Valentines Day Cards

(click to see it up close)

I'm really enjoying using Tiff's great sketches. This is the one from last Sunday:

 I accidentally cut several doilies at once so I decided to make a second card with a different vibe:

Special thanks to my model, Diggy. He's one of the most treasured members of our household and he is better at sitting still for photos then our Bubby is.

A layout, a New Header and Advice Needed

Do you like the new blog header? I realized the old one had been up for about a year and a half... oops.

Thanks for all the kind words yesterday. I got to thinking and seeing the same old me in the mirror could be a lot worse.

My foot is less swollen today though still discolored - I'm getting there :-)

Here's another one of the sketches I'm trying to clear off the table.

Isn't it a fun design? I can see using it again and again.



While I have you here, can I get some advice?

I was cleaning up my sewing space and couldn't bear to throw out my itty-bitty scraps. So instead I found some fusible webbing (?) that I bought for some project years ago and ironed them all together into one gorgeous piece.

Then I covered the whole she-bang with matte medium and added bits of Gauche Alchemy ephemera. I saw this technique in the most recent CPS and thought - why not?



What should I do with it now?

Belated Sketchy Thursday Page and Some Whining

Should I start with the page or with the whining? 

*Sigh* I have an overuse injury in my left foot. The doc was awesome, he's a post-back-surgery running enthusiast so he really got me. He has me off my feet until the weekend, short 5 mile run on Saturday and reduced mileage until my race in February. It could have gone a lot worse. That said, there's a swollen area above my 5th metatarsal and the peroneal brevis tendon is looking freaky. I can't make my baby toe do what it should... like stay down for an x-ray. See above... it's standing while everyone else is sitting. What a rebel.

I'm feeling a little persecuted. So far in the last week I've had severe vision disturbances (spinal related),   an ovarian cyst ruptured (sorry if that's TMI) and I passed my one year NOW EVERYTHING IS SUPPOSED TO BE WONDERFUL date and... well... everything's not wonderful.

I jumped out of bed that morning excited to see the new me and the old me was staring back. Kind of naive, no?

As they say though, on with the show :-)

I love Sketchy Thursdays. It's my favorite sketch site ever (sorry Page Maps, I'm very fond of you too). Each week this month I've printed the sketch (or drew it on old junk mail envelopes), printed my photos, picked out some paper and then piled them in a neglected stack at the end of my table. Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this?

So, in an interest of clearing said table I started with this one. 

And I kept it simple. 

Paper: Echo Park
Cardstock: Bazzil

Tiff's Sketches

Did you know the amazingly talented Tiff posts sketches now? 

I know!!! 

How awesome is that?

This is a sketch of hers from about two weeks ago 

(I'm running behind on everything - no mojo)

and here are my Valentines:

I decided to keep things simple and clean, not everything needs to take hours and hours to make.

Patterned Paper: BoBunny

Cardstock: PTI

Stamps: Raisin Boat

Why I LOVE Overstock.com (with a Discount Code)

 Way back in 2005 while surfing the wave of Harry Potter Mania I stumbled across Overstock.com and filled my cart with books on tape - Cassettes! Talk about a blast from the past. They wooed me with their $2.95 shipping and while I was drooling over Rowling's latest, I stumbled into the Bedding & Bath department. Oh. My. Heaven. It wasn't long before I realized that with Overstock I could buy Luxury Bed linens for less then run of the mill ones at the store. Score. So I loaded up on gems like these:

Yeah, 1000 thread count Egyptian Cotton... let's just say we haven't gone back to scratchy sheets. They're bliss.

When my dear husband went to work for Overstock in '07 I started paying closer attention to the company as a whole (not just their primo sheets) and fell in love with their Handmade Jewelry. 

As a compassionate, environmentally aware, artsy chic, Worldstock Fair Trade really touches my heart. 

Huge kudos to Patrick Byrne for starting such a great people (and earth) friendly company. Here's a snippet:

The purpose of Worldstock Fair Trade is not to make money, but to create thousands (someday millions) of jobs for artisans in the most destitute regions of the world. Our mission is to provide customers with small-lot produced goods at an affordable price. By doing so, we locate products made by craftswomen and craftsmen from around the world. We emphasize sustainability, choosing environmentally friendly products that won't burn up natural or human resources. We strive to provide our customers with exclusive products, including handcrafted clothing, jewelry, ceramics, furniture, and much more.

This is my first piece of handmade jewelry from Worldstock Fair Trade in '07, I always get tons of compliments when I wear it. 

I've received several other great pieces since then and the quality has been outstanding. And yeah... I'm naturally blonde... not the best look for me *grin*

To help you all share in the fun I've got some discount codes to share. 

Discount code 121745 is good for 10% off Overstock products (excluding movies, books, and electronics).  This discount code never expires, however, it can only be used once per email address.

202234 - free shipping promo code for electronics

Just so you know:

All the ideas and opinions expressed are my own. No monetary compensation was received for doing this post, however, I was provided with a discount code.

Art Journal Page: One Little Word? Really?

I promise I've been art journalling. Just I stamped with a TP roll and it took eons to dry. Then I wrote gnarly journalling in the circles and it looked BAD so I had to gesso them over and start again. Then several of those circles took most of my ten minutes... I was just a slow, pokey girl this week. But the end result makes me happy. Julie Fei-Fan Balzer uses grids and circles in a lot of her work and it always looks so awesome, I wanted to give it a try.

(click to see it up close)

The inspiration for this page was the current catalyst at Creative Therapy: 

What’s your word or focus for 2011?

I'm going to be blogging a little later about our trip to Overstock.com this morning and how we get to see the Governor today. How exciting. And I have a coupon! Stay posted :-)

Cake #3: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Salt and Pepper, Milk and Cookies, Ham and Cheese... all great pairings but the one combination to rule them all may just be:

Peanut Butter and Chocolate!

When I saw this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake recipe on Smitten Kitchen,

I knew what I'd be making for Cake #3. 

Doesn't it look like a plate full of regret? 

A few things about cakes, I always sift my dry ingredients. Some folks just whisk them but sifting incorporates the ingredients better and helps avoid the little globs of baking soda that are so gross to find in a bite of cake.

Love this stage. So full of potential:

Then you add your liquids and get batter. This is my stress spot when baking. 

Will I equally divide it between pans? Did I forget the eggs? Will it rise? Will it fall?

Fast Forward to cooled cake and whipped cream cheese and peanut butter (oh my heaven I can die now) frosting.

The cake is supposed to be a three layer cake but ours is only two. First, I only own two cake pans and secondly, even if I did, we don't need a triple layer cake, on a Friday, before grocery shopping. Need to save something up my sleeve for birthdays and wedding days.

I split the batter in thirds, 2 cake pans and the rest as cupcakes. I put the cupcakes in the freezer for a later noshing date.

Voila!

Wanna see it again? I know, I do too. In fact, I keep opening the fridge and looking at the latest object of my affection.

Linked up to:

Sweet as Sugar Cookies