Paper Trufflez

To the core . . .

I thought this made a sweet Valentine--I'm not sure WHY, but, for some reason the apple core is my favorite image from this release--there's just something about it that pulls at me.  I had to use my new Martha Stewart apple punch with, of course--TOTAL CUTENESS!!!

It's been lovely being away from the computer--the internet, actually!  Rejuvenates me, I think!  I prepped like a maniac for my classes in Seattle at the A Muse shop, and they were so much fun!  I can't believe I didn't take a single picture.  I'm horrid; I get so caught up in the rubbah, I just forget everything else!

I got to see Krystie Lee, fellow DD Alumni, and her mama,  AND, Heather came from Denver, to hook up with her friend Emily and Emily's mama, and they were all in my class!  It was so FUN!

There were even two ladies that flew in all the way from Chicago to take the classes, and Pebbles popped by the shop that day, too, with hubby John in tow!  FUN FUN FUN!!! Gobs of huggin' went on, naturally!

Anyhoo, we popped things, slid things, flocked things, and, OH MYLAAAANTA did we ever GLITTAAAAAH things!!!  I'm afraid everybody left sparkling head to toe . . . LOL!

Next day, Linda, Heather and I headed down to CHA for a  2 day whirlwind.  Got to see Em, and Michelle, owner of Paper Tales, as well as Jill!  We also got to hook up briefly with several other members of the A Muse Creative Team, including Falco, and her mama, as well as Shurkus!

I didn't expect it would happen, due to the tight schedule we were on, but I actually did get to wrap up a number of DD Alumni in mondo squishy hugs!  And, lucky, lucky me, I also got to see Jenn, Daven, and Lori again--some of my favoritest peeps in the whole wide world!

Again, I kept forgetting to take pics, can ya' believe it?   

I also got to hug Lisa Spangler, and Shari Carroll, and even met Jennifer McGuire for the 1st time!  Great gals all, and I'm such a die-hard fan of their beautiful work (they all design for Hero Arts)!  I couldn't believe Jennifer actually remembered a question I had asked on her blog about Memories White ink, and she answered right there on the spot!

Look--Lisa send me a pic taken with her iPhone:

I am ROLLING, cuz we called it "The Turtle Shot"--we were trying to avoid double chin syndrome!  BAH HAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!  Oh, dang--she's so cute and sweet!  I just love her to pieces!

There were a number of Hollywood (TV/Movie) and industry celebs at the show, too, but, well, there's only *one* that would ever give me heart palpitations, and make me bounce through the ceiling . . . I  don't know that my beloved hero, my Queen, attended the show, but, there wasn't much opportunity to hunt her down, really--besides, I wouldn't have wanted her to think I was a life-long stalker.  I mean, I am a stalker, but, I'm the FRIENDLY, worshipful sort. (see "Someone please pinch me")

That pretty much brings things up to speed!

Have a great weekend!  My family is gonna try to work in a wee bit of birthday fun for me among all the basketball going on . . . And, there will be appletinis tonight fo'h sho'h!!!  *chuckle*

 

Person Jennifer McGuire

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Recent FAQs on jeans, and one on stamping. *grin*

OK, I'll admit it--it's comforting to know I'm not alone--thank you for commiserating with me--and for sharing what brands you've had success with!  It's been a long time since I donned a pair of Levi Button Fly 501 Blues, but, I just might hafta rectify that; they are great all-around jeans!

I have no idea what the standard in height is for "petite", but I am nearly 5' 2".  Believe it or not, I am the Amazon among the women of my family and tower over my mother and sister who stand about 4'10 and 4' 11". *chuckle*  Both pairs I found were "petites".

Jeans: 

Here's what I settled happily upon, and the price, considering that some jeans go for $80+, seemed reasonable for me, considering that they fit me nicely,  revealed nothing with regards to my preferred undergarments, and would not require hemming--I couldn't find exact pictures of them at macys.com but, these come pretty close:

BandolinoBlu in "Lexi" fit   (but, mine didn't have pocket flaps; they do have decorative stitching, and copper studs, tho--I haven't bought jeans with fancy decorative pockets like these since Hash Jeans were big when I was in high school!  LOL!)

and, these:  Style & Co. Jeans  (but, mine have dark navy stitching, instead of the color shown in the picture)  Dark wash--they are more like a trouser jean--nice when you want a little dressier, but still casual look (beyond the 501's and an Old Navy fleece pullover).

