Sapphire's Essentials

For the teachers

2012-02-11T10:06:00.000-05:00

I made these for the boys teachers for Valentine's Day.

I got the little flower pots at AC Moore, painted them pink and red, then filled a baggie with some M&M's. I then glued some hearts on each side. For the "flowers", I punched out some scalloped circles and hearts, then glued them onto a lollipop stick. I thought they looked a little to plain so I bought a bag of heart shaped chocolates and stuck them to the hearts with glue dots. I'm really pleased with how the came out. I hope the teachers like them :)

A crafty weekend

2012-01-23T13:44:00.000-05:00

I went over a friends house on Saturday and was able to get some crafting done. I was looking forward to Saturday all week. It's been so long since I got to hang with my crafty friend and stamp. I decided to work on some valentines day stuff for the kids classes. Here's what I made (all products used are Stampin Up):

I used the decorative label punch, stamped with one of the frames from the Four Frames set, then folded it in half. I stamped a heart stamp from the I {Heart} Hearts set then punched it out using the heart punch and attached to the label punch. The baggies are filled with M&M's and then I just attached the finished punch topper to them, I love how they came out.
When I was putting the toppers together, I had them sitting on the table like this...

I think if you put a name in them, they could make great place card holders. You could use a stocking or Christmas tree for Christmas or a pumpkin for Thanksgiving.
Then I thought, wouldn't they look cute on the top of a cupcake! Well, I really loved that idea.
When I got home, after dinner, I decided to make some cupcakes so I could see how they would look(I'm all about the visual), What do you think?

On on the sixth day, I ate...

2012-01-11T13:50:00.002-05:00

After 5 days of juicing, I decided to stay eating real foods again. There wasn't any real reason, I was doing well and I didn't feel crappy at all during the first 2 days. I must confess though, on day 4 and 5, I cheated a little. I munched on a banana and some celery. Not sure if it's really cheating since it was still fruits and veggies but I felt bad about it nonetheless. I really wanted to just juice for the 5 days. I'm not beating myself up about it though. It's not like I gorged on cookies and chocolate...... ;)
So, other than a little cheating, how did I do? Well, I'm down 8.8 lbs, I've worked out every day and I feel really good. All in all, I'd call that a success. What do you think?
With today being my first day back on food, I thought I'd share what my lunch was.

I made this yummy salad. It has romaine lettuce, red onion, cucumber, strawberries and kiwi in it. It was really good, and really filling! When I was done cutting everything up and saw how much was going in, I had to get a bigger bowl.
Happy healthy eating

Goodbye 2011, a plan for 2012 and OLW

2012-01-01T23:24:00.001-05:00

I'm baaack......;)
What can I say, I'm a bad blogger. Life got in the way but I'm hoping to do better. We'll just call that one of my new years resolutions...again...;)

2011 turned out to be an interesting year. We went to Disney, climbed a light house, visited a plantation, saw some baby sea turtles make their way to the ocean, rode the Sky Wheel, saw the Pirate Show, did a lot of swimming, made the last payment on the van, made changes to our eating habits, did and hubby did a lot of building. There was so much more but my brain isn't functioning for me at the moment.

For 2012, I plan on putting the FOCUS on me. It's going to be a selfish year. What do I mean? Well, it's simple really, I plan on putting the FOCUS on myself. As a mom of 2 boys, this is going to be easier said than done. I mean, I'm a mom, I have to take care of my family. That's what we moms do. We cook, clean, nurse, chauffeur, referee, teach, etc for our family. Don't get me wrong,i wouldn't change it for anything. But, here's the thing, how can I take care of my family if I'm sick and/or unhealthy? The answer is simple, I can't.
I'm tired of, well, being tired. I hate that I constantly feel run down and I don't have the energy I need to get through the day. And mostly, I'm tired of being fat and out of shape.
So what do I plan on doing about it? Glad you asked. I've been giving it a lot of thought since the new year began and I think I have a plan. It sounds good in my head and hopefully it will prove to be great as I put my plan in motion....which I officially started yesterday.

Step one of my plan is to reboot. What that means for me is I'm currently partaking in a juice fast. My plan is to juice for 5-7 days. So far it's working and it's only day 2. Last time the first 2 days, well, they basically sucked. I was so sick and felt so crappy. This time I haven't had any of that...knock on wood!
The other part of step 1 is to get some exercise, every day. So far that has been walking and doing my Walk Away The Pounds(WATP) DVD when it's to cold to walk outside. I also have Zumba, which I LOVE, once a week. I plan on adding some yoga to the mix in the next week or so as well.
Step 2 will come once I've mastered step one. It will focus on my eating habits for the most part.
So there you have it. My FOCUS for 2012 will be on me getting healthy.

Which brings me to my One Little Word(OLW) for 2012...FOCUS. Not only will I focus on me, but I want to stay focused on the things that are important. I tend to get myself off track, in a lot of areas, and then struggle to get myself back on track. I made myself a little something to help me stay focused in 2012

This is my first crafty project of 2012. I got the wood block from AC Moore for a whopping .79 cents. I painted it, stamped some flourishes, added the flower and some rhinestones, used some die cut letters and punched out the butterfly. I had some magnetic strips which I put on the back and called it done. I have it on the front of my fridge so I can see it every day.

That's all for now.....

Home made potato chips

2011-09-09T10:08:00.000-04:00

As I go along on my journey of healthy eating, I'm trying to cut out the processed junk and find things I can make on my own. I was watching Giada at Home on the Food Network recently, and one of the things she made was potato chips. After watching her make them, I thought, heck I can do that!
The first 2 times I made them, I had trouble getting the slices even and all the same thickness. Some cooked quicker than others and some burnt because they were so thin. Now, even though they weren't perfect cuts, they still tasted delicious.....you can even ask my sister, who indulged in them. I then decided, since I planned on making them fairly frequently, that would get a mandolin slicer. I've never had one before and now I'm wondering how I lived without it! There is even a blade attachment that would allow me to make french fries! It's the little things that make me so happy.. :)

So with my new kitchen toy, and a few potatoes, I got busy again. I just love making these chips! I want to start experimenting with different seasonings as well.
All I do is cut my potatoes using the thinnest blade. Then I drizzle some EVOO and add some kosher salt and black pepper to taste.

Then I mix it up to make sure all the potatoes have some of the oil on them, arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure they don't overlap and pop them in the oven. Oh, almost forgot, I do pat them with a paper towel before going in the oven. Just to take some of the excess oil off.

I bake at 375 for about 12-15 minutes, then turn them and bake an additional 7+ minutes, checking to make sure they don't burn....which as you can tell, a few of mine did. I forgot to set the timer and got distracted with the boys. Oh well, they still tasted good. :)

And there you have it. My oldest loves them and I can take comfort in knowing they don't have any stuff in them that I can't pronounce. What could be better than that....

long overdue update

2011-09-08T09:01:00.000-04:00

I completed my 10 day juice fast a couple of weeks ago. I have to say, it was really a great experience and I plan on doing it again. The first day of my fast was the worst, and I mean WORST. I ended up with a killer headache, borderline migraine. On top of that, I got nauseous and all I wanted to do was crawl in bed and stay there. Unfortunately, as a mom of 2 little guys, that wasn't really possible. I will say though, my boys, ages 8 and 6, were really good and made me proud. I did end up throwing up. I knew I would get a headache and nauseous but the throwing up, ya, really wasn't prepared or expecting that. The next morning, I still had the headache but other than that, I felt OK. I needed to take breaks through the day and rest but it wasn't so bad. I took the boys for haircuts and even managed to do my Walk Away The Pounds DVD(WATP from here on out). Then day 3 hit and OMG, I felt great! I had so much energy I didn't know what to do. I did my WATP DVD and then took the boys to Market Commons to feed the ducks, walk and play. It was a great day and I actually raced my boys a few times...me...running....OMG! The next 5 days were more of the same, but then I started missing food. Well, I missed the chewing of food, the different textures of food. I was so tempted to cheat and eat a carrot or something. I'm proud to say, I didn't do that and continued for the last 2 days on just juicing. All in all, it was a great experience. I'm really proud of myself for doing it. I plan on making a juice fast a fairly regular thing, maybe not for 10 days each time but definitely for 5.
Since I started eating again, I've tried to stick with lots of fruit and veggies, and as little processed foods as possible. I'm researching different recipes for dressings and even started making my own baked potato chips. So far I'm not doing to bad but I know I can do better. I try and walk after dropping the boys of at school and even signed up for a Tai Chi class.
For the first time in a long, and I mean looooong time, I feel like I can actually get this weight off and get healthy. This was just the first step in the journey and I'm hopeful and excited for the next step and all the steps after that.

Summer's coming to an end

2011-08-18T08:33:00.000-04:00

It's been a hot summer, with lots of family time, but like all good things, it must come to an end, With back to school starting on Monday, our lazy summer days are just about over. It's been a fun summer with lots of family time. We had lots of pools days, hit the beach, and did the free kids movies just about every week. We also did a few super fun things as well....here are a few...

We were fortunate enough to get to see 13 baby loggerhead sea turtles helped from their nest. what an amazing experience that was! It's he the the cutest!

The boys also went on a helicopter ride! They had so much fun doing that.

We drove down to Beaufort and went to the Hunting Beach State parks o we could see and climb the Lighthouse. We climbed to the top, all 167 steps, and we were rewarded with a beautiful view. We also took the boys to the Drive-In while we were there.

All in all, it was a fun summer. I can't believe it's winding down and on Monday my boys will be back in school. Tonight we go meet their teachers. I'm really looking forward to that.

Now to share what I'm doing. About 15 days or so ago, my husband and I watched the Documentary "Fat, Sick and Nearly dead" and it's changed my life. I was so inspired by the transformation of the 2 men in the documentary and the journey they both took. It really opened my eyes. After watching the show, I started changing my eating habits. Then this past Monday, I started my own juice fast. I'm committed to doing the fast for 10 days, with the hope of going even longer. I'm now on day 4 and I feel FANTASTIC! I lost about 4lbs before starting the fast and another 5 since juicing. I'm not going to lie, the first day ended up being the worst. Headache, nausea, wanting to crawl in bed and stay there. I even ended up vomiting that night. Like I said, it was the worst. But I stayed focused, reminded myself why I was doing it, and pressed forward. Day two was better, no more nausea but still the headache. I was able to get out and do some stuff, but was tired and needed to rest often. Then day 3 hit, and I felt great! I couldn't believe how great I felt! I had more energy than I've had in a looooong time. I even raced my kids a few times! Me...running! Granted it wasn't for long or for far but it was more than once and it's a start. I even RAN up a hill(hot a very big one but still) like 4 or 5 times! These little accomplishments are what's keeping me motivated. For the first time, I feel like I CAN do this. I DO have the willpower and desire to change my eating habits. I CAN get this weight off and be healthy. And I'm so fortunate to have wonderful family and friends who are giving me so much support and encouragement. I owe them a lot. Their support means the world to me and has helped me more than they will ever know.

So in the next few weeks, expect to see more posts about this journey I'm on. And I also hope to get back to crafting as well. It's been way to long and I'm feeling the need to create.
Thanks for stopping by....until next time

Wow, it's been a while

2011-06-18T22:24:00.000-04:00

I didn't really realize just how long it's been since I last posted on the ole blog. So what have I been up to you ask....hmmm, let me think.

