Monday, February 22, 2010

Tag




So it is statement week here. What that means is, I make a statement, bill, for each of our customers. All 100 plus of them. I have been doing this for 10 some years. But it never gets easy. It is the one part of owning this business I do not care for much, LOL.

It is time consuming and you have to be so careful cause some people do not like any mistakes!! Most of our customers are long term clients and if there is ever an oversight on a statement they are super great about understanding. But then there are those that I swear just wait for a slip up, :) I do not make many mistakes, praise God!!! But it is a little stressful, and it also takes big chunks out of time in the scrap/craft room, :)

Now thats really the problem, I just want to spend all my free time in there! Love my room!!

So I slipped out of my home office for a little lunch break and made this sweet little bird tag. Also watched a couple youtube videos as I created this tag. Glad to see some actual projuect videos!!! Nice break from haul videos, LOL!!

Yeah it was a fast create, but I love it.

New BBQ for my sweetheart

So Alex, my hubby, has a birthday fast approaching. This past weekend I was trying to figure out what to give him. I knew he had talked about getting a new BBQ grill. He had seen this fancy one somewhere.

Well I asked him if he still wanted the BBQ. He said he did but it was too expensive. I reminded him that we use to BBQ every weekend until our 12 year old grill just started to not work right. It would stay lite, we had replaced the regulator at least 4 times.

My hubby loves to BBQ. It has always been a main focal of sat. for us. We BBQ and watch a movie or two. Now with Shanon moved out it became even more of an event to us. Everything seems to have a new intensity honestly, but thats a nother story....:)

Well I convinced him to go look again at BBQ cause I missed this part of our weekend evenings. Plus I reminded him his birthday was just a week or 2 away and this would be a great gift!!

So off he went...I staied home cause I still had our 3 macaw cages to clean and then shower and dress. Due to my MS I really have to pace myself to get the most out of any day, but I am really careful on weekends. I hate to end up in agony with pain and pain from muscle spasms and cramps that curl my hands and feet.

Well the one he had loved was gone!! Now he really wanted it!! LOL...so off on the hunt for the perfect grill. He finally found one that he loved. He said better then the original one he saw. Its smaller and better color. Goes better with whole patio colors ect. But it was more, go figure!! LOL

Either way, we are back to our BBQ sat.!!

Happy Birthday baby!! You deserve it!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

I won!!!

I cannot believe it!!! I won a cricut cartridge from Mary!!! She is this amazing creative lady!! She has a youtube channel and thats how I found her. Her channel is cardztv. I think I have a link to her blog on my sidebar.

Anyway she had a give away for reaching 1000 subscribers, I believe that was how many. LOL, o.k. I am so excited that I won that I am not making sense!

Mary is just awesome. You have to check her out. She makes beautiful cards and mini albums ect. Such talent!!

Also just ordered, or rather pre ordered all the tim holtz dies and embossing folders. I was just going to wait for them to come out. I hate paying for things and having to wait what seems like ages to get them, LOL! But I found them at liveteachcreate, and she is so awesome I had to just order. So at least now I know I am getting them!!

Ahhhh just dreaming of the creativity that will be done with these. Its a good day!!

Winning this cartridge was such a blessing. With my daughter living so far away, it has been hard. It was such a down day for me yesterday. Then this happened. God is so good!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Layout

Well had to take a little creative break from the mini albums I am making. I am making one for my hubby out of Graphic 45 collection, Gentlemen. Can't remember the exact name. I think it is very popular right now. I am thinking that lot's of husband will be getting something made with this collection if their wives are the creative type. You know like us, LOL!

Anyway, this is a layout I put together of our very old lady cat named Sassy. She is 18 years old. Her and her brother, who is still alive too, were rescues. At 6 weeks old they were dumped in the yard of the water company at the end of the street. We don't live there any more, thank goodness!! It was so sad so many animals left there!!

Anyway, the Layout....




I have a mini album going for my husband alex and also one for my daughter. She is living in Texas just outside of houston. Her fiance had a great job offer and she didn't want to be away from him....so she is there.

I am also making an album for her and Gabriel, thats her fiance. It is just the first year, falling in love. The fun stuff!! They have known each other for 3 years, but it has been 2 years that they have been serious.

They have a vow of purity, no sex before marriage. I was so proud of them when they shared that with us. If you knew my daughter you would know that she would be very dissapointed if it hadn't been this way, LOL

Well back to this great book. I have read it 2 times, now 3. A sweetie on Youtube reminded me of it. Its called Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts. Always gets my creativity flowing and makes me relax and shake off any pressure I may have been letting to hold me back. You know the pressure to fit in even with what you create, so that you can hope to be accepted.

Well, shake shake shake.....I am free to be and create my way!!! For me, and so are you my dear heart!!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

New Stacks of Goodness

Hi!!

Well I went to Mikes on Friday evening. I had not been to my mikes in at least 6 months. First off, I don't drive due to my MS. It is just not comfortable for me. Second and most important reson, my mikes was horrible!!

