Babsarella's Pocketful of Sunshine

Someone is having a BIG BIRTHDAY...

  And it isn't me (cuz I don't have birthdays anymore). Yepper, Mr. Mark hits that BIG half-century mark TODAY!!

Bet you didn't know you could put something glittery on a manly-man card. I found these accents that were just the perfect color and add a little pizzaz to this card. Of course, you probably won't want to put glittery accents on manly-man cards all the time, but on that EXTRA SPECIAL DAY, I like to pull out all the stops!!

Notice the spinner and the 'S' significant coin?? I got these goodies at Stampfest. I also used some grungeboard for the 'M' and a few of the techinques I learned to make the pretty background on the tag.

Oh, and I used the 'M' stamp and the 'S' accent because they are the initals of the BIRTHDAY BOY!!

I had such a fun time just playing with Distress inks, Dabber paints, Perfect Pearls, and new stamps. I even used my craft sheets, which made working and clean up really easy. I need to remember to use more of these techinques and try to find ways to expand on them.  I made a few other cards and tags which I will share soon...(gotta focus on the BIRTHDAY BOY dontcha know).

Just wanted to mention I also saw a few movies...The Groomsmen was a nice film about a guy that is getting married to his pregnant girlfriend in a few days. The groom-to-be and all his buddies do guy stuff (golf, softball, bars) leading up to the big day. Of course each of the guys is also dealing with some sort of issue that he has to work through. It was kinda intresting, but not great. Next up, Mark and I watched Into The Wild. I only knew about this because Hal Holbrook was nominated for a best supporting actor award. The film is about a guy who graduates from college and then decides to head off on an adventure with no money or possessions (and having no contact with his family), trying to survive. He winds up in the Alaskian wilderness and there are many backtracks in order to see how he gets to the present. It was good, yet a little sad and disturbing.

Hope you had a great Monday...It was hard going back to work after a 3 day weekend!!! Miss B is enjoying her time in Dallas (she has been calling regularly). Catch ya soon!!!

A Little Bit of This and That...

Well, I finally got a chance to photograph and upload my photos, so I can show you a few things I finished recently...

First up are the eggs I started way back before Easter. I finished quite a few then, but had 2 others painted and glittered, just waiting for some finishing touches...

  Above is the top of the egg, and here is the front view...

  And here is the front of the green one...

  And the top...

I have quite a few packages of the eggs I picked up after Easter, so I will be making more next year. I really love trying to make each one a little unique. I especially love the white flowers I used on top of them. I would love to find some more, but since they are vintage it may be a difficult task.

  I also wanted to share the little project I made in my class at the Stamp Shack. We used distress inks on the backround of the canvas panel. The frames and tags are made from chipboard which has been given a distressed finish.

  Here you can get a little closer look. I added a few of my own things, such as the watch pieces, vintage text, and button. My biggest challenge is how to finish it off. I was hoping to frame it, but of course it is too thick for the frame I had. I may break down and pay to have it framed, but I was also thinking of attaching it to an old book cover, and then adding ribbon for hanging. I like that idea, but I am not sure of the best way to attach the canvas to the book cover. Any ideas??? Maybe gel medium???

I am happy to report that all the little scrapbooks are finished and ready for Miss B to give to her friends. Last evening, I got a chance to do a bit of experimenting in PSElements. Experimenting takes LOTS of time, at least for me anyway. I am pretty happy with the results, but of course I ran out of time to copy them off to a disk. I promise to share them soon. One thing I can say though, I could spend a way too much time tweaking photos rather than working on other projects. I sure could use a few more hours in my day!!

I finally finished Audition by Barbara Walters. I really enjoyed this biography and must say she has worked so very hard for all that she has accomplished and lead such an interesting life.

We found time to watch the movie Jumper last night, and have to say I was not thrilled. It did not get very good reviews when it was in the theaters, and I can see why. All the jumping from place to place was tiresome, and I did not like the ending. I hate when the movie ends and you are scratching your head thinking "that's it?". This was one of those movies. I don't find fault with the cast though, I  just think the story could have been better. Oh well, I can't like them all. Hopefully I will choose a better one next time.

