Margarita, Anyone?

I must have margaritas on the brain. All of my stationery gifts have been of the key lime color! This is what Mac took to school for part of his teacher gift:

LOVE the blue and green combo, super cute and summery!

It's Friday, hooray! School is out and summer can begin! The winner of the flag note pad is...

Andrea! (all follower names have gone into a hat to be drawn out by one of my kiddos for prizes from here on.)

Please send me your addy and personalizing information for your own flag note pad. Profumo@bellsouth.net

Congrats!

It's been a busy couple of days, and there is no hope of catching up on projects and rest this weekend because it will be just as busy. Here's to a lazy upcoming week!

*And one last thing... I LOVE my new printer. I got all the kinks worked out and it is great!

Fishing Widow (again)

Stephen is gone fishin', again. This time a bit longer than last, 2 days longer. I could be bitter and feel sorry for myself, but I choose to be joyful. Joyful, you ask? YES! As Stephen would sing: "Always look on the bright side of life... do-do-do-do!" So, for the next four days, I will have less laundry, cooking and cleaning up to do! My evenings will be quietly spent watching T.V. or doing crafts, and I will get a restful nights sleep without the running man flipping like a fish in bed. Yes! I choose to be positive and happy that my husband is having a great time with the boys fishing, again.

The kids and I actually have a really fun week planned. There is something going on every evening and we are going to celebrate Mac's last day Friday with lunch out and ice cream. Cookouts with friends and family, soccer games, the pool... summer has started!

Here was a quick craft I did the other day:

I bought one of those dollar wood frames at Michael's and painted it off white. Then, I brushed a quick layer of brown paint on and before it dried all the way, I rubbed a bit off to make it look a little weathered. Then, using tacky glue, I attached one of my felt flowers I made (my desk is overflowing with them!)

This one is for my fab friend, Emily. The picture I used is one of us at dinner after the track on Oaks Day. This craft might be a quick, cute teacher gift!

*Did you sign up to Follow this blog? If not, hurry up! I will draw a name on Friday to win the flag note pad. Enjoy the night... I know I will!

41 Never looked so good...

Happy Birthday to my husband, Stephen. I'm pretty sure all your birthday wishes came true when you married me, then you got 3 more bonus wishes granted when we were blessed with our 3 beauties: Mac, Anna & Elan.

A few things Stephen has taught me:

Showers are overrated

Everything is more fun when beer is involved

Going fishing might put food on the table and tournaments might put money in the wallet

Cleaning the house is a waste of time... it's just going to get dirty again

His way of solving the overly abundant laundry in our house: buy a bigger hamper

Commercials on T.V. is the cue to switch to another channel to see what's going on

There is always a BRIGHTER side to situations

Less actually is more

Making a joke will always lighten a tense moment, and he never runs out of something to say

I love you honey, and all you're wonderful qualities too! You are my rock and I'm still your number one fan. You're a keeper, Happy Birthday!

Happy Memorial Day + Giveaway!

This is my flag note pad. Very patriotic and great for summertime notes. Want one? I am giving away a flag note pad that measures 5.5x7.5 inches and has 80 sheets of note paper. It will go to one of you! All you have to do is sign up to follow this blog (click on "follow" to the right and it will prompt you from there on what to do.) If you are already a follower, your name is already in the hat, so good luck! My note pads have been super popular and a great gift item. There are lots of designs to choose from! Some of you already know about Paper Doll Stationery, but for those of you who don't, check it out here:

http://www.paperdollstationery.com/

I have made stationery and invitations under the Paper Doll Stationery name for about 8 years now. I realize some of you aren't "crafty" or don't scrapbook, so I am going to add to my blog with new stationery designs and giveaways. It should be fun!

Enjoy the evening and the start to summer, Happy Memorial Day!

By the way, I don't like my new printer. Uploading photos into the correct folder on my computer is a nightmare. And the Adobe software it came with didn't come with good instructions. It will be weeks before I get the hang of it, so I'm bringing back my old printer for photo purposes and using the new one for stationery printing.

