What should we make today?

I've got the...

Graduation Blues, but I am also glad that it is over. It seems I have been obsessed with it for so long and in the end I still was scrambling to get things done. Too many possibilities available in food and decorating, and don't even think about cleaning early, especially around here! The garage took me a full week to clean out and paint and looked pretty nice when it was all said and done. It was really easy to throw out all the scrap wood I had at the time, now I am starting to regret it, which is always typical. I completely forgot to take pictures of the party until the last few guests were there.
We had butcher paper rolled out on the tables and markers for guests to doodle and wish the graduate well, Each table had a tall glass cylinder vase filled with a little party sand and a votive candle to illuminated the large photo of Adam through the years that I had printed on a full sheet of vellum and slid inside. White McCoy rectangle planters held batches of snapshots for guests to flip through. I have dutifully saved a box of school papers from each year and so thrilled to find a baggie of Kindergarten Valentines. The handwriting on the back of each was just too cute. Adam commented that one fella still wrote like that! I also found the 3rd grade project he had done where they traced their body on a large sheet of paper, colored it to reflect what they were wearing that day. Nothing says cute like a full sizes cutout of your kid. But what was really exciting was the photo I had found of him standing beside his school desk and his paper person sitting at his desk for the Third Grade Open House. So I pinned the paper cutout on the garage wall, pinned the photo next to it and then made Adam pose for a photo. Doesn't he look thrilled? I have to admit the greatest pleasure I got from the party was watching him interact with people, He was not looking forward to talking up folks he hadn't seen since he was a little squirt, but he handled it very well. In the end he was the one telling the Rowdy Girls to keep it down in the garage, which made them giggle even louder, that and the margarita punch that was three feet away from them, I'm not sure, hard to tell.
But those girls earned it, they helped me get through the majority of the food prep. They helped me make mints a few weeks earlier. Susie and Deb baked ALL the cupcakes the day before, then we had an assembly line in Susie's kitchen the morning of the party making the hoagie sandwiches. Chris, Deb, Sandy, Penny (not pictured, she passed out way earlier...ha, ha...just kidding) Susie and I put together 66 sandwiches, which turned out to be way too many, but ended up feeding the baseball team, several neighbors the next night when we gathered to finish off the keg and other leftovers and were just fun to hand out to random folks who helped or stopped by later. After the sandwiches, they frosted all the cupcakes and sprinkled them with love, for the graduate. tee hee! Thanks ladies, I owe you all soooooooo much. Remember Margarita punch leftovers are still in my freezer! Mike's brother Mark flew in from Minneapolis to Lincoln and had to drive up thanks to the Berkshire Hathaway folks for taking all the cheap fares into Omaha AND all the hotel rooms in Omaha and the surrounding communities (yes, the Blair hotels were booked solid with way-way-way-out-of-towners and not very friendly ones, I might add, ask teri about her run in with one lady at the breakfast display at the Missouri Valley Days Inn). His sister teri and her daughter Hannah flew into Kansas City from Atlanta (again thanks Mr. Buffet) and had to drive up. So they had extended trips back and they were rewarded with hugs and chores! Hannah and teri got the pleasure of pulling out all the photos for the table displays, yes, Hannah, I agree those pants I was wearing in 1990 were hilarious, I am saving them to wear to your graduation...HA! That should keep you awake at night! Mark saved the day by taking over the grilling of 40+ pounds of boneless Buffalo chicken strips, of which the guests are still raving over and I have shared the recipe many times with all who ask. Spread the love and pass the Blue Cheese. teri expertly ran the food island so Mike and I could mingle with all our guests and watch Adam enjoy his friends and all who came through. Mike's mom and dad got to just watch the steady stream pass before them and enjoyed visiting with those they knew. My mom and sister stayed off to the side and visited with those that came through, mom's hearing isn't the best and the crowd noises really throw her off, but they found a quiet spot and had fun. It was a great night and was the product of so many wonderful folks pitching in with out even considering it. You all are truly great and my family and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. You helped make this moment all the more special...

Casa Bella Baby!!!!

