Over the River and Through The Woods....

Actually, due to the fact that it was raining the PERFECT tree this year just so happened to require slightly less hunting.  Strange coincidence, you think?  LOL!

I should probably back up a bit.  You see, every year on the day after Thanksgiving we head out with my parents to the tree farm to hunt down the PERFECT Christmas tree.  I would give you a description of said 'Perfect' Christmas tree if I could, but you see, therein lies the rub, my friends...therein lies the rub.

My sister has one definition of a perfect tree - Round and FAT.  Big helps, but is not required.



My Mom, on the other hand, claims that they are ALL too big for her little house.  Every single one of them.  And proceeds to hunt down the ONE tree on the lot that is, indeed, NOT too big for her house.



She's very cute about it.  The thing is...I think the tree is getting smaller by the year.  Seriously.  Charlie Brown...here we come!  HA!



That would be Nana picking out a fine little tree.  Quite fine indeed.  Except for the fact that it would be a sapling and you SO can't cut those down.  Just say'n.



My purpose in this whole adventure would be to get some REALLY GREAT photos to scrapbook.  I mean, that's what every event is REALLY for, isn't it?  HA!  (It's even funnier that some of you probably think I'm joking.  I'm  not.  I totally do stuff purely for the photo ops.  It's an obsession.  I think it could be cured by a fabulous Nikon DSLR.  I'm sure of it, actually.  Although, it may be good to toss in a couple of Tamaron or Quantaray lenses, just to be safe.  Just say'n.  Again.)  ANYWHO..... I got some fun pics this year.  You see, that's what is GOOD about a rainy day - the ambient light is PERFECT for photography.  Yes...you end up with spots on your lens, but such is life.  Such is life.  We also got some fun little video clips, too, thanks to The Hubbums and the Flip!  I haven't watched those yet, but I'll share after I see them if I can figure out how to do that!  HA!



So....back to this whole Christmas tree hunt thing.  You see, she always finds THE PERFECT tree fairly quickly.  Usually, anyway.  And then someone has to guard said tree so that nobody else steals THE PERFECT tree.  'Cause, you know - there aren't hundreds of trees growing all over the farm that they can choose from - nope.  Nosiree, bob.  They will pick Mom's tree.   That's just how it works.  Therefore, someone must protect it from this horrifying fate.  (At least until she picks a new one.  But she doesn't.  Pick a new one, that is.  She just has to be SURE it's THE PERFECT tree before committing a season of comfort and joy to it and all.  I'm sure you can understand.)



WAIT!  Remember that part about photo ops?  Yeah, so rain makes the PERFECT excuse to dress like Paddington Bear and then go out in public even if you look minorly ridiculous.  I LOVE IT!  Love.  it.  Red Rubber Rain boots and a yellow rain coat.  Seriously, folks?  What could be more fun than THAT?  Nothing.  Nothing at all.  Just say'n.



Oh, yes...back to the tree.  You see, normally, all that making SURE we have the right one involves marching our little selves all over that farm until we've seen every single tree there is.  That involves going over a super cute little bridge over a super cute little creek.

But it was raining.

We didn't go over the super cute little bridge.

We didn't go over the super cute little creek.

I MISSED SUPER CUTE PHOTO OPS!!!!

OH, the TRAGEDY of it ALL!!!!!!!!  (note the back of hand on forehead and fluttering eyelashes)

It's okay.  I'm over it.  For now.

So, Daddy cut down THE PERFECT tree.  In the rain.  On a tarp.  He got soaked anyway.  He's good like that.  He's willing to get soaked for the fam!



Then they loaded said same PERFECT tree onto the tarp and .....



Drug it over to the shaking and bailing station where it was shaken (that gets rid of the dead needles so they don't end up all over your living room) and bailed and then tied securely to the roof so that the season of comfort and joy could ensue.

The End.

What did YOU do this weekend????  Hee-Hee.

P.S.  ATTENTION ALL JINGLESWAP PARTICIPANTS - please check in with me sometime today.  I just want to be sure everyone is on target!  Thanks!!!

Thankful For The Little Reminders {Wordless Wednesday - sort of}

I captured this little scene sitting on The Hubbums work table in his office.  (I like to bug him by calling it his 'craft' table!  HA!)  It's just one of those little things that reminds me of him.  I love seeing things like this around the house. I am so thankful for them!

