Homegame.... or feeling nostalgic September 1

Posting a bit early, but I just know that I won't have time tomorrow and though it is n't all that late yet, Trouble #1 and #2 are fast asleep.

It's been.... oh, forever since I've been to a Nebraska football game, but I am feeling a bit nostalgic these days. I never understood the fanaticism about Husker football until I actually paid attention and sat at Memorial Stadium. And then... LOVE me some Husker football.

Anyway, today is the season opener, no spectacular opponent, but then... the Huskers haven't really been spectacular either over the last few years, nothing like they under Tom Osborne... just can't top 3 National Championship titles in 4 years (1994, 1995 and 1997).

So, here's a little UTube blip I found. Enjoy.


I still get chills.

Have a good one.

My baby is a first grader!

well... another small sign of life. The pictures from my camera aren't developed yet but we actually managed to get one decent picture from the digi. Here Trouble #2 is on her first day of school, waiting for the performance by the second graders in the gym.



Isn't she just too cute? And she is the tiniest one in her class. One girl is almost as little, but from what I could tell... yeah, she is the tiniest one and that despite her recent growth spurt.

We still have company here and all is going well (for those of you who know and care), so online time is rare. More pictures and LOs next week.

Have a good one.

Guess what

I am holding in my hot little hands?

This little toy: It was delivered yesterday and attributet to my MIL's heavy as a rock suitcase.
And yes, Schulu, Nat and Andrea, I've got yours, too. And the Staz-on.
It is too fun. And super cool. I don't know how I thought it would work, but it is really cool.
Anyway, just wanted to give a sign of life... this week will be super busy with Trouble#2 starting school and company in town.

Have a good one.

Sick of being cute

Between all the end of summer stuff going on I did get one LO done. Again, using an old PaperPosies kit (November 2005) and pictures of Trouble #2 being well... not so cute.



Off to take Trouble #1 to her grandmother's.

Have a good one.

Figured it out

what happened to my mojo, that is.

I haven't had any decent "scrapmusic" in a while. My iPod sat idly on the corner of my desk... no new music to load. So, I had to hit iTunes.

this should get me scrapping, right?





Oh, and it was totally overdue that I got this:


Off I go, have a good one.

wahhhh, my baby is growing up....(or back to school it is)... AND we have a winner!!!

I haven't really felt the urge to scrap these last couple of days. Lots of end of summer stress going on:

*shopping for school supplies (times 2)
*both girls attending a birthday party yesterday
*getting the house picked up and organized a bit (company is coming Monday)
*getting the kids' school clothes sorted (thankfully lots of Trouble #2's clothes still fit the neighbor girl... I was somewhat doubtful initially, #2 is so little and the neighborgirl, though only 4...well, she isn't so little)
*and finally.... time for my "first day of school-crafting". Time for Trouble#2's "Schultüte". She requested a Pegasus/Unicorn, with lots of glitter, and it had to be rearing. Not just plain old unicorn. Well, this is what I came up with. I am pretty darn impressed with myself, I have to say. That darn thing glitters and sparkles, and I haven't quite finished yet, but since a unicorn apparently needs a rainbow (did you know?) I still have to affix the "rainbow of ribbon" you see there behind it somewhere.... to flutter in the wind. LOL. This is what I have so far:




*And my PSA of the day is: do not use high temp glue guns. Or rather, do not shake it when it seems to get plugged because once it loosens, the glue comes-a-flying. Ouch!!! I have a big ole' burn on the back of my left hand. It looks nasty and it hurts.

Other than that... It's Friday night, I am sitting here in my PJs, enjoying a glass of wine.

Oh, I totally forgot, remember that early bird goodiebag we were giving away? No? Oh, come one... check it out HERE Congratulations!

And if you haven't signed up yet for our super fantastic weekend of workshops in Hamburg on the 29-30th of September.... head on over here, too, to check it out. We have loads of fun stuff planned and we'd love to see you there.

Have a good one.