I am so excited to share with you all the fact that I have been invited to be a Guest Designer for Paper Bella Studio E-Zine by the Fabulous Miss Teresa McFayden! How stinkin' cool is that!?!?! Check out the logo for this month's special ezine...

how stinkin' cute is that!??!!? If you have no idea what the heck I am talking about, Teresa has gathered up 12 fun projects to do and decorate your house with. You purchase the subscription here at Paper Bella and she emails you with a super secret password to access the Casa Bella site. It's like an online craft magazine that can be super addictive but oh, so fun! Here is a sneaky peak at my project...

Lot's of sewing but so worth it! I have made two of these in the past, one out of a cream and red toile fabric, and my most favorite of all, one from a red, aged white, and blue bunting fabric for the 4th of July. That was really sharp. But now, I think this new one is my new favorite and I know it will be your favorite, too!

Okay, switching gears here, Little Miss Lasertron has started a blog of her very own, yeah! Now we can follow along as she plans her future wedding and relive all the excitement that we have conveniently forgotten about our own weddings, Things are so much cuter now for weddings and the "rules" have relaxed a bit and I can't wait to see all the sweet and fun things that she comes up with! Stop by and say "hello!"

Graduation is getting closer, the party is just a mere 22 days away...EEEEEEEEEK!!! I hadn't looked today for the official count, gah! Gotta stay on task, gotta stay on task!

Happy Birthday to Mike's brother Mark! He is 45 today!!!! Awww, just a baby! Love you man!

Okay, I have to go and make supper now and get back to the Party TODO list! Good thing the weather is crap-tacular outside, makes me want to stay indoors and putz around!

And now for your...

jewelry wearing pleasure...modV from my very favorite person in all the land, Vallerie D. I wish I could introduce you all personally to this chick, you would instantly fall in love with her as I did. We worked together several years in the photo studio as Photo Art Directors to our various clients, she was my supervisor and I made her laugh! Why does a particularly challenging job seem worthwhile when your good friend is by your side, rolling her eyes and shouting, "We have to get how many reshoots done before we can go home!?!?!?"

She always had the modern vintage edge in her jewelry, never afraid to tear a piece apart and restring it with something else vintage from her treasure trove of goodies. And now she is making them for us!!!

We have been working on getting her etsy store up for awhile, I did the banner and the business cards, she gathered all the jewelry components and started putting the puzzle pieces together. She will be adding to her store everyday so stop by often and snag yourself a one-of-a-kind work of art.

Oh, I forgot to mention she is a wicked cool interior decorator with absolutely no fear in painting a piece of brand new furniture to give it a vintage shabby chic makeover, just ask her cutie-pie husband about the armoire the tv is in...brand new from the Furniture Mart! Now it looks vintage and has more character than a grizzled prospector. She has an amazing eye in recognizing the potential in a blah, tired piece of furniture that has already served it's purpose for one or two generations of owners. By putting her modV spin on it, it becomes a whole new piece and always takes my breath away. She has opened my eyes and inspired me to really look at the pieces I come across and imagine the simple beauty that could be coaxed out with a coupled coats of white paint. So much different seeing it in person instead of in a magazine.

Her shooting star is just beginning to start it's journey, I seriously recommend you saddle up and come along for the ride and make sure you have your own modern vintage piece designed by Miss modV herself!

Did you pick up that the V in modV is for Vallerie herself? She is the whole modern vintage package!

I have been working on goodies for my own etsy store so keep an eye out. Look for some photo charms. All you have to do is purchase a custom charm package from me, send me a photo to scan or email a digital version, I create a custom photo charm and send it back to you or on to someone else as a gift. Mother's Day is just around the corner. Val and I have tossed around the idea of incorporating a photo charm into one of her necklaces for a truly unique piece of jewelry. Help me convince her that it is a great idea! I just wish I could find an old b&w photo of my dad and his favorite Ford truck, since he no longer with us, that kind of photo would mean so much to me and to be able to wear it...sigh!

tag! You're it!

Okay, Miss Fancy Pants, Heather in Texas has tagged me, so I better step up. I have been tagged many times before but never realized it until it was too late. Typical of me, always showing up to the party with the dip only to find the chips and the beer already gone. So this time I decided to do it and give you a glimpse into the deepest darkest inner me.

But first, the rules...

- Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
- Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
- Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Okay, here goes...

