Amazon announced the Kindle 2 this morning. I'm a bit of a tech-geek and want to get the new one even though there's not much difference between the Kindle 1 and this new version. But it sure looks pretty. :)

And ya'll remember how much I love my Kindle, right?

Anyway, I'm selling my old Kindle in order to fund the purchase of a new one. Contact me if you're interested.

You get:
Kindle
Adapter for charging
Cover (it's a bit worn--I cut my asking price so that you can buy a new cover if you want)
USB cord for connecting to your computer
Original packaging. :)

Price: $225 + shipping
Payment: I'm only accepting PayPal payments.
I am only selling to someone in the US, as the Kindle doesn't work outside the US.

SOLD to a new friend in Wisconsin! :)

I've been thinking a lot recently. About my blog. About all of you (love you!), and about how much time I spend on all my blogging things instead of on creative projects and cards and such. I really miss it.

Over the last 6 months or so, I have had to slowly let things drop by the wayside (including proof reading my posts... typos anyone? I've had a plethora recently). I'm sure you've noticed that I no longer post any cards or pages that are not related to either MACM or TwoPeas (Finally Friday videos included in that). I miss just making something for the joy of it. I miss just sitting down at my craft table and creating something for the sake of creating it. And then being so excited about it that I just have to share it with all of you.

I guess what I'm saying is that I've slowly forgotten where all the fun is. And it makes me really sad.

I simply don't have the time because I'm editing film, or editing photos for the Color Inspiration Round-ups, or I'm just exhausted from staying up late to get everything done. And it's hard to sit at a computer all day at work and then come home and sit at a computer all night.

I'm sorry. I don't mean to complain. What I'm trying to get at is that there are going to be some changes around here... Just two, but I still felt like it needed an individual blog post.

First of all, I'm making changes to the Color Inspiration Challenge. Not huge changes, just one really. There will no longer be a round-up. I love seeing all of your creations, but having to edit all the photos has sucked out all of the fun of seeing what you've all created. I just want to look through them and enjoy them for what they are. I hope you all understand. And please don't leave comments saying you wish it would come back. Believe me, I wish it could, too. It's just not possible anymore.

The second change is that I'll be switching blogging software. I'm already in the process of switching over to Wordpress. Hopefully that will make it easier to comment and such. Over the past few weeks when I had some giveaways, I hated that some of you weren't able to comment. And hopefully moving to WP will solve that.

But there's a learning curve there that I have to deal with. I've used Movable Type for YEARS (we're talking 9 years), so I have to learn how Wordpress works in order to customize it for what I need.

I'm planning to completely switch to WP over President's Day weekend. If all goes well, you won't even notice a difference besides comments posting quicker and faster page load times.

Anyway, I hope you all understand. I think this is a good thing, and I hope you think so, too. :)

Hi all!

I'm back from California and it a super fun trip! Not only was CHA amazing and inspiring, but Disneyland was a blast, too. The lines were super short. We even rode on Pirates of the Caribbean, walked off, and then walked right back on! It was awesome!

We were thoroughly drenched on Splash Mountain. I have never gotten SO wet on that ride. I have a little video after we got off the ride that I'll post hopefully tomorrow night.

I was at CHA for work, so I don't have any photos from that (except for my Paris Hilton sighting!), but hopefully Jen will have some photos up soon that I can point you to. :)

Anyway, a new Designer Garden went up at TwoPeas today, so I wanted to share my two digital scrap pages with you. :) Here they are...

(BTW, Marisa... forgive me for using the photo of you. I just love it (and you!) so much).

NOTE: Yes, there was a typo earlier in the first page. That's the joy of digital scrapbooking--you can fix a typo! :)

>
(c) Two Peas in a Bucket


(c) Two Peas in a Bucket

Hi everyone!

Just a quick update so you know I won't be updating very often this week. I'm in California for a few days for work, and then I'll finish out the week at Disneyland. :)

Sorry there wasn't a MACM video this morning. There won't be a Finally Friday this week, either, but I'll be back next week in full swing. :)

Hope you have a wonderful week! :)

Wow! What a response!

Here are the winners. I just took the first number generated by random.org for the first winner, the second for the second winner, etc. :)

I'll be in contact with each of the winners via email. Thanks for participating, everyone!



Prize package winner #1:



Prize package winner #2:



Prize package winner #3:

Okay, we've got three different giveaways this week. :)

The first one is...

• Stampin' Up! Scallop Edge punch
• Stampin' Up! Stampin' Dimensionals (2 packs)
• Mini Glue Dots
• Basic Grey Precision Filing Set
• 2 Making Memories acrylic blocks (1 large, 1 medium)

And giveaway #2:

• Basic Grey Precision Filing Set
• 2 Making Memories acrylic blocks (1 large, 1 medium)

And giveaway #3:

• American Crafts Romance Cupcakes Detail Embellishments
• Basic Grey Beckham Micro Dark Chocolate Chip Alphas

How do you win? Leave a comment on this entry telling me what your perfect vacation would be? Where would you go? Who would you be with?

Three winners will be randomly chosen using random.org and will receive only one of the prizes. You have until tomorrow night (Thursday) at 7:00 pm MT. I cut it short because I leave for Disneyland on Saturday and I need to mail out the prizes before I go. :)

Good luck!

Your comment MUST be on this entry only (click on "permalink" below and scroll to the very bottom to comment). If you are having problems commenting, please keep trying. I think the problems we had last week are the result of my blogging software. I'm currently looking into other options, but for now, please be patient. :)

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED!

Good morning, all!

As chosen by random.org, the winner was comment #551, Jennifer. :) Congrats! I'll be in contact with you to get your mailing address.

Thanks for participating, everyone! They'll be another giveaway next week, too. So watch for that. :)

Hey you.

Yes, you. :)

Leave a comment telling me what you remember about Valentine's Day as a child. If your comment is randomly chosen you get the goods:

• Love Grows stamp set (Autumn Leaves) - seen in this Finally Friday video
• Bittersweet Buttons (Basic Grey)
• Bittersweet 6x6 paper pad (Basic Grey)
• Rouge Paperie Trim Card (Making Memories)

Only one comment per person, please. :) Comments will close at 7:00 PM Friday, January 16, 2008. Good luck!

Man, I have a lot of catching up to do!

As I mentioned in my Color Inspiration Challenge post this week, I've been feeling a bit under the weather, but with some extra sleep, I think I'm shaking whatever it was off. Of course, here I am staying up late to post this, but... whatever. ;)

Anyway, Monday was the 15th so that means there was a new Garden up at TwoPeas. The seasonal theme for this month was Christmas and this is the 8x8 digital page I created for it. More Christmas photos. Love! :)

Click here to see the page over at TwoPeas with all the supplies used.

I've recently sort of switched to all digital scrapbooking. Strange for me because I was so against it even just 6 months ago. I think all I needed to see was some really cool examples of digital scrapbooking. Speaking of, I absolutely love this month's Guest Garden Girl elizzylee. She has a very calm style that I really respond to. Great use of negative space. Ahhh....

:)

---------------------



In other random things I've forgotten to share, here are some calendars that my awesome roommate Jen made. She made them a while ago, but I'm a bum and forgot to show you all their awesome-ness. :)

Yes, I share a craft room/office with her. And yes, it is amazing. :)

I know that a bunch of you were wondering if I was going to post calendars like I did last year, but I've just been too busy. But Jen made these last year for our co-workers and worked them up again for 2009, so I figured I'd point ya'll in the direction of her blog. Perfect idea for last minute gifts since you can print them out at home.

EDITED TO ADD: Just noticed that she'll be posting blank ones (great for customizing with stamping or whatnot) tomorrow, so watch for those! :)

---------------------



And yet another truly random thing... I'm currently obsessed with my new digital cutter, the Quickutz Silhouette. Oh. My. Word. I love this little thing.

The Merry Christmas block in the photo above was one of the first things I created in Illustrator and had it cut. (Their software doesn't work on Macs, but there's a plug-in to use with Adobe Illustrator--my favorite program ever so it was right up my alley.) Sweet, huh?! I was so excited!

Will this replace my Making Memories Slice? Probably. It just cuts so much better. Gets sharper corners and it's just overall amazing. I just might sell my Slice sometime soon. I'll let ya'll know if I do. It's still a good little cutter, but I just love being able to create things in Illustrator and cut it out on my Silhouette.

For those with Macs, and who also have Silhouettes, here's a little video I made showing how to merge letters and send it to the Silhouette. I was chatting with the TwoPeas Garden Girls and some of them were wondering how I made the Merry Christmas block. So here ya go...

Hi all! We drew names for Secret Santa gifts at work. I have my boss Paula (shh!!! Just kidding. She already knows I drew her name).

Anyway, Paula is the queen of craft. She can and does make everything under the sun. From knitting to sewing to scrapping to stamping--Seriously, people. She does everything. Anyway, I made this little mug for her...



It reads, "The world is my craft room. I can make anything. I'm awesome that way." LOL! I love it!

I ordered it from Zazzle.com, and it won't arrive until next week so I don't know the quality of the product yet. But I'm optimistic! I read lots of reviews online and people seem to be really pleased with Zazzle. So, here I am, waiting anxiously for the mug. :)

You can actually customize it quite a bit, too. Feel free to take a look. Maybe if you guys are interested in other crafty items, I'll whip up a few more this weekend. :)

Happy Friday!

EDIT: Zazzle has a super deal on mugs this afternoon. For a few more hours, you can get $4 off any mug! Use code 5HOURZFRIDAY at checkout.

A few years ago, we started a choir at work. SU! demos who attended Convention last July saw the choir perform on stage then. Well, today was their annual Christmas performance. :)

I LOVE these performances. It's so fun to see your co-workers doing something away from their cubicles, ya know? Just fun to see everyone having so much fun!

Anyway, we had cookies and hot cocoa while we listened to the music. And I was able to snag a couple minutes of video to share with all of you! :) The pictures in the video are mostly of people in Creative Services (my division)--I wish I would have had time to catch everyone! I swear, nearly every employee was in the atrium.

So, enjoy the pictures and the video at the bottom of this entry! I sure did! :)















(You can watch this in high quality over at YouTube...)

I'm going to create another Questions and Answers video like the previous ones from last spring (part 1, part 2, part 3). If you have a question or questions, please leave it in the comments on this entry.

Oh, and even if you've asked the question in the past, but I haven't answered it yet (sometime I see them in the comments and think, "Oh, all have to answer that tonight" and then I forget to go back and check), leave the comment here again as a little reminder, would ya? Thanks!

Just saw this video over at YouTube. It's one of the featured videos today. :) So touching. I love it. Please visit their site at playingforchange.com.

Hello! The winner from yesterday is...



Congrats, Danielle! I'll be in contact with you to get your mailing address shortly.

And thank to everyone who entered each day's drawing. It was so fun to read through your comments and get a small sense of who ya'll are. :)

Hopefully, I'll be back later today with the Color Inspiration #33 round-up. I just reformatted my harddrive and I'm copying over all my backed up files, so I'll be strapped to my computer for most of the day. But on a positive note, the problems my computer was having before are non-existent! I think a reformat did the trick! :)

Happy Saturday!

Good morning! Here's the winner for yesterday's giveaway...



Congrats, Robyn! I'll be in contact with you to get your mailing address. :)

And today's giveaway...



Today I'm offering what I call "The Clear Package." :) I have some clear tags (like the one I used here on the Christmas tag), and Fontwerk's Choice Words clear stamp set. Good luck, all!

To enter just leave a comment on this entry. International readers can join in on the fun, too! :) I'll post a winner tomorrow morning.

Good morning! Let's start the day with the winner for giveaway #3...



Congrats, Peyton! I'll be in contact with you to get your mailing address. :)

Today's giveaway is...



Giveaway #4 consists of a pack of Stampin' Up! Chit Chat rubons with about a million sentiments on them (perfect for cardmaking!) and two packs of Hero Arts Gemstones. I see a large amount of cardmaking in your future. ;)

Just leave a comment on this entry and you'll be entered in the drawing. International readers are welcome to enter the drawing as well. :)

Good luck, all!

Morning, all! First off, a winner for yesterday...



Congrats, Mabel! I'll be in contact with you to get your mailing address. :)

Today's giveaway is what I call "The Christmas Ribbon Pack"...



It consists of Papertrey Ink's Pure Poppy Swiss Dot ribbon and American Crafts Christmas Box Holly ribbon! I love these ribbons! And I'll be mailing out the giveaways next Monday, so the winner will have plenty of time to use up some of this ribbon before Christmas. :)

To be entered into the drawing, just leave a comment on this entry. Again, please be sure to use an email address you can be contacted at. International readers can enter as well. :)

Good luck!

Good morning!

First of all, a winner for yesterday...



I used random.org to get a number, and the comment number was 270! Congrats, Diana! I'll be emailing you this morning to get your mailing address. :)

Today's giveaway pack consists of some Thickers from American Crafts (these are felt) and some flowers from Li'L Davis Designs. You can't see it in the picture, but the flowers are glittery--so cute!



Just leave a comment on this entry before 11:59 pm (Mountain Time) tonight and you'll be entered in the drawing for the giveaway. All readers for all countries are eligible. Only one comment/entry per person. :)

Good luck, all! :)

NOTE: If the comments get above #181, they might display weird in some internet browsers.. If you're browser is displaying things weird, it's just the browser... I am still receiving comments and can see them. No worries. :) Thanks!

Okay, talk about stinkin' cute! Have you guys seen these yet? It was featured on Apartment Therapy not too long ago and my good friend Patti is the genius behind it.

Anyway, she hooked me up with one of her Sweet Tweet chandeliers to decorate for my sister's baby that's due any day now! (Marisa, if you're reading this... pretend to be surprised when you get it for Christmas, okay?)

I've been working on covering this with patterned paper a little bit at a time all week. I even glued patterned paper to it and sanded it down while I was riding to Arizona in my brother's car on Tuesday! It's actually a really great thing to do while watching a movie, too (we watched Kung Fu Panda--so funny!).

It's made out of heavy-duty chipboard, and you can get it over at her Etsy shop. It's DIY so you can paint it or cover it with paper, or both. I chose to cover it in Sassafrass Lass paper and add some Papertrey Ink ribbon.

Here's to new babies! Babies! :) I'm getting a new niece and I'm so excited!

Ooo! Ooo! Patti's giving away one of her Glittering Tulip chandeliers. Go over to her blog to enter the drawing. :)

I think I may have confused some of you. Sorry about that! :)

You are okay and NOT hot-linking if:
You right click on an image, save it to your computer, and then re-upload it to your blog.

You are hot-linking if:
You right click on an image, copy it, and then paste it into your blog. When you do this, the file is never saved on your computer. So when a reader of your blog loads your page, it tells their computer that the image it is loading is located on my webserver. That's when it uses my bandwidth.

So, in short, make sure you save the file to your computer first. Then you won't have any issues. :)

Hope that helped to clear things up.

On a side note: All of this was just presented as information to make you all aware of hot-linking. In no way am I saying I'm ungrateful for your readership, like a comment on the last entry suggested. It is actually quite the opposite. You guys are awesome! :)

------------

Attribution or providing a link back to the original webpage where you found an image does not affect whether an image is hot-linked or not. Attribution is simply a courtesy and points the reader in the right direction to see where the image came from.

Attribution might look like, "Image from SoAndSo's website." And have the word "SoAndSo" linked to their site so people can click on it and go there. Attribution is not required, but it's also considered the polite thing to do. :)

NOTE: I have disabled comments and hidden the ones that were already posted. This is not because I don't value each and every opinion. I did this because the conversation in the comments were bothering some people and leading to more misunderstandings. Just know that I only brought up hot-linking and attribution to help illustrate it and answer questions that new bloggers might have about hot-linking. If you have a question, please contact me.

Ever since I've been dealing with bandwidth over usage (and having to increase my bandwidth with my webserver), I'm been very aware of hot-linking. Many of you might not be aware of what hot-linking is, or why it's bad.

For a quick definition, hot-linking is when a site adds one of my images to their site without uploading the image to their webserver or blogging software. Instead, they just include the link to my image. Essentially that means that when a person views their blog, the image that loads is coming directly from my webserver--it's like a leech pulling bandwidth from my webserver.

That's called stealing. And it's impolite. :(

For more info on hotlinking, see Julie's great entries here:
Just say "No."
More on hot-linking

And read the technical definition over at Wikipedia.

It's hard to explain, to so I tried to make some graphics... hopefully you'll all understand this...





--------------

On stealing images... It has come to my attention that some bloggers out there are stealing my images and posting them on their own blogs without attribution or a link back to my site. This is also stealing.

It's a common practice to share images you've seen on the web as a way to alert people to great things they might want to see. You post a borrowed image and include a link back to the original image so that readers can see the original source.

95% of the time that I come across one of my images on someone else's blog it's because they have participated in one of the color challenges. They post the graphic I provide, their creation, and then a link back to my blog. That is the proper way to do this.

Similarly, when I post a graphic for a color challenge and it is from a different site, I always include a link back to the original product or image. It's a way to share things and color combos that I like. And I hope that the person or company that I'm linking to would be happy that I like what they are doing or selling.

So, in short, if it's not your image--if you did not take it with your camera--the best thing to do is seek permission to use it, and if that's not possible, at least be sure to include a link to the site your borrowing from. DO NOT include the direct image file on your blog (see hot-linking stuff above), but upload it to your site and then link to original blog post or site that you're borrowing from.

We all need to be a bit more polite. The only way to prevent any this happening is to simply stop sharing on the web, and I just find that depressing. So, let's all help each other out here and be respectful of each others images and bandwidth.

I'll get off my soap box now. Thanks for listening. :)

NOTE: I have disabled comments and hidden the ones that were already posted. This is not because I don't value each and every opinion. I did this because the conversation in the comments were bothering some people and leading to more misunderstandings. Just know that I only brought up hot-linking and attribution to help illustrate it and answer questions that new bloggers might have about hot-linking. If you have a question, please contact me.

Things I did this weekend:

• Decorate for Christmas with Jen (yes, it's not even Thanksgiving)
• Put an autumn wreath on the front door (even though it's Christmas inside, I figured it's still Thanksgiving outside)
• Baked some dinner rolls for a family gathering tonight. I used my sister's recipe (at the end of this entry... Thanks, sis, for the photos. I totally borrowed them).
• Finished up some TwoPeas projects (still a few more to go that are due tomorrow... AHH!
• Started on my card club project for this Thursday. We're making advent calendars. I'll post the finished project once I'm finished.
• Bought tickets to go see The Forgotten Carols live with the fam and Jen. :)

And the recipe in Marisa's words...

DINNER ROLLS

2 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup warm (105º-115º) water
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups hot (120º-130º) water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter shortening
2 eggs
2 tsp. salt
7-8 cups flour
butter, melted

Mix together yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, and 2 Tbsp. sugar. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to proof (get all fluffy). Whisk in large mixing bowl 2 cups hot water, 1/2 cup sugar, shortening, eggs, and salt. Add yeast mixture. Add flour one cup at a time. Let dough rise in greased bowl for one hour. Shape; bake at 350º for 16-22 minutes (I baked mine for 18 minutes). Brush with melted butter.

You could let the rolls rise for another hour after you shape them, but I was crunched for time and didn't let them rise again and they turned out just fine. It's just your personal preference.



Okay, here's how I shaped them. I put my left hand into an "OK" shape.



Then, I pinched off enough dough to make about a 1 1/2-inch ball. Instead of rolling the ball, I just put that dough atop the hole I made with my left hand, then pushed it through the hole with the pointer finger of my right hand, while slightly closing the hole. As the dough gets to the end, I pinched it shut and put the seam side down on the greased baking baking sheet. If you look in the top right-hand corner of the picture below, you can see the shaped rolls before they were baked. They look like little white domes. This method of shaping is so easy ... even my four-year-old can do it! (Although, the rolls he makes are quite a bit smaller.)

