1. DIY Chalkboard Cakes. I am kicking myself for selling off all of my 5 tier papier mache cakes. My distributor went out of business (damn economy!) and now I cannot order any more. My girls would just die if they could decorate the same cake over and over (and over!) again. I'm going to have to dig through my craft storage area to see if I can find any more cakes. How cute is this?
2. Retro Sailor Bathing Suits. I LOVE the look of these suits by Etsy Seller TheRedDolly. So cheery & perfect for summer. They make me think that I need to buy a new treadmill.... (while you're drooling over the sailor suit, check out her Paris Maillot... PARIS... it was meant to be!).
1. "Run For Your Lives" 5K. Here's the premise... You gather up your friends and try to conquer an obstacle-laden 5K course while being chased by ZOMBIES. Seriously. ZOMBIES! The zombies don't actually eat your brains, but they will try to take one of the three flags around your waist. I don't run. I hate running. However, I think running from zombies would be too much fun to pass up.
There are 11 races across the country this year and one happens to be in our own backyard (Baltimore). Last year's race had over 10,000 participants. I just found out that you can also sign up to be a Zombie too! I am all over this. You can either be a chaser (running Zombie) or a stumbler (slow moving Zombie). I just checked with the hubby and if I can get a sitter for the weekend (uh... Suni?), you'll find us at the November race. Any good ideas? Prom queen zombie? Bride zombie? Oh, to be undead!!
This should be great training for the apocalypse...
2. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. If you haven't seen this Oscar-winning wonderful animated 15-minute short, you must. It is available via YouTube and absolutely free. A combination of The Wizard of Oz, Hurricane Katrina and an old Buster Keaton movie, the short is visually stunning and will leave the booklover with a lump in her throat. Once you've fallen in love with the short, you'll want to go check out their iPad app. I'll off to download it now!
Two fantastic new things to check out (with videos!!):
1. My Favorite Things Berry Box Die: My daughters had so much fun during our Spring Tea last year that I think I'm going to do it again. Once I laid eyes on this cute die, I knew what my theme was going to be -- strawberry lemonade. Think giant red and yellow tissue paper pom poms... Think red and white striped paper straws... Think chocolate covered strawberries on tiered plates... Think little strawberry boxes filled with tasty treats!!!
This will die cut a little treat box that folds into a strawberry. IT EVEN EMBOSSES ADORABLE LITTLE SEEDS FOR YOU! For an amazing example, check out Karen Giron's sample here.
2. "Learn With Jenny" blog: I love reading blogs for inspiration. I find great cupcake recipes (which I never use), card ideas (which I never make) and great ideas for my kids' playdates (I actually do use these!). Every once in a long while, I stumble upon a blog that knocks my socks off. If you haven't seen "Learn With Jenny"'s blog, you must. Absolutely must.
My friend Suni uses a number of shocking phrases that always make me laugh. For example, her computer never crashes. It goes "tits up". Nobody ever has an unpleasant look to them. They "have a face like a cat's ass". One of my favorite Suni gems is "balls outside the pants". She uses it when she's done something completely over the top, without regard for what others might think. I love it.
I love Jenny's blog because she completely lives with her"balls outside of her pants." Diagnosed with cancer 6 years ago, Jenny sat down and wrote a "life list" of things that she wanted to do with her life. She battled and won her cancer battle, and then set about living her life -- work, kids, everything else that comes with it. Several years later, she realized that she hadn't accomplished much on her "life list" and changed her way of thinking. There was an amazing life to be lived! There's so much to learn!
I love watching Jenny cross items off of her "life list". Some are small (hold a bake sale with her kids) and some are really "reach for the stars" dreams (dance with Ellen DeGeneres on her show).
One of my favorite Jenny list items was to dance in front of all of the Washington Monuments. Watch this and tell me that you don't love Jenny too:
Now, that's living with your balls outside of your pants...
2. i-magicut Ribbon Cutter. I've been using a ton of ribbon (may God bless you Offray Ribbon Factory Outlet) on my projects lately and I hate sealing the ends of my ribbons so they don't fray. I tend to be a little heavy handed with the flame and end up with wonky ends. The other day I discovered a new tool to help me solve this problem! It cuts the ends perfectly (in various styles) AND SEALS THE ENDS FOR ME!
I'm feeling super creative this week, gathering inspiration wherever I can. Here are two things that might help inspire you:
1. Ali Edwards' 52 Creative Lifts Newsletter. Ali Edwards has inspired thousands of scrapbookers with her innovative scrapbooking ideas. Her December Daily album has been replicated across the country. Now, she's offering up a weekly inspiration newsletter for free. FREE PEOPLE. FREE. I was so appreciative of the most recent issue that I actually sat down and wrote her a fan letter (well, a fan e-mail). She's that cool. You can subscribe to her Creative Lifts newsletter here.