1. I hate talking about myself, which might have something to do with not ever doing this before. I will talk for hours about someone/something else and listen intently throwing in witty remarks as you relate your stories to me. But when the ball is in my court, eeewwww, no, throw it back, throw it back! Probably comes from growing up on a farm, spending my time with my nose stuck in a book. I would make a great hermit!

2. I have a serious obsession with magazines, addicted is putting it mild. I keep back issues...forever! I have boxes for each month, stored in order in my studio. When trying to get into the mood for an upcoming holiday or season, I pull out the box, find a comfy chair (or in the van waiting for the kids after school, the natural light is perfect to make the photos come to life) and will completely immerse myself in the pages of Country Home, Country Living, Mary Englebreit, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Weddings, Martha Stewart Kids, Domino, Blueprint, any from the Stampington family, Cottage Living, Cooking Light, Food and Wine, a random Scrapbook magazine here and there, anything that may have caught my eye over the last eight ten years. Seriously, there are stacks all over the house, by my computer, by my bedside. There are three completely filled boxes just for the month of December alone. They inspire me and are different each time I look at them as my eye changes each season with the new trends. They are an invaluable source and I hate to part with them.

3. I will put a movie in the DVD player or vcr in my studio and play it over and over and over and over and over until a week later I decide to pick a different one. I don't ever watch, it is just background noise and since I am in and out of the studio so many times through out the day I never catch all the movie consecutively. Currently in the DVD player...Hot Fuzz... I love British humor and these guys who also did Shaun of the Dead are brilliant. Their newest one, Run Fat Boy Run, is coming out soon in the theaters, I can't wait. Adam get the subtle nuances of the Brits and so we have a common interest there. Mike can take it or leave it.

4. I hate clothes shopping for myself, it is sooooo hard! Long legs, short waist, no boobs, and still carrying baby fat from the baby who is now eight years old (notice any similarities to not getting rid of magazines). It's not every designers dream body, I am telling you. God Bless the Gap! Tees, hoodies, and Long and Lean jeans in Tall. In and out in an hour!

5. I love to cook but hate leftovers, thank goodness for the hungry friends of a teenage son. My specialties are gravy (ruined my husband's figure with that alone), bar-b-que, turkey sandwiches (just ask the high school soccer team, it got so I couldn't make just one, I had to make 24), buffalo wings, desserts of any kind (which we never finish, just ask the neighbors who get goodie bags), banana bread, and many many more. I have recently given up deep fat frying anything, I hate the smell afterwards and the cleanup so we have to go out to eat to get any of that stuff.

6. I have no competitive drive what-so-ever, could care less if I win or lose. I never played sports in school, me and my big mouth cheered from the sidelines and I love watching my kids play sports, I can't stand games of any kind, board, card, outdoor, you name it. Drives my husband crazy because he loves games, thank God for the kids or he'd be so sad. Nobody played games with me as a kid, I was the youngest of four kids, and they were way older than me so I was almost an only child. My mom and I crafted together and that's where it all started. Why waste your time moving game pieces around a board when you could be making something out of the game pieces? I get anxious if I have to sit around and not make something for too long, I don't know why.

7. I own tons of scrapbooking supplies and tools and to this date have only done two layouts. I never had any interest in scrapbooking because I didn't care for the supplies of the early days, I still don't care for stickers. Where is the creativity in that? At least with a rub-on you have to do a little work to get it to transfer. It is the thrill of the technique for me. Maybe that is what happened to what was supposed to be my competitive streak, it some how was warped into mastering a technique and then tweaking it into my own? Anyway, the day I discovered the Foofala store and all it's altered vintage glory, my life changed and so did my art. Everybody say, "Thank you Teresa!" because I know she had the same effect on you! How can you see where you are going if you don't embrace where you have been?

Phew! That was hard! Now I have to pick seven friends and tag them...let's see...I have to tag my gal-pals Jill and Mary Beth (Teresa gets tagged alot, so we'll give her a break), Candace,
Stephanie, Natalea, Jennifer, and Tammy.

And speaking of Tammy, check out her stunning website! Girlfriend has some serious creating going on over there! And a nice shiny new sign to hang at the shows she goes to.

Lots of fun things to share...

with you and since it has been awhile since a stopped to visit, this could be a long post!

