52 Things in 2010 Review

Well, I can't believe how fast 2010 has flown by. In some ways, I'm very happy to see the end of 2010 in order to hopefully move on to better and happier things in 2011. On the other hand, I look at my list and wish there was more time. However, the beginning of 2011 has started off rocky... with a severe stomach virus, no food for 60 hours, and having to say good-bye to the Scooter kitty.

The last 6 months have been both great, hellish, sad, painful and tiring. They have contained a wonderful vacation to England with my husband, some health issues, an accident with a DC metro escalator, a fall off a ladder while painting the basement, a broken oven during Thanksgiving and a car accident. There have been days that I have just felt like pulling the covers over my head and going back to bed.

My absence from baking, crafting, and blogging has not gone unnoticed by me and I truly feel unbalanced when I don't have a chance to do the things that calm and center me. I've been trying to stay positive through these last few months, but it seems difficult when the things that bring me comfort are stacked in boxes and shoved in a corner. Yes, the craft room is still out of commission, but we are getting closer. It is my #1 priority. I'm waiting on help to hang the last shelf so I can start moving things back into place...so I 'm very much hoping to have pictures soon.

I thought I'd share my final update on my 2010 list. I'm still debating if this helped or hindered me in accomplishing my goals, so a list for 2011 is still up in the air....maybe I just need to make a more realistic list (consider item #1 had 52 things on it alone).

I want to wish all my readers a safe, productive, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A key to understand my progress:

Strike through = completed
Blue = partially completed
Italics = in progress
Normal = not started
Red = didn't complete

For me
1. Make a list of 52 desserts to make and blog about in 2010. Attempt to bake/blog once a week. (8/52) - I did not do nearly as well as I had wished with this, but I actually did bake a few more things on my list but did not blog them for one reason or another.

Mint Chocolate Truffle Tart Grand Marnier Souffle Beignets Citrus Chiffon Pie Crepes Caramels Strawberry Tart with Orange Cream Butter Pecan Ice Cream Olive Oil Gelato with Balsamic Strawberries Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sugar Plum Candies Cheesecake with Stout Sauce Pecan Pumpkin Butter Triffle Raspberry Rose Vanilla Cream Cake Choux with Grand Marnier Mousseline Marshmallows Raspberry Mousse Tartelettes

Apple Cider Pound Cake Peach Creme Caramel Lemon Crumb Cake Tea Glazed Biscuit Cookies Lemon Cream Cookies Lemon Pistachio Shortbread Rice Pudding Poached Pears Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes French Silk Pie Macarons Chai Bread Plum tart Madelines Vanilla Zabaglione Peanut Chocolate Tart Chocolate Souffle Gooey Butter Cake

Bananas Foster Cakes Lemon Basil Lemon Tartlettes Strawberry Thyme Shortbread Citrus & White Tea Jelly Pistachio & Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes Yogurt & Brown Sugar Cake Pate de Fruit Rhubarb Cheese Bars Roasted Apples & Vanilla Bean Souffle Pomegranate White Tea & Honey Ginger Yogurt Verrines Cinnamon Caramel Mousse Roasted Glazed Peaches Vanilla Brown Butter & Almond Cake w/custard filling Panna cotta Pot de creme Spiced Plum Compote w/Plum Pit Cream Bread Pudding

2. Organize and maintain tags in Google Reader and Delicious.
3. Plant a garden.
4. Make and can tomato sauce (hopefully with tomatoes from my garden) .
5. Lose 20 pounds.
6. Walk 2 times per week. (1/52)
7. Lift weights 1 time per week.
8. Start an etsy shop.
9. Sign up for at least one craft fair.
10. Participate in a Photography Project365. (0/365)
11. Get a new hair style/cut.
12. Rent 10 movies you've wanted to see.
13. Complete name changing process.
14. Get new passport with new last name.
15. Make and start using reusable shopping bags everywhere, not just grocery shopping.
16. Read 5 books. (5/5)

 The Friday Night Knitting Club (Kate Jacobs),
Knit Too (Kate Jacobs),
Comfort Food (Kate Jacobs),
Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert),
On The Edge: My Story (Richard Hammond)

17. Take a crocheting/knitting class.
18. Make Ireland scrapbook.
19. Finish decorating my craft room.

For Steve and me
20. Complete Tshirt quilt for Steve.
21. Go to 5 new non-chain restaurants. - Steve reminded me that while I did not eat at many non-chain restaurants at home, I did eat at new non-chain restaurants while we vacation in England. It counts...sort of. :)
22. Go see 5 movies in the theater.