Heading off to the polls early EARLY this morning. Hopefully will beat the crowds, but who knows! :)

• I wanted to steer all you Mac users to a cool free app. Polaroid is discontinuing their classic instant film--GASP! So make your way over to download a free Polaroid-making program. Also, check out their Flickr pool. :)

• Want to create panoramic photos on your iPhone? Check out this post from iJustine about Pano, a $2.99 app from the iTunes App Store.

• Talk about awesome Halloween makeup! (Love her blog, BTW. All you makeup geeks need to check it out).

• Messy bathroom vanity? Try out this super hair dryer/beauty crap organizer . I haven't tried it myself, but I have to admit, I'm intrigued.

Okay, so today was Halloween at work. Seriously, SU! goes all out for Halloween... let's face it, we're creative people so we love to play pretend. :)

There was a costume contest that was just... HILARIOUS! Some departments went all out by decorating their cubicles and some even performed for the rest of us down in the atrium at lunch.

Anyhow, here are some of the photos I snapped today. And don't forget the video at the end of this post... Mwa ha ha! Blackmail material, right?

EDITED TO ADD: Nope, I'm not in any of these pictures. I didn't dress up... I'm lame like that. But it was fun to see everyone else! :)

Hi kids! I will be removing all my YouTube videos from the web over the next few weeks. I'll be slowly swapping out all the music in the videos with royalty free music.

I know you all have enjoyed the music selections, but unfortunately they are copyrighted. I've always felt slightly guilty for using copyrighted music so I'm trying to make it all good. :)

Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have everything uploaded once again.

Thanks for your patience!

Brought home a new camera tonight, a new Canon EOS 50D... oh. my. word.
He's beautiful.

I have dubbed him Paco.
After Pachelbel's Canon in D.
Get it?

He's gorgeous.
I love him already.
I'd marry him if I could.

His battery grip, extra battery, and 8GB memory card arrive tomorrow.

Sigh.

All I need is something interesting to take a photo of.

I've had a lot of questions about the blue t-square ruler I use in my videos. I actually bought it at a local office supply store, but it seems that many of you are having trouble finding something similar.

So, here's what I found to help you out...

Over at DickBlick.com (an awesome art supply store), they have the exact ruler that I bought years YEARS ago when I first started studying calligraphy. I loved this ruler SO much and panicked when it broke in my scrapbook bag about a year ago. That's when went out to find a replacement and ended up with the blue ruler I have now. However, I think I might buy this clear one in remembrance of my beloved ruler from yesteryear--and promptly bag the blue ruler (which I don't like nearly as much).

Anyway, here are some links to their store for the ruler and some other products you might be interested in (since you're paying shipping anyway, and the ruler only cost $1.96):

C-Thru Junior T-Square Ruler
Tombow Mono Adhesive or Refills
Blick E-Z Grip Knife
Super Giant Punches (including a HUGE 2-3/16 circle punch)
Kolo Noci Photo Album

Anyway, happy shopping!

and I haven't even had a chance to think about tomorrow's MACM. So, please be patient with me. It might be more like MACOADTSOCTMBMLCT (Make a Card on a day that's sort of close to Monday but more likely called Tuesday).

:)

Hi all! Just a quick reminder. Come chat with me over at Two Peas in a Bucket. We're chatting on the Education message board. :)

Just log in (or register) and then make your way over to my message board thread.

See you there!

Landed in Minnesota early this afternoon. :)
Bought a caramel apple at Rocky Mountain.
Bought new lotion from The Body Shop.
(all in the airport while I waited for Marisa).

Stopped at Wendy's for lunch.
(kid's meal for me, chicken for the boys).
Adam kept looking at me funny in the car--
like he can't quite remember me.
But suddenly remembers me when
we get to their house.

:)

The boys are fascinated with my Wacom tablet.
Had to draw them immediately. :)

The first time I knew that I wanted to be a scrapbooker (and eventually a cardmaker) was when I was introduced to twopeasinabucket.com by a couple of the girls at work. Seriously, when I first saw all the projects and amazing things people were making, I was hooked. I especially loved the section of the site with projects made by the Two Peas In a Bucket design team, The Garden Girls.

That makes this even more special to say: I've been asked to be a Garden Girl!



I have accepted and am so excited! I can't wait to get going and taking on the challenge of creating projects each month. I'm especially excited about filling my scrapbooks again. I've been on such a card kick for the past few months that my albums must be getting lonely. Of course, I'll be making lots of cards over there, too. :)

I couldn't be more honored to help give back to a website and community that has helped me so much. If it wasn't for TwoPeas, I don't think I would be here. :)

I'm sure some of you are wondering if anything will change around here. Nope. I'll still be hosting the Color Inspiration Challenges each week, sharing Make a Card Monday videos, and posting various projects throughout the week.

This brings up another point I wanted to talk with you guys about. I've actually received some emails from upset readers who don't understand how I can work at Stampin' Up! but use non-SU! product on my blog...

Well, kids, this is how it is. This is my personal blog. It is not affiliated with Stampin' Up! in any way. I do love SU! products and stamps so I will always use them, but that doesn't prevent me from using other great products out there, does it? I love all things paper and crafty no matter where it comes from. Therefore, I will use it. And I hope you enjoy seeing it, as well. After all, if you use my projects as inspiration, you should be swapping out what supplies I use anyway, right? :)

Hope you all understand.

In the meantime, I've got a MACM video to shoot... Better run!

Thanks, girls! I've received many emails and comments pointing me the right direction where you can buy the polka dot stamp I've been obsessed with for a few months now.

I can't guarantee they will still be available, but at this very moment, you can buy them at the following links:

http://www.thecornerstoreforsave.com/meinjoba.html
http://shophamptonart.com/shop/product.php?productid=682
http://www.qbaroo.com/JustNeedIt/largeImage.cfm?product=299

Thanks again! And happy shopping! BTW, I've had quite a few people asking where the onesie stamp came from. It's from Technique Tuesday (see the set here).

1. Some of you might remember that I bought an Amazon Kindle not too long ago. Well, the jury's back and the consensus is that it's a winner! Granted, I usually like my electronic toys more sleek and "Apple-like" (aka my iPhone), but this little thing is loved by me anyway. :)

For those who don't know, it's an ebook reader. I tend to buy books, read them once, and then never touch them again, so this is a total space-saver for me. Plus, new release books are generally available for Kindle the same day as regular print releases, and at a lower cost.

Want that new Stephenie Meyer book? Buy the Kindle version and it's only $9.99. AND you can read it within just a couple minutes. It downloads over a cell-phone network directly to your Kindle! And there's no service contract.

There are also plenty of online resources for FREE books that you can download to your Kindle. Most of them are classic novels. I particularly enjoy the free Jane Austen books. Cool, huh?

It's also a rudimentary web browser. When I was in Phoenix visiting my mom, I forgot the cord to charge my iPhone, so I used my Kindle to check email and read comments here at the blog. Totally convenient. :)

If any of you want to get a Kindle, they have a special going right now that you gives $100 off when you open a Chase Amazon Rewards account. I'm not advocating more credit cards, but if you're needing a new card and a new Kindle, why not save some cash and get both (plus a $25 gift certificate for every 2500 points accrued on your account).

What am I currently reading? Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.

(My word, that's sounds like a commercial. I didn't meant for it to sound like that--I just love my Kindle!)

2. On a craft related note, how many of you kept your Crop-A-Dile packaging? I'd wager that only a few of you did. If you're looking for the information on what settings to use when, here's a lovely PDF of that back insert, complete with setting instructions. I tracked it down a while back and have been meaning to share it with all of you. Enjoy!

3. Need some good blog reads? Try out some of these (straight out of my Google Reader):

How About Orange
The Pioneer Woman
Office Tally (for all you Office fans!)

4. Yum. :)

5. Current TV favs:

The Closer
Project Runway
Shear Genius
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
Tabatha's Salon Takeover
(Um... I think I like Bravo).

6. Favorite hair care product of the moment: Frederic Fekkai Salon Clear Glaze Rinse. Received this for free as a sample when I was in New York and went shopping at the Sephora in Times Square. AWESOME! I asked my hairstylist about it and she basically said that it puts a thin silicone coating on all your hair strands so that it all the breakage lays down flat and back together. Does that make sense? Maybe not, but I love this stuff. It really does make your hair look and feel like you just had it cut. Oh, so soft! :)

7. Favorite iPhone 3rd party application: Twitterific Premium. Twitter for iPhone people. :)

8. I'm closing in on the end of my initial Invisalign treatment. I'm on trays 14 for upper and lower, with only two more trays on bottom and five trays on top to go. After that, I wear that last set for 1 year. But at least that year isn't with pain every two week when I switch trays.

If you want to compare before and after, view some of my old YouTube videos and then look at the most recent. :)

9. Received my Stampin' Up! order today. Delivered straight to my desk (one of the perks of working at Stampin' Up!).



Boy oh boy, am I excited to break all this out. Can someone say ya'll are going to be seeing some glitter in the near future? Mwa ha ha!

Just a quick apology to those reading my blog on feed readers. Most likely your reader (i.e. Google Reader) is telling you that I have numerous new entries. Just read the last three and then hit "Mark all as Read."

Sorry for the confusion. And a big thank you goes out to Lydia for letting me know that the feed wasn't updating correctly. :)

Hi kids! We're back in business! The forum and also comments over here at the blog are now working!

I eventually gave up on trying to make it work with my webhost (Yahoo Small Business) and decided to cancel my service with them and transfer everything over to a webhost that is recommended by the Movable Type people. I figure they know what's best for their software, so why not use a webhost they recommend, right? So I switched over to Pair.com and they've been awesome! :)

PLUS, Yahoo customer service was HORRIBLE! I emailed them last Friday about the database issues and they still haven't responded. I even sent another two emails to keep them informed on the weird things that were happening. Talk about awful customer service. I was all, "Forget you! I'm taking my business elsewhere!"

Anyway, to celebrate the blog and forum working again, I'm giving away a $5 iTunes gift card (sent via email). It's not much, but you can buy 5 songs or 2 TV show episodes with it! Awesome!

So, test out the working comments! Leave me a little note telling me how long you've been interested in paper crafting and I'll draw a random comment number tonight at 8:00 MDT when I post this week's Color Inspiration Challenge.

Happy commenting!

NOTE: Right now, it's requiring you to register and sign-in to comment. Don't worry, though. I'm working on getting it to be open comments again. :) Comments are open again! :)

----------------

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED! The winner is...



Congrats! I'll email you in just a few moments!

Dude, what is up with my blog?! Too many problems to count, so I took everything back to default for a bit until it's working again.

At least I was able to import all my entries and comments. :)

Hey kids! Well, the comments are up and working again! :) I tried a couple of things this morning to make them work and then gave up (back hurt and needed to lay down again). But then this afternoon, I was all... "Bag it! Just reinstall Movable Type!" and low and behold, they had a new version.

The new version rocks! Not only did it fix my comment issue, but there are some awesome new features as well, including a new community forum option... So, do you think we need a forum/message board here? Not really sure we do considering ya'll are used to just commenting. What do you think?

Well, I wanted to test it out, so I created a kwernerdesign forum. Feel free to look at it (and it's one measly pathetic post) and leave a reply as well. I've been doing a lot of embossing lately, so I thought I'd start an embossing topic. Leave all your embossing tips there. :)

UPDATE: A few of you registered for the forum, but were waiting for the confirmation email which never came. I had to fix one thing in my system settings, but it looks like it should be working now. Try logging in again at the forum and it will give you the option of resending the confirmation email. Back in business! :)

--------------

Oh, and just to prove that, yes, I did actually sketch a card that was going to be the MACM video this week, here it is:



So, here's my challenge to you. Create a card based on my sketch. It doesn't have to be a literal interpretation. Just a general idea. You get it, right? :)

Since I'm all laid up and can't really sit up long enough to create a card without hurting myself, leave a link to your card in the comments (the newly working comments--heck, ya! I ROCK at troubleshooting unruly website issues!).

Oh, and have any of you been watching Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List? MY WORD, she's hilarious! I had a small mini-marathon today (via Amazon Unbox) as I was laying down resting. The first episode from this season? LOL! My favorite part of the entire episode is Kathy talking about Planet Earth being nominated in her category for a Producer's Guild Award:

"Well, you know that #4#$@% Planet Earth is going to win. Everybody loves Planet Earth." Then in a whiny voice, "It's so great. Why don't you do a show about the Earth? Oh, it's so fascinating how the Earth is."

LOL! I love her! :)

Have a lovely evening, and I'll catch up with you laterz!

First of all I just have to thank all of you for all your warm get well wishes. You guys are the best. :)

So, how's my back doing? Only slightly better. I went to the chiropractor on Monday and was starting to feel better and was able to get around okay, but then today tried to put in a full day at the office.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

I would have left work to go home at lunch, but my car was in the shop and I didn't have a ride back to pick up my car until the end of the work day. Long story short, by the time I got to my second chiropractic appointment tonight, I was in pretty bad shape. And after the appointment, I was still in a lot of pain. I simply pushed myself too hard and didn't allow for the rest I needed.

Well, I've learned my lesson. I'm taking it easy tomorrow. I might not go into work--not even for just a couple hours like I did yesterday. I'm putting myself on bed rest and ice.

That's it, missy! No more "toughing it out."

In the meantime, I've spent a lot of time surfing the net with my laptop propped up next to me in bed. Here are some cool things I've found recently:

• Hot hair trend for the summer: Milkmaid braids how-to video (part 1, part 2)
• VillaWare Crepe Maker: My mom had a similar pan when I was growing up and she made the BEST crepes!
• Amazon.com Unbox Videos: Download (rent or buy) movies and television shows to watch on your computer. You can also download Tivo-compatible movies to your Tivo box and watch them on your television. Brilliant! I've watched a couple Amazon Unbox movies since I've been laid up.
  
• MakeUpGeek.com site & forum: You-Tube guru and makeup maven Marlena's site for all things makeup. Fun site to browse--not to mention enabling!
• Cranium Pop 5: This is the game I was playing last week. All of you who love Cranium need to play this awesome spin-off! So fun!
• BellaSugar Warm or Cool Quiz: Determine if the undertones of your skin are warm or cool. This will give you cues as to what colors look best on you in clothing and makeup! Awesome!

And that's it for now. Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday (what's left of it anyway). :)

I'm sure you can relate. If you haven't, please be patient.

I'm not sure exactly what I did, but I've injured my back pretty severely. Between standing on concrete floors for a week at Convention, throwing my nieces and nephews around this week while playing with them, and exercising maybe a bit too hard, my back is like, "Whoa. Remember me? REMEMBER ME?!!"

Yes, my back is screaming.  The annoying thing hasn't stopped since Thursday afternoon. And all I can pretty much do is keep popping pain killers and grimace as I try to move.

Poor Jen, roommate-who-must-have-been-sent-from-heaven, has been listening to me complain and gripe all weekend.

"Ow! Owie owie ow!!! Um, Jen..."

"Yeah?"

"Will you come get the eggs off the bottom shelf of the fridge?"

Long story short, I totally tried making a card for the challenge this week (it was going to double as MACM, too)--seriously, I did! I even sketched it out so I wouldn't have to be sitting at my desk too long. But alas, there is no way in hades that I'm going to be able to sit that long.

I'm going to see someone about my back tomorrow. Enough of this crap. I want to be able to at least function normally. That's my goal for tomorrow. Wish me luck!

In the meantime, why don't all of you SU! fans tell me what you're ordering out of the new catalog tomorrow... Leave a comment. :)

I'm at my Dad's playing Pop 5! Awesome game. It's like Pop Culture Cranium (if there ever was such a thing).

Anyway, my sister drew this picture trying to make my dad guess this TV show title. Do you know what it is? LOL! :)

Believe it of not, he did eventually guess it even though it's definitely not one he watches. :)

EDITED TO ADD: Yes, Sandi is correct! (and the very first comment, too!)

So, the surprise at the end of Convention was... each Convention attendee received another FREE stamp set courtesy of UPS!

Stampin' Up! ships all our packages out by UPS, so the demonstrators know their UPS delivery person very well. :) We LOVE our UPS guys!

Anyway, we had some UPS employees there with us to help hand out all the stamp sets, too! All of us SU! employees that were on "Prize Patrol" were given brown UPS shirts to wear and UPS bags filled to the brim with stamp sets to hand out.

It went down a little something like this...

Sound effect: DING DONG!

Shelli (on stage): "What was that?"

UPS guy walks on stage holding a large box. (By now, the audience has clued in and all the demos in the audience are going crazy and cheering VERY loudly!)

UPS guy: "Well, I'm trying to deliver this package."
Shelli: "Who's it for? I can probably help you find them."
UPS guy: "It says here that it's for... EVERYONE!"

A big UPS truck drive out on stage. There are flames painted on the front and sides of the truck. Numerous UPS employees jump out.

Meanwhile, inside the "Prize Hut" (what we Stampin' Up! employees lovingly call our little areas on each side of the HUGE room where we grab the prizes for delivery to the crowd)...

We're standing behind the black curtains, each of us holding two big bags of stamp sets. We're anxiously waiting for the signal to go running out of the Prize Hut. After the UPS truck drives out, the speakers start blaring "Burning Down the House." That's our signal!

Kara (our lovely Prize Patrol Princess) screams to us over the roar of the crowd: "GO! GO! GO!"

And then we're all running out of our Prize Hut like ants out of an anthill. I run to my section and start whipping stamp sets out of my UPS bags. I hand stacks to all the screaming ladies.

Me (while waving my arm and pointing down the rows): "PASS THEM DOWN! PASS THEM DOWN! JUST TAKE ONE, AND PASS THE REST DOWN!!"

We had 20 minutes allotted to pass out the stamps. We passed out nearly 6000 stamp sets in under 10 minutes. Oh, yeah. We rock. :)

Let me tell you, it was SO fun to hand out all the free stamps! Totally awesome! I wish you all could have been there!

So, the SU! Convention started on Wednesday and I can't even count how many people I've met. There are so many of you! I have met numerous readers and I'm completely overwhelmed by how friendly, creative, and wonderful you all are! And can I just say that I have the best blog readers EVER!? You guys are so cute! I had no idea there were so many of you and I'm truly humbled! :)

I can't remember the last time I smiled so much or had so many pictures taken. I wish I could have whipped out my camera and had a picture taken with my camera too so that I had copies!

So, here's my request. If you had you picture taken with me, please do one of two things: email me the link to your blog or online gallery so I can see it, OR email the photo to me as an attachment. I really want to work up a cute graphic with all your photos that I can share here at my blog! :)

Anyway, so I better get back to work. Right now I'm sitting behind the locked doors at Memento Mall, checking out some blogs and stuff. Just kickin' it until I have to meet up with some other SU! employees for a quick meeting.

And I can't wait for General Session tomorrow... Let's just say there are still some surprises in store for all you Convention attendees. ;)

They've been practicing for weeks and here they are! All the people in the band are actual SU! employees!

There are quite a few singers (and back-up singers) as well. Including Jaron Winder, Spencer Willis, and others. Anyone who's been to Convention before is probably familiar with the musical stylings of Jaron and Spencer and knows we're in for a great performance!

Speaking as an employee, we've known about their plans to perform for a while and we're so excited to finally see them!

What happens when 5,700 demonstrators leave to go to lunch at the same time. ;)

I was so excited last night, I could barely sleep! I love Convention.

Right now I'm standing just inside the doors at Memento Mall and we can hear the thousands of demonstrators waiting outside the doors. Can't wait until the doors open! There's gonna be some major shoppin' going on. :)

I love Memento Mall at Convention. For all you ladies out there with children, we have super cute stuffed animals with Convention charms on them! Adorable!

I'll be posting more pictures to my Flickr account, so be sure to click on my Flickr stuff in the left column.

So, I'm taking a break from prepping for Convention so I can answer some questions...

What about 2009 calendars. Are you offering them this year?
I thought about it, but I don't think I'll have the calendars this year. It's quite a bit of time to create them, post them, and then be sure to send all those who purchase them the files. So, unfortunately, no I will not be offering calendars this year.