My 2nd grader became a 3rd grader
My Kindergartener became a 1st grader
We had lots of fun end of the school year celebrations going on in each of their classes
Fishing and a a few day trips
My hubby got a Lathe and we all had fun learning how to use it
There was Mother's day, Our Anniversary and Father's Day(which is actually tomorrow but don't want to leave them out).
Beach days, pool days, bowling, and movies
and just being together as a family doing as much as we can.

Oh, and there was this as well...which happened on my anniversary....

talk about an AWESOME gift...

Card box and then some

2011-04-26T22:55:00.000-04:00

Now that I have my new desk, I needed a few other things to help organize my new space. Enter my wonderful hubby, yet again. He built me a few boxes.

One to hold my cards(I still need to make a CARDS sign);

And two smaller ones for my SU pens and some other things;

The smaller boxes fit nicely in this part of my new desk;

I love how easily I can reach for them when I need them.

Hubby thinks I should paint them white as well. I'm not quite sure I want to yet. I do want to find "handles" for them along the same line as the one on the card box(which I took off a cube that is no longer needed thanks to the new desk :) ).
I love these boxes! I will be looking around to see what else I have that could use new storage.... ;)

Some more cards

2011-04-16T08:28:00.000-04:00

I seem to be on a card making kick these days....not that that's a bad thing. It's just that my scrapping is falling farther and farther behind. Hopefully I can get my pics out and start working on some pages soon. But until then, it's cards..:)

For both of these cards, I tried the PTI Make it Monday #10, masking with dies technique. I used the Fillable Frame #10 die as my mask on both these cards.

Supplies:
paper - SU Perfect Plum, PTI White
Ink - SU Chocolate Chip, Memento Rose Bud
Stamps - PTI Fillable Frames #10, PTI Flower Fusion #1, Wooden Happy Birthday Stamp
Others: PTI Fillable frame #10 die, PTI Flower Fusion #1 & 2 dies, PTI Buttoned Up #1 Die, Felt,

Supplies:
paper - SU Chocolate Chip, PTI White
Ink - SU Chocolate Chip, Memento Angel Pink
Stamps - PTI Fillable Frames #10, PTI Ribbon Tails
Others: PTI Fillable frame #10 die, PTI double Ended Banner Die, Flowers, rhinestone brad

Thanks for stopping by...

New Desk!

2011-04-14T09:22:00.002-04:00

I love my husband. He is the best. After much nagging by your truly, and after finally coming up with a plan, he built me a new desk/craft table. All I can say is WOW! I absolutely love it! It's 10 times better than I thought it would be and it's giving me so much more storage. What could be better than that! Now, once again, I forgot to get a before picture. What can I say, I was just so excited to get the old table out and the new one in place. What I can show you instead is this picture from a few years ago. At least you'll be able to get an idea of what it looked like before. My mom probably won't be happy to be in the photo....sorry mom...love you :)

Now for the new desk.

I love all the storage I have now. The old desk would shake some but not this one, this new one is rock solid. And the storage...oh wait, i said that already...but it bares repeating. :)

So what do you think? Pretty awesome huh... ;)

some more cards

2011-04-03T17:04:00.000-04:00

Last post I said I had some cards in progress, well I'm finally getting around to posting them, plus a few others.

One thing I love about the acrylic stamps is the ability to bend them. On all 3 cards, the "Happy Birthday" is the same exact stamp, stamped 3 different ways. Cool huh?!?!

I recently sold some stuff on Ebay and with that money, invested in some Copic Markers. I've been wanting to get some and try them out, but it wasn't until last week that I finally took the plunge. I gotta say, I am loving these markers! It will take me a loooong time to get even remotely good at using them but I am having fun practicing and watching tutorials.

This is the first card I made using my new Copics. I colored the flowers from the SU set "Delight in Life", cut them out and then arranged them around the stamped image from the Unity Dec 2010 KOTM set "Just Be You". I used my Spica clear glitter pen on the heart and flowers of the center image. I wish I did a better job cutting out the flowers but oh well, it is what it is. All in all, I really love how this card turned out.
That's it for now. Happy crafting.....

New stuff

2011-03-27T19:21:00.000-04:00

I recently got some new toys and I've been having fun playing with them. I've also been busy making my oldest son's birthday invited and helping my wonderful husband come up with a design for a new computer/scrap desk. I'm happy to report that he's currently in the process of making my desk and I can't wait for it to be finished so I can show it off. But in the mean time, here are the other projects I've been doing.

The first is the invitation for my son's birthday party. I got the idea from Kristina Werner's blog. I love her blog! You can see the inspiration for my card ---->HERE. The minute I saw her invitation, I knew I was going to use it for my son's. I used the flag banner from my Unity May Kit of the Month set, then colored the banners in with my SU markers. The rest was done on the computer. I love how they came out.

Next are some cards I did using the Papertrey Ink set "Flower Fusion #1" along with the matching die. I used some felt to die cut the flower and the Thank you stamp is from a Stampin Up set.

I have a few more cards in progress. I hope to have them finished up this week and once I do, I'll post them.
Thanks for stopping by!

Getting ready for spring

2011-03-05T09:39:00.000-05:00

We've had some really nice weather lately and it has be excited about planting my garden. I have a list of the herbs and veggies I want to plant along with some flowers. I'm hoping to get started this weekend and I can't wait...for several reasons. One of those reasons is to be able to use my new Potters Bench my wonderful husband built me! Isn't it awesome! I'm so excited to start planting!

Valentine's Day crafts

2011-02-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

It's been a while, I know. We have been battling one cold after another for what seems like forever. The good news is, I think we're at the end of being sick and there is warmer weather in in our forecast. I don't know about you, but I CANNOT wait for SPRING to get here!
I finally got back to some crafting this past week. I made the kids classmates Valentines as well as their teachers, and also did a few cards to go with them. So here are my projects;

This first one is a project I saw from Family Fun. When i saw it, I knew I wanted to give it a try. I got the little bottle/vases from Target. They came in a set of 3 which was perfect since there are 3 teachers I wanted to make something for. I got some rhinestone hearts at AC Moore and added them to the bottles for a bit of bling. You can see the project directions----->HERE. I got the idea for the cards from my friend Diana. She sent me an email with a link to THIS blog post. If you scroll down, you will see the cards that inspired mine.
Next up is a couple of cards I did. These came together quite quickly and I really am happy with how they turned out. The stamped image is from the SU Love You Much set. I added a small rhinestone to the center of the little flower and popped up a heart with a button to round it out. I sponged some real red ink around the pink Pattern paper and rounded the corners with my trusty corner rounder.

My last project is these pouches. I saw them in the SCS gallery and thought they would be perfect for the kids classmates. You can see a video tutorial on how to make them ----->HERE

I used some SU Vday paper left over from last year along with some I got at AC Moore last year as well. The tag is cut using a die from Papertrey ink(LOVE IT). each one has 3 pieces of candy inside. They were so easy to make and I'll probably make them again, maybe for Halloween next year.

Well, that's all for now. I'm hoping all the recent crafty will help me get out of my slump.

Until next time....

A New Year, plus a few weeks

2011-01-17T11:53:00.000-05:00

I say it way to much but...Where does the time go! Just yesterday it was New Years Eve, I swear! And no here we are, January 17th and I have yet to post to my blog. What's up with that....sheesh!!
I hope everyone is off to a great 2011, I know I am. I have my family and my health(as good as it can be at the moment, but more on that later). I didn't set any resolutions per say, but I did choose a OLW to define 2011 for me, and that work is....CHANGE. I plan on making some changes in my life to help me be a better..well, a better me. It's time to do something for me, focus on my needs and I have decided that there's no time like the present. There are both big changes and little changes I'll be working on but the first, and biggest, is to loose this weight once and for all and to start eating healthier. I'm fortunate to have a husband who understands and supports some of the changes I want to make. So far, I've been doing really well and have lost about 5.2 of the 8lbs I gained over the holidays. Not to bad considering I'm not getting the exercise I need to be getting,
So 2011 will be about change and I'll be taking y'all along for the ride with me. Hopefully it won't be to boring.

Until next time.....

it's been a while

2010-12-17T19:08:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize just how long it's been since my last post. Once the holiday season hits, I lose all track of time. I've been so busy with the kids. Helping at school, doing little projects for their classmates and teachers and just trying to get everything ready for Christmas. The good news is I think I'm all set as far as my shopping goes. The bad news is I never got pictures of the projects I did for the teachers and students. Luckily, my kids came home with one of the baggies I did for their classes so I can at least show you the tag I made(with some help from a wonderful friend who cut all the pieces out for me). I put together 50 baggies for their classrooms. The tags were made with all Stampin Up product.
Stamp sets are Season of Joy and So Many Scallops
Paper is River Rock, Real Red and Very Vanilla
Ink is Old Olive, Real red and river Rock.

I'm also trying to think of what my OLW for 2011 is going to be. I have a few on my list so it's jsut a matter of picking one that will define 2011 for me. I'll let you know what word i decide on after the new year.
The kids are off now until the 3rd of Jan so I'll be busy hanging with them, enjoying the time together and enjoying the holiday.
I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Holiday and I'll see y'all in the New year!

FTL115

2010-11-06T12:25:00.002-04:00

Hi all. Just a quick post to share a card I made for the Clean and Simple blog for this week. I really liked the sketch and wanted to use the Xmas SU set Seasons of Joy(which I'm borrowing from a super wonderful friend). Here is the sketch:

And here is my card:

I used Riding Hood Red and River Rock cardstock. The swirl is stamped in versamark and everything else is stamped in Riding Hood Red. I used some silver stickle for the centers of the flowers and my Spica glitter pen to go over some of the swirl image. I used my corner rounder punch on the bottom 2 corners to finish it off.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a wonderful day.

getting a jump on Xmas

2010-11-01T13:08:00.000-04:00

I was stamping with a friend a week or so ago and decided to get started on some Christmas cards. I wanted to use up some of my scrap paper so I decided to just use scraps, even for the card base. Here's what i came up with:

I used some SU Cranberry Crisp cardstock for my base, stamped the Unity Image onto some shiny white cardstock and mounted it on some SU Old Olive. Can't remember the name of the SU pattern paper. I paper pierced the mittens of the image, which is from the Unity Oct KOTM. I love this mitten image! The cards are 4" square.

For these cards, I used SU Baja Breeze and Reak red cardstock and again, I forget the name of the pattern paper. The image is also from the Unity Oct KOTM and I paper pierced the ornaments with the SU pattern paper. I added a little silver stickle to the tops of the ornaments to add a little bling. thee ares are 3 1/2" squares.

I have a few more to show off but we are heading out of town so they will have to wait until we get back.
I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Halloween.

Halloween Treats

2010-10-26T17:52:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I don't know how time gets away from me so easily...wait, yes I do, i have kids..hehehe
I have been doing some crafting in recent weeks, finally. I wanted to make something for Halloween for the kids classmates as well as their teachers. I found THIS tutorial on SCS for a Treat Bag Cover and decided that since I had a total of 47 to make(make that 49 since one kid got 2 new classmates), this would be the easiest to do.

I used some left over SU Halloween paper and my SU Batty for you set. The web punch is from Martha Steward and I used some Velcro to keep it closed. The orange cardstock is Bazzill and the all the other is SU. Instead of doing a baggie with treats, I got some M&M's and Skittles, then used a strip of double sided tape to secure them in place.

