Unusually Optimistic

So I wasn't quite sure where to stick this post, but I've finally decided it belongs here.

Its Wednesday, and I'm happily reflecting on this past weekend and weeks.

Last Saturday was a ball! My cousin Erica and I had a grand craft day! We went to a Scrapbook Garage Sale at the Bountiful and Taylorsville locations of Heartland Paper.

Its an amazing store and we got amazing deals. I'm going to try to be aware of the next time it happens and take some of my own items that are collecting dust so they can find happy homes where they can be used.

We went to a store in Sandy called Heartfelt Creations. My cousin had told me that they had everything and indeed they did. They had a better collection than any other craft store, it was straight up incredible. I even found Spellbinder Nestabilities, but still no Unity in Utah.

After a most excellent time shopping we went back to her house and looked over our spoils.

Her kids were adorable and I had so much fun playing with them, even though afterwards I was beyond tired and they still had oodles of energy. How can little ones so small have soo much energy?

They even got into the crafts and enjoyed coloring in the versamark stamps with chalk. The cricut case rather intrigued them and they wanted to open it and get into it. It reminded me of when I truly loved the Cricut and everytime I plaed with it for the first few months.

I guess I got tired of the novelty that everyone felt about the cricut, and now, days later, I remember when I was up there with them. I still have my many irritations, but its a pretty cool machine nonetheless.

Yesterday Ryan called me at work and said Provo Craft called and I now had a serial code that would work. So I'm excited about that, but I have to be careful about what machine I put the Cricut Design Studio on. Ryan newly acquired a free laptop that just has to be restored to factory settings last week. The timing made me feel like maybe, just maybe all of my stress with ProvoCraft has actually been for my own benefit.

I can't put the Design Studio on the Mac, but if the other laptop is restored then I will have a computer that will be a lot more convenient for both our tiny apartment, craft days and nights I go to, and other such things. I might even stop cringing from having to cut out individual letters individually for sayings as they will be able to be 'welded' together.

So I'm still irritated by the excessive accessories, but I'm going to be much more grateful to the cricut and even ProvoCraft. I'm happily surprised at the easiness of getting a new serial code for my defaulty one.

Still loving my Cuttlebug, and the embossing feature, I still want nesties, but I'm ok with what I have right now, and know its more than ample for the projects I want to do.

So now on my list is fixing the laptop, and then installing the CDS on it and then the sky is the limit.

Also, my KOTM should arrive today! What a fabulous Wednesday it is indeed!

March brings....

This is coming, very very soon and I'm uber excited. Love Unity, they just rock. For further Unity proof of love look at the below projects and notice the birds, 'thanks', flower and mushroom are all Unity stamps. They never cease to amaze me, I just wish there was a store, here in Utah that sold Unity...

I'll keep dreaming.

And in other news Provo Craft has not improved my opinion of them, the CDS still isn't authorized, I may ebay it and buy nesties with the profit.

Valentines

Ryan challenged me to make him a less girly Valentines Day Card, and so I think this card rose to the challenge very well.

I love square cards! They are so elegant and beautiful that putting the card together doesn't take as long. He thought the card was cool, and I think the green hard is my favorite stamp on the card.

Although I used more Rafia than I would have dared use on other cards, I love how big the bow is and have learned that all craft rules, biases and other limitations are meant to be broken.

Supplies: DP Basic Gray, Cuttlebug 'Swirls', Rafia Bow Stamps CDS Heart, Inkadinkado 'funky letters', Fiskars 'Fleur de Lis' border punch

Let it Snow?

The snow outside says its ok to post these cards and if the weather has to be the way it is, I would be ok with it being just around Christmas. I'm so ready for spring, but

Supplies: CDS stamps, cuttlebug ornamental tree, DP My Big Idea 'Fall Stack'

Supplies: CDS Stamps, My Big Idea 'Holiday Stack'

Oh well here's to the snow melting this afternoon and a return to warmer weather!

Life is what it is, and so why not live it in color?

I had to make a project that defined my identity, well I was completely at a lose for words, so I made this little project. Daunting at first but with the help of my friend Kapri who can make boxes in her sleep and is an Origami pro all around it came together rather nicely. Ironically everyone else in my class turned in poems and papers, mine was definitely different from all other projects handed in.

But I guess that was my point, if you read the poem after my explanation it states that I don't want to define myself as that would be a limitation to who I really am. I think I cried before I decided to make a crafty project, cause I don't think its fair to try to define people, we are always changing. I felt like it was a cold dive back into the nightmare of my sophmore and junior year of high school.

Nostalgia is a bitter thing, it has its pro's and cons and can be a good thing, but one can't live the present pining too deeply for the past. It isn't healthy to spend too much time analyzing the past and the things we would change with new found knowledge.

Life is what it is, and so why not live it in color? Dress up an other wise straight forward paper with all of the passion found from all other aspects of life?

I was really happy with this project after I got it back, my stomach did a bit of a toss and turn before I handed it in, but why should I be afraid to show all of my true colors? I don't want to, I want to be exactly who I am, I'm happy being this girl and life has never been better.

Supplies: DCWV Rock Star DP(cover) Embossed with Cuttlebug Folder "You", Ribbon ?? Rub Ons ?? DP inside MY Big Idea 'Fall Stack'

Set 3

A doctored up Happy Birthday Layout I used, but I really like how it came together as a Thank You card.

Supplies: Penny Lane DP, Prima's, Unity Stamps 'Just My Type'

Set 2

Before buttons and embellishments....

After!

Supplies: Penny Lane DP, Prima's set 6, bag of garage sale buttons! Stamps Unity: Just My Type, Feb KOTM