Adventures in the Life of LeJess

Changing Direction

2011-05-09T16:19:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have wondered why I stopped posting on this blog. I am now devoting all of my efforts to my new blog, Fairytale Frosting. In addition to scrapbooking, I found a love for cake and cookie decorating. I thought I could maintain the two blogs, but after awhile I realized that's exhausting!!

I decided one blog would be best, so now I blog about my baking adventures, cooking, crafting, home decor and yes, scrapbooking.

I hope you'll join me at Fairytale Frosting!

Thank you for your love and support!

The Grand Finale!

2011-01-15T18:54:00.002-06:00

January 10 2011
David holding up the birthday gifts he got from my parents.

January 11 2011
Me and David out celebrating his birthday.

January 12 2011
Winter "One-derland" cupcake toppers for a client who's son is turning 1.

January 13 2011
Pink and green owl cookies for a client who was throwing her daughter an owl themed birthday party.

January 14 2011
I tried another Pioneer Woman recipe....Chicken Tortilla Soup=Deeeelicious!!

January 15 2011
Today completes my 365 day photo challenge. Thanks for following along. This challenge has been so rewarding, I've learned a lot about photography, I enjoy taking pictures more than I ever did before, and I highly recommend everyone to try this challenge. You won't regret it!

30th Birthdays and a Citation

2011-01-14T22:36:00.002-06:00

January 2 2011
Sookie chillin on the comforter while I remake our bed.

January 3 2011
I'm teaching Caesar to walk on the treadmill. He's got a lot of energy but its too cold to take him for long walks. So far, its going pretty good.

January 4 2011
Ham and scalloped potatoes for dinner. Yum!

January 5 2011
Busting out the new silverware my bro gave us for Christmas.

January 6 2011
Walking through Borders, I spotted this book cover and it made me laugh.

January 7 2011
Heather and I at Beaujo Wine Bar celebrating her 30th birthday.

January 8 2011
Nikki and I riding the "Redneck Express" for her 30th birthday.

January 9 2011
Yep, I got a speeding ticket. My first ticket in YEARS. I was doing 72 in a 65. The cop who pulled me over said he clocked me at 84. Then he wrote me a ticket for doing 78. Special. Whats even better....the ticket doesn't say how much it is. I have to wait 10 days and then can log onto a website to find out. I called the county and they wouldn't tell me how much it was either. They told me just had to sit tight and wait the 10 days. How lame is that?!

Ending and Beginning

2011-01-14T21:50:00.002-06:00

December 26 2010
Where I spent my entire day after the holiday weekend.

December 27 2010
I am approaching my 30th birthday. I saw this cool collage that a husband made for his wife's 30th. It was a collage of random 30's. I thought "hey I'm going to do that for my birthday!" So I wandered around the house looking for something with a 30 on it. This is all I could come up with. This idea was harder than I thought!

December 28 2010
We decided to let Sookie's fur grow out. I bought her a little clip to keep it out of her eyes.

December 29 2010
I spent my evening babysitting this little guy! Isaac is such a flirt!

December 30 2010
My "work spouse" Mike (middle) came back for a visit. He moved to California earlier this year. We went to Crave for Happy Hour.

December 31 2010
David and I, last photo of 2010! Ending the year with one of my favorite people.......

January 1 2011
First photo of 2011....Sookie and Caesar, starting the year with two more of my favorite "people".
Only 2 more weeks to go until I complete the 365 challenge!

Doggie Race Track, Return of the King and Christmas Penguins

2011-01-14T21:18:00.003-06:00

Surprise, surprise, I fell behind on posting pictures again!

December 18 2010
David plowed a "track" around the yard, and Caesar likes to run around it.

December 19 2010
Two pups, chillin on my lap.

December 20 2010
Elvis cookies, 2.0 If you saw my first attempt at Elvis, these are a vast improvement!

December 21 2010
Medtronic logo cookies for David to take to his work holiday party.

December 22 2010
See how excited Sookie is about the snow?

December 23 2010
Today was my co-worker Kevin's last day. Kevin and I have worked together for over 5 years. I am sad that he had to go, but happy for him finding new and better opportunities!

December 24 2010
My brother couldnt be with us on Christmas Eve so we did video chat with him.

December 25 2010
I wanted to make something fun and whimsical for Christmas dinner, so I made a penguin appetizer! How fun are these guys?

Favorite things, Post-its and a Photo Booth

2011-01-01T22:48:00.002-06:00

December 12 2010
This is one of my favorite ornaments. It reminds me of tartan, which reminds me of Scotland. And I miss it there.

December 13 2010
Caesar loved the space heater. He just parked right in front of it, enjoying the warmth.

December 14 2010
This is my butterfly brooch. I love this brooch. Its actually a replica of one Arwen wore in the Lord of the Rings.

December 15 2010
These post-its covered this guy's locker. At first I thought it was sweet, and then I realized it was a little creepy.

December 16 2010
This was on a piece of equipment in the hangar at work. It made me laugh.

December 17 2010
My friend Heather and I using the holiday photo booth! At my recent holiday party I created a "photo booth" in our office, for guests of the party to take some fun photos!

Holiday Fun, Bag Room and a Snow Storm!

2010-12-15T23:51:00.004-06:00

December 5 2010

Finally! My Christmas tree is up. I'm usually a day after Thanksgiving kind of girl, but my week was so hectic I didnt get it put up right away.

December 6 2010

St Nick came to visit my puppies!

December 7 2010

Heather and I took a Holiday Candy Making class at Whole Foods!

December 8 2010

This is one of the bagrooms at MSP. I am working some overtime on a special project. I am working 3rd shift hours/12 hour days. I spend 8-9 hours a day sitting on a conveyor belt like this one. Good times.

December 9 2010

Today we moved to another part of the bag room. I basically get to spend my nights watching these guys work. I am escorting these technicians in secured parts of the airport. So I have to be with them at all times. Its easy money, but really really long nights.

December 10 2010
The snow is sure coming down.....this is what it looked like in the middle of night when I let the dogs out.....

December 11 2010

And this is what it looked like the following evening. We got over 17 inches of snow!! It is the worst snowstorm in over a decade! Of course we didnt have a snowblower either. David sure did a lot of shoveling!

Doggie Messes and Bad Wine

2010-12-15T23:28:00.003-06:00

November 28 2010

(End of Thankful Week)
I am thankful for David! My life is so much better because of him (awww!)

November 29 2010

This is the dry erase board in my cube. One of the supervisors had to use my computer. I ran out of filing so I decided to create some artwork.

November 30 2010

Bath time for Sookie!

December 1 2010

I seriously need to create a collage of all of the messes Caesar makes. This time he ripped apart Sookie's bed. He's done it before and I've sewn it up. This time it was not salvageable. Looks like someone needs a new bed.

December 2 2010

So cute napping together.

December 3 2010

Its snowing!

December 4 2010

I actually didn't mean for this to be my photo of the day. I took this photo to remember the wine we had during my recent wine tasting party. Well the day got away from me and it turns out this was the only photo I took.
Note: This wine was not good. Blek!

Chapstick, Cookie Towers, and Thankful Week!

2010-12-05T04:01:00.003-06:00

November 17 2010
I am having a hard time finding my favorite chapstick. I read that this stuff, EOS, is the best chapstick you'll ever use, so I thought I'd try it. It is pretty much amazing. The only draw back is the shape. You cant carry it in your pocket and that drives me nuts.

November 18 2010
David and I at the Harry Potter 7 Part 1 midnight showing! I love HP!

November 19 2010
Remember that gingerbread photo? This is what I was working on....a gingerbread Eiffel Tower!

November 20 2010
I had a French Wine Tasting party, which is what I made the gingerbread Eiffel Tower for. I took a lot of photos that night, but this one was my favorite. Me getting kisses from both pups.

November 21 2010
This is the start of "Thankful Week". I am thankful for my purple fuzzy blanket. Its the best to snuggle with!

November 22 2010
Spa Day at Aveda! I am thankful for being able to take time out and treat myself to something nice. Especially after all of the stress in recent months.

November 23 2010
I am thankful for my dogs. I never knew how much I could love them. Or how much they could change my life. My life is so much fuller with them in it!

November 24 2010
I am thankful for my hair. So much so, I decided to donate it to Locks Of Love. Its an organization that makes wigs for children with cancer. I love love love my long hair but it was a length that I could donate so I decided to go for it.

November 25 2010
I am thankful for having enough food, and being able to share it with loved ones!

November 26 2010
OK so this isnt really a "thankful" photo. I took several photos, but most were of cookie inspiration. So, for this one, I am thankful for my friend lending me her cookie book to inspire me!

November 27 2010
I am thankful for my awesome friends! I spent the weekend scrapbooking with some of my favorite people!

Mini tree, Mini person, and Caesar's First Snow

2010-12-05T03:44:00.003-06:00

What can I say? Im just not good at keeping up with the photo postings! So in an effort to catch up, I'll post all of the photos I have uploaded to date. However, I'll do them over a few posts so they don't take forever to load!

November 9 2010
This is my mini Christmas tree. A coworker found them at Target and I had to have one too. Yay Christmas!

November 10 2010
I was experimenting with the black and white setting on my camera, and loved how this one turned out. Ominous, yes, but I like it anyway.

November 11 2010
This is my friend Kelly's baby, Issac. I mean, how can you not love this face?

November 12 2010
This was from a catalog I received in the mail. Its dedicated to all of my ELS people.

November 13 2010
First snow of the season...but also Caesar's first snow ever! David kept throwing snowballs and having him "fetch" them. It was hilarious to watch.

November 14 2010
Sneak peek of a princess cake I did. This was a challenging order. Several children had allergies, all different of course, so I had to make many different kinds of cupcakes to accommodate them. I learned a lot about having allergies!

November 15 2010
Sneak peek at a gingerbread structure I'll be making!

November 16 2010
Sookie all snuggled up in a blanket on the couch. How cute is that?!

Old Friends, RAK, and a Power Outage

2010-11-19T10:41:00.003-06:00

I'm still catching up on my 365 posts, but at least I'm now posting for the proper month!
November 1 2010
Recently my company was involved in a lawsuit that I had to testify in. Rob (pictured here with me) was also in this court case, for the company suing us. Rob and I had remained friends after our companies parted ways. We couldn't talk during the trial but after it was all over we got together for drinks to laugh at how weird the situation was!

November 2 2010
This was a sneak peek at some cookies I did for a girl's birthday. She loved Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, make-up, sparkly things and basically all things girlie. You can see the full collection here.

November 3 2010
We had a scheduled power-outage for some maintenance. The electricians rang huge extension cords through our office to keep some lamps on, computers and phones. It was actually kind of soothing to work in a dark office all day.

November 4 2010
RAK: Random Act of Kindness. Today I got this gift package in the mail from a dear friend of mine back in Wisconsin. She got me addicted to Alterra coffee and this vidalia onion sauce. This sauce, is, oh my, I mean, crack it open and drink the stuff straight up good! It made my whole week to get this in the mail!

November 5 2010
Another sneak peek at some baby shower cupcakes I did. It was a jungle theme, but in pastel colors. This little giraffe was my favorite. You can see the whole collection here.

November 6 2010
My friend Kelly and I went out for dinner, which lead to a late night happy hour. The place we were at had a variety of odd combination cocktails so we gave them a shot. Kelly had a blackberry poblano pepper margaria and I had a pineapple basil cocktail.
Blackberry Poblano=really gross. Almost like a fruity bloody mary. And not in a good way.
Pineapple Basil=AMAZING. Who knew that basil would be good in a drink?

November 7 2010
I laughed when I saw Caesar sleeping like this. That cant be all that comfortable.

November 8 2010
I busted Sookie trying to steal my dinner.

Thats all for this week!

Kitchen Makeover and Star Wars Dogs

2010-11-10T19:09:00.004-06:00

October 21 2010
I had to appear in court today for my company's trial. This was a random lounge I walked through while winding through the maze that is the Minneapolis Skyway.

October 22 2010
My kitchen....BEFORE.

October 23 2010
Its October and flowers are still blooming in my garden!

October 24 2010
My kitchen....AFTER! My parents came to visit and installed new cabinets for me. We never really used the table that was in the corner, and I was running out of storage space.

October 25 2010
Everyone always makes comment about how weird Caesar's feet are. I thought I'd take a photo of him from an angle that showed just how strange they really are!

October 26 2010
A close up view of my new kitchen storage!

October 27 2010
Mike (my work spouse) and me on his very last day of work. *sniffle*

October 28 2010
I got to ride along in a 747 today! The aircraft maintenance mechanics let me ride along on one of their checks. I only had my cell phone though, so the photo isn't the greatest.

