Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's 51st Birthday! Last year we had a big shindig for her, this year it was low key but we still celebrated the amazing woman that she is! My mom is half Irish and half German. She is quick to tell you not to get on her bad side! Her name is Margaret Anne-Margaret is her great grandma's name and Anne is her aunt's name. Don't call her Maggie or Mother-you are liable to get hit!! She is the oldest of 3 siblings, the only left hander, the only one that never smoked or drank coffee. She calls herself the black sheep of the family!
When my mom was only 24 years old, she lost her dad whom she was very close to. He passed away from Crohn's Disease. I can't even imagine losing my dad, especially at that age. She has kept his memory alive for us. I feel like I really knew him even though I was the only grandchild he ever got to meet.

She is so talented and creative. She makes the most beautiful wedding cakes you have ever seen and can pretty much make a cake to resemble anything you could ask for. She loves the outdoors, gardening and being surrounded by family and friends. And I think she is beautiful too!

My mom is my best friend. I can't imagine not having her in my life. She was there for me when I had my first kiss, my first broken heart and everything in between. I am so much like her in so many different ways. Sometimes I even sound like her! I can't wait to have babies of my own because I know that she will be the best grandma ever to them. I am so thankful for her and wish her the happiest birthday ever. I love you mom!

L-O-V-E

L-O-V-E L is for the way you look at me...
O is for the only one I see...
V is very, very extraordinary...
E is even more than anyone that you adore and...

LOVE is all that I can give to you.

LOVE is more than just a game for two.

Two in LOVE can make it

Take my heart and please don't break it.

LOVE was made for me and you!

One of my most favorite songs by Nat King Cole!

I made this LOVE banner after watching a video tutorial at Artful Affirmations.
Now making these banners is one of my new favorite things to do! I LOVE to make them!!

I won a giveaway from Petite Michelle Louise and all of the beautiful PINK pretties made me swoon! I LOVE everything she sent me!

There is a tote bag, tags, crinkled seam binding, a stamp and some fench paper cutouts. It all came wrapped in a fun vintage sewing pattern. Even though I know what I am getting, it is still so fun to open the package and see everything in person! I always like to send thank you cards whenever someone is generous enough to give me something. Here is the card I made to send to Petite Michelle Louise. Thank you for your kindness!

Hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend filled with lot's of LOVE!

I am linking up with How Sweet the Sound's Pink Saturday!

A new teacup set for me

Back in August, I won a $40 gift certificate to CSN Stores. I went back and forth as to what I was going to get. I knew I wanted to add a teacup to my teeny tiny teacup collection. I saw this set and decided to get it! I really like the colors on this pretty set. There are pink and white roses and tiny little blue flowers too!
I like the fluted edge of the plate.
And I really like how the edge of the saucer and cup have a nice tan coloring.

This teacup set is nothing old or super special, but I am glad that my Lonely Little Teacup now has a friend to keep it company! I can see why there are so many of you out there that collect tea cups-it's so fun and there are so many beautiful pieces out there!

I am linking up to Teacup Tuesday

Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday

Tea Time Tuesday

Would you also be so kind and go vote for my Pink Champagne Rose Cupcakes at The Middlest Sister? I would really appreciate your vote!!

I need your vote!

Remember those super cute Pink Champagne Rose Cupcakes I made a few weeks ago? Well, they are in the running to win a prize! If you would do me a favor and go vote for me over at The Middlest Sister Cupcake Contest, I would really appreciate it! Voting ends Wednesday so be sure to get your votes in ASAP! Click the cupcake to get to the voting!Here's a little reminder of my super cute cupcake! You can vote on the sidebar for my cupcakes! Thanks in advance for all your votes...you are the best!
Happy Monday!!

Friends Card

I have some pretty special friends in my life and every once in awhile, I like to give them a little something to let them know how much they mean to me! While browsing The Graphics Fairy Blog, I came across the graphic you see above. I love how the children are sleeping in the nest, don't they look so peaceful?! I knew that I wanted to use it to create a card for a very dear friend!I love the nest and knew that I could really make that part stand out! I used vintage sheet music for a background and set the graphic in the middle of that. For the nest, I used some moss from Michaels. I love the unruly look of it! I then added a leaf, a few flowers, some ribbon on the top and bottom and a little pink paper where I wrote "Friends are Forever". I am pretty happy with the way it turned out!

I really like how the children look like they are snuggled deep into the nest and the rest of the elments really stand out. I know my friend will love receiving this and I had so much fun making it!
I will be linking this altered card up with The Graphics Fairy Brag Monday!