Do you make handmade envelopes?
No, I generally do not. I hate the hassle of making envelopes, so if I know a card is going to be mailed or if it will eventually need an envelope, I stick to standard card sizes.

My card stock warps when embossed. How can I prevent it from warping?
Mine is always warping, too! I asked one of the girls at work who embosses a lot and her only tip for embossing large areas was to emboss in small sections. Just stamp a small section, emboss it, and then the next small section. I think it has a lot to do with patience. :)

Can I use non-Stampin' Up! colors for the Color Inspiration Challenges?
I've read this question quite a few times and answered it just as many. So heads up! :) No, you do not have to use Stampin' Up! colors. Just similar colors.

Can I link to your blog from my blog?
Of course! No need to ask. :)

When I crimp card stock, it starts off straight but eventually ends up crooked. What gives?
Believe me, if I knew a secret to crimping, I'd tell you. Anyone else know a great way to master a paper crimper?

What scissors do you use for cutting ribbon?
I use Stampin' Up!'s Craft and Paper Scissors. They're awesome! I ONLY use them on ribbon. All other "scissoring" is done with Stampin' Up!'s Paper Snips.

Do you ever make a card without ribbon?
*gasp!* Why would I ever do that?! ;) Come on. I know you love the ribbon as much as I do.

What do you do with all the cards you make?
I keep 95% of them until an occasion comes along. Then I already have them done! :) Also, a group of us from work will be starting up an Etsy shop soon and I'll sell some there. I'll be selling cards, but some of the other gals will be selling various other things--including handmade purses! Watch for info on that soon. :)

How do you get your hair so curly?
I own a few different curling irons. I've mentioned them in the past, but in case you were wondering:

• 1-1/4" Hot Tools curling iron (used on hairstyle in this video)
• 13 mm Enzo Milano curling iron (used on hairstyle in this video and this video)
• 25 mm Enzo Milano curling iron (used on hairstyle in this video, but it's end of day hair so it's super relaxed)

Anyway, all of these curling irons are awesome and give different types of curl. Wanna see my favorite curly hair video? Watch it here. Another fav video? Try this one!

Do you change your hairstyle every day?
Nope! :) Most of the time it's just plain straight with bangs (aka fringe).

What makeup do you use?
I use a little bit of everything, but my favorites are (specific colors in parenthesis):

• Eyeshadow: MAC shadows (Satin Taupe, Vanilla, Humid), MAC pigments (Chartreuse, Teal) and Stila shadow (Kitten)
• Mascara: Covergirl Lash Blast
• Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills All About Brows Kit
• Blush: Nars (Orgasm, Desire)
• Lips: Stila Lip Glaze (Apricot), Stila Plumping Lip Glaze (Vanilla Mint), MAC Tendertone Lip Balm (Pucker)
• Foundation: Bare Minerals
• Skin care: MaryKay Timewise 3-in-1 Cleanser, MaryKay Timewise Moisturizer, Clarisonic face brush <--- LOVE IT!

And those are all the questions that I received recently. Any more questions? Leave them in the comments. :)

Hi, kids. Looks like Firefox users are having issues reading comments on my blog entries. Once the comments get past 182, all heck breaks loose and comments are dropping off left and right, being reformatted, and generally freaking out.

So I'm trying to figure out what's happening. But in the meantime, if you're using Firefox to read my blog, try using Safari. I know for sure it works in Safari--that's the only other browser I have on my computers and it seems to not be affected by this issue).

Sorry for the inconvenience. If your comment was one between 182 and 186, don't be alarmed. It's still there, it's just Firefox freaking out. :)

...until after MACM. I was going to post the top ten tonight, but I'm in the middle of editing this week's MACM video, and I'm about to drive to my brother's for a family dinner, so...

Please be patient. I'll have the selected top ten and random top ten probably tomorrow night.

In the meantime, just a couple answers to questions...

- The pearls on my last card where spaced out using a ruler and then making pencil marks. You can still see one of the mark I forgot to erase in the enlarge photo at the top of the entry.

- Yes, I handwrote the word "for" on the card.

- Nope, I'm not a popcorn and candy girl. We never really got popcorn or treats when we went to the movies when I was little, so not having it now doesn't bother me. :)

- As far as where I'll be working at the SU! convention, I'll be all over. They're really workin' us this year. :)

Anyhow, see you all tomorrow morning for the video! :)

Hi all! The Make a Card Monday video is uploading to YouTube right now. It's taking forever! Anyhow, it should be ready in the next few hours. :)

I decided to upload a larger file (higher quality) but then realized after I'd already uploaded it once that there was a glitch in the file. So... I'm uploading it again. Joy. :)

But that means that if you watch the video over at YouTube, you can click on "Watch in higher quality" and the video will be MUCH clearer. Seriously, it looks as good as when I'm editing it on my computer. No more pixelation! :)

Until then, enjoy your Monday morning (or Monday afternoon depending on where you live--whassup, my Aussies!?) :)

National Splurge Day! If you had $500 to spend on anything--really, ANYTHING!--how would you spend it?

Leave a comment telling us how you'd spend your "money." I'll randomly pick a commentor and send them a $5 Amazon gift card (via email, of course). Not exactly $500, but you could get 5 songs from their MP3 Store... LOVE IT!

NOTE: I've closed the comments for this entry. I just draw a random winner and the details are in the next entry. Thanks for all your answers, everyone! :)

NOTE: This has nothing to do with papercrafting. I'll post my card and picks for the latest color challenge tomorrow evening. :)

Some of the blog buddies asked about my nails, so I thought I'd show how I give myself a French manicure. By no means am I a professional. This is just how I do it. :)

Products used:
Orly Rubberized Bonder (base coat)
Essie Nail Polish - Marshmallow
Essie Nail Polish - Mademoiselle
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Also mentioned:
MakeupAlley.com

Ya'll must go see these cupcakes! This baker is AMAZING! :)

and watched the following video. I love presentations like this. Reminds me of the "quintessential random number" also known as 47, which became a strange numeral companion to me after watching 5 years of Alias. See it everywhere. Seriously.

If anything, this guy is amusing to watch. :)

According to random.org, the winner is Barb Hendrickson! Congrats, Barb! Watch your mailbox for an email from me with instructions. I just need your mailing address so I can send you some goodies! :)

My word, there's a lot of comments from both the Color Inspiration Challenge AND yesterday's entry. Forgive me while I go through them all. :)

I'll post the selections/winner, etc. tonight after I'm home from work.

...uninspired.
Tired.

Taking a break.
Be back tomorrow.

:)

Hi everyone! I'm back from New York. It was a whirlwind trip and I loved every minute. :)

90% of the trip was for work so I won't go into that, but I did get to do some additional fun things. I went to The Phantom of the Opera with Amy (of YouTube and Glamour magazine fame--check out her awesome makeup tutorials) Really, I totally geeked out when I realized we would be in NYC at the same time--Amy for The Makeup Show and me for The National Stationary Show. We're totally YouTube BFFs now, right Amy? We bonded over mutual love for shoes and New York. :)

I also did a little inspiration shopping and wandered around Brooklyn with the girls from work. We found an awesome antique shop where I accidentally looked at a 1950s magazine of questionable nature (AHH! My EYES!). Then we boarded a VERY crowded bus where we obviously annoyed people around us by talking because one guy in particular stuffed earphones in his ears the minute we sat down and started talking around him.* But we were lost! I consulted my iPhone for a map of the city as we tried to quietly debate whether or not we were anywhere near a subway stop. BTW, yes we were near a subway stop. The Jay Street stop.

We stayed the Marriott Marquis at Times Square which has the most awesome elevators--glass tubes that allow you to see out of the elevator to the atrium below. Go ahead. Gaze down and imagine yourself plummeting to the bottom. Weeeee!

A few of us ate at Pongsri Thai Restaurant (great food, mediocre service) before going to see Spamalot. As we were walking to the theater I had my first real celebrity sighting--TIMES TWO! We saw the actors that play Amanda and Marc in Ugly Betty! Okay, so she really is as pretty as she is on television and possible even more skinny looking. Seriously, Christy--who you'll all remember from the origami star video--commented on her legs: "Like two little sticks... She could barely stand up!" I'm of the opinion that possibly she may have been drunk. Marc was partially holding her up. But who knows!

We also possibly might have seen one of the guys from The Dukes of Hazzard on our way into the city after we arrived, but I can't be positive since I didn't get a good look at him from inside our van.

Anyhow, it was a fun trip! Hopefully I'll get all rested up over Memorial Day weekend. :)

*EDITED: Apparently, the description of the scene I had earlier came across in a negative way. I sincerely apologize. A couple readers caught it and it's been corrected. Thanks, guys! :)

Yes, those masks feature my face with different hair! And each one has a little talk bubble that says, "It's my birthday." LOL!

The girls at work used the hair makeover thingy over at InStyle.com to make all the different heads. And, yes, the other faces on my cubicle are their faces!

They also decorated my cubicle with hair ties and bobby pins... and shampoo and conditioner... and curling irons and straightening irons! I've always thought it'd be awesome to be a hairstylist and I told them that a while back. :) Hilarious!! I love these people. Seriously, I work with the best people EVER! :)

One of the girls at work (Jodi) just had a baby! These are just a few snapshots from the baby shower that her team threw for her.

Didn't the girls did such a great job decorating the atrium at work? And HELLO! Look at those cupcakes! :) And the butterflies? SO cute! I think one of the girls cut out the butterflies at home and then attached them to the balloons. So cute!

NOTE: I haven't forgotten the CI Round-Up. I'll post that tonight after the deadline. :)

So, this morning I braided my hair a la Reese Witherspoon:



Which prompted a braiding session this afternoon that resulted in:



That's Amy and Jen. I braided their hair. It was a totally flashback to third grade when I braided Cammie Rowley's hair during recess. :)

Sorry, no photo of me... My arm doesn't stretch out far enouch to get a pic of the back of head. Go figure!

Oh my gosh! OH my gosh! OH MY GOSH!!!!

I'm the featured video on YouTube today!!!!

I'm going to need an extra day to go through all these Color Inspiration #7 submissions! Ya'll have seriously outdone yourselves. :)

Back on schedule tomorrow night. I'll post my card, my picks, and the randomly selected tomorrow evening after I get home from work. :)

P.S. Can you believe how many people at YouTube are still debating over my use of the word "your"? Really, now.

Heads up! For those who were waiting for the Maya Road Name Stamp I used in this week's MACM, the it's back in stock over at scrapsupply.com. Happy shopping! :)

Hi all! Just a quick update for ya. :)

I'm in the middle of packing up my office at home because my mom is moving to Arizona and she's taking the office furniture with her. She has an awesome new job and is moving away real quick! Anyway, my computer will be packed away for a bit until I can get my desk out of storage.

What does this mean for you?

It means that I will not be posting this week's Color Inspiration Challenge Round-Up until tomorrow night. So even though the deadline for submissions is tonight, I won't post my top ten or randomly selected until Friday night.

Sorry for the delay and we'll get back on track ASAP. :) Thanks!

(WARNING: Non-papercrafting related rant)

Okay, so some of you might know that I use Bare Minerals foundation (since I've mentioned it in the past). Anyway, I started using it about 5 months ago and I absolutely love it.

Anyway, when you order the starter kit, they offer to sign you up for their Bare Minerals Club. As a member of the club, they send you 2 jars of the foundation and 1 jar of the Mineral Veil powder every other month (or any other interval you specify up to 6 months) at a "20% discount." You also receive free gifts.

Well, I thought, "Why not! It's a great deal! And I won't have to drive to a store to buy it." :)

WHATEVER! I just realized that I'm being completely ripped off! Here's why...

As I mentioned above, you can buy Bare Minerals foundation and setting powder from Sephora (or sephora.com), at makeup counters in department stores, or at Bare Escentuals stores. (Bare Minerals is made by Bare Escentuals). You think you're getting a great deal buying from the club, especially considering that just one jar of the foundation costs $25 in-store, whereas you get 2 jars and 1 jar of the powder from the club for $39.98.

Good deal, right? Um, no.

What I failed to notice is that the in-store jars are HUGE compared the ones they send you in the mail from the club. Need some math? BTW, I've omitted the cost of shipping.

BARE MINERALS CLUB SHIPMENT - $39.98
Foundation - 2 jars, 2 grams(.06 oz) each. You get 4 grams of foundation total.
Mineral Veil Powder - 1 jar, 2 grams (.06 oz)
Actual cost - $6.66 per gram of product

BARE MINERALS (in-store) - $44.00
Foundation - 1 jar, 9 grams (.3 oz)
Mineral Veil Powder - 1 jar, 13.5 grams (.47 oz)
Actual cost - $1.96 per gram of product

Excuse me? HELLO! It's such a better deal to buy it from a store. Especially when you consider that fact that it's safe to store and use opened powder cosmetics for up to one year!

What about the "free gifts" you receive when you're a club member? Not even an issue for me. They sent me the same eye shadow twice. Um, thanks. Already have that one.

Bottom line: I LOVE Bare Minerals makeup. However, I learned my lesson. Do your homework. Don't get ripped off.

So, for a while now, the web has been obsessed with these Cupcake Pops invented by Bakerella. Well, not too long ago, Annie made these little darlings for Cupcake Tuesday at work (yes, we have Cupcake Tuesday). Every Tuesday someone brings cupcakes (or muffins!) to share. Seriously, it's the best day of the week.

Here's Paula holding one of Annie's cupcake pops:



And then, guess what? Bakerella was on The Martha Stewart Show last week for Martha's Cupcake Week... Hello! WHY oh why did I have to be on a cruise when all this was happening!!

BUT! I love the internet. You know why? Because you can watch the archives! Click here for the recipe and video of Bakerella and Martha making the cupcake pops, and here for the archives of the entire Cupcake Week (March 31 - April 4). Wahoo! I'm currently catching up on all the cupcake segments. :)

Anyhow, hope ya'll are enjoying your Sunday. Here in Utah, it's a beautiful sunny day. :)

Hi kids!

Unfortunately, there will not be a MACM this week. I got back home from the cruise late late Saturday night (more like early early Sunday morning). I spent the day in bed, sleeping and icing my leg.

I'm actually going to my doctor today because I think the injury is a bit more serious than first imagined. :(

I keep looking down at my leg and thinking, "My gosh, it looks like I've been in a car accident or something." And then I realize that essentially, I have. I have bruises everywhere, including my right hand which you would have seen had I had the energy to make the MACM video.

This sucks.

No pictures of the leg. Sorry. I did take one, but was all grossed out just looking at it. And it's my leg I was looking at! No one, I mean NO ONE, needs to see it. Seriously.

I will have a Color Inspiration Challenge for ya'll tomorrow, though. :) Watch for that.

Apparently, some people people on our cruise can drive scooters. :)

And most Bermudians drive scooters, too.

Went on a tour of Hamilton and St. George yesterday. Bermuda is acutally only 21 square miles, with the widest portion being only 1-1/2 miles wide, so we covered nearly everything on our tour.

The view of the water near Hamilton.

We went to one of the lighthouses here in Bermuda and I was fascinated with the bright red shutters on the lighthouse's windows. Love it!

Outside some shops in St. George. The street were pretty empty because we're actually the first cruise ship of the tourist season. Generally, people don't start coming for a few weeks from now.

A home in Bermuda. The owners collected old apple juice bottles, and filled them with colorful waters. I guess the bright colors keep stray dogs and cats away.

Taken from the bus window as we drove by.

This is the view from my bus window as we sped across a bridge. Bermuda is made up of many little islands, so there are many bridges.

At John Smith Beach. We got out of the bus for a few minutes. Sadly, we couldn't stay longer.

One of the historic homes in Bermuda, this is Verdmont. It was so awesome! What makes this home unique is the fact that even though it was built hundreds of years ago, it still is in its original condition. Only three different families have owned it, the third being the historical society in Bermuda. For some reason, the owners have never upgraded the interior to include indoor plumbing or electricity. It literally is just as it was when it was built.

We finished out the day by going on a glass bottom boat tour over one of the many reefs. I didn't get any good fish photos (the glass was super thick), but I did get a photo of the gorgeous sunset. My word, the sunsets here are amazing.

As for today, I've spent the day on the ship. I finally went to the infirmary on the ship last night because my knee was looking pretty bad. Nothing they could do except to tell me to take some ibuprofen and try to relax. Thanks. Oh, and they gave me a tetnus (sp?) shot. Joy. Now my arm hurts, too.

Basically, the doctor said I'm lucky I didn't break anything. I hit one side of knee really bad, and it looks like the bruise goes all the way through to the other side. Believe me, it's not pretty. A war wound. Seriously.

But, hey, for those from work who are checking in, I have to say that I'm not the only one who's had some adventures on and falling off a scooter. Angie had a run in with a palm tree, but no worries. She's just fine. No injuries, the stinker! I hit a curb and come back all black and blue--she practically drives a scooter up a tree, and rolls over onto the grass and starts laughing! :)

BTW, thanks for all your well wishes. If anything, I think my stupid injuries are making me slow down a bit and relax. In fact, this morning, I went to the hydrotherapy pool, thermal beds (some heat for my back), and then read out by the pool. I was pretty slathered up with sunscreen yesterday so I don't look like I've even been in the sun, but today I didn't wear any. I was laying in the sun for about 20 minutes. Didn't want to chance it. I think I have a slight bit of color, but let's face it. I'm either red or white. There's no in between. So I"m just trying to not go home extremely red. :)

At sea yesterday mid-afternoon. The patches of light coming through the clouds were gorgeous.

Our view just as we got off the ship. It was SO cold! We walked into the Royal Dockyard, and rented some scooters to drive around the island. However, that is a long story. Keep reading and I'll fill you in.

And this is our ship! I'll have to film a video from this view for ya'll. When you look to the right, there's shops and things, and you get an idea of how HUGE our ship is! It really is a big hotel on water. :)

Okay, so the scooter story. Scooter & me vs. the curb and the curb won. I learned the hard way that I'm not too coordinated while driving a scooter! Ouch! Believe me, I'm a very safe driver when in a car, but apparently put me on a scooter and I can't drive whatsoever. I tried to make a u-turn, hit the curb, and became intimate with the sidewalk.

So, after I turned in my scooter rental, I went back to the ship to lick my wounds and ice my knee. Lisa kept her scooter for the rest of the day, but turned her's in today, too.

Tomorrow, as long as my back isn't hurting too bad, we'll go shopping. Seriously, though, I could just stay on the ship all day! There's so much to do, and I've never slept so well in my life. I always get a little drowsy when in cars, and the ship feels like one big car! I'm in a constant state of drowsiness. But I don't mind, I needed the sleep. :)

Anyway, catch ya'll later!

Outside the Lunt-Fontaine Theater, where we saw The Little Mermaid. Let me tell you, it was awesome! I absolutely loved it. But of course I expected to love it because I've loved the movie since I was a little girl. :)

Our ship, ms Noordam. :) This picture was taken just as we got off the bus and before we went inside to check-in and receive our stateroom keys/cruise IDs.

On the Lido Deck.

Our room is on the starboard side of the ship, so we got an excellent view of the Statue of Liberty as we left New York City. This photo was taken from our verandah.

Lisa and I ate breakfast at the Gramercy Café. Highly recommend it. It was yum-o!


Lisa lived in NYC a while back and just raved about Conran. It's an awesome store! So much color and cool items.


Awesome lamps and Conran.


A view of the Queenboro Bridge while I rode the Roosevelt Island Tram for the fourth time!


Another view of the bridge.

We going to chill at the hotel for a while (super tired from the red-eye flight this morning), and then we're off to see a Broadway show! More later. :)

LIVE CHAT
Today, March 22, 2008
12:00 pm MDT (noon)
Link to chat: http://www.livevideo.com/liveshow/starofmay

Time Conversion - If you're in a different time zone, be sure to convert the time by clicking here. Then put in March 22, 2008 and the 12:00 pm. Select USA - Utah - Salt Lake City (my timezone) for the first location, put in your location/time zone and hit "Convert Time."

