Public Service Announcemtent.

And A Wonderful Little Reminder of How Much My Husband Loves Me.
Thanks, Hubbums! I needed that!



P.S. It said that he loves me on the bottom...I just didn't get that part in the pic.

Isn't he just wonderful? I have the best husband in the whole world. Sorry, ladies. I win! LOL!

Beautiful Silhouettes from Mountainbrook on Etsy

Today is Etsy Pounce Day! I actually stumbled upon this great shop last week while I was pouncing away and I can't even begin to tell you how beautiful these are! Mountainbrook focuses on handmade wood products and they are so neat! The silhouettes are just gorgeous! This one is called "Drinking Buddies" and I just love it! The detail is fantastic! Check out the other designs available! These are priced well within reach (especially for beautiful handmade goods!) and they would make a beautiful addition to your home or a wonderful gift!



Head on over to Mountainbrook and let me know which piece is your favorite! I had such a hard time deciding which one to use on my post because there are so many delightful designs!

A New Layout with Pink Paislee and Anna Griffin Fabric

I have a layout that I want to share with you today. This is a very old photo....over eight years old, actually. This photo was taken in the same spot where Sean and I were engaged just a short time after that wonderful and marvelous day! I can't believe how thin and bony I was!!! It's almost a little scary! Anyway, I wanted to do something simple, elegant, and yet convey the importance of this life-changing day in our lives.









I also wanted to share this really cool pin that my friend Carla made for me! I did a Close To My Heart gathering in her home (where she got to earn lots of free stuff!) and she was kind enough to make ME a gift for coming! She used alcohol inks to color the tile and then surrounded it with foil tape. She stamped the monogram with StazOn ink and then coated it with glitter! It is SO cute! I love it! Thanks, Carla!!!

Diet Coke Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Candy Treats

Diet Coke Cupcakes.

This could, quite possibly be my greatest discovery ever.

Seriously, though, folks.

These are wonderful, fabulous cupcakes made with...you guessed it...DIET COKE!

Do you know what that means? That means that even after you create the fun and interesting candy melt topping (I do avoid buttercream...sorry...it is just full of fat and sugar and not really that yummy!) you STILL get a cupcake that comes in around 2 POINTS on the good 'ole Weight Watchers Program!

Holy Cupcake Goodness, Batman!

And do ya' wanna know the best part? Sean LOVES these things! Yes, my husband, the man who just doesn't love sweets much, the man who can pass up Swedish fish, chocolate cake, or less than perfect oatmeal cookies any day of the week LOVES these cupcakes! He skips the topping, but that's fine with me! I'm just thrilled that he likes them!





How do you make them you ask? Well...it is my now secret recipe, so I will tell you, but you can't tell anyone else! ;-)

1 Cake Mix of choice (I used the Low Sugar Devil's Food Cake by Betty Crocker)
1 Diet Soda of choice (I used Diet Coke, of course!)

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix Diet Coke and Cake Mix.
Fill cupcake tins, lined with paper, about 1/2 to 3/4 full.
Bake for about 20 minutes.
Cupcakes are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Amazing. Simply Amazing.

And, since I melted down some peanut butter candy melts to top the cupcakes, I also made up a few other treats. I just grabbed stuff I had on hand, so if I were to do these on purpose, I would probably make substitutions, but Sean liked them and the dogs LOVED them!

Peanut Butter Potato Chips

These were okay, but I think they would be better with chocolate. Sean like the peanut butter, but he's not a big fan of chocolate potato chips. Maggie and Thatcher thought that they were in puppy heaven!


Peanut Butter Cereal Clusters

I made these with Frosted Flakes because we had some, but they would be SUPER yummy and really high in fiber if you made them with Fiber One cereal. I plan on doing some on purpose soon! LOL! This would be great with popcorn, too!



Well, that's my adventures for you today. Tonight I am excited to be hosting a Signature Homestyles party at my house and I'm pretty excited about it! (Check it out! If you want anything let me know, I'm sure we can work something out to get it to you!) I plan to make Chocolate Diet Coke Cupcakes and Orange Soda cupcakes for the party, so that will be fun. Have a great day!

An Altered Clipboard - Great Gift Idea!

Well, I grabbed a few minutes to get a few things done this weekend, and looking back I have no idea how because I was pretty busy! LOL! But, I am not going to complain because I needed to cut some paper and it felt great to do it!

Here is one of the projects that I created. I altered a clipboard for my dear friend, Kim. I didn't go crazy with it because I wanted her to be able to actually use it for organizing and such, so I kept things pretty flat and clean.

