What a fantastic weekend it's been. The weather here has just been wonderful. It's been comfortably warm, and though the summer overall has been cool and our maple tree is already a riot of colors, we really can't complain. The Bears kick off their season tonight at Green Bay and I'll be looking forward to hearing the voice of Brad Maynard, Chicago's sexiest Bear, on the radio tomorrow discussing the win!
There are some great crafting sales and coupons this week!
Michael's, 50% off one regular-priced item, expires September 19th
Michael's also has open stock scrapbook paper and pads 40% off, craft punches 40% off, and Basic Narrows and Straight N Narrows Ribbon for $1/spool. They also have Jesse James Dress It Up buttons 2/$3.
JoAnn, 40% off one regular-priced item, expires October 3rd
Hobby Lobby, 40% off one regular-priced item, expires September 19th
If you're in need of storage, Hobby Lobby has Ball Mason Jars in all sizes 30% off. And if you're working on those fall and holiday cards, they have fall and Christmas scrapbook kits, albums, stickers and accessories on sale 30% off (last time I was there I saw some fantastic Dress It Up mega packs in the Christmas section and some great regular packs in the fall section).
And speaking of buttons, Buttons Galore has a great buy one get one sale on their Fiesta Felt products (buttons and flowers). Enter code FFBOGO in the comment section of your order. **Please note that the free item will not show on your order. It will automatically be added.** The offer expires September 17th.
Well, I think that pretty much empties my email of coupons, lol. I hope there's something you can use and that you're all having a great weekend!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Freedom
Okay, I love my girls, but I have to confess that as my youngest starts preschool in a few days, I'm torn between a sadness that my baby is growing up and a giddiness at the "freedom" I will have for two and a half hours, three days a week, that I haven't known in more than 11 years! I mean I'll be able to use the washroom without someone trying to gain entry like a firefighter trying to rescue someone from a burning building. And grocery shopping, sans kids! Half the time and less money spent. And let's not even get started on the weaning of the old toys...you know the ones the kids want to play with the minute you mention donating them to a local charity...the same ones they hadn't played with in the last year much less the last six months. It's so much easier that they magically disappear without the kids knowing about it.
But as my personal "Independence Day (or hours)" approach, I will miss the baby stages. I'll miss the baby talk, the way my youngest used to say "bah-yo-nee" for bologna. Or the way she jumps up and down, her little arms raised for her daddy to pick her up when he gets home from work saying, "Up, up, up!" I know I'll miss someday when she stops saying, "I love you, Mommy," and starts saying, "You're ruining my life!" But for now I'll just hold onto all the memories from all my girls and look forward to all the new ones to come from each of them, to all the achievements they'll make, and to the day when they'll realize that all I did was love them.
OK, I am NOT going to cry, dagnabit!
I'm not even sure why I'm going off on this tangent right now, but it is what it is (what does that mean, anyway?).
Anyway, if you haven't seen the latest Archiver's newsletter, it's full of great Halloween treats and a 30% off coupon (through Sept. 17th). You can check it out here. That's about it for now. I hope you're all having a fantastic and safe holiday weekend!
But as my personal "Independence Day (or hours)" approach, I will miss the baby stages. I'll miss the baby talk, the way my youngest used to say "bah-yo-nee" for bologna. Or the way she jumps up and down, her little arms raised for her daddy to pick her up when he gets home from work saying, "Up, up, up!" I know I'll miss someday when she stops saying, "I love you, Mommy," and starts saying, "You're ruining my life!" But for now I'll just hold onto all the memories from all my girls and look forward to all the new ones to come from each of them, to all the achievements they'll make, and to the day when they'll realize that all I did was love them.
OK, I am NOT going to cry, dagnabit!
I'm not even sure why I'm going off on this tangent right now, but it is what it is (what does that mean, anyway?).
Anyway, if you haven't seen the latest Archiver's newsletter, it's full of great Halloween treats and a 30% off coupon (through Sept. 17th). You can check it out here. That's about it for now. I hope you're all having a fantastic and safe holiday weekend!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
An awesome card
So this is what Danielle made yesterday and I just adore it:
It uses the Lots of Bots stamp set from Stampin' Up and paper by Cosmo Cricket. The left-hand corner has torn vellum pieces and though it's difficult to see from the picture, the paper has glitter accents done with Spica pens. The orange layer beneath the robot paper has binary code from the stamp set on it. Very, very cute!
