It's a wrap!

Well I don't know about you, but every January (or December if I am on the ball!) I get my next year's calendar and start transfering information.  In particular, I transfer all the important dates from one year to another, like anniversaries and birthdays, etc.  I can tell you, that since my sweet little bambino has arrived (...I am referring to my almost three year old...) I have been slacking off in this department.  Actually, maybe slacking off isn't the right term...it is more like nodding off (at the breakfast table & dinner table) cause I am pooped!  Either way, I haven't been getting all those dates transfered and low an behold, I'll remember someone's birthday a few scant days before the grand event (that's on a good day, sometimes I remember after- frown).  Now, let me take a moment to note that if this has happened to you, please don't take it personally, it isn't about you, I just can't keep my head on straight.  Honestly, sometimes I can't remember where my phone is when it is in my hand!  (Did I tell you about the time I locked myself out of house and car with out shoes?!  Now that is a funny story!)  So please don't despair!  The good, no GREAT news is that I have devised a system so not to forget anymore, at least as far as birthday's are concerned.  GO ME!

Drumroll please......Here is my Birthday Box!!!!  This fun little box, which hopefully is bright enough that I won't loose it...heh, is my little filing system to remember birthday's.  Inside there is a series of "files" by month, and behind each month some index cards to put a list of birthday's that fall with in that month.  Now, granted, I still have to go in and look each month, but I never have to transfer the information again!!!  I only have to add birthday's as new wonderful people come into my life.  So, I am hoping get this index cards populated and the box full so I can remember YOU and YOUR birthday.

That's a wrap folks, thanks for stopping!!!

Before and After

I know I already said this in the post below, but sometimes a little tinkering is just what you need to make a card how you want it. 

Check out my card from before on the left, aka. my first draft (pervious post) and my second/final draft on the right.  Which one do you think is better?

Not only do I think the second/final draft is better, I did a better job with my lighting and the image looks better.  I guess the lesson here is that if at first you don't succeed, try again!!!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

who done it?! Updated 8/27

Updated 8/27 to add:  So do you ever look at your card one night and think that is what you wanted and then wake up the next morning and frown and say to yourself, "what was I thinking?!"  I do it ALL the time!  I just like to think of it like writing a paper, this is just my first draft.  Many time's the cards I make change in one way or another from the original either before or after I post.  Well, this card was no exception.   Aside from the color being off in the photo, I decided I didn't like the bottom half of the card.  I made some updates the next day, but have yet gotten to take a photo (hopefully a better quality one!) to show you.  Check back tomorrow, because I plan to have the update of this and one other project posted.

 So remember how I told you it was my upcoming anniversary last week?  Well, it has come and gone and we had such a fun time on Argosy Murder Mystery Dinner Cruise.  If you get the chance and live locally, you really should try it.  Now I won't boast about the food, pretty mediocre, but the entertainment was great!  It was full of fun audience participation and theories about who done it!  Now, had I known (I am sure I got an email from them but it likely went straight to my junk mail) I would have signed up my husband to be a particpant (aka murder suspect!!!!!).  If we ever go again, I'll be doing that for sure, it will be worth a giggle.  :)  Anyway, check out the lovely flowers the sweet man bought me....  Pike Place Market, best place in town for flowers, we even bought wedding flowers there...aren't they beautiful?!

So I was checking this gorgeous arangement out and admiring the nice color combo there.  Definitely a fall ensemble, although you could use it for spring/summer too.  So I decided to whip up a fun card wtih some fall flair.  I just L-O-V-E this stamp set, Greeting card kids, it is so much fun to color and the varous kiddos for various occassions, one of my faves.  Anyway, this was fun to make and enjoyed using this color combo.  (Sorry the card is a little blurry, I was in a rush to get out the door this am, but wanted to have a pic to post).  What do you think this combo would be good for?  What would you make with it?

Regarding last weeks post- Whooooo do you love? I'll be sending owl cards out to the three lovely ladies who left me comments:

Betty
Tib
Monika

Please send it to me your addresses so I can get you some owl cards in the mail (Tib I have yours already).

Thanks and have a great day.

Happy Anniversary to my hubby!

Today is my 4th wedding anniversary!  Go me, go hubby, go us!  We've been together for 7 years now, not forever, but quite a while, and guess what?  I still love my hubby!!!! :) Tonight we are going on that cruise I mentioned in my last post.  With the tot around (referring to my kid here) we haven't done much celebrating of our anniversary over the last three years (no time, no money), so this one feels extra special and I am very excited to go on a date with my love.