Of all the things to import from the US....

you know, the general opinion of the US here in Germany is not necessarily a good one. I don't know how many times I've had to defend my choice to live in the US for as long as I did and my desire to return as soon as possible. But, it seems Germans can't do with a few American items after all. And of all the things to import, next to the Newmans's dressing (Ranch...yeah, haven't been able to find that anywhere, had to stock up) what do I discover?

Tada!



Now, what on earth does one do with this stuff? According to the packaging, it is typical American, a favorite to spread on hot toast, enjoyed by young and old. It is praised as perfect filling or topping for cakes and other sweets, to add to hot chocolate and coffee, ideal for mixed drinks (?), and to refine fruitsalad. Mmmmmhhhh, I don't know, I lived in the US for 15 years and never once in those years have I seen anyone actually buy this stuff, much less use it... maybe to make fudge, but that's about it. So, did I miss out?

Well.. no matter what the "typical" American does with Marshmallow Fluff, I made 'smores cupcakes. And they are delish!

I found this blog a while ago and she had done 'smores cupcakes. What kept me from trying them was the Fluff! I was stumped as to what I could use as a substitute.

Until today! While aimlessly wandering the mini-mall to look for school supplies and school slippers for Hayden and equally aimlessly wandering into this store that I have a total love-hate relationship with, because it seems that anytime I buy anything there it is total crap...looks good on the hanger, looks good on me when trying it on, decent prices, but bring it home, wear it once, wash it once... total crap, falls apart, loses shape, cannot be seen in public wearing this aweful, crap. The store is always fabulously decorated, their advertisement makes it look totally classy and upscale.... and then! Ughhh. But I digress... they seem to carry food items as well. Don't know how that fits into the whole clothing and interior decorating scheme, but hey, maybe it is a whole "lifestyle" store. Anyway, I found the Fluff, I bought it, I got home, I baked!

As described in Sew Darn Cute, I used Martha's One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe.... can't beat Martha when it comes to basic recipes, and the Sew Darn Cute Frosting (2 sticks of butter, creamed, add 1 pound of powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 16 oz of Fluff). Yummy, yummy, yummy. Wanna see?



So there... are you drooling yet?

Have a good one.

German Journaling

You might have noticed... usually all my journaling is in English. That's what I did when I started scrapping as we were living in the US and were speaking primarily English. When we moved to Germany, I continued to journal in English, because I am more comfortable doing so. But, there is the occasional LO where I recount a conversation with Trouble #1 or #2, or where I quote them... and then it more and more often, ends up being German.

Anyway, this LO, using papers from the February Paper Posies kit and lifting a LO by Cathy Blackstone on pg 87 in the Designing with Paper book, is about a conversation I had with Trouble #2 two days ago. She was terribly upset that her uncle had to leave so quickly and that she didn't get to talk to him as much as she had wanted to. So she said: I don't usually talk to people when I haven't seen them in a while. I don't dare to. Then I only nod my head when I mean yes or no. I think I am shy!



Other than that, I am working on a mini album for my neighbor. He is having a birthday party tomorrow and a local wine store and I am actually planning on going. Yeah. But, what do you give a man for his 60th birthday when you don't really know anything about him other than that he sold you your house and that him and his wife are lovely neighbors? So I asked his wife for a few pictures of her husband from childhood to now and I am putting together a little album. I hope he likes it. But, of course, I procrastinated and am just now working on it. Long night ahead of me, which really isn't good, because tomorrow Trouble #1 & #2 and I are heading into the city to pick up my lovely friend Nat and we are heading over to Scrapbook-King to pick up the materials for our Workshop Weekend in September. Yikes. It is getting close. I better get my samples into presentable shape to post some teasers.

Well, off to work some more.
Have a good one.

Last one... I promise

I am tired of these papers, so I finally put them away. There is still a bit left over, but it's enough for now. Last LO with papers from the January PP kit, a lift of Lisa Russo's LO on pg 71 in Designing with Paper.


Other than that, it's been a really shitty day, and that already before noon. Ughhh.

Anyway, I am off to do something fun with Trouble#1 and #2. Have a good one.

