Gratuity should always be added...

{Long post... making up for yesterday, LOL}

Hello, hello!!! i can't believe it's Thursday already... i have 2 more days before the party... the stress has calmed a bit, although not completly gone... i am almost done with all of my things but very sketchy on what others were "assigned"... i'm very eager to show you some table deco, but a part of it isn't complete yet, leaving me with nothing to put together... soon! hopefully soon!

Week 3 of He-Art Journaling with TGF... i'm sure you've been seeing some awesome pages around blogland from those who are taking the class... i hear it has been inspiring others to take the plunge and try it out too... it's a very fun way to keep a "journal" and best with no rules... Week 3's theme is GRATITUDE... so many ideas flew through my head, but my challenge was putting it down on the paper... and so this is what i came up with....
no painting this week.... tempted but decided to go back to my roots and stamp.... i used 3 different "Thank you" stamps... 2 of which come from TGF sets... "Why, thank you" from the Sweet Message set and "thanks so much" from the Butterfly Wishes set.... the other stamp is an oldie and i can't remember from where.... i searched the web to see if any gratitude quotes popped out to me and there were a few... but i choose 2 that had a lot of meaning.... oh i can't forget that i added butterflies... =D
TGF's Angel Anya was a #1 pick to go with one of the quotes i used... and of course you know why she is in blue!! ;)
the pink heart has one of the quotes i found.... please excuse my horrible handwriting.... LOL... the smaller hearts are just sayings that i always use when ever possible.. whether it's for myself or what i'm teaching my children...
ok, i really, really LOVE this quote.... from the moment i read it i just knew i wanted to use it.... the first image that came to mind was Angel Anya.... because she is praying... how perfect was that match!... if you go back and look at my spread (1st picture) you'll see that i angled the words differently... my intention was to make it look like light rays... yah, it was better pictured in my head than executed.... hehe!

i'm happy with this layout... on the simplier side, but does it really matter?!? if you are a part of this class or just joining in the bug, i hope you all are having as much fun with this "new" thing as i am... =D

now onto so yummy!!

here's Keenan's 1st birthday cake that we had to celebrate his special day on Tuesday... he loves cars and chose this design himself... it was this or Elmo and he was set on this... LOL.... safeway's cakes are always yummy if you customize it just right... my fave is chocolate cake with strawbery mousse filling and whip cream icing... they don't do the strawberry mousse anymore so i had to sub with custard filling, which is yummy too....
here is the little one endulging in his first piece of cake ever.... he didn't like the texture of it between and in his hands, so in the end we had to feed the cake to him... LOL.... yes, he was a complete mess... but that's ok, he was allowed to be this time.... ;D

next week i'll share pictures of his party birthday cake... it's a Queen Emma from a local bakery that is SO huge... some of you might remember my birthday cake from last year with all the layers of tropical flavor... yep it's going to be that same one on a grander scale... hehe.... for now, you'll just have to picture a full sheet of cake in a beach/ocean theme with the wonderful island flavors of guava, lilikoi (passion fruit) and coconut!! yum, yum, YUM!!!

we are on the topic of gratitude and i want to THANK everyone for sharing in on my sharings each time i post, and for coming by and leaving such wonderful messages... for the endless support and encouragement.... and most of all, the friendship... it's definitely a bond of sisterhood!! i LOVE you all for having a special place in my heart and my life and want you to know that yes, i am THANKFUL for you!! =D

and Keenan would like to send out big bear hugs and THANK YOUS for all the blessings and birthday comments too!! he enjoyed his special day... mommy was a little sad that the year has flown by so soon, but still happy and grateful that the year brought much more happy memories.... =D

come here tomorrow and check out a keepsake creation... probably be the last posting until next week.... let me get through the party first... hehe!! til tomorrow, have a beautiful blessed day and don't forget to GIVE THANKS to someone!

It's a VERY special day!

Hi there!!! it is a very special day today and i'm celebrating a very special someone!!!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY KEENAN!!!

Wishing you the best 1st birthday ever lil' man! Here's to many more happy celebrations for you... Mommy LOVES you sooooo much!!!

Yes! it has been a ONE-derful year!! one year ago, on 08.09.10, my little prince was born... today, he is one happy little boy that will melt your heart with his smile... in celebration of his birthday i made this card for him....

made him this easel card using Oliver from TGF's OA Happy Day set and paired the image with Three Bugs in a Rug's Dawson line (love the cutesy dinosaurs)... also used Dawson themed chipboard stickers (dino and stars) to add a little more RAWWR to the card (i did an emergency run to the craft store for it, LOL)... computer generated my "happy 1st birthday" sentiment and then finally added some tiny buttons...
here is the inside... took a sheet of the Dawson paper and trimmed it to fit this little scene... tried to replicate the sun, so i did an off set (by the tree) using a yellow button, which also holds my card top up... there's a hidden message that's viewable when you first open the card, can you see a hint of it... looks kinda cool IRL, sorta like a cloud... hehe! hoping the little one likes it and it doesn't end up in his mouth! LOL...

hmm, and this card fits perfectly into a few challenges this week...

