For the Record

When I said I would try to post everyday, initially I thought that would include weekends but after being so super busy this weekend I know that is just one of the most ridiculous ideas I have had in recent history. But as not to disappoint here is my weekend recap. I hung out after work here, North bowl Philly, for my bosses' retirement party.



He is definitely not a gold-watch-banquet-hall kind of guy so this was right up his alley (pardon the pun). We bowled, ate and drank for three hours. Everyone seemed to have a great time. I was in charge of the bowling and pool tournaments so I didn't get the chance to take one picture although I did get to sneak in a game of Air Hockey.

So ironically my family and I went bowling together Saturday night. It was the boys against the girls with each team winning one game a piece - sounds like a rematch is in the future, huh.

Sunday I got to meet Iffy in person one of my SFFs (Scrapping Friend Forever, she came up with this, lol).

She is just as adorable in person as she is in her photos and she had a wonderful personality to match. We both had on black sweaters and jeans, (Iffy did you notice that?) we share the same wedding anniversary date of 12-12 and we had a nice breakfast together and guess what - NO PHOTOS. I am getting really horrible keeping up on my photo-ops, another thing to add to my list of resolutions.

Sunday night my daughter and i stopped in Target just to look around..........................................okay we all know that is impossible. I didn't buy much though. I did get some Herhey's nuggets to alter and give away as gifts like this - altered nugget tins. I also got a wall mounted storage cabinet kind of like this but mine has a shelf and then two small doors. Even though it is technically for a bathroom I think it will be perfect for my wood mounted stamps. Hopefully I will get a minute to put it together tonight. I only have a few more pieces of furniture I want before I cconsider my scrap room complete.

Although I don't have a lot of weekend photos, let me leave you a recent camera phone fave. This is my niece and her daughter experimenting with makeup. I think my baby has a future as a makeup artist, what do you think?

Wedding Bells and Best Wishes

The weekend before Thanksgiving my sister-in-law got married.

And even though there were a couple of things that did not go exactly as planned she smiled through it all.

Now don't get me wrong she has a firey side to her when she is rubbed the wrong way but she was so happy to marry this man that nothing else mattered. The weather was beautiful for late November and the people nearest and dearest to her were in attendance.

I did her invitations as kind of a last minute job because the person who OFFERED to do them backed out at the last minute. They came out very nice although I must say I was a little confused as to why she just didn't let me do them from the beginning, knowing that crafting is my passion. Who knows her reasoning, I just know that she and I have been very close through the years and I wanted her day to be special.

Blogsistency

My family and I love making up new words. I mean really what makes a word a word - how often people use it and if people accept it's use and meaning.

Take for instance the word "Attitudial". This is what my husband calls me when I disagree with him or if I am just not feeling too happy go lucky. "Compromisial" is the art of being able to come to a agreement without an arguement first (again penned by my husband, lol). My bestie Jojorenee/aka Tamika and I came up with "Jealappy". This one can be used a lot when talking about scrapbooking. It is when you are so excited about something that someone else did, bought or even made but you wish you either did it first, thought of it yourself or got it too, that feeling of being jealous of and happy for someone all at the same time.

* Edited to add "hyperaggravating" - used to describe someone who drives you crazy!!! The other Tamika gets credit for coming up with this one and there is a person we had in mind as an example but for the sake of both of our well-being we can not tell you who.

My word for today though is " Blogsistent". This is when you are more consistent with updating your blog and right now I suck at being Blogsistent. I am working on it though and to show my dedication and sincerity I will blog each and every day for the next thirty days so that I can start the New Year off right. Pretty lofty goal huh? My only disclaimer is that I can not be held responsible for any useless ramblings that may occur so that I have something to post, lol.

So on that note I will leave you with this card I made for my nephew who just turned 2 years old. Special shout out to Mekhi! I used a kraft A2 card as my base. Then I used the star cuttlebug embossing folder as the background and I wiped it with a white stamp pad to bring out the stars. The patterned paper, ribbon, brad and chipboard accents are all from the Lil robots collections by My Mind's Eye. The "b" is for birthday stamp is from Stamping Up! and I added the faux stitching. Just a fun card for a super guy!