Paper Posies January 07

I am on a roll here... I am down to bits and pieces of the January 07 Paper Posies Kit. 5 LOs and I seem to remember (but am too lazy to confirm right now) that I had already done two or three LOs with this kit, and I have enough left over for probably another three or so. 10 LOs from one kit, not too shabby right?

So, without further ado, here are 4 more LOs, all using the January 07 Paper Posies kit, and all lifts (more or less) of LOs in {Designing with paper}. I lifted Cathy Blackstone (pg 9), Renee Camacho (pg 17), Nia Reddy (pg 19) and Barriscale (pg 24), in that order.





Have a good one.

Another LO

I am feeling completely uninspired, but since I just got my copy of Designing with Paper I decided not only was I going to use up old kit paper but also lift, lift, lift LOs out of this book. I am tired of buying ideabooks and only looking at them once and never again. What's the point?

So, here#s my first lift (Lisa Russo pg 62) using PP from the January 07 PaperPosies Kit.


Have a good one.

More Layouts

Happy Sunday to you all.

In my quest to use up some old paper... this is what I came up with. All the paper is from PaperPosies kits, from November and December 2005, and February 2006. Enjoy.





Have a good one.

Wedding cake update

Lousy pictures... I forgot my camera, had to put the cake into the cooler and come back with my camera later, but here they are.

Using up old stuff and more randomness

Just a quick LO, using up some old stuff. I got this in October of 2005 in a PaperPosies Kit. Love the PP, but cannot seem to use it up.


Other than that, I am up to my eyeballs in cake and buttercream for a wedding later this afternoon. I got the new cake platters and pillars and I think it is going to look nice. The couple wanted a tall cake, even though it is only going to serve about 50. But, I think they are going to get "tall". Pictures later tonight.

The weather is crappy, drizzle, grey, fairly cool. But, look on the bright side, I don't have to worry about the cake melting. BTDT. I think that is a nightmare any wedding cake baker has... the melting cake! I had made this beautiful three tier square basket weave cake. White cake, raspberry filling, white chocolate buttercream frosting. Gorgeous, if if I may say so. Anyway, the wedding was at the couple's lovely Omaha home, but on 4th of July weekend. HOT, HOT, HOT! And the bride insisted on real buttercream and wasn't turning on the AC. So, with the AC blazing in my car, I got the cake there in one piece. I got it set up in one piece but it was starting to melt. And, as I was getting back into my car... the groom came running. "The cake is falling!". Ughhh. With the heavy basket weave frosting, and the heat, it was just sliding off the cake. Well, I managed to get it put back together without it turning into too much of a disaster, but I got back into my car VERY QUICKLY and got the heck out of there, before anything else happened.

Other than that, the interview went well, I think. It was only the first round of interviews, so I don't want to push my luck, but I could really USE some luck. So... please do keep your fingers crossed that this pans out.

Have a good one. Off to set up the cake.

Wish me luck

totally not scrap (or shoe) related, but if you could cross your fingers for me tomorrow morning, I would greatly appreciate it. I have a job interview at 10am in the city. It's the first interview in ages and I really, really want this job.

Off to iron my suit and prepare for the morning.

Have a good one.

That's it, folks!

for Stylin' Idol, that is. I didn't make it into the final 5, but that's okay. It was fun while it lasted, but in the end.... it's okay, time to move on.

With that said, here are a couple of LOs I got done yesterday. I am trying to go through some old kits and use up some old, and I mean OLD, paper.





Have a good one.

THE best In-laws and other random events

Just wanted to state that.... MIL for shopping and listening and just being fabulous even though we have butted heads and personalities in the past and the last three years definitely haven't been easy and FIL for being a good sport about MIL shopping all the time and going to the post office and mailing these heavy packages without grumbling... okay, without LOUD grumbling, because he grumbles a lot, but that is okay, fathers are supposed to do that. So, before I get too sentimental and mushy, love ya to bits.

