Our Favorite Restaurant in San Diego

We love to eat.  While in San Diego, we found several fun and delicious restaurants.  This place was our favorite.

This photo was taken by a guy working a parking stand right outside the door.  He waited for a brief break in the traffic, and stood in the middle of the street to take this photo!  It totally freaked me out!  I just knew any second he would be smashed by a bus.  Thankfully, we was safe, and was able to snap a picture of our favorite restaurant in San Diego.

The husband was very impressed with the selection of beers.  That's a whole lot of things on tap!

Beer was good.  Food was good.  Company was fantastic!  

Bold Birthday, it's just that easy!

Hello!

Today, I'm happy to share with you another sample from our most recent card class.  It seems that I always need a great birthday card, so I designed this bold card for our class.  

I love the simplicity of this card.  It's easy to duplicate with your favorite embellishments or designer series paper.  The card base is white, making the inside perfect for signatures.  Everything about this card just screams easy and convenient!

Thanks for stopping by today!  

Delightful Days in San Diego!

Hello Friends!

Recently, my husband and I returned from an all expense paid weekend getaway to San Diego!  It was lovely!  I was so fortunate to have earned this trip for two from Stampin' UP! last year.  I'm very grateful to all my friends, family and customers that helped me achieve this fantastic trip, so I thought I would share a few highlights.

Friday, Stampin' UP! treated us all to trolley tickets for a tour of Old Town.  The weather was beautiful, the guide was delightful, and we had so much fun walking around the historic buildings.

This is the husband, posing in front of a giant tree in the town square.  Every plant you see in San Diego has been planted by someone and is watered regularly.  Otherwise, nothing would grow!  It's the dessert!

The Whaley House is said to be the oldest structure built West of the Mississippi.  It was built on top of a graveyard, and because of that, is obviously haunted.  We didn't take the tour.  I'll take their word for it!

Another fun thing about this trip was getting to spend time with old and new friends!  There were a few funny places to pose for pictures.  These are the husbands enjoying the free trip!

These are the demonstrators!

We had such fun in Old Town that day!  Thank You Stampin' UP! for a fantastic weekend getaway!  

It's a Really Big Bow

I know, it's a really big bow.  Sometimes, a really big bow is just the final touch I'm looking for.  This fun card was featured in a recent card class.  Some of the gals made big bows, some didn't, but everyone loved the design!

I like the new alphabet embossing folder.  The letters make this folder easy to use in any direction.  It's a super easy way to step up a project.

I'm always running out of birthday cards, so I know I'll use this one soon.

Thanks for stopping by today for a look!  Now.... go create something!

My Favorite Smile from Card Class

I really had fun designing the cards for our last Card Class.  This ended up being my favorite sample of the night.  I am really loving this color combo right now.  It comes from the Designer Series Paper, Eastern Elegance.  The stamps all come from a stamp set called, 'Happy Day'.

I started with the focal point, and designed around it.  I love how easily the ruffled ribbon goes around that circle, and it's always so much fun to distress card stock by crumpling it up.  I added rhinestones and it still needed a little something....

So, I grabbed a sponge from the corner of my messy desk and started sponging Coastal Cabana Ink all around the edges..... only to discover that the sponge was compromised.  I had already used that sponge in some shimmery ink.  Well, I think the results are just divine!  I didn't even know I was missing a shimmery ink element.  Happy accident!

Our monthly card classes are so much fun!  I hope you'll be able to join us next month.  We will have some new samples to share.  I'm sure at least one of them will have a happy accident to share!

It's the getting home that's always hardest.....

Hello Blog Readers!

Today, I'm going to tell you a story of travel. It will be peppered with heavy amounts of sarcasm, so if you can't take the joke, don't read today.  You decide how much is true.  (It's all true.)

It all began at dark 4am.

Wake up!  Let's go to the airport!  Check in.  Security line.  Body scan. (Should I suck in for a skinnier silhouette?) Coffee.... Iced, so my tongue doesn't get burned.  Easy, non complicated boarding, take off and early arrival at the connecting airport.  Then, the wait for the gate.

Turn the phone on, check the time.  Our connecting flight is already boarding.  (Dang that time change!)  We are unloaded at B10.  The race is on.

"Your connecting flight is now loading at gate B93."

We run.

I'm being pulled by my husband.  We make use of 5 different moving sidewalks and two escalators down to the gate on the lowest level.  Just in time to watch the doors close.

We scream, "WAIT!  IT'S US!  YOU NEED US!"

Then, I begin to plead.  "Our seats, they're still available, just let us on this plane!  Please!  We're here!  We have all the appropriate documents for boarding!  We ran!  I might throw up from running!  We carried this box!  We're here now!  Your other plane is why we're late, we followed the rules......"

NO.

We're given standby tickets for the next flight.  $7 meal vouchers.  No apologies.  No awards for running.  No congratulations for NOT throwing up.  Not even a tissue.

We walk away from the gate. Dejected.  I'm crying.  Travel up two escalators.  Stand on 5 different moving sidewalks and up one escalator to the food area.  We have 9 hours to get a meal.  Have you ever eaten in an airport?  $7 meal vouchers?  Really?

We sleep.  We ride moving sidewalks.  We eat some more.  We laugh at people's funny socks, funny hair, funny everything.  I text, tweet and post stories of woe on Facebook.  We spend an embarrassing amount of time looking for the chairs with the outlets, only to discover the outlets are UNDER the chairs.  We feel accomplished.  Our devices charge to 100%.