Okay, so, back on March 3rd, yeah, it's going back that far! Natalea shares a little bloggy love with four other amazing gals and then goofy old me! She may be crazy...or incredibly sweet. Either way, she fits the description of someone I'd hang out with! She nominated us for the

"Angelic Art Award" and she said some very sweet things as well. I don't know about you, but her blog is so pretty, that she definitely deserved the award in the first place. I hadn't been over to visit, which is horrible, because she is a Silver Bella Sister, and that's just rude! But I swear I lost a good hour just lazily strolling through her blog, oooohing and aaaaahing over her photos and then at her etsy site. she is very talented and quite the entertaining writer. So thanks, Natalea, it is an honor to be included in your nominations!

Now I must pass on the torch and give out my nominations...let's see...

1. Miss Tracie Lyn Huskamp is one of my absolute favorite artists. Her work is like a breathe of fresh air whenever I see it, and I just love the vintage simplicity and the fact it is so very different from what I do...sigh...if you haven't seen her work already, then you will feel like you just opened a window on a clear spring day...and who couldn't use that right now?

2. Miss Jill Assman who is one of those amazing folks that I admire most...a teacher!!! I love how she involves art in her classroom on a daily basis and then comes home and gets all painty and ends up refreshing her soul and preparing for the next day of fourth graders! She is a woman to be admired! Check her out!

3. Miss Mary Beth Hunt who is not only my neighbor, but also a good friend. With out the world of blogs We would have never realized we had the same interests and really started hanging out together. She is a big supporter of the arts and of my little corner of the glue pot. She knows I will polka dot anything for her (even that mitten that she has been waiting for, so patiently)! Everybody needs a polka dot buddy!

4. Miss Kim Kwan is one of the nicest girls I have meet through blogging. She is an amazing teacher who I met through Silver Bella and her blog is always so inspiring, even when she is recovering from major surgery. I remember thinking, "She is so productive and I know she is doubled over, what have I accomplished today?!?!" She is so sweet to answer any email I send her, no matter what the topic and she give great advice, no matter what the topic. If you ever get the chance to take a class from her, I guarantee you will fall in love!

5. Last, but not least, I have to give a shout out to Miss Teresa McFayden who has introduced me to so many amazing people and things since I met her, it has been an amazing ride. I remember the day I happened to notice the store on my lunch hour. I quickly stopped and went inside so curious what "Foofala" meant. Oh, Sweet Bee-Jesus (yes, the Bee Movie is playing in the other room, for the 800th time) talk about an Oprah, "AHA" moment. I didn't know my life was lacking a Nic Bantock Van Dyk Brown ink pad and thanks to Teresa, that day my life was made complete, for about a second, until I saw the package of Foofala tags, and the Sally Jean charms, and the 7 Gypsies line...the folks back at work thought I was nuts babbling about this new store I had found...that's okay, I did babble a lot back then anyway. How could they have known there was a measure of clarity in this particular tirade? To make a long babble short...my life was never the same.

With out the people listed above, cheering me on and inspiring me in their own ways, this would never have appeared in my mailbox yesterday...for you see, it only comes to you when you and your art are featured somewhere in it's glorious pages. What an exciting honor to hear from the magazine itself, asking if I would send them a goodie box of "Cari Krafties." Nervous and excited, I was. I do not look for attention, I prefer to cheer others on from the sidelines, but oh, what an opportunity. And I have to say, even if I didn't have my 15-minutes of fame happening in this issue, it is by far the most deliciously packed collection of goodness I have ever come across. I highly recommend this issue that hits the newstands April 1st. Talk about eye candy...oh, my!

I didn't post any of these treat baskets on etsy because, well, to be honest, Easter really snuck up on me this year! I have been a little distracted with plans for graduation and man! A whole holiday just blew into town. I didn't even get a chance to dye my beer green! So the ones that I do have will be there for Spring goodie giving and May Day baskets as well.

Coming tomorrow...I've been tagged!!!! This should be really good to watch because I don't run!

Poor little birdie...

cannot make a decision on what color to make her nest this Spring...sigh!
Which color will compliment the eggs? Which color will stimulate the babies and help their developing minds grow? Which color goes best with regurgitated worms? Decisions...decisions...light blue...pink...cream...green...aqua? She vowed to never move into another drab brown rental again...what color would you choose?

