Designing and Styling this party was seriously the most fun I've had by
myself in a long time...lol Kahlen is completely in love with Tutus
& Baby Dolls at the age of 2. So it was pretty simple that her theme
would be TwoTwo's (tutus) & Baby Dolls. That girlie side in me came
out in a snap....oh, and I enjoyed every part of that side as long as I could!
Continue reading "TwoTwo's (tutus) & Baby Dolls 2nd Birthday" »
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Over the course of 3 days, Ben, Kahlen and I had 3 dinner parties to attend and one crepe brekkie.
So not complaining, scrumptious food in this bellay makes me one happy lady....or could it be that not one pot required a bath in our house? Yup. that too!
My antisocial self with lactose and gluten have been conversing more than usual the past few days and has now decided I am so ready for a cleanse to happen up in hur. Think I am ready to start THIS lovely cleanse over at Healthful Pursuit; my go-to blog lately for all my gluten-free meals, snacks and a good laugh. She cracks me up!
With all these good eats the past few days, I had to thank the hosts for the zero pot cleaning happening at my house and of course their dee-lish-us meals and lovely company. So this is how this Thank You card came to be.
I sent each and every one of them a sweet little note along with a small stack of thank you cards & envelopes for them to pay-it-forward. I try to send out thank you's to everything I receive....even if it was just simply good advice received. Feeling appreciated is something that doesn't happen enough these days, so I want to make sure the people in my life at least feel appreciated by me =) Yes, I'm a sucky poo poo. I'm so sucky I also want to appreciate you and give you this Thank You Dinner Card printable for FREE. Go ahead, pass on the appreciation, all it can do is make you and your receivers happy endorphins dance...and heck, I LOVE to dance!
Click the card below to open the pdf and save to your computer.
(you will need the latest version of Adobe Reader to open this file)
Happy appreciation giving!
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I always said my brother was a star, in fact, my entire family are artsy fartsy stars. The talent in these genes are a huge blessing. But today this post is for my brother, Clyde.
I know I talk a lot about the things my family are up too, but I find it interesting that we are just a normal family with the laughs, tragedies and obstacles everyone else encounters and yet, I forget my siblings are Broadway Stars. Every now and then I get a nice slap-in-the-face watching fans stand outside the stage door with their pens in hand, anxious grins cheek-to-cheek, chatting up their favourite parts of the show. Then that tiggling feeling starts to set-in from that crisp slap and I realize, "oh ya, they're stars." They walk out, graciously greet their fans, and then we're off for a bite to eat or a relaxing night in their apartment forgetting about how much they're loved and appreciated around the globe. Ok, so maybe it's just me that forgets =)
Yeah, it sucks my brother has lived the past 13 years or so in NYC, but heck...he's living his dream, even though that selfish "I wish he was here" part of me still exists.
It has been worth it for each incredible show he has been a part of...BUT...even BETTER that recently he went on to play the role of Jimmy Winters in Nice Work If You Can Get It, regularly played by Mathew Broderick. Hello?!! STAR!!! Not only is it a lead role, it's a lead role played by the famous Mathew Broderick. Whoa.
Unfortunately it was so last minute, none of us had enough time to fly out there and witness his brilliance. But the word is, he was truly incredible. <insert proud grin here> =)
Soooo....here are some snippets, taken by Chris Sullivan, of Clyde's brilliance coming to life.
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I never think the love for my sweet potato could get any grander than it already is, but somehow, with each day that passes...it does. Sometimes I clench my teeth together so hard while squeezing her like a squishy teddy bear that I feel like I chipped a tooth! This is some pretty serious love...my heart must be ready to explode.
Hold your horses you little organ....I have more potatoes to add to this family!
There is so much love to share in this Tusim Crib that I designed a little somethin' somethin' for Kahlen to Spread The Love and for you to enjoy as well. Yes, Valentines is a month away, but why not make it a month long giving fest of love?? Christmas seems like it's a month long event....Valentines deserves just as much attention. Seriously, who doesn't enjoy feeling loved?! NOT ME!! <insert give Crystal some love here>
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So, I'm kind of missing Christmas. We are a little crazy when it comes to Christmas time...we mean business.
There is something about Christmas that fills our hearts, our souls and of course our bellies. I really think it's because we get to see those we love that we don't see very often....like my brother & sister OR that gift you've been staring at all night with your name on it invisioning a Mac Book Pro in it...ha This Christmas was so special having everyone together....but it was RUSH RUSH RUSH!!!
Last year, Ben, Kahlen and I spent Christmas Eve & Day in the hospital due to a febral seizure Kahlen encountered. So we kinda sorta missed Christmas....although, Santa did visit and Kahlen was showered with prezzies and love.
This year our siblings had to rush back to their shows. Both arriving Christmas Eve and departing Christmas Day =( BUT...it sure was nice to spend time with them =)
Christmas 2012 was a Lovely, Rushed, Exciting and Hilarious one....and here are those moments captured by the lens.
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Hope everyone has received our Christmas card by now!! We had a ton of fun, with my uncle Rui Lopes behind the lens, capturing these fun moments. This card was a breeze to design with these wonderful shots. I think he caught our silly Alves-Tusim side quite well =)
Clearly she doesn't like what we have to say....