Almost forgot to tell you...found a HUGE snake in my backyard this morning when I took Miss 4 legged B out for her morning bathroom break. Scared the crap outta me. I am just glad I saw it in the daylight. I was in a hurry to get Miss B to her class, so I came back to see if the snake was still there (I was hoping it was dead), but it was gone. Not sure if that is a good thing or not. Now I am kinda scared to take her out there in the dark. I am usually just worrying about toads. DRAT.

Hope you are having a great week. I am looking forward to the weekend already. Now I just hope that the weather cooperates! We have been getting tons of rain.

Same ole, same ole...

Sometimes I think 'same ole, same ole' is pretty good. Gives me a chance to just slow down, which is a good thing (and kinda what Summertime is for)...as long as I don't fall asleep. I am still working on the last scrapbook for Miss B's friend. I planned to complete it by the end of last week, but it just didn't happen. And that is OK, because there is no deadline looming. I'm hoping to jump back into working on it this evening. Since it is another basketball evening, I won't have to feel guilty for not spending time with Mark. So, you might ask...'what have you been doing?'. Well, as usual, the weekend just got totally away from me. I did get a chance to hang out with the new driver and her teacher. Things are going well, but I don't thing we will be on the freeway anytime soon. Of course Saturday I had to wrap all the Father's Day gifties, and you would be surprised at how long that takes. But, they did turn out mighty pretty, yet manly. Even Mark noticed how much detail went into the wrapping. Cool. He was also happy with all his goodies too...socks, shirts, Indiana Jones DVD collection, and of course a paperweight. Oh, and a handmade card. He also enjoyed Miss B's gifts too...SNL best of Chris Farley DVD, which we watched and enjoyed immensly.

In addition to all the Father's day festivities, I managed to watch quite a few flicks...The Other Boleyn Girl, Mad Money, The Bucket List, and The Astronaut Farmer. The Other Boleyn Girl was slightly different from the book, but of course had the same outcome. I think the book was much better because you could really get a feel for the devious and self-centered nature of Anne and how the family really used the girls to try and achieve fame and fortune. Overall, it was enjoyable. Mad Money was cute, but certainly not terrific. Much better as a rental than to fork over $10 to see it in the theater. The Bucket List was Mark's choice, but we all watched it and liked it quite a bit. The Astronaut Farmer was also a nice movie. Good for kids and lots of lessons regarding trying to achieve your dreams and the price that sometimes must be paid in doing so.

Well, that's about all for now. Hope all is well and you are having a Happy Tuesday!

Movin and groovin...

Hello Bloggers! Happy Wednesday to you!!

Not a whole lot new since my last post, but wanted to share another card I made last week. I gave this to Lynn at the Stamp Shack to use for a sample since she sells the cute little face stamp, as well as the background papers. I puchased a few stamps way back before Christmas, and never had a chance to use them until now. The body stamp is from Character Constructions, and I was quite happy with how well it worked! Of course, that is what I was hoping for when I puchased this head stamp.

Just another view...oh, and in case you can't read the text, it says "Mary was an odd, determined little person", which I thought worked quite well with her expression.

Miss B seems to be settling in on the driver's ed class, and she is getting quite a bit of car time.

Mark is happy that his beloved Lakers finally won their game last evening. I've been busy busy busy getting prepared for a big project going in at work. I've also been putting together some cute little mini-albums for Miss B and her beach buddies to remember the weekend. It has been a REALLY LONG time since I scrapbooked. I have been having a fun time, but trying to do a quick and simple book, and not obsessing over the perfect paper and embellishments. I'm also not having to do any journaling (but added some areas for the girls to journal their thoughts), so that keeps things moving. The first book is now complete, and I am using it as a guide for the others since most have the same photos.

Last evening we finally watched the last of the movies I rented the week before. This one was called The Savages and was up for 2 Academy Award nominations. The plot revolves around a middle aged brother and sister who must now care for their Dad who was not really a great parent and who has dementia and has to go into a nursing home. I must say that the acting was superb, and ultimately I liked the film. It is definitely not for everyone, and at times was hard to watch. Especially if you have someone who is in or has been in a nursing home, or are dealing with a family member with dementia. I think that what clenched the movie for me was the ending. I just could not imagine what would happen and had no expectations or ideas. I was pleasantly and happily surprised.