The Patterned Papers are Pink Paislee, the ribbons are Close To My Heart and Dots & Dashes, the Sparkles are Close To My Heart, the letter stickers are Heidi Grace by Fiskars, and the trim came from a kit, so I'm not sure who that was made by. I believe the sticker was Rusty Pickle, but if I am wrong and you know this, please let me know! LOL! I used Perfect Paper Adhesive to glue the paper on and I LOVE how well it worked! Enjoy!






This picture just makes me happy! There is just something about wonderfully colored ribbons!





I have more that I want to share with you, but I will do that over the next few days! Let me know what you think! I love to hear your thoughts! Have a Happy Monday!!!

Who wouldn't Love a Pink Hedgehog???

No, seriously, though folks...who doesn't absolutely LOVE an adorable little pink hedgehog??? Did you know that you can actually keep a hedgehog as a pet? I just recently discovered this and BOY was I excited!

Sean said no.

I was sad.

BUT...that doesn't mean that I can't continue my love for the adorable fuzzy looking little critters! (Yes, I do realize that those are SPIKES and not fuzz, but STILL!!!!)

Check out this amazing pocket mirror from Madison Craft's Shop on Etsy!

UMmmmmm....CRAZY WICKED CUTENESS!!! And at only $4.00, these would make FABULOUS stocking stuffers! Or...perhaps just wicked crazy cute little gifts for your favorite blogger in the wholest widest world! (But...only if that blogger happens to be me! LOL!)

However...if you are not a big Hedgehog fan...no fear, my dear friends! Check out Madison Craft's Shop for bird, owl, mushroom, vintage camera, and other great designs...all of which I am drooling over! Owls & Hedgehogs AND vintage cameras AND mushrooms????!!!! I think I am in love! LOL!

Alas, this is the end of my delightful Etsy update post of the day! I hope you stop over and check it out! Because, quite frankly, this stuff makes me happy.

Then, come back and tell me what your favorite item in the store was! I am dying to know what makes you happy!!!

Links

I listed several links in the previous post, but it posted before I finished, so if you want to see them all and you read my blog through Reader you will miss them if you don't actually click open the blog. Just wanted to let you know! Thanks for reading!

Not Very Bloggy

Sorry, folks. I haven't been very bloggy the last few days. Just super wicked crazy busy and I have a lot going on. So...since there isn't much to read here at the moment, I figured I'd point you to a few of my favorites! Check these out!

Jamie Waters - She does great work and her daughter is just too cute for words!

Templettes - Lots of fun links to create lots of fun things! Handmade gifts this year for ALL!!!

Simply Me Donna is never anything other than inspiring. Her work just makes me happy.

Rest And Be Thankful Anne Marie reminds me to do just that! Plus, her ideas are SO stinking cute and she is just an overall encouraging person. You will love her.

Paper Passion and Pixels Noelle does beautiful work and her photography makes me want to be like her! LOL! Plus...she is just buckets of fun!


Fat Free Vegan Kitchen Yummy ideas and the nutritional info is always included and for others who may be on the WW Program the POINTS are usually listed, too!

Recycled Crafts Just GREAT ideas all over the place! I love it!

Well, enjoy your blog jaunt! Have a great day!

I {heart} Pounce & I {heart} Etsy!

Yup! I love it! I love to pounce! So, I've decided that at least once a week I will feature some random Etsy shop that catches my eye! It won't always be on the same day, because, let's face it...I don't do schedules so well. So...here you are for this week!



I found this great bag at Home Sewn Bags! I love the colors and it is SO stinking cute! Go check out her shop! If you are into holiday sweatshirts, she has a bunch of those, too, but the bags are what got me! Which one do you like the best?

Leave your comments! I'd love to know what your thoughts are!

Good Bye, My Dear and Faithful Friends

Well, I had to say goodbye to a pair of dear old friends. Yes, my Nine West basic black pumps were beyond wear. Their always comfortable, soft, perfect leather has worn out and cracked, the color has bled, and the overall shape has been distorted. Thus....we had to say goodbye. The good news is, however.....My wonderful husband just bought me new ones so I could snap a few shots and say goodbye knowing that I have a suitable replacement in the wings ready to go! I think I shall don them on the morrow! (Hee-hee...read that last sentence out loud...it's just fun to say! LOL!)

So...here you have a few photos of my former love.







OH! And, in other news.....

I'm getting this mop on the top of my head chopped tonight! I can't wait! I've waited WAY too long this time! LOL! It's crazy!

And......The Winner IS........

......Is it a nice day where you are? It is quite lovely here in Massachusetts today.





















.....hee-hee......

















...seriously, though, thank you ALL so much for your help! My wonderful husband had picked a winner from the paint can that all the names went into and.....

















....and the Upcycled journal and a brand new set of CTMH stamps (yup! That's what I added in!) goes to.......

















