Is it time to clean yet?

Oh my goodness! This place is such a mess!
When I had my old office, which was our dining room converted, there was just one desk and counter top to clean up.
Now that I have my dream studio, I have 4 six foot round tables, a desk, and 2 long counter tops. Most normal people look at this as a dream come true. And yes, I LOVE my studio and am NOT complaining. But, when you have all this space, as each available space gets filled up with stuff, I move on to the next empty table. Until it ends up looking like this! LOL!
Now that the holidays are over and the crafting, wrapping, sewing and rushing are over too, I NEED an entire day to clean.
I have many projects to show you and I promise to do so in the very near future. As soon as I get a clean space to take photos.
I hope you all have a SAFE and Happy New Year!
XO, Mimi

It's that time of year again!

Yummy! I love this time of year when there's all kinds of yummy stuff for tasting.
I always make my own version of a peppermint mocha.
This luscious beverage is made with the Donut Shop coffee from the Keurig , a teaspoon of peppermint syrup (Starbucks, of course), 2 teaspoons of hot cocoa mix, topped off with cool whip, green colored sprinkles, peppermint candy and the candy cane is just for the picture. I don't usually put a candy cane in every cup I drink.
Normally, I squirt on the whipped topping because it is so much prettier. However, when I tried to use the can I had in my fridge, it went everywhere. Zoe, my chubby pug, loved it. She even got the little bit that was between my toes. LOL! So, even though this is not as pretty, I must admit that I really do preffer the taste of cool whip over the can stuff!
I think I need to make a trip to William Sanoma or something and get one of those fancy whipped cream makers that we used when I worked at Starbucks. Although, I would also need a bigger wardrobe if that was in my fridge. That would not be pretty!
Well, I think I am going to try my hand at Biscotti making today. My dear friend, Bernice, makes the most wonderful Biscotti and whenever she brings some to share at the studio, I abscond it immediately and hide it for myself. Selfish? Maybe. But it is sooo good.
Anyway, she shared the recipe with me and I will be trying it for the first time today. I am sure it will not be quite as good as her as it will be missing the Bernice love that she adds, but, I will suffer through.
Thank you Bernice!
Thanks for stopping by, XO, Mimi

One more House for the Holidays

This is the last one that I have made. Not sure who is going to get this one yet but I do like how it turned out.
The colors are non-traditional Christmas.
They are fun and playful colors and images.

I hate wrapping paper

Really, for the past several years I have dreaded the whole wrapping paper thing.
Sure, I love a pretty present as much as the next person.
I just dislike the whole, buy the paper, take lots of time wrapping the present, watch the paper get destroyed and tossed in the trash thing.
So, I have decided this year to take a different route.
I went to the store and got a bunch of different pretty holiday fabrics and Maggie and I are going to make pouches with it. This way, instead of it going in the trash and landfills, it becomes part of the gift and can be used or passed on or just give it back to me.
Hey, don't judge me. We all need to try to do what we can, when we can. Besides, it's cool to be green!
XO, Mimi

More Little Houses for the Holidays

This little house is for my 18yo. Daughter.
This will be her first Christmas in her own apartment with her boyfriend.
I want her to have something to look back at and to fill it with pictures of her and her honey and his little boy.
I have been making her little scrapbooks for a very long time and she saves them all with all of the cards that I make her. So, I am sure she will treasure this for a long time too.
Thanks for stopping by. XO, Mimi

Home for the Holidays.

As soon as I saw these adorable little chipboard houses from Maya Road, I knew that I had to make some.
The first one I made is for my Step-Mother. She just moved to Texas to be closer to my Brother and Sister and their brand new babies.
This is exactly what I imagined as soon as I decided to make one.
I stamped around the house with a little Stampin' Up! set, "Over the river and through the woods... to Grandmother's house we go." I envision her filling the little pages with pictures of the family on their first Christmas. I think she will love it.
The roof is covered in green velvet ric rac and the red trim is a crocheted trim. I LOVE it!

The BEST Vacation!

We got home from Alabama on Sunday night and we were so pooped!
I have to say that it was the best vacation I have had in soooo long.
It even topped Key West!

The weather was so nice and cold. It even got down to 32 one morning.
We went 4-wheeling in the woods, shoppin' at the mall and had an awesome Thanksgiving Dinner in the camper.

Milissa cooked everything! And let me tell you, it was fabulous. It was her first time cooking a turkey. They usually fry their turkey but the fryer we got was missing some crucial parts so, at the last minute, we had to put the bird in the oven.

