Happy New Year And Happy Crafting!

Hey everyone! Just wanting to wish you all a happy and healthy 2009. I am excited to start this new year off! Even though it's just the change of the calendar year, it still is a time to reflect on what I have to be grateful for and what I want to change in my life going forward. One of my resolutions as you can probably tell is to make sure to post a lot more. Last year was so awesome and crazy at the same time with the birth of my first child. Now that she is turning 1 within the next few months, I have been able to start getting back into doing more things that I love like working on my blog, reading and crafting! I posted a some projects that I have done the last few months as well as updated pictures of my daughter that I hope you guys all enjoy. She really is a sweetheart!

As I get ready to post more projects that I have already made as well as future projects still in my head {there are too many taking up space!}, I just want to mention one thing quickly. In the process of creating anything from scrapbook pages, to cards, to picture frames, to jewelry and hopefully the Christmas village that I want to have completed by next Christmas, and much, much more, my inspiration for all of these things come from many places. I get inspiration from the many other blogs that I love to visit, from magazines that I subscribe to, from a label on a package of crackers, to a color combination from a beautiful dress that I found in one of my favorite shopping sites. My point is, inspiration comes from everywhere. It's all around us. And especially being crafters, our biggest inspiration is each other. I am blessed to have great friends who love to craft as much as I do and who are better at it than I am {yes, Amber Lafata, I'm talking about you!!!} I always try to mention where a certain inspiration came from and a list of products that are needed to complete the projects that I create. Sometimes we don't even realize where the idea or inspiration may have originated from. I am sorry if this makes anyone upset, but I do try to mention as much as I can and give credit to the right people and places. I just want to say thanks for visiting so often and please, please come back soon!

Again, Happy New Year and Happy Crafting Everyone!!!

More Pictures of Peyton

I couldn't resist taking pictures of Peyton in her cute vest from Old Navy along with her beanie {that she hates!!} from one of the carts they have in the malls with baby bows, head bands and a bunch of other things. My cutie husband snuck in the picutres and look how cute they all turned out!! As you can tell, Peyton was a little pissed though that I made her pose! Hope you guys all had a great holiday season. We sure did!

Messy Eater!!!

It's been too long since I posted pictures of Peyton. Here are some stinkin cute ones of her being super messy and eating. I just love her to pieces!

Malia's Trick-Or-Treat Basket

Yes, I know. I was a slacker at the end of last year with posting. Ok, the whole year :). But I am trying to make up for it now. For Halloween this last year, my niece, Malia, was the cutest witch ever! Her dress was black and orange, she had on black and white striped tights, black boots, a cute witches hat, broom and of course an orange cat that she named Snow Fleck. I wish I had a picture of her so I could show you all just how cute she looked. So I found a witches cauldron at Wal-Mart for $.99 that I figured I could decorate for her. I had just got my Sizzix Big Shot {which I love!!!} and couldn't wait to try it out with some vinyl. I have an alphabet that I had from my QuicKutz machine that I used. So I spelled out Hocus Pocus. For the handle, I took a bunch of ribbon in purple, orange, black, and white and tied it on the handle. I loved the results so much that I am having Peyton be a witch for Halloween this year, just so I can make her a cauldron too. Sorry, the first picture is a little blurry. Hope you guys like it!

Happy Crafting!

Books Read In 2008

So I counted up what I read/listed to last year. I came up with 64 books. Wow! I spend a lot of time reading. And even though I didn't read for about the first three months of the year {yes, I was on bed rest while I was pregnant, but I was too anxious and antsy to read} I managed to make up a lot of ground by listening to books on my ipod between working and being in my car for 2 hours a day. So needless to say I am a book nerd as my hubby likes to remind me. But as much as I read, my cousin's wife, Susan more than doubled me by reading 116 books last year!!! Check out her blog: www.blogginboutbooks.blogspot.com. It's awesome!

Happy Reading Everyone!

Peyton's Bedroom Wall

Last Christmas, my mom got me a gift card to one of my favorite stores, Rod Works. It's a seriously cute and casual home furnishings store! I had a hard time though deciding what to buy. Which believe me, isn't normal :). I found this darling saying though of vinyl letters for Peyton's room. It says: Life Holds Special Magic For Those Who Dare To Dream. I didn't hang it up though for several months. Then a few months ago, Stampin' Up started selling vinyl as well! I was so excited! So I got this darling bird and fun swirls. And to my pleasant surprise, they matched the saying I already had. I put the vinyl above Peyton's window and love the results. Hope you guys due too!!

