Tutorial on the coral pocket to come! I’ll share the photos for now.

These last few days have been beautiful, and hot, hot, HOT. 85 degrees in SF is as common as snow in July, especially in the Sunset district where Hubs and I live. Last night, we opted not to eat in and instead took a long walk to a delicious Chinese hole in the wall restaurant about a mile from our house. I love walking with the Hubs. It’s true quality time for us because we have no TVs, computers, or video games to distract us. It’s just us and our shoes as they hit the warm pavement.

After a satisfyingly salty bowl of beef noodles and black bean chicken, we stopped by a yogurt shop to reward ourselves for “working out.” As we slurped our melted treats on the stroll back to the Sunset House, I listened to Andrew as he chatted about his day. And, I couldn’t help by think, at that very moment, there was nowhere else I wanted to be or nothing else that would make me more content. Not a new condo, not a dream job, or even a winning lottery ticket. All of those would be meaningless without someone to share them with.

Life is truly about the simple joys of loving and being loved.

Recipe (all supplies SU unless noted): Cheers to You stamp set, kiwi kiss, whisper white, pacific point, summer sun cardstock, basic black ink, Sizzix tag die, oval punch, good morning sunshine designer paper, kiwi kiss ribbon, colored pencils

Over the weekend, we found some super affordable, spankin’ new housing developments with hardwood floors, huge floorplans, large bedrooms, the works! The catch? They’re in a city that I don’t want to live in. I mean, I really, really don’t want to live in this city. I don’t like it at all. But, if we purchase one of these units, Hubs said that we could afford it on one income (his income) once he finishes grad school. That means I could devote myself to our future family and possible budding business enterprises, like photography, design, crafts… oh the imagination runs wild! I can’t imagine calling any city other than SF our home. However, the idea of not working a corporate job is almost irresistible…  It’s most definitely a trade off.

What would you do?

I miss my craft time quite a bit. Yesterday, I got out the tools and whipped up a quick card. I love this stamp set (Trendy Trees). Sometimes I sell my used stamp sets after they’ve been retired, but I’m keeping this one for sure.

Recipe (all supplies SU unless noted): Trendy Trees and Absolutely Fabulous stamp sets, kraft, whisper white, bashful blue card, chocolate chip stock & ink, corner rounder punch, white gel pen, button bouquet, kiwi kiss ribbon, stampin’ dimensionals, white twine from Michaels

My uncle (my mom’s brother) was admitted to the hospital for heart surgery last week. There were some major complications with the surgery, and coupled with the poor health of my uncle’s heart already, the situation was not good. My family was very, very worried. But, I believe in prayer and I spent the weekend praying for my uncle. Today, I found out that he opened his eyes! He’s still very ill and his recovery will be a long, slow process; but I know that our prayers were answered this weekend and I am so very thankful.

I know I owe you guys a lot of posts. Today, I’ll just share a card that I made for a friends’ wedding. Oh, and one more quick note: with all the stuff going on, I almost forgot that today is the very last day to qualify for free Sale-A-Bration products. On April 1st, the new Occasions Mini catalog will be released with tons of cute stuff.

Recipe (all supplies SU): Congrats stamp set (SAB set), Park Avenue Patterns stamp set, Polka Dot background stamp, kraft, whisper white, perfect plum card stock/ink, very vanilla hodge podge hardware (metal tag frame), flower from pretties kit, kraft ribbon, lace border punch

Although I think SMART goals are as Office Space as it gets, I’m going to set some for myself in my pursuit of photography. You see, I’m not really a go-getter type of person. I’m a sit-on-the-sidelines type of gal. I like to take things easy. I’m very cautious and even insecure when it comes to my abilities. Unfortunately, sitting on the sidelines and bemoaning my insecurities will not help if I truly want to start a business. I need to stop letting my fears take the best of me and just go for it.

Easier said than done! One thing I’m so grateful for is the full, unwavering support from Hubs. He believes in me a thousand times more than I believe in myself. Just yesterday, he came home and found me sitting on our kitchen floor with a frown on my face; I was upset because my mind was racing through the list of all the things that could go wrong if I pursue photography and fall flat on my face. What if I invest thousands of dollars in equipment and fail? I have zero professional training, what gives me any idea I can pull this off?