And, in case you are wondering what was in the package? Remember my post about shoes? Well, MIL had sent the teal wedge sandals a few weeks ago, because they matched an outfit she'd bought for me. And today the other two pairs came. Yeah. But, she also sent scrapping goodies like lots of Love Elsie stuff, a new paper cutter, bunches of ribbon and these cute, cute tailored tags. Oh, and see those two fabulous purses? I love purses.



Other than that, I did get my Scrapologie kit. Unlike the box from the ILs, which took an amazing 5 days to get here, this one took 3 weeks, even without hitting customs. In it were this book:
which I can't believe I haven't read before. LOVE IT.
And this one by the fabulous Teresa McFayden.
I knew Teresa when she was still teaching stamping classes at this little stamp shop that used to be in Bellevue, and when she still had her little TV show about scrapping... I think it was on on Saturday mornings. Way before she even created Foof-a-La and had the Foof-a-La store in Omaha on West Center and before ..... Well, let's just say it's been a long time and she has come a long way. Her style isn't like anything I do, but I love looking at her creations and all the pretty things she comes up with.

Well, today is the last day of camp and Kindi for Trouble#1 and #2. They'll be out of school for 3 weeks before Trouble#1 starts second grade and #2 will be a first grader. No,no, no, my baby cannot start first grade yet! She is starting school a year early, but she is soooo ready. She's been teaching herself to read and she's almost as good as Trouble #1. She got her school bag yesterday, and if you are not familiar with German school bags... they are not your typical backpacks. They are rather big and bulky. I ended up buying a little trolley for her to pull her bag on. She is just so little. From the back it looked like a ginormous backpack on legs.

Anyway, have a good one.

5. round Stylin' Idol

well, it is finally up on the site, so I can post here as well. This is my LO for the 5th round of the Stylin' Idol contest. So far so good. I did something totally out of my comfort zone and was feeling downright "freestylish". Hope you like it.



If you'd like to vote for my LO again, click right here. The other LOs can be seen here.

For this LO I used Delta Ceramcoat as well as MM acrylic paint. I created the
background with a "peeled paint technique", whereby I covered the CS with one color (red), then covered it in modpodge, then in vaseline, then the second color (light blue). After everything was dry, I removed the light blue paint by washing it off. It comes off everywhere where the vaseline covered the paint below. Does that make sense? After that, I used a Heidi Swapp mask to create the flowers with dark blue acrylic paint. I also stamped the title with acrylic paint, using L'il Davis stamps. So,there's the three different paint colors. I also painted the chipboard flowers with the red and light blue acrylic paint, and then "blinged" it up a bit with stickles and liquid pearls. That covers the dimensional aspect. I also used stickles around the photo. Other materials used: masking tape, scrapworks rub on letters, hambly overlays, button and metal "doodad"... I have no idea what that metal ring is called that is around the button.

Here are some more detail pictures.





Have a good one.

Fluff post: Hear those wedding bells?

no, no.... not mine. Don't even go there. But I was asked to create another wedding guest book, as well as make the wedding cake. Yeah! And double Yeah, because I managed to find separator plates and pillars here in Germany and they were delivered today, in time for the wedding next week. So far I have been using (custom made, mind you) glass platters, which look nice but meant that the different cakes had to sit right on top of each other. No decorating in between, no achieving additional height by using pillars. And now, I had a couple who really only needed a small cake (50 people max) but wanted height! And I can get it done! I know, I know, not really earth shattering, but since weddings here in Germany are usually not as large scale as in the US, it is hard to justify an impressive looking wedding cake, when you really only need a limited number of servings. So, stay tuned for pictures next week.

Now, for you German readers, I do have to ask... I am used to brides micromanaging their weddings. Here, so far, one wedding cake was ordered by the bride, but she pretty much told me how many servings she needed and that was it. Two of the wedding cakes were gifts by friends/co-workers to the couple. Is that the norm? I cannot imagine an American bride letting someone else make a monumental decision like what kind of cake to order. Silly, I know, but maybe I shouldn't be marketing myself to prospective brides, but to people who might order the cake for a friend? So, what are your thoughts on this oh so important topic?

And, since we are speaking of wedding cake, I actually did a LO about wedding cake.



Have a good one.