Happy Crafting!

Christmas Blocks Craft Saturday

So about a month ago a bunch of my friends and I got together for a Saturday afternoon of crafting. We each put our own spin on the chosen project. It was a ton of fun to get together without having a class and for us to sit down and actually make the project together. Here are the pictures to show our results. {And my friends were ok with putting their projects online as long as I didn't show pictures of them. That's too bad because I have this really great picture of Cindy that she took of herself :)}

This was made by Cindy

This was made by Anna

This was made by Gina
This was made by Jill

This was made by Tina

Happy Crafting Everyone!!

OMG! I FREAKIN' LOVED IT!!!

Yes, I am 30 in less than 5 months from now, but it doesn't stop me from loving the movie, Twilight! I was really nervous to see it because I love the book so much that I didn't want to be disappointed. But I love it! When it was over, my friends and I wanted to catch the next showing right away!

Robert Pattinson is my new favorite movie star! He is also a musician, I guess. He has a song on the soundtrack called Never Think and it so happens to be my new favorite song. I do also love the other songs on the soundtrack. I was disappointed that Coldplay and Blue October were not included. But seeing the movie has made me love the soundtrack even more. I have listened to the Robert Pattinson song about 50 times already. Okay, I am exaggerating just a bit. But I do love it!

My only advise is, if you haven't seen it already, make sure you go with the expectations that the book is still better than the movie and that the movie is a very condensed version of the book. I do have to admit that I kept catching myself smiling throughout the movie for really no reason. I also was laughing at things I wouldn't have laughed at if I hadn't read the book first.

I loved it! I freakin, loved it!

Check out this Blog

Check out Cindy Petersen's blog!!! She is my Stampin' Up! Upline and she is awesome! You will love it!

http://www.craze4stamps.blogspot.com/

Happy Stampin'!

What I've Been Reading Lately

I admit after finishing Breaking Dawn, I stopped reading for a bit, and started crafting a lot. Either way, I figured it was a win/win situation. I love both things almost equally! Every time I picked up a book though, I just didn't want to read it since it wasn't the Twilight Series! Pathetic, I know, Okay! But I just couldn't help it! I am sure I am not the only one that felt that way :).

Eventually I started reading again. Not a lot (I am still mostly crafting). Here is the lowdown though:


The Client by John Grisham - I read a few of John Grisham's books back in the day but I had never read this one. The hero of the story, a young boy is pretty smart. The way he thought of how he and his family would be affected by the event that he not only witnessed but became a part of, is far beyond what I would have done at the same age. You can't help but feel for this kid and what he goes through in order to protect his family and do what he thinks is best.


The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - Wow! This book is definitely eye opening. It really made me get an idea of day to day life in the Middle East and also made me understand a little more of what it must be like to be raised in a different culture. It made me even understand my own a little better. Even though my dad is Tongan, I wasn't raised so much in that culture. I grew up in a small town in Draper where everyone knew everyone else. And I just didn't feel that I had to make my choices based on my culture. But reading this, I can certainly see why their ethnicity has such an impact on who they are and the choices they make. The author has a really interesting writing style. It felt more like someone was telling me a story in person rather than I was reading it. Just a word to the wise. If you are looking for a feel good story, this is not it. If you are sensitive to difficult subjects this is not a book for you. But I urge anyone to read it. It may not change your perspectives on our current global situation but it may just open your eyes a little more to what is going on around us.


The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - OK, so I have a thing for vampires! Doesn't everyone! The good parts about the book first. I thought it was totally fascinating to view Dracula as a real person and not just as a vampire. The book gives a history of Vlad the Impaler (a.k.a Dracula) as a conqueror of Eastern Europe and explains how he may have developed his tendencies for very dark things and even torture. The story is pretty suspenseful and I liked the characters a lot. Now what I didn't like. Although it is suspenseful, it dragged on a little too much, like 300 pages too much. It could have been told with just as much suspense and been a lot shorter. At 909 pages, I just kept waiting for it to get over. And then once it does get there, I was disappointed with the ending. It spent so much time trying to get there and it just didn't live up to the hype for me. Do I recommend it? I give it a B. I was hoping for a little more for a lot less.


Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich - Have you ever read a book in a public place and keep getting stared at because you can't stop laughing? That's so what these books make me do! They are laugh out loud funny! It takes a lot I think to make that happen when it comes to reading. Just to give a basic background, Stephanie Plum is a 30 year old bounty hunter. She takes the job out of desperation. She is absolutely horrible at it though. She has no idea what she is doing but somehow she always manages to catch the crook. Janet Evanovich has a great way of taking everyday people and making them into hilarious and colorful characters. The books are filled with obscene scenarios, potty language (and humor) and off the wall things that you would just never think could happen. But the way it is written makes you believe these are real people. I can't get enough of them! Thanks Kambri and Lindsi for recommending them! Just like I did with the Sookie Stackhouse books, here is a brief part of book three, Three to Get Deadly:

"Funny how life works," Lula said. "All this came about because I ate a bad burrito. It's like God knew what he was doing when he game me the runs."
I hugged my arms tight to my chest and clenched my teeth to keep them from chattering. "The Lord moves in mysterious ways."

I am listening to these books on my ipod in my car mostly, too and from work. But also at work. And I can't stop snickering because they are too funny!

Right now I am in the middle of reading The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - This is the first book of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians Series. After Harry Potter, it has been difficult to find a childrens fantasy series that I could get into. I have tried a couple and have had varied success. But I am loving this series! The characters aren't as colorful as the Harry Potter ones are, but the story seems pretty compelling and entertaining. I'm just on the first book like I said, but the overall story seems to be about Percy learning who he is and hoping to have some kind of a relationship with his father who he believed was dead but has since found out that he happens to be a Greek God. I think this will be another series that I will be excited to share with Peyton.

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson - Gina at my work let me borrow this book today. I admit it. I like disturbing movies, T.V shows and books. And from what she has told me, this is disturbing, but very entertaining. I read just a few pages of it and it has already sunk me in. So much so that I may just have to stop reading The Lightning Thief for a bit and just read this. I am warned that it is about obsessive relationships and what people do when they are in love. It has casual drug use as well. So stay weary if you are sensitive to those kinds of things. But I can't wait to see what it's about!


S0 in other news, remember me saying that HBO was turning the Sookie Stackhouse books into a T.V. series? It's been on for about 6 weeks now. I am not crazy about the changes from the book. Yes, I know it is inevitable, but why change a good thing? I just don't get that. Don't get me wrong though. Of course I will keep watching to see what has changed.


Also, I have been crafting a ton, like I mentioned. So I will be updating my blog with the projects I have been making. Stay tuned for those.

Happy Stamin' and Happy Reading!

Site Name Change

As you may have noticed, I changed the name of my site. The address of course is still the same. But I have wanted to change my site name for a long time and just never have. Yes, it's wishful thinking, but if I were to ever have my own paper craft store, this is what it would be called. Hope you like it!

Happy Stampin'!

You Are My Sunshine - Something New For Peyton's Room

I have finally finished something that can be hung on the walls for Peyton's room. For my entire pregnancy and even for the last few months, I haven't been able to get anything finished for her room. At first it was trying to make sure I had the colors right and making sure it matched her bedding. And then it was the fact that I just didn't feel so great. And I am sure you can imagine that once Peyton was born, I just didn't have the time or still the energy to make anything. Now that she is six months old, and she is becoming more and more fun each day, I get some time to craft again! It's been a lot of fun. I am starting to feel more like the old me again. Or at least as much as that is possible. :)

I finally got some of the new Stampin' Up! stuff that I ordered. I know I say this each catalog, but it really gets better and better each year. I especially loved the accessories in this new one. So much fun stuff, it was hard deciding where to start.

Hope you all like this new project. One thing I struggled with was trying to make something without using brown or black. Those colors are so automatic for me to turn to that it didn't come to easy to not use them. But I am glad I stuck to it, because I like it a lot!

