it's almost time...

... to reveal this little "project" i've dreamt of and made a reality - with the help of some of my favorite girls, whom also happen to be incredibly crafty & creative. i couldn't be more excited about the team that's in place for this venture and i can't wait to see them rock it out! 


i don't want to say too much yet, except that it combines 3 of my favorite things:


1. inspiration and the freedom to create based only on artistic interpretation
2. one of my favorite forms of art - ATC's (like this set i made recently for a dear friend)

3. swapping these little goodies with fellow ATC'ers (BUT... without having to make 2165436 at once!)
every set of cards will be one-of-a kind. FABULOUS.


sound interesting? 
august 1st... that's the day. 
i'm soooooooooooo excited! :)


xo

a little bit of arting...

with some delightful buttons from kittyrobot.

when the super cool jodie leigh asked if i would guest design for the kittyrobot blog, i was THRILLED! i've been a fan since i got my first set of kittyrobot buttons (the adorable tiny owls) in a SIStv collection oh... 2+ years ago. and being the hoarder that i am, they still sit in their tiny little package... lookin' all cute n' stuff. only because i have yet to find that perfect project that will allow me to admire them on a daily basis. :)

i'd been making a list of all the lovelies i had been wanting to order... from sweet little cupcakes to teeny teacups to buttons that made me think of donuts (yes. donuts. they have sprinkles!) - so when i opened the special package of goodies she sent me, i was giddy because most of them were on my list. wheeeeeeeeeeee!

here's what i made:

#1 - a puffy frame. because well, that's what i do. ;) i used the yummy bling cupcake buttons in this piece, but i have to tell you... the picture just doesn't do them justice. you can't really tell here, but the frosting part of cupcakes has some glimmer & sparkle to it! so.delicious.

#2 - hoops. and cages. these were inspired, first - by a project that the crazy talented kerry lynn yeary created for her alameda project kit class over at kenner road (which i was lucky enough snag before they sold out!) and second - by the pretty romance rose button that jodie sent. the color lent itself perfectly to the BG birdcage patterned paper i had been hoarding forEVER. i knew i was saving it for a reason. ;)

#3 - holy crap... an actual layout! i've been wanting to scrap this photo of my little niece dressed up as a princess for the longest time (omg she's so cute!) and as soon as i saw the dollface fabric buttons (the red-haired doll is wearing a tiara!), i knew they'd be perfect for this project. it just so happened that the color combinations in my jenni bowlin april kit was meant for this project too... along with some heather bailey fabric scraps. and some dear lizzy crocheted cuties. and some beads. and some stickles sparkle. and a stitched title ala amy tangerine. :)





thanks again to jodie & ayesha for letting me play with some kittyrobot goodies! i'll be ordering some more lovelies soon.

i had a great time creating these projects. this was just the push i needed to get the mojo flowing again and i'm hoping it'll continue... especially with the upcoming "project" i have planned. stay tuned. :)

happy wednesday!
xo

losing my jiggly parts...

for all the pretty dresses...like this one:

Primula Dress

and this one:

Oratory Dress

oh. and for my health too. ;) but those dresses... *swoon*

6 weeks ago, i started "the angie makeover" - the one where i lose some poundage, because lemme tell you, i was piling them pounds on. and feeling it - i had zero energy, i was bloaty & gassy (it happens. don't judge.), and had consistent heartburn & acid reflux with every meal i ate, no matter what it was. not to mention, i just wasn't feeling like my best self. i know when i get that feeling, that it's time to do something about it.

i started this journey at the perfect time. turns out, i was at very high risk for diabetes, which i figured because it runs in my family. and... my blood work showed complications with my gallbladder, which explained the bloating and painful indigestion. YIKES!

so, last saturday marked the last day of phase 1 of my HCG diet (no more injections! hooray!) and the day that i tallied up total losses. are you ready for this? drum roll please............