Well, it's a million degrees below zero...

here. Or at least that's what it feels like. They have closed the schools and said, "Look, you deal with them, we don't want to go out either!" So we are all toasty warm, some reading, some playing Super Mario Galaxy, some still in bed, some making coffee and cinnamon rolls (from a tube, I am not that ambitious this morning) and some curled up into the smallest ball possible inside their doggie bed. Any guesses on who is doing what?
I wanted to share some super mail goodness I got recently from Stephanie in New Jersey,
yes, the magazines were wonderful and completely entertained me for several hours, it was the sparkly goodness in the box from Stephanie that really warmed me up. So how nice of her was it to think of me when she was at Tinsel Trading in New York City? Unbelievably nice, I would say! We met on the "Up" escalator at Silver Bella, both of us late for our first class of the morning. The sheer excitement of the weekend kept us from quietly being carried up to the next floor. By the time we had reached the top, I had discovered she was in love with my Aqua Bella Swap ornament that I had posted a picture of a few days earlier but she couldn't remember whose blog she had seen it on. What were the odds the blog writer was standing beside her, with a stunned look on her face. This world is just way smaller than we all really know. Thank you Internet!!!! I promised her she could have the extra stocking I had packed just in case and she was so excited! It was a great way to start the whole weekend for me. I just love those Random Acts of Kindness. Most people edge away from me on escalators when I try to be nice...ha ha!

Anyway, Stephanie gathered a bunch of pretties and tucked them into a box and sent them on their way! Big Hugs to you!!!!! I just love that vintage wallpaper! But it is so hard to find around here, must still be on the wall or the extra rolls have made it to the landfills already. Too sad because it is just so pretty! The vintage ribbons are just so gorgeous and the bullions and beads will all go into a glass bowl to enjoy looking at before I decide to use them. Thanks Stephanie!!! Now get that blog up and running so I can link to you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here is a snap of some Valentine pretties I have made a ton of this year... I hope you have all your treats assembled, labeled and bundled off to school. It is always a flurry of activity around here as Valentine boxes can be a pain in the neck or extremely fun. We always made them as kids when I was growing up. The last few years Maddy and Jacob have made them as class projects at school and they were so cute. Darling paper pockets, folded just so, decorated and hung from the front of their desks. Everybody was happy. This year, Jacob's teacher said they could make their boxes. I was excited, he could care less. I watched other kids walking into school carrying theirs and when I would ask him what he wanted to make, he would shrug his shoulders and say, "I dunno." So I took it upon myself to come up with a plan. Actually, it fell from the sky and hit me on the head. Okay, it feel from a high shelf in the basement when I was looking for something else. A clear plastic tube that had originally packaged a shelf liner for my Target wire shelving. I had bought two. The first one I remember I had mangled terribly to get the shelf liner out and had sliced open a favorite part of my hand doing it. The second one popped right open so he got to stay in the "Save for future use!" area of the basement. Oh, wait, that is the WHOLE basement/studio. Anyway, wrapped with pastel strips of paper, a rectangular hole cut into the back, an enlarged logo colored by the appropriate child and covered in clear cellophane wrapping, it looks amazingly like a giant roll of Smarties! Maddy liked it so much she asked is she could have one, too? Wincing at the memory of the mangled, first clear tube that left a scar and wound up in the trash, I spray mounted to pieces of poster board together for stability wrapped them around the first Smartie for shape, trimmed it and hot glued it into a tube. Thirty-five minutes later...
Jacob wasn't interested in having his photo taken to share with you all, he was more interested in the bag of "Research Smarties" and his game of Super Mario. I think I got of lucky in not having to produced a Super Mario Valentine Tribute box, don't you? I was just waiting for it to come up, holding my breath...

Oh, I have to tell you this, Sunday I woke up with a monster sore throat. I had been taking Airborne for the past couple of days for the same ailment and had been able to keep it under control, but Sunday it was very angry, so I decided to keep my achey bones in bed and sleep in. Maybe that would help. The Darling Husband brought me coffee and a ham and cheese omelet, because he is that kind of guy. And he sent a small person to check on me every once in a while. Eventually I decided to get up and I found this at the foot of the bed...isn't that just too cute?

