Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Copper Falls


A girlfriend and I took a road trip this past weekend up to Northern Wisconsin. Along the way, we stopped at little stores and antique shops, and we also decided to stop at Copper Falls State Park. We hiked the 1.7 mile Doughboys' Nature Trail (so named for the WWI vets, not the Pillsbury mascot. *ahem*), and at every turn we ran into a new Amish couple. At first we just kept seeing one couple, and we spent a great deal of time debating whether they were on their rumspringa but eventually we realized there were oodles of Amish at the park and they were just taking advantage of the Open House weekend the same way we were.

I know the Amish aren't too keen on having their pictures taken, but I felt bad asking them to step aside for every shot I wanted to take (they lingered at the look out points... me thinks they were all on dates), so I snapped this from behind. I thought it would make a cool picture with them framed at the bottom. I kinda like the way it turned out with the falls between them.

Anyhow, I just thought I'd share this one.

More to come...

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WFMW - Keeping Paint Brushes Wet

Hey there! I know what you're thinking.... this isn't a stamping post! How did this get in my reader? Well, I'm still the same stamper you subscribed to, I've just been sidetracked with other things lately. One of these things happens to be some little fix-it projects around the house. Another is finding cool new blogs to share! One of the cool new blogs I found is http://www.wearethatfamily.com/, which hosts Works For Me Wednesday. The idea is that every Weds, you post a hint or tip or trick... something that makes your life a little easier. You can read all of the guidelines HERE. Then go back to We Are That Family and link your tip on that Wednesday's post. And while you're there, look at all of the other tips that have been linked. You may just learn something!

This week, I started touching up some paint around the house, and because I have two beautiful little boys who keep me on my toes all day long, I never know how much time I'll have to do the work that needs to get done.

My grandpa was a professional painter, and I started helping him on jobs at a young age (I want to say about 8 years old). One trick he taught me was to wrap a paint brush in tin foil and stick it in the freezer if you weren't going to use it for a few hours, but weren't ready to clean it yet. So here you can see my work in progress:


Imagine how difficult it must be for me to open that freezer door and reach for the paint brush instead of my beloved mint chocolate chip ice cream.

When you are ready to paint again, just unwrap and dip it in the paint. Works like a charm, and doesn't get all gookey (yes, that is a technical term).

And this is totally random, but I just have to say I love that paint brush. It's a professional sash brush, and it was my grandpa's for years before I inherited it. It's like having him right there with me while I work, and I like that. :)

Do you have a tip to share? Play along! It can even be craft related! There are themes you can work off, too. Check it out!
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Monday, September 21, 2009

The Hobbies of Henry

This is basically how I find Henry every time I come into his room in the morning or after naptime:

After he wakes up, he entertains himself with one of his two favorite hobbies: Star Wars or Comic Books. Star Wars, by the way, is winning. He has dozens of figures from the movies, and knows them all - ALL - by name. Most of his collection is stuff that his Papa saved from his own childhood, and some is inherited from his older cousin. It's a family affair!

Every night, part of our bedtime routine is to clean the bedroom and put all of this away. There is a place for everything, and God forbid if I should mistakenly put Han Solo where Darth Vader belongs. Or give him a green light saber. Or forget to reattach his cape.

Aaaaand this is why clean up duties are Papa's responsibility. He knows better.

And here we have the best of both worlds. A Star Wars Comic! *gasp*


See that closet door behind Henry? My Barbie dolls are stashed away on the top shelf in there getting dusty. *sigh*
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Itty Bitty Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks... Part 2!


Remember that fun card I shared yesterday? Well, here is the whole set! How stinkin' cute are these Itty Bittys? I just love them. Especially the look of surprise on their faces in that image with the gravestone! hee hee. :) TOO CUTE! I dare you to tell me you don't need this set! Go on, I dare you! :)

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Itty Bitty Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks!

Pink Cat Studio is releasing a new set tomorrow, and it includes two new characters! I'm sure you love Lily and Billy as much as I do, but check out the new kids on the block!



Are they not adorable?! This is just one of the images from this awesome new set. I LOVE IT! The sentiment for the card is tucked behind the main image. You just have to pull out that ribboned edge, and you'll find this:


Cute, no? :)
Be sure to click over to the other Pink Cat Design Team member blogs (linked in my sidebar) to see all of the other images! You won't be sorry!
In case you're wondering, that patterned paper in the background has velvet flocked spiders on it (!!). I picked that up last year at i {heart} papers.
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