For More Wordless Wednesday Posts (or somewhat wordless, anyway) check out here, here, and here!

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String

Yes, these truly are one of my favorite things!  I love them.  They make me happy.  But not just any string.  Not anymore.  Nope.  No-sirreee-bob.

Now, my friends, it must be BAKER'S TWINE!  Why?  I don't know why!  Because I LOVE it!  That's why!

And I am so excited to see it ALL over Etsy right now!  The one above comes from a lovely shop called Lemons and Lolli's.  If that's not the cutest shop name, I just don't even know what is.  Just say'n.

I also found this wonderful little shop called Betty's Love.  She creates tiny little goodness!  Check this out!

And then I found these SUPER cute little shoes and Em and Sprout's shop!  Seriously.  CUTENESS!

AND....an entire shop CALLED Pretty Tapes!  That can't be a bad thing.  And it's not a bad thing.  Just LOOK at the cuteness that is these tapes!

As you know...I could go on for ever with these.  I haven't done a good Etsy Love post in awhile, so I just HAD to share some of my recent finds with you!  Don't forget to support the little guys and the artists this holiday! 

Happy Birthday to the Man of My Dreams

Okay, so officially, his birthday was yesterday, but I wasn't able to blog yesterday, so we will celebrate here today! LOL!

I could list 31 reasons why I love him, but narrowing it down that much would be too hard.

I could write prolific prose or pen rhythmic verse, but words cannot convey the love I have for this man.

I could go on and on....but quite frankly, sometimes simplicity says it all.

Hubbums, I love you. Super Lots. And then some. Just say'n.



This is the fun card that I made for him. On the inside it says "I love you to the moon and back!" (You know...to go with the whole alien theme.... get it.... to the moon... okay. Moving on now.)



When he picked it up off the gift package he said, "There is A LOT of card here!" LOL! That cracked me up. Yes, I got a little layer crazy. I like layers. Layers make me happy. Popping layers up with pop dots makes me EXTRA happy. Just say'n.



Aren't those little alien guys the CUTEST things ever?! I love them. They are Crate Paper stamps. SUPER CUTENESS, I tell you. Super. Stinking. Cuteness. They make me happy.

AND...I have good news!!! Not so much for you guys, but TOTALLY good for me. I'm FINALLY feeling a bit human again. I actually slept through the ENTIRE night last night. No coughing fits. No waking up hacking. AND...I didn't even take anything to make me drowsy or sleep better! That's pretty darn happy making if you ask me. Because, my friends, it's not fun to feel like crap. Just say'n.

SOOOOO.....tell me..... are you super excited about the Thanksgiving holiday this week (if you are in the U.S., that is)? I AM!!!!

We had a super yummy and way fun Thanksgiving dinner last night at a friend's home and then we get to do it AGAIN on Thursday with family. Seriously. How can that be bad? It can't. It. Just. Can't. I'm stoked, dude. Seriously.

Some Things Just LOOK Vintage {VTT}

You know how it is.... you walk into the 'antique' store and realize quickly that the stuff isn't actually old at all, but rather just reproductions of vintage stuff. Not that reproductions are a bad thing, mind you...I love them, actually, I just don't like it when people try to pass them off as actually being genuinely vintage.

However, on the same token, when I create, I sometimes find myself reaching for those very reproductions to create something that, indeed, looks vintage, but is not. This box is a piece that I created several years ago...LOTS of years ago, actually - hmmm... maybe it sort of IS vintage! HA!



It's kind of funny. A lot of the stuff I created a long time ago looks, well, let's just leave it at 'different' from the stuff I create now. You know...you DO tend to improve in time! LOL! This box, however, is one of those projects that I treasure. I still love it just as much as the day I completed it. There is just something fabulous about it that makes me feel like it is truly timeless. I don't often achieve that in my art, so this particular piece, I have to admit, makes me feel a bit of a sense of pride. I really do love it.



I can clearly remember the techniques I used and how excited I was to be using them. They are common techniques now, but back then I was so proud of myself for utilizing them! I took the time to really do them correctly, and it paid off!



And, yes, as time has passed, moves have been made, stuff has been put in and taken out of the box it has suffered a bit of wear. Guess what? I love that wear. It just makes the piece even more vintage. Even if it isn't actually old. Yes, this may be a reproduction, of sorts, but you know what - sometimes those are just as good as the old stuff. Just Say'n. ;-)



Please leave a comment with your thoughts! I love to hear what you have to say!

