All it takes is a blink.

My cousin's daughter just turned 16. I was able to convince myself that I wasn't all that old because my girls were still young, but I remember Katherine crawling around in diapers like it was just yesterday. You can guess how I feel now! No more delusions...giggle. With that short blink of time, she went from baby to young woman and it inspired me to create a couple of baby girl cards along with a birthday card.

"Baby Girl" Supplies Used: Card stock, K&Company and Autumn Leaves paper, DCWV dimensional sentiment sticker, Tsukinek pigment ink in Coffee Bean and from my stash: ribbon and buttons.

"Its a Girl"

Supplies Used: Card stock, K&Company and Autumn Leaves paper, K&Company dimensional butterfly sticker, Kaiser pearls, Tsukinek pigment ink in Coffee Bean and Malted Mauve, Inkadinkado stamp and from my stash: cream grosgrain ribbon and buttons.

"Happy Birthday"

Supplies Used: Card stock, vintage printed image, Fancy Pants Little Sprout and Crafty Secrets Vintage papers, Chipboard frame from my stash that I painted white and added glitter to, hand cut flower, Melody Ross (GCD Studios) vintage brad, Tsukinek pigment ink in Coffee Bean and Pearlescent Rust, Shimmerz Spritz in Treasured Hymn, Stampington & Company Dry Goods Ledger stamp and from my stash: blue grosgrain ribbon, button and sentiment stamp.

My DH fixed my very well-loved Singer sewing machine the other day, so I've been doing quite a bit of stitching on my cards. I love the texture it adds!!

Remember that you can purchase any of these cards in my Etsy store!!

Thanks for spending some time with me and remember to laugh at least once today!

Hugs,

M.

A Magnificent Obsession!

What an incredible weekend!! I was extremely busy but not the stressful kind by any stretch of the imagination. I have to say that it wouldn't have been possible without the support of my wonderful family; especially my DH.

On Saturday, I basically sat on my butt in my office all day. I participated in the Flowers to Flourishes Extravaganza 2-day Sale, and seriously went over my budget. I admit that I did so without one ounce of regret. What a sale!! I managed to get three (yea, you read that right) THREE Crate Paper kits - the Prudence, Lemongrass and Mia...just gorgeous. I also got in on the Basic Grey Granola kit and the Ki Memories Urban Era kit. I think I'm all set on paper and matching embellishments for a little while. I also got some really gorgeous bling from Prima - a total splurge but you can't blame me!!! Fancy Pants rub-ons (a set of 3), Ki Memories mini brads and an American Crafts Stamp Marker set. It was a blast!!! The other ladies participating were great fun and we had a lot of laughs. There were even door prizes to be won. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to sacrifice the venti vanilla lattes from Starbucks for a long while to save for the next one.

The sale went into Sunday, but I managed to get away for a few hours to take my girls to lunch, shopping and then we all went sliding at Albert's hill (a gathering place in the middle of town with a HUGE hill). It was great fun!!

And since it's all about balancing work and play, I managed to create six cards for my Etsy store right in the middle of it all. Here are a few of them:

"Just for You" Supplies: Crafty Secrets paper, striped grosgrain ribbon (an Etsy purchase), and buttons, bakers twine, cardstock and stamp from personal stash.

"Thank You (a whole bunch)"

Supplies: Melody Ross (GCD Studios) paper, American Crafts chipboard shapes, Tsukinek pigment ink in Coffee Bean, and buttons, bakers twine and stamp from personal stash.

"Love (is in the air)"

Supplies: Making Memories and Graphic 45 paper, Kaiser pearls, Tsukinek pigment ink in Coffee Bean, striped grosgrain ribbon (an Etsy purchase) and buttons and wire from personal stash.

"Get Well"

Supplies: 3 Bugs in a Rug paper, Tsukinek pigment ink in Coffee Bean, and cardstock, ribbon, and bakers twine from personal stash.

I also did a couple of baby girl cards, but I'll save them for another day.

"Give yourself permission to have a magnificent obsession." ~ Bernie Seigel

Definitely words to live by!!!

Have a great day!

M.

"Love is in the air..."

