Crystal and Akiko

Mmm...something smells dee-ri-shus

lickity split barba trick!  Hahaha...my eldest brother, Marcel, use to say that all the time, he's hilarious - I swear he did all the Jim Carey facials before Jim Carey was ever noticed.  When Ace Ventura was released we were in SHOCK...Jim Carey stole all my brothers ja-larious facial & vocal expressions...serious!

N e who, Marcel's famous line above reminds me of these dee-ri-shus cupcakes I made this weekend for our funny Portuguese family gathering.  They were devoured!!  I promised myself I would only eat one but somehow a second ended up in my mouth...yummy.  I LOVE icing baked goods, although, my tools are slightly ghetto..haha  I slap some icing into a ziplock bag and cut a small slit off the corner and VOILA...you've got your own icing bag...haha  I told you, ghetto!

I love taking photos of pure goodness =P

 

 

I was a sad puppy this weekend but somehow came off of that train real quick when I got my new keys!!!!!  Yup yup, gave my silver Mercedes B200 one last hug before we departed... but said HELLO to my brand new white Mercedes B200 baby.  Told ya, me no sad pup for long =)  I LOOOOVE MY RIDE!!

 

 

A PROUD CANADIAN TREKKS TORONTO STREETS

Proud to be Canadian

First off, I want to say HOW PROUD I AM TO BE CANADIAN! We kicked some serious boot-ay this year in the Olympics - I mean, 14 Golds??? THATS AMAZING!!! The hockey game last night was so unbelievable, I was so stressed watching the OT but once Crosby shot that goal in, I was so happy and relieved and excited and proud. YAY CANADA!!!

Aside from that, My mom and I trekked the streets of downtown TO today to do some wedding shopping for fabric and other fun stuff. Did I forget to mention that my mom is making my wedding dress? Thats right - she is making my dress, plus all my bridesmaids dresses! My poor mom!

But she is more excited than ever to do it, and has taken the project on like a true fashion designer. Of course, I cant post any pics of the dress until after the wedding - I can't chance the fiance getting a sneak peek - but here are some pics of us poking around in the fashion district:

My mom is so cute ;)

Wow, I have serious ugly face! What the heck??

Don't we all LOVE SHOES!

I am so excited....my feathers have finally arrived! Here is a sneak peek at what I bought:

 

 
 

STAMPIN' UP! HOW TO VIDEO: CUPCAKE CARD

CRAFT CLASS EXTRAVAGANZA!!

Crystal and I had a very successful craft class today. Thank you to all who came and had a crafty good time! Here are a few pics of the class in action:

 

 And Now, the How to Video!

This card was a lot of fun to create. Its actually quite simple, and uses a lot of neat techniques. Have fun!

 

 

Tools Used:

Paper:

Stampin Up! Rose Red, Taken With Teal, Whisper White, Sahara Sand, and Thoroughly Modern Designer Paper 

Ink:

Stampin Up! Rose Red Marker, Basic Black Classic Ink

Stamps:

Stampin' Up! Whimsical Words, On a Pedestal, Level 3 Hostess
 
 Embellies:

Martha Stewart Turqoise glitter

Ribbon from Michaels

Tools:

Stampin Up! Spritzer, paper crimper
 

Shaky Face

BUAH HA HA....these pictures make me pee my pants a little...My brother and his wife were in town from NYC so we did a 2 day and 2 night sleepover at my place.  One of those nights Corey & Akiko joined us as well.  Man, those nights create the funniest memories, need proof?  Just look at the photos..HA!  My brother and his wife introduced us to "Shaky Face" pictures...the boys got it BAM on the first try, Robyn and I had a little difficulty as you can see...guess our skin isn't as loose as theirs, what can I say....I use great moisturizer...hahaha  Scroll down to play a little game with me =)

(Clyde and Ben)

(Robyn and I)
 

(Corey, Akiko and I)

(Robyn and Clyde)
 

(Ben and Kibi) 
  

Where's Waldo????  Let's play!  Can anyone find the furry cutie pah-tootie above?  Look in all the photos and tell me your guess and you'll be entered to win our GIVEAWAY  yay...prizes! (and NO, it's not the one of her in the bag....look closer.....)