I get to spend this day with the loves-of-my-life, brother, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins, but it's EVEN BETTER that both my siblings, Tessa & Clyde and my seester-in-law Robyn, will be joining us this year. It is absolutely "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," ESPECIALLY this year =)
Wishing you all health, happiness and peace this holiday season. May you stuff your bellies with love.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! Time to open some prezzies...Eeeeee =)
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I had a WONDERFUL client, Linda, ask me to design a couple things for her school party that coordinated with my Melted Snowman & Snowman Soup labels.
Ummm....I melted with love when I saw these photos. She is so super clever and I thought how lucky those kids were to receive such sweet and thoughtful treats by one talented lady!
A box filled with Mixed Up Snowman Snacks, Melted Snowman Water, carrot Snowman Noses and Snowman Soup. Such a clever way to get little ones to drink more water and chomp on some healthy carrots.
Look at that donut snowman...AHHHH...I want to eat it! Looks like she even made the boxes, crafty little lady =)
I can't wait to put together something like this for Kahlen when she hits school. Oh how fun!
Thank you Linda for your support in my work...xo
Leave her some love below....she deserves it!!
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What a whirlwind these past couple of weeks have been. For the longest time I just didn't know where to turn or what to do next. Today I'm finally able to say I can see somewhat clearly.
We lost my 82 year old grandfather last week, which threw our world upside down. But I'm so happy to say he has reunited with my grandmother and they are having a killer dance right now!! I smile as I think of it =) He was a beautiful man who touched the lives of hundreds of people. Love and miss you vovo...muah
The lovely couple at our wedding
My fingers and butt are sore from all this Christmas designing for parties. I can't wait to show you my creations next year....Eeeee!!! There's one collection, "Jingle Bell Rock" I LOOOOVE!!! Stay tuned in 2013.
Now moving my design skills onto Kahlen's 2nd birthday. Time to think of our sweet angels special day =)
In the meantime we've been decorating, wrapping and got all our Christmas cards out just in time. Phew!
Can I dedicate this job to her every year? hehe
I LOOOOOOOVE wrapping Christmas gifts...especially if they have a gift card. There's something fun about figuring out new ways for someone to find a gift card =)
Made these for co-workers. Hope they don't throw out the wrapping without noticing the RED BOW!!! I mean, my hips love chocolate....but they love The Keg even more =P
You can find a HOW-TO VIDEO below on a card I made using a similar technique
The only difference with the gift card holder between the above photo and the HOW-TO VIDEO below is I did not fold the glitter paper to make a pocket for the card as the glitter card stock is quite thick. Basically I just applied red tape to the back of the glitter paper on the top, bottom and left side and adhered to the wrapped chocolate. I felt if I folded the glitter paper, the pocket would not be snug enough for the card.
OH! And I also used a 1" circle punch.
Now onto the other 50 gifts that need wrapping...
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I had a lovely client ask me to make these snowman soup labels to coordinate with my Melted Snowman Water Bottle Labels. I just thought this was the cutest little idea and loved that someone would be getting this thoughtful gift.
Giving the gift of a warm & cozy cup of hot chocolate accompanied with marshmallows and chocolate kisses with a hint of peppermint candy cane just made my heart smile. Soooo....I couldn't help myself but rush home after work last night, stock up on some Snowman Soup goodies and literally make a big batch of 30 of these.
bah ha ha You read right....thirty!
Kahlen (who am I kidding? and I) would love to hand them out to friends, family, co-workers or just about anyone who could enjoy this treat!
I listed the labels in our shop for anyone who wants to join in on the cozy-bag-of-goodness-gift-giving FUN!
The directions on the back reads:
When it's so cold that you holler and whoop
It's time to make some snowman soup!
Pour the packet in a mug and add the snowmballs too
Then some kisses, I put in there, 'specially for you!
When you feel a chill or brrrrr
Add hot water and use the cane to stir!
See, you don't have to bust the bank to put a smile on someones face this holiday season =)
Can someone make me one?
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Wow, I finally managed to find time to say hello!! I cannot tell you how much I missed you, and sharing all the excitement that goes on in my craft room :)
The past year I have been as busy as ever, trying to adjust to a new life. As Crystal has shared, I recently had a baby! I am now a MOM...it's still a little strange to say it haha.
He is now 4 months old, his name is Kai and he is super cute...although my opinion is slightly biased :) What do you think of his Hallowe'en costume? All thanks to Grandma who made it for him!! Much Love Muah!
Just this weekend we put on some Christmas tunes, made some delish hot chocolate and decorated our Christmas tree....oh how I LOVE the holidays!! Warm fuzzies!
Before my little one was born, I managed to squeeze in some crafting time. Here is a LO I did for my Son's scrapbook as the intro page. I wanted to book to include moments approaching his arrival, as well as a month by month summary for his first year.
For this LO I used the storybook cricut cartridge. I also purchased a patterned paper pack for baby boys. This page was relatively simple because the paper has a nice built in frame.
As I sit here doing this post, with my son in my lap, I look down and realize that he's passed out...LOL! Poor guy, he had his shots yesterday and all he wants to do is sleep :( Looks like mommy duty is kicking in again. Time to put him down for a nap.
I promise I will be back with some more crafting projects. It's sooooooo good to be back!
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