and the winner is.....

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rachel said...
Platonic is so awesome and beautiful!! Purple is my favorite color!! lOve your stuff!

Congrats Rachel! Let me know your wrist measurement and your mailing address. Did you want something purple? Light or dark? Or something else entirely?

I had a good weekend. My mom, sister, and I drove to Salt Lake together for a family reunion. SLC = way better shopping than what's available in Logan, so my sister and I bailed on the reunion for a few hours and had an absolute blast! We hit 2 Joann's, Michaels, Draper Point outlets, and Heartland Paper. (ok, we have a Jo's and a Michaels in Logan, but the selection varies SO much between stores.) We found some great deals as well. My sister was able to find the fabric she has been searching for. I found scrapbook supplies that someone would actually want to use. We both bought clothes. Happy Day!

My brother, sister-in-law, and nephew stopped by yesterday. Austin is growing up so much! He'll be 2 in less than a month. I can't believe how fast time flies! They are due to have a baby boy on 7/5, but she'll probably be induced tomorrow. I love being an aunt. I can't believe my younger brother will have 5 kids, but I love it anyway. I hope the new baby has dark red hair like Austin did. I can't wait to see him. I know his mama's pretty anxious to have him here as well! LOL

giveaway...

I've had a lucky, happy day and wanted to share the love... so how about a giveaway? I will make a bracelet for one lucky person (chosen at random). I'll even let the winner pick the color for the bracelet! All I ask you to do is check out my Etsy shop and tell me which item you like best. I will pick the winner on Monday morning (6/30) so be sure to have your comment posted no later than Sunday night...

lucky me!

I have a vacation day scheduled for tomorrow... I got to work today and my schedule showed 'vacation' for today as well. The work had already been split up among my other coworkers, so there wasn't really anything I needed to do. I did stay and help out for half my shift, but I'm so excited to be done early today. Wahoo!! Lucky me! Now I'll get to have some creative time too. Originally, I would only have had time to run errands and pack for tomorrow. I'm smiling!

I wore my hair curly today. It's naturally curly, but oddly enough it takes longer to get the curls looking good than it does to just straighten my hair. I don't like to spend more than 20 minutes combined on my hair and makeup, so it goes straight 90% of the time. I guess I was just in the mood for something different today.

Perhaps I'll take my sister out to lunch today too. I don't like to eat out unless it's a special occasion... is curly hair and a scheduling error enough of a special occasion?

flirt buddy

My friend, Sam, and I flirt with each other. A lot. Anyway, yesterday at work, he pushed his chair up against mine so that they were back to back. He then laid his head back so it was resting on my shoulder and I laid my head on his head. My friend, Tiffany, looked at us and asked what we were doing. Sam's reply... "We're sleeping together." Haha. (Mom... inhale, exhale... take a deep breath. He was joking.)

playtime

I was so excited to have some time to scrapbook yesterday. I sat down with my new stamps and just played. I sometimes get frustrated that playtime isn't productive. I have to remind myself that it's okay to let loose, have fun, and really have nothing to show for it. I *did* manage to get one card made in the 4 hours I played. LOL
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I used two of the stamps that I designed on this card. The background dot is one. The logo on the back of the card is the other...
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I will often get an idea of how I want something and then have NO luck finding it. This happens with fabric, paper, clothing, etc. In this case, it happened with stamps. I prefer clear stamps too, so when I set out to have these made, I knew that I'd want to work with someone that could produce clear stamps.

The process was easy. I just opened photoshop and got to designing. I then emailed the owner of Imagine Stamps and she replied right away with a price quote. Honestly, I was slightly hesitant. Anytime you have custom work done there's a chance it won't be as good as commercial products available. That wasn't the case at all. I got right to work using my stamps and love the final result. I will definitely get more stamps designed and place another order!

