100+ miles to Harry Potter

What? Did somebody say Harry Potter? Why yes, I did! Monday afternoon I drove over a hundred miles to join my awesome friend, Staci, at the press-release of the next installment of Potter movies, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I had a fabulous time! We ate dinner before joining the other Potter-maniacs for this early screening event. Security was crazy tight. We had to check in our cell phones, cameras, iPods, and anything else that was electronic. We even got "wanded" as we went through the doors to make sure we didn't have any electronics on our person. Despite the craziness, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I think that although this movie marks the beginning of the darkness in the Potter books, it's actually quite funny. If you're brave enough to fight the crowds this week, let me know what you think of the movie!

Here's a picture of Staci and I at BJ's Restaurant just after we had a sinfully decadent chocolate ice cream brownie concoction. Yummm...

Besides wanting to see the new Harry Potter movie, I had ulterior motives for wanting to see my good friend, Staci. When her little one, Mij, passed away, she asked me to make a memorial for her a-la scrapbook style. She sent Mij's ashes to me along with some photos, and it was my job to figure out how to put it all together. I bought a 12x12 shadow box, but I was puzzled as to how I was going to get her ashes in the box and make it look good, and then BAM! The idea hit me like a ton of bricks: make a weasel and then put Mij's ashes inside much like I do with my own critters. Here's what I came up with.

I used a brown sheet of felt and traced a standing weasel on it and then sewed the two pieces together. I used a piece of ivory felt for the neck and ears. I stuffed it with some cotton balls, put Mij inside, then hand-sewed the rest. I used brads for her eyes and nose.

After all was said and done, I attached the little felt weasel to the page using some Velcro and then decorated the rest of the layout with her favorite yellow toy, a "Chew Weasel" and pictures of her. I'm happy with how it turned out and so was Staci.

The final product:

Staci also had one last-minute request for me. She wanted me to make a manly card with a cockroach on it for her friend, Terrence's, 33rd birthday. Visit his site HERE and you'll know why he needed the roach (I promise it's not scary or anything; I think it's rather clever!).

My Harry Potter adventure actually winded down a rather eventful weekend. Saturday night I went to a bachelorette party and thought I would only stay for about an hour since I didn't think I was in the party mood. However, I realized that nothing is better for the soul than an evening out with the girls, and we ended up closing down the bar! Here's the only acceptable picture I can post on my blog. LOL.

(Be happy I spared you the late-night photos!)

I'm working on some more crafty things, and I plan on sharing them with all of you this week. Thanks for stopping by!

The Weekend in Pictures

This past weekend just zipped by faster than a speeding train. I honestly have no idea how I made it to the beginning of another week, but here I am, my head still buzzing with fun recollections of the past few days.

On Friday, Travis and I spent the entire day having fun here:

Granted we're not teenagers anymore, but we still enjoy the thrill of a few of the roller coasters in the park. Oddly enough, I'm not a huge fan of butterflies in my stomach as I entrust my life to a hunk of metal screaming down a 15 story drop at 75 mph, but I braved a few of the more mild rides. Actually, the biggest thing we had to brave that day was the heat! It reached at least 100F during the hottest part of the day, but luckily we were both acclimated due to our evening time runs. Neither one of us got burned either. My only real complaint that day was the fact that I had just gotten my first ever steroid injection in my shoulder and yowzers did I have crazy injection site pain. Travis could actually SEE a bump on my upper trap. Four days later, and it's finally starting to go away. I'm hoping for some relief here soon!

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled blogging. Here's an example of a ride I did NOT get on - Scream. That's a 15-story drop right there! Yeah, there'd definitely be some screaming and probably some peeing of my pants on that one, but it was fun to watch everyone else enjoy themselves.

Now I know I just got finished telling you that I'm not one for crazy thrills, but for some reason, I really love Batman.

It has a 10.5 story drop and a ton of crazy loops, twists and inversions. Actually, to be honest, I was quite queasy once the ride stopped. I seriously thought I was going to hurl in my seat, but a few deep breathes cleared that up pretty quick. Guess I'm not as tough as I once was!

