Sunday, September 28, 2008

Random ideas & information

I saw this project on the Hero Arts blog.

Look at this cute home book at Maya Road.

A beautiful paper sculpture.

A way to identify your personal style.

The Scrap Divas are having a Winter Scrapbooking Weekend in Baltimore. Contact the Scrap Divas at thescrapdivas@verizon.net for more information.

Did you know that microwave popcorn can kill you?

Monday, September 22, 2008

Back and at home sick

I developed congestion and a cough while in Sacramento. Now that I think of it, Little Miss was sick last week Sunday and I shared a drink with her. So, those bugs percolated in my system and reared their ugly heads while I was on my trip. There's nothing worse than being away from home sick and then having to fly 4 - 5 hours. Have you ever experienced an exploding head from being congested during descent and ascent of a plane? When I got home, all I wanted to do was sleep for 48 hours straight. Unfortunately, life had other plans.


I got back from Sacramento at 2 a.m. on Saturday. Little Miss had a soccer game at 10:15 a.m. I'm co-team mom for Miss Diva's team which meant bringing the snacks for the game. Thankfully, I had already bought the snacks. I asked my family to cut the oranges and freeze the drinks before I got home. Well, the drinks were cold but none of the oranges were cut. So, I had to get up early to cut 20 oranges into 8 sections each, pack the cooler, and leave instructions for distribution. The girls had games at two different parks at the same time so had to split up. Miss Diva's team won 2 to 1. Little Miss' team tied at 2. Good news on both parts.

After the game, I went straight to bed and slept, coughed, and slept. My illness developed flu-like symptoms--chills one hour and then a fever the next. I knew I just had to let it work through my system, with the help of over-the-counter meds to relieve some of the discomfort. Interestingly, Miss Diva also tasted the Little Miss' drink but she didn't get sick. Obviously, my immune system isn't as strong as Miss Diva's.


I slept for the rest of Saturday. I hoped to feel well enough so I can get my yard sale stuff on Sunday. Well, that didn't happen. Again, life had different plans for me. I actually felt worse and Sunday was the last day to pick up my unsold stuff before it got donated on Monday. Yikes! I was in panic mode. I hoped my son or husband could drive me to Scrapdoodles so I can at least get my stuff. Unfortunately, my son had to work and my husband had a previous commitment, which he wanted to keep. What's a girl supposed to do? This is when I wished I had some sisters who lived near me, who I could depend on.


I took my fill of non-drowsy meds and drove 1 1/2 hours, windows down, radio blasting to get my stuff. I was pleasantly surprised to see that $111 and about 1/2 of my stash sold. Yeah! More money to spend of stuff. I dragged myself through the store until I spent all of that $111 dollars. I bought six packs of these






a couple of Bazzill In Stitch'z templates and piercing mat, and some acrylic stamps. I was good not to overspend more than $5 over what I sold.

I still want to sell my remaining stuff. I've got to figure out how.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Isn't she a cutie?

My husband found this little cutie running stray in his friend's neighborhood. She was dehydrated, malnourished, and infested with fleas and worms and only 8 weeks old. After a visit to the vet, she was good as new. Little Miss named her Honey. Of course, the children swore they would care for and train Honey. After a few weeks, it was apparent that they could not keep up with that responsibility. We found Honey a new home -- at my in-laws! Now, we can enjoy her anytime but not have to be responsible 24 hours a day. What a great relief. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

The favors I made for my friend's retirement party went well. They were 2" aluminum tins with a see through top. I wrapped the sides with coordinating ribbons, affixed a small flower or button at the seam of the top ribbon, and then adorned the tops with buttons, flowers, brads, and ribbons. In all I had three different designs I used.I think everyone else enjoyed them too. I bought a bottle of Prima flowers to use on the favors. The bottle contained a mix of white washed, polka dots, and monochromatic flowers of various sizes. I just love how they look! I almost didn't want to use them on the favors.

I'm going to Sacramento on a business trip for a few days. When I return, there will be soccer games on Saturday and on Sunday I have to pick up my stuff that didn't sell at the Scrapdoodles yard sale. I had 126 things for sale. Oooo, I can't wait to see how much $ I made.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Random Updates

I haven't had time to play in my studio lately. Life has been busy and I've been sleep deprived.

One of my friends, who has been working in our office for 22 years, recently retired. I'm helping create favors for her retirement luncheon. I've also helped design a memory book, on the fly, just today. That was incredibly fun to be able to scrapbook at work. I only wished I had more time to work on the design to make it more snazzy. But, I think we did a good job in our team effort.

I'm still exploring art journals and learning to sketch. One of the products that many journal artists seem to use in their artwork is Golden Gel Medium. I haven't found this product at my local M's, J's, or AC's so I had to find a "real" art store. I found a Utrecht Art Store in downtown D.C. It's a tiny store that's packed with stuff that was new for me. Golden is expensive and there were so many different kinds, I decided to get a sample six pack.

Oh, I'm happy to say that I sold my FIRST item in my Etsy store. I was SO excited to see the sale. I'm encouraged to create more items to sell.

I'm selling 126 items (or packages of items) at Scrapdoodles semi-annual yard sale. I'm hoping to sell them all so that I can buy Bind It All coils and Maya Road acrylic stamps, chipboard books, and acrylic key chains. I'd really like to find a heavy duty paper cutter to cut multiple sheets of 24 lb. paper and chipboard. Is there such a trimmer?