If you are interested in purchasing the stamp set, Danielle is a Stampin' Up Demonstrator and you can get in touch with her through her blog here.
I still need to finish blogging about my trip to Maine and I promise I will get to it. I wasn't going to share my luggage drama, but after seeing this video which truly is hysterical, I'll just say don't think that the baggage fee you pay guarantees that a) your suitcase will arrive at your destination with you and b) that it will be in the same condition it was when you handed it off to the TSA. Luckily, the damage United inflicted to my $45 suitcase isn't as costly as what they did to Dave Carroll's guitar.
Anyway, that's it from here for the moment. I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend!
It uses the Lots of Bots stamp set from Stampin' Up and paper by Cosmo Cricket. The left-hand corner has torn vellum pieces and though it's difficult to see from the picture, the paper has glitter accents done with Spica pens. The orange layer beneath the robot paper has binary code from the stamp set on it. Very, very cute!
If you are interested in purchasing the stamp set, Danielle is a Stampin' Up Demonstrator and you can get in touch with her through her blog here.
I still need to finish blogging about my trip to Maine and I promise I will get to it. I wasn't going to share my luggage drama, but after seeing this video which truly is hysterical, I'll just say don't think that the baggage fee you pay guarantees that a) your suitcase will arrive at your destination with you and b) that it will be in the same condition it was when you handed it off to the TSA. Luckily, the damage United inflicted to my $45 suitcase isn't as costly as what they did to Dave Carroll's guitar.
Anyway, that's it from here for the moment. I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend!
An INCREDIBLE Offer from Dustin Pike
Yes, it's 2:30 in the morning my time right now. Have you been to Dustin Pike's blog lately? Have you seen his amazing art? Well you must be a fan then because if you've seen his art you know how incredible his work is.
Well right now through Midnight MST (Mountain Standard Time) tonight Sunday, July 12th, he is offering his entire collection of digi-stamps (THAT'S 118 AWESOME STAMPS) for the amazing low price of $25! Yes, can you believe that?! Check it out here.
Okay, well that's it from here for the moment. I'll be back later to post an amazing new card by Danielle and some United Airlines hilarity.
Well right now through Midnight MST (Mountain Standard Time) tonight Sunday, July 12th, he is offering his entire collection of digi-stamps (THAT'S 118 AWESOME STAMPS) for the amazing low price of $25! Yes, can you believe that?! Check it out here.
Okay, well that's it from here for the moment. I'll be back later to post an amazing new card by Danielle and some United Airlines hilarity.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
MAINE!
Well, it's been a month since I've been home and I've been thinking I really need to blog about the trip. I've been such a slacker on this and really have no good reason for it. So, here it is.
I have to admit I was both excited and worried about taking a "vacation" by myself, my first one ever in my life without my family. I love my husband and children more than words can express, but I really needed the time off. Even though it was well into spring, I had a terminal case of cabin fever and a hint of wanderlust. I confess that I was surprised my husband was willing to let me go by myself, and honestly if we could have afforded a family vacation, I would have preferred that (even with the hassle). But I guess he understands me better than I think and knew I needed a little bit of time away.
On Tuesday I flew out from Milwaukee to Boston (with a stop at O'Hare---silly I know, but the fare was cheaper flying out of Milwaukee). The first thing I noticed from the air as we got closer to Boston were all the trees. We have groves of trees here, but sadly they're called forest preserves. There were actual forests out east, trees for as far as the eye could see. And, of course, water. Lots and lots of it. Danielle and her little boy picked me up at the airport and we were on our way.
The drive from Boston to Maine was beautiful. I adored that there were just so many trees and rocks. I'm not sure why I had thought it would be flat, but the rocks and hillsides really surprised me. It was something I hadn't expected at all even though I should have being so close to the ocean. We had to pass through New Hampshire to get to Maine and it was neat to see that once we were out of Massachusetts there really weren't any billboards to tarnish all that nature offered. It was refreshing to be able to see...well, nature.
We stopped in Portland, Maine, for lunch at the Great Lost Bear. It's one of Danielle's favorite restaurants and the food was so good it was easy to see why. We took a brief drive through a bit of Portland where I oohed and ahhed over the architecture. I adore colonial history and this area has plenty of it. If I have the chance to go back out east sometime, I would love the chance to see more of the history of it.
