Lotta Business!

This is my Anabella, just under four months old and look how CHUBBY she's gotten!  She is still on milk only, I can only imagine what solid food will do for her little body! :)  She's doing really well, she has started going in the pool at home with her Mama and Grandma (while her Mama's at work), and from what I hear, she likes it.  She smiles ALL the time, and barfs a lot, too.  I guess this is normal??

HOW CUTE IS SHE?????  I don't think I'm a bad judge, because I love her so much, I really think she's just too cute for words.

So, my cards have suffered lately for a few reasons: my Cricut cutting has taken over my LIFE at home after work, dinner and cleanup, and simply because I'm a little tapped out of ideas.  It happens, but I hate it.  Here's what I have made in the past week, or so:

This was made for a co-worker who has just lost her Dad :(  I said "condolence", is that wrong??? It occurred to me later... Hmm.

I made this card for my friend Vjera, she had her 34th birthday last weekend, and we celebrated, just us ladies; it was so much fun, I loved seeing all the girls and catching up.  She liked the card, and that night, I gave her the milk & apple "I love us" card.  She wanted to give it to Jasper.

I have been tied up with my Cricut, like I mentioned earlier, doing tons of die cuts.  I have four cartridges, but they've done okay keeping me busy; here's some of the dies I've made very recently:

The apples are four layers, but how cute are they?  The panda and bowl of noodles just made me fall over, I ended up making this set in 2, 3 and 4" each.  I'll figure out a way to use them all, somehow... hahah.  Wouldn't that be some crap if I just couldn't figure out how to use all the dies I have (collecting in a box on my desk)? 

Forgot this card that I made for Chrissy, she and her husband just had a baby girl; they named her Gianna... :)

I used a big piece of cardstock so that the actual card space (room for signing inside) would be larger than the average.  I think it's a bit too pink, but what can you do??? I needed to use the girl sentiments, so there you go.  We had a time figuring out how to NOT buy Anabella girly, pink clothes before she came... her Mama said NO PINK!  Anyway, that's it for today.  I have a meeting at 3pm and I'm off!

XO

Fish & Dear

How MF'n cute is that fish bowl, I ask?  I made a bigger piece last night, just to see it on a larger scale, and it is just too much.  What the heck will I do with it?  I guess I could make it the whole card... either way, I like that the Cricut gives you such range in die size, I mean, with the Expression I can cut up to 12" x 24" -- it's crazy!  That is about 4.5" all around.

That's the card I made for Vjera (her birthday is today) to give to her tonight... I messed up in making the sentiment color to similar to that of the patterned paper it's on top of.  Rats!  I love the dear, though, I am happy it turned out just as cute as can be.  I used yellow/orange cardstock for the outside, I should've gone that route with the words, but that's for next time.  I swear, all I have to do is sit at my desk and begin working for time to slip by unnoticed, I haven't been getting to sleep very early lately, and waking up RAGGED.  I need to get myself back on a good sleep schedule so I can be alive at work. 

Speaking of work, it's time for a vacation!!

Heading out of here soon, I'll post pix of Mateo's third birthday party next week, that's on Sunday, and hopefully have some of the newest Garcia: Lucca.  I'm ready to see my Anabella, so I'm gonna get the hell outta here!!!

XO

Recently...

I made this card the other day... I love my little cutie characters... sigh.  The milk could be made in brown for chocolate milk, I just realized!  :)  Green apple...  man, the possibilities.

This card was a bummer -- I tried to ink the edges of the "Happy" part, but it just didn't make a diff.  I even used TINY dimension dots to help the cause, but no diff.  I can still use this, it doesn't look so bad in person.  I love love LOVE the balloon, and am already thinking of an all balloon card now.....

Same goes here, I just adore the little birdie (croc is to die for, also), but I'm seeing projects with many birds, different colors.  The crocodile was fun, but I got really tripped up trying to get the size just right.  The Cricut measures from top to bottom, so when I entered in 3" for cutting him, it came out huge.  I had to try a few times, so I have many croc shapes that I'll have to find use for.  I have TONS of stuff cut out already, it's kind of like the honeymoon hasn't worn off yet.  And I'm glad, because I've gotten my eBay store up and running again, so I can justify all this paper cutting by buying more of it with the profits.  (Does that work? :))  I'm just accumulating piles and piles of paper scraps, and haven't yet figured out how to utilize the parts left over from when I cut all I could... I'm not throwing it out, I'll figure SOMEthing out.  Maybe confetti???  We'll see. 

I'm making it through each day better than I imagined, though it is hard.  When life changes so completely, you almost feel like a different person.... life can be so strange.....


XO - I know I asked for sun, but SHEESH! 

Get Well Soon, Stephanie!

I made this card last night for Stephanie who is still in the hospital, recovering from her back surgery.  I'll pass it around the office and then go and drop it off.  Hopefully she's doing well. :)

I used the Create-a-Critter carteridge for the octopus and sealion, and two others for the letters, sun and water.  I have to admit, the card making process isn't any faster with the Cricut, but it is more interesting and I have many more options.  I could have gone on and on with this whole underwater scene, thank goodness a card is only 5' x 6.5".  I had the idea to put shine marks on the waves (sort of like white curvy cutouts, highlighting the tops of each wave) but decided against it since it's so busy.  I maybe should've even left out the sun, but I couldn't help myself. :)  I've been working my way through the Critter cartridge, making all sets, so I must begin actually USING them.  I'll use some for Bella's scrapbook, some for cards and maybe try some gift bags. 