"Love is such a big word, it should really have more letters." ~ Kobi Yamada

With only a few short weeks left till Valentine's Day, I've been busy making cards for loved ones and for my Etsy shop. This "I Adore You" card is one of my favorites because of the vintage image. I also used My Mind's Eye paper, die-cut tag and chipboard sentiment, Kaiser pearls, a vintage button from Nana's stash and ribbon and doily from personal stash. I'll share more every few days as we get closer to Valentine's Day. I'm such a sucker for this holiday as I'm a hopeless romantic. One of my favorite movies is "The Notebook". Ahhh, love is in the air.

Hugs,
M.

It's WICKED awesome...and a great idea too!!

For me, 2010 brings a new opportunity (again!) to better organize myself, my craft area, and all those special family moments that I want to scrap. With three young girls and a hard working husband, I don't have a lot of chances to sit down and scrap that birthday party from last weekend...it usually happens that I find the time months down the road and then I can't find that certain picture or I've forgotten that silly 'something' someone said.
My Mind's Eye has a challenge going on that I thought was a WICKEDLY AWESOME idea. For the month of January, you are to create an album (for the year) and at the beginning of every month, starting in February, you document your own personal "Top Ten" for the previous month. You can choose to document your favorite ten books, movies, restaurants visited, or family moments as I am. I've designed my album using blank pages for journaling and envelopes for storing pictures and memorabilia. That way I won't forget the moment or lose the pictures, and it will all be in one place when I'm finally ready to create that layout.

My album measures approximately 6"x8" and is divided monthly by tabbed pages. I've used paper from MME Laundry Line as well as some Jenni Bowlin, MME die-cuts, chipboard accessories, and rub-ons, American Crafts felt flowers, Tim Holtz distress ink, Shimmerz Spritz and ribbon and brads from my personal stash. I also took advantage of the number sheet provided by MME designer, Jen Allyson Nugent.

As you can see, I really took this opportunity to play around with the Shimmerz since I haven't really had that much experience in using it. What fun I had!

I inserted a tag in the months where there was a birthday as well. A reminder of sorts that there should be pictures of a party that month!

I put a handmade envelope on the back of every monthly tabbed page for storage.

On the inside of the back cover, I put a larger envelope for any miscellaneous pictures or scraps.

That's my album, and I expect it will serve it's purpose well in helping me stay organized enough to remember every special moment in 2010. I hope you join My Mind's Eye and create your own "Top Ten for 2010".

Have a wonderful day!

M.

Enjoy your bliss...

Have you checked out Candy Shoppe Designs yet? They have an amazingly talented bunch of "Lollipop Girls" over there that'll knock your socks off, and they've posted their first challenge of the new year: your interpretation of "I". If it isn't enough to be inspired by their layouts, then maybe an extra chance to win January's prize pack full of yummy sweetness from Blue Moon Scrapbooking will get ya rockin'! You've gotta hurry - the deadline for this first challenge is tomorrow.

My layout was inspired by my girls. Journaling reads: "After years of trying with no success, I was finally blessed with each one of you. My life has certainly changed for the better and now I feel complete."

Supplies used: Webster's Pages Postcards from Paris paper and alpha stickers, Prima flowers, Tattered Angels Creme Collection chipboard embellishments, Shimmerz in Treasured Hymn, Thickers alpha stickers, Tim Holtz distress powder, Hampton Arts embossing powder, Tsukinek Red Brick pigment ink, Making Memories gem pins, Maya Road velvet blossoms, Kaiser pearls, Jenni Bowlin pearl flowers, and vintage buttons, grosgrain ribbon and fabric leaves from my stash.

Take some time to challenge yourself; whether it be over at Candy Shoppe Designs or someplace else. It's a good learning experience to push yourself in a direction that you might not normally go in. You never know where it will take you. I, myself, have grown immensely from taking part in challenges and contests, and it honestly doesn't matter to me whether or not I win...it's the journey you take that's special.

"If you enjoy your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else." ~ Joseph Campbell

Take a chance today,
M.

News Flash: Watch out for 3000 year old baby!