For the teachers, I decided to decorate some baby food jars to look like Mummies. I used some scraps of paper I had in my stash and tore the edges. I then used some creamy caramel ink around the edges. I glues tot he jars with some Mod Podge. I didn't have a small enough round punch so I used some "o" letter stickers in black, then stuck the googlie eyes over the center. I filled some treat baggies with Hershey Kisses and M&M's then tied some black ribbon to finish them off.

I'm happy with how everything turned out. I hope the kids and teachers like them.
Hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!

the closet

2010-10-08T16:20:00.000-04:00

About 2 weeks or so ago, I decided to tackle another long put of project - cleaning out my closet. It had gotten out of control and i just kept hoping that one day, I would go in and POOF, it would be clean and organized. Needless to say, that never happened, so it was up to me. I left my husbands things alone, since his area was pretty organized, and emptied out all the other stuff. It took me all day to do, but I must say I was was quite pleased with the end result. I even arranged my clothes by color...is that sick or what....wait, don't answer that. I of course decided to tackle this project kind of last minute so i never got a before of the closet. these during and after photos will have to do.

I really wish i had a before picture so you could see the mess that was in there. You'll just have to take my word that it was pretty bad. I'm really happy with the end result. Being a pack rat, it was kind of freeing to get rid of some of the stuff (OK,so it right word for it is, or rather was JUNK) I was holding on to.

I now go into my closet and feel..HAPPY. never thought I would say that but it's true. I smile when i see my clothes lined up by color(seriously) and there is room to move. This whole organizing thing is kind of fun....who new! :)

Pumpkins

2010-09-30T09:52:00.000-04:00

I recently went to hang out with my SU! Demo friend, and she showed me these cute little paper pumpkins she made. We of course i needed to know exactly how she made them, and being the wonderful person she is, she showed me. SO EASY! Later that night, when the boys were in bed, I broke out some paper and began to make one. I wanted to use some scrap paper so I actually made a brown one. The next day i put the finishing touches on it and I must say, it came out quite cute. When the boys got home from school the next day and saw it, my oldest declared that he wanted to make one.

With all the rain(who knew it was monsoon season) we've been getting, I figured it would be a fun thing for us to do.
After dinner, I cut up some paper and gathered what we needed and the 3 of us sat around the kitchen table. They were so excited and concentrated so hard on making these pumpkins. The did a wonderful job, don't you think?

Don't Compete, Just COMPLETE!

2010-09-25T11:19:00.000-04:00

This morning I participated in the first Biggest Loser 5K/1 Mile Challenge and all I can say is WOW! What an amazing experience it was. I signed up to do the 1 mile walk, but as I was standing with the other participants, I said to my friend how I wished I'd tried for the 5K. My adrenaline was pumping and I felt so excited, I may actually have been able to do it. Oh well, maybe next time. I did the walk and had a great time. My friend and I even jogged across the finish line...me...jogged....unbelievable! It was so fun to talk with other participants and share some stories. Everyone there was a winner. My only regret, I didn't get to hug Bob Harper. But Id id shake his hand and told him I loved him...you'd like I was a school girl the way i was behaving...hehehe
This challenged has got me so motivated to do a 5K. I am making that my long term goal.

Me and Ali, the first female BL winner

Standing right in front of me for the National Anthem

My Journey

2010-09-17T08:46:00.000-04:00

It's been about 5 weeks since I posted about my journey. So far I've lost about 7 more lbs. I had a bit of a hard time for about a week and a half but somehow, I managed to get through it. I know there will be more "hard times", especially with the holiday's looming ahead. With the boys in school and my wonderful Husband away working, I've had a lot of time to myself. I think I'm finally finding a routine that I can do regularly. My plan was to learn Tai Chi. This is proving to be a little more difficult. I've tried several DVD's and I didn't care for any of them. I'm keeping it on the back burning for now, hoping something will materialize sooner or later. I'm not giving up on it, just need to move on and focus on other things. One of these things is walking. The Biggest Loser is coming on the 25th and there is a 5K/1 mile walk challenge. I signed up for the 1 mile walk. I've really excited about it. It's giving me that little push to get out walking as much as possible. The last thing I want is to cross the finish line last, especially with cameras rolling. That's right, they will be filming for a special to air in Nov. The other thing I started doing was Yoga. I never thought I'd be a yoga person, never thought my body would be able to do any of the poses but guess what, I was wrong. While I don't do everything perfectly, or for as long as they do, Istill try to do it. Who would have thought...not me! And to boot, I actually love it! I found a healing yoga DVD on Netflix, watch it instantly through the Wii, so i can do it in the privacy of my own home. I'm already seeing the difference this is making. My plan is to walk 3 times a week and do Yoga 2 times a week. I don't ever remember being this driven any of the 100's of other times I tried losing weight. I think that's saying something. I think it's saying this is my time. My time to finally, and permanently, get this weight off...and I WILL!

Yummy Quesadilla Cups

2010-09-10T13:01:00.000-04:00

My stepmother had a Pampered Chef recipe booklet she got at a party. We were looking through it and I saw this recipe for Quesadilla Cups with Nectarine Salsa. Well, I don't really like nectarines but I wasn't going to let that stop me. My dad and stepmom had a BBQ on the Sunday before Labor day so I decided to make these, using my own salsa recipe(not really a recipe, I don't measure anything. I just add what I want and how much I want.) These were the easiest things to make and they were so good. I plan on making them over and over again. For parties, to bring to gatherings, any time I need to bring an appetizer to, these will be my first choice.
All I did was use my pizza cutter to cut up the tortillas, brushed with some olive oil. Then I used a mini muffin tin, places the slices of tortilla, used the handle of the pizza cutter to push them down(don't have a tart shaper), places some shredded fiesta blend cheese and baked at 400 for 5 minutes or so. Here's what they looked like when I took them out of the oven.

I let them cool for a few minutes before taking them out of the muffin pan, placed them on a platter and added the salsa.
Here is what they looked like once they were all put together.

My mouth is watering for some just looking at the picture. I had about 8 before we even left the house and I made bigger ones the next day with the left over salsa. I'll also be making them tomorrow to bring to my sister's 31 party. Wonder how many I'll eat before I leave for that..;)

The mess

2010-09-09T12:32:00.000-04:00

It's been a few weeks since the start of school and I must say, I'm doing pretty well. I find I need to keep myself busy during the day so I don't get to lonely. With the help of a friend. I now have a list of things to keep me busy. Last week, I tackled the boys rooms. I couldn't wait to get in there and do a thorough cleaning. What's even better, no little people to protest what I get rid of...:)
So here are a few before pictures. As you can see, they are not the, umm, neatest boys.

I was so sick and tired of finding Lego's, K-Nex and army men all over the place. They got so used to just throwing things anywhere, making piles where piles shouldn't be. It's my own fault for not being stricter when it came their rooms.

Now here are some after photos. As you can see, it's quite the improvement.

They've been doing a good job keeping their rooms clean. I inspect every night before bed, I ask them if they're happy with how the room looks. If they are and I don't like what I see(Lego's on the floor, toys piled in a corner), I take it away and trow it out. OK, so, I haven't actually thrown anything out...YET....but I have taken it away, while the screaming child protested. I will say, there hasn't been much that I've had to take away. Hopefully they are learning the new rules and this will help them as they get older....Maybe ;)

First day of school

2010-08-25T08:39:00.000-04:00

The boys went back to school on Monday. My oldest is now in 2nd grade and my youngest started Kindergarten. When did this happen? Where did my babies go? All of a sudden, I'm the mom of not 1 but 2 school kids. I will admit, I've been looking forward to the start of school. With both in school, I'm regaining about 7 1/2 hours of my day. Who wouldn't love that right. I had visions of all the things I'd be able to do: cleaning, cooking, shopping kidless, working out, organizing, reading, crafting, blogging and the list goes on. The reality is, this is as hard of an adjustment for me as it is for the kids. I find myself walking around an empty house, peaking in their rooms, missing my babies. I feel very fortunate that both are LOVING school. They each have such fantastic teachers. I can't wait until I can start helping in their classrooms. I've been waiting for this day for years actually. To be on the PTA, at the school helping, involved. I want to give the boys time to get used to their class rooms, teachers and new procedures so I won't start helping until after Labor day.....at least that's my plan. I may not be able to wait that long.
I am going to need to adjust to this alone time more than I thought. I'm going to need to really get focused and organized with my days so i don't get to lonely. I never thought this would be so hard...go figure

making some changes

2010-08-17T08:39:00.001-04:00

About 6 weeks ago, my husband and I decided to make some changes. We started eating less processed foods and more fresh foods. This small change has led to a weight loss of 10 lbs so far. And that's with very little exercise. We have stopped going through drive thru's for the most part. We know that not only are we benefiting from this change, but our 2 boys are as well. It's so refreshing to see them head for the fridge and grabbing celery or carrots of cucumbers instead of the pantry for cookies or crackers.
With this first change going so well, it's now time to look at another one I would like to make. There is something I have wanted to try learning for some time now. With the boys starting school in 6 day, I'll have some time on my hands. My plan is to learn Tai Chi. I always though this would be a good fit for me for so many reasons. I'm also going to attempt yoga as well. I'm very committed to making these changes. I know I will feel better mentally as well as physically.
Another thing I had been wanting to do is watch the sun rise. I decided to gt up early this morning to head to the beach so i could do just that. I set my alarm and hoped I would have the energy to actually get up when it went off. To my surprise, I woke 3 minutes before the alarm. Go figure. I tried to wake my oldest since he wanted to go with me, but he didn't move so i just left him home. I knew I would hear about it but oh well.
I got to the beach, laid out my towel and sat, listening to the ocean waves, enjoying all the peace the beach has to offer at that hour. It was truly an amazing experience.
They say each journey begins with just one step. For me, this was that first step on my path to a healthier, happier me. My journey begins today....

My baby is 5!

2010-08-04T09:20:00.000-04:00

On this day, 5 years ago, I woke up refusing to believe what I was in labor. How could that be? My scheduled C-section wasn't for another 5 days. After a few hours dealing with pain that wouldn't go away, we dropped Duncan off with my step mom and headed for the hospital. I was still trying to convince myself that this was false labor and I would be sent home. I mean, really, isn't the point of a scheduled C-section knowing when you'd be going in to have your baby so you can plan? After arriving at the hospital and being sent up to maternity, it was confirmed that, yes I was in fact in labor and this baby was coming today! Off to get prepped and before I knew it, out came this little bundle of joy! OK, maybe 9lbs 9.5ozs can't be considered little ;)

My baby is now 5 and in less than 3 week will be starting Kindergarten. He is such an amazing little boy with such an amazing personality. There isn't a day that goes by that he isn't doing or saying something to make us laugh. He is such a unique little guy.

Happy Birthday Tanner! I love you!

{FWF} Friday

2010-07-23T07:43:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday all. I can't believe another week has flown by. If you didn't start at the Unity Blog, make sure you head over there for the complete list of all the fabulous peeps participating in todays hop.
I have a clean and simple card to share with you today. Clean and Simple (CAS) seems to be my style as of late. I want to build up a stash of cards that could be used for any occasion, whether it's birthday, get well or just because. With this I mind, I decided to forgo a sentiment, so I can add whatever I need when the time comes.

