchy, matchy.

I used a coordinating solid color on the inside of the scallop and punched a jumbo SU! rivet through the middle of it with my Crop-O-Dile. I used the same solid color on the inside of the card where I used the sentiment Happy Birthday from the Warmest Regards set. I liked how the Certainly Celery peeked out from the inside of the card.

I finished the outside with the Celebrate Everything stamped in Chocolate Chip (who doesn't love pink or light blue and chocolate together??) mounted on Pretty In Pink textured cardstock popped up on SU! dimensionals..which allowed enough room for me to sneak some super fun pink with red polka-dots.

Enjoy!!

60!

My Dad is turning 60 in a few weeks. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't rushed at all when making his card so I completed it over the weekend. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I was inspired by a card that one of my oldest and most darling friends Joanne
made for my daughter as well as a card that I recently saw on her blog. Thanks for the inspiration love! ;)

It's a 5 1/4" x 5 1/4". I love this size. I feel like it's a card size that really makes an impact. It's not often that you see a square card. The solid paper is all SU! in both River Rock and Blue Bayou. The DP is by KI Memories and is in Alpine Socks (argyle) and Alpine Fashion (winter hats). I loved the very subtle sparkle that this paper had and since my Dad has a winter birthday I thought it was perfect.

I also LOVE that Joanne lead me to this wonderful blog which is where I learned how to do the 'starburst' made from the SU! scallop punch. (thanks Jo and MJ!!) So darn clever!!!

All in all I'm REALLY happy with how this came out. I hope my Dad does as well!!

Enjoy and have a creative week!!

Ribbon post - addendum!

One more thing that I just realized is that in the corner of one of the photos that I originally posted about my new ribbon set up is a 16 year old photo of my husband and I after we'd only been together for a little over a year!!! LOL!! It was taken at the Hotel Northampton during my first sorority formal in 1992!!! I was a pledge...OMG...so funny.

I LOVE the picture and have always had it either in my office (when I used to work out of the house), in my home office or by my bedside...it just seems to travel around with me.

I just felt that it was relevant to mention it since I was going on and on about how much I love my husband! HAHAHAHA....

Here's the photo!!

In case you're thinking that I'm SUPER tall...(which I'd LOVE) alas..I am not...I'm only 5' tall but my DH is 6'3" so I'm standing on a chair here! I just can't get over how young, thin, and full of hair (him) that we are!!

Updated Room!

Ok so not to annoy everyone or be "sickengly" sweet...but...my husband is just the BEST. Those of you who know him know that I'm right. He's supportive, interested, encouraging, motivating, and all in all totally 'into' whatever my passion-of-the-moment tends to be (especially when it's him *wink*!).

I think he's finally realized that THIS (paper crafting/scrapbooking) is the passion. Not my passion of now to be forgotten tomorrow or next month (candle company consultant, tree frog, bass guitarist, make-up artist, etc, etc) but this is it. So - without getting you all gagging...hehe...he came up with a WONDERFUL solution for my ever growing ribbon collection.

I just love the ribbon. I love holding it, looking at it, mixing and matching it and using it for all sorts of reasons!! I find the colors, textures and designs as inspiring as designer paper.

He bought dowels measuring 3/8ths of an inch (he took the measurement from the middle of the smallest spool of ribbon that I own) and found simple hardware that the dowels sit easily in. He then trimmed the dowels down, leaving enough room on the ends so that I can hang my small collection of punches. I can't thank him enough...seriously. They were just stacked up on my tables, sitting in baskets and large tupperwares...it was an unsightly mess. And I couldn't find anything quickly when I needed it! This is an awesome use of my space!! YAY!! Thanks honey!!
And - my MIL/FIL gave me a very generous gift certificate to Michael's for Christmas. I'm one of those people who wants to go out the day after Christmas to spend any $ that I received. I can't wait...what can I say.

So...when I was shopping I happened to literally stumble upon this AWESOME shelving unit from Making Memories. It was 90 on sale for 60!! I was THRILLED!!! It's able to hold about 60 spools of ribbon and tons of assorted stamps and embellishments. Before I had my little jars and bottles just perched precariously on my windowsills just waiting to fall and wake my little ones at any moment while I worked at night. But this was a true find!! And thank you again to my darling husband who carefully and safely mounted this last weekend. (because if it were up to me I'd have hung it on 2 tacks shoved anywhere into the wall...HA!)

Just when I think I love him as much as I can...everyday I fall a little more in love. (i know, i know...SO corny!)

I hope that everyone is having a creative night! HAPPY FRIDAY!