Be forewarned, however:  They do have a touch of Spandex in 'em--a hint of Spandex seems to fit me better--a little bit more forgiving on those days when my willpower breaks down and I fall prey to those "make-my-butt-bigger" meals.  Sorry, but, a life lived on SlimFast is no life at all; I enjoy food.  I go to Vegas for the boo-faaaaaays, baby!!! 

Stamping:

When you make a card and the greeting extends beyond the edge of the card, how would you proceed to put it into an envelope for mailing. I think extending the greeting looks so great. --K. Dunbrook

K, I am a lazy stamper, savvy?  I could make a custom envelope using one of those envy template thingies, but, most of the time, I just make sure that the extension still allows for the card to fit into an A-2 envelope, and I'd also insert a quarter sheet (4.25 x 5.5) of inexpensive card stock inside as well, to support that sentiment extension and prevent it from getting bent in transit.

Thanks for askin'! 

So Saturday . . .

 . . . involved getting up very early, and schlepping an hour away to watch my son play in 2 basketball games.  I am so glad I was there--they played well, and actually won both games. The team is really coming along, and it's very rewarding to watch my son, as he skyrockets in height, become more confident in his abilities. 

Sappy tho it sounds, this is an exciting time for me, and for Dave, who is coaching the Swish team.  It's thrilling to watch your kid listen attentively to his coach (coaching your own kid is not always easy), and get out there and do his best, and encourage his teammates to do the same.  I just wanted to bust with pride at the end of the 2nd game, not because they won, or the rebounds he got, nor the buckets he scored, but because he worked so hard, and he was so "coachable"--receptive.  Magic seems to happen when this occurs, and I don't know any other way to describe that kinda parental joy and pride.

OK, so enough on the motherly sap.  There was also an indoor soccer event Taylor's soccer coach had arranged, so all the boys went off to enjoy that, and Dave dropped me off at the mall.  I was on a quest for a new pair of jeans.

Did you know it can take an *entire* day of shopping to find one pair of jeans that fit?  It is EXHAUSTING.  And FRUSTRATING.

Because:

#1.  I'm short; sometimes petite is still too long
#2.  I got muffin top to contend with
#3.  Everything seems to be "low rise"  these days; which seems to emphasize the muffin top effect.  Not good.  Definitely NOT good.  Besides, I don't care what figure type you are, when you bend down to pick something up, do you *really* want people getting a bird's eye view of this:

????? 

Cuz, yeah.  That's what we see.  Even on the beautiful, slender figures behind the counter at Hollister, that's what we see when they turn around--and don't even bend down!!!-- to bag up those I-swear-this-was-designed-to-fit-a-newborn-infant-not-an-adult-female-figure sweaters for our daughters for Christmas.  Oh, and the thong.  We definitely know the color and type of thong they're wearing, too.

Hate to break the news, but, it just doesn't look good . . . no matter how beautiful and slender. 

Anyway, what's a middle-aged gal like me to do?  I wanna be hip, and fashionable, as long as I can, of course, but, by the same token, not exposing the world to anything unsightly, ala Stacy & Clinton's advice.

I stumbled across one pair, that was tagged "slight low rise"?  I cornered an unsuspecting, and defenseless sales lady and asked, "Exactly what does 'slight' low rise mean???"

Because, ya' got the following to choose from, when it comes to jeans nowadays:

• Natural Waist (you know, the kind our grandmother's feel comfortable wearing, that might land just under the boobs, and sometimes feature adjustable elastic waistbands, too?)
• Just Below the Natural Waist
• Mid Rise (is that the same as Just Below the Natural Waist???)
• Low Rise
• Super Low Rise

So what the heck is "slight" low rise???  Exactly WHERE on the scale of rise does it fall???  Poor kid; she didn't know what hit her and had that deer-in-the-headlights look on her face, and stammered around, finally admitting, she was as in the dark as I was . . . I let her off the hook, chuckling and patting her on the arm, and thanked her for trying to help me anyway, and proceeded to go through every rack and shelf display of jeans in Macy's . . . in pursuit of the elusive pair of perfect, age-appropriate, flatter-fitting jeans for my body shape and size:  Shorter than average, with a little bit o' plump.

I finally did emerge victorious.  In fact, with two different pairs. But, it took ALL afternoon of  trying on what seemed like a hundred different pairs just to find these two.  In fact, I'm tempted to go back and buy two more of each, because I don't know if I could survive another jean-shopping experience like this again . . . whoah, lolly!!! 

SEATTLE CLASSES 1/24/09

Julie Ebersole: 01/24/09: Valentine Classes @ A Muse Artstamps, Seattle, WA.

I'm chuckling because I believe these would be called "easy buttons" . . .