Have a great week everyone!!

Pretty Pictures

Most of the pictures I have hanging around my house are actual photos. I love photos of loved ones and special memories. However, I do have a few pictures in my house that I just can't live without. I am sure that you will also notice they have 2 very important things in common. Pink and roses! Please excuse the awful pictures that I took-the lighting was bad and I couldn't do much about the flash reflection this late at night! This first picture is of a beautiful rose swag. The matting is a dark green which I am thinking about changing. The roses are so soft and pretty!

This one is a favorite! Such a sweet, vintage little girl. She has a pretty white lace dress on with an aqua sash and she is holding the prettiest bouquet of pink roses and a love letter. I love her aqua tights and pink ballet slippers too!

I love angels and have had this picture for quite a long time. The beautiful angel is surrounded by the lovliest roses. I really love the matting surrounding the picture-more roses!!

This is another picture with vintage goodies! A beautiful bouquet of roses sits on top of a vintage lace table cloth. There is a vintage book, old looking glasses and a clock. The matting on this one matches the walls in my bedroom. Another beauty!!

One of these days, I will take beautiful photos with no bad lighting and no flash reflections. Until then, please enjoy my journey as I learn!

You can find more pretty pinks over at How Sweet the Sound! Happy Pink Saturday!!

French Soap Label

Like so many of you, I love to see what The Graphics Fairy has on her site to inspire me to create. I saw this vintage French Soap Label and knew I could use it for something fun and pretty! I have always been a crafter and a creater for as long as I can remember! So to come up with something to create with this beautiful label, I just thought back to my childhood. Creating special soap was one of my favorite things to do and it was perfect for this French soap label.
I printed the label out on regular white paper so that it would fit on the bar of soap that I had. I then used tacky glue to secure it to the bar of soap. Then I applied the glue to the top and let it dry. I added glitter and a little bling to make it really pretty.

This particular bar of soap is for decorative purposed only. If you want to make these useable, just dip the top with the picture into some parafin wax. This makes a protective barrier so that you can actually use your pretty soap.

The things you can do is really up to your imagination. I have used actual pictures, stickers, etc. I have made these for party favors at weddings and parties. The possibilities are endless!

I am linking up with The Graphics Fairy Brag Monday!

I would love to see the pretty soaps you come up with!!

Some fun wins

I love how generous bloggers are. There is always a few giveaways going on and they are always fabulous! I just happened to recently win one of those giveaways from Tammy at Tattered and Timeless. It's always exciting to win and I never believe when I do! This package arrived for me on Friday. Even though I knew what was in it, I could hardly wait to open it up and take a look inside! Tammy wrapped it in pretty tissue paper and stuck on a sweet note! Insise was this wonderful burlap banner that reads "WINTER". Since I took down all my Christmas decorations, my window looks so empty and boring. The banner definitely helps it out a lot and the color is perfect in my living room!
This journal is so pretty and so much better in person. Tammy put in so many details and the picture just doesn't do it justice. I have decided to use this journal to put all my ideas and inspirations in. It will be perfect for that!

I wanted to thank Tammy for her generosity, so with only one useable thumb, I created this fun little thank you card. I made some paper roses out of sheet music and some black printer ribbon to create a border and a bow. Very resourceful and I think it turned out cute! It's on its way to you Tammy! Thank you again for your generous giveaway!

Some of you may remember that back in December, I entered a cookie contest in my town. Well, I won 3rd place! Not too bad since it was the first time I had even made those cookies! I will definitely be entering again next year. Here is my pretty white 3rd place ribbon!

Thank you to everyone for your comments on my thumb injury. As much as it hurts and sucks not to be able to use my thumb for awhile, it is so nice to know that I have friends out there who truly care about me!

Pink Champagne Rose Cupcakes

Before I hurt myself on Tuesday, I made these pretty rose cupcakes. They are Pink Champage cupcakes with Pink Champagne frosting. So cute, so yummy and perfect for a celebration!! Here is the recipe:

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

*1 white cake mix

*3 egg whites

*1 1/4 cup champage

*1/3 cup of oil

*6-8 drops red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare muffin tins with paper cups.

Fill cups with batter 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 17-22 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
Pink Champagne Frosting:
*1/2 cup soft butter
*4 cups powdered sugar
*1/4 cup champagne
*1 tsp vanilla
*4-5 drops red food coloring
Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Frost cupcakes however you please.
I piped my frosting on to resemble a rose, sprinkled them with a little pink sugar and stuck on some silk leaves.