We wait.

"Now boarding the next plane to your homeland."

We stand RIGHT NEXT to the gate agent.  We are number 1 on the standby list (and in his heart).  He keeps looking at us, nodding his assurance.  We will get on.  We will get on.

We did.

I was issued a ticket for the back of the plane, comfortably wedged between a window and a man I affectionately nick named, 'Stinky McNosepicker'.

Flight time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Stinky McNosepicker is a rebel.  He doesn't power down any device as instructed.  He tries the seat belt fake out.  He looks at babies with disdain. (Dude, I want to live! It's a rule.  Power down.)

He can't defeat level 43 of Candy Crush.

That's right my friends.  IF our plane would have crashed, it would have likely been due to one stinky man's inability to master Candy Crush.  Dude, our elbows touch.  I can see your weak gaming skills.  Do yourself a favor.  Shower.  Stop picking your nose.  Follow the rules and smile at babies.

GEEZ.

We fly 1 hour and 45 minutes through rain, lightening and thunder to arrive home to a dry homeland.

Irony much?

We deplane to discover our luggage made it on the earlier flight.  I try to register my complaint with the gate agent only to be interrupted and told that, "There's really nothing I can do.  The airline won't read any complaint.  There's no use telling me."

Okay.

My husband won't allow me to tattle on Stinky McNosepicker for not following the rules, so we board the shuttle to pick up our truck and drive home.

It's two days later, and my shin splints still hurt from the running.  No airline or travel agency cares we were unconvinced.  It's part of it.

Really?

I can laugh (a little) about it now, but at the time, it was NOT funny.  I can't help but wonder..... would a tiny touch of common sense, kindness and grace helped my situation?

I have common sense, but I still ran to try and catch that plane.

I am kind often, but I still wanted to punch the gate agent that shut the door on us smack in the face.

I work on the grace thing.  It's tough.  I don't think I gave out any grace at that airport, but I'm sure it was extended to me from other stranded passengers.

Possibly someone nick named me, Crybaby McPouter.

I should ask the Googles.

Prince of Peace, Simply Beautiful

Hello!

I'm having a great time creating cards for the Christmas Card Club.  I've advertised this club as a more advanced class.  The cards we make typically have more layers and techniques than a simple card class would have.

The sample I'm going to share today might not exactly fit into the advanced card category.

I used a new stamp for the focal point.  It's from the list of single stamps and is called 'Prince of Peace'.  I just think it's really pretty.  It reminds me of tons of great church songs.  

If you're looking for some special technique, you won't really find one.  I did use the Cherry Cobbler embossing powder for the focal point.  I do enjoy how the diagonal stripe embossing folder combines with the diagonal stripe on the Season of Style Designer Series Paper for a sort of optical illusion chevron look. That is sort of neat.  Mainly, I just enjoy the simplicity of this card and it's beautiful sentiment. 

Have a wonderful day!  Create something beautiful!

Joyful Tidings, the 'Swing Card' Version

Hello Friends!

In just a few days, I'll host another gathering of Christmas Card Club!  These ladies are so brilliant!  They are getting a lot of their holiday crafting done way in advance.

Here's another one of the fun samples we'll make.

This is a 'swing' card.  Some gals call it a 'motion' card.  It's very hard to photograph, but extremely fun in person.  I used some of our new thinlits to create this card, so there was no special scoring from me.... the big shot and the thinlit do all the hard work.  Makes my life so easy!

I used the stamp set, 'Christmas Messages'.  I stamped it with our silver Encore ink.  I thought later that it would be much fancier if I would have used shimmery white card stock for the focal point.  So, I think when my club gals make this project, I'll let them use the fancy shimmery white.  It's so pretty!

The paper is the extremely gorgeous 'Winter Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper'.  I finished off the front panel with a little bow made out of our new silver 1/8" ribbon.  It ties so easily!

This card fits nicely into a standard size envelope, which makes it easy to mail.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Enjoy Wednesday!

A Fall Themed Swing Card for the Paper Players

Hello!!

It's a beautiful day in my neighborhood!  Not fall temperatures yet, but I couldn't resist the challenge from the Paper Players.

I decided to play with some of the new thinlits.  Here's my Fall-themed swing card:

The colors are very fall-ish.  I really am enjoying the new Sweater Weather Designer Series paper.  There's some very nice plaids.

Supplies:

Stamp Sets: Magnificent Maple, Tags 4 You

Card stock: Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand, Crushed Curry

Paper: Sweater Weather DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink

Accessories: Candy dots, linen thread

Big Shot: Tasteful trims Bigz die, Thinlits - Label Card

I hope you're have a wonderful day and make a little time for creating!

Thanks for stopping by!

Holly Jolly Frostings

Hello!  Happy Monday to Everyone!

It's a Holiday Monday!  Hooray!  A great way to celebrate any holiday is with stamping!  Right?  So, I'm happy to share the challenge from the folks over at Fab Friday:

I'm planning cards for my Christmas Card Club, so I changed the sketch just a bit.

Aren't the frosted finishes so pretty?  They have a flat back, so they are very easy to use.  I just stuck it on with a glue dot!  Very blingy and pretty!

Supplies used:

Stamp Set: Tags 4 You

Cardstock: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Smokey Slate

Paper: Winter Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper

Accessories: Label Bracket Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Frosted Finishes and Coastal Cabana Ruffled Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!