Sunday, December 18, 2011

Mami Doodles Home Decor - Challenge #40

Long time, no post - I forgot to post my winner from the blog hop on Halloween, but I know that Elisa reached out to the winner she drew while I was in Europe.

** Congrats to Sammibug **

On to the new challenge. This challenge was to do some sort of altered art or home decor project with a Mami Doodles image. I decided that an ornament would be an appropriate home decor item for this time of year. Here's what I did:
People I have shown this to, keep asking how I did it, so here are some very brief instructions: I took a transparency, printed it on a laser printer, I cut out the 4 inch circle with a tab (to keep it upright) at the top, and colored it in with my Copic markers and glitter pens. When I was done coloring I rolled it up and carefully put it inside the glass ornament and arranged it with a pair of needlenose pliers (tweezers would work too, if you aren't too lazy to look for yours! :D) before putting snow white flower soft and snow tinsel glitter in the ornament. I put the cap back on, and voila! Quick and easy! 
And to think, I used to be so afraid of clear glass ornaments! Enjoy and make sure you play along and check out what others have created over at Mami Doodles.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Mami Doodle Blog Hop!

Hope you are having a very spooky Friday! It is a very exciting day here at Mami Doodles. We want to welcome the three *newbie* additions to our design team! They are ::drum roll:: Frances, Jenn , and Pam. I can't wait for you to see their AWESOME craftiness! In honor of our new additions, we're doing a blog hop today, to make sure you will say hi to the NEWBIE Kids on the Block. If you hopped from my buddy Ren-Yi's blog, then you're right on track. And to give you a little more incentive, Elisa is in a very generous mood. We have freebies AND prizes to give away. Are you ready?  

Freebie 1 

  • "Scary Mummy", but you need a password. Hint: it's in the DT's posts!
Freebie 2
Prizes
  • Want to win 4 Christmas digis of your choice? We are drawing winners on *each* DT blog. That gives you TEN chances to win! All you have to do is tell me is what kind of Christmas or other holiday must-have traditions you have.
Shall we get on with the challenge? The theme this week is Black & Orange, in honor of Halloween. I used The Witch digi from the Mami Doodles store and coupled it with some dpp from Authentique's Glow collection. I am in love with this little witch and Authentique's paper. :) Here's my card and a few close ups:






I haven't seen daylight in a few days (and we're not discussing what my cat did to my lightbox *sigh*) so I am going to retake these photos on Saturday. Pardon me for now. :D Hope you enjoy my card and what the rest of the team has posted. And be sure to drop in and stalk a newbie or two! (PASSWORD HINT: the only "n" word in the previous sentence!) Your next stop is the incredibly bewitching Wendy!

And in case you got lost, here's the entire blog hop list... Elisa
Frances
Jackie
Jenn
Lisa
Manuela
Pam
Ren-Yi
Stephanie (Your current location!)
Wendy

Thursday, July 14, 2011

A whole lot of catching up to do!

In a stunning move, that will disappoint dear Belinda, I'm going to combine a whole lot of posts into one right now because I'm behind on blogging and I just want to 1) feel like it's not on my check list anymore and 2) share cards with the world! :D (Side note: I have been busy at work, loving what I do, but it's hard to come home from a tech job and hop on the computer! No more details, I'd like to keep this a work free zone!)
So here's what I have for you:
Mami Doodles - 6/24

Tuesday Morning Sketches - 7/5

Tuesday Morning Sketches - 7/12

The first two photos are demos of the awesome detachable bookmarks that we were challenged to incorporate into this week's card! I love the way this turned out! Let me know if you want instructions, I'd love to help!
That's all I have for you today, hope you enjoy! I'll start working on getting the posts out a little more consistently. :D (And no, BCL, I'm not sharing the cards I made in PA...I'm submitting them for publication.)

A post just to play!