Saturday Scrapping

Today I did something that I haven't done in a long time. I scrapped for myself. It was not for a challenge or a contest. It was not for someone else to enjoy, just something I wanted to do and boy did it feel good. I took these camera phone pictures of myself last year and was looking forward to scrapping them but I just could not find the right papers so there they sat among the other fifty thousand pictures yet to be scrapped until I saw the Queen Bee Pink Paislee line. Even better the collection went on sale at www.scenicroutepaper.com and I quickly snatched it up because the pleated ribbon and brads were included for $9.99. Once I had the papers the layout came together so easily. And the results, well I just love the results. This layout took no time at all because I had it completed in my head a long time ago. I love how the colors work together and I made the bee with my slice machine and embellished it. I played off of the collection title "Queen Bee" and added some bling. Today was a good day.

It's a New Day

My husband got a great shot of the sun rising at the beach this weekend. It was our first vacation in a long while and we had a great time. I am very blessed to have such a wonderful family. I love and appreciate them soo much.

What's in the Hopper

Definition - In politics, in the United States House of Representatives, the hopper is the box which sits on the House Clerk's desk, into which a bill or resolution is dropped for introduction. In agriculture, a hopper on a combine is a tank or bin where the harvested grain is temporarily stored until it is unloaded to a truck or grain cart. I use this phase to mean that something is waiting to be dealt with at another time. Read more: What does "in the hopper" mean? Answerbag http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/300004#ixzz0xoUxmO5D

Right now my hopper is about to burst! I have been neglecting my little bloggy blog for good reason though, just not enough hours in the day. I have been trying to focus my attention on building my website, which has turned into a wonderful yet time consuming venture. My husband lends his constructive criticisms and I think I will be able to launch it really soon. I want to use is as an online display of things I make as I grow in my papercrafting.

Reggie is always selling for me (whether I am ready or not) so I have made a couple of layouts for a few employees at his job. The first thing I made was a tri-fold mini album and then I did an 8x8 easel display. I made my own easel back and I am going to share how I did that in an upcoming post. Unfortunately he takes them immediately and I don't have pictures.

Then I got an order for 50 (then it changed to 60) favors for a man's 50th birthday party. The colors were gold and cream and he is a big Teena Marie fan. So I wanted to do something manly and something that incorported some of her lyrics. So thanks to the tutorial found here - http://inspirestampin.blogspot.com/2010/04/easel-card-with-drawer-tutorial.html
I came up with these (the pillow box was not used) -

They were a big hit and I am glad she liked them but I made one nearly fatal mistake....................I accepted this order for 60 boxes, Yes I said 60, to be completed in three days. there is so much detail that it almost killed me. I had to get my girls to help, Reggie to help and if only the dogs could have helped, things would have went even faster. Reggie and I agreed that I undercharged for the time and labor but I took it as a learning experience as to know what to do and what NOT to do.

Now I am trying to find the perfect balance between creating the layouts I really want to and creating things for my first craft fair (and other people), which by the way if I don't chicken-out will be October 23, 2010. I am also planning an exhibition and class at a local senior center in the early fall, we are going on a mini vacation in two weeks, oh yeah and having a small (or so I think) barbeque for Labor day. I mean really, there are only 24 hours in a day?

Being Unique

So as I mentioned in my last post I am planning on vending at a couple of craft fairs this year and with that being said I wanted to start my own website so that I can direct people there to see my work.

So one evening while lying in bed not doing what I really wanted to do *wink*, Reggie and I came up with a name for my business - Unique Boutique Paper Creations. so what's next - I needed a logo. I came up with a general concept but it really needed to be polished. This is where it is so nice to know so many talented people and I enlisted the help of my super creative graphic artist friend, Kate who brought my logo to life................................and here she is -

And I just love her! I am going to customize my blog with her and she will be on my website, business cards and anything promoting my crafts.I haven't given her a name but my first instinct is to name her Sparkle.

For Real this Time

Last year I half-heartedly attempted to attend a few craft fairs. What that means is I said that I was going to attend, I paid my table fee like I was going to attend and I even made some products like I was going to attend and for some reason or another I backed out twice.

Well this year is going to be my year. I am getting ready now for the Fall and this year I plan to do at least three - count them - three, craft fairs. So last night I got to crafting and made these adorable post-it note holders (please ignore my coffee pot/toaster in the background.

I found the tutorial here on Dawn's blog via splitcoaststampers. There are so many talented ladies out there with so many great ideas. My problem now it thinking I can make EVERYTHING, lol and as the slowest scrapper in this town, I know that is not possible.

The other thing I have trouble on is setting my prices so I will let my husband do that part. Jada is my leading sales person, okay she is my only sales person and we are going to make t-shirts to wear at the craft fairs. I will share my products with you as I build up my stock, I have a lot of ideas bubbling in my head hope there is no overflow, lol.

