My Paper Trails

Popping in to Say Hello!

2007-09-23T18:14:00.000-04:00

Well, the furor around the house continues - I feel like I'm catching a ride on a Japanese Bullet Train. But it's all good! It's funny that I started a blog to help jump-start my stamping, and now I have so much stamping that I haven't had time to blog!

Things are exciting around here - workshops, classes, miscellaneous projects.

And another little activity that has been added to the schedule... Guess who's playing soccer? Quinn! Oh my, I'd never figured myself for a soccer mom, but we are having fun! And, since Quinn can't read yet, I'll let you know something: soccer is definitely not this boy's sport! LOL! But he's only four, so I guess time will tell. I figure he'll either end up being a great player one day and can laugh at mom for thinking this, or he'll look back and draw the same conclusion. Thing is, he's really good at doing things in spurts, not so much into the constant running. Maybe we'll try baseball....

But I'll tell you what, there is nothing cuter than a bunch of kiddos in over-large soccer uniforms all hunched over a little ball trying to get their kiddie-cleats into the mix. Of course, Quinn would much rather take a break to talk to the kids on the other team... he's such a diplomat....

So here he is - My little Number 7.

Isn't he just too cute?!?!?

And.... da da da dum... I had a birthday!!! Yep. I'm entering the last official year of my twenties.... I remember as a kid hearing the name of the show "ThirtySomething" and thinking that it must be really boring, since thirty is so old... LOL! So I better enjoy my youth while I can, I guess. ;)

For all my blogger friends out there in stamping land, I sure have missed you all this month.... I'm going to try to catch up as I can - you are all such an inspiration and source of joy for me!!! So thanks!

See you soon (I hope)!

Card Credits (Everything Stampin' Up!): Cardstock - River Rock, More Mustard, Real Red, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip; Ink - Real red, Chocolate Chip; Stamps - Office Accoutrements, Happy Everything; Accessories - Staples, Wild Wasabi Double-Stitched Ribbon, Real Red Stampin' Write Marker, Tab Punch, Dimensionals

Whoopsie Daisy!

2007-08-22T08:30:00.000-04:00

Whoopsie daisy is right! I somehow managed to way over-schedule myself for the end of August! Maybe I need to hire one of those $15/hour personal managers in China.... hmm... Seriously, people do this, at least according to one "Wired" magazine article....

What have I been so busy at, you ask?

Wedding invites for my sister-in-law (very cute! but I totally forgot to take a picture of them before I put them in the mail on Friday).

4 different card swaps - lots of fun... lots of work. Going in the mail today!

Prep for a workshop this Saturday! Yeah!

Prep for a Scrapbook Class this Sunday! Woo hoo!

So now that I've got 2 of the four major projects out of the way, I finally had time to post one of my swap cards! (of course, it took like a bazillion hours, since the moment I had a second to finally post, blogspot decided to conk out for a couple of hours.)

And, in the midst of the temporary insanity, I took this opportunity to remind myself that Christmas is coming soon! LOL! Nah... not worrying yet... just wanted to use this stamp for one of my swaps. :)

Breathe.....

Card Credits: Everything Stampin' Up! Cardstock - Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky, Real Red, Shimmery White; Stamps - Linen Background; Sidekick Sayings (Hostess Level 1); Ink - Stazon Jet Black, Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Soft Sky (plus Close to Cocoa and Summer Sun for watercoloring); Accessories - Soft Sky and Wild Wasabi Double-stitched ribbon, Vintage Brads, Ticket Corner punch, Aquapainter, Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds

Be Happy!

2007-08-13T06:51:00.001-04:00

It was a long time coming, but I finally found the secret to life. Wanna know what it is?

Just...

Be Happy!

Okay, I know it's not quite that simple. But, barring anything major, I've found that the secret to being happy in life is to just be happy.

Roll with the punches baby.

Smile. :)

Card Credits: Layout inspired by Celebra card on page 148 of Fall/Winter 2007 Collection Catalog; Cardstock - Stampin' Up! (Real Red, Whisper White, Bayou Blue, Soft Sky); Ink - Stampin' Up! (Real Red, Bayou Blue); Stamps - Stampin' Up! (Pick a Petal, So Many Sayings); Accessories - Stampin' Up! Blossoms & Basics Chipboard, Round Tab Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Rhinestone Brad, Cuttlebug embossing

Feelin' a Little Scrappy

2007-08-09T07:03:00.000-04:00

Boy howdy! I haven't scrapbooked in quite while! Not that I don't love to... it just seems like a major project compared to card-making, and then the boys are getting their grubby hands all over the pictures I have out, and grabbing my implements of creativity and turning them into weapons of mass destruction, and... well, you get the picture!

But, with an upcoming "scrapbook-in-an-afternoon" class and a pile of pictures to get busy on, it was time to get a little scrappy!

If you know me, and my scrapbooking style, you'll know that these pages are way different from what I usually do. I'm one of those who tends to accessorize and patterned-paper-ize things to death, but I knew I couldn't on these, because we'll be making 10 of them in an afternoon.

I kind of liked having to go light on the supplies and make it quick - simple, but effective I think.

Oh, and all the blank space? Don't worry - that's for my journaling (which, as you can tell from my blog posts, tends to get a little lengthy..... :)

What about you? Are you a "scrapbook in an afternoon" or a "one-scrapbook-page-takes-a-week" kind of scrapper? I think I'm both, though haven't always been. I really need to focus on recording the memories in an attractive way, instead of trying to create the Sistine Chapel of pages each time I embark on the scrapbooking journey.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Credits: Home Again Simply Scrappin' kit, Round Tab Punch, Uni-ball white pen, Short Order Alpha stamps, Rough Edges Mini Alphabet stamps, Chocolate Chip & Bordering Blue Inks

Here, Piggy Piggy....

2007-08-06T06:47:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I promised to have some slightly more uplifting news... and here it is!

We have adopted two new furry members into the family - a pair of adorable, fuzzy wuzzy, super-cute little guinea pigs!

They're still babies, and, my goodness, they are adorable!

This has been a little while in the making. Jason has been very gung-ho about getting the boys a little pet, but as soon as he would start talking about snakes or lizards or other cold-blooded things, my eyes would just glaze over, and out would come a clearly disinterested "hmmm".....

So we never really did anything about it.

But then I remembered my own little pet mice I had when I was a kiddo, and thought, hey... what about a little furry friend? So I asked Jason, he was all for it, and the rest is history.

Quinn has been such a big boy about the whole thing. First we went to the pet store last week and got everything we needed. I had explained to him that we would need to get all the schtuff it takes to care for the little buggers before we brought them home. Okay, okay, he kept saying, but I was sure that when we went to the store and he actually saw the animals, we would have a showdown about actually bringing him home that night. But nope! Nadda! Not a single whine or beg to bring home a critter before the cage was set up.

In fact, the morning after we were at the pet store, he hopped out of bed at 6:30 sharp, marched out to where daddy and I were and promptly began helping to get everything ready.

So on Friday, Jason and I began calling around to different shelters (much better to adopt some poor little furry soul), and sure enough, there were some baby guinea pigs up for adoption.

Except that they were in Connecticut.

Well, that wasn't going stop Mommy and Quinn. No way! We packed ourselves into the car, armed with a big box filled with bedding, timothy hay, treats and pellets and away we went. 4 hours later, we were home! The proud owners of two cutie patootie baby piggies.

Quinn claimed naming rights, so here they are.

Meet Charlie:

He is soooooo sweet! Lover of tomatoes and timothy hay and a good nose rub. He's the smaller of the two, but definately the braver and more adventurous one.

And, according to the source, Quinn's new best friend:

And this is Roufy:

He's the bigger one, but more shy, and not real keen on treats while we're holding him... I think he's on to our taming tricks.

The best part - Jason loves Roufy. And Roufy loves Jason.

Well, I'm sure you'll get lots of piggy stories over the coming posts - there is just too much cuteness in this house!

Have a Happy Day!

Stinkin' Mad!

2007-08-02T12:37:00.000-04:00

I'm mad.

And I've been working really hard on that let go and let live thing... so I've haven't been really mad for a long time.

This one I have a really hard time coming up with jokes about (though my co-workers and I did manage a chuckle or two).

Here's the deal.

Someone broke into our house!!!!

They took the laptop. And the GameCube. And... the Nintendo Wii!

Why? Why the Wii? That's just not right - Jason stood outside in the freezing weather for hours to get it. Is there any decency left in the world?

Seriously, though, I'm over the "totally freaked out and want to get out and live in a hotel" thing. We've got additional "security measures" in place now (not revealing what - state secret), although the boys have been sleeping with us the past couple of nights.

Ah, well. Let go and let live, right?

Anyway, we have a teensy weensy exciting thing happening in the next couple of days and I will share with you when I can.

Really, dude, the Wii?

Grr....

Cute Lil' Box and My First Tutorial!

2007-07-31T07:39:00.001-04:00

Dontcha just love a bunch of quick, easy and beautiful cards?

Of course, you do!

Last weekend I broke out my new Fall Flowers Designer Paper and Priceless stamps and got to work on a quick One Sheet Wonder set. These are great to have on hand, and I left most of them blank so I could quickly add a sentiment when needed.

These were specificially inspired by Cambria's take on Stampin' Up!'s template - see her fabulous SCS gallery for inspiration!

So what do you do with a boatload of cards?

Make a box for them, of course! I love making chipboard boxes for my cards (see this post and the great bloggers linked there) and I decided to make another one to match this set.

A couple of people, including my fabulouso sister-in-law, Kim, have asked how I made my particular take on the good old chipboard box, so here it is.... My First Tutorial! Hope you enjoy, and I would really love any comments or advice you have. Frankly, I don't anticipate making too many tutorials, as I am too busy trying to keep up with everyone else's fabulous ideas. But, should some rare moment of genius strike, I'd like to know what I could do better.