Just a quick link to post my get well card for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge this week! Hope you like it!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Tuesday Morning Sketches #99

Another fun week of designing for Tuesday Morning Sketches. This week we have this sketch to work with:

And here's my take:

My card was one of those everything-comes-together-perfectly kind of experiences. I used Kitchen Sink stamps (layered stamps) which I purchased and learned how to use the day before making this card. The paper is all blank PTI cardstock, which I had just organized and found the blue. And amazingly enough I knew where each item I needed for embossing was. This was my first time using SRM stickers and I'm very pleased with how well they worked, bet you didn't know that my sentiment was a sticker before I told you! :D
Hope you have a great day and play along at Tuesday Morning Sketches this week!

Monday, June 20, 2011

A quick post to celebrate!

Because I'm in a generous mood, and I've hit 100 blog posts (as of Saturday), I am giving away a couple of items to the people who have stuck around to read and comment on my blog. First, the followers, I picked 1 random follower (using random.org) and I'm happy to send item numero uno to:
Follower #16 (alphabetically) t_mwalker

Secondly, I picked out 3 commenters from my 482 comments. The chosen few are:
#39 -  Manuela  
on Mami Doodles Spots and Stripes
#299 - Laurie Marmon
on And Now For Something A Little Different...
#61 - Crafty Math Chick 
on Happy St. Patrick's Day


I have 4 random packages of embellishments and accessories to send out to you, but I need addresses! Email me at stephanie . gru ss (at) gma il (dot) com (remove spaces, I'm trying to confuse spammer bots :D) in order to claim your prizes! Thanks for following and commenting, you really encourage me to keep doing what I'm doing! Have a super day!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Waltzingmouse Waltz of Americana


I almost missed the Waltz for June! But it’s still the 17th by my time, so I think I’m still sneaking in! I have to admit, I got a little caught up in getting ready for Stamping Around and forgot to make my card. But I’m the kind of person who can create on the go, so I put this baby together while waiting for them to open the doors tonight. I would say this was a 5 minute card, because it really *could* have been. Alas, I was sitting with 4 of my favorite crafty ladies laughing my butt off and screwed up my stamping…and punching…the only thing I got right the first time was the glue, oh and cutting!
I was pretty excited to finally use my red, white, and blue twine! And I had planned on using my star stamp from the Back In The Saddle before I got distracted. Well, you win some and you laugh the rest off! Ha! Ok, time for me to get my sleep on so I can have more fun tomorrow! Happy trails to you!

Happy Birthday Mom!


*My post has nothing to do with my mom's birthday other than I'm posting on her birthday! Love you mom!*

It’s Tuesday Morning Sketches time again! I’m a bit late in posting my card because I’m SUPER EXCITED!! For Stamping Around today and I’ve been packing and making my nametag and generally forgetting to blog! The challenge this week is an inspiration challenge set by Angela. Here’s the inspiration:


And here is my inspired card:

I used the succulent digital stamp from Tiffany Doodles and paper pieced it into layers. The sentiment stamp is from Waltzingmouse Stamps’ Say It Loud (sketch is WMS too!), and all of the card is from PTI. I’d say it was a quick card except for the hours I spent coloring, cutting, and embossing those flowers! I’m in it for the fun of it though, definitely not the pay! Lol

Hope you all have a great weekend and I will be back on Tuesday (and on time!!) with the next TMS sketch! I’m off to Stamping Around Ohio! Hooray!

So, you stuck around until the end of the post...this is post 99 for me. I'm pretty sure you can guess what's going to happen at 100! I would make sure you're a follower or a commenter before my next post (which will be before Tuesday)! ;)

Friday, June 10, 2011

Masculine Card with Mami Doodles

It's been a long week with a lot of work put into this card! I used the wood grain paper from Emma's Shoppe Collection by Paper Crate to make a window frame (embellished with the "Congratulations" stamp from WMS Free Spirit Sentiments set). I also used the WMS sketch this week, and it seems to have served me well with the awesome Hot Air Balloon digi from Mami Doodles. (Inside the card it says "It's time to launch your dreams!")
Now it is time for you to get your "man card" on! That's right...back away from the glitter, and put the pink twine down...then head on over to Mami Doodles to see what the rest of the design team has brought you!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Case it!

