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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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! 

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!

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 jalapeño 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!

14 Days of Valentine - Day 9

Reasons I love you, #8: You make me smile
If you can't tell by now, my hubby and I have a lot of good times together. There is a lot of laughter in our apartment. Usually it stems from Ryan putting on a puppet show with the cat/dog/random inanimate object. Honestly though, it's not the side-splitting laughter that does it for me. It's all of the little things he does to make me smile. Like randomly cleaning the kitchen. Or waking up to a kiss and "I love you!" The box of notes he is hiding in the closet from when we dated in high school. The way he pushes me to stretch myself, and is there to selflessly congratulate me at the end. It's the funny faces, enthusiasm for life, and devotion to our relationship that make me smile!

To change it up a little, I wanted to give you a hint as to what I'm giving away - it's a gift card! To where? How much? You'll just have to wait and see! Want an extra entry? Tweet this post and tag me @sagruss before 2/14/11!

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!

14 Days of Valentine - Day 8

Reasons I love you, #7: You can make anything punny
Yesterday you reminded me that if I wanted hominy, I needed peas (peace and harmony) when I wanted to know if there were any cans of hominy left for the taco soup. Even though you stole it, you pull varieties of "sheet happens" regularly. When I'm stitching on a card you seriously say "Make it sew" (Star Trek reference, in case you didn't get it!) Other puns that you pull out regularly "Tooth Hurty, time to go to the dentist!" and "There are 10 kinds of people in this world" (That's more math joke, than pun.) At any rate, it's all about puns all the time around here. If' I hated puns we'd be in trouble. Obviously though, it's one of those things I truly love about you! (Now that I'm trying hard to think of puns to post about, I can't think of a single one! I may have to edit this post later to add more punny things you say...maybe I'll start carrying a notebook!)
I used a set of Spellbinders dies for the first time to make the embellishment on the side. I wanted to do something a little different but I couldn't come up with a punny way to do it. Any suggestions? Leave them 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!

14 Days of Valentine - Day 7

Reasons I love you, #6: You are one of a kind

I have never met anyone else who is so unique like you. You are manly, but not a brute. You are nerdy, but not socially deficient. You are smart, but on the same level I am. (Which means we can have even, open conversations!) You are supportive, but you don't lose yourself in me. You are Ryan, and there's no other way to put it. Half of my friends want to steal you away and the other half wouldn't have anything to do with you. My only hope is that I'm as unique as you are, so that I get to keep you forever. That is, after all, my plan - to keep you forever! (In a loving, non-evil way, of course!)

I really wanted this page to reflect the wording. Last year I bought some brads to go with Ren-Yi's Swap Kit and I happened to have a few left over (I actually bought them at the Scrapbooker's Hideaway in Missoula, Montana and I remember Ryan helped me pick them out.) Believe it or not, the brad layout took a lot of careful planning because I didn't want the super tall brad to look awkward or be too close or run out of space. I think I managed to get it right though and produced a one of a kind page! That's all folks, 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!

14 Days of Valentine - Day 6

Reasons I love you, #5: You're a good sport! Even when I'm not!

If you were paying close attention yesterday, then you noticed that mention about me kicking Ry's butt at games, and him doing the same to me. Since I have been on quite the bullet list kick lately, I'm going to list out all of the games I love playing with my hubby!

• Euchre
• Jenga
• Guitar Hero
• Dr. Mario, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros.
• Raving Rabbids
• Yahtzee
• Poker
• Pinochle
• Rummy
• Killer Bunnies
• Sorry
• Monopoly
• Trouble
• Risk

We don't have cable, so we spend a lot of time hanging out playing games together and chatting. I like it that way. :) Just to set the record straight, we each win about evenly at board games and games of general skill. However, he kicks major butt at most video games especially Guitar Hero. I dominate at Tetris, Blokus, and Dr. Mario. Period. I win. No questions asked. Did I mention, I am kind of a bad sport sometimes? :D What are your favorite games?
This page is one of the first ones I did. I wanted to use the words to embellish the page, so I made the other details rather simple. I used my Copics (Of course!), a segment from one of my favorite sewing embellishments (in my stash, featured in my January waltz post), and all of the themes that are on each of the other pages! As usual, 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!

14 Days of Valentine - Day 5

Reasons I love you, #4: Every day comes with a kiss
Another short post because I am certain that I'm the only one that loves Ryan's kisses! So, just for fun, I'll bullet point the best parts of my day!

• A kiss first thing when I wake up
• A kiss when I come downstairs for breakfast
• A kiss when I'm leaving for work
• A kiss when I'm actually leaving for work for real
• A kiss when I get home, plus bonus puppy kisses!
• A zillion kisses while I make dinner
• A kiss as we put dinner on the table
• A kiss as we do dishes together
• A kiss after I kick his butt at cards or after he whips my butt at Guitar Hero
• A kiss when we head off to bed
• A kiss right after I brush my teeth
• A kiss when we get into bed
• A kiss goodnight
• A kiss after Ryan asks if he got his kiss goodnight (I think it's a ploy to get extra kisses!)
• A stolen kiss after Ryan falls asleep

That's my typical day, it only gets better from there!

Page details - I wanted something simple but different from the other pages. I went for the writing in a circle tactic, and used the same colored brads as I did on the other pages. Once again, my Copic multiliners came in handy! I was able to use the .03 point to make that teeny little heart above the i in kiss. I never would have been able to do that with a standard set of markers. I think I'm in LOVE! As usual, the rules are below! (< I keep copying this text!)

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!