Later on Darling Husband told me he and the kids had been playing Family Feud online and the question was, "Things you do in Church." They had correctly guessed "Sing, Pray, Sit, Kneel, Stand" (or something like those, I only got the story secondhand, remember I was out!) and they couldn't guess the last one. Jacob finally shouts out, "I know, it's COOK!" Remember all those Wednesday's I cooked the evening meal at church? Apparently so does he!

I hope you have a great Valentine's Day everybody!

MMMMMMMAAAAWWWWAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!

(That's me blowing you a kiss...not falling off my chair in slow motion!)

My heart lives in a tiny cage...

and sits on top of my computer monitor. Sometimes I catch him winking at me, sly little devil, doesn't he know my heart is already taken?
He is available here. This one took a little longer to pull together, just trying to get the elements to scale and make his personality come out. Why is it so fun to find an old photo and give it a whole new story? I think it goes back to playing with paper dolls, growing out of the cartoony versions and using the Sears catalog to cut out models, glue them to cereal boxes, cut them out again to make them sturdier and then find them clothes. Back then there were only really five poses that the models used, so it was really easy to build a wardrobe for Miss. Sears. Funny how many years later I would be working in a photo studio, choosing from photos from a shoot, trying to find just the right one that made the models look good and the clothes they were in. Now, I've come full circle again!

Has anyone else fallen in love with these e-zines? the fabulous Miss Foof has done it again! I held out as long as I could, telling myself that I had to get my work done before I could play, but I finally cracked when I realized that there would always be work and never enough time to play. Sometimes a little play stimulates the creativity in my work, so there, I just justified it! Ha! That ability to justify anything at the drop of a hat, is the reason several girlfriends are no longer allowed to go shopping with me. Husbands just don't understand. Now if it was a beer sale and it was the last beer in their size and the next batch wouldn't be out until the following season...well, why are you just standing there staring at the display?!? Grab what you can and get to the checkout counter!!!! And get that package of edible underwear, too, they have his favorite NFL team logo on them! GO! TEAM GO!!!!

Speaking of teams, the Super Bowl is on this weekend. Now I get excited over the food possibilities...appetizers and soup. I am just giddy thinking about what to make, wings, chili, caramelized onion dip and chips....oh, my...but then, I think the Food Network is just about the greatest thing out there and the website! Holy Crap! I am seriously thinking of getting rid of all my cookbooks and just going online. How easy is it to search for a recipe now that someone spent the time writing code for a search engine...it would be rude not to use it. I am in love with Jamie Oliver and salivating over the food splashed across my tv screen from the Triple D I seriously want to plan our next vacation to include as many diners as we possibly can, is that crazy? I wish the website had a vacation planner where you could type in the city and all the restaurants they have featured come up so you can print out maps and get in the car! Best stretchy pants vacation ever!!!!

I also signed up for this in the hopes that as I work on the pile of pictures trying to find the most embarrassing ones of Adam (oh, my gosh, did I really not do anything with my hair back then???!!!!) I can try to organize the whole lot of them, both developed and sitting on my computer. Wish me luck!

Okay, I need to pop on over to the Food Network and discover my new, soon to be favorite, Turkey Tetrazzini recipe. I roasted a turkey yesterday like Mike at Mike's City Dinner in Boston, does...just like a beer can chicken, and oh my, it was simple and amazing!

Well, here is a little bit of Valentine...

pretty for you to consider. Sweet little tags to attach to whatever goodies you are dreaming up for you sweethearts!
You can get them here. They are blank on the back, so you can leave a heartfelt note to be treasured always. I've stuck mine on my bulletin boards and message boards around the house and they look pretty darn cute. But the house needs more Valentine goodness, especially the front door, so I need to work on that before time gets away from me.

Oh, did I tell you that I caught a Cupid Pixie?!?!! Oh man, is he a smooth talker! I don't know if the world is ready to meet him yet, I might just keep him all to myself. Those eyes alone are melty pools of chocolate, but here is the kicker...a bowler hat! But there is something different about this particular bowler hat. The Pixie Gent at Halloween had a bowler hat, and he was a charmer, too. Must be something in the hats...a girl never has a chance with one of those walking around, whistling softly in her ear...oh my, is it hot in here?!?!?