Celebrating a Little Late

So I finally got around to scrapping my little sister’s wedding.  It only took me 3 years!


Mr. & Mrs.

I made this muslin flower myself.  I used this Tim Holtz die to cut some scrap muslin, tacked the flower layers together with a couple of stitches, then sprayed it with Chalkboard glimmer mist and my own handmade mist.  I was inspired by Pink Paislee’s new mistables line.

American Crafts cardstock
Cosmo Cricket patterned paper – Everafter
Crate Paper Restoration – Doilies
My Minds Eye Lost & Found paper - Madison Ave Sisters, Union Square Perfect
October Afternoon Farm Fresh label sticker
My Minds Eye Stella and Rose – brads , label stickers
Making Memories metal charm
Ranger Perfect pearls – pearl , bronze
Joann’s stick pins
Tattered Angels Chalkboard glimmer mist - banana pudding

{Greek}ed Out

Do you love Greek food?  I love Greek food.  I’ve mentioned before that Mark and I might be considered “foodies” by some.  But Greek might just be our favorite. Ahh, the spanikopita and the loukamadas and the dolmades and the baklava.  MMMMmmm, baklava.
We are lucky to live in an area with a large Greek population, and every year in the fall they hold Greekfest.  We look forward to this weekend in November like kids look forward to Christmas.  Last year, we hit a record and went to the ‘fest 4 times over the three days its open.  This year, we’re gonna try for 5.  Heck, maybe we’ll set up a camper in the parking lot!

{Greek}ed Out
 

 

Sketch Support Two Page sketch #12
American Crafts – Cardstock, Remarks
Echo Park patterned paper, stickers - For the Record (Table Cloth, Noteworthy, Elements, Fabric Store, Apron Strings)
Martha Stewart Rain Drop punch
K & Co transparency
Joann’s straight pins
Doodlebug Sugar Coating glitter
Cosmo Cricket Ready Set Chip Alphabet  Blue Line
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Weathered Wood
Glossy Accents

The Beer Lovers

My husband has become a beer snob.  And worse, all of his friends are too.  I;m subjected to intense beer discussions.  I prefer red wine, or a good gin and Bombay Sapphire, though I am not opposed to something with an umbrella and fruit.  They belong to a beer club, for God’s sake!
Mark doesn’t brew his own, but a couple of friends do. So we ventured down the road to the Pensacola Beer Festival to support the local home-brew club.  I even had a couple.
All About the Beer




Sketch: 2 page sketch #12 from Sketch Support.
Patterned Paper: My Minds Eye, Sticker letters: Cosmo Cricket, letters: Tim Holtz Grungeboard, Sticker and cardstock sticker: My Minds Eye, Label Sticker: Studio Calico, Sticker: Jolee’s Boutique, Journaling Card: Elle’s Studio
Stamp: Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday

My “Can’t Live Without These” Stamps

If you didn’t already know, Ali Edwards designs stamps for Technique Tuesday.  Along with stamps for the regular line, there are limited edition stamps for the monthly kit club.  The club runs about $20 including shipping, and its been totally worth it.  My first 6 months are up, and I’ll be renewing.  The stamps are so cute and versatile that I even tracked down some of the prior month’s sets.

I’ve been using the stamps on a lot of layouts, and I used them to make my sister’s birthday card.  Yes, that’s pink glitter cardstock!

Whatever Happened to Accountability Wednesday?

Travelling for work got my whole routine out of whack. I totally forgot about my Accountability Wednesday posts.  Not that there's much to post.  I joined SparkPeople and I'm really liking being about to see calories in and calories out, but it doesn't seem to be helping much.  I just keep gaining and losing the same 2 lbs., but at least I know now that I'm not taking in 7000 calories a week that it would take to gain 2 lbs.  I guess I need to restrict my calorie intake more than SparkPeople suggests.  Right now I'm eating between 1400 and 1550 calories/day, and burning about 600 a week.  My doctor suggested cutting back to 1000 calories/day, and burning 1200 per week at least.  I don't really have time for 30 minutes of cardio 6 times a week like she suggested, but I can bump up my cardio some.

Any thoughts on the calorie intake?  Any experts out there that want to give me some advice?  I think 1000/day is kind of low, I was thinking somewhere around 1200, but I'm willing to do it if it means finally getting the scale to budge.  Sigh, I didn't have this problem the first time on Weight Watchers.