For More Vintage Thingy Thursday Posts check out Colorado Lady!

***A Note to Jingle Swap 2009 Participants: Your Partners Have Been Sent!!!! Please let me know if you, for some reason, did not receive your email. Actually, feel free to shoot me an email to let me know if you DID receive it! LOL! That might make me feel a little better. LOL!***

All I Need for a Good Workout... {Wordless Wednesday}

Well, that....an elliptical, a stationary bike, a couple of weight machines, a bottle of water, and a wicked cute little workout skort. But other than that, I'm good! ;-)
What do you need?


For More Wordless Wednesday/Wordful Wednesday Posts Check out here, here, and here.

*Jingle Swap 2009 Participants watch your email later today for your partner assignments!!! I'm so excited!!!!

What Do You Get When You Combine a Tiny Marmalade Jar and Jingle?

THE CUTEST LITTLE PIN CUSHION EVER!!!!!!!

Wouldn't you agree? Hee-Hee.



I actually created this awhile ago, but that was back when I had lots of stuff to post so I kept it for a rainy day. Well, it's not raining, but being sick sort of stunted my creativity (you know how spending all your time sleeping can do that) so, I thought today was a GREAT day to show you this adorable little thing.

I started with the tiny Orange Marmalade jar. You see, The Hubbums LOVES Marmalade, so when I went on a business trip awhile back this was one of the things I brought back for him. He loved it, and he knew I would want the jar, so when he was done with the marmalade he kindly saved it for me. It had an absolutely A*DOR*A*BLE little red gingham lid that I was really sad to cover, but you know how it goes in the crafty world sometimes....sacrifices must be made, my friends. Sacrifices must be made.

Then came THIS fabulous publication from my friends over at Stampington & Co.

You see, I really love this little publication. I have gone though it over and over again and it is just fabulous. Some of the projects I would REALLY love to make, but they require a sewing machine, and, well..... you know about that relationship, right?
Yeah.
Me and my sewing machine don't so much speak to each other.
And I don't think it counts as me making it if I hand all the materials to The Hubbums and say, "Here! Sew this, please!" LOL!
(We won't mention the fact that saying that in no way leads to the project being done anyway....he CAN sew...that doesn't mean he does it on command. Just say'n.)

SO, ANYWAY...this fabulous publication had a GREAT little pin cushion tucked way in the back of it's wonderous pages. It was a cute little jar!
"HEY! I have a cute little jar!"
Yup....thus began my adorable little pin cushion journey.

So, I filled the cute little jar with buttons that matched the fabric that I chose to use and topped my little jar with my adorable little pin 'puff' and now I have the cutest little pin cushion EVER!

Seriously. It's freaking adorable. Just admit it.
You wish you were as cool as me. 'Cause I'm not dorky AT ALL!
Just Say'n.

I'm going to make LOTS of these. Why? Because I love them and they make me happy.
That, and they only require HAND sewing and THAT I can do!
Successfully, at that!
Just say'n.

***Winners!!!***

I have two winners to announce!

The winner of the 50 Custom Thank You Cards with Envelopes from UPrinting is comment #2 - Q! Congratulations, Q! I have emailed you with the information!

And the winner of the Pink Together giveaway is Cheryl F of the Lucky Ladybug! Congratulations, Cheryl! I will email you for your name and address to pass on to the sponsor!

For those of you waiting on your Jingle Swap 2009 Partners - they are coming soon! I'm putting things together now and I will get them to you by tomorrow!

SUI GENERIS

I'm not going to tell you.

Really. I'm not. I'm going to make you look it up.

Because I'm mean like that.

I was so honored when I was asked to be the guest designer for this months challenge over at Gutter Girlz! If you have never visited this challenge blog I can't urge you strongly enough to do so! It is FAB-U-LOUS. Seriously, folks. The prompts get you creating from somewhere deep within you. And that, my friends, is where this piece came from.

Here is the prompt for this month:

THE PROMPT:
My Glass
THE SONG:
Thank You by Alanis Morissett
PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE:
Newspaper clipping

That's all. From there, you let your creative mind wander. And this is not JUST for scrapbookers, folks....this one is for artists of all kinds! That's one of the things I love the most about Gutter Girlz!