October 29 2010
Cream cheese pumpkin roll=AMAZING.

October 30 2010
I attempted to make Sookie and Caesar, Ewok and Yoda. Caesar is actually dyed green. However it faded really quickly so you can hardly tell in this photo. Oh well, I tried.

October 31 2010
My pumpkins! I carved these three designs, and love them!!

Whew! Well that catches me up on October! Up next, November!

Hardwood Floors, City Views, and Mike on a Stick!

2010-11-09T18:30:00.003-06:00

Today is day 2 of playing catch up on my 365....
Here is the next set!

October 13 2010

Remember how Caesar ate the hallway carpet? Well it turns out it was hardwood floor and looks awesome!!

October 14 2010
Making spiced apple cider! YUM! It makes my house smell wonderful!

October 15 2010
This is a view of St Paul from the Wells Fargo building. My company was involved in a lawsuit and I had to be part of the trial. I met with our company's lawyers in this office, with this amazing view!

October 16 2010
I went on a Photo Safari in downtown Minneapolis. We walked around for 4 hours with professional photographers who taught us new tricks. This was one of my favorite shots. I especially love the reflections!

October 17 2010
I know its blurry, but I just love this photo of Sookie and her little grin. Don't you want to squeeze her?!

October 18 2010
This is my double wreath that I made just for the Autumn season.

October 19 2010
I took this one with my cell phone. I came into the room and saw Caesar and pulled his bed and Sookie's bed together to make himself one big bed. Think he's trying to tell me something?

October 20 2010

The final farewell to my work spouse, Mike. I'm really going to miss working with him.
That's all for catch up part II!

Oops! I'm Really Behind!

2010-11-07T21:12:00.002-06:00

So much for keeping up on my photo posts! Over the next few days I'll get myself caught up....this way you arent bombarded with one big giant photo post.
Sooo....here is where I left off...
October 8 2010

This is a going away party for my "work spouse" Mike (white shirt next to me). He has been my best friend at work, and is transferring out to California.

October 9 2010

My friend Heather and I attended the Minneapolis Zombie Pub Crawl. It was this crazy night of zombies and yelling about brains!

October 10 2010

I have been waiting all season for my morning glory to bloom and here it is!

October 11 2010

Awww! My pups napping together. So cute.

October 12 2010

Sookie turned 2 years old! This is her enjoying her birthday "pupcake"!

The Dog Ate What?

2010-10-07T21:04:00.004-05:00

September 27 2010

I got something in the mail from my sister. I noticed this stamp and had to chuckle. My sister's name is Lisa Simonson. Heh heh. Love it.

September 28 2010

I made Cars cupcakes for a 3 year old's birthday. Sadly, this was the only photo that turns out.

September 29 2010

I had a particularly tough day at work, so when I came home, I laid down under the tree in my backyard to enjoy the nice weather and take a few minutes to myself. I took this photo while relaxing there.

September 30 2010

Since my sister moved back home, I realized how much time I really spent with her, and how few friends I really have. So I joined a group, Hip Chicks, on Meetup.com. I got the courage to attend one of their events. It was a demonstrative dinner at the Thai restaurant Sawatdee. Supenn the owner, walked us through a 3 course meal and how to recreate it at home. I met some fun ladies and ate some awesome Thai food (also a first for me!).

October 1 2010

It may be the start of fall, but this plant is in full bloom in my front yard. Love it!

October 2 2010

I've recently redone my bathroom and am looking to create some art for the walls. This was a photo I took and edited. I'm not sure if it will make the final cut, but I do kind of like it.

October 3 2010

In recent weeks, its come up a few times that I was the Cedarburg Strawberry Princess back when I was little. To prove it, I photographed the newspaper clipping. Here I am, in my Strawberry Shortcake glory....1987.

October 4 2010

The last harvest of the season.

October 5 2010

For fun, I made some Jack Skeleton Oreo Pops!! You can check out my post on these guys here.

October 6 2010

I'm taking a community education class here at the Winnetka Learning Center.

October 7 2010

This is a photo of my destroyed hallway. Yep. My dog ate the carpet. We have been leaving our dogs out of their kennels in small increments of time when we aren't home. We restrict their access to the kitchen and this hallway. Normally they do really well. In this last week, Caesar, my big dog, destroyed his bed. Now, he destroyed our carpet. He was doing great during the last 2 months. I suspect its a combination of leaving him out for too long, too soon, and not having enough toys to keep him busy. Needless to say, this was the whipped cream on my sundae today!

Boy thats a lot of cookies!

2010-09-26T21:33:00.005-05:00

September 6 2010

This is a little tin man that is in the Shingle Creek Community Garden.

September 7 2010

Harvest from my garden and fresh baked zucchini bread.

September 8 2010

Brand new dishes! I reached my 5 year anniversary at work. I got to pick out an item of my choice from a gift catalog, so I decided to get us new dishes.

September 9 2010

You know its fall when I have to bust out my blankets....this is Sookie's favorite blanket and she wasted no time getting snuggled in.

September 10 2010

Sookie fell asleep like this on top of the couch. How cute is that?

September 11 2010

I saw these at Target and took a photo to remember later. They inspired a project I hope to do soon.

September 12 2010

A view of the art fair at Centennial Lakes. All local artists selling their work. It was pretty cool to see and really inspiring for new projects!

September 13 2010

A shot of my messy kitchen. Let the excessive baking begin!

September 14 2010

Working on decorating cookies. Chaos, its how I work.

September 15 2010

A flower in my garden.

September 16 2010

A new friend in my garden.

September 17 2010

It has arrived!! I pre-ordered Bakerella's new book. I love her blog and cant wait to master cake pops....they are harder than they look!

September 18 2010

I went on a themed pub crawl. The theme was "Incognito, come as you are not". We were asked to dress in black, wigs, and accessories. I chose to go in this black wig. It was a huge hit and super fun to don an alter ego.

September 19 2010

These are the cookies I have been working on. That's a 6 foot table. A total of 190 cookies.

September 20 2010

Progress! The pear cookies are finished!

September 21 2010

160 cookies were from my "Perfect Pear" collection. I sent 80 pairs of pears to a wedding in Las Vegas. I sent the bride and groom this little thank you gift. Its a bride and groom "pear" and a paint chip cake card. That card is actually the first form of scrapbooking I've done in months. I really miss it! Wish I had more time. =(

September 22 2010

Another flower from my garden.

September 23 2010

A coworker gave me a small vase of flowers from the plant on her desk. They are so cool looking! For the longest time I thought that plant was fake!

September 24 2010

Its officially fall! I had to buy some pumpkins! I cant wait to carve these!

September 25 2010

Homemade Candied Apples. I made these for my Autumn Harvest party.

September 26 2010

Some of the autumn decor in my house.
Thanks for checking out another update of my 365!

Gaga for Cakes!

2010-09-06T10:28:00.004-05:00

Here I am making a whole hearted effort to stay on top of posting my 365 photos. Shall we check out the latest?
August 26 2010

I find inspiration all over for new craft projects. This brought about some ideas for an upcoming French themed party I'll be having.

August 27 2010

Sookie is trying to escape our backyard by crawling under the gate. This is as far as she can get though!

August 28 2010

I have no idea what this weird fruit (or veggie?) is at the Farmer's Market, but it looked cool.

August 29 2010

Sneak peek at a cake I did for a little girl's birthday party.

August 30 2010

Me and my doggies. Also, a sneak peek at my August party as part of my blogging party challenge over at my other blog Fairytale Frosting.

August 31 2010

At the Lady Gaga show at the St Paul Xcel Energy Center. Best. Concert. Ever. Seriously.

September 1 2010

Hanging with my girl Jorden who was visiting from Port Washington. She is an amazing makeup artist and works for MAC Cosmetics. Luckily, MAC sent her to Minneapolis for some training so we got to hang out!

September 2 2010

Baking loads of cakes for the Penkwitz-Rokus Wedding.

September 3 2010

On my way to Port Washington for the Penkwitz wedding, I stopped off to meet my old roommate Amy, for lunch. Amy was my roommate waaaaaay back in 2001 when we lived in Scotland. She also brought her Scottish hubby, Louie who I haven't seen in years either. Loved hanging with these two and loved hearing the Scottish accent! Miss these guys!

September 4 2010

Me and the Groom, Brett. I did the wedding cake for them, my first ever. Huge success! Head over to my other blog for details on the cake!

September 5 2010

The drive back to MN was a long one. To entertain myself I took photos along the way. This makes me think of the movie War of the Worlds. These windmills look like creepy alien vessels or something. It really freaks me out.

So that's this week's post. It was a crazy busy week, but everything turned out awesome!

Full of Sneak Peeks!

2010-08-25T21:51:00.006-05:00

*Gasp!* I may actually get caught up on my 365 postings right now!!

August 25 2010

Sneak peek at a dish I made with green tomatoes!

August 24 2010

David rollerblading with Caesar. I personally think he was nuts to do that. Caesar dragged him all over the place!

August 23 2010

Yep, another sneak peek at some cookies I did for a special event.

August 22, 2010

I'm on a boat!!! With my flippy floppies! YESSS!!
This was a wine tasting cruise that I went on with some friends.
(From Left: John, Anna, Me, Rick, and Heather)

August 21 2010

OOOOhhhh another sneak peak! Cookies? Or mushrooms?

August 20 2010

Another sneak peek! (Sensing a theme here?)

August 19 2010

Fairytale Frosting was featured at the Walker Art Center's Local Artist Mart! Check out the full post here.

August 18 2010

Surprise! Another sneak peek! This is one of the many many cookies I did for the Walker Artis Mart!

August 17 2010

Baby Shower Cupcakes!

August 16 2010

This is the "before" of the baby shower cupcakes.

August 15 2010

My new mission: Visit every local bakery in the Twin Cities. Starting with The Sweet Retreat! YUM!

August 14 2010

Today's harvest from my garden.

August 13 2010

My brother was home on leave from the Navy so we went out to party!
(from the left: My brother Chris, Sister Lisa, Me and Friend Heather)

August 12 2010

One final sneak peek at cookies I was working on for the Walker Artist Mart.
FINALLY! I'm caught up. Hope you enjoyed it!

YIKES!

2010-08-20T23:11:00.003-05:00

Yikes!! I have been very neglectful of this blog! My life lately has been consumed with my Fairytale Frosting Blog/Business. I haven't had much time to scrapbook (which I miss!!) and I've fallen behind on posting for my 365. Not to worry, I have been taking photos every day. This is going to be a really photo heavy post---sorry!---and it doesn't even catch me up! Over the next few days I'll get up to date with the photos. For now...lets play catch up!
August 11, 2010

My brother was home on leave from the Navy. Here is my whole family out to dinner at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar. They had deep fried twinkies!!! YUM.

August 10, 2010

It was National Smore Day! David brought in his little blow torch (it was raining outside) and made me a couple of smores! Again....YUM!!

August 9 2010

Today's harvest from my garden!

August 8, 2010

Fairytale Frosting joins facebook! Become a fan!! Click LIKE right now!

August 7, 2010

I am currently reading Eat, Pray, Love. I was inspired by her journey through Italy so I made myself an amazing pasta dish and had dinner al fresco in my backyard.

August 6 2010

I was washing out this bottle and it filled with bubbles. I had no point to this photo other than it looked cool.

August 5, 2010

Sookie and Caesar, the newest Petco Puppy Training Graduates!!

August 4, 2010

Save the Date Cookie samples!

August 3, 2010

I drive the white car. You cant really tell from this photo but this is the front row of parking at work. I parked in the front row 2 days in a row. Sometimes its the little things in life that make you happy.

August 2, 2010

Smore Cupcakes! I made these for our National Night Out Block Party. Want to make them yourself? Check out my tutorial here.

August 1, 2010

I was weeding my garden when I came across this mushroom on steroids! This guy was huge! I had to photograph it!

July 31, 2010

My best friend Kelly is expecting her first baby in September. I did a dessert buffet for her baby shower. Check out all the details here. (Why yes, that was another shameless plug to check out my Fairytale Frosting blog!)

July 30, 2010

While prepping for the Culver dessert buffet, I snapped this photo. It will be part of a tutorial on...you guessed it....Fairytale Frosting!

July 29, 2010

My poor Caesar was sick again. He couldn't keep any food down for hours. Here he is, looking sad. Poor baby!

July 28,2010

Remember my photo of the storm coming in on my last post? This is what I woke up to in the morning.

More updates to come!

Wine, Weird, and WTF?

