We Will Always Have Paris

Friday's Favorite Five - July 10, 2009

In the luau preparation frenzy of last week, I completely blew off the Friday's Favorite Five.  Sorry 'bout that.  I hope you enjoy this week's:

1.  The new Sizzix bracket album dies.  Now you can make your own mini albums -- as many as you want!  This is ideal for my daughter's pre-school activities.  A little chipboard & my Big Shot and I can whip up an album in an hour.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the die will show up in the aisles of AC Moore (I'd love to get this with a coupon).  If you need it now, head on over to the Sizzix website where the die sells for $34.99.

2.  Tim Armstrong's "Into Action" on my Summer of 2009 iTunes playlist.  This is currently G's favorite song and we listen to it over & over again in the car.  It cracks me up to hear her sing it -- I think she knows all of the words.  Miraculously, I haven't grown tired of this 2007 hit. 

 

3.  Sideshow Stamps Tiki Collection.  I first discovered Sideshow Stamps when teaching my Big Top Circus book a couple of years ago.  They have some super cute circus images.  I recently discovered that they also have fantastic "Tiki" and "Polynesian" lines.  Maybe I'm just in a summer luau mood, but I just love these images.  Plus, their summer stamps are 15% off right now.  Also, if you can gather your crafting buddies and place a $75 order, you get a grab bag of 30 free stamps.  Make sure you get the "Christmas Story" leg lamp.  Anybody want to join me in an order?

4.  Supercute flower headbands from Etsy seller Banner Boutique.  I bought this one a couple of weeks ago & Baby A looks picture perfect in it!  I had a hard time selecting which headbands I wanted.  They're all so beautiful.

5.  The new Stampin' Up! catalog, just released last week.  I just picked my copy up an hour ago & I'm looking forward to devouring it tonight.  I have a three color marking system (Have It/Want It/Need It) and I love making out my wish list.  Don't have a hard copy?  Peruse the new catalog on-line by clicking here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Craft Yard Sale This Saturday, July 11th in Ashburn, VA

My friend Jenny is having a multi-family stamping/scrapbooking yard sale on July 11th from 8 AM to 12 PM.  There will be stamps, papers and other art mediums available to buy from her and several other local friends.  (A number of my crafting buddies are participating).  There will also be household items including childrens toys, strollers, a crib and other items she no longer needs and does not want to move.  The address is 20440 Needleleaf Way in Ashburn Virginia.  Please call 703-554-9493 for additional details.

Fourth of July - 2009

 

15 kids, ages 8 and under

35+ adults

5 flavors of homemade ice cream (chocolate cherry, Nick's peanut butter chocolate chip, vanilla, root beer float & rocky road)

carnival games

a souvenir shack

zombies

pina coladas

mai tais

a sack race for the kids

a sack race for the moms (after a few too many pina coladas)

seashells on the mini beach

one coconut bra

two babies

one little white dog

good friends

good times

July 4, 2009

Picture of the Week: Five Months

 

Picture of the Week: Poolside

 

Friday's Favorite Five: June 26, 2009

Here's are five of the things that caught my eyes (& ears) this week.

1.  French Macarons.  I've seen these tasty Parisian treats popping up on foodie blogs and in magazines everywhere.  I'm dying to try them!  I'm thinking that I should order them on-line so that I can see what they are actually supposed to taste like before I try my hand at making them myself.  (Photo courtesy of runmiarun on Flickr)

2.  The soon-to-be-released new "In Colors" from Stampin' Up.  I plan to order mine right away!  I just love the rich tones of the new colors.  This time they will also be releasing ink markers in these colors.  Finally!  They are listening to their customers! These will all be available from your local Stampin' Up rep on July 1st.

3.  Paperclipping Newsbreak podcasts from Nancy Nally and Noelle Hyman.  Scrapbook Update's Nancy Nally and Paperclipping's Noelle Hyman have teamed up for a weekly discussion on scrapbooking news.  I've enjoyed Noelle's video tutorials for a while and Nancy is the go-to girl for all paper arts gossip.  This could be a good team!  I just updated my iTouch with the first 6 episodes & I look forward to listening in as I run errands this morning.  You can download all of the episodes for free here.  If you're not tech-savvy, no worries... you don't need an iPod to listen to them, you can tune in through your computer!

4.  Modern June's oilcloth tablecloths on Etsy.  How perfect is this one for my studio?  I think I just may need to treat myself to this oblong cherry print with red gingham trim.  Not into cherries?  She has a ton of prints and can custom make any design you want.  Plus, she's in Richmond!  Gotta support the local gals (well, semi-local)!

