Coolest. Gift. Ever.

Call us dorks, but this is one awesome dvd! I'd had it on my Amazon wishlist for a while, and my mom sent it to us for Christmas. We love it! Our honeymoon (way back when) took place in late December, and we spent a week in a condo up in the Smokey Mountains. We had a gorgeous view, and a great fireplace to snuggle up in front of. It was fabulous - and I've been longing for a fireplace of our own ever since. While this is obviously not a replacement for the real thing, it definitely works when a bona fide fireplace isn't available. Someday I'll get that fireplace, but until then I'll be sitting in front of this with a good book and a hot cup of coffee. Don't you just love technology?

Catching Up

Here's a card I made while I was playing around with my new Christmas goodies. I love this owl! 

I just spent the last half-hour flipping  through the new issue of Paper Crafts magazine - cute stuff! I signed up for an international subscription back in October, and my first issue was supposed to be the Jan/Feb issue (according to my account info). Unfortunately, my issue never came. This one I actually found in the Carrefour English magazine section - first time I've EVER seen it anywhere in China. I had to pay US $8.50 for my copy, which is 1/3 of what I paid for an entire one year subscription. That really burns me. When I emailed Paper Crafts last week to ask them when I should expect my Jan/Feb issue to arrive, they told me they were sorry my issue didn't come, and that they would extend my subscription by one issue to make up for it. In other words, the subscription I paid for the first week of October won't actually start until the Mar/Apr issue. No mention of just sending me a copy of the Jan/Feb issue I should have received (which is currently in stock in their online store, so it's not like they don't have any more copies). No, I have to wait two more months. Sigh. If I didn't love their magazine so much, I would just ask for my money back.

Okay, rant over! I've been having a blast the last few days figuring out Facebook. I'm so behind the times, lol!  I set up an account right before we came back to China, but I hadn't done anything with it since that initial setup. I'm still learning some of the features, but I'm finding old friends that I haven't seen in ages and having so much fun! It's crazy how small it makes the world.

Card Supplies:
Stamps: Hampton Art (What a Hoot); Ink: My Mind's Eye (Sundress pad); Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye; Accessories: Cuttlebug/Swiss Dots folder, scallop scissors, rhinestone, dimensionals

Lovely

Meet my new lovely. I found her hiding among racks of drab, lackluster scarves, the kind suited for utilitarian rather than aesthetic purposes. When I caught a glimpse of her glorious ruffles peeking through the grays and blacks, it was all I could do to contain an audible gasp of delight. Now, when shopping at a market where bargaining is de rigueur, one must do one's best to keep their "game face" on - act nonchalant, disinterested even. Ask whether the shopkeeper has any other possible colors, because this shade just isn't quite what one had in mind. Sigh, point out a tiny flaw in the knitting, let it fall back on the rack with a look of distaste. Pick up a nearby scarf that you really have no interest in and ask its price. Pretend to consider the price while inspecting this new scarf with feigned interest. In an offhand manner, ask the price of the first scarf, your true intended purchase, the one that you have implied is somehow inferior. Now bargain hard. Your goal is to pay only about a third of the original asking price, so your first offer must be ridiculously low. They counter; you raise your offer by a miniscule amount. They lower their asking price by an even smaller amount; you state your final price. They refuse; you begin to walk away. If you've played your cards right, this is when the shopkeeper will call after you, "okay, okay!" And you will walk out of the market with an inconcealable smile on your lips, your neck draped with buttery-golden tiers of silky softness. Oh, yes, she is lovely.

Happy Crafting

Now that I've gotten over my stomach thing, the creative juices are flowing again. I got a bunch of new crafty things for Christmas, and I've got all kinds of ideas brewing in my head. Ironically, this card doesn't use any of my new stuff! I've been loving all the folksy inspiration I've seen in web-land, and while I was putting away my Christmas stamps I realized that these little houses (from one of last year's Martha Stewart holiday sets) would make the perfect folksy village. The whimsy combined with the fun colors just make me happy!

Supplies:
Stamps: Martha Stewart (Gingerbread), Stampin Up! (Many Happy Returns); Ink: My Mind's Eye (Natural pigment ink pad); Accessories: Cuttlebug / Swiss Dots folder, scallop scissors, corner rounder punch large / small, dimensionals

What I'm Reading

I've been reading this book  (for the second time).

She is the crescendo, the final, astonishing work of God. Woman. In one last flourish creation comes to a finish not with Adam, but with Eve. She is the Master's finishing touch... Eve is... breathtaking. Given the way creation unfolds, how it builds to ever higher and higher works of art, can there be any doubt that Eve is the crown of creation? Not an afterthought. Not a nice addition like an ornament on a tree. She is God's final touch, his pièce de résistance. She fills a place in the world nothing and no one else can fill.

Now, I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. I was given this book to read for a group study, and at first I didn't think it was going to be my cup of tea. But as I read, I began to realize that there were some simple truths to be found among the pages, things that were good for me to hear. Some of those ideas are still sinking in, but I have to say I'm glad I gave this book a chance.

What I Made...

I made these felt ornaments to give away to some of my local friends over the holidays. I found some stiff felt at the market,  and just ran it through my Cuttlebug with a Bigz Snowflake die. Super easy! The tags were just as quick to make - two stamps, two inks, a circle punch and some bling. I just might have to make some of these for myself next year! Here's a closeup of the tag:

I'm really liking turquoise and red right now. TFL!

 Supplies:
Felt; Cuttlebug/Bigz Snowflake die/Ellison Scallop Tags die; SEI Glitzmas/Alpine Frost stamps; ColorBox pigment ink (Robin's Egg), Ink It Up! pigment ink (red); Crop-A-Dile; eyelets; 1 1/4" circle punch; adhesive rhinestones; dimensionals; ribbon

Happy New Year!

It's a little surreal for me to be sitting here writing this from almost twelve hours into 2010, while most of my friends and family are still back in 2009. Hard to wrap my head around. As a child, I never dreamed I'd end up living literally on the other side of the world. I spent the first 12 years of my life in rural Missouri, if that tells you anything. One of my most vivid memories from childhood is of heading into my grandparents' pasture to pick up cow "patties" (why? to fertilize my grandma's garden, of course) and being chased by a small herd of cows. Not exactly preparation for living in a bustling metropolis of over 20 million people. But here I am, twenty years later, sending well-wishes from "the future," and wondering what happened to all those flying cars we were supposed to have. Life - it may be crazy, but it sure is fun.