A glorious new printer?

I have cursed my HP Photosmart printer more than a hundred times, especially during the holiday season trying to get out stationery orders. Stephen would sometimes come in a say, "What is wrong in here?!" I mean seriously, I would sound a little tiny bit like a sailor. I keep threating that I'm going to get a new printer that won't jam every single piece of cardstock I thread through it. Well, today I headed in to my local office supply store to get a couple ink cartridges for my crappy printer and get a couple of note pads glued together when low and behold... "Ahhhh!" I see a yellow light with a wonderful glow... it's a glorious printer and it's marked down from $300 to $110. It's one I've drooled over online before on the Epson site. It prints up to 13x19 inches and the paper feeds from the top. This baby will be able to print 12x12 scrapbook pages, and all of my stationery needs. It even comes with 2 warranties.

Behold the Epson 1400 Wide Format Printer:

Print 13" x 19" enlargements fast
Amazing color and detail with Claria™ Hi-Definition Ink
Automatic color and lighting correction for better photos
Direct printing onto ink jet printable CDs/DVDs
Photos that last up to 98 years under glass and 200 years in a photo album1
4" x 6" photos in as fast as 46 seconds; 8" x 10" in as fast as 1 min 51 sec1
Six sensible individual, high-capacity ink cartridges

So, personally, I think the correct economical choice would be not to spend $50 on new ink cartridges for the crappy printer, but to shell out $60 more and get this awesome printer that already has the ink included. Hmm... time is a waistin', what do you think?

Calgon, take me away...

My children are wonderful, but also very demanding and time consuming. Elan always needs something. I play pretend with Anna for 8 out of 12 hours of the day, and she is always some type of animal or princess and I am her "pretend" mom. Mac is a laundry machines worst nightmare wearing at least 3 outfits a day. The pretend play and endless laundry are tiring enough, but then there are days like today. Days that I feel like the only words that come out of my mouth are:

"NO!"

"Stop!"

"Yes?!"

"What?"

"Anna!"

"Shhh..."

"Do you need to go to time-out?"

"SHUT THE DOOR!"

Ugh... today has been exhausting. If I had a dime for every time I said "no" or "stop", I am certain I would be a millionaire.

This is me.

Yesterday, I got quite a bit accomplished. So, I rewarded myself with pure craft time after the kids went to bed. Stephen was fishing, so the house was nice and quiet. I finished Anna's gifts for her teachers and this layout to begin mine and Stephen's scrapbook.

The journaling reads:

At 33, I am peace with myself. I know who I am and what I like and don't like. In the past 3 years, I have changed- for the better! I am more patient, understanding, a better wife, mother and friend. I try not to expect too much from others and give of myself as much as I can. I have learned to be happy with what I have, to respect myself, speak openly and say no.

I am 33 and I love who I have become.

*Notice the cute felt bird and darling buttons? They are from Tessa Ann's Etsy shop! You can visit her here: http://www.tessaann.etsy.com/

And today... I got busted. I ran a red light. Totally on accident, I swear. I was almost home with Anna and Elan in the back seat and Wrigley riding up front with me. I turned around to check Elan, he was passed out asleep, and when I turned back around, I realized I was under a red light AND a police officer at the corner already had her lights and siren on (as if I was going to out run her). Anyway, she wasn't very pleasant. My license was expired by 6 days (I didn't know it) and Stephen had taken out my registration this morning to renew my tags. You could tell she had had it with me, my fat dog and hot children before she returned back to her fancy cruiser. When she did return to my car, ticket in hand, she proceeds to say, "Technically, I should take you to jail since your license is expired." Well, technically, she didn't. The good news? I only got fined $20. Not including court costs and a new, gorgeous photo of myself on a Bluegrass State drivers license.

Longing for the beach...