    Valentine's Day

23. Go camping.
24. Go to a Capitals hockey game.
25. Go to a DC United soccer game.
26. Take a long weekend vacation.
27. Take a picture of Steve and myself (and the kitties) once a month.
28. Save 3 months of expenses.
29. Schedule a financial planning consultation.

For the house
30. Clean out front hall closet.
31. Sew couch covers. - Since it took me about 4 months to chose paint colors for the basement, I'm still working on making a decision on fabric. I'm going broke on fabric samples though.
32. Make picture collage for stairwell.
33. Buy/make new curtains for living room.
34. Purchase and hang new blinds for the dinning room.
35. Purchase/make new curtains for dining room and kitchen.
36. Design/build/assemble closet organization system for master bedroom. - We were planning on purchasing some items from Ikea, but they recently changed their dimensions and it no longer works in our closet. So, it's back to the drawing board, but something has to be done soon.
37. Repaint master bathroom. - We have decided that we're going to be renovating the master bathroom next year (we're aiming for September), so we've decided to put this on hold and have been working on painting the basement in addition to my craft room.
38. Paint/decorate guest bedroom.
39. Repaint and change hardware on front door.
40. Hang Christmas lights.
41. Schedule and set up a yard sale.
42. Get broken window fixed.
43. Install new thermostat.
44. Fix leak in front door.
45. Purchase nut for yellow vacuum.
46. Purchase case for and organize misc screws, nuts, etc.
47. Set up coupon organization system.

For others
48. Complete Tshirt quilt for Lauren.
49. Host a holiday party.
50. Host a cookout/dinner party.
51. Send random cards to 5 people.
52. Send a birthday card to everyone on my birthday calender.

52 in 2010 Quarterly Update

Well, my second quarter post did not happen, but that has given me the chance to look like I'm accomplishing more. I've resigned myself to the fact that I won't get everything on my list done, but the list has been so helpful in motivating me to get things done.

July threw a wrench in my baking plans, but I've mentally made a new list of my priority items that I want to make, so stayed tuned for more updates. Before leaving for England, I was able to harvest many of my tomatoes and canned a few quarts of tomato sauce. I'm very interested in learning more about canning, so I'm excited for next year's garden. Here is the latest treat to come out of my kitchen.


I'm quite surprised by the progress on one of my items...I pretty much wrote the "Read 5 books" thinking that I would not even come close to accomplishing this. As much as I want to read, I get frustrated at how slow I am...my reading comprehension has always been bad and I find myself rereading paragraphs over and over because I get distracted somewhere in the middle and don't really read the words. However, in England I started reading a book that I purchased on a whim over a year ago. I really got into it and finished reading it while waiting for my flight home. The first day I was home I rushed to the bookstore to buy more books by the author.

The first three books I read are by Kate Jacobs. I found The Friday Night Knitting Club while perusing the books at Costco over a year ago and threw it in my suitcase just in case I was bored while Steve was playing on his laptop in the evenings. I didn't start reading until the last 3 days in London, but once I started, I couldn't stop. The characters developed quickly and I was very attached. There was definitely a twist in the plot that I was NOT expecting and I must have looked like a nut case in the London airport (don't want to explain why, it might give something away). The second book, Knit Too, picks up with the characters five years later and continues the stories of the women of the Friday Night Knitting Club.


The third book, Comfort Food, is a completely different book with new characters, but I just had to read it since it had something to do with food. I enjoyed this one as well, maybe not as much as the other two since it seems a little forced, but that didn't determine me from flying through it.


The fourth book I read was Eat, Pray, Love. By now, most people have at least heard of the movie. I have yet to see the movie but I did enjoy the book very much. It was very interesting learning about her experiences with religions I'm not familiar with and it was eye-opening and intriguing and definitely made me think. I've heard mixed reviews about the movie, but I'm very curious how they adapted the book for mainstream America, so I'm hoping to see it as soon as possible.

Since Steve returned from England, we've been working on the house quite a bit. We got the broken window fixed and have made serious progress in decorating my craft room. Steve and I spent one weekend making some floating shelves and I'm trying to decide paint colors for them now. Last weekend, we took the opportunity to prime the shelves and I spray-painted some paper storage that was black and just wouldn't work in the new room. I'm going with a yellow and blue scheme and we have purchased the paint, but of course now I'm having second thoughts as I'm concerned how we will coordinate the rest of the basement. I'm hoping to have pictures of the progress soon, as I think I'm going to take a leap and start painting this weekend.

So, that's a pretty good summary of the last couple of months. I did sign up for a second craft fair in October, so I better finish this craft room soon, as I have a lot of Christmas cards to make. I realize that this is a craft blog and I haven't been crafting very much, but I'm hoping that I can start to produce a few items this weekend.