Here are the details...for those who noticed my photo-only link 5 minutes ago!

I love  that Anya thinks outside of the box and makes jewelry with WMS. It makes me smile and get creative...you'll understand soon, I have a lot of congratulations cards to post... ;)

Here is the link to Anya's necklace that I cased. I tried to make a bracelet instead since I was hand linking all of the jump rings. All in all, I think it was a win! Anya is a genius! That's all there is to say! :D

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Welcome to Tuesday Morning Sketches #97 - Take 2

I'm a little sheepish, and embarrassed to admit it, but I used the wrong image on my first Tuesday Morning Sketches card. I apparently got *SO* caught up in getting it done on time and beautifully that I missed a detail about which image to use.

Here is my proper TMS card:


A lovely, punny, gorgeous specimen of cardmaking if I do say so myself! It's colored with Prismacolor pencils and a blender pen, and then paper pieced together, inside and out. I'm glad that I had a chance to redeem myself, and that Melissa didn't just shake her head in shame and pretend like I don't exist! (Just kidding!) Ok, it's time for me to go work on next week's creation, because I can't afford to make this mistake twice! :D

Welcome to Tuesday Morning Sketches #97

Announcement time again...
*drumroll please*
I am now a part of the Tuesday Morning Sketches (guest) design team! Which, for my pushy friends out there, means you will see a blog post at least 3 times a fortnight, and a minimum of 7 times a month. But I can't stop there...you're going to see a lot more than 7 posts a month from me, because after a year of post-graduation real world life, I'm finally all settled in! Time to craft! Oh yeah!
Here is this week's sketch:

And my take on the sketch:

I used the "Bluebonnet" image from Whimsy Doodles (this week's sponsor), and I colored it in reds with my Copics. Yes, I know it's a Bluebonnet. I actually checked. There are RED bluebonnets. Yeah, awesome, I know! Dear Google, thanks for supporting my desire to use reds to color this image. Finished off with a WMS sentiment, some PTI cardstock, free ribbon, and a lot of dimensional adhesive! I have really enjoyed working with digital images in the recent weeks and I enjoyed doing all the fussy cutting to "pop" the flowers up, totally worth it!


Head on over to Tuesday Morning Sketches to play along with this week's sketch!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Scrap Our Stash May Challenge

I struggle with using flowers on my scrap pages because I love the huge 3D flowers that are popular, so I decided to try a new type of 3D flower (well, new technique for me, many people have been doing these for a while.): The rolled flower.
I chose to do a card because I could put it in a box with a gift and not worry about it getting mashed as it would in my scrapbook. The flowers were pretty simple, since I'm not buying any new stuff for 2011 (with some notable exceptions) I didn't use a die or any templates. I just punched a circle and started cutting in a spiral. I scrunched, rolled, and then went nuts with Glossy Accents to hold it all together. I had to use hot glue to get the flowers to stick and I'm happy to report that I didn't burn myself. I wanted the flowers and the sentiment to pop, so I kept the rest white. Could have easily been a wedding card, even though I used it for a birthday. Super versatile!


Now it's your turn to take the May Flowers Challenge. See all the details HERE! Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

Let's Party with Mami Doodles

I totally thought I was over the plague (that's what I'm calling my bout with Ohio these days) and then I went back to the doctor this week and found out that I have added a sinus infection to the party! How does that saying go? Two's company, three's a crowd, and four is a party? Well, with layrngitis, bronchitis, a sinus infection, and allergies I definitely have a party going on! What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger! I've also identified my priorities - re: the craft room is 1/2 unpacked, my clothes are completely packed still. o_O You didn't come here for my rambling about packing and diseases though, you came for my Mami Doodles creation! Here it is:

I used shimmery paper (dark and light blue) and gold foil to compliment the metallic blue and gold colored pencils that I used as accents on the image. Unfortunately, the penciling is so subtle that I couldn't get it to show on camera. I'll work on some macro shots in the daylight and see if I can get something better for you! And yes, you are getting another flat card. What can I say, there are a lot of Montana birthdays that I need to send cards for! Hope you join the party over at Mami Doodles and play along in the "Let's Party!" challenge! I can't wait to see what you make!

