Back to the real world

Rejean and I arrived home on Saturday after spending three amazing days/nights in Panama City Beach. Our friends R.C. and Elizabeth went too so we had a lot of fun spending time with them.

The view of the beach/ocean from our hotel balcony was incredible! I was absolutely in awe that God created such beauty. If anyone is considering a trip to Panama City Beach, I highly recommend the Legacy hotel. The rooms were very nice and the staff really went out of their way to make our stay a great experience.

picture of sunset taken from our balcony (on the first night of our stay):

Pier Park is a fabulous outdoor shopping center and we really enjoyed spending time there.

We also found many great restaurants which had some of the best seafood I had ever eaten.

notice the HUUUGE fish plate...

Now, it's back to the real world. I'm busy trying to get caught up on housework along with scrapbook projects needing to be done. I hope to get the new June classes up soon, so be on the lookout for those! :o)

Hope you all had a nice weekend as well!

A sweet gesture to share and also a buyer beware

Have you ever had a day when you felt both incredibly blessed and humbled all at the same time? I had a day like that this weekend.

I have a baby bug (small cricut) and use it often in my scrapbooking. I love it to pieces. But I'd heard wonderful things about the Cricut Expression. Last Saturday I was in my craft room watching some videos to see what this larger version had to offer. The next thing I know, Rejean comes into my craft room to see what I'm up to. He leaves and then minutes later, returns with this huge box. With a big smile on his face he says "Maybe you'd like to try some of the things you're watching on your own machine...Happy Mother's Day/Anniversary!" (our anniversary is next week). Now, since we'd already planned a vacation to celebrate, the last thing I was expecting was a present.

What made me even more humbled was hearing the story behind the effort he put into this. About three weeks ago I was teaching a class at our local scrapbook store. Rejean decided that would be the perfect opportunity to get my gift. (Yes, in case you're wondering I am a bit of a snooper! LOL). He went the Walmart on Whittlesey Blvd. and bought my machine which contained one cartridge, "Plantin Schoolbook". Two weeks later while at Walmart on Airport Thruway he saw that they had the same machine with TWO cartridges inside for $50 LESS than the one he bought. Figuring that I would love the extra Home Decor cartridge (and knowing it was certainly a better deal), while I was at the crop for NSD, he returned the first cricut and then headed to the Airport Thruway Walmart to get the other.

So, long story short~ Not all Walmarts offer the same deals. So, aside from shopping around~be sure to check the box before handing over your credit card. Luckily Rejean had not opened the box, but if he had, it would certainly have been an issue (they made sure all the tape was in tact before agreeing to the return).

I never ask myself what I could have done to deserve such an amazing hubby. I already know the answer to that. It's only by the grace of God that I share my life with someone that special.

First blog award!

Today, I opened my email only to find this blog award sent by my sweet friend, Cheryl.

If you're going to get a blog award, I think this is probably one of the nicest kind to get. Cheryl, thank you for being so thoughtful...it made my day!! :o)

My Friday share

I found this cute little frame for $1 at Michael's. Actually, I bought several in different shapes and sizes. My intent was to put some "portraits" of some Sesame Street characters in each one and then have a giveaway on my blog. I thought they'd be sweet for a nursery or perhaps as part of a baby shower gift. Unfortunately, the other frames fell apart while still sitting in the shopping bag! Cheap glue, I guess. Probably not one of my smartest purchases. Oh well...what do you expect for a buck, right?

The love of my life

"You're the reason I believe in love,

And you're the answer to my prayers from up above...

My dreams came true, because of you."

(Shania Twain, "From This Moment On")

Thank you Rejean for who you are, for all you do, and for all that I am~ because of you.

I love you always,

Shelley

Just buzzing by....

to wish all of you a bee-autiful day! :o)

Actually, I really wanted to share a little project I completed today. It's for a dear friend of mine who just celebrated her 30th wedding anniversary with her hunny. (that's what she calls him...isn't that sweet?). Truthfully, I don't know what she'll do with this, or even if she'll like it. She may think I've totally lost my marbles, but that's okay too. LOL Maybe she can use it on a layout of the two of them together.

Mainly, I just wanted her to know I thought of her today and am excited for her and this major milestone in her life.

So, here is the paper piecing I made. I put some red cardstock behind it, hoping it will show up better in the picture.

If you would like to make one of these little fellas for your own page, here is what you will need:

(2) 1 1/2" heart punch (wings--white cardstock)

(1) 1 1/2" square punch cut in two (corner to corner--black cardstock). This will be his...how can I word this in a refined, ladylike manner...his bottom. :o)

Coluzzle Oval --largest oval for body (using black cardstock). The yellow strips on his body are 1/2" . I adhered several strips to his body and then turned it over and cut around the black.