I wish you could see the shimmer on this piece. The whole thing just shines! I love that about it.

This prompt really caught me off guard actually. I love the song, so when I first red the prompt I expected that to carry my piece, but then when I sat down to create, the 'glass' portion of the prompt kept nagging at the back of my mind. The usual 'half full/ half empty' discussion was lingering there and I couldn't decide which half I I was leaning toward. That's when I realized that I didn't CARE if it was half full or half empty. My glass, is different. It's unique. The question is not whether or not it is full or empty, but rather which half? When you can bring yourself to the point of nothingness and silence, from that I find that you can discover clarity and in that clarity you are able to discover that which is uniquely you, hence the Latin at the bottom of the piece. And this is what keeps me coming back here to Gutter Girlz challenges. Creating isn't about showing your half full or half empty glass - it's all about expressing that which is unique to you.

So, this is what I created.

Oh...and nope. I'm still not going to tell you. I hinted strongly already. But, really....look it up! It's one worth knowing! Plus, Latin is always more fun than English, anyway!

Thanks to those who left well-wishes. I'm still not doing great, but I'm back to functional - sort of. Dayquil is my friend and I think Nyquil is probably more the friend of my husband and my dogs who probably wouldn't mind getting through an entire night without being woken by my incessant coughing. LOL! Such is....such is.

I know I have winners to announce and swap stuff to take care of - I'll get there. Please be patient with me! Thanks!

There's just nothing like a couple of forced days off...

....because your sick. Yup. I do apologize for my absence yesterday and this not so entertaining post today, but right now, I'm just thrilled to have the strength and energy to sit in front of my computer and type at the same time! HA! No, but really.... it's not the flu or anything like that because I don't have a fever, but MAN did it knock me out yesterday! I will share this little ATC that I created with you so that you at least have something to look at today. Hopefully, I will be back to my usual self by Monday. If you are lucky - I may even post one of those 0h-so-seldom weekend posts! LOL! ONLY If you're lucky though! HA!

It's Like Magic! {Wordless Wednesday}

I know how they work, but still. Floating shelves just enthrall me. It's like magic! They sit and hold things for you without any brackets at all! It's amazing. Just say'n.

Click for more Wordless Wednesday Posts.

Don't forget! Today is the final day to enter the Pink Together Giveaway!

*Review* Snupped Laptop Sleeve

Okay, let's be honest here. How could any post that begins with SOCK MONKEYS be a bad thing? It can't. As you are well aware. So...that pretty much means you should keep reading!

And yes, I am excited to share a review today of a wonderful product that I received. Those sock monkeys are gracing an absolutely wonderful custom, hand crafted, made just for me Snupped laptop sleeve.

Let me tell you about their vision at Snupped. Okay, actually, I'm going to let THEM tell you, since they do it so well! The following is from the Snupped website:

nupped is a mission to bring you the perfect case for carrying your high-tech gizmos on the go. This mission began in February 2008 after Bryan and Darcy proved incompetent in finding a perfect laptop sleeve for themselves. After a miserable time carrying the boring generic black laptop sleeve, they sewed the first Snupped laptop sleeve out of a curtain.

Every Snupped case that leaves our hands is never identical to its older siblings. That is because every Snupped case has been fully customized by our customers, you. You can even custom size it to fit your laptop snugly! Unlike most other cases which are manufactured by anonymous and automated factory machines, your Snupped case is handmade by real humans. Hence, our Snupped cases contain a secret ingredient not found in other cases - Love.

Did you read that? If not, you should go back and look again. 'Cause, ummm...yeah! It says LOVE! And they aren't kidding. The craftsmanship of this sleeve is SO evident! It is absolutely beautifully crafted!