It had a very small selection of scrap items. They had stickers, boy did they have stickers! LOL!!

But as for any variety in any other area. Nope. A couple of Tim Holtz items, a small section of paper but no stacks. No chipboard anything....you get the idea I'm sure.

Well Friday my dear hubby needed to go get new boots for work. So I asked if he would drop me off at Mikes. After watching many haul videos on youtube ( I have a love hate relayionship with those videos, LOL) I really wanted to see if my mikes MAYBE had any of the mini chipboard albums. I mean a buck, wow!!

So thats why I went and gave it another chance.....

I was so excited to see that my mikes is now a real craft store! I could not believe it! I was in heaven! So I did some shopping. I found some paper stacks I had never seen before and boy they are gorgous!! I will share a few this week in each post.

So paper pad one



It is by Making Memories. Its so pretty. Very delicate and oh so english garden, just like it's name. If you want some pictures of the papers just let me know and I'll post some pics of them.

Next paper pad



This one is to die for! It is very meriposa in a way. But much more vintage feel to it. It is one of my favorites. I am already starting a project for my daughter with it. But I will upload some of the papers tomorrow. Just so beautiful!

I got a couple other stacks I will post tomorrow. Very vintage. Glittery. Oh yeah some of the pages in the above pads have glitter and or flocking.

Dinner done. Yes!! We recorded the super bowl. Alex had been working on refinishing a beautiful park bench today. So when he got done he decided to take a nap. So I had already set the recording of the game up. So we are going to be watching the game now. Shhhhh, don't tell me who won! LOL

Leave a comment or email. Always looking for friendship
Thanks for your time

Friday, February 5, 2010

Tim Holtz Interveiw

Hey, Just wanted to let everybody know that custom crops has a great video on youtube. It's two parts and it is a fantastic converstaion with Tim Holtz! It is really good. He talks about how he got into art and crafting. He shows his products too, but if your like me you have seen all those already! LOL

This is a must see video. Just search Custom Crops on Youtube. You will find it.

It is super nice to see Tim in this video. Hearing his story and a little history. Love it!!

Hope your day is going great and I'll talk to you later. I am organizing my studio.......love and hate it, LOL.

I have just gotten too many new products in the last few weeks that I had to get it set up better. Plus being the Youtube addict I am, I have found some great organing ideas from some of you fab ladies!!

Thanks so much!!!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Vintage Goodies In the Studio




This is a clear plastic bin that sit's on one side of work space. It is full of vintage goodness. It inspires me and keeps my juices flowing. I am excited to get going with some yummy projects with these items.

I love some of the new products out there, I watched tons of CHA videos to get those sneek peeks at the new items just like you all did!
But......I also love to scrap and create with odd items and I enjoy going a different direction many times and using old products or off the wall items.

I am moved more by what grabs me. I am not moved by the latest greatest got to have it.

Now don't get me wrong, I love getting packages in the mail!! LOVE to!!! Like I said I love some of the new products that are being released. But what really grabs me is vintage odd items.

I will once in a while show a "haul" post. But I hope to make it more about the product and pictures of it. Maybe a few humble thoughts on it. Less about "this is what I got today" LOL!

Long live Vintage!!!

Count it all JOY



A few weeks ago here in California, we had some very heavy crazy storms. For the whole week! Winds up to 90 miles an hour and rain blowing. My dear husband spends the day outside and he said he couldn't even see many times. The wind was blowing the rain so hard into his face and eyes. Plus the sound of huge tree branches breaking and falling kept him nervous and distracted. Some trees were even uprooted. Being self employed means you work no matter the weather.

I know here in our backyard we had a number of things turn over and fall. Even the spa cover was blown off. Now let me tell you, this cover is huge!! It must weigh 70 pounds easy! But it was blown right off. The spa has a lattice enclosure too so there was some type of wind break but this wind was merciless.

Then on Friday, after the whole week of storms and damage and discomfort, this amazing double rainbow appeared. It was 4 in the afternoon. Rain water still dripping from the eves and trees. The glorious sun broke through for a few minutes and everything sparkled as if sprinkiled by fairy dust, or Glimmer Mist, LOL. Just beautiful!

We were on our back patio. Where you find us each and every afternoon/evening. Discussing the days events and business matters.

Well Alex looked up and said, look at that!! The Rainbow! We even stood up and walked closer to the fence, as if somehow we could get closer to the magic and beauty. Just in awe of the beauty that the storm had left behind.

It was a sign to me. It spoke of beauty in the midst of storms. Of hope, of peace, of clearing skies. It spoke of the extrodinary in the ordinary!!

This picture doesn't do this rainbow justice. You can hardly see the second one. The colors were bright and pure. The earth around us sparkled as the sun danced on the droplets of rain water.

It was magic!

There is fantasic things to behold all around us. My life is ordinary!! Way ordinary! But I can still live extrodinary!

So can you!