Thank You Berry Much!

Today is day 2 of the Sweet n' Sassy Stamps blog hop, and here is my fun summery contribution! This card uses two super cute (not to mention versatile) stamp sets. The strawberry image is from Summer Fun, and the sentiment is from Summer Sentiments.

I used some dazzling diamonds to highlight the "seeds" on the berries, and my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder on the base. I love strawberries... they are easily my favorite berry (pretty much the only one I eat, for the most part), and also my kitchen theme! :o)

I'm the last stop on the hop for today, but be sure to pick up with us again tomorrow, starting with Korin's blog:

Friday, May 1
Korin
Deb
Tami
Deedee
Ceal
and back on the SNSS Blog to wrap it up!

My Eyes!

LOL! Sorry, couldn't help myself with that post title given the brightness factor here! :o) I don't know what I was thinking, but for a minute earlier this evening the whole red/yellow/turquoise thing seemed like a really good idea. *shrug*

Regardless of the color, I still am lovin' this Changito Baker stamp set by Stampendous from i {heart} papers. I stamped the monkey image, and then extended the table line with a pen and stamped a few baked goods next to him. The cinnamon rolls were stamped on a separate piece of paper and then cut out and adhered with dimensionals to give it a little depth.... hard to see that in the picture. You can get a little better idea in this one:

Check out that red dotted ribbon I used on the card. This stuff is awesome.... Why? Because the dots are printed on both sides of the ribbon. LOVE that. I have some cheap-o black and white dotted ribbon (used on the card below) that only has the dots printed on one side.... so when you tie a knot, the dots on the ends of the not don't look as bright as the rest of the ribbon length. A minor detail, maybe, but one that matters to me!

I also used clear and yellow stickles for accents on the flames (yellow) and cakes (clear).

So, I guess it turned out ok... even with the blinding colors. :o)

My Dearest Friend

I just wanted to share a quick card I made tonight using the set called A True Friend by Sweet n' Sassy Stamps. I accented the card with my Tart n' Tangy set from SU!, as well as some coordinating papers that I bought from the new IB&C.

I love these dark colors, even though I should be lightening things up for spring! It was in the 80's here today! I was so excited, but now we have another week in the 50's... *sigh*

Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks, Day 3

Here we are at our final day of Sneak Peeks. Have I told you how much I love this set? Because I do. A lot. And of the four peeks I've showed you this week, this is my favorite card! I just got all of this gorgeous textured paper from SU, and I am in LOVE! I paper pieced her towel in that dotted paper, and then used coordinating papers to finish the card. Cute, no? Some friends and I go to a big waterpark in the area every summer, and we've missed the past three years because we've been busy taking turns having babies. I thought this would be the perfect card to send them suggesting we get back to our old habits this summer! :o)

And in case you're wondering, here is what the whole set looks like:

Go on... Admit it. You need it! Click on over to Pink Cat Studio and snag one for yourself. You'll be glad you did!

What Big Brother Doesn't Know....

This little red Radio Flyer car was a birthday gift for Henry last year from Grandma, and it's one of his most prized posessions. It's hard to believe that at 3 yrs old I'm already hearing the words, "Mum! Bee's trying to get my car!" coming from my oldest son. LOL! Well, technically it's more like, "Bee's fwying to dit my car!" ....but you know what I mean.

The problem is, Jack LOVES the car. A lot. So, sometimes when Jack wakes up early in the morning or after naps, or when Henry is outside with Papa, Jack gets to take a spin. Here he is, in all his glory:

......how *you* doin'? ..........

bwa ha ha ha! :o) At least he has a nice ride!

Wednesday Weigh-In #13

Hello!!! How is everyone doing this week? I'm doing alright. I thought for SURE this was going to be the week I hit my goal... I was only 6/10 of a pound away from it at one point!!! But then life got in the way and I leveled out a little higher when all was said and done. SO, I lost .8 this week... only 2.2 lbs to go!

Are you getting close to your goal? Reporting is open now. Remember to report your weight loss if you signed up for the Pound for Pound challenge. It looks like the donations they are making are only going through if you report at the end (which makes sense). If you signed up for the challenge you probably got an email just like I did, so you can take it from there.

Hang in there! The finish line is in sight... well, at least for this leg of the race, anyhow!

Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks, Day 2

Here's another quick sneaky peek at the new Lily set from Pink Cat Studio. Isn't this mermaid the cutest? I love her! I love this whole set... it's just adorable! I colored Lily with my Prisma Colors and gamsol... I figured it would be easier to blend the fishy part of her that way. I did use my Copics on the rock and water though. I also added some Dazzling Diamonds to the scales. You can see a close up of the sparkles below:

Come back tomorrow for our final peek, and my favorite of all four cards! :o)

Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks, Day 1

It's time for another Pink Cat Studio sneek peak! Woot! :o) Melissa is releasing a new set of four Lily stamps this month (well, four Lily images, plus sentiments), and they are beach themed as we prepare for summer! ....Summer? What's that?! Ugh! It actually snowed here today. I was NOT amused!!