The butterfly on the card is one that I purchased on Etsy. All I did was ink it up with Versamagic chalk ink and heat emboss. (The dots and logo are stamped with Versacolor and heat embossed with clear powder). I love fun, easy projects that look great when they're done :)

good day

Today was a good day! I woke up early, worked on some more organization (which I'll share soon... I promise!), ran errands, played with the camera, talked to my mom on the phone, made an amazing orange julius, and played with some new clear stamps I got.
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And here is one of those stamps in action... (heat embossed too!)Photobucket
I designed these stamps in Photoshop and had them created. I was anxious to see how they'd turn out and I'm so happy with them that I'll be sure to design some other stamps and order those as well! (Do not judge the stamp by the stamping.... I was in a hurry to try them out, so the work *I* did is not that great. The stamps themselves are great.) I'll have to play with them some more and show the results of some actual good stamping. LOL

flutter

My amazing niece will be eleven this week. Geez.... time sure flies! We saw the most adorable shirt (at Walmart, if you'll believe it!) and decided we'd make her a necklace, earrings, and bracelet to match.
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I have spent the morning running errands and playing with the settings on my camera. I want to take killer photos, so I'm trying to learn all the tips and tricks. Sadly, I used to be pretty good. I absolutely loved my camera and I took photos every day. The camera broke and I ended up buying the exact same model again, but in the month that I waited to get the new one I fell out of habit. That's been almost 3 years ago and I'm still trying to get back into the groove.

missing Spring

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Spring here lasts about ONE week. We go from snow to 90+ in record speed. It's really, quite frustrating. I like to spend time outside, but I sunburn super easily and I don't tolerate the heat well.

Autumn is still a long way off, and is also a super short season. And I have seasonal allergies in the Fall. Good times.

good investment!

I sold a necklace today with a little help from BabyBoss. Gavin and Laura have such a fun shop and some great items for babies. I don't have babies, but I do have poor descriptive writing skills. LOL. Luckily, Gavin is a master at doing just that. I made a small investment for the good of my shop and bought their 'ad copy service.' We then collaborated on the details of the necklace and He came back with a totally awesome description. I updated the description, relisted the item, and had it sold within 12 hours!!! See for yourself:
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Serpentine was prized by ancient civilizations, revered for its mystical healing and protective powers and was believed to bless the wearer with wisdom and harmony. What better way to fill your world with peace, with health and with love – the cornerstones of a happy, vibrant life – than through this truly special, and appropriately named, work of art.

Smooth beads in subdued hues of creamy green are connected by a delicate chain, and its elegant 34” length makes it perfectly appropriate for a casual afternoon spent with close friends or an evening alone, reconnecting with that special loved one.

Perfect as a gift, or as a special treat for yourself, Vitality is certain to bring serenity to your life and elicit compliments from admirers.

yum!

I'm kind of known for my cookies. I've had marriage proposals, strangers hunting me down in a public restroom, and flat-out begging for my cookie recipe. I'm always happy to share. They're so yummy that everyone should benefit. I'm not one of those that's going to keep a fabulous recipe a secret.
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Nice visual to get your mouth watering, don't you think?

• 2 cubes margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 lg eggs
• 1 sm. pkg instant french vanilla pudding
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 cups flour
• 12 oz chocolate chips

Either melt the margarine slightly or let it get soft. Add sugars and cream really, really well. It makes a BIG difference. Add the eggs and vanilla. And then add the pudding mix. By now, your house smells awesome and your mouth is watering. Add the salt, soda, powder, and flour and stir until well blended. Now add the chocolate chips. I have the baking down to a science at my house, but you may have to do some slight adjusting to get them perfect in your own kitchen. I roll the dough into 1" balls and fit about 20 on a cookie sheet at a time. Bake at 325° for six minutes. The cookies will probably not look completely done, but pretty close. The dough will be cracked on top. Forcefully place (ie. slam) the cookies sheet on the stove top and allow them to cool there for about 3 minutes and then move them to a counter, cooling rack, etc. Honestly, making these as small as I do, this recipe will yield more than 100 cookies. My original recipe is double this and that makes for cookies out the wazoo! You can easily cut this in half, but I don't know why you'd want to do that. After you eat a dozen (without guilt...) share them with your family, friends, and random strangers. That is, if you want marriage proposals and public restroom stalkers.

My boss will be happy. He's been begging me to bake these for almost a month. LOL

feeling icky

I work Tuesday-Saturday each week and I look forward to Sunday and Monday. Those are MY days. Unfortunately, I spent my weekend feeling icky. Migraine icky. I hate when that happens on a day off, although it'll be nice on payday that this didn't happen on a work day.