I started with a white cardstock, stamped my image from the February KOTM in SU Close to Cocoa. I then stamped the image again on some scrap October Afternoon paper, cut it out and then popped it up. I used my rectangle Nesties to cut and emboss the white piece the image was on, then popped that up on top of a rectangle piece of Close to Cocoa DSP. Since the center of the flowers were popped up, I'm also using it for the Unity Addicts Challenge #10, Poppin Flowers. You can find the deets on that challenge ---->HERE
That's all for me today. Make sure you head on over to Emily's blog next. Don't forget to keep an eye out for the blinkie. You could be the lucky winner of 25 random stamps.
Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

Friday = {Friends with Flair}

2010-07-16T08:05:00.000-04:00

Here we are, another week gone by. There are so many reasons to love when Friday rolls around, and for my, {FWF} is one of the best reasons. I just love seeing all the amazing creations using Unity and Ippity stamps. If you didn't start at the beginning, make use you check out the Unity Blog. There you will find the list of all those participating in today's blog hop. And as always, don't forget to look for the blinkie for your chance to win 25 random stamps.

Now onto my card. I decided to go with a monochromatic card and I used this sketch from the Clean and Simple blog. My colors are Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Certainly Celery and Very Vanilla. The pattern paper was a piece I got when I ordered some Ippity. I used the branches from the Beautiful Morning set. The butterfly is a Martha Stewart combo punch that both stamps as well as punches. The "For You" is from the SU set Great Friends.

That's all from me today. The next blog on the hop is Tami so be sure to go check her blog out
Have a wonderful weekend!

Unity Addict Challenge

2010-07-14T07:22:00.000-04:00

Good morning all. I hope everyone is having a fabulous week. I know I am. My family and I are enjoying the beautiful city of Savannah, GA! It will be sad to leave today but alas, we must head home. Because we're away, this will be a quick post.
Today being Wednesday, it also means there's a new Unity Addict challenge posted over on the Unity blog as well as in the SCS forum-----> HERE. This weeks challenge is a color challenge. The colors are Teal, Orange and Navy. I used SU colors and paper for this one and matched it was a sentiment from Unity.

I hope you give this combo challenge a try. Don't forget to post in the forum if you do so we can see your creations.
Have a wonderful day

{FWF} and a throwdown

2010-07-09T07:43:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday all! I really do look forward to my Fridays and Unity's friends with Flair. remember, if you haven't already, check out the Unity blog for a list of all the amazing participants in today's hop. And don't forget to look for the blinkie for your chance to win 25 random stamps.
Today's card is one I did for both the Unity Addict challenge #8 and the Color Throwdown #100. For the Unity Addicts challenge this week was a recipe challenge. We were to have 2 buttons, 2 flowers and a bow on our creation.

To celebrate the Color Throwdown reaching challenge 100, they're having all kinds of giveaways. Be sure to check it out. These are the colors for this week. I wasn't quite sure if I was going to get something made, but once I decided on an image, it pretty much all came together.

I went with an image from the first KOTM I got, the February '10 {Nothing but Blue Skies}. I love these birdhouses and believe it or not, this was the first time I actually used this stamp.{GASP} I know, shocking!

I stamped in with Timber Brown StarzOn ink onto watercolor paper. I broke out my SU! watercolor crayons to color them in, the mounted with pop dots onto the regal rose cardstock. I stamped the sentiment in SU! real red. I didn't have red floss so I used my ink pad to color some white Bazzil floss then tied it in a bow around the regal rose cardstock. I also used the same floss for the buttons then attached them to the floss as well. The card base is Baja Breeze and I used my Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder on that. Then all that was left was attaching my 2 flowers and I was done. The image didn't stamp as crisp as i would have liked and my watercoloring isn't the greatest, but those are the imperfections that makes a hand crafted card special. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)

Next up on the hop is Angie.
Have a fabulous weekend.

{FWF} Blog hop

2010-07-02T08:15:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! It's another Unity {FWF} blog hop. Is o look forward to Fridays, and this one is even better because my honey will be coming home! The boys and I will go pick him up at the airport this morning.

I have 2 cards to share this week. The first one is for the Unity Addicts Challenge #6 - Summertime.

I used Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie and Tempting Turquoise for my color scheme and the Flirty Flowers stamp set for my card.
I used this sketch from the Clean and Simple blog as well.

My second card once again uses Pumpkin Pie along with some yellows. I did this one for the Unity Addicts challenge #7 - Let's Get Sentimental. I stamped the sentiment in Close to Cocoa and used my scor pal to do the border. I pumpkin cardstock is stamped with an image from the Flirty Friends set, added some ribbon, rhinestones and a flower and should have called it done. I say should have because I thought the upper corner needed something, then didn't like it and had to cover it up. I used my corner punch and some glitter and, well, had to settle for that. Not sure if I like it as much, I really need to learn to leave well enough along, but it is what it is and I think it still looks nice. What do you think?

Make sure you check out the Unity blog for the lsit of participating blogs and don't forget to keep your eyes out for the blinkie. you could be the lucky winner of 25 random Unity stamps!
Have a fabulous and safe 4th of July weekend!

Monday H{ippity} Hop

2010-06-28T07:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday and since it's Monday, it must be time for a H{ippity} Hop. Make sure you check out the Ippity blog for a list of all the blogs on today's hop.
My project today is an altered picture frame. I got the frame at AC Moore for $1. a while ago and it's been sitting, painted, on my desk for over a month. I decided to try and do something with it. I used the flowers and a sentiment from the Moment in Time set(LOVE IT). When I ordered the stamps, i was also sent a few sample sheets of the Spring 2010 paper and decided to put it to use. I stamped the flowers around the frame using Moulin Rouge ink. The sentiment is stamped in Chocolate Chip on Very Vanilla cardstock. I used some silver stickle for the centers of all the stamped flowers. I cut out the flourishes using a QuicKutz die and finished it off with some primas held together with a rhinestone brad.

I apologize for the photo. I wasn't able to get a good picture thanks in large part to some heavy thunderstorms moving through . I really need to come up with an alternative for photos when natural light isn't available. I'm thinking and hope to come up with something.
I hope everyone has a fantastic day today. I signed on to the yearbook committee at the boys school and the PTA is sending me to a seminar to learn the software.
Until next time.....ciao~

{FWF} Friday

2010-06-25T08:50:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday all! And since it's Friday, that means it's Unity's {Friends with Flair} blog hop. Going to keep it short this week. We had a very hot( 110 with the heat index) and busy(Scout day camp) and I wasn't sure if I would get something made. When I signed on to SCS and saw the cute little all-in-one box on the front page, I knew I needed to give it a try, so I did.

I think it would have come out better if I wasn't tired and rushed but it's still pretty cute. ;) I plan on making 3 more, filling with candy and giving them to the Den mom's that my oldest had for Scout day camp. You can find the directions, link to print the template and a video over at SCS ---->HERE
Make sure to check out the Unity blog for the list of participating blogs and don;t forget to keep an eye out for the blinkie for your chance to win some fabulous rubbah.
Have a wonderful weekend!

H{ippity} Hop

2010-06-21T07:11:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday all and Happy H{ippity} Hop. This is my first time participating int he Ipppity Hop and I'm so excited to be a part of it. I got my first Ippity stamps about a week ago and I am just LOVING them!

I used both the FTL95 sketch from the Clean & Simple blog as a guide as well as color throwdown #97 from the Color Throwdown blog to create my card for today's hop.

I used the flower from the Faith Blooms set and the Grateful sentiment from the A Moment in Time set. I got the lace ribbon at AC Moore for a dollar.

I'm really happy with how this card came out.
Be sure to check out all the blogs in today's hop on the Ippity blog -----> HERE
Hope you have a fabulous day.

Another Friday, another fun {FWF}

2010-06-18T08:57:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! I so look forward to Fridays and Unity's Friends with Flare blog hop.
Today I have a set of 3x3 cards to share. I wish I was able to get a better photo but it just wasn't happening.

I recently got my very first Ippity stamps(YEAH) and I just LOVE them! I used a stamp from the Moment in Time set along with words from both the Unity April and May KOTM sets and the branch from the April kit. I'm really happy with how these came out and plan on making a little box for them to fit in. Won't that me a nice little gift :)
Don't forget to check out the Unity blog ----> HERE for a list of all the amazing blogs participating in today's hop. And one of these blogs will be hosting the {FWF} blinkie. Leave a comment on that post for your chance to win some fabulous red rubbah.
Enjoy the rest of the hop and have a fabulous weekend.

what's growing

2010-06-15T20:15:00.000-04:00

My garden has been growing by leaps and bounds. We have already picked several cherry tomatoes and a few Roma tomatoes and green Bell Peppers. We now have 2 zucchinis starting and 2 ears of corn are just about ready to get picked. The boys love going out to check on the garden, then come running to report back to me. I marinaded some steaks last week and was thrilled to have used 3 ingredients from out garden - Green Onion, Rosemary and Thyme.

There is such a great sense of pride and accomplishment to be able to go out, pick a few things and add to a meal. The boys are trying everything because, to quote my oldest, "everything tastes better when it's from your garden."

Now I need to come up with new recipes to use all these yummy veggies and herbs we'll have. That's gonna be a lot of fun.

{FWF} Friday

2010-06-11T08:33:00.000-04:00

Hi all. I have a quick post today for Unity's {FWF}. Things have been a bit busy with the kids out of school. I haven't had the time I was hoping for to sit and craft.
Today's card uses a technique I've been wanting to try, using nestabilities to emboss only. I found a great tutorial on how to go about doing this on Gina K's Stamp TV(love this site)---->HERE. I used an image from the Unity May KOTM, which I've been dying to ink up.

I stamped the image and sentiment on SU white cardstock with Ruby Red ink. I used my gold glitter pen to go over the lines and a clear glitter pen to go over the big H. I used a rectangle nestie for the embossed frame around the image. I rounded 2 opposite corners and added some blue ribbon then mount it on a Ruby Red card front. There you have it, a quick clean and simple card.
Make sure you check out the Unity blog ---->HERE for all the fabulous crafters participating in today's blog hop. Be sure to look for the blinkie and leave a comment for a chance to win.
Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.
Donna~

Unity's {FWF} Friday

2010-06-04T07:06:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday all. Today is my oldest son's last day of school. He will be going a second grader when he comes home. Both my boys will be at the same school next year. When did this happen? I don't want to think about it just yet.
So, back to {FWF}. Today I have 2 cards to share with you.
I used Pixie Pink(not a color I get to use often) and SU designer series paper Night & Day. The image is from the May KOTM. I used my SU marker to add some pink to the image and also used my Copic "At You Spica" gold glitter pen, although you can't really tell from the picture. I added a row of rhinestone stickers, a few buttons and the photo corner, which is lightly stamped with another image from the May KOTM.

This next card uses the same colors and papers of the first. I really love this tea cup image from the May kit.

I added some flowers and square brads along with the sentiment from the May kit.
I'm really happy with how these 2 cards came out.
Remember to check out all the participants for today's hop. You can find the list on the unity blog ----> HERE. Don't forget to look for the blinkie for your chance to win some stamps as well.
Hope everyone has a great day!
Donna~

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T12:57:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone is having a fun and safe Memorial Day. Today I am remembering my grandfather, who passed away in Sept of 05, a month after my youngest son was born.

He was a Lt Col in the USAF and a very proud patriot who dedicated his life to serve his country. He was a navigator, aviator, bombardier during WWII and even taught at the Military Academy after he retired.

