Happy Birthday, Alyssa & Tommy!

This one's for Alyssa, I want her to like it and I know if I were a baby, this would make me smile :)

And, this one's for my baby Tommy.  He's getting so big, and I really wish I were there to see him grow up.  Either way I play it, if I live here I miss out on Tommy & Alyssa.  If I live there, I'd miss Anabella.... can't win.  In a perfect world, I'd have Theresa and the kids move here, but lord knows we can't always have our way!

I'm really glad the weekend is here... it's been super hectic here at work and I'm watching the clock waiting to get the heck outta here and get my weekend started. :)

Yay for Friday even though it's overcast as hell, woohoo!

XO

Oy

Since work has been kicking my backside, I haven't had ANY time or energy for scrapping or cards.  I have my niece Alyssa and nephew Tommy's birthday coming, too.  I will have to get my buns moving on that stuff tonight, hopefully.  I hope to find some stability here at work soon, as we keep losing staff.  It has been interesting, and I've learned a lot here, so I won't complain.  I hope to get a vacation in soon, also... it's been almost six months, so I'm due for one... I'm really thinking about flying somewhere that I don't have to worry about moving around too much, honestly, a week at a spa would be optimal.  I could use some solitary relaxation time... like, immediately.  I'd read read read, eat and decompress.  Then, back to the salt mine to get the old blood pressure back up to it's high status. 

One can dream... and this one dreams a TON.

Hopefully, I'll have some photos tomorrow of all the creativness from tonight... I haven't been sleeping very well lately, either, I feel like I only get two to three solid hours, so I must catch up on that.  In spite of that fact, I feel strangely good... like, my body doesn't NEED all the sleep I've been getting.  I'm such a baby, I'd get pissy if someone woke me up too early on a day off, and be rigid about going to bed at a certain time.  I'm thinking it's time to sort of get used to later hours, I mean, I may need them in coming days, who knows WHAT'll happen. :)  I can't be the person out n' about who is yawning at 9pm, I mean, that's just sad.  I have a good feeling about things in general lately, and if work lets up on me in coming days, I can maybe take some time for little old me to soak in that a bit.

XO

Everyday I'm Hustlin'

(Insert the song by Rick Ross and you get the picture.)  Seriously, though, I have been making page layouts during my nights and weekends so I can get each member of my family a nice scrapbook by Christmas.  I figure any gift I give them will most likely be used up and forgotten; this is something they can keep for a long time, give away, etc.  I have been having the most fun with Anabella's pages... she's just so darn cute.  Here's her third page for Anita & Matt's book:

I used a postage stamp die for the photo mat, how cute is that?!  I also thought I'd better tie in the red with something extra, hence the large 1" dots.  I swear, I had to control myself with this page, I wanted to clutter it until the cows came home.  Here's a close up:

I had lots of fun with this portion of the page; I had to figure out a way to convey a feeling of the whole day so that she could understand it later... I hope it worked.  I should have dropped some water and a bonfire in there, but like I said: clutter.  I can't STAND it in my life, so...
Anyway, I love love LOVE how I did the O's on "Cool", let me show you a close up of that:

I found the shades in my Critter cartridge; they went with a giraffe, and I had to scale them up LOTS.  I used my Xacto knife to cut out the middles, just in case you notice how wonky that looks.  How freakin' cute is my niece?!  I love her, dammit!  She is getting her teeth, yelling all day long, and gets mad when she can't find milk when she sucks on whatever skin she finds available to her mouth.  Pretty cute.  So, I also made a page for my parents book, two really, and I held back there also.  I have to wonder what my pages would look like if I cluttered them up, not holding back?  Maybe I'll try that tonight.  I have two pics of my brothers, one of them super young, and one recent to work on next.  So, here's my parent's pages:

The top pic is from when they first met, I imagine from how young and dopey they look (kidding), and the second is at their wedding...

Those are more recent... the bottom one was when I was a teenager, so they must have been in their middle or late 30's.  I have to wonder how two people could stand each other for so long???  How do they do it?  I get tired of my shoes at the end of the day!  I think they'll like their books, and I plan on keeping the rest of the pages secret from here out... shhhhh! :)

I look forward to Christmas, actually -- I may have lots of b.s. behind me, onto other things.  One can hope.

