Boss Birthdays

I started my current job last July. If you knew me in college, you knew that I had always dreamed of being in publishing. All of those 2000's rom-coms of city gals jetting to work in heels holding a Starbucks coffee in one hand and the paper in the other just got to me. Plus, I was an English major, so it was very fitting. (FYI: I don't even drink coffee and I usually have a book, not the paper with me!)

It took me a really long time and lots of frustrating jobs to get to where I am today. And I'm no fool, either. I know I am hella lucky to have gotten here and by here I mean Children's Publishing. I also know that finding a boss that is both friend and mentor is like hitting the Mega Millions. It's.Not.Easy.

But here I am!

So for her birthday, I wanted to make something special. At this point, it was only about a month and a half in so I was still getting to know her. I wanted it to be sophisticated with a floral palate.

For this, I found a really pretty cherry blossom pattern at Michael's so I used that for the bottom. The trim is from Martha Stewart of course and I used some embellishments that I had in my trusty box.

For her actual present, I wanted to do something she could use at work. She has an adorable daughter so I figured instead of just getting a frame, I would make one. Using that same Cherry Blossom pattern, I cut them out in little triangles and pasted them onto a regular frame. I then used a basic pink distress pattern for contrast. She really liked it which was a relief!

Here's a closer look at the collage. 

Valentine's Day 2016

This year, I took the rest of my crafting supplies out of storage. One of the things I uncovered was my Cuttlebug! I forgot how much I loved that thing and along with some Spellbinder Nestabilities dies, I made most of my Valentine's this year with them. JP went to New Jersey one weekend to hang out with his cousins, so I watched girly movies all Saturday and Sunday while making these.  Along with die cuts, I used lots of powder and glittering embossing. Overall, I was very happy with how they came out!

Also, if anyone was wondering, the movies I watched were as follows:

• Sabrina (my all time favorite girly flick ever. (The remake though) I'm a sucker for Harrison Ford in a bow tie!
• Bridget Jones' Diary
• The Wedding Date
• Notting Hill
• Cruel Intentions
• Mystic Pizza
• Hannah and her Sisters

Sweeeeet Birthday!

My boyfriend's sister, Michelle is a fan of Finding Nemo so for her birthday, I wanted to use my Pixar Cricut cartridge to make something for her. There are so many great cuts in this cartridge. I also used letter stamps to create the phrases. I made little squirt because who doesn't love him?

Sunset Distress

Here's a secret- blending distress inks is really hard. No matter how many youtube videos I watch, it never seems to come out the way I want it to. For the card below, I wanted to use some nautical stamps my boyfriend's brother Tim gave me. I've made him fun cards before but this was was supposed to be a little more heartfelt. I wanted to create a beach at sunset and in retrospect, I don't know why I added an ahoy stamp when there is no ship...haha Maybe I am analyzing this too closely and should just go back to watching youtube videos.

Anybody know any good bloggers with distress ink videos?

That's Life

I do apologize for the long absence. SO MUCH cooking in my world these past few months. Let's do the cliff notes version:

• Turned 31
• Got laid off from my job
• Moved out of Astoria
• Moved back in with my mom for a month (not ideal, but wasn't torture either)
• Found a BEAUTIFUL new apartment in Forest Hills
• Landed an even better, more exciting job
• Am now balancing home and work with clear cut goals for my future

And OF COURSE, through all this, crafting wasn't really happening. Especially not in the beginning of the summer. However, I got some major guardian angels on my side and everything worked out wonderful. JP and I are loving our new apartment. I hit the jackpot with my job and with my two bosses who I am learning so much from every day. 

So now what? Time to get back into crafting! I have a few pieces I've worked on over the past few months and I am already working hard on my Halloween cards. I'm going to post some of them this weekend. For now, I've just been listening to the Hamilton Broadway Soundtrack nonstop (amazing-GO SEE IT!) and some Sinatra. 

That's life, that's what all the people say

You're ridin' high in April, shot down in May

But I know I'm gonna change that tune

When I'm back on top, back on top in June

Blue Skies and Sunshine, Guaranteed

For my next Thank You card, I wanted to stick with the same bright and cheerful look. I still had some of that lace from my last card so I decided to use it again in a different way. The patterned paper is from a My Mind's Eye pack that I have and I just partnered it with a matching solid color. I made the center cut from my Elegant Edges cartridge.

Is it spring time yet?

Let's Go Fly A Kite!

I had to make a thank you card for someone and because the weather has been so horrid and also because I had the song from Mary Poppins in my head, I decided to use a bright kite cut. This is from the Baby Shower cartridge, but while the original is cut so that the kite comes out with zig-zag pattern, I decided to just use one main pattern. The clouds were cut from my Mickey and Friends cartridge.

When trying to think of what kind of tail to attach, I started rummaging through my embellishments box. You know the box I'm talking about- the one with a million little embellishments, stickers, jewels and lace that you totally forget you have sometimes. I found some lace and pearls for an extra accent. The thank you stamp is from a Michael's $1 grab bag and they have really been so useful over the years.

Here's hoping for some sunshine real soon. =)