So, on to the list.

A key to understand my progress:

Strike through = completed
Blue = partially completed
Italics = in progress
Normal = not started
Red = didn't complete

For me
1. Make a list of 52 desserts to make and blog about in 2010. Attempt to bake/blog once a week. (8/52)

Mint Chocolate Truffle Tart Grand Marnier Souffle Beignets Citrus Chiffon Pie Crepes Caramels Strawberry Tart with Orange Cream Butter Pecan Ice Cream Olive Oil Gelato with Balsamic Strawberries Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sugar Plum Candies Cheesecake with Stout Sauce Pecan Pumpkin Butter Triffle Raspberry Rose Vanilla Cream Cake Choux with Grand Marnier Mousseline Marshmallows Raspberry Mousse Tartelettes

Apple Cider Pound Cake Peach Creme Caramel Lemon Crumb Cake Tea Glazed Biscuit Cookies Lemon Cream Cookies Lemon Pistachio Shortbread Rice Pudding Poached Pears Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes French Silk Pie Macaroons Chai Bread Plum tart Madelines Vanilla Zabaglione Peanut Chocolate Tart Chocolate Souffle Gooey Butter Cake

Bananas Foster Cakes Lemon Basil Lemon Tartlettes Strawberry Thyme Shortbread Citrus & White Tea Jelly Pistachio & Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes Yogurt & Brown Sugar Cake Pate de Fruit Rhubarb Cheese Bars Roasted Apples & Vanilla Bean Souffle Pomegranate White Tea & Honey Ginger Yogurt Verrines Cinnamon Caramel Mousse Roasted Glazed Peaches Vanilla Brown Butter & Almond Cake w/custard filling Panna cotta Pot de creme Spiced Plum Compote w/Plum Pit Cream Bread Pudding

2. Organize and maintain tags in Google Reader and Delicious.
3. Plant a garden.
4. Make and can tomato sauce (hopefully with tomatoes from my garden) .
5. Lose 20 pounds. - I'm actually about half way there. England was very good to my waist line as we did a lot of walking and I've managed to keep all of it off. I'm hoping as the weather cools a bit more, I'll be more motivated to go for walks with Steve.
6. Walk 2 times per week. (1/52)
7. Lift weights 1 time per week.
8. Start an etsy shop.
9. Sign up for at least one craft fair.
10. Participate in a Photography Project365. (0/365)
11. Get a new hair style/cut.
12. Rent 10 movies you've wanted to see.
13. Complete name changing process - Steve and I decided to refinance so this is helping me get in gear. This is helping me change the name on the deed which I was way to lazy to do before.
14. Get new passport with new last name.
15. Make and start using reusable shopping bags everywhere, not just grocery shopping.
16. Read 5 books. (4/5)
The Friday Night Knitting Club (Kate Jacobs),
Knit Too (Kate Jacobs),
Comfort Food (Kate Jacobs),
Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)
17. Take a crocheting/knitting class.
18. Make Ireland scrapbook.
19. Finish decorating my craft room. - This is what I've been doing a lot of since Steve returned from England. I've picked the new paint colors and Steve and I have been spending our weekends building some floating shelves. Labor Day weekend was very productive and we'll be slowly working on painting over the next week or two because of needing to phase all my craft supplies.

For Steve and me
20. Complete Tshirt quilt for Steve.
21. Go to 5 new non-chain restaurants.
22. Go see 5 movies in the theater.
Valentine's Day
23. Go camping.
24. Go to a Capitals hockey game.
25. Go to a DC United soccer game.
26. Take a long weekend vacation.
27. Take a picture of Steve and myself (and the kitties) once a month.
28. Save 3 months of expenses.
29. Schedule a financial planning consultation.

For the house
30. Clean out front hall closet.
31. Sew couch covers.
32. Make picture collage for stairwell.
33. Buy/make new curtains for living room.
34. Purchase and hang new blinds for the dinning room.
35. Purchase/make new curtains for dining room and kitchen.
36. Design/build/assemble closet organization system for master bedroom.
37. Repaint master bathroom.
38. Paint/decorate guest bedroom.
39. Repaint and change hardware on front door.
40. Hang Christmas lights.
41. Schedule and set up a yard sale.
42. Get broken window fixed.
43. Install new thermostat.
44. Fix leak in front door.
45. Purchase nut for yellow vacuum.
46. Purchase case for and organize misc screws, nuts, etc.
47. Set up coupon organization system.

For others
48. Complete Tshirt quilt for Lauren.
49. Host a holiday party.
50. Host a cookout/dinner party.
51. Send random cards to 5 people.
52. Send a birthday card to everyone on my birthday calender.