You may have noticed I used a modified Tuesday Morning Sketch...again! I always find so much inspiration, when I'm set on colors but stuck on layout.

Friday, May 20, 2011

I'm *fashionably* late to the party!

Happy Waltz Week!
(It's my party, I'll delay it if I want to! Ha! Ok, it's not really *my* party...)


I know, I'm a little late to the party. I'm ok with that though, because late means alive and well which didn't seem possible on the 17th. =D (Ok, <- That was a little dramatic it's just asthma, allergies, bronchitis, and laryngitis all at the same time. I'm going to be just fine.) But I'm good now! Sooooooooooooo, much better than I was at this time Tuesday!
Here is my awesome man card. Yeah, I used doilies and bling...because every award has bling...so there! I also used my itty bitty banners. In fact, if the other stamp sets I bought (<< Guilty confession right there!!) weren't gifts for others, I probably would have used them too...I'm just saying... Hope it rocks your socks and that you have a dancin' good time, because I am pretty proud of my doily award! :D (I'm feeling much, much, much, much better (as you can tell by my snark) than I have been for the past couple of months, it's a wonder what a geeky inhaler can do for a girl! lol Also, the fact that there are layers and handcut pieces also are a telltale sign of wellness.)

Waltzingmouse Rocks My Socks

I have a post plague belated Waltz post, but first I wanted to share my super simple card for this week's WMS sketch. It's extra CAS because when I made it I was lucky to sit still for more than 3 minutes without coughing. I'm doing better now, I only coughed twice while typing this...a record for this week!
Back soon with more posts...and announcements!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Mami Doodles Spots and Stripes

Welcome to my big announcement post!
1) I'm now a member of the Mami Doodles DT! *Yay!* *Hooray!*
2) This fortnight's challenge is spots and stripes, you can find more details here!
3) I've moved to a new apartment! (A very good thing for those who knew anything about my neighbors. *Ugh!*)
4) Spring has sprung! It's actually quite pretty here in Ohio right now, even though I'm allergic to it all. Only a few more days until my allergy test though, I'm learning a lot about patience. It's good for me.
5) For my birthday, I got a Big Shot Pro. =D You'll see projects that reflect this amazing news as soon as I get unpacked.
6) I have another big announcement coming soon...stay tuned.
7) I have another big announcement coming after that...continue to stay tuned!
On to the card:
This purple beauty is one I'm really proud of! I colored the image with Copic markers on PTI White Stock. All of the pieces of colored or patterned paper are scraps, most were pieces that I got for free! Yay! If you have Freecycle in your area, you should post a "wanted" for paper scraps, you'll be amazed at how many people actually just cut a chunk out and throw the rest of a 12 x 12 away. (You could probably post on CL too, but then you might have to pay $$ for it.) I love this party girl and can GUARANTEE that you will see it again on another one of my cards. Oh, and I used this week's TMS sketch, it was far too perfect to pass up!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (Take Two!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day...again!


I chose to do another card for St. Patrick's Day to give to a new friend who is absolutely nuts about St. Patrick's Day! I used the 2010 St. Patrick's Day shamrock freebie. I printed it on cardstock and did something I haven't done in a long time - Gamsol and colored pencils! (In doing this, I did something I've never done before -- used my Prismacolor pencils.) I followed the Tuesday Morning Sketch for this week, and did something that I don't normally do -- decorated the inside! I really hope she likes it, especially since I'm not like Belinda and give cards for non-standard card giving holidays.
My dear husband and parents are out right now, celebrating St. Patrick's Day the only way Butte, America knows how! ;) They are chilling at home now, pigging out on corned beef and cabbage like it's an Irish Thanksgiving! I'm glad they are having fun, but I'm not the wee bit jealous...ok, maybe a wee bit! 