As you can see, the quality is top notch! These are sewn beautifully and professionally. There is NOTHING about this that seems like a quick craft project type of deal! They are gorgeous! And, in addition to being beautifully crafted, Snupped laptop sleeves are CUSTOM made. Yes, as you might guess, that means that you are able to choose the fabric that shows on the outside, but that's not all! When you begin the customization process on the site, which, by the way, is REALLY user friendly, you choose the laptop you are fitting - You have Mac options, PC options, and even custom netbook options available. Next, you choose the fabric you would like, there are LOTS of fun options available. I would have liked to have seen more options on the masculine side of the spectrum, however, but...there are a lot to choose from no matter how you look at it. Then, your next choice is for the INTERIOR color! Yup! You even get to choose that! You can also choose to add handles to your case and/or add a Snupped mini, which is a cute little mini version of your Snupped to hold your phone! HOW CUTE IS THAT?! Pretty darned cute, that's how cute! Just say'n. (Oh...and yes, they even ask you what phone you have so that the case is made custom for that, too! It's all about you, folks. ALL. About. You.)

As you can see, I chose the Sock Monkey design, as I ordered this one for The Hubbums laptop. It fits well and it is well padded. He does have a boring black sleeve that he purchased at the Mac store (not a Mac brand, however) and that one does fit a bit tighter than the Snupped case, but not a lot. The thing he noted the most was that if the corners of the Snupped case had been rounded, rather than squared, it would probably be PERFECT. We were both SUPER impressed with the overall quality and the designs are just WAY fun! The best thing about these cases is that they are totally, 100% custom! They do seem to wear well, too, which is very nice. Also, the prices are competitive with quality sleeves that are in NO way custom, so you are actually getting a lot more for your money!

My only suggestion is, that if you plan to order a Snupped sleeve for the holidays, do it quick! Remember, these aren't being pulled from a shelf and tossed into a box - they are being hand crafted to your specifications, so it does take longer than your mass produced insanity. That's a good thing - like I said earlier, the quality of the work is phenomenal! You will love your sleeve! And, the best part is - it will be TOTALLY yours because you created it! Head on over the Snupped and let me know what design you would choose! They are SOOOO cute!!!!

***DISCLOSURE - Snupped generously sent me a custom laptop sleeve to review in return for posting my thoughts on it. I am not being compensated in any other manner for this review and my statements are my honest opinion of the product. Thank you to Snupped for the opportunity to review this product.

Lil' Scrappin' Mama Goodness - And there is a chance that I've been keeping a little secret....

A big chance, actually.

You see, I had something pretty great happen and I am SO excited to share it with you today! I was selected to become a member of the Lil' Scrappin' Mama Design Team!!!!

Lil' Scrappin' Mama is a fabulous new kit club! The kits are so wonderful and full of inspiring products! Today, I'm going to keep it pretty simple and just share with you what I created with the November kit! Then, head on over to Lil' Scrappin' Mama to see what the other DT girls created! More will be added over the course of the week! And...don't forget to follow the LSM blog for lots of fun!

Okay...here's what I created:

This is a fun layout with some older photos of The Hubbums that I recently got developed. Yes, I said developed! LOL! I found an old roll of 35mm film and took it in to see what was on it! LOL!

This one is my baby girl, Thatcher. I love the way this layout turned out! The bright colors of the kit papers really let the simply colored photo shine! And those Maya Road chipboard letters are just fantastic! I had so much fun using them! And...crepe paper! Yup - I totally made a flower out of it 'cause I just love crepe paper flowers SOOO much! The best part is, that I had great sketch inspiration for this from this week's Sketchy Thursday challenge! LOVE THAT!

And this card showcases a gorgeous vintage bookplate that was included in the kit! I love the storybook style drawing! Of course, more crepe paper here - this time with some fun crumple action going on. Seriously. I love this stuff!

This fabulous little card was created with a certain little man in mind, actually! I love the fun and playful robots that were available in this kit!

And, you guys know I can't be tied down to traditional stuff, so I had some fun creating this fabulous felt flower and ribbon bookmark! So cute1

And then there is THIS! This is my favorite piece! Well, this and that Thatcher layout. I have been wanting to create a little notebook to store websites and even passwords and usernames and stuff (not for the ones I need super secure, just for ones that I can never remember! LOL!) and so when I saw this robot paper I thought it was PERFECT for that task! I love it! The notebook came out SO cute!

I just used some scrap chipboard I had around (think cereal boxes and other packaging materials) for the covers and then created cardstock pages and covered the covers with paper! I bound it all together with my Bind it All and it came out SOOOO cute!

So, head on over to LSM and check out the awesome store! You won't be dissapointed! I'll be bringing you fun stuff each month!!! I'm so excited!!!!!

*Don't forget to scroll down to the next post for a great thank you card giveaway!*