"You Are My Sunshine" is a favorite song that I love to sing to Peyton. What's funny about it is that I cannot sing a note! If I ever tried out for American Idol, oh, I would end up on T.V. alright, but it would be in the reject footage! I am that bad! But Peyton's eyes light up and she gets a big smile on her face everytime I sing it. Poor girl is tone deaf just like her mother!!!

Here is the recipe:

Frame: Provo Craft

Paint: Folk Art - Winter White

Die Cuts: QuicKutz - Blossoms and Sophisticate alphabets

Glue: Mod Podge

(The remaining supplies are Stampin' Up!)

Card stock: Whisper White, Pretty In Pink, textured Old Olive

Designer Series Patterned Paper: Georgia Peach

Ink: Old Olive and Regal Rose classics

Stamps: Bella Blossoms

Punches: Photo Corner, Scallop Border

Other: Half-back white pearls (from the Pretties Kit)

Adhesives: liquid glue (no longer available), dimensionals

Ribbon: taffeta - Pretty in Pink; 5/8" Grosgrain - Regal Rose; Ribbon Originals - Fairytale and Sherbet (no longer available)

Chipboard: On Board Lots Of Letters - scallop square

Happy Stampin' Everyone and Happy Reading!!!

Is It Possible To Be In Love With A Movie!!

Today, my dear friend, Kambri, and I went to go so Mama Mia! I LOVED IT! If you haven't seen it, please go. You won't be sad. It is absolutely hilarious. I spent half the time laughing my pants off and the other half crying.

Meryl Streep of course is incredible. She has a beautiful singing voice. On the other hand Pierce Brosnan can't sing worth anything. He is in the movie for eye candy! I love you Pierce, but you really can't sing a note. And for those of you who don't know Amanda Seyfried is perfect as Sophie, Meryl Streep's daughter. I love her in Big Love on HBO. I had no idea that she could sing so well. I think she has a big career ahead of her.

The location is one of the most beautiful places. I don't know if it is filmed on location in Greece or not, but it is gorgeous. It makes me want to go to Greece more than ever.

I won't give anything away of the story, but really, go see it!!!

Something for Peyton's Room - HAPPY EVERYTHING

Hi Everyone! Hope you are all well! We are good at my house. Things have been busy but we are happy.

Don't you all just love the new Stampin' Up! catalog! I swear each one gets better. I admit I haven't got anything yet from it, but I am on the verge. But even without anything new, it is full of inspiration!! On the cover to the accessory section, there is the cutest frame with a bunch of little squares. I had to make one myself.

Here is the recipe:

Paper: Stampin' Up! - Chocolate Chip cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Old Olive Print Pattern DS paper (retired).

Making Memories - Garden Party Dots and Flowers, Glitter Solid Aqua, Glitter Diagonal Stripe. Garden Party Dots is pink on the background and Garden Party Flowers is yellow polka dot on the back.

Accessories: Stampin' Up! - Flower Fusion felt flowers Old Olive. Soft Subtles Bashful Blue brads, Earth Elements Old Olive brad, Circle Ice Bashful blue and Circle Fire Pink Rhinestone brads, Build-A-Brad Antique Brass. Colored Buttons Soft Subtles Bashful Blue. Linen Thread. Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon, Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Whisper White Organdy ribbon (retired).

Making Memories - Green paper flower.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Happy Everything, One Of A Kind, Think Happy Thoughts, Defining Alphabet, Sprinkles.

Ink: Stampin' Up - Pretty In Pink craft pad, Chocolate Chip Craft Pad, Basic Brown classic pad, Bashful Blue classic pad, Pretty In Pink classic pad.

Tools: Stampin' Up! - Word Window punch, Small Oval punch, 5-Petal Flower punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Star punch. Embossing gun.

E.K. Success - Large Flower punch.

Other: Clear Embossing Powder.

This was a fairly simple project and pretty quick. Overall, it took me less than an hour from start to finish. I can't wait to put it in Peyton's Room. I know it is hard to believe, but I made something!! I happened to be listening to Harry Potter at the same time :).

Speaking of Harry Potter, I am sad to say that Harry Potter isn't going to be released in the theatre until next summer now. For some reason there is a delay from the studio. But the good news is, Twilight is now going to be released a whole 3 weeks earlier!!! Even Better!