And some crafting fun?  Here's a little sumthin' sumthin' for ya.  Made this for Ben's student who passed her Teachers Exam to become a Latin/Ballroom dance instructor....Congrats Chantal!
 
RECIPE:
Paper:  Stampin Up! So Saffron, Stampin Up! Whisper White and Dollarstore Patterned Paper
Stamps (Stampin Up!):  Garden Whimsey
Inks (Stampin Up!):  Orchid Opulence
Punch (Stampin Up!):  1 3/4 Circle
Other:  Cuttlebug Swis Dots Embossing Folder, Prima Fabric Flowers, Dollarstore Paper Flower, Stampin Up! Brads

We love you Grandma Tusim.....R.I.P. kisses

Today this post is dedicated to Ben's grandmother, Anne Tusim, who unexpectedly passed away last night.

From the first time I met you there was always this untold connection you and I shared.  You had this energy about you that was so contagious, uplifting and peaceful.  I admired your enormous amount of zest for life which insprired me day to day.  Although our hearts are drenched with sadness, I know your heart is filled with love, as you reunite your soul with Grandpa Tusim.

We will always love and miss you both.  Please keep your hands open to catch our hugs and kisses we send you by air.

smiles and hugs and kisses......Ben & Crystal
 

P.S.  We still have our giveaway going on so please send your comments our way....we would really love to hear from you....smiles

2SOME EVENT........FANTABULISTIC!!!!!

A weekend full of dancing, socializing, and who could forget meeting CELEBS!!!

 

Ben and Crystal, you have really done an AMAZING job with the 2some event. Corey and I had such an amazing time, we are so thankful to have you two amazing people in our lives!!! Thank you for all your hard work and putting together such an incredible weekend full of classes, OUTSTANDING entertainment, and all around fun!

Here are a few pics of the dinner:

From Left to Right: Robyn Alves (crystal's sis in law), Me, Teresa Alves (Crystal's mom) and Crystal 

Here's me and Sassy Jeannine :)

 

From Left to Right: Corey (my sexy man), Me, and Ben!

 

Here's me and my sista Sabrina!

 

Let's not forget Me and my future hubby hubby hubba hubba Corey ;)

 

Here's me and Dimitri....need I say more?

 
 
 

Stampin Up! MEGA MEETING!!

Saturday, January 30th, 2010 - MEGA MEETING

Crystal, her mom Teresa and myself went to the Stampin' Up! Mega meeting on Saturday. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!! It is really neat to see what other crafters are doing - its a great way to meet other like minded people and share our creativity.

Was it ever a fast paced day! With only 6 minutes to work on each project, we did a total of 15 Make and Takes and WOW's - we learned some really cool new techniques! I have NEVER made cards so fast in my entire life, lol.

Here are some of the projects that we made:

 

Here is Crystal and Teresa with their goodie bags :) Don't you love Crystal's dance hand??

 

And here's me with my new flower punch!!!

 

Not only did we get to create new projects, but we also got to SWAP! The more card fronts you make, the more you can swap with others. There are some seriously creative people out there! Here are just a few of my favs (there were so many, but I couldnt fit them all in a picture!)

 

BEAUTIFUL!!!
 

 
 
 

 

Crystal's Event & Akiko's Engagement

Holy yowzers!  My mom and I were up to 1:30 in the morning finishing up our cards for the Swap coming up this weekend for Laura Bartoli's MEGAMEETING.  I'm waaaay too excited for this, I've never been to one nor have I ever swapped.  On Tuesday I'll share with you my favourite swaps I received.  Yee Ha!

