dum-da-dee-dum ...

my friend, christine, asked me to make her a couple of wedding cards since she has a couple of them to attend next month. so i took a stab at making several more wedding cards. they were farely easy to make, except for the bouquet one. i like the bouquet, but not thrilled about the card itself. i think it needs more decorative paper. anyways, here they are. hope you like them, christine!

watch it giggle

watch it wiggle!! no, not my cards. hehe my work had a jello party today. it was a very unique and interesting party. here's a picture of all the jellos.


(clockwise: kelly's lime-pineapple-7up-marshmellow jello; below that is my strawberry cream jello; joel's green coconut jello; lynn's store bought jello - a joke; kevin's strawberry jello; mike's almond jello w/ tropical fruits; my coffee jello shots - minus the alcohol; jayant's strawberry shortcake jello; lynn's 7-layer jello)

here are the honorable mentions:

• joel's filipino jello - most expensive dish; $18!!
• lynn's 7-layer jello - most effort
• jayant's (or shall i say, deepali's) strawberry shortcake jello - most original
• kevin's strawberry jello - most traditional (lol)

thanks to everyone who participated. all the jellos were yummy!

here's the coffee jello recipe i made. it's a keeper =)

• 2 packets of KNOX gelatin (unflavored, 1/4 ounce each packet)
• 1/2 cup cold coffee (or kahlua)
• 3 cups of good hot brewed coffee
• 1/3 cups of sugar (or up to 3/4 cup according to desired sweetness)
• a pinch of salt

1. in a large bowl, combine gelatin and cold coffee
2. allow to sit for 10 minutes to soften
3. add hot coffee, sugar and salt; stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is clear
4. pour into individual serving dishes and chill till set
5. serve with sweetened whipped cream or half and half

serves 8

oh, i added some whipping cream to some of the coffee jello shots. i couldn't really taste the difference....

happy birthday to my mommy!!

just wanted to shout out a happy birthday to my mommy!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

btw, i DO have the wash and go hair! i finally got to wash my hair for the first time since i got it straightened. whoo-hoo!! low-maintenance hair!!

i didn't get to work on any cards tonight because i had to make jello for my work's jello party. (no, it's not that kind of a party where it involves a kiddie pool and wrestling.) anyways, here's a card i finished up last night. it's just ok. the mistletoe word is somewhat covered with glitter and the berries are 3D. can't really tell from this picture.... oh well, don't think this is a keeper....

guilty?

this weekend was all about me... me! me! me! me! =) i spent 4 hours on saturday at a salon getting my hair permanently straightened (and boy, am i happy with the results) and then on sunday, i spent 3 hours making lasting impressions cards at the red bee. being free from the kids was nice, but felt guilty leaving them with g, especially around nap time. my man never complains even if he has a tough time; that's his nature. thanks and i love you, hon!! well, he'll get to play in 2 weeks - he gets to go on a 2 night fishing trip in mexican waters!

ok, so here are the cards i made in my class today.

boy, were they time consuming! i only completed one card and had to finish up the rest at home. the snowmen card is my favorite, but it was also the one that took the longest. each snowman was cut individually and the frame was ink distressed and also 3D. even their noses are 3D! here's a closer look at the card.

i don't think i'll be making this card in bulk. like someone said in class, "there isn't one person that i like THAT much to make this card for!" lol maybe i'll use the cricut machine to make the frame and keep the snowmen in one piece. that will be much easier!

happy birthday, aidan!

i can't believe the week is over already! it was a rocky week because of the financial market. it's just been crazy! on to a happy note: happy 4th birthday to my nephew, aidan! he turned 4 on tuesday, july 16th. since i haven't made a card all week, i decided to make one for him. so here it is:



i find it a bit difficult to part with the cards that i make. i need to start making multiples so that i can keep one for myself.

i have a full weekend ahead me - aaron's last swimming lesson for the year, hair straightening appointment, aidan's birthday party, and lasting impressions class on sunday (whoohoo!).

hope everyone have a good weekend!

5 pounds lost!

yes, i FINALLY cut my hair! 12 inches off and i'm donating it to locks of love. here are some before and after pix.

it was one of my longest hair appointments ever. my usual hairdresser left christopher perry (salon) so i got a new one. i requested a male because they're normally better at the details and boy, did i get one that was meticulous! as i sat in my chair, i watched a handful of clienteles come in and out and yet, i wasn't even half way through. i thought the sun was going to set pretty soon.... finally, after 2 and half hours, i was done and 5 pounds lighter! haha the nice thing though was that he gave me a 20% discount because i was donating my hair. it only came out to $40!!! i felt so bad for him that i gave him a $20 tip.

so now my next mission - permanent hair straightening so that i can just have the wash-n-go hair that i so long for!

getting fit with wii fit?!

in lieu of making another card tonight, i finally stepped on the wii fit tonight. my center of balance is good, but it said i have a body of a 41 year old! yikes! the wii fit just reconfirmed how out of shape i am. =( anyways, i tried yoga, hula hoops, skiing, running, soccer, aerobics, etc. my favorite is running and hula hoops. lol but boy, the simple yoga poses already were a challenge to me.

hopefully, i can step on the wii fit at least 3 times a week. my goal is to lose 5 pounds and tone up! maybe all i need to do is cut my hair. oh! there goes 5 pounds! hehe

ok, so since i didn't make a card tonight, i'll post a card that i gave to katie chamkasem for her first birthday and a wedding one for brandon and kuulei (congrats, btw!).

chocolate moose

here's another one. not 100% happy with this one though.... probably would have printed the greetings on the printer and replace those christmas trees with something else. oh, what color is a moose's antlers?! for some reason they look funny too.... i think. =P anyways, i'm also thinking of making those bifold cards so that people can insert a 4x6 picture inside the card. guess that will be my next card to make. until then, ta-tah!

christmas in july

i never really knew what christmas in july meant until last year. it's when crafters start making christmas crafts/goodies for the upcoming holiday season. i can't believe i might succumb to this tradition. i made the first holiday card tonight. i used dry embossing again (i'm telling you, i am hooked on dry embossing) and i embellished with some glitter (the falling snow that you can't really see from the pix). i think i might make more to sell and/or donate to my work's charity auction. quite a long road ahead of me....














check back for more holiday cards as i add them to my collection.

aaron graduating to the next class

today was aaron's first day in the "big" boys room - ms. gaye's class! he likes ms. gaye because she draws hearts on his little hands. i thought he would have a hard time today because he is no longer with his favorite teacher, ms. jessica, but according to ms. gaye, he did very well. maybe it's because ms. jessica is still on vacation! once he sees her, i have a feeling he'll be crying for her!

anyways, today is just another reminder how fast my boys are growing....sniff sniff

playing with dry embossing

i try to squeeze in an hour of creativity every night and i recently discovered dry embossing. i got this template today and look what i created! it was pretty easy to make; the most difficult part was figuring out the hanger. those silver miniature hanger would have probably made my life a bit easier. the question is where can i get it and how would i attach it to the card/dress? i see a visit to joann's or michaels coming....

welcome!

my very first blog. whoohoo!! i thought i'd start this blog to share my creations (from my little boys to my handmade cards) with friends and family.

okie-dokie, that's all for now! ta-tah!