Returning from my absence...with pictures

I'm so sorry to disappear like that. I had every intention of posting before I left for England, but getting work wrapped up and getting the house and pets in order, left me with just enough time to breath. I returned to some surprises that have occupied my time and have kept me from away from crafting and blogging. I hope that the pictures I bring you will be accepted as my apology.

England, in a word, was FANTASTIC! It got out to a rough start with jet lag and a hidden pole in an alley in Bath, but Steve and I got to spend some great quality time together and I found everything and more that I was looking to shop for.


We explored Bath the first full day after arriving. We forced ourselves to get up and visited the Roman Baths first thing in the morning to avoid the rush. I was so glad we did because we were able to linger and truly appreciate the beauty and the engineering. I can't imagine how amazing it looked at its best. Afterwards, we took a bus tour around the town of Bath and spent the day learning the history of the city - including visiting museums and gardens. The gardens were absolutely splendid...Bath is renowned for its displays throughout the city during the annual flower show.


The next day we drove out of Bath and visited the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey and Avebury. Avebury is similar to Stonehenge (which I saw in 2007 during a speed trip to England on my way to Ireland), but is definitely larger and is unique in the fact that a small town built itself among the stone circle. The town is so charming, a population just under 500 residents. It consists of a single road, a manor house with a beautiful garden, a splendid church and small houses and cottages with thatched roofs and charm up to their chimneys.

We tried to make the most of our time and traveled to smaller castles and sites during the days where we were driving between bed and breakfasts. One castle was Chepstow castle which has a stunning view over the River Wye.


We spent an entire day at Blenheim Palace. This palace is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill (kind of a big deal in England) and is still home to the Dukes of Marlborough. The 11th Duke of Marlborough resides in the house during parts of the year and occupies the same rooms as the 1st Duke and Duchess. The house itself is gorgeous, but the grounds are stunning - water gardens, a rose garden, a lake and miles of paths to meander the grounds. After a tour of the house, we spent a good portion of the day walking the grounds, enjoying the views.


London was by far my favorite - and not just because I was extremely successful in my shopping endeavors. Despite the unusual heat and very blistered feet, we had a blast visiting the British Museum, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, the Parliament Building, Westminster Abbey and so much more. I think my favorite day was after taking a bus tour of the city (such a nice rest for my footsies), we explored Harrod's and grabbed lunch from the gourmet foods department. After a short walk to Hyde Park, we spent a while just snacking on quiche, panini and Laduree macaroons for dessert while we people watched and took a short nap in the shade. It was amazing how far from the city we felt despite being right across the street from a construction site.

Another thing that struck me was the sheer number of people out enjoying a Thursday afternoon - and many were not tourists. I think Europeans in general know how to work hard but also play hard...it's a priority to them. Despite my work having picnic tables scattered around buildings, I never see anyone using them - myself included. Steve tried to rain on my parade by suggesting that they were escaping their offices because many do not have air conditioning and they were suffering with temperatures reaching the high eighties.


And lastly, the shopping. I must say I'm very glad I had a mental list of things I wanted to look for before arriving, because I can see myself spending us into bankruptcy will all the cute stores we visited in England. From fabric to crafts to housewares, all the small towns we visited were made up of small cafes and small personal shops oozing with character and charm. I returned with my carry-on full and my pockets semi-empty (really - I didn't spend THAT much). I still haven't put away my purchases because I like to look at them on the dining room table and squeal do a happy dance smile.

So, I have returned. I'm extremely late in posting Stampin' Up! news and an update on my 52 Things, which I promise will be coming soon. I've signed up for a second craft fair in about a month and a half, so I hopefully will be posting more with holiday cards and gifts I'm preparing for family and friends. I hope you have stuck with me during my absence.

Celebrating A Baby

My office mate was attending a baby shower last week and asked me to whip up a card for her to give with their group gift. We did a little espionage and looked at her registry for inspiration. The mom-to-be is having a girl and all the bedding was pretty neutral with light blue and brown and had a bit of an jungle animal theme to it. The moment I saw pictures of it, I knew exactly what set to use.

To make a subtle background, I used most of the animals in the Fox & Friends set and stamped them onto the Close to Cocoa card base in Close to Cocoa classic ink after stamping off once to mute the intensity. I then used the turtle from the same set on Whisper White cardstock with Old Olive ink and carefully cut it out. A wide strip of Bashful Blue textured cardstock made up the majority of the card and I used the Scallop Edge punch to bring in a touch of femininity.