My father served in the Air National Guard and both my Father and Mother-in Law served in the Army. I also have many friends who's husbands either served or are still serving in our military.

If you haven't already, take a moment to remember all the brave men and women; past, present and future, who fight to protect our rights and freedoms.
God Bless America
Donna~

another friday, another {FWF}

2010-05-28T06:39:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday everyone. It's been one busy week here. Yesterday I spent the day at my oldest sons school for their field day. It was a hot day but so fun! All the kids did great and everyone got at least one ribbon.
Today my youngest son graduates from Preschool...ugh. I am still trying to figure out how this school year went by so fast. All I know is, tears will be flowing as I watch my little man during the graduation program. It's so sad because this is it. He's my baby and there will be no more going to this wonderful preschool. As much as I will miss it and the amazing teachers there, I'm looking forward to having both my boys at the same school. I wonder what I'll do with all that free time come September...hmmmm (wink, wink)
With the end of school comes end of school teacher gifts....which brings us to today's {FWF} project. If you are unfamiliar with the Friend with Flair blog hop, hop on over to the Unity Blog. There you will get all the deets as well as the list of all the amazing blogs participating in today's hop. Don't forger to keep an eye out for the blinkie for your chance to win some fabulous red rubbah.

I made some of the hand lotion that was posted on SCS for a gift for some of my son's teachers. You can find the recipe in post #4-----> HERE
For 2 of his teachers, I decided to make the Gable box that was posted on SCS ---->HERE

I used stamps from the Unity March KOTM. The cardstock is Sahara Sand and the pattern paper is from Cosmo Cricket. I used velcro to keep the box closed. The flower was made using a tutorial also found on SCS ----> HERE.
I dprinted a label for the lotion and then stamped it with one of the flower stamps from the March kit.
It's not to fancy but I'm pretty happen with how it came out. I'll be making a few more for some people at my oldest son's school as well as a few other things. I'll be posting those at some point next week.
That's it for today. Hope everyone has a fabulous, long holiday weekend.
Stay safe

Donna~

More of Hubby's handy work

2010-05-24T12:41:00.000-04:00

Back in February, my extremely talented husband made these planes for our youngest boy's room. We have an air force theme going on in there, a tribute to my grandfather and he really wanted to make a plane that he could mount on the wall.

When we were trying to decide where to put the planes, it became clear that they could be used as shelves, so that's how we hung them.
Ever since, our oldest boy has wanted new shelves for his room. He has a nautical theme going on, a tribute to his daddy. My husband had to go back to work and when he came home, an idea of how to do a boat shelf came to him and he was off to make it.

It came out so awesome, don't ya think? Our boy was extremely excited to have his shelf, which is hung above his bunk beds. There are 2 other shelves in his room that will get replaced once my husband gets home again.

I really love being married to such a unique, creative, handy man!

Friday {FWF}

2010-05-21T07:05:00.000-04:00

Hello peeps! It's another Friday so you should know by now what that means...Unity's Friends with Flair blog hop! Now if you don't know what {FWF} is all about, be sure to check out the Unity blog ----> HERE. You'll also find the list of all the fabulous blogs that are participating in today's hop. Don't forget to look for the blinkie as well for your chance to win some Red Rubbah!
It's been a busy week here. School is almost over for my 2 rugrats so I'm trying to come up with teacher gifts. And early next week, my wonderful husband will be heading back to work. He'll be gone all of June which means he'll not only miss Father's Day but our 8 yr Anniversary as well. I want to make a few cards to hide in his luggage for him to open while he's gone, which brings us to today's card.

I used one of the images from the May KOTM, which I got this week(YEAH!). My 4yr climbed up on my chair as I was stamping the love so it's not as even as I would have liked. Then he bumped me again when I was doing the you. Luckily for me, I don't think my husband will mind...I did mention that he is wonderful right...:)

Thanks for stopping by!
Donna~

Unity {FWF} Friday

2010-05-14T07:27:00.000-04:00

Hello and welcome once again to the Unity Friends with Flair blog hop. I'm anxiously awaiting my May KOTM which shipped yesterday. I can't wait to get it and start playing. I've been so inspired by the amazing DT gals after seeing their creations the past week or so. Also, if you haven't already check out the new Ippity stamps that were released yesterday, you can see them ----> HERE. I don't own any Ippity yet, but that is going to change. I have my eye on 4 sets at the moment and I'm hoping to make a purchase real soon. :)

Today I have a quick CAS card. I used the branch images from the April KOTM and the THANKS from the Flirty Flowers set.

I stamped the image on Whisper White cardstock with black Stazon ink. I didn't want to add a lot of color so i just paper pieced the 2 flowers and then added some silver rhinestones. I finished it off with some ribbon and a flower with a button and called it done.

If you didn't start at the beginning of the hop, be sure to head over to the Unity Blog ---->HERE. You'll find a list of all the amazing blogs participating in today's {FWF} blog hop. Don't forget to look for the blinkie and leave a comment on that blog for your chance to win some Unity stamps.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Donna~

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T21:48:00.000-04:00

I had 4 Mother's Day cards I needed to make and would you believe, not a single Happy Mother's Day stamp. Ugh, how is that possible? I went to both AC Moore and Michael's figuring I could find one int heir dollar stamps but no such luck. When I got home and sat back down, it suddenly dawned on me that I had a JUSTRITE stamp set that I could use. So I pulled it out to see if I could get all the letters on the 1 5/8 round stamper. Well, of course that wasn't going to work which really bummed me out cause I really like the alpha set in the Special Occasion Kit I have....and then a light bulb went off. I took all the letters off one of the brackets that they are stored on, spelled out my sentiment, inked it up and wallah.....

I was able to make my cards. These are for my Stepmother and sister. I forgot to get pictures of the ones I mailed to my mom and mother-in-law but they are similar. The cardstock is Baja Breeze for the base, Rose red for the scallop circle, black and white. the pattern paper is Basic Grey Urban Prairie(LOVE this paper!). I dabbed some distressed ink in Tea Dye around the edges of the lighter pattern paper and added a strip of pearl stickers.

Tomorrow I'll be having a nice Mother's Day breakfast with my boys, husband. dad, stepmother, sister, brother-in-law and nephew and then I'm hoping my boys will let me have some alone time to do whatever I want. Not sure how that will go but I'm hopeful. :)
I hope every MOM out there has a super fantastic Mother's Day!

{FWF} Hop

2010-05-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to another fun {Friends With Flair} Friday blog hop. I have 2 cards to share with you today.
For my first card, I used the SCS sketch challenge #277 found --->HERE.

I uses Baja Breeze for my card base, Black to mount the Basic Grey Urban Prairie pattern papers and Regal Rose to mount the white. I paper pieced the butterflies with the pattern paper, then added the trail behind the smaller one with my paper piercer. I didn't want the piece with the image to be to long so I used a marker and my stamp-a-ma-jig to break up the sentiment. I then added the strip of rhinestones. My 4 yo boy helped pick out the flower and button(he tried several colors before deciding on this blue one).

For my second card, I used the this weeks color challenge with a twist( USCCC03). We were to use the colors green, orange and yellow with the twist being a CAS. I also used sketch # 87 from the Clean & Simple blog.

The card stock I used is Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun and Green Galore. I stamped the background stamp from the April KOTM on the Pumpkin Pie with Pumpkin Pie ink. I used my markers to do the flower image, also from the April KOTM, in both Summer Sun and Green Galore, then popped it up with some pop dots. The THANKS from the Flirty Flowers set was stamped with Pumpkin Pie.

If you haven't started at the beginning of the hop, be sure to head on over to the Unity Blog ----->HERE. There you'll find the complete list of all those participating in today's hop. And keep your eye out for the blinkie and your chance to win some yummy Unity red rubbah.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

The book case

2010-05-03T10:52:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, my dear, sweet, wonderful husband recently built me a new book case. I wanted something different in my little craft corner and decided a book case was probably the way to go. After looking online for a while, I showed him what I wanted and he told be he could built it. He went right to work on it when he got home the beginning of the month. I was very impatient but boy, it was well worth the wait!
I of course forgot to get a before picture of what my area looked like and have since been culling through hundreds of photos to try and find a more recent one. This one will just have to do.

That's my mom who was here visiting back in March...HI MOM! I had 4 rows, 3 high of these cubes I got at either AC Moore or Michael's. I loved the cubes but knew going forward, I needed to make some changes. The bookcase replaced 2 of the 4 rows and is a little wider and taller. Here is the bookcase, in place.

I still have some tweaking to do of all my stuff, but you get the idea. I'm really having fun organizing everything. I will need to get a few boxes or bins but want to be sure I get what will work best so playing the wait and see game at the moment. I really think the book case is going to work out well for me.
He did such a good job building it, didn't he. :)

{Friends with Flair} Blog Hop

2010-04-30T07:34:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday everyone. I'm happy to once again be participating in the Unity {FWF} blog hop today. This week Unity has been celebrating their 2 year Anniversary. They had so many fun things going on this week, topping it off yesterday with the release of some wonderful new rubbah. You can see all the new releases at their website ---> HERE They also had some fun challenges over in the Unity SCS Forum. You can check them out ---> HERE
Today I have a card I made using the April KOTM that I received earlier this week along with 2 of the challenges from this week, challenge # 2 Going to the Birds and challenge #4 The Triple Take

I used kraft cardstock, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP, some polka dot Rich Razzleberry grosgrain ribbon and a couple of flower buttons. The image is stamped with black StazOn and colored with SU markers, then cut out using my nestabilities. I cut the bird out and popped him up and added a little stickle to the flowers and called it done. I couldn't decide on a sentiment so didn't put one on.
Make sure you check out all the amazing Unity projects on all the blogs in today's hop. You can find the list on the Unity blog ----> HERE. And dont' forget to look for the blinkie and leave a comment for your chance to will some rubbah.
Happy stamping and Happy Anniversary to Unity!

Been a busy week

2010-04-28T16:26:00.000-04:00

This past week has been chalk a block packed with so much going on. First, last Thursday the 22nd, my oldest and I walked in his schools March of Dimes walk.

I was so proud that he wanted to do the walk again and I'm happy to report that we completed all 10 lapses. His school raised over $20,000 and won both the Top Fund Raising School in Horry County award as well as the Top Overall Team Award.
That was followed the next day by a field trip to the zoo with my youngest boys class.

I think the last(and maybe the only) time he had been to the zoo was when his big brother went for his preschool field trip, 2 years ago.
Then on Saturday, bright and early, we headed out to Jellystone Park to do some camping with the Cub Scouts.

We had a ton of fun, fished just about the entire day. I was so proud of my oldest, who bated his own hook with live bate for the first time.

We had the cross over ceremony that night where my Tiger Cub became a Wolf and then packed up to come home the next morning in the pouring rain.

My week this week seems just as busy with scouts last night, The 3 Piggy Opera that my youngest is in tonight and Kindergarten Orientation tomorrow night. I am still shaking my head, wondering where the time has gone.
While all this was happening, my sweet, wonderful, amazingly talented Husband was able to build me a new book case for my craft/desk area. I am now in the mist of reorganizing all my stuff. I'm almost there,but some tweaking still needs to be done. Pictures and a more detailed post about that will come shortly.
Now it's time to get us ready to head out for a quick dinner and then on to the Opera. :)

Unity {Friends With Flair} Friday

2010-04-23T08:12:00.000-04:00

Good morning and happy Friday. I'm so excited to once again be participating in the Unity FWF blog hop.
Today I have 2 cards to share with you.
This first one I made using one of the awesome sentiments from the new Inside & Out set.