I actually got quite a bit done yesterday before the ick set in. I have my scrapbook closet nearly organized, I sewed a quilt top, I made most of a card, photographed jewelry, and I made a necklace. Oh, I also listed several new things on Etsy which takes a while to do (for me anyway). LOL

Today, I finished that card, played with Photoshop to design a business card, put away the huge mess of beads that was taking over the coffee table, checked up on outstanding orders (like the nutso that has me on backorder), and mailed a bracelet that was purchased from my shop this weekend. It still looks like I accomplished stuff, but in reality, I sat around a lot this whole weekend. I get so frustrated when I'm not being productive.

four seasons

Utah has four seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Hotter than Hell, and Construction. Right now, we're in the Construction season, and the road between my house and my parents' house is closed for three months. There is a tiny little dairy access dirt road that has been opened to allow people to still travel back and forth, but it's about wide enough for a car and a half. We took that road yesterday. As did morons pulling camper trailers in the opposite 'lane'... Needless to say, we took another route home that was twice as long, but had paved roads the entire way.

We had a nice little visit with my parents, siblings, niece, and nephews. Our Father's Day barbecue was a tasty meal, too. We took fruit salad (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, grapes, etc.) and pineapple for grilling. Yum! My poor sister-in-law is 1000 weeks pregnant. And my brother keeps changing his mind about the name they've chosen. I'll have a sweet new nephew any time now.

I don't like to be away from home. Maybe that has something to do with moving 21 times in 20 years (I don't recommend it). We had a good time yesterday, but I'm glad to be home!

finally

After 7 weeks of going back and forth (and back and forth) with Worst Buy and the manufacturer of our dead monitor, they decided to replace it. We went with a different brand this time and upgraded to a beautiful, 19" widescreen LG monitor. Sweet!

I'm so glad it's Friday. I only wish I didn't have to work tomorrow. LOL. I'm gonna go bake a cake. I was craving it so bad yesterday, but I was super tired too, and sleep won.

Be watching for another 'finally' post... I ordered a stamp set and got a shipping confirmation email 15 days ago. I have emailed the store owner over and over again and she seems a little too calm, if you know what I mean. This is a hard-to-find item that is now back-ordered on the site. Methinks she never had it in stock and sent me a fake shipping notification to keep my sale. (insert bad word here) LOL

rag quilt

I finished my rag quilt today and it's so stinking cute!!
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Rag quilts are generally made by sewing together 'sandwiches' composed of 2 layers of fabric with batting or a layer of flannel in between. I wanted this one to be lightweight, but snuggly, so I have cotton prints on the front and pink flannel on the back.

Rag quilts are also generally stitched diagonally from corner to corner, forming an X on each piece. I cut all the squares a couple weeks ago and got them all sewed together with the X's and HATED it! These pieces are small enough that they don't require stitching within the squares, so I unpicked all of them and sewed the blanket without the diagonal stitching. Sunday, I sat down and got it sewn together and started cutting the exposed seams. Monday, I went and bought a new pair of scissors to save my hands. LOL (If you're going to make a rag quilt, I HIGHLY recommend getting a pair of spring-loaded scissors. Your hands will thank you for it!)

I want to get some better photos taken before I post this on Etsy, but I'll have to wait on that. It seems I can only get good photos between 9:00-11:00 AM and I happen to be at work during that timeframe. Ugh.

digital freebie!

Ok, one of the things I do to save on the scrapbooking budget is to create embellishments on my own. When I was making the cover to my 2008 album, I knew I wanted a round, perpetual calendar embellishment. There are similar products fitting this description on the market, but my way didn't cost anything other than an hour of my time. Plus, I got the size I want, and I only had to do the work once. I can use this sweet baby time and time again in both a digital format or printed and cut out to use traditionally.
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And just for visiting my blog, you can download it here. I'd love to see what you do with it. Link to your project in the comments if you'd like to show me!

my process

I thought it might be fun to document 'my process.' I generally sketch out an idea while I'm bored at work and then fine-tune it in Photoshop once I get home. I like to decide the size of the finished item and then design it digitally (a very basic digital guide) that way I don't waste product dinking around with the design.
Anyway, I created this as my guide:
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Once that was created, I printed it in reverse to hand-cut the scallop and the man/woman symbols. Add patterned paper, bind it all, and some ribbon and you've got a great little project!