My event 2some Dance is peeking around the corner...yikes!  I was going through some photos of our last event in August and thought I would share some pics with ya.

Ben and I brought in Francis & Claudia from So You Think You Can Dance to teach & perform for us
 

Here's Francis teaching.  We also flew in Dmitry from Dancing with the Stars & here he is teaching.  Work that bootie boyz....shake-a-da-bon-bon!!
 

Awww...why is my Benny Baby so cute?! muah!  Me?...just workin' or hiding or faking to work...ha!
 

SHOWTIME!!!  Some pics of the stars from the ridiculous show at our Gala Dinner.

Francis Lafrenier & Claudia Primeau from So You Think You Can Dance
  

My students.....whaaaat...they rock!
  

COREY & AKIKO'S ENGAGEMENT!!!!  I'll let Akiko tell you the full story, but here's me with my students, Corey, Akiko & Hailey (Corey's daughter) just after Corey proposed to Akiko in the middle of a comedic routine I choreographed for him to perform in our show.  I had serious ugly face while I sobbed when he got on his knee......the moment was perfect!
 

And the four of us wouldn't celebrate their special day any other way than an ugly face photo...ha!
 
 

I LOVE PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Awesome memories...can't wait to create more at the next event....a week and a half....ahhhhh....eek...ooooo--gee-o!
 
  

Valentine's Craft Class: January 23rd 2010

Gettin' Crafty!!

 We had sooooooo much fun on Saturday!!! We crafted all morning and made valentine's delights: a valentines day card (which is REDICULOUS!) a cute candy box and a romantic 12X12 layout. Here are some pics of us having fun:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

All sorts of goodness including HOW-TO VIDEO

WOW....where do I start?  So much goodness for you today =) 

How about the big announcement since I'm such a kid right now and wanna BLURB it out!  No, I'm not pregnant...haha...I know you were thinking it =)  We have the most INCREDIBLE  stars flying into town just for my 2some Dance event from "Dancing with the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance".  Mark Ballas, 2-time Dancing with the Stars Champion will be dancing & singing for us.  Chelsie Hightower, top 10 finalist on So You Think You Can Dance and joined Dancing with the Stars in Season 8 will be performing.  Dmitry Chaplin, top 10 finalist on So You Think You Can Dance and 2nd Place Finalist with Mya in Season 9 on Dancing with the Stars will be teaching and performing for us.  WOW....what a line up!  We also have Jean-Marc Genereaux and France teaching (judge on So You Think You Can Dance Canada) and can't forget my bro Clyde Alves from Broadway who's gonna sing for us....sooo excited he'll be joining us and sharing his talents with everyone!

Here's a pic of Dmitry, Mark & Chelsie.
   
VIDEOS
- Click HERE to see our Promo Video.
- Click HERE to see Dmitry on Ellen. 
- Click HERE to see Mark on ELLEN. 
- Click HERE to see Chelsie do a sexy rumba on Dancing with the Stars. 
- Click HERE to see a message from Jean-Marc Genereaux.

Here's my handsome Canadian bro.
 

WOW WOW WOW!!!!  This will be the most incredible weekend we put on yet.  Interested in joing us???  Click HERE to register.  Hope to see you there!

Now back to crafting =P  Creating these Hot Glue Gun Embellishments were sooo much fun, quick, easy and cost effective...love it.  Check out the video below:

 
RECIPE:
Paper (Stampin Up!):  Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo & Whisper White
Paper (Other):  Dollarama
Inks (Stampin Up!):  Bermuda Bay & Melon Mambo
Stamps (Stampin Up!):  Love You Much & Sincere Salutations
Cuttlebug:  Swiss Dots Embossing Folder
Other:  Martha Stewart Glitter, Hot Glue Gun, Dollarstore Ribbon

Phew...so glad I got that outta me...haha  Think I'm finished writing a novel for tonight, leave me a comment, would LOVE to hear what you have to say!