Join us by text chatting or hook up your webcam. Those with webcams might want to register early for a Live Video account so they can test their webcam settings.

See you in a couple hours! :)

Ya'll are officially Blog Buddies (a la Ross Mathews)!

I got the cutest email from a reader named Christine who has three MACM fans at home. She sent pictures...



Aren't they the CUTEST thing ever?! LOVE it!

Okay, and I have a reader question for the Blog Buddies from Sabrina:

"I was [wondering] if you could help me out with some ideas for a graduation party. My cousin is graduating from high school in May and of course my Aunt asked if I could come up with some ideas for the party. I don't even know where to start. Her school colors are red, white, and blue. I just don't have a clue on what to do. Maybe you might have an idea or two?"

Can you help her out? I've never planned a graduation party so I'm probably even more clueless than Sabrina! :) If you can help Sabrina out, leave a comment!

Hi all! Looks like the live chat will happen this Monday at 8:30 pm (MDT). I choose 8:30 because even though 9:00 was the poll winner, 8:00 was in a close second. We'll chat for at least an hour... but I imagine it will be longer. ;) Hopefully that will work for many of you have voted! :)

Once again, if you're in a different time zone, be sure to convert the time by going to this link. Then put in March 10, 2008 and the 8:30 pm. Select USA - Utah - Salt Lake City (my timezone) for the first location, put in your location/time zone and hit "Convert Time."

Once again, I'll post a link directly to the Livevideo.com chat area on Monday within my MACM entry. See you there!

I am so addicted to this.

The numbers are in! We're gonna have a live chat! Hmm... when is the best time for everyone? I'm thinking sometime next Monday... Oh, here! Take a poll!



Poll closes in three days so get your vote in! And don't forget to do some simple math in your head to figure out what time it would be in your time zone. :)

Have a great day, ya'll!

EDITED TO ADD: My time zone is -7 hours from GMT. If you're not sure when your time would be, click here. Then put in March 10, 2008 and the time you want. Then select your locations (select USA - Utah - Salt Lake City for my timezone) and hit "Convert Time".

Also, the day of the chat, I'll include a link to my liveshow area over at Livevideo.com within my MACM entry. All you have to do is click on the link at the specified time, and you can join the chat!

You will not need to register for an account to see the chat happening (including seeing my video or the videos of others chatting), but you will need to get a free Livevideo account if you want to join in either with your webcam or by regular text chat. For those with webcams, you might want to get an account prior to the live chat and test out your webcam. There are a few different webcam settings within Livevideo and I had to try them all out until I found one that worked for me. You might have to do the same. I'm sure it will be different for everyone. :)

Just saw this over at YouTube. Apparently, the little girl has only seen Star Wars once and it was over the course of 3 days in little bits here and there.

SO CUTE!

Hey kids!

I'm going to be MIA (missing in action) for a few days while I galavant around Las Vegas this weekend. It's an all girls scrapbook weekend with my sisters, mom, aunt, and cousins. :)

Until then, enjoy your weekend. I'll be back on Monday for another MACM.

Do NOT wear two new pairs of shoes two days in a row.

I also wanted to let you all know that all supplies and music used in my videos are listed in the rolling credits at the end of every video. I've had a few questions recently, so I thought I'd tell you all to check the video credits. You might find what you need listed there. :) Happy crafting, all!
Kristina

P.S. I've got two bonus videos for ya'll this week. :) I'll post the first one tomorrow and follow it up with the second part on Friday.

[VIDEO DELETED] - Sorry, kids--I was getting weird and disturbing emails from sickos with foot fetishes... Thought I better just delete the video. Not worth it, ya know?

Okay, so what girl doesn't LOVE shoes?! Two of the pairs I show in the video can't be found online, but here are some links to the other ones (of course, they were MUCH less expensive at DSW Shoes than anywhere else I found online):

Steven Madden, Diane (sorry, couldn't find these online)
Madden Girl, Eddiie (but in red, not brown)
Bobbi Blu, Amberlie
Rocket Dog, Angel-Love (sorry, couldn't find these online)

And the fashion girl I listen to on the radio, Alicia Richmond, can be found at Chic on a Shoestring.

Hi all!

My card club is tomorrow night so I've been designing the cards, but other than that, not much is happening. I do want to direct ya'll over to Erica's blog for a cool project using some products from Stampin' Up!'s Occasions Mini Catalog and the new Pockets & Pieces. Awesome hostess gift alert!

Also, mama got a pretty nice tax return (oh yeah!) and has been throwing down some cash on things that I've been eyeing for a while now. So Sephora's sending me a Clarisonic. Anyone have one of these? I don't feel like my makeup is completely washed off after I clean my face, and I've heard awesome things about the Clarisonic so I thought I'd give it a try. Plus they have a full 60-day return policy. I'll let you know how it goes.

In other random bits of news, what's up with the Utah primary polls that require you to say which party you're voting for before you're even given a ballot? And what if you want to vote for a Republican candidate, but don't want to register as a Republican voter? Hello? Stupid. Shouldn't it be that you just walk in, get a ballot and vote? With no questions asked. Without having to tell the workers at the precinct which party you're voting for. You shouldn't be asked out in the open who you're voting for when there are twenty people behind you waiting to vote, too.

I'm sad to say I didn't make it out to vote yesterday, but people I know had similar experiences yesterday. Tell me, do other parts of the country have ridiculous primary voting requirements?

UPDATE: There are some really great explanations in the comments section about closed primaries. Thanks for all your input and info. I think I understand it more clearly now. :)

I guess my issue isn't with the fact that you can only vote within your party. My issue is with the way the voting is handled in general. Living in a state that is overwhelmingly Republican, it can be a bit intimidating declaring yourself anything against the majority--especially for first time voters. After one of my co-workers told the poll workers she needed the Democratic ballot, someone said, "Another one? What's happening to this place?"

What?! Who wants to face those type of comments or dirty looks (as one of the commenters experienced) because of their party affiliation?

Personally, I believe that because voting is nearly all electronic now, that there should be some sort of preliminary/opening question on the computer you're using that first asks you (not in front of everyone, but after you're in the booth) which party you'd like to vote for. THEN it brings up the names of those running within your party. You pick your candidate and then you're done. The ONLY thing they should verbally ask you is, "Are you affiliated with either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party? Yes or No." If you're not, then you can register to one or the other right there before you vote.

Just my opinion. Basically I have a problem with rude people--whether it's while I'm voting or while I'm driving down the street. In every imaginable situation, rude people bug me.

I'll hop off my soap box now.

Discuss.

A few weeks ago, we had our annual Winter Celebration at work. This year, we had it at the Grand America Hotel and it was gorgeous!

Our Events Department did such a great job and everyone I talked with was so impressed. :) It was a Black & White Gala, so it was so much fun to see everyone all dressed up in black and white.

Anyway, everyone was given a photo ticket to have their photo taken. I used mine on a group photo with some of the girls in my department and on my team. We are so cute!



------------------

As a follow-up to my last entry, I'm feeling much better now. Still a bit congested and foggy in the head, but all in all, I'm nearly at 100%. Thanks for all your well wishes and comments. :)

Hi everyone! Just wanted to say thanks for all the great comments on yesterday's card, and all the wonderful suggestions. I'll have to look into those different types of needles and other sewing tools.

Also, thought I'd just let ya'll know that I'll be incommunicado (sp?) for a couple days. I've been a bit sick (actually I'm on my phone while waiting for my prescriptions at the pharmacy) and I've got a couple crazy days at work ahead of me (catching up from missing today because I was at home sick).

Anyhow, just thanks for being patient with me. :)

Oh, I think they're about done with my drugs...

Made a little trip to my Mazda dealership tonight and... brought home a new car!

I turned in my leased 2005 Mazda3s for a newer 2008 Mazda3s Touring! Yep, I got the same car, but better: it's black! I've always wanted a black car, but when I got my previous car everyone talked me out of it (black cars are hotter in the summer, dirt shows more on the paint, etc.), but this time I was all, "I DON'T CARE! I WANT BLACK!"

Plus, it's super spy sexy. I can indulge my secret spy fantasies while I sit behind tinted windows and drive down twisty European roads. Why yes, I'll accept the super secret mission... Do I get Michael Vartan as a co-pilot? ;)

So, I got it in black with leather interior... oh, so luxurious. It's a sweet little ride that's perfect for just me. :)

I'll have to post pictures when I have a chance. I have to take it in to the dealership to have a rear spoiler added (my old Mazda3 had a spoiler, but this one doesn't and looks... naked). Plus, I've yet to have the windows tinted. Until then, its not quite spy material, and I want to wait to take pictures until he (yes, the car is a he) is fully equipped and ready for high-speed car chases. ;)

Until then... Zoom-zoom!

(Oh, and by the way, I shamelessly borrowed the above pictures from the Mazda website).

We had a fire drill yesterday at work. On one of the coldest days we've had in a while. At least it felt like the coldest day while we were outside waiting for the word to go back inside the building.

"Huddle for warmth! Take turns on the outside like penguins!"



Annie is our safety person in our area so she got to wear her stylish bright orange vest. I particularly like the fact that she's wearing the cutest coat ever with black heels and then... an orange vest! Ha ha! Annie, we love you, you know that, right?

Last I heard it was only a drill. There was no smoke as far as I know. On a positive note, no one tried to take the elevator. ;)

I got an email today (hey Sandi!) asking me what are my top 5 things to buy for a crafter eager to step up their card making skills. After mulling it over, I realized that nearly all of the things on my "top 5" were tools of some sort. So, let's talk tools. :)

When I was in college working on my graphic design degree there was an aspect to every project that always had to be perfect: craftsmanship. Craftsman is defined as "one who creates or performs with skill or dexterity especially in the manual arts." In my design courses, craftsmanship meant making sure that all our presentation boards were cut neatly, that there was no glue or adhesive showing... basically that everything looked neat and tidy.

In relation to card making and scrapbooking, craftsmanship is so important! I can't stress this enough! And one of the major things that will either help or hurt you is your craftsmanship.

Are your scissors sharp? Do you carefully cut your ribbon so there is no fraying? Does your card stock crack when you fold it? Are your cuts straight? Are there pop dots or dimensionals showing? Is your card stock adhered straight?

Some styles of paper crafting allow for a slightly less strict craftsmanship (shabby chic, distressed, etc). However, simple cards (which I assume you like since you're here at my blog reading this) should be simple and clean. When your creation has such a straight forward approach, your craftsmanship has to be impeccable. It's simply more noticeable.

A lot of this comes down to the tools you are using (or not using). Here are my top five tools to always have out in your crafting space. No hiding these things in drawers!

1. Sharp scissors - I actually have 5 sets of scissors on my desk. Granted, two of them are the same scissors (I should really throw out the gummed up and neglected pair). Anyway, get yourself some awesome scissors. Sharp, precise scissors are a ribbon lover's best friend. Try Stampin' Up!'s Craft and Paper Scissors. They are awesome.

Also, designate which scissors are for ribbon and which are for card stock and paper. Paper and card stock is very hard on scissors and can dull them quickly, but you need super sharp scissors to make great cuts in ribbon. Try tying a piece of ribbon around your scissors' handle to remind you they are only for either card stock or ribbon.

2. Bone folder - A bone folder is multipurpose. You can either score your card stock with a ruler and bone folder, and you can use it to flatten the crease after folding it over. Seriously, a nice fold is the first sign of an experienced crafter.

3. Sharp paper trimmer - Find a paper trimmer you absolutely love and can depend on. Nothing screams a sloppy card like uneven edges and none perpendicular corners. I love my Tabletop Paper Cutter from Stampin' Up! Tonic also makes a similar model. One of my co-workers, Lauren aka X-acto, uses an x-acto knife for all her cutting. Not for the faint of heart, but she's in total control of getting a straight cut.

4. Various adhesives - Always have the following three adhesives on hand: tape runner of some sort (think Tombow Mono or SNAIL), liquid glue (I love Tombow Mono Multi Glue... That's the Tombow Multipurpose Glue for all you SU! demos out there), and a three-dimensional foam adhesive (I use Stampin' Up!'s Stampin' Dimensionals or Scotch Foam Mounting Tape).

5. Grid paper - I'm not sure if other companies out there have a similar product, but Stampin' Up!'s grid paper is awesome! It's both scratch paper and ruler. I keep my pad of grid paper right on top of my cutting mat and that's my permanent workspace. It's the white grid you see on all my videos.

Anyhow, I hope that was helpful. It's always a good idea to check up on your craftsmanship and make sure you're doing your best... in other words, let your perfectionist side show a bit. ;)

What are your top 5 essentials?

Flower - Friend By Definition background stamp, Flower Fusion felt flowers, clear button, Purely Pomegranate card stock and ink: Stampin' Up!; patterned paper: Scenic Route; staples and embroidery floss.

Answering some questions left at You Tube and here at my blog.

Links mentioned in video:
Jessie & Pasha
Jamie & Hok

NOTE: When I talk about Stampin' Up!, I am not officially representing the company. I'm just telling you what I think and from my perspective. Thanks!

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope your holiday is shaping up to be the best ever!

Some of you noticed because I Twittered about, but I bought myself an early Christmas gift! I have been accumulating Target gift cards for a while and I put them all together for a trip to Target on Saturday. I bought a Dyson DC17 Absolute Animal vacuum! It's the best ever! Since it was a larger purchase (nearly half was paid for by gift cards!), of course I named her. Jerrica. Anyone else watch Jem when they were younger? Jerrica was Jem's real life persona.

Yes, I'm a dorky child of the 80s.

Anyway, it's wonderful! It's made for homes with pets and lots of pet hair, and I don't have a pet now, but when I move out I want to get a cat. I was thinking ahead and bought the animal one because of that. It also has a HEPA filter in it so it's great for people with allergies.

Seriously, I'd just vacuumed with my Mom's vacuum right before I went to Target to get Jerrica. When I vacuumed again after bringing her home, I was totally amazed and grossed out by how much dirt and dust the Dyson picked up! I had to empty it after only vacuuming one room! And that was AFTER I'd vacuumed it before!

We had our family (just the siblings and my mom) Christmas dinner last night. I made Kathy's breadsticks and they turned out great! Definitely not as wonderful as when Kathy makes them, but for a first attempt they turned out pretty well. I think I had too much flour and kneaded it too long... oops! But they were all gobbled up so I must have done something right. :)

I opened a gift from my mom last night and loved it right away. It was a pair of slippers. They are so comfy and the first thing I thought of was that I could wear them while making cards! I'm a truly sick crafter if that's the first thing I think of. ;)

You'll see in the video that I had some trouble with a square punch. Well, I figure it out! I was trying to punch off the edge of the card stock. For some reason, the punch needs the resistance from both sides. I tried to punch a square out of the center of a piece of card stock after I turned the camera off, and it worked just fine. :)

Also, this week's MACM was completed in 19 minutes. Once again, Merry Christmas!


Watch in high quality here (click on "watch in high quality" below the video).

Happy 25 Days - Kraft and Chocolate Chip card stock, 1-1/4" square punch, Chocolate Chip ink, Simple Serif Mini Alphabet, embossing powder: Stampin' Up!; chipboard: Scenic Route; patterned paper: S.E.I.; pen: American Crafts; VersaMark ink.

Sorry 'bout the recipe hijacks recently. ;) It's the reason I haven't made any cards. Eek!

Last night, I braved an awful snow storm to drive over to Annie and Amber's to make sugar cookies. Yum! These are the best, if I do say so myself. Here are some fun shots of the evening. The sugar cookie recipe is at the bottom. Seriously it's a really good recipe. Try it. :)









Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1-1/2 cups sugar
2 sticks margarine
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Cream together sugar and margarine. Add egg, vanilla, and sour cream. Add dry ingredients. Mix well, but only until flour is incorporated.
2. Refrigerate and shape.
3. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 5 minutes (or longer if they're a bit thicker... just watch the first batch and then adjust the cooking time accordingly).

EDITED TO ADD: I changed the "cube" of margarine to "stick" of margarine. That happens when it's a family recipe, ya know?

Also, the icing! It's just Martha's royal icing recipe. See it here. There's also a video of Martha using the royal icing. Enjoy! :)

One of the gals at work is an amazing baker! (WHAT UP, Kathy!) She makes awesome sugar cookies, to die for breadsticks, and I'm sure anything she touches is just as good.

Anyway, a bunch of us have been asking her to show us how to make her famous breadsticks. Let me tell you, these are awesome! With out fail, everyone who tries them, loves them instantly. So, yesterday a bunch of us gathered at Paula's house and Kathy showed up how to make the breadsticks. At least, that's how it started out. Our breadstick demonstration morphed into a hot cocoa party! We had soup and other treats (including the breadsticks) and then we all tried different kinds of hot cocoa.

So yummy!

So here's Kathy's recipe, which happens to be an award-winning recipe! She won a bread recipe contest in Paper Crafts magazine a while back. This is that recipe! Enjoy! Seriously, ya'll need to make them and when you do, leave a comment and let us all know how they were. :)

Kathy's Best Ever Breadsticks

Mix together and set aside:
1-1/2 c. very warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. Malted Milk powder
1 Tbsp. sugar

Add to yeast mixture:
4 c. OR 1 lb. bread flour (Kathy weighed the flour on a kitchen scale)
1 tsp. salt

1. Knead 5 minutes (Kathy used a Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook attachment on medium-low speed). Let rest 15 minutes (or don't let it rest... Kathy's never does).

2. Roll out on lightly greased surface (Kathy uses Pam cooking spray) so that the dough is a 7-8 inch wide rectangle and 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips with pizza cutter.

3. Gently stretch, double over and twist each strip of dough and place on lightly greased jelly roll pan. You can also just place them on the pan without stretching or twisting.

4. Melt 1 stick of salted butter (8 Tbsp) and brush over top of dough, reserving 1/3 for after baking. Sprinkle with garlic salt (use powder if you REALLY like garlic, otherwise it gets too salty). Also sprinkle McCormick's Salad Supreme, and parmesan cheese.

5. Let rise until doubled.

6. Bake in 400 degree oven until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.

7. Brush with remaining butter.

Makes great pizza crusts (two medium pizzas).

And, and just 'cause I can (hee hee!) here's a picture from the hot cocoa portion...

I made a difficult phone call last night. I called Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Support so I could resign my position as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.

But by no means am I leaving Stampin' Up! completely. Here's the story so far. And I'm just going to go at this with all honesty and hope that you all will understand why I haven't ever addressed much of this previously.

After I graduated from college in 2005, I was hired by Stampin' Up! to be a graphic designer. I mostly worked on the catalog and other projects specifically for foreign markets (Australia was my "baby" -- one of the reasons why Dave Abbott's passing really affected me). After working there for a year and coming to love the company and products so much, I decided to become a demonstrator and signed up under a good friend at work, Erica. In fact, one of the main reasons I signed up was so that I could attend the convention in Denver as a demonstrator instead of an employee.

Yep, I work at Stampin' Up! Some of you have put two and two together and figured this out (at least from some of the comments you've left), but I've never confirmed or denied working at Stampin' Up! because I absolutely loved the anonymity of just being a regular demonstrator, ya know? In many ways, I'm just another papercrafter with an obsession for anything paper or inky. :)

About a year ago, I transferred departments within the company and became a product designer. I now get to design patterned paper, scrapbooking kits, and other items. I don't get to "play" with product at work, so I stamp and create cards in my spare time at home.

Anyway, this change in positions is one of the reasons I left the American Crafts design team. Even though all work for AC was done at my home in my spare time, it was a conflict of interest to be designing product for one company and then having a standing contract with another company. I love both American Crafts and Stampin' Up!, but as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and employee, I knew I would have to let the ACDT go. :( Sarah (ACDT guru) knew about this and knew that I would be resigning from the team at the end of my contract. I always made it a point to be upfront and honest with both AC and SU!