I used Soft Suede, Ruby Red, Blush Blossom card stock and Ruby Red DSP . I used my Nestabilities to cut the circle and scallop circle. The sentiment was stamped on Blush Blossom using Ruby Red ink. I then used my crop-a-dial to make 2 little holes to tie the bow and then added some rhinestone stickers and a few flowers and called it done.

The next card was inspired by a challenge on Kristina Werner's blog. We were challenged to do a one layer card. That's it, on layer, cardstock, stamp and ink. I needed a birthday card so decided to see if I could do this.

I used Kraft card stock(my favorite), Palette Hybrid Ink in Moulin Rouge and images from the Unity Feb KOTM and the Inside & Out sets. Other than my hand moving slightly causing the HAPPY to be off, I'm really happy with how this card turned out. I did add some silver stickles to the centers of the flower image to give it a little sparkle. I plan on making more to build up a stash.

Make sure you check out all the awesome inspiration in the FWF blog hop today. You can see the full list of participants over on Unity's blog ----->HERE
Remember to look for the blinkie and leave a comment for a chance to win some Unity Stamps.
Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Home made vanilla Extract

2010-04-20T08:17:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, some of my online friends were chatting and some how, the idea to make your own vanilla came up. I was intrigued and wanted to know how it's done. I was amazed at how simple it is to actually do this so I set out to make my own vanilla extract. (My photos are that great as I wasn't really thinking about the fact that I may post them. In the future, I will try and get better photos. For know though, these will have to day.)

I bought some vanilla beans at World Market, grabbed some vodka and a mason jar, and got started. All you need to do is cut the vanilla down the middle, leaving about a half inch at the bottom. I had 2 vanilla beans which I cut in half, then split down the middle.

I put them in the jar, added about a cup of vodka, put the lid on, shook it a little and then set it in the cabinet to do it's thing. It will take about 3 months before I can use it in my cooking but the cool thing is, I'll never run out.

As you use it, you can add more vodka. At some point, i may throw in more vanilla but we'll see how it goes first.

Unity {Friends with Flair} Friday

2010-04-16T07:33:00.000-04:00

Hello my stamping friends. I'm so excited to be a part of Unity's Friend with Flair blog hop today. This will be the first time I'm participating so I have some nerves...although not quite sure why. I signed up for the KOTM in February and have loved everything I've gotten so far.
This is a little project that I actually started some time ago. I didn't really know what I wanted to do so I set it aside. As I was cleaning up my stamp/scrap area last week, I found it and decided to make it work. The tutorial for this little 3x3 Note Card Tote can be found on SCS ---> HERE

I use Kraft and Pumpkin Pie for the tote. The image if from the Unity Feb KOTM "Nothing But Blue Skies". I stamped the image with Old Olive onto Very Vanilla then used my SU markers in Summer Sun and Pumpkin Pie to add some color to the flowers. I mounted on Summer Sun cardstock, added the ribbon and button and used my scallop edge punch to do the handle which I then attached with brads.

The cards are all 3x3 using Pumpkin Pie cardstock. The image is again stamped on Very Vanilla with Old Olive ink and then colored with markers. I added a strip of Summer Sun cardstock and the buttons to each, along with the scalloped edge and called them done.
I'm really happy with how this set came together. I think they just scream Spring, don't you. This set will most likely go to one of my son's teachers as an end-of-the-year gift. I sure hope they like it.
Thanks for stopping by. Make sure you check out all the amazing blogs in today's hop and don't forget to look for the FWF Blinkie for a chance to win some Unity Stamps. You can get the full list of blogs on the Unity blog ---> HERE

Have a wonderful day!

Some crafting time

2010-04-12T12:25:00.000-04:00

I recently got some time to sit and craft. I just received some new stamps from the Unity Stamps Co. so I was anxious to break them in. The Unity forum over on SCS is having some fun challenges, both scrapbook and card, each week and I've been playing along.
The first is my page for the Simple Scrapbook challenge #1. We were to use a sketch and Unity stamps. The photos are of my 2 boys and my adorable nephew taken in Aug of 08. All stamps used were from Unity.

This next page was done for the Simple Scrapbook Challenge #2. Again we were to use a sketch and Unity stamps. I had just received some new stamps so I couldn't wait to use them. The Variety challenge over on SCS this week was to use metal on our page. I decided to combine the two challenges and I must say, I'm happy with the results. This picture of my boys was taken at my dad's one Sunday in June of 09. I just love how close they are and i think this photo shows that.

And last but not least is the card i did for the Unity Hip Hop Sketch #2 challenge. I really liked the sketch and when I got the Feel the Joy set, I knew I wanted to use it for this sketch. I used kraft cardstock for the base of my card and ruby red designer series paper. The image and sentiment are stamped with Palette Hybrid Ink in Moulin Rouge. Ric rac, a flower and white felt ribbon top's it off.
I have another little project I've been working on. Unity does this blog hop on Fridays called Friends With Flare so I may save it for that. We'll see if I can muster up the courage to sign up for it. I guess you'll have to wait and see come Friday. ;)

gardening

2010-04-08T07:44:00.000-04:00

We've been having great weather the last few weeks so i was able to get some planting done. I'm very excited about our garden this year. The Roma and cherry tomatoes along with green and red peppers and cantaloupe I got starter plants but everything else we did from seeds. This year we added carrots, onion, corn, rosemary, thyme, zucchini, strawberries and cantaloupe to our garden. Duncan has been doing some planting in school so he also has black eyed peas growing. It's been exciting to go out and see some of them poking through.

Right now the corn, zucchini and some of the carrots and one of the onions are starting to poke through and we have some flowers already on one of the Roma plants. I'm not sure if we'll add anything else but i would like to get a lemon and lime tree to pot. I can't wait to have some fresh, home grown veggies to cook up on the grill this summer.

My baby is now 7

2010-03-28T21:01:00.000-04:00

Today is my baby's birthday. He's 7. I have a 7yr. How did this happen? Where did the time go?
No matter how old he is, he'll always be my baby.
We had my baby's birthday party yesterday. I was praying for the weather to be nice, and it was, more of less. Like last year, we rented an inflatable, this time a castle. The boys had fun bouncing and playing it in before our party guests arrived.

Several of Duncan's classmates came and everyone seemed to have a good time. I was glad I didn't over do the food like I normally do. I was able to get it done and then sit and chat with the other moms. I even got in the castle myself and had fun playing with the kids. It just about wore me out. It's not easy for an overweight, 40something to be inside one of those things let me tell you, but I'd do it again because the smile on Duncan's face was more than worth it.

We did cake outside, but when it was time for presents, it started to rain so we moved everything inside. While he was opening presents, he got a surprise phone call from his daddy. I started to tear up as I watched his face light up when he heard his daddy's voice. I know he was upset that his daddy wasn't able to be home. This call really made his day and I could see it in his smiling face. By the time he was done opening the presents, the rain had stopped and the kids were back outside, castle blown back up, and the fun began all over again.
Once everyone left, it was pick up time, then baths and right to bed. Needless to say, the boys fell asleep the moment their heads hit the pillows.

I really find it unbelievable that I now have a 7 year old. It seems like just yesterday, I was in the hospital, holding a little, or maybe not so little, 8 lb 12 oz baby boy in my arms. I didn't want to let go then, and I still don't want to let go now. He has grown up and changed so much. I look at him in amazement every day. He can be a handful still, ornery and disobedient, but he's a great kid. He has a big heart and the most awesome imagination. I can't wait to see what this next year will bring. Well, maybe I can, I'm in no rush. I can tell you though, I plan on savoring every moment of every day. Life is just to short to not

Nana's sauce

2010-03-15T14:04:00.000-04:00

Ever since Christmas, I've been wanting to make my grandmothers meat sauce. My thinking was I could make it, then put it in containers to freeze and we would use on Wednesdays, which is our pasta night. I don't know why I waited but this past week, I finally made the sauce. My mom is here visiting and, this being only the second time I've ever made the sauce, I was glad she was here to help, if need be.

I started by making, then browning the meatballs. I also browned some sweet Italian sausages as well.

Once those were in the pot, I cooked up the onion and garlic then added the tomato paste.

Once that cooked for a few minutes, it went into the pot along with some oregano, basil and a few extra full cloves of garlic. You can never have too much garlic.

Once it started to bubble, I set it on simmer and let it sit for 2 hours. Oh man did my house smell fantastic.
After the sauce cooled a bit, I took some meat and sauce out for this Wednesday then bagged the rest of the meatballs and sausage and jarred the sauce. I should get 4 meals out of it. I also have a small jar set aside to use for pizza night. I figured out the cost per dinner for us and it came to under 5 bucks. What, under 5 bucks to feed 4 people....how can you go wrong!

Loving me some Unity

2010-03-08T17:42:00.000-05:00

I recently joined the Unity Kit of the Month club. I got my first set along with some fun extras. I couldn't wait to play but alas, life got int he way and it was about a week before my new stamps would see some ink. A friend of mine posted a link to a new unity challenge blog called All Things Unity . They posted their first challenge which was to make a sunshiney card. Well, I had some time and was inspired so I sat down and made a card using some stamps from my new February KOTM.

I started with SU Barely banana cardstock and used some pattern paper scraps I had called Summer Soiree by Fancy Pants Design. I stamped the main image on white cardstock with black ink and matted it on SU Summer Sun. I stamped and cut out the rainbow, then stamped it again, cutting out just the larger cloud and popping it up with pop dots. I used my SU markers to color the images. I made a boo boo and stamped the wrong sentiment so to cove it up, I stamped the right one on some Summer Sun and covered the mistake. I would have liked the card better if I hadn't goofed but all in all I'm happy with how it turned out.

VSN - Winter Olympics

2010-02-27T08:22:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, there was a VSN(Virtual Stamping Night) happening over on Splitcoast. I usually don't get a chance to play along but decided to check it out. I want to build up a stash of cards and what better way. Friday night there were 5 challenges and I managed to get 3 of them done.

This first card was for the"WHAT IS AN INUKSHUK?" challenge.

We were given a sketch based on the Inukshuk(shown above) that is the symbol of these Olympics. You can find all the details for this challenge, along with the sketch ----> HERE.
I decided to take the challenge and wanted to make a card that could be used as a birthday card. I wanted to use some paper scraps in my stash so after taking a look at what I had, I decided to go with a mostly blue card. All the paper is from Stampin Up! The card base is Kraft and the pattern paper is called Prestwick which was in the winter 2008 catalog. I adhered the pattern paper to Night of Navy and stamped the image from the Be Happy set on Brocade Blue using Night of Navy ink. The felt ribbon is from Creative Imaginations and the other stamped image is from the Circles and Dots set by Inkadinkadoo. I used my signo pen to do the faux stitching, added the brads and called it done.

The next card I made was for the "Hudson's Bay Sweater" challenge. We were asked to use the colors of the sweater above to create a card. For a bigger challenge, we could use maple leaves, elk, or other patterning. You can find all the details for this challenge ----> HERE.
Once again all my paper is from Stampin Up. I used Going Grey as my card base and then some Ruby Red pattern paper from my 6x6 paper stack. I used my scalloped edge punch on some Basic Grey and stamped the leaves on the reverse side of the pattern paper. I cut the leaves out and adhered one with a pop dot. I got the Basic Boarders stamp set from PaperTrey Ink a few months ago and thought it would go perfectly for this card. I stamped that in black along with the For You sentiment from the Great Friend SU set. To top it off, i added the black brads to the bottom, then called it done. I'm happy with how it it turned out.