I created this little book a couple months ago after a coworker suggested I make a list of 100 random things I'm looking for in a spouse.
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supplies used: patterned paper- 7Gypsies, Making Memories, KI. ribbons- various.

photos.... whew!

I've been either taking photos, editing photos, or posting photos online since 10:00 this morning. It's exhausting!

Steph and I went to my work party last night and had so much fun. We had good food and really good conversation. It was raining and very cold. This isn't typical June weather (not that I'm complaining though... I don't like when it's hot).

I plan to work on a quilt tonight (which I should be able to finish), make some cards, and finish organizing my scrapbook closet.

I tried to add some photos to this post, but they were all wonky and retarded (specifically, it would only display the left side of the photos) so I'll have to come back and add those later.

budget scrapping

I have been scrapbooking on a budget for many years and thought I'd share some of my tips:

• I generally don't buy rubons, transparencies, or other items that are printed in black or color. I can print those at home. White is another story. Luckily, white can be very versatile too. You can often recolor white things with paint, chalk, or ink.
• Never buy things you won't use just because they're trendy. If you know it's not your style, don't bother adding it to your stash 'cause that's where it'll stay.
• Also, don't buy complete sets of items (certain stamp sets come to mind...) if you'll only use a few of them.
• Buy your most-used cardstock in bulk. I use white, black, and craft the most, so I stock up on those and only buy other colors when needed.
• Watch for sales, coupons, clearance, ebay, etc. I love hunting for a good deal!
• Avoid buying items you'll only get one use out of. Look for versatility in your products. I avoid buying themed items for this reason.
• If I come across an image I know I'll want to use over and over, I'll try to find a similar stamp rather than buy a bunch of rubons or stickers.
• Become familiar with Word and Photoshop programs. Print items in reverse and handcut. The possibilities are endless this way!
• Find digital freebies online that you can use (either digitally or in hybrid scrapping).
• Buy only those tools you know you'll use. Look for tools that don't have expensive parts that will need to be replaced often (blades, ink cartridges, etc.) Find cutters that are self-sharpening, for example. Watch demonstrations and read reviews for items before purchasing too (wish I'd take my own advice before I bought the Blade Runner!!)
• Don't buy impulsively. I 'sleep on' any item over $10-$15. Sometimes I wake up wondering why I'd ever want it. Other times, I know I won't sleep again until I have it! LOL
• Save your scraps to use for embellishments or card-making.
• Look for items outside the 'scrapping' label. Buy silk flowers, ribbons, paint, alterable items, and office supplies in other areas or from non-scrapbook stores to save cash. The markup on scrapbook supplies is sometimes ridiculous.
• Buy the tiny pigment ink pads in many colors and use clear embossing powder with them rather than having many colored powders. They cost less than embossing powder and come in more colors. (My favorites are Versacolor).
• If you're unfamiliar with an item and want to try it, buy a small quantity or the smallest size available (ink comes to mind, but this could be true of papers and other things as well).
• Avoid buying page kits unless you consistently love at least 75% of the products you're getting each month.
• Buy things in bulk and split them with a friend, but only do this if they're things you'll actually use.
• Look for generic items rather than brand names. For instance, generic o-wires are less expensive than the bind-it-all brand and they work identically.

a good cause

A friend of mine is participating in Relay For Life this summer. She has been working tirelessly to get sponsors, donations, etc. and this weekend she's having a raffle. I was happy to design and donate a necklace for that raffle as well as help design some tags for thank you gifts she's made. So, that's how I spent my evening... with a good dvd on to supply noise and a tote full of beads. The necklace turned out really cute and I was happy to do my small part to help.
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My sleep has been off this week. It's a combo of caffeine one day and staying up too late all the other days. It's 9:10 pm and I'm wiped. Off to bed for me!

four things

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. cleaning a car dealership
2. Mack's Drive-In... making milkshakes and stuff
3. Ricks College- cleaning the Clarke building
4. Convergys. Six years and counting. Yes, it sucks sometimes.