Anyhow, above you see sweet little Lily on her turtle.... This reminds me of the turtle we have at the zoo in town here. It's huge.... and his name is Dash. LOL. That just cracks me up. :o)

Below you can see a super simple card with Lily chillin' in the lake. Sometimes simple is good! In the actual stamped image, Lily has legs sticking out below the tube, but I thought I'd make her floating for this one...

More peeks tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Long Winter

Let me explain this card a bit...

To make a long story short, one of my girlfriends had a baby about three or four months ago, but it was early. Really early. I think she was at about 22 weeks when she delivered. The little girl was a fighter though, and she has come through so much in the past few months. Last week I found out that she was finally strong enough to come home. I wanted to send a card, but wasn't really sure what to send. I thought about it for awhile, and this is what I came up with. A little welcome home card for baby.


I used SU!'s old Right at Home set, stamped in Going Grey on Pink Pirouette. Then I used my crystal effects on all of the windows, and added a layer of glitter at the base of the houses. The sentiment, which I thought was sooo fitting for both the situation and the season, is from the Sweet n' Sassy Stamps set called His Eye Is On The Sparrow. I just love this set. The sentiments are so versatile.

And finally...... Breaking Dawn.





I actually finished this book a week or so ago, but kept putting off my little review due to a lack of time. I always seem to be blogging at 1am, and trying to race to bed as I do it. I'm finally here mid-afternoon, so I thought I'd say a few words. Ok, I've read all four books. A lot of people I've spoken with have asked me what order I liked the books in. If I had to choose, I'd say 1, 2, 4, 3. New Moon was my least favorite, because of two chapters mainly. Both had to do with a lot of history to the plot, and it just got to the point of being almost painful to read. And by painful, I mean boring. Other people have asked me which "team" I'm on, Edward or Jacob. I'm fully entrenched with Team Edward. The whole bit about who Jacob imprinting is creepy to me, but I saw it coming pretty early on. When Quil did almost the same thing, I knew there was some foreshadowing there.

Yes, I'm being vague. But I'm thinking maybe someone is reading this who doesn't want any spoilers, so I'm being nice. :o) If you want to discuss the book more in depth, feel free to email me at the link on my sidebar!

And don't forget to check out the Stephenie Meyer website. Did you know she actually wrote a fifth book for the series? She has the transcript (253 pages) linked on her site, and the explanation of why it will probably never make it to print... which stinks! Check it out if you have time. I think I'm going to have to read it now... I guess my thirst for all things Cullen hasn't been completed satisfied yet!

Wednesday Weigh-In #12

Ok, so this is late. Like, really late. Sorry!

Unfortunately, it's 1am, and I need to get to bed, but I wanted to get this posted quick.

I stayed the same this week. Well, actually, that's not true. I gained 3 lbs over the weekend, and then busted my you-know-what to get them off again by Weds morning... So, I guess you could say I lost 3 lbs, but sadly they don't count towards my total.

How did the Easter holiday treat you?! I hope you enjoy the celebration of the day, even if it did bring a few extra calories with it!

Only a few more weeks to go!

Birthday Wishes

Ok, let's take a poll... Who thinks Changito is the coolest monkey in stamping? :o) I just love this little guy! I *just* got this new Changito Baker set from i {heart} papers, and I couldn't be more excited! I paired him up with some of the Rooster Row paper and this awesome red dotted ribbon. The monkey is colored with my copics, and I added stickles over the frosting on the cake, and over the flames on the candles.

That DP you see on the left side of the card is also the back of the card as well. I cut a piece to standard A2 measurements, then ripped most of the front away and adhered a piece of PTI white in its place. You can't see it in the pic, but I added another square of the patterned paper on the flip side of the white to cover where the copics bled through. I wasn't sure how it would look, but it actually finishes the card nicely.

I still need to tell you about Breaking Dawn. I haven't forgotten, I just don't have time right now! I need to go get a "last chance workout" in (ha ha!) before tomorrow's Wednesday Weigh-In!

Enjoy the Trip!

Here is a a quick card I made tonight with two of the new sets from Sweet n' Sassy Stamps. The sentiment is from the new Birthday Greetings set, and the rest is from the Spring Scenes set. I just love this scenery set. Think of all the stamps you could pair it with! And the clear stamps are flexible enough that you can kind of play around with how big you want your hill to be, too. I was impressed by that. :)

I also have to tell you that I finished Breaking Dawn, the final book in the Twilight series, this morning. Woot! I'll post my thoughts on that in the next day or two. I just wanted to get this card up quick...

Happy Easter!

I want to wish all of you a wonderfully Happy Easter! Enjoy the time with your family, and take time to reflect on the reasons we are celebrating.

I made this card with Sweet n' Sassy Stamps I'd Pick You set. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I love the sharp contrast of the black against the pastel colors!

Enjoy the day, and if you have a minute click over and check out my all time favorite Easter song. :o) It gives me goosebumps every. single. time. I hear it.