C-A-M-P-E-R-S, Camp Paradise Campers are the best.............

Yes you've guessed it right, I am going to participant in the Cropping Paradise's new fun camp themed challenge http://croppinparadise.blogspot.com/2010/06/croppin-paradise-summer-event.html. I am going to try to earn at least eight merit badges, keep your fingers crossed for me. See you, I gotta run out and get some marshmallows.

After committing to a week of posting I came home to this super cute award from one of the fliest women I know EssenceVibez (who has the cutest blog, i must say)

here are the rules:
- Thank the giver
- Share seven things about yourself
- Pass award on to 5 bloggers
- Contact the bloggers and let them know about the award

drumroll please!:

1. I learned to drive at the ripe old age of 28, better late than never I guess
2. I have a small hole at the top of my ear on the right side, or maybe the left, I forget but I know it's there

3. I would love to be able to deliver my own eulogy, no one knows me better
4. l remember names very easily, I like to address people by their names as a sign of respect
5. I rarely wear makeup
6. My high school mascot was The Care Bears so I collect them when I can
7. I can do a trick with my nose that freaks little kids out, lol

I pass this fabulous award on to:

Mika

Iffy

Myia

Nae

Taj

Happy fourth of July everyone!

A Poem to Young Women

My oldest daughter likes to write short stories and poems. She is a typical teenager so i don't get to see her work too often, so I was honored when she shared this poem with me.

Young Women by Jasmin

Young women are now being categorized as

Being disrespectful, showing too much cleavage, and having no class.

They say we disrespect our bodies and ourselves

Older women looking in disbelief and their hearts melt.

But wait......................

Some young women are leaders and strive for better opportunities.

Some young women respect themselves and their bodies.

Some young women come to be Secretary of State.

Some prefer education and being safe.

There are young women who will run for president.

Confident and standing in an honorable stance.

Dignity and respect filling their hearts

Striving to do great from the start.

So why can't we be seen as honorable women standing firm like concrete?

When each and every young women has a different personality.

I would like to be remembered in life for my good done on this earth.

Because negative was never in my vocabulary even from birth.

I was born to achieve great things and that's what I shall do.

I am a confident, respectful, ambitious young woman.

Are you?

Creative Scrappers #108

I am trying to branch out and enter challenges, plus my sister-girl Myia is on the design team! I created this for Creative Scrappers challenge #108. I love how they give you a different sketch each week and you can choose which one you want to enter.

This is my youngest daughter Jada, just being her fabulous self. I used My Mind's Eye Quite Contrary PP, DCWV chipboards accents, Maya Road Chipboard, Heidi Swapp bling and rub ons, Pink Paislee chipboard alphas. I tried to spray some glimmer mist on top of the butterflies on the background paper for a different effect but it doesn't show up too well.

Rocking the i-Rock

Monday I got the i-rock by Imaginisce and I couldn't wait to try it out. As a tool junkie I was so excited to give it a shot. Here is my review -

First the pros and cons -

Pros -

• Very lightweight and easy to hold. It is a pretty pink color.
• Works as advertised.
• Battery operated, great to move around with.

Cons -

• Well hopefully this was just a fluke on my unit but the "on" indicator does not work and I burned my hand trying to see if it was working. Now considering how hot these get, it was very painful. (I am returning mine for this reason alone).
• Battery Operated, needs three double AA and that can get costly after while.
• It doesn't come with any jewels to use even as a sample, all acessories are sold separately.
• Gems can start sliding if you press too hard so you want to be very careful.
• The small head seems to limit the effectiveness when using larger gems.

How it works -

The gems come with a hard adhesive on the back. You put the gem in place, then place the heat tool on top to melt the adhesive underneath.

Overall it works great! And man-o-man does that adhesive hold. Now working with the gems can be a pain, especially the smaller ones but they sell an accessory that makes it easier to pick them up, I just used a q-tip instead and it worked fine.

So overall I recommend it as long as the indicator light works, if not it can be a pretty dangerous tool to have around, especially if you have children. If you have the hotmarks tool already (as I do) you can just buy the gems and it will work exactly the same but unfortuantely that has a cord. If you don't have the hotmarks already then the i-rock is definitely a better deal price wise.

Remember the sketch I said I was working on a few posts ago, well here is the end result usisng the i-rock.