Hope you are having a great week...see ya real soon....

So much for a relaxing summer...

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, but I have really been on-the-go. So much for kickin back!

Thought I would share a few more cards I created recently..

I had an extra image from another project, so thought I would use him in a little card.

And another using more stuff that was hanging around on or near my desk. I am quite bad about cleaning up my work area, so I always seem to have many bits and pieces laying around.

Saturday I took a class at the Stamp Shack and had a fun time. We added color to canvas using distress inks, and then we learned how to distress chipboard pieces to look like metal. Cool stuff. I finished my canvas at home, but have not yet photographed it so I can share. I promise I will though. It was so nice to take the class and be around other creative people. Now that I have my Saturdays back, I hope to do a bit more of that.

I managed to catch a few movies too. Thursday I rented P.S. I Love You. Very nice and sweet film. Friday Miss B and I saw Baby Mama. Such a hoot, and just what we expected. We laughed a lot. On Saturday, I finally saw Sex in the City and it was AWESOME!!! Loved everything about it!!! Since we saw the early movie, had time to come home and watch another rental, Music Within. Lovely film about the man who worked to create the Americans with Disabilities Act. Most enjoyable.

I started working on some mini-scrapbooks for Miss B and her friends using the photos we took on Memorial Weekend. It is a fun project, where I am mostly just matting photos and adding them and a few embellishments and blank areas to journal. I hope the girls will like them and take the time to write some thoughts about their weekend at the beach. My goal is to get them finished by the end of the week.

Hope your weekend was terrific and your week is starting off well. And depending where you live, hope you are staying cool and/or dry!! 

Summer celebration and a card...

Hello fellow bloggers!! Hope you enjoyed the little guest host yesterday. It's about that time of the year when we can all start to kick back and get in a more relaxed frame of mind...at least it is that way in the Smith household. I love that there is less rushing around, although we still have some due to a driver's ed class and dance classes. But it is not so high pressure, and that is a very good thing!

 First up, I wanted to share one of the cards I recently made. In case you can't read the tag on this card..."Flowers and Children bloom when showered with love". How true. Just playing around with bits and pieces...having fun while still trying to be productive. I thought this would make a cute new baby card, but it could also just be a fun notecard.

Speaking of babies...mine is finally finished with 9th grade and doin the happy dance. The SUMMER HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!!! No homework and no exams for a while has put her in quite a good mood. Let's hope it continues after the report card comes home (although I am certainly not worried about her grades). The past 3 days have been pretty challenging for her cramming for finals and trying to remember 6 months worth of information. She has also been helping to collect and sort books after school for some additional service hours. As an added bonus, she was able to secure copies of all her books for next year's classes so she will not have to bring home any to study. Another reason to celebrate!!

We did take a little break last evening and watched Lars and the Real Girl. It was cute and quirky. A fun watch, but probably not for everyone. Miss B and I enjoyed it, but Mark, who came in maybe halfway through, did not. Then again, we frequently have different opinions about what constitutes a good movie.

Happy Thursday and I hope you are starting your Summer celebration too!!!

Change is frequently not a good thing....

Lately I have been inundated with change. Being a creature of habit, I frequently find change quite challenging. With all the changes in Typepad recently, seems I am not alone in my frustrations. I made quite a lovely post on Friday (or was it Saturday????) and when I hit save...it disappeared into the deep depths of who knows where. So annoying. But, I persevered and rewrote the thing again...saving early into the post so as not to completely waste my time yet again. Note to self...save early, save often.

So, if this was not bad enough, we now have a new instant messaging system at work AND a new ticketing system for changes and problems. Now I will say that I, and pretty-much everyone I talked to, complained about our old ticketing system which was seriously NOT user friendly, but I finally could quickly create a new change ticket and update a trouble ticket if I knew the number. Now there are all sorts of things to fill in, and although there are drop-down selections, when there are more than 500 things to choose from it becomes quite challenging. Luckily, I managed to get my first ticket opened. I see a pretty steep learning curve for this process. But I will keep my fingers crossed that once I learn some of the idiosyncrasies, I will be more adept at this new system. Till then....pfffffttt.