First, though, I need to set the scene. My workspace is a little too crowded to make one of these boxes and keep the area clean enough to take pictures, so I moved to the kitchen table. So that's where we are.

Let's get started.

Step 1. Gather your supplies.

Here's a list of things you'll need-

1. Chipboard: I got mine from A.C. Moore, but, sadly, they don't carry it anymore. I'm sure it's available somewhere online or maybe at another local store (check there first, of course!)

2. Patterned Paper

3. Glue: I used Tombow mono multi for attaching the paper to the chipboard and the Zipdry glue for holding the box together.

4. Guillotine-type paper cutter or very sharp craft knife and ruler.

5. Crop-a-dile or other hole punch.

6. Sanding blocks or other file (I used the Basic Grey file kit)

7. General stamping supplies for decorating your box (stamps, ink, etc....)

Step 2. Cut Chipboard Pieces

You will need 5 pieces - 4 sides and a bottom!

Here are the dimensions I used (in inches).

1. 5 1/4 x 4 5/8 - cut 2 pieces this size

2. 5 1/4 x 3 - cut 2 pieces this size

3. 4 5/8 x 3 - cut 1 piece this size

I designed the box to hold standard 4.25 x 5.5 cards and envelopes. Of course, the dimensions can be easily changed, but I really like this size. I make the box a little short so you can see the tops of the cards peeking out - so cute!

Also, the chipboard I used (like all chipboard, I guess) is really tough stuff. There is no way my regular fiskars cutter would do the job. So I used my Tonic Guillotine. If you're using a guillotine-style cutter, you'll really need to hold the chipboard firmly in place as you cut, as it will move around as the blade goes through it. Another option would be to use a craft knife (keep it sharp!) and make a couple of passes.

Step 3. Cut Patterned Paper Pieces

You will need 2 pieces of patterned paper for each chipboard piece - one for the outside and one for the inside.

Here are the dimensions again:

1. 5 1/4 x 4 5/8 - cut 2 pieces from outside pattern and 2 pieces from inside pattern.

2. 5 1/4 x 3 - cut 2 pieces from outside pattern and 2 pieces from inside pattern

3. 4 5/8 x 3 - cut 1 piece from outside pattern and one piece from inside pattern.

Step 4. Glue Patterned Paper to Chipboard

Pretty self explanatory here....

As mentioned above, I used my Tombow Mono Multi for this step, and I have also used my Zipdry glue for this as well. But any good glue or adhesive will do the trick!

If you use a wet glue, make sure it doesn't buckle the paper. You can use a brayer to smooth out the paper and remove any bumps or wrinkles and to ensure a good bond.

Now, wait. wait. wait for that glue to DRY! Don't be too impatient. If the glue is wet on the next step (sanding), it could be very messy and frustrating (trust me on this...).

This might be a good time to make any embellishments you're going to use on the box (you can see how I did mine below).

Step 5. Sand the Edges.

Sanding the edges is important for 2 reasons. First, it will remove any excess paper hanging over the edge of the chipboard. Second, it creates a nice clean finish. You can sand a little (as I did here) for a subtle effect, or a lot, for a more distressed look.

For sanding, I used my "emery board" type file from the Basic Grey file kit. Stampin' Up!'s sanding block will also work, as would a regular old emery board or sanding paper.

A little tip: since you will be sanding both sides of your pieces, begin by sanding the inside first. That way, you finish by sanding the outside and can better control how it will look.

Step 6. Mark Hole Placement with Pencil Lines

Draw a light pencil line on the inside of each panel. This line will mark how far in from the edge your ribbon hole will be. For my box, I drew a vertical line 3/8 inch from the edge.

If you're using a Crop-a-dile to punch your holes, this is the only line you'll need to mark. If you're using another hole punch, i.e., the kind you need a hammer for, you will need to also draw two cross lines - one on the top and one on the bottom - to mark how far you want your holes from the top and bottom of the box, too.

You will only need to punch holes on the Four Side Panels, and not the bottom panel of the box. However, if you're paying attention, you will notice that I accidently punched holes in the bottom of my box, too. (got a little rambunctious, I guess). I just left them, since they can't be seen when the box is standing up. But I'm not using them for anything, so don't bother drawing your lines on the bottom panel.

Step 7. Punch Four Holes on each panel.

You should punch two holes at the top and two at the bottom of each panel.

With the Crop-a-dile, I set the depth for the largest hole punch (3/16 size hole) at 1/2 inch, so my hole would always be that far from the top and bottom edges of the box. Simply line up the large hole punch over the line. Looking through the little hole on the side of the Crop-a-dile, make sure your pencil line is in the middle and squeeze the handle.

If you're using the hole punch + hammer thingy, you will need to line up the hole punch in each corner where your lines cross.

After punching the holes, erase the pencil lines.

You can also use a small round file to sand the hole edges, too, but that's really not necessary.

Step 7 . . . again. Glue the First Side Panel to the Box Bottom.

Yes, yes... I have two step sevens... whoops...

Okay, now it's time to put it all together. Start by putting your bottom piece flat on your work surface, with the inside edge facing up. (Now you can see my accidental holes on the bottom panel. Remember, you don't need them). Grab one of your Side Panels to work with; it doesn't matter which one you start with.

This is where I switched to using my Zipdry Glue. Zipdry is a great paper glue that is clear, very fast drying and extremely strong. I use it for these boxes because the only place the box is actually glued is at the very bottom edge, and I know that Zipdry will do the job and hold everything together while the box is being assembled. I'm not sure how the Tombow Mono Multi would work here, and it would probably be just fine, I just haven't tried it. If you use something else that works, let me know!

Apply glue to the outside edge of the bottom panel and the very bottom edge of your side panel.

Step 8. Place First Edge and Support it While it Dries

Place the side panel (with the glue on the bottom) firmly against the edge of the bottom panel (the edge with the glue on it, of course) and make sure it is lined up.

You could just sit there and hold it while it dries, but that's a pain the patoot. I use something to hold the edge propped up in place while the glue dries (here, you can see I used a jar of mosaic tiles... another craft that had to be set aside temporarily while the boys are young and prone to put things in their mouths...).

Step 9. Glue Remaining Edges to Bottom of Box

Repeat Step 8 for the other three edges. Here you can see that the glue is holding strong and I no longer needed the jar to prop up the edges. The panels may, however, start tipping inward or outward. If so, make sure you keep each edge propped upright so the glue bond doesn't break.

This is the most tedious part of the process, but really doesn't take too long. Have patience and work carefully.

Step 10. Have a Chuckle at Elizabeth for having 2 Step 7's and forgetting Step 10.

Step 11. Add Ribbon and Embellishments.

Once all the sides are attached, they will usually sort of "rest" on each other while you thread the ribbon through.

I find that it is easiest to work on one corner at a time, both the top and bottom pieces of the ribbon. I thread the top and bottom pieces of ribbon through one corner and tie loosely (you know, the over/under thing you do before you make the loops on your shoe lace... what's that called anyway? It's like half a knot...). Gently tighten your "half-knots." This will add stability as you move on. Don't tighten all the way yet, though, because it is easy at this stage to pull too tight and make the box a little wonky. So what I do is thread the ribbon through the next corner and tighten and tie those knots. Then tie my first ribbon into knots and repeat the process on the other side.

The ribbon will really "pull" it all together and hold your box in place.

I have also seen boxes where the ribbon was "threaded," through the holes, which is also pretty, but I like to just tie a knot and cut off the ends, 'cause I'm a little lazy like that.

Finally, add your embellishments and you're good to go!

I added the next couple of pictures to show you how I go about covering my raw chipboard pieces. I'm not sure if this is the best way to do it, but it works for me. Leave a comment if you have any other ideas or something that might work better!

First, I stamp my images on the cardstock I want and then roughly cut it into the shape of the chipboard piece. I suppose I could first trace the chipboard shape on the paper and then stamp inside the outline, but, again, I picked the "lazy" way.

I glue the rough-cut paper piece onto the chipboard, then use my paper snips to roughly cut close to the edge of the chipboard piece.

(Note the design change.... :) ... Last minute change of plans....)

Then I just sand the edges so that everything is smooth and flat and pretty.

Voila!

A Chipboard Box!!!

Complete with a pretty set of cards!

And, yes, the envelopes will fit in there, too, but mine were still back in the office and by this time, my boys had gotten home and I needed to take this one last picture and finish before everything was destroyed .... (notice the slight blur to the picture... Cade was pulling at my arms and clothes, trying to tell me something that just couldn't wait. LOL!)

If you read this whole thing, thanks for following along. And don't forget to leave any comments with tips, suggestions, etc... They're always appreciated!

Have a Happy Tuesday, everyone!

CASE-ING the New Catty!

2007-07-30T09:27:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to share a couple of new catalog "CASE's."

*(here is where I wish I could put a footnote, but blogger doesn't have that option.... "CASE", for those of you who don't know, means "copy and share everything" or, if you're a glass-is-half-empty kinda person, "copy and steal everything." Basically, it means you took someone else's basic design and used it to make your own card - either actually copying all the elements, colors, etc..., or just using a whole lot of it. Now, in my time in the digi-scrappin' world, we used to call it "lifting." As in, here's my layout... I "scraplifted" (<-- funny little word, huh?) from so-and-so. I kinda like the whole "lift" thing better, but I guess it sounds wierd to say "card-lifted"....) *end footnote*

This is the very first card I made with my new catty stuff. As soon as I saw the card on page 19 of the catalog, I knew I had to have the Sidekick Sayings hostess set, and I had to make that card! Supereasy design and I think it's easily adaptable to all kinds of cards. This particular one was for my dear father, who recently took on a little consulting work after enjoying the retired life for a couple of years. I wanted something simple and somewhat "masculine" (or how 'bout, "not girly"), and this did the trick!