Tuesday Thoughts in a Few Words

• Early Morning construction, are you kidding me!
• Where is my dress?
• Okay a little too sexy for work, take two.
• Quiet ride, school is out for the summer, God is talking- be quiet.
• Got to write down the menu for the party.
• So many numbers on spreadsheets, so little time.
• Mmmmmm, a nice cup Joe!
• A lot of morning silliness.
• The emails are HOT!
• Something is brewing and you are going to love it.
• Do you remember, the 21st night of September.
• Ooooh I like it!
• You should live up to your obligations like a man.
• POP! I can't wait!
• Three day weekend!
• Why is the clock moving so slow.
• I missed the meeting but you all will be in trouble.
• Curly hair is sexy.
• It happened yesterday but it still hurts.
• I didn't invade your privacy, I found it by accident.
• 30% off the entire store.
• traffic drama, are you serious- stop double parking.
• need to go to bed earlier, good nite!

Something New

My girl Jojorenee (aka Mika) came up with the cutest challenge based on having a wedding. Here are the guidelines:

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

A sixpence is a coin that was minted in Britain from 1551 to 1967. It was made of silver and worth six pennies. So this wedding tradition is definitely English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era.
Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy.

WEEK 1: Something Old - This week use papers or embellishments from your stash in a LO that is older than 3 years or dating back to when you first started scrapping.

WEEK 2:Something New - This week use something new! We should have our Scraproom kits for those who have joined. Or just any new papers you got in the last month- crazy shoppers you!!! So stop just smelling the paper and dive in an create something.

WEEK 3: Something Borrowed For this weeks challenge use something borrowed

WEEK 4: Something Blue This weeks challenge is to use a LO featuring all one color of your choice or if you like blue go right ahead!!

WEEK 5:And a silver sixpence in her shoe. Create a LO and include a shoe and/or something silver on it!!!!is

I am sooo far behind on this challenge because I am the slowest scrapper in the world but here is my something new layout based on a sketch from Creative Scrappers #108 and the Paper and chipboard butterflies came from the June Scrap-room kit - feel free to participate in this challenge, it's a fun one!

Technically

Okay, i know that it is technically Monday and I had the best of intentions to do this earlier but it was so hot today that I have fallen completely behind schedule and will be posting again later.

Although scrapping is my passion, scrap shopping is fun too. I have a couple of orders coming that have me staking out the mail all day long.

• I can't wait to get the i-rock - this tool promise to be a bling machine. I haven't read any reviews for it yet so i can't wait to get my hands on it and try it for myself.

• Next is Echo Park's newest line, Walk in the Park. I love the colors and the elements look like so much fun. I can already picture my first layout using this line.

• I love my slice and they have some of the cutest design cards, right now this is on my wish list. I love to cook and this font can be used so many ways.

• And right now I am working on this Page Maps sketch. I have my general concept laid out but it is just missing something...............................................well as soon as I figure out what I will post it.

No Mail Day - Ugggh!

Okay we all know the reputation of dogs and mail carriers. And believe me I always thought that was a myth, I mean what would make a dog want to attack a mail carrier for no reason. Cartoons always satires the situation and I have even chuckled a few times at the images of a dog tearing down the street after the mail carrier but now this has just gone too far because I am directly involved. My little baby Oreo absolutely despises our mail carrier. I don't know why but she charges the front door when the mail is delivered and even stands on her hind legs, looking out of the window to make sure she is gone. Now trust me, Oreo's bark is way way worse than her bite.

She has never bitten a soul, to be honest I don't know how far she can open her small mouth and as you can see she is not that big and she is full grown. Well in the summer she likes to sun bathe on the porch and our mail carrier will not come near our door. So today I missed my Oh My Crafts order with my Forever Young cartridge and the new Echo park line, I am so disappointed! Bummer! Oh well, maybe Monday.

Determined

I am setting a record blogging personal goal of posting something new everyday for the next week. Is that really possible? Well of course anything is possible but I get so easily distracted. Do I even have that much to say.......................Uh yeah, duh! I have so much coming up, like CKC Valley Forge, my annual block party, summer CHA (I love checking out the sneak peeks), my recent purchases should be arriving any day and the Scrap Room will be starting their sneak peeks of the July kit. Not to mention the layouts and cards I get done this weekend, so I hope to at the least keep it interesting.