XO

Tings a Gwan

Bella playing with her new ball, sitting at her new Bumbo tray... I'm not sure if I posted this pic yet, but I couldn't resist.  She's so awesome, I can't get over her! :)

Anyways, I made a birthday card for a co-worker's niece who is turning 17.  I had to think about that one -- like, "Where was I at at that age?  What did I like?"  And, I think it's still safe to be cutsey at that age, I mean you're still a kid!  I figured a teenage girl would like something like this:

I used the middle of a bunch of leaf die cuts that I got off eBay awhile ago; I saved them in a little container, shaking my head wondering at the lengths I go to to save.  Pow!  That's why!  Haha, I got to use them finally, and don't feel like a total spaz.  Well... I won't go there.  I used brown colored pencil to softly outline the lines on the beehive, I hope it looks okay.  I used some K&Company hearts to jazz it up and to get some pink in there.  I guess it turned out okay.

I plan on really trying out some embossing this weekend, and also gotta re-try the acrylic spray bottle idea.  It just didn't work out last week, but I haven't given up.  I also think it's time to go ahead and grab those bicycle stamps from Hero Arts. I've had my eye on them for a good month, and right now is a good time to do something nice for me. 

If Bella gets tired of anything, it'll be of Auntie's photo shoots, I tellya.  Whenever I get a moment, and she's in a good mood (which is all the time), I just snap snap snap and usually I get some really good ones.  I think I will also visit that Kodak printing kiosk again and print out a good number of my photos of Bella for her scrapbook.  She's getting her teeth, the doctor said at her last appointment, so I'm going to have to find my tooth die cut... OH!  One more thing: at that doctor's appointment, my sister said that Bella got an immunization and she DIDN'T CRY at all.  I think she said she flinched a little, but my little toughie held it together!  She is truly a Rodriguez girl.  I can't wait to tell her that someday. :)

XO

Blog makeover

I like this better... sometimes it feels good to make a big change, do things differently, even though the 'old way' may feel more comfortable and you know what you're getting.  I like this.  It feels just fine.

XO, what a beautiful, sunny day! :)

August already??

Since I have no USB cord today at the office, I'll post weekend pics tomorrow.  Saturday, my sister, Anabella and I went shopping at the mall, and it was quite an experience.  She's in a very talkative mode lately, all she does is use her voice, and it's loud!  I LOVE it, though... she is so smart, everything she sees is cause for a comment. :)  By the time we were through in Target (where I discovered the magic of a Kodak photo printing kiosk), she was pooped, literally and figuratively.  We made it to H&M (that mall has a really good one, Fox Hills Mall) and Bella knocked the f out.  I realized how tough it is for my sister to get anything done with her little tiger, so I vow to help her whenever it's possible.  I love squeezing my beautiful niece, anyway, so it's a win-win. 

As for my crafts this weekend, I made THREE scrapbook page layouts for a project I'm working on.  I have decided that I'll just scrap the heck out of the next few months until Christmas and then put together scrapbooks for my sister & Matt, my parents and my brothers.  I should also keep one for myself, so I've got lots to do.  It's nice, because a whole page gives me more room to clutter up.  On a card, I usually only have 5 1/2" x 6", and it does get cluttered.  What else... oh, I made two acrylic paint spray bottles.  THAT was funny... I dumped some hairspray and a vanilla body mist, and made an off-white, cream color and gray.  I have to figure out the right consistency because I drenched the damn paper, and it's all warped now.  I did try, though!  (Friday nights are WILD, I tell you)  I also made a little discovery that I'm a little hesitant to elaborate on.  Oh well, who cares.  I went to Home Depot and basically helped myself to about a hundred paint chip sheets!  They are PERFECT for my projects!  I have a ton of them, and one company even uses sticker paper for theirs, I'll be getting more of those!  I tried them out on my Cricut, and I was right: amazing colors, thick paper, beautiful shapes and lettering for whatever.  I don't recommend abusing this little tip, but hey, I'm all about recycling, and I bet Benjamin Moore would LOVE that I'm doing some good with those things that just sit there! 

Anyway... I spent my whole Sunday cleaning my house, so I can relax this week and just craft during the evening.  BBQ Chicken for dinner tonight, and I may attempt scalloped potatoes.  I never even tried them until, like, a year ago, and I love them!  I have an Excel 2 class tomorrow in Culver City, so I'll have the day off from work for that.  I'll pack a nice lunch and bring a SK book to read during lunch hour.

Ah, but now... back to work. ;)

XO