......MEGGAN!!!!!!


Meggan, please email me with your mailing info and also if you prefer your upcycled journal to be made from things like junk mail and the like or if you prefer one made of scrapbook paper scraps. Either way....also include your favorite colors and a few things about you so I can personalize your journal for you!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

You LIKE ME! You REALLY LIKE ME!!!

Yup!!! That's right, folks! There will be an added treat to the prize because Melody just announced THIS on her blog!!!!! Thank you ALL so much for your help and thank you, Melody, for this awesome giveaway!!!! I am ECSTATIC right now!!!! THANK YOU!!! YOU LIKE ME! YOU REALLY LIKE ME! The winner of my contest for the upcycled journal and the extra goodie will be announced tomorrow!!!! Thank you all, again! I am grinning from ear to ear!!!!

The Colors of Fall

Thank you to all who entered my giveaway! It is now closed! I will be announcing a winner soon so keep watching!

For today, I just wanted to share with some inspiring images I captured the other day on my lunch time walk.









And this one...I just think is wicked cool! This may be the photo that gets me to learn photoshop! I want to clean it up a bit and show off this incredible wing span of such an ordinary bird!

Upcycled Pocket Journal, Sheer Bribery, and Blog Candy Giveaway!

Yup! That's what this post is all about! LOL!

I was over at Melody's blog yesterday when I saw that she had posted this amazing kit! I got all excited and went over to AMR to tell them about how much I wanted it! LOL!

WELL....it just so happens that she is giving THREE of them away!!!!

I REALLY want one of these and I don't have a Sam's club membership, so I've decided to bribe you to help me out! LOL!

Last night I was playing with some paper and I made my very first Upcycled Pocket Journal!!! Because I am an avid paper crafter I, of course, have a bin full of scraps by my desk at all times. Sometimes they get used, and sometimes they don't, but I decided that this is a fantastic way to use those!!! Although, I think I am going to use junk mail to make on now, too, because it was WAY fun to make!

I used a freebie deck of playing cards (well, not the whole deck...just two cards, actually) as the covers and then I used the scraps cut to size for the pages. I can drop this little book in my purse and have something to write down all of those "OH! I need to jot that down!" thoughts that come through my mind so very often.

Here it is:







I was super excited because it was the first time I got to really use my Bind It All that I saved up for!!!! I love this thing! It is going to be a wonderful and much used tool in my stash!



SO....Here is the Blog Candy Part!!!!

I want to give away one of these upcycled journals! You won't get this one...I will make one JUST for you! BUT...that's not all! For every 50 comments I receive I will add one more item to the envelope. THEN...if I win Melody's Kit...I will add something else...something really good!

So...Here is how you can win:

1. Comment over at Melody's Sofa on THIS post and tell her that Jingle sent you!

2. Come back here and let me know that you commented over there! (Yes...I can check...)

3. For two extra entries into the contest post a link to my blog along with info about this giveaway on your blog (feel free to use my photos if you would like) or on a Message Board. (AMR and CKMB don't count because I will be hitting both of those.)

4. For one extra entry post on a message board other than the two I frequent (AMR and CKMB) about this contest with a link to my blog!

Be sure to leave your name so I can tell who you are! I will announce the winner here on my blog!

This contest will be open until Melody Chooses a winner!

Spread the word! I know...I'm shameless, but I REALLY want this kit! LOL!

I

Yup. That's the title of this page. "I."

Why? Because it is all about who I was yesterday. I would say right now, but let's be honest...these things can change with a drop of a hat! So, I created this layout with inspiration from a couple of challenges. Stacey over at AMR asked us to create a page that was all about who we are. A page that someone could look at and feel like they know you from it. That is what this page is. I do feel that I may need to start making a page of this kind at least once or twice a year, though. Things just change so much sometimes!

When considering this project, I wanted to include journaling, but I'm not the long, mushy story kind of girl, so I had to find a method that was, well, ME! Guess what I stumbled upon over at The Story Matters? The perfect poem to use for my journaling. I simply scattered the poem all over the page to represent the way I usually think. All over the place.

Now, here is the thing. I'm not sure if this layout is truly finished or not. I love the stamping...each image says something about who I am right now and I love that. I love the journaling and I love the photo mat. I guess I'm just really wondering if it needs more. What do you think? Honestly...I'm not looking for "Oh...it looks great just the way it is!" (Unless that is truly the ONLY thing you can think to say! LOL!) I really want to know what you think on this one. Many of you know me fairly well even though we've never actually met, so you have an idea of who I am. Does it need more? Does it not? What do you think?



Now...onto another really cool thing I stumbled upon yesterday....Donna Downey posted this over on her blog and I found it to be dead on! She talked about truly believing in your creative potential. Understanding and embracing your own individual inspiration! You are an artist! Live it!