To start a co-worker of mine is getting married July 10 and we had a shower at work for her. I volunteered to do the decorations and it turned out very nice. I did the Martha Stewart tissue paper pom-poms (sorry I don't have a picture but they were super cute!) , a candy bar with personalized bags and the creme de la creme was my first ever favor cake. It was perfect. I already have an idea for one for a baby shower cake, I just don't know anyone expecting, lol. Maybe I will just make it for the heck of it.

I am trying

to keep up with my blog but life just keeps getting in the way. So instead of trying to update my life over the past eight months I just want to say I joined a kit club. I had various memberships in the past and by joining a club I hope they ease my shopping addiction (yeah right). So after months of debating I finally jumped in and joined the Scrap room. I like their kits because you get a sampling from four different lines. It is just enough to get a flavor for the line and they offer great add-on kits. I will share some of my creations in my next post.

In Knots

The one thing I have learned my moving into my own scrap space is that organization is key. As I was trying to figure out what to do with the various ribbons that I have collected over the years, I remembered seeing this idea in a magazine {sorry, can't remember which :( }and online several times and decided to give it a try. I love the results!!!!

First of all going through my ribbon baskets has been like being on a treasure hunt, I forgot about so many different patterns that I have. It has been very exciting. Next I figured out quickly that there is no way I can complete this task by myself so I have enlisted the help of my youngest daughter (at a price of course!). So we started out with some old -fashioned wooden clothespins and wrapped the ribbon around the pin and secured the end with a straight pin. It looks great but these clothespins are hard to find and we ran out of the few I found quickly. So next we started good ol' reliable popsicle sticks. These babies are so versatile! We employed the same concept and wrapped the ribbon around the stick and secured it with a straight pin. I was even able to find some cute straight pins at the local Rite-aid (see the yellow butterflies, pretty clever, huh).

When we finish I need to figure out how I want to store them. I know I want something clear and easy to access. I was thinking Ikea might have something that works (any reason to shop, I know, lol). If you have any ideas feel free to share! Thanks!

P.S.

I really have too much ribbon, can someone just slap me if I tell you I am buying more ribbon! Then again,I probably just won't tell you now though, lol

Blog Giveaway

I am so excited, I can't believe how many people have giveaways on their blogs, check this one out on Melissa's blog, http://keepsakesbymelissa.blogspot.com/ the prizes are awesome!

Breathe Again...

I definitely have to post more frequently, by the time I get on here I have so much to say that it becomes a super long post. So now I don't know where to start! This summer I made a total of 25 pounds of potato salad, hosted three parties, went to two weddings, went to a crop retreat and spent more weekends with my extended family than I have in the past five years and it has been fun. I have been working 4 ten hour days at work to have Friday's off and this is the first Friday I have had for me since the beginning of summer and what am I about to do........................... yes CLEAN! There is so much to do around the house I think that is where I will start after I catch up on some blogging. So do you want to see a few pictures? This is my Man, the love of my life Reggie. We have been together for eight years this December. It has not always been easy and we have had some devastating situations, one of them being a stroke he had three years ago (He is fine, he just still has slight paralysis in three of his fingers). He is such a fighter, even on the way to the hospital he was trying to make his arm work - determined not to let the stroke get the best of him. His favorite spot in the summer and even in the winter sometimes - is on the grill! This man can barbeque his a double s off. Which probably explains why we had about 60 people at our block party, lol. We are having another block party on the 29th and he has promised to keep it small - we will see!

This is me and my niece. I love her to death. She is the one I can talk to and hang out with. We go Black Friday shopping every year (even when I don't fell like it, lol). She fell in love young and married a guy who just turned out to be nothing like he seemed. She went through a hard divorce in her twenties and struggled as a single mother until she me Bryan. He is a refreshing change to the men she was use to and he loves her to death. He calls her the boss. Together they are a loving couple and I was honored to be he maid of honor. This is a picture from her bridal shower (the pg-13 version - I haven't seen the x-rated version yet)!

This is me with my four sisters, now they would kill me if they knew this picture was up here because they don't want to be "all over the internet" but I don't think they know about my blog so I am safe for now, lol. I am the youngest with a 14 year difference between me and my oldest sister, our relationship is strange but all in all if something happens, good or bad, we are there for each other. I love each one of them. This was at my sister in the middle fiftieth birthday party this summer.

And I got to meet my sister from another mother Mika, yes we even have the same name. Sometimes I swear we were separated from birth and genetically altered, lol. We think alike too much! She makes me laugh and has the prettiest smile. We had a good time scrapping until our eylids dropped. I have to blog about the trip in a separate post to give the full details. Thing won't be complete until we meet our third muskeeter Myia! She is my girl and above all she keeps it real ! That girl is a very creative scrapper and can work magic with her pattern papers. I should start working on Reggie now to take me to Vegas! Myia-boo here we come!