Here are some of the highlights of the trip. I won't bore you with ALL of the photos I took. And I took alot!

What did you do yesterday?

I had a wonderful day yesterday with my friend Mare.
She did hi-lights in my hair. I wanted to get it done before the holidays!
Then, I helped her make a cake for her son. He wanted a skateboard cake.
When I Google searched for pics, this is one I found. He loved it!
So, we did our best to recreate the design for him. I think it turned out awesome!
The wheels are made from fruit roll-ups and the trucks are Pirouettes wrapped in fruit roll-ups.
They will be put on the cake before serving it.
Have a great day! XO, Mimi

Thanksgiving in LA!

Lower Alabama, that is.
We are packing the camper and taking the 4-wheelers and hittin' the road for this holiday. I am so excited to be in the cold weather. Away from home. No amusement parks. No internet. No day to day stuff to worry about.
My dear friend, Milissa, and her family, were going up there and asked if we would like to join them. DUH! Any chance to use the camper and get away with good friends is a good time for me.
One of the things I am most excited about is having our Thanksgiving feast among the forest critters. Doesn't that sound great?!
So, while blurfing, I saw these and immediately started to think of what I could make with what I have. Well, here's my version. I love them!!
I didn't have chalkboard paint so I spray painted (my new favorite thing to do) the large tags with black and then brushed on some acrylic flat black. Worked great!
Didn't have the color flowers I wanted so, I took some Primas I had and sprayed them with some Maya Mists. Voila! You would not believe what these flowers looked like before I sprayed them. I didn't know Prima could make ugly flowers. LOL! Well, ugly no more!
Well, that's all I got for ya today.
If I get all my chores done, maybe I will post some more stuff I have made.
Thanks for stoppin' by! XO, Mimi

WOW! Has it really been that long since my last post?

I can't believe it. The whole month is almost gone.

I wanted to let you all know about some new Martha products at Michaels.

While working, the other day, I saw empty shelves over in the Martha Steward isle. I found myself wandering past several times, in anticipation of what might be going on them. But, time after time all I saw were empty shelves.

My last pass, before clocking out, there it was. Rows and rows of fabulous little glass jars filled with delicious colors. Each one was more alluring than the next. Names like daffodil, fennel, robins egg, swan and chestnut. I had to find out what was in these wonderful little bottles.

To my surprise, it was flocking, glass micro beads, glitter and tinsel glitter. Immediately, ideas started dancing in my head of what I could make with them.

The hardest part was choosing what would come home with me. I decided to try the flocking first. I ended up with four bottles in the colors fennel, robins egg, swan and chestnut.

I have been playing with it but have not make any complete project to show yet. I promise to get something pretty up soon!

Thank you for listening to me today as I rambled on. I hope you have a wonderful day! XO, Mimi

Wall Words from the Cricut!

I have been so into my Cricut lately.
This amazing machine can do so much.
I have only just begun to learn all of it's capabilities.

Today, I made this vinyl verse for on the wall of the studio.
This is so me. Too much of a good thing is wonderful! by Mae West

Thanks for looking. XO, Mimi

I Scrapped!

Actually, I scrapped these pages last month at H2U but I never finished them until this week.

The first one is Maggie using the Cricut to make pictures.
She really is a little pro.
I have even taken her with me to help with demos at
Michaels so the women can see that even an 8 year old can do it.
She is so funny when she answers the questions that the customers ask.
You can tell they are so surprised at how well she knows the machine.

The next page is a funny one of Maggie making breakfast in her roller blades.
I just noticed, when doing the page, that she had pulled all of the charms,
from the Lucky Charms, out of the cereal and ate them separately. Too funny!

Have a great day! XO, Mimi

What's Brewin'?

I have been playing with my Cricut and Design Studio alot lately. I am so inspired by the things that I see being made with the From My Kitchen cartridge that I had to give it a try.

This is a card I made with the coffee pot from "From my Kitchen" and the words are from "Hello Kitty Font". I love how it turned out.

There are so many cute pictures on this cartridge.

Thanks for looking! XO, Mimi

More Birthday Gifts

Man, am I spoiled, or what!? I have some of the best friends in the whole world.
My friend Milissa made me this beautiful card to go along with the new Vintage Labels stamp set from Papertrey Ink. As if that were not enough, her and her husband took Rick and I out to Carrabba's for dinner and then we went to a comedy show. It was such an awesome night!
Remember that I told you that my friend Cecilia was taking me out to play on Friday? Well she surprised me with a Gift Certificate for Strawberry Fields too! We had soooo much fun!!
On top of all that, I got lots and lots of calls and messages from loved ones to wish me a Happy Day.