To celebrate the baby girl, I added a strip of Pretty in Pink cardstock at the top and made a pink present out of Pretty in Pink Cardstock and a Chocolate Chip marker. I attached the turtle and present with dimensionals and tied some twine around both for the turtle to make the delivery. I also stamped the balloon from the Owl Together Now set in Chocolate chip ink onto a scrap of So Saffron cardstock and cut out the top portion only. After adhering with a dimensional, I used the Chocolate Chip marker to make the string. For the sentiment, I individually stamped the letters from the Rough Edges Alphabets set. I didn't worry about lining the letters up perfectly, letting the slight slants add some whimsy to the card.

All supplies by Stampin' Up!® unless noted:
Stamps: Fox & Friends, Owl Together Now, Rough Edges Alphabets (retired)
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Bashful Blue Textured, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, So Saffron cardstock
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip class ink
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Stampin' Marker, 1/4" Bashful Blue grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Edge punch, Paper Piercing tool, Dimensionals, Twine (Papertrey)

Happy Mother's Day!

It's day's like this that make it hard to live half way across the country from your family. Yes, gifts of appreciation and cards were sent and phone calls made, but it's not the same...it doesn't help that I haven't been home since Christmas 2008 (I can't believe it's been that long). Luckily, I will be going home later this summer to celebrate a vow renewal and new baby in the family.

Crafting has been put aside these past two weeks, as we were gearing up for the community yard sale, participating and then recovering. It was quite successful and we made $250! All of the remaining items were sorted and donated. It's extremely satisfying seeing all the extra room we have now. We used my craft room tables for the setup, which shut down the craft room. It's slowly getting pieced back together but I was able to whip up these cards for my mom and mother-in-law.

I made similar cards to these in preparation for the craft fair and they were the first to sell. I loved the look so much, I wanted to make them again for the mom's in my life. This first card was made for my mom. In my effort to use more designer series paper, I pulled out the large Sweet Pea stack from the last occasions mini catalog and picked out the polka dot and striped patterns for the cards. Expanding the color scheme based on the designer paper, I pulled in So Saffron, Sahara Sand and Old Olive cardstock. I particularly like the pop of Old Olive that comes from the designer paper as the edges are rolled.


I used the faux suede method to make the flowers again and secured them with Pretty in Pink Sending Love epoxy brads. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these brads and have a pretty substantial stash that I plan to horde and admire. I pulled out the Big Shot machine to die cut the leaves. I layered the Old Olive leaves with Certainly Celery cardstock to bring a bit more brightness to the card and embossed veins into the leaves with my bone folder.

All supplies by Stampin' Up!® unless otherwise noted:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: So Saffron, Sahara Sand, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White cardstock and Sweet Pea Designer Paper (retired)
Ink: Pretty in Pink Classic Ink
Accessories: Wide Oval Punch, Scalloped Oval Punch, Extra-Large Fancy Flower punch, Scalloped Circle punch, Big Shot Die-cut machine, Little Leaves Sizzlits Die, Paper piercer, gel pen, bone folder, Pretty in Pink Sending Love Epoxy Brads (retired)

This second card was sent to my mother-in-law. With both cards, I used the paper piercing tool to pierce a border on the designer paper and used a gel pen to connect the dots to replicate stitching. I had wanted to actually use my sewing machine to really stitch the paper, but it was packed up in a box for storage and I didn't have the energy to dig through everything to get to it.

I centered the flower on this card with a white vintage button and some twine. The card was completed with the Teeny Tiny Wishes sentiment punched out with the Modern Label punch.


All supplies by Stampin' Up!® unless otherwise noted:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: So Saffron, Sahara Sand, Old Olive, Certainly Celery and Sweet Pea Designer Paper
Ink: Rose Red Classic Ink
Accessories: Modern Label punch, Extra-Large Fancy Flower punch, Scalloped Circle punch, Big Shot Die-cut machine, Little Leaves Sizzlits Die, Paper piercer, gel pen, bone folder, Vintage Buttons (Papertrey), Twine (Papertrey)

I want wish all the mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day!

Birthday Wishes

A friend had her birthday in March and due to my poor planning her present was a bit delayed, so we celebrated in early April and I wanted to give her a card she would love. Serena has loved the melon mambo color since we first got a sneak peek when the current catalog was sent to demonstrators. I couldn't think of a better card for her than one made with Melon Mambo!

As I was putting the card together in my head, I realized that I had only a few days before I had to send my April swap cards on their way, so to be efficient I combined the two efforts. Needing to incorporate designer series paper for the April swap theme, I pulled out the Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Paper and got to work. It was a pretty simple design that enabled me to spend some time to create the flower focal point.