It's comin' up fast--hope to see some of you Seattle area stampers next Saturday!

I'm busy stamping and preppin' like a maniac!

Good times!

"Frankly", my dear . . .

ROTFLMBO!!!!!!!  OK, am I the only one that thought it would be hysterical to have a sentiment like that to go with the weiner dogs??? (OK, technically, they're daschunds, I know, I know, already!!!  But, c'mon--surely I can't be the only one that calls 'em weiner dogs!!!)

These are the things that keep me awake at night . . . *chortling*

The spotlighting technique is so fun to do with shaped punches--I thought this worked out *SO* cute, and on the first try, no less!!!  

Yeah . . . I just couldn't resist . . . *chuckle*

Puppy Love, Tiny Heart, "I'll love you fur-ever" by A Muse Artstamps; White 4 Bar Note Card by A Muse; Koh-i-Noor Colored pencils, Hearts II Twinkle Stickers by A Muse; Heart punch by Marvy Uchida (button style); Scallop Scissors by Provo Craft

Peek-a-boo Love Bird

LOL!  This turned out cuter than I thought it would!  YAY!!!

The love birdie with one leg up cracks me!  Like he's just a wee bit excited to see the girl birdie up there in the tree, peeking down at him!  *chinkle*

I haven't stamped just for fun in too long, and this is what the mojo finally sparked!

I got some new scallop circle punches by EK Success--I loves 'em!!! They have deep scallops!

Love Birds, "You make my heart sing", Grass, all by A Muse Artstamps; Kitchen Grass Paper by A Muse Artstamps; Stickles Christmas Red Glitter Glue; Copic Markers in Sugared Almond Pink, Crimson, Apricot; EK Success 2" Scallop Circle, and 5/8" plain circle punch

LIVE, from NY, it's . . .

A Muse: Rubber stamps, clear stamps and other paper crafting delights!.

OK, so it's not Saturday Night (Live).  And, it's not from New York.

I was just playing Jedi mind tricks on ya'. 

But, it is from Seattle!  

It's the *new* A Muse Lounge and Design Studio!  You can get there by going to A Muse Artstamps, and clicking on the tabs along the top menu bar, that say "Lounge", and "Design Studio".

What's the Lounge?  It's a forum (you know, a message board!)  where you can meet fellow stampers, make some new friends, and get to know the A Muse Creative Team Members (I call 'em "The Muses").  We have some fun stampin' activities goin' on that we hope you'll enjoy.  Do come!  It's a warm and friendly little place!

What's the Design Studio?  Eye candy!  Yeah, that's the best way I know to describe it!   Fabulous card samples designed to inspire you, in A Muse's signature simple style!  We'll be adding more designs on a regular basis, so come on over to ogle the pretties often!

Oh, and well, I guess there's one more bit of news that might interest ya' . . .

Fresh rubbah.  Of the A Muse Valentine kind.  Click HERE for the full monty.

DANG, the girl is so full of wit and pure fun!

A Muse News: Guest Designer Rhonda Maynard (plus sneak peeks!).

I love a card that engages me--Rhonda's designs always make me feel like a delightfully cheeky banter is going on between the artist and the recipient of the card.  Her personality and wit just shine in each of her designs.  I hope you enjoy the series on her designs this month, as much as I am!

Freckled And Fun: FS100: Her Royal Rubberness!

Freckled And Fun: FS100: Her Royal Rubberness!.

I'm so stoked!  Bethie's such a dear--her fun-loving spirit always makes me smile waaaay big--she cracks me!  I loved her adaptations of those designs.   Go peek at what she did!

*mondo happy sigh*

Sneaky Peeky!

A Muse News: It's Sneak Peek Time Again!.

SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING, SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING, YEAH, YEAH!--Peaches n' Herb

Sometimes, I could just burst--the coming V-day images are just such CUTENESS and FUN I can hardly contain m'self!  For those of you that are lucky enough to have a LSS (Local stamp/scrap store) that carries A Muse near you, they should have received their shipment by now, and you can pop in to ogle and pet 'em first-hand! (I'm a touchy-feely chick, so for me, there's nothing like pettin' the product--I get all giddy-like, and start breathin' heavy, with heart palpitations--the whole 9 yards!  I also tend to shriek happily, which sometimes startles other shoppers in the near vicinity . . . )

I have one more sneak peek to share today, of a design I'll be teaching at my pop-up class down in Seattle this month:

SWEEEEEEET!!!

It's FRIDAY!  YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!  Hope you've got some special rubbah time just for you carved out this weekend--of the stampin' kind, sillies!  You *know* very well what I meant!