I didn't, however, make my hubby a card.  Am I a bad wife?!?  :( I hope you don't think so.  I've come to learn that cards really aren't my hubby's thing and they aren't fully appreciated.  After 7 years together, I have finally get this (no I am not a slow learner! wink).  But even more importantly, I've learned not to take it personally or be offended by it, if my husband isn't into cards, that isn't about me.  I love my man for who he is and I can appreciate that it isn't his thing and that is OK.  I think, (and hope you agree) that is a sign of a good marriage; we understand eachother and love one another unconditionally just as we are. :) 

I will, however, show you the card "Sophie" made for Daddy for father's day this year, since I didn't get that one up at the time.  Even though I have learned cards aren't his thing, I still get some joy out of making them for him from time to time.  I know he loves this one, cause he loves that little bambino with all his heart. :) :)  We are some lucky ladies in the Brooks-Welch household!

ps- don't forget to leave a comment below and I'll send you an owl card. :)

Whooooo do you love?

Hi peeps!  How are you today?  I am quite good today, enjoying my day and accomplishments.  I am also looking forward to celebrating my 4th anniversary on Friday- whoohoo! :)  My husband and I are taking an Argosy Murder Mystery Cruise on the Puget Sound and it comes with a 5 course meal!  Sounds like a fun night to me!  I haven't done one of those type of things before, who knows, maybe I'll be the murderer!  :)  I don't know if that is how it works but I know there is some audience participation....looking forward to it.

So, with my upcoming anniversary, I know who I love, my hubby, on the forefront of my mind, but also my daughter and the rest of my family and friends.  Although this card wasn't made for my anniversary, any of those people or special occassion (it was made for a shoe box swap I did a few weeks back) I think it is appropriate for the topic don't you?  Did you notice the sentiment, "Happy thoughts make for Happy days", perfect !  So leave me a comment and tell me whoooo you love and why or what you love about my card and just maybe... I'll send one of you an owl card of your very own! :D

PS- in case you are wondering this is the new Two Step Extra Large Owl punch from the 2010-2011 SU! catty and the Play Date DSP- perfect together!

Shiver me timbers!

What a gorgeous weekend it was in the Seattle area!  Quite hot actually, but lovely.  This summer has been very short (wtih a late start this year), so I am taking all I can get as far as sunny days go. 

We enjoyed ourselves with a lot of fun outdoor activities this weekend.  On Friday, Sophie my friend Emily and I went to the Taste of Edmonds.  Quite fun.  Sophie got herself a new pair of butterfly wings and looked so cute walking around in them.  She is normally shy, but she was really enjoying Emily's company and prefered holding her hand to mine on the walk back to the car- humph! :)  Sunday was all about playing in the Seattle Center Fountain, always a winner.  Saturday, however, was the favorite for Sophie because she got to go to her little friend Ayden's birthday party.

The party was Pirate Themed- Arrrrrrr!  Shiver me timbers there was a lot of food and fun.  The kiddos spent most of the time playing in the small inflatable pool or running through the sprinklers.  Ayden got a lot of booty at that party! I am pretty sure he didn't know what to do with all his treasures. It is so funny when they are that young (he was turing 2) because you help them open presents and they want to sit there and play with it, meanwhile you seem to be rushing them onto the next, they must be thinking, "but I want to play with that toy." :)  Here is the card I made for Ayden.  I know, not pirate themed, but I don't have any pirate stamps...a real shame, I should get some....wink!  The helicoptor is pretty darn fun though if you ask me.

So it was a fun filled weekend, with lot friends, sun and tasty treats.  Hope you all enjoyed your weekend as well!  Toodles!

whoa.....

This is some fabo looking blog candy- hope I win!

Sunrise

Just wanted to quickly share with you another of my almost, almost Artisan projects, this one is a 12X12 scrap page featuring my daughter entitled Sunrise.  The journaling says, "Every day when you look up at me, it feels like the sun rising.  My future feels warm and bright.  I love you Sophie girl!"  I really enjoyed making this fun page and love the bright colors.  Thanks for stopping today!

I'm Stylin'!

Well, if you know me at all, you know that probably isn't true.  Not so stylin', really more frumpy mom, but I embrace it! :D  But....at least my blog is now STYLIN' thanks to Nancy!!!  She gave me this fun little blog award.  If you want to have a good time, you should go read her post about being a stylin' mom, so funny!  She's at Crafting My World.  Thanks Nancy!

So now I am supposed to tell you 5 stylin' things about myself....why so many????  Heh!  OK, um....

1.  I'll quote Nancy here, "my style philosphy says that you can be stylish and practical at the same time (machine washability, hair styles that hide a bit of banana or cereal where the baby has grabbed my hair as we run out the door, cute low or no heel shoes, etc.)"

2.  I love a pedicure, nice sparkly toes make me happy!

3.  Accessorize!  Use super cute earrings or other accessories (these draw the eyes away from the banana in the hair).

4.  Eye cream & concealer, wonderful at hiding the dark circles under my eyes.

5.  Finally, if I can't look cute, you can be darn sure my kid will look adorable!  At least one of us will look cute and then you'll know where all my effort went. :)

Now to pass this privledge on to a few other bloggers I know:

Sam at A Latte Stampin-  Sam has a lot of fun flair in her blog and she's cute ta' boot!