The last card I did was for the "Snow Blind!". For this challenge, we had to create an all white card. We were able to color our image a little but for the most part it had to be white. White cardstock, white embellishments....white, white white. You can find all the details for this challenge ---->HERE.
I stamped my image from the Oh So Lovely SU set in black and then did very little coloring. The sentiment is from the SU Great Friend set. I popped the stamped image piece with pop dots and added some pearls and a flower then called it done. It was difficult as I didn't have some embellishments I would have liked to use but overall, I'm happy with the results.

Fellar cake bake Contest

2010-02-25T08:05:00.000-05:00

My oldest is in the Cub Scouts and they just had their Blue and Gold Banquet. He had to make a cake with his daddy. I came up with the idea of doing a hamburger cake and having the hamburger part be a brownie. I got the idea from THIS post on bakerella's site. I was glad that my husband was going to be home to work on this cake with Duncan. With the banquet on Monday, they made their cake Sunday. They used a boxed yellow cake but the brownie was a recipe I use all the time. Duncan had a lot of fun making both with his daddy, and got a little help from his younger brother as well. He had to do most of it and let me tell you, it was hard staying out of the kitchen and NOT helpingThere was a slight problem with the brownie. They couldn't get it out of the pan in one piece and we had to remake it. That of course wasn't a big deal cause it meant we got to eat the first "failed" brownie :)The second brownie was hard to get out as well. We knew we had to make it work and we did, piecing it back together. After we were done, it look like a big hamburger patty.The next day, after Duncan got home from school, they decorated the cake. He had a lot of fun adding the "ketchup" and "lettuce". We topped it off with some sesame seeds and called it done. We really were pleased with how it came out. Duncan couldn't wait to go to the banquet and show off his cake. Unfortunately, we had to leave before the judges announced the winners for the 9 categories, but I found out the next day that he won a blue ribbon. He was so excited when I told him.

He also received his Tiger Cub badge at the banquet. I was so proud of him. All the boys have worked hard to earn their badges. He really has enjoyed being in the scouts and I'm so proud of him.

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Cinnamon rolls

2010-02-22T14:53:00.000-05:00

I love my bread machine. I've made so many delicious breads with it so far and can't wait to make more. On Sunday mornings, we usually get together with my dad, step mom, sister, brother-in-law and nephew. This past Sunday we had everyone come over to our house. I decided to make cinnamon rolls. I knew I wouldn't get up early enough to make it all that morning, so I did the dough the night before, put it in the fridge after the first kneed and then continued making it the next morning. I was a little nervous doing it this way but trusted that it would be OK, after all, the book said I could do it. ;)
Sure enough, the next morning, I took the dough out and it did in fact rise overnight in the fridge. I let it sit for about 15 minutes then rolled the dough out, brushed some melted butter on it, sprinkled the cinnamon sugar mixture and rolled it up like a jelly roll. Then I cut it and placed them in a muffin pan to bake.

I think I must have read the time wrong because they overcooked a little bit but they were still yummy. I made a glaze of milk, powdered sugar, vanilla and butter to go over the top(wish i remembered to get a pic of that but I didn't plan on doing the glaze. It was requested from my sister who is going to be 40 on Tues so I agreed to make it for her).

I can't wait to make them again. And I will no longer be afraid to make the dough at night and place in the fridge, that is, if the book tells me it's OK.

Vday and other cards

2010-02-12T10:41:00.001-05:00

I spent most of Thursday working on Valentine day cards for the kids classes. I needed a total of 36, not counting teachers. I got the sweet treat cups from Stampin Up and was excited to give them a try.

I didn't to do the regular size card and thought a 3x3 would be to small so I decided to do 3x4 cards. I used just about all SU products on these cards, the only exception is the adhesive and the inside stamp. I used Close to Cocoa for the boy cards and Pink Pirouette for the girl cards. The patten paper is Candy Land from last years SU catalogue. I used my heart to heart punch on some of the designer paper, stamped the friend to friend from the Love You Much set and filled the treat cups with valentine M&M's. I really am happy with how they came out.

I recently went to a stamp class my friend Anavon of Annie's Pantry held. She is an SU demo who lives close by and started doing classes again. We made a total of 5 cards. Here are 3 of them.

I'm looking forward to doing a few classes each month. She will also be doing a scrapbook class and I'm looking forward to going to those as well.
I love when i get a chance to craft with friends, sharing ideas and learning new techniques.

growing up fast

2010-02-10T07:56:00.000-05:00

We've entered a new stage at our house. One I'm not quite sure on just yet. Last year, when my husband got a new laptop, we decided to give our 2 boys his to play on. It worked out great for the most part. The computer is a bit slow and things took time loading, and the boys got frustrated but they enjoyed being able to play on it. There have been the occasional bickering that comes with 2 little boys trying to share, one wanting to play this game, the other wanting to go to that website, but all in all it's worked out.
We received our tax refund and I got my Valentines day gift with it...a new laptop. I love my new laptop which also came with a wireless printer, which is working out great. What this means for the boys is now there is a laptop for each of them. We have them set up in the family room, near my desk, so we can monitor them at all time. They've also discovered Hulu which has a lot of old shows for them to watch. They now love Pink Panther, Woody Woodpecker and Inspector Gadget. Luckily, there hasn't been any fighting over who gets to use which computer.

One other thing we did was we got them each a pair of headphones. We're not sure how this will work. Our concern is we don't want the boys sitting at the computer, with headphones on, tuning everyone out. So far that hasn't been the case, but it's still a bit of a concern. We have set up some ground rules and will continue to do so as need.
I love that they enjoy their laptops so much and glad that as they continue with school, they'll have that knowledge of how to use them.
They're growing up so fast, my boys. Seems like only yesterday I was holding them in my arms trying to get them to sleep. I wonder when they'll invent something to help slow down time. That's the next thing I want to purchase and I hope it comes out soon, cause my boys are growing up way to fast for my liking.

My handy man

2010-02-03T12:39:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy my paper crafting hobby. I'm fortunate to have a husband that supports my hobby as well. We both agree that it's healthy for us to have our hobbies. Something that we can go and do to "get away" from every day life and something that helps us both keep our stress levels down.
While my hobbies include scrapping, paper crafting and cooking/baking, his is woodworking. He's very good at his hobby as well. It's so fun to have such a handy guy around. He can look at a situation and come up with a solution he can do on his own. He's always looking at ways to make things work better for us.
His latest thing was coming up for something to put our phone in. You see, we recently ported our land line over to a cell phone, with the cell now being the "home" phone. We got rid of the land phone with the answering machine, but where would we keep the cell phone that replaced it? We could just leave it on the counter, but it could get misplaces with mail or school papers that get dumped there. We could go and buy something, but where's the fun in that. And what if we can't find what we want. Enter my talented husband. He went out to the garage, got some wood and made this:

As you can see, it's open enough that we'll be able to see the phone numbers of those who are calling and small enough that it's not obstructing or dominating the place we hung it.
I love my husband. I love that he's so handy and talented and that his mind is always thinking.

2010-01-27T17:21:00.000-05:00

I was fortunate to find some time to get a few more of the VSBN challenges done late last week before the deadline. Here are the last 2 pages:

This first one was for the "Busted Stuff" challenge. We were to use the album cover as our inspiration. I took the torn edges as my inspiration. This is a very different page for me. I cut up a piece of K&Company paper, add a piece of Cloud9 pattern paper and then used SU rose red to add some color. I used my Unity Distressed Dots stamp and white craft ink as well. The title is a rub on and then I added the buttons and some grass green rhinestones form Queen & Co to finish it off. I attempted to use some smooch spritz but after the first spray, it stopped working. Not sure what happened there but I was left with a few big spots. Oh well, I'll still happy with how it came out. This page has grown on me the more I look at it. I think because it's so far from my norm, it took me a while to like it.

The next one was for the "My Name Is" challenge. We had to use that as part of our title and then journal something funny or silly about the person. I chose these pictures of my youngest being silly. The journaling talks about his fun and silly personality. The pattern paper is from Cosmo Cricket. I love their paper, especially the double sided. The circles down the right were stamped in red on the backside of the pattern paper. It's hard to see what they say in the picture but they read "happy", "smile" and "de-light-ful". The chipboard bracket was painted with acrylic paint, first in yellow and then I went over when it was still a little wet with some orange.

I'm happy with the scrapping I've been able to get done so far. I've done 6 pages this month, 4 off from what I was shooting for but not to shabby of a start to the new year.

new ink storage

2010-01-25T08:16:00.000-05:00

As I continue to look at areas that need help in the organizing department, one area in my craft space that stuck out was my inks. I have these cubes I got at Michaels and AC Moore, which I love. Some came with a canvas drawer. One of these drawers is where I stored my inks.

It never really worked but it was the best option I had. Having to dig through the drawer to find the ink colors became more and more of a pain and made me less enthusiastic to do any crafting. I mean, who wants to go digging for a certain ink color right? So a while back my friend Diana posted THIS link. She ended up making it and I just kinda stored it in the back of my mind as something that I would try someday. Fast forward to a few days ago, chatting with my SCS friends about organizing certain scrap supplies and Diana once again posted a photo of a box made with the same foam board. That made me remember the ink storage, and Michaels had the foam board on sale and I had new found motivation. My husband was home so he helped me with the measuring and cutting and before I knew it, I had new ink storage.

I thought I would have some major rearrange to make it fit but thankfully, it didn't take much and I must say, I love how it's working out. The only negative thing is the foam board, where cut, is a little jagged. You really have to be close to notice it though. Eventually, I'm hoping my wonderful, handy, talented husband will make me one out of wood. Until then, I'm extremely pleased with this.

VSBN pages

2010-01-21T16:07:00.000-05:00

There was a virtual scrapbooking night this past weekend over on SCS. Well, it's more like a weekend, not a night. For those who my not know, VSBN is basically challenges that are posted and then you scrap a layout based on the rules of the challenge. I was only able to get 3 challenges done so far but am still holding out hope to get one or two more done before the deadline this weekend. This VSBN's theme was Rockin Through The Decades. All the challenges were based on songs/music.

The first challenge I did was the "Toys in the Attic" challenge. There was a sketch, based on the Aerosmith cover, that we were to use. As soon as I saw the sketch, I was inspired. I used 2 pictures of my boys taken at my dad's during the summer of 08. I love both of these pictures. I stepped outside my comfort zone, using some bright colors, which is rare for me. I sometimes get scared of color and stick to using only one or 2 paired with neutral shades. The yellow/orange and stiped pattern paper is double sided from Fancy Pants called summer soiree. I used grungeboard wings and heart for the top, painting it with acrylic paint.I punched a circle out of SU Kiwi Kiss and then used a pop dot for the star, which is SU Riding Hood Red. Then to finish it off, I used my white signo pen to do the boarder. I'm really happy with how this one turned out.

The next one I did was for the "How To Save A Life" challenge. We were to scrap a page showing steps or instructions on how to do something, using at least 3 photos and having at least 2 steps. I used these photos of my oldest climbing the rock wall at a playground. It's a pretty basic page, not a lot of elements but again, I'm happy with how it turned out. The journaling lines are a stamp from Autumn Leaves and the numbers on the circles are rub ons. I used a foam brush and my SU white craft ink to make a subtle frame around my son on the last picture.