Yesterday, it was so pretty outside. The kids and I stayed out in the yard and on the deck all afternoon and we even ate dinner outside. Afterward, the kids were playing in the yard with Stephen and I hated to break up a good romp with a "bath time!" yell. It made me long for summer and the beach. It's not far... Mac only has 7 days left of school and Anna only has 2. I am so excited for the long, lazy days of summer play and pool going. No more rushed mornings and evenings trying to get in the tub and to bed on time.

So, once the kids went to bed last night, I got out my beach pictures to reminisce. I came across Elan's first trip to the beach and got the buzz to scrap. I drug out all my supplies and stayed up way past my bed time. The end result? A satisfying 2 page layout and I quenched my thirst for the ocean.
Close up, Elan had sand plastered all over his face. He fell, face first, in the sand and didn't mind.

Could this picture of him screaming bloody murder be funnier? He actually got over the initial shock of the sand and ocean very quickly and started to enjoy himself.

Summer is almost here! I'm ready and waiting!

LOOK, MOM! Look at ME!!!

No training wheels! Mac is officially a big boy... Stephen took his training wheels off his bike yesterday afternoon and he started riding his bike like a pro. It only took about 8 minutes (total) of holding on to the back of his bike before he had it down, seriously. He was so proud of himself! He even fell once and got hurt, but got right back up and did it again.

Wrigley was supervising, making sure that Stephen didn't let go too soon...

Off he went, down the court by himself...

So many changes this spring: finishing Kindergarten, riding a bike, playing soccer and scoring his first goal... next he'll be graduating high school and asking for the car keys. Sniff, sniff...

New Layouts Complete!

Yesterday was a day well spent crafting and completing layouts that have been staring at me for about a year! I went scrapping by myself and once I got there, I met a table full of super nice girls that were really fun. I actually got quite a bit done...

Anna catching butterflies in Mimi's garden, June 2008:

I used my homemade bird in this layout and I love how it looks!

Easter 2009:
Christmas 2007:

Then, I made another bird, which Anna has claimed as hers, but she wants to add more jewels:

I have been wanting to start a scrapbook about Stephen and I. The stuff we like, what we do, our daily grind, etc. I want the kids to have memories of us like I am making for them in their books. So, I have started setting the self-timer on my camera and photographing myself (in the car, at my desk, in the kitchen, etc.). I admit that I feel really goofy taking pictures of myself, but I keep reminding myself that I am always the picture taker, so there aren't any pictures of me! While out scrapping last night, this is what I picked up for my own pages:

I might share some of this stuff with Anna...

I definitely have my work cut out for me now, with all these new goodies and a plan to scrap myself and Stephen. It might be refreshing to scrap something other than my kids!
Hope this post was inspiring to you and I wish you a creative day!

And the winner is...

62 Cards- Sammye Jo! Congrats! Anna chose the winner.

A cute little birdie and a feltie flower will be headed your way! Please email me at Profumo@bellsouth.net with your addy and I'll send it right out!

Have a happy day!

I have more fabric!

I'm really lucky... my mom loves beautiful fabric and textures and she loves to share! I went over to her house yesterday and she promptly says, "Before you forget, look through my stash of fabric and trims and see if there is anything you want!" She didn't have to tell me twice... off I went. Her sewing room is a fabric lovers dream. It's bright and full of fabric, buttons and trims. I pulled out a bunch of different things that I thought I could craft something wonderful with and loved my selection of goodies.

Here I am thinking, "Albums, Felties, and Frames, OH MY!" The wheels are spinning! Tomorrow is my "vacation day" away from the family. I plan to leave after lunch and spend the whole day crafting at my LSS. I plan to get a lot done! I'll post my projects on Sunday morning. Have a lovely weekend!

Felt Obsession and Giveaway

Hi. I'm Amanda and I have a felt obsession. The last couple of weeks, I have crafted many felt flowers from the fabric scraps I had. Well, after getting that adorable bird in the mail that I ordered from Tessa Ann in her Etsy shop, the wheels started turning... so... I made a bird.