Hope everyone is doing well! Happy Stampin' and Happy Reading!!!

I Finished!!!

Have you read Breaking Dawn yet? I won't give anything away in case you haven't. The story wasn't what I was expecting, but I loved it!!!! So all I will say is you have to read it!!!

I went to the midnight release party with Stephanie, Kyto's girlfriend. We went to Barnes and Noble since that is where we both reserved our copy. I had to go on my lunch break that

Friday just to get a wrist band to buy the book. It was about 20 people per group # and Steph and I were #19.

So we got to B&N about 11:45 that night. And let me just tell you, it was a mad house!!!! I couldn't believe it! There were so many people there that the store was in violation of fire code. An announcement kept getting made to tell people to back out of the center aisle so that they wouldn't get shut down by the fire department. You would think this would make people move. It sure didn't!

Luckily my friend Sarah called. She wanted to know if we had gotten our copies yet. By this time, it was 12:15 and we were still standing in the store waiting for our chance to buy our book. The store was on group #5. She said that she got her book at Smith's Grocery and no one else was even there. She also said that they had a table full of copies. So that convinced Steph and I to hurry the heck out of there! Not only was B&N crowded, but it was extremely hot by that time too!

I think that the problem that B&N had I think was the organizing. There were people that had red wristbands, like Steph and I. There were people that had pink wristbands. These were people who went to the book release party but didn't reserve a copy. And then there were people with no wristbands at all. And there wasn't anyone to available to make sure that people who didn't have a wristband or reserved copy was waiting outside the store.

Plus there was my problem too :-). I am almost 30 years old. That's right, I said it! But I certainly didn't have the patience that night for the under 20 crowd that mostly made up the customers.

So, like I said, Steph and I left and went to Smith's as soon as we could. Once we got there, there were a bunch of people there (some even dressed in "bridesmaids dresses" that were at the B&N release party earlier too.) We walked up to the table and grabbed the last copies! We finally had our books.

Definitely read it! It's really good! Let me know how you like it, or don't too.

Happy Stamping and Happy Reading also!

My Favorite Book Series

And my series obsession continues!!

If you can't tell from my other posts, I love to make lists. So I figured, what better kind of list to make than that of my favorite series of books! So here they are: (Can you tell I like children's books!)

1. The Twilight Saga - by Stephenie Meyer

• Twilight published October 2005
• New Moon published August 2006
• Eclipse published August 2007 (My favorite of the series so far)
• Breaking Dawn published August 2008

I have mentioned plenty about these books, so I will spare ya!

2. The Harry Potter Series - by J.K. Rowling **Dates are of the first American Edition published**

• The Sorcerer's Stone published October 1998
• The Chamber of Secrets published June 1999
• The Prisoner of Azkaban published September 1999
• The Goblet of Fire published July 2000
• The Order of the Phoenix published June 2003
• The Half-Blood Prince published July 2005
• The Deathly Hallows published July 2007

I love these books because I love that it is about a seemingly ordinary boy that no one appreciates until he gets involved with the people who are willing to nurture him. But just because he has finally found a place that he fits in, doesn't mean that everything is perfect. In fact it is the opposite. He has many people who are not only against him, but completely hate him just because of something that happened to him when he was a baby that he can't even remember. We get to see Harry start out as a small boy and watch him grow and learn about how life isn't fair but at the same time, he still turns into a strong young man. By the time I finished the last book, I was in tears for a good week!!

Death is the central theme for each of the books. It's a huge part of the series. So if you haven't read them, just have a box of Kleenex at the ready.

Also, for anyone out there that likes audio books, this is a must own. Jim Dale, who reads the books, (unabridged) in my opinion, makes these the best audio books I have ever listened to. He has such a great voice and tone. And he can do so many characters. I wish he could read them all!

3. The Chronicles of Narnia - by C.S. Lewis

• The Magician's Nephew (prequel) published 1955
• The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe published 1950
• Prince Caspian published 1951
• The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader published 1952
• The Silver Chair published 1953
• The Horse And His Boy published 1954
• The Last Battle published 1956

Although I am not a terribly religious person, I love these books. I think they should be required reading for everyone. The symbolism alone is incredible. It's a great way to get a glimpse into Christianity, if you are not familiar with it. And even to get a refresher if you are.

