Merry Christmas!!

Man it has been so long since I posted but it just seems like November and December flew by.  I have lots to share and will be back soon with that but I couldn’t let the day go by without wishing you all a very merry and blessed Christmas!!  We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, enjoyed opening presents and are looking forward to a nice dinner out in Balboa Park, no cooking today for this Mama!!!  The most fun present this morning was the super duper reindeer pooper and the girls new vtech digital cameras.  I think they have taken 100 pictures of the dogs so far!!  More to come soon!!

From our home to yours hope your day is great!!

Ciao for now!!!  Deidre

BOOOYAHHH BABY!

Okay so it is October 27th and I actually kept one of my New Year’s resolutions today!  BOOOYAHH!!  I actually finished the treats for the girls classes and special friends yesterday….I know, I know, the shock and awe of it all!!  Now, the teachers gifts aren’t done but I already know what I am going to do and I have all day tomorrow to do those two which involve baking; which had to wait until the last minute, so I have to give myself an A ++++.  You want to see now doncha??????

I made the cutest and simplest little triangle box that we learned how to do at convention in 09, stuffed them with some candy added a cute tag and ribbon (all scraps mind you….nothing except the candy was purchased for this project!!  How’s that for using my resources???) AND THEN even had time to go back and add the sentiment and the bat…I made 70 of these suckers….

Here’s more cause I know you want to see more right????

and one more just cause I kept a New Year’s resolution finally on October 27th:

excuse messy desk and another stuffed animal that I have to hand sew back up because I HATE MY PUPPY LILY WHO EATS EVERY STUFFED ANIMAL SHE CAN GET HER PAWS ON….okay sorry for yelling but that dog creates so much extra work that I could use to do papercrafting…she is lucky she is so cute…in case you have forgotten, how can you be mad at this face??

And that folks is all for now.  My goal next year?  To keep one of those resolutions by March…I can’t outdo myself too fast now can I?????

Ciao for now…..Deidre

Laughing all the way home!

My kids seriously crack me up. So here is the conversation in the car on the way home from school Friday: Matteson: “Mom, we have two days off of school, right?” Me: “Yep!” Matty: “WOOHOO, PARTY IN DA HOUSE!” Me: laughing all the way home….only in kindergarten…..and already living for the weekend!!!

So I wanted to show you guys my latest club technique card and the stepped up version I am doing for a swap I am in. Ever since I saw the Christmas Collage stamp in the holiday mini, I imagined it in lots of colors. I knew I was going to do the baby wipe technique and was hoping it would turn out like I saw it in my head and I have to say.…it came out even better!!

So here’s my card for my club ladies this month..the gorgeous glass glitter from the Stampin’ Up Holiday mini really sets it off:

This is what my baby wipe looked like that I used as my stamp pad:

I like to do mine on aluminum foil, a paper plate would not have worked for me as the stamp is too large, but the foil keeps everything under it dry and easy to clean up!

Just in case you need to be shown…here is a blog showing how to do the technique:

http://www.stampingtoshare.com/2010/10/106-drip-drop-reinker-technique-video.html

I sponged the edges of the main image first in so saffron ink and then again in crumbcake to add more depth. Used my crystal effects to hold the glitter on, let it dry and then assembled it all. I just love it. Since I still had so much ink on my baby wipe that I hated to throw away I decided to do the same card for an internet swap group that I am in, but I needed to take everything up a notch, so I decided to do the cracked glass technique on the 25 so it would look like an old ornament and then I added a tiny tag with a vintage trinket safety pin for a little extra yummy!!

I wish you could see the cracks better in the cracked glass but trust me they are there!!

Some old olive satin ribbon is the perfect accessory!! Hope you guys like my vintage Christmas Card!!

CS is real red, old olive and very vanilla

reinker colors are elegant eggplant, old olive, real red, more mustard, so saffron and night of navy

Ciao for now! Deidre

Long Days and Longer Nights

Well it has finally happened! The girls started full day school last week and they are officially whooped! At first, two days in, I thought to myself, “they seem to be handling this pretty well.” The next day, we had a new teacher in gymnastics and breakdown city. The long days were starting to kick in!

This week, Matilda has been in my bed at some point every night and both of us are officially exhausted! No matter how much I love hugging that little body into mine for a cuddle and rubbing her back and hair, I just can’t sleep with her!! She wiggles like a sack full of snakes!! Ever since I had the girls, that deep REM sleep that I used to have every night, all night, before children is easily interrupted by the slightest noise.

Needless to say, heavy breathing 6 year olds that wiggle like snakes all night…keep me up!!! She came to my bed twice last night, the second time saying she had a bad dream. After about 30 minutes, I headed to the couch and just left her in my bed hoping to get the last hour of sleep in before the alarm. Wouldn’t you know it… 30 minutes later she is putting her feet on me on the couch and working her way into a cuddle again…she had tracked me down!

Let’s hope we get through this transition period soon and then maybe I will actually feel like myself again!