At the same time, I'm living at home and trying to save up for a place of my own (the current housing/mortgage market isn't exactly in my favor, ya know?). After being a demonstrator for over a year, and evaluating my finances, it was more financially responsible to let my demonstratorship go. I will still have the opportunity to purchase Stampin' Up! product at a slight discount because I am an employee, but will no longer have the other expenses of maintaining a small business.

So, that's the story so far. Where do we go from here? It's mostly going to be the same, but just as a heads up...

This is still a papercrafting blog. I am still going to post here and use products from SU! and other companies. I will still have videos and tutorials. However, this is a blog that happens in my spare time and is a hobby. I have rarely talked about work in the past, and I will continue to rarely mention it. I like to leave the office behind each night when I drive home. My co-workers are my friends, though, so sometimes they will be mentioned or will make an appearance in a photo or two.

I'm sure this is a given, but this is not an "official Stampin' Up! blog" or anything like that. I do not speak for the company. I will never speak for the company. As far as my little space on the web is concerned, it's just me. :)

I spoke with my card club girls a couple weeks ago about this and we decided as a group to continue with our card club. But it will be less formal (was it ever really formal?). Mostly just a group getting together each month to make a couple cards. This format is similar to a card club that my sister in Minnesota is in right now, where each month the group meets at someone's house and they make cards. Each person pays for their supplies and they go home with a few cards each month.

I guess the only reason I felt the need to tell you all this is because Stampin' Up! is such a large part of my life. And by resigning as a demonstrator, I'm not leaving it behind. I'm just doing what's best for me.

Sorry 'bout the novel. I'll be back to the regular cards and such tomorrow. :)

I've received a lot of emails from people asking about how I create my videos. So many emails, that I've added a couple answers to the FAQ page.

Just so you know. :)

Hi all! Many of you requested the list of songs I'm including on the holiday CD I'm sending out to the winners. This is the list! Each of the songs are available to buy from the iTunes Music Store (just click on the links and if you have iTunes, the exact songs will come up).

I've also submitted an iMix of the playlist, so you can just hit "buy" and you'll download the entire list! Here's the link: Kristina's Holiday Mix 2007. :)

EDIT: Just kidding on buying the iMix with one click. Apparently the Dave Matthews song is an album only purchase. At least you have the entire list there as well.

1. Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas
2. Jingle Bells - Diana Krall & The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Christmas Songs
3. Winter Wonderland - Chris Botti, December
4. White Christmas - Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas
5. Grown-Up Christmas List - Michael Bublé, Let It Snow!
6. Who Would Imagine a King - Whitney Houston, One Wish
7. The Christmas Song - Michael Bublé, Let It Snow!
8. Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song) - Amy Grant, Home for Christmas
9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas
10. This Christmas - Harry Connick, Jr., Harry for the Holidays
11. Mistletoe and Holly - Frank Sinatra, Christmas With the Rat Pack
12. Christmas Time Is Here - Diana Krall, Christmas Songs
13. O' Come All Ye Faithful - Trans-Siberian Orchestra, The Lost Christmas Eve
14. The First Noel - Josh Groban & Faith Hill, Noel
15. Still Nacht - Jim Brickman, Homecoming
16. The Christmas Song - Dave Matthews Band, Remember Two Things
17. Thankful - Josh Groban, Noel
18. The Christmas Song - Chris Botti, December
19. White Christmas - Bing Crosby, White Christmas

Enjoy! Also, download a CD insert here.

Hi all! I'm in the middle of prepping for stamp club tomorrow... Man, this project is really supply intensive! I've been cutting card stock and paper all night! I guess this is what I get for procrastinating. :)

Yes, in the picture that's a stack of recipe cards. 392 cards to be exact. There are 14 people in my club. I cut out every one of those recipe cards with a paper trimmer. I'm an idiot. I should have paid a small neighbor child to do it. My arm hurts.

Okay, enough complaining. At least I'm almost done. I just have to collate all the cards into the boxes (I'm going to do that tomorrow at lunch... Lauren, you said you'd help, right?) and also pack up all my things, and then I'm set!

I'm going to try to get some pictures of my cute stamp club girls tomorrow night so ya'll can see what we're up to. Hopefully they won't be shy. :)



---------

Winners! Yeah! I decided to draw three names. The winners are:

Coral Faust who commented at 9:40 am this morning.
Jeanelle who commented at 10:20 pm last night
Liz in IL who commented at 12:27 pm this afternoon

Thanks, ladies! If you haven't already, you should receive an email from me. Just reply with your mailing address and I'll get the CDs out to you.

And thanks to all of you who commented. What a response! Wow! And just for a CD... I'm so thrilled!

I've been tagged by Annie to tell ya'll 6 things about me:

1. I have a recent obsession for watching make-up/cosmetics videos over at YouTube. Seriously, people there are some talented generous people over there teaching you how to put on make-up. Check out the following videos if you're interested:

- Flirty Date Makeup with askmemakeup (Amy B... LOVE her accent!)
- MAC brushes vs. Painting Brushes from EnKore (save some cash and buy your brushes at a craft store!)
- Sephora Inspired Brush Holder with EnKore (I totally made one of these... awesome!)
- Beauty Tips for Mom: Out the Door in Two Minutes (I'm not a mom, but I'm a busy gal... I totally learned some basic tips).

2. I love the movie You've Got Mail entirely too much. "Good morning, Christina!" "Happy Thanksgibbing back."

3. I TiVo Oprah every day. I don't watch it every time, but I still like to be informed as if I was home during the day and could watch all the TV I want (like that would ever happen!). :)

4. I have an Amazon.com Prime Membership... if you shop online as much I do, it's completely worth it. Two-day shipping for FREE, plus overnight shipping for only $3.99. That's a deal if I've ever heard one. Speaking of, go check out some of the awesome deals they've got going for the holidays. Just awesome.

5. I love LOVE Harry & David pears... if anyone out there who drew my name for Christmas is wondering what to get me, get me some pears. I love them! Yum!

6. My favorite memory of visiting Nashville back in November 2004? Eating breakfast at Waf le ouse (that's Waffle House with some letters missing). Here's a picture from that day...



--------------------

Hey, hurry quick! Leave a comment on this entry and I'll draw a name tomorrow night. If your name is drawn, I'll send you a CD of my favorite holiday songs. :)

Watch the first video before you watch the last one. :)

Hi all! I had a few questions on where to buy American Crafts Thickers (since some local craft stores don't carry them).

I've shopped at all three of these online stores, and they all sell Thickers as well:

twopeasinabucket.com
scrapbook.com
amillionlittlethings.com

I would try those online stores first. :)

Hi all! Just a quick share this morning. These are the pumpkins I carved with my nephews last night. :) I downloaded a pattern book from The Pumpkin Lady. Totally awesome patterns. Check it out!

Okay, kids. I'm coming home tonight! New York has been fun, but I'm definitely ready to go home. Super tired.

In fact, I'm writing this as we ride the bus from New Jersey into the city (cheaper to stay outside of Manhattan).

Anyway, I can't wait to get back to Utah and my regular schedule. I'll definitely crash and sleep the minute I get home.

Do you ever feel like all you ever do is count things? That numbers rule too much of your life? 1, 2, 3, 4.

Tonight I made a simple journal page for my 8x8 journal album (click small image to see it larger). Nothing special. During the stress of getting things done before the trip to NY this weekend, I get a little overwhelmed. Just reminding myself to step back and just breathe.

Do you need a reminder, too?

Hi all! Pumpkin carving tonight was fun! I haven't carved a pumpkin in ages! Anyway, after a slight mishap in the parking lot (my pumpkin fell off the trunk of the car and broke), Annie and I decided to share a pumpkin. :) We tag-teamed it: she helped toast all the pumpkin seeds, I carved it, and then she gave it a home for Halloween.

So I carved a happy looking face. It sort of looked like Shrek, so I added the little ears. :) The other pumpkin belongs to Annie's roommate Amber (she's the third traveler in our little NYC group and she's adorable!).

Speaking of NYC, we fly out Friday night. I'll try to post little updates while we're gone, but I can't guarantee anything. I haven't yet figured out to post pictures straight from my phone (my laptop's staying home this time). I'll for sure be updating my Twitter status regularly.

----------------

Winner #7: Alex, who commented at 5:15 tonight. Congrats, Alex! I'll email you shortly so you have respond back with your mailing address.

Thanks again everyone for joining in the fun this week with the giveaways. I'll do these every once in a while for sure. :)

Hello! I'm writing my first entry from my iPhone (love it!). So this is gonna be quick. :) I closed comments on yesterday's entry so that I dan draw winners tonight. I won't be posting the winner until a bit later though-- I'm off to carve a pumpkin at Annie's. I'll take a picture if my pumpkin isn't hideous. Lol!

So I went a little crazy and shook things up a bit. New design here at kwernerdesign blog. I know, I know. I was going Pink for October, but I've had this redesign under wraps for a few weeks and I couldn't wait any longer!

Some of you noticed that I've added ads to the site over the last couple of weeks. This is mostly to cover the cost of keeping my blog up and running (I have my own domain and webhosting: Yahoo Small Business, it's awesome!). Anyway, I wanted to make it a bit easier on the eyes for all of you.

So hopefully the ads won't be in your way anymore. :) I also added some additonal pages. The "about me" page is back, and there's also a FAQ. If any of you have more questions you'd like to see there, send me an email. Thanks!

So besides the AC box (still gasping!), I have another box in my craft room. It's a box I made last night and didn't have a chance to upload. Just a simple origami box made out of Charbon Designer Series Paper from Stampin' Up!, and a little Old Olive wide grosgain. :)

I'll have to make some cards to go inside, huh?





I've also been tagged by an awesome real-life and online friend Colleen. Here are 7 facts unknown facts about me:

1. I once hide from my grandparents in a closet in my room. Actually saw them walk into the room, but just stood in the closet and held my breath. What if they would have found me, standing in my bedroom closet in the dark? CRAZY! It was a long long time ago and there's a hilarious story behind why I was doing it! Don't tease me!

2. I drive a silver Mazda3 named Maggie.

3. I once planned a six-day trip to New York City over Thanksgiving and only spent $700 for the entire trip (including airfare, hotel, food, and 3 Broadway shows). Yep, I'm a thrifty traveler.

4. I go through fingernail painting phases. Generally my nails are always short, but every once in a while I'll grow them out and start painting them. Then I'll remember what a hassle it is to make sure they look nice and I'll cut them and go back to short nails. :)

5. I have over 83GB of music and videos on my computer... Music/movie obsessed? No, just iTunes Music Store obsessed.

6. Every once in a while, I'll read a cheesy romance novel. Nothing trashy, but a good light read is a great escape. :)

7. Guilty pleasure TV? Gossip Girl. I admit it. I didn't want to like it, but I kinda do. Speaking of, it starts in 10 minutes. Gotta go...

Me: Ya know, some days it's so amusing sitting next to Patti.
Patti: Only some days?
Me: Well, I don't want to put pressure on you to be amusing every day.
Patti: There's no pressure. That's just how I am.

;)

Yes, I've been a slacker lately. But I hope to get a chance to make some cards this afternoon.

In other news, it snowed here in Salt Lake yesterday. For all the randomness! It's still September!

All right, better go. I'll see ya'll this afternoon, hopefully. :)

Happy Birthday 2 U - Card stock and tag (Scenic Route); rubon and flower (American Crafts); brad (SEI); Defining Alphabet set, Chocolate Chip ink, On Board Lots of Letters, and ribbon (Stampin' Up!).

Have ya'll heard of lifecasting? It's the most bizarre, and yet intriguing, thing. I was curious about it and came across two really awesome blogging additions that I've set up here.

Heads up all you Google Reader peeps (I'm one of ya, let me tell you!)... You'll need to make a little visit over the the main page to see these additions:

Twitter: It's like mini-blogging. Pretty neat. Of course I want to update ya'll with all the meaningless things I do everyday. You can even update from your mobile phone! :) Check out my twitter feed here.

Last.fm: AWESOME! Just run this little app in the background while you're listening to music, and it will update your Last.fm profile with what you're listening to. So great! See what I've been listening to here. You can check out what I listen to while I'm designing and creating.

If any of you already use these sites, let me know! I want to add you as a friend. :)

P.S. So the first night of the Fall TV shows started last night. LOVED Journeyman... It's like Quantum Leap, but better. Heroes was wonderful as usual, How I Met Your Mother (go visit SlapCountdown.com), and Chuck was entertaining. But TV for Wednesday? Be sure to check out Bionic Woman. I caught a preview (from Amazon.com and TiVo) and it's awesome!

Too many good shows... DANGIT! How will I ever narrow it down? Maybe I'll have to TiVo everything and save some for the summer months. :)

> Knit Night Cupcakes from VeganYumYum

Now if only I can figure out how to make papercrafting cupcakes... Hmm...

:)

My roommates in college can attest to the fact that I like to listen to internet radio. Especially radio from the UK. Well, tonight I was listening to Virgin UK Radio when suddenly I see this in my iTunes window:



Sarah Champion? As in American Crafts Sarah Champion? What?

For a minute I thought my lovely iMac was freaking out and mixing my email messages with iTunes! So I went to the Virgin Radio website and saw this:

Oh, I get it! This Sarah is a DJ!

LOL! I totally thought I was going insane.

Dwight: Jim, Jim, Jim. Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim.

Jim: Oh, hey, Dwight.

Dwight: I'm going to be your new boss. It's my greatest dream come true. Welcome to the Hotel Hell. Check-in time is now. Check-out time is never.

Jim: Does my room have cable?

Dwight: No. And the sheets are made of fire!

Jim: Can I change rooms?

Dwight: Sorry, we're all booked up. Hell convention in town.

Jim: Can I have a late check-out?

Dwight: I'll have to talk to the manager.

Jim: You're not the manager? Even in your own fantasy?

Dwight: I'm the owner. The co-owner. With Satan.

Jim: Okay, just so I understand it. In your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

Dwight: Yeah, but I haven't told you my salary yet.

Jim: Go.

Dwight: $80,000 a year.

(from The Office)

So I returned from St. George late Saturday night. It was a whirlwind trip, but so very worth it! I rode down with my upline, her upline, and a couple side-lines (yes, Melanie, I'm sure we're SU! related somehow, right?). Anyway, it was a fun trip! Plus, we got to watch episodes of The Office and You've Got Mail on the way down! Of course, it was on my little iPod screen so the screen was pretty small, but still... give me some John Krasinski (my television boyfriend--see a great photo of him in this entry) or some Tom Hanks and I'm a happy girl. :)

Here are some pictures from the event of Saturday. This is an annual event organized by Jill Olsen, who is so nice and personable! She designed most of the projects we made, too! I don't have pictures of the projects yet because I was too busy making them, but below are some card swaps and other displays that were there. Just some of my favorites. Forgive me if your card is here--I didn't catch any names! I didn't make any swaps, so I just took pictures. If your card is here, please leave a comment tell us which one is yours!

Also, big shout outs to the readers I met (I think there were six of you)! I kept running into Robyn everywhere! And I believe you can see her and Sasha in one of the photos! Hi girls!

BTW, the first photo is of me and my upline, Erica. Our "slumber party" at the hotel ended with me braiding her hair, so I had to take a picture of how it turned out! Hi Erica!

today is my official last day of being on the American Crafts Design Team. :( I decided not to pursue another year--just too much going on, ya know? But it was so AWESOME while it lasted!

Just have to give a shout out to Sarah, the best design team manager a girl could ask for. Plus--BONUS!--she's super cool!

Shout outs to all my ACDT sisters as well!

That is all. Off to eat some Café Rio. :)

I just got home from the Josh Groban concert and I have to write a few things down before I forget:

- They were filming for the Concert DVD! So fun! This is the second concert filiming I've been to. I went to a Jim Brickman concert here in Salt Lake many years ago that was taped for a DVD as well. It was really entertaining and I was so surprised they cut out the scene of Jim breaking a piano string! We all heard this tap-tap-tap noise and then he just stopped playing the piano, stood up, looked inside the HUGE grand piano, and said, "Whoa, that's never happened." That was the most memorable part of the concert! But back to Josh...

- DANGIT! I forgot my little digital camera. They weren't even checking out purses for cameras or anything. Everyone was just clicking away. Maybe Emily got some pictures?

- He is too funny! I'm not sure if it was staged or not, but at one point a fan rushed the stage and handed him two things: a cowboy hat and some white sunglasses. He put on the cowboy hat, sat at the piano and starting singing some country, and then put on the glasses and sang some "Tiny Dancer" a la Elton John! Hilarious!

- He brought along one of my other favorite musicians, Lucia Micarelli (check out her blog here!). Seriously people, you need to hear her stuff. It's amazing! The minute she came out on stage, I though, "Wait a minute... is that Lucia?" She performed her version of Kashmir that appears on William Joseph's Within album (also super good!). See a video of her playing Kashmir at her site, here! --> This isn't the same rendition from the concert tonight, but you get the idea! :)

- Josh did three, count 'em, THREE encores! I have never heard a crowd scream so loud!

- Okay? Our seats? Awesome! We were on the floor, center, about 20 rows back. But not only that, but we happened to be on the front row of our section, so there weren't any people in front of us! Great view. No having to peek between people's heads to see anything. :)

Ahhh... twas a great night. Now I'm super sleepy. 'Nite all!

I drew the names of winners... Well, actually, random.org did. :)

I've emailed all the winners individually so they can respond back with their mailing addresses. But for those still curious...

Winners of the goodie boxes (and when they commented):
Rebecca (2:40 pm)
Melanie (12:02 pm) - Melanie, the email I sent bounced back. Please email me your address.
Janine (11:48 am)
Morgan (11:10 am)
Kim L. (10:52 am)

Winner of the Cricut Cartridge:
Lynnette (3:50 pm)

Thanks for participating! I had NO idea so many of you would respond!

This week's Wilton Course 1 class was learning how to create shells and drop flowers. Of course, when Kristen said last week that we could bring cupcakes instead of a cake, I jumped right on that. :)

Cupcakes rock!

So, these are a few shots of the cupcakes I made. We only had to bring 8, so I made a full batch of Magnolia Vanilla cupcakes and shared them with Patti, Andrea, and Kathy (my co-worker peeps that are taking the class with me).

What did I learn besides the usual class material? I learned about icing consistency. My icing had been way too thick. Once I thinned it out just a bit, it went SO much better!

Funny thing about class on Thursday night. We were all taking about radio stations and it turns out that many of the people in my class (and our instructor Kristen) all listen to 101.9 The End here in Salt Lake. And we all love Chunga and Mister in the mornings. Anyway, I told them all, "Just listen tomorrow--when they do 'What's Happening Hot Stuff,' I'm going to call in and say we were talking about them at our cake decorating class."

Guess who was on a radio yesterday morning? ;) Any of you in Utah catch my little stint on the radio? Hee hee! It totally makes me laugh because Chunga and Mister sound nothing like they do on the radio! Over the phone, they sound completely different! :)

I came home tonight after having my hair colored (every 10 weeks--such is being a girl) and found a lovely package on my doorstep.

"Hmm... weird. I haven't ordered anything recently." I looked at it closer. The box was wrapped in paper and had little KitchenAid mixers stamped all over it in "Roxy" Red! "What...?" I was definitely intrigued now. I opened it up and...

There was a ton of awesome KitchenAid stuff inside! I found a card inside as well from Martha, an awesome demonstrator I met through SCS and from an email she sent last May after my Mom gave me a KitchenAid hand mixer for my birthday that she read about here at my blog. She's such a sweetie! She's also a KitchenAid Product Specialist--what an awesome job that would be!