2010-07-27T20:08:00.006-05:00

July 13 2010

Heather and I went shopping at the mall, and I decided to make a collage of our trip.
Upper Left: Heather and I wearing the awesomest tank tops ever.
Upper Right: How often do you really see a topless mannequin?
Lower Left: Why would you set up a mannequin to look like its "droppin it like its hot?"
Lower Middle: The cool crystal chandelier display
Lower Right: "Shop the Box" heh heh heh.

July 14 2010

Sneak peak at an upcoming craft project!

July 15 2010

Caesar and Sookie were sick, so I was feeding them white rice....which they love. Look closely, see Caesar's bowl by the chair leg? He pushed it across the room while eating. In this picture, he is licking the wall because he splatter rice all over it.

July 16 2010

Me, my sister Lisa and friend Heather after a visit to the Cedar Creek Winery. The woman working completely insulted our home town and basically called us all alcoholics. Umm...hello? You work in a winery!

July 17 2010

At home for Fish Day. The picture of this man in a woman's tank top, kind of sums up the odd day we had. People watching...gotta love it.

July 18 2010

I caught a monarch in my garden!

July 19 2010

I crawled into bed and realized I hadn't taken a photo of the day. My camera was on the charger, which is next to the night stand. Obviously subject of choice....David.

July 20 2010

I had the most awful day at work. Then I came home to this. Caesar got out of his kennel. The damage lost: 3 wire hangers, countless clothes pins and a box of kleenex. David literally brought the rake in the house to clean this up.

July 21 2010

Three peas in a pod, being lazy bums on the couch.

July 22 2010

The ELS Eliminators!! This was my work Relay for Life team...well, the morning group anyway. We raised almost $800 for cancer research!

July 23 2010

I experimented with my camera...a glass of water...and a flower from my yard. Pretty cool huh?

July 24 2010

Me, playing with the creepy headless shrimp at Solera. Which I should mention was one of the worst service experiences I've had in a long time.

July 25 2010

Hello Kitty Cupcakes! My friend Jackie ordered a dozen for her birthday. Happy Birthday Jackie!

July 26 2010

I've been meaning to read this book for awhile now. I saw the movie trailer starting Julie Roberts (one of my all time fav actresses) and I figured I had better get on reading it!

July 27 2010

I don't think I've ever seen clouds move in a straight line across the sky. This storm is about to get ugly!!

Geez! What Happened To July?!

2010-07-12T22:34:00.013-05:00

Wow! I can't believe its the middle of July already? Where is the summer going?! Time to get caught up on my 365 photos!
July 2 2010

This is a picture of one of my hanging baskets. The morning light was filtering through the leaves I had to take this photo. I love how it turned out!

July 3 2o10

Oh look, I made a friend. Lady bug.

July 4 2010

My little Sookie all decked out for the holiday! Happy 4th of July!

July 5 2010

My sister and I out with some friends at Chino Latino, enjoying "Donkey Punch" YUM!

July 6 2010

Peanut butter frosting.....excuse my drool. Want to make it? Check out today's post at Fairytale Frosting

July 7 2010

My commute is never boring. Here is a guy hauling a giant gum ball machine. Too bad the top of it was open, and it started to rain. Ewww....sticky wet gum balls. Blek!

July 8 2010

Wild flowers at North Mississippi Regional Park.

July 9 2010

A sneak peak at an upcoming event!

July 10 2010

This is Victor's 1959 Cafe A few of us went there for dinner. Its this tiny, hole in the wall place with the most amazing Cuban food you will ever eat! It was heaven on a plate!

July 11 2010

I love cinnamon waffles. There has been some issue recently with the frozen waffle companies and for months flavors like cinnamon were not in production. They are back, and I am in heaven! Oh, and yes, my fruit is on a separate plate. I don't like my food to touch.

July 12 2010

Clearly I do not have enough hobbies, so I went to Joann's for a Sewing 101 class. Good times!

Puppies, Parties, and Couch to 5k!

2010-07-01T22:17:00.010-05:00

June 23 2010

This is Armani. This little one lives with my sister and her roommate. I couldn't help but take a picture. Such a cutie!

June 24 2010

This is my Caesar cruising around with his favorite, giant bone. It just cracks me up that he wanders around with that huge thing!

June 25 2010

I saw a similar photo online. I was inspired so I made David pose with me. We are each holding a clover leaf!

June 26 2010

This is the dessert table I created for my evening garden party, Enter Eden. If you haven't become a follower of my other blog, please check it out!

June 27 2010

This is Sookie giving me kisses!

June 28 2010

So I am at the doctor's office. They doc is running behind so I waited for nearly 20 minutes. I was in the waiting room with this woman. She had extremely creepy feet and fingernails, I couldn't stop staring. However, suddenly she opens her purse and pulls out a piece of candy. She eats it and drops the wrapper on the floor. Next thing I know she is pulling out a snack bar, and then one of those cheese and cracker packs, the list goes on and on. She just kept eating and dropping all of the garbage on the floor! People are so weird!

June 29 2010

My "Dinner Plate" Dahlia is starting to bloom!

June 30 2010

This is David sucking ketchup from a packet. We went to dinner and he would put a few fries in his mouth and then suck the ketchup out of the packet. I thought that was the grossest thing. Yum...mouth full of ketchup!

July 1 2010

These are my running shoes. I'm about to start on the Couch to 5k Plan, Week 5. According to the message boards about it, Week 5 is when most people give up, so I had to make note of me starting this week. 4 more weeks to go!

Tons and Tons of Photos!

2010-06-22T17:47:00.014-05:00

WOW!! I had no idea I was so far behind in my 365 posts! A friend commented on my Facebook page today about how I hadn't posted in awhile. Good thing someone is keeping me on my toes! Check out what I've been up to! (Brace yourself, there are a TON of photos in this post!)
June 9 2010

This is me and my co-worker John. He has been a fire fighter for years and is leaving our company to travel the world teaching other fire fighters! Lucky! Check out the cute cupcakes I made for his last day! Click here.

June 10 2010

A view of the Minneapolis skyline. I snapped this while sitting in rush hour traffic.

June 11 2010

Here is my Sookie, sulking after a bath. She doesn't really like being wet, but she also doesn't like the hair dryer.

June 12 2010

Prepping decorations for an upcoming party (scroll down to June 19th for the end result!)

June 13 2010

My Paw Print Canvas. Click here for the full post.

June 14 2010

I was pulled over by a Fridley Police Officer. He was very rude and yelled at my about properly wearing my seat belt. I was pretty fired up about it given I actually HAD my seat belt on. So, to the Fridley Police Dept, I say....REALLY??

June 15 2010

Another crafty project (again, see June 19th!)

June 16 2010

My latest obsession....Sons of Anarchy. What a GREAT show! I am in love. Jax Teller...give me a call honey!

June 17 2010

I kept myself entertained on my 6 hour drive across Wisconsin by snapping photos of the local scenery. Here is a random farm, in the middle of nowhere.

June 18 2010

My parent's backyard. Their yard is inspiration for what I hope mine will someday look like.

June 19 2010

My trip to Wisconsin was to create a dessert buffet for my friend Tammy's 30th Birthday Surprise Party!! See the hanging yarn balls?! And the yellow cake stands?! Those are both from previous posts. Want to see all the sunshine sugary details? Check out my post here.

June 20 2010

This is a gas station in Wisconsin, selling beer, on a Sunday. Come on Minnesota! Get with the program!!

June 21 2010

Its official, I OWN my car!

June 22 2010

I saw this bumper sticker in the airport ramp at work. It sums up how I feel about a lot of things lately!

Thanks for checking out my pics, I'll try not to make your eye balls melt with such a large post next time! Ha ha!

Paw Print Canvas

2010-06-15T16:36:00.009-05:00

Remember about a month ago I posted pictures of an upcoming project? Refresh your memory here. I wanted to create some wall art that would represent my family. I had grand intentions of being this amazing painter. As it turns out, I am not. So I turned to what I am good at....scrapbooking! Check out my "Family Paw Print" canvas!

Pretty neat hey? I started by spray painting the edges of the canvas with a bold blue.

I used some grunge board flourishes for accents. I inked them with distress ink and covered them with glossy accents.

I added a few grunge board brackets covered with Perfect Pearls.

In the center, a grunge board heart colored with distress ink and glossy accents. Then I topped it with the key hole that was done with Perfect Pearls.

Attached to the heart is a Tim Holtz swivel chain and a grunge board key. The key was also done with Perfect Pearls.

Each one of us covered a "paw" with distress ink and stamped it. This is David's "paw" print.

My little yorkie Sookie's paw print.

My staffordshire terrier, Caesar's paw print.

And of course, my "paw" print.

All of the papers were from the Little Yellow Bicycle Lucky Me collection.
This is the canvas on my wall. I haven't decided if that's the wall it will stay on, but for now, I'm lovin it! (Bada ba ba baaa!)

Burgers, Girlfriends and Fake Phone Booths...

2010-06-08T20:47:00.010-05:00

June 2 2010

David cooked dinner. He grilled these amazing burgers. We enjoyed them at the picnic table with Bob the Flamingo.

June 3 2010

My sister and I cruised through this organic market and I was really amused by these peaches. I've never seen "donut peaches" before. They are so cute!

June 4 2010

These are my $1 flip flop score from the dollar spot at Target. I love them because they remind me of the 80's. I heart the 80's!

June 5 2010

Girls Night Out!! From the left: Melinda, Polly, Kelly and I went to the Sex and the City 2 movie. We had an amazing dinner at The Sample Room beforehand.

June 6 2010

This is what happens when you trim your dog's freakishly weird nails and then he wants to jump all over you. I have two more scratches like this on my foot.

June 7 2010

I'm not a big fan of smoothies, but I tried this recipe anyway. It was amazing! You can learn how to make them here. Delicious and low in calories! For real!

June 8 2010

I borrowed this pick up to haul that awesome replica British telephone booth. Oh yeah, more pics to follow with that bad boy!!

Time to Get Motivated!

2010-06-01T20:36:00.009-05:00

May 25 2010

This is the start of our veggie garden. Since I took this photo, its basically doubled in size. David is apparently really into growing veggies!

May 26 2010

This is my coworkers and I at the Get Motivated! seminar at the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. Don't we look motivated?! From the left is my coworker Linda, me, Mike and Scott. The seminar had some really cool points, like when Colin Powell spoke. However there were also low points, like when the speakers tried to sell us their stuff. Overall we had a good time.

May 27 2010

These are my new bed sheets. I know, exciting right? Except it is! I went to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. There was this couple selling 1500 thread count cotton sheets for $35 a set. $35 Dollars!!! What a steal! They are super comfy too. I love them!

May 28 2010

Frickles!! I am in love with the fried pickles at a local restaurant. However, I got a craving and didn't want to drive across town, all alone just to order fried pickles. So I opted to make them for myself. They were amazing! Totally hit the spot! Want to try them yourself? Check out my tutorial here.

May 29 2010

This was a perfect day! My friend Heather and I went out to Delano, MN to Countryside Garden's Annual Peony Show. On our way there we spotted this little diner in the middle of nowhere. We stopped off for an awesome lunch. It reminded me of the little dive bars back in Wisconsin. What was funnier, when I ordered my bloody mary, the waitress said "Honey, I'm gonna need to see your ID, you look like you could be my daughter." The funny part is, her name was "Julie S." For those of you who don't know, my mother was formerly a Julie S. She is a Julie W. now, but Heather and I got a kick out of it none the less.
After lunch we went to the show. We wandered around fields and fields of peonies. They were beautiful! While we were there we heard some ladies talking about a local winery! Perfect!! We got directions and did a little wine tasting too! I brought home a bottle of Strawberry Rhubarb Wine. A perfect day out!

May 30 2010

I was playing around with the black and white feature on my camera when I noticed my two pups together on the couch watching out the window. They are so cute together!

May 31 2010

I got my first Etsy order from someone I didn't know! How exciting is that?! This is the order all packaged up and ready to go. The woman was trying out samples for her upcoming wedding. I'm crossing my fingers that she likes them and places another order! Whats that? You didn't know I did cookies? Check out my baking blog here. There is a link to my Etsy shop, and I love to take custom orders. I ship anywhere in the USA so check it out!

June 1 2010

I wasn't very inspired today. I was putting away some recent purchases and decided to photograph a couple of them. When I was in FL back in December, I had used my Mom's Olay face lotion. I don't know if it was the lotion of the vacation, but my acne cleared up!! I decided to use up the last of my newly purchased face lotion before switching. I've now gone to Olay, and hopefully my face will clear up again! I've also decided to be "pro-active" and I bought an anti-aging eye cream. Its weird for me to even be looking at anti-aging stuff. Where did the time go?