"He's a 3000 year old baby with wings, he shoots love-tipped arrows into unsuspecting people, and his name is Cupid: The God of Love."


I don't think I'd much appreciate being shot with any arrow, love-tipped or not, but I do welcome the notion that Cupid was spreading the love. The stories and myths differ depending on who you're hearing them from, but I choose to believe that Cupid was a man so enamoured with a certain someone that he initiated the holiday we celebrate today. Of course, there are reasons for my stand. First, and foremost, I am a woman...and what woman doesn't like all the attention she gets on Valentine's Day? Though I also think that we shouldn't wait for Valentine's Day to show someone how much we love them. Use the many opportunities that present themselves throughout the year. And second, I have an Etsy shop that sells handmade cards for such occasions. Selfish, I know, but this Mom has three girls to put through college.

That being said, here are a few of the cards I've just recently listed.

"Love Bingo" ~ Making Memories paper, Jenni Bowlin bingo card, 7 Gypsies photo turn and brad, stamped image, JoAnn paperclip, doily, vintage book page, ribbon, and glitter glue.

"Valentine's Day" ~ Cardstock, acrylic paint, Making Memories paper and stamp, K&Company paper, Making Memories glitter daisy, ribbon, butterfly trim, vintage button and twine.

"Be Mine" ~ DCWV paper, printed vintage image, acrylic paint, Adornit scallop edge, vintage button, ribbon scraps, and paper lace trim.

"Happy Valentine's Day" ~ Bazzill cardstock, DCWV paper, vintage printed image, Making Memories stamp, Kasier gems, ribbon, vintage button and twine.

"You Are My Sunshine" ~ K&Company paper, Stemma paper, My Mind's Eye paper and die-cut accessories, Bazzill cardstock, Jenni Bowlin pearl flowers, vintage doily scraps, vintage buttons, Kaiser pearls, ribbon, fiber and stamps from stash.

I hope you're taking some time to figure out a special way to tell the ones you love how much you appreciate them. Remember, a handmade card says it in a unique way. If you haven't given it a second thought, then I'd watch out for that 3000 year old baby!

Laugh at least once today!
M.

Are wrinkles and a waddle "dirty" enough?

I finally finished my layout for the first challenge over at Dirty Scraps. I had a hard time letting myself get "dirty" (in the sense of getting really personal). What's the point of scrapping a pet peeve if you don't let it all hang out???

I completed one layout of all the messy dishes left in the sink. I hate it that I'm the only one who can manage to put them into that shiny black thing not 12" away...it's called the dishwasher for a reason, people! I tossed it aside. Not because I didn't like the way it turned out, but because it wasn't "real" enough for me.

I wanted to go a bit more personal, so I started on another one. This time I scrapped a REAL pet peeve. Wrinkles and a waddle - of which I am blessed with both (HUGE amount of sarcasm there). I have to tell you that I hate having my picture taken as much as I hate being obsessed with getting old, but here it is:

So, my pet peeve consists of looking old. I know that age is just a number and I feel 20...I just don't look it anymore and that's where my problem lies. The other part of the challenge was to find some kind of positive spin on your pet peeve. For me, this was easy. The unconditional love of my three beautiful baby girls. No matter how awful I think I look, or whether or not I'm tripping over said waddle, they still love me.

Supplies used: October Afternoon Cherry Hill paper, Shimmerz Spray (Treasured Hymn and Plum Pudding), Tim Holts distress ink (Antique Linen), Hero Arts stamps (long writing and wildflower), Making Memories buttons, Prima flowers, OTC flowers, Kaiser gems and Thickers chipboard and felt alpha stickers. Stash: paper bag, rusted tin screen, gold raffia, hemp cord and Prima packaging.

I hope you can find the time to visit Pinky over at Dirty Scraps and complete the challenge. The due date for this first one is January 24th. Good luck!

Remember: "Being yourself is not remaining what you were, or being satisfied with what you are. It's a point of departure." ~ Sydney Harris

Have a great day and forget about my waddle!
M.