A quick side-note for all you locals - Terminator Salvation rocked! We waited exactly one hour to get on, but it was so worth it. The dips were *almost* a bit much for my tummy, but if I can do it, anyone can.

I gotta belt-out just one minor complaint about the park. I was really irked when I saw this sign:

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a grammar freak. Sure, every now and then I throw in some quirky grammatically-incorrect phrases in my posts, but that's just to keep my blog light and fun. I'm sure you all know what's wrong with this poster board. "Funner" is not a word, and it bothers me when large corporations throw this kind of stuff out there. Like our society isn't becoming dumb enough on it's own...

One last shot from Friday to share. Here we are right after entering the gate:

Even after twelve years together, my hubby still makes my heart go pitter-patter. He's the most handsome, most thoughtful man I know. That's good considering I'm stuck with him till death do us part! LOL :)

Saturday was just as exciting as Friday because I got to spend my entire day with my scrappy girlfriends, some of whom I've never met in real life! We went scrappy shopping together and then went out to linner (my new word for lunch+dinner).

From left to right: Linda (lindasocal); Patti (pattim); Denise (denisewalks); me (scrappysam); and Rita (Cemetary Artist) on the floor in her model pose. If you're wondering why most of us look like we just stepped off the set of Hawaii 5-0, it's because the crafty store we went to was having a "Hawaiian Day" sale and was giving out discounts based on your clothes. Some of us even brought goggles and an inner tube. Hey, anything for a discount now a days, right?

Although Sunday is normally a day of rest for us, we ended up running a whole bunch of errands that we didn't get done earlier in the weekend. I actually like running around with Travis. He's so patient and he's such a good shopper (and he lifts all the heavy Costco items for me :). We ate at one of our favorite burger joints. YUM...

Now tell me that doesn't look good...

After my run tonight in nearly 100F weather, that burger is looking mighty good. Shake it off. Shake it off. LOL.

A quick update on "The Isabel" - she's doing really well. She is talking up a storm and sleeping comfortably up on my bed, so I know she's recovering nicely. Her incision looks good, and surprisingly enough, she hasn't licked it once. I'm still waiting for the biopsy results, but I'm trying to think positively.

Lastly, I completely forgot to post this picture I took with Taylor Van Bruggen the other weekend at her house. Please excuse our hair - it was raining and the humidity had all but taken every single curl out of my newly cut locks, and poor Taylor's hair was much "poofier" earlier in the morning.


Taylor was so sweet, but what surprised me the most is how incredibly tall she is! She's actually hunching over significantly in this photo so that we wouldn't look too odd. I think she has to be at least six feet tall (I'm only 5'4").

That's about all I have for you! I'm waiting on a fun new storage solution to arrive, and once that happens, not only will I do a video tour of my room, but I'll also share my new creative endeavor with all of you. Let's hope this unit comes soon.

MIA, but with good reason

Oh my! Looks like it's been a while since I last updated this blog. I know I've been MIA for a few days, but I have good reason. Lately, I've been having a bit of a creative block due to the fact that one of my little ones is extremely sick. His chances of being with us much longer are quite slim, and as you can imagine, it's hard to be creative when you're sad. I've been spending a lot of extra quality time with him, and I suspect my future postings might be a wee-bit sporadic, so please bear with me!

In other news, my girlfriend was fortunate enough to attend CHA this year for the first time. I would have loved to go, but I couldn't leave my sick little one. Maybe next year. Although I wasn't able to go, she kept me updated on all of the cool stuff that she saw, and she brought back a huge stack of catalogs for me to drool over. Check 'em out!

I am so amazed at the variety of creative options out there on the market. These catalogs are a wealth of information and inspiration which is probably why I've been thumbing through them everyday for the past few days.

She also brought back a really nice Making Memories tote bag. I'm a BIG fan of using totes for shopping, so this little gem has already come in quite handy!

Yesterday was a fun day since it was my girlfriend's birthday! I made her my famous baked ziti as well as a yummy cake. We also had our Stampin' Up demo meeting last night where I made a very elegant card that I'll show you all tomorrow. For now, here's the b-day card I made followed by a picture of the birthday girl herself!