23 POUNDS and 25 1/4 INCHES LOST in 6 weeks!!

i admit i was a tad disappointed that i only lost 23 lbs. during this phase. i knew i would be, only because i had set my expectations waaaay too high after reading the success stories of others on this particular diet (ugh. i despise that word.) and i had relied upon that number on the damn scale too much, like i knew i would... even though i knew better. which is why i also despise scales. unfortch, i have to make it my friend for the time being.

anyway, after taking measurements and seeing the total inches lost, i was more than satisfied. i lost a total of 6 inches around my waist alone! and 5 around my hips. totally noticeable because all of my jeans are now falling off my ass. and i'm looking like a fool. with my pants on the ground.

sadly, i also lost 2 inches around my chest (meaning - a cup size. or 2.) MY BAZONGAS! where have they gone?! stupid fat. wanh wanh. i shan't complain, though.

i'm now in the last 6 weeks of the "protocol" - where i get to slowly add in the good fats (helloooooo guacamole) and carbs/sugar. so far i've managed to drop another pound. i will say that after 6 weeks of minimal food/calorie intake, i was a bit hesitant to add more to my servings. my appetite still has not returned to normal. i'm happy to ride with it, but WHAT.THE.HELL.

5 weeks ago, this lovely little candy dish was filled to the brim with scrumptious hersheys kisses. (i didn't eat them all. i swear!) and it took everything.i.had to not dump the entire contents of said candy dish into my piehole, wrappers and all. everytime i walked by, it caught my eye. eventually, i had to go over to it, lift the lid, get a good whiff and then promptly walk away. btw, i am the only one who thinks hersheys kisses smell like cheese? anyway... now, i see chocolate and i feel nothing. NOTHING. it sorta makes me feel dead inside. heh.

* so... am i glad i did this? - absolutely. i needed to do something that would yield fast results so as to not lose my motivation. also, i've learned how to cook with real food! yay me! it's amazing how wonderful fresh produce, organic meats and spices can taste. :)

* would i do this again? - now having done it once, knowing what to expect, and knowing that i do have the willpower necessary to take this on... yes. but only with the understanding that this should not become a "quick fix". because it isn't.

* would i recommend this? - i certainly don't want to be an advocate for HCG, but i would recommend it with these 3 conditions:

- that it only be used as a jump start to weight loss & a healthier lifestyle (where it concerns food & exercise).

- that it be done with extreme determination and willpower. you'll need it. and it's required.

- that it be medically supervised and customized to your needs and your body. HCG is readily available out there in cyberland (and cheaper), but i dared not take that chance.

so tell me... would you ever consider such a ridiculous diet? ;)

with this makeover underway, i can now focus on the others i had planned for this year - my blog & little home re-decorating. and even an extra little fun & creative something. and with more energy! :D more on this later...

happy weekend!

xo

ROAD TRiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiP...

so... a couple of saturdays ago, i woke up (at noon o'clock) and thought "hey, i feel like driving 2 hours up to Sedona to eat some guacamole from my fave mexican restaurant!"

random and spontaneous? yes. my husband thought so too as i shook, slapped & tickled him awake. other thoughts crossed his mind... but i won't go into all that.

i figured since it was the start of spring break for the girls and well, we really couldn't afford to go anywhere other than the movie theater that week, this could be a little mini vacay for them. and good for us to get outta the house. as a family. just the four of us. together. yep. so... off we went. (after stopping at the 'bucks for some snacks and a dark cherry mocha. yum.)
the best part of living up in north phoenix and minutes away from the freeway is that escaping from the city is relatively easy and doesn't take us as long to get to places. like i said, sedona is only about a 2 hour drive for us. less if chris drives. awesome.

i just got around to editing some of the photos i took with my fanceh Rebel T1i. and thank GOD i remembered to take the memory card out of my laptop and put it back into the camera. ahem. someday i hope to be able to take fantastical photos naturally without having to photoshop the hell outta them, but for now... gotta do what i gotta do.

this is the patio of our favorite mexican restaurant (with the best margaritas & guac) in Sedona, El Rincon, located in the beautiful Tlaquepaque shopping plaza/courtyard. it was a bit too chilly to sit outside, hence the lack of diners out there, but aren't the colors so warm and festive? love it.

the shopping plaza itself is made up of 2 gorgeous courtyards with lovely fountains, tiled and cobblestoned floors, luscious green plants and vines... makes me wish i lived there. i want my entire house to be covered in vines like this.

the kid + grapevine donkeys. or burros. is there a difference? whatever. super cute. i wonder how my HOA would react to having wicker donkeys in my front yard...

i took a couple... few... several pictures of the family in front of this fountain but clearly, they'd had enough about halfway through. the look on their faces pretty much says it all. (it's the price they pay for have a scrappy mama/wife. someday they'll thank me. or have me committed.)

