Shake it off

Hi stampers!  I must be a bit loopy today as the title of my post makes me laugh.  A friend of mine from my old job and I couldn't STAND any Taylor Swift songs (which with about one radio station we could get at work her songs played WAY too much so even if we had liked them we were always sick of ALL the songs they played, ha).  See, loopy, I tell ya!  Anyway, the title fits because I need to shake it off that I haven't blogged or stamped as much as I'd liked.  But, because we were back home over the weekend for TWO baby showers (FUN) and many of our shows are back on in the evening, I'm ok with it.

And then I'm sharing a shaker card!  I don't THINK I've shared this one and I've had it filed away for-ev-er!  It's a total CASE from my friend Jen Timko and it really helped me feel creative when I was struggling a while ago.  Heck, it may have even been made before Ian, I can't really remember.

Anyway, here it is!

Thanks for the inspiration as always Jen!

I love the colors!  I want to make more shakers but in the move I lost my window sheets…which if I'm being honest were actually transparencies that I bought in college for a presentation.  Do kids today even know what those are/were???  Ha!  I need to buy some of our window sheets but I'd been using these since I had a bunch of them and man, were those things expensive!  I wonder where they are?  You always seem to lose something when you move, right? Oh, and how did I make it if I didn't have anything you ask?  I used a cello bag, lol!  It was NOT easy but it worked I suppose ;-)  I also love that star stencil but MAN, I need a sink in the basement to clean it off!  :-)

Oh well, off to look at what else I need since it's SAB and a great time to order anything you need or stock up on things you use a lot!  Remember, you get a free item for every $50 you spend!

Happy stamping!

Look at me go!

Hi stampers!  I'm on a roll I guess!  I've been to the gym twice (am planning to go today…please pray Ian's nap cooperates with a class I want to try, ha), I have lunch plans with a new friend, I'm blogging and I FINALLY got a watermark in my photo software!  I have been trying to do that since I got my Mac years ago!  So, hopefully editing will go faster now since I won't have to type it out every single time!

Although, for all that accomplishment I STILL haven't made a dent in the mountain of laundry I let pile up or taken the Christmas tree down (the ornaments are off though, lol).  There's always later, right?

Here's a card I made a few weeks ago using a sketch I had pinned.  I made a few Christmas cards with this although I'm not sure I shared all (or any?) of them.  They turned out better than this one but at least I tried!

I'll try to list my supplies soon.  I used to have the catalogs practically memorized so it was easy.  Now, not so much.  I have lost brain capacity and can't for the life of me remember the names of things :-)  Maybe I can study during a nap.  And of course every time I need my catalog it's not where I am!

Happy stamping!

I did it!

Hi stampers!  I did it…no I didn't stamp (well I did a little over the weekend) but I MADE IT TO THE GYM WITH IAN!  This is a big deal for me, lol!  I've been avoiding it for a myriad of reasons but mainly because I'm not in a routine and I hate getting used to one and I wasn't sure how to time things with Ian's naps and what not. Well, I decided that no matter what it's time.  With the winter blues I've got to get out of the house and just feel more like the old me. The gym was a huge part of my routine back home and it was so nice to do something I enjoy again.  I also think it's good for him to be around kids and other people although since I've only ever left him with family since we don't know anyone here I was dragging my feet.  But, I found a gym I really like with a child care program I really like!  We went this morning and he did great!  He didn't fall asleep on the way as I'd hoped but he did on the way home and this may be most exciting (lol), I was able to get him out of the car seat and in bed without waking up, hooray!  Haha!  So, here's to hoping it keeps going well.  I felt really good working out and just being around people!  I did a class yesterday since dad was off and really like it too although my muscles may not be saying that right about now!  It was a barre class.  Any of my readers do that?  I've always heard about it but never had a class near me!

So, now that's out of the way I can show you a pretty card!  Ok, maybe not a pretty card as it's kind of manly :-)  I just love this new set from the occasions mini.  And I'm not a great colorer with the blendies but I'm trying!

Again, I'm skipping the editing for now but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to stand it :-)  Same with adding supplies…we'll see….

