Everything but the Kitchen Sink Challenge ~ Toothpicks

Dear everyone,

Warning: bad, BAD picture.* 

That's what I get for waiting until the last minute to make the card for Everything but the Kitchen Sink Challenge {Around the House Challenge ~ Toothpicks} . I can't wait for the morning to correct in the natural light this awful, awful mistake.

* I corrected the picture a half an hour ago, taken in the glorious redeeming morning light! :-)

Recipe for {I love you}  5 1/2 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Plum Pudding, Scarlet Jewel};

~ Stamps: PTI {Trio Tree Trimming, Damask Design - sentiment};

~ Ink: Scarlet Jewel;

~ Black floss;

~ Frilly toothpicks;

I cut the little birds and the hearts with Quickutz Silhouette. 

Hope you enjoy my little landscape and thanks for stopping by! 

Compliments are tricky for a pregnant woman

It's the expectation of what a seven months pregnant woman should look like, that made the girl at the cash register call me "tiny". 

First, she threw me off with "So when are you due?", right after she asked me if I would like some shampoo they had at a discount. If I'd bought tampons and she'd asked me when my period was, I would have felt the same punch in the stomach. 

I told her at the end of February it's going to be the happy day. {Although I'm sure both of us are going to be in a lot of crying}. And here she goes. "You are so tiny!" {It's the skinny maternity jeans that distribute the baby flat in the belly.}

I have never been called tiny.  Since I was little, I was always on the bigger end of the spectrum, the only thing that stopped my self-esteem from shattering was the fact that my best friend was a little "less tiny" than me. But she was also more brilliant. But soon she went on to become this hot babe and left me in the dust of her sexy feet, to enjoy the first position in something: now I was the bigger one. 

I had my moments of glory, don't get me wrong. Whenever I could eat soup and run the whole day. My husband thinks I'm still "the cat's meow", but for all others that don't have the line between my mind-blowing personality and body blurred, I still have to do a little bit of work on the first to compensate for the second. But I will get it back, the treadmill and I have an understanding. In the meantime, I desperately need my husband to tell me I still got it when he's turning me from one side to another in bed at night and cuts my toenails because my hands cannot reach in the southern hemisphere of my belly.      

But for once in my life, my butt is smaller than my belly. It's the reference {I like to generalize, makes me feel safe}. In reference to my belly, everything else looks smaller. 

And here is the nice girl that doesn't even know me and still she calls me "tiny". Wait a second...what do you mean "tiny"? Is the baby not big enough? Is he going to be sick or something? I don't want my baby to be tiny, I want my baby to be just the right size! Please take your "tiny" back, thank you very much, and come up with something that would let me know for sure that my baby is just fine. 

It gets even better. We mentioned to the priest in our church the boy we're expecting and he says: "Oh, congratulations! I had no idea." I'm standing right in front of him, with my seven-month belly staring him in the eye. To his credit, our bellies are about the same size, so maybe he's used to the idea of "seven-month size not pregnant bellies". He confessed that he refuses to assume anything about a woman's condition unless he is absolutely sure.  

I don't know if there is a safe way to give compliments to a pregnant woman. Maybe this. "If there was ever a perfect seven-month pregnant woman, it's you!". But you better be sure she's in seven months.

On another note, I was lucky to be interviewed by the lovely ladies over at Scrapbook Creations around Town, Toya and Shawnte, that offer a "seven-month belly" worth of giveaway. Please check out their blog and leave a comment to enter the drawing. 

Thanks for stopping by and hope your week is still going strong,

Where has this last week gone?

I woke up last Monday to a list of things I needed to finish for the Friday night craft sale. I have no (serious) commitment problems when it comes to putting the front of a card together. I do need discipline for all the other little details like the inside of the card, the signature on the back, the matching envelopes...all these details meant to lure the customers into thinking that without my cards, their holidays would be simply incomplete.   

I did get out of the house this week, to stretch my creative muscle. I went on Tuesday night to see {New Moon} with my brother and sister-in-law. What Jacob with no shirt on? Oh, you mean the scene where Jacob the Werewolf took his shirt off ? Sounds somewhat familiar, I just can't put my finger on it...

Because I started getting embarrassed when Bella admonished him with a motherly voice: "So, you've been working out...You know that all these steroids are not good for you...". I felt awkward, like a always do when any given awkward moments goes on on any given screen. Or maybe I didn't notice his body because I. couldn't. stop. staring. at. his. white. white. white. teeth. 

