Another Winner!

Our winner this week is Anthea! Congratulations, we'll be sending you your prize!

Weigh in Wednesday

I know it's late in the day, but I have lost two more pounds. This makes a total of 8. I'm not sure where it's come off since my pants don't feel any looser. I think my big toes feel smaller though. Don't you think that eventually it will have to come off my thighs? How are you all doing?

On another note, I have a friend that I worked with about 15 years ago. He emailed me when I moved back up to the Logan area. He even said he'd drop by Cosmo Cricket on Monday. He stood me up. Can you believe that? I don't know that I've ever been stood up before..... Eric just rolled his eyes, and although he does that often, even he doesn't stand me up! My friend claims to read the blog, so I have to ask, "Beamer, where are you man? Are you going to come by or not?"

A Winner and A Sneak

Congratulations Corey! Send us your address and we'll send you your prize.

Here is a sneak peek of our Oh Joy Collection which you will be able to enjoy soon! It will be up on the site for pre-orders shortly and will start shipping mid September!

I'm Melting! I'm Melting!!

Two more pounds of butter have melted away!!!! How did you all do? Let me know, then check back tomorrow to see if you're the lucky winner.

By the way, I'm not the only thing that's ready to melt. I have a little snowman friend, that I think is going to get pretty hot!

Random Bits and Pieces

Hey everyone, I made a Mr. Campy card just for the fun of it. Looks like I need a sharper blade on my paper trimmer!

And on another note, I am really excited about my stained glass windows, below! I have "collected" these over the years and I can tell you a story with each window. Anyway, I have had them in storage until just recently because when Eric and I moved into this house, it didn't work to hang them inside the windows like we had done before. It took me almost a year to figure out where and how to display them, but I am pleased with the results, especially in the mornings when the lights comes through the windows and makes them sparkle. I also like how it creates a visual divide between the kitchen/dining area and the sitting room. Now, I have begun a quest to find enough pieces to finish the space. My mother just gave me one for a belated birthday present...... it will look great because it is in a painted white frame, which should help break up the brown.

Back with Black.... board

As if you didn't get enough yesterday, right? Ok, so I had all these fun little Blackboard shapes and I'm not the type of person who is organized enough to save them and use them later. I'm more like the type of person to save them in a "safe" spot, forget where that spot is, find them five years later and not remember why I was saving them in the first place. But, what's a girl suppose to do in one day with over 30 Blackboard embellishments? Well, there is one independent scrapbook store in my area. So, I made a little display sampler for her to put up in her store. I think it's cute, and a fun way to keep a lot of ideas in one place. In fact, maybe I could actually organize ideas this way so that I don't forget them. It could be the start of my organizational plan!


Then, my sweet Kate is turning 9, her last single digit birthday, on the 22nd. So, I made her a little card. The black border is actually made by cutting one page from the blackboard album named for her.

Ten Blackboard Tips

Today I thought I would post some tips for using our Blackboard shapes. Take these ideas, use them as your own and become a scrapbook superstar!

1. Rub on the rub-ons! This is a fast and easy way to make cute Blackboard embellishments. One piece of advice, if your rub-on of choice is going to hang over the edge of the Blackboard shape, trim it off before starting to rub.

2. Stamp your Blackboard with chalk ink. I love this look!

3. Edge your Blackboard with a white pen, it really makes the edges POP.

4. Wrap your Blackboard with wire, thread, string, staples or fibers.

5. Glitter and Blackboard, one of my favorites! The polka-dots are made by putting down glue dots and then glittering. The dashes are glue dot dashes (imagine that). I also like stamping with glue and then glittering (wash your stamps immediately afterward).

6. These look like they are just plain, and although Blackboard is nice plain, it's also great with Glossy Accents! I love the cogs from the Cogsmo Blackboard done this way. In fact, so much that I've used them all and didn't have any on hand.

7. Use gold leaf with your Blackboard. I use gold leaf much like I use glitter. The leaves are done with glue, but the dots....... you guessed it, glue dots.

8. Paint your Blackboard. I love the metallic paint by Folk Art, but any kind of paint works. I've even used nail polish!

9. Get out the pastels. I have used oil and chalk pastels. These examples are chalk. It's fun to blend and shade, just use a fixative over the top when your done (aerosol hairspray will work in a pinch, but I doubt it's acid free).

10. Cover them with their matching diecuts. The new lines diecuts are even adhesive backed (stickers) so you don't have to use glue or anything! Sometimes I like to offset them so that I have a black shadowed edge showing, like on the bird above.

Congratulations Nicole!!

I'm super busy today, so I don't have time for a fun, video entry. But we will still send a prize for Nicole's dedication...... as soon as she sends us her address!

Not enough Blogging. Not enough Jogging.

Nothing lost, nothing gained
The number on the scale
Made me feel pained.

I've exercised, but not enough
And I've eaten some fattening stuff.

This week I promise to recommit
You can join me, we can get fit!

Post your results for the world to see
Then find out tomorrow if you were lucky.

And, since it's hard to not eat trash,
Here's a favorite recipe from my stash.

Mango Salsa

• 1 mango - peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1 can black beans
  
  Mix it all together and let the flavors mix for 30 minutes before serving...... although we can never wait! Serve it over grilled chicken or salmon.
  

A Winner and A Birthday Boy!

Happy Birthday Mr. Lindsay Moore (who is not stiff at all in real life) and congratulations Chelle, who posted "good for you! not only getting fit, but posting your 'laundry' for all the world to see! ..... chelle"

Send us your address and we'll send you a prize!

As if Posting Your Weight isn't Embarrassing Enough...

When Eric told me that he thought I should do this, I thought, "yeah it will be a little bit embarrassing," but seeing myself, no make-up, hair sticking up all over the place, trying to do push-ups......... girl-push-ups.......... well, I just want you to know we're like family now!

Anyway, you know the drill, post your weight loss and maybe you'll win a prize! I will keep everyone's names, except Maria C from last week, in the box and add all the names from today. So, the longer you stick with us, the better your odds of winning. One more thing, we have lost Maria's address. So if you know her please let her know, or if you are her please resend it so we can mail the prize!

Better Late Than Never

The Jack's World Display, that quiet book is the cutest project ever!

Eric, the long-armed man, takes a self portrait.

Mr. Campy Display...... always packed.

"Hey Lynette, can you teach me how to dance?"

"Sure Julie, that would be fun!"

"No, Julie, like this."

"I can't look, it's too embarrassing."

"And, why doesn't anyone want to dance with me?"

"Please let us have a great show. Please let us have a great show."

Jack's World Blackboard made big for the display.

Lynette Taylor or Sissy Spacek?

"Welcome to Cosmo Cricket, may I take your order?"

"Yes, can I have Mr. Campy with Haunted on the side?"

Tired and done, "Take us home, boys."