Remember...

2010-05-31T19:59:00.003-05:00

Today is Memorial Day, a day we remember those past and present who have served our country. My brother is currently serving in the United States Navy and is out on deployment.
I wanted to post today with a special thanks to him.

This is my sister and I with Chris on the day of his Boot Camp Graduation.

This is my brother Chris waiving goodbye to my parents before his deployment.
Thank you to those who have served, are serving, and especially to those who have given their lives.
A friend posted on facebook today the following quote:

A Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman is someone
who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to
the United States of America for an amount up to, and including,
their life. That is an honor, and there are way too many people in
this country today who no longer understand that fact

I hope everyone remembered to take a moment today and thank those who have provided us the ability to celebrate this day.

Back From Cowboy Country....

2010-05-24T21:02:00.009-05:00

I'm back in Minneapolis after spending much of last week in the Dallas TX area. Time catch up on my 365....

May 18 2010

I'm a big GNR fan, so upon arriving at the Hard Rock Cafe Dallas, I spotted this autographed copy of Rolling Stone with Slash on the cover!! You can imagine how excited I was!

May 19 2010

This is my Minneapolis co-worker Linda, my Denver co-worker Sheila, and myself having a couple of drinks at The Quarter Bar in Addison Texas. We spent a long day in meetings and rewarded ourselves with some Bud Light.

May 20 2010

Linda, Tammy (my co-worker from Indianapolis) and I decided that after 2 days of meetings, we needed an extra night to explore and party in Dallas. We met up with some Transnorm employees, with whom I do a lot of business. Holly and Jason were awesome dinner dates!! We laughed so much, we became that table. You know, the loud one that everyone hates, but is secretly jealous of because they are having so much fun? Yep, that was us at The Iron Cactus.
Thanks for a great night Holly and Jason!!

May 21 2010

For our extra night, we moved The Magnolia Hotel in downtown Dallas. A gentleman we met, who we called "FDIC" (he worked for FDIC) mentioned how awesome the detail was on the elevators. I couldn't resist taking a picture.

May 22 2010

On Saturday I was back in Minneapolis attending Kelly's graduation party. She just graduated from Nursing school. Here she is holding her niece Liza. It seems kids start partying younger and younger these days!! (Don't worry, the bottle was empty. Liza decided to make it her toy.)

May 23 2010

This is a shot from the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. My sister invited me to go along with her on Sunday. I managed to make a random impulse buy of new sheets for my bed. They were these amazing cotton sheets for $35! Who could pass up a deal that good? I might go back in the next couple of weeks for more!

May 24 2010

This is Sookie in the vet's office waiting for a booster shot. Doesn't she look excited? She was very brave getting a shot and a heartworm test. Awwww!

Playing Catch Up...

2010-05-17T22:53:00.011-05:00

Wow! I didn't realize how far behind I was on posting my 365 pics! Sit back and relax, this is going to be a long post!

May 8 2010

This is Caesar's new toy, a Kong. Whoever invented this is a genius! He is teething right now, so its great! Fill it with peanut butter and treats, freeze, and he is entertained (and mouth soothed) for hours!

May 9 2010

Here is a sneak peak at a project I'm working on.....updates to come soon!

May 10 2010

Bruegger's Herby Turkey Sandwich on a Sundried Tomato bagel. YUM.

May 11 2010

This is about 1/3 of the containers of Royal Icing I have on hand for cookie decorating. If you haven't yet, check out my baking blog here.

May 12 2010

Salsa that came with the nachos I ordered at Old Chicago. It tasted like Windex. Literally. Gross.

May 13 2010

I randomly caught a rainbow over my house! Now if only I could find Cheer Bear! (PS. dont mind the tragic landscaping......

May 14 2010

This is the giant van load of plants my mom brought me to landscape my yard. Thanks Mom and Gary!!

May 15 2010

Sneak peek at the landscape projects....we still have a long way to go!

May 16 2010

My super hot shoes! I treated myself to these for my trip to Dallas.

May 17 2010

Random Frank Sinatra on the side of a garage in Robbinsdale.

Are your eyes about to fall out of your sockets?! I know, I need to keep up with these pictures so the posts aren't so long! Hope you enjoyed the pics anyway!

Mother's Day Rose

2010-05-16T10:31:00.004-05:00

It has been quite some time since I have been able to do any paper crafting! My two dogs keep me pretty busy and make it hard to escape into my craft room. I did make some time though to create this simple card for my mom. She came to visit this weekend and we had a "Belated Mother's Day Breakfast" along with my sister. Here is the card I made...

I learned this great technique for making ribbon roses (tutorial to come soon!) I loved how they turned out with shimmer ombre style ribbon!

I've also been working on re-doing my bathroom. I had stacks of left over paint chips, so I used some of those to create the leaves on the ribbons. Cute eh? I think I'm going to try to incorporate some of these paint chips in more of my projects!

When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Bunny...

2010-05-07T14:29:00.006-05:00

May 3 2010

The driver of this van officially wins my D-Bag Of The Week Award! He almost ran into me while changing lanes and almost caused at least 4 other accidents during rush hour. Why you ask? Oh, because he was on his cell phone the entire time. I got a pretty good look at him, as he narrowly missed cars, crossing 3 lanes of traffic to exit Hwy 100. Now, fast forward about an hour. I'm in Robbinsdale at this Greek Cafe that I've never been to before. David and I are enjoying dinner, and a guy walks in. I recognized him. I look outside....Definitive Aquarium van parked next to our car!!! What are the odds?! I thought about giving him his D-bag Award right then and there....a good punch in the face!!
Note to Definitive Aquarium: You should enforce a no cell phones while driving policy, and you should remove the black out light covers from the brake lights so people can actually see when you are braking or turning.

May 4 2010

Oh Mello Yellow. How long it's been since I have enjoyed you. You were very refreshing. By the way, I'm loving the retro look.

May 5 2010

This is a photo of some of our managers out grilling for our Employee Appreciation Cookout. From the left: My boss: Bob, His boss: Mick, Supervisor Mike, Supervisor Wayne, Operations Manager Rich, Delta Manager Fred, and Napa Manager Scott. We had an awesome lunch of HUGE hamburgers and delicious brats.

May 6 2010

I told my dogs that they could be whatever they wanted to be when they grow up. (No really, I just said this to them the other night). It appears Caesar wants to be a bunny.

May 7 2010

Today is rainy and a generally crappy day for me. While wallowing in self pity, I realized that the poinsettia some awesome co-workers gave me a Christmas, is starting to bloom again. Yay!

Cinco De Mayo...Ole!

2010-05-05T20:19:00.013-05:00

Happy Cinco De Mayo! I have a lot to celebrate today. My friend Deb, over at Sparkling Scrapbooks has posted a special project featuring my beloved Sookie! Deb is a designer for the Paris Hilton Scrapbooking line. I know, you're thinking, Paris Hilton? Scrapbooking? Really? But don't judge just yet! The line is actually pretty cool. Its great for teens and sassy ladies a like. I love her Pet's Beauty Shop line. Even if Paris isn't your thing, check out Deb's work, she is amazing!
In addition to that, I'm feeling a lot of love today over at my baking blog, Fairytale Frosting. Today my Mustache Cookies were featured on A Crafter At Sea. Joanne is a spectacular crafter as well. Check out her handmade items! You are going to love her upcycling!

With all that love, and that it is in fact Cinco De Mayo, I celebrated with one of my favorite meals: tacos, homemade guacamole and jalapeno cheddar cornbread muffins. Sound delicious?! Read on! I am sharing MY guacamole recipe and how to make jalapeno cheddar cornbread muffins. Its so easy you'll have Cinco De Mayo Dinner every week!
Guacamole Step One:

Gather your ingredients. Onion, 2 ripe avocados, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1 tomato, salt, pepper, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

Step 2:

Peel and mash your avocados.

Step 3:

Dice your onion (about 1/4), tomato (about 1/2), and jalapeno pepper (whole). Toss in. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4:

Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Step 5:

Add a dash of hot sauce.

Step 6:

Mix well and enjoy!!

Now onto the Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins...
I'm a simple girl. I enjoy cooking, but for a meal like this, who wants things to be complicated right? So, gather your supplies...

Cornbread muffin mix (makes 6 muffins), Sharp cheddar (or whatever your favorite shredded cheese is), 1 egg, 1 jalapeno pepper, milk, and butter.

Step 2:

Finely chop your pepper, then mix up all ingredients.

Step 3:

Pour into greased muffin tin, and bake at 400 for 16-18 minutes.

Step 4:

Cool and enjoy! I love cornbread, but this cheesy spicy version gives it just the right amount of kick! See, wasn't that easy? Start your own fiesta tonight!

Stop Stealing My Cupcakes!

2010-05-02T17:51:00.004-05:00

April 29 2010

I love playing with the macro setting on my camera! This is a nice close up of the bells I hung by my back door. I'm trying to get the dogs to use them to tell me they need to go out. Its not going too well. Caesar did use them on this day though. One step at a time.

April 30 2010

Do you remember my photo of that boring old peg board? You can see it here. This is the transformation! Ignore the mess in my baking pantry, just focus on how beautifully organized all of my cookie cutters are!

May 1 2010

Yep, using my macro again. This time on an unsuspecting little Caterpillar. So furry looking!

May 2 2010

This is a photo of my laptop, showing a website with my cupcakes on it! Now don't get too excited. This bakery in North Carolina, stole my photo (see original here.) and is claiming these cupcakes as their own work! A woman on Cake Central sent me a message alerting me that my photo was being used by this bakery. I was able to obtain the offender's user name on Cake Central and I sent her an email. I am still waiting for an explanation. I am flattered that she enjoyed my cupcakes, however she should have used the photo to inspire her own work. Not claim my work as hers! Boy, the nerve of some people!
That's my latest of the 365!

Thats Two Sick Puppies!

2010-04-28T21:02:00.007-05:00

April 22 2010

I am learning to use the macro function on my camera. I snapped this photo of my afternoon snack. Pretty cool eh?

April 23 2010

My two babies bonding in the bath tub together.

April 24 2010

My boredom saviors! I was going stir crazy in the house when Heather (front left) and her sister Anna invited to me to join them at Tavern on France. I had the "build your own pizza". I chose a garlic aioli, Gouda cheese, scallions, mushrooms, pancetta and fresh basil as my toppings...deeeelicious!!

April 25 2010

After dinner with Heather and Anna, I came home to learn both of my doggies had diarrhea....all over their kennels, and all over my house when I let them out of their kennels. This photo sums up how the rest of my weekend went. Cleaning up lots of gross messes, baths, and a diet of rice and hard boiled eggs. YUCK!

April 26 2010

David and I went out to celebrate his mother's birthday. We went to The Nook for dinner. I meant to take a photo of the group, but completely forgot. I remembered to take a photo as we were unlocking the door of our house. This is us, weirdly illuminated by our motion sensor light.

April 27 2010

This is a quick tarot spread that I read for a friend of mine. The outlook is great! Looks like she is going to become self employed, and be quite successful too!

April 28 2010

Here we are, Wednesday Date Night at The Claddagh Irish Pub for dinner. David had the fish sandwich, and I enjoyed the Guinness Beef Stew. Great place, we will definitely go back!

Inspiration for Lisa

2010-04-27T19:24:00.003-05:00

My sister Lisa is moving into a new place. She asked me for some decorating inspiration, and I've decided to share! Lisa wont have an actual closet in the space she is moving in to, so we have brainstormed some ideas to solve that. Along with that, we wanted to create a cohesive scheme for a young, vibrant 22 year old. Here, is my inspiration board....

Damask, chandeliers and bird cages are immensely popular. I am in love with them. Since we are working with a recently graduated from college budget, we need to incorporate a lot of her existing decor and DIY techniques.
Some of our brainstorming ideas include:
1. Homemade, hand painted privacy "dressing" screen
2. Garage sale steals of chandeliers and vintage bird cages spray painted to match.
3. Vintage birdcages converted into jewelry storage.
4. Vinyl decals...the condo is a rental, so minimal paint allowed.
5. Hand painted canvases to match privacy screen
6. Framed fabric in similar print (cheap and easy art!)

All we need are a few coupons from Michaels, Joann Fabric and a trip to Menards and Lisa will have a new and very chic room! I cant wait to get started!

(photo credits, from top left: decorpad.com, wishspecialevents.com, overstock.com, luxuryexpression.com, Etsy: WallDecors, Ikea, countryfloral.com, Etsy:uncommon, Etsy:Simple Shapes, perfectbound.blogspot.com)

FENCE!!!!!!!!