1. ATS - Anything goes....

2. TGF FFCB - Farm Fresh Friday Throwback #3

well, i'm off to celebrate! THANK YOU for visiting often and leaving your wonderful comments! i've still got so much more things to do before his big party this weekend and i'm crossing my fingers i don't go overkill on myself... HAHAHA! but today/tonight is the most special celebration... his actual birthday and his very first taste of chocolate CAKE! yum! can't wait to snap some pixs.... Happy 1st Birthday my lil' man!!! soon! =D

Mellow Yellow

It's Monday and i would normally consider this day of the week as Monday blues... but in today's case, it is very inappropriate for my creation.... hehe!! time for another wonderful challenge at Lollipop Crafts!!

Challenge #43 is hosted by Tammy and she wants you to go MONOCHROMATIC! use ONE color in various shades.... this does exclude skin tones if you want (i think, haha)... so pull out your fave color in different shades and get CRAFT HAPPY!!!
we have a new and exciting sponsor for the challenge this week... STITCHY BEAR DIGITAL STAMPS!! Oh my!! you are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE the many different images (from many different creators) in this store... check them out! an awesome prize is up for grabs for one lucky random winner! prize info and challenge rules may be found on the LC blog.... link your creations to the LC blog by Saturday, 8pm PST for a chance to win...

yes, my fave color is blue but i went a little "mellow" for the challenge... i never did an all yellow creation before so this was indeed fun! i used Stitchy Stamps Butterfly Love image for today's card in many shades of YELLOW.... even her lips are yellow! click on the pix to enlarge so you can see it... i LOVE the way this came out.... monochromatic creations are always a pleasure to see... even the sentiment is stamped in yellow! =D now i've got that darn song stuck in my head.... "they call me mellow yellow...." LOL... thank goodness i was able to snag some yellow DP from the craft store to go with my yellow bling bling and pearls, ribbon and flower... there is also a hint of yellow stickles on the image... what do you think of my yellow approach?!?

don't forget to check out what my Lollipop sisters have waiting for you and see what COLOR they're playing with... once you've gotten the inspiration, come out and join us in this fun challenge!

Thank you for your heartfelt comments and for spending a few minutes with me... please come back tomorrow for a day that i didn't want to come so soon, but it is and i'm just both HAPPY and a little SAD.... sweet crafting until then.....

Thanks!

hey! did you miss me?!?! hehe.... Happy Sunday folks!

went MIA... for reasons that are very appropriate... LOL... it is the last week of preparations before my lil' one's BIG DAY celebration and i've been screaming my head off trying to finalize the caterer, the baker and details of the whole party, keeping my eyes open til they can no longer stay open, trying to be in a million places at once, finish this, do that and all else of daily life... oh yah, i'm wearing myself out.... LOL... believe me, if i could figure out a crafting thing to do in the shower, i'd probably do that too... hehe... seriously though it's crunch week and the stress is on... gladly i've made some accomplishments in just 2 days... like finalizing the menu, settling on a cake design, which btw, i am getting a Queen Emma (YUM) like i did for my bday last year... pricing the candy for the buffet, choosing last minute deco and finding people to run the kiddie activities... have i gone insane yet?!? more than likely, i just don't show it! many more things still need to be done... hope i can pull this off.... so yah, i've been MIA for those reasons and will continue throughout the week.... =D it's a big big chaos of a mess in my house! things everywhere.... so i apologize for not doing my regular rounds of visitng your blogs... forgive me please!

quickly sharing with you as i wanted to pop in and say HI and that i'm STILL ALIVE! LOL... may miss a few days this week but will try and pre-post whatever i can, whenever i can... =D

here's a card i entered into the Farm Fresh Challenge - Grautity, last week at TGF's FFCB.... went for a simple style.... we all need a stash of Thank You cards, so it was a great challenge to play along with... used TGF's Fleur Anya (who is so lovely to color) in shades of purple this time.... found some pretty scraps with a hint of light blue in it that was gorgeous to use with the image.... added some half pearls to her flower centers and did an offset of color by using bluish/aqua layered primas.... i tried a different color combo on her hair which i'm not really liking... i think stiking to my norm for now is best... it came out a bit too dark for my liking... actually, the coloring looks better IRL than in this pix! sentiment is from Hero Arts....

"Thanks" for checking in on me today.... come by tomorrow for another challenge creation for Lollipop Crafts! and stay tuned for some other creations i have hidden up my sleeves that includes a very happy celebration and some things for the party... Have a wonderful and beautiful Sunday!!