Hubs smiled and picked me up, gave me a huge bear hug, and told me he believed in me and that he wouldn’t encourage me if he didn’t think I could be a photographer (and a good one too). Of course, I think he’s biased. He has to believe in me–he’s my husband! But, Hubs also reminded me that God is the one guiding me on this adventure. And, if He’s the one leading, I have nothing to worry about. He always provides. I don’t know how I would stay grounded without Hubs. Seriously. He is my rock.

So, I’m taking a practical first step in the direction of my dreams. My first SMART goal is to learn to shoot (and feel comfortable shooting) completely in manual mode with my camera by July 31st. I signed up for a photography class, but it doesn’t start until June. So, I’m not actually sure if this goal is attainable or not. At least it’s a start!

Project Recipe (all supplies SU unless noted): Owl Together Now stamp set, card stock in bashful blue, whisper white, pumkin pie, ink in kiwi kiss, chocolate chip, ruby red, designer paper in Good Morning Sunshine, On Board So Tweet (for the chip board owl cut out–in the current catty), stampin’ dimensionals

Last night I finished reading The Jungle Effect (the book I wrote about yesterday). I have to admit, I think it’s going to change my life. I’m now fully convinced that I need to shop organic, remove processed food, sugar, and flour from my diet, eat meat as a side dish instead of a main dish, and support our local farms. Gosh, I had no idea how much quality is lost in food when it’s mass produced with pesticides and herbicides.

For dinner last night, I cooked up some Jungle Effect recipes–a spinach and goat cheese omelet made with free range eggs, and a soupy veggie stew, simmered with chicken broth and eight different kinds of vegetables. The dishes were delicious, both hearty and simple. Eating sustainably is very tasty! However, while I was grocery shopping for my dinner items, I had trouble finding quality veggies in the tiny organic section in the store. Many of the veggies were wrinkly and old and the selection was a joke. I can’t believe how hard it is to eat sustainably and healthily! It requires multiple stops at different markets, plus extra money out of the pocketbook. Eating healthy takes massive discipline and label reading, even in the SF bay area, where organic farms are only hours away and farmers’ markets are regularly held. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be for people living in remote parts of the country. Sadly, unhealthy processed foods are always cheap and widely available. It’s all upside down and rather disturbing.

Anyway, while I’m on this health kick, does anyone have recommendations for good recipes or cookbooks? I need tons if variety in my food, so I’d love to try some new stuff out. Any tips are much appreciated!

Before I go, I have another simple card to share even though it has absolutely nothing to do with my rambling about healthy eating.

Project Recipe (all supplies SU unless noted): Friends 24-7 stamp set, Polka Dot background stamp, card stock in very vanilla, pink pirouette, close to cocoa, ribbon in pink pirouette, scallop edge punch, lace border punch, cutter kit (to distress edges), sponge daubers (to sponge ink on edges), stampin’ dimensionals

The tag line for the book is: ” Doctor Discovers the Healthiest Diets From Around the World – Why They Work and How to Bring Them Home.” These words exactly captures what the book is about. Dr. Miller studied the indigenous diets of different “cold spot” communities around the globe (areas where there are extremely low cases of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, etc) and she writes about how the diets of our ancestors that have been cultivated over centuries is the key to good health. For example, she talks about why the Mediterranean diet is so healthy and explains that not all olive oils are created equal. She even uncovers why Iceland, a nation that is unbearably cold and depressing, has one of the lowest rates of depression on the planet. In the back of the book, a number of easy recipes are included, along with grocery lists. The book is so convincing, it is actually changing my eating habits. I’ve been through all the heath fads that have come and gone, including South Beach, Atkins, etc, but I’ve found Daphne Miller’s book to be really different. Miller brings the nutrition, diet, and health together into a holistic picture that one can actually apply. I’m halfway done with this book, but I can see it really changing my life! I recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their diet.

Before I sign off, I’ll share with you a wedding card I made recently with one of my favorite wedding sets, For the Bride. It’s another shadow box card and you can find the tutorial here.