I did learn a valuable life lesson. Don't get involved with vampires or werewolves. They're all the same!

"So, you're a vampire." "Yes, and I'll never leave you. Actually, I don't want you anymore, go away. I lied, I want you back."

"So, you're a werewolf." "Yes, and I'll never do to you what the bad vampire did. Wait, actually go away. No, come back, I lied."

I feel like an old bickering pregnant woman, unable to appreciate a modern rendition of Romeo and Juliet. Or maybe this reminds me too much of the kind of love I was dreaming about in school...

But the movie did have great shots of nature, which I couldn't fully appreciate because of some guys running around without shirts on. 

After the movie night, I went back to my crafting corner and did my best to finish all the work by Thursday night, because on Friday it was supposed to SNOW! And I didn't want to do anything else but watch the snow falling! Last time it snowed in Victoria it was in 2004, on Christmas night and day. Before that, it hasn't snowed in more than a 100 years! Snow is a real treat here. 

It started snowing early in the morning, so I called James to come see "quick, quick", afraid that the snow is going to stop :-) It was beautiful! After James went to work, I made myself a decaf coffee and sat and watch the snow flakes falling. 

I'd like to show you some of the things I made for the Friday night craft "show". The lighting was bad outside and inside, so everything is in a sort of yellowish glow. 

I made boxes of 5 Christmas cards. At first I wanted to buy the boxes, but I found a tutorial that made it so easy! If you would like to try it, it's HERE.

These are a few samples of the cards I made, starting from a few ideas from Holiday Card Making 101, over on Nichole Heady's blog. 

Finally, I wanted to try my hand at a little table decoration and I decided to make a paper Christmas tree, based on a Martha Stewart idea. 

The evening went well! The coffee shop was a cozy place to be that night. There were two other ladies who sold handmade items, one jewelry and one things made out of fabric. 

Over the weekend I recovered from my huge card selling success. Just kidding! I didn't make a ton of money, but I sold enough cards for a good size Papertreyink order. 

Now I am looking forward for our next trip to Houston on Saturday, for another ultrasound appointment. At the last one my placenta was dangerously close to the cervix, so my midwife needs to make sure it's moving up and away, so we can go on with the natural birth we've been planning. 

I hope you're having a great beginning of the week!

December again!

Hello everyone!

I wish I could catch this moment and keep it forever: looking at our decorated Christmas tree, listening to Christmas carols, with James right beside me. 

It's been the coldest night in a long time. When James came home, he asked me to go with him on the porch, because, as he said, he couldn't help but buy something. I went outside and jumped for joy: a Christmas tree! 

I used to think that getting a Christmas tree too early would spoil "the magic", but now all I can think of is that we get to enjoy it longer. Now...if only we had some snow here is southern Texas :-) 

Caught in the Christmas lights and smell of Douglas fir, I forgot to ask how your Thanksgiving went! {For you who didn't celebrate Thanksgiving, how was your weekend?}. 

Ours was good. My in-laws have a "traditional" Thanksgiving table cloth that has been around for many years. The guests write on it with a marker what they are thankful for. And who is not thankful for their partners at Thanksgiving? That's why James tried very hard to strategically hide some of the "thankful" messages from the past. It's so funny that no one thought of starting off a new Thanksgiving table cloth, since every one of James' siblings has at least a couple of messages they'd rather not remember, especially with their spouses next to them! :-)

I am officially now in the third trimester. I was thinking that I'd better be, so the pain in my feet and back would be justified. Since I always need to have something to worry about, I was worrying that our little baby isn't moving as much as he should. Fortunately, our midwife paid us a visit yesterday and she calmed my fears. Everything looks normal. We listened to our baby's heart beat again and when we talked to him, his heart beat increased in a second from 130 to 150! I think this means he was excited to hear our voices! 

I thought I'd share another Christmas card with you!

Recipe for {Holiday Wishes} card   5 1/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Spring Moss};

~ Paper: Making Memories {Fa La La};

~ Stamps: PTI {Peaceful Poinsettia};

~ Ink: PTI {Ripe Avocado, Scarlet Jewel}, Stampabilities' {Brown};

~ Martha Steward glitter;

~ Buttons: PTI {Scarlet Jewel, Spring Moss};

~ sticky tape;

I am looking forward to the "mini craft fair" at the coffee shop on Friday. I still have to catch up some things until then. I will probably have no time to take on challenges this week, but I'm going to post different things that I am preparing: paper Christmas trees, greeting card boxes...:-) 

I cannot believe it's December again! 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Embellish Magazine {Color Challenge with Brads}

Hello everyone! 