Card Credits: Everything from Stampin' Up! Cardstock - Kraft, Bayou Blue, Whisper White; Designer Series Paper - Fall Flowers; Ink - Bayou Blue, Wild Wasabi, Stamp - Sidekick Sayings (hostess set), Extras - Photo corner from On Board Blossoms & Basics, Soft Sky double-stitched ribbon, aquapainter, dimensionals, sanding block.

I was having so much fun with the Sidekick Sayings set that I had to make another card, and really loved the sweet and simple layout on page 107 of the catty.

Now this layout was tricky! I thought it looked so easy, but gosh darnit, getting those little rectangles cut to the right size was a challenge to say the least, and I'm not sure I got it all quite right... ah, well, it looks pretty close! Actually, this picture is a little odd... the card was turned at a wierd angle and it looks a little wonky, but you get the idea.

And how excited was I to discover that Martha Stewart's Bakers' Twine comes in... GROOVY GUAVA! Yes, it's true! I had grabbed a multi-pack of the twine last time I was in Michaels, 'cause I love that stuff.... and when I was digging around in the "twine" area of my ribbon box, lo and behold, there it was! Too cool!

Card Credits: Everything Stampin' Up! (except bakers' twine) - Cardstock - Sahara Sand, Bayou Blue, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava, Whisper White; Ink - Staz-on Timber Brown, Groovy Guava, Old Olive; Extras - Martha Stewart Bakers' Twine, Stampin' Up! rhinestone brad, dimensionals.

Have (another) happy Monday!

A Morning With Cade

2007-07-23T20:33:00.001-04:00

Okay, I know my usual sense of humor leaks through in my posts (okay, at least I hope it does... otherwise you might think I'm just wierd...), but I'm going to warn you that I'm feeling a little sappy about this one....

This past Saturday morning, Cade and I had one of those rare excursions where it was just me and him off on a little adventure: to the park, of course! (where else would you take a little monkey?).

It was a brilliant, beautiful morning - 70+ degrees, sunny and breezy (or, according to Cade every so often "too cold, mommy!" "to winny!" - that definitely got the "whatever" glance from Mommy; it was just perfect and I let him know that in no uncertain terms...)

Anyway, to the park we go. And, can you believe it? We were the only ones there!

After recovering from the initial shock that he had the whole place to himself (and mommy was most certainly not going over the "wobberly bridge"), he had a grand time. Running up and down and all over doing a continuous loop (his modus operandi) between the stairs, the "wobberly bridge" and the slide. Over. and over. and over.

It was so sweet to watch him laughing and jabbering and singing to himself as he climbed and ran like a wild man.

And then it hit me.

He doesn't need me. He really doesn't need me anymore. No more hovering at the edge of the landing, ready to catch should he tumble over the edge. No more waiting at the bottom of the slide to help him down. No more hand-holding up the stairs. No more boosts on the bum to get up the climber...

whoa! what happened?

He can't.

No.

He can't be growing up, can he?

Okay, okay. Enough already.

I did enjoy sitting on the bench peacefully by myself, feeling the cool breeze and hearing the echoes of his laughter among the surrounding trees.

And watching the old men playing bocci ball. That was pretty cool.

One of the things I really love about our area is the mix of people. Whenever we go to the park, we are sure to hear at least 2 other languages being spoken by old and young alike. And it's so neat to watch the boys play alongside anyone without a care as to whether they can actually communicate. It's kind of fun to watch them work it out. Laughing together. Taking turns at the slide. Smiling. Well, I guess they do communicate, huh?

Anyway, these old men had out their lawnchairs and their water bottles and were playing bocci ball like it was the Greek Olympics. I'm not sure if they were Greek or Italian; I could plainly tell that they were not speaking English, but couldn't make out what language it was from that far away. So they're throwing the balls, and measuring with their feet and their hands, and yelling at each other constantly, in the way that only good friends can do.

It was great.

Then Cade and I sauntered over to the little "farm" inside the park. All the animals were busily munching away at breakfast, but they would scoot closer to the fence as we came by. Saying "hi" in their sweet little animal ways.

Here's a real sweetie we visited:

And this one was such a stinky little cutie. Kept shoving his nose through the fence. I was a little afraid that Cade would lick him on the nose, 'cause he's had this wierd licking thing lately (comes with being two-and-a-half, I guess), but we made it away safely with no pig juice on the tongue.

Now this old girl really made my morning. As soon as we approached, she stopped grazing, picked up the pace and headed straight toward us.

I was happily snapping away with the camera and saying excitedly to Cade, "Look, buddy, she's going to come right over. Right next to us. Isn't she sweet? Maybe she'll let you pet her on the head! Look, Cade. .... Cade?"

Desperate whine coming from the lower right.

"Aw, Cade!"

He had his head stuck between the slats in the fence.

And I mean stuck. You know how it is - how in the world do they get the noggin' in there, when they clearly do not have enough room to pull it out? He started to panic a little as the pony stuck it's nose right next to his red little cheeks. And, I'll admit, I was a little worried, too. Not so much about the stuck head. I figured we'd squeeze it out eventually, but I do know that ponies have sharp teeth. And what with Cade's (by now louder) half-cries and panicky squeals, I was afraid the pony would startle and give him a kick or a nibble.

Luckily, though, Miss Pony was having none of that raucous, and made her way to graze elsewhere. Meanwhile, I got Cade to sort of slide over to an area where the space looked a little wider, pulled up a little on the rickety fence slat, and he managed to squeeze his little blonde peanut through with only a minor scratch.

That pretty much ended our trip to the farm.

So back to the playground we went.

Man, he's getting so big, isn't he....?

How Do I Love Thee?

2007-07-23T06:12:00.001-04:00

I cannot count the ways.... (okay, maybe I could, but that would be pretty boring, and would ruin the cliche)

I am so very, very in love with this year's In Colors (have I said that before...?)

Groovy Guava is so.... groovy.

Soft Sky is so .... soft.

Wild Wasabi is so... wild.

River Rock is so .... river?

And the delicious double stitched ribbon... oh, be still my beating heart! And who can forget the fabulous new chipboard! So easy to add a delightful accent...

okay, stop me, I'm sounding like a really lame infomercial now....

Anyway . . .

Here's one of my first cards I've made with the new catalog stuff. Isn't that birdie just the cutest thing you ever have seen? Part of me is chiding myself for spending $30 on a stamp set just for this lil' cutie. Okay, okay, I know I'll use the rest, but honestly, this is the image that took the cake for me. (well, that and Beate's fabulous cards she was making with this set - see this card, and this one, and this one. . . oh, you enabler, you...)

First I rolled the new Doodle Jumbo Wheel (love it!) on the card front with Groovy Guava ink. Stamped the birdie with Timber Brown Staz-on onto Naturals White cardstock and colored with my In Color classic inks and aquapainter. Glued the image onto the chipboard piece from Blossom and Basics, attached one of the super-fun sparkly new brads (thanks to my fabulouso Crop-a-dile) and sanded the edges for a polished look. The Soft Sky panel was pierced and stamped with a sentiment from the So Many Sayings hostess set. Added the ribbon, glued on the chipboard and done! It was actually really quick and easy... a card I will definitely make more of!

Happy Monday (groan), everyone...!

Card Credits: Everything Stampin' Up! Cardstock - Groovy Guava, Soft Sky, Naturals White; Ink - Groovy Guava, Staz-on Timber Brown, Soft Sky; Stamps - Fun & Fast Notes, So Many Sayings (hostess), Doodle Jumbo Wheel; Accessories - Rhinestone Brad (fire circles), River Rock double-stitched ribbon, Blossoms & Basics Chipboard.

Rock On, Stampin' Bloggers!

2007-07-19T21:16:00.001-04:00

Lookie here what I gots! A Rockin' lil' picture for the blog post! Simone, over at Daily Dose of Spazz, nominated me for a Rockin' Girl Blogger after she was nominated by another blogger... and didn't that just make my day! (BTW - you've got to check out her blog... seriously funny stuff re: life and such and awesome cards and scrapbook pages).

So, I've gotta share 5 blogs with you that I read daily - actually, with my Bloglines reader, it's a heck of a lot more than that - check out my links on the left, and you'll see what I mean.

So here goes - Y'all consider yourself nominated, too, 'k?:

1. Erika over at Erika Designs - FABULOUS CARD MAKER! Gotta check her out.
2. Elena at The Stampin' Shac - A brand-spankin' new member of the A Muse design team! Her cards are A-Muse-a-licious!
3. Sarah at Sarah and the Stampstars - she is one busy lady! great cards, info, craft stuff and fun insights into her life and family... love it!
4. Kristina at kwernerdesignblog - What can I say other than her work really takes my breath away. Really. really.
5. Cambria at Stamp a Little Love, Baby! - Fabulous stamper, awesome tutorials, and the most SUPER-FUN personality, ever!

Check these ladies out, they truely do ROCK!

One more thing to share with you...

Last night was class one of a series of "techniques" classes I am holding. Everyone I know is a beginning stamper, so this class focused on what you can do with just good old stamps, ink and paper - that's right... no ribbon, no doodads, no nothin'!

First, we talked about using layers and dimension to create extra interest on a card.

I had so much fun designing this card, and I really love how it turned out.

Card Credits: (everything Stampin' Up!) - River Rock, Soft Sky, Very Vanilla cardstock, River Rock, Purely Pomegranate Classic Ink.

The second card we made was CASED from my upline who CASED it from SCS, so I decided not to post it... but it was a super-fun Pick-a-Petal, easy peasy, uber-cute card!

Thanks for tuning in!

Blog Candy Winner!

2007-07-18T06:37:00.000-04:00

random.org says #12, so ....