I used a technique I learned at a previous class I attended called Faux Suede. The point of the technique is to work the cardstock in many directions and break down the fibers within. This softens the cardstock to give it that worn, veiny look. I punched out my shapes using three punches: the Extra Large Fancy Flower, the Scalloped Circle Punch, and a 1-inch Scalloped Circle Punch. Using my fingers, I worked the cardstock in multiple directions. When the cardstock had softened a bit, I rolled it in a tight ball. I unfolded it and repeated in different directions multiple times. The layers of paper that make up the cardstock eventually start to split along the edges. When this happened, I carefully pulled the cardstock apart to form 2 pieces of my punched shape. I also used Razzleberry Lemonade designer paper as two layers of the flower and used my fingers to gently work the paper to give it the worn look, but did not split it. I layered my flower and used a Summer Sun corduroy brad to secure the layers together. I made the leaves in Old Olive cardstock using the wings from the Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch. I used my bonefolder to make veins in the leaves.

Also, there are four things I learned while making this card:

1. When Steve offers to help because I looked stressed (because the kitties were running away with my balls of paper), he really doesn't want to 1. run around catching the kitties or 2. roll 15 flowers into balls until they start to fall apart while I run around catching the kitties.

2. This technique is not best for large number replication, as your hand will cramp after 3 cards.

3. I really really love the Rich Razzleberry color and I'm SO glad it's becoming permanent (more on this to come).

4. And lastly crushed curry is starting to grow on me...hopefully I use up my stash by June 30th.

Thanks for stopping by!

All supplies by Stampin' Up! ® unless otherwise noted:

Stamps: Heard from the Heart

Paper: Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Accessories: Crushed Curry Polka Dot Ribbon (I used the back side), Extra Large Fancy Flower punch, Scalloped Circle punch, 1-inch Scalloped Circle punch (EK Success), Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch, Summer Sun Corduroy Brad, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, bone folder

52 in 2010 Quarterly Update

I can't believe we are almost to the middle of in the middle of April already (I started prepping this post 2 weeks ago). I thought I'd do a quarterly post to update my progress on my 52 things. I wish I was a little farther along, and I can see a few things maybe not happening, but I feel I've gotten more done so far this year compared to all of last year.

So, on to the progress.

Hair Cut

I finally did the post wedding chop, about 1 1/2 years after the wedding. It had been a long time coming but I wanted to do something good with this opportunity, so it took a bit longer to grow out for donation. With the warm temperatures rolling in, it was only a matter of time until I was cursing it sticking to my neck (I was already cursing at it every time I ended up getting it stuck between my back and a chair) and despite not having an end style in mind, I took a leap of faith and trusted my stylist.

Before:

After:

It ended up being a bit shorter than I normally would like and it actually requires a little work in the morning (compared to air drying) but I'm getting used to and enjoying it quite a bit.

Passport

I just got it in the mail this week, just in time since Steve and I are planning a vacation to England for this summer. So excited to have this finally completed...now just on to updating the credit cards and we'll be all set with this name change thing.

Craft Fair

As you've seen in my previous post, I participated in a craft fair at work and it seemed to go very well. I'm quite excited and it was great motivation to making new cards and getting all my ideas out of my head.

Garden

The garden is in the ground. I didn't start from seed this year, but I found a local garden center that has some great looking plants. Last year, Steve and I built a planter that fits over the railing to our deck and it's become a great herb garden. It's 5 steps from the kitchen and it's so convenient for fresh herbs all summer long. The oregano carried over from last year, but we need to plant more basil, rosemary and parsley.

Our herb planter and the bell pepper plants.

Although I'm the only one that likes peppers in the house, I couldn't decide between red and yellow, so I got both! I'm hoping these will bear many peppers for daily snacks to help try to lose those 20 pounds. In addition to these, we planted 4 tomato plants (a Roma, an orange heirloom, and a good slicing tomato called Champion. We also planted a Patio tomato which is suppose to be great for container gardening.

Two of our tomato plants.

We also planted two zucchini plants, a yellowneck squash plant, and 2 cucumber plants, along with some romaine lettuce and spinach. I can't wait to see what comes of this year's garden.

Steve's T-shirt Quilt

I spent some time last weekend working on planning the pattern and I'm hoping to have some pictures soon. After that, it's the point of no return and I'll be cutting the t-shirts. I'm not sure if my marriage will survive if I screw this up since these t-shirts are so beloved...wish me luck.

Baking

Well, the baking isn't going so hot. Everything is turning out great, but I am so behind. I get on a roll but then something comes up and I just get forced out of my kitchen. But every time I look at the list I get so excited about it that I want to take a week off and bake 24 hours a day. If only our bank account would allow that. Look for a new post on the baking blog soon.