The next two hours passed in much the same way as the first, taking in the sights along the way including Bath Iron Works where they build large ships. At the dock as we passed there was a navy destroyer being built. I would have loved to have been able to get a picture of it, but there really is nowhere to stop (and I imagine they probably don't want people stopping and taking pictures of it anyway). Danielle was great pointing out interesting places along the way in between my dozing (it'd been a really long day for all of us) and Cole was wonderful in the car for such a long trip.
When we got to Danielle's house I was just floored by the beauty of it. The air smelled woodsy and clean and there was no haze or anything to mar the bright blue of the sky. But then I suppose that's what you get when you truly live in the middle of nowhere. In fact, the "road" to her house is dirt. But the view from the back porch was so amazing, it makes it all worth it. The house sits on a cove and the effects of the tide going in and out were so dramatic. We have tidal changes on Lake Michigan but nothing on the order of or so noticeable as what is there. This picture was taken at dusk so it's a little difficult to see, but it's high tide:
And this is what the cove looks like when the tide is out:
We spent some time on the porch looking out at the cove and watching the birds at the feeder until the mosquitoes started to attack. Cole was all full of energy and was running back and forth, and I admit it made me teary missing my family. I think at that point if Boston wasn't four hours away I would have just wanted to come home. It's not a place though where you call a cab to take you to the airport, lol. Thank goodness for the hugs from Danielle! She just knew I was missing them and that helped get me through that first rough night.
Anyway, I think that's all I'm going to blog about today. I'll write more tomorrow, but before I go here are some coupons:
Archiver's, 30% off one item and free card stock with card stock purchase, exp. 7/13
Hobby Lobby 40% off one item, exp. 7/11
Btw, did you know Hobby Lobby carries the Copic Sketch markers? If you hit a sale or have a coupon, it's a good price.
Michael's 50% off one item, exp. 7/11
JoAnn, 40% off one item through 7/18 and 50% off one item July 12th through 18th
That's it from here for today. I hope you all (the one or two who read this, lol) had a safe and happy holiday weekend and that you have a wonderful week!
I have to admit I was both excited and worried about taking a "vacation" by myself, my first one ever in my life without my family. I love my husband and children more than words can express, but I really needed the time off. Even though it was well into spring, I had a terminal case of cabin fever and a hint of wanderlust. I confess that I was surprised my husband was willing to let me go by myself, and honestly if we could have afforded a family vacation, I would have preferred that (even with the hassle). But I guess he understands me better than I think and knew I needed a little bit of time away.
On Tuesday I flew out from Milwaukee to Boston (with a stop at O'Hare---silly I know, but the fare was cheaper flying out of Milwaukee). The first thing I noticed from the air as we got closer to Boston were all the trees. We have groves of trees here, but sadly they're called forest preserves. There were actual forests out east, trees for as far as the eye could see. And, of course, water. Lots and lots of it. Danielle and her little boy picked me up at the airport and we were on our way.
The drive from Boston to Maine was beautiful. I adored that there were just so many trees and rocks. I'm not sure why I had thought it would be flat, but the rocks and hillsides really surprised me. It was something I hadn't expected at all even though I should have being so close to the ocean. We had to pass through New Hampshire to get to Maine and it was neat to see that once we were out of Massachusetts there really weren't any billboards to tarnish all that nature offered. It was refreshing to be able to see...well, nature.
We stopped in Portland, Maine, for lunch at the Great Lost Bear. It's one of Danielle's favorite restaurants and the food was so good it was easy to see why. We took a brief drive through a bit of Portland where I oohed and ahhed over the architecture. I adore colonial history and this area has plenty of it. If I have the chance to go back out east sometime, I would love the chance to see more of the history of it.
The next two hours passed in much the same way as the first, taking in the sights along the way including Bath Iron Works where they build large ships. At the dock as we passed there was a navy destroyer being built. I would have loved to have been able to get a picture of it, but there really is nowhere to stop (and I imagine they probably don't want people stopping and taking pictures of it anyway). Danielle was great pointing out interesting places along the way in between my dozing (it'd been a really long day for all of us) and Cole was wonderful in the car for such a long trip.