"believe in your creative potential,
enjoy the creative process,
try something new,
explore new possibilities,
but most of all believe."

You will see that I have added the badge to my blog, as I intend to embrace this with all of my creative being! I would love to see others join in! If you would like the badge created by Donna on your blog cut and paste the code that she has on her blog. And thanks for joining me on this journey to discover and embrace my creative potential!

My Friend Will

This is the layout that I created for the Design Team over at Use Your Stash. I have also included a couple of close ups so you can see the details.

The photo is of my friend, Will, which is pretty obvious from the title! HA!

Also, I wanted to incorporate a quick, informal tutorial on how to distress your rub-ons to get the look I used on the Polka Dot rub-ons.

Before transferring your rub-on to your project flip the sheet over so that the rub-ons are facing up. With your transfer tool (I use the American Crafts rub-on tool that comes with their products) scratch parts of the image away. This will cause portions to come off the backing sheet completely, portions to look scratched, and other portions to flake away landing on other parts of the backing sheet.

Turn your rub-on sheet over and lay down on your project where you would like the image. Apply as you normally would. If you would like...you can apply less pressure in some areas to create wrinkles or cause more pieces to flake off.

This is a fun way to add texture and a personal touch to your image! Have fun!

All Moments Remembered October Kits are Revealed!

Many of you already know that I'm a big fan of AMR! Well, the October kit has been revealed it is STUFFED to the GILLS with yumminess! If you haven't checked out AMR yet, you totally should! It's a really fun place to hang out and the store is wonderful! Stacey offers the best in personalized customer service! Here are some pics of the October Kit! Head on over to All Moments Remembered to order your subscription today! You won't regret it!

Also, don't forget to check out the post below! It's pretty exciting for me!!!

TOOT!!!!

Okay, so I'm just super excited and want to share this with you!!!

Go over to Use Your Stash! and check out the newest challenge! I had the wonderful opportunity to be the guest designer this time around, so you can check out my layout there, too!

If I get time this week, I hope to post a tutorial on distressing your rub-ons the way I did with my polka dot rub-ons in the layout you see there! Thanks for checking it out!!!!

Go Register. Go Vote. It Matters.

Just a Quick Shout Out....

I just wanted to let you know about a few blogs that I visit and stuff! These are not ALL of the blogs I visit, by any means...just a few that have really caught my eye this week!

Check out Harley's Blog, Koala Fuzz for a fun giveaway (don't forget to tell her I sent you over!), info on a great Halloween blog party, and....seriously, folks, look around a bit over there....she does some amazing craft work! Scrapbooking, yes, but OH SO MUCH more!!! Her Etsy shop is filled with tiny treasures, too! Actually, that reminds me...I wanted to ask Harley if she had an apron pattern for those who have never really sewn before! LOL! I need to make on for the holidays!

If you haven't checked out Templettes yet you totally should because it's pretty much awesome! Lots of digital stuff that you can print out for some great gifts and maybe a few things for you!

If you are a card maker you MUST check out these cards! They are simply amazing!

Check out Anne Marie's score at Target! And her album cover for the Ali project is awesome!

Pamela's blog is a favorite of mine! Always something interesting. Check out her fun anniversary giveaway!

Liz is offering a really great challenge with a prize over on her blog! Support your local stores scrappers! It's important!

I just recently discovered Scoutie Girl and MY OH MY am I in trouble! She finds the BEST stuff!!!

Monkey Giggles is just a down-right fun blog to visit! I love it!

Need some amazing inspiration? Check out Karla's Cottage! Seriously...we are talking amazing stuff, here, folks!

If you are in to cupcake porn...you MUST check this blog out! One of my favorites!



I could go on for days with food blogs, cupcake and cake decorating blogs, scrapbook blogs, inspiration blogs...well...you get the point....but for today...this gives you enough to browse! Have fun!!!!

Why Did They Ever Leave?

...The 80's that is!

I mean really, the BEST music, comfortable fashion, and totally fun candy and metal lunchboxes with the matching Thermos! Why did we ever let all of that go?

Last weekend we had a BLAST at our friend Noelle's 80's party! Totally dressed it up! We played 80's board games (Mall Madness, anyone???!!!), had some fun with trivia, rocked out to the best in 80's tunes, and ate stuff like Pop Rocks and Fruit Roll-ups! It was RADICAL! Check out the pics!

Oh....and if you are one of those amazingly young people who are unfamiliar with this "era" of sorts....use the following to understand what you are about to see:

One of the Best Movies Ever Made
....Oh...and Flashdance, too, but I couldn't find a good clip with that outfit in it! LOL!

Here you go!