Here's a little taste of what it's like in Butte, my adopted hometown: http://ptc.mtech.edu/faculty/cokrusch/music.htm
If you'd like to support this local artist, you can buy this song here: http://www.amazon.com/St-Patricks-Day-At/dp/B001AKZ158

I'll leave you with one of my favorite Irish blessings (maybe Claire can tell me if I'm wrong and it's not Irish):

May you have the hindsight to know where you've been
the foresight to know where you're going
and the insight to know when you're going too far.

(Note - I rounded the corners after I took my photos, somehow it created a lot more unity. =D )

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Welcome to the St. Patrick's Day WMS Waltz!
I've been hoping for months that Claire would keep the St. Pat's theme and she did! Thanks, Claire! However, I never thought I would say this, but I miss Butte. A lot. St. Patrick's Day is a big deal in that little town and it turns out I can't write much more about St. Pat's without getting really sad. =( So, I'll leave you with my Waltz project, and hope to calm down, and elaborate a bit on the fact that I scraplifted this fabby project from Joan!

Monday, February 28, 2011

Congratulations!

I should have a Compact update tonight, but instead I want to take this time to post about cake. (Yay! Cake!) Two of my good friends found out this week that they are pregnant and I wanted to make a cake for them. Unfortunately, Brian and Emma Smith live in Anaconda, Montana so they will have to just make do with this 'virtual cake'. It is a butter pecan cake with homemade caramel on each of the layers with vanilla butternut buttercream frosting and royal icing flowers.Hopefully, they will appreciate the pain I am in after piping that super stiff basket weave and all of those flowers! Congrats again guys, now you have to tell me what you want as a baby shower gift!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Best Wishes!

Just a super short post tonight to make sure I make some deadlines! There would be a whole lot more to this post if I hadn't gotten caught up in making royal icing roses all evening! :D Yum-o! (Tip: Use a Hershey's kiss for the base, because you get bigger, consistently-sized blooms!) Here's tonight's card:

It is a simple card that fell victim to my new found issue. I make cards for my team to sign at work but when I make them in the smaller sizes with big three-dimensional embellishments, no one can sign them! :D

Challenges: Moxie Fab World, Paper Crafting Journey, Really Reasonable Ribbon

Supplies are below: (I'm trying to do a better job about taking notes for that!)
Paper: The Paper Company (Kraft), Autumn Leaves, Foof-a-La (Thrift Store Collection, Polka Dot Paper), Pages from a 1984 copy of "Love & War" by John Jakes (die cut via Cricut into flat flowers and then arranged on the page)
Stamps: Hero Arts
Ink: Distress Inks (Chipped Glass, Worn Lipstick, Tea Dye)
Tape: Recollections (Pink Polka Dot)
Ribbon: Jo-Ann's Fabric & Crafts (bulk lace)
Glitter: Stickles (Crystal)
Adhesive: Glossy Accents, Zips Ribbon Adhesive

14 Days Of Valentines! The big winner!

Here's a very quick post to let you know that comment #24 from jmarmon (Debbie Marmon) is the winner of the $25 gift card! I'm off to cake class shortly, bit I didn't want to keep you all waiting!

I have many a card, cake, and compact story to post this week, so you can continue to look forward to me actually using my blog! =D

Happy Tuesday!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Button me up baby!