2010-04-21T20:36:00.006-05:00

April 17 2010

This is a picture of my computer screen, setting up my Etsy shop. Check it out here. This shop will be dedicated to selling my decorated cookies, which I blog about here.

April 18 2010

David and Me hanging out in the backyard.

April 19 2010

This is my favorite photo of the week. I just discovered the macro feature on my camera. I love love (did I mention love?) macro photos! I thought I needed an expensive SLR camera to do them. Someday I do intend to upgrade, however now that I've discovered this function, I'm practicing with my point and shoot. I frolicked into the backyard and started taking pics of everything. This was my favorite close up. Who knew a dandelion could look so amazing?!

April 20 2010

Privacy fence INSTALLED! All together now: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

April 21, 2010

This is David and his friend Tony mixing up cement to set everything in. I am in love with this fence! Its gorgeous!! I cant wait to turn my backyard into our own private oasis!

Sushi or Mexican??

2010-04-16T21:27:00.006-05:00

April 11 2010

This is picture of my guest room bedding. I used this as inspiration for cookies. You can see how they turned out here.

April 12 2010

David cuddling on the couch with our two babies. My three favorite people in the world.

April 13 2010

The bushes in my front yard are starting to bloom. I thought the colors and contrast were really beautiful.

April 14 2010

Old Chicago Night!! This was the kick off of the Cinco De Mayo Mexican Beer Mini Tour. We had enchiladas, chicken tortilla soup and this amazing Captain Morgan Tres Leche Cake. Yum!

April 15 2010

Progress on the backyard! David and his friend Adam ripped out the bushes in the backyard. Now we just need to get the privacy fence up!

April 16 2010

My sister Lisa and I at our sushi class. We learned how to make maki rolls and then got to eat them. Fun!

No Easter basket for me....

2010-04-10T21:17:00.006-05:00

April 5 2010

The Easter bunny forgot to leave a basket for me this year. Traditionally he leaves me one Cadbury egg. Since I didn't get it, I had to buy myself one. Yum!

April 6 2010

Its not a clear pic because I was driving, but this is a turkey. There are about 7 of them that hang out near the freeway by the airport. I see them almost daily.

April 7 2010

David and I went to La Casita for dinner. We had never been there. This was the stained glass window by our table. Cool atmosphere. I'd go back.

April 8 2010

Our new baby Caesar. He's made himself right at home on the couch.

April 9 2010

Sookie, sunbathing in the backyard. She loves to sit in the sun. Which occasionally makes it really difficult to get her to come back in the house!

April 10 2010

Home Depot had a great deal on grills this weekend. Sadly, the store by us only has one rental truck and on the weekends its hard to get. We couldn't fit the grill I bought into our cars, so I had to wake David up at 7:00am to go rent the truck and bring our grill home. Look how excited he is! It will be worth it when we are grilling amazing food all summer long!

Introducing....Caesar!

2010-04-07T22:56:00.006-05:00

Tonight we brought home the newest addition to our family..Caesar!

Who could resist this face?

Adorable isn't he? He is a staffordshire terrier mix, and still a pup. We weren't sure how Sookie would take to him, but he made an impression...

He immediately drank from her dish...and finished it in about 2 gulps!

He tried to get her to play. She wasn't really having it though. See that look on her face. That's her "get the heck outta here!" look.

Eventually they came to the agreement....you get that couch, I get this one. Ah, best friends in the making!

If We Were Eggs...

2010-04-04T17:14:00.007-05:00

March 29 2010

Yes, its boring old peg board. But soon it will transform my baking supply closet. It will soon be a display wall for my cookie cutters. After picture to follow soon.

March 30 2010

We moved the picnic table outside! Yay Spring!

March 31 2010

I was inspired by a similar photo online. So I took my favorite cake/cookie decorating book and tried it myself!

April 1 2010

I'm getting together quotes to have these three bushes pulled out. I don't like them, and since we are going to install a new fence soon, I figured now is the best time.

April 2 2010

My friend Courtney sent me a recipe for broccoli quiche. So I modified it to make mini quiches. I also tossing in some cauliflower. DEEEEE-licious. Seriously, one of the best things I've made in awhile. Yum!

April 3 2010

I made paper cherry blossoms, glued them to branches from the backyard and viola! Instant Spring!

April 4 2010

If David and I were Easter eggs.... (I'd be the yellow one. Just in case you weren't sure.)

Tutu!

2010-04-03T23:14:00.003-05:00

Today I got crafty and made Sookie a tutu. Just a simple "no sew" design. I'm quite surprised she liked it! Look at how cute she is!

Yes its true, I have the cutest dog ever!!

Published!!

2010-03-31T17:23:00.004-05:00

I have been published again!! WOO HOO!!!
The March edition of Scrapbook News & Review is finally up! If you're a subscriber go check it out!
You can find TWO, that's right, TWO of my layouts in the "Best Friends & Girls Night Out" sections. The layouts featured are "Sisters Night Out" and "Wine Dinner". Both layouts I featured on this blog, so they have been temporarily removed.
Thanks SNR for the love!!

Is that a dog in your shirt?

2010-03-29T18:24:00.006-05:00

I'm sure you've all been waiting for the next edition of my 365 album....here's what I've been up to this past week!

March 23

Steak fajitas with homemade guacamole and jalapeno cheese corn bread paired with a Bud Light. Does it really get any better than this?

March 24

Why yes, it can! This is yet another dinner at Tiger Sushi. This time I tried "The Caterpillar". Delicious!

March 25

This is our ugly picket fence. I cant wait to rip this baby out and put in our new, maintenance free, vinyl privacy fence!

March 26

OK, not my favorite picture of myself, but the cute part is Sookie snuggling inside my sweatshirt to stay warm.

March 27

This was a puppy playdate. The little guy getting ready to pounce is my friend Kelly's newest family addition, Sir Speedy. He's about 2.5 pounds. He's actually smaller than Sookie. Whether they know it or not, they will become BFF's.

March 28

My newest cactus. I picked this guy up for $2.99 at Ikea. I love these guys, no matter how neglectful I am, they won't die. Yay!

Yoga...Naked Puppy...Fake Girl Scout Cookies?!

2010-03-22T21:16:00.007-05:00

March 18 2010

This is my yoga gear. My sister and I started a Hot Yoga class for the next 6 weeks. I've done it before, but this was way more intense. It was intense but in a good way. I felt amazing afterwards!

March 19 2010

I took Sookie to the groomer. We had her shaved for the spring. She looks like a completely different dog! I hardly recognize her! She's naked!! This is going to take some getting used to.

March 20 2010

I got a recipe to make my own Girl Scout Cookies. Samoas (aka: Carmel Delights) are my favorite. I took a shot at it. Turns out...AMAZING. They were a lot of work, but very delicious!

March 21 2010

My apothecary jars have been empty since the holiday season. This weekend I decided to add some spring to our living room with plants in them. We will see how they hold up.

March 22 2010

This is my pin collection. For years its been in a box. I finally picked up a cork board and put them on display. I collect pins from the places I travel to. I've been collecting since my first international trip at 13 years old. Most of the pins are from my travels, but I have some from events and other random parts of my life.

Back from the Nyquil Coma....

2010-03-17T20:07:00.009-05:00

These past few days I have had the world's worst cold EVER. I seriously don't think I've ever had a cold that knocked me down like this one did. But, I prevailed and stuck to my challenge, sniffley and gross, I managed to take a photo everyday.
Last we left off....

March 12

This is my sister, me and our mom at Wasabi Restaurant. We made mom try sushi for the first time. We ordered edamame and a variety of maki rolls to try. She liked it! Another one hooked!

March 13

Taking a cue from my fellow photo challenger, Jackie, this is the inside of my purse. You can clearly see my lip gloss, wallet, Winnie the Pooh notebook, business cards, hand sanitizer, and an envelope full of coupons. There is more in there, I promise!

March 14

This is my couch, where I spent several days thinking the cold I had would kill me. The misery was only just beginning.

March 15

These are my dayquil and nyquil tablets. They were the only way I could survive this beast. That is...until they stopped working. Lord have mercy!

March 16

So then I switched to Alka Seltzer...in a champagne glass. What? Its bubbly and makes me feel good, so its appropriate.

March 17

I had grand intentions to try making some corned beef and cabbage rolls, Irish soda bread, and other delicious celebratory goodies. Alas, this devil cold prevented me from being able to. This is my David, driving me to get dinner at Culver's (very Irish, I know). You can't tell, but he has the window down, it was that warm out. Bring on spring!!

I'm happy to say I feel much more human versus zombie today. As soon as my sinuses clear, I'll be good as new!

Life in 3D

2010-03-11T21:07:00.004-06:00

March 11 2010

Here is my Sookie sporting her new dog tag. I picked it up at Poochy Couture on Etsy.

March 10 2010

David and I sporting the 3D glasses at the Alice in Wonderland movie.

March 9 2010

This is my journal from my semester in Scotland. My friend and former roommate Amy emailed me asking about some of the places we visited together. I busted out my journal to find the answers, and wound up reminiscing about my time there. I miss it so much!

365

2010-03-08T16:51:00.008-06:00

I just realized that I needed to catch up on my 365 posts!!
March 8

Monthly kit from My Creative Scrapbook. I love these scrapbooking kits! I get a lot of papers I cant find around here and embellishments that I ordinarily might not have spent the money on. Love it!

March 7

What can I say....we have a love/hate relationship.

March 6

I went with my friend Kelly to see Avatar in 3D. Loved it!! I want to live in Pandora!

March 5

From the left, my sister Lisa, friend Heather, Me, and friend Ashley. We went out to Sanctuary for dinner during Restaurant Week. The food was amazing! I will definitely go back!

March 4

Blackberries!!! I love berries!!

March 3

My very first attempt at making Jambalaya, and let me tell you, it turned out great!!

March 2

Look closely....see the ears....that's Sookie waiting for me to come inside. How cute is that?!

Peter Pan

2010-03-07T11:19:00.004-06:00

I have been thinking about this layout for a long time. This photo was taken on my last trip to London in 2008. We searched for what seemed like forever until we found the Peter Pan statue. I wanted this layout to be perfect, because the photo was just so important to me. Its taken me over a year to find the courage to do it, but I'm quite pleased with the end result!

Check out the close ups...

In this photo I used my Paper Rose tutorial. (Check it out, here.) However, instead of folding the last blossom to form the center, I used a gem to make it sparkle. I took a small doily and inked that with Distress Ink. I cut it in half and gently folded it to make pleats. I like the effect!

I love how the title turned out! These were plain chipboard Thickers. I inked with distress ink, then covered in Glossy Accents. I added the black dots with dimensional paint.

Overall I'm loving the monochromatic scheme and am happy I waited until I felt really inspired to do this photo!

Showin Me Love!

2010-03-03T21:16:00.006-06:00

This past weekend, I made some 80's cartoon and video game theme cookies for my buddy Dave. (Check them out here.) He sent me some "appreciation" photos. I was so excited, I am posting them on both, yes, BOTH, of my blogs!

Dave loved that little mushroom! I swear he ran around with that little guy all night...you know...just in case some Goombas showed up.

Here is the now, 32 year old Dave, enjoying a TMNT cookie. Glad you enjoyed the cookies Dave! Thanks for sharing the pics! They made my day!

Egg Obsession

2010-03-01T20:58:00.004-06:00

I'll get to the eggs in a minute....first, more for my 365 documentary!

March 1

A picture of my computer screen, showing the blog love! In the last two weeks, my number of followers on both of my blogs has increased. This time, its from people who aren't my immediate friends and family! I am so flattered, humbled, even a little embarrassed that strangers in the blog world find me interesting enough to follow! How fun is that?!

February 28

Sookie's toys and food dishes. The reindeer and giraffe are the same size as her, but she loves them.

Now for the eggs....
February 27

My very first attempt at making eggs benedict! I've never poached an egg or made hollandaise sauce before. For my first attempt, they were amazing! Since they were so good, and I'm currently obsessed with eggs, I made some eggs and bacon cookies. Hop on over to my baking blog to see the pics. Click here. I guarantee you will be torn between craving my cookies or real bacon and eggs!!

Ok, so I cheated, just a little bit

2010-02-27T13:22:00.007-06:00

Yep, another addition to the 365. I'm so proud that I'm keeping up with this. My pics are getting a little boring though, so I'm going to have to work on that!

February 26

Heather and I, drinking our new fav drink, Crispin Cider. We stopped into The Local after attending the Home and Garden Show.

February25

My growing collection of cookie cutters. I need to buy some peg board to organize them. Right now they are in a giant zip lock bag.