Here’s the card in 3-D effect.

It easily flattens out for mailing.

Project Recipe (all supplies SU unless noted): For the Bride stamp set, card stock in certainly celery, perfect plum, pale plum, very vanilla, scallop oval nestabilities die, ribbon in very vanilla, ink in perfect plum, heart to heart punch, bone folder, glue dots, stampin’ dimensionals, Sizzix texture plate

Now that we know we’re going to stay put for a while, I wanted to start looking for a condo downtown. Hubs wants to live near a BART station so he can train to his classes and downtown is central to both of our commutes. But, I have a feeling that home prices will drop quite a bit more, especially in the areas in SF that we’re looking to buy. I guess we will just wait patiently until the market bottoms out and we can actually buy more with our money than a shoebox.

Today’s cupcake card was inspired by one that I saw at my upline’s house. I believe she got it in a swap but I don’t know who it was originally designed by. It was so cute, I had to copy it!

Project Recipe (all supplies SU unless noted): Simple Birthday Thanks, On Your Birthday stamp sets, card stock in bashful blue, pretty in pink, chocolate chip, and whisper white,  ink in kiwi kiss, pretty in pink, red glitter, hemp twine, paper crimper (to crimp the cupcake wraper), kiwi kiss ribbon, heat n stick powder (to stick the glitter), stampin’ dimensionals

By the way, have you guys been to the site Geni.com? It’s totally awesome! I got an invite from my uncle last night and started my account. You know I’m not into Facebook or social networking sites, right? Well, Geni is actually useful. It’s like a Facebook, but only for family trees! Ever since my uncle signed up, my family tree network already has hundreds of family members. I remember doing family tree projects back in elementary school and they were like pulling teeth. I could not keep track of my family for the life of me. Geni is awesome because you can build out your family tree, then invite family members to build out their portion of the tree too. It’s really neat to see how everyone is connected.

Anyway, just a simple card today! Of course, it’s another Valentine’s Day card.

Project Recipe (all supplies SU unless noted): A Happy Heart stamp set, Sanded background stamp, card stock in kraft, pretty in pink, designer paper in Bella Rose, ink in pink pirouette, chocolate chip, riding hood red, ribbon in riding hood red, 3/4″ circle punch, scallop border punch, sponge dauber, stampin’ dimensionals

Valentine’s Day has long since passed, but I have quite a few love-inspired projects that I’ll be posting up over the next week or so. Hopefully, you can find a way to adapt these goods for other projects.

Today, I’m sharing a chocolate heart valentine holder. If you have kids, these would be adorable to make for your youngsters to pass amongst classmates as birthday takeaways. They would even be cute as wedding favors. To make these, I bought a pack of Reeses Peanut Butter hearts. I don’t know if these are released year-round, so feel free to substitute with Dove chocolates or the like.

First, I cut a sheet of paper into 3″ x 11″ and using my Scor-Pal, I made score lines at 3″, 3.5″, 6.5″, 7″, 10″, 10.5″.

Next, I decorated the strip with flower stamps from a set called Fifth Avenue Floral.

I folded the sheet along the score lines and decorated one edge with a scallop border punch. I also decorated and taped a small square of navy blue paper on the inside of the valentine.

Then, I punched a hole large enough to fit the chocolate heart. This is the 1 3/4″ punch from SU.

Here’s what the finished inside of the valentine looked like.

I used a small strip of double sided tape to adhere the sides together.

Here’s a side view picture so you can see what the valentine looks like assembled.

Finally, I decorated the outside with ribbon and punched paper embellishments.

Once again, the inside.

And above is a shot of several different versions of the same valentine that I gave away.

Hope you enjoyed the project! I promise, it’s much easier to put together than it looks.

Project Recipe (all supplies SU unless noted): Fifth Avenue Floral, A Happy Heart stamp sets, card stock in sahara sand, not quite navy, ink in kiwi kiss, not quite navy,  SU designer label punch, SU 1″ circle punch, SU 1 3/4″ punch, scalloped border punch, kiwi kiss ribbon, adhesive, Scor-Pal, bone folder