Sabena! come on down!

send me an email with your address and the goodies will be on their way!

thanks for stopping by everybody (y'all come back now, hear?)

Mother of the Year Award

2007-07-17T19:51:00.001-04:00

I'm so up for it.

That's right. Coolest mom evah!

Let's just say that if you are four years old and feeling really crappy, you want me around.

Why am I feeling so very cool right now? Because I actually made Quinn happy - that's right, Mr. "I'm-sick-and-bored-and-I-don't-want-to-watch-any-more-T.V.-or-read-a-book-and-I-don't-like-you-right-now,-mommy!-cranky-pants" himself! By about 4:00 this afternoon we were sick of each other and sick of watching cartoons and sick of reading and certainly not going to take another nap, so I decided it was time to go sit outside and get some fresh air. Quinn and I sat outside by the blueberry bushes and I was doing some weeding when he discovered that the little space between the two bushes made a perfect little sitting spot.

Then he decided it would make a perfect hideout.

Only trouble was that he had no idea how to cover up all the spaces between the branches and leaves....

Which is where I come in.

(sorry for the blurry pictures)

Using some pine branches (ouch... always forget how prickly they really are) and walnut tree branches...

I built up some "walls" around him

and left a little place to get in and out.

He was pleased as punch.

Then he ate everything at dinner (salmon, yellow rice, watermelon...yum!). Was that directly related to my making him so very happy? Why yes, yes it was...or I'd like to think so!

So he's on his way to recovery! Whoo hoo!

Thanks to me.

Mother of the Year.

Epilogue: While I would have loved to re-take the pictures so that they weren't so blurry, I'm sorry to report that the blueberry bush/tree branch "hut" is no more. Quinn was very excited to show Cade when he got home. And Cade was very excited about the tree hut. And, well, if you know Cade, you'll understand that the delicately balanced branches and leaves just could not withstand the ensuing hullabaloo. Quinn took it well, though, with my promises that it could be rebuilt... we'll see... I'm still scrubbing pine sap off my knuckles and knees....

Another Color Challenge

2007-07-17T13:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm home today with Mr. Quinn, who's got some nasty little virus, poor thing. Ah well, we decided that when life gives you lemons, you must stamp!

Actually, he wanted to watch his Peter Rabbit DVD (by the way, have you read the Beatrix Potter stories lately? They're a classic, don't get me wrong, but man, you won't find any kids books like those nowadays. Definitely no life-affirming touchy-feely stuff there. Just some good old-fashioned death, violence and naughtiness softened by the polite elegance of English-esque tastefulness and subtle humor....).

So I decided to stamp! This is for today's color challenge over at SCS - to use Bordering Blue, Mellow Moss, Not Quite Navy and (optional) Always Artichoke.

I was so excited that I had an idea for the card right away that I got to it... and then realized that I forgot to include Not Quite Navy. So I guess I failed this challenge... oh well. I still like how it turned out!

Card Credits: Everything from Stampin' Up! Cardstock - Bordering Blue, Mellow Moss, Naturals Ivory; Ink - Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke (marker), Bordering Blue (marker); Stamps - Garden Silhouettes (hostess), Small Script (retired), Hodgepodge Hardware, Stampin' Dimensionals, Always Artichoke Ribbon, Circle Punch

P.S. If you're looking for the blog candy, it's the post right before this one! ;)

Message from Mars - Blog Candy is Here

2007-07-16T07:09:00.000-04:00

You're Out of This World!!!

I know I'm no blogging superstar, but gosh darn it, I'm just tickled pink that my counter says I've had over 1000 hits!

(okay, I'm not sure how many of those are actually me, but hey, I still think it's pretty cool)

Since it seems to be a bit of a tradition in the stampin' blog community, I'm announcing the first of my BLOG CANDY giveaways!

I've got an idea of what it's gonna be, but haven't taken a picture yet. I promise that I'll post the prize soon. ETA: PICTURES ARE NOW POSTED.... SCROLL DOWN TO SEE!

So here's the deal - leave a comment on this post before midnight (Eastern Standard Time over here in Massachusetts) ETA: that's midnight on Tuesday, July 17, and I'll pick a random number on WEDNESDAY, JULY 18 for the giveaway. If you want to, let me know where you're from - I love that we can all visit and share our ideas and creations from across the country and the world!

Thanks for stopping by!

Card Credits: Stamps - Rubber Soul; Cardstock - Stampin' Up! (Kraft, Bashful Blue, Whisper White); Patterned Paper - American Crafts; Ink - Versacraft Black, Stampin' Up! Markers for coloring; Accessories and Extras - Stampin' Dimensionals, Moss Gingham Ribbon, Sakura Glaze Pen (clear), Marvy Scalloped punch, Oval punch, Clear Embossing Powder

Without further ado, here's what's in store for the lucky winner:

Envelope seals from Martha Stewart and some ribbon with lots of yummy texture!

Two sheets of Scenic Route alphabet stickers and some clear stamps!

Wait... there's more...

Some awesome chipboard pieces from We R Memory Keepers!

Okay, that's it.....

Tag... I'm It.

2007-07-15T17:44:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I've been "tagged" for the first time since I started blogging. What fun! The super-fabulous Vicki C. did the honors. You MUST go see her blog. She does absolutely fantastic stuff - gorgeous albums, altered items... all kinds of cool projects. Really, extraordinary work. (Can you tell I totally love her? So flattered that she tagged me.)

So here goes - I'm supposed to post 7 random things about myself then tag 7 other bloggers:

Random Things About Me:

1. I love to get up early and drink coffee for hours before actually doing anything.
2. Chicago is my very favorite place, and I dream of living there someday.
3. I also dream of living on a farm with alpacas and chickens.
4. One of my biggest fears for a long time was having an airplane land on/crash into me.
5. I'm not a water person - no beach babe here!
6. I think cats are the neatest animals ever. (I have four).
7. My fingernails are a mess and my toenails are always painted.

Okay, here's who I'm tagging:
Anne
Erika M.
Julie
Kendra
Mary
Erika H.
Sue

Y'all can play if you want to!

I'll be back to post some pictures of projects I've been working on as soon as I can. I've gotten so much done this weekend, but still haven't gotten the pictures ready for uploading. Will do soon!

I Actually Had to Leave the Dinner Table

2007-07-11T19:37:00.001-04:00

and write this. I'm dying. Dying!

Heard at the table in the last 5 minutes:

Quinn (looking at Mommy and Daddy): You know why you guys are so great? 'Cause you made a freakin' good dinner!

That is too much.

Good times. Good times.

(Also heard: "Daddy. You make freakin' good corn. I'm gonna call you the corn master.")

Oh Baby! (Secrets Revealed)

2007-07-09T19:07:00.000-04:00

NO, I'M NOT HAVING ANOTHER BABY! (yet... <- did I say that outloud??? ;)

Well, it's nice to be back home with the boys (yes, I really do mean it!).

But I wanted to share something fun I made while I had the house to myself -

I have to admit something... my first little crafty secret... I'm not very good at altering things! Seriously! I always seem to get lost about a third of the way through an altering project - never enough embellishments, or things don't "connect".. I don't know.
More practice needed I guess.

That said, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out, although the ribbons on top kind of look like a funky mop-top hairdo... oh well....

In case it's not obvious, it's just a little bucket that will be stuffed with onsies and towels and other baby things for someone special (I'm not saying who... ;)

The paper and the "design" were inspired by the "matching" card -

I kept most of the bucket's silver finish showing because I actually thought it was pretty, and it jived with the silver buttons I used on the card.

Now for the second secret - I bought the 120 box of prismacolors.... (But I used a coupon!). This is one of my first tries at coloring with them and some gamsol, and I had so much fun!

The stamp is one I got on sale at Michaels a loooong time ago, and then just shoved it in a drawer and forgot about it, but it was uber-fun to color.

Hope this makes the special someone smile!

Card credits: Cardstock - Stampin' Up! (Purely Pomegranite, Wild Wasabi), Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye; Ink - Stampin' Up! (Basic Black); Accessories - Prismacolor pencils, gamsol, Stampin' Up! ribbon, Button Brads and Safety Pin - Making Memories

Twenty One Miles Later.....

2007-07-07T08:33:00.000-04:00

I'm sunburned. My butt is bruised. And I think I pulled a muscle in my leg.

But oh man, it was worth it!

For our end of the week bang before the boys return, we decided to take a couple of days to explore beautiful Vermont. Yesterday, we rented bikes and headed out to bike the trail along Lake Chamberlain in and around Burlington, Vermont.

Mind you, I haven't ridden a bike in a long, long time (I'm talking years... and I've never ridden a bike with gears...).

But I was geared up and ready to go!

It was an absolutely gorgeous ride. Breathtaking. The lake on one side. Surrounded by trees and grass and wildflowers along the path.

A brief thunderstorm popped up, but we waited it out in this crazy little store/bait shop/boat dock - a kind of creepy/kind of kitchy time-warp of a place. We shared a water and a payday candy bar and chatted with the old lady behind the counter... great fun!

Then we hit the trail again!

After passing out of Burlington, the bike trail is no longer paved. It's just a gravel path along a causeway out in the middle of nowhere.

It was an amazing little strip of an oasis. A tiny little path in the middle of the water. Some trees and plants along the side - replete with raucus, dive-bombing birds whizzing past our heads and the constant drone of wheels on loose gravel.

And then we hit the end.

Seriously.

The path stops suddenly just a little way from another island in the middle of the lake. A local organization is working to have a ferry running regularly so that bikers can cross back and forth, but, alas... no ferry that day.

It was kind of wierd.

But I was happy. And exhilerated. And proud of myself (and Jason) for riding that far (10.5 miles from our starting point, 3 miles on gravel road).

And very, very tired.

But so ready to do it all again!

My First SCS Challenge Card!