Drama=Awful Mommy Moment

I have three daughters (I heard that sigh), and my oldest is just about ten years old. She is the kind of person that I sometimes wish I could be. She thrives on being around lots of people and has made quite a few friends. She plays Euphonium in the school band (yup, there is such an instrument and it's big enough that I have to pick it up at school every Friday afternoon and drop it back off on Monday morning), she's in drama, student council, chorus, and she's a Brownie in Girl Scouts. All this because she wants to be doing something interesting all the time. She has probably spent the night at friend's houses more in the four years she's been in school than I did my entire childhood. I've also had those same girls sleeping here many weekends making the female to male ratio even steeper for my poor husband. I do all of this for her because I'd be happy with just the five of us home every single weekend playing games or watching movies. I do it so I don't have to listen to her say "I'm bored" nine thousand times a minute, and because I love her.

The point to all this? With a social daughter comes drama. Lots and lots of drama. I'm sure with any daughter, drama eventually follows them home, but with mine, it's arrived a bit sooner than I was expecting. And quite frankly, I don't have time for it. I've been there - done that. However, I realize that it's my duty as a Mom to help her deal with all this the best way she can. Over the last few years, I've told her that all this shall pass, you'll all be friends again by next week, the truth will come out, when you think about it, is it all that important?, if she said that or did that then maybe she isn't really your friend, I understand it's frustrating and upsetting but everything will work out. All the infamous lines I heard from my mom. So far, I've been right and the love returned.

Today, I had an awful Mommy moment. My daughter got into the van and started in on how this friend told that friend that she was lying about something and none of it was true...all the while crying uncontrollably. Instead of the usual pep talk, I told my daughter to just kick her ass in the morning when she got to school. I don't know if it was because I didn't sleep well the night before or if I'd already had my drama fill, but my daughter stopped crying, looked at me with eyes wide and started laughing. Now I know that kicking her friend's ass isn't the appropriate lesson to be teaching my ten year old, and I only said it because I know my daughter. She would never resort to violence to solve anything that didn't involve her sisters because I guess there is some kind of rule out there that says you can hit your sisters any time you want to. My baby is a lover of people...not a fighter. We might be revisiting this topic from another angle in the future. I heard that sigh....wait a minute, it was mine. Drama be gone!

Changing the subject to something more lovely and positive. Valentine's Day. I know it's over a month away, but when you have an Etsy store like I do (hint hint), you have to be ahead of the game, so I've started making Valentine's Day cards. I love the vintage nostalgic look and so I made this card to reflect that. I used a vintage printed image, some DCWV paper, Prima crystal flourishes and one of their Trellis roses, a vintage button from my Nana's stash, a bit of lace I had lying around and some Kaiser pearls. The vintage looking ticket was downloaded over at The 80s Me blog and stamped with a clear stamp I had from years ago. I actually love the way it turned out and that's saying something because I'm my own worst critic. I've done a few other cards, but I'll share them on another day.

Thanks for spending some time with me and have a wonderful day!

Hugs,

M.

"Go Get Dirty"...you only have to tell me once!

Who loves no rules, no boundaries or no censoring? I do I do!! If you're like me, then I've found a new blog that promises to let you be a dirty girl without anyone slapping your hand. Dirty Scraps is offering a new challenge every 10th and 25th of the month with prizes yet to be determined, but what has me intrigued is the fact that I can scrap the "real". I'm in, are you?

Dirty challenge #1: Scrap a pet peeve, but you also have to consider what it is that you've gained as a positive from this negative. Submissions are due by January 24th. I'll be working on mine today and post the pics later. I have to admit to having quite a few pet peeves, so it's going to be a challenge just choosing one!

Good luck!
M.

Cloudy with a Chance of Failure

So, you're lucky this week...two posts! I'm just trying to get caught up with all the things I want to say, and I'm delusional about the number of perfect strangers who might be interested in anything I might have to write about. Remember, I take medication. : )

With the new year upon us, I wanted to make a list of some of my favorite pages created last year, but my husband moved all of our files from one drive to a removable hard drive. This was so nobody could steal any of our data through the wireless network. I know, HE should be taking the medication. Seriously though, network security is what he does for a living, so what was I supposed to do? I did manage to ask why someone would want to steal any of our family photos or pictures of my scrap booking projects. He just looked at me. I knew at that very moment #1. the removable hard drive was on sale at Best Buy; a deal he couldn't possibly pass up AND #2. that I should have just kept my mouth shut. In any case, here are a few of the pages that I managed to find.