I had not had the chance to show you guys the girls birthday party yet. We had an art party and the kids had a blast painting everything. Here are some pics:

here is the sign at the beginning:

here’s midway through the party:

and the final result:

the cake:

I wish I had gotten a better picture of the inside of the cake..it was so cool..here’s the only close up I could find….

it was a rainbow cake and so fun to make..the kids were high on food dye all day though, I am sure!! Here’s where I found the cake if you ever want to replicate it:

http://www.omnomicon.com/rainbowcake

Here is a pic of some of the kids working on their art piece:

and of course the all important goodie bags:

here’s the thank you cards we made...the invitations were just like them, but I can’t find my pic of them:

Hope you enjoyed a sneak peek at the girls 6th birthday party!!

Ciao for now!! Deidre

Don’t faint!!

WOOHOO two posts in two days….the world must be spinning off its axis!!  Matilda was the source of interest this morning.  She woke up crying saying she had a bad dream.  When I asked her what about, she said that I had left her and Matty with a mean queen and never came back to get them and that the mean queen put a spell on Matty so whenever she tried to sing, only bubbles came out!  What the heck does that dream mean??  Any of you dream readers have anything for me to go on with that one??? 

I totally reassured her that I would never leave her and that if I ever had to leave her for some weird reason, I would make sure she was with someone nice and loving, definitely not someone who wouldn’t let Matty sing!!

Anyways a good story and a chance to share another awesome card I made……This was a for a gift certificate for one of my best “stamping ladies” as the girls like to call them…..I love the colors and all the new vintage trinkets that we have these days: 

Gorgeous eh???!!!  (YILM!)  I am going to have to make a few more of these as they are just too pretty!!  The texture, the colors, the vintage brads, I could just eat it up!

And here are some baby shower invites I made for a friend’s baby shower a few weeks ago:

and lastly the diaper cake which was my gift for her:

Check out the cool palm trees along the bottom!

Here’s the baby card I made for her, but it’s almost 100% cased from this card:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1231529

Here’s my version…sure wish I had not sold that key tag punch now but the tab folder punch definitely worked the same magic!!!

Ciao for now…..Deidre

PS….Dad…. I used it’s and its correctly in this post!  Guess this old dog can learn new tricks!

There is some “P” in the pool at Palm Desert

Hey everyone! Sorry it has been so long since I posted. I keep hoping one of these days I will do better. I have lots of great things to share with you, I just have to find time to write about them all! I have to start though, with our latest trip. The girls and I went to Palm Desert (right next to Palm Springs) over Labor Day weekend to enjoy some time with some friends that were using their timeshare week. They had a great place that was super huge and fit both families wonderfully! Thanks so much Jeremy and Lisa! Joel, at the last minute, had to stay home and work, so that was kind of a bummer, but he rarely has to do that so we just kept our plans, which involved lots of swimming!! We pretty much spent two days in the pool. It was 115 degrees there ,so the pool was really the only place to be. It was so hot, that you had to wear your flip flops right to the edge of the pool or you would burn your feet walking on the concrete. BUT...the water was perfect and refreshing.

We were having a great time and I happened to glance at Matty who looked absolutely horrified at one point. I said “Matty what is wrong??” She says, “Mama I am so sorry, I couldn’t help myself and I peed in the pool!” She is normally so good about getting out to go, so I was just about to reassure her, when Matilda pipes up, “Don’t worry Matty, I pee in the pool all the time!!” That made us all laugh so hard! So, I just have to warn you if you are heading to the Marriot Desert Springs resort you may want to give it a few weeks!!! Ha!!

Here is a pic of the famous windmills you see on the way out there!!

When we got back my hubby surprised me with my early birthday present….

I had been looking at this painting in the store for a year and never could bring myself to spend the money despite knowing how perfect it was for this spot. Joel knew I was in love with it and got it for me…what a great hubster!! It really reminds me of the days we lived near Venice!

Since I last posted, we have had the girls birthday party, a baby shower, and many other projects. I think I will start in chronological order with the baby shower! The inspiration for the shower was the bedding picked by the soon to be Mom, Steph. Although she is having a girl, she is not a pink kind of gal so she wanted something more neutral and contemporary and I have to say I absolutely love all these colors together!

Here is a pic of the bedding that was our jumping off point:

So I took the main colors of yellow, orange and brown and also, polka dots and animals and ran with it! Here’s the stuff I did:

and here is my first watermelon baby carriage…I kid you not this took maybe 15 minutes:

Here’s the baby cards which I cased from a christmas card because the circles were just perfect:

http://artisticavenger.wordpress.com/2010/08/02/but-mommy-theres-no-snow-yet/

Kerrie, my friend who hosted the party, had everyone print their address on the envelopes to help Steph send out her thank you’s, which I thought was a fantastic idea:

Here are the party favors:

and the banner (click on the pic for a better view!):

The gift list:

The game cards:

the baby shower bag game:

and the whole table... another super easy idea here….I punched out different size circles in all the colors and scattered them as a table runner:

Hope you liked Steph’s contemporary shower!!