Of course, you didn't really come over here to listen to me whining about change now, did you? Course not...you dropped by to see pretty things and see what treasures I uncovered at the flea market on Saturday. So, with out further ado...

Some old books...

This photo shows the inside of the Friendship book....look at the pretty graphics along with the text...

And there were even some handwritten notes....I think this will be great to use in collages and cards. The blue book wasn't as pretty inside, but I know that the pages will make good backgrounds, and I loved the cover. Making collages on book covers is on my TO DO LIST (along with a bazillion other things).

Now this was a serious deal...all three for $1!

And this....this is my favorite find of the day (I think). All handmade with sweet little flowers. I got it for $2!!! I love it. I have no idea where I will use it, but I love it. Hmmm...maybe in a cute spring themed collage.

Next up...a bit o bling. The rhinestone chain is LONG. The rosary is quite old, and the bracelent...well the rhinestone rondells were awesome, so I cut it apart and gave the blue beads to Miss B to use in some of her beading projects.

More pretty bits and pieces. I think they were in the $1 box of the vendor with the pieces in the above photo.

Next up...found these treasures at the first vendor I checked out. The spoons are small. I think maybe for a baby. But...what you can't see is that they have some monograms on them. One is pretty ornate and very pretty, but the other is a 'B'. Couldn't pass that one up. I am thinking of using them in a collage or maybe try my hand at making an altered spoon. I have seen some online and they are pretty cool. The other pieces are to use in jewelry-making.

Last, but certainly not least....I had gone through all the rooms, but decided to make one last look around. I am so glad I did. Found all these amazing vintage treasures for $1 each. It is kind of hard to see, but there are sweater guards (great for hanging collages), earrings, pins, and necklaces. Just what I was hoping to find and at just the right price!!! It was a morning well spent, and I will certainly be going to the next big flea market at the senior center!

In addition to my flea market adventure, I was able to create a few cards (which I will show later in the week) and watch a few movies. On Saturday, I saw The Assination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford. Hmmm. Not my kinda movie. Lots of talking and a bit slow for my taste. On Sunday, I watched Off The Black. I liked this much better. It dealt with a baseball coach becoming a father figure to a teen and teaching him lessons of life. Oh, and the coach had a bulldog that was seriously cute as can be. (That could have swayed my opinon a teensy bit). Not heavy drama, but touching and enjoyable.

Well, gotta run...hope you had a great weekend and you are not struggling with too many changes.

Simple Pleasures....

Looking forward to the weekend is one of life's simple pleasures. Especially where there are no rigid plans and all sorts of possibilities. Now that there are no Saturday dance classes for me to worry about, I suddenly have way more free time, and I am quite excited about that. The big challenge is trying to figure out what I want to do for fun, which is not such a bad thing at all!!

This weekend, I am planning to check out the flea market at the senior center on Saturday morning. Now I am not usually eager to get up early on Saturday since it is my only day to sleep in, but once I discovered that the antique shows there are pretty terrific, I figured it was worth checking it out. One of the vendors I have purchased from at the antique shows will be there, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will be lucky enough to uncover some treasures.

In addition to the flea market, I am planning to watch a few movies. I am really excited about seeing the new Sex in the City movie. The previews looked great! I also picked up a few movies from Blockbuster earlier in the week that I also plan to watch. Last evening I watched A Good Woman, which was enjoyable but not great. I did love the scenery and costumes. It was set in the 1930's in Italy. Rich Americans and Brits having parties, sharing gossip, and living the good life. Ahhhh to dream!

I was actually hoping to be taking some classes with Tim Holtz on Saturday at a semi-local scrapbook store, but alas, I have not moved off the wait list. bummer. Anyhoo, not to be deterred by my interest in taking classes (now that I have some free Saturdays), I have signed up for this class next weekend at The Stamp Shack. I am looking forward to learning new techinques and sharing ideas with other creative people. I am also planning to check out the sample for