February24

Ok, so this is where I cheated a little. I had someone else take this photo for me. This is the Old Chicago gang, kicking off the Irish Mini Beer Tour! OC had shepards pie, cabbage, creme de menthe brownies and my fav, Irish Soda Bread. I gotta learn how to make that!

February 23

This is a birthday gift from my sister. Its one of my all time fav movies!

February 22

Some of my groceries. I scored a great deal on Groupon.com for Coborn's Delivers. I thought, home delivery grocery shopping would be a great alternative. I loathe grocery shopping. It worked great, but I don't think its going to be a long term solution. Back to Cub Foods I guess. *sigh*

3.6.5.

2010-02-21T19:21:00.007-06:00

Here we are again, with another edition of my 365 posts!
February 21

My friend Tammy asked me to come up with some ideas for a Boy Scout fundraiser. She was making cupcakes. She lives in Indiana, so I decided to make a video tutorial for her. The above photo is my version of the Boy Scout cupcakes. Of course hers will be made with proper colors. I just used what I had in the house to show her how to do them herself. It was pretty fun making a tutorial video!

February 20

These shower curtain hooks are from my very first apartment. I've hung onto these little guys for years. I use them to hang my loofahs from the bar in the shower. However, they are pretty rusty. So this weekend, I decided they had to go. I read somewhere that as a way to get rid of clutter, you should take photos of things so you can remember the item, but still throw it away. So here is my photographic memento of one of the details from my first apartment. Bye bye fishies.

February 19

Since I am obsessed with sushi, I made Candy Sushi to share with my girlfriends Kelly and Melinda.

February 18

New scrapbook supplies! I was in Bloomington and stopped at Scrapbooks Too. I used to be able to shop there more often, but I'm never in the area. So when I was within blocks, I couldn't help but stop in!

February 17

My office. I promise, there is a system to my desk. I call it "organized chaos".

February 16

My sister gave me this book for my birthday. I have to say, so far I am really disappointed. Or maybe angry. I expected a book that would smart mouthed and motivating. Instead its a bitchy (and not in a good way) book trying to gross you out and guilt you into becoming a vegetarian. Now, if being Vegan is your choice, I'm all about that...for YOU. Its NOT for me. I thought the book was misleading, and frankly I think its quite mean, versus smart mouthed. I haven't decided if I'm going to finish reading it. I'm half way through and really annoyed. We shall see.

Theme of the day...Wine!

2010-02-20T21:10:00.009-06:00

Today I did a couple of layouts. Without realizing it, I had done two wine themed layouts! This first one is of David and I celebrating our 2 year anniversary. We visited the St Croix Winery. Doesn't David look excited?!

Here is a close up of the hand cut butterflies and Marah Johnson stickers.

The second layout is of my sister and I out for a wine dinner. If you saw my layouts from last week, I did one of this same event. Go check it out here.

Here is a close up of the title. I used Thickers stickers, and then accented them with a white paint marker.

Lately I've been seeing a lot of metal accents. I didn't really have any so I made my own, with tin foil! Here is a little butterfly. I used a Martha Stewart punch and black dimensional paint.

I liked the tin foil butterfly so much, I punched a couple of flowers too!

Ah, another day of relaxing by myself and doing some scrappin! Gotta love Saturdays like this!

Another Edition of 365

2010-02-15T20:02:00.005-06:00

You know whats more challenging than taking a photo everyday? Coming up with a title for each blog entry on the subject!

February 15

Puppy Love!
David and I celebrated our Valentine's Day late due to our work schedules. Even though we celebrated our relationship, both of our hearts still belong to our little Sookie. Speaking of....

February 14

I spent the actual Valentine's Day with her. Don't you love her "Puppy Love" t-shirt? Thanks Kelly!

February 13

I saw a similar photo in an email. In the email the paper said "Happiness". I chose to change mine. I was super proud of this photo. I don't have a Digital SLR that can take fancy shots. I did the best I could with my sad little point and shoot. I loved how this ended up...until my friend Kelly had to point out how "Twilight" it looked. *sigh* That's what I get for trying to be a brooding artist.

February 12

Sneak peek! A Valentine's Day card for my honey. More details to come on that one!

Free Day? SCRAP DAY!

2010-02-13T20:35:00.015-06:00

Finally!!! Time to scrapbook!! I actually had this entire Saturday free and alone. What to do? Oh yes, scrapbook! I've managed to do a few layouts today. It was such a nice way to spend my Saturday.
First up, a Halloween layout!

This layout was done entirely with Bo Bunny Boo Crew papers. The photo is of my two close friends Kelly and Melinda. Melinda has a Halloween bash every year.
Check out some of the details...

I used my Paper Dolls cartridge to create those cute little gravestones and the ghoulish tree. Both were accented with chalk ink.

These cute little creatures were hand cut from Bo Bunny paper. I added some googly eyes to make them even more adorable!

This page I started months ago, and never had the time to finish. I used the June MCS kit.

The photo is from last summer at Big Willow Park.
Here is some detail...

I had some blank chipboard. I inked it with Broken China Distress Ink. Then sprayed it with Patina glimmer mist. The photo really doesn't do the shimmer effect justice.

I have been dying to scrapbook my little cutie Sookie! This Basic Grey June Bug line was perfect for her!

I hand cut the little pups, and the word bubbles are also cut from the paper and accented with black pen.
Here is some close ups....

I added a googly eye onto this pup for fun!

I think the little pup on the left is my favorite one.

This layout is my favorite of the day! All of the paper is from 7 Gypsies Gypsie Market collection.

My sister Lisa, friend Heather, and her sister Anna all went to the restaurant, Spill the Wine. We attended a Spanish inspired wine dinner.
Here are some close ups....

The wine theme stickers are from Creative Imaginations. The flower is Prima. I accented it with brown chalk ink and Copper Glimmer Mist.

The title was cut from 7 Gypsy paper using my Cricut. Its a little busier than I'm used but I really like the way it pops on the layout.

I noted some details on the page as well. Like how I won a bottle of wine while we were there! I'm saving it for a special occasion. Perhaps I'll create a Spanish theme dinner!
It was so nice to unwind and scrapbook. Really got me back in the groove. I hope to find more time in the coming weeks!

Bet You Thought I Forgot...

2010-02-11T20:14:00.007-06:00

Nope, I haven't been falling behind on my challenge. I wasn't able to post as its been a busy week! Check it out!
February 11

This is my "Scorpion Roll" from Tiger Sushi. Its official, I am hooked on sushi.
This roll is shrimp tempura and soft shell crab with a spicy garlic mayo. Seriously, heaven.

February 10

This is the chandelier at Om Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. Heather, Anna, Lisa and I went to a food and wine sample event there. Its Indian food, which I also have never had. From what I sampled it was really delicious.

February 9

These are the icicles on my house. I'm paranoid that they will melt and fall on my puppy. So I have been knocking them down. But they multiply like rabbits!

February 8

This is our backyard. Look closely, you can see the snow is higher than our fence. Our lot is bordered by an alley so we have to shovel the snow into our yard. David is going to have quite the challenge next winter if we put in a privacy fence like I hope to this spring!

February 7

These are the books on my nightstand. I'm reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. I'm also into world religions so I'm learning about Paganism.

February 6

This is my sister Lisa and I at 7 Sushi Ultra Lounge. We went out for a belated birthday dinner. The sushi was seriously amazing. Service was fantastic. Wine was delicious. Hanging out with my sis is always a good time!

February 5

This is my favorite guitarist in the band Hairball. We went to their 10th Anniversary show at the Sheraton Hotel. 10 years of rockin the 80s tunes! FUN!

Action Shots and Close Ups

2010-02-04T22:04:00.004-06:00

Another 365 Update....
February 4

Sookie Action Shot! Sookie had a great time running around in the snow tonight in the backyard. She normally doesn't like the snow, so this was especially amusing!

February 3

David...being a dork. He's actually eating a can of pears as I was taking this photo.

February 2

Sookie loves her belly rubs! When David walks in the room, she will roll over onto her back. In this photo she crawled up onto him, and flipped over for a belly rub. What a spoiled pup!

Almost Failed...Already!

2010-02-01T19:06:00.007-06:00

Yesterday and today I almost failed the challenge! Today I forgot my camera. So when I got home from work, I took this photo. Its a birthday bouquet of flowers that I got at Bachman's Floral.

February 1

January 31

I was soooo tired from celebrating my birthday the night before, that I completely spaced out on taking a photo. At 11:30pm, I remembered so I took a photo of the first thing I saw. These giant mugs from Gastof's. I don't have to say how they ended up in our purses! :p

January 30

This is me and my girls at Gastof's celebrating my 29th birthday. From the left, Anna, Heather, Me, Melinda and Kelly.

January 29

I throw myself a themed birthday party every year. This year was "Let Them Eat Cake...And Celebrate!" I created a giant dessert buffet. These cookies were the first "project". I worked all day Friday and Saturday to get all the goodies made. Check out my Cake Blog for details on my buffet!

January 28

These are birthday gifts from my boss Bob. He gave me a Lolita wine glass! Its theme is "Shop Till You Drop". Hilarious! He also brought me that amazing chocolate cake, and a box of Godiva dark chocolate truffles. YUM!

January 27

This was my first sushi experience. My co-worker Linda took me out to the restaurant Crave for a birthday lunch. I've been wanting to try sushi and I figured with Linda...I'm safe. She's Asian (lol!) and her husband is a sushi chef! I tried the Sushi Bento Box, so I got an assortment of maki sushi. It was amazing! I'm in love! I cant wait to try new and more daring types of sushi!

Another 365 Update!

2010-01-26T21:19:00.005-06:00

January 26

This is David doing the dishes. He never does the dishes. I was so shocked, I had to photograph it. It might be the last time he ever does the dishes!

January 25

This is my annual birthday tarot reading. I'm still working on the interpretation, but it looks like its going to be an interesting year!

January 24

This is how anal I am about party planning. I'm having a dessert themed birthday party for myself this weekend. These are my sketches for the cookies I'm baking and the dessert buffet table I'm constructing. Hopefully everything turns out. I've got a lot of baking and decorating ahead of me!

Photo Time!

2010-01-23T20:19:00.005-06:00

Here's another post for my 365 Day Photo Challenge!

January 23

This is my Sookie. I love hanging with her. She is such a cuddle bug. She likes to snuggle with me, no matter what I'm doing. In fact at this very moment, she is on my lap, resting her head on my laptop.

January 22

These are the ingredients for a drink I tried to recreate. Its been years since I've bought liquor. I'm not much of a hard liquor drinker. Last month on vacation, I ordered a drink called "Raspberry Rain". It was delicious, so I tried to recreate it for my birthday party next week. I couldn't find all of the ingredients, so I had to improvise with Welch's Passionfruit Juice. It turned out delicious!

January 21

A snapshot of my commute home. Sometimes I really hate the drive home.

January 20

Enjoying Angels & Demons on our giant movie screen in the basement.

Almost 10 days in and I'm loving it still!

365 Photo Challenge Part 2

2010-01-19T18:56:00.003-06:00

This is my second post in the 365 photo challenge. So far....so good!

January 19

These are my coworkers Linda and Todd. Todd is leaving us this week, so Linda and I presented him with an excellence award. He is not only one of our mechanics, but also our Safety Representative. We wanted to acknowledge his contributions as our "Safety Guy".

January 18

"Me and my giant box". This one is special, for my coworker and friend, Mike. We have a running inside joke about boxes. Earlier in the day we were joking about it, so I thought this would be a great way to laugh about it some more.

I am loving this challenge. I'm excited too because my friend Jamie joined in the challenge too!

More to come!

365 Photo Challenge

2010-01-17T20:41:00.004-06:00

I've decided to take on a new challenge. The 365 Photo Challenge. I've committed to taking 1 photo every single day. I'll be posting these photos on here, with explanation of each. At first it sounded like an easy challenge, but I'm starting to realize how this might actually be tough. I'm three days in and really digging the idea so far. I'm pretty excited to get to the end of the year and see what I documented this whole time. I wonder how different my life will look one year from now. I'm excited to have a photo documentary of the progressive change!
Thanks to Jackie for getting me into this idea! She's doing the challenge too, so check out what she is up to.
What to join? Check out the details here. If you do join, leave me a comment so I can follow your journey too! So, lets get started....

January 17

This is my messy kitchen. I'm making Royal Icing for decorating sugar cookies.