I have zero interest in keeping two of the cartridges I received in the bundle, Rocker Chick and Paper Dolls -- I feel I'd get more use out of other ones, so I'm going to post them on eBay today as one-day auctions just to get rid of them.  I must beware not to let the cartridge thing get to me too much, haha. 

TGIF.  Times a million.

XO

Thank you, Bellows!

Today my favorite little bugger saved me from having what could have been a very, very sad day.  I LOVE that kid, she actually had me laughing, my mind completely off other subjects.  My niece is a wonder-child!  She can grab her toys now, hold her head up really well, and she laughs ALL the time!  It's music to my ears, she "talks" -- babbles really, once she is comfortable in her setting, and will totally carry on a conversation with me!  I love talking to my little angel, it's been my saving grace today, that's for sure.  Her little legs are chubbier, her arms... I just can't get over her, how special she is, how beautiful and perfect.  Oh, one more thing (I get to gloat on Bellz, it's my blog!) she is already trying to stand/walk.  I swear.  If I place her on her feetsies, she locks her knees and will stand with very little support... it's amazing. 

Now, I'll explain why I call her Bellows.  My cellphone is a touch-screen, and extremely sensitive to my little fingers.  It has this word recognition setting, which I need to learn how to turn off, that tries to figure out what I'm saying.  One time, I sent my sister a text calling her Beets and my kiddo Bellows!  I laughed my ass off, and the names just stuck.  It's funny, her other grandmother ("Grand-mom") commented this weekend that she bellows, I guess my sister was probably laughing inside. :)

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I will take a deep breath and get through all of this -- I've never been thrown a curveball I couldn't knock the hell out of my way.  It's true, these things take time, but we will get through all this.  I believe things are as good as you make them, can be great, even... but not without much effort and determination.  I see mountains moved at work everyday, we need to gather some of that strength, acceptance and hope for some of that serenity... someday, right?  Someday........ until then, I live for moments like the ones my Bella gives me.

Angel... hello??

Birthdays, Birthdays!

Hello blog.  This weekend was spent playing with my Cricut, just as I expected.  I got zero cleaning done (which I do EVERY freakin' weekend, otherwise I'm annoyed by it), I got zero laundry done (wearing the weird undies and t-shirts I haven't seen in forever), and pretty much just blew everything off and cut, cut, cut. :)  Yesterday I did go to Jesse and Gracie's 4th birthday party, and it was also Sam's birthday.  We didn't do anything really, it has been a very low-key weekend.  I just wanted to post a pic of one of the sets I made with the critter cartridge; I've been working my way through the whole booklet, and I'm KILLED by cuteness pretty much every time I finish a piece.  I love the little sayings, the accessories and critters themselves.  Very me.  I'd have a BALL designing a cartridge with the characters I used to cartoon all through high-school... hmm, I wonder how that's done, anyway?

I'm going to post more pix of the stuff I've cut and put together later, or tomorrow.  I'm actually thinking of reopening my eBay store and selling completed packets of each critter, four pieces each.  I used to buy them ALL the time, and I'm sure they'll sell, it's just a matter of the tediousness of eBay selling that I'm considering now.  I'd love to get my Paypal account fattened up again, and maybe get the Marc Jacobs skirt I've had on my Watched Items list for a whole year.  It's always sweeter when you get a good deal on eBay rather than buying it and feeling like a heel for spending so much.

Ah, but I'm rambling now. 

I'm editing a paper for a co-worker (and close friend) who is out of the office (2 months!!) for back surgery.  I'll finish up and then get to the laundry and MAYbe some cleaning.  At 9pm, the new True Blood season begins, and I'm dying to see what's cookin'. :)  Yay! 

That's all for now! 
xo

My Cricut

Yay!  My Cricut Expression bundle came yesterday, in the mail while I was at work.  I rushed home (yeah, 2 hours of traffic, if you can call that rushing) and set it up next to my work space/desk.  I watched the DVD, unwrapped all the cartridges and went to work.  It's SO cool!!  I alraedy made a few things:

I went bonkers over the "Create-A-Critter" cartridge, and spent most of the evening playing with that one.  Each critter has a "buddy" (like, the owl had the apple), a phrase, and sometimes another item, like a tree branch that they sit on.  It's SO FCKN cute!!!  I've been after these guys for aWHILE.  I also got two of the basic ones, shapes and fonts, and then the paper dolls one, a farm one and a rocker one.  I may sell the latter two on eBay and get two more that I REALLY want.  I have a list already of some really cute ones.  It's cool though, the machine... really easy to use, and I know I'll keep learning tricks that'll make it more fun.  I am going to be playing ALL weekend, I'm not sure any chores are going to get done! 

I have to get moving, things here at the office are changing and I'm busier than ever.  For me, it's a good thing.  I am OVERjoyed that it's Friday... I can't stress this fact enough.  I'm at the end of the end of my rope, and I must climb back up a little bit to make it through another day.  Many hours of quiet crafting always recharges me.  Thank GOD. 

Okay, Sun, come the F@

A.