2. Becky Higgins' Project Life. I started Project Life last year as a way to preserve more memories in less time. I was initially resistant to the concept because I love traditional scrapbooking with big beautiful layouts. However, I'm only cranking out 10 - 20 layouts a year and the rest of our memories are being shoved into file folders or, worse yet, left as unprinted images on my computer. Once I started getting into the groove with Project Life, I discovered that this system can be anything you want it to be. I love this. If you are unfamiliar with Project Life, check it out here. I'll be back soon with pics of my Project Life system and how I'm making it work for me.
I am heading out of town for a girlfriend's weekend scrapping retreat, so I am in a crafty mood this week. I'm printing pics, matching papers and trying to figure out how to bring my entire studio with me. In the midst of all of this, my fellow Paper Slut Suni sent me images of some new products that I simply MUST HAVE:
1. New Jenni Bowlin Punches by Fiskars. I'm a punch whore. I don't care who knows it. I have drawers of punches and I'm happy to say that I USE THEM. These new punches by Jenni Bowlin are on trend and fresh. I can't wait to get my hands on them! Check these out:
I knowthat you can buy these wonderful punches directly from Jenni Bowlin Mercantile. If you stuble upon any of these punches at local stores, please let me know. Mama wants!!
Gasp! How have I been able to live without this die? They are currently out of stock, but expecting a new shipment in a couple of weeks. Get on the list now!! I know I will.
Hope I've enabled one or two of you. It makes me feel better when I spend your money as well as mine!
Happy New Year! I've just poured myself a fresh cup of coffee and I'm sitting down to share two things I think you just can't miss this week:
1. Season Two of Downton Abbey. Season One left us heartbroken over the Matthew/Lady Mary split and hopeful for Anna/Mr. Bates. Now we'll be able to watch the entire family (both upstairs and down) deal with war, death and love. Season Two premieres January 8th on PBS Masterpiece (check your local listings). If it is not playing near you (it doesn't appear in my local listings), you may be able to watch via your computer or iPad. If you haven't seen the first season, you will definitely want to catch up. All four episodes from Season One are available online (for free) until January 17, 2012 or via NetFlix streaming.
2. Whimsical Snow Gauge. Now that the Christmas decorations are down, things are looking a little sparse around here. I'm looking forward to a blanket of white snow to freshen things up. How cute would this be right behind my living room windows? We've had a few flurries and may get some scattered snow showers. Mama needs this beautiful wrought iron stake to pretty things up around here! Only $69 through Amazon!
Hope you have a wonderful week! The kids are finally back in school and I'm looking forward to getting some crafting done...
1. London Butter Nail Polish. My fellow paperslut Suni swears by these nail polishes, declaring that the colors are drop-dead gorgeous. You can find them at Ulta for $14/each. Suni's favorites include "Wallis" (In honor of the saucy yank who ran away with the King's heart... a tarnished olive metallic gold) and "The Old Bill" (a beautiful copper with an antique patina). I am thinking I need something like "Come To Bed Red" for the holidays.
2. Kerri Bradford's December Daily Cut Files. I've promised myself that I would do another 25 Days of December project this year. My last album was from 2008 and showcases my enormously pregnant belly. It would be nice for that baby to have her pictures in a current album. She's almost three now and starting to catch on that she isn't in any of my mini books. I am hoping to start putting my album together tonight and I would love to incorporate these beautiful cut files. While you're checking out those files, be sure to take a look at her December dailies. Love them!
Here are the top two things that grabbed my attention this week:
1. Hero Arts Thin Dies/Embossing Folders & Coordinating Stamps: Oh. My. God. WOULD YOU LOOK AT THIS? If anybody spots these in local stores, please let me know!
2. Family Fun Magazine's Create & Learn Special Issue: I discovered this the other day and was sucked in to the amazing ideas for educational activities for my kids. I subscribe to a ton of mommy craft blogs, and I rarely come across new ideas for kids. This magazine, however, is chock full of them!! Baby G. found the magazine over the weekend and immediately begged me over & over "Can we do this?" and (flipping pages) "I want to do that".
I really love the fact that for each activity, they have the "how it works" explanation for a young child. Wonderful! This special issue is $9.99 and I have seen it on the shelves at local bookstores. If you have kids, it is a must have.
I've been too busy cleaning out my basement to blog hop & Pinterest surf this week. Tragic, I know...
So I tapped my best gal pal Suni to come up with two things that caught her eye this week:
1. Dienamics Dies From My Favorite Things. New to me, these steel dies are similar to those from Papertrey Ink (which I love). They will fit in your Cuttlebug or Big Shot.
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