What a beautiful day! The sun is shining, the sky is perfectly blue...at the end of November! I secretly wish it was cold and chilly and snowy. :-) Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to spending time with our family tomorrow and the turkey will taste as good, rain or shine. :-) 

I wanted to take advantage of the little free time before I start some cooking to post a card for Embellish Magazine {Color Challenge with Brads}. The strong colors intimidated me at the beginning, but I found the cutest flocked brads at a discount and that encouraged me to give it a try. 

Recipe for {Peace, Love & Joy}  5 1/4 x 5 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Red Poppy, Vintage Cream};

~ Stamp: PTI {Trio Tree Trimmings};

~ Ink: PTI {Moulin Rouge}, Stampabilities' {Christmas Green};

~ Brads: Paper Studio Flocked Brads;

~ Ribbon: PTI {Enchanted Evening}.

I wish I had a Thanksgiving card for today, but anyway, I want to wish you all a 

HAPPY AND BLESSED THANKSGIVING

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #19

Hello again everyone!

I didn't manage to post anything over the weekend. But I did see that Dawn McVey posted another Raspberry Suite Color Challenge. 5 colors? That spells challenge to me, definitely. What do you do with 5 colors? Do you pick one or two as main colors and then use "splashes" of the other ones? I would be curious what your "strategy" is.  

Since I felt "challenged", I ended up with two cards. I asked James to pick one. Tricky situation, because he would have had to actually say that he likes one card more than another. He! :-)

Since we had different "favorite", I'll post them both. 

 

Recipe for {Noel} card   5 1/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Spring Moss, Light Aqua, Raspberry Fizz, Lavender Moon, Dark Chocolate};

~ Stamps: PTI {Trio Tree Trimmings};

~ Ink: Stampabilities' {Brown};

~ Clear Embossing Powder;

~ Sticko epoxy stickers;

~ button from Nana's Vintage Collection.

Recipe for {Magic of Christmas} card   5 1/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Spring Moss, Light Aqua, Raspberry Fizz, Lavender Moon, Dark Chocolate};

~ Stamps: PTI {Trio Tree Trimmings};

~ Ink: Stampabilities' {Brown};

~ Ribbon: PTI {Raspberry Fizz};

~ Clear Embossing Powder;

~ Sticko epoxy stickers;

~ button from Nana's Vintage Collection.

So, how are your last days before Thanksgiving? Are you traveling? Or having guests over? 

Thanks for stopping by!

  

Bits and Pieces

Hello everyone!

Today was administrative day. So seldom I am "excited" about dealing with papers, that I considered that I could make the sacrifice of not sitting at my crafting desk for a day in order to put these affairs in order. 

I had to transfer my health insurance over to another company and read all these ambiguous terms. I'm working at our baby registry. Honestly, putting together a baby registry is hard work (for me at least! :-) ). Although a few friends are always open to talk to me about what I need, it's hard to make the needs specific. :-) 

I just talked to my mother-in-law about the Thanksgiving menu. She got the impression from James that I would be willing to cook a turkey! What I remember is that I told James I'd love to make sure we have turkey at Thanksgiving and probably he figured out (a man of logic that he is) that the most sure way to have turkey is to make it myself :-) So, I'm on the list to make the turkey. It's definitely very tempting, but it's my first time, so please HELP me! Not to mention the impression on the mother-in-law. :-) 

I've been thinking today how my crafting world affected my real world. So, I've spent too much time in the crafting room when....

~ I cut buttons off my (or my husband's) clothes because they fit perfectly with the project;

~ I name colors after Papertrey Ink system ("it's a kind of raspberry fizz with a little bit of melon berry in it...") ;

~ I tell James I bought 10 stamps (postal stamps) and my husband makes big eyes (10??!!), because for him the word "stamps" means only one thing...

~ I buy a 500 dollars camera to photograph a 3 dollars card (well, more than one...:-) )

What is your "I've spent too much time in the crafting room..."? :-)  

What is your favorite Thanksgiving recipe? 

Thanks for stopping by! 