I am linking up with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday. Go check out all the other pretty pinks everyone is showing off!
I will also be entering these cupcakes in a cupcake contest hosted by Libbie at the The Middlest Sister.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!! I get 3 very needed days! Yay!!

This is going to put a damper on things...

**This post contains graphic images...if really bad owies freak you out, don't go any further!**

I work at a bank during the day. There are vaults, both big and small. I have been working at a bank for over 10 years now and get in and out of vaults several times a day everyday. On Tuesday, I finally did it. I smashed my hand in the vault. I was going to close it and was not paying much attention. My thumb was on top of the door and I didn't realize my thumb was there until the vault closed. This vault kind of looks like the vault that did it to me!

As soon as I realized that my thumb was smashed, I ripped it out so fast and ran out of the vault. I looked at it and saw the huge gash and told everyone "I am going to start crying now, okay?!" And I lost it! Everyone who heard me cry came running out to see what was going on. My thumb immediately swelled up and someone thought that it could be broke. So off I went to the doctor. Here is a photo of my injury!
It turns out, I chipped the bone in 2 places. They used a liquid stitch to close the wound. Hopefully when I go in for my checkup today I won't have to get real stitches. I also have to wear a thumb brace and limit use of my thumb. Not the easiest thing to do when you are a banker! And of course it was my right hand so I can't do ANYTHING!! Let's just say that my wonderful husband has been quite the trooper-he even has to help take my bra off and put it back on!!

So crafting and creating and typing are all on a small break for now. Which totally kills me! I can't even cook and the laundry is not getting folded anytime soon! This really puts a damper on things, don't you think?!

Happy Birthday big sister

Today is my older sister's 35th Birthday! She is 7 years older than me, which was so very apparent when we were younger, but now that we are older, it's like we are the same age. She is actually my half sister, we have the same dad, but I have never considered her "only my half sister". I think the only way you would ever be able to tell that we aren't full-blooded sisters is that her hair is dark, mine is light, she is skinny and I am not! We have the same eyes and same chubby cheeks too! This is my big sister Terra and me a few years ago. We did a mother-dauhgter day and had pictures taken. It was a ton of fun!

When we were younger, we didn't get along all that well. When I was really little, she would come up and visit us from California for a little bit in the summer and at Christmas. When she would leave, I would cry for her. Then, as we got older, I annoyed her! I just wanted to be so much like her so I would "borrow" her clothes and her makeup. She always caught me and was always so mad at me! Now, we are best friends! When she renewed her vows with her husband 4 years ago, I served as her maid of honor! And when I got married on June 13th, 2009, she was my maid of honor. It meant a lot to her that I would choose her to stand by my side when I got married. It meant a lot to me to have her there by my side as well. The picture below is of her and I on my wedding day!
I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful big sister. For as long as I could talk, I have called her Siss, not Terra. And to this day, if I call her Terra, it feels very weird to both of us, so I still call her Siss! I hope that she has a wonderful birthday and a fantastic 35th year! I love you Siss!

I got spoiled!

I have been quite the slacker lately. I blame it on the dead batteries in my camera. Who knows how many times I went to the store this past week and forgot to get new ones. I finally got some so we are back in business! I just had to share the wonderful Christmas presents that my amazing husband got for me. He did a fantastic job this year and I am still very excited about everything!He went all by himself and got me this great mirror. It is made out of an old window, has the original hinges, latch and chippy paint! Don't you think he did a great job? I made this adorable LOVE banner to hang on it and got a blinged out P to hang on the latch as well. The bottom holds some of our engagement pictures...everything I love!
He knows how much I love to take pictures and that I am ALWAYS taking pictures of EVERYTHING! So he got me a digital photo frame to show them all off! He knows me so well!

He also knows that I am always busy crafting and making things. I would usually print things at work, which was nice but very inconvenient. So, he bought me my very own printer. Now when an idea strikes me, I can print it right away and get going on it!

He also refinished this sewing machine desk for me so that I would have a special spot to do my blogging! It's so nice to have a place for that now! It has also quickly become a crafting spot as well! It's all set up in the living room so that he can watch TV and I can do my thing but we can still be together. What a great guy I have!!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful first week of 2011. So far, so good for me! Thank you to everyone for all the comments you leave for me. I get so excited when I get to read all the kind things you say as well as when I get new followers too! I am busy working away on some fun new things and can't wait to share them with you soon!