Jackie Stamps for Fun- probably every reward I have ever gotten I have passed onto Jackie, she and her blog are both so great!

Stacey's Stampin Stage-  Just go and look and you'll know why I picked her. :)

Tiffany @ It's the stuff I love-   This gal makes some amazing creations, truly inspiring!

Kay over at Robin Egg Ribon- A great blog name and great stuff.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you picked up a few stylish tips that will help you out there! HA! :)

 

Mojo Curtain Call

Pretty pooped tonight, but I wanted to get this card up this week.  As you know I did the Mojo Monday challenge last week but didn't get the post up in time.  So I am going for it this week.  My card is using this layout from Mojo Monday #150 and this color combo from Stacey's Stamping Stage's Curtain Call, Act 41.

Sorry so brief tonight but hope you enjoyed!  I will say that this stamp from the set Friends Never Fade and this new embossing folder are among my faves, so you can plan on seeing them again.  Nighty, night!

Traditions

When I was a child, we often made summer trips to the Oregon Coast.  One of my favorite memories is visiting the Cannon Beach Sandcastle Festival.  I recall seeing a sand sculpture of a pig, arms in the air, riding a rollercoaster called Hog Wild!  Another of a frog and a toad playing a violin and cello.  So many amazing sand sculptures and so many lovely memories flitting about in the back of my mind. :)  Other years we simply went to another beach and flew kites, searched for shells or had fires on the beach.  All of those trips are pleasant memories for me, experiences I want to share with my daughter.

Now, as an adult, each year for the last 10 years, I have been meeting my mother on the Oregon Coast for her birthday.  It isn't always Cannon Beach, often it is Lincoln City, which is a little less charming as far as the town goes, but they have some perks of their own. Since the millenium (good old Y2K), they have been leaving glass floats on the beach for people to find, much like and easter egg hunt.  They are so beautiful and my mother is obsessed with them (and all things beach related)!  So for her birthday, since that year, we have gone to hunt for these floats. 

I have to tell you that my mother, now 62, is tireless in her combing of the beach.  She has been known to drive us to walk 14 miles down the beach searching for these floats, sometimes as early as 5 am (this is when she believes the "float fairies" are out hiding floats) in rain and sometimes sleet and hail.  We often "march", picking up trash (to appease the float fairies- wink!) all the while grumbling, but really it is fun and the reward is so sweet, just look at these beautiful creations!  It is always a fun trip!

I just wanted to share with you another of my Artisan Projects (yes, the ones I didn't turn in...). This is a scrap page of my daughter, entitled Traditions. The inspiration for the layout of this page page came from one of her shirts, it is just like this, bright yellow with flowers that are these colors. So fun and cute, for a little one at least...we all know there is no way I could get away with wearing something like that! It was a lot of punching and cutting ot make all these flowers and grass, but totally worth it!

The picture of my daughter is one my mom took last March during our annual trip, at Cannon Beach. (I should stop to say that if you haven't been to Cannon Beach, OR you should consider it, a lovely little paradise!)  Sophie, soon to be three, is now sharing in the tradition and creating her own happy memories.  I feel so lucky to be able to share this with her.  This scrapbook page represents those fun times and memories and our family tradition.

Thanks for stopping in, have a great day!

Almost, Almost Artisan

If you are a blurfer, you know that everyone is out there who's an SU! demo is showing you their projects submitted for the Artisan Award.  Whether they actually won the Artisan or are Almost Artisans there are some amazing projects out there! Well, I didn't officially enter (as you may remember I was having a terrible time with my last 3D project) but why not share with you my Almost, Almost Artisan projects.  :)  Actually, you have already seen a few of these although you may not have known it, there were a couple of cards I displayed here and here. 

This one was one of my scrapbook page submissions.  My friend Jason generously allowed me to use pictures of them from their second honeymoon in Paris.  The pictures were a little dark, but I think this page turned out pretty great.  I love the layout and color combo!  I was going to make a duplicate of this page to give to them, but since I never submitted I gave them the original.  Actually I gave it to my friends wife, knowing full well that a male wouldn't fully appreciate it, and she adored it!  Glad to have done it and it was fun to see the joy on her face.

While I am here I should show you my card for last Monday's Mojo Sketch 149.  I failed to get it up (posted) in time to actually be part of the fun, but it was fun just to make it!  I have to apologize that the color is a bit off, the greens aren't qutie right, is Pear Pizazz, but looks a little more Always Artichoke herre.  Ah well.  Oh how I love this Greenhouse Gala DSP, so bright and lovely!

Thanks for stopping by today and leaving your encouraging comments!

Nothing new

Although I made a thing or two last week, I have yet to get pictures of them, so I have nothing new to post.  I do however, have this card I made some time ago that I can show you.

Do me a favor and try to leave a comment and let me know via email if it doesn't work.  I've had one report that is the case and I don't know if it was just that users computer or my blog, so please help a gal out and let me know! Thanks and Happy Monday.  Remember, today is the first day of the rest of your life!