There has been a lot of controversy centering the release of the movie The Golden Compass that came out last Christmas. The author of the series, His Dark Materials, is said to be "anti C. S. Lewis". But I find that a bit ironic considering the fact that C. S. Lewis was a good friend of J. R. R. Tolkien, who as you know, was the author of the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Series. (I have read The Hobbit, but not Lord Of The Rings. I hope to get around to it someday. I did love The Hobbit though.) Tolkien though was a proclaimed atheist, as you may be able to tell from his stories. I'd like to think that if Lewis was around to hear all of the people who protested The Golden Compass, as well hear about Phillip Pullman's atheist point of view, that he would just laugh it off, or maybe even befriend Phillip Pullman. (His Dark Materials series is on my to read list as well.)

Even if you don't read this for the symbolism, it's still an incredible series. It's full of action, suspense, and tear jerking moments. It really is a great series!

4. The Sookie Stackhouse (A Southern Vampire) Series - by Charlaine Harris

• Dead Until Dark published 2001
• Living Dead In Dallas published March 2002
• Club Dead published May 2003
• Dead To The World published May 2004
• Dead As A Doornail published May 2005
• Definitely Dead published May 2006
• All Together Dead published May 2007
• From Dead To Worse published May 2008

See my post about this series that I published just today. (There are some short stories that have the character Sookie in them. Also there are a few stories that are included in the group that don't have Sookie in them at all. It may be a while before I get to read them. But it seems that they are "in between" filler books. )

So these are my favorite series as of right now. I am sure my list will grow or even change. But each one comes highly recommended!

Happy Stampin' and Happy Reading!

A Great Book Blog

Hey Everyone! Just wanted you to know...
If you love reading, you have to check out this blog!

http://blogginboutbooks.blogspot.com/

It belongs to my cousin's wife. Her name is Susan. And boy has she read pretty much anything and everything. She gives great reviews and synopsis of the books that she has read. Susan also always shows the books that she is currently reading. Check out the labels section. If there is an author in existence, you will probably find them there. It takes you to any book reviews she has read from that author.

I'm telling you, you won't be disappointed!

Happy Stampin' Everyone!

Okay, So I Am Still Reading And Not Doing Much Crafting

What can I say, I can't read enough lately! I have found that being a new mom doesn't leave a lot of time for crafting. Now I thoroughly understand why I always read about moms who can't wait for midnight to come, because that's when they finally can have some time to craft. Well, having to be to work by 7 a.m. kind of makes that difficult for me.

But I have found that I can read and take care of my daughter at the same time. (By the way, she gets cuter and cuter every day!!!) So my latest reads have been the Sookie Stackhouse (a.k.a The Southern Vampire) Series. These books are fast and funny! Each book is about 300 pages, so me being the slow reader that I am, it takes me about 4-7 days to finish a book. I am on the last book right now that just came out in May.

As I have mentioned before, I am just a little obsessed with the Twilight vampire series from Stephenie Meyer. (Check out stepheniemeyer.com to get the scoop on the series and her other works.) I am counting down the days until Breaking Dawn, book # 4, the final installment, comes out. 17 more days! I am so anxious, that I am actually going to the midnight release on August 1 to get the book. I will read it until I finish it or fall asleep. (Not too likely with my daughter though.)

Now that I have rambled on...

My point was, I have been trying to find some books to fill my time to help make the strain of waiting for Breaking Dawn come out, just a little more bearable. These books are definitely helping. Here is a little sampling from the first book and why I just had to bring it home from the store once I read it:

Dead Until Dark
















I'd been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar.

Ever since vampires came out of the coffin (as they so laughingly put it) four years ago, I'd hoped one would come to Bon Temps. We had all the other minorities in our little town - why not the newest, the legally recognized undead?

I read those first few lines of the first chapter, and I was hooked. Charlaine Harris is the author. She is hilarious. The books are full of great writing. The main character, Sookie, is a cocktail waitress and she has a "disability", at least she thinks it is. She can read minds. But when she meets Bill, the vampire, she realizes that she can't hear a single thought of his. And she loves it.