January 16

This is my lovely fleece electric blanket. Its folded up in the corner because I have to return it. I've had it a few weeks, and fell in love with it. Then, it malfunctioned. I spent 40 minutes on hold waiting for someone from the manufacturer to help me. No one ever picked up the line, so now I'm returning it to Overstock.com. I am so sad to part with it.

January 15

Just came home from the grocery store with all my Special K. I am going to try the 2 week challenge. Day one, photo challenge and Special K challenge. We shall see!

I hope some of you join in this photo challenge!

Goodbye 2009....Hello 2010

2010-01-01T15:39:00.003-06:00

Its New Year's Day, and I get to reflect on the year past and look forward to the year coming.

Lets start with moving forward. As most people do, I have some resolutions I intend to keep this year. I may even blog about them on here. One thing I have already accomplished and its only the first day is, being published again!
Check me out in Scrapstreet Magazine again! Here is the link to my layout. Check out my Tutorials section on how to make the flowers featured.

Now a look back at 2009. My list of Top 9 of 2009 (in no particular order)
1. Bought my first house
2. Adopted our puppy Sookie
3. Celebrated 3 years with David
4. Was published in Scrapstreet Magazine (this was the first time!)
5. Got into cake decorating! Check out my other blog: Fairytale Frosting
6. Family vacation in Disney World for Christmas
7. Hosting my first Thanksgiving dinner (even if the turkey didn't quite turn out!)
8. Lots of fun nights seeing Hairball play (my favorite 80's cover band!)
9. Weekend at Feetie Cove with David

I hope everyone was as blessed in 2009 as I was! Here's to 2010 being even better! Happy New Year!

Typealyzer

2009-12-22T08:46:00.002-06:00

*Gasp!* Another post?! I know, two days in a row is quite amazing on my part. I had to share what I just discovered! I was scrolling through blogs...while I'm supposed to be working (sshhh don't tell!) and I came across a blogger who used this Typealyzer website. You enter your blog address and it analyzes your personality type. I'm trying this out on both of my blogs.
This one was pretty close to accurate:

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

According to Meyer's Briggs my real personality is an ENFP, so pretty darn close!
Try it out on your blog and see how it turns out. Maybe as a blogger you're someone completely different!

Its A Very Merry Christmas!

2009-12-21T20:43:00.009-06:00

The holiday season is upon us! Since I haven't posted in some time, you know I've been busy! This time of year is hard to squeeze in scrappin, but I thought I'd share some of my Christmas crafts!

See that wreath on the tree? I used my star shaped cake pan, set an empty cool whip container in the center. Scattered fresh cranberries in the pan and filled with water. I froze it and then hung outside with ribbon. An inexpensive holiday touch to our otherwise bare backyard.

This is my homemade holiday kissing ball. I chose to forgo the traditional mistletoe for this beauty. Shopping sales at Michael's allowed me to buy several pearl picks for about 17 cents a piece. A little glue and styrofoam ball, and viola! Pucker up baby!

My end table was little a little bare, so I took some holiday theme paper and cut into varying size circles. I took wooden spools and painted them red and green. Fitted with a 3/4 inch dowel, I stacked it all together with a little hot glue and now we have a table top tree! All for about $5 in materials.

These were just some extra ornaments hung with thread in front of my window. Clever hey?

What can I say, I'm addicted to Michaels. When I saw these glittery poinsettias I had to make a wreath for our door!

Here is our cozy dining room. I scored some holiday wall decals at Border's on sale. Paired with extra ornaments and a poinsettia and our boring dining area was transformed into a warm holiday dinner setting!

All is merry and bright in our living room! Notice the "wreaths" on the window...those are decorative ceiling mounts! I picked them up for $5-$7 a piece at Menards. A little craft paint and some ribbon, and we have some unique wreaths!

As you can see I've been a busy little elf!

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful holiday season!

Merry Christmas! See you next year!

Blossoms

2009-11-11T20:45:00.002-06:00

This is another layout I created during my scrapbooking weekend. I had the brown floral paper but was having a tough time deciding what to do with it. Its hard to tell from the photo, but its quite glittery. I decided to "wing it" and hand cut the paper into a frame. I used a razor blade and freely cut it into a frame.
You can also faintly see on the pink cardstock I did some masking. I used my Cricut and Storybook cartridge to cut a circular design that was similar to cherry blossoms. I used that cut image as a mask.
The white and pink frame around the photo is actually the backside of the chocolate/frame paper. Those adorable branches and blossoms are dimensional stickers from Jolee's.
It was fun to make! I was nervous about it. This is a photo I really love of David and I. I wanted the layout to be just perfect. I've procrastinated doing for some time now. I'm glad I waited, I love the way it turned out!

Brand New House

2009-11-09T20:50:00.002-06:00

It has been a couple of months since I have had time to do any scrappin, and let me tell you, I've missed it! I have missed out on it for good reason though....I bought my first house! David and I moved in on August 20th. We have been crazy busy painting, decorating, and general house stuff. This weekend I was able to do some scrapbooking, when a few girlfriends came to visit for just that purpose. Below is a layout I did about our new home. We took that photo on closing day, as proud new home owners! The original owners left us several house keys, so I thought it would be fun to use one of them on my page.
The paper is from My Little Shoebox, and that awesome die cut is from one of my favorite websites to shop, Scrapyourtrip.com
Over the next few days I'll post more of my scrap weekend accomplishments. Hopefully now I'll find more time to get back to my hobbies!

Sunflower Tutorial

2009-09-12T23:12:00.019-05:00

As promised, here is a simple tutorial for making an awesome paper sunflower. You can vary the size, but I find that if you get much smaller than this it becomes hard to fold.

To get started you will need paper cut into 2 inch thick strips. Four of them should be 4.5 inches tall, and four should be 5.5 inches tall.

You will need double sided tape (or glue dots work well too) and ink. Its also helpful to have a bone folder or a scoring tool.

Step One:

Cut your paper into 2 inch thick strips. Four of them 4.5 inches tall, four of them 5.5 inches tall.

Step Two:

Score, or fold each strip down the middle.

Step Three:

Using the middle fold as a guide, fold the corners in to the center.

Step Four:

Fold the side edges into the center, again using the middle fold as a guide.

Your folds should look like this:

Complete these steps with each strip:

Step Five: Take out your double sided tape and tape the folds down in the middle.

Step Six: Ink the edges of each strip.

Step Seven:

Separate the 4.5 inch strips and the 5.5 inch strips. Taking the 5.5 inch strips and using your double sided tape, create an X.

Step 8:

Take one of the remaining strips and tape down across your X shape.

Step Nine:

Repeat, but this time across your shape.

Step Ten:

Repeat with the 4 smaller strips.

Step Eleven:

Place a piece of double sided tape in center of larger flower. Lay smaller flower on top of it, slightly staggered.

Step Twelve:

Cup the flower in your hand. Press into the center with your thumb to create dimension.

Step Thirteen:

Cut a circle to put in the center.

Cut a 5.5 inch tall strip of green paper and complete the folds like the "petals".
Step Fourteen:

Again using the double sided tape, angle the green strip on bottom of flower to create leaves.

Viola! You have a beautiful paper sunflower! I put names on the center circle and used mine as place settings. It also makes a beautiful addition to your scrapbook pages or cards. Try it! You'll love it!

Big Things Happening...

2009-09-01T23:08:00.003-05:00

Its been awhile since I've posted. Life has been crazy! I am full of exciting news today!
I bought a house!! I closed on August 20th, and since then have been in a whirlwind of chaos. There has been no time for scrappin these days!
David and I are very excited to be our new place. It is our first house. I wonder how I ever had all this stuff in a one bedroom apartment!
Here we are on Closing Day. Proud new homeowners!

Next big news....I got published!!! A few of my layouts were featured in the online publication Scrapstreet Magazine! You can check me out in the Discovery Drive section. This online magazine is full of great ideas! Each month they feature a new scrapper, and this month its ME! WOO HOO!
With news like this, I hope you'll forgive me for not posting in awhile!
Stay tuned, coming soon is a tutorial on paper sunflowers....you don't want to miss it!

Stampin!

2009-07-19T20:05:00.004-05:00

Are you a stamper? Have you tried to incorporate stamping into your paper craft projects? If not, now is the time to start experimenting! My sweet friend Lisa has a spectacular blog where she debuts Stampin Up! products as well as shows off her incredible stamping and paper craft talent!

Lisa has also given her seal of approval! Lisa likes my style! Woo hoo!

Thank you Lisa!!! So I too am spreading the blog love. The rules for this award are as follows:

1. By accepting this award you recognize the giver "Likes Your Style!"

2. You agree to display this award proudly on your site, and include a post linking back to the giver.

3. And because there are so many bloggers out there whose style you like, you will share this award with them....however many that may be.

With that said, I nominate these fabulous ladies:

Jessie

Melissa

Lisa shows off her excellent stamping talent, and this weekend I decided to try stamping myself. I've dabbled with it some, but I used it quite a bit on this layout. The title and clear flowers are stamped. I tried my hand at Stazon ink on acetate and loved the results! How fun! I cant believe I didn't try this sooner!

If you haven't tried to incorporate stamping in your layouts yet, you should try it! You'll be amazed at the wide world of possibilities it can open up!

New & Changing

2009-07-17T19:55:00.003-05:00

Its been awhile since I've been able to post. Life has been crazy busy and I haven't been able to scrap as much as I'd like. I've decided to take on cake decorating as a side business. I've created a new blog just for my cakes! Check it out: http://fairytalefrosting.blogspot.com
Don't worry, I'll be posting here for all my crafting fun! Speaking of which, check out my latest layout! This photo is from my last trip to Scotland. The blonde is my Scottish friend Lorna. We met in 2001 when I studied abroad in her home town. We've been friends ever since. Here we are having a pint at our old hang out, Masons!

I tried a few techniques on this one. Check out my tutorial on making a Paper Rose for the center rose. I also made the blue flowers from felt. I painstakingly stitched detail and pearls into the circle, and finished off with dimensional paint and stickles! The details took quite a bit of time, but I love the end result!

Hunting Vampires at a Wedding

2009-07-11T11:44:00.005-05:00

It's been a busy weekend, and its only Saturday morning! I had a lot of decorating to do yesterday. First up was a Hunter themed cake. A friend had me do a cake for his son's birthday. He's really into hunting. The camo fondant was extremely challenging. The cake had more flaws than I would have liked, but the guys loved it and that's all that matters!

My friend Kelly also had a birthday this week. We are both big fans of the Twilight series, so I made her a cake based on the 4 book covers. This was also my first attempt at stacking a cake. It was easier than I thought! Whew!
The top tier is chocolate cake and the bottom is carrot cake. Delicious!

Last project is Bride and Groom cupcakes. I cant take all the credit for this idea, I was inspired by another cake decorator on cakecentral.com. We are attending a wedding later today and these little cakes are part of our gift to the happy couple. I had a lot of fun making these and love how they turned out! Its hard to tell in the picture, but the bride's dress has luster dust on it making it all shimmery. I love them!

Its been a fun decorating weekend!

Stars and Stripes

2009-07-02T07:10:00.005-05:00

I am heading to Milwaukee today to celebrate the 4th with friends at the lakefront. Before I go, I wanted to show off my Stars & Stripes Cake!! I tried adding pudding to this recipe and the cake came out amazing and held the shape great! When we cut into it this weekend it is layered with red and blue cake and white frosting filling! Its patriotic in every way!

Hope everyone has a GREAT holiday weekend!

Me...Unzipped

2009-06-27T16:22:00.003-05:00

I am in love with the 7 Gypsies "Gypsy Market" collection! I bought the papers and was so excited, and then a creative roadblock hit. The paper was so beautiful, what would I do with it? What if it didn't turn out as amazing as I had hoped? So I mulled it over for weeks. I was wandering around Michaels, when it hit me....a jean zipper! This, is where it lead me:
I tore the paper and then stitched in the zipper, put the photo in place and backed it up with another piece of patterned paper. The embellishments are mostly Tim Holtz. I used a Tim Holst mask in the corner, as well as grunge board key and lock. The key and lock are distressed with Perfect Pearls Aged Patina. The green rose is hand made (see my Paper Rose Tutorial!). The title is Cricuit Stone Script. The florishes are also Cricut, Storybook. I used Heidi Swapp Clock Stamps in the corner, and some Prima Flowers alongside the one I made. The journal box was distressed with Walnut Stain, Tea Stain, and Firebrick Distress Inks.
A lot of time and effort went into this page, and I am so pleased with how it turned out!
Try a zipper on your next page!

Fairy Wonderland

2009-06-21T13:21:00.007-05:00

This weekend I had a good friend visit for her birthday. I made her a special birthday card, she loves butterflies!