Not only were there little recipe booklets, red measuring spoons, cute red ribbon with "Kiss the Cook" on it, and some magnets for my fridge that have the KitchenAid customer service phone number on it, but there was also an awesome mixer spatula that has a curve that matches the curve of Roxy's bowl! SAH-WEET! Plus, there was a really nice gift bag which features a HUGE photo of a red mixer... it just has to be Roxy. I can't tell if it's her for sure, but I'd like to think it is. She's so beautiful I don't see why KitchenAid wouldn't use her as a model. ;)

Ahh... I have the best blog readers! :)

Here's a card I made for lovely Martha. Hey, Martha! Watch your mailbox--this puppy's headin' your way!

Martha - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Absolutely Fabulous, In the Spotlight, and Jumbo Outline Alphabet sets; Basic Gray, Ruby Red, River Rock, and Very Vanilla card stock; River Rock and Ruby Red classic ink; VersaMarker; Sherbet Ribbon Originals.

I've been a slacker blogger this week... no new cards or creations for ya! At least until tonight... maybe. I have to prep for the cake decorating class tonight, but hopefully I'll have some spare time to create at least something. :)

But I did want to point you guys in the direction of some really awesome websites:

Fit & Fresh Containers - I found these containers at my local Bed, Bath & Beyond store. Totally awesome! I used the Salad Shaker yesterday for a salad: lettuce, mandarin oranges, and my favorite dressing, Good Seasons Asian Sesame--yum! It worked great! I don't recommend releasing the dressing with the lid on the container, though. It got a bit messy when I took the lid off to eat the salad. From now on, I'll take the lid off, take out the dressing and pour it on myself. :)

Then today, I packed lunches for me and my mom in the Lunch-on-the-Go containers (picked up another one for my mom last night). Totally awesome! It's keeping my lunch nice and cold! BTW, today's lunch consists of seasoned chicken and steamed potatoes and carrots, some cottage cheese, and some chocolate pudding. Yum, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

CNN Money Debt Reduction Calculator - I LOVE this calculator! I discovered it last March and as of the end of this month, I will have paid off one of my credit cards (only one more to go)! I'm so proud of myself! I'm one step closer to being debt free and to the point that I can seriously start saving for a down payment for my own home. :)

The really awesome thing about this debt reduction calculator is that it takes into account everything, including the interest rates on your account. And then it will give you a plan on how to pay it off. You can even put in "I want to be debt-free in ___ months or years" and it will tell you how much you need to pay on each account to achieve that. In my case, I know that I have a certain amount of money set aside to pay off debts, so I input that amount and it told me how much to pay on each card. GENIUS!

Hi all! I've recently updated my blogging software (Movable Type 4 came out), and it offers much better spam filtering than the previous version of MT. So what does that mean for you, my lovely readers?

Open comments! No more having to sign in to TypeKey in order to comment! There's a simple CAPTCHA (jumbled letters) that you'll have to type in, but other than that, anyone can comment.

So all of you readers who were holding out because you didn't want to register, leave a comment! I want to know who you are.

P.S. Because I had to import all my entries, I think some people's links to their blogs in the comments were messed up. Kind of a bummer, but every comment made from here on out should be perfect. Leave a comment so we can see your website, eh?

Taking a page from Sarah's book, here are my cake confessions:

1. My kitchen is a mess. Icing everywhere (or it seems like that). Who knew making a cake was so messy!

2. I now have an appreciation for pre-colored frosting. I wish I would have gone by this color mixing cheat sheet instead of venturing out on my own.

3. Tonight's class was mostly about learning to use star tips. Not my most favorite look, but I took a crack at it anyway. Everyone did lots of practice rows of star tips, and then we all decorated a cake. The course manual tells everyone to make a rainbow cake, but I did my own thing. What do you think? It's my first time really using tips for decorating (well, for anything besides a HUGE swirl of icing on top of a cupcake--that doesn't count!)

(Please ignore the wonky lighting--I took the photos as I was packing up my things to leave class).

:)

Now I'm off to watch my Tivo'd finale of So You Think You Can Dance. :)

ETA: Stephanie nominated me for Rockin' Girl Blogger! Thanks, Stephanie!

My lovely new KitchenAid mixer arrived yesterday... my blessed UPS man hid the HUGE box behind a bush on our front porch so that it was safe until I got home from work.

I broke it out and made a couple things. Last night, I made two 8-inch round White Almond Sour Cream Cakes (yummy recipe from cakecentral.com). The mixer, which I shall call Roxy (I name all my things; computer: Gretta, laptop: Macy, camera: Ty, car: Maggie), plowed right through the batter (not that it was that thick... I mean, seriously, it's just cake batter!).

Speaking of Cake Central, all of you aspiring cake decorators must MUST go and see this site! It's like Splitcoast or TwoPeas but for cake decorators! Totally awesome! I've got so many ideas just from perusing the gallery!

Also, here are a couple really great videos on creating tiered (stacked) cakes:

Video 1
Video 2

Anyway, then this morning, Roxy and I made banana muffins to share at work today. I used my former roommate Michelle's recipe, and it's my favorite. Since I'm in a sharing mood, here's the recipe:

Michelle’s Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/4 lb (cube) butter
1-3/4 c. sugar
4 eggs
3-5 bananas, mashed
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour

Directions:
Cream sugar and butter, add eggs one at a time. Add mashed bananas. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Coat rectangular 13x9 pan (or two bread loaf pans) with butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar in pan. Pour batter in pan(s) and sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

NOTE: If you use 5 bananas, you should have just enough to make 24 muffins (bake 20-22 minutes). The less bananas used, the more “cake-like” it will be. :)

Have a happy Wednesday!

Ahhh... a KitchenAid mixer. Ya'll know I've been dreaming of owning one for a long time, right?

I started a Wilton cake decorating class at my local JoAnn store last night. There are a bunch of girls from work taking the class as well.

A few weeks ago Patti came into work totally excited about this cake she saw somewhere. She then got all of us interested in a cake decorating class. Needless, to say, it didn't take much to make me agree. My cupcake obsession naturally encompasses all kind of cake. ;)

So, we had our very first class last night. While our teacher Kristen demonstrated how to make icing, she mentioned that for the Level 1 class while you're just making buttercream icing, a handmixer will do just fine. But once you're in Level 2, you might want to invest in a standing mixer for all the long mixing time the other icings require.

What was that sound? That was my wallet opening and embracing the "need" of a KitchenAid mixer. ;)

Kristen is such an enabler. My KitchenAid Professional 5-Quart Mixer in Empire Red will be delivered on Tuesday. :)

So I was talking with some paper crafting friends yesterday and we have some general tips to share with you:

- When you have scraps of card stock large enough to create a card out of, fold it in half and set it aside (she used a drawer) so you'll always have folded cards on hand. Smart!

- Create your own imaging sheets for the Stamp-a-ma-jig by cutting down some vellum card stock. Then you can keep those sheets inside your stamp set boxes and always have them ready. Great for sentiment sets and alphabets.

- Some of you have asked about how I tie ribbon into knots. I tried to use my old digital camera that has movie capabilities to capture some knot tying, but alas, I don't have enough hands! Plus the lighting was really bad. Anyway, here's the tip I learned a while ago: Left over right, pull tight, right over left, and then pull tight but more with the left side (this turns the knot under so you get a good looking knot). It's hard to explain without visuals, but if any of you understood that, let me know! :)

Anyway, here's a card for your Saturday afternoon.

U R Absolutely Fablous - Absolutely Fabulous and Define Your Life Alphabet sets, Whisper White textured and Chocolate Chip card stock, Chocolate Chip and VersaMark ink, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon, white detail embossing powder (Stampin' Up!); glittery alpha sticker (Martha Stewart Crafts); large button (Bazzill Basics).

insanely jealous!

ETA: If you're wondering about the Twilight series, you can read my initial reaction to the book here.

After a long day of classes and presentations (with AWESOME workshop wow demonstrations from different demonstrators), we headed out to find something to eat. We ducked into La Fondue just before the clouds opened up a down pour!

Inside the restaurant we were all dry and enjoyed such a fabulous meal! Definitely not cheap (about $30 per person), but worth it. Three cheese fondue, then salads, then meat main course, and then chocolate fondue. With the chocolate, we dipped--get this!--strawberries, marshmallows, cheesecake, pineapple, kiwi, Snickers candy bars, pound cake, and bananas. YUM!

Okay, Denver has some really great food! :)

All you second session demonstrators, check out La Fondue. Get a reservation though. We lucked out and came a bit before the dinner crowd, but I'm sure there would have been a very long wait once all those with reservations arrived. We saw four or five SU! demonstrator groups arrive while we were eating (the window next to our table faced the street).

All in all, an awesome day! My SCS-found roommates are great! No issues or problems and we're already talking about meeting up at the next convention. :)

BTW, during the main stage presentations they invited all those who have achieved outstanding recruiting or sales achievements up on stage for "marches". It was so motivating to watch demonstrators with $20K to $100K in personal annual sales walk across that stage! There was just one demonstrator in the highest category at this session (I'm sure there will be more at the second session), but it was amazing to think that you can get to that level of success!

If Convention is one thing, it's motivating. :)

'Nite all!

Okay, so the funniest thing of the night was walking to the Convention Center... and seeing a bunch of crazy stampin' ladies in pajamas!

Seriously, though, it was a lot of fun. Four straight hours of stamping! I think I got up to walk around just twice (to get more mini glue dots from the supplies table and to switch out a defective Crop-A-Dile... it had a piece of card stock inside the setter... weird!). It felt like a stamp camp or something like that. I finished all seven projects with about 15 minutes to spare and I was stamping fast! All of you second session ladies are in for a wild night!

Cheesecake Factory? Raspberry Lemon Cream Cheesecake. Yum.

And some photos...

Me and Kanani - Okay, so I absolutely LOVE this shirt! I bought it from Johnny Cupcakes... seriously, people. Go by his stuff. :)

Get Your Swap On! - Lots of demonstrators swapping during hte Pajama Party.

Stamp! Stamp! Stamp! - 7 completed projects in 4 hours? Totally can be done.

Clouds and Stars - Hanging from the ceiling are clouds and stars!

We arrived yesterday afternoon to the sweltering heat of Denver! No big problems except for the fact that the air conditioning doesn't work in our hotel room! We've called down to the front desk a few times and apparently they have to have the engineer manually turn the AC up. Ridiculous!

Anyway, we made our way over to the Colorado Convention Center this morning to check-in and get our bags. Hardly any line and we got our bags right away. In the past the lines at check-in were really long, but this year they changed the check-in process and now we check-in online and then just pick up our bags. Super easy! The SU! workers behind the counters seemed very happy with how fast things were moving.

After getting our bags, we braved the line to get into Memento Mall (where SU! merchandise and little goodies can be purchased). There was a really long line, but it wasn't too bad because we got to swap while in line! I only took half of my swaps, but they were gone before I got to the door of Memento Mall!

On a side note, the cupcake swap card seemed to be a favorite. Those went the fastest.

I did go to the Make Technology Work For You class. The new Demonstrator Business Web Site is wonderful! I will definitely be getting one as soon as the new web sites are rolled out.

Anyway, I'll leave you with some photos from the morning. We're off to the Cheesecake Factory in a couple hours for an early dinner. After that, we'll head back to the Convention Center for the Pajama Party!

Two of my Convention "Roommates" - Kanani and Becky (kbot5 and ArticStampQueen at SCS).

Check-in/Bag Pick-up - Shiloh Wilsted helps a demonstrator at the bag pick-up. The lines were extra short. All you had to do was hand your bag voucher to the SU! worker and they'd hand you a bag!

The Gathering Place - Lots of boards with sample cards on them, plus many tables to sit down at--perfect for mounting the three stamp sets we received in our bags!

Internet Café - The Technology class took place in the Internet Café. I heard there were no more seats in the class, but during my class at 11:30 there were many MANY empty seats.

Hi all! Only two days until I leave for Convention! I fly out to Denver on Tuesday morning--I can't wait!

In other news, I've been nominated as a "Rockin' Girl Blogger" by Tisha, Kathy, and Elizabeth (edited to add Tobi as well). Thanks girls! I'm totally honored! From what I gather, it's now my turn to nominate 5 more "Rockin' Girl Bloggers." I've chosen five girls who I totally love! I love each of their blogs because I know them in real life and love to hear what they're up to.

BTW, forgive me, I've recreated the Rockin' Girl Blogger graphic... had to give it some flare, ya know?

My Nominees:
1. Sarah - ROCK ON! Sarah has the most entertaining blog ever! I love to visit her site every few days to see what's happening.

2. Erica - Not only is she my SU! upline, she's an awesome friend who is absolutely hilarious! Plus, she has really cute cats. (Makes me want a pet cat of my own!)

3. Jen - My lovely SU! SLC Regional friend! Jen and I were orphans together at the regional training last April. Luckily she sat down next to me and we've been friends ever since.

4. Aimee - I LOVE AIMEE! Can I yell this any louder? I've known Aimee since 7th grade, can you believe that? We were Abby and Martha Brewster in our ninth grade production of Arsenic and Old Lace. Aimee did wonderfully, but I forgot nearly all my lines--don't ask. ;)

5. Kara - Hey, girl! (Kara, I say this in my best Jeni P. voice). Kara and worked on our college newspaper together. Her and her husband have the cutest little girl ever (well, after my nieces of course ;). Recently we reconnected on Facebook and I've loved reading her blog ever since. :)

And just 'cause I've been stamping like mad so that I'm ready for Convention... Here's a card I made while taking a break from the swaps:

Thank You - All supplies from Stampin' Up! All Holidays and Oh, So Lovely sets; Pale Plum, Purely Pomegranate, and Very Vanilla card stock; Bravo Burgandy, Old Olive, and Purely Pomegrante stamp pads; wide Old Olive grosgrain; blender pen.

Just finished the book.

Never cried so much over a book.

So good.

That is all.

First of all, thanks for all the comments about the new design! You're all too cute!

As of the time I am writing this, there have been 29 responses (discounting my one comment--I can't exactly win, right?). So, using random.org, I have selected a winner for my little giveaway. Number 7, SueB! Susie, send me an email at kristina at kwernerdesign.com (sorry about the weird email address--just take out the 'at' and put in a real @ symbol... it cuts down on spam mail).

Also, today I completed 3 full sets of swaps for Convention! Whoa, I'm tired. ;) As before, if you are going to Convention, please DO NOT use these designs for your own swaps. I know most of you wouldn't even think to do that, but I have to cover all my bases, right?

I've also been tagged to tell ya'll seven things about myself:

1. Music currently listening to: Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack, Volume II
2. Latest book checked out from the library: Sew What! Skirts
3. I almost was an English major in college (after yesterday's misspellings and unclear writing, let's just be glad I decided to go into art instead. ;)
4. Favorite snack: Pepperidge Farm Goldfish
5. I was super blond as a child... then suddenly I was brunette.
6. Sometimes I sit on a fit ball (exercise ball, body ball, whatever you want to call it) when I'm sitting at my computer. At home. They've banned them in my office at work. ;)
7. I've owned a digital camera since April 2000. Currently, I have over 27 GB of photos on my external hard drive.

And on to the cards...

Happy Birthday - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Background Basics, Big Bold Birthday and Eat Cake sets; Dotted background stamp; Apricot Appeal, Naturals White, and Wild Wasabi card stock; Apricot Appeal, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip, and Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin’ Pads; Apricot Appeal Stampin’ Write Marker; Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain; sewing machine.

Merry Christmas - All supplies from Stampin' Up! All Holidays and Sparkling Holiday sets; All about Christmas jumbo wheel; Basic Gray, Ruby Red, Soft Sky, and Whisper White card stock; Ruby Red and Soft Sky Classic Stampin’ Pads; Wild Wasabi double stitched grosgrain.

ETA: Hmm... I seem to have misled a few of you with my little comment at the top under July 2007. Unfortunately, I will not be at CHA--I just love when CHA comes around because we get a ton of new scrapbooking supplies. I'm at my brother's right now, but I'll have to update the graphic at the top and the Dr. Seuss misspelling when I get home. :)

It was about time I had a new design for my blog, don't you think? Well, I've worked most of the day on it (instead of my Convention swaps which I should have been working on, but oh well). I think I like it, but what do ya'll think?

Leave me a comment. There might be something special in it for you (read: free stuff). I'll draw a name tomorrow night. :)

Happy Saturday!

Oh... my... gosh! Harry Potter 5 rocked! I loved this movie so much! It's most definitely the best one out of all the movies. :)

Anyway, I'm so super excited for the seventh book next week... I've blocked out my entire Saturday to read it. :)

In other random news, Patti (girl I work with) shared some hilarious ecards from Hallmark. They feature these cartoon characters called Hoops and Yoyo. Seriously funny stuff. You must go there right now and see it. Make sure your sound is on... so funny. I couldn't help laughing yesterday while I listened.

Also, today at work it's... Ta da! Fabulous Fiesta Friday! Basically it's an excuse for my department to get together and have a Mexican food potluck. I'm bringing a soup that I just love that I call Nan's Mexican Soup. My old roommate's sister created the recipe for a cooking class in college. Are you ready for this? It's so super easy...

Nan's Mexican Soup

Ingredients:
1 can refried beans
1 can corn
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans (or black beans, whatever you like)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 onion, diced
1 c. salsa
3/4 c. cilantro (or to taste -- I like a lot)
dash of Lawry's seasoning salt
pinch of cumin

Extras:
tortilla chips
grated cheese
sour cream

Directions:
DO NOT DRAIN ANY OF THE CANNED ITEMS - In large pot, combine all ingredients (it's easiest to warm up the refried beans first and get them softened so they blend into the soup more, and then start adding the other canned items). Cook thoroughly, about 20 minutes on medium high.

As for serving, I put a dollup of sour cream, then some grated cheese, and dip and scoop with the tortilla chips. Also good with flour tortillas.

So, I go through song phases. This means that at any moment, I usually have one song that I listen to over and over. Yes, I'm one of the annoying people who listen to the same song over and over. :)

Today's song is so beautiful that I have it on repeat in my ears... I Knew I Loved You by Celine Dion. It's on an album dedicated to the music of Ennio Morricone, the famous film composer. Absolutely wonderful album, and this song is the true gem out of the entire list of songs on it. I don't know about you, but I can listen to Celine Dion's voice all day!

Did any of you see her concert in Vegas? I always wanted to go.

So I'm sitting at home right now... Yes, I know, it's nearly 9:30 am and I'm not at work. I'm actually killing some time until I go to a press check. For all you non-graphic designers out there, that's when I go check on a print job at a press and make sure color is just right and that everything looks good.

Anyway, I got up early and went to the press only to find out that they weren't ready for me. So, here I am at home killing some time... watching the minutes slip by. Tick tock. Tick tock.

What's the one thing I can't stop thinking about?

Maybe the UPS man will deliver early today and my Stampin' Up! order will arrive before I have to go back to the press.

I'm one sick cookie. GIVE ME MY RIBBON & STAMPS!

If you're looking for more stamps for sale, head on over to my friend Jen... she has a new updated list on what stamp sets are still available. Check out her original post to see details on shipping, etc. :)

BTW, hey Jen!

Also, in my goodie box from Cards Magazine (for my two cards on the cover of the July issue), they sent me a Ribbon Iron by Pebbles, Inc. I've been eyeing one of these for a while, but never could justify the purchase--I can just iron ribbon with a regular iron, right? Well, I tried the ribbon iron this morning and it's a dream! Just lovely. I highly recommend it for all the ribbon that comes on cards because it's gets horrible kinks in it.

Hi all! The new July 2007 Stampin' Up! catalog arrived at my door yesterday and I'm so excited to see all the new things they have in store for us! I've been totally up my wishlist and it's ginormous! Anyway, I've gone through my stamp stash and have a few stamp sets to sell (for super cheap). All stamp sets will start mailing out on Monday, July 2.

If you're interested in buying any of the following stamp set, please email me and tell which ones you'd like. I'm only accepting PayPal payments at this time.

Shipping
I'm sending these out in flat rate boxes, so here's how shipping will work:

1-2 sets, $4.60
3+ sets, $8.95

Unfortunately, I am only shipping to US addresses.