so, we parked in front of this tree and while we were securing some stuff in the car, the girls discovered this carving and said "hey! it's A for angie plus C for chris! this parking spot was meant to be!" seriously. how perfect is that? awwww...

blue sky, red rocks, and a smidgen of snow. can you see it?

and this is what happens when the snow melts - waterfalls. we saw several of these scattered about in the mountains... kind of a rare sight in Sedona. we've had a crazy winter/spring, y'all.

took a drive to Oak Creek Canyon - man, that creek (or "crik" as chris calls it) was raging!

our final stop before heading back home was the Dairy Queen in Oak Creek Canyon, but before getting our tasty blizzards, the girls wanted to buy a little something from the "tourist traps" set up in the parking lot... which was totally fine because it was all beautifully handmade. :)

so... that was our kick off to spring break. even though there was a little bit of bitching & moaning in the beginning to the nonsensical suggestion to take a road trip, everyone agreed in the end that it was an excellent idea. *pats self on back*

what did you do (or what are your plans) for spring break?

xo

Concerning my nerdlove for LOTR...

it runs deep, this nerdlove.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

see? i told you. from the One Ring wallpaper on my desktop, to my One Ring on a silver chain, to my gold One Ring earrings (enscribed with the dark language of Mordor) which i rarely ever take off, right down to this layout (made for OLW when i started scrapping again 3 years ago):

yep. NERD.LOVE. i ain't ashamed! ;P

after watching all 3 extended versions of the movie this past weekend, i'm still in that state of fantasyland euphoria... as i usually am for days after. i went out and bought the first volume of the book so i could read it again, which is what i was fully immersed in yesterday. so much that i read right through pick-up time. D'OH! my poor kid was waiting out in front of her school for 10 minutes. she got a hot fudge sundae out of it, though. so there's that. ;)

anyway, i'm not so much a hardcore Tolkien-ite as much as i am a huge fan of the movies (know what's fun? this movie trivia quiz.) and of the stories themselves,

and of,

and,

(who also happens to be an incredible artist/photographer/poet/musician.)

but i am in awe of the wildly inventive and imaginitive mind that was Tolkiens. from that mind evolved an entire world complete with it's own history, and elves, dwarves, orcs, wizards, hobbits - each race with their own languages & histories - the man created Middle Earth! which i'm not entirely convinced didn't exist at some point. ;)

anyway, after having read the books, i can understand why hardcore Tolkien fans would be disappointed with the movies, but come on people... the true essence of the story was captured, even if a bit jumbled. bottom line... Peter Jackson = brilliant.

and i really really want to travel to new zealand.
and take the LOTR tour.
and take up residence in a hobbit hole in the shire. don't judge. :P

so... i think i'm going to dig up that layout above, update it a bit, frame it and use it as part of my new decor. that being said, i think it's time to end this totally random (& kinda embarassing) post and rein in my nerd flag. surely, i'm not the only one who lets it wave from time to time, right? heh.

again... don't judge.
and remember:

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”

HA! ok, i'm done. i swears it, precious. ;)

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!
xoxo

WHO KNEW...

... that this would turn out to be a year of makeovers? i didn't. but that's certainly the direction it's headed - from the house, to the backyard, to my blog (a work in progress), to myself (creatively & physically) - all makeovers. and clearly, much needed ones.

i've been working on makeover #1 - the house - purging like a madwoman for an upcoming garage sale, much to my family's dismay.(sure, pricing my husband's electric and classical guitars at $5 each might seem a tad unreasonable, but dude... they've been collecting dust and taking up space in our closet for 14 years! play them or sell them!) it's time to let go of things that are tolerated but not loved, which unfortunately seems to be just about everything. my house will be an empty shell. or... a blank canvas! yes. that will lead to makeover #2 - redecorating. with plenty of before/after photos. fun!

the blog - i'm working on here and there. it is currently a little drab, isn't it? it's ok. you can tell me. i know it. (though it's not horrible for being my first try at it. right? am i right? eh.) the trouble with it has been figuring out exactly what i want, and i think i finally have. now it's just finding the time (and a little help) to get it done. which i will. so don't freak if one day this blog is completely different. please.