I also made her a Fairy Wonderland cake! Its my current favorite combo of French Vanilla Cake with Almond filling. It was quite challenging to make, but I love how it turned out!

Here is a view from the top:

A little pink fairy welcoming you to her humble home!

This was so much fun, I can't wait for the next cake challenge!!

Just Call Me Betty....

2009-06-10T22:11:00.004-05:00

I am having a GREAT time baking and decorating cakes!! This week I made two birthday cakes for some co-workers. This one is my Pink Stripe Birthday Cake. Its marble cake, filled with vanilla buttercream, and covered in vanilla fondant.

Here is a close up!

My second cake is based on an inside joke with a co-worker regarding the nickname "Sunshine". He loved it!

The cake is marble again, with vanilla buttercream, and vanilla fondant. The sun is white chocolate. It was so much fun to make!

I even added a few chocolate clouds.

I've decided I officially love working with fondant! The possibilities are endless!

Puppies at the Beach

2009-05-31T10:34:00.010-05:00

This weekend I took a break from scrapping and instead did some baking! My friend Heather is in charge of bringing the dessert to her sister's tropical themed bridal shower. She came over and we experimented with an idea. Beach Cupcakes!!

We made coconut cupcakes with vanilla frosting. We also used almond buttercream for the flowers.

Don't they look delicious?! They were fun to make and tasted great too. They are going to be a hit at the bridal shower!!

I wanted to try to make some puppy cakes that I saw in a book. Heather agreed to help with that too. While we waited for the next batch to bake, we indulged in a little wine. How perfect is this.....Cupcake Wine?!

Life doesn't get any more perfect that a beach cupcake washed down with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc "Cupcake" wine!
Once the new batch was cool, we got to work on these little cuties!!

Here is a close up....don't you just want to pet him?

And of course, it wouldn't be complete without a little puppy love....

We had a blast making these!

This week I start another Wilton Course. This time I'm taking the Fondant class! So stay tuned for more culinary creations!

ATC's

2009-05-28T22:31:00.006-05:00

My newest obsession is participating in ATC swaps! I am a member of the website Inspire Swap Chat (check it out http://www.inspireswapchat.com/) and the ladies over there have turned me on to swapping!

Recently I've participated in a couple of swaps. Check out my first few ATCs!

I created this one for a beach themed swap. Don't you just love the little shark?!

This one is my current favorite. The theme was butterflies. I tried the hole punching distress technique on the first layer. I used the Paper Rose technique on the floral embellishment. Then I hand cut butterflies from patterned paper and accented with stickles!

Swapping is fun! I love sharing my work with others, but also seeing what people do with the same theme. The possibilities are endless!

New Layouts

2009-05-21T19:39:00.004-05:00

Two posts in one day, can you believe it?! I wanted to share some of my newest layouts!

My friend has the most adorable twins, so when I saw there 4 year old photos, I couldn't help but scrap them. I hand cut all of the embellishments from American Crafts papers. Don't you just want to pinch their cheeks?!

I love love love Basic Grey! It was perfect for a layout celebrating Ladies Night Out!!

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

Vintage Vine Tutorial

2009-05-21T18:53:00.013-05:00

I'm back from my trip to Dallas, TX and now have time to post the tutorial on my "Vintage Vine". It takes a little time and effort, but the end result is a beautiful hand made creation perfectly coordinated for your page!

Materials:

You will need two colors of paper. I chose patterned paper, but you can use just plain cardstock too. You will want two colors of ink to coordinate with your paper choice. Scissors, floral wire, clear tape, and glue dots.

Step One:

You will need to make the base vine. I chose to make mine 7 inches in length. Cut 7 inches of floral wire. Take your 12x12 paper, and cut a three inch wide strip. Tightly roll your wire in the paper, pattern side out. I did this in three sections, taping off each section with clear tape.

Step 2:

Step two is to create the vine branches. This time, cut 2 strips of 3 inch floral wire. Use your remaining paper to roll each one, taping it off. Once the wire is covered in paper, you can wrap it around the base vine.

Step Three:

You should still have a remaining piece of patterned paper from wrapping the vines. On the backside draw out any leaves you want to add to the vine. I made 8 leaves.

Step 4:

Cut out each leaf and ink the edges.

Step 5:

Using your glue dots, attach to each of the vines, however you would like.

Step 6:

Now we will move on to making the blooms. You will need another color of paper, scissors and a pencil.

Step 7:

On the backside of the paper you will need to draw your petals. For the top of the vine, I used three blooms. For each branch I used two. In the photo above notice the arrow. Its pointing out three slightly larger teardrop shapes. That is for the base of each bloom. To make your vine like mine you will need a total of 7 larger petals. Each large petal then has 4 smaller ones, so you will need a total of 28 small petals.

Step 8:

Cut out all of your petals and ink the edges.

Step 9:

Set aside the small petals. Taking each large petal, roll into a cylinder and tape at the bottom.

Step 10:

Using your glue dots you will add the smaller petals to each rolled center. Put your glue dot on the patterned side, right at the tip of the petal. Start by putting the rolled center in the middle of your first petal. Then add a petal to the left and to the right side of the center. Add your final petal slightly above the center one. You have now completed your bloom!

Step 11:

Using your glue dots at the base of each bloom, add to the vines.

Step 12:

You have now made your very own Vintage Vine. Attach to your scrapbook page with glue dots on the back of the vines and blooms!

With just a little bit of elbow grease you have a beautiful, and coordinated vine for your page! Have fun!

Live In The Moment

2009-05-19T00:10:00.004-05:00

I've been a busy bee this past weekend! Check out my latest layout! The photo was taken when David and I went to see one of my favorite artists, Duffy, at First Avenue last year. David isn't really into her music, but he was a good sport and went with me anyway.
I used the Paper Rose Technique that I mentioned in my last post for the three big flowers.
What I am most excited about is the way the floral vine turned out! I designed the technique this weekend. I'll be posting a tutorial on it later this week!! Stay tuned!

Paper Rose Tutorial

2009-05-17T17:38:00.010-05:00

This week I learned a great new technique! I learned how to make a beautiful paper rose! Its perfect to add a personalized touch to any scrapbook layout, card, whatever your heart desires! Its easy to do, and you can make it in a variety of sizes and colors. Try it out!

Materials Needed:

I used patterned paper, but any cardstock will do. Scissors, stapler, pencil, ink and glue dots are also needed.

Step One:

On the back of the paper draw a 5 petal flower. You will need to draw 4 large, and 4 small blooms. Then cut them all out.

Step Two:

Ink the edges of your blooms.

Step Three:

Fold each bloom in half and staple at the fold. Notice the bloom with an arrow in the second picture. That is your last small bloom. Quarter that bloom and staple.

Step Four:

Crinkle up each bloom.

Step Five:

Unfold each bloom. Try using the pencil or your fingers to round each petal upwards.

Step 6:

Starting with your large blooms, place a glue dot on the center and layer them. Then add the small blooms, saving your quartered one for last. The quartered bloom will be the flower's center. And, Viola!! You have created a beautiful paper rose!!

This idea was originally from another scrap blogger....check her out in the blogs I follow under "What a Beautiful Mess"

Early Mother's Day

2009-05-03T15:07:00.007-05:00

This weekend my Mom came up to visit. My sister and I decided to have a surprise Mother's Day Brunch for her. The menu consisted of Mimosas, fresh fruit, Banana French Toast Bake and these adorable Baby Bluebird Cupcakes!

I made her a cute little card too....

Overall, a really nice weekend!

Cheer Up Chocolate Cake!

2009-04-29T20:32:00.004-05:00

My sister was having a tough week and since it seems chocolate solves all problems I made her a cake! Its my first "non-class" cake. I'm quite pleased at how it turned out, I just hope its as delicious as it looks!

Blue and Gold

2009-04-27T19:28:00.005-05:00

This weekend I made these two cards. I was inspired by another scrapping blogger, Scrapperlicious. These were fun to make. I used distress ink to make the blue and gold backgrounds. Then used my cuttlebug embossing envelope to add the leaves. I used chalk ink to accent the leaves. The "M" (for Mom) and "G" (for grandma) was accented with Perfect Pearls in Patina. I also used a touch of glimmer mist to add shimmer. I'm really excited at how they turned out! More to come....

Rain Layout

2009-04-25T16:57:00.009-05:00

I completed a new layout, and my first posted one on here!

Heather and I spent a day sightseeing in Brighton, England. While we were inside touring the Royal Pavilion, what we like to call "Hurricane Brighton" hit! We had to maneuver around the city in pouring rain and violent winds. By the end of the day my umbrella was blown out several times and we were soaked to the bone. You couldn't do anything but laugh about it!

For the base is regular cardstock. I layered on top of that a water drop themed paper and used my edge distresser and ink to add dimension to the edges. With distress ink and a water distress technique I made the top layer. For an extra special touch I sprayed with Glimmer Mist in Patina.

I took scraps of the distressed paper and punched out butterflies. I inked the edges and used stickles in Turquoise to make the details. I folded the wings up and used "rain drops" for the bodies.

This was my first layout using a Tim Holtz mask. I love the effect over the layers of paper!!

I liked the masking technique so much that I cut a title with my Cricut Storybook font and used it as a mask as well! My ink pad left lines, which I ordinarily wouldn't like, but this time looked like sheets of rain!

This was so much fun to do!

Wilton Cake Course 1 Graduate!

2009-04-23T17:48:00.008-05:00

This week has been so exciting! On Tuesday I had my very first Zumba class....if you haven't tried it, you should! I love Latin dance and Latin music, so it was fun! I recognized almost every song (if you can believe that!) and had a great time dancing, laughing and burning 500 calories and hour!!

Wednesday was my last class Wilton Course 1 class and we decorated our Grand Finale Cakes. We had a choice of several styles and colors. I chose an all white cake and added purple luster dust to my roses. I cant wait to make more cakes!

I also had enough left over batter to bring in extra treats for the guys at work and a co-worker who was having a birthday this week.

Can't wait to see what adventures this weekend brings!

Adventures in the Life of LeJess

Changing Direction

The Grand Finale!

30th Birthdays and a Citation

Ending and Beginning

Doggie Race Track, Return of the King and Christmas Penguins

Favorite things, Post-its and a Photo Booth

Holiday Fun, Bag Room and a Snow Storm!

Doggie Messes and Bad Wine

Chapstick, Cookie Towers, and Thankful Week!

Mini tree, Mini person, and Caesar's First Snow

Old Friends, RAK, and a Power Outage

Kitchen Makeover and Star Wars Dogs

Hardwood Floors, City Views, and Mike on a Stick!

Oops! I'm Really Behind!

The Dog Ate What?

Boy thats a lot of cookies!

Gaga for Cakes!

Full of Sneak Peeks!

YIKES!

Wine, Weird, and WTF?

Geez! What Happened To July?!

Puppies, Parties, and Couch to 5k!

Tons and Tons of Photos!

Paw Print Canvas

Burgers, Girlfriends and Fake Phone Booths...

Time to Get Motivated!

Remember...

A Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America for an amount up to, and including,their life. That is an honor, and there are way too many people inthis country today who no longer understand that fact

Back From Cowboy Country....

Playing Catch Up...

Mother's Day Rose

When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Bunny...

Cinco De Mayo...Ole!

Stop Stealing My Cupcakes!

Thats Two Sick Puppies!

Inspiration for Lisa

FENCE!!!!!!!!

Sushi or Mexican??

No Easter basket for me....

Introducing....Caesar!

If We Were Eggs...

Tutu!

Published!!

Is that a dog in your shirt?

Yoga...Naked Puppy...Fake Girl Scout Cookies?!

Back from the Nyquil Coma....

Life in 3D

365

Peter Pan

Showin Me Love!

Egg Obsession

Ok, so I cheated, just a little bit

3.6.5.

Theme of the day...Wine!

Another Edition of 365

Free Day? SCRAP DAY!

Bet You Thought I Forgot...

Action Shots and Close Ups

Almost Failed...Already!

Another 365 Update!

Photo Time!

365 Photo Challenge Part 2

365 Photo Challenge

Goodbye 2009....Hello 2010

Typealyzer

ESFP - The Performers

Its A Very Merry Christmas!

Blossoms

Brand New House

Sunflower Tutorial

Big Things Happening...

Stampin!

New & Changing

Hunting Vampires at a Wedding

Stars and Stripes

Me...Unzipped

Fairy Wonderland

Just Call Me Betty....

Puppies at the Beach

A Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman is someone
who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to
the United States of America for an amount up to, and including,
their life. That is an honor, and there are way too many people in
this country today who no longer understand that fact