The list (prices are without shipping):

Say It Simply ($3)
Festive Four ($3)
Basket Full of Fun ($6)
Gently Falling ($3)
Polar Pals ($5)
Very Punny ($4)
Warmest Regard ($4)
Best Blossoms ($4)
Too Terrific Tags ($4)
Delight in Life ($4)
Tags So Much ($5)
Easy Elegance ($4)
A Light Heart ($5)
Alphabet Soup ($4)
Blooming with Happiness ($5)
Springtime Stems ($5)
Noteworthy ($4)
Simple Type Numbers ($5)
Ornamassortment ($4)
Quick Thicking ($3)

As sets are claimed, I'll gray out ones not available.

Hi all! There's a sneak peek of the new AC product that is being debuted at CHA this summer over at Lifetime Moment: new cool AC stuff.

Yum! Sarah, Kelly and all the designers have really outdone themselves. Great job, guys!

:)

My niece's birthday was today so we celebrated! Here are a few shots from the family party tonight... definitely scrapbook worthy.

The cupcakes I made, sitting in the Cupcake Courier:

My co-worker Paula: "I find anyone who doesn't like naps suspicious."

That is all. :)

So, Kelly just sent me the cutest email saying that she has a copy of the July issue of Cards... So, I know it's out now. Guess who's cards are on the cover?

July 2007 cover

;)

Interestingly, they showed the card on the left on it's side. Hmm... maybe I should have sent a photo with the actual card when I mailed it to them. It does work horizontally, though.

(BTW, congrats Kelly on your cover of Scrapbook Trends!)

Cloey - Card stock: Bazzill Bling; patterned paper, eyelets, alphabet stickers: American Crafts; ribbon: SEI; chipboard, stamping ink (used to paint chipboard): Stampin' Up!; button: craft supply.

(Sorry about the glare in the first photo -- The Bazzill Bling card stock truly has a shimmer to it).

I came home from work early today because my back has been hurting the last couple of days. Just taking it easy. Tried to stay in bed with a heating pad, but after a couple hours (not with the heating pad on the entire time, obviousy) I couldn't take it anymore. Had to get up, start the laundry, and while the clothes were washing, I made a quick layout using the photos of my niece that I took a couple weeks ago.

She's such a cutie! And I'm seriously so surprised she actually looked at the camera. I don't see her very often so she's a bit shy around me. Hopefully that will change. Actually, I know that will change. She's a little social butterfly with everyone else. I just need to make it a point to be around more. :)

Anyhow, I'm loving the chipboard flower on this layout. So much fun to make. And the red button is actually a spare button from a red peacoat that I own. I LOVE that coat so that makes this layout even more special.

This week's challenge is brought to you by Erica:

"Create a scrapbook page based on another you've seen somewhere. It can be the web, a magazine, anything. Just post a link to the page online, or post what book or magazine it was in so we can compare and see how you were inspired."

I'll be doing this one tonight or tomorrow. What about you?

I am a traveling machine! I have many trips planned over the next few months...

July - Stampin' Up! Convention, Session 1 - Denver, CO
September - Scrap Fest 2007 - Minneapolis, MN
October - New York City

I'm looking forward to the Stampin' Up! Convention so much! I have three awesome roommates that I met on Splitcoast who will be my best buddies during the week I'm in Denver. I'm not sure how many swaps I'm making, but it will definitely be a lot. I didn't make any for the Salt Lake Regional in April so I'm going to make sure I have plenty for Denver. Airfare, check. Hotel, check. Convention registration, check. Anyone else going to Convention? Roll call!

In September, I'm going to Scrap Fest! I'm super excited because I'll get to spent the whole weekend with my sister Marisa! She lives a little bit away from the Mall of America so we'll be staying at a hotel and getting our scrap on all weekend long. I just bought my airline tickets so I'm for sure going. Anyone else going to Scrap Fest? Roll call!

NEW YORK!! AH! I haven't been back to NYC since November 2004 and I'm so excited to be going with a friend from work named Annie and her roommate Amber. We bought our airfare and Broadway tickets last Wednesday. We're seeing three broadway shows in two days! Are we crazy or what? We're seeing The Lion King, Legally Blonde the Musical (nominated for several Tony Awards!), and The Drowsy Chaperone.

I love traveling so I can't wait to get all these trips started!

Instead of creating my own tutorial, I found some good instructions for the box I made the other day.

Origami Box Instructions

I used a 12" x 12" piece of patterned paper for the top of the box, and for the bottom I used patterned paper that was cut just barely larger than 11.5" x 11.5".

Good luck! If you make one of these boxes, leave a link here so I can see what you did. :)

Things I want to mention tonight:

1. My dad and step-mom gave me Twilight and New Moon (the special edition with the first chapter of Eclipse in the back) for my birthday. My dad gave me the gifts at dinner on Saturday. What a sweetie! I asked for them because when I read them the first time I got them from the library. Now I can love them forever and forever.

2. Andy chose Tessa! Okay, I'll admit it, I got sucked into The Bachelor this season. But, hello! What a cutie! I was so rooting for Tessa the entire time. She didn't throw herself at him and he had to really pursue her. I think in the end that's what made a difference. Andy's a traditional guy, and a traditional courtship would really appeal to him.

3. Went to Chili's for lunch today with the crew from work. Just a bunch of creative people crowded around a tiny table. :) We had to wait a long time for our food and after we received it I concluded that my meal must have been the first done and was placed for three hours in the furthest spot away from any heat. Maybe in front of the freezer even. French fries were cold, hard as rock, and tasted like cardboard. It was the VERY first time I've ever sent my food back to the kitchen. "Um... my fries are super cold."

4. In reference to number 1, I just finished re-reading Twilight. Sigh. I need an Edward in my life. But maybe one that's less... vampirey. And more alive or something. :)

5. This weekend's baked item of choice was Chocolate Chip Mint Cupcakes. Yum. I have yet to completely finish them, however. The recipe said I could freeze them so I stuck them in the freezer and when I'm ready to frost them, I'll whip those puppies out, thaw them, and slather on the mint green icing. Double Yum.

6. In reference to numbers 1 and 4, I pre-orderd Eclipse this weekend as well. Someone stop me. I'm entangled in the complex world of Stephenie Meyer.

7. Quick update on the workshop last Saturday. Not a whole lot of sales (read: two tiny orders), but I'm still holding out that the hostess might get the total of all orders up to $150 so she can receive hostess benefits. A couple people that wanted to order weren't able to come so she's showing them the catalog and getting their orders that way. Also, she seemed to like the box. Was fascinated with the glitter and everyone there wanted to know how I did that. Just glue and glitter, people. Super simple. They were happy to hear that. :)

Speaking of the box, watch for a tutorial on making one. Hopefully I can add it this weekend. :)

I am in pre-mourning because The Office ends tonight. WAA! No new episodes until next season. I'm totally bummed already.

Buck up, Kristina! You need to appreciate tonight's episode! Maybe just maybe Jim and Pam will FINALLY end up together tonight and the last scene of the season will be the two of them rushing off to get married and moving as far away from Roy and Karen as possible.

One can only hope. :)

-------

My birthday was super fun! My co-workers decorated my cubicle with 4 dozen cupcakes! They know me so well. :) And then I went out to dinner with my mom that night.

Thanks everyone for the warm birthday wishes! You're all too sweet! My Stampin' Up! upline, Erica gave me the cutest gift last night at our group meeting. I'll have to take a picture of it and share it here. She's just adorable!

Okay, I just had a weird deja vu experience...

Question: Have you experienced deja vu? How long ago was it? Do you experience it often?

Leave a comment. I'm totally curious!

My mom gave me one of my birthday gifts a bit early. A KitchenAid mixer! It's a lovely 9-speed hand mixer and I LOVE it! I broke it out on Thursday night to make cupcakes for a birthday at work and then again tonight to make cupcakes for a combined birthday/Mother's Day celebration we're having as a family tomorrow.

My sister-in-law's birthday was yesterday and mine is Tuesday, so we usually combine our birthdays. :)

Anyway, I wandered through Barnes and Noble this morning and found a couple of really cool cupcake books. One really isn't a book, but it's still so cool. It's called The Cupcake Deck (don't ya love how I'm talking about Barnes and Noble, and I link to Amazon. ;) hee hee. I'm a total Amazon supporter. If there was an actual Amazon store, I would definitely frequent it). It's a really cool box with 25 cards inside with photos of each cupcake and then the recipe. Wicked cool!

The second book is called 500 Cupcakes. I'm sure some of you out there (holla Sarah!) are already aware of this yummy book. Anyway, I made the Strawberres 'n' Cream Cupcakes tonight and let me tell you... DELISH! The new mixer was a champ and plowed right through the very thick batter. Speaking of how thick it was, it was the consistency of cookie dough. Seriously weird. I thought I'd done something wrong, but after they were baked they were all sorts of fluffy and spongy. In fact, a couple of the cups were a bit too full and overflowed the cupcake wells. Imagine a sugar cookie on top of a cupcake. It looked like that! Sweet!

I still have to do the whipping cream and strawberry topping for it (I'll save that for tomorrow before I drive to my brother's house where we're having the party), but the cake portion is fantastic! One of the cupcakes came out all wonky so of course it became the "test cupcake." One must always have a test cupcake. After all, who wants to spend all that time frosting the little buggers if they're gross?

500 Cupcakes. A real winner. Go buy the book. I mean it. Buy it and then make something and tell me what you think. :)

First off, before I get to the card, here are the interview questions from Sarah with my answers following each one:

1. If you were to create a new Ben & Jerry's flavor, what would it be?
I would love a flavor that taste like Samoas Girl Scout cookies. Yum. (NOTE: I was just told that they actually do make this flavor! I must go to the store and get some immediately!)

2. What is one of your guilty pleasure songs?
Definitely "White Christmas." Sung by just about anyone. I could listen to that song all year round! Yum.

3. If you were a paparazzi photographer, who would you stalk?
John Krasinski from the The Office (also known as my television boyfriend. Have ya'll seen *the* trailer?). Yum.

4. What is your favorite thing to do on a day off work?
First I sleep in. Then I read a good book. Then I maybe stamp or scrap a bit. Then I must go out to dinner. Yum.

5. Everyone is a snob of something--what are you a snob of?
I'm a seafood snob. As in I only eat the good seafood. Get rid of the calamari, but bring on the shrimp. Yum.

You Rock, Miss You - Card stock: Bazzill; patterned paper, chipboard: Scenic Route; ribbons, rubons, pen: American Crafts.

I just received an email from from Paper Crafts via Sarah that alerted me to this website: shaneswish.com

Shane is a small boy with leukemia who is turning seven May 30. His only wish is to break the world record for birthday cards received. His goal is 350 million!

Let's all commit to making a one card (or a few) to send to this little guy. His mailing address is at the website linked above.

Get the word out! If you have a blog, post it there. Remind your family and friends. Let's help his wish come true! :)

U Rock Card - Card stock: Bazzill; chipboard letter: Scenic Route; stamps: Fontwerks; stamping ink, markers, ribbon, paper piercing template, and glitter: Stampin' Up!; brads and rubon: American Crafts.

So I'm still in my "glitter phase." Not that I use it all the time--I just want to use it all the time. It's a fine line between too much and just enough, right? ;)

I wanted to make some Scenic Route chipboard letters into glittery pieces of yumminess, so I sanded off the color on them already, painted over it with SU! craft ink, applied Heat & Stick Powder, heated it up, and then a glitter chipboard letter was born! So much fun!

BTW, I used the tip I got a while back and put my glitter in a little plastic Glad container. Much less messy! I keep it in there always. I also keep a plastic spoon in the box to scoop the glitter onto whatever project I'm working on. Then I shake it over the box and the unused glitter is saved for another time. :)

Thank U - Card stock: Bazzill; chipboard letter: Scenic Route; stamps: Fontwerks; stamping ink, markers, and glitter: Stampin' Up!; ribbon and brads: American Crafts.

Another great discovery... Bazzill Bling card stock. I got some from Cards magazine in a goodie box they sent me last February and finally had a chance to break it out. This stuff is awesome! It's great for markers and coloring in outlined images (as I did on both of these cards). The shimmery coating on the paper allows the ink from the markers (SU! Stampin' Write markers) to settle evenly on the surface of the card stock. No streaks!

I'm loving that look. It almost looks printed, ya know? You can't see it in the pictures, but the Bling card stock is seriously cool. Me likey.

I've also been tagged by a few different people recently. Unfortunately, the tagging will stop here, but I will leave the 7 random facts about me that it requires. :)

1. It took me 5 years to get my Bachelor of Fine Art in Graphic Design. Mostly because I spent the first two years not knowing what I wanted to do.

2. I am the youngest child of 4 and the middle of 9. Figure that one out. ;)

3. I love to send gifts to my friends and family out of state. Looking for a gift? Try:

Harry and David
Cheryl & Co. (best sugar cookies ever!)
Red Envelope
iTunes Gift Cards
1-800-Flowers.

4. I have an Amazon.com Prime membership and use it all the time. Free 2-day shipping? Hello? Gotta have that. I've bought everything from books to banana chips from Amazon.

5. I've had an obsession with cupcakes ever since I bought a Cupcake Courier.

6. I have a huge box of book-fold 12.5 x 12.5 x .5-1" boxes in my craft room. I got them to ship scrapbook pages and cards to magazines and bought them from centralpack.com. I never got a confirmation email from them, but the order did go through. I suggest before ordering, sign up for an account so you can track your order.

7. Favorite beverage? Figi Water. Yes, there is a difference. Figi water is so clear and yummy, I could drink it all day!

guess who just bought tickets for the Josh Groban concert? ;)

Hey, Jean D. (rickydog1), I still need your mailing address to send the idea book to you. :)

Thanks!

So, I have my five winners! I took the first five that came to my email. That means that some of them weren't showing in the comments immediately because I had to approve them first. Even so, I think it's only fair to give the books to the first five, no matter if they've ever commented before or not. :)

Anyway, I need the following people to email me their mailing addresses so I can get their books in the mail:

Jackie W. (paper addict)
Jane2
Mary Mel
HerryBerry (yes, I'll mail it to Australia!)
Jean D. (rickydog1)

Just email me with your address.

Thanks!

WOW! I got a huge box from Northridge Media today (Cards Idea Books and Scrapbook Trends Magazine). They are so generous! I opened the box to find SIX copies of Cards! I'll keep one for myself, but the other five are up for grabs. The first five people to comment to this post will get a copy. :)

Okay, so I have things in both magazines. Quite a few cards in Cards (plus the cover, ahhh!!), and then two pages in Scrapbook Trends. If you're a close watcher of my gallery over at SCS, you'll recognize both scrapbook pages.

I am just so overwhelmed! This is the month of publications that resulted from my Card Fest over Christmas break this year (pushed myself to make 15 "publishable" cards in the week between Christmas and New Year's). Not all cards that I submitted were accepted, but I did have a higher number requested just because I submitted more.

So, everyone out there in blog land, SUBMIT YOUR STUFF! There are so many talented scrapbookers and card makers out there! Just start submitting and you'll be amazed at the response.

Have a happy Tuesday!

New Harry Potter 5 Trailer.

Any Utah people out there who want to organize a midnight showing?

Don't ya'll just love computer issues?! The one I'm experiencing currently was of my own making. :)

Just today, I downloaded the new Adobe Creative Suite 3 and tried to install it. Well, I already had Photoshop CS3 Beta installed, so I tried to uninstall it. Well, long story short, the uninstall didn't work and I was caught in an endless loop of the computer thinking I still had the program but when I went to uninstall it, it couldn't find where it was. ARGH!

So when I went to install CS3 it would install everything BUT Photoshop. HELLO! That's the program I use the most!

So, I'm reformatting my computer and reinstalling the operating system right now (I'm on my laptop--sitting in front of the desktop computer watching it install). Of course I backed up all my files first but I know there will be something that I forgot about. There always is. Once I forgot to back up my emails. YEARS of emails just gone. Gone! Oh, well. I suppose the world kept turning. :)

I hope CS3 is worth all this hassle. I imagine it will since the Photoshop CS3 beta was so much faster. I want to see how fast this Intel Mac can go!

So, I've been tagged and this one is super fun! Just list 5 of your favorite blogs... (in no particular order)

1. Sentiments By Sophia - I love her so much! Every entry is well written and I enjoy hearing about her day. Rarely does a day go by without an update.

2. Confessions of a 20-Something Drama Queen - Not only is Sarah my lovely American Crafts friend, she's just awesome. So entertaining to read. :)

3. {A} - Who doesn't love Ali Edwards? I feel like I know her. I don't. But I feel like I do.

4. Audrey Woulard - SO LOVE her photography! Such cute kids and I love her style.

5. Loobylu - I've followed Claire's blog since it started in December 1999. Wow, that's been a long time! Anyway, I feel like I know her as well. She's like my Australian best friend. (Really, I don't know her. I just pretend I do). Hopefully she's return to blogging soon.

Patti: I can't remember what I was going to say. That probably means it was extremely profound.

Me: Well, ya know, 85% of the world's geniuses are called geniuses because they can remember what they were going to say.

(I love making up completely fake statistics).

And the winner is Nancy Kliewer! Nancy, send me an email and I'll get your iTunes gift certificate out to ya. :)

In other news, my brother-in-law surprised me and my mom tonight by showing up on our doorstep with flowers! Jon and my sister live in Minnesota, and Jon is just in Utah overnight on his way to Idaho visit his brother. My sister and him decided it was a prime opportunity to surprise my mom. :)

Aren't my sister and brother-in-law so cute? Surprise!

I stayed home from work today because I'm sick. I was feeling awful yesterday afternoon but I knew I still had a long night ahead of me at stamp club. So I asked Jen, my lovely and wonderful manager at work, for the next day off. That would be today. Bless her, she said that would be okay. :)

Seriously, that was the only way I able to make it through last night--knowing I didn't have to get up and go to work this morning. Don't get me wrong, it was nothing strenuous or even a tremendously long evening. I just really needed some sleep and just thinking about having to go into work was making my head hurt more.

So I slept in. Or tried to. Curse this stupid stuffy nose that doesn't allow me to breathe!

Anyhow, I finally took a picture of the layout I've been stewing over for a few days. Not my best, but I do love the photos. The arrow in the corner is covered in glitter (yes, Kristina P, that is what I was covering in glitter last week). I'm loving the glitter! And the fact that I painted the chipboard piece pink before I put the glitter on? So girly! Love it!

Just so ya'll know, there's an awesome article in Scrapbooks Etc. this month about using GLITTER! I had so much fun after my re-discovery of the fabulousness of glitter, that I was super happy to see this in a magazine I subscribe to.

:)

I just used glitter for the first time since, oh, I don't know, second grade. Believe me, you do not want to see my craft table.

Nuff said.

;)

I've received a few questions as of late and thought I'd share my answers with everyone (just in case anyone else was wondering):

The filing cart in your scrap room-- Does it hold 12x12 card stock? (This question came from one of my stamp club members. Hey Laura!)
No, not right now. I believe that particular cart is capable of storing 12x12, but only if you have 12x12 hanging file folders. I think there was a scrap company that sold 12x12 hanging folders, but I don't recall which company it was.

How do you convert color photos to black and white in Photoshop?
I started looking into this about a year ago as well after I realized that the Grayscale command in Photoshop just wasn't cutting it. In the process of searching for good black and white conversions, I checked out the 2Peas photography board. Many people were praising photographer Amber Ludlow's black and white conversions. I believe you can purchase her tutorial on black and white conversions for only $20. I'm not sure if she's still selling it, but you can try emailing her at ludlowphotography@hotmail.com.

Hope that helps! Any other questions?

I'm still in American Crafts heaven! My brother installed some shelves above my drawing table that I adore. I've lined up all my American Crafts ribbons and flowers and other goodies so I can see them. It really helps me to see everything out in the open.

Here are few photos of my scrap area (forgive me, it's a bit cluttered--I work best that way. Just ask the people I work with).