Weight today: 140.4 lbs. (+2 lb)
Obstacles: Really bad week all around, but I didn't seek out comfort food, except for the one froyo.

Upcoming obstacles: Anniversary dinner on Saturday

I think we are what you call “foodies”

We stalk The Food Network.  We plan trips around a restaurant Anthony Bourdain has been to on his show.  We fit in as many feedings into a trip as we can.  Are we foodies?  Take New Orleans, for example.  We don’t really like going there, but, since its the closest major city, we end up there a lot for various reasons.  How do we stand it?  Three things:
Mother’s (crawfish etouffee [eh-too-fay] and debris [day-bree] sandwiches),

Cafe du Monde (begneits  [ben-yays]),


and The Gumbo Shop, for gumbo and french bread.


It’s Why We Go

Shimelle Laine’s Border Between the Photos challenge
Patterned Paper: October Afternoon; Felt Letters: American Crafts; Sticker letters: Making Memories

Missing How Things Used to Be

I was a very lucky girl growing up.  My family owned a small cottage at the beach, where I spend pretty much every weekend and all summer.  But I didn’t know how lucky I was.  You see, I just thought it was the normal thing to do: pack up every Friday after Mr. Rogers and go for a 2 hour drive, to spend the weekend playing in the sand and never changing out of my bathing suit.  To scoop up crabs and catch shrimp and boil them that night for dinner the next.
But time and age took its toll, and the house took many beatings from hurricanes.  Beach houses, even small, 1 bathroom cottages, are expensive to fix and to keep.  So it was sold.  And with it went an innocent, simple time before tremendous coastal development where we were the only ones for miles on the beach.  Beach houses involve a very different way of life now.

The Beach House



Patterned Paper: Basic Grey, Cosmo Cricket, Fancy Pants, Target Dollar Spot; Stickers: Crate Paper; Fabric Flowers: Prima; Paper flowers: Making Memories, Prima; Chipboard Letters: Miss Elizabeth’s, American Crafts; Sticker letters: Cosmo Cricket; Bird charm: Tim Holtz; Word sticker: K & Company; Buttons: Jenni Bowlin; Pearls: Kaisercraft; Tattered Angels Chalkboard Glimmer Mist; Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday stamps; Versamagic and Rubber Stampede inks.

Hippo Happens

I used the May 6 sketch from Your Scrapbook Stash.
 




Patterned Paper: Sassafrass, Sticker Letters: Scenic Route
Stamp: Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday

The Yellow Cardinal

Growing up, my dad loved to feed the birds in our back yard.  He had special seeds and feeders to attract different breeds.  We never imagined he’d attract a bird that looked just like a male cardinal, except it was bright yellow!  I wish I had better pictures of this bird, because nobody believes me when I tell them about it!

I made this layout for the May with May class at Big Picture Classes.

Yellow Cardinal

I really wanted to repeat the bird motif in the lower right of the layout, but I only had 2 of the chipboard shapes.  So I masked off the other openings on the chipboard sheet I punched the birds from, and used it as a mask for Glimmer Mist.  I wish now I had flipped the chipboard so it faced the title, but oh well.


Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee, Jillibean Soup; Tape and Rub-on: 7gyspies; Rub-on and flowers: K & Company; Brad: My Minds Eye; Thickers and letter stickers: American Crafts; Journaling Card: Elle’s Studio; Chipboard shapes: Scenic Route; Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist; Martha Stewart glitter; Unity Stamp; Versamark and Tim Holtz distress inks

Mystic Seaport – More Digging into the Old Photo File

A long long time ago I went to a conference in Mystic, Connecticut.  Yes, the same one from the movie Mystic Pizza.  It’s a really cute town, and I recommend visiting if you’re up that way.

Being a traditional fishing village in the heart of New England, they have a Seaport you can visit to see what a traditional fishing village in the heart of New England looks like.  If you like boats, especially wooden ones, this is the place for you!
 

 
Mystic Seaport
Cardstock: American Crafts, Patterned Paper: American Crafts, Scenic Route, Stickers: October Afternoon, Tim Holtz Grungeboard, Chipboard letters – Miss Elizabeth’s.  And yes, the circles are canvas, cut with my Cuttlebug and Nestabilities.