I really am blesses to have such wonderful friends and family in my life.

I Love my Mummy!

Really, I do love my Mummy and my Mommy.
Lookie at what my Mom gave me for my birthday.
It's a breadbox that I have been eying in her garage for a while now. Yay! Also, the small paper with the Paper Rose Studio is a proof of the sign she is having made for me. I love it! Last but not least, her artwork on a card. She is becoming quite the paper crafter.

The other card is my Mummy. Isn't it so cute!? I got that little cutie from the dollar bin. Had to have him. I heat embossed him and cut him out 3 times and popped up. The dimension is hard to see in the photo but it is awesome IRL. You'll just have to trust me.

Have a happy Monday! XO, Mimi

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

I LOVE Birthdays! I cannot see myself being one of those people who hide their birthday or age from people.
I love having a special day that people take the time to recognize the importance of my existence.
Anyway, I am 44 today. But, I would say that I am mentally 36. That's about the time I stopped aging in my mind.
Besides being recognized, if you are lucky, and I am, you will get cards and gifts too!
The booty is already rolling in. Just Wednesday, I received a beautiful card from my friend Bernice along with a really neat jar cookie mix called "spookies". I love the Halloween colors of m&ms in the mix. Thanks Bernice!
I also got this cute card from one of my dear friends, Pat. I hope that I am as young as she is when I get to be her age. Love you Pat!
And from me, oops, I mean Rick, I got this awesome coffee maker and a sweet variety of coffee, cocoa and tea. Thank you babe. I love you!
Well, this is only the beginning of my special day and I am looking forward to a fun play day with my friend Cecilia.
We are going to Ft. Meyers to check out the local scrap and stamp stores.
Well, I had better go get dressed. I will fill you in tomorrow with what else happens for me today.
Thanks for stoppin' by! XOXO

P.S. for those of you who do not celebrate birthdays, I am sorry...

I'm Back from Texas!

Sorry I have not posted since coming home from Texas. I have been super busy and also dealing with a sinus infection of sorts.
Enough whining.
I had the most amazing visit to Texas. I spent so much time with my baby nieces and nephew that I am going through withdraw.
I also got to help my sister with some crafty projects that she needed done. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of them. But I DID take pictures of the babies! Duh!
While at my brother's, I got to spend a lot of time with my sister-in-law. That was super great since I had only met her one time before and really didn't know her. I am happy to say that I do now.
My brother and sister and their spouses are awesome and I am so proud of what wonderful adults and parents they have become.
I can hardly wait to see them again!
Well, here are a few photos of the angels. That's me with Olivia, me with the twins and me with my brother, sister and Olivia. Have a wonderful Thursday!

Oh, by the way, my baby niece, Olivia, is in some sort of casting call for Baby Gap. If you have the time to register and vote for her, I would be so thankful. The link is HERE. You can vote once daily and after you register, you just sign in to vote. Thanks again for you time!
XO, Mimi

My last Chic Boutique card, for now.

I saved the best for last. This one is my favorite of all of the ones I made. I'm not sure if it's the flower or all of the bling. Maybe both!

Well, I probably won't post again until after I get back in town so, stay sweet. XO, Mimi

Hello, from Texas!

Yeah, another card with the Chic Boutique set. I told you I made several of them.

Have a great day! XO, Mimi

More Coffee with Friends

By now I may be at a Starbucks, having a iced grande vanilla/toffeenut extra milk latte with my sister and brother-in-law and their precious twins Cameron and Noelle.

Hope you gave a wonderful day! XO, Mimi

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

By the time you read this, I should be well on my way to Dallas, Texas to see my sister, brother, their spouses and some sweet babies! I am so excited to see them. It has been a couple years since we last saw each other.
I am going all by myself. No husband, no children, just me. I know I am going to miss the heck out of my wonderful husband and kids but this is time for me to be able to be with my brother and sister and just be ME. Not Mom or wife.
So, the next few posts are scheduled for while I am gone so, don't worry if there is not much "talking" going on. Just cute cards!

I LOVE this card. All of the cups are paper pieced with Basic Grey paper and the sentiment is on top of one of my new label nestabilities. Ther are some pearls on the label too. This card is SO me! LOL!

Have a great day! XO, Mimi