Declutter!!

My mantra for January.....  time to get it done!  

http://www.mysimplerlife.com/2010/calendar2010.pdf

Getting ready for New Years!

I usually wait until after the New Year to take down the Christmas decorations, but I'm feeling antsy to just get it done.  I want to declutter the house and that seems to be part of it - getting all the "excess" stuff put away.   While I love the tree and the pretty white lights, I am ready to have them go away again for the year.   Looking forward to making a room shift between the living room and family room next month!  

We've been painting a lot and finally have the PERFECT soft sage green in our master bedroom.  So thankful for a hubby that painted it as a surprise for me this summer - and didn't get incensed when I said "thank you, but the color isn't right...."     He loves the new color too.  :)   Mint green is awesome in Florida but not so much in a bedroom with lots of oak furniture.  

Getting our recipes together...

for some Christmas baking on Monday!    I have to use a final vacation day on Monday and will be making some Christmas treats with Marissa.  Hoping to make some traditions that she enjoys every year.  :)   Never would have thought we would be cooking together but people change.   :)    Any recipes to recommend?  We will make:

*rolo pretzels
*peanut butter cookies with kisses
*peppermint bark
*rosemary scones
*toffee
*blondies

Afterwards we will package up our goodies and deliver to the neighbors.   Gonna make a few more calendars as well:

Countdown to Christmas!

Trying to get all the stocking stuffers completed - I started with a few calendars and thought maybe I should do them for a lot of ladies?  Because they are fun, ya know.  :)   I also made a card set for a friend that has her own business, so I used her initial.

Christmas means....making crafty stuff!

I don't think Brittany looks at this and if you happen to look Brit - don't go any further!   I love how this turned out and hope she likes it too.  She wanted "joy" letters for her room.   Tried to keep fairly neutral so she can change out the accent colors if she goes another way with her dorm colors.  :)

We are trying to stay more simple this year for Christmas and I have enjoyed making more "stuff."  :)  

Thursday evening means....The Office!

New episode - and trying to finish up the Christmas cards.   Clean house and cozy socks.  It's all good.  :)

A big hearty congrats to my mother (in law)!

After many years of working, she is a free woman.  Her last official day of working for "the man" was yesterday.  I hope today brings her rest, relaxation and the joy of knowing she can do all the things she has wanted to do for years.  :)   Congrats to you - you deserve it.  :)

My two main enemies...Rachel Green and complex carbohydrates

YAMS!   We kept hearing this Brad Pitt voice in our head as we passed the sweet potatoes with the marshmallows last night at Thanksgiving dinner.  Usually if my in laws don't get the reference my hubby and I are laughing at, they know it is a quote from Friends or The Office.    I'm still feeling the effects of too many carbs last night but dinner was great!  Christopher made the best turkey on the grill and it was smoked beautifully.  There was no sight of a cheesy rice with broccoli casserole lingering anywhere....maybe Christmas?  ;)

Giving thanks

Two days until Thanksgiving and I'm looking forward to a nice easy relaxing weekend.    My dad passed away last year the day before Thanksgiving and it really threw the whole weekend into a new realm for us, having been the first (and only) parent we lost.  I still haven't really dealt with the situation, and not sure when it will hit.  I still think "I have to call dad to tell him about the sun gold tomato plant" or "Dad would crack up at this story about Marissa."  When does it become reality?    I don't think there is any "right" answer and I don't worry about acting a certain way or fitting a mold of what is normal or acceptable.  Every one deals with these types of things on their own timetable and I'm fine with that.  

This reminds me of my friend Nikki

She decorated her kitchen and family room in the rocking combination of aqua and red.  I love this paper we found Saturday on our little crafty morning.  I am always inspired by pretty papers.  :)  

Thankful

Gearing up to make holiday cards for teachers and others that will receive gift cards.  I want to do more than simply hand them a gift card so I make special cards for them.  Me?  Make cards?  Hmmm.  Whowouldhavethunkit?

I'm also thankful that canned pumpkin is on sale at Albertson's for .97 a can (15 oz).   Time to stock up for the shortage!

Do you ever like a show that seems very unlike you?

I am thankful for Hulu, on which I can watch all the American broadcast shows of Kitchen Nightmares without the UK bleeped-versions.  :)   My husband is shocked I love this show and I don't know why I do, but I find it fascinating.







Speaking of cooking and spices, the nutmeg line by Cosmo Cricket is so perfect for fall.  I posted some cards using the line and here are a couple layouts.  I haven't scrapbooked in so long, this has been nice to get back into the swing of things.  I'm rusty but breaking out my sketch books for inspiration.   All papers/embellishments from the October Hip 2 b kit.  

Fall cards - love Cosmo Cricket!

The Nutmeg line is perfect for fall.  Had fun making these with the Hip 2 b October kit:

You know how you always think your own work is too simple?

I'm still very excited to have some October projects posted on Hip 2 B Square:

http://www.hip2bsquarescrapbooking.com/blog/

They have awesome monthly kits and I got to play with some fun Cosmo Cricket (one of my faves) and fall papers. 

