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. . . I'd have so much fun cutting things out with my Silhouette.
. . . there are so many designs to choose from.
. . . today 99 cents buys you any of Silhouette's designs
. . . you can use your own fonts to cut out any words or phrases
. . . For Keeps Sake carries the Silhouette
This design is from the Silhouette online design studio
purchased for a mere $.99
cut on the original Silhouette
using Bazzill cardstock.
Going shopping now for more cool designs.
Yesterday . . .
slept in and woke up at 5 a.m. (hey, that's good for me!).
Proceeded to the basement, craft room, art studio aka Nancyland
to make my coffee and work on some
art pieces.
Bill had just emptied the trash the night before so I put in a new bag in the waste basket
to find one of these
in the bottom of the trash can.
FREAKING OUT is putting it mildly.
I hate MEECE. HATE THEM is too mild a statement.
I ran screaming up two flights of steps.
All 500 pounds of me.
I didn't know I could move that fast.
May have taken the steps 3 at a time. Not sure.
I almost passed myself up trying to get to Bill.
Who by this time had woke up to the sounds of my screams.
And was thinking about reaching for his gun.
Thought I was being attacked.
Well . . . I was . . . by a MEECE . . . in the trash can . . . I HATE MICE (did I say that already).
Bill was in no hurry to get out of bed
at 5 a.m.
when he's used to now sleeping until at least 7:30 a.m. - maybe later (since retirement)
but since I was still screaming like a maniac (and with good reason I might add)
literally standing at the foot of the bed shaking violently
(and believe me when this body shakes it is violent)
he got up s l o w l y
put on his jeans - one pants leg at a time . . .
*for god's sake Bill can't you jump into those things and hurry up!
there's a mouse in our house*
and walked down to the basement
to find the mouse
and set him free
outside
in the field.
Now by this time I am not even thinking about stepping foot in Nancyland.
After all, there's been an invasion.
And I want no part of it.
So I'm dressed and out the door for my morning coffee.
Then to the grocery store
and of course . . . mouse things. Not traps. Even those are a little cruel for me.
Well, sort of. I hate mice. Did I say that already?
And returned home.
Not leaving Bill's side for one minute. He's a hunter.
That's the kind of guy you want to be around at times like this.
So we he put those mouse things out - I think I bought about 30 of them.
One can't be too sure. Those mouse things are all over now.
The gatherer came home with dozens of them and the hunter dispersed them
behind refrigerators
under stoves
behind the washer/dryer.
See how well the gatherer and the hunter work together?
I'm starting to feel a little more confident, but not enough to venture into the basement again.
That may take awhile. I miss my basement.
All my play toys are there.
So about every hour I ask Bill to go check on the mouse thingies.
The hunter gives me a look (you know - that sideways one that says *you're crazy*)
but is nice enough to do it anyway.
Probably because he doesn't want me running around screaming any more.
The neighbors may talk.
More importantly, the hunter probably is tired of me following him around saying
*have you seen any more mice?* every two minutes.
The day progresses and we go out for dinner with friends.
I'm relaying my mouse story of the day and I said
*I know these little guys travel in two's and I'm worried about there being more than one.*
to which Kurt (who is supposed to be one of my best friends in the entire world)
says
*Two! They travel in dozens.*
OMG. OMG. OMG.
'tis the season to carry around a cup of really hot coffee - that stays hot - for a while - in the car . . .
Had this really good insulated cup but didn't like how I had it decorated. So picked out one of my favorite stamps from Stampers Anonymous.
I call him Guido. Doesn't he look like a Guido?
Stampers Anonymous calls him U3-697. He has waaaayyyyy too much personality for just a number. I mean, look at his shoes. I swear I had a pair of those in my skinny days.
Anyway, decided to take Guido
+
a little Cavallini
+
a little Graphic 45
+
Basic Gray
and give the insulated mug one more chance.
If you decide to decorate your mug
remember that you can't put layer upon layer upon layer
as your design has to fit within the confines of the container.
But I think Guido is lookin' good!
Paper roses (wasn't that a Bobby somebody song? - Vinton?)
have become the latest curiosity among paper crafters and I am no exception. I love that we can do them with grungepaper. Seems to make them a little sturdier than just paper. And with Tim's new die coming out soon . . . hmmmmm . . .
Found this tutorial on my google reader today and the photos are up close and easy to understand - even without reading the directions:
Here's the finished product:
go here to find out how:
http://meholder.blogspot.com/2009/03/paper-flower-tutorial.html
From trying these roses myself
there's a couple of tricks that work best for me:
use Claudine Hellmuth's matte medium (super strong adhesive)
let the adhesive dry between steps
use strong clamps to hold the glued pieces together until dry
HTH
Don't ask me where I've been all these years, but I never new the history behind New Year celebrations. This week, I have a design due for Frosted Designs based around the New Year and decided my layout will include a bit of historical knowledge.
Thought this was interesting enough to share with you (although I'm probably the last to know this):
"The New Year is the oldest holiday celebration in the world, first observed in ancient Babylon in 2000 BC in March during the Equinox. The Romans continued this tradition but their calendar continually changed, depending on what the current emperor wanted. With these calendar changes, the new year quickly became out of sync with the Equinox. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar established what is now known as the Julian Calendar with January 1 as the beginning of the New Year. The first of January was dedicated to the Roman god of gates and doors (and thus new beginnings), Janus. "
Disclaimer: I know the Notre Dame nuns probably drilled this into me for 12 years, but I think I probably was busy writing notes to my best friend. Feel free to pass this history lesson on to anyone who might have been exchanging notes for me during class.
a mini-blizzard
on the way to my sister-in-law's house
just for about an hour or so.
nothing traumatic
but definitely white!
Was catching up on my *SAUCE* magazines and found an ad for Winslow's Home. Sounded pretty intriguing so when Bill woke up today, being the breakfast man he is, I asked if he wanted to go out for breakfast to a place I just discovered. Of course he said *yes* (he's usually ready to do anything and go anywhere - almost) so off we went.
And walked into this fabulous place on Delmar:
As you can read on their website, it's in a 1926 building and was originally a market and general store. The owner has done a really impressive job of keeping the integrity of the building and the feel of the general store.
Here's what we found:
Winslow's Home serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
C heck out their website for hours and menu
Look at these milk bottle lights!
Loved this:
and this:
and this:
the candy aisle:
and locally grown produce:
Oops, almost forgot.
We were there for breakfast.
I got a delicious quiche
with a crust that Grandma used to make.
Buttery. Flaky. Homemade.
Baked on the spot.
Served with a coffee cup that was warm before the coffee went in!
The attention to detail in this store is amazing.
Here's what breakfast man got:
eggs (farm fresh I'm thinkin').
bacon.
freshly grown spinach.
on Ciabatta.
double yum!
Now back to shopping.
Here's what I came home with:
How cute is that photo book with the camera cover!
Can't wait to try a recipe from my new cookbook
+
use those note cards for backgrounds on collage work.
Go there.
Right now.
You won't be disappointed
and may even come back here
and thank me for directing you
to one of the cutest places in the Lou.
Hope all your dreams came true
God bless our soldiers and keep them safe this
Christmas and all through the New Year.
