Not much time left....

We received word, very recently, that we are moving within the next five months to Eglin Air Force Base, in the Florida panhandle. This means I don't have too much time left to go through EVERYTHING in the house and purge what I don't want to move with. I will likely do very little crafting between now and our big move, so I'll be on a hiatus of sorts until we're settled down in Florida. Of course, once in a while, I may need to do some crafting just to ease the stress; but since I have limited time between working, taking care of the family and purging, I will update my blog only once in a blue moon. Once we are settled in and unpacked, in Florida, I hope to keep up with my blogging far more than I have been.

This is how I spent the evening on Inauguration Day

As many Americans probably did, I watched the coverage of the Inaugural parade and the Neighborhood Ball, yesterday. I half-watched and half-listened. I was working on a quilt block that I'm going to swap with my friend, Lori; and the colors I ended up choosing seemed to have a "red, white and blue" theme about it. I don't think it was intentional. It just ended up that way. I hope Lori likes her quilt block. We're exchanging blocks, and this is just the first one. I don't know how often we'll exchange blocks, but if we do continue to do this over the course of the year, I may end up with enough blocks to make another large quilt.

Glittery birthday card

When I first looked at this stamp, I immediately thought "Valentine's" or "Love" would be the appropriate theme that it would fall under. But, then, I saw the cute little birthday hat on the little mouse. That's when I was inspired to create this Birthday card. Rather than use pink or red for the glitter hearts, I thought it was more festive to use primary colors, instead. Stickles, as a final touch, makes the "Glitter Hearts" come to life. Thanks for stopping by, today!


Stamp: House Mouse by Stampa Rosa, Riveting by Stampin Up
Ink: Memento Black, COPIC markers
Papers / Cardstock: White, Red, Green, Yellow, Blue
Accessories: Large and Small star punches by Stampin Up, Stickles

Sweet and lovely vintage

A lovely way to begin a weekend. I joined a swap on the Stamp Shack with "vintage" as the theme. Here, I used an image by Tuscan Rose; a stamp (the word "sweet") by Heidi Swapp; papers by Foofala; lace and prima flowers. For the swap, we have to create only the card front. This saves on postage costs.
We received an inch or two of snow last night, with a layer of sleet/ice beneath it. It made driving quite interesting today. We went out to a local restaurant for breakfast, ran a few other errands, and came home. It is certainly chilly, this weekend. My husband found some wonderful "chilli powder" that you add to your hot chocolate. I believe this is how many Mexican people enjoy hot chocolate. Neither my husband and I are Mexican, however, we have seen many shows on television where this spice is shown as a favorite addition to hot chocolate in Mexico. Well, we tried the chilli powder, and it is absolutely delicious!
I hope you are enjoying beautiful weather where you are! Thanks for stopping by!

Edited to add: Some folks have written to me about the "chili powder" I mentioned above. It's not regular chili powder (the red kind). It's a special chili powder called "Cocoa Chili Powder" made by McCormick's. So, please don't use regular chili powder. You have to find the kind that is designed specifically to be added to hot chocolate.

I'm back in the gym, religiously

Yes sirree! Monday through Friday (today), this week. I've been going to the gym each day, after work. Then, I come home, shower, cook supper, eat.....then if I'm lucky, I'll still be awake come 8:30 to watch TV. LOL! Then, day starts all over again when the alarm clock sounds at 0430 (it sounds more like an actual scheduled activity when I post it as military time). I have been receiving the nicest compliments from coworkers. One coworker, who hasn't seen me in three weeks, said she has seen a very noticeable difference, and she can really tell I've lost weight.

I'm down almost 20-lbs (or 9 kilos) since I started working out religiously and watching my calories. This journey began on 11-11-08, and I am proud to say, I continue to do pretty well. I didn't gain any weight over the Christmas Holidays. As a matter of fact, I dropped three pounds. I feel stronger, more energetic, and don't feel like it's so impossible to do, any more.

If you made a New Year resolution to get fit, I wish you all the best. If I can do it, you can do it!! Feel free to share what is working for you; and feel free to drop me an email and ask questions, whenever you like!

My vacation is drawing to a close

I thoroughly enjoyed my little break from work. I can't believe how quickly the days have flown by. As opposed to vacations of the past, we didn't leave our home. We stayed put. What a difference that makes! I enjoy visiting family, seeing other cities, exploring new places; but sometimes, it gets stressful and exhausting, and you don't feel rested. During this vacation, I got to sleep in my own bed, went to see a movie (Valkyrie with Tom Cruise), ate out on weeknights, and stamped, stamped, stamped. This is the most stamping that I've done in months! My husband would like to take me out to see "Australia" with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. We may catch the matinee later on, today. I hope to get one more card completed before going back to work on Monday. (Ooohh....I dread Monday....LOL!)
Stamps: Stampin Up "Fairies"
Cardstock: Brown, White, Red
Ink: Memento Black Ink, COPIC markers, Bayou blue ink (for the sky)
Embellishments: Lace, ribbon, gemstone stickers, Stickles (on her wings)
Tools: Nestabilities, Martha Stewart border punch, Stampin Up scalloped circle punch (to help with creating the puffy clouds), stipple brush

Another birthday card!

One of the best things about cardmaking is the ability to make unique, handmade expressions of your love and fondness for family and friends; especially when their birthdays come along. This card is for a dear friend of mine celebrating a birthday this month. The cupcakes are by Hero Arts (I love this set! I should use it more often). I colored the cupcakes with Stampin Up pens, and blended the colors with my waterbrush. The "sprinkles" are created with Stickles. If you are a January baby, I wish you a very Happy Birthday! Have a heaping slice of cake and an extra scoop of ice cream for me!

Inspiration in the Sugar Bowl

Happy New Year to you and yours!! The Sugar Bowl has kicked off the New Year with it's first Sketch Challenge. I decided to use my very first Leanne Ellis stamp from Sugar Nellie.I stamped the image with StazOn and colored it in with Stampin Up markers and my waterbrush. I hope you'll try your hand at this Sketch Challenge. The prize is awesome! Again, I wish you a very Happy New Year. May it be prosperous, fulfilling, and abundant with creativity, love and special memories.