14 Days of Valentine - Day 4

Reasons I love you, #3: You understand me even when I'm sobbing
I am an extrovert. I share pretty willingly. However, I think I'm just going to leave the details out of this post and use some bullet points.

• I am a girl
• Sometimes, it is reflected in my emotions
• My husband understands me during these emotional times
• He also understands me when I'm not emotional
• It's a nice arrangement!

One quick blip about this page. IF you decide to use metal embellishments and IF you decide they need to be flat do NOT use your brand new Big Shot cutting plates to sandwich them. I bet you can guess by looking at the very flat copper and black hearts on this page, just how I know that! :D Short and sweet today, it is Friday after all! As usual, 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!

14 Days of Valentine - Day 3

Reasons I love you, #2: You join me on my crazy adventures!
You don't have to look far to know that I talk Mr. G into doing a lot of things that he normally wouldn't do. Case in point - Running the Disney World Princess Half-Marathon last February. Other crazy things I've "convinced" him to do include: Moving to the midwest, driving days on end for 1700 mile road trips (for fun!),  going to theme parks (including riding on rollercoasters), getting a dog, meeting Belinda in Akron, OH, making 700 cookies for Christmas, dressing up as an old couple for Halloween, trick-or-treating in aforementioned costumes for canned goods, going an entire year without buying anything new, moving forward on plans to (possibly) adopt and (probably) move over the big pond to open the next chapter of our lives together. It's pretty obvious that we have done some pretty kooky things together. You would never guess it from the guy he claims he was when we met. He claims that at one point, if it wasn't a peanut butter and honey sandwich, he wouldn't eat it.o_O I can't imagine that, and I will admit that he's changed since we first met, but what do you expect from someone you met in high school pep band? We've grown together, and I can list the unusual things he's managed to get me to do! (Did I mention that I was a computer science major for two years? My parents thought that was weird too!)
You came for details on the page (and probably to comment as well!) so I'll get to it! This layout is a throwback to my newspaper days - I wanted columns! That pretty much explains the layout in terms of positioning. The heart brads are from Joann's and even though I bought these before we were even married, I can guarantee that you can still buy them. :D I guess they are just that classic! I remembered some of the things I learned about design in school and made sure that I had an odd number of hearts. Although I found it difficult to place them without clustering them. Have you ran into this issue when placing large numbers (there are 15 on a 4x4 page!) of "random" embellishments on a page? Okay kids, my rant about hearts is over, please commence commenting! As usual, 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!

14 Days of Valentine - Day 2

Reasons I love you, #1: I can be myself when I'm with you!
I have been with my husband for nearly 10 years, so I really cannot pull the "pretend not to be crazy" act like Elliot on Scrubs ). I guess I'm more like this except for he already knows! :D At any rate, my hubby knows that I am a neurotic, driven, random, spazzo of a person with a soft spot for camping, stamps, and Office Space. I'm bipolar when it comes to Star Trek and even worse when you make me pick between things like Friends and Seinfeld. (We have both in the DVD rack!) I can be honest with you and you listen. I really appreciate that there's no faking who I am...unless it's Halloween!
On to the page I made for him! That little heart is the result of a very random creative thought! I needed a way to trace a heart onto the page but I tested a light pencil mark and erased it and the results were not pretty! This was while I was sitting in the Archiver's crop area and as I stared at the wall of punches I had a brilliant plan - I would emboss a heart punch-out! I grabbed the best looking heart off of the wall punched out a piece of cardstock and sandwiched it all together before running it through the Big Shot. The result was a noticeable but subtle heart embossed perfectly on my page. I used that to punch my holes with a piercing tool, and then used metallic embroidery floss to backstitch my homemade design. Pro tip - Plan to use shorter lengths of the metallic floss and have multiple ends on the back because it tangles impossibly, and fast! I used my Copic Multi-liners on all of the pages of the book - way better than a Sharpie and much more versatile! (Also, much more expensive!) Done with the rambling, you are free to comment for the giveaway - 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!

14 Days of Valentine - Day 1

When it comes to Valentine's Day, I'm all in! I love my husband dearly, and Valentine's Day is a socially acceptable all-out mush-fest! Boo-fricken-yah! (I kind of treat everyday as a mush-fest but, the "awww so cute" I consistently hear from my boss indicates that I'm not normal. Or socially acceptable!) I thought I would share the love this Valentine's Day, and have a little countdown. I'll be sharing the gifts I made for my better half for Valentine's Day, in an effort to inspire you! I'm also giving away a prize, check it out at the bottom of this post!

DH was out of town for a week, which gave me a chance to work on this project like a mad woman! It also gave me a lot of time to consider what I wanted to give him. It became clear one day when we were on the phone and he asked "Why do you love me?" Granted, he was being particularly obnoxious, but I found it to be appropriate fodder for his Valentine's Day gift. I give you Part 1 of my grandiose 2011 Valentine's Day Present: The Book.

This it the cover. Like the rest of the book, the cover is cut from the largest Labels 1 die.  Unlike the rest of the book, I used chipboard letters and a very special heart stamp from Waltzingmouse Stamps. To put the cover together, I attached two sheets of white shimmer cardstock to a piece of chipboard. Before attaching the white paper, I used red tape around the edges of the chipboard and adhered the red ribbon to make a nice edge. The letters are threaded onto the same type of ribbon and adhered firmly with a bit of red tape (and the weight of a "real" book). I'm sure you're ready to hear about the giveaway, so I'll put my Barn Door Distress Ink away, and give you the deets.

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!

Thanks for playing along, and let me know, are you a Valentine's Day enthusiast?