2007-07-03T16:25:00.000-04:00

The obvious solution to my missing mojo problem - today's Color Challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers! (duh...) SCS has such awesome challenges, and I rarely have time to participate. I've done a couple, but this is the first one I'm sharing. Today's challenge was to use Pretty in Pink, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip. Luckily, some of the odds and ends lying around my desk fit the color scheme perfectly!

Pretty easy card! And I love how cute the little birdie is... :)

Card Credits: Paper - Stampin' Up! (Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive); Ink - Stampin' Up! (Staz-on Timber Brown, Old Olive), Stamps - Stampin' Up! (In the Spotlight), Savvy Stamps (sentiment), Inky Antics (birdie feet), Accessories - Stampin' Up! (white organdy ribbon), Jenni Bowlin Studios scrap kit (Felt Birdie and Flowers, Brad), random button from a bottle on the shelf....

The Boys Left . . . and They Took My Mojo!

2007-07-02T19:15:00.001-04:00

Aaaack! My mojo .... it's gone... and I think I know who took it....

It all started a couple of months ago with a phone call from my mother - "Liz ..." [my mom calls me that, and other immediate family members, but don't you try it... nicknames are off limits with me]... "Liz, I wanted to let you guys know that your father and I can take the boys for the week of the fourth of July if you and Jason would like to have a week to yourselves."

HECK, YEAH! A week? A whole blessed week alone? It's every parent-of-a-toddler-and-preschooler's dream come true!

So... after a wonderful weekend celebrating Quinn's (official) birthday, they're gone. Both of them. At the same time!

Oh, the creating! The card-making! The pure, unadultered paper and stamping fun!

But wait! Where's my mojo? I know I had it somewhere around here - usually under the pile of dirty laundry, or stuck the bottom of a muddy shoe. Sometimes I find it in the grubby ring around the tub after an especially energetic bath... or at the bottom of my coffee cup. But, no. It's missing. I cleaned the whole house - but couldn't find it anywhere....

I must have stuck it in one of the boy's suitcases, 'cause it just ain't here. And I know I had it before they left...

Ah, well, I'll share something a little old with you instead:

I made this card a few days ago or so (while the boys were frantically trying to grab my stamps and getting ink all over them... so I know I had my mojo then...). Used my new Pick a Petal from my preview order.

I really like these adorable petals, but I do think they'll be easier to use and arrange if I cut them out. But I had an idea for this one... and it's pretty much how I envisioned. Actually, this started out as a 3" x 6" card - I had a pack of white ones plus envelopes from Stampendous that I got a while back. After I stamped the flower petals on the edge, though, it didn't quite look right, so I chopped off the back of the card and trimmed it down into a panel. Then I wheeled the craft cardstock with the new See You Around jumbo wheel in Versamark - although it doesn't really show since the panel and matting ended up larger than anticipated. I also stamped the circle outline from Pick a Petal in versamark to add some interest to the white and added the sentiment from Hugs and Wishes! Pretty easy and I think it's pretty cute, too!

Well, this card was/is on its way to a fellow blogger - I'm not gonna say who, 'cause I don't know if she got it yet! *wink* But I hope it makes her smile!

Okay... gotta get off here before hubby comes back with the sushi! MMMMM... sushi... and a little Tuaca (anyone else drink that stuff?... it's so beautifully smooth and yummy....) and a few crazy rounds of dominos!

Adios!

Card Credits: Cardstock - Stampin' Up! (Kraft, Groovy Guava), Stampendous; Ink - Stampin' Up! (Groovy Guava, Sage Shadow, Apricot Appeal, Bashful Blue), Versamark; Stamps - Stampin' Up! (Hugs & Wishes, Pick a Petal, See You Around jumbo wheel); Ribbon - Stampin' Up! (moss gingham)

Chuck E. Cheese Lives Up to its Name

2007-06-24T15:05:00.001-04:00

Guess who's turning 4!

That's right - the Quinn-man is officially all grown up... *sniff* ...

Well, this momentous occasion also brings with it that American rite of passage - some call it a vision quest - the birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese!! Hurrah!

There was lots of this:

Plus cake, and other sugary treats, of course.....

This one gave us a little trouble:

just kidding! (hi, A.J. , and Al, Natalie, Shanice... so glad you all were there!...)

Quinn certainly felt like a king for the day.

He was overwhelmed by the sincerity of his friends' affections and their generosity.

This morning, looking at the wonderful gifts he received, he asked if all his friends brought him a present. When I said yes, he just looked surprised and shocked and flattered. And when I told him I would get working on thank you cards right away, he said, "yeah. I want to help to, 'cause it was my party."

What a sweetie.

Well, it was a great time, but by the end, I think all of us felt kind of like this....

Especially little Cade. He had a fabulous time, too. Riding rides. Putting tickets in the "ticket chomper." Eating lots of pizza, and cake, and lollipops.... Yep. He had a lot of fun.

And then he threw up.

Twice.

In the bed.

Once on Jason.

Ah.... so that's why it's Chuck E. Cheese.... ha ha!

Happy Birthday, Quinn! We love you, buddy!

My Husband Had Glitter On His Face....

2007-06-22T10:54:00.000-04:00

No, we didn't have any wild nights out.... tee hee .... My poor hubby remains traumatized by the fact that someone at his work pointed out that he had glitter on his face! Just part of his sparkling personality... yeah, right! Actually, I'm not sure exactly where that glitter came from (who, me? no....), but I'll tell you what - there is some major sparklin' on the way, baby!

That's right, there was a massive Dazzling Diamond Disaster in the house last weekend. Tragic. Just tragic.

I can't really talk about, still too fresh - let's just say that it all happened at the end of the day in my office/studio. When it was over, I simply stood up. Walked out of the room. Shut the door behind me. Sat down on the couch in the living room. Looked at hubby and said, "I'll just deal with that tomorrow."

And I did (sort of)...ugh. That stuff does not go away.

BUT...Why, you may ask, was she playing with those fabulous Dazzling Diamonds? It must be something super gorgeous!

Well, I don't know about super-gorgeous, but I did have a lot of fun adding some sparkle to this card! Unfortunately the camera didn't quite pick up the little sparklies in the center of the flowers ... but they really do look sweet in person.

So, this is my new favorite card.... My upline is holding a demo meeting next week and we're doing a swap using the new stamps. Hope everyone likes it (this is my first demo meeting and swap - I'm so excited!)

Used the Garden Silhouette's hostess set - coming soon! - and the be-u-ti-ful new In Colors (again, I couldn't get the colors quite right on the screen . . . they are stunning together in person, though), plus Basic Black, to make this one. And....*sniff*... the soon-to-be retired organdy ribbon.

Why?!?! Why the organdy?!?! Oh, the despair... I LOVE organdy ribbon...

Oh well, I'm sure I'll forget all about that when my new catalog arrives!!!

Have a Happy Saturday, all!

Card Credits: Everything from Stampin' Up! - Cardstock: River Rock, Basic Black, Sky Blue; Ink: Sky Blue, Groovy Guava; Stamps: Garden Silhouettes, Much Appreciated; Extras: Dimensionals, White Organdy Ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds; 2-Way Glue Pen

Groovy Guava is SO Yummy!

2007-06-20T19:05:00.002-04:00

I finally got to play with the new In Colors, and can I just say that they are so beautiful to work with.

I also loved the 2006-2007 In Colors. Loved them so much that they are still sitting on the shelf! You see, I loved to look at them, but never could create with them the way I wanted to. With the new In Colors, I wasn't enthused when I saw them, but have already used up all my River Rock and almost all of the Sky Blue. (I only got the variety pack, so it wasn't like 40 sheets.)

This is one of the first things I made with the new colors - an ATC for Mary's A Muse swap. I've had the idea for this ATC for a long time, but could never make it work - those poor little seedlings have been sparkled, glazed, masked.... But I think they look best simply in all their "natural" state. For some reason, these colors really spoke to me, and I love how it turned out.

I must say, though, that the cards look a lot better in person (or at least I like to think so!). I couldn't get the colors to come out quite right on the screen, but you get the idea.

Ah, life's simple pleasures...

like stamping.... :)

Enjoy what's left of this beautiful Wednesday!

Card Credits: Cardstock - Stampin' Up! (River Rock, Sky Blue, Bayou Blue); Ink - Stampin' Up! (Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi); Stamps - A Muse Artstamps; Extras - Stampin' Up! (Dimensionals, Uni Ball pen, Paper Piercing Mat, White Organdi Ribbon, Word Window Punch).

Happy Father's Day from Quinn and Goodbye Super Squirrel

2007-06-17T10:50:00.000-04:00

Okay, trust me here... these two topics really are related....

First, I wanted to share with you this super-duper cute card I designed for my Retiring Party last Thursday. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to make it, but that's only because the ladies were chattin' it up and having such a nice time that we went a little slower than anticipated. But that's all right with me!

I am sad, however, that we will be saying goodbye to the underappreciated Super Squirrel.... I mean, look at this little guy! It just doesn't get much cuter! So he won't be making it into the new Catalog, but he'll always have a place in my home and in my heart.... *sniff*

Soooooo..... Quinn really loves this squirrel, too, so I was delighted when he asked me the other night if he could stamp a pink squirrel. Sure thing, dude! What could be more fun than a pink squirrel?!?!

Since I was working on a card swap (for my upline's demo meeting) using some of my preview stuff, I figured Groovy Guava was pink enough and let him use that. Well, he got to work! And made the cutest little Father's Day card. He was so very proud! (And of course, I was too). Hard to believe he's only three. And even harder to believe he'll be four in two weeks! Another *sniff* and a *sigh* . . . So here's his creation! The front:

And the inside (note the use of the words from the brand new, yet-to-be-released hostess set Garden Silhouettes... oh yeah, this little stamper is on the cutting edge...):

And the back (he saw my new A Muse stamps and had to use those, too. Hey, what's a Father's Day Card without a Super Dad and "My Hero" stamp? For real....):

Happy Father's Day to all you great dads out there (especially mine and my hubby) - love you guys!

