What the what?!?!

A few weeks ago, I participated in a Blogger user study with Google. Basically, I had to write a diary entry every day that I made a post and at the end of the two weeks I had to be on the phone with someone at Google for an hour answering follow-up questions and providing some feedback. Very easy, I made a little extra money, no big deal. I was happy to participate.

I was surprised to find that a few days later, along with my gift checks was a card. A HAND-WRITTEN thank you card from Google! Google is a huge company, yet someone took the time to tell me thank you...and it wasn't a computer generated letter, it was an actual card. As a card crafter, this meant so much to me. It is up on my mantle.


I miss making cards for fun...I don't feel like I have had time to make regular cards lately I am sort of looking for a good color inspiration challenge site...I don't really like sketch challenges but I LOVE color challenges. Does anyone know of a good one?

In other news....
I hope to attend a crop at some point this weekend...I have a lot going on....but I have a list of projects that I would like to revisit in the near future so that they don't get lost in the shuffle before the year ends.
Project 52
One Little Word
December Daily (basic book is put together, YAY!)

Are you attempting to finish any of these same projects? I would love to see what you have going on with your December Daily, One Little Word or Project 52...

Christmas Cards Part 1

When it comes to creating Christmas cards I like to start early in the year. I have been making my own cards for about 4 years. This year I started earlier than ever. I don't like to make every card the same, although sometimes I will make 5 or more of the same style. I intend to make around 100 cards this year. I have most of them bases assembled and now I am working on the stamping and embellishing. Yahoo!

I made these cards a couple of weeks ago. Sorry for the 'spring-ish' background paper...it was just something I grabbed...and then I realized it wasn't super Christmas-y...All well....I wanted to post some simple Christmas cards today. I used Jingle paper, a couple of my favorite stamp sets and I played around with some glitter and rhinestones!

Enjoy!







All images are (c) Close to My Heart.

{team Jacob} Awwww yeah!

Sorry for so much family news lately....I was working on my Christmas cards in the waiting room yesterday so I hope to post some crafty stuff soon!!

Baby was born today, totally healthy and gorgeous!

Here I am with my sisters in the delivery room an hour or so before the baby came. We are sporting our 'Team Jacob' shirts...hehe....Rene's shirt looks like Jacob's body is for her head! Hilarious.

Purple, purple, purple, purple!!

Said one jovial, sweet, blond, enthusiastic, kindergarten girl to another: "What is your faaaavorite co-lor innnn the raaaainbow?"

Second little girl: " Purple, purple, purple, purple!!!!!!!!"

My mom's favorite color is purple, purple, purple, purple too.

Her surgery went really well yesterday. Thank you for all the well wishes.

And today, I will welcome my first nephew into our family...he will be born sometime today! Jacob Lee Trowbridge.....I will be sporting a Team Jacob Shirt....just in time for New Moon ;-)

My mother, the rebel.

Always.

Today is her surgery. I am in the waiting room, I've been working on Christmas cards for two hours.

Before going in for her surgery, I noticed her hands. She had been instructed to remove all of her nail polish on her fingers and toes. My mother always wears nail polish.

On the ring finger of her left hand, she had two tiny dots of red polish. At first I thought maybe she had missed a spot. Upon further inspection, she had coated the two dots in clear....and I asked her about the dots.

"I am a rebel," she said.

Winter is coming...

Bring on the snow days.

Why do I do it?

Last week I decided that it was time to watch what I eat for a few weeks, before the holidays get here. Skip dessert, eat yogurt, be healthier. Some of my pants and shirts are fitting a little too tightly and I want them to be more comfortable this winter. I don't want to have to buy new clothes.

So I have been depriving myself throughout the day. Low-calorie breakfast. Hot tea (I've given up coffee with all the cream and sugar). Simple lunch with yogurt, granola bar, grapes and pretzels. Healthy.


Then I get home from school and I start to crave salt. I scarf down piles of kettle-cooked chips followed by mounds of chocolate-I-need-something-sweet-to-follow-the salt Halloween candy.


I just can't fight the hunger from 11:00 lunch to 6 or 7 p.m. dinner...I have to eat SOMETHING at 4ish. I should be going for a walk. The weather has been gorgeous lately but all I want to do is rest. Sit around. NOT exercise. I should be eating fruit or carrot sticks. Ew.


I try to eat a sensible dinner, but carbs are everywhere: rice, pasta, bread. And on the weekends its much worse...I have no self control at all...I eat everything in sight and I usually gout out to eat so there is tons of friend food and other junk.

Generally, I love myself...but every now and then I take a look in the mirror or a squeeze into a pair of pants and think...if only I had a little bit more self control..



These are all the pictures of food from my computer over the past couple of months...

Red Lipstick

Absolute favorite blogs at the moment:

Rockstar Diaries (beautiful, lovely, inspiring)

A Beautiful Mess (Only been reading it a few months, but I can't get enough inspiration from this blog!)

KWerner Design Blog (25 days of holiday card videos can you believe it???)

LollyChops Blog (tons of free printables that are perfect for everything crafty)

Color Me Katie's Blog (I love her art)

A Few of My Favorite Things {Inspired by the blogs I love}:

1. Tiny Braids
2. Bangs
3. Red lipstick
4. Polaroids
5. Zebra print

And that about sums it up for me....I will need to make a page with this stuff eventually.

One Real Day

Yesterday's prompt for my class 'Blogging For Scrapbookers' challenged us to write about one really good day that we can remember. Wow. This was difficult for me. Not because it was difficult to think of a day, just difficult to write about it. You see, the best thing about my 'great day' is that it was normal. It was the sort of day that I wish I could have with my mom every time we are together.

It is one of the only memories I have like it. Even on that day, I was overwhelmed with tears because I was so happy for such a normal day. My mom and I have a lot of issues (I am sure many people can relate) and next week she is having a big surgery and I am probably going to have to help her a lot afterwards. I have been struggling with my feelings about it as I have a lot of resentment towards her, but I am going to do the best that I can because I know that it is what I should do.

I am sorry that I am being a little bit vague with this post, but I am sure more of the the story will be told over the next few weeks.


For this page, I typed the journaling in word and used mostly Earth Love for the embellishing.

Blogging for the Scrapbooker Class at Shimelle

Today I was browsing through a long list of posts on my google reader and I came across Shimelle.com...(one of my favorite blogs) and a new class 'Blogging For Scrapbookers' was starting today.

On a whim, I decided to sign up and give it a whirl. Not that I need another thing to do and keep up with, mostly for the inspiration and the drive to be a better blogger.

My goals include, writing better blog posts, connecting with other bloggers in a more meaningful way and using my blog as a way to inspire others to find their creative side.

Over the next three weeks, I will be studying the class notes using the class as a jump start for my mojo....I have had time the last 3 days to create...but I have just wanted to sit on the couch and watch t.v.

So, I need the motivation. I need someone to force me to tell the important stories that I am just not inspired to tell without a class or a challenge.

p.s. I subscribed to an online photo editing software picnik.com and I am completely in love with the ease in which I am able to edit, add text and modify my photos. This picture is from a photo shoot I did this weekend....I love it! I haven't ever considered myself a digi scrapbooker, but I definitely love the idea of combining text with my photos...So I am pretty sure I will be doing quite a lot of that through this class.

Hope you are having a wonderful week. The forecast looks gorgeous here for the next few days!!