After visiting charlaineharris.com, I learned that HBO is making a series based off the books. It's called Tru Blood and comes out this fall. (Tru Blood is the name of a synthetic blood that is sold in the stores. The vampires come out to the world because the Japanese have developed synthetic blood. The vampires announce that since they are no longer a threat to humans, they can live in society with them in peace now.) I can't wait! It looks pretty good! Seriously, if you love Twilight, you will love these books. There are some similarities, although these vampires are the traditional can't go out in the sun, sleep during the day, hate garlic, have fangs vampires.

The books are a little on the dark side. And unlike the Twilight series, the characters actually do have sex. So if that isn't for you, you would want to sit this series out. But I highly, highly recommend it, if you think you are up to it. I started book #1 the middle of June, and like I said, I am on the last one that was released in May this year, book #8. So even a slow reader like me got through them pretty fast.

After this series I have a couple of books to read that are not in a series (Crazy, I know!) - House of Sand And Fog, Three Bags Full - A Sheep Murder Mystery, and The Memory Keepers
Daughter. These will probably come after Breaking Dawn though. Then I am going to start on the Stephanie Plum books. They are a series as well and are about a woman who is a bounty hunter but is terrible at it. They come recommended from more than one person and are too be really funny and fast as well. Book #14 of the series just came out last month.

But I am really working on getting my craft room clean so I can start crafting again. When we had to clean out the extra room to get ready for Peyton, the extra stuff had to go into my craft room. It was a mess though even before that. I am sure you can imagine what it must look like now. (Think worse!) I plan to get rid of a bunch of stuff and have a garage sale. So if any of you out there are close, you should keep posted and I will let you know when that is. I am also going to have an open house of Stampin' Up, Scentsy, Cookie Lee, and maybe some other things. My good friend Tina sells Scentsy. My husband's cousin, Thea, sells Cookie Lee. So we figured we would kill a few birds with one stone and get an open house together. I will let you know about the date and info on this as well.

Hope you all are well! And remember...
Happy Stamping!

What Exactly Have I Been Up To Lately???

Yes, I have been being a mom, mostly. But I have learned that just because I can't craft as much as I would like to, doesn't mean that I have to forget about myself completely. So I have picked up again on one of my all time favorite hobbies, reading!!! Not only do I read, but I am also addicted to audio books. It's great, because I can listen to them while I am at work too. So I have to mention what I have been reading lately. As I am sure many of you out there have also read, I am so addicted to the Twilight Series!!! It consists of Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. Not only do I have these in hard back, but I also have the audio books too! I just finished re-reading Twilight. I think that was #4. Once I finish a couple other audio books, then I will have to also listen to New Moon and Eclipse again. So far Eclipse is my favorite of the three. But the fourth installment comes out in less than 2 months. I can hardly stand to wait!!! It is called Breaking Dawn. I have already got it pre-ordered through Barnes & Noble. I am extremely excited that it comes out August 2, which happens to be a Saturday. I know I will have it finished by that Sunday!! Here's some pictures of the covers, if you aren't familiar with them. They are a definite must!

I think the new cover for Breaking Dawn is pretty cool. I have liked all of the covers though. Stephenie Meyer, the author, has used classic literature for inspiration of her previous books in the series. She has mentioned getting inspiration from Romeo and Juliet as well as Wuthering Heights. She mentioned that Breaking Dawn is partly inspired by A Mid Summers Night's Dream. The whole basis of this Shakespearean Play is that everyone falls in love with the wrong person. Now, not to give anything away, but Bella, the main character has had to chose between 2 loves in her life, her vampire boyfriend, Edward, and her werewolf best friend, Jacob. I can tell you, if she doesn't end up with Edward, I will be extremely sad!

I am definitely on a series kick. Last summer, I read all of the Harry Potter books. I listened to them on audio books and read them to try to get through them faster. It worked great! I love all seven of them! Next to Twilight, this is my next favorite series. I hear there is talks of a prequel book!!! I hope it goes through!!

I also re-read the Chronicles of Narnia. Also one of my favorite series. This is definitely #3. All of the books are so good. I know that these are all children's and young adults books, but I can't help it. I love all of these authors!!