myself - well, i'll have to save that for another post. a long one. i will say this... i am preparing myself physcially & mentally for the challenge i have ahead. and i'm hoping that the result will have been well worth it.

now, some sharing of the art. believe it or not, i have had a few creative moments so far this year. go me!

i'm very excited about this first one because:
1.) i was asked to be a GD over The Creative Type challenge blog. (yay!)
2.) it's a super fun challenge & i had a blast making this layout (go check it out!). special thanks to all the girls (especially this one) for letting me GD for you. you're the bestest!

some puffies i made for a Favorite Season ATC swap over at SIStv:

a layout i made for a Pencil Lines challenge - sk.171, using a photo of the lovely Michelle Sanders (thanks for letting me steal your photo off of FB, sanders!):

some Valentine pretties for some special friends:

and a little Valentine lovin' for the husband (and also a Bleuprint for Bad Girls Kits):

speaking of Bad Girls Kits... my 6-month term has ended. i have mixed emotions, but i can truly say that i am grateful to have had the experience because it was an educational one... on so many levels. it motivated me to become a better artist(scrapper? crafter?). and it exposed me to some of the most creative paper & mixed-media artists, whom i will continue to be inspired by. so, thank you. :)

holylongpost! it's what happens when i go weeks without. i do have more i want to share but,... perhaps tomorrow. what? it could happen! ;)

HAPPY MONDAY!

xoxo

THE END IS NEAR...

... the end of 2009, that is.

hi. hello. it's been awhile. a loooooong while. i noticed that my last entry was in october sometime. yeesh. i guess i've been busy! it has been a crazy couple of months. and now, here i sit in an eerily quiet, empty house on this last day of 2009 (kids are at a sleepover with the cousins and the husband is at work). i'm left alone to survey the damage of the past few weeks... bills, empty packages scattered about, gifts needing to be put together and put away, leftovers needing to be thrown out (blech!), candlewax stains needing to be scraped off tables, mantels and carpets, new clothes needing to be hung, rooms needing to be organized... wow. it's quite alot to process at this moment. i think i'd rather just relax and reflect. and have a drink. excuse me while i go pour myself a glass of wine... *clinkclink*

so, there have been a few happenings and projects i've wanted to share, but just haven't had 5 minutes in a row to sit and blog about it... until now. i figure it would be sorta weird to share holiday projects and such AFTER today. i have approx. 7 hours left to get this in before the new year begins so here i go:

first on the list is my december DT work for Point Blank Period - Prompt #4/Holiday Madness. i'm also proud and honored to announce that the PBP blog and design team (along with our work for this particular prompt) were featured in the december issue of Scrap Street E-Zine! thank you to Sasha Holloway (PBP founder) and Stacey Michaud for the opportunity!

next are the only 3 holiday projects i managed to get done this year, but so glad i made some time to finish them. i'm quite fond of them! if you know me at all, you know that is something i rarely say about my own work. this first one was actually a Bleuprint i created for Bad Girls Kits back in november sometime using this page from a Pottery Barn catalog as my inspiration:

the result:

i decided it looked kinda lonely so i made 2 more holiday wall collages as a kick start to transforming my existing holiday decor. it's out with the red and in with the green, cream, gold & silver! (oh, and some Hambly. *swoon*)

i'm sorta sad i have to pack these away until next x-mas... unless i can find a spot somewhere to display them year-round. hmmmm...

lastly, i lied. i did manage to squeeze in this holiday project... these mini ATC's for some special peeps. i see making more of these little suckers in my future. SO FUN!


and there you have it. i had hoped to also share some photos of my holiday decor and general x-mas stuff - photos, events, gifts, blahblahblah - but i guess that will have to wait until next year. which isn't too far off! yes, Christmas is 12 months away, but if time flies as quickly as it did this year, it'll feel like we're doing it all over again in just a month or two. oy.

so 2010... what have you got in store for me? i've given up on resolutions, but have vowed to do the best i can on the goals i've made for myself this year. blogging is one of them. i took Shimelle Laine's Blogging for Scrapbookers class earlier this year. i've just looked over some of the lessons this past week and i am SOOOOOO glad i signed up for it! i've heard that her all of her classes are FANTASTIC and this one was no exception. (thank you, Shimelle!) there may be some changes in store for this blog soon and i am quite excited! until then...

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all! twenty-ten... here we come!

xoxo