A {Thank You} Card

Hello everyone!

With a big cup of coffee (decaf! :) ) by my side, I'd like to share some sweet memories from this past weekend. 

My dearest friend Alyene and I met in Germany and we've been close friends since. She drove down to Victoria from Dallas, so we can go together to MercyMe concert on Friday and to the Romanian Fall Festival in Houston on Saturday. 

She had some surprises for me: birthday presents! It's wonderful to get birthday presents the month after! :-) I made a card for her and her parents, as a {Thank You}.  

This card has been inspired from quite a few places: the sketch is from {Everything but the Kitchen Sink}, the colors from {ColorQ} and some elements from this CARD from the ever talented Maile Belles. 

 

Recipe for {Thank You} card  5 1/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: Paper Studio, PTI {Vintage Cream};

~ Stamps: PTI {Fall Elegance, Vintage Labels, Damask Designs - sentiment};

~ Ink: PTI {Orangerie, Ripe Avocado}, Stampabilities' {Brown}.

Now that I got the card out of the way :-), I'd like to go back and remember the MercyMe concert on last Friday night. Alyene ran into a serious traffic jam right outside of Fort Worth and we missed the band who opened the concert, but that was no big deal! We didn't have to wait that long for MercyMe then! :-) 

On Saturday we slept in, then we went and had breakfast at our favorite coffee shop, Longleaf Coffee. Then we took our coffees to go and hit the road for a two and a half our trip to Houston. 

We made it there right on time for the live folk Romanian music, not to mention the fresh Romanian food and the smell of the ongoing barbeque. James was excited that he could drink an original Romanian beer, that he got to appreciate on our trip to Romania this past summer.  

I was sad that I forgot to pack my new favorite house shoes for the car trip, the ones that I got from Alyene's mother, because they are the most comfortable shoes ever. I would go with them anywhere, if James wouldn't try to talk sense into me. I assort them with a beautiful necklace she made for me. :-)  

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

2s4y ~ Laura's Sketch #39

Hello everyone!

Here I am again, with another Christmas card. Based on a sketch by Laura at 2s4y. The paper is from the {Fa La La} Making Memories kit, which I got at an incredible price and trying to use it as much as I can.  

Recipe for {Merry Christmas} card  5 1/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Spring Moss, Scarlet Jewel};

~ Paper: Making Memories {Fa La La};

~ Stamps: PTI {Polka Dot Basics}, Making Memories {Fa La La};

~ Ink: PTI {Burnt Sienna};

~ Buttons: PTI {Spring Moss, Scarlet Jewel}.

I can hardly imagine a Christmas card without Scarlet Jewel! 

Hope your week was to a good start. I spent my day yesterday trying to recover from the weekend! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday Trigger again!

Hello everyone!

It's Tuesday Trigger time again! I can't say I've been "inspired" by the picture, it was more of "analyzing it" and trying to incorporate different elements in my card: the pattern on the napkin, the overall vintage look, the shade of blue, the golden pumpkin...Here I am again with the same ol' same pumpkin stamps, the only ones that I have. :-) I was excited to find in my paper stash one that had fabric (in a kind of vintage cream) on one side! 

Recipe for {Thankful for you} card   51/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Aqua Mist, Vintage Cream};

~ Stamp: PTI {Fall Elegance};

~ Ink: Stampabilities' {Brown}, Making Memories {Gold};

~ Embossing Powder: PTI {Filigree Gold};

~ Rhinestones: KAISERscrapbook. 

I almot lost a stamp today. One of the little stems of the pumpkin from PTI' {Fall Elegance}. My heart went down the drain together with it, because this is the third little stamp I thought I lost in the sink while cleaning it. James came to my rescue! He opened the bottom of the pipe under the sink (sorry for not knowing the professional term for it :-) and saved my little stamp. I was SO happy! I couldn't have taken the thought of losing yet another one. He gave me a real savvy advice: to close the drainage while I clean stamps! :-) Why didn't I think of that?! 

One of my dearest friends, Alyene, is coming this weekend to visit me again. We have tickets to MercyMe concert on Friday night. On Saturday we're going to the Romanian Fall Festival in Houston. I can almost smell the traditional food and almost hear the ethnic Romanian music. I can't wait!  

I'll be gone from the blogging world over the weekend, but I'll return next week! 

Wishing you (in advance) a great weekend,