PSA - Thomas Toy Trains Recall

2007-06-16T20:36:00.000-04:00

For those of you that have wooden Thomas the Train toys, please read the following recall notice that was issued on June 13 and check your toys to see if you have any of the affected products. Certain trains and other pieces are being recalled due to high levels of lead in the paint. We had two of the affected trains in our stash - both of which had been chewed on!!!! Edited to add: make that four....

Click here for the recall notice, and click here for a picture of the affected pieces. Take them away from your children immediately!

Back With a Bang and a Tribute!

2007-06-16T12:01:00.000-04:00

It's BAAAACK! I think I've got everything in order now... and I will not fool around with the Blog Gods again! Hope you like it like it is, 'cause it's not gonna change for a good long time. I, personally, LOVE my new banner - I created it using the Apron Strings 2 kit by Leora Sanford, available over at Designer Digitals. Was quick and easy, and I like it a little less busy than the other one.

Now for the real purpose of this post... in case you forgot (eek!) tomorrow is Father's Day! And I just want to share with you all a little something about the man in my life.... aka:

I'll let you in on a little secret - I'm definitely not a supermom.... But my dear, sweet, darling hubby is the epitome of SuperDad-ness! Here's the scoop - my first pregnancy (and the second, for that matter) was a big ole SURPRISE! A happy suprise, but unexpected nonetheless. We'd known each other for less than the socially-accepted period of time-you-should-know-someone-before-you-have-a-baby-together.

But did he run screaming? No. Did he cower under the weight of sudden responsibility? No. He stood like a rock, a fortress even, beside me and around me and with me. And I couldn't have asked for more.

More than stepping up to the plate, this man hits the ball out of the park every single day. He has changed infinitely more poopy diapers than me, mops floors, does the laundry, feeds and comforts crying babes in the night, cared for the kids while I finished law school and took the bar exam, vacuums, plays, reads.... He is truly a Super Dad. He is my hero. He is my kids' hero. And I adore him.

I adore you, Jason.

I respect you. I appreciate you.

I love you.

With all that I am.

Card Credits: Patterned Paper - American Crafts; Cardstock - Stampin' Up! (Whisper White, Real Red, Bashful Blue); Stamps - A Muse Artstamps; Ink - Stampin' Up (Black); Accessories and Tools: Scalloped and Oval Punches (Marvy); Colored Pencils (Koh-I-Nor); Gamsol; Stampin' Up Dimensionals

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You

2007-06-14T13:42:00.001-04:00

okay, so I know all my adoring fans are just going crazy since the blog has been "down" for a couple of days....

Here's the 411 (is that a totally outdated phrase now?... I think maybe so... but this is coming from a woman who calls both her children "dude" way too often....).

I'm fixin' ever-thang up nice an' purty (including a new blog banner designed by moi) and will post again when it's all up and running! So hang in there, 'cause it's going to knock your socks off! (actually, it'll be pretty much the same as before I lost my entire template...but one can hope, right?)

See you soon!

- Elizabeth

Technical Difficulties

2007-06-12T16:00:00.000-04:00

okay, if you decide to take oh, say, 10 minutes or so to fiddle around with your blog at work, and you decide to see how some pre-fab template would look, and it says that you should save a back-up copy of your current template before uploading the new template, then you should save a back-up copy of your current template before uploading the new template.

all is lost. temporarily. please ignore the pic and wierd tab-links up there. will fix soon.

back to work!

It's Official

2007-06-11T17:16:00.001-04:00

according to Quinn:

"Mommy is in charge of the stamps. Daddy is in charge of the family."

at least we know who wears the ink in this family (and who takes the kids to the park to run them ragged at 7:00 on Sunday nights - hey, I was making dinner....).

A Muse ATC

2007-06-10T21:37:00.000-04:00

Hey, Amy R. posted a peek at the ATC's some of us made for her A Muse swap... click here to check it out if you've got a moment (to see the ATC's you have to click on the "May A Muse ATC Swap" link on the left of her blog under "Photo Albums" (mine's the one that says "A Charmed Life")). Check them all out; they're awesome!

Surf's Up, Dude!

2007-06-10T09:24:00.001-04:00

Okay, I do have a card posted below, but first a public service announcement - you have to see Surf's Up (new animated movie, totally hidden in the shadows of Shrek 3 right now). Well, it may not be a movie for everyone, but Jason, Quinn and I just loved it. Cade tried to love it, but (we now know) he is not ready to sit through a movie.

Surf's Up is one of those kids' movies that is perfectly entertaining for the little ones and with so many hilarious asides and grown-up references that adults will find themselves giggling more than the kiddos. Now, if you don't really watch documentaries , you probably won't find this movie as funny as Jason and I did (in fact, there were many times we were the only ones laughing out loud) - it's done like a documentary of a penguin trying to win a surfing competition. <- that description alone should make you want to see it! But it is much more than that. And, best of all, there is no violence between the characters, the "message" is a good one, and it has a feel-good ending!

So here's Quinn, doing his best "surfing" move! (he's got a surfing shirt on, too).

Okay, so here's what I did this morning!

One of our favorite teachers at Quinn's daycare is leaving to continue her college education. Even though Quinn is no longer in her class, I am so sad to see her go. She's one of those one-in-a-million teachers - fun, kind, endlessly patient and always ready to greet the kids with a smile.

I wanted to give her a little something to say goodbye, to thank her for all she has done for Quinn and to wish her luck on her next adventure.

Jason and I decided we would give her a gift card for Staples to help out with all the mundane stuff she'll need when she gets back to school, so I made simple little gift card holder/card.

The base of the card is Au Chocolate designer paper. I used my In the Spotlight stamp set with Versamark Ink to create the background on the Certainly Celery panel, then stamped the flowers in Real Red on Very Vanilla paper and cut them out.

I made another of these gift card holder cards earlier, and I like the simplicity of the design - nothing like the ones Cambria Turnbow recently posted, which are uber-cool (see here, here, here, and her awesome tutorial here) but functional and easy. I just cut the card a little longer than normal, then scored at 4.25 and 8.5, cut a diagonal to the fold on the "extra" portion, folded it over and adhered it with a line of adhesive on the bottom and inside edge. A gift card will then fit nicely in the little pocket! I also used a Very Vanilla panel mounted on some Chocolate Chip for a space to write a message of thanks! Easy and functional!

Happy Sunday, everyone... we're off to enjoy our (brief) moment of sunshine!

Card Credits: Patterned Paper - Stampin' Up! (Au Chocolate from Spring Mini); Card Stock - Stampin' Up! (Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla); Stamps - Stampin' Up! (In the Spotlight), Kolette Hall (sentiment); Ink - Stampin' Up! (Real Red, VersaMark); Ribbon (unknown, from A.C. Moore).

Step Away From the Patterned Paper....

2007-06-07T18:17:00.000-04:00

and no one gets hurt.....

Okay, here's the story we all know and live and can tell a million times:

So I'm in A.C. Moore with Cade (he's the little one). Never a really good idea, since visiting the craft store with Mr. Grabby-Hands tends to warrant a few disapproving looks from the teenage salespeople and elderly shoppers. But all I needed was one set of baskets. Just one. I knew which ones I wanted. They were right by the cash registers. Just run in, grab the baskets, pay and go.

Then why, oh why was I standing in the scrapbook paper aisle? Just what was I doing there at all?

(You know where this is going, don't you?)

Why I was there - I can't rightly tell you. That entire portion of our visit is nothing but a blank for me.... But there I was. In the paper aisle. Mouth open, eyes wide - THEY HAVE NEW AUTUMN LEAVES PAPER PACKS FOR 50% OFF! That's just $10 for a pack of 100 12x12 sheets of those luxurious, beautiful, fun, colorful, wonderful Autum Leaves paper. "Cade!," I said, "they have Autum Leaves paper packs, and they're 50% off! .... Cade? .... Cade?...."

Aw, crap - so I lost the boy, but it was ONLY for a second. Trust me, Cade is not hard to find - just follow the pitter patter and the crash and there he is, just at the stamp display at the end of the aisle, climbing up the shelves to reach some stamp....

So... huge pack of patterned paper under one arm, toddler screaming about wanting a stamp tucked securely under the other, I managed to escape with nothing else except the pack of baskets (but only because the Cuttlebug embossing folders are actually locked up now... sheesh... how's a girl to grab and run with those?).

So, even though I do not, under any circumstances, need any more patterned paper (my vertical files are full....) - I got some. Lots. And I love, love, love it. It's so pretty and fun and not too heavy, so perfect for layering on cards.

And, this particular pack of paper has all these super-cute designs with little dots around some of the images. And guess what else happens to have some "dotty" images, too... the new In the Spotlight hostess stamp set I got for signing as an SU demo this month! Perfect!

There are definitely some things I'd change about these cards, but I like them, overall....

If you read this far, you're a champ!

Card Credits:
"Thoughts of You" card: Patterned Paper - Autumn Leaves Couture Pack; Cardstock - Stampin' Up! (Kraft, Very Vanilla); Stamps - Stampin' Up! (Flower from In the Spotlight), Kollette Hall (sentiment); Ink - Stampin' Up! (Barely Banana, Ballet Blue, Real Red, Mellow Moss, Brilliant Blue); eyelets - WE R Memory Keepers; Hemp Twine - Michaels
"Thank You" card: Patterned Paper - Autumn Leaves Couture Pack; Cardstock - Stampin' Up! (Kraft, Very Vanilla); Stamps - Stampin' Up! (Flower from In the Spotlight), Rubber Soul (Thank You); Ink - Stampin' Up! (Barely Banana, Real Red, Ballet Blue, Green Galore); Eyelets - WE R Memory Keepers (large), Making Memories (small); Hemp Twine - Michaels; Stickles (Fruit Punch)

My Little Camera Shy Guy

2007-06-07T07:39:00.001-04:00

It's time for an introduction to my littlest one - Mister Cade! The other morning, after daddy got him dressed, he was so proud because he looked "really handsome," that I decided to take a couple of pictures of him in his "new" clothes. (Actually, they're some old summer clothes of Quinn's that we just got out of storage, but Cade was just happy that they were new to him!)