Coluzzle Circle--use the fifth circle from the center. This will be his head (black cardstock).

Coluzzle Heart--use third heart from the center. This will be for his face (white cardstock).

The item numbers for the Coluzzle templates are as follows:

Coluzzle Circle: 44-4001

Coluzzle Oval: 44-4000

Coluzzle Heart: 44-4005

I also used several EK Success Paper Shapers (or thumb punches) for this as well. These smaller punches are probably not as popular as they once were, but I find them extremely handy when doing my paper piecings. Here is a picture of the ones I used:

Pink smallest circle--2 black for eyes, 3 red (nose & cheeks)

Orange circle--2 black for tops of antennas, 17 yellow for around face (heart).

Swirl--1 black for mouth (trimmed down)

Heart--2 red for tops of antenna

**Before adhereing the white portion of the face (heart) onto the black (coluzzle circle), remember to adhere the yellow circle punches to the back to give the appearance of a "scalloped" border. You will probably have to overlap them a bit to make them all fit nicely.**

The antennas were made by cutting one 1/4" strip of white. Cut it to whatever length you like and then form a "v" with it before adhering it to the top of the bee's head.

Add any detailing you like with a black pen. Also using a white pen for the hearts on the antennas would be cute.

Enjoy your bee! :o)

The 3/50 Project

I want to call attention to the badge I proudly placed on my website today. It's not only to make you aware of something I feel is very important, but it's there also to serve as a reminder to me.

Yesterday I placed on my blog a link to a wonderful website with all kinds of discounts --perhaps to your favorite online stores. But I think there is another aspect here that I feel is just as important. That is, supporting your local small businesses.

There is something about the local Mom & Pop establishments that give you something that the major chain stores just don't offer to the same extent. One being the level of customer service. I don't know about you, but when I go into a small store with a friendly atmosphere and the store owner(s) know my name (perhaps even those of the rest of my family), that makes me feel like I matter...and that my business is important to them.

I realize that with today's economy being strained such that it is, consumers want to get the most they can when spending their hard earned money. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Discounts are great and if we can use them on especially pricier items, then we as consumers need to do so.

But when I do shop for those little things, I plan on visiting my local Mom & Pop stores first to see if they have what I might be needing. It's the places I find fellowship...and am among friends. And that is extremely important to me. My hope is that you will consider doing the same.

Wishing you all a fantastic day!!

Let the shopping begin!

See if your favorite online store has any unadvertised sales going on:

http://www.naughtycodes.com/

Happy shopping! :o)

Look what I found!

If you're looking for a fantastic sketch site, have I found something fabulous for you!

http://www.scrapsketches.blogspot.com/

Check it out! Her designs are beautiful!!

Friendship

It seems to me that there are many times we forget to say thank you to the very people who make our lives a better place to be. So, I wanted to tell you about some wonderful blessings I have received by some special people in my life.

First, I signed up to do the Secret Sister both at the Scrapbook Shoppe and also at our church. And can I just say that I have the best secret sisters ever?! Not only have they given me some very thoughtful gifts which I appreciate so much, it's the knowing that they are thinking of me that means the most.

My sister from church has given me some wonderful gifts...lots of chocolate (who wouldn't love that, right??), a beautiful devotional book and even a gift card to Hobby Lobby! :o)

And then there's my secret sister from the Shoppe. One Saturday I went by the store and received this darling hand decorated container filled with lots of neat things!! Now, I loooove anything homemade, so her putting the time and effort into making me something meant so much to me. I just had to take a picture of it to share with all of you....

And some of the fun goodies to be found inside....

"S" is for "Shelley"...or maybe it's for Secret Sister...either way...cute!


Adorable polka dotted flowers and little brads to match...



Scissors, also in the same lime green...love them!!

Some of the most gorgeous fibers that I have ever seen!
And some sweet glittery tags that will be perfect for my scrapbook pages.

Then there was my birthday. My sweet friends Cheryl and Elizabeth really went out of their way to make my birthday special and to put a smile on my face. They succeeded at both.


Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I have two major obsessions....gerber daisies and anything that is black and white. So, Cheryl gave me this adorable framed artwork for my craftroom:






LOVE the sentiment!! It's hard to see from the picture but the colors are so vibrant! And the paint has a shimmer to it...almost appearing as though there are dew drops on the flower.

Then, my dear friend Elizabeth gave me a beautiful journal covered with pearls and a stunning decorative metal box (that has the vintage look that I just adore). The box is magnetic and has such detail, complete with flourishes, beading and crystals inlaid. It's very hard to describe so let me share a picture of it so you can see for yourself just how pretty it is...




A huge thank you to all of you for your thoughtfulness! You all mean so much to me and I feel very blessed to have you in my life.