Will stamp for food...

OK, I've never really traded cards for food, but I have traded cards for lots of other cool things.  When I was doing the craft fair circuit I traded cards for handmade soap, candles, Pampered Chef products, dip mixes - all kinds of stuff.  Last year when I finally gave up on the idea of teaching my girls how to play the piano (that's another story) I found the sweetest, most wonderful person as a piano teacher, and so far she has only accepted cards as payment!  Although I am certainly willing to pay her cash, I am very grateful for this service that she is providing, and that she has given me a reason to craft!  Here are just a few of this month's payment.

Scrapbook USA Expo

I just got back from attending the spring Scrapbook USA Expo, and I feel lucky to have made it back considering the weather!  Rain, snow, hail, strong winds - you name it.  But I guess if I can survive a bunch of crazy women shopping for crafting supplies I can deal with a little weather.  ;-)

I try to attend this event each spring and fall, but I'm probably not the typical attendee.  The truth is, I'm not a big scrapbooker, although I do have some examples of pages I have made here and here.  A lot of people go to Expo to actually do scrapbooking.  I mostly like to go to see what new products are available, and to look for specific things from vendors that I like to shop with.  What did I buy?  I bought some Copic markers to add to my collection, and some tank tops for my girls.  How's that for boring?  I'm excited though, and my girls will be too.

I did, however, get to see the new Cricut Cake demonstrated at the Provo Craft demonstration table.  All I can say is, "Wow!"  It's red!  Need I say more?  I can't see it being in the budget any time soon, but I could have a serious amount of fun with this machine.  The cakes that they had there (or cardboard covered with gum paste) were just beautiful.  And to think of the hundreds (thousands) of dollars that people spend on wedding cakes!  With a machine like this, you really could get professional results in your very own kitchen.  Look out Charm City Cakes!

How's this for crazy?  Provo Craft had all their wonderful, innovative machines/toys on display and available for demonstration, but nothing to buy!  They were just teasing me!  I was really hoping to find some of the new Cricut cartridges that have recently become available (especially Preserves -love that one), and maybe some of the new Cuttlebug folders.  Nope.  Nada.  Zilch.  Well, some of the other vendors at Expo had Cricut cartridges, but not at prices that I would pay.  Provo Craft makes it's home about 30 minutes away from where I live, and it has a retail "presence" called Roberts Crafts.  Whenever new Cricut and Cuttlebug products come out I am always excited for when they become available at my local Roberts.  Do you know when they become available?  After eevveeerrryyyybody else in the world has them.  No, seriously!  They are always the last to have the new stuff.  It just seems crazy that I have to look online for all these cool, innovative products when they are created right here in Utah!  I lived in Provo for 8 years and used to shop at their flagship store, Provo Craft!  Is that worth nothing?

Hedgehog Heaven

I recently found out that I'm going to have a new niece in a few months!  Yeah!  And I happen to know that this little one's daddy loves hedgehogs.  Imagine my delight when I found this adorable set from Penny Black called Bundle of Joy. 

A little spring

I am trying really hard to be excited about spring.  Spring is a wonderful time of year - the weather is warmer, flowers start to bloom (tulips are my favorite), you feel inspired to clean your house, my birthday is coming up, and you can start planning what you'll be growing in your veggie garden.  What could be better?  Well, it would be better if I wasn't enjoying all of these whilst having tissue stuffed up my nose.  I have really bad allergies in the spring.

Oh well, life goes on, I have a large supply of tissue and antihistamines, and I have my Cricut!  What better way to celebrate spring than with a new Cricut cartridge:  Walk in my Garden.  Here's what I have made with it so far:

Laundry rant

Where do you fold your laundry?  Do you fold each load as it is done on top of your completely clear dryer surface?  Do you have a counter in your laundry room?  Or are you one of the millions of people who dumps all the clean loads of laundry on top of your bed, with the best of intentions to fold it all that day, only to end up with an enormous pile of clean laundry on the floor at the foot of your bed?  I mean, a person needs a place to sleep at night, after all.  OK - so maybe there aren't millions of people who do that, and I'M NOT ADMITTING ANYTHING!  Especially considering that I have a really nice laundry/craft room that just happens to be leaning more towards the crafting function and is a little cluttered at the moment.  I mean, hypothetically...

This morning when I woke up I honestly looked at the pile of laundry, and turned to my husband and sighed, "The laundry fairies didn't come last night."  Well this afternoon, I finally broke down and started folding the laundry.  I could not believe what I found!  I usually toss the socks aside as I am folding with the intent of folding them later.  What did I find in my pile of clean socks?  Dirty ones!  And I know how it happened too.

1. Nameless child comes to laundry room and gets a new pair of socks.
2. Child proceeds to take off dirty socks, and leaves them on laundry room floor.
3. Child puts on clean socks.
4. Various family members come in to laundry room, find socks on the floor, and add them to the laundry basket full of (clean) socks.

It's my fault really.  If I kept the socks folded and put away, they could leave the dirty socks on their bedroom floor instead.  Honestly, this is right up there with finding clean, folded, laundry in the dirty laundry basket because they didn't feel like putting the clothes away in their closet/dresser.  OR my personal favorite, all the garbage I find on the floor around the empty trash can in their room and bathroom.  Is it any wonder that some animals eat their young?

I'm surrounded!

My entire family is sick!  And it's no wonder.  My daughters were in a musical at school two weeks ago that they had had early morning practices for since January.  And despite my best efforts, they weren't terribly cooperative about going to bed early during this time.  They made it through the week of performances and BAM!  They both got sick with a really bad cold.  My husband, brilliant musician that he is, was doing the percussion for the musical and I don't know if it was the fact that he was surrounded by kids, or the change in his schedule, or what but he got it too.  And then, of coarse, the inevitable happened and my 3 year old little guy got sick - probably the worst of everyone.  You can wash their hands, sanitize every surface, give them their vitamins and they still get sick.  I love my children, but they really are just walking cesspools.

As a mom isn't it always the case that when you're family is sick, you get up with them, wipe their noses, get them medicine, etc., only to wear yourself down to the point that you finally succumb and get sick the worst of everyone?  I haven't had a cold/flu since last July (knock on wood)!  I have had probably the healthiest winter I have ever had which is for one of two reasons.  Either it is because I got sick so many times last year that I am immune to all the bugs out there this year, or because I got a flu shot for the first time last fall.  Either way, I will get a flu shot every year from now on, and I DON'T WANT TO GET SICK!!  Help!

There are some advantages though, I suppose.  Because he's been sick my 3 year old has been napping in the afternoon, which normally happens sporadically at best.  So I have had a little time to play in the craft room.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the colors in the strawberry card.  This was made using, once again, Stampendous stamps - specifically Fresh Fruit. 

 

And this little bunny was made using the Penny Black set called Garden Friends.