And a few more things...

Not necessarily on MY list of things to do this year, but we took our tax return and purchased a new large flat screen TV and a new (nice) console for it. We actually shopped around a bit and still have about $1000 left to invest in the house. We're hoping to make it stretch a bit, but there are so many little projects that are adding up. I'm hoping to use the extra funds for the new closet organization system and maybe paint my craft room, which will knock off a few more things on my list, but we also want new hardware for the front door and the blinds in the dining room are officially kaput.

So, on to the official list.

A key to understand my progress:

Strike through = completed

Blue = partially completed

Italics = in progress

Normal = not started

Red = didn't complete

For me

1. Make a list of 52 desserts to make and blog about in 2010. Attempt to bake/blog once a week. (4/52)

Mint Chocolate Truffle Tart Grand Marnier Souffle Beignets Citrus Chiffon Pie Crepes Caramels Strawberry Tart with Orange Cream Butter Pecan Ice Cream Olive Oil Gelato with Balsamic Strawberries Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sugar Plum Candies Cheesecake with Stout Sauce Pecan Pumpkin Butter Triffle Raspberry Rose Vanilla Cream Cake Choux with Grand Marnier Mousseline Marshmallows Raspberry Mousse Tartelettes

Apple Cider Pound Cake Peach Creme Caramel Lemon Crumb Cake Tea Glazed Biscuit Cookies Lemon Cream Cookies Lemon Pistachio Shortbread Rice Pudding Poached Pears Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes French Silk Pie Macaroons Chai Cupcakes Plum tart Madelines Vanilla Zabaglione Peanut Chocolate Tart Chocolate Souffle Gooey Butter Cake

Bananas Foster Cakes Lemon Basil Lemon Tartlettes Strawberry Thyme Shortbread Citrus & White Tea Jelly Pistachio & Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes Yougurt & Brown Sugar Cake Pate de Fruit Rhubarb Cheese Bars Roasted Apples & Vanilla Bean Souffle Pomegranate White Tea & Honey Ginger Yogurt Verrines Cinnamon Caramel Mousse Roasted Glazed Peaches Vanilla Brown Butter & Almond Cake w/custard filling Panna cotta Pot de creme Spiced Plum Compote w/Plum Pit Cream Bread Pudding

2. Organize and maintain tags in Google Reader and Delicious.

3. Plant a garden.

4. Make and can tomato sauce (hopefully with tomatoes from my garden).

5. Lose 20 pounds.

6. Walk 2 times per week. (1/52)

7. Lift weights 1 time per week.

8. Start an etsy shop.

9. Sign up for at least one craft fair.

10. Participate in a Photography Project365. (0/365)

11. Get a new hair style/cut.

12. Rent 10 movies you've wanted to see.

13. Complete name changing process.

14. Get new passport with new last name.

15. Make and start using reusable shopping bags everywhere, not just grocery shopping.

16. Read 5 books. (0/5)

17. Take a crocheting/knitting class.

18. Make Ireland scrapbook.

19. Finish decorating my craft room.

For Steve and me

20. Complete Tshirt quilt for Steve.

21. Go to 5 new non-chain restaurants.

22. Go see 5 movies in the theater.

Valentine's Day

23. Go camping.

24. Go to a Capitals hockey game.

25. Go to a DC United soccer game.

26. Take a long weekend vacation.

27. Take a picture of Steve and myself (and the kitties) once a month.

28. Save 3 months of expenses.

29. Schedule a financial planning consultation.

For the house

30. Clean out front hall closet.

31. Sew couch covers.

32. Make picture collage for stairwell.

33. Buy/make new curtains for living room.

34. Purchase and hang new blinds for the dinning room.

35. Purchase/make new curtains for dining room and kitchen.

36. Design/build/assemble closet organization system for master bedroom.

37. Repaint master bathroom.

38. Paint/decorate guest bedroom.

39. Repaint and change hardware on front door.

40. Hang Christmas lights.

41. Schedule and set up a yard sale. Conveniently our HOA holds a community yard sale and I was able to secure a space, so I have little over a month to go through the house and make some tough decisions!

42. Get broken window fixed.

43. Install new thermostat.

44. Fix leak in front door.

45. Purchase nut for yellow vacuum.

46. Purchase case for and organize misc screws, nuts, etc.

47. Set up coupon organization system.

For others

48. Complete Tshirt quilt for Lauren.

49. Host a holiday party.

50. Host a cookout/dinner party.

51. Send random cards to 5 people.

52. Send a birthday card to everyone on my birthday calender.

Craft Fair - Complete!