Welcome to the Waltzingmouse February Blog Waltz
The theme this month is buttons
(If you are looking for my 14 days of Valentines winner, scroll down or click here)

My card that I am sharing today actually features homemade buttons in the same shape as the handy dandy labels 4 die from Spellbinders. I used the Rescue Remedies friendship label as my sentiment and inspiration for this card. The colors actually come from a secret special gift (hopefully to be added to this post later today!) for one heck of a person!
I made the buttons using shrink plastic, a black Copic, and my big bite. I'm again thankful for the creativity I have oozing out these days as a result of only buying used items. That swirly pattern of the gems is not from a pre-arranged sticker pack. And while they are hotfix gems and arranged by me, they aren't your typical gems. I made my own wedding veils when we got married almost 4 years ago (!) and I applied real Swarovski hotfix crystals to my train length veil. These jewels are part of the languishing stash of supplies that I happen to still have on hand now, collecting dust, and now finally seeing the light of day lamps! I'm off to continue crocheting so that I can add that surprise to this post!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

14 Days of Valentine - Winner #1

My awesome hard drive platter rose!
Here's the dealio! Blogger and this blogist are no longer friends. (Ok, we're still friends, but we're just not BFFs at the moment!) I went to check the comments for my blog and realized that nothing has posted since day 10, I've been so busy that I didn't actually notice. (It's mostly a PEBCAK error, you know Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard!) Because of this, I've decided to give away two prizes.
The first prize is a secret, mystery prize (otherwise known as a few things that I've been saving to give away as gifts!) that goes to the person who was randomly chosen for commenting up until this point. That person, by random draw is: 
Alicia
(Send me an email or FB message with your address!)

The second prize is the $25 Amazon Gift Card that I will pick a winner for on President's Day (February 21)! So, there you have it folks, go back comment on the last few days, and let me know how your love day was! Cheers!

The standard rules:
1) You must become a follower, and stick around until the 15th (when I draw).
2) Comment each day to get an entry for a fabulous prize! It's the perfect gift for anyone!

Monday, February 14, 2011

14 Days of Valentine - Day 14

It's finally Valentine's day! Woo hoo! Thanks for sticking with me! I just want to remind you to spend this day with those you love, and spend the other 364 days of the year doing the same. I would spend today posting about our plans for tonight except for the fact that I do not know what we are doing tonight. Ryan is totally in charge, and I'm in the dark. It's pretty sweet arrangement for me!

Happy love day and I'll be back tomorrow to announce the winner for the $25 Amazon Gift card! Don't forget to comment!

Here's the scoop:
1) You must become a follower, and stick around until the 15th (when I draw).
2) Comment each day to get an entry for a fabulous prize! It's the perfect gift for anyone!
3) I will have a special bonus post to get you an additional entry (or two, or three) sometime in the 14 day countdown, so be on the lookout!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

14 Days of Valentine - Day 13

Yummy! Food! Here's the kind of cake-y part of Ryan's Valentine's day gift! These are gigantic over-sized yellow cupcakes (Purchased undecorated from Whole Foods because I don't own a ginormous cupcake pan!) that I adopted, claimed as my own, and then decorated! I used Cherry Flavored Red Fondant from Satin Ice and Bright Pink Buttercream fondant from a company that I can never remember! (I'll try to take note the next time I'm at the cake store buying fondant!)
Honestly, these were just as easy as they look! I rolled out the fondant, cut 3 scalloped circles, 'I', 'U', and a scalloped heart with cookie cutters, and went crazy with pearl dust on any red piece of fondant. In case you're wondering, the frosting underneath is homemade cream cheese (leftover from a carrot cake I made recently) and yes, I did accidentally stab the "I" cupcake with my thumb when I moved it. I was not impressed with myself for that one! I know that they are super simple, but my love for the hubby is pretty straightforward!

Here's the scoop:
1) You must become a follower, and stick around until the 15th (when I draw).
2) Comment each day to get an entry for a fabulous prize! It's the perfect gift for anyone!
3) I will have a special bonus post to get you an additional entry (or two, or three) sometime in the 14 day countdown, so be on the lookout!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

14 Days of Valentine - Day 12

We're almost there! It's almost Valentine's Day! Woot! Today's post will be short because I still have to write in Ryan's card. He's super good at doing that whereas, I suck! :P Here's a quick rundown of the card. It is inspired by Robert Indiana's classic painting of "LOVE", which I saw a replica of when I went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2009. The little "dots" are actually hand-sewn beads...that took me two hours to attach in the swirly patterns. The letters are die cut from shimmering paper and the jewels are hand placed. The heart patterned paper is actually white shimmer paper with "distressed" Red Barn inked WMS hearts. I don't know why, but I had an overwhelming urge to add some lace or ribbon so I embedded the lace at the bottom between the layers of paper. Viola! A true labor of love! 