Ciao for now……Deidre

Light and Romantic

Well I am going to try and post a little more often, because I have a ton of projects that I have been working on and can’t wait to share them!!

But first a quick funny from Matty, my resident comedienne! Matty is really getting into music. She has all the songs on the radio memorized, who the artist is, and whether they are an old or new “rock star.” Her favorite right now is Adam Lambert’s “What do you want from me?” When an old song comes on, she gets the 411 on it immediately. She is back there singing Pat Benetar, Rob Thomas, Kings of Leon, you name it! Well, the other day she was getting frustrated because we couldn’t find a station playing music, so she says to me, “C’mon Mom can’t you find something light and romantic??” I mean seriously, I about busted a gut! Where does she get this stuff?? Matty Moo, I do love you girl…romantic…she doesn’t even know what that means!!

Last weekend we were invited to our friend Thatcher’s 2nd Birthday Party at the miniature railroad in Balboa Park. Well, Stampin’ Up used to have a great looking vintage train stamp set so I borrowed it from a fellow Rubba Sista (my fun group of demonstrator friends here in San Diego…Hey Girls!!) that I knew had it; and this is the card that I came up with….I have to say I thought it was fabulous!! (YILM!) Click on the photo to make them larger and see the detail...there is a lot of texture going on with the card.

and of course the matching packaging:

and here is a close up of the tags:

Okay that’s all for tonight friends…more to come soon… I have lots!!

Ciao for now! Deidre

It’s feeling like summer!

It has been a fast and furious month since I last posted…one of these days I will start posting more often, but for now, I do it when I can.

Life has been good for the Mooney’s lately. The day after the girls dance recital we headed off to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming for our vacation with our friends, the Fico’s. We stayed in a cabin outside of Bozeman, MT about 30 minutes north of the Gardiner entrance. Every which way you looked you saw magnificent mountains…check it out:

Yellowstone is just spectacular when it comes to seeing wildlife, we saw lots of bears, mountain goats, big horn sheep, bison, elk, mule deer, a coyote, trumpet swans and two bull nosed snakes. The only animal we didn’t see was a moose. They had a big fire in Yellowstone which burned up the trees that moose like to eat, so they have moved further south into the grand tetons. As the trees grow back, they expect the moose to return. Our friends from Alabama got up super early one morning to go see the wildlife (getting up super early on vacation doesn’t sounds like vacation to me, so we passed!) They left the house at 4 am and were rewarded with seeing wolf pups, a grizzly with a kill, grizzly cubs and lots of black bear cubs. So for them, the wild animal lovers, it was totally worth it. I was happy with just seeing them as we drove out of the park each night, there was plenty!! Here are some pics of the wildlife:

Here’s a pic of the whole family enjoying a little hike near Yellowstone lake:

and last but not least some amazing shots of Yellowstone, my favorite was the grand canyon of Yellowstone:

here's lake yellowstone:

and you have to see ol faithful while you are there:

Lastly, Yellowstone is known for its thermal activity, bubbling mud, fumaroles and geysers which make it truly unique. Here’s a few pics of that:

Now I just have to share a funny story! We finally took a nice hike away from lots of people and we were really enjoying ourselves. We met a family coming down the trail who said they had to leave their picnic, as they had seen a black bear and decided to get out of there. We were like, COOL! Let’s get up there! They happened to mention some sheep they had seen too. So, we come around a bend and see about 5 sheep that looked like this, pretty tame huh?

They were eating grass, looking at us, we were looking at them and wondering more about the bear. We didn’t take into account one thing:

8 year old Ben was last in line and decided to start bleating at the sheep..BAA BAA BAA…well the sheep didn’t like that at all and after a few seconds they started running at us!! I scooped Matilda up and ran like the dickens…Randy, (Ben’s dad) was ahead of me but started running past me, taking off his backpack so he could use it as a weapon….Joel had Matty up ahead and he started yelling, “Run for the trees!”…but that made me think…what about the damn bear???

Luckily, we made it to the trees, the sheep stopped running, and there was no bear to be found. Joel and Ralph (Randy’s Dad) kept an eye on the sheep while we gave them very wide berth….Randy was with the women and children and declared himself to be the secondary line of defense, in case the sheep broke past the other guys! All in all, looking back it was pretty funny, but I have to say the adrenaline was pumping for a minute or two, and we decided to cut our hike short just in case there was any other wildlife (besides Ben!) out there!! I mean if we can't handle sheep, I think a bear is definitely out of the question!

But it truly was a fabulous vacation. I am loving all the national parks. Next year maybe Zion???

I made another diaper cake last month for a bunko baby shower. I went with a vintage theme…check it out:

and here are the party favors:

the gift list:

and some thank you cards I made:

Ciao for now! Deidre