In the fall, I started listening to a series that I never thought I would. And I have to admit, it was due to encouragement from my friend at work, Kambri. She also loves Harry Potter, and convinced me to try it. It is called the Sword Of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. Okay, so it is science fiction/fantasy. Cheesy, I know. But I do really like them. I have just been listening to the audio books. I haven't finished the series all the way. There are 13 books and I have gotten through about half of them. I think I left off on #7. From what I understand, these are kind of a rip off of Robert Jordan's series called the Wheel of Time. I plan to get those as audio books as well to listen to. Probably won't read the books, but will listen to them at work and in my car.

Kyto's (my brother-in-law) girlfriend, Steph, has been helping me feed my reading habit. I think she loves to read more than I do! We have even talked about starting a book club! I think it would be a blast! I got her to read this series, that the same friend that got me to read the Terry Goodkind books, Kambri, got me to read. It's also a teen series. It's called Sweep. There are actually some similarities to Twilight. But instead of being about vampires, it's about witches. I know, I am a dork! Just because I will be 30 in less than a year, doesn't mean though that I can't read teen books, right?! Lame justification, I know. These aren't as good as Twilight. But they are good for in between books. And there are 15 total. All of which are less than 200 pages, so they are a fast read. The last one though is just over 300 pages. So I do recommend them if you are looking for something similar to Twilight. Not the same, but still good.

I just finished The Host today. This is also by Stephenie Meyer. It was hard to get into. It's 619 pages. I was about to give up on it when I was about 140 pages in. Unlike the Twilight series, I wasn't completely sucked in right away. But boy, am I glad I didn't give up! Once I got to about page 150, I couldn't put the book down! It is so good! And it had me in tears almost the whole rest of the book! I definitely recommend it! This also appears to have the makings of a series. I am crossing my fingers! Check it out for sure.

On my Ipod, I have Atonement (this is the current one I am listening to. It was a Christmas present from Steph and Kyto), the Harry Potter's, Wuthering Heights, The Kite Runner (I haven't finished this, but the first couple chapters of the book were really good. It's coming up on my to listen to list), A Thousand Splendid Suns, All of the Twilight books out so far as well as the Host, Great Expectations, All of the Sword of Truth Series. I think that's all of them. I am always looking for audio books though. I just love how they help pass the time, and the fact that I can do other things, like crafting of course, while I am listening.

Since I finished The Host today, I am now reading Dead Until Dark. This is also part of a series. It's also about Vampires. But unlike the Twilight series, this Sookie Stackhouse series (the main character) is actually for adults. I know, it is so unlike me to read books that aren't for children or teens. The author, Charlaine Harris, has a pretty cool writing style. The books seem light and full of humor. I will let you know how I like them. They are about 300 pages, so they should be a fast read also.

I have three whole stacks of books that are on my side table by my couches, waiting to be read. Wicked, Princess Bride, The Golden Compass, Persuasion and many, many others. I can't help it. I pick up new books every time I go to Barnes and Noble! I am just as addicted to reading as crafting. So let me know out there if you like any of the books I have mentioned, or if you have others that I haven't that you recommend too! I am always looking to discover new authors!!

Happy Stamping and Happy Reading Everyone!!

Look! I Actually Made Something!!

Yes, it is similar to another project that I did while I was still pregnant. I had left over candy bars from my baby showers and I needed to come up with a project four our Stampin' Up! meeting last week. This was one of the make and takes for everyone to do. I know it is hard to tell from the picture, but the pattern paper of the wrapper and the dog tag is stamped on. The wrapper, with the leaves and flower stamps. The dog tag with words. Here is a list of supplies used:

• Always Stamp Set
• Blue Bayou classic ink (getting discontinued)
• Soft Sky classic ink (getting discontinued)
• Chocolate Chip classic ink
• Designer Series Print Patterns - Soft Sky (getting discontinued)
• Designer Series Print Patterns - Always Artichoke
• Kraft card stock
• Very Vanilla card stock
• Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon
• Always Artichoke grosgrain ribbon
• Linen Thread
• Build-A-Brad - Antique Brass
• 1/2" Circle punch
• Dog Tag punch

So I was originally planning on using Always Artichoke ink since I used the ribbon and paper that color, but my supplies are really disorganized!!! And I couldn't find it. But I ended up liking how the colors worked anyway. Hope you all like it it too!

Happy Stamping Everyone!