The photo of the filing cart shows how I have my SU! card stock. I have all 48 colors on top and the neutrals and In Colors for this year down below in a little file box that I slide out when I need them. I really like this little cart. I found it at Costco. The file folders are from M.O. and I blogged about them before (see the entry here).

And some cards! These are made mostly with all AC product, but I did use SU! card stock, punches, and ribbon in some places.

(Photo removed for publication)

I have received numerous emails asking about my views and preference on others using my creations as inspiration (i.e. scraplifting, CASEing). I have added a small box to the left column addressing the issue. You can read my full answer to the question by clicking on "more info" in the box, or clicking here.

One of the best parts of being on the American Crafts Design Team is the goodie boxes that come after tradeshows (CHA, Memory Trends, etc). It's like Christmas!

Just like the time when I received my last box, after I opened the one I received today and promptly gasped, I was overcome with the need to organize my scrap area to accommodate all the new things. But before I could start tearing apart the room to put it back together, I decided to make some cards for my co-workers.

I changed positions at the company I work for about a month ago and the three gals I work with are so great! Don't get me wrong, I loved all the people I worked with before, but the four of us have hit it off really well. The other day I stopped designing for a moment and looked up from my computer.

"I get paid to do this?" I said out loud.

Tonight, I feel very content and grateful for the place I am right now. Granted, I still hope to buy my own home soon, and I still have so many things I'd like to do, but all in all I am overwhelmed with appreciation for where my decisions have brought me. It's so wonderful to love getting up in the morning and going to work, and then loving every minute of being there.

Believe me, I love designing and creating, but being surrounded by such wonderful people is rare and I am eternally grateful.

On to the cards!

Here's a random conversation I had work today. I was talking with Lauren who is one of the other graphic designers. She was trying to fit text in a layout.

Lauren: It just doesn't fit.
Me: You should call the writer and say, "I don't know how to say this, but you're really verbose. Have you ever realistically seen 15 clowns in a car, because either I'm 8 clowns short of a van or you need to cut some text."

Hahahaha! We were laughing so hard! These are the moments when I feel like a 13-years-old at a slumber party. Can't stop giggling. And over the stupidest things, too!

;)

Hi all! This is just a quick check-in to let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. :)

Just busy.

Sick (cold/flu) - YUCK!

Tired (not sleeping well on part of the fact that I can hardly breathe)

But I do have some great news! For those not familiar with being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, when you sign up you are challenged to achieve some specific sales goals. If you do, you can receive up to 6 stamp sets of any price free! I was really working toward those goals, and met the first one back in November (sales of $1800 for September-November) and received 2 stamp sets. I had until the end of February (tomorrow) to reach the second sales goal (sales of $3000 for December-February). And as of this morning, I met my goal!

I had a successful workshop on Saturday (even though I was super sick and losing my voice) and that pushed me over the $3000 mark. :)

Here's to 4 more free stamp sets! And then because most of my sales happened during Sell-A-Bration, I'll get another 2 sets! Hello! I'm hoping I can save at least the 4 sets until the new catalog in July.

Ahhh... not having to fork out more money to feed my habit... priceless.

I'm sitting in the Denver airport waiting for my flight and I thought I'd share the weirdest thing with ya'll.

A bit away from my sister's home in Minnesota is a lake where hundreds (if not, thousands) of swans, ducks, and geese spend their winter (it's best known for the swans). Apparently, the nuclear power plant nearby pumps out warm water as a byproduct and these birds just love the warm water. Hence, bird lake.

Craziest thing I've ever seen! And what's even more amazing is the fact that as I was taking that picture, right behind me is someone's backyard! Can you believe that? All these people bought homes on the lake and then when the power plant came in, so came the birds. One of the homeowners has even built a system of getting feed to the birds. Lots of pipes and buckets. She came out while we were there and was practically swarmed by hundreds of ducks!

So funny to watch. :) And there are signs in the middle of the neighborhood as you drive in that say "Swan watchers, please park here." There are parking spaces! It just boggles my mind! In the middle of a regular neighborhood! I was waiting for a little kid to ride by on a tricycle or something.

Anyhow, better run... My flight is boarding soon.

Many of you know that Cards Magazine pays in product. That means that for every card I have in the magazine, they send me various scrapbooking products for free.

My very first box of goodies came right before I left for Minnesota so I packed the things they sent. A few of the things they sent were HUGE rhinestones. I could not think of what to do with them, but now I'm glad I brought them with me. :)

I have been reunited with my scrap stuff (and the rest of my things, but really, priorities people?).

A nice old man from Northwest Airlines (I actually flew United... strange) dropped off both bags about an hour ago. My lovely red luggage was a bit dusted with white stuff (salt I assume, since it's hovering around 0 degrees outside), but that was soon put to right. It came right off. Other than that, right as rain. It's like as long as I know where my patterned paper is, all is well. Hee hee! I'm sure many of you can agree with that. Then again, many of you probably have children and they might take presidence over your scrapping stuff, eh?

Oh, to be single and not have a care in the world above scrapbook supplies. (Ya'll know I'm kidding, right?)

I just stepped out of the shower (ahhh!) and now I'm letting my hair dry while I type. Such a luxury! Usually I'm in such a hurry that I don't even have the time to let my mop of a head dry by natural means. I'm definitely a hair dryer girl, but I do love the silky feel of letting it air dry.

OKAY! The best part of my trip out here (not the luggage lost thing, obviously) was eating at the Denver airport. THE best BBQ chicken pizza I've ever had! I bought it at the Wolfgang Puck Express. I figured if he can make a rice cooker, he probably can make a pizza. Yum! Highly recommend it. I hope my layover in the Denver is long enough on my way back home that I have time to grab another one. I may have liked the first one so much because I was starving.

Thought I'd share a couple photos that my first day out here. I'm sure these will end up on scrapbook pages in the next little bit, but I just can't wait to show off my cute nieces and nephews. SO CUTE!

No, not the tv show... THE AIRLINE LOST MY LUGGAGE! And I had lots of scrapping supplies in BOTH bags!

I spent a good portion of my day in airports flying to Minnesota. I'm spending a week at my sister's. :) Anyway, we're planning to do a fair bit of scrapping (okay, a lot of scrapping) so I packed like... let's see (this list will help if my bags are never found... they BETTER pay for the items lost):

7 stamp sets, including 2 full aphabet sets
8 stamp pads
ALL my new paper from the SU! Spring Mini
ALL my new American Crafts paper
A good portion of card stock (textured and non)
Basic supplies (scissors, glue, adhesive, etc.)
Chipboard pieces
Lots of ribbon

PLUS! A $200 handbag! I never fly with my purse (I put my wallet in my laptop bag), so I packed my purse (for major shopping.. HELLO! The Mall of America! AND no tax on clothes)

Gosh, I'm sure there's more...

Let us all pray to the luggage gods. Send good vibes my way please.

Supplies - Patterned paper and ribbon: American Crafts; stamp (Riveting set), stamping ink (also used to "paint" box), circle punches, and solid card stock: Stampin' Up!

I actually made this box a long time ago and just realized I hadn't uploaded it. :) Enjoy!

UPDATE 2: I've decided to just call it, "KWerner Design Blog." On one hand, it's completely generic. On the other hand, it's completely generic. Not many people will have that name, right? Watch for a new graphic tonight. :)

UPDATE: So I found someone on Splitcoast who has the name PaperCrafty (who has some great stuff, btw)... so I'm back to sqaure one. This naming thing is hard! Please ignore the graphic at the top of the page--I have to get home tonight and change it. Dangit! I thought I found a name I liked. Oh, well.

Paper Crafty! I even googled it first this time. :)

Thanks for all your suggestions! Paper Crafty just came to me suddenly... I'm a little bit sneaky ;) , little bit crafty, and I enjoy some nice patterned paper. Sounds about right to me.

UPDATE: Thanks for all your suggestions. They were awesome! I've decided to just stick with KWerner Design Blog. It fits, I suppose. :)

So, it's come to my attention (by vainly googling "scraptv") that my blog name is already in use by an actual television scrapbooking show. I feel sort of bummed out. I mean, who wants to change the name of their blog *months* after it's been going strong?

Not me. And, no, no one is asking me to. But I still feel weird having the same name.

Okay, so here's the deal... I'm looking for a new blog name. Or maybe a none-name, like "The Blog Formerly Known as ScrapTV." Maybe just call it "K". I've always liked the first letter of my name--I think most people like their first initial, right?

Anyway, I'm up for suggestions. What do you think it should be called? I have no idea what it will end up being, but if I choose one of your suggestions, that person will receive not a whole lot--just my unending gratitude and props. Well, okay. Maybe I'll send that person a little RAK, maybe some stamps and a few paper goodies that I've kept around for such occasions. :)

And get creative about it--silly suggestions are welcome, too. Don't make me look like an idiot now... leave some comments. Even if it's just to say, "Hey. I got no ideas for ya. Do it on your own."

:)

P.S. I'm currently watching (and downloading via iTunes) the first season of The West Wing. Why did I not watch this when it was on TV for free!? It's a freakin' awesome show. I'm totally in love with Bradley Whitford (Danny) from Studio 60, so I knew The West Wing would be a sure bet. Any other West Wing lovers out there? ;)

I've been tagged by Sarah of Kindred Spirits.

A - Available or Taken: Available

B - Best Friend: Becca

C -Cake or Pie: Yes!

D - Drink of Choice: Dr. Pepper

E - Essential item you use everyday: Computer--I sit at one almost all day.

F - Favorite Color: Red

G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Gummy Bears, bouncing here and there and everywhere... la la la! (I loved that show as a kid... what ever happened to it, huh?)

H - Hometown: West Valley City, Utah. I lived there until I went off to college in 2000.

I - Indulgence: Bubble bath.

J - January or February: February. I hate January... It's so drab in Utah.

K - Kids & Names: None!

L - Life is incomplete without?: Family, friends, and something to keep my busy.

M - Marriage Date: You tell me. ;)

N - Number of Siblings: 1 brother, 2 sisters, 1 step-brother, 4 step-sisters

O - Oranges or Apples: Oranges

P - Phobias or Fears: I absoutely hate spiders!

Q - Fave Quote: "Those to mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Suess.

R - Reason to Smile: Feeling successful.

S - Season: Spring (I was born in the spring!)

T - Tag 3 or 4 People: Erica, Sarah, and Dale Anne

U - Unknown fact about me: I love all kinds of oatmeal!

V - Vegetable you don't like: Beets

W - Worst Habit: I tend to be a bit disorganized. I love to be all organized, but I can rarely keep it that way for more than a day.

X - X-rays: Teeth and I once had my nose x-rayed with I was five after I fell face first off some playground equipment. Almost broke my nose.

Y - Your Fave Food: Anything chocolate!

Z - Zodiac Sign: Taurus

LOL!! You've gotta see this... "Steve Jobs" on SNL.

I am such a computer/mac geek! How much did this make me drool?... I cannot tell you! I really want one of the new iPhones--SUPER COOL! This alone is reason enough to make me switch to Cingular. :)

I just don't know how I'm going to wait until June!

So my email is working again! Hallelujah! It wasn't working for, what, 6 days! SIX DAYS! I can't believe the webhosting company. Totally unacceptable. I've already set things in motion to switch to a different company (who supports Moveable Type pre-installed so I can make my blog all pretty-like). Take that!

Okay, so the Card Fest was phenomenally successful! I just got requests for seven cards! Wahoo! I had to take the photos of a couple down, but they'll be back after the magazine's out. :)

Let me tell ya, having to write instructions for seven cards takes a long time. I don't know how all the writers at Stampin' Up! do it! Day in and day out, writing all those instructions for publications. Wow. Stamp this. Stamp that. Fold this. Tie that. Crazy!

-----------------------

I have my first Sell-A-Bration workshop next week. One of my friends from work Lisa is hosting it so it should be so much fun. However, I have yet to plan the projects! Ah! Good thing I don't have huge plans this weekend--otherwise, I'd be hurtin'.

I just have to remember to plan ahead for Lisa's workshop and my step-sister's (the next week) at the same time. Save some work. Cut things for both at the same time.

------------------------

So, who loves Simon and Garfunkel? I recently "rediscovered" them over the holidays. I just love them! The last time I'd really listened to them was clear back in ninth grade. My history teacher would play their music in the background while we worked. She absolutely loved Simon and Garfunkel.

Ironically, her name was Mrs. Robinson. ;)

Just so you all know, I have been unable to access my email since last Thursday. So, if anyone has sent me email and I haven't responded, it's only because my email is down.

Believe me, I have sent numerous strongly worded emails to technical support. They seem to think that the internet goes on holiday as well because no one will respond to me emails (sent from my backup account).

Anyway, I'll go be impatient elsewhere.

I just realized I forgot to tell all of you what I got for Christmas! One of my favorite gifts was from my cousin Char. She got me The Illuminated Lettering Kit. I haven't broken it out yet, but it made me want to get out my other calligraphy supplies.

I really miss it! I haven't done any calligraphy for a while.



(Forgive me for using the phrase from the SU! stamp set Small Saying—plus, I wrote splitcoaststampers.com just because I wanted a really long word). :)

The above pen and ink were acquired in Williamsburg while I was there in November. They have a great Pewter store that sells metal quill pens. I've always wanted one, so I had to try it out.

I started doing calligraphy during my junior year in high school when I took a class with one of my buddies from the literary magazine. Leslie and I drove all the way across town once a week to attend an evening class learning italic calligraphy.

Calligraphy has to be one of the hardest things to do! There is so much precision involved. Mostly, I've given up the precision part, and just go for more whimsical styles. They don't require so much concentration and practice.



I've been trying to find another calligraphy class somewhere in the Salt Lake Valley, but haven't been able to. All the classes are taught at the community college during the day. I need something at night.

So, if any of you have a lead on a class, please let me know. I've love to get back into it.

:)

I've been on an organizing kick recently, wanting to organize my craft space. I basically have a whole room to myself (my office). Today I focused on paper and card stock.



I found a great website for office supplies, M.O. Inc. I actually first saw M.O. in the 2005 Communication Arts Design Annual and just had to look them up. Awesome looking supplies! Well designed and useful.

So when I had the urge to organize, I knew where to go! I just love their hanging file folders and file folders. The file folders are a very thick card stock, not like the usual manila folders. And then the tabs! The plastic tabs for the hanging file folders are great! The labels they give you are perfect to wrap around the three sides of the tabs. I put the names of the colors on the top and the color family on the front surface (see photo below).

The way I'm organizing all my SU! card stock:

- By color: three colors per folder. I'll keep scraps and about 10 full sheets of each color. All leftovers (and those that don't fit) will go in my vertical paper storage.

- By color family.



I can't wait to fill these folders up!

I spent nearly all of today working on gifts to give to my co-workers. This year I decided to make them small calendars that they can hang up in their cubicles. It's something I've been meaning to make for myself, so I thought maybe they might enjoy it as well.



However, making 23 calendar sets was a long, arduous task! I spent a few hours designing them in Adobe Illustrator, and then had to print and cut them out. My right arm hurts bit from all the cutting, but at least it's all done.

I just have to figure out what to give to 8 more co-workers because I ran out of textured white card stock. I'll either have to make a run to the scrap store on Monday, or make something different. Hmm... I haven't decided yet.

Okay, so sometimes I watch HSN. And they finally got to me last weekend. I bought the Wolfgang Puck rice cooker. Let me tell you, it's FABULOUS! I love it! I spent all weekend cooking rice and mac and cheese.

Yes, I said mac and cheese! You can cook other things besides rice in it! Perfect for those lazy days in the summer when I don't want to fire up the stove top or oven. In fact, the recipes included in the instruction manual are delish! :)

The mac and cheese was pretty good. The noodles weren't quite done, so the next time I make it, I'll cook the pasta just a bit before I add all the ingredients to the rice cooker.

I also made some rice pudding and just plain rice to keep in the fridge for quick after work meals. One recipe that I found last Friday that I really like is from the Cooking Light web site...

Chile-Cheese Rice Burritos

I saved some of it for lunch today at work and it went really well. I just packed the filling in a container, the lettuce in a little baggy, and the salsa in a little miniature Glad plastic container, and put all of it in my handy-dandy pink lunch bag (which I bought from Amazon.com). A quick heat up of the filling and a tortilla and I was in business.

Yum!

And some more yummy... This is one of the cards I have planned for my January stamp club meetings. Yes, that's meetings, as in plural! My first club has gone so well that when a few more ladies from work wanted to join but there wasn't room, I decided to start another!

Anyway, here's the card. I want to feature the color spritzer and show that it can be used in a sophisticated, subtle way. I used it here tone on tone to add depth to the chocolate chip card stock.

I came across this video today and was impressed with how a 14-year-old young man can help educate his peers about internet predators. Seriously, this is a video that all parents and teenagers need to see.

Hi everyone! I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful! For me, I stayed home and me and my mom hosted the family this year. Thankfully it was just my sister, her kids, and my brother and sister-in-law.

Before dinner, we played Speed Scrabble, which might be my new favorite game. My cousin Erin taught it to me when we were visiting them at the cabin last summer. Totally fun!

For some reason, I do not like the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, so my mom was too sweet to make ham and cheesy potatoes just for me. :) It was a very yummy dinner!

Anyhow, here's the latest creation. I tried my hand at faux metal. It was actually rather easy to make. See full instructions here.

UPDATE: The photos of the scrapbook page page are removed for publication.

Work has been super busy this week—as usual—but, things have also been really busy at home. My brother and sister-in-law moved this week (must help, of course), I had to finish up a logo for my step-mom's new loan processing business, and I feel like I should be creating things for magazines...

If time was so object, and I could just do whatever I wanted for a whole week, I would go paper crazy and just create all the things that I've stuffed in my inspiration folder. I have so many things I want to make and no time to make them!

This weekend should be a welcome break. Besides a hair appointment in the afternoon and going to see a play Saturday night with my mom, I have no plans. This is me scheduling much needed “Kristina time” for Friday night and Saturday morning. I'm just going to kick back and do whatever I want.

That is, if I don't fall asleep.

After my week, that's probably more likely. :)

Well, I'm back from Virginia! It was a great trip and one that I'll remember for a long time. It was awesome to hang out with my aunt and uncle. They live in Arizona, so I've never been able to just be around them for an extended period of time.

This week was a whirlwind of catching up at work (not entirely caught up, actually), and trying to find time to sit down and do some paper crafting. I put through my demonstrator pre-order of the new SU! product coming out in December and received in Monday night and didn't have a change to even touch it until Friday. Isn't that awful?! The paper and stamps were just sitting on my drawing table, screaming at me, "COME PLAY WITH US!!!" and I couldn't until four days later.

Anyhow, once I broke them out, I went on a bit of a frenzy and made lots of things. Here we go... (see next post for the starbook).

I haven't been in a blogging mood lately. I haven't been in a real creative mood, either. I'm sure everyone goes through phases like this, though.

I'm sure what's causing this creative slump is stress and lack of sleep.

I'm leaving for Virginia early Saturday morning and I'll be gone for a week., so I'm scrambling at work to get everything done before I go. On top of that, I sort of changed jobs (I moved to a different team within the company). My job is essentially the same--I still design--but I'm working on different projects now. And this new team is definitely more busy that my last team. Just lots to do. :)

I also left my cell phone in my sister-in-law Kristi's car on Tuesday night. And she lives an hour away... I feel so disconnected. But my brother who lives near me works near Kristi's home and is supposed to be getting it from her today. Hopefully I'll have it back tonight. Please, please! Pretty please!

AND I have stamp club tonight. The projects are ready to go, but I still feel extremely unprepared. I have 3 projects for them. Two are semi-complicated and time consuming, so I kept the third super simple. I don't particularly like the really simple one, but I think it's okay.

AND I feel the need to create something, to just sit down and get some paper under my hands... but I have no time. I think I'll pack some scrapping stuff in my suitcase when I go to Virginia. I'm going with my mom, my aunt and my uncle, and my aunt loves to scrapbook so maybe we'll scr