And finally this is me, tired from all of these activities, bored at work and playing with my camera! Have a great weekend - I am going to try to complete some sketch challenges, clean up a little and then get ready for date night with Reggie!

CKC Valley Forge and the Stanky Leg

Okay, the two are in no way shape, or form related, lol. I visited the vendor faire on Friday with my girlfriend Kathy from work. She is a beginning scrapper and had never been to the vendor faire before. All I know is that should I become missing it is because her husband killed me for exposing her to CKC, lol. I actually did more shopping than I planned but I treated myself and my Scrapping Sister! Here is a look at my booty.......................not my booty booty, lol here is what I walked out with.

First this is already en route to my girl - 1/2 of an American Crafts paper pack, some green glitter thickers that are so pretty in person and an American crafts rub-on book. But wait.......................there is more!



Here is some Scenic Route chipboard. A cute Sassafrass paper pad, a film strip with her son's name on it and some Basic Grey bling a cute orange lady bug......................................is that it? Heck no! There is still more!



And finally a Scenic Route paper pack that includes some beautiful orange chipboard letter, some pretty paper, cardstock stickers and rub ons!

And for myself..........................I got some bling, glue arts refills, I have film strips personalized with all three of my girls names (my baby niece is included in the count) some pom-pom ribbon (it looks fun to work with), some thickers, American Crafts felt stickers, a few sheets of Basic Grey's lemonade, (which I thought was beautiful in person, still didn't want Junebug after seeing it in person), Basic Grey bling, six bottles of stickles (not pictured) some American Crafts and MME "Breaking Free" papers and some copic markers! I have never used them before and they are my most exciting purchase!

Saturday was my sister's fiftieth birthday party, which was a huge success (I will post pictures soon) but girl I had to show them up when my song - The Stanky leg" came on. I wore a cute orange Maxi dress and i felt really good about my "grown woman" status. Here is my self-portrait for the night!

TTYL!

Jumping In

Okay,
Along with blogging more I plan on enter more contests and challenges. there is a new challenge blog called Candy Shoppe Designs recommended by my lil' scrapping sister Myia - Check them out, they are doing some awesome giveaways right now! If I can do it, so can you!

Today was a Good Day

Even though I was not incredibly busy at work and I was incredibly tired, I still had a good day.
Scrapbook related, I did some virtual window shopping at stopandscrap.com of the coming soon CHA 2009 summer previews. My total cart is around $133. I will bring it down before I hit that checkout button though, we are in a recession, lol! Out of all of the paper collections I love the new Pink Paislee Amber Road. My girl Jojorenee says that it is definitely my style (that's a good thing right, sis?). I am blocked from blogger at work so I have to do my updating at night. As promised here is a picture of my bridal shower favors. My niece's wedding colors are red, black and white with an Asian theme. I put "Red Hots" in tulle with the wedding ring embellies for the final look. I have to tell you the shoe is a labor of love since you have to hand cut each piece. Here is a link to the template http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/articles/free_shoe_template_download( I shrunk it to 75% for my favors) give it a try, you will love the results, just make sure you are using a good weight cardstock.

In food news (my other favorite subject, lol) our local newspaper did an article on a Vegan Soul Food Cookbook by Bryant Terry. I am not a vegan but I do try to eat better any chance I get. Here is a link to the recipe I want to try. I put a copy here too but use the link http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/jamaican-veggie-patties-recipe.html for more information. Let me know if you try it before I do. Enjoy!



Jamaican Veggie Patties Recipe
You can certainly experiment with different sizes here, but don't go much smaller than a 4-inch cookie cutter. Any smaller and they tend to come apart at the seams - a bit like gaping mouths (see lead photo). Also, be sure to roll the pastry dough thinly - a true 1/8-inch. And lastIy, I can't resist brushing the patties with a bit of beaten egg before placing them in the oven - it makes the crust nice and golden, but also takes them out of the vegan category.
1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/2 cup 1/4-inch-diced yellow onion

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Coarse sea salt

2 larges cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup 1/4-inch-diced carrots

1/4 cup 1/4-inch-diced yellow potatoes

1/2 cup fresh green peas (or frozen)

1/2 cup sweet fresh corn (or frozen)