Well, I did it and it turned out pretty successful. I'm actually quite happy and proud of myself for not chickening out. I made a profit, even after the table fee, so that's got to count for something. At least it was successful enough that I plan on doing the next one in October, which I think will be more fun for me because I LOVE making Christmas cards. I have so many plans...now I just need to find the time to actually execute them.

I thought I'd share some pictures of my set up.

My table.

I wrapped a few empty boxes with kraft paper and wrapped them with some spare ribbon to make the cards more visible and to add some height to the table.

I'm currently putting together some posts of my favorite cards, so stay tuned! This was also one of my things to do this year, so I will be posting my quarterly progress soon and this makes for a great check mark.

A Special Birthday Cake for a Special Boy

During my time in Maryland, I have developed great friendships with only a handful of people. Two of these are people I work with and to some our friendship could seem unorthodox (we have laughed many times that either could be my father) but they are truly my best friends and I can't imagine them not in my life or involving them in my lunch plans ;). And with these two friends, come wonderful families that I love like my own.

A few weeks ago I had the honor of joining one of these families for a birthday celebration as Michael celebrated his 5th birthday and had the opportunity to met their newest addition, Ryan. I also had the great honor of making Michael's birthday cake.

The birthday boy on the way to dinner.
Michael loves all things trains, including Thomas and this year he requested a Percy train and who was I to object to buying another cake pan. Given my model, off I went. I even had Percy help with the baking process.

Making sure I matched the right color green

The cake turned out pretty good and I think Michael was quite surprised. However, I think we started to take too many pictures because it didn't look like he could resist much longer. Honestly, I think he's just wise beyond his years and knows what's really important...eating cake!

Really, this is like the 100 bajillionth picture...

I want to eat!

I had a wonderful time spent with laughter and smiles. I hope this year is Michael's best.

Michael, Ray (their Dad), and Ryan.

Michael and his mom, Kerry.

In other news...

I did it...I signed up for my first craft fair. It is sponsored through work and I think it's just the right size to start off with. It's March 25th, so I don't have much time to get a stash established. I really debated this one because of the timing and the holiday's people would be interested in, but I decided to take the plunge. I've come up with a few categories that I would like to concentrate on this time out:

• Birthdays
• Anniversaries
• Thank yous
• Congratulations - wedding, baby, misc.
• Sympathies
• Mother's Day
• Father's Day
  

Two of my closest friends (who happen to be male coworkers) and I were discussing ideas over lunch and since my work is dominated my men, they really liked my idea of a package of cards with a selection for the year....sort of a emergency card kit if you will.

I have these grand plans that will I will expand to invitations and scrapbooking kits, along with Christmas and Holiday cards, but I'm trying to stay grounded and not get overwhelmed. Hopefully you'll see a lot of cards being posted because that will mean progress is being made.

Let me know if you think of any additional ideas that I can concentrate on now.

Masculine Valentine's Day Card

Finally, a craft post! ;)

In order to help my stamping and cardmaking output, I've started to become more involved with Split Coast Stampers (SCS). It's a great resource for tools and techniques and I can't wait to see what I can come up with.

To start increasing my output, I attended my first SCS swap ever. I have done a few small ones (10 at the most), but 30 people really made it exciting. It was definitely a blast despite the long trip home because of the snow. However, my arm did ache at the end of the night, so I'm going to have to work on my stamina. I had free rein on theme and color, so I wanted to do a more masculine Valentine's Day card. I was inspired by a card with a grey, red, white, and light pink color palette and wanted to use an item from the new mini catalog.


I used the new I {Love} Love Jumbo Wheel and Well Scripted for the sentiments. It was my first time using the new clear mount stamps and I think I'm hooked. The new Stampin' Up clear mounts stamps still provide the crispness that rubber provides while giving you the mobility and flexibility of clear mount stamps.


I ran the wheel over the Bravo Burgundy and then used the Full Heart Punch to punch out heart off the side and bottom of the cardstock. I used the remnant of the cardstock and reconstructed the initial square. I used the gel pen and a straight edge to make a nice frame. I punched a Small Heart from the Blush Blossom and attached with a dimensional for some depth. Some ladies at the swap took a glitter pen and added some sparkle to the small heart and it looked really nice.


All supplies Stampin' Up!® unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: I {Love} Love Jumbo Wheel, Well Scripted
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Grey, Bravo Burgundy, Textured Blush Blossom
Ink: Whisper White Craft, Basic Black Classic (Jumbo Ink Cartridge)
Accessories: Full Heart Punch, Small Heart Punch, Gel Pen (craft store), Dimensionals