The last page was for the "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" challenge. We had to use THIS Sketch by the fabulous Sally, have "diamonds" and use Crystal Effects. I decided to use these photos of my youngest at a playground from March of 08. It is the second page of a DSP(the first page was done for a VSBN challenge last Feb. You can see it ---->HERE) Since the first page has most of a circle, it was easy to continue onto this page to represent the arc where the title was to go. And since the title was on the first page, I decided to do journaling in it's place. For the diamonds I used jewels in lily white by Doodlebug Design on each side of the flower. It may be hard to see, but the middle of the smile circle is where I used the Glossy Accents since I don't have Crystal Effects

I don't think I'm going to get any more challenges done before the upload deadline but I'm happy with the scrapping I did do. I hope to keep going and get caught up, as I'm still working on 08 photos.

Finally, some crafting time

2010-01-18T08:25:00.000-05:00

It feels like forever since I got anything crafty done. Truth be told, it wasn't that long. I did make stuff for the boys classes and teachers for Christmas. But still, it feels like it's been a forever. This week I was chatting with a friend of mine who just picked up a Creating Keepsakes magazine. As she was thumbing through it, telling of things she wanted to try, I realized I never got a chance to really look through mine. We started talking about different things and one thing we both wanted to try was gluing beads onto chipboard letters (pg 101 of the Jan 2010 issue). We decided we would both give it a try.
I had some clear micro beads so I gave it a whirl. Now, if you're going to try this, I highly suggest you use a tray. I had beads all over with a try so I shutter to think what not using one would be like. I painted an "h" with making memories acrylic paint, then used glossy accents to glue the beads down. There were a few spots that didn't cover well but overall, I was happy with the results. I decided to do a "b" as well and make a birthday card with them. Here is the card:

And here is a closer look at the messy, uneven beads:

I do plan on trying this again., maybe with a little bit bigger bead.

I also scrapped my first page of 2010. I feel like it's been forever since I got any pages done. My friend Diana, asked me to host the variety challenge on SCS this week. It gave me the perfect excuse to stop procrastinating and get a page done. You can see the details of the variety challenge ----> HERE
My challenge was to scrap pictures of what you do when it's to cold to go outside, or if you like to go out in the cold, scrap what activities you enjoyed doing.

The pictures are from our trip to the roller skating rink about a half hour from our home. The boys really had a blast and can't wait to go back again. I used a collage template I downloaded from scrapbooketc.com for my pictures and had it printed in an 8x8 size. The pattern paper is from Cosmo Cricket and it's called Get Happy: Lucky. I LOVE double sided cardstock. It really makes things so much easier. I had issues trying to sew but finally figured out what I was doing wrong. I had a few minor areas which didn't look to good so I used buttons to cover those up. The arrows and circle stamped images I got from my friend Diana and thought they went well with this page. I decided to use yellow for my title. This was really a big deal. I'm usually the play it safe, neutral colors kind of girl. This was really stepping out of my comfort zone but I'm really glad I did it. So much so, I used the same yellow to add color to the stamped arrow images. To finish the page off, I used a ruler and my white signo gel pen to draw the boarder around the outside. I'm really happy with the way this page came out.

This weekend SCS had a VSBN(Virtual ScrapBooking Night). I knew due to some family things going on, it would be hard to play along. I did, however, manage to get 2 pages done and am hoping to find some time today to do a few more. Look for those pages soon.

I'm hoping this will be the start of some major scrapping. I feel like I'm on my way and it will be nice to get caught up again.

Eating healthier, or at least trying

2010-01-11T07:34:00.001-05:00

I really didn't make any New Years Resolutions. I didn't because, well, lets face it, in a few weeks I'd forget and that would be the end of it. I am however making a plan for a better, healthier me. My plan is to get more exercise, take time out to de-stress by doing some breathing exercises and eat healthier. I started this before new years actually, when chatting with a friend about how I wasn't really happy with myself.
One of the things I really want to focus on is eating healthier. Seems easy enough, right? I'm trying to get more fresh fruits and veggies in my diet(I really hate this word). I want to try and cut back on some processed foods as well, which won't be easy. I'm a creature(did you hear that Edward(yes, I am reading Twilight, can you tell)) of habit who has a hard time with change, but I'm committed for all the right reasons. Baby steps, I'm taking baby steps.
I already started eating a little better. I've made a few things that turned out better than I thought. The first was an avocado salad. I found THIS recipe online and decided to give it a whirl. Talk about getting your veggies in right. The salad consisted of Avocado, Tomatoes, Cilantro, Onion and juice from a Lime (it also calls for bell pepper but I forgot that...oops). I really enjoyed it and plan on making it again. It was a very filling lunch.

Another recipe I just tried was Italian Port Chops from Prevention.com. I was really looking forward to making it and planned it for a Monday night, so i could get everything when I went food shopping that morning. Well, let me just say that I thoroughly enjoyed this meal and definitely will be making it again. I also had some herb Italian bread I made earlier in the week which was great for soaking up some of the sauce.

My kids are picky and I knew they wouldn't each the yummy veggies in this dish. I wanted to make sure they got some veggies with their meal, so I cooked up some broccoli for them. It was a tasty dish with a good amount of veggies. I didn't even use all the olive oil the recipe called for. I definitely plan to try more recipes from Prevention.com.

Next, I decided to give Asparagus a whirl. I've never made asparagus. Well, scratch that, I did steam and make baby food for Tanner, but I never made it for myself, or any other "grown-up". I had no idea where to even start. Luckily I have this great friend who is a big foodie and who also had a food blog. She had THIS blog post about asparagus, so that was what I set out to do. My only change was I used kosher salt and threw in some garlic. Everything tastes better with garlic, don't ya think? Well, don't ya.. ;)

I must say, these were quite yummy and I'm happy to report that I can now add Asparagus to my list of veggies.

Bon appetit~

Oh Boy(s)

2010-01-08T09:04:00.000-05:00

I have 2 boys, ages 6 and 4, who are currently in a Transformers and Star Wars faze. All they asked Santa to bring them was Star Wars action figures and some Transformers which, truth be told, made thing a lot easier for me. It's also nice having both into the same things. Since the last week of school vacation, I would get up to the same scene - Star Wars the Clone Wars (animated version) or Transformer Revenge of the Fallen on TV and battle scenes strategically placed around the living room, hallway and boys bedrooms. Not just any battle scenes and not just with the actually transformer and star wars toys. They had Lincoln Logs set up as tanks and Lego's as people, regular trucks set upright for the transformers they didn't have, stuffed animals for who knows what. Let me tell you it's quite the scene. When I got up, the movie would be ending, by the time I was functioning, after coffee, they were starting it again. Who's bright idea was it to show them how to work the remote...wait, don't answer that. I have no idea what time they woke up, but was thankful they let me sleep in. Now with them back in school, this occurs later in the day, after homework. I love my boys, and I absolutely love their imagination. It amazes me how they can look at a toy and turn it into something completely different to fit whatever it is that's racing through there heads at any given time. Was I like this when I was their age? And if I was, when did I stop being like this? And more importantly, can I get it back? Just something I was wondering about as I sit here, in a now quiet house.

Autobots, Roll out!

One Little Word

2010-01-04T11:42:00.001-05:00

As I was cleaning up my desk area, which is also my scrap/stamp/craft area, I got to thinking about some things I wanted to do. Most was about organizing my area better. then, as always, my mind started wondering. I started thinking about different areas of the house i wanted to organize better. And that's when it hit me, my One Little Word(OLW) for 2010 was going to be ORGANIZE.
I'm hoping that if I can organize better, it will be easier to stay organized long term. Will I start off with a bang and go full force through the end of January only to slow down and forget the whole thing by March? Or will I be able to sustain longer? How much longer? Til the Summer? Or maybe when the kids go back to school in September? Or maybe, just maybe, through the entire year. You're guess is as good as mine. I do hope that if it does go by the wayside, I can find a way to get back on track. We'll just have to wait and see how I do.
So, I spent time on Saturday organizing my desk area. The first thing I tackled was my jar of ribbon. A friend of mine posted a blog that had a really cute paper bobbin she used to wrap her ribbon scraps around. You can find that blog post ---->HERE
Well, I don't have a Cricut and I didn't want to cut them all out, so I opted to take my friends suggestion and use my SU Rounded Tab punch. Luckily,I had some thin cardboard so off I went to see if I could make it work.

Here is my jar before spooling the ribbon.

And here is my jar after(don't mind the mess, I'm getting to it, I swear).
I'm very happy with how easy it was and I didn't have to spend a dime(well, today anyway). I have so much more room in my jar now.

Fresh starts in 2010

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

I decided to start 2010 off with not just a new look blog, but a NEW blog. Here you will read about the things that are essential to me. First, my family. I would be lost without them. They are my reason for living, even when they are driving me completely bonkers. But, no matter how crazy they drive me, how far to the brink they send me, at the end of the day, I wouldn't change a thing. The really are my reason for living.
The other 2 essentials are food and crafting.
First, about crafting. I've been paper crafting for several years now and it's something I enjoy. I've met some amazing people through paper crafting.
And about food. I've really started trying to be a better cook. I have some crafty friends who are also big time foodies and they have inspired me to no end. Add to that the brand new Kitchenaid stand mixer and the bread machine and I'm all set to get cooking.
So, you can look froward to seeing many of my crafty things, and a lot of stuff I attempt to cook as well as reading about the antics of my 2 beautiful but ornery boys as well as other family members(and friends).
I hope to post at least once a week, on Mondays. We'll see how that goes to start. So come on back and let me know what you think.

Sapphire's Essentials

For the teachers

A crafty weekend

On on the sixth day, I ate...

Goodbye 2011, a plan for 2012 and OLW

Home made potato chips

long overdue update

Summer's coming to an end

Wow, it's been a while

Card box and then some

Some more cards

New Desk!

some more cards

New stuff

Getting ready for spring

Valentine's Day crafts

A New Year, plus a few weeks

it's been a while

FTL115

getting a jump on Xmas

Halloween Treats

the closet

Pumpkins

Don't Compete, Just COMPLETE!

My Journey

Yummy Quesadilla Cups

The mess

First day of school

making some changes

My baby is 5!

{FWF} Friday

Friday = {Friends with Flair}

Unity Addict Challenge

{FWF} and a throwdown

{FWF} Blog hop

Monday H{ippity} Hop

{FWF} Friday

H{ippity} Hop

Another Friday, another fun {FWF}

what's growing

{FWF} Friday

Unity's {FWF} Friday

Happy Memorial Day

another friday, another {FWF}

More of Hubby's handy work

Friday {FWF}

Unity {FWF} Friday

Happy Mother's Day

{FWF} Hop

The book case

{Friends with Flair} Blog Hop

Been a busy week

Unity {Friends With Flair} Friday

Home made vanilla Extract

Unity {Friends with Flair} Friday

Some crafting time

gardening

My baby is now 7

Nana's sauce

Loving me some Unity

VSN - Winter Olympics

Fellar cake bake Contest

Cinnamon rolls

Vday and other cards

growing up fast

My handy man

More pages

new ink storage

VSBN pages

Finally, some crafting time

Eating healthier, or at least trying

Oh Boy(s)

One Little Word

Fresh starts in 2010