And thank you for all your comments and messages on my last post.  I'm slowly figuring out the new normal for us.  I just really hate in-between times.  Like I said above I hate carving out a new normal or new routine.  I get something that works and I like to stick with it :-)

Happy stamping!

New year new me!

Well maybe like new year old me….I really need to get back to my old pre-baby self at much as I can!  Hi stampers!  Happy new year!  And I hope you had a wonderful holiday season.  We did as you can probably tell by my radio silence :-)  I had big plans for stamping and blogging at my moms since I'd have "so much time" but alas I didn't lol!  We stayed pretty busy (got to shop earlier next year) and my mom wasn't as helpful at her house as she is at ours, lol!  She kept finding things she needed to do around the house usually starting one thing then flitting around to 20 more :-)  Guess at my house she doesn't care lol! ;-)

I was lucky to be able to go home with my mom for a week before Christmas and then Jon came down for the whole week of Christmas and we spent time with all of our families and then we were lucky enough to have my mom and step dad come visit for a week after (as I had a cousin getting married on NYE).  And thankfully my mom is wonderful and instead of riding up with my step dad the day after we came home which was the plan she rode back with us as both Jon and I had bad colds (he even had to go to the ER one night thanks to his cold going to some lymph nodes…he and his brother always get random and weird illnesses and the ER was crazy busy and we were two to a room and our roomie had a very "interesting" and if you ask me embarrassing injury!!!!!) and Ian was sick as well.  Thankfully the little man fared much better than the two of us and never acted like he felt bad but had a cough and runny nose.  I think we actually caught if from him (and I think our cousin gifted him with it at an early Christmas get together).  I felt pretty rotten for quite a while and STILL have a runny nose close to 3 weeks later!!!!!  But even though I didn't get things done I thought I would (including daily workouts) I had a wonderful time and wouldn't change a thing….except for shopping earlier, did I mention that?  Please remind me next year!!!!!!).

But, now that it's 2015 I have got to get my act together!  I'm still adjusting to living away from family (do you ever really get used to that?) and being a new mom (do you ever really get used to that either, lol) but I think trying to get back to the "old" me will help.  Obviously I'm different now and things are different but I need to do things that make me happy!  I have a big flaw and that's that I don't like to start things I think or know I can't finish.  Like when I sit down to make cards I tend to only do it if I know I have a certain block of time or that I can get at least one finished.  I don't like leaving things half done.  Same goes for workouts and I've often skipped them if I know I can't get a hard hour in but that silly since even 20 minutes would be better than zero!  But that's me and it didn't used to be a big deal since I had lots of time.  Well, now I don't of course and I need to do what I can when I can!  So those are the two big ones!  Stamping and working out more often than not even if I can't do it as long as I'd like!  And adding in blogging there somewhere too :-)   Are any of you like that too?  Don't like starting things you can't finish (laundry however, seems to be the exception…I have no issues leaving clothes in the washer or dryer lol)?

And I checked out some gyms yesterday.  I'd like to get back to the actual gym and it would be good to get out of the house and meet people.  Having been a class instructor it's going to be HARD to pay for a membership…especially a pricey one but I guess it will be worth it.  I'm just nervous about leaving Ian in the day care.  Kids are gross and I fear his getting sick, ick!  But it will be good for him to be around other people too since it's just me and him most of the time!  I've got to quit using him as an excuse for not doing things!  It would be easier if he took longer naps but maybe he will one day :-)  I guess I'm thankful he's a really good night sleeper as opposed to a long napper and bad night sleeper, ha!

So, this isn't really a resolution as it is just getting back to the old me!  Thanks to all my friends and readers who have been patient with me as I figure our life now :-)    So how about a card after all that blah blah blah?

I made this one over the holidays at my moms.  I didn't stamp much but the new photopolymer release and some washi tape made some coffee table stamping easy!

Again, I'm going to play around with not photo editing but it may drive me nuts…we will see.

And now here is a pic of Ian.  And yes, I know it's best to wait until 6 months for solid foods so please no hate mail on that.  There are some issues that we had that trumped waiting and solids have helped.  The decision was well researched and approved by our pediatrician.  This was our first taste of carrots.  Looks like he likes them!  Don't tell him I don't like them cooked ;-)

Happy stamping!