Four movies I have watched more than once:
1. Accepted
2. Juno
3. Hitch
4. Ok- there are a lot that I watch over and over

Four places I have lived:
1. Rexburg, ID
2. Orem, UT
3. Tremonton, UT
4. Logan, UT

Four TV Shows That I Watch (we don't have TV, but Netflix is fun!):
1. Bones
2. The Office
3. Criminal Minds
4. Grey's Anatomy

Four Places I've been:
1. The republic of Myassoncouch
2. California. North and South. A few times.
3. Washington state
4. pretty much nowhere interesting!

Four people who email me regularly:
1. Ebay
2. Paypal
3. My aunt spams me all the freaking time. sigh.
4. People that seem to think they can enlarge my penis. I'd like to see them try that!

Four of my favorite foods:
1. broccoli
2. mushrooms
3. chocolate
4. cheese

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. I actually LOVE being at home!
2. Rexburg
3. Canada- East Coast or West Coast... not the middle so much.
4. Somewhere warm and tropical.

Things I am looking forward to this year:
1. becoming an aunt again
2. paying off the car and several other bills. WAHOO!
3. taking a vacation to Bryce Canyon in July
4. maybe taking a class or two

unproductive

I woke up, got ready for work, packed a lunch, and called in sick. I figured I could stay home and be productive while I started feeling better. Such good intentions...

I made a necklace for Stephanie. She has been sewing a shirt with a lime green and black polka dot fabric (it's cuter than it sounds!) She didn't like the beads I was picking out the other day, but told me that she doesn't "see" things and to do what I was inspired to do. She saw the necklace this morning and her eyes got all big and excited. She loves it. And, it looks awesome with her shirt!
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I also ran to Walmart to buy a battery for my keyless remote. Using a key is really inconvenient when you're used to just clicking a button. Lazy and pathetic, I know. LOL

I was also looking for some baskets or boxes for my scrap closet and found some at Michaels. Got them home and they're like 1/4" too big. Sigh. I already had to make 2 stops there today. Once to buy them, and then a few minutes later because she only charged me for two of them. They do fit nicely in the drawers in the bathroom though and it would be pretty great to keep those better organized, so I guess I won't worry about returning them.

My Etsy store had it's first sale today!!! Wahoo! One of the things I intended to do today was to take photos of more items so that I could get them listed. Sigh.

random

The battery in my keyless-entry remote for my car died today. I stood there looking at my trunk trying to figure out how to get it open. It only took about a second before I remembered how to use a key, so I'm okay. I'll get through this. lol

We stumbled upon Mountain Dew Voltage today and thought we'd give it a try. It's good. I'm not a pop drinker (see post re:caffeine last week) but I really like it. We'll have to get online and vote for this flavor so we can keep it around for a while.

Hobby Lobby got some more of our money this morning. I go there twice a week, it seems. I do wish that they had more stamping and scrapping stuff, more fabric, more home decor, and more bead stuff... that's the stuff I go there for. It's not my favorite store in the whole world, but it beats the competition in Cache Valley. Anyway, today I bought more photo boxes so that I can get the closet all organized. It's coming along nicely. I hope to have it done soon so I can play more.

going live

I started an Etsy shop today. It's something I've thought about doing for a while, because honestly, once I make something I generally have enough supplies to make duplicates, but I don't necessarily need duplicates for myself. It also motivates me to get things done. I'll add more things to the store in the next week or two; scrapbooking, sewing, and beading items will be the majority of my stuff. I don't really care if I don't have huge sales or anything. I'm bored and having fun, so that alone is worth it to me.

In other news, we visited Tiffany and her twins this morning. They are 2.5 months old and so cute. They still have a newborn cry. It's sweet. I can't wait for Tiff to come back to work, but I wish (for her and the babies' sake) that her maternity leave never had to end.

I'm gonna try to get some organizing done tonight so that I can do some creating tomorrow. Life is good. Sure, I have complaints (who doesn't?!) but nothing too major. Lucky me!