1/2 cup shredded cabbage

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper


Pastry:1 3/4 cups unbleached flour1 cup whole wheat pastry flour2 teaspoons turmeric1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt3/4 cup chilled coconut oil2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water


For the filling: In a medium-size saute pan over medium-low heat, combine the coconut oil, the onion cinnamon, allspice, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, carrots, and potatoes, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the green peas, corn, cabbage, thyme, and lemon juice, cover, and cook for 3 minutes more. Season with additional salt and the white pepper (or to taste) and set aside to allow the flavors to marry.
For the pastry: Combine 1 1/2 cups of the white flour with the pastry flour, turmeric, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Set the remaining 1/4 cup white flour aside. Add the coconut butter to the flour mixture and rub with your fingertip until the mixture resembles fine sand, about 10 minutes (hs note: I've also make this dough by pulsing ingredients in a food processor with good results).
Combine the vinegar and water and mix well. Then, without overworking the dough, add the vinegar mixture by the tablespoon, while stirring, just until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and begins to coalesce. Squeeze into a tight ball, flatten, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350F and remove the dough from the refrigerator.
With the reserved flour, lightly dust a clean surface, roll out the dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Cut six 6-inch circles from the dough (you can use a bowl). Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling onto the center of one side of each circle, leaving about a 1/8-inch border. Fold the other half over to make a half-moon, press to seal, and make ridges around the edge using a fork. (hs note: if your dough is at all on the dry side you may need to run wet fingers around the edge of the circles to help get a good seal).
Transfer the patties to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve immediately with some hot sauce.
Makes six big patties, or a couple dozen smaller ones.
Reprinted with permission from Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine by Bryant Terry. (Da Capo

Another Try!

After almost three years of being M.I.A. (hence the first song/artist on my playlist) I am going to try this blogging thing again. Now don't get me wrong I never gave up scrapping but I joined scrapbook.com instead of keeping up with my personal blog. Now I am going to try the unthinkable and do BOTH! Who knew? Is it really possible? We will see, lol!

So instead of trying to catch up on the past three years I am just going to start off like I never left. The next two weeks (actually it started last week) are crazy for me. Me an my baby niece, Tise (okay she is 27, not really a baby) gave my oldest niece, Tiya, a wedding shower. It was broken up into the PG version and the X rated verison. I only stayed for the PG version - I know I am such a prude....sometimes :) Anywhoo the first half was fun, I did the favors (to be posted soon) and cooked. Tiya loves breakfast food so we had sausage, bacon, and made to order belgian waffles, yummy. This weekend is my second oldest sister's , LynniePooh (only I can call her that) 50th birthday. We are giving her a party and even though the party itself isn't a surprise we do have some surprise guests lined up. Yup you guessed it, i am doing the favors for that too. The next weekend is Tiya's wedding and guess who is the maid of honor - yup that is me too. I will share pictures as soon as they are available. And since it has been so long and you may have forgotten what I look like here is a picture of me and my niece Tiya - I am so proud of her, she has a beautiful family and such a beautiful spirit!

When you’re at the end of your rope…..

Tie a knot and hang on. I really wish I could break the habit of watching the news, because the things that people are doing just seems to get more and more disturbing. Today I can’t get this story out of my head.

Police: Mom Uses Baby As Weapon To Beat Man
Baby Critically Injured
POSTED: 10:50 am EDT October 9, 2006

ERIE, Pa. -- A woman used her 4-week-old baby as a weapon in a domestic dispute, swinging the infant through the air and striking her boyfriend with the child, authorities said.

"The baby was swung at the individual that she was arguing with," Erie 4th Ward District Judge Tom Robie said.

The baby was critically injured in the attack early Sunday, said District Attorney Bradley Foulk.

"Never, never, never. I can never remember anything like this," Foulk told the Erie Times-News.

Chytoria Graham, 27, of Erie, was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and simple assault. She was held Monday in the Erie County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bail.

The infant, whose name and gender were not released, was taken to a hospital in Pittsburgh. Authorities did not identify the hospital, and the baby's condition Monday was not released.

Four other children were removed from the home by child welfare officials, Foulk said. The oldest of those children was 8 years old.

There was no immediate indication whether the man Graham is accused of attacking was the baby's father.

Authorities removed four other children from Graham's home and placed them with the Erie County Office of Children and Youth, Foulk said.