Just Buzzin' By...

Here are a few more new cards using the Dress Up Sweet Pea set from Pink Cat Studio. How do you like my crooked sentiment up there? Argh. I hand wrote that, but obviously thought I was on some kind of incline. I hate it when that happens!

The background paper here is from SU!. I never would have thought to put those colors (bashful blue and old olive) together, but I really like the retro 70's look it gives. The sentiment on this one is from SU!'s Curvy Verses set. I love that set to pieces because you can be a little inclined and you can't even tell! :)

Guess what? I finished book three of the Twilight series!

This was my least favorite book so far... except for the ending, in the clearing. I enjoy the action there. Now I'm about 50 pages into the final book. I am dreading the whole thing coming to an end, but at the same time will be kind of glad when it does so I can catch up on all the things I've been putting off! lol! I still have my theories about what's going to happen... or what *could* happen at least. I keep waiting for Jake to imprint. She talks about it so much, it's inevitable. And I feel like it's gonna happen with Angela. Or maybe Renee. Eww. How wrong would that be? Probably no worse than the guy who imprinted a 2 year old. *shudder* I know, I know, it's not like that... but still. Eww.

Again - no spoilers in the comments please!

Wednesday Weigh-In #11

Wow, I can't believe how close we're getting to the end of this challenge! Everything winds down on May 5th, and you have to report your weight loss on or before that day to have it count for the pounds of food donated. Do you think you'll meet your goal? I'm feeling more and more confident that I will, though I've been known to cave and eat everything in sight at the drop of a hat, so I guess you really never know. lol! (seriously though, I have...)

I lost 1.4 lbs this week, which brings me to an even 25. I'm kinda bummed that every week can't be a 5 lb week, but 1.4 really is a much more realistic loss, so I'll take it. I have to be honest with you all though, I don't think I could have done it without the accountability of posting this weekly, and hearing all of your comments and encouragement, so thanks for sticking with me!

Ice Shoves

We live a few blocks from the shore of Lake Winnebago, one of the largest inland lakes in the country. As long as I can remember, it has been a ritual every spring to go down and look at the ice shoves. As the ice melts, the waves push the broken ice to shore, and it piles up almost like a snowbank. Sometimes the shoves are taller than the nearby houses. This year they're actually pretty low, but still fascinating (at least I think they are!).

Here is a picture of Henry sitting on a chunk of ice. You can see how thick the ice still is (about 15") when it shoves up on land.

Another picture of Henry in front of a larger pile. This tree root is right on the shoreline:

The ice breaks off almost like shale, in these long, thin, pieces:

The shoves are strong enough to push boulders inland:

Here you can see the shoves up against the shore. Beyond that, you see some open water and what looks like flat land. That part that looks like flat land is actually more ice waiting to come to shore. Just past that you see a darker line that might look like a treeline far off in the distance. That's the shore on the other side of the lake.

We took these pictures on Sunday, and when I was out at the park today, as far as I could tell all of the ice that had still be in the lake had now either melted or come to shore. The piles are melting fast, but are still pretty substantial.

Interesting, or no? I think so!

It's Bee's Birtay!

On Sunday, March 29, Henry woke up and came downstairs to a house filled with Winnie the Pooh. The first thing he saw at the bottom of the stairs was our table, all decked out (sans food, at that point):



In the cutest, most amazed, voice a child of two and three quarters could muster, he said, "It's my birtay!!" :o) hee hee. I said, "No honey, it's Jack's birthday!" I thought maybe he'd be sad that all of the fanfare wasn't for him, but instead he just repeated in the same voice, "It's Bee's birtay!" Seriously, a.dor.able!

So, above you can see the little luncheon we had. That was only about half the food. I kept forgetting to put stuff out. Doh!

See those bumble bee cupcakes? I made those! Here's a close up:

They are actually "diet" cupcakes (one box of cake mix + one can of diet coke, then make and cook per package directions) with non-diet toppings. The base frosting was tinted yellow, then I piped the three brown stripes on. The wings are made of white chocolate. I drew a template on a piece of paper, and then put waxed paper over the top and traced over the template with melted chocolate to form the wings. I let them dry all afternoon (the day before), and then peeled them off and stuck them in. It was a little tricky, and I did break a few (in case you're wondering the broken pieces went in the garbage - if there's one thing I won't eat, it's white chocolate!) in the process. The white part of the eyes is a miniature marshmallow (cut in half) with a little more chocolate frosting piped on top. Cute, no? I was happy with how they turned out!

Unfortunately, our camera battery died after only a few pictures. We did get quite a few pics from my mom, but they're all from a film camera, and I don't have the patience to scan them, so all you get to see are the few we got before the battery died, and one that my cousin emailed me.
Jack and Mum:

Here we tried to blow out the candle, but Jack was more interested in dipping into the taco salad:

And my favorite, Jack's great-great-great (!!!) Uncle Dan jammin' out on Henry's "ahtar"!