Alrighty, I will be back tomorrow to share the card I created last night. I'm hoping that Mr. Mojo pays a visit and stays for a while. We'll see!

Do you see nothing?

Imagine the possibilities! If you're a big Tim Holtz fan, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. If not, check out this AWESOME guy on his blog AND right here! That's right! Today, I had the absolute pleasure of watching and chatting with the one, the only, TIM HOLTZ! If you don't believe me, check it out:

Not only did I spend time with Tim, I spent time with my good friend, Q, who is spending her vacation with little 'ol me! Isn's she lovely?

Ha! Fooled ya ;) My mystery friend shall remain a mystery. The only way to coax her true identity from me is to bribe me with stamps (Hear that, Q? You'll have to buy my silence!).

As if meeting Tim wasn't enough, I even won a doorprize! However, I was slightly confused when I opened the bag...

Can you tell? That look on my face pretty much says it all. I was confused because the tiny package of paper inside was written in Chinese! Hum...I'll have to look at it more closely later.

Next up was a stop off at one of my favorite store: IKEA!! And wouldn't you know it - I found a hippo (and yes, she came home with me).

Next stop: DISNEYLAND! I might not be able to post pictures until the end of the week, but I promise they'll be fun ones!

An Encounter of the Scrappy Kind

I recently had the opportunity to meet up with one of my on-line, scrappy friends, Patti. We had such a blast!! After talking for hours at a local restaurant, we went to a really big scrapbook store where we left with with lighter pocket books, but happier scrappy hearts!

Patti is just as awesome in person as she is on-line! She even made me the prettiest card and gift. Check it out!

A beautiful tri-fold card (I'm so lifting this idea):

A lovely altered composition book (those butterflies actually pop off the cover!):

Finally, she made me a gorgeous ATC:

She even gave me a Rusty Pickle tag album and an awesome journaling stamp!! I was very touched that she thought to make me such lovely gifts. Thank you, Patti!!

Now I know I said I would post an anniversary card today, but honestly, I was fairly wiped out all day long. I even took a nap (so not like me)!! We'll see if Mr. Mojo stops by this evening and stays a while.

I hope everyone is having a great Monday!!

Priceless

Last night, Travis and I went out to CI Shinanigans with our friends to celebrate our upcoming 5th wedding anniversary, my birthday, and the birthdays of my two girlfriends. We had SO MUCH FUN. It's such a rare treat for us to go out with friends, and to be able to go out to such a nice restaurant was icing on the cake. The view of the Sound was beautiful. The food was equisite (salmon for me; oscar for Travis), and desert was on the house for all three of us birthday girls. How cool is that? The absolute best part of the evening was the company. I laughed so hard last night I cried. We closed down the restaurant! And although dinner was a bit spendy, the time spent with friends was PRICELESS.

Now for some pictures. Here are all us birthday girls just before we ate our deserts. Just ignore the beer, daqueries, and wine covering the table ;) If you can make it out, that's a GIGANTIC piece of carrot cake in front of us. We all partook in that bit of heaven.

Ahhhh...me and the honey. Five years together (well, almost) and still going strong.

A fun group shot of all of us at the end of the night.

During desert, we exchanged birthday gifts. I gave my girlfriends their necklaces, and by their reactions, I'm pretty sure they liked them! My scrappy friend, Amy, gave me the cutest card and birthday present, all hand-made of course! The wonderful thing about having creative friends is that you usually get the most unique gifts! (Oh, and in my rush to take pictures, I totally forgot to take a shot of the cute birthday card she made for me, so you have something to look forward to next week!)


Are those the cutest coasters you've ever seen? I'll guarantee you can't find them anywhere because Amy made them just for me! Notice the bird/nature theme going on. She knows me so well. Thanks, girlie!