I hadn't had the camera out for a "photo shoot" of Cade in a while (he's a little too quick, usually), and had no idea he had suddenly gone camera-shy. He was laughing and giggling and talking up a storm until I pointed the lens at him and said, "Smile, Cade!"

This was the immediate reaction:

Oh my goodness, what a goof! He wouldn't look at me, just stared at the floor .... Eventually I did get him to warm up a bit:

And after a little coaxing, I even managed to get a half-smile ......

But, of course, the giggles and grins kicked in when he decided it would be fun to bum-rush the camera!

Quinn was sorely disappointed by his little brother's performance, so he just had to show Cade how it was done:

Cade had to follow big bro's lead, especially when the roaring began! Look at him looking at Quinn... They're such good buds sometimes...

Well, that's about it for now.... Wanted to post some pics of the boys before Nana started asking! LOL! Also, a couple days after these pictures, the boys both had haircuts, so here is a last peek at that end-of-winter shagg!

Happy Thursday!

Goodbye Nice and Narrow

2007-06-02T10:08:00.001-04:00

July 1 is quickly approaching. While I'm excited about seeing all the new stamps, I am a little meloncholic over some of my favorite stamps that are retiring. I thought I'd post some cards I've been making with some of these sets over the next couple of days or so.

Here's the first one! I just love this sweet little baby carriage from the Nice and Narrow set. Love its whimsy and sweetness. And I love the way it challenges me to design cards around the unique shape!

For this card, I stamped the image on Naturals White cardstock in Timber Brown StazOn. Then I used my blender pen to apply Encore ink to the carriage (it's nice and sparkly in real life!). Then I used the blender pen with my Tempting Turquoise marker - just touched the blender pen tip to the brush end of the marker - to apply a light wash of turquoise ink. Mounted the image on some of the Petals and Paisleys designer paper from the Spring Mini (sanded the edges to soften the look), tied the celery ribbon and mounted with dimensionals on a piece of twill tape. I was hoping for a card that could be used whether the baby was a boy or a girl, and I think this worked out pretty well.

Keep your eyes peeled... I'll be posting some more cards using some retiring sets soon!

Happy Saturday!

Card Credits: All supplies from Stampin' Up! - Sahara Sand, Naturals White cardstock, Timber Brown Stazon, Encore, Real Red inks, Tempting Turquoise marker and blender pen, Petals and Paisleys Designer Series paper, Celery Grosgrain ribbon, Twill Tape. I know that this layout was inspired by a card I saw in the Idea Book & Catalog, but gosh darn if I can remember which card it was!

Tres Jolie ... C'est Bon!

2007-05-30T18:41:00.001-04:00

I can't believe I waited this long to break into the My Mind's Eye papers from their "Tres Jolie" collection! Well, honestly, I know why. The papers are so rich and lovely with a soft vintage feel - decidedly NOT my style. But when I saw them, I had to have them. And today, I finally used them!

The first card is one of those "hey, that's exactly what I wanted" kind of cards. Was going for a sweet little baby card... and I think I got it. This is also the first time I've used a stamp from the Wild About You set... oh the shame... the only person to ink them up so far was my oldest son! LOL!
Personally, I really love the twill tape for baby cards. Has such a natural feel... like a sweet lil' babe all swaddled up...
The sentiment is from The Cats Pajamas, and it's one of my very, very, very favorite stamps - love that little circle dot on the "i" - just makes me smile. I'm still not fully stocked on my SU inks, and would have used Pale Plum (as I did for the card base), but made do with Perfect Plum instead by inking up the elephant and stamping off once before stamping the image onto Very Vanilla cardstock. The sentiment is also stamped in Perfect Plum, and the flower and cardstock mat are both Mellow Moss. I used the Word Window punch on the front panel and was so happy that the sentiment fit perfectly. All in all, I like this card.

This card I like a teeny weeny bit less, but am pretty pleased with it. I feel like I need to find a nice old lady to give it too. :)
This time I used the MME paper for the card itself, then used a contrasting pattern and the solid side of two of the papers for the cardstock strips. Used the corner rounder punch for the sentiment strip, stamped the flower from Bodacious Bouquet with Perfect Plum Ink, cut it out and affixed with dimensionals. Worked pretty well, although admittedly not exactly the style I usually go for.

Thanks for looking! And hopefully I'll have some more creations with these beautiful papers to post soon (I did buy other colors, too!).

Happy Wednesday!

Card Credits:

"Little One" card: Patterned Cardstock - My Mind's Eye, Mademoiselle, Tres Jolie collection; Cardstock - Stampin' Up! (Pale Plum, Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla); Ink - Stampin' Up! (Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss); Stamps - Stampin' Up! (Wild About You), The Cats Pajamas (Welcome Little One); Twill tape, Word Window Punch, Dimensionals - Stampin' Up!

"Thank You" card: Cardstock - My Mind's Eye, Mademoiselle, Tres Jolie collection; Ink - Stampin' Up! (Perfect Plum); Stamps - Stampin' Up! (Bodacious Bouquet, Wonderful Words), Rounded Corner punch, Dimensionals - Stampin' Up!

Ah... Au Chocolate and Chipboard... Yum!

2007-05-28T13:35:00.002-04:00

I'm having a little get-together to say goodbye to the Stampin' Up! stamps that will be retiring on July 1... I don't have a ton of retiring stamps (since I'm pretty new to this), but I do have a few, and we'll be using them to make a few cards. Click on the My Events link <-- over there, on the left for information from my Stampin' Up! website. One lucky attendee will take home this box - somewhere to put all the cards they make! I've been seeing all the awesome coaster boxes people have been making and posting on their blogs, and wanted to give it a try. I was most recently inspired by this box by Sue Mylde. I LOVE those Au Chocolate papers and knew I had to use them.

I didn't have any coasters on hand (in fact, I've never bought any... apparently the only stamper left in the world not to have done so! LOL!), but I did have some 8.5x11 sheets of chipboard I got at A.C. Moore. I cut the front and back panels to 5x4.5, the side panels are 2.5x5, and the bottom is 2.5x4.5. (this works to be a great size for holding a few 4.25x5.5 cards and envelopes). I added the designer paper to each side of the panels, sanded the edges, punched holes with the ol' Crop-o-dile, used Zip Glue (best paper glue in the world) to hold the sides to the bottom, then tied it all togther with SU cream colored grosgrain... I honestly can't believe it actually worked!

I used my Marvy scallop punch with Bashful Blue cardstock, and a smaller oval for the Chocolate Chip cardstock, affixed trim and flowers from the Simply Scrappin' kit I got during Sale-a-bration (I think... honestly wasn't paying enough attention back then) - wanted to add a little color for contrast. I must admit that my ribbon tying needs some work, but all in all, I love how it turned out. Thanks for all the inspiration fellow stampers!!!

Happy Memorial Day!

Credits: Everything to make the box (except chipboard) from Stampin' Up!
Edited 5/29: per SU rules, class information/flyer has been removed from this post... whoops.. still learning all the rules....

Hiking the Audobon Trail

2007-05-26T20:32:00.001-04:00

Warning! Very long post ahead!

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous - mid 80's and not too humid. We decided to take a little hike along the Audobon Society Wildlife Sanctuary Trail. The boys were pretty excited!
Before we left, Quinn, Cade and I made a list of things we wanted to look for - animal habitats, feathers, pinecones, poop! I wrote our list on a little piece of cardstock, and took that list and a blank piece of cardstock, punched a hole and threaded some hemp twine through it so I could keep it around my neck during our hike. It worked great! And Quinn was so excited about writing down the "important" things we saw.

Here are my boys, ready to get hiking!

We started at the South Meadow Trail. Couldn't capture it on the camera, but there were lots and lots of birds flitting and flying around the meadow. They were singing and warbling and enjoying the beautiful day with us.

Lots of meadow grass and plants and yummy-smelling honeysuckle. We also found our first poop in the meadow! Not too exciting (except for the boys), as it was only goose poop. Quinn insisted that I take a picture, but I'm sparing you here.

We also saw this dragonfly hanging out in the meadow. I was surprised that we saw him - he was pretty far away (good thing I've got some zoom on the camera!). Quinn was very good at being quiet so he wouldn't fly away. (Cade, on the other hand, was somewhere up the trail, running and whooping it up.)

After the meadow walk, we headed into the woods......... ooh, ahh..

It was pretty buggy in there (lots and lots of mosquitos), but it was so cool and peaceful, until Cade arrived - he was trying to run (not a good idea on a rough trail) and was singing and yelling and shouting about everything he saw.

I did get him to turn around a couple of times so I could shoot a quick pic...

Quinn spent a little more time just looking, and listening and thinking. He was quite observant and very talkative... he would gasp with excitement every few feet - usually over a small hole (snakes, of course) or a dead tree (we actually saw one that looked like fish skin!) or some small bug. He was also very fond of his "hiking stick."

There were lots of little streams running through the forest, and Quinn especially enjoyed "fishing" with his hiking stick.

Cade found the pinecone for our list, and was pretty proud of himself for it.

Later, in the car, when I asked about what they liked on the hike, Cade immediately shouted, "Sticks!"