When we got to Danielle's house I was just floored by the beauty of it. The air smelled woodsy and clean and there was no haze or anything to mar the bright blue of the sky. But then I suppose that's what you get when you truly live in the middle of nowhere. In fact, the "road" to her house is dirt. But the view from the back porch was so amazing, it makes it all worth it. The house sits on a cove and the effects of the tide going in and out were so dramatic. We have tidal changes on Lake Michigan but nothing on the order of or so noticeable as what is there. This picture was taken at dusk so it's a little difficult to see, but it's high tide:
And this is what the cove looks like when the tide is out:
We spent some time on the porch looking out at the cove and watching the birds at the feeder until the mosquitoes started to attack. Cole was all full of energy and was running back and forth, and I admit it made me teary missing my family. I think at that point if Boston wasn't four hours away I would have just wanted to come home. It's not a place though where you call a cab to take you to the airport, lol. Thank goodness for the hugs from Danielle! She just knew I was missing them and that helped get me through that first rough night.
Anyway, I think that's all I'm going to blog about today. I'll write more tomorrow, but before I go here are some coupons:
Archiver's, 30% off one item and free card stock with card stock purchase, exp. 7/13
Hobby Lobby 40% off one item, exp. 7/11
Btw, did you know Hobby Lobby carries the Copic Sketch markers? If you hit a sale or have a coupon, it's a good price.
Michael's 50% off one item, exp. 7/11
JoAnn, 40% off one item through 7/18 and 50% off one item July 12th through 18th
That's it from here for today. I hope you all (the one or two who read this, lol) had a safe and happy holiday weekend and that you have a wonderful week!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Yes, I know it's only June
Okay, no, I haven't lost it. Well not completely, anyway. I know it's only June and the Fourth is only a few days away, but I thought I'd get a start on making Halloween and Christmas cards. Why? Well for one thing, I spent nearly an entire day when I was visiting Danielle just stamping images from the stamps she had. For another, I'm a sometimes-procrastinator. There are times when I'm uber-organized and way ahead of the game. And there are times when I just roll along with things. I'll be going back to my part-time job in the end of September so I thought now is the time, while the older two are off playing with friends and I can engage the little one with some SpongeBob (yes, bad mommy, I know, but it makes her smile and isn't that what it's all about?), I figured I could get some cards made. And of course there's always the third reason (and perhaps the most important): I don't want my husband to see that I'm not using all the great stamping stuff he effectively paid for, lol.
Actually, I was feeling a moment of inspiration, as if my creative muse had returned to me no matter how briefly. So here, without further ado, is the card I made today:
The spider web paper is by The Paper Studio. I got it at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago when they were having a great paper sale. I'm thinking I'm going to need to go back and get more of that because I just love it. The candy corn is by Dress It Up and was one of the great things I bought at the Heirloom Pro Rubber Stamp Convention when I was visiting Danielle. It was really easy to get the fastener off so that I could tacky glue it to the card. I just shaved it off with a box cutter (it's all I had handy after trauma scissors didn't work), though in the future I think I'll use an exact-o knife for fear of chopping off my fingers. All in all, it was a fun, really easy card to make.
Well, that's it from here for today. I hope you are all having a fantastic week and that you have a very safe and happy Fourth of July!
Actually, I was feeling a moment of inspiration, as if my creative muse had returned to me no matter how briefly. So here, without further ado, is the card I made today:
The spider web paper is by The Paper Studio. I got it at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago when they were having a great paper sale. I'm thinking I'm going to need to go back and get more of that because I just love it. The candy corn is by Dress It Up and was one of the great things I bought at the Heirloom Pro Rubber Stamp Convention when I was visiting Danielle. It was really easy to get the fastener off so that I could tacky glue it to the card. I just shaved it off with a box cutter (it's all I had handy after trauma scissors didn't work), though in the future I think I'll use an exact-o knife for fear of chopping off my fingers. All in all, it was a fun, really easy card to make.
Well, that's it from here for today. I hope you are all having a fantastic week and that you have a very safe and happy Fourth of July!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
New Archiver's Coupon
The latest newsletter from Archiver's is here with new items in the hot spot section and some fantastic new patriotic stuff.
And of course there are coupons: 30% off one regular priced item through June 29th and buy one seat at Scrap Mania, get another half off through July 6th (for Scrap Manias through August). Click here to grab the coupons.
Have a great day!
And of course there are coupons: 30% off one regular priced item through June 29th and buy one seat at Scrap Mania, get another half off through July 6th (for Scrap Manias through August). Click here to grab the coupons.
Have a great day!
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