5.  Papertreyink.com's new cupcake acrylic stamp collection.  I know the cupcake trend is going to have to die eventually, but I still can't get enough of it.  I love the mix & match philosophy of this line.  There are a number of cupcake stamps out there, but I really like this one.  It has sprinkles!

Have a wonderful weekend!  We have just 7 days left until our big 4th of July luau.  Friends are coming in from all over, so this is going to be a busy weekend.  Hopefully I'll have a spare second or two to get some playtime in the studio (and some cleaning time in the studio -- I just discovered that I never unpacked from a crop I went to last NOVEMBER!).

Giveaway: "Green Is The New Black" Book by Tamsin Blanchard

 

Back in February, I received a goody box from the ever-so-sweet Jennifer Pooley at Harper Collins.  Jennifer has sponsored several of my giveaways (The Leisure Seeker, The Girl From Charnelle, Summer at Tiffany).  Included in the box with The Leisure Seeker giveaway was a little surprise for me -- 5 copies of Tamsin Blanchard's Green Is The New Black.  I finally had time to read The Leisure Seeker and grab the next pile on my worktable. 

Since I knew I wasn't going to have a spare moment to do the research on this new book (darn baby!), I tapped Suni to check into it for me.  This is what she had to say:

I'm sure I'm not the only person who thinks that dressing in an ecologically responsible manner sounds dowdy and drab. My mind started to change when I saw that the most recent winner of Project Runway, Leanne Marshall, tries to stick with eco-friendly fabrics. Her clothes were AMAZING and not the Happy Hippy look at all. So, when Korie told me about Tamsin Blanchard's book Green Is the New Black:  How to Change the World with Style, I was intrigued. I did a little looking around, and now I can't wait to read this book.

Green is the New Black, while written by an English fashion journalist, looks to be fairly universal in it's advice. Vogue and Vanity Fair both raved about the book, which includes advice on not only finding new green choices for your wardrobe, but also reusing and reinventing pieces you already own. With tips on fair trades fashion lines, as well as what basics you should invest in for a lifetimes use, I really think this book has something of value for just about anyone looking to feel good about looking good.

Want to win one of the five giveaways?  Just be one of the first five people to leave a comment on this post about something you've done to live green.  Make sure you leave me your e-mail address and I'll contact you directly for your snail mail address.

Good luck!

Picture of the Week: One Hat, Two Babies

Baby G. - November 2005 

 

Baby A - June 2009

Coupon Links Updated (valid through June 27, 2009)

Coupon links were updated for Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Jo-Anns & AC Moore.  Look to the left panel of this page and look under "Hot Links".

Happy shopping!

Friday's Favorite Five - June 19, 2009

It may be late, but it's still Friday!!  Here are the top five things that caught my eye this week:

 

1.  This beautiful Audrey Hepburn scrabble tile pendant on Etsy.  Oh me, oh my!  Must have!!  Seller Pieces of Me has a ton of gorgeous images to choose from.  I need this one.  Click here for this pendant (ONLY $5.95) or check out her full store here.  I think I need this Wizard of Oz pendant as well.  And this one.  And this one.  I have an old Tim Holtz "Road Trip" necklace kit that I never used.  I'm thinking I need to dig it out and fill it with these adorable scrabble tiles.  For instructions on how to make your own, click here or here.  Maybe I'll make up some Nancy Drew pendants for my old gal Millie.

 

2.  The uber-cute BBQ invitations included in Stampin' Up!/Country Living Magazine's new Summer Cookout kit.  I love it!  I'm the hostess this month in my Stampers Six group and I'm all over this one!

  

3.  Teenytile.com.  Did you know that you can have any image you want printed onto a 2" x 2" ceramic tile?  I'm thinking that this would be a wonderful journal cover medallion.  I have so many fantastic images that I would love, love, love to have made into tiles.

 

4.  Giant PomPoms.  Everybody seems to be decorating with these beauties lately.  Teresa McFayden (Silver Bella guru and my personal idol) inspired me to try this at home.  Take a look at the poms she made for her daughter's graduation party here. I think I'm going to make up a bunch in red, pink & aqua and hang them from my studio ceiling.  You can find the "how to" on Martha's website. 

 

5.  A Muse Artstamps summer line.  I just can't get enough of these adorable stamps.  Local gals can pick theirs up over at Angela's Happy Stamper in Reston, VA.  If your local store doesn't carry the stamps (remember to shop local first!), you can always buy them on-line.  Make sure you check out the upcoming A-Muse-A-Palooza from July 10 - 19, 2009.

Have a wonderful weekend.  Hope you get some crafting time in!!