I was intrigued by all the ferns along the trail. I had recently read in one of the boys' dinosaur books that there were no flowering plants around at the time of dinosaurs, and that basically the plant life consisted of ferns. Don't know much about ferns (racking my brain for a school-days' memory), except that they reproduce by spores...I think. So I wasn't sure what those things were sticking up out of the middle of plants, and thought (maybe) that they had something to with the spore-thing. Will have to do some research. There were also lots of ferns that appeared to be "unfolding" like the one in the second picture. Pretty cool.

The trail led to the edge of the woods to a marshy area. Lots of murky water... but

We did catch sight of these two frogs hanging out waiting for lunch! The boys were beside themselves with excitement.

Then the frogs did the craziest thing! As daddy was pointing them out to Cade with a stick, the frogs started leaping out of the water, trying to bite the stick! I guess they thought it was an insect. Or they were just really annoyed about that stick hovering over them! Quinn thought that was so cool and had to give it a try. Sure enough, the froggie leapt right out of the water and almost knocked the stick out of his hand. I couldn't get a mid-air shot of the flying frogs, but here's a shot of the ripples from the frog descending....

Here's a pic of me for the folks (not my best clothes day, but hey, we were hiking...).

And notice everyone.... I've got ponytails! For those of you who don't know, I've kept my hair super-short for quite some time (like seriously, pixie-cut short). Last fall, I decided to grow it out for Locks of Love. It's taking a while, but it's getting there. I'm certainly in an awkward in-between phase, and for the first time in a long time realizing how hot hair is in the summer. I couldn't get it to stay back in one ponytail because the sides are still too short, but I did get it to stay in two!

So, the hike was a resounding hit! I can't believe the boys walked for almost an hour and a half without asking to be carried! I guess they're finally growing up. We'll definitely be headed back to the "forest" (Cade's characterization) throughout the summer... Hope you all enjoyed the little romp through the woods with us.

Oh, in case you're curious, here's our list from the hike (we didn't find any feathers, surprisingly):
Animal Habitats - Rock, Leaf, Water, Meadow, Tree, Ant Hill, Stream
Poop - Goose
Things we saw - A stick that looked like a fish, Bee, Birds flying, Dragonfly, Ferns, Pinecones, Stream, Frogs Jumping, Spider
Things we heard - Birds Singing
Things we smelled - Poop

P.S. This list was entirely dictated by the boys!

Happy Sunday!

Ebay Thank You Cards

2007-05-25T21:05:00.000-04:00

Been clearing out my stampin' area to get ready for my new Stampin' Up! adventure (starter kit and first demo order - expedited - both came today! HOORAH!)...

So... I sold a few of my lesser-used stamps on ebay to feed my habit and make some room. I am happy (and somewhat surprised) to say that I've met some really nice people through ebay. Very sweet and personal, even in this electronic age.

These are the little thank you cards I enclose with each order. Want to personalize the experience a little, ya know? I love making these little 3x3's and have been seeing more and more of them on people's blogs 'n such. You can't mail them, but they're perfect for enclosing with a gift (or a mail order), and you could even punch a little hole through the envelope (or the card itself) and attach it to a gift with a ribbon or hemp twine. Very cool.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Card Credits: Cardstock - Stampin' Up! (Sahara Sand), Bazzill (Red); Watercolor Paper - Archer; Ink - Stazon Jet Black; Stamps - Inky Antics (Bird), Stampin' Up! (Flower from Nice and Narrow set), Savvy Stamps (sentiment); Ribbon - from Michaels; Watercolor Pencils - Derwent

Don't Panic! It's Supposed to Look Like This

2007-05-25T13:04:00.001-04:00

:)

just giving the blog a little makeover... I'll see how this goes - It's one of the few pre-packaged blogger templates that fit my header. Guess I could change the header, but I kinda like it.

Bear with me on technical stuff. Although I have a super-cool computer hubby, does he ever have time to work on my blog? no.... :) Just kidding. I haven't really asked him for too much help. And he's promised to make a photo gallery for me....

Let me know if you like the new look. I kinda wanted a softer color for the background instead of white, which seems a little stark. Was trying for cozy.... not so much.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Birthday, Amy!

2007-05-23T16:36:00.000-04:00

Okay, I got out of work a tad bit early today and ran home to change clothes and have 10 minutes for a quick post before I go get the kiddos. I wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Amy, our wonderful child-care provider and the most kind, patient and energetic person I think I have ever known! She makes it possible for me to be a happy working mother, and I thank her the world over for that!
So, today (I think) is not officially her birthday. Last night the kiddos informed me that they had cupcakes to celebrate Amy's birthday, and I said, "What? It's Amy's Birthday?" I had no idea (now for another disclaimer... it is entirely possible that Amy, at some point, informed me that it was her birthday and I forgot. That is certainly par for the course in my scattered brain). However, if she "neglected" to tell me, well, by gosh, I'm telling the whole blogosphere (all 5 of my readers) - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AMY!!!!
I found this card that I had forgotten about in my emergency card box - I just love it and think it will be perfect! I recently read a post on Taylor's blog that mentioned how great American Crafts papers were for cards - they are heavyweight cardstock with a pattern on one side and a solid on the other. Great for adding oomph without having to layer to keep a "writable" inside. Also love those $1 Michaels stamps for a sentiment whenever you need one. Oh, and LOVE the Stampin' Up! Doodle This set (the large flower) for the main image, too... Guess I just LOVE this card (yep. I do.) It's just one of those simple cards that made me stop when I was done, cock my head and say, "hey. I like this!" So I'm glad to be giving to someone so special.

Card Credits- Patterned cardstock: American Crafts, Solid Colored Cardstock: Bazzill, Watercolor Paper: Arches, Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Watercolor Pencils: Derwent, Stamps: Stampin' Up! (Doodle This flower), Kolette Hall (sentiment, from Michaels), Button Brad: Making Memories, Ribbon: Michaels.

Meet the Boys

2007-05-20T17:52:00.001-04:00

On the off-chance that anyone other than my (wonderful) mom and dad actually read this blog (hi, guys!), thought I'd introduce you to (officially the world's cutest) two boys!

Introducing: Quinn and Cade!

Or, as Quinn would say if he met you in the store, or the park, or even in a passing car, "Hi, my name is Quinn and I'm three. This is my little brother Cade. He's two." Yep, that about sums it up! As you can see from the picture, they are actually getting to be quite the little buddies (thankfully) - Quinn is "reading" to Cade. Pretty cute.

But friendship comes with a price, at times - they are definitely learning the value of teamwork. And whispering and staying quiet. All things I ordinarily would encourage. Until it translates into:

Looks innocent enough, eh? Let me set the stage.

Sunday: Five (yes, five) bottles of magic bubbles sit on the table on the deck. Quinn: "Mommy, you get me a big glass I can pour all the bubble soap in?" Mommy: "No, Quinn. That's not such a good idea." Quinn (inevitably): "Why not?" Mommy: "Well, if you put it all in one glass, it will probably get knocked over and spill everywhere, and then all the bubble-stuff will be wasted." Quinn: "No it won't." Mommy: "Sweetie, no glass."

Monday, after work. Nice day. Mommy goes inside to change clothes - leaves the back door open and lets the boys hang out on the deck.

It's quiet. A little two quiet. Mommy sneaks up for a peek through the deck door.

Guess what the two rotten little boys are doing? Yep. You guessed it! They managed to get a large (thankfully plastic) tumbler from the kitchen, open all the bubble bottles, and proceeded to pour them all into the glass before mommy even had her heels off!

Caught ya!

Now, what you don't see, because the camera was quickly being whisked away to safety, is the spilled glass full of bubble water all over the table! Quinn apologized profusely - what a sweetie! As I told him, and meant it, just remember this and know that Mommy is pretty smart sometimes. She even may have a good reason for saying no.

Ah, well... they make life fun.

Okay - for a few cute pics of the Quinn man. Let me take this moment, though, for a disclaimer - although I love my children equally, there is a very good chance that you will see more pictures of Quinn than Cade. This is only because I can rarely GET a picture of Cade. Quinn is, well, a little more deliberate in life. He takes time to think, and rest, and contemplate. Cade, on the otherhand, is pretty impulsive in everything he does. He does not rest. He does not stop and pose for the camera. He just goes, and goes, and goes... Okay, he does have his quiet, self-absorbed moments, they just don't always make it to the camera.

Went to the mall yesterday. Nevermind it's like 50 degrees and raining this weekend - Quinn got new swim gear!!! He wanted me to take his picture while he "posed." So here he is - Supercool Swim Guy!

Isn't he cute?

Isn't he silly?

Isn't he super cool?
Isn't he just too sweet?

Okay, one more gratuitously cute pic. Meet Dobie - one of four (that's right, four) cats that wander about these parts. This is a rare moment of peace between Dobie and Cade - they must have called a truce. Wonder what the terms of that settlement were.....

Well, that seems to be enough rambling for now! Signing off....

2007-05-20T09:31:00.000-04:00

Hello out there in blog-land!

Did you miss me? Wait... this is my first post! tee hee

Just wanted to test out the whole blog thing. So some things aren't quite up and running. Like that list of links to other blogs... will get much larger!

Why I started a blog:

I said I would never do it. EVER. But, here I am. Partly I am inspired by other paper-crafting blogs and thought maybe I could add my 2 cents to the crafty world. Mostly, though, I just wanted a place to refer others to who are looking for my recent creations, or information about my Stampin' Up goings on or who want to see pictures and hear stories about my two adorable boys. So here I am. Stay tuned... there's more to come!

Card credits: Latch card - Making Memories; Ink - Staz-on Jet Black; Colored Pencils; Ric Rac - Michaels; Scallop edge scissors - Fiskars; Tree with Tireswing stamp - A Muse Art Stamps, "Miss You" - Inkadinkado