"I"ce cream - You're SWEET!

oh boy! does it have to be thursday already?!? with each passing day this week into next, i feel the stress getting stronger... almost a week away from the biggest celebration we have much anticipated.... but don't worry, the forseen hasn't overcome my good moods! =D

Today over at Lollipop Crafts, we are spotlighting one of our fabulous monthly sponsors....
Meljen's Designs!! oh yes!! all the cutesy whimsical images you could ever see.... Meljen's carries a wide selection of wonderful images for every occasion... you just have to take a look at the store....
my creation features "double scoop ice cream".... since we are still in celebration mode over at Lollipop Crafts, this was perfect for the occasion... this image could be used for any occasion... my fun and colorful doodlebug paper scraps played a key in using this SWEET image this week.... Ahh, isn't it just cute?!? you're sweet sentiment is from Dandelion Designs...

for those of you experiencing HOT weather (we always have it in Hawaii, so it's no big change for us) i hope this creation will help keep you "cool" and inspired to maybe treat yourself to something sweet!

Thanks for joining me!! and THANKS for all the wonderful comments!! btw, so with the help of your suggestions/opinions, i decided not to add more to the treat bags... you're right, it looks great the way it is!! Thanks! stop in tomorrow for..... ummm... yah i don't know what i'll be sharing yet... hmm, i ran into some "problems" with my table deco so that probably won't be shown til next week... guess you'll just have to wait and see... ta-ta!!

Getting beachy this week...

Happy humpday!! i'm going bonkers!!! lost half a day already... but it has not gone unproductive... so that's a good thing! hope you are enjoying your midweek!

i've got my pages for Week 2 of He-Art Journaling class with The Greeting Farm to share with you.... i have to say making sure i complete these assignments is very fulfilling in accomplishments... takes me a while to "light bulb" some ideas... more than once i change my mind... but that's what free spirited is all about...

Week 2's assignment was to create 2 pages with the concept of sun, sand, beach or in other words beachy, tropical getaway, paradise... you catch the drift right.... so in my best efforts to "drawing" i came up with this...
i used watercolors to set my sky background and i really love the effect it gave my pages... the sun, ocean, coconut tree, clouds and birds were all made with acrylic paints... i stamped a few words that i thought was appropriate to my scene like explore, hidden in the sea, summer fun, adventure and the great escape... even used my little fishy stamp.. so there's a bunch of fish swimming... the rest of it (beach chairs, beach ball, etc) are all stickers... as well as the "sand", "sun" and "beach" words... i almost forgot... i use real sand paper (the ones for sanding wood, LOL) to make my beach theme.... so not only do i have a realistic look, but a feel too... =D please excuse my ocean and waves... LOL... did i mention i CAN'T draw?!?! haha!! i had the visual picture of what i wanted the waves and sort to look like, but difficulties painting it... hehe.... my intentions are to eventually cut up some pictures of the kiddies this summer to add to these pages, totally why i went for the more playful, kiddie type look.... or is it because i can't draw?!? hehe...

ok, back to the craft room... still much to do... join me tomorrow for a spotlight sharing for Lollipop Crafts! be back soon!!

Birthday Favors....

{Looking for the Lollipop Crafts blog hop post?! Scroll down or take the link above. Thank you!}

Hey friends!!! sorry today's sharing comes a little late in the day... last night while cleaning out pictures from my camera, i unintentionally deleted what i wanted to share... =( that made me very very sad.... and there is no way of me re-photographing since it is well on it's way to make it to Japan! anyway, it was 2 more cards that i made to send to Japan in my efforts of participating in BFC Cards of Aloha event... i was able to send off a total of 6 cards for the cause....

In place of my accident, i'm sharing what i was working on last night.... my son's 1st birthday party is less than 2 weeks away and it's down to the count down and "last" minute prepping and basically i'm in the terms of craziness.... yah, i procrastinated AGAIN... thank goodness the last things are sorta easy peasy....
here are the favor labels that i stamped using the cute images from SU!'s Summer Splash set... i actually stamped them during the weekend but wanted to make sure the ink dried before sending it through my printer.... i like the burst of colors! makes it so fun and happy to see....
instead of doing hard core favors, i decided i wanted to do a candy buffet... that way the guest can choose their own yummies.... and that will be our "thank you" goodies... so we bought some plain treat bags from BFC... this is where the labels come into play.... hmm, need your opinion! are the bags to plain??? should i decorate it a bit more? or leave as is?? i'm going back and forth with the options, but honestly thinking that eventually it will be thrown away so should i really put that much more time on them?? love to hear what you think!!

hopefully later this week i'll be able to show you the table decorations... i'm still, ugh, working on it... LOL...

Don't forget Lollipop Crafts Anniversary blog hop is still going on until midnight tonight! make sure you visit each DT as there are hidden prizes all over... and i should be back tomorrow with my He-"art" journaling pages... toodles, have a fantastic day!!