I think it is especially troubling because it seems as each year passes people lose more and more self control and is evidence as to how far people have gotten from God. I know that we all get overwhelmed but to take it out on your children is just wrong. Just last night my daughters and my boyfriend were pulling me in three different directions. I threatened to run away and sat in “time out” in my car. I recovered and went back in the house and resumed life as normal, hoping we have a better day today. One of my favorite quotes is “And this too shall pass” - knowing that I have chance to do things differently and start again each day keeps me hopeful and helps me navigate the hills and valleys of life.

I must be butter, because I am on roll....

Two post in two days, it's been a while since that has happened. I have rededicated myself to my blog and taking time out for me each day. To get around the fact I can't blog at work, I type my thoughts in MS Word, email them to myself, and cut and paste them into a post. They can't keep me down. Anyway, today while surfing the net I found a bit of cool information. The African American Museum of Philadelphia is sponsoring a seminar and photography exhibition in November. I think this would be a great opportunity for me to get some photo tips from the pros. If any of my local friends are interested, here is the information.


Photography 101

Saturday, November 4 ~ 11 a.m.

Learn the basics of photography and capturing the most from a moment. Photographers from the Shootout Exhibition will share inside tips on how to get started in the photography business.

Free with admission

In scrapping news there is so much going on. Just like Dana, I love to shop for new products. Sometimes I get frustrated not using them as quickly as I guess I should, but I like having things at my disposal when I want them. Plus scrapping is my only vice. I don’t drink coffee or sodas everyday, I don’t smoke and I don’t drink that often. So I figure $30-$50 per month on something I really enjoy is well worth it. Anyway there are some really great things on the market.

I found this clock and wine bottle holder at A Cherry on Top, Oh the possibilities. I am really intrigued by the new ‘Thickers” from American Crafts and I think I’ll order some on Wacky Wednesday (just in case they have some other things I want) from A Peek into Yesterday . I recently purchased the Prima Quick Picks and I love them, the colors are great. Right now I am especially in love with the Scenic Route papers – Capetown is top on my list. The weight is good the colors and quality are great and best of all they are double sided, giving you more possibilities. So right now I am truly inspired. I am currently working on my 2006 Race for the Cure album and have challenged myself to have it finished before the end of October. Wish me luck.

Might Not Have Blogged, but I have Scrapped!

Hello everyone out there in blogland. Again it has been a while since I have posted, but not much going on blog-worthy. My Girl Scout troop has started. This year I am working with the Brownies and I love it. They are a very energetic group of girls. They enjoy being in the troop which makes it a lot easier. I have a ton of trips and activities planned. The only drawback is that the troop meets on Friday nights (twice a month). It won't be that bad once I get use to it.
My niece is having a baby - this is her first. She has the best ultrasound picture of the baby sucking "her" thumb. My niece would probably kill me for posting this picture but it is too cute not to share. Work is just that - work. I think after Christmas I am going to look for something else, my job is not bad its just not great. My birthday is this month and already the activity planning has begun. My sisters and I are having dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and my girlfriend and I are going out to a jazz bar - Zanzibar Blue for Wind-down Wednesdays. I am also going to a fashion show/cabaret this weekend. I plan to party like it's nineteen-ninety-nine, and I am still 29 years old. Here is my most recent work. Shout out to Adrienne and Toya, I love inspiration Wednesdays!!!!

We Are Family

I can't believe one of my pictures finally uploaded, Yayyyyyyy!!!!! I have been having so many problems with blogger lately. Anyhow, Thursday, two of my sisters, two of my nieces and my two daughters went on a local cruise up the Delaware River to celebrate my sisters birthday. We had so much fun. We ordered the fiesta table so we had a balloon bouquet and souvenir glasses for everyone. There was an amble buffet and the food was very tasty. The cruise included a live show with people singing Motown classics-somewhat corny, but definitely entertaining. After the live show the dance floor opened up with a Conga line. My daughters had everyone on the cruise laughing when they played "Jump on It" by the Sugar Hill Gang because they did some dance they saw on Fresh Prince of Bel Air. My sisters and I danced in all of the line dances including the classic Electric Slide, Cha-Cha Slide, Booty Call and Wild, Wild West. The party continued for three hours and the music didn't stop until the boat docked. We had such a good time, even though almost all of us had to go to work the next day it was worth it. I know my sister had a good time because she was smiling the entire time, plus there were two times she cried (we all are very emotional, LOL). Once when they played "We are family" by Sister Sledge and we all started to sing together and the DJ and dancers came over and sang with us. And secondly when the DJ played Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday" song and we lit her candles and sang to her. I am so glad she had a good time, she deserves it, I love my family.