Here are the good bits:
1) You must become a follower, and stick around until the 15th (when I draw).
2) Comment each day to get an entry for a fabulous prize! It's the perfect gift for anyone!
3) I will have a special bonus post to get you an additional entry (or two, or three) sometime in the 14 day countdown, so be on the lookout! 

Friday, February 11, 2011

14 Days of Valentine - Day 11

Reasons I love you, #10: You love me!
Everyday, you give me another reminder of this fact in some form. I really don't know how to expound on this topic without making the other people who will read this puke from all of the mushiness! Ha! We are truly a unique couple, and I like it that way!
Sweet and simple with the card, I'd just like to point out that this is another demonstration of my love for the Copic multiliners. Uh-may-zing! (Read: Amazing!)
You're off to comment now! Don't forget the rules are below!
Here's the scoop:
1) You must become a follower, and stick around until the 15th (when I draw).
2) Comment each day to get an entry for a fabulous prize! It's the perfect gift for anyone!
3) I will have a special bonus post to get you an additional entry (or two, or three) sometime in the 14 day countdown, so be on the lookout!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

14 Days of Valentine - Day 10

Reasons I love you, #9: You try new things
I know that I already mentioned my hubby's pb&h addiction in an earlier post. But I have another try-new-things-out-of-love-food-related-story that I want to share. Waaaaay back, when I was a senior in high school, Ryan was invited over for dinner at my parent's house. Now, this may seem like no big deal to most people, but you have to consider the facts.
* Both my mother and my father were feared in the group of guys Ryan hung around.
* My father is Mexican. (If you can guess from "Gruss", Ryan is not.)
* Based on the second fact, it's not hard to come to the conclusion that the food we ate was often quite different from the food Ryan ate.
* At this point we had been together for 2.5 years, and this was the first time my father had actually *invited* him over.
* I was nervous, and totally projected that all over Ryan...poor guy never saw it coming...
Those are the facts, on to the tale. So, before Ryan came over I helped my mom decide what was for dinner, and started to help make dinner with her. My mom has a reputation for eating really spicy foods, and I warned her at least 15 million times  - Don't! Make! It! Spicy! I told Ryan what we were having over the phone, and tried to convey that it wouldn't be spicy because my mom had been lectured by me.
Well, turns out that all the lecturing and all the assisting in the world won't stop a jalapeƱo on a mission. I still remember the look on Ryan's face. He's a real trooper! He ate all of that tortilla soup that my mom made. I think he also drank a gallon of water and all of the soda! I don't remember anything else that we had for dinner. Just the soup. To think, when I met Ryan he truly did not like soup, or spice. For dinner this week, we had homemade taco soup...twice.
The page today is supposed to look like a prize! Awarded to Mr. Gruss for his bravery in all of our stupid crazy adventures! I used a ribbon punch to make two even holes in the paper. I wanted total ribbon control and found that punching holes made the ribbon lie flat and display the same side. I carefully placed the ribbon, adhered it to the paper, and then took the brad apart...-ish. I split the legs of the brad and ran each leg through one of the ribbon holes to cover up the holes and perfectly place the brad. I then folded the legs toward each other for extra stability and applied extra adhesive over the brad when putting the backing on. Easy peasy! Leave your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget the rules are below!

Here's the scoop:
1) You must become a follower, and stick around until the 15th (when I draw).
2) Comment each day to get an entry for a fabulous prize! It's the perfect gift for anyone!
3) I will have a special bonus post to get you an additional entry (or two, or three) sometime in the 14 day countdown, so be on the lookout!