Holiday cards!

Spent a lovely Sunday afternoon with my awesome mother-in-law at Melissa's stamping workshop - Christmas card season!   I love love love making Christmas cards and it puts me in the holiday mood.  The Stampin' Up sets are so easy to work with and Melissa made it so easy to go in and get these cards done. I'm still not quite finished but when complete, will have 27 wonderful cards to send this year.  I love checking the mailbox every day around Christmas to find greetings from friends around the country.  :)  

If you need to order any Stampin' Up products, Melissa's website is:  http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/melissastamps/

Love this Halloween chipboard house!

Got a super fun kit from Hip 2 b Square (sidebar) for the October theme that contained this great chipboard house by Maya Road.  Wanted to do make it very Halloween themed to use on my entry table where we set the candy and other treats.  I had a lot of fun with the combination of papers here - very easy to make a little centerpiece for your entry or mantle with this kit!

I NEED this polka dot fabric

We had purchased a little bit of this polka dotted fabric a few years ago to use with some card kits - and I hoard it.  Love it.  Need more of it - it matches everything.  

We had friends over for lunch on Sunday and luckily Julia was game to make cards with me while the guys watched football and our girls played (excuse me, hung out).  Fall is such a craft time to me - I just got an October kit from Hip 2 B Square to design with and have been scouring for fall photos to use with the paper.  Funny how digital cameras have made it so we take tons of photos, but don't get them developed very often.  ;)

With just a few scraps

I have many pieces of left over paper from layouts previously scrapped, and whether it was due to color or pattern or a combination of something, I couldn't bring myself to get rid of these sets of paper.   I pulled out some gorgeous turquoise and lime combination scraps I had for years (3 sheets of about 6x12) with some black and white cardstock scraps, and made some cards.  I have a bucket of "stuff" for cards - various stickers, rub ons, circles I die cutted 6+ years ago, etc.   In 2 hours while watching The Changeling dvd (thank you Sno-Isle Library, who I love more than Blockbuster), I made these 21 cards with some scraps, ink and "card parts."    

I have many more sets of paper scraps and can't wait to get to them this fall!   I have made it my goal to get all scrapbook-related items out of the den, so I need to finally use them.  My work is having a craft sale for a fundraiser so looks like I have a great motivation to get some more done (for our holiday families my company sponsors).  Win win!

Family humor

Some people make flowerly sweet layouts about how perfect their family is.  Some people write poems and compose sonnets about the beauty that is their children.  I like to laugh, and I like to laugh at myself (that has taken years to accomplish).  I think scrapping the humor in life is important - it isn't all sonnets and sunbursts and marble halls (had an Anne of Green Gables moment) so let's embrace the fun!  :)   I like to smile - it makes life more enjoyable. 

An old layout (is 2006 old?  I think in scrapbooking years it is considered old -but I still love this polka dot SEI paper!) from the Scraps Ahoy era.  I will stop short of framing this photo and adding it to the hallway.  :)

One bad thing about too many scrap supplies

With the push for companies to constantly come out with new product, it is sad to see the demise of too many companies that couldn't keep up with the market trend.   There are many I miss, the most recent being Scenic Route (you know you like a company when you have a special "folder" to keep their papers in).    Scrapworks had really awesome rub ons that came in these cute little tins, in awesome fonts and colors that applied like butter.  I wish I could still find those (and the alpha rub ons by Gin X as well).   I was reminded of the SW rub ons when I ran across this old layout.

If you ever find random tins of those rub ons, let me know!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

At least it is on my dining room table, where I've been making a lot of Christmas cards lately.    I love making cards, and Christmas cards definitely rate way up there.   Love this paper by Imaginisce - so easy to cut up to make quick cards.

Thriller...

I love that Michael Jackson song...  I used to get my popcorn popped, blanket ready and on the couch by 10:30 on Friday nights while growing up to watch Friday Fright Night on channel 5.  I love scary movies!  No one else in my family appreciated Alfred Hitchcock like I do, or found Vincent Price to be delightfully creepy.   It is sad that there aren't many good scary movies any more.  Any suggestions?

You know when you get a color stuck in your head?

I have been having a thing for Hawaiian Punch sugar free purple smash punch drink sticks lately (Walmart, 8 for a buck) and I just ran into the kitchen to make my "nightly beverage" before heading up to do our nightly ritual of an episode of 24 and reading.  :)    I'm lucky my hubby and I love the same shows (and that our local library has an extensive collection of tv shows on dvd to check out).  

So I'm feeling kinda purple and found a file of cards I did one month with a decidedly purple kit. Keep in mind these cards/projects were made years ago so they are "out of date" to some, but I still find myself gravitating to the same companies/styles over and over throughout the years.  I might not always pick out the same papers that others would put in a kit but they are certainly fun to open the box and go through the goodies therein. 

