handmade cass

I have been trying to do a couple lists every month in my Book of Lists (Smash Book).  There are a lot that are more like journaling and too personal for me to share here.  But a while back I decided to come up with a top 10 travel wish list...just the first 10 that popped into my head.  I thought it was fun so I asked my husband to do the same thing. It was hard for him not to overthink it. And in the end we had a few in common.  New Zealand, Glacier National Park, and Northern Lights (probably in Alaska) - go big or go home, right?  Time to get started planning a vacation! Supplies Book, list prompts, and pen: Smash Book by EK Letter Stickers: Basic Grey Washi Tape: Target  I'm also having lots of fun including some Polariod pictures in my book.  I have the Polaroid z340 instant digital camera .  The prints aren't top notch, but it is so fun to have the instant print that I don't care one bit.  And my daughter is absolutely amazed...

My husband is really hard on clothes.  It still shocks me how often he has a wardrobe turnover, because I am still wearing clothes from my college years.  There have probably been about 5 occasions when he has walked through our front door with his pants split open or a sleeve of his shirt ripped up.  Like the time when he decided to take a bicycle for a test ride when he was wearing his expensive (tight fitting) work pants....they split right up the butt seam.  I still laugh about that when I remember it. But anyway, I have had a pile of his clothes sitting on my sewing table to be fixed and I made some time yesterday to tackle the mending.  Most were shorts with little holes and I could use an iron on patch on the inside.  But this pair had a bigger hole, right by a bulky seam and I couldn't get my machine to maneuver in the right spot.  So I added a little heart patch on the outside. When I showed it to him he said, "hey, you do love me". ...

I have been pinning on Pinterest for about 6 months now and I don't think that I have actually made any of the projects or recipes that I've seen.  Until today!  A few days ago I found this recipe for soft pretzels with a spicy cheese dip.  They had me at cheese dip. My girlfriend said she had made these for a party recently and they turned out great.  So I decided we should do some baking on our 7th anniversary.  And I also discovered that our kitchen is much too small for me, my husband, my 1.5 year old helper, and our wiener dog. But the pretzels turned out so good!!  I followed the recipe exactly, and even bought the special bread flour and a new thermometer to get the water temp right.  My husband would disagree, but there is a lot more success when you follow the important instructions.  He prefers to be more...adventurous. soft pretzels - recipe from Homemade by Holman And the finished product was enjoyed by all.

I first contacted my Stampin' Up demonstrator in the summer of 2009 because I had to get my hands on the Top Note die.  She also told me that she did monthly classes in her home and invited me to join the fun.  I came not knowing what to expect, and not knowing anyone else in the room, but immediately loved the atmosphere. Veronica always encourages creativity and loves to see the cards that everyone makes, especially if they are different from the samples that she was teaching that month.  She takes time to teach us how to use tools and work with different techniques, but always wants us to put a personal spin on our creations. She seems more like a motivational coach than a salesperson - she really loves what she does. And after 3 years I consider Veronica and many of the ladies in class friends.  She knows about me and my family and always wants to know what is new with my baby.  She puts a lot of heart into the Stampin' Up brand and I just wanted to ...

Just whipped up a card set that I really, really like.  This set has all the bright colors I love right now (coral and purple and orange) and the kraft envelopes from my favorite Neenah recycled paper.  I had to throw in some glitter hearts to spice them up a bit and add a surprise on the inside. And I made sure that each card had a sewn border, because I have been wanting to use my Janome mini again.  Let me know what you think! Supplies Card stock: Papertrey Ink (card base), Basic Grey (floral pattern), Neenah (natural kraft) Envelopes: Neenah Heart Punch: Marvy