"Summer Together" - My daughters and two nephews a few summers ago...back when they got along!

"Soft Touch"- My three year old with the look that wraps her father and gets her the car on Friday nights.

"Goofy 101" - My husband and two oldest making faces at me during what was supposed to be a serious photo op.

"Mud Models" - My oldest Molly and some of her friends during her b-day party playing in the mud they created with the hose on the front lawn. Note: my husband was not at all impressed with the fact that I let them get this dirty or that I let them make a mud pit on the lawn.

"I Don't Know" - My youngest and a mess of buttons that miraculously appeared without her help in my office. I've since had the room exorcised of it's invisible imp.

"Some Kind of Wonderful" - My darling husband. He really is something special.

"Shoes Optional" - This is a picture of my two youngest and my nephew having an impromptu picnic on the front lawn (if you consider oreos, chips, and candy a picnic).

Along with proving to you that I did do something last year, I also took some time to make some new years resolutions. If you know me, then you know that making resolutions (for me) is so beyond futile that it borders on pathetic, but I really am going to try this time. I am, really. : )

#1. I am going to write in this blog at least once a week, so be forewarned.

#2. I am going to cut down on the amount of times I say "yes" in a day. I don't know about anyone else, but I find myself doing way too much and it's all because of my lacking the word "no" in my vocabulary.

#3. I am going to make sure to hug my girls every single day. I tell them that I love them, but sometimes you need to feel the love!

#4. I am going to eat better, quit smoking, lose forty pounds and fit into that bikini before the start of summer.

Hey, this post is called Cloudy with a Chance of Failure...three out of four ain't bad!

Smile,

M.

Welcome Wonderful!

Happy belated New Years!! I hope everyone had a nice holiday break with family and friends. I know I did, but aren't we really just supposed to say that so we're not cast out like lepers? Anywho, I do have to complain a little bit because things weren't the same for my family this year, and it's obvious that it never will be again. As you already know (if you read this blog and I've paid you enough to pay attention), I lost my Bampa very suddenly this past year.

Nana and Bampa~Christmas 2004

It was obviously heart wrenching in every sense but, what really knocked me on my ass, was how quickly our family fell apart. He was the reason we were all so close; spending every holiday together making up traditions that I thought would be carried on well into the years beyond my passing. This was the first year since I was a child that our entire family (cousins, second cousins, great grandchildren, aunts, uncles, exes and their new wives, girlfriends, boyfriends and their buddies - frankly, we would take anyone in) didn't get together during Christmas. We split up into our respective little family units and did our own thing.

I'm complaining because I don't remember that meeting where all this was decided. Where was I? Who agreed to let this family fall apart without a fight? And what about Nana? Well, okay she can't remember she has feet let alone who we are and whether or not she wants to spend time with us, but I was sort of disappointed. I couldn't watch Uncle Paul fall asleep on the couch with his mouth open and coax the little ones to throw small toys at him. I couldn't get pissed at a certain cousin and his wife who conveniently show up just as dinner is being served and leave while the dishes are being done. Was I the only one who enjoyed seeing everyone's stiff new outfits? Bampa's gone and so are our entire family get-togethers. I'm sure we'll still try and get together during the summer for our annual lobster feed, but how many summers will it take before that stops happening too? Then we'll have to resort to those annoying 7 page holiday news letters that come with the generic Christmas card and twenty stamps on the envelope for postage. I guess it was inevitable when you think about Bampa and what he meant to this family, and I still believe that this family is blessed beyond words. I'm just going to miss counting Uncle Paul's cavities!

"I would rather have 30 minutes of "wonderful" than a lifetime of nothing special" ~ Julia Roberts

I'm forever an optimist (well, I take medication to be an optimist) and with any new year comes promises of change and a better outlook on things to come. So, this year being no exception, I'm going to welcome wonderful with open arms and duct tape it in the basement!

Remember to laugh at least once today!
M.