Today was a hectic day for us. Of course, we ended up sleeping in (geez, one drink and I'm down the for the count!), and when I woke up and looked around for something to eat, I quickly realized that I had no food in the house! Oops. We decided to make a day of it, and we went to a neighboring town to go grocery shopping. We walked the waterfront and did a little shopping. I stopped off at Rubber Soul and grabbed the coolest stamp set, but I can't show you which one since it's for my mom and she reads this blog (love you, mom!). I can, however, tell you that it's *seasonal* so if you stamp, you might get my hint.

When we got back to the house, Travis got the mail and handed me an envelope. Inside was the most fun birthday card from my scrappy message board friend, Bev. I don't think I need to explain why it's so cool. Take a look for yourself.

Thanks, Bev, for making me squeal with excitment when I opened this one! Poor Sedona thought something was wrong with me! LOL :)

Well, now that I've written a small novel, I'll let you all get back to your regularly scheduled blogging. Have a creative weekend, and a beautiful Easter Sunday.

Hot scrappin' mamas!

Last week I attended a monthly scrapbook get together at my friend's church. We always have such a good time! I laughed so hard that night that my abs were aching. That's a whole lot of laughing! My scrappy friend, Amy, just sent me this picture of all of us that night. I went in my sweats and didn't care! I must be comfy when I scrap otherwise, what's the point?!

My card today is a simple Easter or Spring-time card. I used my Spellbinder Nestability dies to cut out a large scalloped circle from an existing Memory Box notecard. Then, I used a couple smaller dies to cut out the inner scalloped circle. The cute chick and flower are rub-ons from the "For Peeps Sake" Collection by Imaginisce, more specifically their "Love Bug" rub-on pack. A simple bow finishes it all off. This card took me about ten minutes to make. If you're participating in a card swap, this may be the way to go!

Here is the entire "Love Bugs" rub-on package. Isn't it way too cute for words?!

In order to transfer my rub-ons, I whipped out my brand-new BG rub-on roller. This tool ROCKS! I didn't get any of the little indentations like I normally would have from using a popsicle stick, so I'm thinking it was $5 well spent. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, here it is:


Today I leave you with this darling picture my mom took of a humming bird visiting her feeder. I believe this picture was taken last Spring. Great job, mom!

One last thing - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!! I hope you had a great day. I love you!

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a fabulous Thursday!

Good food, fun shopping, and GREAT friends!

Yesterday I met up with a fellow CKMBer, Noel (aka, NoelJoy) and her two adorable girls. We had been planning this get together for a while now, and the day finally came to go have a little fun! We met up at Red Robin for some yummy lunch before hitting the stamp and scrap stores. Although I had already met Noel at CKC Seattle, I hadn't met her girls. They were an absolute delight to talk with. They made me the cutest pictures, which now hang proudly on my refrigerator door. Thanks, girls!

Noel also made me a beautiful Christmas ornament. I fear it's a bit large for my tiny tree, so it's going on the wall of cards!

After lunch, we headed over to a stamp store called Impress. WOW is all I have to say. I've been in my fair share of stamp stores, but this one blew my mind. It was really large and had such a variety of products to choose from. It was eye candy at it's best! We browsed around, ooing and awwing over all the stamps and cards they had. The girls and I even had some fun in the store!

After shopping around and spending far too much money, we headed over to the PaperZone which is conviniently located right next door. We picked up a few last minute odds and ends before heading outside to snap some pictures!

If you can believe it, Emma, Noel's youngest, took this photo of us. Way to go, Emma! A little photographer in the making :)

Ready to see all the fun stuff I go?! I decided that this trip is Travis' Christmas present to me :) First of all, Noel was able to grab some of the infamous GRUNGEBOARD for me!! Woo-hoo!! I haven't had much time to play with it, but I did take a sheet out of the package, and I like the way it felt. I'm definitely inspired!

At Impress, I grabbed myself some yummy wood-mounted stamps, a bottle of Stickles, a BG 6x6 Mellow paper pad, the COOLEST paper punch ever, some buttons, and some notecards. I'm sure I'm missing something here, but you can take a look for yourself!

I can't wait until I have a little free time to spend creating some fun stuff! I'm still working on a few last minute Christmas projects and filling a small jewelry order, so I'll be busy until the end of the week.

Have an awesome Thursday, everyone!!