It was another rainy day and I always think that these days make the best "stay inside and do crafts" days. So, that's what I did while laundry was going and Elan played with his trucks. I had felt, thread, fabric, buttons and glue all over the place. I believe I have fallen in love with felt because it requires little attention to make something great! The edges don't fray, it's easy to cut, glue sticks to it, it's soft, shoot, I could go on and on!

I'm thinking of selling these little cuties. Maybe on Etsy, maybe on my Paper Doll website, maybe right here! What do you think? Leave a comment, and on Saturday I'll choose a winner to receive a felt bird and a coordinating felt flower, made by me! Spread the love...

Fun Mail

Don't you just love it... getting fun mail? A package, a card, an invitation? I LOVE mail and I very rarely receive it. Mostly, I get crap mail, but yesterday I got fun mail. I ordered some super cute stuff from an Etsy shop. If you have shopped on Etsy, check it out here: www.Etsy.com
I opened my package and it was wrapped up in a way that I almost didn't want to open it!

How cute is that stuff? This girl that I ordered the stuff from is named Tessa Ann, and she has a shop on Etsy. She handmade these buttons and felt bird. It was love at first sight and I had to have them! Now, what to do with these cuties... first, they will sit on my desk so I can stare at them for a week or so! ;) Enjoy the day!

Happy Mother's Day!

I have the best mom ever. Seriously, she is the best and other people wished they had my mom. She has a heart of gold, a colorful spirit and a genuine soul. She has a compassion and kindness in her that radiates. She is my soul mate, and I'm so glad I'm the only girl (I have 3 brothers)! We share secrets, ideas, clothes, recipes, laughs and hugs. She is the best shopping and lunch partner and a forever friend. When I grow up, I want to be just like my mom. Love you, mom. Happy Mother's Day.

Creative Rut

I'm in a creative rut.
I am finding myself looking at my desk and just not knowing what to get in to. Plenty to do, but indecisive on what exactly to do. Do you ever feel like that?

I did focus long enough yesterday to create this layout. I love it, and Anna wants to hang it in her room. Notice the felt flower in the upper right corner? That's one that I made out of leftover scrap material- looking cute on this LO!


Enjoy, stay dry, and I hope you are feeling craftier than I am today!

*The rain is starting to bring me down... Stephen, you just may need to build that Ark after all.

I love being a Mommy

Yesterday, Mac sat quietly at the kitchen table and started drawing and coloring with his colored pencils. He does this almost daily and I don't ask any questions. About a half hour later, he came into my craft room and handed me this card.

I opened it and read out loud, "{Heart} Mom, you are so special. You make my bed, you make my breakfast, you make my milk. You help me with my homework. {Heart} You are special."

It brought tears to my eyes and I thought... this is what being a mommy is all about. Love you too, buddy! Have a great day!

And the winner is...

Lucky number 7! Mac got to choose and that was his number. The lucky girl is RaeChelle! Please email me your address and I will send you your prize. Happy spring and happy scrappin'!

Happy Birthday, Kendall!

Today is my niece Kendall's birthday! She is super crafty and loves to come over and dig in to all of my supplies. I just love it! When she is here, she says, "Aunt Lou Lou, what kind of craft are we going to do?" On this particular day, we made fairy tale puppets...

This picture was taken on my birthday- I don't look so hot, but Kendall looks precious with that darling smile on her face! I'll sacrifice the "uglies" since it's her birthday! Have a swell day, sweetie!

Happy Scrapping Derby Day!

Today is National Scrapbook Day and Derby Day! So, I scrapped a little this morning and going to a Derby party this afternoon. It was a fun day out at the track yesterday, no winners except for my outfit! It was comfy and cute!

Mom had a ton of this cute vintage floral print fabric leftover from my dress, so I made some embellishments! I cut out the flowers and I used felt, cardstock, floss, buttons and a little glitter glue. They turned out pretty swell!

To celebrate NSD, I am going to giveaway a set of these floral cuties. Just leave a comment to have your name entered into the pool for the drawing. They can be added to cards, scrapbooks, aprons, a jacket, lapel, etc. Fun, fun! I'll draw a name/number on Tuesday, May 5 at noon.