I'm thinking of joining a kit club for the simple fact that those boxes are so fun and inspirational, and am leaning towards a few at the moment.  Thinking I might ask for a couple samples for Christmas just to try them out.  Since I've purged so much of my stash, it feels good to know where my stuff is!    Trying to fit my paper into the formal dining room has been a challenge but I'm about ready to take some pics.  It's even decorated for fall.  :)   You know how the thought of taking photos and sharing them motivates you to complete that cleaning you've been putting off?  

Paper...

I'm craving some sunshine......


and some weekends working on some paper craftiness...maybe whipping up some card sets for holiday gifts?

Running into random layouts

I haven been purging and organizing my scrap space (aka the formal dining room) as of late to make it actually look like a dining room and not so much a craft explosion.   I decided to take a peek at where I had put some layouts that needed to be added to albums (they were awaiting in the entertainment center in the family room of course -  make sense?).  I can't believe how many class layouts I have that just need photos and journaling added - probably 50?   I should have fun going through pictures and picking out matches to get that many more layouts done and in albums.   Feels good to be able to use up what I have - and not to hate layouts I did in 2004, 2005, 2006....   I know I have a simple style but there is the upside to that - like a good Pendleton wool skirt, it will always feel like your classic style.   My mom was right about that one.  Now if my hips would agree to wearing pleated plaid kilts again....   

Pumpkin spice candle and a rainy day

Love the smell of pumpkin spice, love a fun Saturday with little to do, and love the 15 racks of drying salmon currently housed in my garage to prep for being smoked later tonight.   All I need now is a 24 oz iced Americano and some paper, and I'd be in heaven.  :)

Hubby is out meeting for the first time with a local flickr group, which is really cool and I'm so proud of him for testing it out!  Getting to be this "age" in our lives shows you how nice it is to make time for your hobbies - they definitely increase the happiness quotient.  :)

I'm off to a really awesome local scrapbook store in Lynnwood called Lasting Memories to get some Imaginisce paper.  They are having design team opportunities and I love their stuff.  Why not give it a whirl?

We are having card night (canasta), good pizza and salad finished with some toffee brownies.  I think I'll have time to show my fun sis in law how to make these paper bag books like the one I did three years ago (I'm sensing a common theme - most of my scrapping/crafting I've been posting was done three years ago, when I had the scanner hooked up.  :)   Time to take care of that as well!)

 

Feeling the fall crafty bug...

I love making decorated comp books - so fast, easy and fun, plus people really seem to like receiving them (so they are useful - double score).  I made this teacher-themed notebook complete with big paperclip bookmark for a craft auction at my work to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.  This was made completely from the September kit at Hip 2 B Square in Snoqualmie (link on sidebar) - they have adorable kits!  This October Afternoon apple paper is calling my name....perfect for fall!

Wanna smile?

I am a big fan of American Idol and one of my faves ever was Jason Castro from season 7, not because he was the best singer but because he had such a fun happy personality.  He is a strong Christian and not afraid to share his thoughts, but does it in an unassuming way.  We had the fun opportunity to meet him randomly while on Spring Break in Los Angeles when he was on the show.  Aside from acting like a moron, it was one of my fave memories from our trip and to see that he was just as sweet and humble in person as he seemed on the show.

He is putting out his solo album soon and just released this video.  If you need a smile on this rainy Wednesday, check this out.  I hope he does well - it is neat to see someone doing something they love. 

http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/jason-castro/lets-just-fall-in-love-again--218594195

Living in Seattle...

My hubby has recently started taking photos, asking if I mind if he get into photography.  As a scrapbooker, I of course am all for this.   Above is an amazing shot he took last week of the Space Needle, and merged three imaged into one to combine the best of all.  I think it is stunning, almost like a painting.  Had to share!

Revisiting summer....peach tomato salsa

Living in Washington, we have a lot of opportunities to buy boxes full of peaches for a great cost.  I had a box of peaches, a big bowl of ripe tomatoes from my backyard and a desire to make homemade salsa.  It turned out great!

I cut up multiple types of tomatoes to get a variety of flavors (roma, sun sugar, stupice, juliette, jolly, celebrity) and just regular yellow peaches.  I used a mix purchased at Wally World and added minced garlic, walla walla onions, corn and lots of cilantro and lime juice.   Freezes well and so far I have gotten all thumbs up. 

Cards, cards, cards....

Adding some Halloween-type and fall cards...these are quite "old" (from 2006), but trying to add some of my ideas that I haven't posted before.  I taught card classes with my sister and used a lot of these ideas from those.

 

 

More fall cards...

Just adding some more older cards I did...getting in the mood for cinnamon apple cider, fires and cozy blankets.  :) 

Cards!

I love to make cards - all occasion, seasonal, whatever.    I'm going to post some of my favorites in an attempt to try to encourage myself to create more.  :) Feeling very fallish around here, so I think I'll post an oldie that fits that theme, and hopefully tomorrow will post some new creations.  We have curriculum night at Marissa's school tonight, so I look forward to hearing how she is doing. Shall I take a bribe of pumpkin bread?  :)